Amber's Enslavement Ch. 08

Chapter 8
Truth and Consequences

Inclon jerked awake at the touch to his shoulder. "Master," Justilia whispered. "You should go to bed, Master. Your back will give you no end of grief if you sleep at your desk again."

The sage looked up at Justilia's tense face. He knew what she was worried about. Inclon wasn't young anymore and his bones and muscles were prone to pain when he didn't take care of himself. Wearily, he looked at the notes he'd been working on last night and sighed when he realized he couldn't remember just what he'd last been working on.

"You're right, Justilia. I can't even remember where I left off. Bring me a cup of Melrose and then you can help me relax. While I'm sleeping, would you find out how Amber's doing in her training?"

"Of course, Master. I'll be right back."

*****

When Amber woke up, she didn't feel rested at all. The dream stuck in her memory, haunting her with what she'd been doing for the last month. With each lie, Amber found it harder to go on. With each lie, it seemed as if Bressala struggled even more to believe it. Her ability to feign enjoyment for her training was stretched to the limit. While there were aspects she enjoyed, or would have if not for the constant knowledge that she was keeping secrets, more and more of the training went past what the brothel wanted. Each time that happened, she needed to be punished as part of her training to get over the conditioning that had been imposed on her in Ravenshore.

Amber went through her morning ablutions like a zombie; something that had become normal for her. Thebes and Yolanda tried to engage her in lighthearted banter, but failed to bring a smile to her face for yet another time. Once the morning meal was finished, Bressala announced a new subject for Amber's training.

"Amber, we're starting your orgasm training today."

"Orgasm training, Mistress? Don't orgasms come naturally?"

"They can, and we hope they come that way as often as possible. No, orgasm training is actually a combination of controlling when you cum and being able to cum when the pleasure you're getting is not enough, or totally absent."

"Like pain/pleasure symbiosis, Mistress?"

"Symbiosis training is the culmination of orgasm training. No, we start by teaching you to find pleasure enough to cum when your Master or Mistress isn't providing it, yet clearly expects you to. Thebes, Yolanda, show Amber what I mean."

Yolanda lay down on the sleeping pallet with her legs splayed. Instead of bringing his mouth or cock to bear, Thebes simply caressed her pussy and tits with very light strokes. Amber could see immediately that such touches were incapable of bringing Yolanda off. Incredibly, Yolanda started to writhe on the pallet, as if she was fast approaching her climax. Several minutes later, Yolanda gave a squeal as her body shook.

"She faked that very well," Amber thought to herself. "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Okay, Amber. Lie down and we'll show you what you're up against."

Amber laid down and spread her legs. Yolanda got between Amber's lags and started licking around Amber's pussy, but never actually touching it. Amber could certainly see why this would be a problem. There was no way Amber would be able to cum. She waited a few minutes and started imitating how she thought she acted when her arousal was increasing.

"Amber, do you find this arousing?"

Amber's lie of, "Yes," left her mouth without even a thought. Yolanda looked up in shock and Bressala motioned her away from Amber.

"Amber! A slave never lies to her Master or Mistress. Just what were you thinking? It's clear you aren't aroused."

"Mistress? But...what...that's...I thought that's what I was supposed to do; convince a Master that I was enjoying him."

"No, you've missed the meaning of my words completely. We're not trying to train you to fake your Master. We're planning on showing you how to take such insufficient pleasuring and actually cum from it. The penalty for a slave lying in house Grantlo is a whipping; one on par with Carli's demonstration punishment. Slaves are entrusted with so much on Destran; they simply have to be above reproach."

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I didn't realize."

"What bothers me is that you just assumed that we wanted you to deceive. Amber, have you ever been lied to by another slave?"

"No, Mistress."

"Exactly! None would even think of it, especially about sex. Where did you get the idea that we wanted you to lie?"

"I don't..."

Amber broke down, unable to utter that same lie yet again. Her control lost, she broke down into deep, wracking sobs; crying in grief at the pain she'd suffered and brought to those around her. Bressala was right: no one from Destran had ever lied to her; from the venturer who first contacted her in the brothel in Ravenshore, to her trainer and fellow slaves. Bressala held her close, letting the tears flow; realizing what could be the only explanation for things.

"Amber, this isn't the first time you've lied to us, is it?" the trainer asked, once Amber's sobs had eased. Amber nodded, unable to force the words out. "What is it, dear? Why did you think you needed to lie; to hide the truth?"

"You'll...Garth will...I'll be killed if anyone finds out."

"I promise, Amber, no one's going to kill you. What is it? What are you hiding?"

"I remember."

The way she said the word made its meaning clear. It was hard to believe that the potion had indeed failed, but her memories might very well explain much of Amber's difficulty in training.

"How long have you had them?"

"Ever since I woke from my collaring. I dreamed of my past, and when I woke, I remembered."

"Is this why you're having so much trouble with your training?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you think. I was a slave then too, but it wasn't like here. They were cruel and we were worth nothing. I was trained by being beaten until I did it the right way."

"And we're trying to train you in different ways." Amber nodded. "That explains much. We have to tell Garth, Amber. You'll have to be punished as well."

"I know. I want to be. I've been so torn up inside with all the lies. I wish I'd never started them; that I'd just told the truth the first time."

"I know. Come. Let's go see Garth."

As Amber was led through the now familiar corridors, Bressala whispered instructions to her. "It'll be best if you tell him what you did wrong and ask to be punished."

"Mistress, I don't know if I can. I'm so scared."

Bressala stopped, grasping Amber by the shoulders. "I understand how frightened you must be. Being punished is never fun, and the punishment for lying is severe. But, how much of what you're feeling is guilt?"

Amber felt tears running down her cheeks. "A lot, Mistress. I'm so sorry."

"I know you are. Think on this. How will you feel if Garth tells you, 'that's okay, we know you're sorry.'?"

Amber stared, her mouth open. The very thought of being treated so lightly horrified her. She remembered how much she feared her father's punishment for misdeeds; and how much she was relieved when they were over. Once punished, it was forgotten and forgiven. The worst thing her mother could ever have done was to utter those dreaded words, "Wait until your father gets home." That statement condemned her to hours of guilt before that dreaded, cleansing punishment. The expression on her face answered Bressala's question.

"You see, you need to be punished, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress. I understand. I'm still frightened though."

"Of course you are. I'd be shocked if you weren't. Amber, I know you're brave." She held up a hand to forestall Amber's denial. "Bravery isn't being unafraid. It's doing what you're afraid of when you have to. I know you're brave because you've overcome your fears of punishment to train successfully. You can do this. Are you ready?"

Amber nodded and the pair continued. Soon they were outside Garth's quarters. Bressala brushed the curtain and led Amber in after the command to enter was heard. Amber walked forward, trembling with every step. She sank to her knees and bowed her head.

Garth looked up at Bressala with a raised eyebrow. The trainer nodded towards Amber.

"Amber, what do you wish of me?"

"Master, pl...please...pun...punish me."

"What do you need to be punished for?"

"I've been lying, Master; for months."

Garth stared at Amber, his eyes wide. He knew immediately what Amber had lied about. It would explain much. "What, Amber, were the lies." His voice was soft and gentle, trying to reassure Amber.

"I...I remember, Master. I remember everything. I have since I woke in the collar."

He cupped Amber's chin in his hand, turning her face towards him. "Is this why you've had so much trouble with your training?"

"Yes, Master. I remember Ravenshore and the punishments there. They punished any deviation from the right methods. Bressala's training is in different methods and I keep remembering not to change."

"Why didn't you tell us what was happening?"

"I was afraid that you'd send me back or kill me."

"Amber, slavery is for life on Destran. You can't be killed, not legally or practically, and you can't be sent back. I guess we're stuck with you," he said with a smile.

"Yes, Master. Master, will you punish me? I don't want to be punished, but I think I need to be."

"Very well put, Amber. You will be punished. It'll be harsh. Lying is one of the worst things a slave can do. Come with me."

Garth stood and Amber followed him out of the room. Bressala followed them, smiling in pride at her trainee. The punishment room was only a short distance away and the three were there in a short while. The slaves they passed on the way knew that someone was to be punished, but no one followed. It was the rare punishment that was public.

The inside of the punishment room was surprisingly inviting. There were several sleeping pallets lined with soft cloths. Near them were low tables with jars of ointments. If not for the whips and paddles on one wall and the binding frame in the middle of the room, one would think the room was one meant for luxurious sex.

Amber knew what to do from the demonstration she'd witnessed earlier. She walked to the frame and let Garth strap her in. By the time her fourth limb was bound, Amber was trembling in fear. Bressala caressed her face and kissed her.

"Be brave, my little slave. It'll be over soon."

"Yes...Mistress."

Bressala stood back and Garth, who had retrieved the number three whip, lashed the first blow out. Fire burst from her back and Amber screamed in pain. The second lash followed shortly and her scream was even louder. Her arms and legs pulled against the bindings involuntarily. After several more lashes, Amber was sobbing convulsively. Blood was running in small rivulets down her back. At the end of 15 lashes, Garth stopped and Bressala moved up to release Amber and help her to one of the pallets.

The collar had already closed the wounds, stopping the bleeding. Bressala took the ointments and began rubbing them into Amber's back. The salves soothed the pain, reducing it to a mild ache. Amber continued to cry for quite some time, her tears releasing the anguish she felt at her misdeeds. When her crying had abated, Bressala handed Amber a glass with a sweet liquid in it.

"Drink this, Amber. The collar heals you, but it does so by drawing energy, mana, from you. This will help restore what you've lost and let the healing happen faster."

Amber sipped the liquid, then gulped it feverishly. The cool juice soothed her sore throat, gone ragged from her screaming. She could feel a tickling sensation beneath the underlying pain in her back. Her muscles twitched at the sensation.

"That's the healing taking place. The wounds from the whip are closing in front of my eyes. How are you feeling now?"

Amber's look of incredulousness soon faded as she realized that the pain was fading. "Not as bad. This thing really works, Mistress."

"Almost everyone has trouble believing that it'll work on them until the first time it does. Now, how are you feeling, Amber."

"Mistress...I feel forgiven. I also feel so stupid. I should've trusted you all. I should've told the truth from the start. My mom used to say, 'If you tell the truth, there's less to remember.' It's been so hard."

"That's in the past now. The truth is out and we can work with it."

Garth had cleaned the whip and put it away. "Bressala, take Amber back to your quarters and resume her training. However, Lord Inclon will probably want to talk with her soon."

"Yes, Master. Come along, Amber."

*****

Inclon woke up, his back stiff. Justilia was there with a steaming mug of warm juice. She smiled and handed it to her Master as he sat up in the bed.

"What are you dosing me with, Justilia?"

"Just a pain reliever, Master. Nothing to impair your ability to work."

"Very good. I think I need a bath before I start back at those scrolls."

"Right away, Master."

Justilia went to fill his bath. Inclon sipped the juice, letting the potion that had been added soothe his aching muscles. He knew he was working too hard, but the implications of what he'd discovered in the scrolls were monumental. With his mind fortified from sleep, he realized what he'd been missing yesterday. The changes in mana levels in the reagents were predictable. The formulas could be adjusted over time to keep them working at full efficiency.

He thought it fortunate that the memory potion had been created when the strength of the mana in the reagents was at its most powerful. Had it been the reverse, the potion would've left slaves brain dead when the mana was stronger. At least now, it was simply a case of memories being available where they shouldn't. Traumatic, but not deadly.

He joined Justilia at the pool and allowed her to clean him. She knew his age meant that sexual activity would be limited and that he preferred evening trysts. Once Inclon was dry and dressed, he went back to his desk and started plotting the changes in mana concentrations. The pattern soon became clear. Mana concentrations followed the timing of the burning times. It was as if the heat from Fron burned the mana out of the reagents. That couldn't actually happen, of course. Mana couldn't be destroyed, only moved. It was also hard to understand how the changes took place steadily. Fron had no affect on the climate for more than 50 years. Were mana concentrations that sensitive? If they were, why didn't seasonal changes in temperature affect mana levels?

"Master? Garth is here to see you."

"Oh, bring him in, Justilia."

"Lord Inclon, I have news about Amber."

"Oh, have her memories returned?"

"Not exactly. Her memories have been back ever since she woke up. She'd been hiding it ever since for fear that we'd kill her. It finally came to light."

"She's been lying to us for months?"

"Yes, Lord. She's been punished already."

"Good. This makes sense. My research shows that, given her pre-capture past, her memories should have broken through by now. What effects will this have on her training?"

"Her training has already been suffering. Bressala has had to use excessive amounts of punishment to complete more and more aspects of her training. I'll have to question her about what she remembers and why it's in the way."

"Fine. Send her to me. I want to know what she's experienced as well. The Venturer's report can't tell us everything. I want to know what happened in that brothel. My research shows that only particularly intense memories could have broken through the weakened potion."

"I'll see to it, Lord. Lord, is the potion failing?"

"Yes and no. The formula needs to be adjusted from time to time to keep it at full strength."

"Are the secondary effects being affected by whatever's causing the memory erasure to be diminished?"

"I'm not sure. Have there been any reports of changes?"

"Well, Amber, before she was collared, was insistent that her responses to sexual stimulus weren't normal. The potion is only supposed to heighten a slave's sensitivity. The change shouldn't have been enough for her to notice, even if she did have her memories."

"That bears looking into. We certainly don't want slaves so sensitive to sex that they become practically addicted to it."

"Yes, Lord. I'll send Amber to you."

*****

Amber was surprised when Bressala didn't lead her back to their quarters. Instead, Amber found herself outside of Marlena's room. They entered after being invited in.

"Bress, Amber, what brings you here?"

"Marlena, Amber told us that she's remembered ever since she woke from the collaring."

"Amber, you remember? You lied?"

"Yes, Mistress. I'm so sorry. I was punished."

"I see that. I wasn't going to ask. Are your memories why training is so hard?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Now we have to figure out how to adjust her training in light of what her memories are," Bressala added. "But to do that, Amber, we have to know just what those memories are and how they're affecting you."

"I understand, Mistress. I was born and raised in Billa. That's a town on Kafta; at least I believed it was. So much ended up being lies that I don't know what's true anymore. The void surrounded our town and only so many people could be supported. There were also so many more girls born than boys. So every year, all the girls who reached adulthood were subjected to the lottery. Some would stay in Billa, as the wives/slaves of the boys that had become adults. The rest were taken through the void to other towns, or at least that's what we were told. In reality, Billa, the void, the other towns; we were all slave breeding farms for Ravenshore. I was taken to a slave brothel and trained to give men pleasure."

"Just how did they train you? I can't say I think much of it from what I've seen."

"They had these things, much like our training aids, but not magic. I had to practice on them until I got it just right. Every time I did anything other than exactly what I was shown, they used a crop on me. I learned pretty quickly to do it right or suffer."

"I see. That's horrible. That's no way to train a slave. How can a Master enjoy your company if you're that afraid of punishment? Amber, are you afraid of being punished here?"

"No, Mistress, not in the same way. There, I was terrified of the pain, of not being good enough. Here, I'm afraid of disappointing you. I want to please my Masters. But, I've been so afraid of doing sex with men wrong that I just can't change..."

"...without being punished into it. Tell me, what was sex with the...Masters...is it?"

"Clients, Mistress, not Masters. They paid for a short time with us, to do whatever they wanted. We weren't valued there; we were just a body to fuck. The night before I escaped and found the Venturer, a man paid to beat me bloody. I could've been killed. If a man was pleased with us, we weren't punished. If they complained about anything, the crop was used on us. I learned to do whatever the men wanted."

"I see," Marlena whispered. "Bressala, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, it should work. This Ravenshore place sounds like the epitome of evil, but we can use how they've programmed Amber."

"Mistress, what do you mean? You're not going to use their methods are you?"

"No, not use them. Take advantage of what they've done, in a way. It hasn't been done that way for ages, but it can work." At Amber's look of confusion, Bressala explained. "Amber, if I'm understanding you right, when you're with a man, the most important thing is to make them happy, correct?" Amber nodded. "Did you ever go against your training because a man wanted it different?" Amber nodded again, a smile coming to her face. "Exactly, you need to be live trained. If a man wants some new method from you, you'll do it, just to avoid the crop, right?"