Tales of Dylak-Leem - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Household Affairs

It was a pleasant afternoon, and warm sun streamed in the high window of the scrivener's room where Tesaiel sat, head bowed, contemplating the relative worth of mercy and profit. A thick ledger and stacks of parchment were spread before her, covered with numbers. All very cold and mathematical on paper, but they told the elven noblewoman a tale of misery.

She had grown up in Castahar, a nation peopled by humans and elves, the two races in close alliance. House Ordome's lands had been located there, and Tesaiel had vivid memories of wandering the old estate, and playing hide and seek with Lanthel in the groves and gardens. It was a rich land, and her family had been both wealthy and powerful.

For most of its history, the drocken had menaced Castahar's northern border. They were the size of a human, hooved, hairy, tailed, with curl-horned heads and long snouts. Some called them goatmen, and the likeness was apt. The smelly brutes were seldom more than a nuisance, although those living along the border felt otherwise; they were too disorganized and bad-tempered to come together as a cohesive force.

That had changed in the last few decades. Minotaurs had moved into drocken lands, and begun subjugating the goatmen. The bullmen were every bit as brutal as the drocken, but highly organized and often deceptively intelligent. They were infertile and lacking in numbers, but the drocken had those in abundance. Suddenly, the goatmen were a serious threat.

Castahar's leaders had proved unequal to the task. Meeting the threat would require the spending of much wealth. It would require expensive and unwanted alliances, it would require a draft, it would require an offensive expedition into drocken lands that would be deeply unpopular and ruinously costly. Taxes would have to be levied, long-cherished projects would have to be cancelled or at least put off, sons and daughters would be slain. Would it not be easier simply to extend debate, and possibly consider action next year?

Dylak-Leem had gotten the news of the drocken invasion two weeks ago. Everything they had heard since then had been dire. Castahar's forces had been taken completely by surprise and were being routed. Drocken were pillaging their way south across the realm. Massacres and worse were being spoken of.

Tesaiel drummed her fingers on the table. And now the first refugees were arriving in the city. How to respond?

Urdo had business interests that were perfectly positioned to help these newcomers. For a price. The question was whether to gouge, or to be generous. The general tendency in the city, she knew, would be to gouge.

She was torn on the matter. Tesaiel took her job very seriously, and her job, as she saw it, was to keep accurate books and maximize Urdo's profits. As she had gained more and more authority, she had used it skillfully, and had made the goblin a fair bit of money. He knew it, too. It went against her desire to do a good job, to cut these people a break. There was a good deal of coin that could be pried out of the richer refugees.

Still... the memories of her childhood haunted her. The thought of goatmen looting the former Ordome estate made her almost sick. Castahar's elves had destroyed her family, but she found she couldn't quite forsake them entirely.

And there was the matter of image to consider. People would remember who had played fair, and who had not. Some of the refugees would settle here and prosper, and they would have long memories. It might be worth giving up some short term profit for the nebulous long term benefits of community relations.

Tesaiel smiled. Until coming here, she wouldn't have believed that people like Urdo cared about community relations. But it seemed that if you were often on the wrong side of the law, there was a heavy benefit to having the common people like and trust you more than the guardians of order and their masters.

Perhaps mercy was the better course. Tesaiel nodded decisively, took quill and parchment, and began to write a note to Margo instructing her to give the refugees good prices and offer them aid.

She was almost done with it when Egrid strolled in. "Hey, Tesaiel. You look vexed."

Tesaiel tossed her head, sending chestnut hair flying. "I have been agonizing over the refugee situation for longer than I should," she told the half-orc. "I just reached a decision, and now I've got a great deal of work to get through before we have dinner."

"Yeah, the refugees, I been hearing a lot about them. And the whole Castahar thing in general." Egrid shook her head. "What a fuckup. Did I tell you I've got an elf from Castahar under me?"

Tesaiel just looked at her. "You've been trying to get an elf from Castahar under you ever since you met me, Egrid dear."

The half-orc laughed. "Good one. And so true. But I mean as a subordinate. She's one of my enforcers. Fairly new."

Tesaiel blinked. "Really. Is she a refugee?"

"Not a RECENT refugee. I gather she kind of left early to avoid the rush, sort of thing. She's from the north of Castahar."

Interesting. "Is she of noble blood?" Tesaiel inquired.

"I don't think so. She's not like you at all, that's for certain. Her name's Freit. She didn't give a house." Egrid shook her head. "She's an odd one, but she knows how to fight and she's effective. And not stupid either. Maybe a little more reckless than I'd like."

"I'll have to meet her some time." Tesaiel didn't know whether to be pleased or upset at no longer being the only elf in the organization. "Did you have something you needed, Egrid, or are you just here to chat? As much as I would like to talk, I really have to get this finished before dinner..."

"Not here to chat. Here to fetch you." Egrid grinned. "Boss wants your services. He's out in the bower."

"AGAIN? Leaf and Branch, that's four times today! Goblins!" Tesaiel slammed her free palm down on the table in frustration. "I am busy!"

The half-orc shrugged. "The boss is the boss."

"So he is. The little wart." Tesaiel set down her quill and got up. "The bower, you said?"

"That's right. Nice outdoor setting. Very elven. Feel the sun on your naked-"

"Just don't, Egrid." Mouthing an elven curse, Tesaiel shoved past the enforcer and set off for the manor's front door at a brisk walk.

Exiting the main building, she stepped off the path and rapidly crossed the rolling lawn of the estate, hidden from the street by a high stone wall and the front gate. Two of the krav wolves, a male and a female, trotted out to intercept her; when they recognized her, they gave low whines of greetings. Tesaiel smiled despite her irritation and continued on her way.

She came to the opening of a hedge maze, and stepped in. She knew the turnings by heart now; it was not an easy puzzle to solve, but she had done her fair share of gardening and relaxation in here. After the second turning she came to a stone bench; pausing for a second, she stripped off her blue and green dress and placed it folded on the seat. Then, naked except for her pendant and a jeweled armband, she continued through the maze.

The sun felt warm on her bare skin, just as Egrid had envisioned. It was pleasant, but the thought of all the work she ought to be doing took most of the enjoyment out of it. She moved down the maze almost at a run, pausing once when she almost made a wrong turning. There were some parts of the maze she didn't often go; parts she could conceivably become briefly lost in. It wouldn't do to wind up there.

Mazes. It made her think of minotaurs. The first one was said to have been made by a mad archmage, who placed it in a labyrinth and fed it a steady diet of human maidens. What he hadn't foreseen was that providing it with an unending supply of maidens meant that there soon was more than ONE minotaur. Working together, they broke free. They still did have a fondness for mazes, though. These were the captains ravaging her homeland.

Tesaiel had a brief, paranoid fancy of a minotaur in this maze. Scenting a maiden, and coming after her...

It was a ridiculous notion, but she still felt a little thrill of fear and went even faster. Where those heavy footsteps? Or was it just her own heartbeat? Damn Urdo for dragging her away from her desk...

She made the final turning, and emerged into the heart of the maze. A shaded pergola bower twined round and overgrown with climbing roses stood at the center of it. A small pond filled with carp lay before it. Around the edges of the hedge-enclosed space were ash trees, and spaced between them were carved idol stones, depicting goblins, krav wolves, and other things.

Urdo sat on a wicker couch under the pergola, shirtless and smiling around a mouthful of razor teeth. "Ah, Lady Tesaiel. Dressed for the occasion, I see."

She walked forward, slowing her stride. "I am BUSY, Urdo. Do you know how much work I still have to do? This is the fourth time today! You can't keep... keep interrupting me like this!"

"Four times isn't so much. We've done that before."

"It is when it is spaced out. And before I did not have as much to do as I do now. I spend most of my time making you richer."

Urdo chuckled. "You can't say I haven't been generous in response."

"I do appreciate the gifts." Tesaiel lowered herself down onto the grass before the pergola, and lay on her side. "You have exquisite taste, I must admit."

"I do. In all things." Urdo stood up, unbuckling his pants. They fell to the ground at his feet. "That's why I engaged you."

"That does show taste," Tesaiel agreed. "And are you satisfied with your choice?"

"Are you offering to satisfy me, Baroness Emerald Moon?"

"Yes," Tesaiel said. She slowly lifted her upper leg, exposing her womanhood. "I am."

"Let's see if that can be done." Urdo quickly stepped over to her and lowered himself to his knobby green knees, straddling the thigh that remained on the ground. His penis, fully erect, was guided to her entrance. "Would you like me to stimulate you first?" the goblin inquired.

"Stimulate me by sticking it in fast and hard," Tesaiel murmured. "I'm in a hurry, and I'm already a little wet."

"As you wish." Sliding forward, the goblin slid his length into her, making her gasp a bit. That changed to a pleased moan as he began a rapid pumping motion, lifting her raised leg up to rest under his elbow.

"Already a little wet, eh?" Urdo breathed as he worked. "You were looking forward to this interruption, perhaps?"

"I have work to do," Tesaiel replied. Her head leaned back as she squirmed a bit on the soft grass. "I get quite enough of this every day and night."

"Admit it, you wouldn't want it to stop."

"Maybe not stop completely." Tesaiel clutched at the grass, biting her lip. "But there is such a thing OH GODS! as too much. I can't perform my duties when I am lying on the grass with my legs open for you."

"Taking my goblin penis in your exquisite cunt."

"Taking your hideous goblin penis in my exquisite cunt. Ahhhhhhhnn!" Tesaiel threw her head back. "Faster, Urdo. Do not stop! Harder!"

"I think you might be... enjoying yourself... after... all..." Urdo panted.

"Shut up and make love to me," Tesaiel snarled. She rolled onto her back, grabbed Urdo with both hands, and pulled him down on top of her. Her legs wrapped around his hips as her hands moved up and down along his bare olive-green back.

Urdo's hands moved over her upper body, and she cried out in pleasure. His thrusts became increasingly frenzied, and his mouth closed around one of her breasts, biting gently. As they coupled with increasing abandon, Tesaiel rolled to her right, intending to move to be on top. Yet Urdo had other ideas, and the roll continued. Still frantically fucking, the two of them rolled across the clipped lawn and tumbled halfway into the pond, Tesaiel still on the bottom. The carp fled.

Laughing, she splashed water with one hand across them. "Harder, Urdo! Oh gods! Keep going!"

Urdo just gave a hiss in response, still hammering away. Tesaiel felt the pleasure start to spike, and a familiar warm feeling spread through her body. With a high cry, she orgasmed, her body shuddering in the now-disturbed pond.

Seconds later she felt the warm sticky deposit in her pussy that signaled Urdo's release. As her orgasm shuddered to a close, the goblin raised himself slightly on her, idly toying with her breasts. "Impatient for a bath?" he asked.

"I was going to be on top for a bit. It wasn't to be," she replied.

"That was worth a little work stoppage, wasn't it?"

Tesaiel sighed. "It was good for what it was, Urdo, but I really do have work to do for you that I can't afford to be missing. Sharing your bed at night isn't a problem. Dallying with you during my lunch break isn't a problem. But if you keep calling me away in the middle of the day, things aren't going to get done, and some of those things are going to cost us money."

"Hmm. This isn't just your reluctance, is it."

Tesaiel smiled ruefully. "Those days are long past. We have done the deed so many times that I would have borne you five children by now if elves and goblins could breed."

"Oh, they can. Not easily, and magic usually has to be involved, but they can. One of our greatest heroes was half-elven. He formed a goblin empire that is still remembered today."

"Really? I hadn't known that." She stretched, murmuring a little as he played with one of her nipples. "I hope you're not expecting an heir."

"Not any time soon." The goblin gave his high-pitched chuckle. "Well, Lady Tesaiel, I do have my needs. Which you have proven oh-so-skilled at meeting."

"Of course I have."

"But as much as I love winding up in our current position... me lying sated atop you, my seed filling your noble elven womb..."

"Don't talk dirty, Urdo," Tesaiel said with distaste, raising herself up slightly. "And you can take your organ out of me now."

"...I also value the other work you do for me. So I concede that you probably do need a break during the day." He slid his cock free of her, resting it on her trim patch of red-gold pubic hair, making it damp and spotted with their mingled essences. "How would you feel about someone else to take up the slack?"

"Another accountant? I don't know that two will help much, and that's if we can find one who is honest in the right ways but dishonest enough for our needs..."

"I didn't mean another accountant," the goblin said. "I meant someone for the other duties."

Tesaiel sighed, looking at him sourly. "Oh Urdo. Another wife? Didn't you learn anything from that horrible Graatu?"

"No, no, you misunderstand." Urdo deftly tweaked one nipple with his claws, making her yelp and squirm, sending ripples across the pond. "I'm proposing an assistant for you. An understudy, if you will. Someone you could send in your place when work was too pressing for you to attend me yourself."

"Hmmm." Tesaiel pursed her lips. She had grown surprisingly jealous of her place as the lady of this estate, and she would brook no rival. But something did need to be done, and what Urdo was proposing was not entirely unreasonable... "She would be mine, not yours?"

"Entirely your subordinate."

"Hmm. A few conditions. I get to pick her out. You don't give her gifts; that's my privilege. And she does not come to your bed at night."

"So eager to keep that place for yourself?"

"The lady of the manor entertains the lord when they retire," Tesaiel said primly. "I want it to be clear exactly who the lady is."

"I think it's clear." Urdo leaned down, and put his mouth to one breast. His long tongue slid around one stiff aureola, and Tesaiel gave a long exhalation of breath.

"I'm glad," she murmured, reaching up to lightly stroke the side of his chest. "Sometimes I think you need reminding."

They lay there like that for several long moments, the goblin nuzzling at her breast and the elfmaid caressing him, half in and half out of the water. A dragonfly passed by, floating over them, lingering for a second around Tesaiel's head. She felt a strange sense of peace; a rarity in her hectic life. Perhaps this had been worth the delay.

"I'll go to the slave market tomorrow, and see if they have a suitable girl," she said softly. "If she doesn't work out we can always get rid of her."

"I leave the matter in your hands," Urdo replied. Lifting himself off her, he stood. "I'll be interested to see who you pick."

"They won't be as good as me, but I'll find someone acceptable," Tesaiel said. With a sigh, she pulled herself up out of the pond, sending water streaming down her hips and legs. "Good enough for you to sow your seed in the afternoon, at least."

"That's all I ask." Urdo wandered back to the pergola. "I'm going to meditate a bit out here. Go on back to the house and get back to work."

"Very well. I will see you at dinner." She turned, and made her way to the entrance. A quick glance in the pond told her that he was watching the motion of her body as she went, and she deliberately put an extra sway in her hips until she was out of sight.

She was lost in her own thoughts as she made her way out of the maze. An assistant. What did that bode? Was Urdo tiring of her? He certainly didn't seem to be. If anything, she felt, the opposite. The more time had passed, the easier their relationship had gotten.

Relationship. Tesaiel reflexively grimaced. That was what it was. She couldn't even seriously deny it any more. They were lovers, and not just because of the agreement over Lanthel. She enjoyed going to bed with him at night, enjoyed having him play with and pleasure her body, enjoyed stoking his desire and teasing him. The horror and disgust she had felt over being taken by a goblin had turned into a sort of spice, a delicious knowledge that she was doing something forbidden and enjoying it.

Not least because of the benefits. She loved being lady of the manor and living a wealthy, luxurious lifestyle with fine wines, magnificent clothing, and exquisite jewelry. She loved being a major figure in the organization and running the finances. She loved the krav wolves. Literally, in Fenrir's case. That was probably the most unelven thing possible, yet the thought of it sent little shivers of delight from her dainty neck to a cunt still slimy with goblin semen.

This wasn't how her life was supposed to go. And she ought to be more unhappy about that than she was.

She passed the bench and retrieved her dress, shrugging it on. One had to maintain appearances in public. After adjusting herself, she continued on her way and soon came to the exit.

Fenrir was waiting by the maze entrance. The big krav wolf sat on his haunches, looked at her, and loudly sniffed the air. Then he gave her a wicked, knowing grin, tongue lolling out.

"You know what I've been up to," Tesaiel told him, amused. "Now I've got to get back to work."

She felt a surge of returned amusement from him, along with a certain evil playfulness. With a cheerful growl, he nipped at her heels, causing her to squeal and hurry towards the house. He chased after her, herding her with snaps of his jaws, until they reached the door. Then he poked his muzzle under the hem of her dress.

"No, not now-" Tesaiel's words broke off in a hiss as his tongue slid along her asshole. For several second she leaned against the front door as the alpha buried his snout between her cheeks and tasted her. Then, with his amusement still hanging heavy on the edges of her mind, he turned and trotted away.

Tesaiel slowed her heartrate with a will, and entered the house. She tried to keep her encounters with her pack leader secret. Definitely not out in the middle of the lawn.

Getting back to the scrivener's room, she sat back down at her desk and resumed her work. Time started to slip away as she lost herself in the numbers.

Yet, before she knew it, Egrid was entering the room again. Exasperated, the elf looked up. "Leaf and Branch, Egrid, what is it now? He doesn't want me AGAIN, does he?"

"Nope. How was your little tryst in the bower?"

"Time consuming. Now what is it?"

"Someone's arrived looking to take out a loan from us. They asked to speak to you by name. Normally I'd tell them to go through our normal guy, but she's a noble elf, and I thought you might want to handle it yourself."

Tesaiel frowned. "A noble elf? Yes, I do want to deal with this personally. You did well, Egrid. Is she here now?"

"Yup. I got her cooling her heels in a waiting room." Egrid grinned. "You should have seen her reaction to the krav wolves. I thought she was going to faint."

Tesaiel smiled. "I can only imagine. Delicious. Very well, I'll receive her in the red room. Give me five minutes to prepare, and then send her in."

The half-orc nodded. "Right you are."

Standing, Tesaiel hurried upstairs to her seldom-used rooms, where she combed the grass and twigs from her hair and put on a new dress. She selected a ruby diadem and a matching choker as well; she wanted to make it clear that she was a figure of wealth and power. After examining herself in the mirror, she hurried downstairs to the parlor which was known as the red room for the furnishings and wallpaper.

After a short while, another elven woman entered. She was clad in a rich silver costume of the sort favored in the elven homelands, and her hair was as blonde as Lanthel's. Her figure more closely resembled Tesaiel's, though. The white gems and jewelry she wore enhanced her beauty, which was somewhat marred by the shaken, appalled expression on her face. "Tesaiel. How can you live with those... those THINGS stalking the grounds? They should be put down immediately!"

Tesaiel looked down her nose at the woman and tried not to sneer. "The krav wolves are part of our security, Adriele. They keep the estate extremely safe."

"But you're an elf! They'll EAT you, if they get half a chance. You ought to be ashamed of being in the same employ as them, and for a goblin no less!"

"The krav wolves quite like me. I garden outside regularly with them." Tesaiel smiled unpleasantly, as Adriele's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "As for being employed by a goblin, I would say that's far less disgraceful than coming and begging for money from a goblin. Because that is why you're here, isn't it?"

"You houseless..." Adriele mastered herself with an effort. "I am not here to beg. I simply need a loan. It will be repaid."

"House Avarial's lands are now the property of a horde of randy goatmen, who have butchered any of your retainers they aren't buggering," Tesaiel said with cold mirth. "Your house's wealth was in those lands. How exactly do you propose to repay Mister Urdo? To my knowledge, you are lacking in any useful skills aside from gossip, gown-buying, treachery, and whoring yourself out to well-connected elflords."

"Frigid bitch!" Adriele snarled. "It's well-known you couldn't figure out what to do with a man if you had one, which you never will. Your house is dead and now you're kept in a goblin kennel like one of his wolves. Can you even be called an elf any more?"

"I can be called the person who decides if you get your loan or not," Tesaiel said gently. "The person who has no reason to love you or your treacherous house. You were wrong, dear Adriele. You ARE going to beg. Or you're going to walk out of here with nothing at all."

The blonde elven noble stared at her with absolute hatred in her eyes. Tesaiel met her gaze and smiled. Despite her own fury, this moment was sweet.

"Please extend me the loan," Adriele finally said.

Tesaiel walked over to stand before her. "Kneel, and ask again."

"That's ridicul-"

"Do you want the money or not?"

Slowly, eyes burning, Adriele knelt. "Please extend me the loan."

"Kiss my foot, and beg me."

"You bitch," Adriele whispered, trembling. Then, unwillingly, she dipped her head and hurriedly kissed Tesaiel's slipper. "I beg you for a loan," she hissed.

"Very well." Tesaiel stepped back, took pen and parchment, and sat down at a writing desk. "You have the papers for what you need, and what you have as collateral?"

Wordlessly, Adriele took out a sheaf of parchment and passed it to her. Tesaiel perused it, nodded, and hurriedly drew up a contract.

"We'll give you the money," she said. "There's a repayment schedule, and a not-too-steep rate of interest. If you do pay us back, this deal is quite generous. Better than what most of the more... established moneylenders would have given you. The ones you would have gone to if you thought they'd do business with you."

"I don't believe you," Adriele said flatly.

"Oh, it's true," Tesaiel said cheerfully. "You see, that's if you DO repay us as promised. If you DON'T, we take EVERYTHING. You'll be left without a copper for moldy bread. Oh, it won't be so bad for you, Adriele. You'll find someone who wants to fuck an elf and is willing to feed her in return."

"We will repay the loan," Adriele said with clenched teeth. "And you will regret this, Tesaiel."

"I doubt both of those very much," Tesaiel said scornfully. "Sign here. I can't tell you how happy I am to be a part of the final destruction of House Avarial."

Snatching the quill from her, Adriele read through the document, then signed her name. "Give me my money and escort me out."

"Egrid will take care of that. I have more important things to do than babysit the likes of you. Good day, Adriele. Don't let the krav wolves terrify you TOO much on the way out." Tesaiel smiled unpleasantly. "They can smell fear. It makes them hungry."

Adriele blanched, and hurried out of the room.

Tesaiel leaned back in her chair, exulting in the moment. House Avarial had been allied to House Ordome, and had betrayed them. The treachery had not been the only thing to bring the house down, but it had been a major factor, and Adriele had played her part in it. All the time she had pretended to be friendly with Tesaiel, who had been young and newly a part of Castahar's elven society. Adriele, not much older, had helped her meet people, make connections, and act properly. She had set up an affair between Tesaiel and a handsome elflord. Tesaiel had trusted her, and she had used that trust to gain access to House Ordome and prepare the way for its destruction. The elflord, Lord Andaru, had intended to seduce her, then cast her aside publically... Adriele's idea. It hadn't worked; Tesaiel had been too hesitant, too inhibited, and the destruction of her house had come before the taking of her virginity.

She would exult in seizing everything House Avarial owned in Dylak-Leem, and enslaving the household to pay for any remaining debts. It was a small measure of revenge for what they had done to her.

Still... what Adriele had said rankled. How far had she fallen from the elven way? Very, she knew. Did that really still bother her? Sometimes, yes. But what could be done about it?

Shrugging, Tesaiel got up and returned to the scrivener's room. Egrid came in after a few minutes, shaking her head. "The boys did not like that elf, I'll tell you that. And she didn't like them. I thought she was going to pass out. Or worse, run."

"Did they want to eat her, or..." Tesaiel trailed off delicately.

"Eat. Definitely eat. It wasn't like with you. They wanted to tear her apart."

Tesaiel pictured the pack descending on Adriele, pictured the blonde elven noble going down under a tide of black fur, her silver clothing flying in red-stained shreds as they tore into their meal. She hugged herself, arousal filling her. She had to stop this. "We can't all be good with animals, I suppose."

"She seemed pretty angry leaving, but she got the loan. There a story there?"

"Yes. She's an enemy. She needed this loan to support her lifestyle. They won't be able to pay it back. We're going to take everything they own from them. I made all that clear to her, because I knew she'd sign anyway." Tesaiel smiled. "I enjoyed myself."

"You are a very bad lady, Tesaiel," Egrid told her solemnly.

"You are reasonably bad yourself, Egrid," Tesaiel replied. "With the legbreaking and occasional removal and such."

"Yup. We are both very, very bad." Egrid leaned forward suggestively. "If you want to be bad together, we can shut the door and I can take off your-"

"No."

"But we could be EXTREMELY bad."

"No."

"One of these days, you're going to realize exactly what you're missing," Egrid said confidently.

"Keep telling yourself that if it helps you through the day," Tesaiel told her.

---

The next day, after breakfast, Tesaiel flagged down Egrid. "I'm going to the slave market today. I need an escort. Can you have one of the enforcers waiting by the gate at ten?"

"Sure, no problem. Getting a bodyservant or something?"

"Or something," Tesaiel agreed.

The early morning passed swiftly, and when ten arrived she put on a green and gold riding costume and walked out to the gate. As she shut it behind her, she looked around and blinked.

An elven woman in black leathers was standing against one of the gateposts, two longswords belted to her hip. She was scrawny and gangly in build, all elbows and knees, looking underfed. But what really caught Tesaiel's attention was her face. The right side was that of a black-haired elven woman, a little gaunt but attractive and well-formed. The left side was a blobbish, melted ruin; the eye was gone and the socket fused shut, and dripping flesh had distorted the mouth into a permanent grin.

"Lady Tesaiel?" the elf said deferentially. "Give you good morning. I am Freit, who Egrid Hardtusk has detailed to escort you on your errand. An honor to serve you, lady."

"Ah, thank you, Freit," Tesaiel replied. "Egrid has mentioned you to me. You are from Castahar as well?"

"Aye, lady, though I am not of noble blood. I've lived in the city for some time now. It is not home, but it suits my fortune." Freit shook her scarred head. "And like as not no elf will be willingly dwelling in Castahar for many a long year, now."

"Yes. A foul state of affairs. Even as an exile I feel pain from it." Tesaiel shook her head. "We are going down to the slave market today. Do you know the way?"

"Oh yes, lady, of a certainty."

"Very well. Let us be off, then."

"As you will." They began to walk, Freit staying half a pace behind Tesaiel. The two moved down out of the hillside villas and into the fringes of the temple district.

"Do you follow the elven gods, Freit?" Tesaiel inquired.

"I was a sister of Beloya once," Freit replied, naming the elven goddess of peace. "These days I follow no god."

"I have drifted from their worship myself," Tesaiel said. "I have never been terribly devout, though."

They turned onto Squid Street, and began making their way towards the Spice Market. "You're quite beautiful, if I may say it, Lady Tesaiel," Freit said.

"Why, thank you, Freit. You... you are..." Tesaiel stumbled, trying to find something she could say that would be complementary without being clearly and obviously a lie.

The enforcer laughed. "Green Faith, don't worry about it, lady. I can use a mirror as well as any. I was a beauty once, but once upon a time is not today."

"What happened? Did your house burn?"

"The drocken happened," Freit replied. "They sacked my convent. We sisters were slain or put to vile uses. For me they had a special fate in mind. Do you know the drocken woman drum?"

"No."

"They have a drum. With great ceremony and the darkest sort of magic, they sacrifice a woman atop it. Her spirit is bound to the drum, and after a battle or a raid where a goatman or three falls, they play the drum, and her shade services the spirits of the slain before they depart for whatever afterlife the drocken have. Some drums have ten or twelve women bound to them, centuries old."

"That's horrible!" Tesaiel exclaimed.

"Aye. They tormented me, seared my face half away, bound me to a tree and set a ring of fire about me... goatmen hate fire, that's why they love to use it against their foes, you know... and left me overnight. In the morning it was to be the ceremonial dagger for me. I prayed to Beloya for rescue. Then I prayed for death. The goddess was silent. She had no power. She had abandoned me."

"But you got away."

"Just before dawn, a single goatman walked through the flames. He had covered his legs with the contents of a beehive, but they were still singed. Incredible for a drocken. He cut me down, and carried me out through the fire, and we fled together."

"Why would he do that?" Tesaiel asked, her brow crinkling.

Freit shrugged her shoulders. "He saw me and he fell in love, I think. He's always been cagey about his reasons."

"What happened to him?"

Freit chuckled. "He's back at our lodgings, waiting for me to get off work, the layabout. His name's Naatok."

Tesaiel blinked. "You're still with him? Ah... are you friends, then?" She didn't want to insult the woman with her real question.

"We share a bed, if that's what you mean," Freit was matter of fact. "He's not my type, but I'm his, face and all."

"Oh. Is it a matter of gratitude, then?"

"No. My gratitude is thin, my lady, and doesn't extend to my twat. I'm his woman because he's the only one in this world who actually cares for me. He walked through fire for me." There was a bit of awe in the enforcer's voice. "That's more important than whether or not the sex is good. He doesn't mind if I indulge myself elsewhere, anyway."

"I see." Tesaiel felt a certain kinship, against her expectations. Goodness knows Urdo wasn't her type, either. She was somewhat envious of the woman's ability to talk about her relationship so easily. "What is your type, then? Do you have much success with them?"

"I like beautiful elven noblewomen, my lady." Freit grinned at her. "I have trouble getting in the door, but once I'm inside, they can't stay away."

Tesaiel sighed. "I can see you ARE one of Egrid's."

"You did ask." Freit gave a mock bow. "I blame the convent life. For holy ladies we were quite wicked with each other."

"You seem well armed for a former sister."

"One of my former sisters was a noble duelist before coming to our abbey. She taught me the blades for amusement." Freit whistled. "She taught me all sorts of other things too. I could show you sometime, somewhere private."

"You are forward, Freit," Tesaiel said reprovingly.

"Alas, my lady, I am wonderous forward, I admit it. It's on account of having to watch your magnificent bottom sway as we walk."

Tesaiel just looked at her. "Two Egrids. Leaf and Branch." She sighed.

"Egrid's a grand old woman, for a half-orc. Hell of a fighter. Faster and better technique than a lot of people expect of her. And she's dating an elf, from what I gather."

"Really? Egrid? An elf? She's never mentioned it to me."

"Well, of course she wouldn't, if she's after getting into your pants, as I'm sure she ought to be." Freit nodded. "I can tell you're not the type to go for orc, though. You prefer your own species, I'm wagering."

"Do you think?" Tesaiel asked, amused.

"We could find a quiet spot and find out."

Tesaiel laughed. "I'm busy. We have things to do." They were just entering into the spice market, and Freit moved a little closer as the press of people thickened. "Purchases to make."

"We're to the slave market," Freit observed. "Are you for buying a slave, my lady?"

"Yes," Tesaiel replied. "A concubine, to be precise."

"A concubine? Are you not being pleasured already? That's a crime and a shame, my lady."

"Not for me. It's for Urdo's use."

"Ahhh, the big boss. An important purchase, then." Freit nodded. "You must know his tastes well, if he trusts you to make the selection."

Was she hinting...? It was hard to tell. "I know what a woman needs to please a man. Even a goblin," Tesaiel replied, trying not to give anything away.

Freit simply nodded, eyeing her thoughtfully.

They reached the slave market at the far end of the Spice Market, crowded with buyers. Dylak-Leem practiced punitive slavery rather than hereditary; captives taken in war or criminals or debtors were sold as slaves, either for life or for a fixed term of years. Their children were free. It was a harsh system, but it was harsh to all races and groups equally, at least, insofar as the law was applied equally. Of course, the law was corrupt to the core.

High value slaves were being auctioned on the main block, along with bulk consignments of laborers. Tesaiel avoided this; she didn't have the time to sit through the auctions hoping that a suitable prospect would appear. Besides, she had evil memories of watching Lanthel be auctioned off on that same block, like a piece of meat. Instead, she walked to a small establishment on the square that sold domestic slaves. Urdo owned a significant share of it, and so the organization would get back some of what she spent.

Inside, a human male with a shaven head and a purple robe approached her and bowed worriedly. "Lady Tesaiel. Welcome. I hope there hasn't been a problem with the books? We just sent our numbers in the other week, and our profits were-"

"No, no, Dalton. I'm here to buy, not to interrogate."

The man beamed, looking deeply relieved. "Oh! Of course. How can I assist you today?"

Tesaiel smiled. "I'm looking for a female concubine suitable for a male."

"Of course. Any particular preferences or definite nos?"

"No elves," Tesaiel said firmly. "Or half-elves, for that matter."

"That's just as well, Lady Tesaiel," Dalton replied. "We have none. You seldom get an elven slave, and when you do, they go to the main block so that they can ignite a bidding war."

"I'm aware," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Show me what you do have."

"Very well," Dalton said, bowing. "If you and your escort could follow me, I'll take you in back and show you some selections."

"This ought to be an eyeful," Freit murmured happily.

They were led into the back, through a maze of hallways lined with numbered doors. Dalton took them to one, and opened it. Inside was a small, almost closet-like room with a metal frame at the end. A tall woman with green-brown skin was bound to it. She was nude and gagged.

"This first one is a half-orc, but a really exceptional one," Dalton told her. "She almost got sent to the main block, but they saw her race on the sheet and refused her. No vision bean-counters."

Tesaiel stepped forward and examined her. She was surprised and pleased by what she saw. This woman was well-built, but not nearly so massive or obviously muscular as Egrid, having more of a wiry, well-defined frame. Her skin was smooth and sleek rather than coarse; her breasts were round and perfect, with small crimson nipples. Unlike Egrid, her face had a perfect, triangular human nose that made her quite lovely; she had prominent fangs, but in Tesaiel's opinion that simply gave her an exotic flair. Her hair was long and braided, and a deep black-green. Her pubic mound had been trimmed and the fur cut into the shape of a dagger.

"Not bad," Tesaiel admitted.

"Wouldn't mind defeating her under the sheets," Freit said hungrily. "That's a better dish than Egrid, for certain."

Tesaiel considered. The presence of a second, clearly more attractive half-orc in the household offered all sorts of possibilities to disparage or twit Egrid. How sensitive would Egrid be to that? Given how mercilessly she teased Tesaiel, the elven noble was uninclined to spare her feelings.

She examined the half-orc's body again, noting her build with approval. "May I touch her?"

"Of course."

Tesaiel stooped and sniffed at the woman's privates. She seemed clean enough. Taking two fingers, she pried open the half-orc's labia, causing the woman to thrash at her bonds. Wrinkling her nose, Tesaiel slipped both fingers inside, and experimentally flexed them. Nice and tight, she decided. That was good.

The half-orc was making noises under the gag. Tesaiel slipped out her fingers, straightened, and looked the woman appraisingly in the eye. The half-orc glared back in a way that made her a little uneasy. "Tell me, Dalton, what was she sentenced for?"

"Murder, Lady Tesaiel. A quarrel of some sort."

Hmm. Tesaiel shook her head. "Too dangerous. I want someone reasonably safe."

Dalton nodded. "Understood. Well, let me show you another."

They left the cell, Freit giving a last reluctant glance back at the bound woman. The half-orc's deadly eyes followed them out.

Going down the hall, they came to another small room. "This is a human, Lady Tesaiel," Dalton said as he unlocked the door. "She was the consort to the chief of a gang of ogre bandits, and got sold with the rest of them when they were taken. She's not violent, though; just a little loose in her morals. Should be quite happy having a comfortable place to fuck for her living."

The woman was bound to an identical frame; she was smaller than the half-orc and black-haired, with pale white skin and freckles. Her body was trim, with large breasts that seemed even bigger because of the relative lack of padding elsewhere. Her hair was long and loose, and her pubic hair had been entirely shaved off. In its place was an elaborate ogre tattoo in blue ink.

"Not too bad, for a human," Freit commented. "Not as striking as that last one, but I wouldn't mind making her squeal."

"Hmm." Tesaiel looked the woman in the eyes. She stared back, and thrust her body out suggestively against the frame. Yes, this one was definitely more tractable than the half-orc had been. She seemed eager to be sold and placed in more comfortable surroundings.

"An ogre's whore, you said?" Tesaiel asked.

"Whore, girlfriend, it's hard to say," Dalton replied. "She wasn't a captive, that's for sure."

That was promising in its own way; if she was willing to sleep with ogres, she probably wouldn't mind goblin. Although...

Frowning, Tesaiel knelt and pried the woman's nether lips open. The human made a long, low noise, a moan by the sound of it, and rolled her head back. Tesaiel slid her fingers into her, and the moan rose in volume. She was definitely trying to put on a show.

Tesaiel experimentally flexed her fingers, and immediately confirmed what she'd been afraid of. The woman had taken too many massive ogre cocks over the years; her vagina was cavernous, her cuntal mouth loose and wide. Urdo was better endowed than she would expect a race as relatively small as goblins to be, but his penis would get lost in here; there'd be no purchase for his length to rub against.

She shook her head, removing her fingers and standing. "The ogres have ruined her, I'm afraid. I could fit my arm in her without much friction."

"Wouldn't mind seeing that," Freit muttered happily.

The human woman's cheeks flushed a deep red, and she looked at Tesaiel with obvious chagrin. She made a muffled, protesting noise. Tesaiel ignored her and turned to Dalton. "She won't do. I imagine you'll have trouble unloading her to anyone except another woman or perhaps one of the larger half-orcs."

"I might try offering her to one of the horse and donkey shows," Dalton replied. "It'd be an asset for them."

Tesaiel made a noise of distaste. "I suspect that is about all she is good for, now."

The woman's eyes widened and she began to make furious noises. Turning, they left the room, shutting the door behind them.

"I've got another one I'd like to show you," Dalton said, leading them down a side hall. "She's Castahari, one of the refugees."

"But not an elf?"

"Oh no, Lady Tesaiel, definitely not." He stopped in front of a door, and opened it. "See for yourself."

Tesaiel went in. The frame in this room was smaller than the last two, which made sense because the young woman bound to it was a halfling. She had the deep golden tan that comes from a life spent largely outdoors, and dark brown hair bound up in a loose tail. Her breasts were perky and firm, with large pink tips, and her body was athletic but unmuscular. Her private area was covered with a mop of nut-brown fur, tangled and wild, clearly untrimmed.

Moving closer, Tesaiel studied her closely. Her face was pleasing and a little squirrel-like; there were tear-streaks below her eyes from crying. That wasn't a good sign; then again, given the situation the girl was in, a little crying was understandable. Her eyes followed Tesaiel with a mix of hope, fear, and wonder, and she strained against her bonds a little.

Tesaiel leaned in to check her teeth; nice and white. Stooping, she combed through the tangle of pubic fur to find the halfling's tiny labia. Slowly she inserted two fingers, and heard the girl make a shocked noise and go very still. The elf flexed her fingers, and quickly encountered what felt like the broken remains of a hymen. The pussy immediately clenched back around her fingers, crushing them together. Tesaiel nodded in satisfaction and withdrew them. The young woman was tight, easily tight enough for Urdo's needs. But probably not very experienced, which was a bit of a minus.

Still, Tesaiel did rather like her face. "What was she sentenced for, Dalton?"

"Stealing food, Lady Tesaiel."

Frowning, Tesaiel glanced at him. "I thought you only stocked lifetime slaves?"

"That's correct."

"Lifetime slavery for stealing food?" Tesaiel looked at him skeptically. "Isn't that a little harsh, even for Dylak-Leem?"

Dalton gave a cynical laugh. "Forgive me, Lady Tesaiel, but you're an elf. For you it would be harsh. This one's a halfling. She's lucky she wasn't executed. The bakery she stole from was owned by the judge's brother. The lesser races get enslaved for anything, at whim. I see it all the time."

"That's the truth of it," Freit said soberly. "A halfling with connections can usually get justice... you'll never see them enslave one of the bargemen for anything short of rape or murder, for example... but a lone refugee? The only reason she wasn't executed most likely is that the judge pocketed a good chunk of her sale price to Dalton here."

"That was the impression I got," Dalton agreed.

"I see." Despite her current position, Tesaiel reflected, sometimes she could be painfully naive about how corrupt this city was, in a way that a person born and bred here never would be. "Do you know what she did before she fled here?"

Dalton consulted a parchment. "Cheesemonger. I thought about trying to sell her as a skilled tradeswoman, but she's a bit young to have much mastery and she's comely enough that she'll fetch more as a concubine."

"She IS an attractive little squeaker, aye," Freit said. "I've never had me a halfling girl. They don't have to bend to tongue you, which seems a plus."

"Non-violent, I assume?" Tesaiel asked.

"About as far from violent as you could ask," Dalton replied. "Seems a little timid, but you have to recall she did screw up the nerve to try and steal."

Making a thoughtful noise, Tesaiel turned and regarded the girl again. The halfling gazed back with wide, pleading, fearful eyes.

"I'll take her," Tesaiel said. "Do you have a robe and a collar for her?"

"Of course, Lady Tesaiel," Dalton said, bowing. "Do you wish her to remain gagged, or shall I remove it?"

Tesaiel considered. "Remove it," she decided. "It's best that she become used to speaking properly as soon as possible."

Nodding, Dalton leaned over and unsnapped the ball gag. The halfling took a long breath of air, then looked gratefully at Tesaiel. "Who are you, miss? What's going to happen to me?"

"You will call me 'Lady Tesaiel' or 'Mistress'," Tesaiel told her reprovingly. "You belong to me now. You will be part of my household."

"But... yes, uh, Mistress. Will you feed me?" There was anxiety in her voice.

Tesaiel smiled. "As much as you like. So long as you don't get fat. You don't need to worry about any of that, dear. All you need to concern yourself with is doing as I instruct. I will take care of everything else."

The halfling looked relieved. "Yes, miss... Mistress, I mean."

"What is your name?"

"Petra, Mistress. Petra Cheesemonger."

"Just Petra, now, I think," Tesaiel said. "You won't be practicing your old occupation."

The halfling nodded uncertainly, then noticed Freit. She looked at the enforcer in fascinated horror. "W-w-what h-happened to her?"

Freit made a scary face at her. "This is what Lady Tesaiel will do to you if you're bad."

Petra squeaked and looked like she might faint. Tesaiel sighed, and put a reassuring hand on the halfling's head. "Do not listen to her, Petra. Her misfortune comes from the drocken."

"Dirty goats," Petra muttered, her face screwing up into a scowl. "I don't understand why the army didn't keep them away. I thought my village was safe! They killed... they killed everyone." Her shoulders sagged. "Everyone but me."

"Hush, now," Tesaiel said, soothingly. "That's in the past. You have a new life ahead of you."

"Yes, Mistress," Petra said shyly. "Thank you."

Dalton brought over a plain brown robe, a small brass collar, and a chain leash for it. He unbound the halfling from the frame, and tossed her the robe. "Get dressed," he said briskly. "I'll fit you with the collar when you're done."

Quickly, Petra stretched a bit and shook herself, then put the robe on. "He kept me chained up naked, Mistress," she said accusingly. "And once he brought a MAN to look at me!" She sounded scandalized.

"He's just doing his job. You are a slave now." Tesaiel frowned slightly. "That means you obey your betters, unless I instruct you otherwise. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mistress." The halfling's tone was somewhat subdued.

Dalton quickly and expertly fastened the brass collar around Petra's neck. Attaching the chain, he handed the other end of the leash to Tesaiel. "All yours," he said pleasantly.

"Thank you, Dalton." Tesaiel smiled, then gave the chain a tug. "Come along, Petra."

"I'll send the bill to the manor," Dalton said as they walked out to the front door. "I trust she'll work out for your needs."

"I trust so too," Tesaiel said, allowing just a hint of menace to enter her voice. She was gratified to see both Petra and Dalton look discomfited. "Good day."

They strolled out and began the walk back across the spice market. Petra trotted just ahead of them, occasionally looking back to make sure she was going in the right direction. Tesaiel held her leash and watched the halfling bounce along.

"Like taking a pet for a walk, isn't it?" Freit observed, amused.

Tesaiel smiled. "Petra the Pet. Amusing. You have some little wit, Freit."

The enforcer grinned and bowed. "I thank my lady."

"You support your... man? Is he unwilling to work?"

Freit looked uncomfortable. "He used to work. Unskilled labor mostly. But... Green Faith, my lady, the city's full of refugees, and all of them hating drocken. And the rest of the city's caught their mood. For now, it's best Naatok stays inside."

Tesaiel nodded, understanding. "You're right. That is the wisest thing."

"I think he's going a little stir-crazy, to be honest. He near broke me in two last night when I got home and took my leathers off." Freit grimaced. "Elves were not built for drocken manhoods, that's truth. Too long and too hairy. And I'm small."

"It must be uncomfortable," Tesaiel said delicately. "Do you ever feel embarrassed about it?"

"No. I give not a damn for opinions, my lady. I fuck a goatman and I don't care who knows it. He's a better man than most of them who'd sneer have." Freit looked at her, and Tesaiel found herself having trouble meeting the woman's good eye.

She had to admit that Freit was braver and more honest than she in this regard. The thought of admitting what she was to Urdo before other elves, or even most humans, made her tremble in shame and mortification. But then, she was a noble, with a certain image to maintain. The head of her house. Freit was a commoner, and a disfigured one besides. It was different for her.

Somehow that felt unconvincing.

Petra was looking back, wide-eyed, and eyeing Freit with renewed horror. The enforcer grinned and faked a lunge at the halfling, causing Petra to hurriedly scurry to Tesaiel's side, clinging to her legs.

Sighing, Tesaiel gently pried the halfling off. "Freit, please don't frighten my pet."

"Pardon, my lady."

They walked up Squid Street and into the Temple District. As they passed the shrine of the Rivermaiden, Petra stopped and bowed her head reverently.

"Your patron?" Tesaiel asked.

"One of our gods, Mistress," Petra replied. "Just asking her for help with my new... with what I am now."

"Hah. See what THAT gets you," Freit said with a hint of scorn.

"Very well," Tesaiel said. She gave the leash a short, meaningful tug, and Petra jumped slightly and started moving again.

They cut through the garden of the Temple of Evil Plants to climb up into the hills. "A good place for a stroll of an evening," Freit commented. "I've heard some women dally with the more... friendly plants, though I've never seen it."

"I'm not overly partial to the garden myself... Petra! Get away from that!"

The halfling yelped as the bright-flowered bush she had been inspecting extended barbed tendrils and tried to grab her. Whimpering, she ran back to Tesaiel. "Mistress, Mistress!"

"Stay away from the plants," Tesaiel said sternly. "You'd make a fine snack for them."

Cowed, Petra hung close to them until they cleared the garden. Then, as it gave way to estates and compounds, she bounced ahead. "Look at all the big houses! I've never seen such a thing!"

Tesaiel and Freit exchanged amused glances.

Finally, they arrived at the gate to Urdo's estate. "Well, thank you for your service, Freit," Tesaiel said. "It was very interesting to meet you."

"Honor to serve you and your house, my lady," Freit said, bowing deferentially. Then she straightened, looked Tesaiel up and down, and grinned. "I'm sure I'll see MUCH more of you in the future."

Tesaiel found herself blushing slightly as the double meaning sank in. "You are extremely forward, Freit," she said archly.

"My lady's beauty and magnificence is such that I cannot help myself," Freit replied with every evidence of sincerity. "Please forgive me."

Smiling despite herself, Tesaiel shook her head. "You are forgiven. But mind your place in the future. Petra, come here."

The halfling trotted up. Tesaiel bent down and took hold of her, intending to lift her up to carry for the walk across the lawn.

Two hands took hold of Tesaiel's extended, jutting ass and SQUEEZED. Her mouth flew open and made a strangled noise, and as the hands let go she straightened and whipped her head around, eyes blazing and cheeks scarlet.

Freit was already ambling away, back turned. Tesaiel opened her mouth to say something, then just shook her head.

Opening the gate, she started across the yard, carrying Petra against her shoulder like a particularly weighty sack. The halfling was HEAVY. Two krav wolves immediately came to see what was going on, and Petra gave a panicked cry. "Miss! Look out! Miss!"

"Mistress," Tesaiel corrected sternly. "It's just the krav wolves. They won't hurt me. That's why I'm carrying you. You, they'd have for dinner."

"Please don't drop me, Mistress!" The halfling sounded terrified. "Sun and Song, what kind of place is this? Are we going to stay here?"

"Yes, this is your new home," Tesaiel replied. "You'll live in the big house with me."

"The wolves don't come inside?"

"Not without supervision. You don't need to worry about them, Pet."

Petra buried her face in Tesaiel's shoulder until they were inside and the door was shut. Then she looked up as Tesaiel set her down. "Is this a palace, Mistress?"

"It's a manor," the elf replied. "And I am its lady. Are you hungry?"

"Oh yes," Petra said fervently. "I feel like I've been hungry for months."

"Come along, then." Tesaiel led her into the manor's kitchens, and cut her a plate of sausage, cheese, bread, and a meat pate. Petra's eyes widened as it was placed before her, and without saying a word she began to ravenously devour it.

Tesaiel watched her eat with amusement. Finally, when the plate was clean, Petra sighed happily. "Will you feed me like that every day?"

"Yes, or better. That was just what I can get you in a hurry with the cook off duty. Usually you will eat with us."

"That's wonderful. I don't... I didn't plan on becoming a slave and I didn't want to, Mistress. But I've been hungry, really hungry, with nothing to eat for days, and I'd rather be a slave than do that again. What I really want is to go back to my village. But everyone's dead and the drocken ruined it anyway, so even if I wasn't a slave I can't do that." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Mistress, I don't mean to complain. I'm grateful to you for taking me out of that place, and feeding me, and it'll be fine to serve such a high and splendid lady. This just is not how I expected my life would run."

Tesaiel's lips quirked, and she placed a hand on the halfling's brown-haired head. "I know," she replied, stroking the hair. "This isn't how I expected to wind up, either. But we can't decree our own fate, Pet. We just have to make the best of the positions we find ourselves in. Sometimes they aren't so bad as they seem at first."

"Yes, Mistress. I promise I'll work hard for you. I'm not lazy."

"I'm sure you're not." Tesaiel reached down to fiddle with the collar. "Let me take this off of you, now that we're off the street."

"Thank you, Mistress." Petra sighed as it came free. "What now?"

"Now, we dress you. Come with me."

Obediently, the halfling followed her upstairs to a sewing room, where Tesaiel got down a tape measure and some rolls of fine white fabric. "I'll have an actual dressmaker do something for you in a few days, but this will suffice for now. Take that robe off."

Somewhat hesitantly, Petra doffed it. Tesaiel came over and measured her hips and her bust, making the halfling blush a little. Then the elven noble took shears and a needle, and began to sew.

Petra waited patiently, leaning against her legs as she sat and worked. It took nearly an hour and a half, but finally she was finished. With brisk instructions, she dressed the halfling in a white loincloth that left her thighs exposed, and a white halter that mostly hid her breasts. Tesaiel studied the overall effect, and nodded in satisfaction. "This is what you will wear about the house."

"But Mistress," Petra mumbled. "It shows... it shows pretty much everything."

"Not everything, Pet. But enough. That is after all why I got you."

"I don't understand."

Tesaiel sighed. "You were bought as a concubine, Petra. Do you know what that is?"

"A... I... I think so." The halfling's eyes grew wide. "YOUR concubine, Mistress?"

"Not exactly. You belong to me, but your services will be used by the lord of the manor. You are my understudy, to take my place when I am simply too busy."

"Oh." Did the halfling sound disappointed? Or maybe that was just dismay. "Mistress, I... I don't know if I'm right for this."

Tesaiel nodded understandingly. "What is your sexual history, Pet?"

"My...!" Petra blushed. "Oh Mistress, I can't... I mean, I'm embarrassed..."

"You can tell me. I'm your Mistress. You can tell me anything."

"Oh." The halfling took a deep breath. "Well, I... I sometimes touch myself. Below. Until I... until it happens."

"Is that all?"

"No. Um." Petra fidgeted, growing crimson. "There was another girl I was friends with, and we were both curious, and we couldn't go with a lad and ruin our reputations, so... we... we touched each other. Three times. On the second time we tried kissing while we did it, and on the third time she put her hand in me."

"And did you like it?"

"I... yes, Mistress. I did. I was scared someone would find out, but I liked it. We were both nineteen, miss."

Tesaiel nodded. She had never experimented that way herself, but such things weren't unknown among elves either. She suspected Lanthel had indulged with some of her friends, although she couldn't be sure. "Why only three times, then?"

"Because then the drocken came." Petra's eyes went distant. "When they did, I hid in the storehouse, in one of the cheese-tubs. I could see out, through a crack. My friend, she tried to hide, but... they caught her. It was right in front of me. They tore her clothes off, and they pushed her down, and then they took turns... she screamed a lot. She screamed my name once. I didn't do anything. I was too scared." The halfling's voice was miserable. "When they were... done, one of them took a spear and stuck it right through her. When they left and I finally came out, I had to walk through her blood."

Going over to her, Tesaiel hugged her. "You couldn't have done anything, Pet. They would have just killed you too," she said softly. "That wasn't your fault. It's the fault of the drocken and the people who let Castahar's defence come to such a point. Don't let it weigh you down."

Petra broke out in sobs, and buried her face in Tesaiel's chest. The elven noble held her for a while, making soothing noises and stroking her back.

"I'm sorry, Mistress," the halfling finally mumbled. "I've been thinking about that ever since I fled. Thank you."

"That's all right. Let me clean your face up. We want you to look comely, not tear-stained." Tesaiel took out a handkerchief, and fussed with her face. "There we are. A seductive concubine."

Petra gulped. "Who is the lord of the manor, Mistress? Is he your husband? Is he an elf?"

"A decided no to both of those." Tesaiel's voice was dry and amused. "His name is Urdo. He is a goblin."

"A goblin?! A goblin, Mistress?" Petra's eyes opened wide and she blanched. "You want me to.... with a goblin? Oh, no, Mistress, please!"

"Petra," Tesaiel said reprovingly, "remember that you are my slave. If Urdo is good enough for me, he is good enough for you."

"You don't do that with him, do you, Mistress?" the halfling said in dismay. "Surely not you? Surely you're too fine for that?"

"I do. Every night. And most days. More than I can spare, which is why I have purchased you, Pet."

"But a goblin, Mistress!" Petra's voice was pleading. "The shame of it!"

"Are you telling me I need to be ashamed?" Tesaiel asked her evenly.

Petra cast her head down. "N-no, Mistress," she mumbled.

"That is correct, Petra." She reached over and forced the halfling's head back up to look at her. "You have forgotten your place. NOTHING that I do is too lowly or disgraceful or shaming for you. NOTHING."

"Yes, Mistress! I'm sorry, Mistress!"

"You are new, Pet, so I forgive these conceits of yours. You have been through a lot and I want you to be as comfortable and happy here as possible. But your main job is to service Mister Urdo sexually when I tell you to. That is going to be your new life, and the sooner you accept that the easier this will be for us both."

"Yes, Mistress," Petra whispered. "I'm just afraid."

Tesaiel sighed. Why couldn't she have found a randy slut instead? "I will come with you the first time," she promised. "You don't need to worry with me there. I will make sure he's gentle."

Petra blushed. "I-in front of you?"

"You have no secrets from me, Pet. You need to understand that. You are mine. You need have no modesty about coupling in front of me. Since it is my job to keep Mister Urdo's desires satisfied, how you pleasure him is of great importance to me. If you do not do your job, then I am failing in mine. And I do not like to fail."

"I'll do my best, Mistress," Petra said bravely. "I want you to be pleased."

"That is all I ask." Tesaiel said, patting her on the head. "Let's go and work on the books, now. You can nap next to me while I write."

---

The next few hours were spent peacefully in the scrivener's room. Tesaiel worked steadily at the books, the sound of her busy quill filling the room with a low scratching. From time to time she would have Petra fetch a ledger from the shelves, or run to the kitchen for a glass of weak cider, or shut the door when Egrid and one of the maids got into an argument in the hall. The rest of the time, the halfling sat by her feet, dozing.

Tesaiel observed several times that she needed to think of things that Petra could do when she wasn't performing her main function. She knew from experience how boring a concubine's life could be when you weren't on your back. It had made her early days here at the manor a lot harder, and they had been extremely hard.

Would it be harder or easier for Petra? The halfling was a follower, not a leader; she didn't have Tesaiel's unshakable self-confidence and sense of self-worth. That might make it easier for her to accept her new role, or it could give her nothing to fall back on and leave her completely broken.

She was going to have to give Petra a lot of support, Tesaiel decided. She had taken a liking to the halfling and was already feeling somewhat protective of her, to the point where she was somewhat tempted to just go get another slave for Urdo and leave Petra as her own pampered maid. She dismissed that out of hand. Life could be difficult sometimes, and if Tesaiel could do it, Petra could too. As she had found, you got used to it.

Eventually, Egrid came in. "Hey, Tesaiel. Hello, little one. What's her name?"

"She's named Petra," Tesaiel said proudly. "What do you think?"

Egrid examined her critically. "Not bad for a halfling. Not as fine as that Callia, but still pretty hot. Too small for me, of course."

"Of course," Tesaiel agreed. "Pet, this is Egrid."

The halfling gazed up at her. "Hello, Miss Egrid. Are you an orc?"

"Half-orc, half-human," Egrid told her. "All woman. Want to see my longsword?"

"No, thanks," Petra said politely.

"I have yet to find a halfling who likes blades," Egrid said. "Pity. Anyway, Tesaiel, the boss is in guest bedroom two and would like to see you or your assistant."

"Understood," Tesaiel said. "Come along, Petra."

"Yes, Mistress."

They proceeded out of the room, waved to Egrid, and then ascended the staircase. Petra looked nervous, and Tesaiel fought an urge to pat her on the shoulder.

Finally, after going down a set of halls, they came to the bedroom door. Tesaiel rapped on it and opened it without waiting for a reply. They went in.

Urdo was sitting on the wide bed in his red lounging robe. He gave them what Tesaiel thought was intended as a friendly smile. "Lady Tesaiel. Is this your new assistant?"

"Yes, Urdo. Petra, step forward so he can see you."

The halfling did, staring at him as she did. Her knees were shaking a little.

Urdo examined her, and nodded. "A halfling. Well, about my size, and I can't fault her looks. And it'll be a novel change." He looked at her quivering legs. "In more ways than one."

"I-I thought goblins were smaller," Petra said hesitantly. Urdo was slightly bigger than her, and his frame was much heavier.

"The shadow goblins are. They're smaller than a halfling. Not nearly as civilized as us forest goblins, either. And I can't say we're particularly civilized." He laughed a high-pitched laugh. "Most of us. Some of us are fairly cultured."

Tesaiel just gave him a smile that was not quite an incredulous sneer. Urdo looked at her a little sourly.

"Are you and my Mistress...?" Petra couldn't quite seem to say it.

"Having sex? Oh yes. So much that you were bought to give her a break. Not a complete break, though. I still intend to keep her up much of the night." Urdo glanced over at Tesaiel. "Why are both of you here? Which one am I getting?"

"Petra will be servicing you. But since this is the first time, I'm going to be present to make sure she's comfortable."

Urdo just looked at her. "What are you going to do, hold her hand?"

"Could you, Mistress?" Petra asked pleadingly.

"Of course, Pet." Tesaiel smiled at Urdo, who was looking a bit incredulous. "We all have to start somewhere, Urdo."

The goblin sighed, and opened his robe. "I'm starting to regret this already. Do you want to stage manage this entire screw?"

"I think that I'd better," Tesaiel said. "Petra, take your clothes off."

With some reluctance, the halfing let her halter and loincloth slip to the floor. She stood in the middle of the room, shivering, staring at Urdo's half-erect member.

"Come get on the bed with me," Tesaiel instructed. She led Petra over to the bed and climbed on it, then sat down crosslegged to lean against the headboard. "Lie down on your back and rest your head in my lap."

Obediently, Petra did. Her brown hair spilled across Tesaiel's lap, and she looked up anxiously at the elf. Tesaiel smiled, and ran a hand along her brow. "That's good, Pet. Now, reach both your hands up over your head."

Stretching, the halfling did, causing her pert breasts to jut up from her chest. Tesaiel took both the hands in her own, squeezing them gently, but also holding them in a firm grip. "Go ahead and get on the bed, Urdo."

The goblin did. He looked down at the halfling's sprawled, naked body and smiled. "For me?"

"In a second," Tesaiel told him. "She's going to be dry, most likely. Use your tongue." She knew from personal experience that this was the fastest method Urdo had of inducing lubrication in a woman.

"If I can find it in all that hair," Urdo muttered. Then he bent his head to Petra's crotch.

The halfling stiffened and then gasped. "W-what is he- OHHH! Mistress! He's putting his tongue in my...! Oh no!" She started to get up, but Tesaiel kept a firm grip on her hands, keeping her head in the elf's lap.

"Keep still, Pet," Tesaiel said soothingly. "He's getting you ready."

Petra whimpered. "Mistress, it feels... Oh, oh... it feels... hold my hand, Mistress..."

"I'm holding your hands, Pet. You're doing fine."

The halfling gave a deep moan, her cheeks scarlet. She writhed as the goblin ate her out, and Tesaiel sat there and stroked her hands. After a time, Urdo raised his mouth. It was damp.

"She's already wet," the goblin said. "Faster than you."

"It can take a lot to please me," Tesaiel said pleasantly.

"I'll remember that for tonight." Urdo reached down, and took hold of both of Petra's legs. "Enough preparation?"

"Yes," Tesaiel said. "Go ahead."

Smiling, Urdo pried the halfling's tanned thighs apart. Petra made a noise of dismay, and tossed her head back and forth. "Mistress! Mistress!"

Tesaiel squeezed her hands. Urdo edged forward on his knees, and put the tip of his purple-green penis to the fur-shrouded, tiny opening between the halfling's legs. Then, with a chuckle, he pushed it inside her.

"AHHHHHH! Oh gods! Mistress!" Petra's eyes bulged, and her mouth worked as Urdo's member slid deeper and deeper into her. "He put it in! He really put it in!" She sounded amazed and horrified by that.

"Gods of Darkness, she's tight," Urdo breathed, as he lowered his weight down onto her. His face now was only a short distance from Petra's. "She's squeezing my manhood off."

"Go slow with her," Tesaiel asked, rubbing the halfling's clenching hands. "Make sure you don't hurt her."

"I'll try. No promises." With studied restraint, Urdo lay atop Petra and began to fuck her with a slow, unhurried stroke. The halfling gasped and cried out, squirming and wriggling under the wiry green body pinning her to the bed. The goblin's buttocks pumped between her splayed thighs, and she bounced a bit with every thrust.

"Mistress! Oh gods, a goblin! Mistress, it feels..." Petra threw back her head and let out an animal cry. "Oh, Mistress! Hold my hands!"

"I've got you, Pet," Tesaiel told her, squeezing her hands tightly. "You're doing fine."

Urdo reached down and fondled the halfling's breasts. His claws played with the over-large tips, and Petra thrashed anew. "She's got a fine body," the goblin breathed, not slowing his thrusts. "Forgot what it was like to have someone my size."

"I am the tall one of us," Tesaiel agreed.

Petra was panting now. Her eyes were closed. "Mistress," she moaned. "Oh Mistress." She pushed her head back into Tesaiel's lap, grinding it against her. "Oh gods, oh gods, oh, oh, OHHHHHHHHHH!" Her tiny body arched, pressing up against Urdo, and she spasmed. Her hands tightened around Tesaiel's like they wanted to crush her fingers. A strange noise came from her mouth.

"Comes like a fountain, too," Urdo observed. "That was quick." He began to increase his rhythm as the halfling's climax contorted her tiny body. Petra began to emit a panting, gasping wail as her small slit was pounded with increasing force by the green-purple goblin rod. Her chest heaved, jiggling her twin mounds as Urdo's clawed fingers kneaded them.

"Oh no. Oh no," Petra moaned. "A goblin. Oh Mistress, I did it for a goblin. I feel... what will people say?" She cried out as Urdo quickened further still.

Tesaiel's face twisted a bit. What would people say? What would they say if they knew that she had given her body to Urdo in just about every way imaginable? That the noble elf, heir to a long and high lineage, nightly panted and moaned under her ugly, squat goblin master, begging him to fuck her harder? Humiliation rose up like bile in the pit of her stomach.

She mastered it, and just stroked Petra's hands some more. "Mister Urdo is a very powerful person, Petra. You should be honored. And you don't have to tell anyone else if you don't want to. In fact, it would be best if you didn't. Affairs of the bedroom should stay private."

"He's going too fast," Petra whimpered. "I feel... it's sore now with the pleasure... hold me, Mistress..."

"Try not to hurt her, Urdo," Tesaiel said reprovingly.

"Grish'nag, woman, I'm treating the wench with kid gloves," Urdo panted irritably. "She's tight as a drum and getting more so. I'm almost there."

Petra cried out, and tossed her head wildly. Urdo, his breath coming quickly, bore down on her even harder, then flung his head back, mouth opening in a silent cry. The halfling's eyes shot open, bulging, as he stopped his thrusts and lay atop her, straining.

"He did it in me," Petra babbled. "It's sticky. It's hot. He did it inside of me!"

"Damn right I did," Urdo said, lifting himself off her chest. He gave one breast an affectionate pat, and then slowly pulled his dripping penis out of her. A string of white-green cum lingered between the tip and her open, diminutive cunt before breaking and falling to decorate her damp pubic bush. "Consider yourself broken in."

Tesaiel let go of Petra's hands and stroked her brow. "You see, Pet? That wasn't so hard."

"Am I going to have a goblin baby now?" Petra murmured, her eyes wide.

Tesaiel glanced up at Urdo. "Do I need to have her on some sort of alchemist's draught?"

The goblin shook his head. "Goblins have been trying to impregnate captive halflings for centuries without luck. You can't even manage the trick with magic. It's weird. You can breed them with some animals, but not with most humanoids."

"You know far too much about this, Urdo," Tesaiel said with mild disapproval.

"I'm well-read." He grinned. "We're done here. She needs seasoning, but I can give her that. She'll make a nice change of pace. For those times when I feel like fucking a woman who isn't a demigod come down from the heavens."

Tesaiel smiled. "You describe me well." Taking Petra by the shoulders, she helped her sit up. "Get your clothing on, Pet."

"I'm all sticky," the halfling said, flushing. "He shot his... his stuff is all inside my... it's a mess, Mistress."

"You can bathe later," Tesaiel said. She didn't mention that the halfling smelled like sweat and sex; the unmistakable scent of a woman who has just been satisfied carnally. "We're going to go finish the ledgers now."

"Yes, Mistress," Petra replied. She dressed, and they made their way out and down the halls.

"This is going to be your job from now on," Tesaiel said as they walked. "I know it's... difficult at first, but you'll adjust."

"He wasn't as brutal as I was afraid he'd be," Petra said shyly. "I was afraid it was going to be like... like my friend and the goatmen. But it felt sort of... I did it, you know, the special thing, the little death. I hadn't expected that. Not with a goblin. It would have been better if I hadn't been so afraid and... uh, embarrassed."

"Everyone's afraid, their first few times," Tesaiel said. "As you gain experience, the more relaxed you'll get."

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you for holding my hand." The halfling blushed. "It really helped."

"That's all right, Pet." Tesaiel patted her head. "You belong to me, and I will take care of you. Just do as you are told, and it will all be fine."

"Yes, Mistress."

---

Dinner that night was a cheerful affair. Urdo and Tesaiel both were pleased, Egrid seemed amused by their pleasure, and Petra nearly fell over with delight upon seeing the table of food. The little halfling gorged herself until Tesaiel, worried that she would become sick, made her stop.

"Oh Mistress, will it be like this most nights?" Petra said happily, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach.

"Yes," Tesaiel replied, taking a measured forkful of her strawberry tart.

"The Rivermaiden DID answer my prayers," Petra said, eyes shining. "This is like a dream."

"That's halflings for you," Egrid said, amused. "Don't let her get fat."

"Oh, she'll get plenty of physical activity," Urdo promised. Egrid chuckled.

After dinner, upon being quizzed, Petra was given a wooden flute and played some simple Castahari village melodies for them. Urdo and Egrid discussed business matters, and Tesaiel finished a few last accounting details. Then it was time to retire.

Tesaiel led Petra up to a bedroom, and showed her the bed and a small bathing tub. "Clean yourself, Pet, and then go to bed. I'm going to lock you in, this first night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Can't I sleep with you, Mistress?" The halfling sounded a bit unhappy.

"No. I sleep with Mister Urdo, in his bed. You sleep in yours."

"Yes, Mistress. Good night."

"Good night, Pet."

Locking the door, she walked down the hall to Urdo's chambers and let herself in. "I think that went well," she said, walking over to the drinks cabinet to pour two glasses of wine. "She just needs time."

"She is very fucking skittish," Urdo said, lounging in bed. He was already nude. "And she seems incredibly unworldly."

"Well, she's just past nineteen, and from what I gather she spent her short life making cheese in a small Castahari village," Tesaiel said. She took off her dress, then picked up the two glasses and got in bed. "That's not exactly a recipe for sophisticated decadence." She handed him one glass, and took a long sip from the other.

Urdo swirled the wine for a second, then took a drink. "Unlike the most sophisticatedly decadent Baroness Emerald Moon."

"Sophisticated, yes. Decadent?" She laughed. "Perhaps, these days. Not when I first came here."

"Were you a virgin when I first had you?" Urdo asked, sounding curious. "I've wondered that a few times."

"No. Not exactly. Sort of." She looked away. "There was an elf. He had... ignoble intentions. It only went so far. But it went far enough to... disgrace me, if it were known. That was the intention. But it wasn't needed."

"A noble elflord, proud and handsome, of impeccable bloodline?"

"Yes."

"And instead, here you are, with me." He gave her a cynical smile. "Quite a step downward."

Tesaiel was silent for a long time. She stared at her wine, then took a drink. "You are a lowly, vile little goblin and a jumped-up thug, Urdo, and you are so far beneath me that words cannot express the distance adequately. But I would much, much rather have sex with you than with him."

Urdo's expression was first startled, then unreadable. "I don't know if I've been complemented or insulted."

"Perhaps both," Tesaiel told him. "Does it matter? You have my services, either way."

"So I do," Urdo said. He sipped his wine. "I remember the night you first came here, drinking wine with you. In between bouts. You were so indignant." He chuckled. "I thought I would break you pretty quickly, but it didn't work out that way."

"No, it didn't," Tesaiel agreed. "I believe I may be the one who has broken you."

Urdo's eyes gleamed. "Do you think so, Lady Tesaiel? You might be surprised. Just because I let you have a slave, don't forget the terms of our bargain."

"As if I could." She smiled at him. "But aren't my terms better, Urdo?"

"And what are your terms?"

She took a sip of wine. "To be the lady of this manor." She set the glass down on the nightstand. "Your lady."

He slowly grinned, and set his own glass aside. "And what would that make me?"

"The lord, of course. My lord." She placed a teasing finger on his breastbone. "Not particularly noble or handsome, but very... vigorous."

"And as the lord, of course, I have an obligation towards my lady."

"Of course."

"To please her."

"Of course."

"To satisfy her."

"Definitely."

"To make her body quiver as I... yes, like that?"

"Oh gods, Urdo, keep doing that."

"Does my lady like that?"

"Yes. Oh yes."

"Is my noble lady of the manor ready to spread her legs now?"

"Yes, my lord. Come inside your lady... there. Oh yes... mmmm."

"You're not as tight as your slave, my lady."

"But I'm much better."

"You are. You are."

"And does my lord like... this?"

"GODS, woman! That's... do that again!"

"Like this?"

"Tesaiel, you shameless elven... you're incredible."

"I am. Harder, Urdo. Make me yell a bit."

"You want to yell?"

"Oh... oh gods! Oh, URDO. You filthy goblin, you. Like that!"

"Does my lady want me to fuck her like this all night?"

"Yes, my lord... yes..."

"And for years to come?"

"Yes. Yes. Oh gods, keep going! Please!"

"The night is young, my wicked lady. The night is young."

---

The next morning dawned grey and cloudy. Tesaiel ate her breakfast, amused by Petra's continual wonder and delight at the table Urdo laid, and then proceeded to the scrivener's room. She stopped by the library to fetch a simple vocabulary primer.

"How much can you read, Petra?"

"Not much, Mistress. A few words. Mostly to do with cheese."

Tesaiel tsked. "I want you to study this book. It has pictures linked to words, and a few examples of sentences. I want you able to read before the year is out."

"I'll try, Mistress." The halfling looked dubious.

The next few hours passed pleasantly enough, with Tesaiel swiftly going through reports and Petra studying at her feet, her small squirrelly face screwed up in concentration. From time to time Tesaiel sent her slave to run an errand in the manor, fetching an object or carrying a message to someone.

Eventually, though, what Tesaiel had been waiting for happened, and Egrid arrived. "Hey, guys. Boss wants some special service."

"Very well." Tesaiel nodded to the half-orc. "Petra will go to him."

"Oh Mistress, aren't you coming too?" Petra asked anxiously.

"No, Pet. The whole point of this is to not interrupt my work. I sat in with you the first time, but now you know what is expected of you, and that it's nothing to be afraid of. You can tell me about it when you come back."

"But..."

"Petra," Tesaiel said sternly.

"Yes, Mistress." The halfling wrung her hands.

Egrid patted the tiny slave on her head. "Follow me, Petra. Tesaiel will be waiting when you're done."

They departed, and Tesaiel frowned, biting her lip with a bit of worry. Hopefully this went well, and Urdo was pleased and Petra not too frightened. Perhaps she should have kept looking until she found a girl who was used to giving her body to men? But that would have meant leaving Petra in Dalton's slave pens, bound to a rack in a cell. That thought was distressing; she was just going to have to hope the halfling girl adjusted before too long, for both their sakes.

She tried to focus on the ledgers as she waited. It seemed to take forever.

Finally, though, Petra ran back into the room, her clothing poorly-donned and off center. Whimpering, she ran over and clutched at Tesaiel's legs. "Oh, Mistress, Mistress!"

Sighing, Tesaiel felt her heart sink. "What is the matter, Petra? How did it go?"

"Oh Mistress! The goblin! He... he put it in my BOTTOM!" Petra wailed. "That's dirty! And it hurt, Mistress!"

"Oh Pet, I am sorry," Tesaiel said, stroking her hair. She felt a surge of anger rising in her. What in the hells was Urdo thinking? He didn't even LIKE anal, from her experience with him. "I will talk with him and ask him not to do it again." She had thought he had enough sense to be uncreative and gentle the first few times. Then again, he was a goblin. It still pissed her off.

The halfling was still whimpering. "Did you do a good job anyway?" Tesaiel asked.

"Yes, Mistress," Petra said. "He did it in me. He said I was almost too small for him. I WAS too small for him!" She rubbed at her butt. "I didn't even have any pleasure, except for a bit at the end."

"That is a shame," Tesaiel said. "Well, you are done for the day. I'll answer any other requests today myself."

"Oh, Mistress. I can go again," Petra said, anxious. "I can't have you go instead of me, and you so fine and all." The thought seemed to distress her.

"You let me worry about that, Pet." Tesaiel smiled. "Now stop sniffling, and return to your studies."

"Yes, Mistress," Petra replied obediently, settling down at her feet.

Only an hour passed before Egrid returned. Tesaiel looked up in irritation. "Again? Already?"

Egrid grinned. "Hey, peace, Tesaiel. That's not why I'm here. We have a letter for you."

The elf frowned. "A letter? From who?"

"It doesn't say. See for yourself." Egrid passed her a letter written on good stationary.

Tesaiel scanned it and frowned. "Someone claims to have urgent news concerning the refugees in the city that will be of great profit to myself and the organization. They want to meet at a location in the city."

Egrid frowned. "A scam?"

"I don't think so. The letter uses terms and phrases from Castahari literature. Things an educated person from Castahar would know, but nobody else except maybe a bard or a sage specializing in literature." Tesaiel drummed her fingers on the table. "I don't think I can ignore this. It may be important. Can you get me an enforcer to serve as an escort?"

"Yeah, of course," Egrid said. She looked uneasy. "You sure you want to go yourself? I can get you a couple enforcers, if you like, not just one."

"If I show up with an army, it might scare them off," Tesaiel replied. "They sound like they want to keep this low-key and quiet."

"Well... all right. Give me an hour, and I'll get someone." Egrid nodded to her, and hurried off.

Tesaiel looked down at Petra. "I am going to be going out in an hour, Pet. I shouldn't be long. Just continue your studies."

"Yes, Mistress."

The hour passed peacefully, and at the close of it, Tesaiel put on a riding costume in dove-colored grey and walked out of the manor. As she exited the gates, she spotted a familiar figure, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Hello, Freit."

The mutilated elf bowed. "My lady."

"Are you to escort me again?"

"Of a certainty, Lady Tesaiel. I'm told this trip is of a far more suspicious odor than the last we took, so please try to stay behind me should any trouble arise."

"Of course," Tesaiel replied. "I don't anticipate there will be any, but one never knows."

"Indeed," Freit said neutrally. "That's why I always anticipate it."

"Some would call that paranoia."

Freit grinned. "Aye, but, my lady, paranoia is healthy in a bodyguard, do you see."

Tesaiel smiled. "I suppose you are right. Come, let us be off."

They made their way out of the hillside estates and down into a mercantile part of the city. Tesaiel glanced over at her guardian; Freit's disfigured face was calm, alert, her one eye watchful. "We're to meet someone about the Castahari refugees."

"Oh, indeed? There are certainly enough of them in the city." Freit did not sound thrilled about this. "Many of them angry and desperate."

"I know. It pains me to see it. This would not have happened in my father's day." Tesaiel felt a long buried core of rage flare. "The great ones of Castahar have much to answer for. They have failed their people."

"I'll not argue there," Freit said. "You're of House Ordome, my lady?"

"I am the head of the house, in fact."

"I see. My sympathies. We heard about what happened even in the convent. A disgrace, my lady. Treachery and foul dealings."

"Yes," Tesaiel said evenly. "But no different from the games the elven nobility have played for centuries. Civilized, graceful, and ruthless at the heart of it. My house... forgot that last. We were, if you forgive me saying it, so caught up in the elven virtues that we forgot that if one ignores the elven vices, one cannot survive. And so an ancient and powerful house was pulled down by jackals."

Freit shook her head. "Sometimes I am happy to be of the commons."

"I thought you preferred beautiful elven noblewomen?"

"To bounce and squeal, aye. Not to be." The enforcer grinned at her.

Tesaiel just shook her head disapprovingly.

The ways of the city that they passed through grew steadily narrower and more squalid. By the time they turned down a shadowed lane, Freit was walking very close to Tesaiel. "They picked a poor neighborhood for a meeting," the enforcer muttered.

"I will not argue," Tesaiel agreed.

The lane was a dead end. Tesaiel looked about for the address, frowning. "I don't see the number..."

"My lady," Freit said warningly. Tesaiel turned. A small mob of human men were walking down the lane towards them, with knives and clubs. They wore gang colors.

"There she is, boys," the lead one said; a scarred, heavyset man with thinning hair. "Kill the freak-faced bitch. Take the pretty elf alive so's we can all have a turn with her before we kill her. That's the deal."

"Stay behind me, my lady," Freit said flatly. Her two longswords leaped from their sheathes. "My apologies for the trouble."

"Be careful," Tesaiel said tightly.

Freit gave a cold chuckle, and then suddenly blurred forward in an explosion of speed that took everyone in the lane by surprise. Her blades lashed out in a rotating vortex of death, killing three of the gang members before they even fully knew they were being attacked. The others recoiled for a second in shock, then gave savage yells and rushed her en masse.

Freit dodged a club aimed at her head. The movement led into her putting one sword through a man's stomach. She used the other blade to parry a knife thrust while she yanked the first free, then leaped back in a somersault. Landing on her feet, she lunged forward, skewering a thug through a lung. Four gang members converged on her, and she parried attacks for a few seconds, taking a light cut across her stomach that did little more than score her leathers. Then she cut down one of her opponents, darted to the side, and dashed at the leader. Alarmed, he brought his club up. Her attack beat it aside and then took him in the throat.

Two of his lieutenants now closed in on her, their own weapons swinging. Freit hopped back, and then forwards again in an unexpected motion. She cut one man's legs out from under him, and turned to the other. He backed frantically away.

"Freit! Look out!" Tesaiel screamed. A man had snuck up behind her, and brought his club down. Cat-quick, the disfigured elf twisted aside; the club glanced off her shoulder, making her hiss in pain but doing little real damage. She killed him in three quick strokes, and then turned to face the remaining men.

The surviving gang members wavered, hesitated, and then fled.

Spitting, Freit walked over to Tesaiel. Her good eye was blazing. "Are you all right, my lady?"

"Yes," Tesaiel said, fighting to keep her voice even. Her heart was pounding in her chest; her entire body was tingling with the adrenaline of fear. "Thank you."

Freit moved closer. Tesaiel felt her enter her personal space, and swallowed. The enforcer's ruined face smiled at her, eye alight with what she had just done. "May I have a kiss for my reward, my lady?"

Without knowing what else to do, Tesaiel leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on her good cheek. Freit grinned. "Well, it's a start." The enforcer stepped back, and then motioned her to move. "Let's get you out of here, my lady. This was clearly a trap."

"Yes. One I walked into." Tesaiel silently cursed herself. She should have listened to Egrid and brought at least three enforcers with her. As it was, she would have been gang-raped and then unceremoniously killed if Freit hadn't proven to be so unexpectedly deadly with her blades. "Let us be off."

They hurried out of the lane, and slipped through the streets at a fast trot, taking a different path than the one they had come by just in case. Tesaiel's heart didn't stop pounding until they reached the Shadow Maiden Bridge over the Kesarde River; from atop it, they could see and be seen by the crowds on the embankments, including several detachments of the city watch. The neighborhood on the other side was upscale, respectable merchants for the most part. Pursuit seemed unlikely.

She slowed, and leaned over the iron railing, catching her breath. "You have a fearsome sword, Freit. You cannot tell me you learned that in a convent."

The enforcer gave a short bow. "I hate to contradict my lady, but in point of fact I did. I was taught by Countess Westvale, who had retired from the world for contemplation."

Tesaiel's eyes raised. The Countess had been esteemed one of Castahar's foremost masters of the sword. "That seems out of character for her, although it certainly helps explain your skill."

"She loved the blade, my lady, but by that point her fame was such that young fools seeking glory would hunt her out and challenge her to a duel, and sometimes she would be obliged to kill them. The constant wastage of young life gradually sickened her to the point where she felt it best to remove herself from play."

"Understandable," Tesaiel murmured. "So, in the convent, she saw your talent and made you her disciple, to pass down her secrets?"

Freit laughed long and hard. "Oh my lady," she said, "it wasn't quite like that. I was bent over a row of herbs in the garden one day when she saw me, and came up to me. 'You've a lovely ass for a peasant maid,' quoth she. 'Step into the bushes with me.' I did, and fifteen minutes later she says, 'I must go now, my pretty little slut, but if you come to my chambers tonight, we can have some more fun, and I'll teach you some tricks with a blade above your station besides.' That was my teacher."

Tesaiel colored slightly. "I see."

"The drocken killed her, of course, but they didn't take her alive and she piled up a small mountain of their corpses before they finally brought her down with arrows." Freit sighed. "A bad end for an interesting woman."

"Do you think Castahar can be retaken?" Tesaiel asked.

Freit hesitated, then shook her head. "No, my lady. Not without massive foreign involvement. It belongs to the goatmen and their minotaur masters now."

"That is what I feared." Tesaiel looked moodily at the water. "I feel as though I am losing my lands a second time."

"A great deal lost," Freit said soberly. "For all of us who sprung from that soil."

"Yes. And now this... I would call it an assassination attempt, but that seems too sophisticated a word for it."

Freit sneered. "A waylaying, my lady. Somebody wanted you dead, but even more liked the idea of you on your back for a pack of filthy human thugs. Somebody hates you."

"Yes." That raised suspicions, but Tesaiel's mind shied away from them in disbelief. "Thank you for your protection."

Freit bowed. "Only my duty, my lady. Egrid would have my ass were anything to happen to you."

"Very likely." She straightened. "Let us get home."

The walk back was silent and uneventful, and at the gate Tesaiel turned and waved to Freit. "Thank you again, good Freit."

The enforcer grinned, her ruined half-face giving it an evil look. "I'm sure you'll find some way to reward me, my lady."

"Didn't you already have your reward?"

"It only whetted my appetite for more." Freit winked her one eye at Tesaiel, and looked her up and down. "Much more."

The elven noble sighed. "Freit, you are still extremely forward."

"My apologies, my lady. You bring it out in me, you do. Do not think too unkindly of me."

"You are forgiven. For your valor." Smiling, Tesaiel entered the gate, and then strode across the lawn to the manor.

Petra was waiting in the foyer, and ran over to embrace her round her legs. "Oh Mistress, you're back! I wanted to go watch for you in the yard, but the wolves..." She shivered.

"Yes, the wolves would have you for a snack." Tesaiel frowned. "I don't like the potential for accidents there, long-term. I'm going to have to have you mate with one of them."

The halfling's eyes grew wide and horrified. "M-mate? With an animal? Oh no, Mistress, surely not! Surely not!"

Tesaiel patted her on the head. "Not for some time, Pet. Do not worry about it."

Still looking alarmed, the halfing simply nodded and followed after her as she went to Egrid's station. The half-orc glanced up as Tesaiel swept in. "How did it go?"

"It was a trap. A gang of men tried to rape and murder me. Freit dealt with them."

"Fuck!" Egrid snarled, slamming her hand down. "The boss is going to be extremely unhappy with me. I'M extremely unhappy with me. I've started taking you too seriously." She looked at Tesaiel in a less than friendly fashion. "From now on, you don't go out on organization business without at least four enforcers, one of which is me, Freit, or Kelmi. Understood?"

Tesaiel bit her lip; this wasn't a tone she was used to hearing from Egrid. She had gotten used to thinking of the half-orc as her servant, a role that Egrid was usually happy to play. This was a rude reminder that their real status was far more equal and not always to Tesaiel's favor. "I understand."

"Good." The half-orc brooded. "Do you have any idea whose charming notion this was?"

"I have... a possibility. But I don't want to believe it. It was a gang; the surviving members will probably know more."

Egrid nodded. "I'll get the details from Freit. We'll bring in the survivors and make them squeal their soon-to-be-removed-with-hot-pokers guts out. If all goes well, I'll have a name for you by tomorrow."

"Good." Tesaiel smiled coldly. "Then we can remove them."

"Yeah. If they were stupid enough to fuck with the organization, they're stupid enough to try again." Egrid sighed. "Stupid people, Tesaiel, make up the majority of my workload. The smart ones usually avoid getting to the point where I need to be called in. It's always the dumbfucks that you need enforcers for."

"This city is not undersupplied with stupid people," the elf agreed.

"Which includes both of us, today," Egrid said. She made a dismissing gesture. "Get back to work. I need to make a report and get my ass hung out to dry."

"I'm sorry, Egrid," Tesaiel said meekly.

"My own fault. I'm supposed to be making these decisions, not you. Go."

Tesaiel went, Petra bobbing along worriedly beside her. "Was she angry, Mistress?"

"A little. Not at you or even much at me. We made a mistake, and now she is likely going to be yelled at."

"Oh." Petra brightened a little. "As long as she wasn't mad at us."

"Egrid is a good person, Petra, even if she can be... overly affectionate. She's one of my best friends."

"I see, Mistress."

They settled down to work, and an hour passed in silence. Tesaiel felt the adrenaline from the confrontation drain completely out of her, and began to relax. The only thing lingering in her mind was the alarming feel of Freit's body drawing near hers, the intense gaze of that single eye, and the taste of her pale cheek on Tesaiel's lips. She tried to banish the memory. It returned.

Tesaiel colored slightly. It was bad enough that she let Egrid flirt with her. She had to make it clear that Freit must treat her with greater propriety.

She forced herself back into her columns of numbers.

Eventually, Egrid came in, looking subdued. Tesaiel looked up anxiously. "How did it go?"

"He was not pleased with me," Egrid said heavily. "He let me know it at length. I can kiss my monthly bonus goodbye, and he made it clear that further lapses in judgment might result in him having a new head bodyguard. So better than I was afraid of, actually."

"Oh," Tesaiel said, unhappily.

"He wants to see you and your pet there," Egrid said. "Bedroom two."

"Did he seem-"

"He didn't rant and rave and demand your head, no. I think he just wants your services. Though he'll probably mention your outing. This was mostly on me."

"Very well," Tesaiel said. She walked over and kissed Egrid full on the lips, pressing her chest against the shocked enforcer's large rack. Before the half-orc could react, she drew back. "That's to say sorry."

"Apology accepted." Egrid looked poleaxed. "Can you do that again?"

"No." Tesaiel smiled. "Come along, Petra."

The two of them proceeded up to the bedroom. At the door, Tesaiel hesitated, then steeled herself and opened it.

Urdo was sitting on the edge of the bed, nude. "Lady Tesaiel. Come in."

She did, ushering Petra with her. "Hello, Urdo."

"Egrid has filled me in on the details of your jaunt. She tells me she's informed you of the new qualifications to your leaving the manor on any organization business. Is that so?"

"Yes. She had wanted me to take more people, but I-"

"It's not your job to make those decisions. It's hers. She was unclear on her authority with regards to you and didn't insist. That was a mistake. I have pointed out that mistake. That mistake will not be made again. From now on, when it comes to any manner of security, you are Egrid's dancing bitch. Obey her without argument. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Urdo." Her throat was a little dry. Urdo normally didn't intimidate her. Even the first night, when he'd held her sister in his power and made her strip and couple with him, she hadn't been intimidated, just indignant and humiliated. Why was she cowed now?

Because she'd fucked up, she realized. Because she took pride in doing a good, competent job and she'd badly misstepped. She was intimidated because she knew she was in the wrong.

"All right. Happily, you seem fine. Freit take any injury?"

"Nothing serious. A club glanced off her shoulder. She seemed to ignore it."

"That's good. She's done well for me. Egrid speaks highly of her. Both of my elves seem skilled, even if only one of them is attractive." Urdo smiled. "Very attractive."

Tesaiel gave a hesitant smile. "Did you wish my services, or Petra's, Urdo? You called for us both."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to try... both of you. At once." The goblin beamed at her, needle teeth opening in a wide smile.

Tesaiel jerked back. "Urdo, I won't-" She stopped, seeing the look in his eyes. "At once?"

"Yes." He sounded amused. "Just as a reminder. Sometimes, you do need reminding. And also, I like the idea."

Tesaiel sighed. This was clearly going to be her punishment. She hoped it didn't make things too uncomfortable with Petra. "Very well. What do you wish us to do?"

"To start? Strip."

Without hesitation, Tesaiel pulled down her breeches, then doffed her riding top. She glanced over at Petra, who was staring at her wide-eyed. "Strip, Pet."

"Y-yes, Mistress." Shyly, the halfling removed her loincloth and halter, still gazing at Tesaiel in wonder.

"Good." Urdo examined them both with obvious pleasure, then pointed to his lap. His manhood was still mostly flaccid, lolling above his yellow-green scrotum. "Use your tongues, ladies."

"Come along, Pet." Tesaiel walked over to the side of the bed, and knelt. "I'll take the right, you take the left."

"With my mouth, Mistress? With your mouth? But-"

"Petra," Tesaiel said with a bit of irritation, "we have been over this."

"Yes, Mistress," the halfing replied meekly. Screwing her face up, she bent down and took a long lick of Urdo's sprawling cock. Tesaiel moved her mouth in and daintly tongued it from the other side. The member quickly responded to their ministrations, and before long the goblin was erect. The two women leaned in, their faces not far apart, their tongues sliding along the green-purple shaft.

Petra was gazing into her Mistress' eyes, and Tesaiel felt her cheeks redden slightly. She had serviced Urdo like this many times before, but not with an audience. Or a fellow participant. She watched Petra lick the bumpy, stiff shaft, and felt a tinge of arousal stir in her. Their tongues briefly met at the tip of his penis, and the halfing made a strange noise in her throat.

Urdo placed a clawed hand atop both their heads. He ran his fingers through Tesaiel's chestnut locks and Petra's brown-black mop, and let out a pleased sound. "Good girls. I could get used to this."

Tesaiel took her mouth from the side of his cock. "Don't push it, Urdo," she said a little sourly.

He grinned at her. "I'm going to push it in just a bit here, Tesaiel, when you finish the job with your refined but somewhat venomous elven tongue."

She gave him an aloof look, and returned her mouth to his groin. Instead of his cock, she moved further down and began to lick his scrotum, making Urdo shift and murmur. Repressing a smile, she moved her tongue in a certain pattern, leaving Petra to continue lapping at his shaft from base to purple-hooded tip.

Urdo endured this for several more minutes. He finally called a halt when Tesaiel took one of his testicles into her mouth and began to suck on it. "Don't get carried away with yourself, Tesaiel," he muttered.

She smiled at him. "Was Petra adequate?"

"You made a good team," Urdo said. "Now I want the halfling on her hands and knees on the bed."

Petra looked at Tesaiel for confirmation. The elf nodded, and gently pushed her forward with one hand on her rump. With a startled giggle, the halfling got on the bed, and hesitantly positioned herself. "Like this?"

"That's right," Urdo said. "Now, Lady Tesaiel, I want you on your hands and knees for me as well. On top of her."

Tesaiel blinked. "Urdo-"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip. "Nothing." With a certain reluctance, she climbed on the bed and hobbled on her knees to a position behind where Petra was presenting. She looked down at the halfling's round bottom and swallowed, then carefully leaned forward, lowering her torso. As she did, she widened her legs apart and slid forward over Petra's back.

Her generous breasts dangled to bump against Petra's head, her erect nipples brushing through the halfling's hair. Her abdomen and belly came to rest on Petra's bare back, and Tesaiel sucked in her breath a little as her inside of her thighs slid against the outside of the halfling's, cupping them. Her bush and clit pressed into the cleft of Petra's ass; the halfling squirmed a little, making Tesaiel shiver.

"Mistress," Petra said softly. She moved one of her small hands forward to squeeze Tesaiel's.

"Very good," Urdo commented. Tesaiel heard him get on the bed, and sensed him moving up behind them. "Quite an enticing sight."

She loudly sighed, making her opinion known.

He chuckled, and then moved forwards. Petra gave a little squealing gasp, and suddenly, underneath Tesaiel, the halfling was rocking back and forth. The slave's breath began coming quickly, and her head bumped into Tesaiel's dangling breasts over and over, making the hanging globes sway. Tesaiel's own breath came a little faster as Petra's thighs slid rhythmically against her own. Her clit was rubbed by the cheeks of Petra's bottom as it went back and forth under Urdo's fucking.

"Mistress," Petra whimpered again. "Mistress."

"Hush, Pet," she replied. "Just do a good job and-" Her words trailed off into a startled gasp as the goblin slid his cock fully out of Petra's vagina, and then fully into Tesaiel's. The lumpy green rod, already oiled with Petra's slickness, plunged into Tesaiel's tight hole like a hot knife through butter. Before she knew it, she was the one rocking back and forth, being fucked with steady, relentless strokes.

Tesaiel tried not to moan. She was unsuccessful. Her hands clenched a bit as she swayed back and forth atop her slave, her belly sliding against Petra's tanned bare skin, her pubic mound rubbing the halfling's pert ass even as the goblin member impaled her. She tried not to think about her slave's nectar in her cunt, mingling with her own. Tesaiel's cheeks reddened.

Urdo noticed. "I don't see you blush often these days, Tesaiel."

"It's.. it's exertion," she lied.

"Of course," he agreed. "You need a break." He slid out of her, and she heard Petra gasp again and begin to move under her. "I don't want to neglect our little bedmate."

Tesaiel bit her lip. She was fairly wet from Urdo's efforts inside her, and the sensations she was getting from the halfling sliding against her aroused body, not to mention the situation and the noises Petra was making, were all combining to make her crave satisfaction. "It's not kind to make us wait," she said.

"Well then." Tesaiel gave a little yelp as he slipped two fingers into her. The yelp turned to a long groan as he placed a third on her clit. She began to push herself back against his hand, and now her labored breathing joined Petra's as they both rocked back and forth, one atop another.

Tesaiel found herself making little panting moans as Urdo finger-fucked her. Her slickness was spilling out of her swollen labia, now, and dripping down onto Petra's ass. The halfling threw her head back and ground it against Tesaiel's bouncing breasts, making the elf give a little cry.

"Mistress, Mistress," the halfling breathed, her voice adoring. "Am I good?"

"Y-yes, P-pet," Tesaiel gasped, her cheeks scarlet. "You a-are." She gave a short cry as Urdo's fingers pressed against a spot inside her sopping hole that made her back arch and her eyes cross. A warmth rose up in her, and she bit her lip. The two women crouched there, one atop the other, sweat trickling down their naked, quivering bodies, each panting as her pussy was taken by their goblin master with hand or cock. Their slick bodies rubbed against each other in the most intimate of ways.

It could not last. Tesaiel fought to stay silent, but the rising tide of sensation mastered her, and she let out a deep, pleasured wail as her climax hit her. Her body shuddered, her head arched back, and her torso pressed into Petra's back and head. The elven slickness poured forth to bathe the halfling's anus and bottom.

"Mis... Mist... MISTRESS!" As Tesaiel's orgasm shook her, she felt her slave spasm and come herself. The halfling's pert bottom thrust upward as she pushed it against both Tesaiel's box and the goblin member pounding her tight halfling hole. Petra made a low, animal cry. Her head tossed from side to side between Tesaiel's breasts, and her lips fastened onto one of Tesaiel's nipples for a second and closed on it. Tesaiel gave a startled cry as the last of her orgasm rolled through her, and then the lips were gone.

Urdo was speeding his thrusts now. Petra was panting and wailing, breathing heavily as she was energetically taken. Both her hands clamped onto Tesaiel's, and squeezed tightly. The elf was breathing hard herself, as Urdo's fingers continued their work even as he pounded the halfling's pussy.

Suddenly the fingers were gone, and a hand slapped her on her ass, hard. Tesaiel cried out in pain and surprise, and as she did, she felt his thrusts into Petra stop. His hard shaft slid between the halfling's asscheeks and Tesaiel's pubic mound and belly. Trapped between the two, Urdo thrust once, twice, three times. Then he burst, squirting a stream of goblin semen between her belly and Petra's back. One gush, then a second, then a third weaker one.

As the greenish-white goblin cum puddled and dripped, Urdo slid his cock out from between them. One hand patted Tesaiel on the ass. "Not half bad," Urdo commented. "You two look delicious stacked. Take a breather, we're done."

Tesaiel took a second to collect herself, then carefully slid off Petra, slumping down to rest on her side. The halfling rolled over, and immediately scooted over to nestle against her mistress, burying her face in the underside of Tesaiel's bosom. "Oh Mistress," she murmured. "I'm tired now. Was that all right?"

Tesaiel stroked the brown-black hair. "You did just fine, Pet. Just lie still for a while." She looked up to where Urdo was putting on his pants. "Urdo, I want to talk to you about where you penetrate her."

The goblin chuckled. "Apologies. It was just hard to find her twat in that mop of hair, and I got impatient. You should have heard her squeal." He laughed again. "I'll use the right hole from now on. For a while, anyway. She's got a sweet little ass."

Tesaiel looked down at it. "I am glad you approve."

"See you tonight." Urdo finished dressing, and left.

Tesaiel lay on her side for a while, letting her breathing come back under control, occasionally making soothing noises to the halfling nestled against her. Finally she pushed Petra away, gently. "We've got to be on our way now, Pet. I need to clean my stomach, among other things."

"Oh no, the mess!" Petra immediately looked around for a cloth. She found none, and stared at Tesaiel's cum-smeared belly with a look of consternation. Then, eyes resolved, she bent her head and began to lap at it.

"P-Petra!" Tesaiel turned bright red. "That's..." She twitched as the halfling's tongue licked her belly, lapping up the goblin seed. Should she call a halt? Though it was cleaning up the mess. But it was also sending very definite sensations to her freshly-fucked elven cunt as the tongue tickled her bare, semen-drenched stomach. She bit her lip and decided to just wait, if only because telling her to stop would be too embarrassing.

The halfling cleaned up the cum like a cat lapping up milk, and then looked up at Tesaiel adoringly. "Is that good, Mistress?"

"Yes," Tesaiel replied, forcing her voice not to quaver. Damn it, she thought, now she wanted to be brought to climax a second time. She would have to wait until after dinner, then drag Urdo off for an early night. "That was fine. Let's go."

She dressed, then they went, Petra bobbing at her heels like a puppy. Tesaiel's face was pensive. Petra just gazed after her owner with shining eyes.

---

The next day, Egrid came to have a chat with Tesaiel. "We took in a few gang members and introduced them to the wonders of hot pokers and needles. They sang like canaries. We know who ordered the job."

"Well?"

"That elf you saw a few days ago. Lady Adriele." Egrid's mouth quirked. "She paid them with some of the money we loaned her. That's bad form."

Tesaiel shook her head. "I had thought it might be her, but... I hadn't wanted to believe it. We're both elves of the Castahari nobility, and beyond that, of the Great Houses of Elvenhome. To sell me to humans to ravish and murder..." She shook her head again, face twisting. "This is beyond the rules which are not written. She has gone mad with hatred."

"Do you obey these rules?" Egrid asked, voice light and curious.

Tesaiel thought on that for a while. On her family's estate. The glittering social life she had known, dancing at the balls and galas to the sound of elven musicians so clear and pure one's heart could break for joy and mirth. Standing with Lanthel at solemn gatherings under the great trees, adjusting her sister's cap on her golden head. Walking through the formal gardens with a book, in the spring of the year.

Of the disasters. The lost battles in court, and then in the field. The death of her father, the slow fading of her mother. The splintering of the house. The day when a coldly smiling nobleman took possession of the land that had been theirs for centuries. All the looks and the snubs, and the out-casting. And then the days of idleness and repose in their house in Dylak-Leem, like a dead woman who has not realized she should stop getting up in the morning.

"No," she said, her voice hard. "Not anymore."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Bring me Adriele. I will not be crossed like this." Tesaiel's eyes grew cold. "She will learn her mistake."

---

Freit answered the knock on her door with a knife in one hand, just out of habit and prudence. She immediately tucked it away when she saw who it was. "My lady! What brings you to my extremely humble lodgings?" She grinned. "Would you like to come inside? I can show you the bedroom."

Tesaiel smiled at her. "I think not, Freit. I am not here to stay. I come bearing a possible job, and what may be your reward for your service."

"Well, that's intriguing." Freit looked out into the night, and saw Egrid, four enforcers, and an elven woman in rich silver clothing, mouth gagged, arms bound behind her back. "Who's the quality there?"

"This is Lady Adriele." Tesaiel walked over to the furious noblewoman. "I'm going to ask her a question now." She looked into Adriele's eyes. "Listen to me. Are you listening?"

Adriele slowly nodded. Tesaiel smiled and took off the gag. "You have a choice to make, Adriele. Do you remember my krav wolves? We are going to go back to the estate, and as I watch, I am going to give you to them. The entire pack will close in upon you, Adriele. At first they'll just have a taste. Then they'll start tearing pieces off. Eventually you'll just vanish under a snarling, tearing, ripping mass of black fur."

Adriele stared at her in horrified disbelief. "Y-you're trying to scare me. You wouldn't- no elf would do that to another."

"Do you recall what you tried to do to me?" Tesaiel leaned close to her. "You don't understand, Adriele. The krav wolves... MY krav wolves... I am one of them. In ways that would make you faint. I will ENJOY watching them devour you."

Adriele stared at her in horror, seeing only truth in her eyes. "Oh gods. Please, no, Tesaiel. Mercy. Anything but that. Let me kill myself."

"I want you to walk up to Freit here, and say, 'Make me your little slut tonight, Master Freit. Make me beg for more.'"

Swallowing, Adriele moved past Tesaiel and stepped up to Freit, eyes pleading. "Make me your... little slut tonight, Master Freit. Make me beg for more."

"One beautiful elven noblewoman," Tesaiel told Freit cheerfully. "Yours til morning."

Freit reached out and squeezed Adriele's left breast. "I'll give her a rousing evening. My man as well." She took the deathly pale Adriele by the shoulder and drew her inside. "She's not as beautiful as you though. I can't count myself fully satisfied."

"I think you will never be satisfied, Freit."

"Oh, we shall see," Freit said softly. "In the by and by. Good evening, my lady. I'll be thinking of you as I savor my reward." The door shut.

Tesaiel looked at Egrid. "Is she always so impudent?"

"She's a woman who knows what she wants and doesn't much care about anyone getting in the way," Egrid said. "I'll have a talk with her."

"You? You're just as bad!"

"I didn't say I would tell her to STOP. I just said I'd have a talk. Fantasize a bit, maybe."

Tesaiel sighed. "We are leaving. In the morning, dispose of Adriele. Go ahead and dump the body somewhere it will be found; just don't let yourself be seen. The story will go out that she was whoring herself to one of the half-orc pit fighters, and he killed her when she asked for more than she was worth."

A long, shocked, moaning cry came from behind the door.

"Goodbye, Adriele," Tesaiel murmured, turning to go. "Enjoy dear Freit and her randy goatman. They're too good for you."

"You are a cruel woman," Egrid observed.

"Only when crossed," Tesaiel said, stepping back through the entrance. "Only when crossed."

Continued in Chapter 11

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