Istanza

The door to Leeann's room arrived soon enough. Leeann unlocked it and guided Silra in by the hand, closed the door, then led her to the large silk-covered bed.

"You sleep here from now on, girl." She said, her voice unnervingly gentle. Silra gave no reply. "You're very tired, aren't you?"

"Mistress, yes, Mistress. They worked us very hard today. My body aches all over. Mistress."

"It's alright. You don't have to do anything tonight." She pulled back the covers from the bed and motioned for Silra to lie down. Silra turned to her instead, reached out, took her wordlessly into an embrace. Leeann tried to back away, unnerved by Silra's action, but before she could recoil their lips met. Silra's lips were soft and moist, her breath gentle against her cheek, her hands cool where they softly touched her shoulders. Leeann felt herself melt.

She tried to kiss back, but Silra withdrew, pressed her cheek softly against Leeann's, whispered into her ear. "Mistress, thank you, Mistress. Will you lie with me?"

"Yes." Leeann whispered in reply, her voice unlevel.

"Then take off your clothes and lie with me, Mistress."

Leeann swallowed. She felt Silra's delicate fingers work from her shoulders down her back, grip at the knot on her leather halter-top and begin to untie it. She swallowed again as a tower of nervous heat boiled up her spine. It had been years since she had bared her breasts to anything but her empty bedroom, and now the moment was here she suddenly felt the anxious tickle of shyness playing in her chest.

Instinctively she drew up her arms, crossed them in front of her breasts, held her halter over them as the straps slipped free. What if Silra wasn't impressed? What if Silra didn't like her body when it wasn't framed by her clothing? What if they sagged too much for Silra when they weren't supported by the leather holster around her neck? Silra didn't have that problem – she was four or five years younger, at least, and her breasts were smaller and held their own weight, even standing proud under her grey robe.

Silra seemed to notice Leeann's bashfulness, for she gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and then withdrew, stood before her, lifted her robe over her head and tossed it to one side. And there she stood, completely naked, a vision of pale beauty, the remnants of last night's welts proud at her hips. Wordlessly she reached out, took Leeann's hands, gently lifted them away. The halter fell free and drifted to the floor. Silra's eyes did not leave Leeann's as she lowered her face, buried it between her breasts and kissed her chest softly. She looked back up, blinked. "You are so beautiful, Mistress."

Leeann felt a smile stretching her cheeks. Silra's soft hands worked expertly at her shorts until they too dropped to the floor. Then she slid down into her knees, kissed Leeann's thigh with little moist brushes of her lips as she unzipped her boots and slid them off.

At last Leeann was fully naked in front of another. It was a strange feeling, after so many years. She stepped out of her shorts on many occasions in front of Koda, when she forced herself upon them and demanded that they perform various acts upon her person, but she never felt naked – she was always clothed because she still wore her uniform of office, her leather halter and her heeled boots and her short cane strapped to her forearm. Being naked in front of Silra was a wholly different experience; she was vulnerable, unprotected, but intimately closer.

Silra stood, stepped backwards, slid onto the bed and withdrew between the silk, never taking her eyes from Leeann's. She beckoned with an outstretched finger, and Leeann found herself following, gripped by her gaze. She clumsily knelt onto the bed, pulled the silk over her, lay down and found herself caught in Silra's embrace.

Another kiss found her lips and this time she did not recoil, but melted into it, kissing back with all the fervour that she received. It went on and on, until arms and hands and legs entwined with one another and the silk blankets became locked around them. Her saliva mixed with Silra's and was spread around her cheeks and chin; Silra's tongue attacked her gently, overwhelmed her, invaded her, drew hers back as it retreated, only to attack once again.

Eventually Silra broke free, lifted her face to smile down at Leeann with narrowed eyes.

"I thought you were tired, girl?" Leeann said, once her racing heart had slowed.

"I am, Mistress. That was to say thank you for the bed."

"Having you here with me is thanks enough."

"Mistress..." Silra cooed softly. "Do you mean that?"

Leeann swallowed, wondered if she should reply. "Yes, my girl."

Silra smiled. "Your girl. I like that." She stretched forwards, rubbed her nose into Leeann's, kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"Hold me, girl, and sleep."

Silra smiled wider, gave her another short kiss on the cheek, then embraced her once again, held her tightly for a few heartbeats, then relaxed, placed her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

Leeann watched her as she drifted off, as her eyelids fluttered, and eventually slowed.

* * *

Leeann awoke early. Silra had moved in her sleep, and the movement had woken Leeann from her peaceful slumber. She wasn't used to sleeping with someone else in her bed – it had been a long time since she last spent a night with somebody. In the mean time she had grown cautious – the only people in the palace likely to want to share her bed were other Istanza, and if they did so, they would be doing it for their own interests. Istanza were naturally selfish. At least, the rank of Istanza among the Sect was a selfish one.

Within moments of opening her eyes and calming her racing heart she had remembered where she was, why she was there, and most importantly, who the warm body slumbering against her belonged to. Her heart fluttered happily in her chest.

Silra had been happy to spend the night with her. Did that mean something? Was there really such a thing as mutual attraction, after all these years of believing that it was her lot in life to remain alone forever? Could it really be that she had run into someone who actually wanted her for what she was?

It was a dangerous thing to believe. She had been lonely for a very long time, although she had failed to admit it until the last few days. She spent the nights torturing whichever Koda had performed worst during the day, and that gave her all the sexual gratification she ever needed, but it was never enough. She had always told herself it would be – especially when she had chosen to return to the Sect after escaping. But human beings weren't meant to live such isolated lives, even ones as twisted as Leeann. It was all part of the basic human programme – to learn, to mature, and to eventually pair, to find a partner, to find someone to share the great journey of life with. She had told herself for so long that she did not need that – she had told herself because she knew – or believed – that she could never find such a partner as long as she remained with the Sect on Krakus.

It was a dangerous thing indeed to believe. If she were to believe once again that there was a partner out there for her – if she were to believe once again in love – then if it were to prove false, or to go wrong in some way, she would have to let that dream fly loose. It would be dangerous indeed to breathe precious life into hope where hope may not long survive.

But Silra had been pleased to spend the night with her.

She squeezed Silra's torso gently with the arm on which she lay, rolled to curl into her, stared at her forehead and her sleeping eyes, her delicate nose and her expressionless lips. She was so beautiful. What would a beautiful girl like her possibly want with a twisted individual like Leeann? She was a year or two past her prime. She was attractive, in her way, but a rung below perfection. She had to beat girls to get off; she had to make them cry before she could get her satisfaction.

She had a position of power, but that was all she had in her favour. Maybe that was all Silra wanted in her. A position of power, a way out of the life of Koda. She couldn't blame her for that. It was no wonder, really. The life of Koda was a short one, it was painful and it was brutal. Worked to exhaustion every day, beaten to submission and beyond every night. Anybody in their right mind would find a way out of it.

There was a subtle movement by her side, and Silra's peaceful breaths were interrupted by a hiccup in their rhythm. Silra stirred, blinked, opened her eyes. For a moment they looked confused, staring out across the expanse of Leeann's breasts and up at her neck; then they found hers, locked, widened.

"Hey." Leeann said softly. "Good morning."

Silra wiped her sleepy eyes with her hands. "Mistress, what time is it, Mistress?"

"You don't need to worry about that Mistress stuff at this time in the day. It's about an hour before sunrise. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you, Mistress."

"I said you don't need to worry about that."

"Please... What do I call you?"

"You can call me..." Leeann said, then stopped. She hadn't thought this far ahead. What should Silra call her? The whole Mistress business was fun when it was part of a sex game, but when someone was lying in her bed, having shared a night of sleep, it felt awkward and forced. "Just call me..."

She stopped again, swallowed awkwardly.

"What's your real name?" Silra enquired, her voice soft and inquisitive but not intrusive, and Leeann found herself answering before she could stop herself.

"Leeann." She said. "That's my real name."

"Leeann." Silra repeated. "Well thank you, Leeann. How long before we have to rise?"

"I get up around thirty minutes before sunrise. Enough time to shower, eat and dress before work. You needn't worry about that today, though – you can take this day to rest and recover. I'll bring you some food."

"Then is there anything I can do for you before you have to rise?"

Leeann gazed down into Silra's eyes, saw a bright and cheeky smile across them. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, you seemed to like it when I did... Certain things for you the other night. Didn't you?"

"That's a very tempting offer." Leeann replied, but sighed and looked away. "But I don't really think there's time. It's nice just to lie here with you right now."

Silra stretched and rested her head on Leeann's shoulder, drew her arms around her and embraced her gently. "Although..." Leeann continued, "If you wanted, you could kiss me again, like you did last night."

"Mmm, Mistress..." Silra mumbled silkily, lifting her head and stretching up the bed towards Leeann's lips. "I was afraid you wouldn't ask."

Leeann leant against one of the ornate stone pillars that rose up from the balustrade, supporting the vaulted roof like a giant fossilised leg. The autumn wind blew softly at her face, biting her skin with little needle teeth; a slight pain, but a refreshing one.

It was refreshing like the gentle morning, the soothing kisses, the shared shower in which she had cleansed Silra's body and brushed her wet hair back across her head, kissed her forehead and her face. For someone who said that she needed to be punished, Silra also seemed able to enjoy the gentler delights of bonding, if the wide smile on her face was to be believed. Leeann hadn't intended to share her morning shower with Silra, but as she stepped into the little cubicle on the corner of her room and saw Silra gazing distantly at her from the bed, she had known that it was what they both wanted.

After that she had taken to her work with renewed vigour. There were Koda to be inspected, there were whips to be checked and shackles to be cleaned. Locks would need greasing, metalwork would need polishing, leather would need treating. In recent months she had lost interest and although her implements were still functional, they had lost some of the lustre that she had proudly applied in her first months as Istanza. She liked things to be clean and shiny where she worked. She had grown weary of her job, but Silra had put a spark back into her that propelled her back into her tasks like nothing else could.

Wooden footsteps approached from behind on the stone floor of the balcony, distracting Leeann from her reverie. She took a subtle breath – subtle enough that none approaching from the rear may have seen – and let her gaze sweep across the hall beneath and the working Koda.

"Leeann." Said a man's voice, hard-edged and deep with age but gentle in inflexion. "Our favourite little malcontent."

"Julian." Leeann replied, not taking her eyes from the Koda working in the hall.

"I see you have taken yourself an apprentice." Julian said flatly, and in his tones Leeann could not detect any hint of annoyance, or distaste, or even interest. He could be clever with his words, when he wanted one to say more than one wished.

"As the good book permits, Julian."

"Indeed, as it does." He replied. He turned then, took hold of Leeann's arm and pulled it, forcing her to look at him. "But this isn't an apprenticeship, is it? It's a ploy to get a girl in your bedroom, isn't it?"

"You've had Danielle watching me?"

"Danielle reported to me off her own back. She was worried about you. We have all been worried about you. For some time, I might add."

Leeann snorted, looked back at the hall floor far below. "If you were really worried you'd have let me go when I asked."

"You'd have come back."

"I did come back."

"Exactly."

"So what's this about, Julian? Or did you come all the way down here from your plush residence just to annoy me?"

"You are very valuable to us, Leeann." Julian said flatly. "There are not many true Istanza in this wide galaxy. You are very good at what you do, and we don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. I've nowhere else to go."

"But we might lose you if you lose yourself. We've seen it in you. We've seen how you've not been the same since you came back. How you've let your standards slip, how you've not had your mind on the job, how you've always been dreaming of being somewhere other than here."

"Does it show that bad?"

"That you're not happy here? Yes, of course it does. But if you were to be happy here, if there were something that would make you happy to be here, that would be alright with us. We would think of it as an incentive. A little bonus, perhaps."

"So you're saying I get to have my apprentice?"

"Apprentice? Call her what you like, I don't expect you to train her. I just expect you to keep her out of the way, don't let her interfere with your daily work, don't let her around the palace unattended, and please, don't get any foolish notions about leaving us again. Other than that, you can do with her whatever you want."

Leeann sighed. She wasn't really sure what to make of it. She had got what she wanted, and what's more, she had got the approval of her superiors. Although somehow they made it sound like they were doing her a favour... The kitten had been caught with her paws in the butter, and had been rewarded with cream... It wasn't right, but it was what she had wanted.

So why did she feel like she'd been given something she didn't deserve?

"Just remember this, Leeann:" Aah, here it was. First the encouragement and the reward, and then the thinly-veiled threats. She knew something was missing, but hadn't been sure what it was until it appeared. "You are valuable to us, but you are also a risk. You have seen too much. We'll do what we can to see that you are happy here, but if you become a liability, you know that we cannot let you leave."

"What are you saying to me, Julian?" Just get to the fucking point, she stopped herself from adding.

"A lot of people die here every year. None are ever found. I need say no more."

Leeann straightened, felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Subordinate to Julian or not, she was Istanza, and she was not used to accepting such threats without retaliation. But he had a point. If she were to die mysteriously in her bed one night, she would never be missed. No doubt her family already thought she was dead. She had missed them, for a time, when she was first taken into the sect as Koda, but she had soon learnt to forget them. It was better that they did not know what she did. She had not even attempted to contact them after she had escaped from Krakus – for their own safety, rather than because she no longer cared for them. The Sect's power may well be based on Krakus, but that did not mean they were beyond hiring professional killers to protect their secrecy.

Oh well. Death threats or not, it was done. Silra was hers, and she needn't bother working out a strategy to make it look like she was being trained.

"Then I guess you've got me right where you want me." She said at last.

"I'd like to think that we've both got what we want." Julian replied. "Good day, Leeann. Keep up the good work."

Leeann did as she was told, and kept up her resolve to work to the best of her abilities. Shackles cleaned and leather oiled, she was ready to treat the lowest-performing Koda to a night of perfect punishment before she returned to her cell. Silra would be waiting there, and hopefully she would be comfortable and rested, maybe even eager to enjoy some company after a day of waiting alone in silence. And if she wasn't in the mood, well... Leeann would just have to get her in the mood.

She worked through her punishment as thoroughly as she could, lashing the bound and helpless Koda until her cries stopped from sheer exhaustion and she hung like a sack from the beam. Leeann found her sexual appetite returning after an unusual drop, but she refrained from forcing herself upon the Koda or even from slackening her shorts enough to give herself the release she desired. She would save that for Silra.

Every lash of the cane, every squeal from the Koda's pursed lips, every purple welt that rose on her pale skin seemed wired directly to Leeann's hips, and with each strike she felt the buzz of a little mini-orgasm between her legs. With each strike she felt herself becoming wetter, her clit throbbing harder and becoming more sensitive. On any normal night she would have given in far sooner, but this night she had someone to share it with.

Eventually she was done. The Koda was almost unconscious, mumbling something into her gag. There was no point in beating her any further, and any more punishment would probably see permanent damage to her skin. Leeann slackened her bonds and removed the gag, collected her implements and left her in the cell, alone.

The walk back to her bedroom seemed to take an age. It was as if the corridors became stretched as she walked along them, so that the destination always seemed one more pace away than she could manage. She was barely containing her heat, fizzing inside with lust. She imagined Silra in every position possible, imagined all the things she could do to her in the privacy of her own cell... Every pace seemed to take her one step closer to the edge as her aroused clit rubbed inside her leather shorts. She hadn't been this horny in a long time...

Silra reclined silkily on the bed as Leeann entered the room and closed the door behind her. Silra writhed on the black silk, stood up slowly, walked slinkily towards her. She wore her grey robe, but she had torn it at the hem so that it now barely reached the tops of her thighs.

Leeann looked her up and down, felt a surge of blood rush between her legs. She swallowed heavily.

"Mistress..." Silra purred. "Did you have a good day at work?" She stopped before Leeann, looked up at her from under her brow.

"Yes, girl. You look... Different."

"I was a very bad girl, Mistress. I tore my clothes. Can you see?"