Kelton woke from a deep sleep. No dreams he could remember and not flooded by sensing the existence of others. The bed was soft and the world Unseen. It was tranquil. He heard movement, careful and quiet, the sound of water being ringed from cloth with care. Yanda was washing, and he found it a pleasing sight. A mundane task made less so by beauty.

"Good Morn," Kelton said. Yanda responded with something longer. Probably explaining her desire to not wake him. It was said with kindness so its meaning was unimportant. The quality of life had improved. They were owned, but being warm and fed was a step up from a cell on a ship. This world could be shaped into something tolerable.

Kelton climbed out of bed, his feet finding warm purchase on the wood floor. He reached down and placed his palm on the wood. Heat was rising from the boards or the tight spaces between. Ingenious, and another puzzle to figure out.

Yanda watched Kelton and began talking about the floor as if he understood. It didn't matter that he didn't. She recognized his query and was stating her knowledge of it. To her, it wasn't unusual. She did find it comfortable. Heated floor and wonderful orange fruit; it was all amazing as far as he was concerned.

Kelton took another cloth off the shelf and wet it in the basin. He signaled for her to turn around, which she did without hesitation. Trust. Using light dabbing and careful strokes, he washed her back. The salve had hardened and flaked off as he wiped. The scabs beneath were stronger than they had been. The ointment allowed the skin to flex without ripping open the wound. The healing had begun. After he completed the cleaning, he applied a new layer of the salve, less thick than the night before

Yanda turned, smirked at the stiffness between Kelton's legs, then signaled him to turn about.

"That's been happening on many mornings as of late," Kelton explained as he shifted around. "It doesn't help that you are unclothed. Mayhap, you can try to be ugly, and it will cease its struggles." Yanda patted his shoulder in response. She was gentle in her cleaning, careful not disturb the healing scars. Her fingers were feathers when they caressed on the new ointment.

Kelton washed as best he could at Yanda's urging. She pinched her nose and squinted her face to complain of his smell. He couldn't smell it, but then he had spent most of his life in a forest, and there were many moons between bathings there. In a short time, they were dressed in their smelly clothes from the lesson. A wasted bathing, he thought. Kelton squeezed his nose to make his point. Yanda smacked his arm to make hers.

"I have forgotten," A voice, accompanied by a knock, came from the door. "I did not mean too. It happens. Other things came about, and it gets lost in them." Another knock followed the rambling.

Kelton shrugged to Yanda and opened the door. An old man, very old, wearing a copper collar stood before them. His head sported a few wisps of grey hair, an amount that could easily be counted. They floated loosely about a head spotted with age. His smile was missing teeth, and wrinkles traveled like a web across his face.

"Master will be displeased. Mayhap, a secret between us," the man continued as if it were a conversation. He had a kettle in one hand and a flat square of something hard in the other. "I want to work, you see. He will make me stop if it gets bad. He told me, and...a secret is best. I won't forget again."

"Forget about what?" Kelton asked.

"Your tea," the man said, raising the kettle up as if it were obvious. "I was supposed to bring it last night. I was told, and I tried to remember. Other things to do you know. It wasn't that I did not think you important. Ohh, master will not be happy." He shook his head. Then his face brightened. "I remembered this morning though. I remembered it as if master had just told me. Is that not good."

"It's wonderful," Kelton said, excited about the tea. "And this morning is more than soon enough for me. I am grateful you remembered."

"And master won't know," the man asked carefully.

"Not by my word," Kelton replied. The man smiled and moved into the room, placing the square piece of slate on the shelf, then the kettle upon it. Out of his pocket, he produced a small bag, presumably tea and placed it next to the pot, then began feeling around his pockets in a panic.

"Oh, no," the man said, his eyes wide. "I have forgotten the infuser." He looked around the floor as if he might find what he was looking for. "I told myself not to forget. I'm sure it was here. Everything is wrong and the day started so well. I will run back..."

"What is this doing in the hall?" Vasco entered with a small metal ball hanging from a chain.

"The infuser!" the old man said. "You see, I didn't forget. It must have fallen from my pocket. Mayhap, I have a hole. That's happened before." His face switched to concern. "You will not tell master, will you Vasco?"

"Tell him what?" Vasco said with a straight face. "That the most prized of his property did as he was told. I think that would bore him. He is only concerned with failures, and I see none of that here."

"Yes," the man said, his toothless grin growing. "We will not bore him. That wouldn't be wise at all." he turned to Kelton. "I am Berdin, and I do things. Many important things. Today I bring tea for you as master has told me." Kelton was about to respond when he continued. "You are called Kelton and she...don't tell me...Yanda! You see, I remember like I did the tea."

"I thank you kindly, Berdin," Kelton said with a slight bow.

"Yes, yes, of course you do," Berdin said. Yanda caught the gist of what was happening and struggled to maintain a straight face. "I must leave now. Many things to do." He started out the door, then turned back. "We won't bore our master with this, will we?" Kelton shook his head no, which earned him another smile. Then Berdin disappeared down the hall.

"I trailed him from the kitchens," Vasco said. "He was mumbling about your tea and seemed flustered." He handed Kelton the infuser. Kelton examined it, marveling at the intricate holes and the way it was hinged. Everything was so new.

"He forgot this, didn't he?" Kelton asked, measuring Vasco's compassion.

"Must have fallen from his pocket," Vasco said with a wink. Kelton nodded with a smile. "Berdin has been with the family well before Zello was born. Master, the father, tried to get him to retire a few years ago. It didn't take, and it was feared he would harm himself. Berdin is given simple tasks, and we ignore the failures. His desire far outstrips his memory, but he is happiest working."

"So, there are things you don't tell our masters?" Kelton asked.

"When there's no harm to it. They know well Berdin's weaknesses."

"And me. Is there a reason you keep things concerning Yanda from me?"

"Are you not happy with the bargain?" Vasco asked.

"The bargain, as I thought it, is most agreeable," Kelton said. "I am guessing our masters preferred to make it stronger." He moved toward the kettle and retrieved the bag of tea leaves. "You did not tell me what they wished of Yanda."

"Was she not pleasing?" Vasco asked. It was said in such a way that Kelton had to grit his teeth and pause. He wasn't used to people being talked about like property, especially a friend. Vasco straightened, then winced when Kelton looked back.

"They wish me to be compliant property. Good, I shall be so. In all things, save one. That one thing is Yanda. I will hold my masters to the bargain as it was agreed. No stretching the words or maneuvering for greater profit." Kelton studied Vasco's face, seeing differing thoughts pass before it. "From you, I desire truth and will return it in kind."

"You do not wish to mate with her," Vasco said.

"I do not wish her to be ordered to mate with me," Kelton said. It took all the control he had to keep venom out of the words. Vasco nodded, then wisely closed the door.

"It was thought that you would find contentment between her legs, binding you completely," Vasco said. "I did not argue the point. I am...sorry."

"Tell her," Kelton said, pointing toward Yanda. Vasco struggled with the idea, then sighed. The conversation with Yanda was long.

"She apologizes to you for thinking it was part of the bargain you made. She is less happy with me. There were threats of sending her to a pleasure house if she refused."

"You're lucky she didn't try to tear your eyes out."

"In her words, if it must be, she thought it best if it were in a clean bed with someone concerned for her." Vasco sighed. "They wouldn't have sent her away, you know. The threats were for coercion only."

"They would trust me more if I mate with her?" Kelton asked. Vasco nodded, his eyes finding the floor. "Then we won't tell them otherwise." Vasco looked up. "Let them believe as they will."

"I won't lie to them," Vasco said.

"We won't have to. Let assumptions form the belief and never point out the contrary. An omission is not a lie, and there will be no harm in it." Kelton smiled. "In truth, they will trust me more, and if there is profit in me as they say, it will arrive sooner. Is that not best for all?"

"You are here one day, and you make me part of a conspiracy." Vasco shook his head in disbelief.

"You should not have hidden what was told to Yanda," Kelton said. "I would have undone it then and there. Now, it grows, and we must hide it from our masters." He shrugged. "I blame you."

"If they ask, I will tell them the truth," Vasco said.

"They won't." Kelton waved for Yanda to come close. She did, and he joined his hand in hers. "Tell her what I intend and why. See if she agrees." Vasco did. Yanda smiled and moved in front of Kelton. She spoke softly in an alluring way, then kissed his lips for the first time.

"Last night was more than any woman deserved, etc., etc.," Vasco partially interpreted, rolling his eyes. Kelton laughed, trying to ignore the surprise of Yanda's lips. She broke away, proud of her performance.

"You see, it is nothing but words, and they can believe what they want," Kelton said. "Last night was truly wonderful. Those round orange fruits, what are they called?"

"Oranges. Have you never tasted them before?"

"Never. Nor have I seen the like of this." Kelton held up the infuser. "We always used cloth to filter tea. Before I was on that fated ship, I had only met one man who knew of metal worked like this."

"I will keep your ruse," Vasco said. "And you will tell me of the Dark Isle when we are fully alone. It also won't find our master's ears."

Kelton agreed and packed the infuser with the dark green leaves he found in the bag Berdin had brought. The reusability of the infuser brought a smile to Kelton's face. It could be dipped a thousand times and barely look used, whereas a cloth would deteriorate and need replacement. Not to mention the infuser could be dried and packed without thought. These people knew so much, and he wanted to learn it all.

Yanda received the first cup and repaid Kelton with a Sorinnian thank you. He was busy making the second when his new master, the father, entered the room. Yanda placed her mug down and moved quickly to Kelton's side in full view of Tarvakian. She clasped Kelton's hand and nodded smiling at her new master.

"So, how was your first night with us?" Tarvakian asked Kelton. The man wore a sly grin as if he already knew.

"Far better than expected, master," Kelton said. "I...well...it was all so...new." He let his smile grow and glanced at Yanda, who shyly smiled back and leaned against him.

"You think you will find happiness here?"

"I already have," Kelton said, pulling Yanda closer. "What will you have of me, master? I am eager to earn all you have done for me." Travakian's smile spanned the room.

"Very little today, my boy. Vasco will take you on a short tour and show you what we do here. You may bring Yanda along if it pleases you. Mayhap, find her a place among the staff that is to your liking. You'll be allowed a couple more days of healing before we make any real demands on you. Time enough for you two to get better acquainted." Tarvakian bounced his eyebrows at the last statement.

"Oh, master, that would be wonderful," Kelton said with wide eyes.

"Ah, the happy couple," Glenda said as she entered the room unbidden. She had a large cloth bundle in her hands and wore a grim look that defied her words. "Have they performed as expected, master?"

"Glenda!" Travakain scolded.

"The boy looks happy enough, and she has a strange smile on her lips. Is it forced or real, Vasco?"

"She said that last night was more than any woman deserved,"

"Ah, a forced one," Glenda said, her eyes rolling. She moved forward to Yanda and transferred the bundle to her. Travakain looked like he meant to say something, then thought better of it. Glenda was indeed given much leeway. "Vasco, tell her this is what was promised, plus a new dress to replace the ill-fitting one from the lesson."

Yanda took the bundle with a Sorinnian thank you and placed it on the bed. She then re-grasped Kelton's hand and leaned into him. Glenda watched her movements with curiosity, examining their clasped hands. Thoughts crossed her face, then disappeared as quickly as they came.

"Mayhap, it is a real smile," Glenda said to Kelton. "Her wounds are healing?"

"Aye, better with master Zello's salve." Glenda sniffed at Kelton then took a step back and examined them together.

"I believe they are good for each other, master," Glenda announced.

"Your unrequested approval is irrelevant," Travakain said.

"You will meet with me after the noon meal," Glenda told Kelton, ignoring her master at first. "I will fit a set of pants and shirt to make sure others are not miscut and wasted. You're a lanky fellow, and I'd hate throw masters money away on mistakes."

"As you wish," Kelton said. Glenda flashed him a smile then turned to Travakain.

"My apologies, master." Glenda bowed. "My life is for the family. Sometimes my desire for its welfare causes me to speak out of turn."

"Well, think longer on your words before you speak them in my presence," Travakain said. Kelton doubted his rebuke held the weight it would with others. Glenda nodded submissively and left. "She raised my son and thinks herself the family's mother. Sometimes she needs to be reminded of her station." He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then looked at Kelton. "Know that your happiness is important to me." Then he followed Glenda out the door, which Vasco closed as soon as the hallway emptied.

"You have your ruse," Vasco said, "and it does not sit well."

"Then teach me what you will," Kelton argued. "If they desire profits and I am truly the road to them, lead the way. I will follow as promised." He went back to making his tea. It was a tasty leaf, though not near the quality of South Allyander. It was leaps above none.

House Travakain was huge. Far larger than it had first appeared on the road. The stone fence that surrounded the property extended around many buildings and the space between them was well cared. Vasco took Kelton and Yanda on a tour after a morning meal, which itself was far superior to any Kelton could remember. One of the structures was the meal hall, which seated over a hundred slaves. Kelton marveled at the normality that showed on the enslaved faces as they collected their food, then gathered in groups at the tables to consume it. There was no overt discontent. Some looked tired, some excited, and others complacent. They talked about the coming day's tasks and not their imprisonment. There were no guards or other silvers, save Vasco. They appeared to be complicit in their slavery.

The house found profit in many things. Its main business was cloth. They took in wool, plant fiber, and skins to alter into fabric. Kelton was well prepared to be amazed and wasn't disappointed. There were buildings that held piles of sheared wool. Others packed floor the ceiling with a fibrous dirty white plant that Vasco said would work like wool. One building contained leathers, well dried but unprocessed and still held the shape of the animals that once wore them. The management of each building was tasked to slaves. Most looked bored or perhaps indifferent to the duties, but were pleased to answer questions about their expertise. Everything moved in a slow, steady dance of production.

Kelton was most fascinated with the dyeing buildings. Amid the potent smell, he watched worked wool being pulled through vats at a snail's pace, eventually emerging with the colors Kelton once thought owned only by flowers. The ceiling was ingenious. Made of a thick cloth coated in some resin, it rested on poles and ropes like the slave auction. Though there was an open gap around the whole roof, with one side was raised higher depending upon the direction of the wind. It created a funnel that helped to push the smell from the building, away from the workers. Probably the same reason the auction was set that way. Yanda's nose wasn't incorrect; slaves smell.

There were warehouses filled floor-to-ceiling with shelving, each piled with bolts, as Vasco called them, of fabric ready for sale or further processing. Much of it of the brown Kelton and Yanda wore. Industry to support the marking of slaves.

There was much more to see, but hunger called them to the noon meal.

"It is amazing to see so many working together for a common goal," Kelton said as he sopped up some of his stew with fresh bread. There was a spice in the dish, something Kelton's tongue remembered from Joycelyn's cooking. The memory and the abundant meat in the bowl made the meal more pleasant.

"It is many generations in the making. House Tarvakian can trace back nineteen owners, our current master being the twentieth and Zello the twenty-first," Vasco said between bites. Intermittently, he translated the conversation to Yanda. Kelton made it clear he didn't want her to be in the dark as to what was being discussed. "There are greater houses, some younger and some older. Each specializing as we have. Mining houses, fishing houses, trading houses, and some dedicated to transportation alone to name a few. Many compete with us directly, others indirectly."

"The house's have contests?" Kelton asked, delaying his next bite.

"For profits, my boy, profits," Vasco said. "We work within the law to find advantages that allow us to sell and buy at better profit. Sometimes, it is as simple as being in the right place at the right time. Most times, it is more subtle."

"How am I supposed to help in these profits?" Kelton said, dipping the tasty bread and smiling. "Right now I am eating more than I am creating." Vasco laughed, then translated for Yanda who added her smile.

"Laws and numbers must be juggled. Information sought, must be found. The timing of these things is often the difference between profits and losses." Vasco pointed his bread at Kelton. "Your talents of memory and your quick mind will be responsible for enhancing the profits of this house." He smiled. "I can see it grow in you as we toured the grounds. You will find the advantages I have missed. It is how your mind works."