Radhya enjoyed the smooth feel of the fungus path and the twittering of the night birds in the brush. The odd crashes from it gave her great pleasure as it frightened the unwelcome visitors with her. Lord Barone’s troupe stumbled the whole way along the path to the gate. The silence she and her servants kept served only to make the trip seem darker and more sinister. She murmured to her bodyguards at the barrier, had each press his palm to the plate, and speak a phrase to the gate. Lord Barone watched with interest. Radhya assumed he was memorizing the words and sequence. She finally took her turn speaking in a voice so low the locking device had trouble picking it up and she had to repeat it.

After reading her genetic code, the gates majestically parted and the group stumbled through. Dave secured them, and returned to his house with Jemelina. The rest continued straight ahead, bypassing the trail to the stables. At the circular drive, Radhya had a brief conversation with Aninya, regarding tomorrow’s arrangements. Then Aninya broke away to the path leading to her house. Radhya continued around the drive to the mansion. Tiny tendrils of fog were creeping up the walls, across the lawns and gardens, shrouding trees and shrubbery alike in a mist of obscurity. Although the night was clear above, vision was diminishing minute by minute as the fog spidered its way higher.

“So you give slaves their own houses?” queried Lord Barone.

“Some milord,” she replied formally. “Those who have jobs that need it like Dave or Aninya.”

“But doesn’t Dave’s woman work here? Why let her stay in her own house?”

“If I made her stay here then it would not be punishment, just the ordinary way of things. However, if either displeases me, and I make her stay here, it becomes an effective discipline.”

“You don’t have to pretend anymore to me you know,” sneered Barone.

“Why I wouldn’t dream of it Noel,” she returned sarcastically.

They ascended the stairs, and Geo opened the door.

“Geo, old friend,” greeted Radhya, “we have guests this night. Could you please see Lord Barone and his slaves settled in the rooms I prepared? These three,” she said indicating her betrothal gift, “are presents given to me. If you could take three sets of blankets out of storage, I’ll show them the slave quarters when I’m finished with them.”

Geo stiffened, and Radhya knew he recognized the danger.

“Yes milady,” he replied formally. “This way please milord.” He escorted Lord Barone into the house. Noel gave her an unreadable look as he followed the old man.

“Will, take these three to the med lab. I want them checked for everything, and I do mean everything. Can’t have any diseases being introduced here can I?”

Will left with his three charges. Radhya spoke to Padr and Max.

“The three of you have to return to the slave quarters tonight, however, no fooling around with the spies,” she gave Padr a hard look. “I expect you to tell Will. One of you sleeps in front of my door each night until Barone is gone. You can take turns. Now come with me.”

The trio went to the third-floor med lab. Will was running Amlina through the scanner. He was not satisfied, so he repeated the test. He looked at Radhya and shook his head. Amlina left from the machine and Rada took her place. Will scanned her twice as well.

“Follow me,” the Lady said to the girls. “You three stay here till I return.”

Radhya led the women down the stairs, into the kitchen where she stopped to greet Singha, Ringha, and Kung. The lynxcats bristled and snarled at the newcomers, especially D’Bara. Then Radhya led them through the kitchen to the slave’s galley, down those stairs to the quarters.

“Padr’s, Will’s, and Max’s,” she said pointing out their bunks. “You three choose bunks at the opposite end of the room.”

Radhya hung a blanket in between.

“What’s the matter milady?” D’Bara asked. “Are you afraid we’ll seduce your men away from you?”

“Aren’t you a little bold for a slave fresh from training school?” replied Radhya in a hard voice.

“Who says we’re fresh from school? Anyway, it wasn’t the type you’re thinking of.”

“Geo laid out nightclothes for you with the blankets,” said Radhya choosing to ignore D’Bara.

“I’d much rather sleep and work nude,” said D’Bara.

“Well in this house we wear clothes. It adds dignity to a person. Don’t push me too far D’Bara, lenient I may be, but I have my limits.”

“Oh, you’ll never do anything. You never do,” sneered the slave.

Radhya, eyebrows furrowed, looked at the tall, bold woman. She left the slave quarters. Geo, coming down the hallway, gestured to her to follow him into his office.

She paced back and forth.

“Radhya, this situation is very serious. Barone grows bolder with every royal he destroys,” he told her quietly.

“Barone is betrothed to me now, so maybe he won’t try to bring me down.”

Radhya sat on the corner of Geo’s beautiful hardwood desk swinging her leg.

“You are wrong. I checked his financial history these last few years. He has lost almost everything gambling and on his horses. He is hoping to take everything you own when you die or are busted to a slave.”

“But he has to wait until after the review, and we are contracted doesn’t he? And that’s two years from now.”

“No Radhya. According to your lawyer, you both signed a contract to contract, in front of witnesses so if anything happens to you; it is assumed you would want everything to go to your partner, to him.”

“That miserable excuse for a horse dropping’s worm!” exclaimed Radhya jumping from the desk. “How dare he. Get my lawyer to draw up an ironclad will. I’ve already discussed this partially with Princess Felina. She is to inherit you, Rory, Padr, Max, and Will. I want all my patents and property to go to Stephan, my brother. All my other slaves go to Sparky.”

“Sparky is not very well I’m afraid. He probably wouldn’t live to see the slaves arrive. He has no heir but you. That would send them right back to Barone.”

“Damn. Then give my money to Padr’s brother on the condition that he takes my slaves as well. I’ve never heard anything but good about the way he treats his people.”

“I’ll make sure it’s a living will as well in case you get sold as a slave and don’t die, or Barone only cripples you.”

“Thanks, Geo. That’s a good thought but if I am a vegetable in his hands I want you to find some way to kill me.”

Geo nodded his head. “I’ve got the security running constantly. What are you going to do about your boys with those girls down there? Barone was pretty crafty about it.”

“Yes. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve talked to them. Max and Will are being intelligent about it, but Padr figures this is his chance to have the girl of his dreams again, a fresh new start. Moreover, of course, it’s my entire fault for showing him how trustworthy a woman can really be. He is already in love with D’Bara. She is a bold slut, almost as bad as Petra.”

“Yes, I heard her speak to you. There is something so familiar to me about her manner. Who did the work, Stephan or Petra?”

“Too clumsy for Steph. Their eyes were horrible, a real mess. Petra probably wanted a new bauble, or maybe another boy-toy. I don’t know what she wanted; it looks like her handiwork.”

“Mmmmmmmm yes. You are probably right. She is a spiteful enough bitch to do it for free if it would inconvenience you.”

Radhya laughed, “Geo, that’s no way to talk about my sister.”

“No, it is the only way. However, I was thinking, what about the fidelity stick you invented years ago when you were a teenager. It’s still here somewhere.”

“What about it?”

“It is one way to assure that your guards don’t get involved with these spies. I don’t know why you never put it on the market. You could have made another fortune with it.”

“Don’t you remember what Grandpa said? I have no right because of my intelligence to create anything that impairs another person’s free will. In addition, Geo, the fidelity stick creates a biochemical situation where the other person experiences a physical illness if someone other than the person they shared with becomes physically close. It doesn’t control the mind. How could I do that to them?”

“How many slaves are counting on you to make their lives better? How can the free sexual will of three men for six months count against that?”

Radhya looked at him with dismay. “But doesn’t my integrity count for something as well. It is a slippery slope you want me to go on. I’ll ask them. If they agree, I’ll use it, but it has to be of their free will.”

“Radhya, your principles will get you sold as a slave yet,” said Geo shaking his head sadly.

Radhya left the room and returned to the med lab. Max was asleep in the chair, his head pillowed on the desk. Padr was half-asleep on the examining table, and Will was agitatedly paced the floor. Radhya perched herself on a corner of the desk.

“Radhya, D’Bara is fitted with a nano device in her liver, very, very tiny. I almost missed it except for the new scar tissue created when it drilled its way in. From the small amount I can glean about it, it is explosive, rigged somehow to the slave collar. That is what Max thinks anyway. Rada has a device, also, but planted in the heart muscle. Either one could kill you in an instant,” Will explained.

Padr and Max both woke up and listened. Max handed Radhya the printouts of the three spies.

“Only Krin does work that fine. And she has been in Barone’s bed for the last decade,” Radhya said looking at the papers.

Will continued, “Amlina is clean of any nanotech I could find, but she has a cancerous brain tumor. It is so big there would be absolutely no way to operate without killing her. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be contagious or not, but it is fast growing and aggressive.”

“I can fix Amlina,” Radhya said after looking closely at the sheets. “I just rewrite her genetic code to reject all forms of cancer, and her own body heals itself. But not tonight. I am too tired. I want to ask you three something.” Radhya looked each man straight in the eyes, blue, brown and blue again. “I have a product; I called it a fidelity stick. Some of my saliva goes on the outside. You break it open inside your mouth. A biochemical change is triggered that lasts about six months, depending on your metabolism. It, ah, keeps your hormones true to me. Geo wanted me just to use it on you, but I feel you need to have free will concerning your own desires.”

Will replied slowly, “If it will help our cause, I don’t have the slightest problem with it. I don’t plan to be with anyone in any case.”

“My loyalty is yours, now and always. It is no concern to me, and if it would help you to sleep better, without worrying, I want to do it,” smiled Max.

Radhya looked at Padr. He was staring at the floor.

“Geo told me,” said the Lady, “I should consider the cost of three men’s sexual liberty for six months against the misery of all the slaves in the Commonwealth.”

Padr looked at her with agony in his eyes. Finally, he silently nodded his head. Radhya went to lab two and returned with three slender brown tubes six centimeter’s long.

“Who’s first?” she asked brightly.

“Let me,” said Max, rising and coming toward her.

Radhya licked one tube, and as Max opened his mouth, she broke it. Dark purple vapor rose, and Max inhaled it. His eyes widened. He reached a hand toward the desk and sat down.

Lowering his head, he said, “Dizzy.”

“Me next,” chirped Will.

Radhya repeated the procedure, licking the tube and breaking it in front of Will’s open mouth.

“Ahh,” he gagged and sat down abruptly on the floor. “You weren’t kidding about the dizzy.”

He lowered his head to his hands. Max staggered to his feet and waved a hand in their direction.

“Night, I’m off to the slave quarters.”

“How long does this dizzy last?” inquired Will from the floor.

“Only about fifteen minutes,” the Lady told him.

“Then I’m going to follow Max. Padr you had better do the guard duty tonight, just to let this stuff settle into your system.”

Padr glared at him from the other side of the room. Will lurched to his feet and stumbled after Max. Radhya held up the final cylinder. Padr approached her. She licked the tube, and he opened his mouth. As he inhaled the vapor, he turned away clenching his fists. He fell against the examining table.

“What is the matter with you anyway?” Padr snarled.

“What do you mean?” She asked him.

“Why do you have to do this to me?”

“Padr, I explained all this not ten minutes ago.”

“I’m not stupid,” his voice rose,” I know you didn’t do this for the other guards, this is for me. They just went along with it so I wouldn’t look like a fool. You don’t want me with D’Bara.”

“That is right. I don’t want you with D’Bara. Remember who brought you to the slave rank you hold now. It was a slave from Barone. Now I have three slaves from Barone. They must really want to bring me down and destroy any hope the slaves might have. This means the lives of millions of people. Can’t you get that through your head? It is not about you; it’s about them.”

“You are just a jealous little bitch. You have wanted me since you bought me and I haven’t come on to you, and you are jealous.”

“Padr, you are crazy. I like you, yes, but I never tried to get you into bed. That is not my style. This is not about you, and it is not about me, except that my work is to help the slaves have a better life. They are trying to stop me. They don’t want any sort of process begun that might end slavery. That is what this is about.”

“I had a chance here; I had a real chance to be happy at last. With D’Bara, I could have been happy even as a slave, and you stopped me. Now I can’t go near her!”

“Padr will you listen to yourself. Think! What happens to you if I am busted to a slave? How long before Jabin has you in the arena?”

Shock rippled across Padr’s face.

“Exactly,” Radhya continued. “If I am brought down you leave here. You and D’Bara would not be together. If I can keep it together and survive, I’ll give her to you in six months. This is temporary. If you still want her in six months, and I survive that long, I’ll give you a house and D’Bara as a bride. Your only chance is to work with me Padr. I thought you cared about the dilemma of the slaves too.”

Padr leapt upright. “You don’t know anything about me. All your spies can tell you about my life, but you don’t know me. Why don’t you just castrate me while you’re at it?” He swung his arms wildly clipping her on the jaw. Radhya fell backward. Grabbing a tray of medical tools, he hurled them to the floor. He punched his hand into the wall, then grabbed Radhya up from the floor and thrust her against the wall his arm across her throat.

“You can’t control me. I am myself whether I am an aristocrat or a slave. I won’t be bribed by you any longer.”

Radhya could not answer. Just as her vision was getting dim around the edges, Padr was torn away from her and thrown against the desk.

“Go to your room,” snapped Geo, “while I explain things to this young pup.”

Radhya pulled her wits together and staggered to her room. Throwing her clothes to the floor, she crawled under her covers naked. There the fears and the tears came.