Amanda was now convinced of what she had only suspected the day before: her bondage arrangement had been dictated by Mandas down to the last detail. The displeasure on Marris' face while he secured her was both confirmation and a small comfort as she swayed and strained at the ends of her chains.

Her wrists were shackled, and a chain ran from them to a large metal hook embedded in the ceiling, pulled taut until her heels left the floor. Her ankles were bound tight with another chain, forcing her to strain on tip-toes to steady her body.

She would let herself hang from the wrist shackles if not for the additional chain threaded between her legs and attached to the same hook. When she relaxed her feet, the chain pushed a silky cloth against her folds. Her pussy buzzed and strained with wet pleasure which never consummated in orgasm while it remained pressed to her.

She was left like this for some time, her feet growing tired and forcing her to rest against the cloth until she squirmed in dire need. She would gasp and writhe against the chain, desperate to coax her pussy into one final nudge over the edge. Yet relief would never come, leaving her panting and mad with arousal. Then it was up on her tip-toes again.

This had not been enough to satisfy Mandas. Two slim chains hung from tight clamps on her nipples, and lead weights dangled from the other ends. As she wriggled about trying to balance herself on her tip-toes, the weights swung and tugged, driving her pleasure to further maddening heights until her nipples throbbed with her heartbeat against the clamps.

Finally, the carriage door opened, and Mandas entered, thumping his cane once against the floor. His eyes slowly swept Amanda's body, and he smiled as if admiring "his" work. Amanda said nothing, though she could not hide the plea from her eyes.

He stepped towards her just as she was forced to ease the ache in her burdened feet. Mandas grinned and flicked the weights on her nipples with the head of his cane. Amanda moaned and shivered, her breath a gasping pant as her pussy strained harder at the edge.

"Sometimes I wish I had managed to outbid that oaf Norlan for you," said Mandas with a sly smile. "I have all sorts of interesting bondage positions I would love to try on you. You take to them so well."

Amanda barely managed to suppress a whimper as she squirmed and twisted.

"And as much as I would love to watch you in this state, I suspect your speech would be incoherent. Alas."

He turned towards a corner of the carriage and picked up a block of polished wood which Marris had left behind. He placed it at Amanda's feet and helped her step onto it. Amanda rested on her heels and let out a slow, quavering sigh as the pressure against her pussy eased. She stood still until the weights stopped swinging, and it retreated a bit more.

"Better?" Mandas asked with a smarmy grin.

"Yes, Master," Amanda said in a less strained but still breathy voice.

"Very good. Now, tell me what else you have learned about Gedric."

Amanda launched into the speech she had rehearsed with Gedric and Vortas before dawn. She told him of Gedric's Noble heritage and his mentor, the former Lord Tarras, who likely escaped the initial Inonni purge. She did not reveal her revelations about the Inonni Portal technology, nor did he ask.

When Amanda was done, Mandas slowly paced the length of the carriage once, appearing deep in thought. He finally lifted his eyes to her, and his face took on a grave look. "From what you have told me, Amanda, it is as I have feared: Gedric is in extreme danger."

Amanda did not react. She simply gave Mandas an expectant look.

"It is well and good I had conceived of a plan of escape for him, for I suspected from the start it might come to this."

Amanda tilted her head, both in curiosity and confusion.

"This is what I had implied when I first spoke to you. This task is the means for your escape with Gedric."

Amanda's eyes widened. Did he know already? Were the Urisi further along in understanding the Inonni threat than they let on?

"I believe the Oceanus delegation which will be upon us in less than a quarter moon intends to take Gedric into custody as a means of finding Lord Tarras."

Amanda's mouth dropped open.

Mandas nodded gravely. "Yes, you can see the implications yourself. Oceanus' new masters will do unspeakable things to him to get the information they want."

Amanda blinked and stared in surprise.

Mandas smirked. "Ah, so naive you are. You don't want to think just how bad they can be. But I know far more about them than you ever could. I know how vicious they are. How cruelly they can torture a man. How they think nothing of inflicting the most terrible pain to get what they want. That is what awaits Gedric if we do not help him escape before the Inonni arrive."

That Mandas could stoop to such outrageous lies did not surprise her. But to declare them so boldly, without flinching, without giving any clue as to the deception by either the inflection of his voice or the movements of his body chilled her far more than anything he could have done to her.

She had once lamented she could never be a complete slave. She could act the part but not be the part, as something would flicker in her eyes to destroy the illusion. Now she reveled in it, for if Mandas were an example of the accomplished liar, it was something she never wanted to be.

The thought that Mandas had expected her to fall for this pack of lies sparked blazing anger in her eyes for a moment.

Mandas nodded. "Yes, I can see you do not like the prospect, either. Then I would suggest it is in your best interest to assist in this escape. If we act fast enough, you and Gedric can be gone before the Oceanus delegates arrive."

Amanda's mind raced. What was Mandas really up to? If he could tell such large lies, then nothing suggested he was telling the truth now. But if there were even a chance to escape the Urisi slave system...!

She had no idea what to do or how to respond.

Mandas gave her an ingratiating smile. "I see you appear a bit conflicted. Perhaps the life of a slave was starting to grow on you? I suppose I'll give you some time to, ah ..."

He suddenly kicked the block out from under Amanda's feet. She gasped when the chain slammed the cloth into her tortured pussy and the weights on her nipples swung wildly. She again thrashed and whimpered in unbearable need.

"... think about it." Mandas smirked and left the carriage.

It was once said one could tell the size of a bureaucracy by counting how many clerks it employed. As such, the Urisi government had the greatest density of clerks to non-clerks of any nation in Narlass.

High Minister of State Erodon employed a virtual army of clerks who handled all the minutiae of paperwork which he had neither the desire nor the time to do himself. All documents underwent an initial editing by the clerks; all messages to foreign heads of state were spell-checked by the clerks; and all expense reports came first to the clerks for an initial accounting and tally.

Once such clerk, sitting at the single long desk alongside his peers, worked methodically through a pile of such reports, his quill pen quivering as it noted figures on a long scroll which pooled on the floor beside him. The other hand alternated between flipping a report from the "pending" to "done" pile and manipulating the beads of an abacus with nimble aplomb.

Finally a report sat before him which forced him to pause. He raised an imperious eyebrow and narrowed his eyes upon the figure. Seven thousand? For a single lump sum listed only as "miscellaneous Ambassadorial expenses?" Oh no, this would not do at all. He would expect a whole ream of parchments to accompany this one, a complete accounting of every coin, in order to allow him to validate such an expense.

He frowned as he saw the name attached to it: Lord Ambassador Norlan.

He sighed. The rank was high enough that he had to issue an initial approval. Yet anything over a thousand platinum gave him pause, especially without more detail. Ambassador or no, Lord Norlan had to account for his expenditures.

He inked the figure into the ledger with some reluctance, and drew a symbol near it indicating it was provisional only. He grumbled a curse, as now he had to maintain an additional column. He dearly hoped there would be no more like this.

He placed the report in a different pile, one that heretofore had been empty. The little sign next to it read "expedited review." When Erodon performed his own review two days hence, he would be sure to see this one first.

Amanda discovered to her dismay that a pussy straining almost painfully on the edge of orgasm was not conducive to logical thought. She spent much of her time trying to avoid thrashing, as any movement made it worse. She closed her eyes and blocked out all other thoughts as she tensed her arms and lifted herself on her toes.

Amanda had never been so torn since being parted from Sirinna. She was sure Mandas was setting up Gedric for something. Would he, as a Urisi Ambassador, actually abet an escape attempt for a man wanted by another government? And yet if there were even the smallest chance she could escape--!

Amanda sighed. In reality, only one choice existed, as Mandas would consider only one answer acceptable. What really mattered was what she was going to do afterward. Surely Gedric and Vortas would see the offer for the duplicity it was.

Amanda whimpered as her feet gave out. Her pussy pressed against the cloth, now soaked with both the enchantment imbued within and her own moisture. She shivered and moaned, unable to think clearly in the midst of the sensual assault.

The door opened, and Mandas stepped inside. Amanda tried to speak, but only a ragged moan emerged from her lips. She thrashed again, her nipple weights swinging, her breath heavy. Mandas watched her for a few moments before placing the block under her feet.

Mandas gave Amanda a sly smirk, and yanked the cloth out from between the chain and her pussy. He slipped a single gloved finger into her folds and rubbed her womanhood with quick, hard strokes.

Amanda gasped, her chains rattling as she trembled at the edge for another few excruciating moments, the effects of the orgasm suppressant slow to wear off. She cried out as her pussy exploded, throbbing hard against Mandas hand. The chain holding her wrists snapped taut as her legs gave out.

Mandas withdrew his hand. "Your answer?"

Amanda gasped out her answer as she struggled to catch her breath. "Yes ... Master ... I'll do it ... I'll help you."

Mandas grinned. "Very good. Now, listen carefully, as I do not care to repeat myself. The Oceanus fleet is granted one more night with the slaves. That will be your chance to inform Gedric of my plan. I am sure you can convince him, since he is so enamored of the oh-so-special Oceanus-bred slaves. Tell him the escape will be executed before the Oceanus delegates are within sight of the coast. He is to acknowledge his acceptance of the plan by requesting he be allowed to have you for another night, that he will reveal some important information to Norlan if he is granted his wish."

"Yes, Master, I understand."

"The night you are delivered to him, a courier will arrive with a parchment for the guards which will grant permission for Gedric to be allowed off the ship so he may have you in the carriage." He smirked. "It will claim Gedric has certain ... special bondage requests ... which he does not have the equipment to do. He will then join you in the carriage, and both of you will be taken to your passage to freedom."

Amanda's heart pounded. To her desperate ears, it sounded almost as if it could work. She wanted to hold out some hope he was sincere in wishing for their escape.

"I do hope you can remember all that." Mandas said in a dry voice.

"Yes, Master, I'll remember it."

"If you do not carry through, I vow I will find a way to acquire you, and then you'll really see what sort of interesting bondage games I'm capable of with my slaves."

Amanda shivered, rattling her chains once more. "Yes, Master," she said in a meek voice.

Marris hoped this would be the last time Lord Ambassador Mandas needed to meet with Amanda in this manner. He was sure "meet" was the operative word. Mandas' visits were far too short to be a simple sexual tryst.

He felt guilty when Amanda looked at him each time he chained and unchained her, despite the total lack of accusation in her eyes. He was sure he could not do this again without begging Amanda for forgiveness. This last time, Amanda had given him a concerned look just as he returned her to her normal carriage, as if she had noticed his distress and was sorry for it.

His heart had melted, and he had come close to shedding tears when he was alone in his compartment.

His mind raced with possibilities of what Mandas could be up to. His concern had little to do with loyalty to Norlan. He had finally accepted he had little if any loyalty. Norlan was just an employer, someone willing to let him work for the pittance he earned. It was hard to be loyal when so many employers had dismissed him after learning of his "proclivities."

He was more worried about Amanda being hurt. He was not interested in whatever machinations went on between rival Lord Ambassadors. They would continue with or without his assistance. But at least he had a choice, unlike Amanda.

Marris would quit his position in an instant if he thought he could somehow take Amanda with him. He had heard of slaves attempting escape, usually those who were left undraughted and thus still remembered the loves ones from whom they had been ripped. Those who attempted to assist them generally came to bad ends.

And even if he could help Amanda escape, where would she go? There were stories of slaves who had managed to escape but became no more than slave labor toiling away on some obscure farm or plantation. It traded one slavery for another.

Marris had his doubts about the latter claim, but he was sure Amanda would be just as miserable as a peasant girl as she would as a slave.

Marris peeked outside as dusk settled to twilight and sighed. Another sleepless night lay ahead.

Mandas wrinkled his nose as he once more found himself at the disagreeable strip of beach of the Ollo merchant clan. He hauled a large sack towards its equally odious clan leader and dropped it at the man's feet.

Riddon stared at the sack, it sides bulging with coins, then gave the Lord Ambassador a stunned look. Two of his compatriots, having heard the distinctive rattle of platinum, raced over from their camp and dropped to their knees, pawing open the sack like starving men finding a cache of food.

"Sweet goddess of the sea," one drawled. He plunged his hand inside and let the coins run through his fingers.

"Bloody hellfire if there ain't at least five thousand in here!" the other babbled.

"Seven thousand," Mandas announced, his voice tight. "As agreed."

Mandas still did not like dispensing such a huge payment despite the rewards which awaited him. This was coming out of his own pocket; the expense report existed merely to implicate Norlan. He could not draw on the funds himself, as tempting as it was to forge another signature. He would sacrifice his liquidity to maintain the deception.

Riddon smirked. "Heh, so we get the girl fer ourselves, eh?"

"Do whatever you want with her. It is not my concern."

The other two merchants stared at Riddon. "Hellfire, I thought you were only foolin' 'bout that, Riddie!" said one. "Sweet goddess, our own slave girl!"

The other smirked. "Yeah, an' when we get tired of her, she'll make us a blazin' load more than just this."

"You have your money now," Mandas announced. "So I will expect you to live up to your side of the deal."

Riddon shoved the other two merchants aside and closed the sack. "You got it, Lord, ah, Norlan was it?"

"Norlan," Mandas said. "Lord Ambassador Norlan. Remember that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Okay, so when's the night of the pickup and where do we go?"

"Three nights hence," said Mandas. "The man and the girl will be brought here shortly after midnight. Before that, I will give you the coordinates of where you are to sail with them. It will not be very far, no more than a few days' travel."

Riddon nodded. "Got it. But if they're a no-show, we're outta here." He snatched the neck of the sack and threw it over his shoulder. "With the money."

Mandas grinned. "Of course. I would expect nothing less of you."

As the twilight vanished in the wake of deepening night, Gedric and Vortas listened with stony faces as Amanda recounted what Mandas had told her. She left out no detail, including his claims of Inonni torture. A moment of awkward silence followed the conclusion of her account before Gedric turned to Vortas and exploded, "Surely this Ambassador lies, my Lord!"

Amanda let out a sigh of relief. She had hoped they would see through the deception without any prompting from her.

"I have a question," Vortas rumbled. He turned to Amanda. "What of these claims of Inonni torture? Is there any truth to them at all?"

"I have never seen it for myself, Master," said Amanda. "From what I know, it doesn't make any sense. I still think they want Master Gedric to help target their Portal. I doubt they would hurt him at all."

"I still do not wish to aid Inonni plans, regardless of how 'pleasant' my incarceration may be," Gedric declared.

"We are in agreement on that point, Fleet Captain," said Vortas as he stood up. "Great gods, what is this man up to?!"

"It cannot be anything good. I am in agreement with slave Amanda; he tells us nothing but lies! Even if the Inonni were capable of such cruelty, there is no way he could know about it. We barely know much about the Inonni ourselves."

Vortas narrowed his eyes. "He could be planning to kidnap you. Perhaps he wishes to make his own separate deal with the Inonni."

Amanda had not considered this possibility, and, unfortunately, it sounded quite logical. For all she knew, the carriage would take them to some undisclosed location where they would be held until Gedric could be turned over for the right price.

And then she would go back to Norlan. Perhaps he was involved as well. Or the Urisi government planned it to avoid appearing weak by simply handing Gedric over. She was sure governments back on her homeworld of Earth had engineered such schemes, especially during the height of the Cold War.

"But what do we do, my Lord?" Gedric asked. "We cannot refuse to go along with this, for that will raise more suspicion."

Vortas turned to Amanda. "How much time did you say we had?"

"Lord Mandas said less than a quarter moon. That's all the detail he would give me."

"Which means at least two or three days, since I assume you will be returned to your owner with the rest of the slaves in the morning."

"I may have to take my chances," Gedric said. "Once I am in the carriage, perhaps I can take control of it."

"But to what end?!" boomed Vortas. "Where will you go? If they are intent on taking you, they will likely fill the carriage with armed soldiers."

"I am aware of this, but unless slave Amanda can give us more information as to the details of the Ambassador's real plans, we have no alternatives."

Amanda gave them a forlorn look. "I'm not sure how much I can do. Lord Mandas does not own me, and I probably won't be talking to him again before that night."

"Then I will take a weapon with me," said Gedric.

Vortas frowned. "I doubt very much the guards will let you carry anything like that off the ship."

Gedric shook his head. "You are thinking of the larger and more obvious weapons we use to arm landing or boarding parties. I am speaking of something more clandestine, such as a dagger slipped into a boot."

Amanda's eyes widened.

Vortas looked askance at Gedric. "You know how to fight with a knife?"

"Yes. You tend to learn when you do pirate control duty. Pirates like to squirrel away in hidden areas and force close-quarters combat, where they believe Oceanus sailors to be soft. So we learned to fight like they do. And I never have my men do something I would not do, so I learned as well."

Vortas heaved a windy sigh. "I still do not like this."

"Fine. Then I'll die in the attempt," Gedric declared to a gasp from Amanda. "That will deny them their prize and sow the seeds of discord between the Urisi and Oceanus. The Urisi Nation does not deserve to have peace if they would stoop to subterfuge this vile!"

Amanda swallowed. She did not care to see Gedric die, but she was more concerned with her own safety, as selfish as it seemed to her at the moment.

"I simply do not care for my option to be presented as my only option," Vortas said. "But I am forced to agree. Unless we gain some other insight, we are forced to go along with these plans and make the best of them."

"If I find anything useful at all, Master, I will tell you when I see you again," Amanda said. "That's all I can promise."

Gedric stepped up to her and smiled, cupping his hand under her chin. "You have done better than anyone could have ever expected. You have been more loyal not just to me but to Oceanus than any slave I have ever encountered."

Amanda smiled, but it was bittersweet. Gedric reminded her so much of Roquan. She could see herself remaining his slave for some time.

Vortas clasped Gedric's shoulder. "We have beaten this topic as much as we can. I would suggest you enjoy the rest of the evening with your slave. Certainly you have earned it after all this."

Amanda believed she had as well, and her smile became more happy.

Bessa sighed as she finished her cleaning duties in the slave quarters. Running into Lord Norlan the other night had rattled her enough she had switched with another maid on the staff roster.

After placing fresh furs and linens in the slave sleeping niches, she gathered the last of the ones she had removed and dumped them into the cart near the center of the room. She was about to grasp the handle and wheel the load to the washing chambers when a voice startled her.

"You are Bessa, are you not?"

Bessa spun around. Larra gave her a small smile. "This slave usually sees you only during the day," Larra said.

"And wot's that to yew, either my name or wot I'm doin' here?" Bessa demanded.

"You seem like you enjoy talking to the slaves. This slave has seen you do it before."

"Don't know wot yer flappin' about," Bessa muttered as she grasped the handles of the cart.

Larra stepped in front of it. "This slave won't tell anyone, don't worry."

Bessa hesitated before she responded, "Like I'm afraid o' wot yer gonna say t' anyone."

"You should be."

Bessa blinked and stared. "Wot?"

Larra smiled. "You need to be more careful, Bessa, about what you say. Like this slave is."

Bessa's jaw tightened, but she said nothing in response.

"Especially about what you see in the slave quarters, since, really, who is going to believe a washing maid?"

Bessa clenched her jaw hard to suppress the reply she so wanted to throw in the girl's face. It gave her time to realize perhaps Lord Norlan knew the truth of the incident with Amanda. That satisfied her more than any retort she could have made.

But how did Larra know it was Bessa who had mentioned it to Lord Norlan?

Or maybe she didn't know. Maybe she was just fishing, thinking a mere washing maid would be so frightened she would confess on the spot to her complicity. Or look so fearful in her denial that Larra could be all but certain it was her.

Bessa narrowed her eyes to blazing points. "Fer someone so 'ot to do the roight thing, yew ain't doin' so well if yew insist on talkin' t' me all the time and takin' me away from me duties!"

Bessa yanked the cart back and angled it around Larra. The cart tipped towards the slave, and Bessa again felt a small measure of satisfaction to see the girl jump back in the fear she would be covered in dirty linens. The wheels thumped back down on the stone floor as Bessa pushed the cart out the door and into the hallway past a somewhat nonplussed guard.

Norlan stepped into his parlor, wiping his weary and haggard face with his hand as he uttered a slow sigh. He turned up the lanterns, grateful for the absence of yet another surprised washing maid. As little as he cared for what the staff thought, he desired to maintain some level of proper appearance. He had allowed himself to speak to the maid -- whatever her name was -- out of sheer frustration.

He crossed the room, his robe swishing around his feet, and prepared another attempt at an antidote for his insomnia. He frowned as the wine splashed into the goblet. The thought again nagged at him, the same which had persisted through the day and into his vain attempts at slumber: he was missing something.

The latest report he had received told him the Inonni would arrive in a quarter moon. Mandas had that long to make a move, if he were indeed planning one. That was the missing piece: some proof of Mandas' duplicity. Without it, anything he said would be taken as mad ramblings.

Norlan brought the goblet to his lips and paused. Just what had been that washing maid's name?

He was not sure why he cared. She was just another servant. They were nameless to him save for Halno. It was his responsibility to keep the staff sorted out. Norlan never needed to know the details, save for when one needed to be disciplined or dismissed. His approvals of new staff were perfunctory, as he trusted Halno to have done all the proper screening.

Norlan took a sip of wine and dropped into a seat at the end of the sofa. He set the goblet down and rubbed his eyes. Bessa was the name of the washing maid. So now he knew a name of a formerly faceless staff member.

He picked up the goblet and recalled the night Mandas had volunteered to take the slaves to the ship. The scene still stuck in his mind, playing over and over as if some detail had been overlooked, something which would give him a clue.

He raised the goblet to his lips. As the scene played out once more in his mind, he realized he did know the name of another servant, one named Marris. He was present when the slaves were delivered to ...

Norlan froze, then slowly lowered the goblet and stared straight ahead. How did Norlan know Marris was there? Because Mandas had said his name. Mandas had said his name. How did Mandas know Marris was there? How did he know the name of any of Norlan's staff, let alone the one carrying the keys to the slaves' restraints?

The goblet landed on the table with a thump, wine splashing and running down its sides. "You are as much a clumsy fool as you are a treacherous bastard," Norlan growled.

He leapt up from his seat and rushed into the audience chamber where he performed all his Farviews. He snatched the pearl from its velvet bed above the plaque which read "High Lord Ardon" and waved his hand over it.

After a rather long pause, Ardon's groggy Runner shimmered into view. "Good evening to you, Lord Ambassador Norlan. I regret to inform you the High Lord Ardon is not available right now. May I take a message which I will deliver in the morning?"

"No, you are to get him for me now."

The Runner blinked. "That is not possible right now, my Lord. I can take as detailed a message as you--"

"It is said slaves that dance in the moonlight of the summer solstice will have wet, wonderful dreams by dawn."

The Runner paused, his eyes widening. "I will fetch the High Lord at once," he said, and Norlan now stared at an image of an empty chamber.

After another inordinate pause, the empty chamber was replaced with a very groggy and very angry High Lord. "Gods damn it, Norlan, I didn't know you had my code phrase, and if I had, I would have changed it!"

"My Lord, I beg forgiveness," said Norlan. "But I believe we may have a potential traitor in our midst."

The High Lord stared. "What? Who?!"

"Lord Ambassador Mandas. I believe I have proof he is conspiring with one of my staff and potentially one of my slaves to sabotage our relations with Oceanus."

"Do you realize how serious an accusation that is?" Ardon thundered.

"I would not have contacted you at such a late hour if I did not think it very serious. And I remind you of your own suspicions about--"

"Yes, yes, but I had never believed he would go so far as to commit treason! You had better have some proof and not just working off some sort of hunch!"

"If it is solid proof you need, I hope to obtain it within a day. But I need help from you and the other High Lords."

"A tall order considering your attitude towards us recently."

"Nevertheless, I need it. Whatever Mandas is doing, I am sure it will target me in some way. I fear we have underestimated his resourcefulness. He may be risking it all just to place me in disfavor."

"You mean more than you have done yourself?"

Norlan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please, my Lord, now is not the time for continued recriminations about my past actions."

The High Lord sighed, and his shoulders sagged. "Forgive me, Norlan, but the candlemark is quite late. I will not be able to act on anything until morning."

"But at least now it will be the first thing on your mind when you rise," said Norlan. "Now, please, I need your help to keep track of machinations at court and look for anything which may indicate a move against me."

"Yes, yes, very well, I understand." Ardon heaved a sigh and frowned. He fixed a level gaze at Norlan. "Realize, now, if you are right and we help thwart some move against you, you will be very much in the High Lords' debt."

Norlan returned the gaze with one of absolute equanimity. "And I am sure that is where you all want me."

High Lord Ardon nodded. "Oh yes, Norlan. That is exactly where we want you."

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