A Slave to the Servants Ch. 12

I sighed with relief.

Master Damien petted the mark on my rounded belly for a moment. He didn't seem to have the energy to really worry about it, though. He yawned and settled on his side gesturing me to lay in front of him.

The mat we were on was narrow, but it wasn't an unpleasant place to sleep. The padding was thicker than it looked and the room was warm. I drifted to sleep with Master Damien's hand cupping my swollen stomach.

I awoke a while later. Master Bane was restless. Moving over to him I stroked his short beard and down his chest to soothe him.

"Thirsty," he said.

There was a new jug by the door. I got it and helped Master Bane to drink. Everyone else also woke up and took a chug of water. Once I was done, Master Bane held his blankets back and invited me onto his pallet silently.

Under the blankets next to Master Bane I curled around his side and stroked his chest. He had what appeared to be several stab wounds to the upper stomach. I had wrapped and dressed them before. I avoided touching them as I lay with him. He calmed as I stroked him.

There was no day or night in the room we were in. The torches still lit the room, but I imagined it was night. I slept with each man for a short while until someone else seemed distressed.

Lastly, I ended up in Master Christof's bed. I had the strangest dream as I lay there.

It was pitch dark in my dream and I could hear the men crying out in pain and anger. I stood beside a small Kerosene lantern in the middle of the darkness. My first impulse was to take the light and go find them. When I tried to pick it up it would not budge. The message was clear, they had to come here.

I didn't like the dark particularly. Things moved and shuffled all around me as I walked away from the light. The ground slithered under my feet and the air seemed to grab at me as I walked through it.

Somehow I managed to find the men and coaxed them one by one to sit with me in the golden glow. In my dream, I was powerful and strong. I picked Master Damien up and carried him with me to the light. He kept trying to leave its safe confines.

"No," I told him as he tried to move away, "we stay together. It's safer that way."

The dark was frightening, being alone in it was terrifying. I needed them close to me.

"I can't," he told me. "I can't do it again. It's too hard. We cannot live like this, let us die."

"No, we stay together," I said pushing him to sit in the lamplight.

"They won't let us stay together," he said drifting away into the dark. "They will take you away again. We cannot survive and you did not come."

My arms became huge in the dream. I hugged them together and pulled them all to my chest. They couldn't escape back into the blackness. I would make them stay in the light with me.

The crushing despair I'd escaped only a few days before started to creep back in. They had wanted to be together with me so badly and I had not come. They had waited and then they had decided to get me themselves.

The men had tried to get back to my compound to check on me, but Nu-reeh had stopped them. She'd taken their transport and scolded them.

"You have permission to be here only," she'd growled at Damien. "I will bring your transport back when your free days are over. You cannot go to the compound."

The men were left at the cabin to deal with their desperation. Panic and hopelessness set in. They were sure something had happened to me. Their family was ripped and torn, never to be whole again. The anger had taken hold of them.

Eventually they would find the men that did not bring me and hurt them, but it would take a long time. They were too weak to hold their family together. I could be gone for many turns of the moon before they could know. It had to end if we could not truly be one being.

I woke from the dream sweating and shaking. Master Christof was shivering behind me and I turned to face him. He looked desperate and yet somehow relieved.

I knew when I looked at Master Christof he had had the same dream. We all had. The weight of their misery hung around me and I felt it.

We were bonded, the six of us. I understood the anticipation suddenly, whispered memories told me how they had waited for me at the cabin. We had four days again, but I never came and they couldn't come to me. They were so upset, the last vestige of good they had coveted for themselves was gone. In the end they just felt pain, so they inflicted it on one another.

Nu-reeh found them finally like that when she came to get them and brought them here. She tried to help them, but there was nothing she could do. They whispered my name to her. That's why she went to get me.

"It cannot happen," Master Christof said, "you are not like us. You are not of this world."

He was right. I wasn't like them. No part of me could form that strong a bond with another.

It was why I got better when the bond broke. I didn't need such a thing to be happy. I could survive alone.

My mind felt like it did all those days when the funny thoughts flitted through my head. It was much stronger now and more constant. The chain and collar irritated them. The clean mats were nice and what had I done with their boots?

My belly twitched and rolled. The little life inside me was awake and moving. Master Christof's hand had been on the side of my stomach and he felt the movement.

His purple eyes got wider and he pushed me to lay on my back. The blanket covering us was moved so he could examine me. All attention focused on Master Christof, who was focusing on my rotund belly.

"Why is this bigger? What have the others done to you?" he asked. "Is this illness the reason they did not bring you to us at the cabin?"

Probably, I thought. The men that kept me probably didn't want my real owners to see my stomach. The collective in my head roared at what they thought must be a sign of sickness.

I lay still and watched Master Christof's eyes. This was not how I planned to tell them. I felt they would be angry when they found out, so perhaps chained to a wall was better.

"One of you put a baby inside of me," I told him simply, although speaking the words seemed unnecessary. "There is no word I know to call it in your language. In my world the word is pregnant."

Nu-reeh entered then and the men all sat up.

"There is a word in our language also, slave. The men do not have need to use it, so they do not know it. I will permit them to use your word," she told me simply.

I recognized the two other women that followed her in. The one to her right had been leaking venom when they took me from the compound, her name was Dinah, I knew now. As she stared at me the amber liquid seeped from her fangs again. The men gasped watching it hit the floor.

"Dinah," Nu-reeh said harshly turning to her, "out, if you cannot control yourself."

"We take precautions," she said. "It should not happen. Make them tell you why they did not follow the rules."

She turned and strode back outside. I heard the clatter of her talons as she walked across the floor.

Master Damien spoke then, "Nu-reeh, we have angered your sister, Dinah, and we are very sorry."

Nu-reeh ignored him and got back to the point.

"The slave is going to have a child, Damien," Nu-reeh said. "We know you left it with Rue and his Brothers. We wish to know who stopped giving the slave the health tonic."

"Slaves cannot bear us children," Master Damien said sounding confused. "The slaves are not female, Mistress."

The men murmured agreement and Nu-reeh growled. "You buy female slaves. They are built for your pleasure. Human slaves are like us in some limited ways. They are injected at the auction to prevent this and you give a tonic every day to prevent it. Who stopped giving the slave the tonic? Answer me now."

"We paid for the tonic, Mistress," Master Damien said as the woman Dinah stepped back in the room. "When the slave was with us we gave the tonic to it ourselves."

"Then why is the slave full of child, Damien?" Dinah growled. "Did you think if you did this we would let you keep her in the mountains?"

"What did we do, Mistress?" Master Damien asked. "We don't understand."

The women looked livid. The men still didn't believe them and the conversation was obviously confusing to both sides.

"Rue and his Brothers kept the slave after we brought you here, correct?" Nu-reeh asked calmly.

"Yes, Mistress," they answered in unison.

"Did you instruct them how to care for an Earth slave?"

"Yes, Mistress," they answered again.

"How did you ensure the slave would be cared for as you requested?" Nu-reeh asked.

"We paid them with the stones you gave us, Mistress," Master Damien told her looking over at me.

"They kept the stones," Nu-reeh spit out obviously grasping what had happened, "but they didn't give the slave the tonic when they had her. It has to be given everyday. It is not effective if not taken every day."

The woman named Dinah groused, "We should remove the Earth slaves from the compound. The men are too foolish."

Nu-reeh didn't seem to agree with her. "It would upset the men, Dinah," she addressed the other woman. "The men like the human slaves best. Taking them away would make the men unhappy for many changes of the small moon. Just look at what these men did to keep their slave. It would create too many problems. Their mothers would be displeased."

The two women flanking her seemed thoughtful and in agreement, so Nu-reeh continued. "There are systems our cousins in the red mountains use to ensure all the females receive the drink regularly. The Administrators will use the same system here."

"Now we must keep the slave in the mountains until it is ready, Nu-reeh. This is unacceptable; it is embarrassing," Dinah said glaring at me.

I was dying to know what would happen to me and my child. They obviously weren't happy about it. I wrapped my arms around my stomach in a useless bid to protect the unborn. There was no way I was strong enough to save this child from Nu-reeh if she didn't want it.

"What will you do with our slave and the child it carries?" Master Damien asked.

Strange he would ask that as I thought it. A moment ago they had barely believed such a thing could happen.

"That is no concern for you, Damien," Nu-reeh snapped turning to leave.

"I beg your pardon, Mistress. It is my concern," Master Damien rejoined.

Nu-reeh took three massive strides until she rested in front of Master Damien. She considered him for a moment and then looked at me.

"We cannot harm the slave now, can we?" she asked softly. "You have bonded with her."

Master Christof pulled me on his lap and hugged me tight to his chest.

"What will you do with the child, though?" Master Damien asked again.

Nu-reeh bristled at being pushed, she didn't like it. "If the slave gives birth to something strong enough, we will keep it," she said.

"And if not?" Master Damien asked.

"If it will not survive here, it will not survive," she said turning to leave the room. "No more questions."

I sat shivering on Master Christof's lap.

Nu-reeh strode out purposefully. The other sister hesitated and walked cautiously toward us. It wasn't Dinah, this was Tosu. The men knew her and knew she was the calmest of the three.

"I believe it is strong enough, human," she said in a very low voice before she turned and left.

I sat stunned looking at the way she'd gone. How was I supposed to know if my baby was strong enough to survive? What did I need to do to be sure? In fact, what was strong enough to survive in this place?

"What does that even mean?" Master Bane asked echoing my thoughts.

"Can a slave have a child?" Master Kein asked turning to look at me.

"It is not possible," Master Evan insisted and Master Damien agreed with him.

"You just asked her about the child, you heard her," I said to Master Damien. "You already admitted it was possible. Trust me, I know, I am carrying a child."

He wrinkled his brow and looked at me, "You believe it is possible very strongly. Your questions were hard to ignore."

Stubborn, bull-headed...my thought was cut short as all five of them gasped and stared at me.

"We could say the same about you, Ciara," Master Christof remarked chuckling at my imagery.

They didn't necessarily understand all the words I used immediately, but images came to them and it made sense.

Lucky for me to be in Master Christof's lap. He found my indignation curious and amusing. The others were not as generous.

"I wish to re establish my connection to you, Brothers," Master Evan complained pulling at the chain on his neck. "I do not like this separation."

Master Evan was getting upset and slightly desperate. I hadn't realized how much he depended on his Brothers to feel well. He wanted to touch and taste all of us.

I was on my feet and moving to him before I realized I'd gotten up. Before I could settle myself on his lap he was pulling me down. I found myself on my back with him between my legs pressing his body over my gravid belly.

Master Evan couldn't touch enough of me. He licked and sucked wherever he could reach and I returned the favor. He focused on my breasts. That warm, wet substance that had come out of them was wonderful, he wanted more of it. Suddenly, he understood Master Kein's obsession with the large rounded orbs.

I felt the weird clench as the milk started to dribble out. Master Evan moaned low in his throat and sucked harder. It tasted of me and it was new, so he loved it.

"Share, brother," Master Kein demanded and Master Evan allowed me to move from his pallet to Master Kein's.

"What is this?" Master Kein murmured between deep draws.

"Milk, Master Kein, food for the baby when it is born," I panted.

My breasts were so sensitive and the men were being so insistent with them.

"I will be jealous of this baby, then," Master Kein said gentling his touch and kissing my breasts.

The flap opened and five armed men appeared. Their daggers looked wicked. They appeared angry and I scrambled to get behind Master Kein. My Masters all smirked at the other family. I felt this was trouble.

My thoughts were not my own anymore. A powerful bond was pulsing between me and the five Warriors chained to the wall. I was part of the collective and the collective knew these guys well.

Nu-reeh and her sisters had brought Damien and his Brothers to the mountain and left them with these men. The women expected this family to settle my owners and tend their wounds. Damien's family didn't want the care and it had turned into a brawl.

The battle had been wicked. Even half dead, Damien and his Brothers had not been easy to deal with. They'd fought this family with everything they had left.

My owners had embarrassed these men badly. It had taken the women to break up the scuffle and chain them to the wall.

Damien watched the men move and saw their fear. Their hands held a tremor and their eyes darted around. This family feared Damien and his Brothers. It was a fine feeling to be feared as the best.

The men should fear, Damien chuckled to himself. Even chained as he was, he could still give them a good beating. A thought darkened his mood. Ciara, however, would be in trouble. The collective in my head opted for diplomacy for the moment.

"I believe we owe your family an apology," Master Damien said politely. "We acted badly and made you our target. We are sorry."

While giving the apology Master Damien crossed his left arm over his chest and bowed his head. It was the appropriate way to deliver sincere regret. I'd never seen my men do it before, but then I'd never seen them apologize either.

The men looked surprised. Evidently, Master Damien did not have a reputation for admitting he was wrong to other men.

"We were told to set you free and return you to your rooms," the lead Brother announced.

Master Damien sat calmly, but the men didn't come any closer.

"Send your slave for the key, we will give it to her," the man said from the other side of the room.

"No," Master Damien said simply. "Do as you were told and release us."

I stayed smartly behind Master Kein, who would have preferred I was behind Master Damien. If that wasn't an option he wanted me to move behind Master Bane. When it came to hand to hand combat Master Bane was as strong as Master Damien.

They were agreed, I would be safer to move behind Master Bane. I slipped along the wall and moved toward Master Bane who was chained beside Master Kein. The men looked angrily at me as I settled behind him. Master Damien knew that look, they wanted to hurt me.

"Throw us the key, cousin. Don't make any mistakes you will regret," Master Damien said cooly as my owners threw off their blankets.

"You can't even stand in those chains," one of the men said as they edged toward Master Bane.

Master Damien and his brothers all kicked away the bedding and got ready for the fight. Their muscles strained as they took the best positions they could against the wall. They could not stand, so this fight would be based solely on upper body strength.

Bane took a crouching position that crushed me to the wall. He knew how to take these men down even with the constraints upon him. It wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"Ah, so you think we are the same weak men that were brought to this room originally," Master Damien laughed watching them close in on Master Bane, "foolish, cousins, very foolish."

I stayed as still as I could. Master Damien didn't want me hurt and I was safest right where I was. Master Bane would protect me.

The fight was fast and brutal. Master Bane tossed the aggressors toward his Brothers. I remembered seeing them tossing those stones, the ease he threw the men with reminded me of that.

The scuffles were over rapidly once the men were dispersed.

"Ah-hah," Master Evan called, "I win. I got the man with the key."

Master Evan unlocked his collar as the man he had been holding slumped to the ground. He walked the key to Master Damien who congratulated him on winning that contest.

The men that had come were all unconscious and badly bruised.

"Should be show them how enjoyable these collars can be?" Master Kein asked as he stood up and stretched.

Master Kein's lithe form rippled with muscle as he stood proud in his nudity. I smiled at him and thought about what he'd said.

It would probably anger Nu-reeh if she found out they'd chained up the men that came to set them free, I thought.

"No fun, Ciara," Master Christof complained throwing an arm around my shoulders, "but you are probably accurate."

Master Evan passed between his Brothers. He tasted each of their shoulders, he also hugged them. I hadn't been aware they hugged.

"We didn't, but you do and it is a practice I enjoy," he said pulling me tightly to his chest.

The men walked me calmly out of the room and down the hall. It seemed strange to do this nude, but the men didn't mind. They had no clothing and they certainly weren't wearing the blankets around, as I'd thought they should. Blankets were for sleeping. I kept my head down out of habit, but tried to use my peripherals. Not that I needed to, I knew this hallway. In fact, I could have led us right to their quarters.

Many men in the hall greeted them and stared curiously at me.

"They said the slave was tending you, Damien," one man exclaimed. "We thought for sure you would kill it."

Another man slapped Master Evan on the shoulder, "Glad to see you back, cousin."

All around us the men were congratulating my Masters on their success. They had survived having their bond completely broken. It was a testament to their strength that they survived.

No one asked what happened to break the bond in the first place. I suddenly knew great offense would be taken to that question. That would be taboo to ask and very rude.