A Slave to the Servants Ch. 09

This time, I asked. "What's so funny?"

"It is one of the benefits of that type of slave," Master Christof said stretching out now that there was more room, "that slave can take them many times. Except for the temperature difference the sex organs mirror our females. It is not sensitive like you are, it is accustomed to having many male partners each time."

"You knew I was used to having only one sexual partner at a time?" I asked him looking into his eyes.

"Yes, and my Brothers also knew with the proper stimulation you would respond just as favorably to us," Master Christof told me.

"You're better than the man I had sex with on Earth," I blurted out. "I react more favorably here than I ever did there."

"Of course," Master Evan laughed, "we are a far superior race."

Things were normal for a couple of weeks after that. My Warriors talked about a meeting that the General had scheduled and they were very curious about it. Unlike his usual meetings it was to be held at his private residence. That was unusual, but not unheard of.

The day of the meeting came and the men were very animated. They dropped me at the Keepers early. I noted each man was dressed in his finest attire. Being asked to speak with the General privately in his home was evidently quite an honor.

Something happened at the meeting, I was sure of that. My Warriors were subdued that evening and didn't want to talk to me. When I asked what had happened they told me it was not something I should concern myself with. It was a strange reaction and I didn't know what to do.

Life for me changed subtly. Something was very wrong, I soon knew. As the days passed I felt more and more left out. My owners talked about almost nothing in front of me. Except for cleaning me, they rarely even touched me. All of them watched me, as though appraising me for some reason.

My Warriors became more keyed up and anxious. They weren't sleeping well, which was strange. When I woke up in the middle of the night they were sitting and talking by the fire. As soon as they noticed me the conversations always stopped, though. I knew they were hiding something.

At lunch they'd come and take me to the forest. Everyday I'd try to talk to the Brother with me, but they told me to eat and watched me wistfully. Asking what was wrong got me no answers. Getting upset with them just earned me a rebuke.

"We enjoy you, Ciara," Master Kein had said once. "Can't we just spend time with one another and find pleasure in it? Why must you act this way?"

The criticism startled me. Every time I wanted to ask again after that I redirected myself. A slave should always defer to their Master's wishes and pleasure. I had to be what they wanted, so I stopped pressuring them.

The worry gnawed at the pit of my stomach, despite my decision. I bit one of my nails to the nub and my stomach constantly hurt. It felt like I was reacting to their anxiety, which obviously I was. If something happened to them, I felt sure I would suffer also. It began to panic me.

One night at dinner I had suffered enough of the strange silence and odd looks. My anxiety got the better of me and I had to ask them.

"What is going on? You all seem upset and you won't talk around me, what did I do, Masters?" I asked.

"You did nothing, Ciara, take your sustenance," Master Damien told me dully.

He had that same look as when the problem with Master Christof had been going on.

"Is your bond broken? Did something happen?" I pressed.

"This is not your concern, Ciara," Master Evan told me. "It is time for you to take your meal."

"You are my concern!" I stormed standing up. "You are my Masters. You are the only reason I survive here and something is wrong with you. Please, tell me what has happened, let me help you," I begged.

"You have helped, Ciara, you fixed our bond. Now Master Damien is being considered for the position of General. If he is chosen, he will train to take the General's place in a Warrior compound," Master Christof finally admitted.

"Oh," I said deflated, that wasn't so bad, "congratulations, Master Damien, that sounds like an honor."

Master Damien threw his plate and upturned the table in front of him. I backed into the wall and watched him. He'd never lost his temper like this in front of me. It was terrifying.

"A General," he said stalking toward me, "cannot own a slave. They take too much time. They distract him from his one endeavor, the good of the compound. My needs will be sated by our women, no more waiting for couplings. I need only ask my Mistress."

I stood shocked looking at him. They were going to get rid of me. I always knew it was a chance, slaves were meant to be sold and traded. Silly me, I had trusted their promise, though.

I put my hands over my nipples and felt their insignia burning into my palms. How many times would I be traded before it stopped hurting? I wondered. Next time I would not get so attached, I swore to myself. Tears ran in rivers down my face and I bolted for the bathroom.

The food I had just eaten came back up in a rush. Someone held my hair back as I vomited. Once I was done, I curled over my knees and bawled. The idea of being without them left me with a feeling of emptiness and terror.

"We should not have told it," Master Bane chastised.

"No, you should have told me. I would hate to be surprised with something like that. To be...sold is terrible. I need time to prepare for it. Thank you, Masters, for not surprising me with the auction," I stuttered out trying to sound professional.

This was a business transaction for them. They were moving up in the world. I shouldn't begrudge them this. I would deal with my own fear and leave them to their lives.

"We cannot sell it back to the slavers. I will not see Ciara sold to another," Master Damien growled. "I will not do this. There must be a way..."

"It wears our brand in the hair on its stomach," Master Kein said, "we could argue it cannot be sold to another with such a mark."

"They will remove it, Kein," Master Christof said, "or they will tell us to kill it, if it cannot be sold. If Damien becomes General, the Administrators will make us part with Ciara."

"Ridiculous," Master Damien fumed, "I do not want this change, now. I am happy. Our lives are good and we are satisfied. They will force us to make this change if they choose me. I do not know what to do."

I sat up and watched them pace in the bathroom. Now I understood, they didn't want to get rid of me, that's why they were so upset. In happiness, I threw myself at Master Damien and hugged him. My breath probably reeked but I hugged all of them.

"Why do they want you, Masters?" I asked wishing to help.

"We are the best, Ciara," Master Damien said sitting on the bench in the room, "I am the best fighter, Kein is the best tracker, Bane is strong as any two men, Christof makes the most girls, and Evan's talent is unrivaled. Together we are a near unbeatable force."

"The Administrators believe as General we would inspire the men to be more like us. We are always the best and always strive for excellence. They want to make our family the paradigm for the compound," he finished leaning against the wall.

Master Christof sighed and stroked my hair, "You are precious to us. We do not wish to lose you, but we do not know how to keep you. The vote is to be held in a lunar cycle."

"It's a vote?" I whispered and they told me it was. "So there are other families you are running against."

"Yes," Master Christof said, "families we feel would be happy to be General. They are not as strong as us. We feel sure the vote will go our way, the General agreed."

"Can't you just tell them you don't want it?" I asked.

"Ciara," Master Kein said softly, "we discussed this with the General. He knows the same thing we know, namely how this world is run. The position of General is the position of head slave in the compound. We have no more choice in the matter than you did in coming here."

My world was rocked and my head was reeling. Something they had said made me think. They had said they were the best.

"What if you weren't the best?" I asked. "My uncles sucked at every job they did. No one ever wanted them in charge of anything. They showed up late, didn't work when they were there, and left early to go hang out with women. Can you act like that to avoid the promotion?"

"We have never acted like that," Master Damien snorted, "it would be dishonorable."

The rest of the men agreed with Master Damien about how ridiculous that idea was. They would never act in such a way as I described. It would embarrass and demean them.

I hung my head and wasn't surprised when I vomited a second time. Whether they like it or not, they were going to be promoted. They didn't have the imagination necessary to buck the system. I would just have to watch as they were taken from me.

It wasn't surprising that I cried myself to sleep that night. They tried to shush and comfort me, but it didn't work. I finally fell asleep when they put a tiny amount of the calming cream on my forehead.

I woke up the next morning and the sun was high in the sky. My brain felt a little fuzzy from the calming cream, but I hadn't lost my memory. Slowly I rose from the bed and wasn't surprised when I stumbled a little.

Peering out into the main room I saw I had my own group of Keepers today. The men politely introduced themselves as such and proceeded to care for me. They fed and cleaned me, but they couldn't make me feel better.

Like a caged lion I paced the apartment. In my mind I battled with myself about how best to deal with this. The stress was monumental and I started vomiting again.

The Keepers made me eat the root and it settled my stomach, but I knew that was temporary. I walked for a while more and the vomiting started up again. My whole stomach and chest ached from it, but I couldn't relax.

The men watching me thought my pacing was making me sick, so they told me to be still. I yelled at them and told them to leave me alone. That was the wrong thing to do.

The Keepers grabbed me and forced me to eat a large portion of the root. Once they were done they opened the bed in the wall and placed me it. I was tied in four point restraints face down and couldn't move. I struggled and screamed at them, but they wouldn't listen.

When they were sure I would not vomit again, they pushed the bed into the wall. Darkness overtook me. I yelled, but the sound was just swallowed up. This was horrible. It was like a comfortable tomb.

Eventually, I calmed down and lay the side of my face against the sheet. Rationally I knew I couldn't spend a moon like this, however long that was. I was going to have to just get over the fact they were going to sell me.

The problem, I knew, was that I trusted my owners. They did not like to hurt me and kept me well. Damien and his Brothers were the only safety net I had here.

Another problem was that I loved them. It started with Christof and even after he rejoined them, I still cared for him. He no longer had similar feelings for me, I was sure. I still remembered the times we had shared. In a way I loved the rest of them also. They were innocent and stubborn. I could not imagine life without them.

I probably I would have suffered just as much the month before I left earth, if I'd known in advance. It struck me suddenly that maybe they should not have told me. Perhaps it would have been better if I just woke up one morning and was given to different owners. It wasn't possible to forget this now. I'd just have to deal with it.

I eventually fell asleep in the bed. I expected my owners when the tray was removed from the wall, but it was different men. They told me they were Keepers.

I was groggy and stiff as I walked out into the main room and saw Rose's owners. I jerked my head down, since no one had given me permission to look at them.

"Slave, we keep you and you may look at us while we are here. Where are your owners? Why did they ask us to deal with you this night?" Rose's owner, Basin, asked me.

"Should you be asking the slave?" the Keeper asked him aghast.

"Keeper, mind your own business. We hired you to watch this slave and that is what you will do. Earth slaves are intelligent; it may know where they have gone," Basin said angrily.

"They didn't wake me this morning, sir," I answered, "I woke up and the Keepers were here. I thought my Masters went to work."

Basin cursed in volumes for a few moments, his other Brothers also seemed really angry. He pushed over a chair in the eating area and stormed out, his family right behind him. I could still hear him cursing in the hallway.

My night time Keepers fed and cleaned me. I was worried about my owners, but determined not to throw up anymore. I did Rose's deep breathing in front of the fire and tried to stay relaxed.

The night got later and later. Granted, I had slept most of the day, but I wasn't used to being up at night. I pulled the blanket from in front of the fire and curled up with my head on my kneeling pad.

Eventually, I was woken up as Basin and his Brothers came back. They gave the Keepers several stones and put out the fire in the fireplace. One of them picked me up and carried me down to their quarters. They laid me in their bed and ordered me to go to sleep.

Rose was wide awake and staring at me. I didn't know what to say or do, so I laid down. The men lay down but were up a moment later.

"Where ** ** ** are they?" one man asked pacing back and forth.

He used so many curse words I could barely understand him.

"They disappear from their post, show up once we've started a search and claim to be feeding their slave. Their slave was at their home! They never went there. Now they are gone again. Have they lost their ability to reason? The General will beat them bloody. We couldn't hide it, it was too obvious. Slave, what are your owners thinking?" the man asked turning on me.

I knew what they were thinking. I knew I couldn't lie, so I told the truth. "They are the best at what they do, sir," I said and he roared with anger.

Rose moved across the bed and wrapped herself around me. The man stared at the two of us crossly.

"Not another word should come out of your mouth slave. Lay down and go to sleep. Do not even speak to me if I ask you a question," the man said.

That was probably for the best, I thought as I put my head back on the pillows. Anything I said that was the truth would just get my men in trouble.

The next day I was fed, cleaned, and dressed by Rose's owners. They took me to the Keepers with Rose. They told me if my owners couldn't be found to give me my meal, the Keepers would do it.

Rose was curious about what was going on. I told her what was happening and she sat with me. Fuji found the entire thing odd. They both stayed with me all morning and we spoke to one another quietly.

Master Christof showed up at lunch very late looking much worse for the wear. None of the other Warriors greeted him as he took his seat in front of me. I tried not to look horrified at his condition.

Master Christof was beaten up badly, one side of his face was so swollen it looked like it belonged to someone else. I saw a teeth marks on his neck and his arm hung slightly funny on one side. I assumed he had been with the women.

Master Christof pulled a scrap of dried meat out of his pocket and shoved it in my mouth. I tried to chew whatever it was, but it was too tough. I just worked on it and swallowed little bits when I could.

"That is what you brought to feed a human?" the man next to us feeding Rose asked.

"It will eat what I bring, won't you Ciara?" he asked patting my face.

I gurgled an answer.

"Cousin, we helped train you. You cannot feed that to a human. It can't chew that. It will lose mass and become ill if it is not fed correctly," the man said softly.

It struck me that these guys were good. They took being screw ups to a level I had never witnessed before. Not that I was really willing to die to prove a point, but we'd proved I could live without lunch on at least one occasion.

"We have been busy," Master Christof told the man, "the slave will eat later or it won't. If it dies, we'll just get a new one."

I choked a little, but prayed this was still part of the game. The thing in my mouth was getting softer. I figured if I chewed long enough I'd probably get some nutrition out of it.

"Buy a meal from the Keepers, Christof, don't be ridiculous. An ill slave is dishonorable, you all do not need anymore problems now," the man said.

Christof laughed and told him I rarely got to eat a midday meal. They usually ate what they brought me and fucked me at lunch time. I was lucky I was eating today.

I nodded and put my face against his leg.

"You see," Master Christof told the man, "they are more obedient when they are hungry."

"We have seen it struggle with weight once, Christof, this is why. You are not doing a good job," the man said loudly.

Master Christof just ignored him and strode out of the room. He ordered me to come with him and told me it was time for my noon time task. The other Warriors sounded really judgmental as we left and headed out the wall.

In the forest Master Christof took the stuff from my mouth and set it aside. He pulled a package from his shirt pocket and fed me. It was gross, worse than worms ever tasted.

"It is the worms, dried and preserved, they don't taste as good this way," he whispered, "but it will give you sustenance."

"You might be doing too much," I whispered back to him choking down the disgusting meal.

"No, we are proving we are not trustworthy," he said quickly and shoved the original piece of stuff back in my mouth.

"Hurry and eat this slave. I wish to use you for your purpose," he said loudly.

"You are out of time, Christof, we are expected back. The General requested we watch you to insure you return today," Basin said irritably.

I heard several other men behind him agreeing.

Master Christof slapped my bottom and demanded I walk toward the compound. From the heat I knew I had a handprint there, but it would fade. The men behind me sounded horrified looking at it.

The General lashed my owners the next day. They expected it and were pumped up and ready. In their younger days, they had evidently been lashed often.

"It's how we learned to get away from the women when we were in the mountains. It was great incentive at the time," Master Bane told me.

When Master Damien came to feed me he was literally dripping blood from his back. It had soaked through his shirt and was falling in thick drops to the floor. I looked at him and couldn't think of what to say. He fed me from a bowl slowly and carefully. I thought maybe this was the end of their defiance.

"You're making a mess of the floor where the slaves stay," a man commented.

"The Keepers should clean it up then," Master Damien stated.

"Some of the slaves cannot eat with you bleeding all over the floor," a Warrior from my right said.

Master Damien ignored him and continued to feed me. When the complaints about his back started again, he took a different tact with them.

"When I am General, we will see what the slaves can tolerate," he threatened.

The other men started to yell about that. Master Damien and his Brothers were acting crazy, there was no way he would become General.

I small smile crept across Master Damien's face and I caught it.

The men stayed in their quarters and didn't go to the bathhouse that night, due to their injuries. I fretted about their backs and begged them to let me put something on it. They had to suffer until they healed, that was part of the punishment.

"Could you call the Healers?" I asked softly petting Master Bane's leg as he fed me dinner. "Maybe they would not tell and they could help you."