Charis climbed from their shared bed with Niobe’s hand resting in hers. Succeeding in guiding her to stand, finally distracting her from inspecting her own body and smoothing her face with her free hand.

Niobe for her part assumed with three sisters appreciating her body she would blush bright red and grab for a bed sheet to cover her modesty. She didn’t. Part of the reason, her wound free and scar free condition distracted her. The other part, she appreciated her survival of the recent horror, psyche intact, whole again. Her sanity saved by embracing the love of her seer sisters, opening her mind, revealing her secrets and vulnerabilities, calling for their comfort and support during the ordeal. Not being alone.

Niobe’s newly embraced inward bliss conferred an immunity to sweat the little things hence being naked around loved ones for example no longer held any trepidation and in fact emboldened her. She encroached upon Charis’ personal space without invitation, grasping Charis’ hand firmly and reeling in her arm. Charis stood her ground to receive a complete, utterly committed embrace. Niobe wrapped both of her arms about Charis, pressed her breasts and placed one of her legs between her Mistress’.

Her shortness a blessing for a change, her upper leg pressing her Mistress’ groin and her cheek caressing Charis’ jaw with her heavy breathing directed towards Charis’ neck. Niobe deciding, there and then, she would embrace her Seer Gift and the new ‘training’ required, she would rescue others, no longer the frail one awaiting rescue. For now, unexplained desire drove her beyond any of her own decision making.

She deeply exhaled before she could control her response, Nysa’s hand, full of her left buttock cheek followed by a kiss and nibble upon her ear the cause. Kyra and Nysa’s hands danced together along her spine in perfect unison to further stir her desire.

While in bliss, Niobe detected the subtle rotation of Charis’ jaw and the soft brush of Kyra’s ear as Kyra kissed Charis. Niobe inwardly reprimanded herself, why didn’t she lead with kissing her Mistress.

“You survived much, embraced much Seer Sister. As your Seer Gift grows unrestricted by Temple teachings you will join us as our fourth as Helice joined us as our third. We intend to make Charis our fifth so demand her attention once you are a warrior sister for now enjoy the love of those with you.”

“Thank you, Seer Sister Clymene,” sent Niobe, expending some of her inner energy.

After those moments, Niobe caught Charis speaking directly to her.

“… it will pass, although it has always been a side effect of the healing.”

“Is it permissible for Kyra and I to attend to Niobe’s need Mistress,” Nysa replied, her voice heavy with anticipation. Kyra enjoyed Nysa’s distraction with love making, martial training every waking moment needed a diversion! As they developed their team work in battle so did they develop their team work in love making. While they experimented as a couple, awkwardness resulted, better to pleasure a willing Seer as a team they mutually agreed.

Charis hesitated for several heartbeats, considering if possible events in the House required Nysa and Kyra, then she gently pushed away the three sisters in affectionate contact with her.

“If the Seer agrees, although once sated please escort her safely to the House.”

Niobe marvelled at how the deadly and massive warrior sister Nysa pranced around joyfully at the prospect of love making pending Niobe’s agreement. Kyra on the other hand started to undress, not waiting for a response. How could Kyra predict she would say yes?

“Yes Mistress, they have been attentive previously and wonderfully so.”

Nysa burst with desire, embracing Niobe and lifting her easily off the floor of the room. While the carry appeared random, Niobe knew they always attended to her as a pair and in a handful of heartbeats enjoyed the embraced of a naked Kyra.

“How did you figure I would agree?” Niobe whispered the question to Kyra.

“I don’t understand how or why, I figured Seers benefit if pleasured and given the side effect of Mistress’ healing, desire would compel you.” Kyra used her lips to kiss.

“While I assume you yearn for the Mistress’ attentions, I suspect she has duty elsewhere tonight as Helice left you to our care to trap one of the assassins.” Kyra used her tongue to titillate.

Niobe opened her mouth to reply and moaned instead. She retained enough of herself between pleasure to note Kyra observed and deduced; an important talent and one she needed to develop. Her next pleasure initiated by Nysa swept away further distractions as Nysa lifted her easily into the sandwich position, a favourite of theirs and utterly pleasurable for her.

---

Charis quietly fastened the Inn Room door behind her, her lips turned up at the edges and contentment aglow in her heart. Niobe could have been severely damaged from her torture and although Clymene assured her they knew Niobe’s mind and encouraged recovery and growth to the point she accepted her scars, Charis sought her own confirmation. Her healing of Niobe returned her physically to ‘before’ and her recovery beyond her healing seemed complete given her display in the room. Charis’ memory of Dione and Thyia recovering from their trauma; uncertain, messy and difficult for those concerned still played upon her.

The Inn Keeper greeted her and accepted the offered coins under protest. Charis thanked him and hurried from the Inn thankful the crowd frequenting the Inn payed her no attention. The elder’s door automatically opened with no loss of stride and in a few heartbeats, she entered the Training Room.

Charis needed to slow down to take in the scene. The assassin before her, lay strung up, blindfolded, gagged and stripped naked! Helice stripped the assassin to skin instead of disarming her. Charis realised she required more exacting orders in future as she didn’t want to humiliate the assassin, at least to start with.

Helice noticing Charis’ reaction, approached her Mistress. Her actions preparing the assassin for interrogation calmed her, allowing her some revenge for the pain and suffering the Seers shared with Niobe. She needed to explain this to her Mistress.

Charis though wasn’t wearing her happy or satisfied face and opened the door to the Meeting Room, inviting Helice to accompany her.

“You are not pleased Mistress?”

“Well, I need to issue more exacting instructions, given the assassin appears naked and not disarmed as I required.”

Helice cast her eyes down. “I did refrain from drawing on her with my dagger Mistress.”

Charis opened her mouth, closed it, the anticipated apology not forthcoming? Instead Helice mentions her restraint! Charis controlled her indignation, her Seer Sister needed compassion. Her and her Seer Sister equal on many levels, shared sympathies and shared losses.

“I think I understand Helice, Niobe explained how her Seer Sisters loved and supported her through the ordeal, so the trauma would have been shared …”

Helice opened her eyes, glistening with wetness. “It was as if we were there Mistress, we lived her pain, the savagery.”

Charis embraced Helice. “We’ve killed two assassins, one of them the bitch who drew on Niobe. I need this last assassin. Can you accept that?” Charis brushed loose hair from Helice’s face, which managed to escape one of Helice’s many braids.

“Yes Mistress, although I am puzzled why you didn’t command me?”

“You suffered immensely, and I realise you are seeking justice for Niobe therefore I need you to accept due punishment has been levied and obey, without command.”

Helice kissed Charis deeply and passionately before breaking their embrace both reaching an agreed understanding.

Helice then launched herself at Charis, her arms flung out grabbing for her Mistress’ shoulders for support. Charis caught Helice without hesitation and gently lowered her to the rugged floor of the Meeting Room, gasping for breath, the whites of her eyes dominating and her body arching.

Charis cradled Helice’s head in her lap, suspecting the cause of her condition and waiting for confirmation as she arched her body once again.

“Niobe embraces her new training Mistress, I beg to remain to assist if acceptable?”

“When your Seer Gift improves we will train you in dagger skills, the four of us will join as one, you will be proficient in weeks I promise, others will be wary of you, you will become the hunter,” sent Helice.

Charis quietly secured another door behind her, her new duty as Mistress she mused.

---

“We know we pleasure you, yet you don’t display your enjoyment?” queried Nysa, wiping sweat from Niobe’s brow.

“Seer Training requirement, sisters. I must send my release to my fellow Seers, this strengthens our bond and develops our Seer Gift. I succeeded with Alcmene and Helice this evening thanks to both of you.”

“Alcmene camps a full day’s ride away! So far and you could connect with her?” guessed Kyra.

“Yes, it saps my body’s energy, although less each time. I will need to send for food, I am famished sisters.”

Nysa and Kyra slipped from the bed and returned with fruit, cheese and breads and took exquisite pleasure in feeding their Seer lover.

“I ensured we prepared this time, although for a long stay in this room protecting you, not exactly …” Kyra said, coyly

“Fortunately, due to your recovery,” Nysa added, “we are more than happy to share.” Feeding Niobe, a slice of apple.

“So, we can continue training, as warriors we maintain a high level of fitness and endurance and we discovered Seer training you sister, equally as effective as weapons training to develop our half coin bond,” informed Kyra, pleased with herself as she convinced Nysa of this truth recently.

Kyra stretched over Niobe’s naked body feeding her a small purple plum.

“Oops,” exclaimed Niobe, her eyes following the juice running between her breasts inviting attention.

---

Charis exited the Meeting Room to consider her next actions and who amongst her sisters would best assist in extracting the most information from the assassin and performing another specialised task. She approached Otonia and Rhea asking them to assist with the interrogation. Next, she asked Ismene to clean up the Kitchen while Clymene attended to Helice.

“Thank you, Mistress, you are most considerate of the needs of your Seers,” sent Clymene.

Charis signed to her warrior sisters to finish their evening meal in silence if they wished to stay, curious regarding their prisoner.

“With the assassin knocked out do you think Raisa could try to leave your body and gain possession over her body?” Charis asked Rhea.

“I am not sure. She advises, no harm in trying, at least she doesn’t think so.”

Charis lent down and removed the gag from the assassin revealing her small teeth.

“Is she trying?”

“Yes, a quick attempt, the owner firmly rejected her, although you may notice she lost her water.”

“What happened? What were you trying to do to me?” The assassin passed from unconscious to conscious in a blink of an eye her panic alerting everyone to her condition. She strained trying to tug free of her bindings to no avail, the ropes rubbing her ankles and wrists red before she stopped.

None of the other sisters understood what happened and they looked to Charis for explanation. She placed her finger across her lips and they nodded in response.

“You’re right to be shaken, it will make this easy and hopefully quick.” Otonia and Charis each placed a chair behind her head, and once seated, positioned their boots on either side of the assassin’s head.

The assassin didn’t respond. Trained for fifteen years as a Seer with her twin sister, a survivor of twin loss, now a Single Seer, rescued from lost purpose by her Mother Superior and trained for five years as an assassin. Still, the assault on her soul terrified her, with all her years of living, she couldn’t comprehend such a thing.

While speechless she knew a truth, she needed to clutch her soul to her body, resist and reject any attempt by another to displace such a precious part of her being. The other who tried to replace her soul, an evil Seer certainly, she couldn’t reason why a Seer would invoke such a despicable ability. What else awaited her? The assassin horrified and tormented now by the question, where would her soul go? Burning your body ensured your soul would ascend on the smoke and face “Judgement”, if separated, impossible? Given her service to the Mother Superior her precious soul, without doubt would be placed in the care of the Goddess, the catch? Her soul needed to remain within her body.

“Kill me now! I refuse to tell you anything!” she spat. Helice would facilitate such a choice within a heartbeat pondered Charis.

Charis knelt beside her.

She whispered, “If you don’t talk, we will need to try again and again until you can no longer resist, and your soul lost.” The assassin tossed her blindfolded head from side to side in desperation until Charis slapped her. She sniffed and chewed her bottom lip in response.

“Tell me everything you know. If you supply me with the information I need I will make your death swift, if I sense you are being false in any part of the telling I may commence drawing upon your body or worse. Understand?”

A silence filled the Training Room as all present held their breath. The assassin’s white cloth blindfold moistened until a tear escaped to roll down her cheek. She exhaled, clenched her jaw and balled her hands into fists coming to a decision. Loosening her jaw, reaching deep into her vocal cords her words erupted from her mouth like thunder, full of defiance.

“You are an infamous agent of evil, you bitch! My Three fell to greed and we failed because of it. With the other Three, nothing will distract them, and they will cut you, gut you and watch your life bleed away. My death won’t change your fate!”

Charis refrained from laughing and choose to respond in a cold and steady voice.

“Your wish may come to pass, for now your soul is in the balance and I am still waiting to hear some valuable information to buy you a clean death and leave you your soul.”

The assassin tested the ropes binding her arms and legs before she resigned herself to betray her Mother Superior and her fellow assassins. She asked her Goddess for forgiveness, she fought for her soul, now desperate.

“The Mother Superior assigned us to kill you … my Three and another Three and a watcher, so in effect a Seven.”

Unable to conceal her surprise, seven assassins sent to kill her, unexpected news! By plan she didn’t need to worry about concealing her expressions, only her voice. With the assassin blindfolded, and Charis deliberately seated behind the assassin’s head with Otonia, their reactions couldn’t be used against them.

It seemed her Three weren’t told about the watcher, perhaps proof the Mother Superior didn’t trust Charis’ Three.

“Each Three doesn’t recognise the other Three, the watcher co-ordinates them, we planned to capture your girl and wait for you to send out searchers to thin your numbers and possibly draw you out. The watcher planning to strike you if an opportunity presented. The lure of coin changed the plan.”

Charis heeded the resigned wretchedness in the assassin’s voice, side tracked when she sensed an alert tug at her from the roof trapdoor.

She casually stood up and asked Otonia to prepare an ambush on the circular stairs, warrior-sisters on the top floor and initiates on this floor. Charis knocked on the Training Room door to alert the two Seers. Astera led the charge up the circular stairs, followed by Thyia and Otonia to gain position and stopped in shock when confronted, face to face, well face to red warmish visage more accurately, as it glowed before her. Astera’s eyes still benefitting from the magic of the borrow gem.

The intruder paused also, equally surprised to be confronted. Reacting on instinct she punched Astera in the face and then spun about, rapidly climbing the circular stairs to reach and escape through the trap door. The intruder couldn’t secure the trap door as it swung down and locked from below, so she hurdled over the landing rail and sprinted down the tiles on the roof.

She then promptly fell down the hole in the roof, which Charis and Clymene created and used earlier in the evening and landed hard inside the roof cavity. Her leg crashed through the ceiling, although no one seemed to notice as she drew her uninjured leg into the roof cavity. Spying through the leg size hole she found a large room with training equipment and three doors.

Astera caught by Thyia, recovered. Reaching the landing she scanned the rooves and streets, finding them clear of anyone still running. Otonia stayed while Astera and Thyia climb down the circular stairs, advising Charis of the situation. They exited the House via the elder’s door to search the outside accompanied by Initiates. Charis asked Clymene, now available, to join Otonia. If either sighted the intruder, their Mistress would know as Helice now stood at her Mistress’ side. Then she felt a tug from an alert on the door of the upstairs Storeroom and asked Helice to contact Clymene and with Otonia carefully investigate.

“What else can you tell me?” Charis asked.

“You sure you aren’t too distracted with another priority? Remember another Three are sworn to deal death to you.”

“Preservation of your soul, I presume, still your priority at the moment.”

The assassin swallowed and continued.

“The commission required we delivered your body, they would not accept a head or our word requiring your entire body as proof. I would say more personal than usually the case. A powerful enemy wants your life and maybe your soul?”

“You need to tell me more to save your soul,” Charis replied curtly. The assassin’s brief victory snatched away in the space of a few words.

“There is no more to tell,” she waivered.

“Encouragement for you then. You could lose your soul if another possesses your body although more certain in its execution, losing your soul when you die from drowning.”

“There is no water here and you would place yourself in danger if you escort me from this building,” she said smugly.

“I can escort you to our Bath Room now if you need proof. Fair warning though, you are only going there once, you will not return.”

The assassin uncertain now, asking herself who has a Bath Room in their house.

Charis met Otonia on the circular stairs when she returned to avoid the assassin eavesdropping on their conversation.

“The intruder dropped through the hole you created in the roof and broke the ceiling with their fall. They then travelled the length of the Training Room to the Store Room and likely escaped via the loading doors, which we found ajar. Which are now closed and barred Mistress.”

“Enlist every warrior-sister here and search the roof cavity and then search the top floor to make sure they’re clear, in case their departure was for appearance sake. Ensure at least one of the sisters stays on the circular stairs during the search and one on the roof platform, since the roof has two holes in it now.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Charis returned to her prisoner.

“Sorry for the interruption, any more information for me?”

“No, there is nothing else I can tell you, we are separated in training and separated on the mission, we can’t tell anyone anything.”

“Disappointing. What can you reveal about the watcher?”

“Nothing, she is always in disguise or at least her face is covered when she meets us. She reports directly to the Mother Superior.”

“Helice, provide her with an underclothe, dress her and free her and when you lead her out of the House ensure you hug her affectionately and kiss her.”

Helice wasn’t pleased although knew well to keep silent.

“You cannot! My assassin sisters will suspect me a traitor and kill me, if not them the watcher will kill me!” she screeched.

Frantically tossing her head side to side, she stopped and pleaded, “No. I will stay and swear loyalty to you.”

Charis deliberately infuse her voice with amusement and derision. “You seem confused, prepared to die as long as your soul remained with your body, then you don’t want your sisters to kill you, although we can kill you and now you wish to remain and swear loyalty to me. Is this right?”

“If they suspect me a traitor they will flay my skin daily keeping me alive as long as possible and when near death, drown me, my soul lost. So, you see I will suffer much worse from them, than you. If you will not accept my loyalty, then I beg you to kill me quickly and honourably.”

“Would your watcher try to rescue you? What would your watcher do with your sister’s bodies?”

“I don’t believe she would rescue anyone she is about killing and death. More likely she would assume me dead and dead bodies would need to disappear.”

Detecting the sorrow in the assassin’s words Charis placed herself at the assassin’s feet and signalled to Helice to remove the assassin’s blindfold.

“Look at me only,” Charis demanded.

The assassin kept her eyes squeezed shut, she didn’t want to recognise her captors.

“Open your eyes, you will see no one else except me.” Charis inwardly celebrated, the assassin still hoped she would live, why else would she close her eyes, except in fear of recognising her imprisoners. Charis knew the assassin’s logic didn’t make sense though, simply observing the House would eventually identify each of the Daughters. Under stress, the assassin now identified with the role of the victim and now thought as a victim.

Charis waited until the assassin opened her eyes. “How about this offer, we beat you to near death, you bite through the restrains on your wrists and manage to escape, mostly naked you stumble through the streets until desperate fortune you find your cottage. Then to prove your loyalty to me you assassinate the watcher.”

“Injured, the watcher suspicious? Impossible, you offer death after much pain.” The assassin tried to emphasize her words, except the youth confidently standing before her, preoccupied her. The stripling’s name, Charis the Young true in every way. This teenager, the Mistress of the Daughters of the Duchess, a danger to someone rich and powerful, how? Not tall and powerful, she held a presence and a grace as did many others, what is special about her? Is her evil power hidden is that her threat?

“You can say an intruder distracted us and during the brief time left alone, you escaped.”

“Possibly, a better story than being released as a friend, certain torture and soulless death.” An irony lacing her voice.

“Release her and allow her to swear her oath to me.”

The assassin sat up smoothly and felt her wrists to return some circulation to her hands. She did not stand, she crawled over to Charis and then submitted, head down her legs bent at the knee under her, back curved and exposed. The humility expected and demanded from the Mother Superior and no reason to not expect the same requirement from this youthful Mistress.

“I renounce other oaths and swear upon my life to only hold my oath of loyalty to Charis, Mistress of the Daughters of the Duchess as my liege to obey without hesitation.”

“I accept your fealty to me and I promise in return to value your life and protect it as much as possible to the limits of my power and ability. Further I will never ask you to do anything that would dishonour you or me.”

“Do you really mean your side of the oath?” the assassin asked, head up, eyes wide. She realised her mistake when Charis didn’t respond, casting her eyes down and asking again.

“Do you actually hold to your side of the oath, Mistress?”

“Yes Initiate, you can ask your sisters when you return to us. Although given the condition of your loyalty, we will need to hurt you for your own protection. Helice needs to work through some issues, therefore you will suffer pain, for which I apologise for in advance.”

“My life is yours, I accept that truth Mistress.”

“I am sure the Mother Superior would extract a similar oath from her assassins, what makes your oath to me a better bargain for you?”

“Your oath to me as strong as my oath to you Mistress. The Mother Superior expects repayment for saving us and giving us purpose, I didn’t know another possibility existed ...” Unknown fully to Charis the life of a Single Seer depended upon the attitude of the Mother Superior, past practice and culture within the Temple. The Single Seer’s existence possibly cruel and pitiful beyond measure. The life of an assassin restricted and lonely, even if in the company of two others as they couldn’t live a separate life where their disappearances required explanation or permit people caring about them and making inquiries if they died.

“You would escape with the bare minimum, perhaps a fragment of cloth.” Charis tested her.

“As you command Mistress.”

Keeping her eyes down she began her plea. “Sister Helice please ensure you complete what you must to convince a suspicious assassin my escape was difficult, dangerous and genuine. I acknowledge you are saving my life with this gruesome deed and I forgive you.”

The willingness and vengeance within Helice left her somewhat after the assassin’s request. Helice reluctantly attended to the assassin in the Store Room alone, Charis deliberately giving the assassin every opportunity to throw down Helice and escape to test her loyalty and oath. Helice being ordered by her Mistress to protect herself and not resist any escape attempt.

Niobe escorted by Nysa and Kyra returned safely to the House and upon entering the Training Room enquired with their sisters about the screams from the Store Room.

The assassin left with multiple bruises on her face and upper body, with a few cuts to draw blood into the torn underclothe for effect. Helice, Astera and Thyia using their borrow stones quickly delivered the assassin to the cottage by a roundabout route and then pointed her in the direction she needed to go. The three waited a few heartbeats to ensure their newest Initiate could still crawl and stumble and did so in the right direction, before leaving. Helice despite herself admired her bravery.

As a three, they returned to the House by a different path, checking to ensure they weren’t followed.

“Done Mistress,” reported Helice.

“She will require several days to recover and can easily reequip using the armour and weapons of her dead sisters. So, did we release an enemy or set a trap for another more dangerous enemy?”

Charis reset the alerts, especially since the House suffered two breaches. Helice slept with Charis allowing her to warn the Seers in the House to any intrusion once an alert tripped. Niobe in the White Room would alert Nysa and Kyra and the other Initiates once alerted by Helice. Clymene shared the Seer’s Room with Otonia, Astera and Thyia and would alert them once alerted by Helice. The training and the carpentry continued, as sisters grouped together, escorted by Dirce and Drosis in turn to the Master Carpenter, the stables and finally the farm. Dirce and Drosis trained at the farm during the day. The Daughters reversed the trip in the afternoon.

The House waited, protected by Helice and two warrior sister pairs, while Charis stalked around impatient, trying to convince herself her instinct to allow the last assassin to live, a wise one. Charis knew if over the next seven days many things went well, then stage two of the plan would start and the real test of the Daughters of the Duchess would commence.