Alex had spent the morning running under the watchful eye of Master Ardreth. The pace and duration being gradually increased until he demonstrated he was able to run ten kilometres in just over an hour.

He was now kneeling a few meters in front of the platform meditating while Mistress Lyrei watches him as she makes notes at a low table and is attended by Candy. When he had first seen Candy in the garden he had been happy that she had not been one of Sir Folliun’s victims. She is dressed in the usual orange tunic but seems more relaxed and confident since he’d last seen her. He closes his eyes to avoid any further distraction as he focuses back on his prana, which he is still managing to keep as close to plain and tasteless as he can. He continues absorbing the abundant prana from the air, but for the past fifteen minutes, his channels have stretched to the point they are becoming uncomfortable.

Mistress Lyrei precipitously calls out. “Eilaes, that’s enough meditation.” Alex opens his eyes and bows with his head touching the ground and remains there as she continues. “You will now begin your training as a domestic. This will provide the required skills you will need to be able to tend to your master’s or mistress’s every need. You will be expected to anticipate everything they may desire and ensure it’s completed to their satisfaction. Be this cleaning or seeing to their clothes or assisting with heavy items.

“You must remember that you are for show as much as for use, well-trained merchandise is highly prized, and exotic merchandise is a status symbol. Your looks are thus important and you will be expected to be faultless in your hygiene and presentation. You will also be expected to greet and welcome guests and treat them as you would your master or mistress. This is an important task as it will reflect directly on your master or mistress. If the guest has brought their own merchandise you will be expected to direct them to the area needed and assist them in doing their tasks as directed by the guest.”

Mistress Lyrei then pauses and watches Alex for a reaction. When there’s none she turns her head slightly towards Candy who is kneeling behind her. “Talia, you will now practice your prana control with the spell sleeves.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Candy replies. She bows before standing and then departs via the rear of the platform before walking around to kneel next to Alex and bowing again.

“Eilaes, take your position to serve.” Mistress Lyrei said.

“Yes, Mistress,” Alex replies then stands and walks around the outside of the platform to approach from the rear. He sees several of the guards move to face the platform and ready their batons. He also notices that Master Ardreth now has a small device in his hand, which he assumes is the control for his collar. He mounts the platform and walks to a position two meters behind the right shoulder of Mistress Lyrei before kneeling and bowing.

Mistress Lyrei turns her head to watch him approach. “Good. You have obviously been watching Talia. Kneeling a few paces back from your master or mistress shows a favored status, the further away you are instructed to kneel the less status or favor you have. You must maintain the designated position and distance at all times until told to break it. One way you can be released from your position is by your master or mistress clapping their hands twice. Normally, eye contact between a master or mistress and their merchandise is acceptable and common, but it can be denied or forbidden. It is not acceptable to make eye contact with guests.”

Turning back, she commands. “Master Ardreth. Please arrange for Talia to be equipped with the Force and Shield spell sleeves. Then continue her training in their use.”

“Of course, Mistress Lyrei.” Master Ardreth replies then looking over to two guards, he gives a brief nod. The first guard walks over to a table ten meters away and picks up two sleeves while the second moves to an adjacent area and begins to set up targets.

Mistress Lyrei stands and turns to face Alex. “Remain where you are, I want to review your kneeling position.” She then slowly approaches stopping barely a meter away. “This kneeling position is the standard for merchandise awaiting orders from their master or mistress. Your hands are correctly placed on your thighs, your back is straight, and you are back on your heels. However, your posture is barely adequate. Your knees are not wide enough as they must be shoulder-width apart. Your chest needs to be pushed out and your stomach pulled in. Also, your head is too low in deference and consequently, you cannot observe your master or mistress properly. Remember, you will potentially be in this position for long periods and it’s expected that you will use your prana to maintain this. Now, adjust your position.” She commands.

Alex moves and assumes the required position and begins to cycle his prana. As he does, he notices the prana she is emitting into the air. It has a distinct taste unique to her as does everyone else. He also notices a smaller amount of alien prana lingering and decides this is Candy’s. Due to the proximity of Mistress Lyrei the density of the prana noticably increases, but when he breathes a large quantity in he does not have any reaction as his body absorbs it.

Mistress Lyrei watches him for a few seconds. “That’s much better; this is known as the first position. Now there are several other positions you need to learn. The next is called the second position and is the formal greeting you give to your master or mistress. This is where you prostrate yourself from the kneeling position with your forehead to the floor and stretching your arms out with palms face down above your head. Assume that position.” Alex takes the required position.

“The third position is where you stand with your hands clasped in front of you, shoulders pushed back, chest thrust forward and feet shoulders width apart with your head lowered in deference. The next is the fourth or belly position. This is where you must lie flat on your belly with feet a shoulder-width apart and palms down on either side of your head, forehead to the ground. This is typically used as a punishment or to block a closed-door as added security. The fifth is known as the restraint position. You kneel as you would for the first position, but you extend your arms upward, above your head, with your wrists crossed. Your wrists are then usually bound.”

Mistress Lyrei pauses before continuing. “The sixth position is for display and is where you stand with your hands clasped behind your neck, elbows out, shoulders arched, chest thrust forward and feet a shoulders width apart. Now, assume this position.” Alex quickly gets to his feet and takes the position while Mistress Lyrei watches closely.

It remains silent for a few more seconds and then she begins to slowly walk around Alex. When she is behind him she pauses before saying. ”Remove your tunic and resume the position.” Alex does as he’s instructed dropping the tunic at his feet. This is followed by a few more minutes of silence before Mistress Lyrei continues her circuit of Alex. Once back at her start position she commands. ”You may put your tunic back on and assume the first position.” Alex does as instructed and waits.

“There is a seventh position also known as heel. This is where you follow your master or mistress just behind their left foot, no more than half a meter distant, but never coming in contact at any time. When your master or mistress stops you kneel on a single knee and wait, and then as they move again you rise and resume your position. The intent is for you to shield your master and mistress, and if you are part of a pair of merchandise one of you will take the same position on the right. I will leave Master Ardreth to instruct you on this.

“Now the final thing to be aware of with any of these positions is how you communicate with your master or mistress using your hands. If your right-hand palm is down, you are ready to serve your master or mistress. If palm up, then you are indicating that you have other needs to take care of and are requesting to do this. Merchandise that soils itself or faints due to dehydration does not reflect well on your master or mistress. If you spread your fingers, you are advising that there is something you need to make your master or mistress aware of.”

Mistress Lyrei turns and resumes her position by the table at the front of the platform. “Master Ardreth. Would you care to join me for some refreshments?” Mistress Lyrei asks with a small smile.

“It would be my pleasure, Mistress Lyrei.” Master Ardreth responds and bows. He then removes his helmet before approaching the platform and moves to take a seat on the right side. “Eilaes, bring us some wine.”

Alex looks over to a table at the back of the platform and sees bottles. He rises and approaches the table and locates food, jugs and bottles. He identifies a jug that contains wine by the smell and he picks it up, as he does he feels that the jug feels cold but that there is no ice inside. As he places the jug on the tray he notices a faint red glow coming from the base, but without pausing he quickly adds two glasses.

He carries the tray carefully to Mistress Lyrei and places it on the table between her and Master Ardreth before returning to his kneeling position.

All was silent for a minute. “Pour, Eilaes," Mistress Lyrei says softly.

"Yes, Mistress," He responds then rising approaches the table, keeping his gaze deferential, before kneeling again and lifting the jug of wine. Mistress Lyrei leans on the table and watches him as does Master Ardreth who still has the pebble in his hand.

"Wine, Mistress?" He asks.

"Again, Eilaes, but more tenderly, more reverently."

"Wine, Mistress?" He again asks with a soft voice.

"Yes, slave," she says and Alex winces. "You must not react to anything said to you. Now, pour." Carefully he pours the wine into the nearest glass and could see a faintly glowing design in the bottom of the jug.

"You are pouring it too swiftly," Master Ardreth declares and Alex looks to Mistress Lyrei.

"The whim of Mistress’s guest is everything," Mistress Lyrei advises.

"Forgive me, Master," Alex says to Master Ardreth.

"You may now serve my guest," He does not reply and pours wine slowly into the second glass. Once complete he places the nearest glass directly in front of each person before returning to his position behind Mistress Lyrei.

“He’s overfilled the glass. It must only be only half-filled.” Master Ardreth states with a quick glare at Alex.

“He’ll learn. It is obvious that he has not been trained, so I was not expecting a great deal from his first attempt at serving.” Mistress Lyrei states softly and then moves the glass of wine to the side. “Bring us some food, slave.”

Alex stands and moves back to the table where he selects two platters of what looks like small appetizers. He then moves carefully back to Mistress Lyrei and places the platters down. Before he goes back to the table containing the food to retrieve bowls and chopsticks and again places these on the table in front of each person.

As he draws back Master Ardreth reaches forward and, knocks the glass over onto the table. "Clumsy slave!" He cries.

This shocks Alex and he stares at the spill vacantly. "Are you not a slave, Alex?" Inquires Mistress Lyrei.

"Forgive me, Mistress," he says, hastily. "I will clean this up straight away."

"Hurry, slave," says Master Ardreth. "And, meanwhile, I shall consider what your punishment is to be."

Alex hurries back to the table at the back of the platform and fetches cloth and a jug of water and then returns, quickly, to clean the table and the floor. He finishes cleaning and then replaces the water and cloths before again kneeling behind Mistress Lyrei.

"You have now increased your mistake by not apologizing to my guest," she says.

Alex turns to face Master Ardreth and bows to the floor. "Forgive me, Master."

"What punishment shall I mete out to you?" Master Ardreth muses. "I have it! When you return to your cell you will return all of your possessions. Your cell will also remain lit until I am satisfied you have atoned for your clumsiness.”

There is a brief silence before Mistress Lyrei gently inclines her head. “Master Ardreth, I will ask for your clemency in this matter. We have already lost more than a tenday due to the fiasco caused by that brute. I need to spend more time with this merchandise to recover the lost ground. I will therefore need for him to be in the best possible condition.” She pauses and gazes at Alex. “We will also need to replace the heavy collar he’s wearing with a lighter one, an enameled white would be best I think. We also still need to ensure that he has some basic literacy. We still have a very long way to go to achieve the goal the Baroness has set us.”

“I will do as you request Mistress Lyrei and suspend any punishment. If, however, he does not achieve what is expected, then I will doubly punish him. Both for his clumsiness and also for the failure.”

Alex is discreetly watching Candy go through the training routines with the spell sleeves. He could distinctly sense the disturbances in prana when she used them, even ten meters distant. The Force spell sleeve was particularly easy to detect when she knocked over targets. He enjoys watching her move with clear confidence and poise.

His attention is brought back to the platform when he hears Mistress Lyrei say. “Eilaes, I want you to try and use the Clear spell sleeve. You will be in the heel position with your master or mistress for its use. You kneel first to use the sleeve, as soon as you activate it you then stand. You must keep pushing prana while you complete both actions. Do you understand?"

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Good, now follow Master Ardreth and he will equip you.”

Master Ardreth rises from the platform and strides forward calling out. “Cease the training. Mistress Lyrei wishes to see if this merchandise can utilise the Clear spell sleeve.” He then waves to a guard near the table containing the sleeves.

The guard retrieves a sleeve and jogs over to Master Ardreth and hands it to him. Master Ardreth faces Alex and clips the sleeve onto his left arm before saying. “This sleeve has two runic circuits. When you push your prana into it the first will use a Force spell to partially counteract the gravitational pull and is best activated at ground level. The second is an unfocused Push spell that goes in all directions from your position. Both only take effect one meter away from you and the range is determined by how much prana you use.” He turns back around. “Alright, I want the guards of section one to charge this merchandise with their batons set to level two on my command.” He then walks back to the platform.

Alex looks at the sleeve on his arm and he begins to cycle his prana as he takes deep breaths.

“All right, section one charge.” Master Ardreth orders.

Alex instantly falls to one knee and places his hand on the ground. He sees four guards twenty meters away rushing towards him batons held in the ready position. He pushes his prana into the arm wearing the sleeve and his attention is caught as a bright red design burst into life and he feels the prana being pushed up from the ground around him. He promptly stands and continues to push prana into his arm as a second design brightly pulses with a brilliant red flash and he feels an immense force push the prana around him away. His eyes snap up and he sees that the guards, who are now less than ten meters away, all being pushed backwards and losing their balance.

“Excellent.” Exclaims Mistress Lyrei. “He did it on his first attempt. This is the break we need to ensure we can finish his training in time.”