At the same time Roquan contemplated the problem of his troublesome slave, on an island just to the northeast of the one upon which the D'ronstaq Manor sat, a man walked alone on a road through the dense tropical forest.

He was known as the Wanderer. Indeed, his given name meant "Wandering Spirit" in his native lands, from a language few could speak fluently anymore in modern times. A terrible loss, he always felt, though he kept this to himself. His purpose was not to examine the past too closely. It was the present that concerned him now, and the future that concerned his master.

A future that was now his to begin to inaugurate, at his master's bidding.

In principle, he agreed with it. He, a humble servant to forces far more powerful than he could ever aspire to, had no business disagreeing. Yet it was distasteful. Most distasteful. He had stated as such, as audacious as that had been for him. His master spared him rebuke; he received the job anyway.

A job that must not fail.

He walked down the wide road that led from the gate to Lord K'laarn's Keep towards the place where he knew the Clan would be gathered, readying for their next port of call. Quite fortunate, he mused, that Lord K'laarn had been one of the places visited by the slave. It had taken only three tries to find the Clan.

Despite the heat, the Wanderer's long, lanky body seemed at ease. His skin was only lightly tanned, not much darker than the fair skin of the Manor slaves. It made for a stark contrast with his black hair, framing a round face with high cheekbones and dark eyes. Even his hair style alone -- long hair drawn into a single, tight ponytail -- was enough to mark him as the foreigner. This had been a minor objection to receiving this job. Yet he had to trust that his master knew best.

And as it had been drilled into him by that same master, there simply was no room for failure at his task.

The object of his search appeared just ahead as he came around the bend in the road. He was just in time. Tents were being taken down and folded. Carts were being hitched to pack animals.

One hurdle overcome. Now there was but one more, which materialized before him in the form of a swarthy, stocky young man with a formidable crossbow in hand.

The Wanderer smiled congenially as he approached. He raised his hands to his waist, palms forward, and was rewarded by a single nod and a lowering of the weapon. Yes, he had gotten that right: the Oceanus custom for announcing non-hostile intent.

The swarthy man stepped before the road to block it as the Wanderer came to a stop.

"Greetings, my friend, and good fortune to you and your Clan," said the Wanderer. His voice was high and melodic. There was a trace of an accent, one that tended to round-out his vowels and make his consonants crisp.

The swarthy one nodded once, his face betraying curiosity. "I am Herdon. What may the Ne'land Clan do for you?" he spoke, his voice even and businesslike.

"Accommodations, if you would."

Thick eyebrows rose on Herdon's haggard face. "Accommodations? You are a merchant?"

The Wanderer smiled, displaying two rows of even, bright teeth. "Indeed, good man. I wish permission to travel with your auspicious Clan."

The Ne'land merchant smirked, his eyes glancing over the fellow. "You bring no goods? No possessions save for what you carry on your person? What do you bring the Ne'land Clan, then?"

"Contacts. From foreign lands."

Herdon's expression was curious, yet dubious.

"If your Clan Leader seeks exotic goods, I can be of service. I have much experience in markets abroad. I have many connections."

"What is your name?"

"Jollis."

"And your Clan?"

"Alas, I am currently clanless. I am only 'Jollis', and nothing more. Which is why I have the need to seek accommodations."

"Uridon does not take on clanless merchants. Not usually, anyway. I don't think I need to explain why."

Jollis nodded. "I do have sufficient platinum on my person, however, to pay my way."

Herdon frowned. That was quite unusual in and of itself. Nearly all independent merchants still belonged to a nominal Clan. All monetary transactions were then done with the Clan, so the merchant himself did not need to carry it with him and thus make himself a robbery target.

Thus was the situation with such merchants that wished accommodations with another Clan. The Clan Leader demanded compensation for providing shelter and transportation for the merchant, and usually this was handled with the other merchant's Clan. A clanless merchant could call on no such conveniences. Some of these were no better than vagabonds, mooching free passage on the vague promise of goods to be delivered on a later day which never came.

"I sincerely doubt that you can be carrying enough to pay for complete passage of our run."

"No need," said Jollis. "I require passage but a short distance, and then I shall find my own way from there."

Herdon looked askance at the Wanderer. "And how far do you need to go?"

"Only as far as the D'ronstaq Manor."

Herdon considered, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. He tried to find a reason to simply run off this fellow here and now, and not bother his father with this. Yet he could find no compelling reason to do so. He was not entirely sure he trusted the man, however.

"You will wait here," he finally said in a gruff voice. He gave Jollis one last appraising look before turning away.

Jollis watched with calm yet intense eyes as Herdon walked into the midst of the camp, gesturing towards an older man who, other than some graying hair and a more weathered face, could have been Herdon's twin. The two conferred, the older one glancing towards Jollis speculatively. A debate appeared to ensue, ending with the older one pointing urgently towards Jollis.

Herdon shrugged and turned away. He returned quickly to Jollis, a dubious look on his face.

"Uridon wants to know if you have access to any magery supplies," Herdon said.

"Wards and charms? That sort of thing?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, yes, I believe I could procure that for him."

"Through the Mage Guild?"

"Hmm. Alas, no, it would have to be through other channels I'm afraid."

Herdon raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Is that a problem for Clan Leader Uridon?"

"Er, no, actually. In fact, Uridon had a request to get them through means other than the Guild."

Jollis smiled. "Well, that works out quite well, I would say!"

Herdon frowned. It was obvious that he did not think so. "Only if you can get some weather wards."

"Ah, indeed I can!"

"Fine. Uridon said if you thought you could swing that, and you could pay, you're in."

Jollis beamed. "I am most honored to be accepted by your Clan, Herdon Ne'land."

Herdon raised a hand. "I said, if you could pay. He wants one-fifty. And a third cut of any profit you make on any deals you do while you're with us."

"Done!"

Herdon gave Jollis a sour look. He turned his head back towards the camp, where his father Uridon Ne'land was watching from a distance. Herdon nodded once towards him before turning back to Jollis. "Just so you know, our Clan takes another merchant's word seriously. You don't come through on this, and you can forget about trading in these parts again once the Merchants' Guild hears."

"A wise warning to give. I shall not disappoint."

"Come on, then. You can help with the packing."

The Wanderer followed Herdon into the Ne'land camp.

Jollis wondered if perhaps he had acted just a little too eager to please. Enthusiasm was one thing, but perhaps he had taken it to an extreme. It was obvious Herdon did not like him, and he could not afford to have any of the Clan against him. He must make sure he earned their trust, so he would be above suspicion until the time was right.

He would not concern himself with this right now. The important thing was, he had achieved his initial goal. Now he could get to the Manor and begin his plan in earnest.

Amanda remained in her restraints for the rest of the day, save for the time she was allowed to eat at the midday meal. Sirinna said little to her outside of giving commands and short snippets of praise as she had Amanda try her oral skills on two other male slaves. Amanda thought she did reasonably well with both of them, even if she did not get quite as excited, but it was hard to tell from Sirinna's muted tone.

Upon returning to their quarters as sunset fast approached, Amanda was anxious to have the cuffs removed. Yet Sirinna kept them on for one more task.

"Turn around, Amanda."

Amanda sighed inwardly. In the back of her mind, she knew this was coming. She could protest that it was hardly her fault, that Marisa had provoked it, but knew it would just earn her the standard lecture. Instead, she remained silent and complied with her mistress' command.

She tensed, steeling herself, but flinched and yelped anyway when Sirinna's hand cracked across her ass cheeks. Amanda bit her lip to stifle a whimper when Sirinna reached the third stroke.

"That was for going too far with Marisa," Sirinna intoned. She delivered four more stinging slaps, alternating between her cheeks with each blow. "And that was for the look you gave Master Roquan afterward."

Amanda's eyes glistened with tears, but she held back a sob. She took a deep breath to try to steady her emotions. She expected more, perhaps for performing badly with the other two slaves. Instead, to her relief, Sirinna released her from the cuffs and detached the chain from the collar.

She turned around, rubbing her sore backside. "I'm sorry, mistress," she said in a low voice, her eyes downcast.

Sirinna sighed. "I know, love. And I'm sorry I had to punish you for it."

Amanda looked up. There was a hurt look on Sirinna's face. It was the first time she had shown that much reluctance at disciplining Amanda.

Amanda wanted to give vent to her frustrations at Marisa right then and there, but she was not sure she could push Sirinna's compassion that far. Fortunately, Sirinna saved her the trouble. "Marisa pushed you into that."

Amanda blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly and seized the advantage. "Yes, she did, mistress."

"I don't know what it is about Marisa. She's never acted this way towards any Trainees of mine. She was a little hard on Hiatha, but that was understandable."

"Maybe she sees me as another Hiatha, mistress. Everyone else does."

"That's not true, love, it ..."

"Yes, it is! Every day I catch another slave looking at me and whispering to friend, and I almost always hear her name. Either they're comparing me to her or they think she ought to be training me."

Sirinna gave Amanda a forlorn look.

Amanda sighed, exasperated. "I'm sorry, mistress. Do you need to spank me again for that?"

"No, Amanda, it's okay. You ... you have a right to be frustrated."

"I'm glad I have a right to be something around here."

Sirinna touched Amanda's cheek. Amanda was grateful for the simple, affectionate contact, and it helped her relax a little. Her eyes softened as she gazed back at her lover.

"You have to remember, you are a slave now," Sirinna said softly.

Amanda paused a moment, then slowly nodded. "I know. I really am trying, Sirinna. Mistress." She looked away, her eyes shimmering. "Dammit. I can't even remember that."

Sirinna reached for Amanda and hugged her tightly. "It's all right. You're just upset. I know you're trying. You really did well today with Garas and the other slaves."

"I wasn't so sure, as quiet as you were."

"I was more upset with Marisa than you, love. That's why I didn't care for having to punish you as I did."

Amanda squeezed Sirinna a little bit to show that she understood. She knew Sirinna was doing what she had to do.

Amanda let out a long sigh and enjoyed the warm softness of Sirinna's body for a few moments before speaking again. "Can I ask you something, mistress?"

Sirinna gently stroked Amanda's back. "Of course."

"Who's Freya?"

"She's an Overlord, Amanda."

Amanda drew back out of the embrace to look oddly at her mistress. "An Overlord? A woman?"

"Being an Overlord is not limited to men. You just don't see very many women heading Overlord Clans, but there's nothing that says they can't."

"So why was Master Rennis concerned about her with regards to me? Is she going to be at the Conclave?"

Sirinna hesitated, then nodded, her eyes growing distant.

Amanda's heart thumped. "I-I'm going to be Presented after all, aren't I? That's what all that was about, wasn't it? Is that why you're going so fast with my training?"

Sirinna smiled wanly. "You are still quite the clever girl."

Amanda made a face. She was in no mood to be placated, and her voice rose when she spoke again. "You knew? And you didn't tell me?"

"I did not want to put that pressure on you. You seem to work better when you're more relaxed."

Amanda wanted to explode at Sirinna. This was exactly the kind of thing she wanted to escape back on Earth! Her foster father had tried to hide things from her as well. He tried to hide the fact that he was still drinking, even after he had sworn off the booze. He was part of the reason Amanda was here in Narlass to begin with.

"I don't want to be lied to anymore, Sirinna!" Amanda cried.

"I did not lie to you," Sirinna said firmly, raising an admonishing finger. "When I first told you that you were not to be Presented, that was true. It was only later that Master Roquan told me things had changed."

Amanda gave her mistress a sullen look, but said nothing.

"If it helps any, I told Master Roquan that you were not far enough along in your training. But this Conclave is apparently very important to him, and he asked me to accelerate your training to try to prepare you."

"How much longer is it until the Conclave? Did he tell you when he took you aside earlier?"

"Yes. About half a moon."

Amanda gaped. "Two weeks?! Th-they ... they want me to go before a bunch of Overlords ... to please a bunch of Overlords in only two weeks?! Oh my God ..."

Sirinna grasped Amanda's shoulders tightly. "Amanda, calm down. It will be okay."

"No, it won't!" Amanda cried, her voice shrill. "How can Master Roquan expect me to be a perfect little perky slave when I can't even ..."

"Amanda!"

Amanda fell silent, tensing. She relaxed a little when she saw a look of concern rather than anger in Sirinna's eyes.

"Please, love. Don't panic over this."

"Mistress, I can't be what Master Roquan wants me to be, not in that short a time."

"And what do you think he wants of you?"

"What he wants of all his slaves! He wants them to be completely happy little submissives! I can manage being happy, and I can manage being submissive. I can't seem to do both yet at the same time. Not on demand, anyway."

Sirinna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Can you act the part instead?"

Amanda gave Sirinna an odd look. "Huh?"

"Can you do what you're told? Can you be respectful?"

Amanda paused. "I guess I can, yeah. I mean ... I've been trying to do that. I only messed up today because of Marisa. If any of the Overlords are like that, I ..."

Sirinna raised a finger, and Amanda fell silent again. "Marisa you have to deal with every day. But the Overlords will be here only a short time. Do you think you can handle it for the span of a few days?"

"A few days? Is that all they're going to be here for?"

"No, the Conclave will likely last much longer than that, but a Presenting rarely lasts longer than a day or two."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

Sirinna cupped her hand tenderly under Amanda's chin. "If you think you can handle yourself for that long, love, you'll do fine."

"Well ... I'm still not sure ... but that's better than I thought it would be. But what if I still mess up, Sirinna? Am I going to get Master Roquan in trouble? I don't want to be punished by him!"

"If you are obviously trying to be good, I don't think he'll punish you. If he did, the worst he might do is paddle you a little."

Amanda shuddered violently and looked away.

"It's not that bad."

"I don't ever want to be touched by that thing," Amanda said, shivering. "I hate it."

Sirinna sighed inwardly. This was going to make delivering the Traditional Twenty a lot harder. She reached over and took Amanda's chin again, coaxing her into looking towards her lover. Sirinna's heart lurched when she saw a single tear trickling down Amanda's face.

Sirinna brushed the tear away with a sweep of a finger. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Amanda. Or Master Roquan for that matter. He'll be able to tell if you're making a good effort to please."

"But I still have that attitude problem, don't I? That's really what the whole thing is about. That's why I'm still having problems."

"I've been trying to help you with that."

"But maybe not enough. You switched over to showing me sexual techniques instead."

Sirinna paused. "Master Roquan thought it prudent to do that."

Amanda thought on this for a moment, and then uttered a cynical laugh. "Yeah, I see. Her attitude is bad, but at least she can suck cock and eat pussy, right?"

Sirinna laughed softly and played with a curl of Amanda's hair. "Well, those are important for a slave to do as well."

"I know, but ... well, I'm really picking up that stuff fast. And I can even enjoy it, when I don't have Marisa around too much. Do you see the problem? I can learn the sex, that's not hard for me at all. But I can't be enthusiastic about it with people I don't like as well."

Sirinna gave her charge a curious look. "What are you saying, Amanda?"

"I'm saying that maybe you're concentrating on the wrong thing."

"You mean you want me to concentrate on teaching you to be submissive?"

"Yes!"

"But I thought you might rebel at that if I did it too soon."

"Yeah, I might have, if I didn't know I had this Presenting to worry about! Now at least I have a goal in mind. I've got a reason for doing it. Now it's sorta like a school assignment back home. I might not want to do it, but I know I have to, and I still want to do a good job on it."

Sirinna gave Amanda a nonplussed look, then shook her head and grinned. "Amanda, you still sometimes surprise me."

Amanda smiled at this. She took this as a compliment.

Sirinna still did consider this very unusual. All other slaves she trained learned to be submissive for the explicit purpose of their new lives as slaves. It was simply their life, their reason for being, and their means of gaining sexual reward. There was little formal training involved; all Sirinna really had to teach was the traditional submissive posture and some points of protocol.

None of this was working for Amanda, and it was forcing her to rethink all her training plans. She knew Amanda would be a challenge, but not like this!

"All right, Amanda, we'll try it," Sirinna finally said. "But Master Roquan still wants me to teach you sexual technique, so we'll have to do that anyway, and those sessions are going to get intense so we can cover everything. You're going to be worked twice as hard as before."

Amanda nodded. "That's okay. It will be like cramming for a test back on Earth."

Sirinna did not quite understand that turn of a phrase, but accepted the intent. "And you're going to have to learn to deal with Marisa, too. You can't get out of that."

Amanda drew in her breath and let it go as a soft sigh. "Well, if you're going to show me how to be submissive, maybe I can handle her better. At least now I'm a little more enthusiastic about wanting to learn."

Sirinna did admit to herself that she was infinitely grateful for that.

Amanda now understood that this was what she had needed all along. She needed a concrete goal to work towards. Learning "how to be a good slave" was not tangible enough for her. She was mystified as to how it was sufficient for the others.

Sirinna sat up from the bed, picking up the chain. "Here, let's get you secured back in your room, and I'll go get us some dinner. We can talk more about it over that."

Amanda nodded, giving Sirinna a small smile. "Yes, mistress."

After much fruitless tossing and turning -- as much as he could do in his advanced age -- Vanlo finally admitted that he was not going to attain the slumber that had so eluded him for the past few nights. With a tired groan, he arose from his bed and slipped into his long robe.

His crinkled, aged eyes glanced over towards the veiled doorway to the smaller chamber beyond with a forlorn sigh. He still missed Yanna. Despite what she had done, she had been a good slave for him. While he was beyond the age for sexual escapades, he adored looking at her ripe, nude body, and found her little soft moans when she pleasured herself to be very soothing to his ears.

Roquan had offered him his choice of another slave to take Yanna's place. Unfortunately, none at the Manor really suited his fancy. The only one that he felt he would enjoy even half as much as Yanna was young Amanda, and it would be a long while before she was a full slave. Even then, he was sure Roquan had better plans for her than to be an aging Healer's eye toy.

Vanlo stepped through his open doorway and into the deepening evening. Above him, inky blue spread across the skies and slowly pushed the remaining glowing embers of sunset below the western horizon. There was a sharp tang of moisture to the air, and his joints ached in equal measure. There would be rain by morning, he was sure of that.

It was about the only thing he was sure of anymore.

He wished his other, less earthly senses were as keen. Perhaps they could tell him what was happening. Or perhaps, he was finally going senile, and this was the first manifestation.

Vanlo appeared to make a decision, giving a single nod of his head. He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled down the winding path behind his quarters which snaked northward towards the Overlord's chambers. Despite the weighty matters he knew were on Roquan's mind these days, he hoped that the man would not think him too forward.

Outside the Overlord's door, he knocked softly once. It was loud enough to be heard in the outer chamber, too soft to be heard in the inner chamber. If he received no response, he would know that Roquan was otherwise occupied, likely in a tryst of a sexual nature with one of his slaves.

"Enter."

Vanlo let himself in. He found the Overlord seated in his chair, a half-empty goblet in one hand. He was clad in only his satin robe. Vanlo paused at this. "If I am intruding, your Lordship ..."

"Marisa will be arriving later," said Roquan.

Vanlo's eyebrows rose, a small smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Indeed?"

"She was quite forward earlier at the Circle. I was interested to see how she fared in my bedchamber these days. I realized I need to socialize with more of my slaves in this manner."

"Ah, socializing, yes," Vanlo said with a smile.

"It is within my right, after all."

"True, very true. You simply tend to be very particular on who you take to your bed."

Roquan allowed himself a wry smile. "If you mean that I tend to take Sirinna rather often ..."

Vanlo raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Oh, far be it for me to comment on your Lordship's choice of partners."

"But you will anyway."

Vanlo detected the hint of amusement in his Overlord's voice. "As the health and well-being of your slaves is always the utmost concern in my mind ..."

Roquan put his goblet aside and folded his arms. "No doubt."

" ... I have indeed sensed that some may wish your attentions more often. So this is a good thing."

Roquan paused, then uttered a short laugh. "It is quite amazing how many things appear to be changing in a Manor where I previously believed there ought to be no change."

Vanlo smiled. "Ah, those pesky 'interesting times' again. Certainly the Mage Guild has a ward for that."

Roquan picked up his goblet again and stood. "I assume that you did not come here to comment on my sexual lifestyle."

"No, not at all. But it might be a preferable topic to the one in mind."

The Overlord detected the change in his Healer's tone, and his expression hardened. The incident with Yanna told him to expect bad news when his Healer acted like this. "Now what?"

"It may be nothing."

"With you, it rarely is."

"Hmm. Yes. Quite unfortunate, that."

"So what is it?" Roquan said with a small sigh. He took a long sip from his wine. "You are not about to tell me another of my slaves is to be kidnapped via the Portal again, hopefully."

Roquan would never forget that it was Vanlo that had helped save Sirinna's life during Yanna's failed attempt to abduct her. Amanda had stopped Sirinna from being taken, Vanlo had made it possible to get her back to the Healer's office to save her life.

Like all Healers, Vanlo was a magic-sensitive. Unlike most, he had the gift that was usually the venue of Mages; he could sense the ebb and flow of Portal energies. Thus that fateful night he had sensed that the Overlord's Portal -- the magical device normally used to open tunnels to parallel worlds for slave procurement -- was being activated prematurely, and had alerted Roquan at once.

"It is interesting you should mention the Portal, your Lordship."

Roquan was about to take another sip, stopped, and lowered the goblet. "Please do not tell me you ..."

"It is not being used, no," Vanlo said quickly. "But have you had it serviced yet since that night?"

Roquan's voice turned bitter. "No, I most certainly have not. It will be a very long time before I trust the Mages' Guild again. I do not believe I will have much use of it for some time, anyway."

"You may wish to reconsider having it checked."

"Why?"

"It is possible that it is leaking energy."

Roquan raised an eyebrow.

"For the past few nights, my sleep has been disturbed. It has been as if I have been sensing Portal energies, but from a distance. It has been most annoying. Like a tiny itch in someplace where one cannot scratch."

"Could you be sensing another Overlord's Portal, Vanlo?"

Vanlo shook his head. "No, your Lordship. The nearest one is much too far away for me to sense."

"And you believe this to be caused by my Portal?"

Vanlo paused, stroking his beard. "It is the most plausible explanation."

Roquan sensed the hesitation in the Healer's voice. "But not the only explanation."

Another pause, much longer this time. Vanlo clasped his hands behind his back. "Another explanation would be that someone else is operating a Portal in the vicinity of the Manor."

"Is that what you are suggesting?"

Vanlo shook his head. "I would not be so bold as to presume that," he said cautiously. "I am old, your Lordship. My natural senses are already failing me. It stands to reason this would follow."

"Yet you thought enough about it to alert me."

"My conscience would not dictate otherwise, your Lordship. But if you would consider servicing your Portal soon, and if these sensations stopped, we could eliminate that possibility."

Roquan took a deep breath and let it go. The last thing he needed was to shell out more money to a Guild that had already once sabotaged his Portal. Yet he did not want to see his Healer suffer insomnia. "I will see to it, I promise you."

Vanlo nodded, satisfied. Roquan had proven in the past that his word alone was good enough. "Thank you, your Lordship, I appreciate the thought. I know you have many things on your mind with the coming Conclave."

Roquan sighed. "Among other things," he grumbled, turning away.

Vanlo knew he should leave, but he was too curious. He knew if he waited, the Overlord would volunteer the information, if for no other reason than to have a sympathetic ear.

"Amanda troubles me."

Vanlo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"She is not coming along well in her training."

"I am quite sorry to hear that. I rather like the girl, and hoped she would do well. I thought when she handled herself well at her deflowering ..."

"There is more than sensuality and sexual prowess to being a good slave, Vanlo. She is failing to understand this."

"Indeed? Even with Sirinna training her?"

Roquan straightened and drained the rest of his wine. "I now fear that is part of the problem."

Vanlo said nothing. He knew of the strong feelings between Sirinna and Amanda, but did not feel it was his place to bring this to the Overlord's attention.

"After what I saw today, I had seriously intended to try to sell her at auction before the Conclave arrives, specifically so I do not have to deal with Presenting her."

"I am sorry for your frustration, your Lordship."

Roquan turned his head and stared at his Healer, as if looking for some insight. "Are you?"

Vanlo gave the Overlord a small smile. "As I said, your Lordship, I appear to fancy her. Foolish of me, perhaps, but there it is. I would be sad to see her go."

What Roquan did not want to admit openly was that he felt the same way. He did not exactly "fancy" her, but he was attracted to her. His memory of her deflowering was a pleasant one, and he wished for the opportunity to repeat it. If only the energy she put into being rebellious could be channeled into something more constructive! Amanda had the potential to be one of his best slaves, he was sure of it. He was simply not sure how to get her there.

And he was not sure Sirinna yet knew, either, which was what truly worried him.

"I talked to Sirinna as she was getting dinner earlier. She now insists that she knows how to deal with the girl, and that she will improve. This despite there being only a half moon until the Conclave."

"Hmm. Yes. Quite the dilemma. You can sell Amanda, and cut your losses. Or trust Sirinna will come through for you, as she always has in the past, time and time again, without fail. After all, she is the best Trainer you ever had."

Roquan stared at the Healer. Vanlo smiled.

"I hate it when you do that, Vanlo."

"Do what, your Lordship?"

"Word your suggestions of choices as no choices at all."

"Oh, perish the thought," Vanlo said dramatically. "It would not enter my mind to do that to your Lordship."

"You are also a horrid liar."

Vanlo grinned broadly. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with undisguised amusement. "May I take my leave of you, or do you wish to insult me further?"

Roquan uttered a short, cynical laugh. "At least you made me choose what I had been leaning towards in the first place. Amanda will stay. I will leave it to Sirinna to provide me a miracle."

"It always helps to be optimistic," Vanlo said with an impish grin as he turned and left his Overlord's presence.

Roquan was still quite impressed with his oldest slave.

As a test of her ability to retain her composure, he left her in the submission posture -- kneeling, legs parted, hands palm-up on her thighs, eyes down -- for a good part of the evening. He then proceeded to sexually tease her mercilessly.

A slave was required to remain in this posture until her master's desires were made known to her. If no word was spoken to her along these lines, she was not to move or to react. Roquan repeatedly reached between her legs and brought her to several strong orgasms by a variety of methods, making her body quiver and her breathing grow ragged. Yet each time she managed to keep her position, and her moans never rose above soft sighs.

Now her body shuddered in the last of those climaxes. Roquan slowly withdrew the large phallic toy he had used on her this time and set it aside. He had one last thing for her before he would command her.

Roquan retrieved a small vial of salve from a pocket of his robe. He placed a dab on one of his fingers and gently spread it over one of her nipples. Marisa drew in her breath sharply as the salve stimulated her, making the nipple tingle wildly. She trembled as her pussy rose again, as if it were being stimulated directly. By the time he applied more to her other nipple, she was panting again.

The effect did not abate when he removed his fingers. Her nipples continued to tingle, and she longed to touch them. She remained in her position, however, without making a sound.

"Very good," Roquan said, his first words to her. "Stand."

Marisa let her breath go as a strained sigh as she rose to her feet. Her eyes smoldered with desire as she looked upon the Overlord.

Roquan gazed extensively at Marisa's body. Yes, she was getting on in years. Her hips were a little more full, her waist not quite as thin, her breasts had just a small amount of sag to them. Yet her skin was still fair and unblemished, her face was pretty, and her body still exuded sensuality. For those that would wish a mature woman as a companion, she was ideal.

Unfortunately, many of Roquan's clients were younger Lords that wanted correspondingly younger woman. They had yet to understand the advantage to having a slave who is older and far more experienced and skilled.

Roquan teased Marisa no longer, but fully intended to put her skills to use. He took her hand and led her into the bedchamber.

He wasted no time with preliminaries. He slipped off his robe, baring his well-muscled body. He held her hand as he climbed onto the bed, and gently pulled her atop him.

Marisa knew exactly what he wanted. Without waiting for an order or for so much as a gesture, she straddled him, and impaled herself on his cock.

She closed her eyes and moaned softly as her hips descended, his length sliding into her tunnel, still hot and wet despite how many times it had been pleasured already. She leaned forward, letting her sizable breasts dangle below her, knowing what Roquan intended to do. No sooner than Marisa began to slowly draw herself up and down on his shaft, he reached up and grasped her breasts in his strong fingers.

Marisa could not suppress a short but sharp cry when Roquan began fingering her nipples. The salve had made them ultra-sensitive, so much so that it was almost too much for her. Her body shuddered, her breathing a wild pant as his touch drove her mad. Her pussy rose, and as she humped him faster. She was already soaring up and over. She cried out again as she pulsed in another orgasm. She clenched her teeth and steadfastly concentrated on her task, her hips still moving smoothly up and down.

Roquan did not relent, even as Marisa's ministrations made him rise as well. He continued fingering her nipples, squeezing and tugging at them. Marisa's moans became more strident. Her hips pumped steadily faster, and the pressure again built in her cunt, causing it to squeeze more tightly around the Overlord's cock. Her pussy spasmed as she crested over again, her orgasm not quite as strong, but with as much potential to be distracting if she let it.

She did not. Her rhythm remained steady, increasing evenly until her body was slapping against his at a rate that now drew soft moans from Roquan. He finally relented, dropping his hands from her breasts, and clamped them around Marisa's hips. He urged her to move even faster, pulling her hips towards him with each down-stroke so that he buried himself deeply inside her each time.

Marisa threw her head back and cried out a third time, her climax this time triggered purely by the act of intercourse. Perspiration broke out over her skin. Finally, the Overlord arched his back and uttered a loud, low groan. She felt him begin to throb powerfully inside her. Marisa moaned in delight and pressed her hips down to his, letting him pump his hot seed deep inside her.

She lowered herself over him as their orgasms wound down. Finally, Roquan reached up and drew her to him, embracing her warmly as they remained coupled through their final, lingering throbs. When he was finally spent, Marisa shifted her hips, and let him withdraw from her. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. She turned her head to one side and lay with one cheek against his chest.

"That was most excellent, Marisa," Roquan said, affection in his voice.

"Thank you, master," Marisa said, smiling softly. "I was happy to please you."

"And you have not forgotten how to remain submissive. I was impressed."

"Have I given you reason to doubt this, master?"

"I found you to be rather bold at the Circle earlier today."

Marisa raised her head, concern filling her eyes as she gazed at the Overlord. "Forgive me for that, master, but my intentions were good. I wished only to assist Sirinna."

"You have taken a keen interest in Amanda, it would appear."

Marisa smiled. "I always want to see a new Trainee do well."

"Indeed. One would think you might wish a training role for yourself."

Marisa paused. Yes, this is exactly what she wanted. It was what she had wanted ever since Hiatha was given the position. Hiatha, of all people! That decision had grated on her. Hiatha had been the most undisciplined slave Sirinna ever had to train, save for Amanda. She had barely half the experience Marisa did, yet Marisa had been passed over for it.

And now Marisa had her last opportunity to get the role for herself. Even if it meant having to make Sirinna look bad. Yet she had to be careful. She could not let the Overlord know she wanted it that badly.

"I am finding that I do enjoy assisting Sirinna, master," Marisa said. "Especially since her latest Trainee appears to be such a handful."

Roquan nodded once. "Yes, she is."

"And where you contracted Hiatha out to a new client recently, master, she has no other experienced trainer to draw on for help."

This was as far as Marisa dared to push things in highlighting her own experience. It was not lost on Roquan. He had disliked having to send Hiatha away, as he knew she might be needed to assist with Amanda. Yet with only one Trainee, and the need for increasing funds a more imminent concern, that had made the decision for him.

"Sirinna stated to me earlier that she believes she understands how to deal with Amanda now, and that she will improve."

Marisa considered her answer carefully. "I am sure that she believes that, master."

"And you do not?"

Marisa dropped her eyes respectfully. "Amanda does not appear to be able to handle it well when one is more aggressive towards her. And I ask forgiveness for being so bold as to act in so non-submissive a manner."

Roquan allowed a small smile to play at his lips. He was not naive. He knew perfectly well that a power hierarchy existed among the slaves. It was tacitly allowed if never openly acknowledged. Slaves gained a measure of assertiveness as they grew older, and this was considered a healthy outlet for it.

After all, for a slave to become a Trainer, she had to have a level of aggressiveness. Sirinna's was simply a lot more carefully controlled than most. She was more a teacher than a trainer, truth be told. It worked in most circumstances, but with Amanda ...

"Marisa, is it your wish to train Amanda yourself?"

Marisa was surprised by the question. She had not expected the Overlord to cut to the chase so soon. "I wish to do whatever you require of me, master," she replied.

"I cannot take Amanda from Sirinna, not at this late a time. However, I can require that Sirinna accept your assistance on a more permanent basis."

Marisa smiled. "Yes, master, I would enjoy the chance to help."

"I will make it so. Now, lay quietly with me for a little while longer."

Marisa lay her head down against the Overlord's chest. Out of sight of his eyes, she allowed herself a small, wicked smile.

She would get Sirinna's position for sure now. There was simply no way she could fathom that Amanda could withstand the training that she had planned for the girl. And when the "test" finally came, she would make sure that she would be giving it.

There simply would be no way for Amanda to pass it.

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