Vargas woke up entwined in the arms of his beloved enemy. Her sleeping face was so tranquil, utterly at rest, innocent. His eyes fluttered open, ‘Perhaps the kindest thing I could do, is take my sword, put the tip to her ear, and push it into her brain.’ The image passed through his mind along with the words, and it was all he could do not to lose his mind with anguish. Knowing that he was about to leave was a relief, until he remembered.

‘I’m going back to the service of an elf… of all the… why did the gods decree this for me?!’ He cursed with frustration and clenched his fists with rage. But he was otherwise motionless for several minutes. He gently disengaged himself from her embrace, exercising caution not to wake her, laying her arms down on the pillow she’d bought for him using… ‘That’s right… the elf paid for all of this… everything I’ve got… even her…’ He grimaced as he pulled on clothing that didn’t even belong to him, then went for the door.

Happy murmurs followed him out as she nestled closer to the pillow as if it were him and whispered words that might have been loving, which just made it all the worse when he exited the door and closed it gently behind him. He descended the stairs, went to where the horse was tied, readied it, and rode off as fast as he could, leaving his wife behind.

The air was cool and the sun barely poked over the horizon, he didn’t let the horse slow down until the village his wife lived in was far, far out of sight behind him. “What the hell am I supposed to do…?” He asked, looking up at the blue sky, seeking the wisdom of the gods he’d forgotten he worshipped. As he thought over, one thing came to mind. “She’s from there, she can tell me what happened after I was nearly killed. Did my people triumph? Did we survive? Did we… no, we couldn’t have lost. My country hadn’t lost a war in six hundred years. What could one fanatic and a cockless skeleton do…?”

He asked the question with derision, but the face of burning rage, the face of the fanatic who ran him through and brought his side’s army to their knees, it lingered. It haunted him. ‘I thought I knew hatred… but evidently I did not.’ A cold shudder ran through him and he tried to think of other things instead, though with little success, until the sensory overload that was the city of Pas’en, surrounded him again.

Solution woke to feel Nua clinging to her, hardly uncommon, but never less strange. ‘Maybe saying I did a number on her was a profound understatement.’ The monster thought and disengaged herself, waking Nua in the process.

Solution then reached for the rope by the bed and yanked it to ring for service. Nua’s eyes fluttered open and before the rope rose back to its prior position, she was halfway out of bed.

Nua looked over her shoulder, and stretched out, “I assume you’re going to be working with the children again, right, Teacher?”

“Yes, they didn’t do badly, not for their first time. However, they have a lot more to learn. Poisons, stealth, deflection, disguise… I want them to have at least one martial art each before I send them on their first mission alone.” Solution replied as she pulled on her long boots before reaching for her maid outfit.

“I know, but please remember, they are children. Even Number Four. Despite what they’ve endured, they still have a lot they can’t understand.” Nua answered in turn as Priceless and Kaiji entered and wordlessly went about their duties.

Nua raised her arms out and let them begin to dress her, ignoring their actions otherwise as she conversed with her mentor.

“Yes, yes, but as long as they don’t show any wasteful mercy…” Solution shook her head vigorously, bouncing her golden curls around.

“Wasteful is the key word there, Teacher. Not all mercy is a waste, sometimes it is, sometimes it is a danger, but sometimes? Sometimes you get something priceless out of it.” Nua’s smile became wistful, and Solution left the room without another word.

“She’s always like this.” Nua murmured, “Sometimes I think she’s that evil just to be contrary.” Nua sighed and rolled her eyes as her slaves pulled her gloves over her hands.

“Good, now Priceless, I wish you luck today, I know you can do this, if anyone of special utility to me is evident, feel free to pull them from the roles and bring them here. Soldiers, magic casters, or rare specialties in particular. Also, make sure there are no Komestrans going up on the auction blocks. Do you have any questions?” Nua asked and put her hands on the brown haired slave with the gentle eyes.

Priceless went down to both knees and bowed her head, “None, mistress. But I want to say… thank you, thank you for the chance to elevate my service to you. I will not be a disappointment.”

“I know you won’t, now go.” Nua commanded, and Priceless stood, bowed, and departed.

“Kaiji, you’re with me during the meeting with Johan and his colleagues, Solution would normally function as my bodyguard during these things but… gah…” Nua rubbed her temple, “I’m always shorthanded, the only other one suitable to training the Pain Children other than Teacher, is myself. I need someone with suitable skills that can help teach them so that Solution doesn’t always have to do it…”

Nua paused, “Kaiji… that reminds me, one of the ones responsible for Priceless’s abduction, or no, two of them, escaped didn’t they?”

Kaiji nodded, “It was assumed that the dark elf fled the city and he hasn’t been seen since. The one for whom we have no description, well, who knows? Nobody remembers anything about him that we can use. Just vague recollections of someone in charge.”

“Curious, don’t you think? Come to that, while I was gone, did the peasant who provided us the information we needed, ever come to collect their reward?” Nua asked thoughtfully.

“No, Mistress, they didn’t, now that you mention it… I can check with Freyjin, Lady Solution, or Priceless, but nobody ever came to me… and Karlo’s body never turned up either.” Kaiji replied with a hint of concern as she considered the matter.

“I see, well, put out an inquiry later. See if anything odd was found by the watch between that day and this one.” Nua commanded, and Kaiji bowed her head.

“I obey. But mistress, are you concerned about master Whyborne’s intentions? Do you think he might actually do anything?” Kaiji pursed her lips tight. ‘They will not touch you.’ She thought with determination, but Nua shook her head.

“No, probably not, which is why you will be more ‘covert’. They don’t need to know you’re able to use your magic, few would trust their slaves with that kind of power, not even temporarily, let alone permanently. I want them to think my guard is lax, that way if it enters their heads to retaliate, they won’t prepare as much.” Nua’s words were biting and crisp, they narrowed in fury of what had not even happened yet.

Kaiji however, lost herself in the beautiful blue ice that hovered there, before forcing herself to snap from her daze. “As you say, Mistress. I will have the guard tripled around the estate from the time they leave.”

“Good. Now come along, they should be here soon, and as a rule, I dislike keeping people waiting. Ensure some suitable fare is prepared and wine made ready, when they arrive, lead them to my salon in the east wing.” Nua reached out and, to Kaiji’s surprise, touched the deep purple cheek with shocking gentleness.

The blood red eyes of the demon-elf widened and froze, staring up at the statuesque and goddess-like mistress whom she served. “I have not forgotten my promise to you, Kaiji, you know that, don’t you?”

Small, rapid nods followed from the uncertain majordomo. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to give voice to her thoughts, until she managed it. “You never owed a promise to me… but I am watching you fulfill it, and I am proud to help. I long for the day I serve at your coronation, and see you a crowned Empress. Even if you never set my people free, we will be better for your rule, but if you do… set us free...” Kaji put her dark purple hand over the hand that caressed her cheek, “make sure there is at least one exception.”

“Kaiji, there are promises I can make, and promises I can’t. When I have my empire, I can promise you a place in my service. When we march to war, and the children of terror ride east, I can promise you I will take my empire’s armies west. But when everything has come to pass, there must be an accounting before my god, when I make my plea for my heart’s desire. I can make no promises about that, or any day that follows.” Nua gave the slave a winsome smile, and the moment passed.

“Now go, get everything ready, I will be waiting patiently, and… have breakfast brought to me in the salon as well, and make sure you eat too, this may be a very long day.” Nua said, and taking up her knife, she sheathed it with a smooth, decisive motion.

Kaiji felt a troubling wind blow through her heart at the cryptic restrictions of her mistress on what promises she could make… but with no way to press the matter, she let it go. She took the palm that touched her, kissed it worshipfully, and stepped back. “As you command, mistress.” She bowed, and departed, pushing unpleasant thoughts aside for another day in order to focus on the troubled and still dangerous present.

Nua stood silent as the demon-elf departed and turned to look out over the grounds of her estate. “Empress… won’t he be surprised to see that?” It was a pleasant thought and brought a smile to her face that let her forget her worries, she indulged in the fantasy of eyes blinking to wakefulness after a death given rest of years. What might be said, what might be felt, only duty compelled her to stop.

She looked out over her estate and the city beyond, on the grounds below, her Komestrans were already beginning to drill, ‘It won’t be long until we’ve got their old training grounds going again, I’m sure the rest of the city, or at least my neighbors, are tired of the noise. At least they’ve had the good sense to not bother me about it.’ She folded hands behind back and looked at the translucent shape of herself in the glass. Purely functional killing clothing. Lightweight black armor over a forest green shirt with dark pants and black boots. The spectre of her severed hair, and the memory of slamming into the ground that caused her to lose it, briefly came to mind.

Nua reached up and touched it, “At least it’s not a hack job like losing it was.” She muttered, and then headed for the door of her quarters.

“It doesn’t matter, it’ll grow out by the time I go back.” She said out loud, and laughed as she pictured the expressions that would appear on the faces of the Beastman city when her army was at its gates. ‘And you’ll be with me, Sobella, at least… part of you will.’ She thought and touched the long lock of black hair woven into her gold.

Boredom. Tir was getting used to it. Except for a few other recently arrived slaves that were set with high reserves of gold coins, there were not many to keep her company, among them, there was only one woman, a master weaver and designer who had fallen badly into debt. The men in those thin ranks of the most expensive were metal workers of extreme talent from the same city as the woman. They had also gone into debt and been sold by their city to repay it.

Tir sat on the comfortable chair and reclined with her hands in her lap. Thoughts of revenge and longings for the lost days and lost people were heavy on her mind, she let her head rest against a wing of the chair that came out from the top of the back. ‘Dreams are better.’ Tir thought to herself and wondered how much longer it might be before she went to a proper place to begin. ‘Limbo… that’s what this is like. Like I’m a child waiting to be born or to die without ever seeing what lies beyond all this. I go out, I pose, I display, I wait, and I return here again. How long can it go on before they just try me somewhere else?’

They were uncomfortable questions that were so weighty that they were dragging her eyelids down towards a nap when one of the servant boys burst into their shared space.

The boy was short, brown haired, he might have been any of a hundred teenagers who worked for Lur’gin, or anyone else. Youthful face, ordinary looks, and ordinary clothing. He had, however, clearly run quite hard as he was still hanging onto the handle of the door, bent over, and breathing hard. He held a hand outstretched as he exclaimed, “Everyone get ready! A special visitor is coming! You haven’t much time!”

The eyes of the various slaves in the room darted about to one another and anxiety peaked for all of them at the same moment. ‘Special visitor…’ The word echoed in Tir’s mind, that could mean a great many different things. It could have meant it was something as ordinary as one of the city bureaucrats ensuring that the regulations on the treatment of slaves were being followed. Proper food, shelter, warmth, and so on were requirements that the Prince did not bandy about as idle words.

It could also mean a rich lecher whose tastes could not be satisfied at a brothel, or it could mean an elite buyer who disliked public auctions. ‘Is it the Lady Aiwenor… she did that once before…?’

“What’s going on, boy?!” The weaver exclaimed in a half panicked voice, but the boy took several moments to answer despite the urgency and worry in her eyes.

He opened and closed his mouth, sucking in breath, “Lur’Gin has been… has been… has been…”

“Has been what?!” The broad shouldered behemoth of a metal worker demanded through gritted teeth.

“Has been bought out, everyone is abuzz about it, but there’s a new owner and a purple tag has come to inspect everyone. Th-The overseer is buying you time by offering her tea and other comforts, but you and everyone else need to get bathed and ready for inspection immediately! Hurry up! Your private baths are going to be shared out to the others soon, you have only minutes to yourselves!” He gasped, and moved to a nearby chair and flopped himself down.

‘He must have run here straight from the auction house, and at a dead sprint no less.’ Tir thought, and then his words sank in, as they did for all of them at once, and they all whirled and rushed for the door to their baths as fast as their legs could carry them.

Priceless sat daintily across from the middle aged man with the warm and gregarious smile on his face, he had a half beard that was reddish brown and an ingratiating look on his face. He wrung his hands nervously while a young woman in an iron collar poured tea for them both. She ignored his words for the moment and looked the slave over. ‘You can tell a great deal about a person by how they treat those they have power over.’ Priceless reminded herself as she scanned the young woman.

The slave had no evident bruising around her tanned face and did not move as if she were in pain. She was obviously a half elf, judging by her ears, and tanned skin suggested a dark elf lineage. She was slender but well fed. She didn’t look longingly at the breaded cheeses that were laid out as snacks.

‘But the entire air about her is different.’ Priceless noted immediately, she served well and obediently, she didn’t have any fear based hesitation in coming close to her master. ‘But there is no love. When I or Kaiji attend our lady… our zeal to do so shines through. This one, she obeys, but she cares nothing for him, nor does he even look at her. She is a tool that works, nothing more.’ Priceless felt her estimation of him go down several notches.

“...so, as I was saying, I’m sure that the Lur’gin company will prosper under your administration, and that of the Duchessa, but of course in these uncertain times…” He coughed several times to add emphasis to his words, and went on, “obviously stability is important. People are used to me, and while I won’t deny that others might work, my gratitude at keeping my position will surpass the enthusiasm of someone taking it. And of course you can inspect my records and you’ll find everything is as it should be, Voice of the Duchessa.”

Priceless kept her face neutral and glanced up to nod at the slave in appreciation that her master had failed to provide, she blinked, and blushed, then withdrew.

“I don’t disagree, and not that I doubt your records, but of course you will forgive me if we insist on inspecting the books anyway. There have been… incidents, at some of the towns that were lacking in proper supervision before.” Priceless said politely, part of her felt the urge to shake and tremble at speaking to a free person as she did just then. However, that part receded quickly. “I will take your suggestion under advisement, and if things are well run, I see no reason to remove you. Far easier to keep things stable than to create needless disruptions with less certain persons, wouldn’t you agree?” Priceless said as she tried to imitate the way Kaiji spoke.

He nodded eagerly, so much so she briefly feared his head might very well snap right off his neck and roll over to her feet. “Of course, of course, finish your tea, and we can get started immediately, Voice of the Duchessa.”