When they returned to camp, the Breakers were just beginning to break down their positions, and when she was spotted, word spread like wildfire and before a minute had passed, Onimeus was riding up to meet them.

He snapped a crisp salute to his lady, “Mistress Aiwenor! I’m glad you’re back, I was busy formulating plans to capture Da’nak if you hadn’t returned before we were ready to go.” The old man’s face was completely serious, and though Nua let a smile out, she didn’t laugh after her salute was rendered.

“Onimeus, I am not surprised, but everything is fine, it’s good to be back. Things were tense but… settled, I think. Depending on whether or not Queen Vexia is the sort to keep her promises.” Nua glanced at Kaiji out of the corner of her eye.

“My lady, it’s been many years since I've visited there, I’ve lived almost my whole life in Komestra but…” She thought it over, “Whenever a demon-elf passed through, I did make a point of talking to them about my birthplace. “The Queen is a dangerous woman. She’s deceptive, vindictive, and can be very cruel. However… She is a queen. She takes her role seriously and is unlikely to just break her word unless it is greatly to her advantage. Unless she has, or expects to get, something tremendous by turning on you, I believe she will keep to the agreement.”

“So, I survive until the God-Emperor’s death, and she’ll give a free hand to the House of Aiwenor. I’m not going to get a better offer than that. That takes one of the great cities ‘mostly’ out of the fight.” Nua said with a warm smile and stretched out her arms, “Come along, let’s go back. I’ve got three cities to take care of before the month is out.” Nua cracked knuckles while Oneimeus fell in at Kaiji’s right hand.

“Yes, mistress.” Kaiji answered, “But do you really… no, never mind. I’m sure Diana did her work well. How long has it been?”

Nua rubbed her chin, “Since her visit or since she knocked over the candle that set the House of Yan on fire?” She chuckled at the dark humor, “A few weeks? Things can’t be very pleasant right now, I wonder how badly they’ve weakened each other.”

“My lady, Yanlim and Yanmelu are both ruthless, but in different ways.” Onimeus suggested with a tentative, thoughtful tone. “Yanmelu has the city and will target anyone who he thinks supports his cousin. Yanlim has the loyalty of the army aside from those directly appointed by Yanmelu. He will target the surrounding areas beyond the city itself rather than fight a siege he can’t win. When we fought him, he would often send mutilated Komestrans captured in the countryside, alive to our city.”

“Alive?” Nua asked with a raised golden brow.

“Yes, the mutilations were to cause fear and to provoke Sado to fight, as well as to dry up our magic casters’ mana to heal them. The living used up food, the living that had no will to fight were a burden, fear is a burden, and reduced spellcasting is a burden.” Onimeus explained.

“And… Sado, how did you respond to this?” Nua asked with sudden interest.

Sado had clenched his jaw while Onimeus explained, “I offered to duel him, of course. Between our two cities, which of course he refused.” Sado couldn’t keep his anger or arrogance at bay over that. “Witnessing my mutilated people coming to our gates… he and I were friends when we were young, often on the same side in our games. I thought that meant something to him…”

“I told you many times, Sado,” Kaiji said with a regretful look when she hung her head and faced him, “the bonds of love are cut by power. His people’s lives were on the line too. From his seat, you appeared to be the mad traitor who forced his hand.”

“If only everyone had sided with me…” Sado shook his head, “But no, you were right.”

They went their separate ways briefly when they entered the remnants of the camp, but Nua had only one place to be. She took position facing the road, and waited for her soldiers to fall in behind her. One by one her slaves rejoined her, and at her back, her Breakers began to form into line.

The drums began their steady rhythm and the march back began. “How was the payment?” Nua finally asked with a wink to Onimeus.

“There was a… substantial bonus.” Onimeus reported, “Also some of the other mercenary captains came to speak with us about joining us on future jobs.”

“Better their hands in mine, than their throats, am I right?” Nua asked with a sly grin.

“People like to work with winners, mistress. That’s just how things are, as long as you win, more will want to be at your back than want to be in your way.” Onimeus gave a passive shrug, “I wouldn’t put much stock in them, but if they want to be fodder for you instead of against you…” His eyes drifted off as they tended to do when the future was laid out before him.

“Yanlim and Yanmelu will have been tearing each other apart, Yanlim will have gone to you for help, likely through someone else while he rallies his soldiers. Hanak’sen will be locked up tighter than a Shog’nai belt buckle. They’ll fish from the canals but that won’t be enough. Yanlim can’t feed his men, and Yanmelu can’t feed his city. Yanlim… he will raid the countryside for food for the army, bandits will become common…” Onimeus went on and on, laying out the pattern he foresaw the conflict following, until Nua interjected.

“So… we interfere.” Nua suggested.

“I don’t like sieges.” Onimeus said with a tight lipped look.

“I think we all have that in common.” Sado groused, while Kaiji and to their surprise, Nua, gave firm nods of agreement with the statement.

“I should have brought Diana… she could have gotten Yanmelu to lower his guard…” The assassin gumbled a bit, and thought the matter over. “I suppose it’s immaterial if he doesn’t ask for my help, and we don’t know that he has yet.”

“I’m confident he has.” Onimeus had an uncharacteristically smug look on his face with his button nose turned up a little bit, he stroked his thick white beard, “Trust me, my lady. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran into a messenger about halfway back.”

“Then we’ll take the march slowly, stop in time to drill the new recruits.” Nua looked over to Sado. “I want you and Vargas to work on those.”

“My lady…” Sado began, and saw her firm look and lowered his eyes, “Yes, mistress.”

“Good. I know you don’t like him, but I meant those orders. Out of everyone here, I have the greatest right to hate him, but he will not be treated any differently over one mistake, however bad it was. Sometimes the best of men come out of the worst of lives. Let him have that chance until he ruins it.”

Sado gave an uncomfortable nod. “I will, and if he spreads any dissent, better that I be there to witness it.”

“Thank you, Sado.” Nua gave a rare weak smile and turned her eyes to the line of march again.

Diana sat at the desk in the office that had been set aside for her. Four women and four men were on their knees in chains in double rows in front of her. They wore simple camisks of white cotton, and looked at her with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

On her desk were eight papers with their biographical information, previous owners, training, education, special skills, and the numbers they’d been assigned as well as past names. They all had two things in common. All of them had either been minor nobility, or worked for important nobles… and all of them were exceptionally beautiful.

She could practically read their thoughts, but left them in silence while she pretended to be reading over their information for the first time.

Finally she set her hands down on the desk and folded her fingers together.

She raised her chin to reveal her bronze collar. “You’re all hoping you’re here to go into an exceptionally rich and lustful person’s harem, right?”

Quiet nods met her statement. “What if I were to tell you that it’s better than that?”

That had their interest. They perked up. The sylvan looking women, the V shaped strong looking men, their chiseled or smooth features by turns, their perfectly tended hair that ran the gamut from long flowing fire red, to inky black locks like her own, to blonde as her mistress’s own. Yet all, no matter their features, had the scent of opportunity caught in their nostrils and looked to it eagerly.

“First, where you are. You are on the grounds of your new mistress. Duchessa Nua Calen Aiwenor. Do any of you know who that is?” Diana asked and waited, a dark haired man raised a hesitant hand.

“I-I heard of her.” His deep voice did not hide his nervousness, nor did it disguise the way his hand shook when it went up, or came back down to rest on his thigh.

“The rest, no, eh?” Diana slapped the table lightly, to dismiss the question. “Alright, I’ll give you the short version. She’s richer than you can imagine, and I don't mean that in common terms, I mean that it’s the kind of wealth you hear about in legends. What’s more, she’s not stingy with it. Who here would like to be both free and rich?”

Nods followed her question, “Rich enough that you could travel elsewhere, buy a new title and restart your old unfortunate noble house, or start a new one farther east?”

The nods came faster and a beautiful red smile met them. “Then this is your lucky, lucky day, slaves. Because if you are loyal to her and work hard, then that isn’t beyond your reach.”

Skeptical body language followed, they sat back on their heels and didn’t nod, they only watched and waited.

“Oh, I’m not joking. My mistress offered to set me free herself when she comes back from her journey. A reward for good service. I…” Diana looked away from them for a moment, to the window that overlooked the city, “I still have trouble grasping it…” She shook her head, dismissing the momentary distraction.

“Simply put, you have special skills, are all well educated, beautiful, and seduction personified.” Diana let them preen for a moment as she massaged their pride.

“I believe you’re wasted in brothels and harems. I believe you can do far more than that. With love and lust as your weapons, you can protect a noble house using your eyes and ears, we all know how much people… particularly men, chatter on the pillow.” Diana let the statement hang and the curious eight all murmured their acknowledgement of the point.

“If you agree, I will have your skills refined here to an even greater height, I have two or three already, but you eight will be added to that number. You will be the Starlings of our mistress, leaving the nest to find bits of information that could help or harm her. My mistress, your mistress, has declared that you will be well paid for this work.”

“Paid?” One of the whores asked, her flaming red hair was eye catching at the least, and her pale, freckled face was exotic, framing emerald green eyes that threatened to suck the soul of someone who lingered in them too long. “Who pays slaves?”

Diana gave her a very proud, cocky look. “Someone who values their work, and their loyalty. This is no ordinary noble house, slave. This is the egg of a whole new world waiting to be hatched. You’re lucky to be in it to watch the shell crack open, and you, my little Starling, are being given the opportunity to take flight when it does.”

The dark haired man who raised his hand before, spoke up again, “You say this like we’re being given a choice.”

“You are. You can refuse. If you do, we’ll have your memory of this day erased, and you’ll be sold off again and you can take your chances elsewhere. I won’t have anyone among the Starlings who is not sure they want to be here.” Diana said with conviction and clenched her fist on the desk.

Diana’s ruby lips were pressed tight together, “This is your chance for a better life, I’m not going to force you to take it, you can be sent back where you came from, my mistress, your mistress, owns Lur’gin now, we’ll have you a hundred night’s travel away for resale,” she snapped her fingers, “that fast if you refuse now.”

“What’s to stop us from just… betraying her for more money or freedom later?” A slender half elf asked.

“Good question.” Diana yanked the rope by her desk, and a moment later the door opened. “Lady Solution, bring in Traitor… and Tir should see this as well. There’s no sense in keeping it from her.”

From down on their knees, the slaves looked over their shoulders and were struck breathless by the beautiful blonde woman in the strange maid outfit with the metallic looking boots that ran up to her knees.

She was gone without a word, but a moment later, Tir entered, followed by a man with short curly blonde hair, a V shaped torso that was rippling with muscles, powerful looking thighs and arms, but a face that was somehow delicate featured, with fearful blue eyes to match.

Tir walked past the slaves to stand beside Diana, and the beautiful courtesan leaned over toward Tir to whisper, “Pay close attention… you really want to help, remember the dark side of this.”

Despite his obvious great strength, it was clear he was struggling in vain as Solution held him fast with one hand.

“This is Traitor. Traitor has been a very bad boy. Traitor has done things that a Starling shouldn’t do, and Traitor is now going to pay the price.”

Traitor looked around, gagged as he was, he couldn’t speak, but his eyes darted to and fro searching for help or a friendly face. He found none.

Diana repeated the line she’d rehearsed many times. Then added, “Never… ever… ever cross your mistress. Serve well and loyally, you can retire rich and free. But if you cross her, this is your only fate.”

Solution raised her hand up over the much taller human, placed her palm on top of his head, and from behind him said only, “Melt.”

The eight shrieked in horror as that is exactly what happened. Traitor struggled to move, but was held fast, then shaking in pain as flesh popped, sizzled, and melted down under Solution’s hand. To their eyes, it seemed he was literally melting. But in reality, she was consuming him, he tried to add his screams of pain to theirs, but when his face was a ruined mess, he lost the capacity for that.

Inch by inch the melting of his body seemed to go on, the acrid smell of fear and piss filled the office as his body’s internal organs joined his outer skin and muscle, his powerful arms were slowly reduced to nothing but bones while he was still alive to feel it.

He went down to his knees, and wails of horror were loud and long.

Hands covered mouths, faces would have turned away, but their wearers were too entranced to do so. The process went on and on for several agonizing minutes, until there was nothing but a skeletal remnant lying in a puddle of what was some pinkish looking human goo staining the floor where Traitor had once stood.

“That is if you are a traitor, if you do not betray your mistress, no harm will come to you. Oh, and so you don’t think this is one sided…” Diana’s voice went very, very hard. “A while back, one of the mistress’s slaves was stolen and beaten for information. The slave did her best to stay loyal and was forgiven, but the mistress turned the entire city upside down, conscripted a cavalry regiment, personally led the raid to recover her servant, and then had the one to abuse her servant… well, Lady Solution?”

“Carved up alive on the front lawn of her estate. Diana is not lying to you, Priceless is the one who was taken, and she is running the estate in her mistress’s absence. Ask her yourself what happened.”

Tir nodded fervently, “There are no limits to how far she will go for the loyal, if you are in danger, she will save you, if you are killed, she will avenge you, if you are hurt, she will heal you. If you betray her…”

“She will destroy you.” Solution finished the line.

“What will it be? Who will be rich, comfortable, and free one day, and who wants to just have their memory wiped, forget this day, and take their chances elsewhere?” Diana asked with her hands open and palms upturned as if the answer were obvious.

Stunned looks were abound, and Diana couldn’t help but laugh, “Remain on your knees if you want to be one of our Starlings. Or stand if you want to be taken out of here.”

Eight pairs of knees were still on the floor a moment later.

“Good. Congratulations, you’ve made the best decision of your lives.” Diana said with conviction.

“Lady Solution, thank you very much for the demonstration, the puddle is going to be a bit of a distraction though, can you call for cleanup while I go over the rest of what is expected of a Starling?” Diana asked with a sweet, broad smile on her face that made the fellow predator grin happily in response.

“Of course, you know me, always a pleasure to help where I can.” She winked and left her laughter following behind her as she left the room.