The Wanderer lived up to his name. Or at least inasmuch as it would seem to someone watching him.

In reality, Jollis had his path well thought out. He knew Roquan would be quite busy that day with the opening of the Conclave. However, he wished to insure that he could catch the Overlord at some point before the man retired for the evening. It was very important for him to meet with the man, to establish a rapport with the Overlord.

In effect, to build the man's trust.

This would be crucial to his plans later, for it will keep him close to the Overlord at all times in preparation for the critical moment. It was then that his plan would come to fruition, and he could begin his master's work. Such was his humble mission.

Thus he wound in and around the grounds, between gardens, the road skirting Roquan's quarters, and the bluff. He nodded his head respectfully at the other Overlords and smiled brightly at the nubile maidens that were Roquan's slaves. Yes, it did indeed look like wandering to one who might be watching.

Then, at some point, his pattern changed, for he realized that he was indeed being watched.

He turned down a path that he knew from his explorations the day before would guide him along the east side of the Manor, where many empty slave quarters lay. It was quiet here, the cries of birds and buzzing of insects the only sounds that could be heard.

Now he looked about, his steps becoming more purposeful. He made furtive glances around the sides of buildings, staring off into the underbrush at the edge of the Manor grounds, as if looking for something. Finally he paused, then quickly ducked between two structures and slipped into the dark shade just around the curve of one of them.

He waited, and soon his patience was rewarded by the soft sounds of footsteps on sand. The sound grew very close, then ceased. A pause, and then a figure cautiously leaned around the side of the building.

But not cautiously enough.

Jollis made two movements, but they may have well been only one for as seamlessly as they flowed one to the other. A hand flicked out and grasped the wrist of the intruder. A foot cracked against a knee.

Yet to the intruder's credit, he was prepared. Briefly, light glinted off bladed steel. But Jollis was prepared as well and ducked the incomplete lunge, his free hand sending the dagger spinning off into the foliage behind him.

There was a loud thud, and Jollis smoothly pinned a knee to the intruder's chest and lay the side of his arm tightly against the man's throat. The pleasant smile on Jollis' face altered not a bit as he looked down at his catch. "Ah, good day to you, Merchant Herdon."

Herdon clenched his teeth as pain flared hot in his left knee. He lifted his hands to push Jollis from him, only to be forced to relent when his adversary pressed his weight dangerously on the arm across Herdon's throat. "Get off me, foreigner!" Herdon said, spitting out the word as a epithet.

"You miss a point of protocol, my good merchant, but this can be forgiven. It is customary to use one's title or name in normal conversation."

"You broke my gods-damned knee!"

"I did nothing of the sort. You will be fine in a short while. I have no wish to harm you."

"Then why ... hellfire, let off my throat!"

Jollis paused a moment, then relented, pulling his arm back. He left his knee on the man's chest and applied a small amount of weight, just enough to be uncomfortable. Herdon took a few moments to gasp in air, clutching at his bruised throat.

"Then why are you skulking about the Manor, if not to do harm!" Herdon spat.

Jollis chuckled. "I do not skulk, good merchant. I simply do not take kindly to be stalked."

Herdon looked up in amazement. "You knew I was following you?"

"Oh, indeed. One who travels across these lands as much as I do has need of such skills." He leapt back from Herdon and rose to his feet. "As well as, you can see, self-defense."

Herdon scrambled to his feet and grimaced when the pain in his knee bit him. However, he was able to set his weight upon it, and it did not buckle. He gave Jollis a sharp look. "I suppose now you will claim you could have killed me if you had wished it."

Jollis grinned, making Herdon all the more irritated. "Would you not be able to say the same thing, were the roles reversed? And I might remind you of the blade you attempted to use against me not a moment ago."

Herdon sighed and rubbed at his still aching throat. "Fine, you have a point."

"Now, good merchant, perhaps you will enlighten this one as to why you felt the need to follow?"

Herdon didn't like being put on the spot like this. At the same time, he could not simply refuse to answer the question. "I saw you skulking ... all right, walking ... near Roquan's quarters. I was curious as to what your interest in it was."

"Ah, I see. Perhaps you assumed ill intent on my part, yes?"

Herdon said nothing, fuming.

"You will recall, I wished accommodation only to this Manor. I shall need to make may way from here when your Clan leaves. Would it not be prudent for me to secure a deal with the Overlord?"

Herdon frowned. "A deal? You mean as in trade?"

Jollis smiled indulgently. "Is that not what merchants do?"

"With what goods? You will have no claim to ours, I can tell you that!"

"And I have no need of them. As I have stated, I have contacts."

Herdon snorted. "Contacts! They will get you goods here? This far from port?"

Jollis did not reply. He simply continued to smile serenely at the Ne'land merchant.

Herdon rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course," he said sourly. "Never reveal your contacts to another Clan."

"Ah, you understand then. Very good."

"You'd compete with Uridon right here in the Manor?"

"Clan Leader Uridon has made a very profitable deal through me," said Jollis. "I have my doubts he will be terribly upset at any small pittance I may make on my own."

Herdon narrowed his eyes.

He did not trust this man. No man that could be trusted gave such easy and quick answers as Jollis did. He felt as if Jollis were working from something rehearsed just for this occasion. In fact, everything the merchant did appeared to him to be carefully planned and executed. He never faltered, never hesitated. The answer was always there, as if he had manipulated events to occur as they did.

Herdon frowned. His father often accused him of being paranoid. A relic of his soldiering days, Uridon would say. The reality was that Uridon did not know the half of it. Or what his own plans were.

Plans that did not take well to being disrupted by a foreign merchant.

Jollis stepped up to Herdon. The smile on his face became tight. "A word for you, good merchant: cautious."

Herdon made a face. "I beg your pardon?"

"It is what you should be from now on, Herdon. Cautious. Around me. Please do not require me to warn you again."

Jollis inclined his head respectfully at the stunned merchant. He strolled past Herdon and returned to his wanderings.

Amanda was fortunate in that most of the other Overlords were already too deep into deal-making to spare time for her. Even Gronnus had become otherwise occupied, and Roquan took advantage of this to show some mercy on Amanda. He kept her close to his side until evening fell and the Overlords retired for the night.

Yet all through it, Amanda remained restrained, and the salve on her nipples continued to act upon her. Even though no one touched them, the simple act of breathing moved her breasts enough to keep them mildly stimulated. By the time Roquan escorted her back to Sirinna, she was trembling again with the need for release.

Sirinna saw Amanda's predicament immediately. As soon as Roquan had left, Sirinna brought Amanda relief with a few soft strokes of her fingers. As soon as Amanda's orgasm had faded and her lover had removed the restraints, her remaining composure shattered. She burst into tears and hugged Sirinna fiercely.

Sirinna was a little nonplussed at first, and could only hold Amanda until she was calm enough to talk, whereupon Sirinna got the whole story.

Sirinna sighed and brushed her fingers through Amanda's hair. "I'm sorry, love," she said in a forlorn voice. "If I had known Mistress Freya would use Naiduna on you, I would have told you exactly what it did."

"Huh?" Amanda said, wiping her eyes. "What did you call it?"

"Naiduna. It makes your nipples really sensitive. You can almost cum from it, but not quite."

"Yes, I know, I found that out!"

"Amanda."

Amanda paused, and then sighed deeply. "I know, I know. I'm not being a good slave. I should do as I'm told and like it."

"It sounds to me like you did everything she asked of you, love."

"But I didn't like it! I didn't like being kept from cumming like that!"

"Just so you know, Amanda, not all -- not even most -- clients will do that to you," Sirinna said cautiously. "And Master Roquan tends not to deal with ones that do it excessively. When he uses it, it is generally in small amounts to enhance the sexual act. He uses the larger amounts only for punishment purposes."

Amanda sniffled and nodded. "I ... I just blew it, that's all."

"No, no, no. You didn't 'blow it'. Roquan would have punished you if you had."

"I think the only reason he didn't is because he took pity on me after Mistress Freya had me," Amanda said bitterly.

"Perhaps he did. But that also means he believes you did your best."

"He hardly spoke to me at all on the way over here. I think he's angry with me."

Sirinna opened her mouth and then closed it again without saying a word. Sirinna knew her master's responses well. Roquan was not angry. He was furious. But not with Amanda. Her guess was that it was Freya that was the target of his ire.

She could not let herself say this out loud. It was tantamount to a slave insulting another Overlord. Even in private, even though Roquan shared her own anger, it was not what a good slave should do.

"Amanda, you pleasured Mistress Freya, did you not?"

Amanda paused and nodded. "Though she wasn't too impressed with the job I did."

Sirinna's lips curled into a small smile. "Did you hear her moan? Did you hear her pant?"

Amanda nodded slowly.

"Then despite ... despite what she said, I would say you did a good job."

That was the closest Sirinna would allow herself to come to disparaging an Overlord. The gesture, however, was not lost on Amanda. She broke into a smile and hugged Sirinna again. "Thank you, Sirinna."

Sirinna hugged her back, and ignored the momentary forgetfulness about her Trainer's title.

Amanda was still troubled, however. What really upset her was something she could not mention. Overlord Freya D'yros had tried to make her say something that would have implied she had not had the Draught. She had not expected that. Roquan might have, however.

I suspect the intentions of the Overlords.

Amanda wished he had told her. In her moment of weakness, when she had been desperate for sexual release, she had almost given the wrong answer. It was as if Freya had been trying to torture an answer out of her.

And that was what scared her.

"I'm just glad it's over, mistress," Amanda breathed.

Sirinna slowly broke off the embrace. "Over?"

Amanda nodded. "Yes. You said yourself, the Presenting is only a day."

"Sometimes it lasts an additional day, love."

"None of the others were interested in me after Mistress Freya. I don't think they want me."

Sirinna smiled softly. She knew what the truth likely was. Roquan would want her again, at least for one more day. Yet she knew that Amanda needed comfort right now more than anything else. "Perhaps you're right. Now, why don't you let me go get us some dinner? You must be hungry after all of that."

Amanda smiled and nodded. She was so grateful to have Sirinna. She shivered slightly at the thought of being sold or given to another Overlord. Or contracted to a client for that matter. Though at least in that case, she would eventually return to the Manor, even if just to wait for another contract to be negotiated. At least she would see Sirinna then.

To be cut off from her completely was too much for Amanda to bear.

"It is not bad enough that she is the most insufferable of the lot of them!" Roquan shouted. "Now she treats a slave of mine no better than those accursed slavemasters of the Urisi!"

It was rare when Roquan became angry enough to raise his voice to this degree, and Rennis knew enough to simply let his fellow Overlord vent without saying a word. There would be time later to deal with him when he was calm.

Doran, unfortunately, was not aware of this. "Roquan, you are overreacting to this!"

Roquan stared at him incredulously. He raised a finger to emphasize his words. "Doran, I will not have my slaves mistreated! Not by a client and certainly not by another Overlord!"

"Blazing hellfire, Roquan! Freya used Naiduna on her! It is not like she whipped the girl!"

"It might have well been a whipping, considering the amount she used."

"And you have not used such amounts yourself?"

"As a punishment!"

"Perhaps Amanda gave her reason to do so."

Roquan was so furious that he could not speak for a moment. Instead, he picked up his empty wine goblet and hurled it across the room.

"I didn't say she deserved it! Great gods, Roquan! Calm yourself! Freya D'yros is widely known among the other Overlords as the strictest disciplinarian of the lot. It is quite possible Amanda made some very minor gaff that she chose to blow up into this."

"And for what reason?" Roquan demanded.

"Just what you're doing now," Rennis spoke up. "Losing your temper. Letting her get to you."

Roquan remained silent, quietly seething.

"She's playing mind-games with you, Roquan, and you're letting her."

Roquan drew himself up. "And here you were just saying it was not my mind she was interested in."

Rennis could not help but smirk at this, and even Doran managed to crack a small smile.

"Regardless, Roquan, just let it drop," said Doran. "You have more urgent matters to deal with."

"And if Amanda managed to handle this," said Rennis. "I would imagine the rest of the Overlords would be easy."

Roquan took a deep breath to steady himself. He was still quite angry. His eyes blazed at the thought of what Freya had done to Amanda. The other Overlords often scoffed at the fierce protectiveness he showed for his slaves. He did not care. They were valuable to him. And he cared for them. He wanted to see his slaves happy, or at the very least, content.

"I think we can get Trennan, Roquan," Doran said with a small smile. "I am fairly confident that Gronnus has offered him wine as well, but only half of what I can give you. He just doesn't have enough to offer to counter us."

Roquan nodded curtly, but this was indeed good news to him. "Then I only need to make the deal and close it."

"Well, you make an offer. He won't accept it right away."

Roquan frowned. "But we clearly will be offering more."

"Yes, but he doesn't want you to know that. He'll wait another day, and then he'll take it. That's how it works."

Roquan sighed through his nose. "I hope you are right about that."

"Should he give Amanda to him at that time?" Rennis asked.

Doran considered. "Not strictly necessary, but as the host, Roquan should take every advantage he can get."

"I will let him have Amanda," Roquan said. "He I can trust to treat a slave properly."

"You can't use that as a criteria," said Rennis. "I overheard Gronnus commenting to another that he wanted Amanda for himself tomorrow as well."

"He will have her. But not before Trennan. Perhaps knowing that I gave Amanda to Trennan specifically before him will send him a message."

Doran grinned. "Now you're starting to get the hang of it."

"Yes. Though I do not know whether or not it is something to be proud of."

"Come morning, I will leave you to make the offer and we should have a deal by evening. I will likely not see you until the afternoon Conclave meeting."

"And what will you be doing?"

Doran chuckled. "Getting you some votes. And you'll like this: I'll be getting them largely on your words."

"It is about time," Roquan grumbled.

"You think that some of the other Overlords might actually agree with us, Doran?" Rennis asked.

Roquan frowned. "And why is that so surprising, Rennis?"

"Gentlemen, please," Doran said with a sigh. "I knew someone would be swayed by the situation, it was just a matter of pinning down who. Now that we have made our speeches, they are easier to see. Anyway, I will be done by the midday meal. We should meet then, and we can go over what we may need to say at the debate."

Roquan raised an eyebrow. "Debate?"

"Yes, debate! Each day the Conclave meets, and both sides can debate the issue if they please."

"All the Overlords are required to attend, then?"

Doran grinned and shook his head. "Some days, you'll be lucky to get half."

"What are the others doing, then?"

"Making deals, of course!"

Roquan shook his head. "This is insane."

"This is Overlord politics, Roquan."

"It is little wonder I did not wish to socialize with the other Overlords."

Doran gave Roquan a sly smile. Eventually, he will understand. An Overlord was a politician, in a way. Just a politician with a very narrow set of concerns and a captive constituency.

Rennis stepped away from the wall and approached Roquan now that the latter was in a calmer state of mind. "I wished to inform you, Roquan, that I have prepared a short statement of my own to be spoken at the Conclave tomorrow, if you would allow me to open the day's debate."

"I have no more words for them, so you are welcome to it."

Doran was about to say something when there came a light knock at the door. He turned to Roquan with a small frown. "Expecting someone?"

Roquan shook his head and stepped forward. "Enter."

The door opened, and the lean form of the Wanderer stepped inside. He paused a moment, then bowed his head. "My humble apologies. I shall return later if this is a bad time."

"You are?" Roquan inquired.

"The Merchant Jollis, your Lordship. I ..." His pause was almost imperceptible, as was his momentary glance towards the others. " ... wished to speak with you on a matter of trade. However, I can come back at a different time."

"No need, no need," Doran spoke up before Roquan could answer. "I was just about to retire for the evening."

"As was I," said Rennis.

Both Overlords quietly stepped out of the chamber and into the cool evening air.

Roquan sighed. "I request that you be brief, Jollis. This has been a very trying day."

"Ah, yes, perfectly understandable, your Lordship. But perhaps this will secure some of your time: I am the one who procured your magical supplies for you brought by Clan Leader Uridon."

Roquan's eyebrows rose. "Indeed, are you?"

"Yes, good Overlord. Perhaps he mentioned that he received them from a merchant from foreign lands, no?"

No, Uridon had not said this, but it mattered not to him. He scrutinized the fellow, now knowing (or believing) that this was the one that shared his Trainer's bed each evening. "I trust your accommodations have been comfortable," Roquan said carefully.

Jollis smiled softly. "Indeed, your Lordship. You are most generous, and Sirinna is a most excellent companion. And Amanda is a joy to be around."

Roquan barely hid his surprise at that last statement. "You say you wish to discuss trade with me. Have you more to offer?"

"It is more that I will have more to offer."

"I do not understand."

"I wish only to inform you that my contacts in this area are very, very good. It is likely I can secure what you need in a short amount of time."

"And what would it be that I would need, Jollis?"

Jollis smiled. "Ah, but that surely depends on you, does it not? And the dealing that you do?"

A small smile touched Roquan's lips. "You hope to profit from the Conclave."

"Does not every merchant dream of this? But no, not precisely. I am more concerned with you."

"And why is that?"

Jollis paused. This needed to be put delicately. "Suffice it to say, your Lordship, that it is good to tend to those that would be most in the need of my services."

Roquan knew exactly what that implied. He was the most "needful" of them all. It was perfectly true. He still felt that the merchant was a bit presumptuous to say it to him in this manner, but he kept this to himself. Surely if Doran had been there, he would have told Roquan to jump at the chance of another source of goods to trade.

And he knew that the other merchants were avoiding him for the same reason that Jollis appeared to be attracted to him. Except the others were more concerned about money. They knew the Overlord was stretched. It did not make business sense to deal with him directly. They instead busied themselves with the other Overlords.

He did not want to come right out and say that he might not have enough platinum to purchase anything the merchant could offer. He instead said, "It may be better in this case, merchant Jollis, to follow the wisdom of your peers."

Jollis smiled. "Ah, but someone must break from the pack on occasion. I only wish, your Lordship, for you to remember my name should the need arise. And now, I bid you good night."

The man bowed his head and quietly took his leave, the Overlord casting a perplexed look in his wake.

"And here we are again, little one."

Amanda managed a small smile, though it was somewhat forced. She sat upon her bed with her knees drawn up defensively, despite the fact that this actually had the effect of exposing her pussy to him. A very slight film of moisture appeared in her folds. The Naiduna's effects were slow to wane, and she continued to feel a small amount of residual tingling.

Jollis sensed her skittishness, and kept a respectable distance. Ever observant, he knew of her predicament. Salves such as Naiduna, while not common in his lands, were not unknown. He could see the residual puckering of her areolae and the hint of remaining arousal. And he knew where she likely received such treatment.

"I understand today was a rather important day for you," Jollis said gently.

Amanda paused. Again, she was not used to someone having an actual conversation with her. "I ... I guess you could say that, master," she said tentatively.

"Did it go well?"

Amanda let her breath out slowly through her nose. "I did as I should, master."

Jollis smiled. "Ah, but that is not quite an answer to that question."

For some odd reason, Amanda liked that smile. It reminded her of her foster father, before his wife Rose died and he took to drink, and indirectly started Amanda down the path that had led her to this point.

"You are required to please me, are you not?" asked Jollis.

Amanda hesitated a moment, and then nodded.

"Then, little one, it would please me for you to answer this question: did it go well?"

Amanda realized she should be jumping at the chance to actually talk about this with someone other than Sirinna. Yet her slave training had been done well. She simply did not come out and speak of such things that were disparaging to an Overlord.

So she instead used the same trick that Sirinna herself did on occasion, and skirted around it. "It didn't go as well as ... as Master Roquan hoped," she said in a quiet voice.

"Surely no fault of yours."

Amanda looked up. He had said it as a statement rather than a question. "I did my best, master."

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"You have been most accommodating to me, little one. Why should I not believe you?"

"But ... I haven't done anything for you, master."

Jollis looked at her, his smile widening a touch as he raised an eyebrow.

"You have asked nothing of me," Amanda said by way of explanation.

"Ah, I beg to differ. You give me companionship. You give me conversation. And now ... you give me honesty. All things I have asked for and you have given willingly."

Amanda was too nonplussed to reply.

Jollis slid closer to her. She did not move or look alarmed. "Does it say that one may ask only sex of a slave, little one?"

Amanda let one of her knees drop away from her chest, her eyes soft in the dim light. "No, master." She paused. "In fact ... you gave it rather than asking for it last night."

"And your soft cries of pleasure were very pleasing to my ears. You have a very lovely voice."

Amanda actually smiled at this.

"But surely, you hear praise like this much of the time, as wonderful as you are."

She blushed, and before she could catch herself, she said, "Not all the time."

"Oh?"

She only realized now how far she had dared to go, and wished she could retract what she had said. Surely what she had said was not considered good slave behavior. When she looked into his dark yet warm eyes, however, she found she didn't care. "Some can be ... harder to please than you are, master," she said carefully.

"Ah, yes, I can understand this. Not everyone is pleased with me, you see."

"You, master?"

Jollis chuckled. "The surprise in your voice honors me. I am happy you believe everyone would be pleased with me."

Amanda's smile widened.

"Alas. A merchant cannot please everyone. There is always someone who does not like how the goods I have brought look to them, or they believed it was a different color, or it is too big or too small. No, little one, you are not alone in your woes about being unable to please everyone."

Amanda never thought she would find anyone that understood her plight. Even Sirinna could not be made to understand completely, having had the Draught and thus born into this role when she was first brought to Narlass. She admitted to being a little confused. She wished she knew more about this man. Jollis was someone to which she could actually enjoy being contracted.

Yes, he really did remind her so much of her foster father. She was beginning to feel more comfortable in his presence, far more than anyone else she had encountered. Now she felt not just the duty but the desire to do something for him.

"Master, are you sure there is nothing you wish from me tonight?" Amanda asked.

"Other than fine conversation, you mean?"

Amanda grinned. "Yes, other than that."

"You said that I gave you pleasure last night."

"Yes, master," Amanda said softly.

"And do you wish this again, little one?" Jollis asked in a soft voice.

Amanda felt a small shudder pass through her body. She let herself recall the simple, soft touches from him that had renewed her arousal, and how he had pleasured her without asking anything in return. It was a pleasant memory.

"I ... it's not for me to ask, master," Amanda said reluctantly.

"Remember ... I ask for your honesty. Please indulge me."

Amanda swallowed. He had had a larger effect on her that she had realized. Now her sex was damp from her own feelings instead of the Naiduna. "Yes," she said very softly.

Jollis looked at her. Her eyes were wide and needful. She was submitting to this out of her own desire rather than his demand. This suited him well. It would allow him to do a little more for her than he allowed himself the night before. He was quite pleased.

"Lie for me on the bed, little one."

Amanda slowly did as he asked. She grew a little nervous, fearing that he might want more from her than she wanted to give. Yes, she was needful, but not the way she believed he thought. It was not the sexual contact she needed from him again. It was the simple affection that had gone along with it when he had done it for her the night before. She needed that more than anything else after what Freya had done to her.

What she admitted to herself now was that it had not just been the Naiduna used on her that had upset her. Freya had found nothing but fault with her. Her words had hurt more than what she had done to Amanda physically. Amanda had tried her best and the Overlord had dismissed it. At least Roquan praised her and rewarded her when she did well.

Jollis approached her slowly. Amanda fixed her glistening eyes on him, unsure of what his intentions were. She had closed his legs to him, and now sheepishly opened them as he lay a hand on her thigh.

But the merchant shook his head. Amanda paused, then closed her legs again, perplexed.

Jollis carefully crawled over her, but his clothes remained on his body. He placed his hands lightly on Amanda's hips and slid them slowly downward, his fingertips just brushing her skin as they flitted down her legs. His touch was a continuous, gentle caress, sliding softly over her skin. At her ankles, he drew his fingers over and around her feet. His furtive touches should have tickled her. Instead, it felt nice, and Amanda could not help but give him a small smile.

His hands came up again in the same careful and deliberate movements. His fingers pressed a little more into her, turning it into a massage as he reached past her hips and along her sides. Amanda let her breath go as a soft sigh. As he repeated his movements, her muscles relaxed. Her eyes slid closed, her breathing dropping to a slow, regular rhythm.

Jollis smiled at her. His fingers sensed the softness in her body as the tension left her.

He pressed his hands to her, now running the flat of his palms up and down her body. Amanda gave a murmur of pleasure, her head turning to one side. Now Jollis carefully changed the pattern of his touches. His hands drew up from her sides, sliding closer to the tops of her thighs and the triangle of her sex. He edged just a little closer each time, such that she was barely aware of it.

Relaxation gave way to increasing excitement. Amanda's lips parted and she panted lightly as she felt his fingers sliding over and then between her thighs. Without consciously realizing it, she had begun to part her legs for him. It was only when she felt her skin flush with renewed arousal that her eyes opened and she saw what was happening.

Her gaze came upon him in time to see him lowering himself between her legs.

Amanda tilted her head back and uttered a quick, breathy sigh as his tongue touched her now wet flesh. Her eyes closed again, her mouth open, her breath coming in soft gasps as his tongue flicked at her womanhood. His touches were as light as it had been with his fingertips, teasing her, bringing her to full arousal.

Just as Amanda felt the raw ache of desire in her pussy again, his touch grew more bold. He licked at her with firm, deliberate strokes, sending her climbing steadily upward. His hands caressed her thighs, furtive touches that both endeared him to her and excited her.

Amanda panted as she rose ever higher. He never let her linger or strain for more, nor did he drive her so fast she wanted to pull away. It was perfectly pleasurable, and made her want to submit to it.

His tongue flicked at her nub as she grew close to climax. He kept going, driving her smoothly up and over, her body giving a single shudder. She uttered tiny moans as her pussy throbbed gently. Despite the sedateness of her orgasm, he made it linger, the soft pulses sending waves of pleasure though her. It was a beautiful experience.

Finally, he let her down, her orgasm slowly fading. Amanda relaxed, letting go several contented sighs. Jollis rose from her and gave her leg and side one last caress before he departed from her.

"Thank you for indulging me, little one," said Jollis.

Amanda looked up at him through half-lidded eyes and smiled. "No, thank you, master."

Jollis smiled. "I will tell your mistress that you again made her proud. I bid you good night."

"Good night," Amanda called after him as he ducked out through the curtained doorway.

For a second night in a row, Amanda was able to fall into a deep and restful sleep.

Herdon paced about the perimeter of the merchant camp, crossbow in hand. Above him, night chased after the fading orange glow of sunset. The now closed gates to the Manor rose up like shadowy sentinels in the deepening dusk.

This was not his normal watch. He should be with one of Roquan's slaves. He had himself a rather nice one the night before. However, he was too tense to enjoy female companionship. This was the only way to burn off his nervous energy.

Perhaps he should not have been entrusted this task after all. He did not have the training for it. Yes, he had the instinct. He knew how to shoot. More importantly, he knew how to kill. That was the real criteria. Everything else was secondary.

Yet he was expected to do more. Much more confidence had been placed in him than perhaps had been warranted. He was very tempted to go to Uridon that moment and inform him what he knew of plots against the Overlord, and see how the old man would react. Maybe he could make some platinum out of the deal.

Herdon sighed.

Jollis. That damn foreigner. It was his fault. He was the problem.

He wished he had a way to contact his master. But the communication was one-way. He had no way to summon him. He had to wait until he was called upon.

Herdon paused as he heard a rustling in the underbrush. He remained still, and when the noise came again, he swung the bow and launched the bolt with little fanfare or emotion. Somewhere in the darkness, a predator missed its leap and fell to the ground with a loud thud. There was silence again.

Herdon calmly reloaded his bow and resumed his watch.

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