The Battle of Selemas Keep ended what is considered by most scholars to be the "last great Oceanus war." This term is something of a misnomer; Oceanus as a modern nation did not yet exist except by unilateral declaration by the Monarchists and forceful imposition of a treaty on both sides, a treaty that still waited to see if it would truly come to pass.

As a result of this battle, Oceanus was forged from the formerly warring halves of the now moribund Oceania Consortium. As a result of the victory by the Monarchists, the moderate of the two factions, the foundation was laid down for the prosperous and peaceful Oceanus of today.

The modern structure of Oceanus society was codified in the famous document titled the Charter of Oceanus Unity. Crucial to this was a central government, the Imperium, with the Emperor at its head. Peripheral to this was the Nobility. Comprising the Nobility were the formal Royal Bloodlines that had ruled the individual Kingdoms that had formed the Consortium. While their title was "demoted" from Royal to Noble, and the Bloodlines reorganized into Clans, many of the same trappings of Royal power and influence were kept. From their point of view, not much had changed. Kings became Governors, Kingdoms became Provinces, but they still held power over their immediate subjects as they did before.

In this manner, the Nobility balanced the power of the Imperium. This is why the Emperor is expected to avoid maintaining a standing army unless there is an imminent threat to the realm. Instead, the Nobility is responsible for maintaining local militias to protect the frontier. In order to pursue a larger defensive strategy -- or to actually go to war or wage other aggression -- the Emperor must request that the Nobility provide the necessary men, weapons, and supplies. While the Emperor does retain direct control over the navy, there are limits set down in the Charter as to how many ships capable of land assault he may maintain, in order to prevent the use of the navy as an instrument of punishment.

The Overlords -- the high-born men and women that maintain the slave trade within Oceanus -- are not considered part of the official government structure of Oceanus. However, over the past two centuries since the founding of Oceanus, they have shown their ability to wield great political influence when it suits their cause. The first instance of such was during the ill-fated reign of Fondus Z'jillas the Lesser, who ...

Amanda's head jerked up and she flinched as she felt a light touch on her shoulder. One of her hands shifted, and the scroll she had been holding open before her rolled back up in the flickering light from the small oil lamp near her bed.

"Sorry I startled you, love," Sirinna said gently. "But you didn't respond when I spoke your name at the door."

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Amanda said, still sounding a bit distracted as the information she had absorbed that evening continued to play out in her mind. "I guess I just got interested in what I was reading."

Sirinna smiled. "I know. You've been engrossed in those for several nights now. Have you been enjoying them?"

Amanda sat up, her chain tinkling as it lay draped against her back, fastened to both her collar and the post past the foot of her bed. She felt a cool breeze blow against her from the window, the night air making her skin prickle. "Yes, very much so. It's exactly what I wanted. The writing is a little small and hard to read at first, but that just means there's more information on these scrolls than I had assumed."

Sirinna placed a hand on Amanda's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm very happy that you're pleased. You will have to make extra sure to thank Master Roquan for it."

Amanda nodded. "I will. I can offer myself to him one evening instead of waiting for him to call on me."

"Yes, Amanda, that would be perfect. You're learning."

Amanda smiled. Normally she did not feel that good about being told, in effect, that she was being a good little slave, but she didn't care. She was so glad to be able to read again that it did not matter to her as much anymore.

"But I do have to interrupt you tonight, I'm afraid. Your services are desired."

Amanda paused a moment. "Not Master Roquan?"

Sirinna shook her head. "He has not mentioned it, but I suspect that he has not called on you this past quarter-moon because he wanted to give you time to read."

"Oh, is it Master Jollis, then?" Amanda felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks. She wished she could mute her enthusiasm, but she missed him. He had warned her the last time she had seen him that he would be rather engrossed in business for Roquan, and thus he might not see her again for awhile.

It was not the sex she craved from him, although it was always wonderful with him. It was not the companionship. It was how he treated her as an intellectual equal. It was not that people like Roquan or any others that she had serviced in her time at the Manor had made her feel unintelligent. It was that they simply ignored her intelligence and played to her sexual skills.

In other words, Jollis treated her like a person rather than a slave.

Sirinna shook her head. "No. The new Healer, Master Lanno, has requested you this evening."

Amanda's smile faded and she felt her stomach give a small lurch.

"Is something the matter, Amanda?"

"Um ... no, Mistress, nothing."

Sirinna gave her charge a level look. "Yes, there is. You still dislike him," she said in a neutral tone of voice.

"I'm trying, Mistress. I'm trying not to."

"You remember what I told you?"

Amanda managed to avoid sighing before responding. "Yes, I remember. A slave accepts her Master with warmth and willingness," she quoted. "A slave thinks of her Master's needs above her own. A slave considers her Master ... um, considers ... damn ..."

"A slave considers her Master to be the center of her world," Sirinna finished for her. She gently cupped Amanda's chin. "You cannot dislike that which is the center of your world, Amanda."

"I-I know ... I'll do what he tells me to do. I'll obey him. I'll be a good slave for him ... but ..."

Sirinna sighed softly. "I know. You will do your best. You always do, Amanda, and I am proud of you for that."

But it's not enough, Amanda thought. That's what she's trying desperately not to say to me. She's expecting me to reach the next level and I'm not ready for it yet.

Amanda was not sure if she would ever be ready. She was learning that being a slave was a whole new philosophy and not just a set of rules to be followed. Each slave dedicated herself to the task. Each slave lived to be a slave. Each slave knew no other ambition beyond this.

Amanda had agreed to live the life of a slave. But she could only act the part. She could not be the part. Sirinna must know this on some level, she reasoned, but it was one of those dirty little secrets that people refused to admit. Roquan of all people must know it as well, yet he persisted in pushing her into the role.

And yet, he got her the scrolls she had requested. How could she not aspire to be something more after starting to read those?

"I'll please him as best as I can, Mistress," Amanda said tonelessly.

Sirinna nodded and stepped over to the foot of the bed. She reached down to the small post that rose from the center of the chamber and detached the end of the chain from there. Amanda rose from the bed and assumed her standard position to be prepared for transport across the Manor. Sirinna slid the leather cuffs around Amanda's crossed wrists and secured them. She then took the chain and gave it a single, brisk snap.

Amanda paused a moment to take a deep breath before she headed out of her room and out of their shared quarters.

Sirinna cast a forlorn gaze at Amanda's back as they walked into the breezy night air of the Manor. She did know that Amanda was different. Part of it was because of their relationship, but she knew that there was something else.

Amanda had never had the Draught of Forgetfulness. Sirinna had brought Amanda to Narlass to protect her from a dangerous storm and not to give her to the Overlord as a new slave to be trained. There had been no need to give her the Draught. She had never expected that Amanda would choose to stay, even if she had secretly wished it. But the only way an offworlder could stay in Narlass was as a slave. There was no alternative.

Amanda had had the opportunity to go back to Earth. She had instead chosen to stay so she would not be parted from Sirinna.

Sirinna knew only that the Draught made a new captive forget her former life and loved ones. She did not know what Amanda knew, that it also imparted a mild addiction to sexual pleasure and made the act of orgasm more euphoric. It was a little secret that the Overlords jealously -- even viciously -- guarded.

Roquan had made Amanda promise not to reveal the secret. Amanda could not see herself revealing it anyway, regardless of the Overlord. Sirinna was so proud of being a slave and how good she was at it. Amanda thought it would break her heart to find out that some of that success was because of a drug. If even she could get Sirinna to believe it.

The night air chilled her, making her shiver a bit, though some of that might have been from her own troubled thoughts. While the season was transitioning from summer to autumn, it never got truly cold in this part of the world.

Sirinna directed her along the south path of the Manor, where they soon came upon the large living quarters marking the end of the path. Amanda hesitated a moment before approaching it. This had been Hiatha's quarters, the other Trainer at the Manor before she was contracted out recently. Hiatha had been assigned to give remedial training to Yanna when they still thought she was a slave. Yanna had nearly killed Hiatha and her other charge with an overdose of sleeping powder.

Sirinna noticed Amanda's hesitation and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before directing her to the door. "Master Lanno, I have brought your pleasure for the evening," she called out clearly.

Amanda shuddered slightly at Sirinna's choice of words but remained still.

"You may enter," came the young Healer's voice from within.

Sirinna pushed open the door and gave the chain a light snap. Amanda stepped inside.

The place bore little resemblance to what she had remembered when Hiatha had resided there. In the few days that Lanno had occupied it, he had made it his own. Brightly colored tapestries festooned the walls, looking almost garish compared to the muted earth tones of the structure itself. The furs lining the floor had been replaced as well, the old gray-white having been sacrificed in favor of deep ocean blue. While Amanda thought the color lovely, it clashed with the tapestries and the bright red blankets that adorned the bed.

Amanda's attention, however, was quickly drawn to Lanno himself. He stood with his head held aloft and his chest out, his body clad in a robe of thin satin that clung to his lean but muscular frame. His impish smile widened as his gaze settled on Amanda. From the slight tenting of his robe from between his legs, it was clear that he was already anticipating the night ahead of him.

Lanno said not a word at first. Instead, he gestured imperiously at Sirinna.

Sirinna nodded once and removed both the chain and the cuffs from Amanda. "May she bring you great pleasure this evening, Master," she said demurely, bowing her head respectfully before ducking out the door and leaving Amanda alone with the Healer.

Amanda did not forget her training. She lowered her eyes and dropped slowly to her knees. She parted them and settled back on her feet. She placed her hands palm-up on her thighs and cast her eyes downward. She then remained still, waiting for him to make his wishes known to her.

Lanno did not hide his pleasure at Amanda's submissive posture. His erection rose full under his robe and he looked upon Amanda with a lascivious gaze. He approached her, paused, then walked a slow circle around her, his eyes taking in her naked body from all sides. He placed a hand lightly on her head and stroked the raven-black hair.

"So pretty, my dear," said Lanno. "And so young. I do love that combination."

Amanda swallowed but remained where she was, forcing her breathing to a steady, slow rhythm. Even though she had not heard anything about him hurting any of the other slaves (Roquan would not allow Lanno to stay had he done so), she was still very nervous, as if she expected him to strike her at any moment.

"And you are so submissive! But are you compliant as well? Totally compliant? As a good slave should be? That would truly excite me quite well."

"I am your slave for the evening, Master," Amanda said carefully. "I am yours to do as you please."

"Oh, very good. Very good. You memorize quite well." There was neither compliment nor reproach in his voice. "But ... it is in the action that we discover the truth, is it not?"

Amanda did not answer this, as she assumed it was a rhetorical question. Yet when the seconds crept by with silence in their wake, she worried if perhaps she had guessed wrong. As she was about to think of something to say, Lanno stepped before her. There was the soft sound of satin sliding across skin.

"Look up," Lanno said.

Amanda raised her head. Directly in front of her, the head of Lanno's rather long cock bobbed, pulsing lightly with his heartbeat. Amanda stared at it for a long moment before glancing up at him expectantly.

Lanno smiled broadly. "Very good. You didn't just assume what I wanted and start in. You're waiting for my command."

"Yes, Master. I am for your pleasure. I am to do as you tell me."

Lanno slid his fingers around his cock, massaging it gently in front of Amanda's face. "And you probably think I will order you to take this into your mouth."

Amanda hesitated just a moment before responding. "I'll do as you wish, Master."

Lanno chuckled. "Again, nicely memorized, but that's okay. Let's do something a little different. Tell me what you would do if I indeed ordered you to pleasure me with your mouth."

Amanda's lips parted slightly and she looked at him in confusion.

"Is that a difficult request, my little slave?"

"I ... I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"So it is an unusual enough request that you don't have a stock answer for it. Splendid! I am asking you to describe to me what you would do with my manhood. In detail."

Amanda's first instinct was to ask why he wished such a thing from her. But slaves do not ask such a thing. A slave simply obeys. Amanda knew what she would do with his cock. She could picture it in her mind. She knew the moves in detail, and could do them very well. She even liked it to a degree, and seeing his erection before her face was making her sex tingle with anticipation.

But to actually put it into words was something else. It was not just difficult, it was vaguely embarrassing for some reason she could not identify. She could already feel her cheeks flushing hot.

"So I have indeed challenged you," said Lanno, observing her reaction. This only deepened her blush. "I am waiting for you to comply, little slave of mine."

Lanno's tone of voice remained the same throughout: generally pleasant, but faintly condescending. Amanda picked up on the latter much more than the former. Inwardly, it grated on her. She kept careful control over it, trying not to let any of her true feelings show. To Lanno she presented as subservient an attitude as she could muster.

"I-I would take you into my mouth, Master," Amanda began, her voice a little shaky and unsure at first. "And ... slide it past my lips. I would ... I would press my tongue against the underside, so ... s-so I could stroke it each time it slid back and forth. Um ... I would start slowly at first ... then start moving my lips up and down your cock a little faster ..."

She paused and glanced up at him to see his reaction. Lanno was smiling at her. "Please, do go on, slave." His voice sounded a little husky, and his erection seemed to be a duskier color than before, as if he had grown more aroused.

Amanda nodded before continuing. "Um ... I would sometimes turn my head to the side ... so I could lick your cock very slowly. Sometimes I might, um, flick my tongue at the spot below the head. And I'd start using my fingers next time you were in my mouth again. Just pumping with the same rhythm."

"Mmm, quite good so far, slave. Please ... don't stop now ..."

Amanda surprised herself at how much easier it was getting to describe it. The blush had all but disappeared from her cheeks. "As you got close ... I would move faster. Pump you harder, stroke you with my lips and tongue quicker. And when you came ..." She paused. It was harder to describe the nuances here of what she did. She opted for something a little more generic. " ... I would make sure you came completely in my mouth. I'd make sure to keep you inside until you were spent. Then I would carefully swallow your seed."

To Amanda's mild surprise, she could hear Lanno panting lightly. His cock seemed to pulse a little harder.

"Excellent. Most excellent, my little slave. You have an eloquence that's unusual for a slave."

"Thank you, Master," Amanda said, smiling slightly. At the same time, she was concerned. Was that another difference between her and a normal slave? Did the Draught reduce intelligence? No, that could not be it. Sirinna was not unintelligent. It was more that her mindset was not geared towards much else other than her life as a slave. She could not think beyond that, so there was no cause for her to become eloquent in speech.

But what would that mean for what Lanno thought of her?

"Hearing such things excites me, slave. But few slaves do it right. They gloss over detail that I know is locked up in their pretty little heads but they cannot form the words to express it. They know the deed, but cannot describe it. The few that do are often too busy training others."

This made Amanda relax a little. She should have thought of that herself. Of course there would have to be slaves that had a greater degree of eloquence, otherwise how could they pass on information to the next generation of slaves, like Sirinna did?

"But then again ... there is a lot that is different about you, isn't there?"

Some of Amanda's anxiety returned.

Lanno did not give her a chance to explore this. "Now ... I am sure you still expect me to ask you to perform the act that you just described."

Amanda very nearly reached up to grasp his cock as if she were going to do just that. Instead she thought better of it and said gently, "If that is your wish, Master. Please, let your needs be known to me."

Lanno smiled. "Ah, well ... back to the stock answers, but that's okay. You'll learn."

"I don't understand, Master."

"About how to please me best. That is what a slave is supposed to do, is it not? Discover the best ways in which to please her Master?"

Amanda nodded at this, though her face did not betray complete comprehension.

Lanno gestured. "Stand."

Amanda did as she was told, smoothly rising to her feet. As soon as she had, Lanno grasped her hard by one wrist and plunged his other hand between her legs and over her damp sex.

Amanda was so shocked by the sudden aggressive movement that she did not react at first. It was not until his fingers sank into her folds that she managed to let out a small yelp. Her body quivered but she suppressed the instinct to bolt. As Lanno began massaging her slit rather firmly, his fingers making soft squishing noises as moisture exuded at his touch, it got more difficult. It brought back memories of how uncomfortable he had made her feel at her Kaylaxxa treatment.

Nevertheless, Amanda's body responded, the touch making her pleasure rise and exciting her further until her nipples rose and hardened.

Lanno yanked her arm. She yelped again as she was pulled towards him. He threw his arm around her waist like a lasso, drawing her body tightly against his. His cock was squeezed against her abdomen, and his fingers were forced deeper into her tunnel. Her legs parted awkwardly to accommodate his hand, making her lose her balance. She was forced to clutch at him to stop from falling.

Lanno pumped his fingers back and forth, moving hard and fast. Amanda shuddered and moaned, partially in pleasure and partially in distress from being held in a position where she was so helpless. The arm around her waist slid downward. His hand clutched at one of her ass cheeks, squeezing it tightly and pushing her even further onto his fingers.

"Uhhhnnn!!" Amanda moaned loudly, closing her eyes and panting hard.

"I'm not hurting you," Lanno said in a low, husky voice in her ear. "And I don't intend to. But it's pretty rough, isn't it? You're worried, aren't you, that I will indeed hurt you?"

Amanda shivered. Her heart was pounding in fear. Yes, this is exactly what she was worried about. "N-no, Master ... Not ... n-not at all."

"Again, quite good, my special little slave. You have been trained very well. Now ... as much as my fingers are in you, it will be nothing compared to my cock in your twat ... Now are you a little frightened at all?"

Amanda whimpered. Her heart hammered. She swallowed and trembled, unable to give a coherent answer.

"That's a little better," he said in a softer voice, his fingers and his grip easing on her.

Amanda was still panting even as some of her fear abated. She still did not quite understand what had happened. Was this some kind of bizarre test? And what purpose did it serve?

Lanno's fingers continued pumping in and out of her pussy. Amanda now moaned more with pleasure and less with desperation. She even started to rock her hips against his hand as her pleasure escalated.

"We're not done yet, my little wet-pussied slave," Lanno whispered almost menacingly in her ear.

Lanno's arm slid up and tightened around her waist, this time even more so than before until her body felt as if it were being crushed against his. She gasped loudly, her eyes flying open wide as she was impaled on his fingers, sinking so deeply into her that they stretched her folds uncomfortably, though not enough to cause her pain. The next moment she felt herself tilting forward. She panicked and tried to flail her arms, but she was being held too tightly against him.

The next moment, the wind was briefly knocked out of her as her body slammed against his. It took her a moment to realize that his fingers were no longer inside her. Instead, both of his strong arms were around her. She writhed against him as she gasped for breath. She barely had gathered her wits about her again when his hands grabbed her hips and pushed them up and forward.

Amanda lifted her head and finally realized that she was now on the bed atop Lanno. But no sooner did she make this realization when she felt something pushing insistently against her folds. Before she could react, Lanno pulled her hips down.

"What ...? Uhhhnn! ... Ohhhh!!"

Amanda closed her eyes tightly and clutched at his arms as his cock slid into her. She did not realize just how long he was until it kept filling her tunnel as her hips dropped. She squirmed and whimpered, convinced that at any moment she was going to feel pain, that he was simply too big for her.

Instead, when her pubis finally contacted his, his complete length sat snugly inside her.

Oh gods ... I can barely move ... he's so deep inside me ... Amanda thought helplessly, panting hard.

She felt his hands squeeze her hips and lift her, then pull her back down again. Amanda gasped at the sensation of his manhood sliding back and forth in her tight tunnel. He repeated this, quickly settling into a moderate rhythm. Instinctively, Amanda applied herself and soon his hands loosened their grip. Amanda humped him of her own accord, panting wildly as her pleasure rose from the sheer amount of his erection that could massage her nub with each stroke.

Amanda's moans escalated, turning to gasps and cries as Lanno drove his hips upward into her with each down stroke. Before long, his cock was spearing her hard with each thrust. Amanda closed her eyes and whimpered, her body quivering as it slapped against his.

She cried out as she came, her pussy throbbing heavily and making her quake even as he continued to dive into her. When her rhythm faltered a bit at the strength of her orgasm, his hands clamped around her hips again and set her straight, forcing her to continue the pace. As she came up to speed again, his hands slid from her hips to her backside. He squeezed her ass cheeks a few times, then drew one hand back and gave her a light slap.

Amanda jerked and gasped. He did it again, and then again, looking up at her as if observing her reaction. Amanda trembled and moaned deeply, and she seemed to impale herself even more forcefully on his cock. Lanno smiled at this and began slapping her backside in earnest now. Amanda cried out, gasping for breath as her pleasure rose again, her pussy aching from both her last climax and from the need for release again.

Amanda was rising like a rocket. She could not hold herself back. She was vaguely aware of Lanno panting heavily under her and of the increased urgency of his movements. She almost could not keep up with him. Her pussy strained at the very edge for a few excruciating moments, a moan turning into a strident whimper and finally a shrill cry as she came a second time.

Her orgasm made the muscles of her pussy clench. Lanno uttered a loud groan, his hands gripping her ass cheeks hard. He arched his back as he hovered at the edge, then let go with a louder moan as his cock started to throb. Amanda shivered with intense pleasure as her climax was renewed briefly by the pulsing of his manhood inside her. She slammed herself down on him, burying him inside her almost as much for her need as his.

He was still throbbing weakly when her own orgasm ended, but it had taken so much out of her that she collapsed against him, panting heavily. Even as he softened, she could still feel him inside her, and her hips occasionally jerked as her pussy gave another faint pulse.

Lanno smiled at her and rolled them over. Amanda fell limply onto her back on the bed, still breathing hard. As he finally withdrew from her, Amanda felt her pussy give yet another small throb. There was a very definite ache in her sex, something she usually got only after sex with several partners over the course of a morning of training.

He waited until Amanda stirred and looked at him with half-lidded, shimmering eyes.

"I do love using slaves, my dear little Amanda," he said in a low, husky voice. He cupped one of her breasts and gave it a light squeeze. "I take every opportunity I can to put myself in a position where I have access to them."

Amanda just swallowed and stared up at him, not at all sure what to think or feel.

"I have used slaves in every way imaginable. In every position I could think of. Performing every fetish I could conjure up in my mind. And I do that over and over. And it is the same each time. Before you, that is. You're different. You're not at all like the other slaves. Not at all. I knew that as soon as I started treating you that day."

Amanda's eyes opened a little wider. She was not sure where he was going with this, or whether she should be worried. Would he know that she had not had the Draught? Would he know about the Draught itself? It was her impression that not even the Healers knew about it, even though they were supposed to be the only ones allowed to mix potions that were intended to be ingested.

"Anything to say about that, my dear?"

Amanda was at a loss. So she fell back on the only thing she could think of. "Did I please you, Master?"

Lanno laughed. "Oh my, yes, slave, you pleased me. Perhaps not in the way you thought you did, however."

"I don't understand."

"I think, actually, you do." Lanno got up out of bed and closed his robe. "You look like a slave. You act like a slave. You please like a slave. But you don't react like a slave."

Amanda felt dread creeping over her. "I-I don't?"

"No. And it is quite refreshing."

Amanda did relax a little upon hearing this. It meant at least that he was not going to call her out on it. And he did say that he was pleased with her. Wasn't that what mattered?

"I can see you still don't quite understand. But you will with time We're going to be seeing a lot more of each other."

"Um ... we will, Master?" Amanda asked nervously.

"Oh yes. You're my favorite of all of Roquan's slaves. I'm going to be asking for you quite often."

"Oh ... um, thank you, Master."

Lanno grinned. "More of what I like. Splendid. Now, normally I would ask a great deal more from a slave in a typical evening, but I do understand that you are a Trainee. I'll build you up to it gradually. For now, go into one of the adjoining rooms and rest until Sirinna comes for you."

"Yes, Master."

Amanda picked herself up off the bed. Not only did her pussy ache, but her legs and hips did as well. She was grateful for the chance to rest, but she doubted that her thoughts would be restful.

She stepped into the darkness of one of the smaller chambers and climbed atop the soft furs with a forlorn sigh. Once again, her life had become more complicated at the Manor.

It was not just that Lanno was going to call on her services often. It was that he was a reminder of what she had been suspecting since the Conclave. She could never be a slave in the way she was expected to be. It was what she had been thinking with Sirinna earlier. She could act a slave very well, enough to please nearly every client she would be given to in the future. But she would never be a slave. That possibility had ended the moment Sirinna had chosen not to give her the Draught.

It was useless to lament over this, since it could not be changed. But the real question now was: did it matter?

She had no idea what the answer to this question was. Or if it were even important to anyone other than herself.

Jollis hid his disappointment well. Anyone watching him as he traversed the path along the west side of the Manor would believe they were seeing someone with not a care in the world. His steps were easy and his manner light. He appeared to be nothing more than someone out for a night stroll in the cool late summer air.

Then again, Jollis was a man well-versed in the art of suppressing his true emotions.

Jollis had hoped to have Amanda for the evening. His business with the Overlord was not expected to take long, so he had hoped to have Sirinna bring the enchanting young girl to his quarters while he met with Roquan. It had been unexpected to discover she had already been given to another.

And he most certainly did not like hearing to whom she had been given.

Jollis turned down the path that led past the Overlord's quarters, along the north edge of the Manor. The first shadows that were not simply the darkness of the evening crossed his face. He was aware of this display of his inner emotional state, and it displeased him beyond the troubled nature of his thoughts.

He should not be reacting this way. He was needful of Amanda's company and intimacy; he was angered at what the lout Lanno might do to Amanda; he was concerned for Amanda's well-being. None of these were things he was supposed to be thinking or feeling for Amanda, not with the role she needed to fulfill.

Jollis' name had a more subtle connotation in the Old Form of his native tongue. While it still meant "Wanderer," when rendered in the calligraphy of that ancient form of the language, the symbols looked very similar to the word for "alone." Where his order cherished the old ways, it behooved him to honor the original intention of the word. To wander meant to be alone at all times. Otherwise, he could not fulfill his own role properly.

Jollis came to the Overlord's door and knocked softly, attempting to push aside these troublesome thoughts for the time being.

"Enter."

Jollis let himself in. His eyes briefly flicked around the room. It pleased him that Roquan's outer chamber now looked as he had come to know it. Gone were the haphazardly strewn parchments upon the desk, or any other sign of disarray for that matter. It once again reflected the personality of its owner, that of someone that insisted upon order and proper appearance at all times. It meant that the Overlord was regaining his confidence.

Jollis smiled as Roquan emerged from his inner chamber. Jollis bowed respectfully. "A good evening to you, your Lordship."

"Good evening, Jollis," Roquan said, his voice betraying a slight edge despite the relative coolness of his exterior. "I hope that was not simply protocol, and this evening is indeed a good one."

"Ah, but in the time you have known me, can you cite any case where I have not told you the absolute truth?"

"Then you indeed have good news for me?"

Jollis sensed immediately from the tone of Roquan's voice that the Overlord was all business tonight and adjusted his demeanor appropriately. Assuming a more serious stance, he continued, "I have been told that contact has been made with Overlord D'jorus' protege at the Imperium, a young man by the name of Gondas Ze'yassa."

Roquan's eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. "That is indeed good news, Jollis. Well done."

The Overlord had stated it with the same calm and restrained air that he usually showed, but Jollis could detect the note of relief and gladness in it as well. "I cannot truly take credit, your Lordship. It is my cohorts that assisted in the matter. I simply contacted them to tell then what I needed, and they did the rest."

"Do we have any form of regular communication with him, Jollis?"

"Regrettably, no, your Lordship. That is the downside of the arrangement. We may pass information to him only as a trader might pass merchandise. We must wait for another cycle of arriving merchants to exchange more information."

"Cannot a Farviewing pearl be given to him to allow him to contact us whenever he pleases?"

Jollis shook his head. "Since the purges began, the Emperor had been restricting what may be traded by the merchants. He is not allowing Magicks of any kind."

Roquan blanched at this. "Is that not suicide? How will he obtain magical goods for the court?"

"I would assume he has that covered, your Lordship. Likely his own Mage or set of Mages. Being the Emperor, he can afford this."

"And he would make sure to employ only those absolutely loyal to him. Madness has gripped the Emperor, Jollis. That is the only explanation I can derive from the situation. Nothing Z'haas is doing makes logical sense. He appears bent on driving Oceanus to ruin."

Jollis considered carefully. "Madness has ruled from the Imperial Throne before. Historically speaking, your Lordship."

"Yes, and in the past, it led to a swift removal of the madness by other members of the Imperium, without the need for the Overlords to be involved. Now Z'haas has purged all those that could possibly oppose him."

Jollis looked thoughtful for a long moment. "Ah, but this is rather fascinating, do you not agree?"

Roquan frowned. "In what way?"

"From his policies, he is obviously quite mad. Yet he has enough cunning to secure his place on the throne. A paradox."

"Paradoxes do not concern me. The only thing that concerns me is removing Z'haas from power."

"But it is of great concern. It makes Z'haas that much more powerful and more difficult to remove."

Roquan gave the merchant a rather hard look, his eyes turning icy. Jollis knew Roquan enough to realize that this was not being directed at him so much as the concept. Thus Jollis did not react and simply gazed back impassively at the Overlord.

"This is one time, Jollis, that I hope you are very wrong," said Roquan darkly.

"If there were a time in which I wished I were wrong, this is indeed one. Hopefully Overlord D'jorus' man will prove resourceful enough to end this nightmare for us once and for all."

"In the past, once the Overlords have made a decision to initiate a regime change, we have always been successful. Perhaps the force of history itself will help us emerge victorious from this struggle."

Jollis nodded sagely, though in his thoughts he knew that in the past, Overlord-initiated regime changes were hardly ever termed a "struggle." He felt that the Overlords were out of their element here. They were not used to resistance to their aims.

Yet this is something that Jollis intended to use to his advantage to further his own agenda in the events being played out in Oceanus.

"Do you have anything else for me, Jollis?"

Jollis considered for a moment. "Just one thing, your Lordship," he said cautiously. "And forgive me for bringing this up."

Roquan arched an eyebrow slightly. "Yes?"

"But ... one must consider the possibility that the force of history will fail us. Then we will need a contingency plan."

"I choose to worry about that if the time comes. Hopefully it will not."

"If I may, your Lordship, there is a saying where I come from: It is the wise man that plans for something that may not happen, for assuredly if he does not have a plan, that is when he will need it."

Roquan's face took on a stony look. He folded his arms tightly across his broad chest as he regarded the merchant. In a more subdued voice that was a bit out of place from his expression, he said, "Do you really think we may need that plan, Jollis?"

Jollis closed his eyes for a long moment, as if intending to divine the events to come. In reality, he was choosing his words to the Overlord very carefully. Roquan rarely took advice from others when his mind was made up on a course of action. The fact that he was allowing it now meant Jollis needed to say the right thing in order to be heard.

"It is admittedly difficult to say, as I do not know this man of Overlord D'jorus' very well," said Jollis slowly. "But I do know what my contact told me, and it does not bode well."

"And what was that?"

"That the Imperial Guard is treading on ground previously left pristine. They are actively searching all merchants and their wares as they come and go from the palace and the Imperial city."

"I should not be surprised to hear this, but I had my hopes that Z'haas was holding on to at least a semblance of sanity. Apparently I was wrong in this. Surely the Merchant Guild is not at all amused with this."

Jollis gave him a humorless smile. "You have a gift for understatement this evening. The word is that the Guild Master is rather livid about it, and threatened to have the clans boycott the Imperium over it."

Both Roquan's eyebrows rose at this. "That could give us the leverage we need, Jollis."

Jollis shook his head sadly. "The operative word, your Lordship, is threatened. He has not gone through with it and is unlikely to do so."

"Why not?"

"More likely than not, because the heads of the Merchant Clans are against it. They would lose too much business."

Roquan frowned deeply. "They value their platinum that much?" he asked coldly.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps the Emperor made a counter-threat."

"He would not dare to do such a thing."

"Ah, but have we not established that this Emperor is capable of the unthinkable?"

Roquan's face darkened and he nodded very slowly. "Yes. A true madman."

Jollis nodded in response. This conversation was becoming more fruitful than he had anticipated. While the Emperor was already evil in Roquan's eyes, it was necessary to quite thoroughly demonize him. The Overlord must never falter in his convictions. Jollis needed to insure that Roquan would do everything in his power to bring down the Emperor. Roquan must stop at nothing to fulfill his goal.

Yet it must not happen too quickly. Things must be built up slowly. Tensions must be allowed to mount. Feelings to seethe. Key players to fume and brood. An escalation before the unleashing of power and might that would see no end until both sides have been played out.

"Perhaps that is the reason behind the disappearances," Roquan declared.

Jollis raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Doran mentioned to me that several merchants have been missing for some time now. Surely this must be the work of the Emperor, to silence any possible dissent from the Guild Master."

This was most fortuitous. Jollis had been concerned about this fact turning up, yet here it did and it was working to his advantage instead of his detriment. He could not have asked for a more well-played hand than this.

"Yes, that is quite possible, your Lordship. From what we know, it would not be beyond the Emperor's abilities."

Roquan gave Jollis a serious look. "Please insure the safety of your own cohorts, Jollis, in executing their tasks for me. I do not want to be the indirect cause of their demise."

"Rest assured, that is foremost in my mind as well." Jollis smiled at Roquan and bowed. "I believe our business is concluded for the evening, your Lordship. By your leave, I wish to retire for the evening."

"Of course. You have been most helpful, Jollis. I am blessed to have you working on the right side in this matter."

Jollis' smile widened. "And I am most privileged to be on the right side. Good night."

He turned and left the Overlord's quarters.

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