Adora caught red handed?

Drexel led Adora back to her room, “Please stay here. I’m afraid that now we have a lot to talk about but I need to do some talking with others first.” He shut the door, leaving Adora alone.
 
[Father, I have a problem. Kyle is here and now they know that I’m your daughter and I believe they think I’m a spy.]
 
There was a small knock at her door but Adora ignored it. After the other knock Adora thought, What the…? Oh wait. I forgot that some people knock to get into a room. They don’t just barge in. What a difference from home. “Come in,” she beckoned. The door opened and Samual walked into the room. Adora took a couple steps back as he closed the door behind him. Her heart was beating fast, but she forced a sneer on her face. She watched him as he locked the door. “Samual,” Adora said, “What are you doing here?” He narrowed his eyes, “Knock it off, Adora. I know what you are trying to do.” Adora shrugged, “I’m only trying to get you to understand that anything between us is impossible.”
 
“Fine. You can lie to yourself if you like, but I will keep my hope and you cannot take that way.” She opened her mouth to reply but he raised his hand. “I didn’t come here to discuss us. I need to know if you are sincere about accepting our help.” Adora began to pace around the room, “I just don’t see how you can help those who will likely be on the Huntsmen’s Most-Wanted list. But I will try.” Samual nodded and he smiled. Adora knew of smiles that can mean physical pain, like her father’s, but this smile went straight to her heart. She closed her eyes to block the tears.
“Kyle doesn’t trust you,” Samual continued. Adora blinked and looked again at Samual with dry eyes. “I don’t blame him, but what have you guys decided to do about that?” “First we were going to ask you to stay in your room, but we figured that as long as either myself or Drexel stayed with you at all times – except for in here of course – then that should be good enough.” Adora nodded, “That’s ok with me.” “Good,” Samual said, “and since we couldn’t decide who would get first baby-sitting duties, we drew straws. He got the short straw meaning he gets this first shift.” Samual stared at her for a long time, then blinked and left the room.
Another knock on her door brought Kyle into her room. “How nice of you to come visit me.” He waved his hand, “Shut up, Adora. I know why you are here and I will keep watching you to prevent us from being discovered.” Adora scowled, “You came in here just to tell me that?”
“No,” Kyle said, “I am mostly hoping I could convince you to accept our help and to help us. We can free you Adora. Even from Lord Nicholas. Come on! I escaped him.”
“Hm,” Adora said noncommittally. “You have magic too. That would’ve helped in many ways. I don’t. I am a slave.” Adora paused. “Remember, a slave is a slave for life?”
Kyle shook his head, “So are most of the people here! So are most of the people we help.” Kyle shook his head, “I want to help you Adora, but I will not allow you to jeopardize all we have worked for and accomplished during all these years.”
Adora narrowed her eyes, “Are there any previous slaves that I could talk to that have escaped from my father?”
Kyle looked thoughtful and nodded slowly, “I think so, but I don’t know for sure.”
Adora pursed her lips, “And how many of my father’s slave wagons have you captured over the years?”
Kyle looked a bit more uncomfortable at this question, but he answered, “About 10. His guards are usually well equipped and well trained.”
Adora nodded, “And you guys have been capturing slave wagons for about 25 years I believe I was told? And in 25 years and the numerous caravans that travel through that pass – and not just my father’s – you have only successfully captured 80 to 100 slaves belonging to my father? How many of those hundred do you have successfully completing your freeing program?”
Kyle scowled this time, “Less than 10.”
“Ten?” Adora said. “That’s not a very good success rate. What happens to the slaves that you cannot help?”
Kyle shrugged, “We erase their memory of their wagon being captured, but not of the attack, and drop them off where they can be found by the searching party or so that they can make it back to their owners.”
Adora nodded slowly. “How would you prevent the Huntsmen from coming after the missing slave?”
Kyle turned away and unlocked the door saying, “We haven’t come up with a successful plan for that yet. Thankfully, they are not hired by most owners to retrieve common slaves.” Kyle opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “Kyle!” Came a voice from down the hall and a young man ran up to him, panting. “Thank goodness I’ve found you! We have a problem with Lord Nicholas’ pleasure slaves!” Kyle ran down the hall following the young man. Adora stepped to the threshold and looked down the hall. Sighing, she shut the door.

#

Kyle and the young man ran fast enough so that communication was impossible. Finally they reached the hallway where the slave girls slept and found them crying hysterically at one of the dining room tables. There were several guards standing around. “What’s going on here?” Kyle demanded. “Sir,” the captain of the guards began, “we saw these girls drinking from these little vials that were hanging around their neck. We took the vials from them because they belonged to Lord Nicholas and I was afraid that they contained a poison since we hadn’t had very good success with his slaves. But when I took the vials, they tried very hard to get the vials back, but refused to tell me why. So when I refused to return the vials until they told me the reason, they became hysterical. So we sent for you and Drexel.” Just as he finished Drexel came running up to them.

“Ladies!” Drexel said, sitting down at the table. “Please tell us what is wrong. We are only here to help you.” The women only continued their hysterical crying. He turned to Kyle, “Can you calm them down?” Kyle nodded and said his magic words. The girls’ screaming cries became moans and their breathing slowed considerably. “There! That’s better. Now then, I know you are scared of Lord Nicholas, but believe us that we can help you, but you must trust us and tell us what these vials are for.” One of the women with long braided black hair and bright green eyes, shook her head, “He made us swear to never tell anyone. But know that if we don’t get those vials back, we will experience great and increasing pain in three days and then we will all be dead. Do you want that on your conscious for so little a thing?” The woman stared at him steadily and finally Drexel shook his head, “Captain, give the vials back to them.” The guards handed out the vials and the women held them close to their bodies as if it was a rare treasure. Then they all got up from the table and went to their separate rooms. The guards then dispersed leaving Kyle and Drexel alone. Kyle sat down and said, “What was that all about?”
Drexel shook his head, “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“Any luck with Adora?” Drexel asked, changing the subject.
Kyle shook his head, “No sir. She immediately got to the heart of our problem. That we have had so very little success with capturing Lord Nicholas’ wagons or in getting them to accept freedom. And she mentioned the Huntsmen again.”
Drexel sighed, “Do you think she is a spy?”
Kyle sighed and considered the question very seriously. Finally he nodded his head, “Yes sir, I do. But we still might be able to talk her into accepting our help to set her free.”
Drexel clasped Kyle’s shoulder, “I’ll talk with her. And who knows, perhaps she knows about these vials?” Kyle only nodded, stood and left the room. Drexel sat alone for another hour, thinking about his coming conversation with Adora and finally gave up. There was no way to predict how this was going to work out. He stood up and headed to her room.

#

           Once again, Adora heard a knock at her door. Growing more accustomed to it, she quickly responded. “Come in!” Drexel entered and closed the door behind him, but the door stayed unlocked. “Kyle was just telling me about your talk a few moments ago.” Adora stared at him, but said nothing. She is not going to make this easy. “Why do you want to stay with him Adora?” Drexel tried a different approach. He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.

“Why do you keep hounding me about something I believe to be impossible?” Adora countered. “I have accepted my slavery. Why can’t you?”

Drexel looked extremely sad, “Because my sister was a slave and it killed her.” Adora gasped and sat on the bed. Her face had softened and she was now more willing to listen. “I have thus built my life trying to help other slaves escape and get their free lives back,” Drexel continued. We lived in a moderately sized city on the coast and one day three good-sized ships came into the harbor during the night. They set fires to many homes and when the alarm was raised and we all rushed out to battle the blazes, they entered our homes and kidnapped our wives, children, sisters – all the females they could get their hands on.”

His eyes filled with tears and he was looking at the wall, but his eyes were seeing another place in time. “At first we didn’t hear them screaming because of our yelling while trying to put out the fires and also because they started with the houses the furthest away from the fires. As they worked closer, we heard the screaming and some of us ran to help, but they were well-armed and well-trained. We were city men. They killed every one who attempted to help the women. Finally we all gave up trying to put out the fires and went to save our women. We failed utterly. Through their skills with the sword and magic they defeated us. When those that survived woke the next morning, the whole town was burned to the ground and most of the men were dead. I was one of the handful of survivors.”
           Adora sat on the bed in stunned silence. Finally she worked her tongue loose, “Did you ever find her?” Drexel shook his head, “No, but many years later I received a letter. How she got it to me I don’t know, but it said that by the time I read it she would be dead because she and some of the other slaves were going to attack their guards and try to escape.” Adora nodded knowingly. Drexel fell silent and his pent up tears streamed down his face.
           Adora could not speak. She could only find meaningless and empty words that she could not bring herself to say, so she stayed silent. “Who have you left behind, Adora?” Drexel asked.
She shook her head and sighed heavily, “No one. I’ve been a slave for as long as I can remember.”
Drexel nodded, “Is Lord Nicholas really your father?”
Adora snorted, “Yes, unfortunately.”
“What about your mother?” Drexel asked.
“I don’t really remember my mother. She disappeared sometime when I was 5 years old. I’ve lived with my father ever since.”
“Why do you want to go back to him?”
“I have no choice, Drexel. I greatly admire what you are trying to do here, but in my case it’s useless. I am a slave and he has guaranteed my loyalty to him. If I were to leave him, I would be dead in a matter of a week.”
Drexel got a puzzled look on his face at these words. “Adora, a while ago Kyle was urgently called to assist with your father’s pleasure slaves. The guards had taken away some small vials that the girls had just drunk from because they feared they were poison. The girls refused to tell the guards what was in the vials but said pretty much what you just did. That if they didn’t get the vials back they would feel great and increasing pain in three days then three more days later, they would be dead. Do you know what they are talking about?”
Adora paled and Drexel jumped up, “Adora! Are you ok?” Adora reached into her tunic with a trembling hand and pulled out her own vial that hung around her neck. Drexel gasped.
“Did it look like this?” Adora asked.
“Yes! The very same!” Drexel stared at Adora, “What is in these vials Adora?”
Adora replaced the vial under her shirt and shook her head, “I never would have thought that he would do that to his pleasure slaves, but it makes some sense.”
Drexel growled, “Well, it’s not making sense to me! Adora you know about these vials obviously. Please tell me!”
Nodding she waved to the chair in her room. “You’d better sit down. This will probably come as quite a shock.”
At first Drexel didn’t move, but after he realized that Adora wouldn’t tell unless he did so, he quickly moved the chair over to the side of the bed and sat down. “These vials,” Adora began, “keep us alive.” Drexel opened his mouth to interrupt, but Adora held up her hand. “Please. No interruptions. There will be plenty of questions later.” Adora closed her eyes and silently got her thoughts together before continuing. “Many years ago Father poisoned me after I was returned to him by the Huntsmen for escaping him for the third time. He said that only he had the formula for the poison itself and only he had the delay potion. You see, he told me there was no cure for the poison and that it is a very slow acting one. From the first few days of being poisoned, the person feels nothing. Then they begin to feel a slight burning that quickly increases to feeling like their very skin is on fire. This pain increases over the next three days until finally the person dies. This delay potion keeps the pain at bay, but we have to take it at least every three days. Or at least sometime before we die. Taking multiple doses of the delay potion on the same day or before its needed will not work. The delaying effects are not cumulative.”
Drexel was stunned by what he heard. “How could he do that to people much less his own daughter?! I don’t understand.”
Adora shrugged, “But now you know why we are loyal to him. At least I am because I am too cowardly to accept death. I want to live.”
Drexel’s face grew hard and his lips pressed into a thin white line. He shot to his feet. “Adora come with me. I may have someone who can help you.”
Adora stood and walked with Drexel out of her room and down several halls to a dead end. At least Adora thought it was a dead end until Drexel felt around on the tunnel wall and suddenly a section of the wall opened. It was dark through the opening, but Adora’s eyes were quickly adjusting to the light. Faster than Drexel’s.  “Where are we?”
“You’ll see soon enough, “ Drexel answered. The room was crowded with several plants growing in pots and even more plant cuttings bundled and hanging from the rafters.
Going to a door on the far end of the room, Drexel listened then knocked on the door in code. After a few moments the door opened and an old woman was standing there. “I need your help Zoe,” Drexel said. “It’s of the utmost importance.” Zoe frowned but backed away so they could enter. She shut the door behind them. This room had many windows letting in the bright sunlight and several tables with what looked like a wizard’s lab set up on them. “Adora,” Drexel turned to her, “Zoe might be able to help with this poison problem. Her knowledge is vast and she has helped us in the past. Tell her of your poison.”
Father would be furious at me for telling more people about his poison. Especially for telling this woman in order to be hopefully cured. But what if she can help? I haven’t had a chance myself to find out if his ‘No Cure’ scare is true. The worst she can tell me is that she doesn’t know. The woman had blue eyes so light they almost appeared colorless. They looked right into Adora and she shivered. But finally making up her mind, Adora nodded and told the woman all she had told Drexel about the poison – which wasn’t much – and about the delay potion.
Zoe nodded, her eyes shimmered and her body twitched. Finally she answered, “Yes, very interesting child. I actually have heard of this poison, but I’m afraid that Lord Nicholas is right. There is no cure, and now there is no hope for either of you.” Before they could understand what was going on, Zoe’s body grew and changed and in the blink of an eye there stood before them Lord Nicholas.
“Father!” Adora yelled and her father quickly waved his hand and they both collapsed, screaming in pain. Flagg came out of a side room and they were all transported back to Lord Nicholas’ castle. He waved his hand again and the pain finally stopped. They were both too weak to get up from the floor so they laid there panting. “Get up you useless child!” Adora got up on her knees and for once she was glad she didn’t look her father in the eyes. Drexel slowly stood, his legs shaky but he had no fear of looking Lord Nicholas in the eyes and did so defiantly. Lord Nicholas smiled at his determination then turned to Adora, “Why were you going to Zoe, Adora?” Adora swallowed hard, and desperately considered lying to him. But before that idea could take root, Lord Nicholas grabbed her by the throat and held her high in the air. She gasped for air and grabbed his arm, “We were going there hoping to find a cure for the poison father. But I didn’t know that until Drexel mentioned it.”
“Leave her alone!” Drexel yelled but with a wave of Lord Nicholas’ hand, he quickly found himself suspended in the air with his hands pinned behind his back and his ankles pinned together. “I will deal with you in a minute, but first I think you will want to watch this.” Lord Nicholas lowered Adora and brought her face very close to his. “Now just relax my dear and look me in the eyes.” “No! Not a mind scan! No!” Adora pleaded but Lord Nicholas sent out shocks of electricity through her body. She screamed and went limp when he finally stopped. “Do I have to ask you again, Adora?” In answer, Adora relaxed and looked him in the eyes. She felt him enter her mind like a thick evil cloud. [Show me what happened from the time the caravan came through the pass until now.] And with no way to stop the memories, Adora watched the memories display before him and she heard her thoughts being replayed as well. She groaned but she didn’t know how long he scanned her mind. Finally the ordeal was over and he was out of her mind, but as before she was completely unable to move.
 
“What did you do to her you monster!” Drexel yelled.
 
Lord Nicholas smiled – she heard it in his voice – and replied, “My dear Drexel, I have just learned all that Adora discovered about you and your operation. I have just scanned her mind and she told me everything.”
 
“No!” Drexel said. “It’s not true! I don’t believe you.”
 
Lord Nicholas replied, “Then how do I know that you dreamed up this idea because your sister was taken captive and sold into slavery many years ago. That Master Kyle, who used to work for me, created this collar that broke out mind link and that Samual is also involved in your organization.” He laughed, and it was a cold cruel sound. “Oh yes, I have great plans for those slaves. And a special punishment is planned for Samual.” Adora heard Drexel crying. “Guards,” Lord Nicholas said pleasantly, “Take Drexel here to the dungeons and Adora to her room.”

Adora's training session

Adora’s bones ached as she bent over bracing her hands on her knees and breathing heavily. Sweat dripped off her face and even from her hair to create several small puddles on the floor. Her clothes were soaked with her blood. If it wasn’t for Father, I would’ve quit ages ago, the bastard! The sun was setting turning the sky brilliant hues of pinks, oranges, violets and reds.

A heavy sigh was heard from her trainer Ebony. “Let’s try it again, Adora. And this time, try not to die.” He watched as she straightened up with difficulty and push her soaked hair off her face. “Remember,” Ebony continued, “you are to kill the prince in his bedroom – preferably in his sleep.” He smiled at her and she gave a weak smile back.

“Right,” Adora said and checked the climbing claws on her hands and on her shoes one last time. “If I had some magic items, this wouldn’t be so hard.”

“Ah,” Ebony said his whispery voice not much louder than a gentle breeze, “but if you are able to get in and out without the magic, then you will be able to do so much more with it.”

Adora rolled her eyes, having heard all this logic before. Why couldn’t I be born with magic? She backed into the shadows and looked at the tower again. Normally this would be the tower on the corner of a castle, but for her training, this was only the tower and two short sections of wall extending in either direction and fading into mist. Looking at the top window, Adora saw the whole top floor in her mind as she went through her previous attempts.

I climb to the top window in the tower and slip in. I am noticed by the guard who attacks me. I manage to kill him but not before he calls in two other guards to assist. Slightly injured, I kill these two guards as well. However, their fighting has alerted the last guard stationed at the prince’s bedroom door allowing him to take precautions. I go down the short flight of stairs to the prince’s door, see the guard standing there and I attack him and he kills me. Every time it’s the same. What is the trick?! What I am doing wrong? I can’t get past the last guard?

“Use your strengths Adora,” Ebony whispered to her through her review. “You’ve come a long way in our training over these past two years. You can do this. The most direct plan is not always the best.”

Adora rolled her eyes as Ebony concentrated and the training scenario reset. The image shimmed then solidified and Adora could once again see the guard pacing by the window on the top tower floor. “When you are ready Adora.” Adora only nodded at Ebony’s statement and considered her plan of action.

I could climb the walls as before and do the whole thing over again and probably die again. Adora quickly circled around from the shadows of the trees and decided to change tactics this time. She approached the tower from along the wall, out of sight from any of the windows in the tower. She looked carefully at the tower, then closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Catching a quite offensive smell, she shook her head and sneezed. Oh gross! It smells like a whole pile of crap. Wait! The prince’s privy! Do they just toss it out the window? She got excited now. There just might be a way inside around the guards. She walked around the base of the wall until she saw what she was looking for. About one quarter of the way up, was the chute where the smell was coming from. It happened to be just large enough for her. She smiled.

She climbed the wall slowly, making sure the claws were dug into the gaps around each stone before she inched her way up. She kept her eye on the chute since the guard wouldn’t see her unless he stuck his head a good distance out of the window. Finally she reached the chute and carefully made her way inside. Her stomach cramped and she gagged from the smell, but fear of her father pushed her on. I have to admit this training room is realistic. It was a slow and at times slippery climb, but finally she made it to the top. The top had a thick wood plank nailed across the top with a hole cut into it. With a bit of wrangling and wiggling, she finally made it out of the hole and was now in the prince’s bathroom.

She grinned wide. Finally I have gotten farther than the many times before, but it’s not done yet. The thought sobered her and she opened the door to the privy slightly and looked around. All was quiet except for the soft snoring coming from the bed. She slowly opened the door wider then froze. The snoring had doubled. There’s someone else in the bed! She cursed, shifted her weight to the balls of her feet and quietly made her way from the privy to the foot of the bed.

As Adora closely looked over the bed, sure enough, she saw two people. They were covered up to their neck so she couldn’t see which body was which at first. Then she remembered about the guard outside the door. Going over to the door, she carefully set the lock. That won’t stop him forever, but it’ll slow him down. She then drew her sword and walked back over to the bed. She could tell now who was the prince and she moved to his side of the bed. I hate this part. Don’t think about it. She closed her eyes for a moment then quickly and deeply cut his throat. His eyes shot open and he reached up to his neck, but his life was already soaking the bed. Ignoring him, she walked over to the woman and dispatched her the same way. She then cleaned her sword off on their bed, put it away, and climbed back down the privy chute.

She dropped out of the chute and quickly hugged the wall. Not hearing anything that would tell her they have discovered her crime she made the wide circle along the wall and back into the line of trees to where Ebony was waiting with a smile. “Excellent! You finally figured out the trick.”

Adora returned his smile. “Only with your help, Ebony.”

“Yes,” came an all too familiar voice behind her. Adora sneered as they turned and saw Lord Nicholas approaching them from the portal opening. Adora dropped to her knees. “My daughter doesn’t seem to be smart enough to figure out these things on her own. No more hints Ebony.” Ebony bowed but said nothing. “Erase this Ebony and we’ll try something else.”

Again Ebony concentrated and everything vanished. They were standing in a completely white space. This time Lord Nicholas concentrated and instantly they were in a thick forest and a female jumped out of the bushes in front of them and sprinted further into the woods. ”Adora, that woman is another slave. Bring her to me.” Adora swallowed hard and hesitated. Father wants me to hunt down a run-away slave. Bastard.

“Well?” her father said, his voice getting a dangerous edge to it. Still she stood there. [Adora you’d better get moving as my patience is running out. Do you remember the last time you refused to obey my orders? That was nothing. You are much older now and can take more punishment.] Adora swallowed and began to run through the forest after her prey. When she was out of sight, she slowed down and walked through the trees. I have to obey. There is no other option. Damn you Father! Pushing down her hates and fears, Adora picked up her pace and began the hunt.

At first she ran in the same direction as the other woman ran. Then she stopped and looked around, trying to gauge which way she ran. Finally she heard the woman crashing through the woods and took off running, stopping only now and then to re-establish the trail. This took her quite a few hours, but she eventually caught up with the woman and both of them were exhausted. Adora held up her hands; the other woman sneered at her, slowly backing away.

“Wait!” Adora called out. “Please, you must come back with me. I don’t want to have to do this by force, but I have no choice.” The other woman slowly approached her and Adora gasped. She looks like my mother. What I can remember of her anyway.

“Come with me Adora,” The woman said and held out her hand.

Adora stepped back, “Who are you?” Damn it! This isn’t real!

“I’m your mother. Come with me child and we can escape all this. We can be happy and safe.”

Tears blurred her vision and Adora suddenly found it hard to swallow. “No,” she sobbed, “I can’t. You aren’t real.” She collapsed as sobs wracked her body. “I have to stay here.” Adora covered her face with her hands. Go away. Please just go away!

“Adora!” Her father’s voice shocked her into action. She jumped to her feet hastily wiping her tears away. Lord Nicholas stared at her, his eyes blazing. Adora started to fall to her knees but he raised his hand, “No! You will stand there and look me in the eyes. I ask you to do such a simple thing Adora. To bring that run-away slave to me, but I was still waiting after several hours. And now when I cleared this training session, I find you in a pool of tears!” He blasted her with his anger. “Pathetic. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Adora blinked away her tears and she looked at her father with new loathing. She clinched her teeth, “You bastard. You did that on purpose! It was my mother! You wanted me to attack and capture my own mother!” She was screaming at him now. Lord Nicholas pointed his finger at Adora and she screamed in pain though no cause could be seen for it. Finally, after several minutes, he pulled his hand back and she crumpled to the ground.

Ebony stepped forward to check on Adora, but Lord Nicholas stopped him with his arm. “She’s fine. I will not have any slave, and especially not my 15 year old daughter speak so disrespectfully to me.” He smiled, “It will be a pleasure making sure she learns her lesson. That is all, Ebony.”

Ebony bowed and left the room. Lord Nicholas walked over and looked down at his unconscious daughter. “Pathetic.” He picked her up and closed the training room portal behind him. Flagg was walking back to his rooms when he saw Lord Nicholas coming up the stairs. “What happened?! Is she dead?”

Lord Nicholas shook his head, “No, just knocked out. It is the calm before the storm of her punishment. Come and I’ll tell you all about it.” Flagg followed Lord Nicholas to his third floor suite where Adora was chained to the wall with a collar.

“I must apologize my Lord.” Flagg bowed, “Evidently my training of Adora is not staying with her.”

Lord Nicholas raised his hand, “Do not concern yourself. She is her mother’s child who was just as stubborn. I will take care of this myself. She will learn to fear me.”

Lord Nicholas' party

Lord Nicholas stood in his great room, making sure the tapestries and other decorations were in place. He had coat of arms, if they had one, honoring each person who was invited. His coat of arms hung behind his throne along with a banner on each side. Hung around the room were all the others. On the floor leading from the doors to his large chair on a dais was a red carpet, wide enough to two to walk abreast. There were several pillars lining the way on either side of the carpet. Each pillar was carved to look like a different naked slave woman holding up the ceiling complete with the slave’s mark on her right cheek – if you could see it – and shackles on her wrists and ankles.

Standing along the far wall were twelve female slaves and three male slaves dressed in barely opaque silks and holding an empty tray in their hand. He smiled as he looked over each of them. “Remember," he told them, "Do not embarrass me tonight."

They knew it would be a bad idea from past experience. "No master!" they said in unison, their eyes staring at the marble floor.

Smiling he left the great room and made his way to the kitchen. When he entered all the slaves turned to him and went down to their knees. Looking over everything silently, Lord Nicholas nodded and left this time making his way to the large front doors, passing several more slaves who were standing along the wall also dressed in the slightly opaque silk. As he stood on the bridge waiting for his guests, his thoughts went back to yesterday. Ariel is such a fool but I needed her to get Adora. As was foretold, she will be very useful to me. She is only five years old now, but she will grow quickly and she will need to learn much. But she could be a problem too. Her mother was very willful, but I have broken others before, and I shall do so with Adora.

The arrival of the first carriage pulled him from his thoughts. It was pulled by four black horses and was large enough to seat six comfortably, but Lord Nicholas knew it usually held less than half. When it stopped at the bridge spanning the moat Lord Nicholas magically opened the door and lowered the steps. A man slightly taller than Lord Nicholas appeared with thick black hair streaked with grey, tied at the nape of his neck with a black ribbon, and piercing cold blue eyes. His eyes took in every detail of the castle before settling on his host and he smiled. Lord Nicholas walked to the middle of the bridge, bowed slightly and straightened, "Father. It's good of you to come." He finished crossing the bridge and they clasped forearms. "You are looking well."

His father, Gareng, waved off the compliment, "Why should I not look well? My magic is just as strong now as when I was your age." His look turned serious, "Is the child here?"

Lord Nicholas nodded, "Of course. You will meet her later."

The elder man nodded, "Yes, too bad it was a girl. But she will still be useful. What about her mother? What was her name?"

"Ariel,” Lord Nicholas answered, “and she proved too unwilling, so I killed her. Besides, she was no longer useful to me. I had a child I could use."

The elder man nodded, "I look forward to meeting her."

Lord Nicholas snapped his fingers and one of the slaves walked out to them and knelt at his feet. “If you would like, she will take you inside and make sure you are entertained while we wait for the rest of my guests.”

Gareng waved the girl away, “No. I will stay here with you.” The girl stood up and went back inside.

Another caravan pulled up, highly carved and with its own coat of arms on the door. Again, Lord Nicholas magically opened the door and a young woman with blond hair, weaved into a thick braid, and slightly pointed ears emerged. Lord Nicholas bowed his head and smiled. "Alia. You are looking very well."

The woman gave him a bright smile which lit up her green eyes. As she clasped arms with Lord Nicholas, she gave his arms an extra squeeze. "Father, it's good to see you again. It's been too long."

"How is your mother?"

"Cl'enia is doing very well father, but she still doesn't speak of you very often."

Lord Nicholas shrugged, "Well, she has been known to carry a grudge for a long time. She is an elf after all. Now, (snap) if you will follow my slave, she will take you inside and entertain you while you wait." Alia smiled, bowed her head in greeting to Gareng and followed the girl inside.

“Who else have you invited?” Gareng asked as Alia entered the castle.

Without turning around to face him, Lord Nicholas answered, “Lord Fernand, Sean Lardner,” he counted off on his fingers each person as he continued to name ten others. Gareng nodded, “Impressive and interesting. You also, if I remember correctly, have some kind of agreement with most of them.” Lord Nicholas laughed, “Yes Father, you are so right. I have invited them to remind them of the consequences. A couple of them have been late on their payments and one has the audacity to skip this last payment.”

The rest of the carriages arrived one by one until finally all of his guests had arrived. Lord Nicholas showed them all to his great room where they had a chance to talk with known guests or get to know the new. The slaves immediately held up their empty trays and began to walk around the room. As they passed the guests their favored drink would appear. Most of the guests admired the slaves, each considering which one they would claim tonight.

Lord Nicholas floated around the room, chatting about everything but saying nothing of importance as he went from group to group. He walked up to an older man with graying hair and a wiry body who was talking with a beautiful black haired woman many years his junior. She bowed to both as Lord Nicholas approached and walked away. “Benjamin, I was so sorry to hear about the horrendous attack on your caravan last month. It is the third time in four months, correct?”

The man nodded sharply and held Lord Lucovous’ eyes without fear. “It does. And I still think you had something to do with it. Possibly everything.” Benjamin sighed, “But you are our Lord and now,” he reached into a pouch hanging from his belt and pulled out a bundle of rolled up papers, “Here is the deed and other information needed to take possession of my business.”

Lord Nicholas took the papers and his victory smile said all.

“Now how are my family and I to live, my Lord?”

“You will work for me of course. You will continue in your business as usual, but under my direction. Your family belongs to me now.” The man paled and swayed on his feet. “But they will continue to live with you as a reminder - you will obey my instructions or face the consequences.” Benjamin nodded, drained his drink and left to find another.

Lord Nicholas grinned and turned to see priest Hyder who was standing alone, comfortable with his own presence and watching everyone. “Welcome again,” Lord Nicholas greeted when they were close. “I’m glad you were able to get away from the church for a while.”

Hyder smiled, “I couldn’t stay away from our largest contributor, not to mention most of our slaves come from you.”

Lord Nicholas smiled, “Just trying to do my part. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you require. I have other slaves to choose from if these do not meet your approval for use during your stay.”

Hyder nodded and chose his drink from a passing tray. He sipped it and let the liquid roll over his tongue before swallowing. “Excellent. How did you find this rare monkeyberry wine?”

Lord Nicholas smiled, “That is my secret Hyder. But I have plenty of it, so please drink all you want.” Hyder lifted his glass in a silent toast and Lord Nicholas acknowledged it with a nod before moving to another group.

Finally he was able to get Alia alone. "How are you getting along?" Lord Nicholas asked her.

"I'm doing well,” Alia admitted, “considering I was just put on the Council just about a year ago. Some of the other Council members had a hard time accepting me since I am the youngest to gain a seat in seventy years. Still, I am qualified and the others are coming around."

Lord Nicholas nodded and smiled, "If they didn't I might have had to talk with them." He chuckled.

"They would likely listen to you more than anyone else," Alia said. "You're the Council's strongest supporter. Besides, your divination magic is extremely useful to us."

Lord Nicholas bowed, “My services are at your disposal.”

A man walked up to them who stood almost as tall as Lord Nicholas with brown hair and brown eyes. He kept his hair all one length but only to the top of his neck. He was a very common looking man, but his eyes shown with intelligence. Nothing escaped their notice. “Ah, Flagg. It’s good of you to join us.” Lord Nicholas squeezed his shoulder in obvious pleasure. Alia bowed her head to both of them and moved onto another group, leaving them alone.

“How are my new girls coming along?” Lord Nicholas asked him.

Flagg smiled, “They should be ready in another two weeks. Most of them have been slaves for some time so they are easy to train, but I have three new ones and they are fighting me.” His smiled widened, “It is always very satisfying to break them, and remold them.”

Lord Nicholas’ laugh rang out, deep and rich, loud enough to cause a few of his guests to turn in their direction. “You are the best slave trainer I have ever hired. Do any of them qualify for pleasure slave status?”

Flagg shook his head, “Possibly, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I make my decision.” Lord Nicholas nodded and Flagg continued, “Now what about this child of yours – Adora? When do I get her?”

Lord Nicholas smiled, “Patience. She is still too young, but don’t worry, you’ll have your chance. Possibly in about 8 years or so.”

Flagg sighed, nodded and continued. “I also noticed she doesn’t have the slaves’ mark yet. Will I get to apply it?”

This time Lord Nicholas’ smile widened, “Anxious aren’t you? Probably, but I’m not making any promises. I may just apply it myself.”

He turned to his guests and raised his hands. “My guests, if you are ready we will start the entertainment. Please give the girls some room.” His guests immediately backed up into a wide circle. Lord Nicholas spoke his magic words and snapped his fingers. There was a burst of smoke and five women appeared along with some musicians. They quickly got into their places and the music started. Lord Nicholas waved his hands and the torches went out replaced quickly by glowing orbs which cast their soft light on the dancers and the fireplace flared into life, casting it’s light without the heat. The women were dressed as belly dancers and as they moved the light reflected off their clothes. The guests were quickly entranced. The girls movements spoke of various promises and their fulfillment. Although there were several guests, the girls made each of them feel like it was a private performance just for them.

As they danced, the lightweight coins on their clothes and the bells on their ankle chains tinkled lightly on the ears. Each of the girls was dressed in a different color – red, yellow, purple, green, and gold. They danced and never seemed to tire. As the evening wore on, more and more layers came off of the girls costumes. Eventually there was a fine sheen of sweat covering their bodies and they were dressed only in their hip scarves. The music built to a crescendo and the girls twirled around at a dizzying speed, before gracefully falling to the floor as the music ended. The applause was uproarious.

“Wonderful, ladies,” Lord Nicholas’ voice rang out over the crowd and the girls stood and collected their scarves and clothes from the floor. They gathered in front of Lord Nicholas and knelt, “You will be called for again, so be prepared.” He clapped his hands and the ladies and musicians disappeared.

A gong sounded down the hall and Lord Nicholas showed his guests to the dining room where they were served all their favorite foods. They dined and drank to their hearts content. When they were satisfied and the table cleared off, Lord Nicholas whistled and the serving slaves walked into the dining room without their trays. They lined up facing the dining table looking at the floor. Lord Nicholas snapped his fingers and the five dancers also joined the servers.

"Now gentlemen and ladies. To keep up my reputation of hospitality you may choose any of my slaves here you wish to use for the length of your stay. I simply ask you do not maim or scar them. Otherwise anything goes. If you want to keep any of them, I'm sure we can agree on a reasonable price. Please let me know if you have any special needs or you don’t see anything that entices you."

All his guests stood up and began to walk among the slaves who were silent. Most of the slaves accepted this part of Lord Nicholas' entertainment - after all, a host’s reputation depends on the quality and quantity of the slaves his guests can pick from. However, some of the slaves looked worried because it was also a known fact - you never knew the desires of those who chose you. Occasionally the slaves were asked a question or two, which was answered softly, but mostly the picking was done quietly. Soon enough though, all the slaves were chosen and they lead their Master's guests to the assigned guest rooms.

"And now," Gareng said when the room was empty, "You promised me something else."

Lord Nicholas laughed and slapped his father on the shoulder, "Of course! I did not forget. She is staying with Sarah for now. Frankly I am not sure what to do with her until she turns training age." Lord Nicholas lead his father out of the dining room and down the hall a second time to Sarah's rooms. This time the main room where she mixes her salves was empty, but Lord Nicholas simply went to the only other door at the rear of the room and opened it. Revealed was an even smaller room with Sarah sitting on the floor brushing out Adora's hair and laughing. Sarah was getting her ready for bed. Sarah quickly knelt when the men entered, but Adora watched them.

The elder approached Adora, but it was Lord Nicholas who spoke. "Gareng, this is your granddaughter, Adora."

Gareng picked up the child and felt her tense in his arms. "Now child here is nothing to fear. You just do as you're told and everything will be fine." He put her down and Adora quickly ran behind Sarah. "Timid little thing," Gareng said critically.

"Yes," Lord Nicholas agreed, "but she's young still. I have a feeling she will have her mother's stubbornness which will have to be beaten out of her."

Gareng nodded and they left the room, closing the door behind them. As they walked down the hall, Gareng spoke, "Tell me again about the vision you saw concerning Adora."

"Well, as you know I cast the spell about a week before I met Ariel. I was told –

She will be a great help to you; She will be a great threat

She will cause you to prosper; She will have a hand in your death

She will have magic not her own; Her magic belongs to another

Gareng nodded, "Just be careful with her. Control her with an iron fist. Her animal nature could easily cause her to turn on you."

"Yes sir. I already have a few ideas on how to handle it."

Their aimless walking through the castle led them to the second floor and in the guests hallway where they could hear various moans and screams coming from most of the rooms from the slaves. "Sounds like my guests are enjoying themselves. Good. They should sleep soundly tonight," Lord Nicholas said. They finally reached the suite of rooms Lord Nicholas had prepared for Gareng. As he opened the door, "Shall I bring you any slaves sir?"

Thinking it over Gareng shook his head, "No son. I will sleep alone, but" and he waved his hand while muttering and suddenly the moaning was heard in his room clearly. "I shall sleep to the girls pleasure and suffering." They both laughed and parted company.

Lord Nicholas continued up another flight of stairs to his rooms on the third floor. The whole floor was converted into his personal library, divination room and bedroom. He made his way to a spiral staircase near his bed and climbed it the only direction it would go - up to the pleasure slave's quarters. The whole fourth floor was dedicated to them. They were lying around in all states of undress and when they saw him, they quickly bowed low. He quickly picked two girls and they followed him back to his room, trembling.

"Prepare me for bed," he ordered and they quickly obeyed. As they undressed him he thought once again about the vision. Too bad it wasn't more specific on how exactly Adora would be instrumental to me. But I will control her or she will pay dearly for it.