Chapter 6

“She’s definitely not herself,” Gerald said after Rayna left his office.

We had made it out of the slave market and back to the Dodging Minstrel without notice.

I had made a rare sighting of Fenick just before we got back to the inn and motioned him over. He had come, dubiously, and lingered on the covered porch long enough for me to tell him my mission was done, except for exfiltration. He had nodded and I’d continued inside.

Gerald needed more detail than that.

“When they find the scene, it will put a fox in the henhouse. Four imperials and a dead burgher. Too many people will have seen you and Rayna go in there. The mayor is going to accuse you in a couple of days or sooner. I’m worried about him accusing Rayna as well.”

“They were all alive when we left, if they ask,” I said.

“Then how are you going to explain five corpses?”

“Since Brenton did not fire his pistol, I used it to mislead the scene. Vanda had the blade in her hand. Brenton’s pistol was fired along the path of her stab wound. I moved all the bodies around to obscure details of the struggle, but the pistol was in Brenton’s good hand, and he was lying partially atop of Vanda. Unless the locals have some actual forensic investigation sense, they won’t be able to tell what really happened.”

“They won’t have to. One of them is dead, and they will have witnesses placing you there around that time. The burghers will want some justice to dissuade anyone from getting ideas that killing burghers is ever a good idea.”

“I’ll see what Major Timmons can do to speed our departure.”

“You still haven’t said what you did to Rayna and how you and Anna avoided her fate. I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I have a suspicion. I think you might have actually played a role in why I’m safe. Anna is really a criminal indenture and technically owned by the clubs.”

His eyes went wide. He started to speak, stopped, and then rubbed his temples before starting again.

“Conditioned?”

I nodded.

“So that protected her. What about you?”

I arched an eyebrow. It was the same question I had asked myself multiple times since being dosed.

“Shit!” He rose from his desk and went to his bar, pouring a large mug of ale. He drank it down without looking my way.

“Mother did that to you,” he concluded. “Because of me.”

Him reaching the same conclusion as I had reassured me of my thinking but did not make me feel any better.

“What instructions did you give Rayna? As I said, she is different.”

“I told her to forget everything that occurred after we went up the stairs until after we came back down. I told her to act as she always had.”

He shook his head. “Something is still off with her. I’ve known her all her life and she is different.”

“Let’s give it some time to see if it shakes out. I don’t know how long their compound keeps your mind open to control. I’m guessing we were close to the end of that window. Vanda mentioned it but gave no details.”

“You have their compound?”

I nodded.

“Can mother unravel it’s effects?”

“I don’t know. Between the two of us, we may be able to. I need our family lab in Cardino to even understand how it works. It’s faster than our methods, but not as flexible. Grandmother insists that our approach does not erase the subject’s free will but rather aligns their will to us as their masters. This was direct control.”

Gerald glanced at his watch. “You need to get into the embassy and brief Timmons. You need a way in if the burgher’s come for you and Rayna. Make sure they have a way to let you in. I can always buy you a few minutes, but it will be too easy to be trapped on the wrong side of the embassy walls if the burghers come at night.”

I was surprised Rayna was waiting for me at the base of the stairs leading up to the inn’s lobby area.

“Where should I go?” she asked.

“Where would you normally go?”

“I’m ... I’m not sure,” she admitted with a stunned look. “Where do you want me to go?”

I suddenly had proof all was not right with her. “Go to my rooms with Anna and Bianca. Stay with them until I return.”

Her posture relaxed and she nodded. I was worried as I followed her up the stairs to the main floor.

I made it to the embassy gate a good half-hour before they closed for the day and was immediately escorted back down to the sub-basement that seemed to be home to imperial security. Major Timmons was not happy to see me.

“You couldn’t apprehend them or let my team nab them?” she asked accusingly. Obviously, the bodies had been found.

“Have you identified all of them?” I asked without additional comment. “I need to know who Brenton was. He is the one I was hoping to intercept before meeting the others. He is the thread we will need to unravel back home.”

The major scowled at me. “Tell me what happened. The mayor has already sent a nasty note to the Ambassador demanding answers about the death of Burgher Abbas.”

“Tell the mayor his burgher friend was involved in a plot to bring war against the empire. One of the imperials appears to have stopped the plot. Don’t give them any further details.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What really happened?”

I shook my head. “Stick with that and focus on getting me and my party out of here. Someone had to see us either go upstairs at the market or come down. It’s only a matter of time before that fact comes out. I need to be safely away before someone calls for my head, even if they can’t prove anything.”

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Why did they have to die there, along with a local?”

“They did not leave me a lot of choice. They had already ensnared the burgher, so I couldn’t afford to leave such a powerful local witness behind,” I said.

I suspected Abbas had already been fed the compound in his drink before we arrived on the scene. It was what made sense in their twisted plot, but I could not prove it. I had dumped both the water and ale in the room while rearranging the scene, so doubted anyone would accidently fall subject to the drug.

“How fast can you get me out of here?”

Timmons looked at the ceiling for a moment. “I called for an Imperial Cutter the day you came to me. At high speed, they should be off the coast of Thistle in three days. I know the orders you brought, but I thought you would be returning with captives, not fleeing the locals.”

“So, use it as our cover story. Arrest us. Send us back for trial under imperial law.”

“That might work for your party, but what of the local with you? She’ll be at risk of local justice.”

“Material witness?” I asked. “We forced her to join us. At least that’s what you can say to the mayor.”

The major gave me a hard look, staring as if trying to get me to say more. I sat stoically.

Finally, she sighed. “Okay, let me go talk to the Ambassador.” She stood and left me in the austere room to think about the day and my future.

I could not muster true anger at grandmother, despite the evidence she had performed some form of conditioning on me over the years. There was no other theory that fit the evidence I had witnessed. Rayna was not conditioned. Anna was. It appeared I had been as well.

All our talks of duty and loyalty to the empire still rang true in my ears. Grandmother’s credo was part of my very being, and yet I felt it was right and required as our family’s obligation. Whatever her process was, it did not feel like I had been conditioned. I had proven I would not obey her blindly on several occasions.

I knew I could not reveal the full tale to anyone outside the family without giving a clue on how we really monitored and protected the empire. It would not take much for people to realize there was a way to enslave people, and that we and ours were immune. They would hunt every one of us down to the last to destroy that influence, even if it was intended to be benign. Edict zero would not protect us if the truth won out.

The door opened and the major returned.

“Brenton Hansen was the younger brother to Senator Hansen. He was not a known associate with Muskeleon or Benito, though I don’t know if he was close to any of the other houses implicated in treason. Impsec will have to continue investigating to see what they can turn up. In the meantime, the Ambassador has agreed to your plan, reluctantly. You know this will mean you can never come back to the Free Cities, right? They will view you as a murderer, and we will have endorsed that belief.”

“I know. I’ll accept those consequences. How do you want to do this?” I asked.

“I’ll send a troop to the Minstrel to arrest the others and bring the local as a witness.”

I shook my head. In Rayna’s current state of mind, I was worried how she might react.

“Have them escort me there and back. I need to wrap up a couple of items. I also need assurances that my personal affects will be protected.” I could not tell her about the vials and notes relating to the compound. “In fact, there is one small package that needs to be opened only back in the empire. I’ll keep that with me personally as we travel.”

The piercing stare was back. She obviously suspected something. Eventually she nodded agreement.

There appeared to be more locals in the square before the inn than usual when I and my escort arrived, but I paid them no attention. My guards waited on the porch, keeping an eye on things as I went inside.

“Anna, Bianca, get us packed up,” I commanded as I entered our rooms. “Rayna, go pack for a trip. You’ll be going with us to Thistle at least.”

The three women hurried to obey while I pulled out my travel bag and quickly wrapped the bottles and notes I had acquired in oilcloth and tied them before applying sealing wax to the bundle.

Gerald was at the door by the time I finished.

“What are you doing? Why is Rayna packing as well?”

I explained quickly. “I’ll take her with us to get her out of the line of fire here. Grandmother may know how to fix whatever their compound did to her. I know we won’t have more than a slim hope of resolving things if she stays here. You’re going to have to run the inn in her absence. Devon should be coming back through soon from the Kingdom in the Clouds. Have him bring word of what you need, and I’ll make sure you get it. Staff, goods, anything.”

Gerald did not look happy, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, as if coming out of the shadows appealed to him. “How about a shipment of your wine? It had enough appeal to make a good price, and Franny and the mayor in Thistle are onboard with selling it here.”

“The mayor of Thistle?”

Gerald grinned. “Franny’s father, though most don’t know it. He’ll front her the money and take his cut on the import fees while she sells at a price no one else will be able to match.”

I shook my head. He could have told me that days ago. That made Martin the mayor’s son-in-law. “How do you know Martin? Are you the one that taught him to read?”

Gerald grinned. “That would be my father, your grandfather. Martin is one of the few faces I’ll need to avoid unless I can convince him I’m a relative, not the same man he knew decades ago. We’ll have to see how it goes.”

By the time we returned to the embassy, the local crowd had grown. Major Timmons met us at the gate, nodded, and then marched back toward the inn.

“We have apprehended the imperials that your people saw at the scene of the crime. They shall stand before an imperial magistrate to be judged. The local Rayna, innkeeper of the Dodging Minstrel shall accompany them as a material witness. The perpetrators have admitted to forcing her to accompany them.”

Any further comment or question was lost as we passed through the gate and were escorted into the main building.

They put us in the Ambassador’s guest suite, or one of them, with guards posted outside and strict instructions to stay put. The women were confused. I sat them all down to explain.

“We’ll stay here until they transport us back to Thistle and onto the Imperial Cutter. I don’t think the accommodation on the cutter will be as lavish as the ship we sailed out on, but the transit should be much shorter if the weather is not rough,” I said.

Bianca paled at the mention of rough seas.

“We also need to remember we are back in the empire for all intents and purposes, now, so I’ll revert to your given names, Seven and Twelve.”

All three heads snapped up at that announcement. “Their names are Seven and Twelve?” Rayna asked. “What sort of names are those?”

I glanced at Twelve and nodded as she slipped from the sofa to kneel before me.

“This slave is Twelve, master,” she said as she bowed low at my feet. “This slave forsakes all names until the master of slave Twelve grants a new name.”

Surprising me, Seven moved to mimic her mother.

“You have both done well,” I said. You will maintain your current standard of dress until we return to Cardino. Please answer any questions Rayna may have.”

Rayna’s eyes were wide. “Will I be given a number, too?”

“You’re not a slave, Rayna.”

“But I feel obeying you is right, sir. What does that mean?”

“Do you recall being in the slave market with Twelve and I?” I asked.

She nodded. “I remember trying to instruct you on how the market works. Then my memory seems fuzzy, but I know I should obey you.”

“Did you feel you had to obey me before the market, Rayna?”

She shook her head. “No, but it feels right, now. What happened?”

“We’ll figure it out,” I assured her. “For now, if anyone asks you about it, send them to me. Twelve, the same goes for you.”

“Yes, master,” Twelve said with the slightest of smiles.

“Master,” Seven said. “Can these slaves show Rayna an imperial bathroom? She was kind to us in her inn, sharing their baths, can these slaves return the favor?”

“Of course,” I replied.

Smoothly the two slaves rose and reached to guide Rayna from the sitting room into one of the adjoining bedrooms with its attached bath. I sagged on myself for a moment, suddenly safe and free from the adrenalin I felt I had been running on since climbing those stairs several hours ago.

I sat still until I heard a giggle from the adjoining room and then decided a bath sounded like a good plan. Rather than joining our guest, I adjourned to the other room and was soon standing under the fierce cascade of hot water while contemplating a deep soak in the nearby tub.

A breath of cooler air alerted me to Twelve’s entrance. “You could have joined us, master,” she said as she hugged me under the spraying water.

“Rayna needs time to adapt to our ways, I suspect.”

Twelve smiled at me as she stepped back. I was surprised when she dropped to her knees and bowed over my feet for a second time in less than an hour. “Thank you master, for saving this slave today.”

I had no response for her, so bent and lifter her shoulders, then guided her to rise once more. “You were invaluable, Twelve. Your answers for Brenton gave me the clue I needed to be ready to free us all.”

“But it was this slave’s bond to her master that protected her mind. There will never be another master for her, so long as she lives.”

I held her tight, reassuring her as well as myself and let the hot water wash away my cares.

“We will make the transit in four days,” the captain of the cutter said. “My orders from the Ambassador were to treat you as prisoners until we were out of sight of land and then release you as free citizens with ambassadorial rank until we deliver you to our base in Romanifo.” He took a sip of coffee from his mug. “Can you tell me anything more than that?”

I shook my head. “I’ll keep the ladies out of your way as much as possible. We can stay in the brig you put us into, but you can release your guards and simply unlock the doors. One of the CIs with me is an accomplished cook, so if you would like some assistance in the galley, I can send her to you. I would only ask that you remind your crew they are my property, and one of them is our guest, not a prisoner or a CI.”

The captain nodded. There had been no hiding the fact that Seven and Twelve were indentured to me. It had taken a few hours for their demeanor to revert, but even though they were not in traditional indentured garb, it was clear they were looking to me for instruction. Rayna was mimicking them, but struggling since I did not want her to be viewed as indentured.

“Well then, mister ambassador, welcome to Imperial Coast Guard Cutter Heron. Please let me know if there is anything I or my crew can do to make your transit more pleasurable.”

I lifted my own steaming mug in acknowledgement. I felt the ship shift beneath us and heard a background hum that I had not noticed before. “What’s that?” I asked.

“We’re far enough from the land that we can open her up a bit. Our generators will make a little hum that you’ll more feel through the hull than hear. The generators power our engines. The hydrojets will give us roughly double the speed of the liner you took over. So long as the swells don’t change too much, we should be at planing speed for most of the trip. You should come up to the bridge and see.”

I took him up on the offer and followed him from his cabin, up a steep stairwell and onto the glass enclosed bridge area. Two crewmen were manning it, mostly keeping a lookout forward.

“We always have at least two crew up here,” the captain said as he stood before the curving panoramic window. “In peacetime, our major concern is any obstruction or sea life in our path. At our speed, we don’t really want to hit a whale resting near the surface.”

I must have given him a concerned look, since he smiled and shook his head. “We’d know we hit something, but it wouldn’t really harm us. I can’t say the same thing for the animal, though. Since we try to protect the ocean species, I’d rather avoid them.”

“You must have many interesting stories, Captain.”

He laughed. “We call them sea stories and let me tell you some of them may bend the truth a tad. I wouldn’t do that but feel obligated to warn you in case you hear something outrageous while on board.”

I took in the view and sipped my coffee, finding my sea-legs from our original crossing kept me feeling mostly stable. I marveled at the speed we attained and then looked back at the gulls playing in the wake.

The captain saw my gaze. “We churn up the water and attract fish that are usually deeper swimmers. The gulls appreciate us for it,” he added.

“It’s quite a bit different from a quiet sail along the coast,” I said.

“Different, but the same,” he commented. “We all seem to learn on the little sailboats close to shore. I think every member of my crew could share that same experience that led to the call of the sea. You never know, you may decide to join us too, someday.”

I shook my head. I knew my duty would always lie elsewhere. I just wondered if it was my own sense of duty pulling me, or someone else’s.

“Are you alright, master Cosimo?” Seven asked on the second evening of our journey home. Since our adventure in Crown, she had become more attentive to me, checking on me frequently and offering small kindnesses and conveniences.

“I don’t know, Seven. Why do you ask?” She was in my cell while Twelve and Rayna were next door. The barred doorway was latched open so it would not close with the slight roll of the ship, and the small guardroom outside the cells was empty with its own door closed. Each of the ship’s two cells had a pair of bunk beds.

“You leave in the morning, check on us at lunch, and then leave again until after dinner. Has this slave displeased you?”

The concern in her eyes appeared genuine. Such a change from the defiant young woman who had come into my life almost a year before. I smiled and shook my head.

“You have done nothing wrong, Seven. I’m just contemplating our journey and our return.”

“You took care of the traitors, didn’t you master?” she asked as she stepped closer.

“I did, with your and your mother’s help. But doing so harmed Rayna. I also learned something about myself that is troubling.”

“I,” she stopped and immediately corrected herself. “This slave is glad she did nothing wrong. This slave has enjoyed her time with you, master, even when she was seasick and miserable.”

I raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Really?” I could not help but ask.

She nodded. “It showed this slave how much you cared for her, even if you were playing a part. Your actions were more than an act of kindness. This slave realizes now what her life might have become if she had not come into your grandmother’s possession. This slave saw what slaves in the Free Cities live like.”

I realized our walks around Crown had been more educational for Seven than I planned or imagined. My focus on the hunt for our prey had not prevented me from enjoying the time we spent together out in the crowds.

“Acceptance is good, Seven. There are things about our journey together that reinforced that.” I knew I needed to accept the facts I had uncovered, or I would make myself miserable, as she had been at the start of our relationship in Cardino.

She looked at me, then knelt before me and grasped my belt. I knew what she was after. Did my acceptance damn me? Was it a programmed response or did I want to feel her lips engulf me? Would I ever think about my role in my grandmother’s plans without wondering?

Her breath was hot on my manhood as she pushed my pants down and engulfed me with just her lips. I leaned my head back, surrendering to the inevitable physical response. Seven had nearly mastered this art she’d resisted for so long. She took me deep within her mouth, and I grew to full hardness. I looked down at her, my gaze drawn to her crystal blue eyes, which pulled me into the experience as surely as her lips, tongue, and mouth did.

She reached for my hips, pulling herself deeper on me. My cock nudged the back of her mouth, seeking her throat. In response, she inhaled deeply, preparing to swallow me whole.

I leaned back once more, surrendering to the exquisite pleasure Seven was bestowing upon me, allowing it to wash away my moody thoughts. Her tongue stroked along the sensitive underside of my prick, obliterating any remaining normal thought. I abandoned myself to the moment and thrust my hips forward, succumbing much sooner than anticipated.

She took me in entirely, sucking me gently as I spurted into her eager mouth. When I finally pulled free of her lips, she smiled up at me, her expression provocative as she swallowed audibly and seductively.

She stood and continued to undress me; her eyes filled with a desire that matched my own. “This slave is not your betrothed, master, but she can give you some of the rewards you deserve, if you let her.”

I could only nod in agreement as I found myself quickly being undressed. She guided me to sit on the lower bunk and, with a seductive smile, stepped back to remove her own clothes. Her figure was lush and pleasing, her flawless skin an invitation to touch. Her shining blonde hair contrasted starkly with her darker pubic bush – an enticing juxtaposition.

She slipped into the bed alongside me, her eyes filled with a seductive gleam that left me yearning for the sensual delights to come.”

“Would the master care to have his way with this slave?” she whispered softly.

I thought about my grandmother’s instructions. I had been told to treat Seven as if she wore the blue. I wanted to disobey that instruction. The question was, could I? Would whatever conditioning she had applied to me allow me to disobey?

A wicked thought entered my mind. I thought back to the first time I had been with her sister and Elaine at the club in San Mateo. “I’m to treat you as if you wear the blue in the club, Seven. Do you know what that means?”

She nodded with a frown. “No penetration below the waist.”

It was my turn to nod. Then I smiled. “Unless you explicitly ask. Someone wearing the blue has that right. They can give the gift of their body, but it can’t be taken from them.”

“Master, please fuck me,” she said softly.

I pulled her close and kissed her inviting, lush lips deeply, eager to taste her as she clung to me tightly. My hands roamed along her body, feeling the softness of her skin as a fingertip traced a sensitive path from her hardening nipple to the tight line of muscles along her abdominals. It continued lower until it could feel the moist heat of her center.

She responded with equal fervor, cupping and caressing me back to full arousal as well. When I sensed she was ready, I rolled us over, letting her lay atop of me. She wiggled her hips, capturing my engorged dick at her entrance, then paused. Her eyes met mine with a fiery intensity, and she kissed me passionately before sliding herself home with a sigh.

My hands caressed the supple curves of her bottom, fondling her muscled rear as she ground against me. There was no regret or remorse in my heart; whatever conditioning I had endured could not prevent me from experiencing the pleasures of her body.

She began to thrust with languid abandon, bouncing rhythmically as our lips remained locked.

I felt her breathing deepen and her grip on me strengthen just before she pushed down mightily, grinding herself against me with a sudden intensity. Her shaking release was a beautiful sight to behold as she closed her eyes tightly and arched her back, pointing her sensitized nipples towards my face in delight. I remained transfixed, watching until her passion subsided.

When she regained her composure, she flexed her hips, rewarding me with another jolt of pleasure that sent waves of sensation through me. She collapsed on top of me once more, kissing my face and grinding our pelvises together as I held her close.

“Oh, thank you master. Thank you so much. This slave does not deserve the pleasures you give her.”

I rolled us over, managing to keep myself safely inserted into her, and then thrust more deeply as she moaned and clung to me, seeking her own release. Just as she reached her peak, I spied movement near the door and glanced up to see Twelve and Rayna peaking around the doorframe at us. Twelve had a broad smile on her face, while Rayna seemed enthralled by our coupling.

I lowered my attention back to Seven, capturing one of her nipples between my lips and sucking it hard while teasing it with my tongue as I increased the pace of my thrusts. She thrashed beneath me as her orgasm reasserted itself, bringing me closer to my own climax. However, it was still too soon since my last release, so I slowed my pace and let her body revel in pleasure once more.

We continued our passionate embrace for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, both of us were left worn out. Twelve knelt by the side of the bed as Seven lay exhausted, and she guided me to pull out of her daughter. Her lips were there to capture my still-erect member, and she buried herself on me with a sigh. Her nose pressed against my belly as she sucked me deeply and brought her fingers up to gently caress my balls. The firm pressure below sent a jolt through me, and I finally came again in her eager throat.

She drained me completely, and then kissed her daughter before pulling the tangled covers up over us. We lay together, mutually contented and exhausted. I let myself drop off to sleep. My last thought was of the consequences I would face for defying grandmother, but how happy I was knowing I was capable of such defiance.

Samantha was waiting for us on the pier in Romafino. Imperial Inspector Karelia stood next to her. One was smiling at our return. It wasn’t the inspector. I worried we had a long evening ahead of us.

We had arrived off the coast of Romafino in the midafternoon but taken several hours to navigate past the freeport and approach the piers of the Imperial Coast Guard station on the opposite side of the bay. The fact that the inspector was waiting, far from her normal duty station closer to Freeport did not bode well for me. The fact Samantha was next to her also raised my concern. I knew Major Timmons would send word through channels to Imperial Security of my return, but I was not certain how Samantha would know to meet me here at the base.

Soon enough I was down the brow with Rayna close behind, followed by Seven and Twelve. Two seamen brought our travel trunks. I ignored the glare of the inspector and wrapped Samantha in my arms for a hug and deep, passionate kiss.

“I missed you, too,” Samantha said breathlessly as our lips parted. “I’m so glad you’re home and safe,” she added.

I smiled and was ready to face the inquisition.

“Hello, Inspector. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked while hopefully hiding my concerns.

She gave me a hard look, then sighed. “I was ‘dispatched’ by my superiors to make sure you arrived without issue. I’ll take care of your papers, so you don’t have any problems with other branches of imperial service,” she said as she extended her hand for my documents.

I handed them over and gave Samantha a small shake of my head as she lifted an eyebrow of inquiry to me. The inspector was quick and efficient and soon handed my paperwork back.