Roquan stood in utter silence, staring with an expression of absolute incredulity. Finally he took a deep breath and said in a low and resonating voice, "Vanlo, you must be absolutely sure of this ..."

"I am as sure as I can possibly be without a final test, your Lordship," said Vanlo, grateful for an end to the heavy silence. "And that will be in but a single day."

"A single day?"

"When you energize the Portal to send Amanda away. I will surely detect the energies if I am wrong, and surely will not detect them if I am right."

"And I surely hope you are wrong!" exclaimed the Overlord. "Great Gods, Vanlo! Do you realize the significance of this if you are right?"

Vanlo gave Roquan a patient smile. "Considering that I am the one affected, indeed I do, your Lordship."

Roquan paused, and then nodded, his expression softening. "Forgive me for not seeing your side of this."

"No need, your Lordship. I understand there are bigger issues to contend with."

"And you are telling me that there is no way this could be anything other than deliberate?"

Vanlo stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I assume by that you mean the effect of nullifying my Portal sensitivity rather than the act itself."

"Yes, of course. Even an idiot can see that delivering a potion by the manner you described could not be accidental."

"Quite. Anyway, yes, I am quite sure it was deliberate. While it is true that the potion had secondary effects, none were in great enough strength or quantity to allow me to claim them as the intended primary effect. No, your Lordship, I believe this was intended to do exactly as it did. Anything else was a side-effect."

Anger flashed in Roquan's eyes. "If I discover that anyone from the Conclave had a hand in this ..." he growled, one hand clenching tightly into a fist.

"That remains to be seen."

"Can we even discover who did it, Vanlo? Or is the trail too old?"

"What we have in the way of a trail, as you put it, is but a single hair."

Roquan sighed in exasperation. "And nothing else ..."

"It is quite possible that is all we need."

Roquan narrowed his eyes at Vanlo.

"Lanno, my assistant ... that is, my partner ... is highly skilled in the area of skin and hair health. His skills in that area combined with my skills in chemical analysis may give us some more clues."

"Vanlo, if you learn that this was the work of Gronnus, I need to know immediately."

"I should warn you, your Lordship, that it is possible we may not pin it down to a specific person. It is also possible that the hair belonged to Yanna, as it was found in the Jonalla."

Roquan looked surprised. "The Jonalla? You still have it?"

"Indeed, I do."

Roquan's face darkened. "I would have thought it more appropriate to destroy it."

"With all due respect, your Lordship, your anger is misdirected. Jonalla is merely an herb, an ingredient. It is not inherently evil. It is also very expensive. It would be foolish to discard it. And, as you can see, it has served a purpose."

Vanlo avoided mentioning the fact that had he not kept the Jonalla, the perpetrator might never have been able to create the potion in the first place. It was obvious that he had not thoroughly planned the action, for he had used whatever ingredients he had happened to find. Vanlo himself had calculated what would have been needed to make a proper potion to still his Portal sense, and Jonalla was not among the ingredients. Instead, he was convinced that it had been used in place of some ingredients that Vanlo did not have on hand.

Roquan sighed. "Very well. It is not for me to question your judgment on Healer matters."

Vanlo took this as an indirect compliment and smiled slightly.

"So if you cannot say that this will tell me who did it, what can it tell me?"

"It can tell you who did not do it. Circumstance may then allow you to reduce the number of suspects to a scant few."

"Very well, Vanlo. As always, whatever resources you need, you will have."

Vanlo nodded and started to turn away. He paused a moment and faced the Overlord again. "If I may ask one more thing of you, your Lordship?"

"Certainly."

"I would like to keep this quiet. I do not believe we should tell anyone. And I do mean anyone, your Lordship."

"You are afraid that word will get back to the perpetrator before you have a chance to expose him?"

"Yes, that is a concern. Or that he will attempt to stop me again, and this time in a more permanent fashion."

Roquan's eyes widened slightly. "Vanlo, are you in fear of your life?"

Vanlo gave the Overlord a tiny smile. "'Fear' is such a harsh word, and perhaps my ego is not up to dealing with it. Let us just say that I am concerned. An adversary that would feel no qualms with damaging another's mind may also feel the same callous disregard for the body as well."

Roquan nodded. "Understood. I will keep this in confidence until we both decide otherwise."

"Thank you, your Lordship. I bid you good day."

"Good day, Vanlo. At least as much as it can be now."

Vanlo took a slow stroll back to his office. He forced himself not to hurry, or to change his routine in any way. He had low-keyed his troubles to the Overlord. He was indeed very fearful for his life. In all his years, he had never been attacked in such a clear and organized manner. He had never been the target of someone's machinations.

In the past, on the rare occasions where he failed to save a patient, friends and relatives needed someone to blame. They would invariably seek Vanlo as a target for their grief-driven rage. Thus he was used to people confronting him in anger, but the idea of someone actually conspiring against him was a new and frightening experience for him. But to give into the fear was tantamount to surrender to his unknown adversary.

Vanlo hoped that it had been an Overlord. That would make it a little easier to deal with, knowing that most of them were far from the Manor.

Vanlo returned to his office to find Lanno sitting in the back room near Vanlo's apparatus. In his hand was the small glass vial in which the hair had been sealed until they were ready for Vanlo to perform his experiments upon it.

"Have you gleaned anything from it, Lanno?" Vanlo asked as he stepped into the room.

Lanno turned the vial around in his fingers a few times before finally lowering it and looking towards Vanlo. "A few things. Unfortunately, none of it really narrows it down."

"Oh?" Vanlo said unconcernedly as he pulled up a chair. "Please, do tell me what you have found."

"Well, I can safely say this is from someone young. No more than thirty years, likely less."

Vanlo nodded. "That rules out most of the Overlords. What else?"

Lanno raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't think an Overlord would ..."

Vanlo waved a hand quickly in dismissal. "Please, do not belabor the point. Continue."

Lanno made a face, but resumed. "I also spotted a very tiny flake of what appears to be dried skin near the base of the hair. A piece of dandruff, most likely."

"And that rules out the slaves of the Manor."

Lanno chuckled. "Not that they could be suspected in any case."

"Did you not hear me when I had told you about the agent impersonating a slave?"

Lanno had found that claim to be a bit unbelievable once he had a chance to think about it. When he saw how easily he had managed to tell how different Amanda was from the other slaves, he had trouble believing that someone could play the role that convincingly. "Yes, I remember. But slaves are subject to dandruff as well, regardless."

"His Lordship takes great pride in the hygiene of his slaves," Vanlo explained. "He purchases nothing but the best in terms of soaps and other personal grooming items. You will be very hard pressed to find a single flake of dandruff on any slave here."

Lanno considered this. "You know, I did think that the slaves here had rather lustrous hair. Much more so than I thought they would. You may be right. But would this agent have been as meticulous as well?"

Vanlo considered. "She did have dark hair herself. But that will be borne out in the chemical analysis, as I still recall the results the time that I had analyzed her blood."

"Analyzed her blood?"

"Yes. I had suspected something different about her for some time, though physiologically speaking rather than behavioral. I had proven that she was of Narlassi descent rather than from offworld."

Lanno's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You can do that? I'm impressed."

Vanlo allowed himself a small smile. "It is not easy work, and can be easily disrupted."

Lanno nodded. "So if we have already eliminated the Overlords and the slaves, who does that leave us with?"

"The merchants at the Manor at the time of the Conclave."

"Oh yes, you had mentioned that one of them had tried to assassinate Roquan."

"Yes, the very same one from whom Amanda took a crossbow bolt in her leg."

"He would be a prime suspect, then."

"Except that he did not have hair this dark, and I sincerely doubt he had the expertise to mix such a potion."

Lanno sighed. "Then that leaves us the merchants that are long since gone."

"Yes. Only one of them remained behind, though he was not affiliated with the merchant clan."

"Would that be that Jollis fellow that I met my first day here?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. Lanno lifted the vial briefly. "He has very dark hair, doesn't he?"

Vanlo looked thoughtful. "Yes, he does."

Lanno made a face. "But he hardly struck me as the kind that would do something like this."

"Admittedly, I know little of the man," said Vanlo. "But his Lordship trusts him implicitly. And I see no motivation on his part."

"Then that doesn't leave us with much, Vanlo."

Vanlo stood up. "On the contrary, it has done much to limit the number of potential suspects. I did not promise his Lordship that we would pinpoint the exact person. If you can glean nothing more from this hair, it is best that I start my analysis, as it will take some time for it to complete."

Lanno looked over the hair one last time before handing the vial to the older Healer. "So what will you be able to tell us?"

"For one thing, I can confirm whether the hair belongs to slave or to a Narlassi. If his Lordship is concerned about another spy in his midst, we can take a hair sample from every dark-haired girl in the Manor and confirm that they are non-Narlassi. That would thus leave us with the merchants."

"And then?"

"And then it will be for the Overlord to decide what to do next."

The clouds in the west glowed with crimson fire as the sun sank below the horizon, casting a dusky blood color upon the rippling surface of the lake. The wind that blew across the waters was sharply cooler than the afternoon sun had been. The bare skin of the two slave girls prickled as the cold touched them, but they did not break stride as they walked ahead of their Overlord.

If either of the two slaves thought this an unusual means of exchange for their services, it was not apparent in their faces or their mannerisms, save perhaps for an occasional glance between them. Indeed, Gronnus had told them little beyond being given to another client. He had told them nothing about being outright sold.

Just where the narrow strip of sandy beach was about to curve back towards a path through the trees, two figures appeared ahead of them.

"Hold," Gronnus barked. The two slave girls came to an immediate stop. The Overlord stepped forward between them, the two men ahead responding in kind. They wore simple robes over peasant attire, hoods covering their heads. At the Overlord's approach, they lowered their hoods as one.

"Greetings, Overlord," said one, bowing his head slightly. The other inclined his head as well but said nothing. Physically, both were similar to Jollis. They were lean of build and dark-haired, with slightly almond-shaped eyes. "We have been sent by the Wanderer Jollis."

Gronnus raised an eyebrow, having never heard the merchant addressed by that title before. "I have what he wants," he said in a gruff voice. "But you do not get it until I have what I want."

The two men exchanged a look. The silent one gave a single, slow nod to the first. "Very well," said the first as he turned to face the Overlord again. "But be advised that if you refuse to give us your slaves, there will be consequences."

Gronnus bristled, even though inwardly he felt a twinge of fear. "Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all, Overlord. I state a certainty."

"I do not take kindly to dealing at the point of a sword or an arrow."

The man smiled. "Oh no, Overlord, you misunderstand. We are unarmed. But it is my understanding that reneging on a deal with the Wanderer can be very bad for you without the need to kill you. In fact, it can be worse."

The statement was delivered with such calm certainty that it sent an icy tendril up Gronnus' spine. "Enough prattle. What do you have for me?"

By this time, the two slaves realized that something unusual was going on. Where both had experience with clients in the past, they knew this was radically different from any other time they had been contracted. They did not understand everything that was being said, but they were intelligent enough to figure out that some sort of strange deal was taking place.

"Your chief adversary among the Overlords conspires with the Nobility," said the merchant. "He has allied himself with the Governor of Keyas. They are united in their stand against the Emperor. Jollis believes they will make some sort of move against him."

Gronnus frowned deeply as he absorbed this information. "A military move?"

The man shook his head. "I know no more. That is all I have for you."

"And you expect two slaves for that?!"

"That is what was agreed upon, Overlord. We have lived up to the Wanderer's end of the bargain. It is up to you to live up to yours."

"I need more than that! I need names and places and dates!"

"Perhaps that will be forthcoming with the next deal. But that is all we have now."

"You mean that is all you are willing to tell me!" Gronnus huffed. He paused and sighed. "I will conclude the deal as agreed. But I will be speaking with your Master, and I will make absolutely sure that you have told me everything he wanted me to know."

"Why would we hold anything back from you, Overlord? It would make little sense."

"I do not know. I no longer profess to know anyone's motivations any longer!"

Gronnus whipped around and marched back over to his slaves, glowering. The two slaves looked at their Overlord with concern, partially for him and partially for themselves. Without realizing it, they had taken hold of each other's hand as if in mutual support.

The Overlord stepped behind his slaves, ignoring their silent plea. He motioned for them to move forward.

The two slaves hesitated, most likely the first time they had ever done such a thing. Nevertheless, they remembered their place, being too experienced and too indoctrinated to do anything else. They each stepped before the two men and bowed their heads, casting their eyes downward, and folded their hands demurely before them.

Gronnus took a deep breath. "These are your new slaves," he intoned. "Owned by ... uh ... bound to you and to your bidding. Use them as you see fit. May they bring you great pleasure. Treat them well."

As one, they lowered themselves to their knees, spreading them apart, and lay their hands palms-up atop their thighs and waited.

The slightest of shivers passed through the more experienced of the two. She was the first to realize that there had been a departure from the normal Presenting to a new client. The Overlord had stopped in mid-phrase, and then left a significant portion of it out. The complete phrase should have been "owned by myself, Overlord Gronnus D'yoran, but bound to you and to your bidding." It was a gentle reminder that the client did not own the slave but that the slave was nevertheless bound to the client's desires.

It was not until there was the sound of Gronnus turning and leaving before seeing if the new client had accepted his contracted slaves that both now realized something was very wrong. Yet neither broke protocol or made their concerns obvious. They remained still, waiting for their first command.

The first man looked down at the two girls with a mixture of desire and sympathy. He had been warned that they would be tempting to the senses. He had also been reminded to keep to his original task.

He turned to the second, who also had his attention riveted to the two nude young women. "Farview your Master," he said softly. "Inform him that we are ready."

"Where will he open the Portal?" asked the second.

"Most likely right where you are standing. One of the merchants we have knows this area very well."

As the second man walked off a short distance to perform the Farview, the first turned to the two slaves. He sighed through his nose as he saw they remained as still as they had been a few moments ago. He slowly shook his head. Some of their appeal was wearing off. He preferred a woman that had more of her own will. Sex was not everything.

"You may both rise."

The two slaves rose to their feet and lifted their eyes. As much as there was obedience in them, there was also uncertainty.

"I imagine this will be quite different than what you are used to," he continued. "But I assure you there is no need to be frightened."

Neither slave knew quite how to respond, and each looked to the other for guidance, but received none. Finally, the more experienced of them spoke, "We will do whatever you bid of us, Master."

"Yes, I am sure you will. But that does not mean you do not have emotions."

Before either slave could respond to this, the second man returned. "It is done. The Portal will open shortly."

"Portal, Master?" the slave asked suddenly.

The first man smiled at her. That was much better. There was indeed a mind there, but it had been trained into submission. "Yes. We live a great distance from here. The Portal is a faster means of getting there."

The slave glanced over towards the second man for a moment, then back to the first. Something was odd about this. She had seen a Portal opened before her only twice in her life, and something about those two times had been subtly different.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck down from the skies with a strangely muted clap of thunder. It reflected from the ground and curved itself into the rough shape of sphere. Taken by surprise, both slaves gasped in fear until the older one realized it was just the Portal opening. She squeezed the other's hand reassuringly.

As a ball of energy formed and then folded in on itself before opening an apparently infinite tunnel into the distance, the older slave realized what it was that had been different. No one was holding a glowing blue pearl. In each of the two times before, someone had held a pearl in his outstretched hand, and it had glowed almost blindingly bright just before the Portal opened.

The first man turned to the slaves. "Please, if you would step through ahead of us ..."

The younger slave was frightened and did not move at first. The older one smiled gently at her and squeezed her hand again. Something unspoken passed between the two of them, as the younger one finally swallowed and nodded. Slowly, the two of them approached the Portal, paused, and then stepped into it.

After passing through the membrane of the sphere that marked the entrance of the Portal, their shadowy forms seemed frozen a moment before zooming off into the distance at an impossible speed and vanishing from sight.

The two men made no attempt to follow. Instead, they waited patiently. Moments later, the Portal closed with a low, resonating boom that shook the ground, the remaining energies dissipating into nothingness.

"Should we check to insure that they arrived safely?" asked the second man.

The first man shook his head. "No need. It has worked every time. There is no reason to think this was any different. The Portal had formed strong and sure. They quite obviously had a very clear picture of the area."

"I do hope they are able to adapt to their new life. I would hate to think ..."

"We have no time for such things. The Wanderer Jollis has much to accomplish in a short period of time. It is not our place to question."

The second man sighed. "I suppose you are right."

The first started back into the forest, the second coming along behind him. "Come. There is much to be done yet."

The two disappeared into the shadowy depths of the forest as the clouds over the lake turned dark.

Night banished the twilight from the skies, darkness settling over the D'ronstaq Manor and drifting into Jollis' quarters, until only the low, flickering flame of the small oil lamp on his night table held it at bay.

Amanda barely noticed the growing dimness, her eyes already closed as her pleasure slowly rose to an intensity that made her body tremble in her growing need for release. Yet it was only herself that held her back. She willingly tensed her muscles to slow her rise so she could enjoy this time with him as long as possible.

At first she had felt a twinge of anxiety, as Jollis had begun to make love to her with a fire in his eyes and an urgency to his movements that made her briefly flash back to Lanno. Quickly, her fears dissolved. His thrusts into her were quick and firm, but not brutal. He had embraced her reassuringly, holding her close as his hips rocked against her.

Amanda now clutched at him in return, her own body moving up to meet his. He could not go as deep into her as Lanno had, yet on so many levels this was far much better than her trysts with the Healer.

Amanda moaned deeply, her need becoming as much emotional as it was physical. When she finally noticed the growing darkness around them, her voice became more desperate, her moans descending into whimpers as she tilted her head back and urged him onward with quick movements of her hips.

Jollis was panting in her ear, his body shaking as he grew close to climax. He knew Amanda was holding herself back, and he knew she was doing it for herself and not him. It made him feel good that she was using her talents for her own pleasure instead of his.

But soon Amanda's need grew too great. Her control faltered, her teeth clenching as she strained. Moments later she let go with a sharp cry as her pussy burst into orgasm, throbbing hard and driving her hips up and against him.

Amanda's tunnel squeezed Jollis' manhood tightly at the height of her climax. Jollis uttered a long groan as he pumped his hips slowly against her resistance, until the hard stroking of his cock pushed him over the edge. He uttered no sound other than a heavy pant as he came. He slid himself into her as far as he could, letting the rest of his climax play out inside her.

Amanda felt another shudder pass through her. The feeling of a connection to him was stronger than it had ever been. She clung to him through their shared climax as if seeking solace in his presence. She kept her pussy pressed against him, leaving him buried inside her until he was spent. She flexed her muscles a bit and milked a few more weak throbs from him before he had faded completely.

Both were breathing hard as they settled against the bed, Jollis still atop her and inside her. Amanda still embraced him, and she did not want to let go. She knew what was awaiting her after that night. Everything was going to change for her the next day.

Her eyes moistened. She quickly blinked away a tear before Jollis finally extricated himself from their mutual embrace and gazed down at her. She saw a tenderness in his eyes that was welcomed, yet there was also something else to them as well.

"What is it, Master?" she asked softly.

Jollis' smile widened. "Ah, but you see the look of wonder in my eyes, do you?" he asked in amusement. "You are indeed quite the wonder, then, if you can read me so easily."

Amanda smiled, her cheeks growing ruddy in the dim light. Her eyes appeared dark and glistening as they gazed up at him, the flicker of the light glittering on them. "I hope I pleased you this evening, Master."

"How can you not, dear one? I would sing nothing but praises for you."

"It is early yet, Master," Amanda said in a husky voice. "I would be glad to do anything else you desire of me tonight."

The words of subservience flowed so smoothly from Amanda's tongue. She was genuinely happy to be of service to him. Her reward was the look that he gave her now, and the way his arms seemed to want to tighten around her again.

Jollis felt immensely privileged. Amanda was still giving of herself freely to him. Even when he had nearly lost control of his desires, seeking her more aggressively than he had ever sought a woman before this, she had not flinched. She had not acted out of fear. She had submitted to him because she had wanted to do so.

If he were any less virtuous as he believed himself to be, he would have taken advantage of it. He could see himself fall all too easily to his baser instincts and wallow in self-indulgence and lust for not just sexual satisfaction but the feeling of power over her.

Jollis was, by nature, someone that wanted to be in control. It was one of the reasons he had been selected for this task. Yet now he felt that the one object of his mission -- the one thing that was so critically important to it -- was the one thing that he felt he dare not let himself attempt to control too much anymore.

Jollis gently rolled them onto their sides, and then onto his back. Amanda draped herself over his body as she would with Roquan after a tryst, snuggling against him in contentment . He drew an arm around her, holding her close, taking a slow, deep breath and letting it go.

He could not afford to hesitate. Time was running out. A year ago, he had hesitated. He had insisted on sparring instead of simply striking with the necessary force to end it the moment his adversary had appeared before him. He had been fortunate that he had accomplished the task anyway despite his foolishness, despite his need for a closure that was not really necessary in the first place. He had managed to finish the deed and get away just before anyone else had arrived.

Jollis sensed Amanda shift against him. There was something uneasy about it.

"Little one?" Jollis asked softly.

Amanda lifted her head. Her eyes shimmered. "Please ... tell me if there is anything else you want of me, Master. I want to please you as much as possible tonight."

"Because it will be our last one?"

Amanda's lips parted slightly and her eyes widened. She swallowed and dropped her gaze, as if in shame. Jollis knew differently.

"You do not want to leave the Manor, do you?"

Amanda shook her head. She paused a long moment before raising her eyes to his again. "I know, that sounds terrible, doesn't it?"

"Terrible? Why would that be terrible?"

"It's not ... it's not proper. I am a slave. I should be expected to be contracted to a client. To be s-sent away. But then again, I suppose I'm not a proper slave after all. I'm a failure, in fact."

Jollis drew her closer to him. "Please, dear one, do not say such things about yourself," he said in a soft but urgent voice. "Please do not listen to your doubts."

"It's not that I don't want to do well, Master, I just ..."

"Is this why you have been so compliant and desirous this evening? To prove yourself to me?"

Amanda shook her head. "No. I mean, not completely. Maybe I felt a small need to show that I could do it, but that wasn't the whole story."

There was a pained look in Amanda's eyes. She was torn between wanting to convince someone that she was a good slave and wanting Jollis to know that there was a deeper meaning to her submission to him.

"I apologize, dear one. I did not mean to question your motives."

"Maybe you should, Master," said Amanda morosely. "I am sure that Lord K'garon will."

"Ah, he is to be your new Master?"

Amanda nodded solemnly.

Jollis naturally already knew this but did not want Amanda to know to what information he was privy at the moment. "Is that what is really bothering you, dear one? Or is there something else?"

Amanda thought it was remarkable how well Jollis could read her. Almost as well as Sirinna could. At the thought of her lover, her face fell. "I don't want to leave my friends," she said in a very soft voice. There was a pause, a shiver passing through her. "I-I don't want to leave Sirinna."

"Yes, I understand. You have strong feelings for her, no?"

Amanda smiled weakly at him. "It was that obvious, Master?"

Jollis smiled. "Ah, it could simply be a case of me being too nosy. I am very happy that you chose to confide in me, little one. In fact, I am honored."

Amanda's heart lurched, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She managed to hold them back, but her voice quavered badly when she said in a barely audible voice, "I don't want to leave you, either ..."

Jollis had to pause a moment to compose himself. While he had suspected that she was developing feelings for him, he had fooled himself into thinking that they were not as strong as her feelings for Sirinna. Now it was obvious that being parted from him was tearing her up inside as much as being parted from Sirinna was.

And it made Jollis feel all the more guilty. He felt that now he was unintentionally competing with Sirinna. Amanda was already giving him subtle hints that she was feeling torn about her feelings for the both of them. He imagined that her world was one of monogamy, in practice as well as in word. This was quite unlike Narlass. Where normal Narlassi society gave lip service to monogamy, in practice it was less the norm than they would like others to believe.

He could not give into his desire to accept her feelings for him. He had to steer her away from that. When he spoke to her again, it was in soft and soothing tones. "I am sorry that you will be parted from your lover. It pains me to see you upset over this. I wish there were something I could do to ease your suffering ..."

"This wouldn't be so bad if I could at least see Sirinna now and then," Amanda said suddenly. "Or at least just talk to her. I wish there were a way to do that, Master."

Jollis caught the expectant look from her. Oh, she was a clever one! Jollis knew exactly what it was that Amanda wanted, for it was an idea that he had been toying with himself. Yet she did not want to come out and ask for it.

Had this been anyone else, he might have suspected that Amanda had give him a sad story simply to acquire what she wanted. But this was not the case. Her emotions were real. Her despair was real. And he could do something about it.

"Ah, but perhaps there is," Jollis said with a slow smile. He silently gestured for her to move.

Amanda's face betrayed first surprise then relief as she lifted herself from Jollis. The merchant rolled over to the other side of the bed and reached down towards the floor, where a satchel lay. Amanda allowed herself a small smile as she let her gaze linger on the tight cheeks of his backside. She hoped that Lord K'garon was at least a pleasant sight to the eyes.

Jollis reached into the satchel and took something into his hand, closing his fingers around it. He rolled onto his back and sat up, extending his closed fist towards Amanda. He smiled and opened his hand. Amanda's eyes widened and she uttered a small gasp. It couldn't have been that easy!

Yet sitting upon Jollis' palm was a shiny blue pearl.

"Please take it, and hold it tightly in your fist for a few moments," said Jollis.

Even as much as she wanted it, Amanda was hesitant about touching it. After a brief pause she took it gingerly in her fingers. She turned it up and let it fall into her palm before slowly closing her fingers around it.

Jollis draped his hand over hers and squeezed it until she had closed her hand more tightly around the pearl. After a few moments, Amanda felt something similar to a mild static electricity shock through her hand that made her flinch.

"You have completed one half of the spell, little one," Jollis said, coaxing her into loosening her grip and opening her hand again. "You simply need to give it to the one you wish to bind it to."

"Master, just so I am sure ... this is a Farviewing pearl?"

"Indeed, little one. It is what you wanted, is it not?" He winked at her.

Amanda stared at him. "You knew what I wanted already?"

"Ah, but is it not the job of a merchant to anticipate a customer's desires?"

Amanda smiled playfully at him. "Is that what I am to you, Master? Another customer?"

Jollis grinned. "Is that a trick question, dear one?"

Amanda giggled. She looked back down at the pearl again. "So she just needs to touch it? Then we can talk to each other at a distance?"

"You can summon her. She cannot summon you. But she must take the pearl into her own hand to complete the binding spell."

"Willingly?"

"Do you intend to trick her?"

Amanda paused. "Maybe."

"It was indeed a mistake to mention that I admire your honesty," the merchant said with an amused smile. "So long as it is in her hand, the spell will complete. Thus you may use clandestine means of delivering it to her."

Amanda nodded. "Master Roquan would be upset with you if he knew you were colluding with me like this, Master."

"Ah, but you may be right about that. But there is a saying where I come from: Foolishness is in the lie; virtue is in the truth; true wisdom is somewhere between."

Amanda doubted that Roquan would see the wisdom in this. She also doubted Sirinna would as well. She didn't care. All she knew was that she had a chance to remain in contact with Sirinna. That would make the parting at least bearable.

She looked at Jollis with gratitude, but there was also a slightly forlorn look to her eyes. Some of her enthusiasm had been dampened by the fact that this took care of only half the problem.

"Now, dear one, I must ask for something in return."

Amanda smiled slightly at this, having taken a guess as to what he wanted. She quickly discovered she had guessed wrong, for rather than approaching her, he again rolled to his side and reached down. When he returned, he was holding a second pearl.

Amanda gave him an inquisitive look.

"Hold out your other hand," said Jollis.

Amanda did as she was told. The merchant dropped the pearl into her hand, and she instinctively closed her fingers around it. Before she was able to close them completely, she flinched when she felt a jolt through her hand, much stronger than before.

She opened her hand again. Jollis swiftly took the pearl from her.

"I ask for your collusion with me in return. I have bound a Farviewing pearl to you. I can summon you to a Farview now whenever I wish."

Amanda's eyes widened and a smile broke out over her face, until she realized something. "Oh, but can you do that, Master? What if I am busy when you ..."

"Simply do not answer the summons, little one. It sounds in your mind only, and only briefly. You can ignore it or try to respond to it later."

Amanda nodded and smiled again. "Master, thank you. I would have missed not being able to speak to you anymore."

"Ah, but there are other things that will be missed that Farview cannot do, I am afraid."

Amanda sighed and nodded. She was still happy, however. Now she could have contact with both of the people that she loved.

She briefly felt a sense of unease. It was the first time that she had admitted to herself that she had feelings for Jollis that were similar to those she had for Sirinna. Being able to speak to both of them simply perpetuated the problem of her conflicting desires. She still felt like she had to pick one over the other. The idea of picking Sirinna over Jollis seemed the "right" thing to do, but she knew it would leave her too unhappy to enjoy her time with Sirinna. Picking Jollis over Sirinna was simply an absurd notion. She could never cut herself off from Sirinna like that.

At the same time, she understood that, by Narlassi standards, her dilemma was a silly one. She could simply indulge herself with both of them. Yet it was one thing to treat sex in that manner. It was an entirely different matter to treat love in the same way.

At least this is how her thinking went. Amanda realized now how limited her experience with love had been. So early in her life had she been taken from Earth that she had very little concept of what love meant. Now she had to learn it here, in a world so different from her own that she was only now starting to understand it, but still fighting against what concepts she had learned back on Earth.

Jollis' hand closed gently over Amanda's, the one still holding the pearl she needed to hand to Sirinna. She looked up to find him smiling at her, and with a growing look of desire in his dark eyes.

"Dear one ... might I indulge myself by taking you up on your offer?"

"Offer? Oh ..."

Amanda's eyes darted downward, where the merchant's manhood was slowly rising to attention once more. Amanda slowly smiled at him, grateful to be distracted from her troubling thoughts. She set the pearls aside and reached between his legs. Her fingers brushed his hardening cock, gently massaging it to a full erection once more.

"I would be happy to oblige you, Master," Amanda said in a sultry voice.

She was about to turn her head when he placed a hand lightly on her cheek and made her look back to him again.

"But allow me to pleasure you in return."

Amanda felt a tingle in her nether regions, a renewed heat gathering there. Jollis' hand dropped slowly from her cheek and slid between her thighs, his fingers just lightly stroking her slit until moisture oozed forth and coated her folds. Amanda moaned softly and trembled with desire.

Jollis withdrew his fingers and lay back on the bed. Already panting lightly in excitement, Amanda crawled over him, turning herself around so her rear was pointed towards his head. She felt Jollis' hand guide her, helping her place her knees in the right position on either side of him. He placed his hands her hips and drew her downward.

Amanda curled her fingers around his pulsing manhood, licking her lips in anticipation. Before she could start, she felt Jollis' mouth nestle in her folds, his tongue flicking at her womanhood with light, teasing strokes.

Amanda closed her eyes and uttered a soft sigh of excitement. She did not let it distract her. She slid her fingers down his shaft and slipped his head past her lips. Slowly she took him into her mouth bit by bit. Her free hand gently cupped his balls and played with them, keeping them loose and separated from his body.

Like Amanda, Jollis took his time. He had done this for Amanda enough times to know what she liked. He could only hope that her new Master would take the time to do the same thing with her.

His tongue swirled around her womanhood, making it swell further with arousal. Amanda uttered soft moans and shivered in pleasure as his strokes grew bolder. His hand caressed her backside, and she trembled at his touch. Amanda so enjoyed sex with Jollis, just as much as she enjoyed it with Sirinna. Both knew how to excite her yet treat her with gentle affection at the same time.

Amanda's strokes grew deeper as well. She ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft, pressing more firmly each time. She felt his balls begin to pull up to his body. She wrapped her fingers around them and carefully tugged them back down.

Jollis simply loved that. He had known about the technique himself for prolonging a man's rise to climax, and had it used on him by a variety of lovers back home. But no one had done it as well as Amanda.

Jollis wished he had a technique to use like that on Amanda, but he knew she would be tending to her own needs in that area. Indeed, he already sensed her muscles tightening when he slipped his fingers into her tunnel, feeling it seem to close around them as they entered her.

Amanda was panting harder, yet she did not falter in her pace despite the waves of pleasure that were crashing over her. She resisted the urge to hump her hips against his hand. She wanted to feel his tongue on her instead..

Jollis began rising in earnest now, though he knew he would level off just short of climax. Yet it was still enough to make him groan and writhe under her. He did not have the discipline that she had in this area, and his own rising pleasure made him minister to Amanda more enthusiastically.

Amanda kept her muscles tensed, though only loosely, letting herself continue to rise slowly. She took him fully into her mouth again, her head bobbing up and down faster. She pumped the lower half of his cock with her fingers, while her other hand held his balls at bay.

Jollis moaned as he stopped short of his peak, feeling the pressure building with no release quite yet. His fingers thrust into her harder, his tongue lashing at her womanhood with abandon.

Amanda eased her control back again and let her pleasure rise swiftly. She wanted to cum badly, even though she had not been held back from it for very long. Her fingers loosened their hold on his balls.

Jollis suddenly uttered a loud groan, his body shuddering greatly. His cock erupted in her mouth, throbbing hard and spewing his seed inside her. She faltered for only a second as she abruptly came herself. Her body quivered and her hips jerked. She whimpered through her nose at the intensity of her climax, struggling to maintain her attention on him.

Despite the fact that she knew he would not be a stickler for such details, she wanted to give him the same attention that she would give another partner. She made sure she did not spill a single drop of his seed, working his manhood even as grew soft to make sure she got every drop. She carefully let him fall from her mouth and swallowed.

When she opened her mouth, it was to utter a loud moan through the rest of her own orgasm until it faded as well.

Jollis drew his face back from her pussy and gently nudged her. "I do hope I pleasured you as much as you did me, dear one," Jollis said in a still breathless voice.

Amanda turned around and snuggled up against Jollis. "Gods, yes," she sighed, closing her eyes. "It was wonderful, Master. Thank you."

Jollis draped an arm around her and realized that he was indeed going to miss this. As much as he was glad to remain in verbal contact with her, there would be no substitute for this. It was not so much the sex as it was the intimacy.

"I'm going to miss this, Master," Amanda said softly.

"As will I, dear one," said Jollis with a small sigh. "As will I."

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