A Slave to the Servants Ch. 20

Travel across the Saval ocean had taken days. The girls slept on sandbars during low tides. Ra had taught Hannah to catch and eat things in the sea. Hannah had found savage revenge in eating the tentacles of the fleint. They had feasted on those many days.

Across the ocean was slightly different, but not much. The women on that side of the world were great builders and mathematicians. They designed and built the space ships that ran on their ore. Most of the industry was centered on the ship building.

Hannah discussed how they had the raw materials delivered from other planets. The women worked massive forges and built the space crafts. Other women did the engineering work to make the ships run.

Men on that side of the world did some of the work for the women. Materials were delivered to the compounds and the men there built the delicate electronics. The men had no idea what they were making, but they were good at it. Hannah commented that Kein's son had ended up over there.

Kein would have ended up there, too, Mama,she wrote.They tried to put him with families of builders. That is normal for men of T'vailk Mountain heritage. He wouldn't stop fighting with them, though. I talked to his mother one day. She said he clicked with Bane and then they clicked with Damien. She had wanted him to be a builder like his male breeder, but he was obviously a Warrior.

I looked up at Kein and he looked shocked. They had probably never thought about their female breeders. Evidently the mothers still watched over them, though.

The letter continued and Hannah talked more about Kein's mother. They had spoken for a long time. The other woman had been upset when she heard about the violence the men had inflicted on one another. At the time she had reprimanded Nu-reeh strongly for not watching her son better. Now that the men were happy and back in the compound, she was keeping a closer eye on him.

"She still watches me?" Kein said sounding shocked. "She knows me?"

I paused and watched the men. They looked beyond amazed. In fact, they started to look stressed.

"I'm sure it's nothing invasive," I soothed setting the letter down.

It scared me when they got anxious. I was never sure exactly how much stress it took to break a bond. That was something I never wanted to witness.

Bane raised an eyebrow at me as I petted Kein on the back. I used the same voice I'd used to calm Hannah as I talked to him.

"Relax and focus on your Brothers," I advised Kein, "don't get too upset."

Bane snorted openly and then spoke, "We are not weak men, Ciara," he reminded me. "It would take more than a simple surprise to break us."

Kein looked at me and now he was irritated. He shook the hand off his back and muttered.

"I will not break apart again," he said. "It's just very strange."

"Read more," Christof encouraged handing me the letter.

Hannah told me about the strange animals she had seen and usually eaten. She admitted my weak stomach had been passed on to her. There were certain things native to this planet that Ra could eat, but made Hannah violently ill. Lucky for her Ra understood nausea and vomiting. Hannah's stomach was a secret they kept.

The letter got back to the men and Hannah's irritation showed.

The way the men were kept now wasn't to her liking. Long ago on this world the men would be protected and used by only a few groups of women that they chose. The men were happier and freer then.

In the past, men would have been permanent companions of the women that protected them. They would have set up camps and taken care of their own young. Families would have included the women and the children they made.

It was a dangerous existence for the men, though. Men had always been powerful creatures, but still needed protection from some of the things on the planet. The women got sick of finding them dead, so they swept the equator clean and put all the men there many generations ago.

Men were farmed now by women like Nu-reeh. Sons were sold to women who would care for and protect them. If something happened to a man, there better be a damned good reason.

"Your tutors, Mama, the women had given them explicit instructions not to harm you. It wasn't the first time those men went against their orders. They did whatever they wanted. The women like the men feisty, but obedient."

I looked up and the men didn't seem upset, so I continued to read.

The women made good use of the natural boundaries of the planet to keep the men contained. Hannah seemed to think they had found a way to make boundaries. She had seen huge, wide rivers that separated the men's land. They didn't look natural.

"Oh," Bane said surprised, "we've seen a place like that, the Great River beyond the barren stretch."

Hannah hated it. The men were kept weak and stupid, she stated bluntly in the letter. They weren't companions anymore. Men werepets.

I faltered and stopped reading. Glancing at the commentary I tried to skip over it, but Damien wouldn't let me.

"The women keep us here, we know that. Hannah is right. We will know if you lie and there are no secrets in the family," he stated.

I looked down at the letter and continued to read.

Hannah kept on her tirade for a few moreparagraphs.I was so relieved when she switched topics.

Since Hannah was new to the world, she and Ra traveled extensively. She'd been to theNorthpole of the planet and planned to go to theSouthpole. It was important to her to check on me periodically, though. During her travels, she planned to stop by this set of mountains regularly.

The letter ended and I sat it on the table. Hannah had sent her love to me and the rest of the family. She hoped the bribe of the tami leaf had been a good idea. Ra had thought that would make the General more apt to let us keep the letter. Hannah had promised to write to me again next time she was close.

I shivered and tears coursed down my face. My little girl was well and strong. She had a Sister who was teaching her the world. Obviously she was bright to have gotten this message to me. It was more than I could have hoped for.

When Christof pulled me close I did need it. Evan stroked my hair and they just waited for me to calm down. It was strange how comforting I found their presence.

"The letter the General saw," Damien finally said, "should be left by the fire. If anyone visits they will expect it to be there."

Kein used the knife to fix the edges of the original message so it looked clean. He went and put it by the fire. If another family dropped by, it would look like it was supposed to.

My message the men had me fold and place in a small bag in the closet. It would stay hidden, unless I was reading it.

"We expect," Bane said, nudging me toward the bed, "you will look at it frequently. It is important to leave it in the closet when you are done."

We laid down in the bed and I snuggled up to Christof. He made a small sound and I looked up at him. He was grinning down at me.

At first he wouldn't tell me what was funny. I told him there were no secrets and everyone laughed at me.

"I prefer the press of your flesh onto mine," he said simply.

Despite my own objections I pulled off my cover and threw it onto a chair in the room. My bare chest pressed into Christof and he smiled pulling me close.

"Much better," he sighed before he fell back to sleep.

Sunlight bathed the room when I woke up the next morning. There was no Evan in my face demanding I get up. I did hear voices from the main room and the leather flap was closed.

Peeking out I saw the man Blain, that had pierced me, and four other men talking to my family. The men were discussing places Blain and his Brothers had been. I let the flap fall closed and listened as Blain talked.

Blain was discussing the women and I nearly gasped. He was talking to Damien about how to get what you wanted from them. I couldn't imagine how they had brought that up.

"You want to travel around, then tell them that," he said. "Nu-reeh doesn't care what you do as long as you're up for her couplings. We were Warriors for a while and then my Brothers got bored. She let us train in a trade and travel around."

I was terrified. If they traveled, where would I go. My heart felt like it would break out of my chest.

Evan's grinning face was inside the curtain suddenly and I jumped back from him. My wide, fearful eyes met his and he frowned. Stepping inside the room he pulled the flap closed behind him.

"Do you fear the piercings?" he asked very quietly.

"No, not at all," I said trying to calm my rampaging thoughts.

He stood watching me for a moment and stepped right in front of me. Evan's face lowered to my level and he looked in my eyes. His right hand came to rest over my pounding heart and he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you fear?" he asked.

I opened my mouth and snapped it closed.

Evan's voice was silk in my ear, "Tell me now," he threatened, "or we stripe your breasts. You know how Damien feels about secrets."

I felt weak and stupid, but I was stuck. They knew me too well.

"If you travel what happens to me?" I whined. "Do I get sold or left with Keepers-?"

Evan was furious and his face pinched up. He called me a long stream of nasty words that essentially meant idiot.

Christof came into the room behind Evan and patted his back. Evan straightened up and crossed his arms across his chest. His face softened slightly as Christof looked at him.

"Fear of the unknown is a human trait, remember?" Christof asked rhetorically. "When we were training to keep a human Basin told us this."

Indignation boiled in my belly and I squared my shoulders.

"I'm not afraid of the unknown. I'm afraid of being left while you go wandering all over-"

"Hush," Christof said placing a finger over my lips, "we are family and we would take you with us. Damien and Bane aren't sure they want to travel anyway. Kein and I are curious, but we are also happy here."

"And Evan?" I asked looking pleadingly at him and trying to get a feel for the opinions.

"Makes friends wherever we go and has no particular opinion either way," Christof told me placing a hand on my shoulder.

Evan was still staring at me like I'd just insulted hismother. He had told me he liked to be close to me. Unlike the others, Evan still felt me, obviously he didn't like to be separated. I had hurt him.

Moving slowly, I wound my arms around Evan's waist. Standing on tip toes Ikissedhis lips and chin murmuring apologies to him. It seemed to work and his hands stroked down my back.

"Silly human, we will not leave you," he said quietly. "Some days you are so fussy."

I was pulled into the main room and Blain was talking about the finer nuances of piercing with Kein. Before I could kneel on a cushion Bane stopped me. Instead, I was sitting in his lap.

Unlike the other men who wore shirt and pants, Bane was half dressed. His legs were incased in the thick leather pants, but his top was bare. I froze when I realized why.

I cursed inEnglishlooking at Bane's nipples. A delicate, shiny ring hung from each one. Looking up at his face I swore in his language and asked him what he had done.

Bane roared with laughter and stones changed hands. Blain and his Brothers had never heard a slave use those words. They found it amusing. Kein grumbled because he thought I would have controlled my mouth in front of strangers. He had lost big on this bet.

"Up you go, naughty one," Bane said hoisting me onto the floating table.

I closed my eyes in an effort to behave and not say anything else. It wasn't the same quiet procedure as last time. Blain talked through every step, like he was teaching someone. My eyes shot open when Kein repeated the instructions from right beside me.

It was Kein who was coating my prominent nipples with the brush. The long needle sat beside him. He looked at me with a proud smile on his face.

"You practiced on...Master Bane?" I asked watching him.

"I did," he said picking up the needle. "Now close your eyes. I don't want you to pull away."

I did as he said and felt the familiar fingers working on my flesh until the liquids had the desired effect. Just like before, I felt nothing other than the cold and a dull pressure. Kein was efficient and, according to Blain, he did a good job. I sat up and saw the family crest hanging from my nipples. Much like last time, I hadn't felt a thing.

Damien led Blain and his Brothers to the door and Evan paid them. As they left Bane took the shiny rings out his nipples, wincing slightly as he did so.

"No numbing cream for you?" I asked smiling.

"No," Bane grunted removing the second ring, "and after that string of words you put together we shouldn't have used it on you, either," he teased.

Breakfast had been delivered and we ate at the table. The men lovingly stroked the sides of my breasts, but avoided touching the newly pierced nipples. They had to heal, they knew from last time.

"It's late," I commented.

No one answered me except a couple noncommittal grunts, so I tried again.

"You are all late for work," I told them my agitation rising for no reason.

"We have days off," Damien said smiling. "We are going somewhere different."

I pressed them lightly for information, but they busied themselves finishing eating and packing things up. I was instructed to help them by folding up and bringing several towels and blankets. They were being such pains this morning, I did my job with a scowl on my face.

I was dressed in warm layers, including a blue dress like I'd had in the mountains. A brown cover was put over that. The men packed up several bags and Kein brought up a transport.

Once everything was packed we zipped away toward the mountains.

As we passed over the village I looked down at it. The men were busy and looked happy. I wondered what it would be like if they lived like Hannah thought they should. Going back to that would be a big change for the men.

"We're going to the cabin?" I asked once we were a safe distance away.

"No," Damien said taking my mittened hand.

I waited patiently and he didn't elaborate.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked.

"It's a surprise," Evan said smirking, "and stop talking. You're supposed to be quiet in your brown cover. Damien doesn't want to punish you again."

I fumed beneath the hood of my outfit. One minute I'm family and the next minute they're going to beat me. They pay me, but get difficult when I wear what I buy. They were annoying, self-centered assholes. Finally, I'd had enough.

"I demand to know where we're going," I said ripping the hooded top off my head. "This is intolerable. You still treat me-"

Christof had won the bet on how long I would last without lashing out at them. After cursing at Bane this morning they had wagered my mood would be volatile today. It had been a game to see how much they could push and how long I would go before losing my cool.

It was because I slept so late, Evan informed me. Not keeping to a schedule had my attitude in a twist. He wouldn't let me do that again.

With the bet done, Christof told me we were going to a place they really liked. There was an old cabin there the men infrequently used anymore. A stream from the mountains cut down right beside it. We had several days together to just be ourselves with no one to interfere.

Crossing my arms, I tried not to scowl. Their attention to my moods made them frighteningly accurate. I didn't like thinking of them as mind readers. My new goal was to be less transparent.

We went along the road for a long time and then veered off onto a less travelled path. Since Warriors patrolled out here I was instructed to wear my hood. It would be unseemly if I was caught without it.

The area we were in was different from the place I was accustomed to. There was a little more greenery here and it seemed to be getting thicker.

"Was it all like this before the men developed the town?" I asked. "There is so much plant life here, like just outside the Keeper's compound."

Christof told me the plants were growing because there was an underground water source here. The lakes were sometimes shallow and sometimes very deep below the surface. The men didn't stay in this area because it made the ground above unstable.

"Oh," I said happily, "asinkhole!"

The men didn't understand the Earth word and I felt deficient in describing one. From what I understoodsinkholeshappened in places with large underground lakes, especially when the water level fell. The conversation was entertaining for Christof. He thought it was interesting Earth had similar problems.

We stopped and had a midday meal before we got to the place we'd be staying. The men had some sort of a dried pouch of food. Apparently it would make me sick. I ate a bowl of a sticky rice like substance that was rolled into balls.

"It's sad," I said in between bites, "the other girls and their owners don't do fun things together. I feel bad for the other girls."

Damien answered me finally, but it was not helpful. He told me he had to arrange time to come out here. Although no one was stationed out here, someone used it frequently enough that you had to sign up to come. It had been the same with the other cabin we used.

After they finished eating Evan bounced up and started to pace. He was irritated with the slow pace of the rest of us. For some reason he was intent on getting where he was going.

"You're supposed to enjoy the ride, Evan," I chided him, "not just the destination."

He looked at me for a moment before starting to pace again. "Seen it here before," he said, "I want to get where we're going."

We loaded back on the transport and it took off a very short time later. I had forgotten how hard it could be to dismiss Evan's restless energy.

The wind whipped harder against us and the men all donned long jackets at some point. We were going parallel to the mountains. Long ago we'd stopped passing other Warriors, this area really was deserted.

The building broke the horizon and the men cheered. It looked to me like the place we'd stayed in after I'd been "recaptured". This must have been an outpost at one time.

Once Kein stopped the transport we all jumped down. I walked toward the building and was stopped.

"We have to check it," Bane told me drawing his swords.

Kein and Evan followed him inside while I waited with Damien and Christof.

"What are they looking for, other Warriors?" I asked curiously.

"Scars, pests," Christof said concentrating on the dwelling. "This place is so isolated it could be infested."

I shuddered thinking of the spider like creatures. Nu-reeh had showed me Scars in the mountain caves. The men had fed me one as a joke, but I'd forgotten they came down here.

The men visibly relaxed after a moment and motioned me inside. They pulled all their bags inside and set up the inside of the cabin. Sheets and blankets were laid across the bed. Towels and toiletries were put in the bathing room. Christof and I unpacked the kitchen area.

All of the sudden I wasn't on the ground. Evan had lifted me up and was taking me in front of the fire they had built. Despite my resistance he stripped me of my dress quickly.

"What are you doing?!" I sputtered standing nude in the main room.

"I want to go outside," he said simply. "You need to change so we can train."

"Change what?" I asked feeling my agitation rising again.

"Clothes," Bane said handing Evan an outfit. "Are you going to be moody all day?"

I did every calming trick I'd ever learned. As Evan pulled pants up my legs I breathed slowly and tried to rid myself of this attitude. I wasn't sure what had me so riled up today.