The word among the other Mages was that Guild Master Q'ixanna was not a morning person. Q'yros' personal experience had told him that he was little more an afternoon or evening person, either. Thus Q'yros took his chances and called upon the senior Mage first thing upon rising the next morning.

Q'yros did not flinch in the least when the Guild Master's Farview image glowered at Q'yros upon hearing his request. As this was typically the same dour expression he had most of the time, it hardly had any impact anymore. Not to mention the fact that Q'yros had even more seniority at the Guild than Q'ixanna. Only politics was keeping Q'yros from attaining the Guild Master position again.

Politics and a meddling Emperor, Q'yros had reminded himself sullenly.

"There is no need to examine those artifacts any further, Q'yros," said Q'ixanna in a deep but raspy voice. "Whatever magic that device had is long drained away."

"I am aware of that, Master Q'ixanna," said Q'yros with forced patience. "I am not looking for it to have any substantial magic remaining. I simply suggest that there may be something residual in the design or composition of the materials. I might remind you, Guild Master, that it was your esteemed self that authored the seminal work 'The Effects of Magical Resonance on the Structure of Matter.' You said yourself that strong magic can leave an afterimage in ..."

"You have a serpent's tongue, Q'yros, you do realize that."

"I have been told this on occasion, yes," Q'yros said smoothly, folding his hands over the end of his staff.

The Guild Master's thick eyebrows knit together as his dark eyes burned. "And it will get you nowhere with me. You ask us to conduct a fool's errand."

"And why is discovering the mystery behind these foreign Portals a fool's errand, Master Q'ixanna?"

"Do not twist my words around, Q'yros! I will have none of that. That may work on some of the simple-minded fools that pass for Mages here at the Guild, but you will cease to attempt to apply it to me."

Q'yros bowed respectively. "I shall cease," he said, though there was a bit of an edge to his voice. "However, I still have a valid point. Why should we not consider everything?"

"We do not even know if there is a connection. You should not have learned of the artifacts' existence! That was classified as a state secret. I have no idea why the Emperor would be so foolish as to confide it in you."

Q'yros suppressed the smug smile he so wanted to give at this point. What Q'ixanna was really upset about was the fact that now he had one less bit of leverage over Q'yros. Politics at the Mage Guild was built largely around information. Whoever controlled the information could control the Guild. Q'ixanna was a master at it. The possession of the artifacts themselves was of little consequence, since the Guild Master was likely correct in that the magical essence of the former Portal device was gone. But it was one more piece of information that Q'ixanna had controlled, and he had lost that control now that his biggest rival knew as well.

Nevertheless, it also likely meant that no one else at the Guild knew about it, either. Q'ixanna was going to be reticent about revealing the artifacts to the others.

Q'yros decided to play it straight with the Guild Master. "Let's put all these petty little games aside, Master Q'ixanna."

The Guild Master's eyebrows rose.

"Surprised to hear me say such a thing are you? That is how much this concerns me, Guild Master! Each day that passes without resolution, each day that passes where we discover two more questions for every one we answer is another day I grow more worried."

"The Guild has been devoting all its available resources to it, Q'yros," Q'ixanna said in irritation.

"Well, it's not good enough, is it?"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"The fact that the entire Mage Guild, even with half their time taken up with stupid political games, cannot solve this riddle means either we do not have all the information we need, or new thinking is required."

"New thinking? Such as yours?" Q'ixanna said in a scoffing tone. "If you think I have any intention of getting you out of this appointment at the Imperial court ..."

Q'yros shook his head. "You didn't hear me, Master Q'ixanna. I said I am through playing games. I do not desire to come back to the Guild Hall right now."

This was a bit of a lie. He did very well want to go back. He knew he had little chance of advancing any further after this, but he at least wanted to perform some damage control and insure himself a healthy retirement once this crisis was over. He had essentially given up on his plans to become Guild Master again.

"I find that hard to believe."

"Believe what you wish, Guild Master. But I am serious in what I have said."

"And you think a drained and useless Portal device will tell you anything?"

"I cannot say until it is examined. But even if it does not, I believe I am right in that we may need to approach this from another perspective. For instance, have you discovered the focus energy yet?"

Q'ixanna's glower deepened. "No."

"Perhaps you should stop looking for one."

"What??"

"Perhaps there is none. At least none at the point of egress."

The Guild Master uttered a humorless laugh. "And to think I have been sick to death of hearing about how great your supposed prowess is in the area of Portals! A reputation obviously not as well-deserved as they think!"

Q'yros raised an eyebrow at this. Perhaps he was held in more favor than he had thought. It explained why Q'ixanna was being so hostile, or at least more so than usual.

"Just how do you propose that someone open a Portal with any kind of accuracy without the need of a Focus?" the Guild Master demanded, as if half-expecting Q'yros to declare that he had invented something to that effect himself.

"That is what I am talking about, Master Q'ixanna. Perhaps we need to rethink the problem. Perhaps they have found a way to direct a Portal without the need of a focus. Or the focus is somewhere we cannot see."

"That is a preposterous idea."

Why, because you didn't think of it yourself? Q'yros thought. "Yes, it is, isn't it? But it's the only one that fits the facts."

"You realize what something like that would mean if it were true, Q'yros?"

"Of course I do. Why do you think I am worried?"

Q'yros' tone softened near the end of his statement as he scrutinized the now suddenly troubled look on the Guild Master's face. Why, you bastard, Q'yros thought angrily. You did indeed think of it yourself and you dismissed it.

Q'ixanna frowned deeply and shook his head. "No, I cannot see that being possible. Portal mechanics simply do not work that way."

"Great gods, Master Q'ixanna!" Q'yros exploded, thumping his staff on the already cracked stone floor of his quarters. "Do not continue to dismiss this simply because you do not like what it implies!"

"You are asking me to completely ignore several centuries of knowledge of Portal Magic!" the Guild Master thundered. "How do you expect me to react?"

"I am not saying what we know of it is invalid, simply that someone may have discovered something new."

"I would think that anything we could possibly discover about it has been discovered. There has not been any significant advance in this field for three centuries, save for piercing the trans-universe barrier."

Q'yros tried not to bristle at this. Q'ixanna was quite obviously ignoring Q'yros' own significant contribution, that of detecting Portals opening from a distance.

"Nevertheless, Guild Master, this brings me back to my original request. From what the Emperor has told me, it is possible that the ones behind the incursion into Colos are the same ones behind these Portals, and a study of those artifacts may confirm this link."

Q'ixanna was silent for a long moment. For all his faults, the Guild Master tended to do the right thing when it came down to it. Q'yros was hoping for that now. Finally, the old Mage said, "I cannot release those artifacts without Imperial order. Obtain that from the Emperor and I will have them studied."

Q'yros was a bit stunned to hear the Guild Master give in so soon. He had expected to spend at least another candlemark arguing with him. Obviously Q'ixanna was more worried about this than he let on. "I will obtain that now, Master Q'ixanna. I am sure I will have no trouble convincing him."

Q'yros was not entirely sure of that, as Z'haas was even more paranoid about controlling the flow of information than Q'ixanna was.

"Fine. Contact me when you have done so."

The Guild Master terminated the Farview before Q'yros could say another word.

Q'yros sighed as he retrieved the pearl and placed it back with his other personal affects. He headed out of the room, throwing the door open before him a bit roughly and causing the guard in the hall to flinch.

The Mage glanced idly at the guard, and then at the wall opposite his door, which still bore the scars of several doors having been bashed into it in his anger. He gazed at it with a tired look. Yes, retirement was looking more attractive to him every day. Like many involved on either side, he wanted this crisis over with so everything could return to some semblance of normalcy.

Q'yros sensed a great deal of tension in the guards outside the Emperor's throne room. Even though they had since been given orders to always allow the Mage entry whenever he wished, they were still wary of what he might do. Q'yros decided to do nothing that would alarm them, even to the point of allowing them to open the doors for him rather than use a spell.

Every time that the Mage had visited his sovereign, he had found Z'haas alone. Thus it was some surprise to him to find that the Emperor had a visitor this time. The visitor's voice echoed to him upon the doors opening.

" ... must reiterate the limits of our agreement with you, your Highness. It is imperative that we are clear on this matter."

Q'yros stiffened as he entered the chamber. Addressing a leader as "your Highness" had fallen out of vogue on this side of the ocean for nearly a century. However, it was quite the standard form of address on the other side.

Sure enough, the Mage's eyes fell upon a man who could only be a Urisian. Tall and rather fair-skinned, sporting a bushy mustache under his nose that Q'yros thought looked ridiculous, he spoke in the rather snooty tone that Q'yros had come to expect of Urisi diplomats.

The man turned at the sound of the Mage's entry and cast a speculative eye towards Q'yros. There was a hint of disdain to it as well.

Q'yros caught this but ignored it and the Urisian completely. "If I am interrupting, my Emperor," he said, emphasizing the honorific faintly.

"No, Q'yros, not at all," said Z'haas politely as he turned back to the diplomat. "Rest assured, Mandas, I am aware of all stipulations of your generous agreement with us."

Q'yros raised an eyebrow at the Emperor's tone and watched the two of them curiously. He only now realized he had never seen Z'haas' diplomatic skills in action.

Mandas' gaze lingered on the wizened Mage for a moment before returning to the Emperor. "Nevertheless, I have been instructed by His Majesty's government to reinforce the key provision of the treaty," said the Urisian in a lofty voice. "It is understood that our men will engage only those forces deemed hostile to the Oceanus nation. That will be their only use."

"The treaty was forged with a specific purpose in mind," said Z'haas in a businesslike but casual voice. "And I have not forgotten that. I will honor the treaty and the trust your nation has placed in me."

Mandas sniffed and nodded once, not looking particularly impressed, though Q'yros reasoned that it was a diplomat's job not to look particularly taken with anything he heard. "Very well. His Majesty also wished me to convey that he hopes this will be the start of a broader relationship between Urisi and Oceanus. He feels there is much benefit for both our nations."

Ah, a fishing expedition, Q'yros thought.

"Please inform His Majesty that I agree," said Z'haas, smiling.

The Mage raised an eyebrow. It was the first time he had ever seen the Emperor smile. He had been unsure if Z'haas even knew how.

"Surely when this campaign is concluded, we can work something out," Z'haas continued. "Perhaps more equitable trade agreements? A relaxing of some tariffs and customs fees?"

A very small smile played on Mandas' face. "And perhaps a gentle nudge towards those that, ah, tend to withhold their goods from us?"

Z'haas paused a moment before responding in a darker tone of voice. "Withhold? In Oceanus? Are you quite sure of this, Mandas?"

The diplomat's tone became more self-assured as he sensed a weakness. "Quite sure, your Highness." He paused and gave Q'yros another disdainful glance. "Perhaps we can speak of it in more detail when we have more privacy."

"You may speak freely here. Mage Q'yros is my most trusted adviser."

Q'yros smiled and nodded politely to Mandas, though there was a hint of smugness to his eyes.

Mandas regarded the Mage with a disinterested gaze for another moment before continuing. "Very well. Urisi has recently supplemented its own lucrative slave trade with goods from your nation's Overlords. We have been satisfied with them, but the best have been withheld from us."

Z'haas' expression hardened. "Yes, the Overlords can sometimes be a difficult lot. I shall sort that out soon after the Colos issue is dealt with."

"You need only 'sort out' one of the lot. Roquan D'ronstaq."

The Emperor bristled at the name but otherwise kept his demeanor calm. "I will definitely look into this, Mandas. If Urisi is offering a fair price, no Overlord should have reason to refuse."

"Nevertheless, he has found a reason, as petty as it might be. His Majesty would be most pleased if this matter were resolved."

"I will see to it. The Overlords in general need to be brought in line."

Q'yros frowned. It was obvious that Z'haas was not very skilled at this. He was giving away far too much information. Already the diplomat knew that Oceanus was having internal problems, and this just gave him more potential leverage over the Emperor.

Q'yros also knew why that stipulation about the use of Urisi forces was in the treaty, and he hoped that Z'haas understood it as well.

Mandas offered a polite smile of his own. "I believe that concludes the business that His Majesty wished me to conduct with you, your Highness. I wish you luck in dealing with your internal matters."

He gave the Emperor a slow, formal bow before leaving the throne room, the guards opening the doors for him as he approached.

Q'yros' brow creased as he watched the man leave. That last statement had been something of a dig at Z'haas. It showed that the Urisi Nation was well aware of the growing instability within Oceanus. It was only after the doors had closed behind Mandas that the Emperor let it be known that he understood this as well.

"Meddling upstart," Z'haas muttered from behind clenched teeth.

"It is a diplomat's job to be such," said Q'yros. "I daresay our diplomats are no less annoying to their hosts."

"And now Roquan is yet again a thorn in my side!" the Emperor thundered. "With his westward trade route cut off, you would think he would clamor at the chance to trade with the Urisi. He is likely doing this simply to spite me."

Q'yros did not have the patience for this line of conversation and decided not to pursue it. "My Emperor, I wish to request ..."

"Q'yros, I may need some assistance from you on this matter."

The Mage hesitated. "I beg your pardon?"

"You have had contact with Roquan. You can best advise me on dealing with him."

Q'yros sighed. "As much as I wish I could claim knowledge of the man's thoughts, this is beyond even me. He is unlike any of the other Overlords I have dealt with."

"Could he be privy to any privileged information from the Imperium?"

"Impossible to say, my Emperor."

"Q'yros, it is vitally important that we protect all aspects of the Colosian campaign from the Nobility when they arrive. It is bad enough that the Urisi ambassador knows of our internal difficulties. We cannot allow any more vital information to leak out in such a manner."

The Mage remained silent.

Z'haas turned to him. "You said you had a request of me, Q'yros?"

"A request? Ah, yes. I wish to request that the two visiting Mage apprentices report to my room this evening so they may assist me with the final preparations for the tracking spell I intend to use on the Noble Lords."

The Emperor frowned. "And why do you need my permission for that? They are in your charge."

"Indeed, but I know you had them on some pest eradication work in the gardens ..."

Z'haas raised a hand in dismissal. "They are your responsibility. Assign them as you see fit. Now, was there anything else you require of me? I have a very busy day ahead of me."

"No, my Emperor. I shall take my leave of you. Good day."

Keeping his expression even, he left the audience chamber and headed back to his room. Once there, he closed and locked the door. He fetched the Farview pearl and placed it before him, waving his hand impatiently over it. Q'ixanna's image shimmered into view moments later.

"I have secured permission from the Emperor," said Q'yros. "You may commence with studying the artifacts."

"Wake up, Amanda."

On the third try, the voice was accompanied by a nudge to her shoulder. It did not make Amanda any more willing to open her eyes.

"We need to tend to Master Duric's bath. He will be upset if we are delayed."

Amanda's eyes finally blinked open in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean, Siri ... um ... oh ..."

She squinted a bit as she sat up in bed. Only now did she see that the room had a window, and a rather sizable one at that, rising from the floor to the ceiling, and stretching nearly as wide. Bright sunlight took on a milky radiance as it shone through the curtains that were drawn before it.

She blinked blearily at Tanyee and remembered where she was. It was like the first day after she had been collared all over again: the same sense of disorientation and feeling out-of-place.

"I'm sorry I have to rush you, Amanda," Tanyee said, taking Amanda's hand and coaxing her out of bed. Amanda came, reluctant and a little groggy. "I tried to let you sleep a little extra but ..."

Amanda shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "It's all right, Tanyee. What am I supposed to do?"

Tanyee smiled. "Just come with me."

Amanda nodded and followed. She had not had a good night. She had fallen asleep fairly quickly, but she had awoken in the middle of the night and had had trouble getting back to sleep. Lying there in bed, her worries had come back to haunt her. She worried whether she had found a good spot to hide the pearl. She worried about when she would find the chance to use it. She worried if she would ever see her scrolls again.

They emerged from their quarters in time to see Duric finish disrobing. At the sight of the two of them, he smiled, and his semi-hard manhood began to swell. "Cutting it a little close there, are you?"

"I am most sorry, Master," Tanyee said, bowing her head. She gave Amanda a nudge.

Amanda bowed her head as well, though she made no spoken apology herself.

Duric stepped up to Amanda and cupped his hand under her chin, lifting her gaze to his. He cocked his head slightly to one side. "Is there a problem, Amanda?"

"Problem? No, Master," Amanda responded after a brief hesitation.

"I do hope you found your quarters to your satisfaction. I believe Tanyee finds them most luxurious."

Amanda wondered now if Duric were testing her somehow. "Yes, Master, you're very generous. Thank you."

One corner of Duric's mouth tugged upwards a bit before he let his hand drop. "Tanyee, you will conduct my bath as normal. I have something else in mind for Amanda."

"Of course, Master," said Tanyee.

Amanda gave Duric an inquisitive look. Duric simply returned it with a smile and said nothing more.

Tanyee silently bid Amanda to fall into step beside her as she led her Master towards the bath, proceeding through a curtained door and into a wide passage. Tanyee moved slowly, as if in a precession, causing Amanda to outpace her. Duric placed a hand on her shoulder and pulling her back towards him as they walked.

"I'm sorry, Master," Amanda said sheepishly.

"No need, Amanda," said Duric. "In fact, I was rather enjoying it."

"Enjoying it? I don't understand."

She drew in her breath when she felt his other hand alight on one of her ass cheeks and squeeze it firmly.

"Enjoying watching these." He shifted his hand to her other cheek and squeezed it as well. "I quite like watching them swing up and down as you walk."

Amanda felt flushed and a bit unnerved as well. Though his voice had been calm and casual, there had been an undertone of intense lust to it that was almost perverted. For the first time she felt the age difference between her and a sexual partner.

Tanyee led them into the bath. Much like the one in Roquan's quarters, this one was fed by a hot spring, likely created and maintained with magic. The water was crystal clear, the bottom of the tub clearly visible even through the rippling surface.

When they stopped inside the chamber, Duric stepped behind Amanda and placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her to him. Tanyee did not appear to take any notice of this. Instead, she stepped away from them and began to prepare the water for her Master's bath.

Amanda was not sure what she was supposed to do. She tried watching Tanyee, in case this was simply to teach her how to do this herself. She watched as Tanyee retrieved some small cloth bags with drawstrings that contained a variety of powders. She poured a small amount of each into the spring, foam and suds spreading out across the surface of the water. It reminded her a little too much of the time Amanda and Tanyee had that bath where the Disalla had entered the spring by accident and made them too aroused to think straight.

Because of her thoughts of the moment, Amanda flinched slightly when Duric's hands slipped from her shoulders and cupped her breasts.

Amanda felt her heart pound as Duric's fingers squeezed her warm flesh. He pulled her closer to him, his now very hard cock pressing into the fold between her ass cheeks. Amanda again got the vague sense that there was something inherently wrong about this.

As Tanyee finished applying the powders to the water, she retrieved some cloths and sponges from a small cabinet. By this time, Amanda barely noticed what Tanyee was doing. Duric was kneading her breasts and rubbing her nipples until they rose and hardened. Just as they grew more sensitive to his touch, he lightly pinched and rolled them between his fingers. Amanda swallowed and uttered a small moan.

Despite her anxiety, she was growing quite aroused. She may not have had the instinctual responsiveness of a slave given the Draught, but her training had so conditioned her by now that some of her body's responses were automatic. Her pussy grew moist in time to greet Duric's probing fingers with wet warmth from her folds.

"Your bath is ready, Master," said Tanyee.

Duric was massaging Amanda's womanhood with a single thick finger, using quick, deep strokes. Amanda raised her half-lidded eyes to Tanyee. Tanyee just smiled in return, delighted at the attention Amanda was receiving. She did not feel the least bit jealous. It was simply not proper to feel such a thing.

Duric drew her hand away from Amanda, leaving her panting, wet, and wanting. He patted her on her ass and took her hand before he headed to the edge of the pool. As he descended into the water, he tugged on Amanda's hand before letting go of it. Amanda slipped in after him. She shuddered as the warm waters swirled between her thighs and over her sensitized pussy. Her sex throbbed faintly with her beating heart.

Tanyee took up position behind Duric and began the slow and methodical routine that she did every morning for him. Duric reached out and took both of Amanda's arms, pulling her towards him. She had to straddle his legs as he drew her close. He continued tugging at her until she leaned into him, her breasts pressing against his chest like warm pillows. His hands slid down her sides and grabbed her hips firmly.

"Guide me into you, Amanda," he said in a low, lust-filled voice.

Amanda reached down and found his manhood under the soapy water, a shiver going through her as her fingers played along its length. She held it upright as Duric lowered her hips. His cock pressed against her folds and swiftly penetrated her, sliding into her in one smooth movement.

Amanda braced herself, but no pain came this time, only a feeling of fullness. She let out the breath she had been holding as a low sigh. As she sank, his manhood slipped deeply into her tight tunnel. When she realized that the soreness from the night before was all but gone, she relaxed and could feel of pleasure of their joining. She moaned as her body sat against his with him buried completely inside her.

"Gods, I do love this," Duric said in a husky voice. "You're barely more than a child."

Amanda closed her eyes and trembled. Something in the way he said it renewed some of her anxiety, and she felt a little guilty for any enjoyment she was getting out of it.

"Now, Amanda ... pleasure me."

Amanda placed her hands against his shoulders and began slowly humping, her breathing becoming a pant. She was reminded of her first time with Roquan. He had let her do the work as well. In that case, it had been a tacit way of giving her some control over the situation. Here it felt strangely the opposite.

Amanda risked a glance at Tanyee. Tanyee busied herself with tending to Duric's bath, running her lathered sponge around his shoulders and down his back. She did not appear to be paying much attention to Amanda at all.

Duric reached for Amanda's hips again. He briefly took control of her movements, thrusting her hips more forcefully with each downward stroke. The quicker slide of his cock against her nub and the press of her sex against his body made her pleasure mount faster, forcing her to tighten her muscles to prevent herself from reaching climax too soon.

He let go and she continued the same rhythm, her pants punctuated with occasional grunts and moans. "Much better," Duric said with a sly smile. "Don't you think so?"

"Y-yes, Master ..." Amanda moaned breathlessly. The water splashed about her as she moved, sudsing it more and forming a ring of foam around her waist.

"From what I have heard, you are quite accomplished at sex for someone so young and so early in her training."

"Uhhn ... Thank you, Master ..."

"Which makes me wonder a bit what you would see in anything else."

"Uhn? ..." Amanda gave him a questioning look through half-lidded eyes.

Duric grinned and cupped one of her breasts. "A little faster, Amanda."

She increased the pace as he desired, closing her eyes as her pleasure made her strain to keep it from rising too far. It was a little harder to focus on his words now.

"I had a look at some of those scrolls of yours last night."

Amanda did not show any outward reaction to it. Her body slapped against his, sending waves through the water around her and occasionally splashing water on Duric's chest. Her muscles quivered as they held back her orgasm.

"Quite interesting, really," Duric said, his voice only now betraying some of his own rising pleasure. "Not even some Narlassi children your age are taught at that level before they choose a career and join a Guild."

Amanda felt a sense of desperation come over her. She was straining at the edge of climax, some of her control slipping. Her muscles tightened further, her tunnel becoming more snug around his cock. This made the strokes against her womanhood more pronounced, and she whimpered as she struggled to hold herself back.

"Mmm, nice, Amanda ... I know you're really enjoying that as much as I am."

Amanda closed her eyes again and moaned deeply, only partially from pleasure.

"A slave ... wanting to learn so much ..." Duric panted. "So much more than she needs ..."

"M-master Roquan said I could read them ..." Amanda blurted suddenly in a pleading tone. "H-he ... uhhn ... uhhh! ..."

Amanda's muscles strained almost as much as her pussy did. It was not going to be enough. She had become too distracted to hold on to her control.

"You may cum when I do, Amanda," Duric said as he approached the peak of his own pleasure.

Amanda almost made it.

Barely a moment before Duric's manhood began throbbing inside her, she burst into orgasm, her pussy pulsing hard. She fought to contain her reaction and lost that battle as well, crying out loudly as the pleasure from her climax crashed through her, her body trembling with the force of it. Her movements slowed as the slide of his cock against her made her cum too hard for her to continue.

When Duric's orgasm had begun to abate, he drew Amanda towards him and held her against his body with his cock still buried inside her until her climax subsided as well. By this time, Tanyee had finished what she could do of his bath from behind him and simply waited for Duric to be done with Amanda.

"S-sorry, Master," Amanda whispered into his ear.

"For what, Amanda?"

"For cumming too soon."

"Oh, did you? It was hard to tell, I was otherwise distracted."

Amanda was not sure how to respond. She already felt like she had screwed up and was on the ragged edge of being punished for it.

Duric slapped her lightly on the rear and nudged her back. "I can overlook that, Amanda," he said with a small smile. "But you did not not need to tell me what Roquan said. I am aware of his request to me, Amanda. It was that I thought perhaps you were apologizing for."

Amanda paused for a long moment, then bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Master."

"Those scrolls are very important to you, are they not?"

Was this another test? She had no idea. She had no answer for him except an honest one. "Yes, Master."

"Then you'll show me how important they are to you by being a good slave to me like Tanyee. That means no talking out of turn, Amanda."

Amanda swallowed. "Yes, Master."

He appeared to consider her for a moment and then smiled. "I will not punish you for this. Just see that it does not happen again."

"Yes, Master," said Amanda, relief evident in her voice.

"The last thing I want to do is withhold your scrolls from you."

Amanda blinked and gave him a nonplussed look.

"After all, I find your desire to learn most fascinating. I am looking forward to talking to you about what insights you glean from your readings."

The way that Duric had spoken gave Amanda the impression that he had just challenged her. It was as if he did not believe that a slave was capable of gaining wisdom, or if there were any point to it once she had done so.

In a more clear and steady voice, Amanda said, "Of course, Master. I hope I will live up to your expectations."

Duric chuckled and gently pushed Amanda from him. "Well, well, this has been a most interesting bath time. But time grows short and I have much to do. And you will as well, as you will soon see."

Amanda felt a little more on an even keel. Duric had given her a purpose now. She had to impress him with her ability to learn something from those scrolls and regale him with her new-found knowledge. She had never been so grateful for not having had the Draught as that moment.

Duric gestured, and Tanyee slid through the water and came around in front of him. "We'll have to finish this off a little quickly, now, Tanyee."

"Yes, Master," Tanyee said, taking one of his hands in hers and soaping down his arm.

"Amanda, pleasure yourself at the edge of the pool until Tanyee is done."

"Yes, Master," Amanda replied, pulling herself up until she was seated with her legs still in the water. She spread her thighs apart and drew her fingers over her still wet slit, moving with a renewed confidence.

For the third time now, Lanno had paused in his morning duties to peek into the back room of the Healer's office. Each time he had found Vanlo still staring at the experiment that bubbled and percolated with glacial speed in a far corner of the room. Each time Vanlo was sitting or standing in a different position, as if the aged Healer thought it would somehow give him a better perspective.

Finally Lanno's curiosity was simply too great to ignore. Just before the midday meal, he strode carefully into the office, trying to make a bit of noise so he did not startle Vanlo. This time he was bent precariously over the apparatus, making some adjustment to a valve. Or at least this is what Lanno assumed he was doing. It looked more like the older Healer had been locked into position somehow, spotted fingers still grasping the handle but unmoving.

Lanno cleared his throat. "Vanlo ..."

"One moment."

Lanno immediately quieted, raising an eyebrow. Finally, Vanlo's fingers moved almost imperceptibly, and he slowly straightened up. His eyes watched the flow of fluids through the tubes and condensers before finally turning to face Lanno. "Yes, Lanno, what may I do for you?"

Lanno's eyes flicked from Vanlo to the apparatus. "Were you really doing something with that now?"

"It is a very delicate experiment even in the best of times. I am doing my best to speed things up. This unfortunately means I must monitor it more closely. I wish to have some results in only a few more days."

Lanno stepped more fully into the room, folding his arms. "Why so fast?"

Vanlo paused a long moment. "Call it ... a gut instinct. Ever since the Conclave I have felt that we are all, in a way, living on borrowed time."

"That's an interesting statement."

"I do not expect you to understand it. It is simply something that comes with experience."

"In that case, has it told you anything yet, or is it too soon to tell?"

"I have been assisted by the fact that I have done this before," Vanlo explained, his hand sweeping towards the apparatus. "So I now recognize some of the patterns and flows that are occurring. I can already tell you that the hair belongs to someone of Narlassi descent."

"Well, that's more than we knew before. But it could still belong to Yanna."

"Possibly. But not likely if the experiment continues as it does."

Lanno looked over to the apparatus with increased interest. "Oh, really?"

"It is too soon to make a definite call, and I will not go to the Overlord with anything less than a complete analysis. But if the chemicals continue reacting as they have been, the owner of that hair could not have been Yanna. Or someone of her descent."

Lanno blinked in surprise. "Wait a minute. Not of her descent? What does that mean?"

Vanlo allowed himself a small smile, though mostly at pride in his own work and not because of any desire to show up Lanno. Mostly. "It means, my dear Lanno, that it is unlikely this person came from the same part of Oceanus as Yanna."

Now Lanno looked dubious, giving Vanlo a small smirk. "Oh, now, come on. You can tell that from all this?" he asked, gesturing to the apparatus.

"Not easily. The differences are very subtle. Had the potion that was inflicted upon me affected my visual acuity even the slightest, I would not be making these statements. But, yes, in time I will be able to tell."

"Okay, what about this: can you tell what part of Oceanus the person did come from?"

Vanlo stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I am not sure," he admitted. "That may prove too difficult. Genealogy is not my forte. I would need to call upon an expert from the Guild Hall, and I doubt there are any that understand the complexities of this type of analysis."

If Vanlo had made such a boast to Lanno when they first met, Lanno would have scoffed at it. Even though he still had some doubts, there was no disputing the fact that Vanlo had a skill that was far beyond Lanno's experience.

He had to admit to a certain amount of jealousy and resentment over that.

As if to defend himself on the point of not having a clue in this area, Lanno said casually, "Well, to be honest, they were not teaching things like this at the Hall when I was apprenticed there. They stuck to the purely practical."

"Hmm, yes. That is a tragedy."

"Tragedy?"

"Yes, tragedy, Lanno. Like most Guilds, the Healer Guild has an antipathy towards writing things down. As a result, if a generation chooses not to care about a particular technique, it does not get passed down and fades into obscurity."

Lanno gave him a wry grin. "I assume you don't want to teach."

"I would not have the patience for it, considering I find the current crop of newly minted Masters to be rather lacking."

There was a long, significant pause. One of Lanno's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Present company excluded, of course," Vanlo added with a slight incline of his head towards Lanno.

"You still haven't completely accepted me, have you?"

Vanlo's face took on a somewhat tired look. "Really, Lanno, is it that important to you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Come now, Vanlo. You can't tell me that in your early days as a Healer you didn't strive for recognition among the older and more experienced Healers."

Vanlo paused a moment. "Well, well, you seem to making progress."

Lanno gave the older Healer an odd look.

"You at least acknowledge there are people that are more experienced than you are."

Lanno sighed and threw up his hands. "I don't know what more you want, Vanlo. I already acknowledged that you are far ahead of me in several areas."

"It is not what you say. It is your entire attitude."

"Let me guess, this is going to come back to Amanda again, isn't it?" Lanno said in exasperation. When Vanlo did not reply immediately, Lanno shook his head. "So now am I going to get reamed for what I do on my personal time as well?"

"I am not here to ..." Vanlo paused. "Personal time?"

Lanno hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind."

"Is there something I should know about? Or something that someone else will be telling me?"

Lanno frowned. "And there you go acting like you're my supervisor or parent or something. Like you're responsible for my actions."

"Your actions have a bearing on how people view this office."

Lanno uttered a bark of humorless laughter. "Oh, hellfire, Vanlo! All of our patients are slaves!"

"And are you implying that they are deserving of any less respect than if you had a Narlassi as a patient?"

Silence descended between the two, heavy and leaden. Vanlo realized the moment the words were out of his mouth that it had been precisely the wrong thing to say. While no one in Oceanus advocated abusing slaves, to so blatantly suggest that they may somehow be equal in standing to a Narlassi native was unheard of.

However, he showed no outward sign of his realization, maintaining a steady and cool gaze, his bearing almost daring the younger Healer to challenge him on the point.

Unfortunately, Lanno was one to dare.

"Would I ever give any less care or pay less attention to detail when dealing with a slave just because she is not a Narlassi? No," Lanno responded in carefully measured tones. "Were there a slave and a Narlassi both requiring critical attention at the same time, yes. My priority would be the Narlassi."

Vanlo did not respond immediately. His thoughts drifted back to the day that Amanda had been near death after taking the crossbow bolt through the leg. It had ruptured the femoral artery. She had very nearly bled her life away before Vanlo could even look at her.

During that incident, Overlord Gronnus had stabbed the assassin in the neck. The blow had severed the carotid artery, sealing the man's fate in seconds. Had the injury been any less, Vanlo would have been faced with treating two mortally wounded people at the same time, and he would have had the resources for only one.

He would have chosen a slave's life over that of a Narlassi. Amanda's life over that of an assassin. He did not imagine Roquan would have faulted him in the least for it.

He almost felt like challenging Lanno on this point, and seeing what he would have done in this case. He decided that, ultimately, it was not worth the effort.

"I withdraw the question," said Vanlo. "It is best we no longer speak on topics that cause friction between us."

"That doesn't leave much," Lanno said.

"Be that as it may, it is all we have to work with. Now, if you will excuse me."

Without waiting for a reply, Vanlo turned on his heel and headed out the door and into the sunlight for his daily constitutional.

Lanno sighed and shook his head in Vanlo's wake. He had thought that working together on this particular case had eased tensions between them. It appeared it had at first. Now he wondered if perhaps there was something else on the older Healer's mind.

But lots of luck to him finding out what it was.

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