A Slave to the Servants Ch. 25

He didn't want my forgiveness and he knew I was giving it. I was just being so pushy. Ignoring the pain the disagreement caused I got right in Evan's personal space.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up and I'm sorry for being disagreeable," I said reaching up and touching his face before he could move away. "Your turn."

The tension was thick in the air as Evan apologized. Suddenly it melted and the room thawed. The men had acknowledged Evan's mistake.

Damien moved forward andhuggedEvan with me trapped between them. Thehugwas brief, but it allowed Evan close enough to taste Damien's shoulder. He moved around the room reaffirming his connection to his Brothers. They alternated between soothing and scolding him.

I stood watching the bond reassert itself between them. Damien's arm looped around my shoulders and I stood against him feeling his warmth radiate into me. It was such a strange primal connection they shared. Although it seemed strong, certain types of stress could weaken it quickly and immeasurably.

Evan approached me last and he seemed hesitant, so I reached my hand out to him.

"So willing to forgive us everything," he murmured dropping his mouth to my ear.

I melted a little as Evan tasted the shell and lobe of my ear. They were so sensitive and he knew just what to do. My frame slumped into Damien as Evan tasted. He knew I liked this and it was his way of making up for his behavior.

Grinning I pulled his mouth to mine for akiss.

"Go to bed," I smiled holding his jaw; Evan was more than willing.

"You will sit on the bed with us," Damien demanded. "It is too cold out here," he finished pointing me back to the sleeping chambers.

There was no space for disagreement. The Brothers wouldn't hear of it. I was escorted with my little pad back into the warmed bed chamber.

It wasn't clear to me how they slept while I was wide awake, but they didn't care I was up. I sat on the bed and leaned on the pole in the center. I drew the symbol for mountain on the screen and a magnificent list popped up. I choose an unknown name and started to read.

The mountains I read about were not tame. They sat at the edge of a violent sea and took the brutal weather that circumstance provided. The pad described plant and animal life in detail, along with historical facts. The reading was complex and detailed, as I'd known it would be. I read until I dropped to sleep much later.

"Quiet," Evan whispered, "let her sleep. We'll just bring her food."

The Brothers were agreed, but I was already up. They had woken at the normal time, but Evan had tried to avoid rousing me. It had almost worked, but not really. His energy flowed into me and I wanted to be up, too.

I wandered into the bathroom and blinked the sleep from my eyes. It had been a long night and I wondered what the day would bring. Evan wasn't long in handing me the first surprise.

"I want you to put it in," he stating handing me my plug.

I pinched it between two fingers and looked at it warily. Long ago I'd accepted it as something I did to make Bane and Evan happy. It was a choice everyday to wear it or not, but I usually did. I didn't like touching it, though. For a moment I failed to understand why I had to put it in myself.

No, it would not go in me today, I suddenly knew.

"The first few days are uncomfortable, particularly without preparation," Evan explained evenly. "This does not cause you discomfort anymore, but it will bother me. It is the punishment my Brothers decided on."

Bane liked it, I thought staring up at him.

Evan shrugged and flicked hair away from my eye. "Bane found it tempting. I find it...unfathomable. It will remind me all day of the things you have done without complaint for us. This is a fitting punishment."

"Or, I can dole out punishment," Damien offered coming to stand beside Evan.

Damien had been forced to discipline Evan before. He did not enjoy doing it, but sometimes Evan forgot unless a lesson was instilled deeply enough. The Brothers feared this lesson would need to be driven home. No one wanted Evan to come that close to loss of control again.

I stamped my foot. There was no way I was torturing Evan's ass and Damien was most certainly not beating him. This was ridiculous.

"You may use the oil," Kein said passing by us to turn on the shower for me.

The men murmured in agreement. If I was going to hold out, then the lubricant would be acceptable.

"No one needs to do this to him," I said finally. "He apologized, we all accepted it-"

Bane cut me off with a laugh. He knew Evan and his tendencies. It had been an issue when they were younger. Memories of Evan's outlandish behavior at the Child Keeper's astounded me. It had taken many turns of the ringed moon for the Brothers to tame him. He had been a hellion.

"He needs reminders, little Sister," Bane reassured. "It is the only way he learns. He is not like you."

It was going to be a weird day.

I did for Evan what I'd done for Bane and they scolded me. No preparation, just put it inside him.

"Absolutely not," I said looking straight in Damien's eyes. "I am not arapistand I am not hurting him like that. If you want this done, we use the oil and do it slowly."

Five against one made for a definite shift in the balance of power, but I was set on this. No matter the pain it caused me to disagree, I was determined.

"He won't learn," Kein mumbled leaning on a far wall.

"Yes, he will," I said turning back to my strange morning task, "but we do this my way."

Evan hated the plug. He despised the sensation worse than anything he'd ever encountered before. Sitting made it worse and he even felt it standing up.

"When I walk the damn thing moves," he growled standing still in the middle of the apartment.

I thought we should remove it and the Brothers disagreed. This was perfect and Evan would remember this lesson. While the rest of them felt the discomfort, they weren't unduly bothered by the circumstance. If this reminded Evan well enough, it would be worth the slight discomfort.

Breakfast was a quick affair. I had my fizzy drink again, apparently it was going to be given twice a day. After the meal I was deposited with Rose and Fuji back in our section of cave.

"We clean in the morning," Rose told me softly before she scurried behind the leather drape of her owners rooms.

I found the supplies and had the apartment in order in no time. The men had not really used it enough for anything to be that messy, so it was a quick job. I decided to wait for Rose and Fuji out front, so I took the pad and continued to read at a table in the morning sunshine.

The readings about the other mountains was fascinating, so much so that I missed the arrival of Nu-reeh. She was standing beside me when I noticed her presence and bounced up.

"What are you reading?" she asked brusquely.

Suddenly I realized I'd never requested permission to use this pad like I had been. Like a fool I had just assumed because it worked that way, I was allowed. If she didn't like it, I wondered what my punishment would be.

"Mountains, Mistress, the T'vailk Mountains," I said politely.

"Too wet," she commented looking up at the skylight. "The wind comes off the water and leaves the land drenched day and night. The twisting air currents also make for horrendous storms. There are entire seasons women dare not fly near there and walk wherever we go."

Evidently we were to have a conversation. If it made her happy, I would gladly do that.

"That sounds unpleasant, Mistress."

She continued to speak as she examined the outer room. "The women that mine there coat themselves in an oil. It keeps the water from soaking into their fur. The women from that area originally had no fur. They all just had thick striped hides and did not mind the water. I cannot tolerate the weather combined with the oil; I find it oppressive," she said turning back to me. "I only travelled there briefly. The men cannot be kept there due to the storms and that is what I wanted from life."

Dipping her talons in the pool of warm water she came to rest in front of me again.

"You do an excellent job of caring for your men, Mistress," I told her.

She grunted. "Do I?" she asked rhetorically. "How do I explain their disappearance to their female breeders, then? I have merely lost their sons in a place that nothing can escape from. An excellent job, indeed," she growled looking away from me.

I stood silent and watched the play of emotions across her terrifying face. The men were in my mind. Christof's quiet voice told me the predominant emotion that played across Nu-reeh's face was worry.

"They can't have gone far-" I started to say and stopped as her eyes blazed into mine.

She bent forward until her face was in mine. The hint of glitter on her fangs told me the venom was close to seeping out. Inadvertently, I had enraged her.

"Do you imply I cannot find them in my own land?" she asked. "They are not there!" she roared. "They are not in the barren stretch. They are not in the mountains. Are they lost and lying broken in the field we built to contain them? No one knows. I allow too much freedom and they have wandered too far. I will not fail again!"

I shook like a leaf standing before her. Nu-reeh was more powerful than anything I'd ever come across. My eyes were locked on her form and my mouth was dry. This was how I always thought a slave on this planet would die.

Damien's voice broke the silence and Nu-reeh turned to him.

"Mistress, how may we serve you?" he asked humbly striding toward us with purpose.

The rest of the family followed taking on the shape of a regimented unit.

"You may go back to the sorting room and take care of my ore," she stated drolly.

The men didn't slow down until they had pushed me behind Bane and stood staring at Nu-reeh.

"Slaves are difficult to speak to, Mistress. We did not wish to subject you to one such as this," Damien said politely. "We will return to our duty immediately, but first: How can the female slave serve you?"

Nu-reeh's face was stoic for a moment appraising the grouping of men in front of her. They had layered themselves, so I rested behind all of them. She took it all in, obviously understanding the defensive posture.

Nu-reeh ran a casual claw across Damien's cheek. It was a contained threat and one she wielded well. We all knew what she could do with her claws.

"This is all I needed," she murmured, "to win your devotion?"

The question hung in the air and we couldn't decide what the appropriate answer was. Nu-reeh shook herself from her reverie and answered Damien's question instead.

"The slave will read from a list of topics I provide," she said becoming more businesslike. "My Sisters and I will test the slave's knowledge of the subjects. If we find it lacking, your family will suffer."

"Yes, Mistress."

"The topics are listed on the pad. The slave only needs to enter the word 'list'. It will know what she needs. Study them well," she ordered.

Nu-reeh's wings spread and she took off, bounding straight up. I watched in amazement as she soared through the skylight above. For being as large as she was, the woman was unnervingly fast.

The curses were in my head. Most were about Nu-reeh, some were directed at me. The men wondered what possessed me to speak to Nu-reeh.

"Yes, Mistress," Kein said harshly, "is all you need to say to her."

"Not even that," Evan argued, "watch her and do what she wants. You are not to converse with her."

I was an idiot and lucky to be alive. No one talked to Nu-reeh. It was unheard of to have a conversation like I had been having with the large woman.

Christof shushed his Brothers' conversation and looked into my eyes.

"Some women," he said gently, "you can have a conversation with, just not Nu-reeh. With her it is better to just answer simply. She can be very intolerant. Tosu may come and speak to you. She will easily talk to you and enjoys those interactions. Nu-reeh is not like that."

I nodded and looked at him mutely. Nu-reeh had scared the hell out of me and I was still recovering.

Damien stalked over and grabbed the pad from the table before thrusting it at me. "Find the list," he ordered.

My fingers trembled as I drew the symbol on the pad. An enormous list appeared before me. The pad instructed me it would teach me each subject until it was done.

The first topic to pop us was a mountain range.

After akissfrom each man they left me to go back to the sorting room. Kein had settled me at a kneeling chair and instructed me to learn well.

Rose came out of her apartment and so did Fuji once everyone was gone. They'd seen the interaction with Nu-reeh and it had scared them both.

"She is anxious," Rose diagnosed correctly sitting beside me. "Her temper is short. You must do as she asks, although I fear even that will not save you from punishment."

I agreed with Rose and tried to read quickly. My friend sat beside me knitting a blanket. Fuji wandered back into her suites to continue cleaning.

Fuji had said her men had made a mess of the bedroom the night prior. She had fought them like they liked and they'd torn the room apart. Rose and I both laughed at how much Stayne and his Brothers liked Fuji's fake resistance.

Damien and his Brothers were loud in my head. Once they had time to process what Nu-reeh had said they understood better. The men that the bandits took belonged to Nu-reeh. Their disappearance upset her greatly. That may explain why she was treating us so oddly.

Evan talked casually to the men in the sorting room. He wandered family to family gathering information. They told him that Nu-reeh had been getting a shorter and shorter temper over the last several moons. The loss of the families under her care had angered her greatly. She was tasked with protecting men, their loss hurt the whole planet.

Breeding was difficult and women did not conceive easily. The women were desperate to conserve the population that was left. Losing men was inexcusable.

"Ciara," Rose called in quiet, sing song voice, "you do not appear to be concentrating," she commented.

I had not been. The conversation with the men was in my head and distracting me. It was very difficult to be in several different places at once. Looking at her I smiled and resolved to pay attention to what I was doing.

"Read to me," she offered shyly, "I will help you focus."

I did as Rose asked and she was accurate. While I was busy reading and speaking, I was less distracted by Damien and his Brothers.

Today's reading was on the mountains we were currently in. For some odd reason the women had different names for things. While the men referred to this range as the blue mountains, the women called them the T'aran Mountains.

Soon I understood why the women had different names. The men's term harkened back to the way the hills reflected blue in certain light. That could happen to many different ranges, though. The men only knew the one range, the women knew the whole planet.

Rose knitted and I read. Every so often she stopped me and quizzed me on the information. When I didn't know the answers we went back and I found them.

Some of the information was complex and hard to understand. Other parts were difficult for me to remember. Rose made upmnemonicswith me and helped me use the tool to get more out of the reading. She was a very good teacher.

We barely noticed as clattering talons announced Tosu's appearance. Fuji, Rose and I stood silently to greet her. She took in the surroundings and walked toward us slowly.

"You have been reading out loud," she said when she reached us. "Why is that?"

"I was not concentrating well, Mistress," I told her honestly. "Reading to Rose forces me to concentrate and not be...distracted. She has been helping me learn."

They must have been watching the monitors, I thought or they had the pad's listening function turned on. Either way it was creepy to be observed like that.

Compared to Nu-reeh this woman seemed so calm. I just did not trust her to stay that way. The men were glad it was her, though. Although they'd seen her angry, it was much less frequent than they'd seen Nu-reeh that way.

"Tell me about what you learned," she finally said settling before us.

I repeated what I remembered to her as calmly as I could. In my mind was Christof's presence encouraging me. Allowing the stress of this situation to master me would be dishonorable to the family. I had learned well. My instructions were to maintain decorum and do as I was asked.

Tosu listened carefully and when I was done she coached me. I had missed things she wanted me to know and concentrated on things she found irrelevant. She was stern, but I believed more forgiving than Nu-reeh would have been.

As we finished a second large woman entered and Rose reached out gripping my hand. It wasn't Nu-reeh or Dinah and I had no idea who it was. Tosu greeted the new woman and told her Rose had be assisting me. Apparently, my human friend helped me learn.

"Do not upset my men when you learn things," she barked out focusing on Rose. "It is your job to make sure that one," she pointed to me, "learns."

"Yes, Mistress Canta," Rose said in a trembling voice.

It made sense to me now. The tall sinewy woman must own Basin and his Brothers. She reminded me of Nu-reeh in a lot of ways.

"Swim your laps after the midday meal, humans," Tosu said indicating the pool.

"Yes, Mistress," we all answered.

The women left with the one named Canta complaining about what a ridiculous way to breed this was. She seemed like she was trying to convince Tosu that Nu-reeh's numbers would go up without me. I was such a waste.

"Oh my," Rose sighed putting a hand over her heart and keeping a death grip on my fingers, "that woman terrifies me. How do you stand it, Ciara? You stay so calm when you speak to them. I cannot even make a sentence."

"I was here before," I said evasively. "I suppose I am just used to them."

"Well," Rose said gathering her wits, "at least we know what she wants you to focus on now. It should make the reading go quicker."

The men came to pick us up for lunch and they were in an interesting mood. Evan was more bothered by the plug than he had been this morning. He was restless and agitated. Most of the lunch he spent pacing behind our table.

"It has to come out," I whispered to Damien and he disagreed.

The men wouldn't listen. Evan had acted badly and would pay for it. The decision was made, still I fought them on it.

"He's not human and he's not totally Paterian," I reasoned looking over at Christof, "that may be really bad for him. We don't know."

Interesting argument, was the consensus, but the answer was no. Evan had to learn. I would not always listen and he couldn't lose his temper like he had. The discomfort would not kill him.

"And you have done it for us," Evan said standing behind me for a moment. "You never complained. I am not weaker than you are."

We argued the difference between weakness and different physiology all the way back to our dwelling.

"Doesn't matter what you want anyway," Kein finally grinned. "Five against one and you are not strong enough to best us in a battle. We will do as we wish."

My eyes narrowed and I looked at his triumphant face.

"How'd you like to be kept awake all night with questions, questions, questions?" I threatened. "It's a choice to keep her amused," I hissed out maliciously.

My cheeks were flushed and I felt ready to fight. It just wasn't right to do this to Evan. I'd hated it when they did it to me at first. If they gave me my sword right now I'd have a go at them.