Norlan rushed through the corridors of his palace, his stomach still rumbling for the evening meal he had just been denied. The moment he stepped into the parlor, a stone-faced High Lord Ardon thrust a parchment into his chest. "Is this what you are supposedly looking for, Lord Ambassador?" said Ardon in a strained voice.

Norlan took the parchment and examined it. He nodded once and tried to return it, but Ardon had turned away. "An expense report in my name but not written by me," Norlan said. "Yes, I would say you have discovered a critical piece of evidence."

"And you are quite sure you did not submit this yourself?" Ardon said without turning around.

"I of all people would be the last one to submit such a vague expense report. I account for every platinum piece I spend specifically to avoid being reviewed into oblivion by the High Minister of State."

Ardon folded his arms and took a deep breath. "There are some among the High Lords who would prefer to believe otherwise."

"I am sure there are. Just as I am sure you are not among them."

Ardon said nothing in response.

Norlan let the parchment flutter to a table and stepped towards the High Lord. "Ah, I see. They see me refusing to be richified further by the High Lords so they believe I have turned elsewhere for my platinum."

"It is not uncommon to arrange for such kickbacks from other sources." Ardon paused and turned around, his eyes narrowed. "Such as the King."

"And I assure you I am doing nothing of the sort. Or do you forget this particular Monarch is not inclined to dispense such favors? He prefers to ensure loyalty by other means. He is as much of a tightwad as he is a power monger."

Ardon's eyebrows rose.

"Seriously, my Lord, let us stop with these games," Norlan said. "You have done your duty by the other Lords. You executed the proper suspicion and launched the proper amounts of accusation at me. Now let us move past this and onto business."

Ardon's gaze slowly softened. He sighed and fell into a chair, wiping his face with a hand. "You really think Mandas' hand is in this?"

Norlan stepped towards the wine cabinet. He did not speak again until he had a full goblet to hand to the High Lord, which was eagerly accepted. "I can see no other. Allow me tell you of the incident which convinced me something was amiss."

He explained what had happened the evening the slaves were presented to the Oceanus fleet. Ardon shook a finger at Norlan. "I told you he could not be trusted with handling your slaves!"

"Yes, and I bow to your superior wisdom," Norlan said in a flat voice as he sipped his own goblet. "But perhaps now you are more inclined to believe me."

"But what is he planning? What could he possibly hope to gain from this?"

"The intended end result will be to cast me in a bad light. He so much as stated from the beginning this was not a partnership but a contest where there could be only one winner. He is setting himself up as the winner."

Ardon frowned. "There has to be more to it than a forged expense report. That would earn you no more than a reprimand and a withholding of the requested funds."

"Yes, so there must be a plan to spend these monies on something illicit, something which would also have my name attached to it. Then it would be a simple matter of tying it to the expense report as proof. Erodon's dislike for me would be enough to prompt him to convince the King to expel me from my position, and perhaps from court altogether."

"But what could he be planning?"

Norlan took a long sip of his wine and remained pensive.

"You said before it might involve one of your slaves," Ardon said. "I was unclear on that point. What could a slave possibly do other than convey simple messages or deliver small objects?"

"The slave he is potentially working with is Amanda." When Ardon did not respond, Norlan found the High Lord giving him a confused look. "She is the one I acquired from the D'ronstaq Manor."

"Oh, yes, I remember her. But what of it?"

"Please, Lord Ardon, try to jog your memory. Oceanus slaves in general are more intelligent, and she especially so since she is undraughted. And I suspect she had been used by her former Overlord to spy for him on other Overlords."

Ardon shot to his feet, nearly spilling his wine upon the carpet. "What?!"

"Yes, I know, it is quite unheard of, but--"

"And you purchased her in light of that?"

Norlan paused with the goblet halfway to his lips. He slowly lowered it and sighed. "Yes. Perhaps I have reconsidered the wisdom of that," he said in a low voice.

"I still do not see how that is even possible anyway! Slaves are allowed no resources which could allow them to operate in such a fashion, unless you have violated that protocol as well!"

"I assure you I have been treating her the same as the other slaves."

"So you say!"

"But that would not stop Mandas from colluding with her without my knowledge. I have since learned that Mandas used Amanda during the High Feast. Thus he was alone with her at least once and could have struck some sort of deal with her."

Ardon closed his eyes and started shaking his head halfway through Norlan's last sentence. "The idea of someone conspiring with a slave is so utterly ridiculous I cannot wrap my mind around it."

"With all due respect, my Lord, you had better learn to accept it if we are to get anywhere."

Ardon opened his eyes and stepped up to Norlan. "Then get her here this instant and force her to confess her collusion! If you do not have the stomach for such things, I can summon my Slavemaster, and I assure you he will extract the confession you need!"

Norlan's jaw tightened, and he let go a small sigh despite all efforts to repress it. "I have my own methods which have proven effective in the past," said Norlan in a curt voice. "I plan to confront her tonight after evening meal."

Ardon drank down the rest of his wine in one go and slammed the goblet to the table. He snatched the expense report. "You'd best see that you do. Be aware, Norlan, there are High Lords who want to use this parchment to hang you out to dry. You have one chance to make good."

"My Lord, with all due respect, I feel I have a lot more riding on this than anything the High Lords can do to me," said Norlan. "I do not believe Mandas would be satisfied with anything other than my complete destruction, even if it means bringing down the Urisi Nation with him."

Ardon paused, the blast of alcohol slowing his thoughts. "Do you believe this has anything to do with the man you believe Oceanus wants? What was his name again?"

"Fleet Captain Gedric V'riis," said Norlan. "That Amanda was his exclusive slave over three nights would tend to support this. More to the point, Gedric was formerly a member of Oceanus Nobility, people who have dealt with Oceanus slaves much of their adult lives. He would be more willing to collude with someone like Amanda, who was once an Oceanus slave herself."

Ardon let out a slow sigh. "This is proving to be a tangled mess. I find myself hoping you are wrong despite what my fellows will do to you."

Norlan nodded once. "In a small way, I suppose I am hoping the same thing."

Ardon gave him a strange look.

"And once more, my Lord, you underestimate my level of concern for the Urisi Nation." Norlan took another sip of his wine and left the still half-full goblet on the table. "Good day to you, Lord Ardon," he said in a stiff voice as he left the room.

Amanda's heart pounded harder the longer she was left waiting in the pleasure chamber for the arrival of her Master. She had never felt so helpless or so bereft of counsel. Events carried her along, and she felt powerless to affect them. Her anxiety nearly overwhelmed the warm flood of arousal which had come over her from the generous amount of the drug she had been fed with the evening meal.

She knelt in the center of the chamber, her ankles shackled, her thighs chained to them in turn. Her wrists were shackled behind her and held to her ankles with a short length of chain. Her pussy oozed through the restored sex seal. Her bondage was welcome, as it told her what Norlan wanted of her that evening. And yet the more time passed, the more doubt crept over her.

She flinched when the door finally opened. She took a quick, deep breath to compose herself, yet as the chamber door thudded shut behind him, her breath caught in her throat when she looked up at his hard face.

For the next few moments, all Norlan did was stare at her, his eyes cool and unyielding, his robe still sashed tight around his waist. Amanda maintained her gaze to his for the proper amount of time, then looked away before her eyes could shimmer in growing fear and cast them towards the floor. "Your slave eagerly waits to be used for your pleasure, Master," she said in as steady a voice as she could muster.

The silence was far more unnerving than any words he could have said, no matter how harsh. She heard a deep intake of breath, and then a slow sigh of ... what? Frustration? Anger? Impatience? Without daring to look up at him and see his face, she could not tell.

When Norlan finally spoke, Amanda's stomach clenched at the sharpness of his voice. "And what would you do if I were to leave your sex seal in place for an entire moon?"

Amanda tensed to repress a shudder. He had asked it as a question, so she had to answer. "This slave has no say in such things," she said in a low, flat voice.

"Yet that does not mean you do not have any thoughts on it."

Amanda's curiosity forced her to look up. The eyes which met her were not what she had expected. While she saw the same visage of anger and disappointment he always wore when he was disappointed in her, she also saw something quite rare: frustration.

"You would not care for it, would you?" Norlan snapped.

Amanda paused, then shook her head slowly. "No, Master, this slave would not care for it."

"Or if I left you sealed for a season."

Amanda's heart hammered. She thought this had to have something to do with the incident with Larra. She believed herself a fool for thinking it would pass without repercussions.

"Or a year. Or two years."

Amanda's eyes shimmered, but she said nothing. She shivered as another wave of lusty heat steamed in her pussy. She was sure within less than a candlemark she would be squirming and silently begging for relief.

"And none of it would matter."

Amanda blinked, and her eyes widened as she beheld upon Norlan's face a look of equal parts fury and frustration.

"None of it would matter to you."

Amanda simply stared. She had no idea what to expect from him now, and her wrists tugged at her restraints.

Norlan suddenly dropped to one knee before her, and she recoiled before she could catch herself, her chains rattling. "Do you understand what that means, Amanda? Do you really understand the implications of what I just said?"

Amanda slowly shook her head, unable to speak.

"None of it has worked, has it? None of the discipline, none of the instillation of duty, none of the denial of pleasure, not even the unspoken threat to your only link to your former lover."

Amanda trembled but again said nothing, for she had no idea how to respond.

"You simply refuse to be treated like a proper slave," Norlan said in a low voice. "No matter what happens to you."

Amanda wondered at his words. Was her defiance still so strong she simply did not imagine herself the slave? Had she fit so well into acting the role that she had literally become the consummate actress, her life simply a play which continued without intermission?

Norlan stood up and turned away from her. "Which means I am forced to use other means to obtain what I want from you."

Amanda was confused. What could he possibly want from her which she was not already giving him?

"I am forced to deal with you on your level, as I am sure you wish to be treated despite your lip service towards your duty as a slave. You wish to be treated as an equal, intellectually if not socially."

Amanda felt her stomach lurch again, and her heart thudded against her ears. Some part of her understood the truth, and fear crept down her spine.

Norlan whirled around. "Intellectually is all you will get. That will have to be good enough for you. I refuse to bow to you any further. I will speak to you on the level you wish, but you will not be freed from your restraints, and you will continue to acknowledge your lower social standing. I will not be pulled into this insipid fantasy of yours any further than is required for me to learn what I need to know."

Amanda fought down the desire to feel insulted by his condescending attitude, yet it must have flickered in her eyes, for Norlan suddenly dropped to his knee and seized her hair. Amanda bit her lip to suppress a frightened whimper as she stared into eyes blazing white-hot. His fingers tightened, and she winced as several hairs separated from their roots.

Norlan closed his eyes and let out a single, rattling breath. The hand holding her hair trembled, loosened, and fell away. His head slumped forward. "And I suspect violence would have little effect on you either," he said in a shaky voice.

Amanda stared in both horror and fascination as Norlan pulled himself to his feet and wiped his face with his hand.

"So I must rely on your own intelligence, that you will see how untenable your position is," said Norlan. "That is why I am forced to trust you will tell me everything of your collusion with Ambassador Mandas."

Amanda was not sure what had shocked her more, that Norlan already knew or the way it had been presented. Whatever panic had arisen now paled to the absolute fascination and curiosity she felt towards the way he had approached her. But in the next breath, her defiance rose like a rocket and demanded to know by what right did he deserve to know Mandas' plans. If he were this concerned, perhaps she held more power over events than she had realized.

Then Norlan turned around and cast a stony face upon her, and she knew the last was an illusion. Just as the idea of escaping the Urisi slave system was an illusion. She had let herself be duped by false hope, and now this was this price she had to pay.

And yet she felt she had her own play to make in this game. Yes, she understood now, it was a game, a big political game between Norlan and Mandas, and she was simply one of the pawns which had been put into play. But now was not the time. Norlan had the advantage; Amanda could only try to control which pieces she had to give up.

"Ambassador Mandas wished me to make contact with Fleet Captain Gedric of the Oceanus Fleet," Amanda said.

Norlan paused, and she wondered if he were digesting her words or was disturbed by her use of the forbidden pronoun. Finally he nodded and said, "There is more to this I am sure, as I could have surmised as such from what I already know."

Amanda suppressed a sigh. His supposed knowledge of any of Mandas' plans could have been a bluff, but she had no way to know. Keeping anything from him was going to be impossible. Yet telling him of the supposed escape plan for Gedric, even as much as she distrusted Mandas, felt like a supreme act of betrayal. "May I ask a question first, Master?"

Norlan uttered a windy sigh. "And if I told you no? Why should anything else matter given your situation? Surely someone who claims the ability to reason would understand this!"

"You said you wished to come to my level intellectually, Master," Amanda said in as careful a tone as she could muster, her voice quavering slightly. "That means I need to ask questions."

Norlan's hands clenched into fists.

Despite her pounding heart and rising panic, Amanda pushed on. "That's what you would allow of someone speaking to you as an intellectual equal."

Slowly, Norlan's hands unclenched. "Ask your foolish question."

"What will happen when the Inonni arrive, Master?"

A pause. "You would not be asking me in that manner if you did not already have some idea."

"I know they are coming for Master Gedric."

"Then you already know as much as I do."

Amanda tilted her head.

"Yes, that's right. Oceanus has been very tight-lipped about what they want and why they want it. They have not even stated in so many words that Gedric is whom they want. We have had to arrive at that conclusion by other means, and I suspect Mandas knows more than I do." His eyes narrowed. "Which implies you know more as well. So you will cease stalling with stupid intellectual games and tell me more of Mandas' plans."

Amanda hesitated. "Master, you ... you d-didn't answer my question."

Norlan displayed the first show of genuine shock Amanda had ever witnessed.

"Or maybe I should have worded it this way, Master: what do you think will happen?"

"You are a slave!" Norlan thundered. "That is all you will ever be. Nothing will change that. You delude yourself if you think otherwise. Your stalling is pointless! You simply have nowhere else to go!"

Amanda blinked away a tear before it could trickle down her cheek. Yet her moment of despair was tempered by what she saw in his face, something so unbecoming him that the machinations of both Mandas and the Inonni now truly concerned her: fear.

Amanda's resistance to his will was frightening him.

Amanda realized it was pointless to withhold further information. If she chose not to tell him of Mandas' plans, they would not come to fruition anyway, as Norlan would not let her leave the palace when the fake request came from Gedric for her services. If she told him, then Mandas' plans would be foiled, or Mandas would more likely claim Amanda had contrived the whole story. Again, nothing would have changed.

But she did not have to surrender it for nothing. She demanded something in return, even if nothing more than the satisfaction of seeing Norlan's cool and calculating demeanor finally shattered. Thus her demand was made known by her silence.

"I will answer you!" Norlan roared. "What I think the Inonni will do does not matter. I will do whatever is in the best interest of my country. You of all people understand the danger from the Inonni. You have seen how swiftly they can conquer a single powerful nation. Do you believe the Urisi would or should stand up to that sort of power? Do you believe if the Inonni demanded we turn over Gedric, or the crew, or the entire gods-damned fleet that we would put up some foolish show of might? No, we will accommodate them. We will delay them, we will exasperate them, we will shove them through the thickest bureaucracy simply because we can, but we will accommodate them in the end. And nothing said here either by you or me will change that."

And once more Amanda saw something she had never seen before in her Master: desperation.

Yet his words suggested he knew as much as she did about Inonni Portal technology. She wished he had earned her trust as Roquan had, so she could confide in him and know he would not simply use the information to his own advantage and forget from whom it had come. Defiance rose once more, chiding her to keep such a crucial piece of information to herself, that the Urisi deserved enmity from the Inonni for the way they had helped wreck her life. Yet that would help the very people who truly did destroy what happiness she had.

And in the middle was Gedric, just another pawn, used by the Urisi, potentially to be used by the Inonni, and now to be used by Amanda. She blinked again, but a tear escaped her eye anyway and slid down her cheek.

Norlan tilted his head and frowned, his face a mask of confusion as he stared at the tear. Into the nonplussed silence, Amanda spoke in a shaking voice. "Ambassador Mandas planned ... p-planned some sort of escape."

Norlan's eyebrows rose. "Escape?"

"For Fleet Captain G-Gedric."

"What sort of escape?"

"He didn't tell me how he was going to do it. He only said he was planning it and wanted me to help. All I know is that it involves getting Master Gedric off the ship and into a carriage." Amanda's dinner suddenly threatened to rise to her throat. She tasted bile and coughed.

"And you know nothing of what he has planned beyond that?" Norlan demanded.

"No, Master, nothing!" Amanda declared. "He told me no more detail than I needed to know."

Norlan remained silent, his face pensive.

"Master, I ... I-I don't think he was serious. I don't trust him."

"Then you are indeed more intelligent than I have given you credit for."

Amanda was not at all sure how to take that "compliment."

"Has he told you when he intends to execute this supposed escape?"

"A few days from now. He wasn't any more specific than that."

"And what is your role?"

Amanda paused. "He ... Master G-Gedric ... is supposed to ask for me ... for something he wants to be discreet about ... something about lots of b-bondage ... so the guards will get permission to let him off the ship and into the carriage where I'll be waiting."

Norlan let out a slow sigh, and when he spoke again, some of the tension had left his voice. "Yes, that sounds like something Mandas would conceive given his own proclivities in how he uses slaves." Norlan cast an imperious gaze at Amanda. "Now, unless you have anything else to tell me, I suggest we drop this charade and return to--"

"I want to ask one more question, Master," Amanda blurted suddenly.

A long, leaden pause followed her words. Finally, Norlan nodded once.

"Wouldn't giving Master Gedric to the Inonni make them more dangerous if they could use him to further their aims?"

Norlan paused. "What aims would those be?"

That answered Amanda's real question, which was whether Norlan actually knew the specifics of Inonni Portal technology. It was clear to her he did not. "It was just a hypothetical question, Master," Amanda said in a meek voice.

"One which no slave has any business asking," said Norlan. "I am through with you for now. You will not be unsealed tonight. While I maintain this will likely have little effect on you, such a punishment is what is expected of me, and thus you will suffer it."

"Yes, Master, this slave understands," Amanda intoned.

Norlan stepped away. He raised his hand to pass over the spot which would reveal the door, but paused and turned back to Amanda, his eyes cool. "There is still the matter of the incident with Larra in the slave quarters."

Amanda almost gave him an angry glare. She had just betrayed someone who had put his faith in her, and now Norlan expected her to worry over something this trivial?

Norlan took a deep breath and let it go as a tired sigh. "I have received word that ... the incident may not have happened as Halno had thought."

Amanda stared, her eyes wide.

Norlan frowned. "You will answer me this question, and you will answer it honestly. Did you strike slave Larra?"

"No, Master, I did not," Amanda said at once.

Norlan remained still for another long moment, then nodded once.

Amanda's head spun. Who could have possibly borne witness for her? Who could have cared about her enough to ...

She uttered a small gasp.

"Something the matter?" Norlan demanded.

Amanda shook her head. "No, Master."

"Then I will summon a servant to take you back to your quarters."

Without another word, he exited the chamber, letting the door close slowly behind him.

Halno had been beside himself when Norlan's return to the palace had not been immediately followed by an order of extreme punishment for the dark-haired slave. Surely Lord Norlan had had enough time to decide for himself the slave's complicity. Striking a fellow slave -- or raising so much as her voice to anyone -- was a heinous breach of slave discipline and must be met with the harshest response.

He had hoped the late evening summons to the Lord Ambassador's suite -- as tedious as it was to respond when it was past his normal working hours -- would grant him his wish. He had already conceived of a punishment of suitable intensity and had prepared his quarters to deliver it.

Instead, he stood staring at Norlan, his mind still attempting to parse what he had just heard. Only when Norlan gave him an annoyed look in the wake of his silence did he finally respond. "Marris? Are you quite sure, my Lord?"

"And why do you doubt me in this matter?"

Halno blinked, not having expected such a rejoinder. Norlan usually maintained a hands-off approach to the staff and tended to simply nod his head at anything Halno told him. Halno had preferred it that way; he hated explaining himself, even to a superior.

"Do you perhaps consider him too loyal to do such a thing?" Norlan asked, impatience edging his voice.

Halno shook his head. "It is not lack of loyalty but lack of intelligence which is the source of my surprise."

"He would seem quite the competent fellow to carry on such subterfuge for as long as he has. And to have escaped your notice as well."

Halno bristled, but checked himself when Norlan cast a cool gaze at him. "I have indeed noticed something odd about him, and perhaps that dovetails into this."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I find his activities with the slaves -- or rather, his lack thereof -- to be suspicious."

Norlan paused. "I do not understand."

Halno suppressed a sigh. "He does not partake in using your slaves as the rest of the staff does."

"And this is a concern?"

"It depends upon the reason behind it."

Norlan again paused, but slowly realization dawned in his eyes. "I see," he said in a low voice.

"Surely you agree we cannot have that sort of trash on the staff. I cannot run this palace effectively if I am to be beset with man-dippers."

"And you consider this of more paramount importance than giving a rival of mine direct access to the inner workings of my household?"

Halno opened his mouth, then closed it without responding.

Norlan uttered a windy sigh. "Never mind. Fine, you have been keeping an eye on him. I suggest you keep an even closer one on him now."

Halno frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"I do not intend to repeat myself any further tonight, as I have had quite enough of it. Whatever Mandas is planning, I wish to obtain as much information about it as possible."

Halno stared as if Norlan had grown a third arm out of his chest. "My Lord ... you are not terminating him?"

"Not now, no."

Halno's jaw clenched, and he nodded once. "Very well," he said in a strained voice.

"Watch his movements, or have members of the staff who you trust watch him. Report anything suspicious to me, but do not take any action unless I authorize it."

Halno nodded again, his teeth grinding.

Norlan turned away. "That is all."

"Nothing else, my Lord?"

Norlan spun around, casting an annoyed look.

"What of the dark-haired slave? The one that struck a fellow slave?"

"Ah, yes. She is still in my pleasure chamber. Have her taken back to her quarters."

Halno remained where he was.

Norlan sighed. "What is it, Halno? Do not tax my patience any further tonight."

"That is all?" Halno said in a voice which bordered on defiance. He softened his tone with his next words when Norlan suddenly glared at him. "I am not to punish her for you?"

Now Norlan paused for a long moment, and Halno held out hope his employer would see the wisdom of letting Halno do his job running the household and managing the slaves. But Norlan shook his head. "No. Just return her to the slave quarters."

Halno wanted to yell at the Lord Ambassador and rail at how his authority was being usurped. Instead, he swallowed and gave Norlan a curt nod. "Very well, my Lord."

He spun on his heel and left the room. As he stepped into the hallway, he heard running feet retreating from him. Without bothering to see who it was, he simply barked out the order, "You! Come here, now!"

Just short of a hallway junction ahead, Bessa shuddered to a stop and took in a deep breath, letting it go as a quick sigh before she turned around. She bit her lip and hesitated.

"I said come here!" Halno hissed through clenched teeth.

Trembling, Bessa approached him, her head bowed, though her shimmering eyes remained trained on his.

"I do not have time to waste with trivialities tonight," Halno grumbled. He reached into a pocket and produced a key. "You will go to the pleasure chamber and fetch the slave there and ..." He paused and narrowed his eyes, his next words forced. "... return her to the slave quarters."

Bessa recoiled as if the key were a live snake. "Me? Yew want me t'--"

Halno winced and held up his arms as if to ward off a blow. "Ugh, it's you again. Do not torture me with your assault upon the spoken word. Just do as you are told. Unless your hearing is similarly affected."

"I un'erstand wot yew want," Bessa said in a flat voice. She snatched the key from Halno's hand. "I'll fetch 'er roight away."

Halno heaved a sigh, shook his head, and marched away down the corridor.

Bessa watched him go, and only once he had disappeared down a side passage did she utter a shaky sigh of relief. She knew she had been lucky. If Halno had been any less upset, he would have realized she had been eavesdropping. Not that she had heard all the words of the conversation or understood all those she had heard. But she had heard enough to know Marris was in trouble.

Bessa looked down at the key and sighed. She knew who Norlan had taken for his pleasure that evening. She took a deep breath and marched to the chamber. She opened the door and paused when Amanda flinched at her appearance. She had almost backed out of the chamber when she saw the look on Amanda's face was one of wonder rather than fright.

Bessa strode across the chamber, trying to keep a businesslike air about herself. "I 'afta take yew back to yer quarters, luv," she said in a low voice as she fumbled with the locks on the chains. Her trembling fingers dropped the key once, and she clamped her mouth shut to prevent her from swearing.

Amanda looked as if about to say something to her, but simply nodded instead. Bessa swallowed hard as she was forced to touch Amanda's body to unthread the chains from around Amanda's thighs. She finally dumped them off to the side and released the shackles from Amanda's ankles.

"There, yew can stand now," Bessa said as she rose to her feet herself.

Amanda stretched each leg first before she tried to stand, and Bessa's gaze darted over them, as if she had no idea where to place her eyes. Amanda stood and faced Bessa, her wrists still shackled behind her.

Bessa's gaze flicked down to Amanda's pussy and saw the oozing moisture. "Aw, now, didn't 'e 'ave the decency to let yew ... ah ..." Bessa looked up into Amanda's now inquisitive face. "Ah ... never mind. Let's get yew back."

Bessa kept her eyes averted from Amanda as she fetched the chain hanging on the wall and attached it to Amanda's collar. She let her breath go as a quavering sigh before gesturing to Amanda to follow.

Bessa had only just taken Amanda down the corridor when she heard the girl ask, "Is something wrong, Bessa?"

Bessa turned her head and forced a shaky smile. "Not at all, luv. Ah ... wot makes yew say that?"

Amanda paused and shook her head. "Sorry."

Bessa shrugged and gave the chain a small tug, then felt the urge to apologize for that. Silence mercifully reigned until they turned down another corridor.

"Bessa, may I ask you a question?" Amanda asked.

"Ah, sure, course yew can."

"Was it you who told Master Norlan I didn't strike Larra?"

Bessa suddenly stopped, and Amanda almost ran into her. "Wot gave yew that idea?"

"Just something Master Norlan said."

Bessa spun around, her eyes wide. "'e said something t' yew 'bout it? 'e tol' yew it was me?"

Amanda smiled. "It was you, then!"

Bessa blinked and rolled her eyes. "That was a dirty trick, yew know."

"I'm sorry, I had to know." Amanda paused, then said in a soft voice. "Thank you."

Bessa's mouth started to twitch into a smile, but she forced a shrug and fidgeted with the end of the chain. "Jus' doin' me job, that's all."

"But that's not really your job, is it?"

Bessa put her hand on her hip. "Oh, an' now yer some expert on the staff, are yew?"

"Sorry," Amanda said, though she could not wipe the small grin from her lips.

"It didn't 'appen like yew think it did," Bessa said in a reluctant voice. "I jus' 'appened t' be there an' ... well ..."

"I still appreciate it. I think he believed you."

Bessa goggled. "'e did?"

Amanda nodded.

Bessa paused. If she was able to do that for Amanda, perhaps she could do something similar for Marris and spare him ...

She shook her head. No, that was not going to work. Marris got himself into his own mess. As much as she sympathized with him given what she had heard of Halno's attitude towards his bed partner preferences, he was no innocent bystander as Amanda had been.

She looked at Amanda and found the girl giving her a curious look. "Well, wotever. Guess 'e'll believe wot suits 'im t' believe. Come along, yew gotta get back."

"Can I ask you one more question?" Amanda said just as the chain drew taut.

Bessa let her hand slump to her side, the chain rattling. "Ah ... sure, why not?"

"Why did you do that for me?"

Bessa fidgeted with the end of the chain again. "Well ... ah ..."

Amanda hesitated, her eyes glistening. "It's okay, you don't have to answer that."

"Well, yew musta asked that fer a reason."

Amanda sighed. "Never mind, I just ... it seems like I'm getting used by so many people for their own ends ... I just wanted to make sure you weren't ... gods, that must sound terrible to you."

Bessa's eyes shimmered. "No, luv, that's not terrible at all." She glanced down the corridor and took a step closer to Amanda. She looked into Amanda's dark eyes and shivered. "I jus' ... I guess ... I guess I sorta fancy yew."

"Fancy me?"

Bessa bit her lip. "Don't go repeatin' that," she breathed. "Not 'round 'ere. Please."

Amanda nodded, her eyes widening as she understood exactly what Bessa meant.

Bessa's cheeks burned. "Jus' keep it t' yerself."

"I will," Amanda said in earnest. After a pause she added, "They never worried about that sort of thing back in Oceanus."

"So I've 'eard. But we're not there, are we? So ... s-so let me take yew back now. No more talkin'."

Amanda nodded as Bessa turned away and started down the corridor. Amanda followed close behind, careful to leave the chain slack between them. She wanted to make it feel to her like two friends walking together. Bessa even slowed as if knowing what Amanda was trying to do. Amanda allowed herself a tiny smile.

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