It wasn’t as if she had a schedule to keep. She could take as long as she wanted on the repair validations, as long as she got them done before the next automated maintenance cycle. She could even cancel the request entirely. Lunar Central would simply republish the request and somebody else with the necessary qualifications would take the assignment. She wasn’t even really in any danger of needing to work any time soon. She gave enough of her time to maintaining Theta Dome’s ventilation system that she could afford to spend the next hundred rotations doing nothing but reviewing automat cuisine and importing designer pharma from Ganymede.

Rather, the chance to work on the external airlocks—and most importantly, outside them—gave Gemini a chance to practice one of her more… difficult… vices. She inhaled sharply, rolling the scent of her own breath and the citrus tang of her air supply around in her nostrils. Pressure-suit training was mandatory for residence in any of Luna’s domes, and Central was quick to fine anyone whose certification lapsed. That was one tax the neofeline airtech had never had to pay, and probably never would. To the extent she could, she lived in her suit, filtering her reality through twin transparent displays and a thin layer of full-body latex.

Unfortunately, to really get the full experience, she needed at least one partner, somebody brave enough to risk a seal breach and interesting enough to be worth the risk. On Mars or Titania, that wouldn’t have been a problem; most of the inhabitants knew their way around a suit and the local cultures encouraged the sort of no-risk-no-reward attitude the technician could get behind. Lunar tastes, however, ranged to the safer, saner, and more consensual. That meant that, in Theta Dome at least, Gemini’s choices were somewhat limited. She’d sent out a message to her top five candidates a full five kiloseconds before starting the job, hoping for an interested response, but she’d only gotten static for her troubles.

With a count of FF, Gemini stood and stretched, the suit squeaking around her. She sighed into her rebreather and slid forward towards the edge of the alcove. Just to the left of the airlock was a small terminal, and she slid the snug metamagnetic bracelet around her wrist into the small opening below. The port chimed softly in recognition, and then air rushed into the space between the seals. With pressure near to normal, the sign above the door lit and a second beep sounded as the inner iris opened, revealing a narrow space lit with simple white panels. Two emergency pressure-suits and helmet hung on one side of the gap, while hazard icons blanketed the other. The airtech stepped between them and pressed her bracelet to the inner scanner, and the iris sealed behind her.

“Hello, Gemini.” The words echoed across her cochlear transducer. The feline’s eyes widened behind her lenses as she spun around. Leaning against the inner iris, a raccoon half-grinned at her from within a smoke-tinted bubble-helmet. Silvery biomechanical tendrils crept up from beneath the neckline of zir own suit. “Fancy meeting me here.”

“Kassita.” The airtech hissed the name into her rebreather as she backed up against the outer ring. “I don’t recall asking for your help.”

The raccoon chittered in response, zir feedback-laugh grating directly into Gemini’s skull. “Not directly, perhaps, but I received word from… a mutual acquaintence, shall we say.” Spidery threads of unfocused nanopaste clung to the inside of zir visor. “I thought I might offer.”

Gemini backed up against the outer iris, but her denial was lost to the rush of fans as they evacuated the airlock. The feline swayed slightly as the pressure outside dropped, sending a rush of blood to her head. The warning sign light flashed twice, and her wrist bracelet began to vibrate as the second ring opened. She took a step backwards, crossing the threshold. Outside, Terra hung high in the sky, the cyan glow of the Wall surrounding and isolating the planet shining like a second sun. Sol floated lower and to the left, casting long shadows across the ground.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” Kassita mused as zie glided towards the feline. Zir paws were at the feline’s shoulders before the she could say no, gecko-like patches on the raccoon’s fingertips affixing themselves to the airtech’s suit. “O, goblet full to brim with bloom and faun, what grants her holder never but a sip. Padilla’s Shattered Albedo always seems appropriate when Earthgazing, don’t you think?”

The airtech squirmed around, trying to pull free of Kassita’s van der Waals grip. “I’m not out here to Earthwatch,” she protested. “I’m just here to spot-check the automated repair system.”

“Correction, Gemini. You’re here to engage in asphyxiation and exposure-play.” One of Kassita’s gloves slid with uncomfortable fluidity down Gemini’s front, leaving a faint silvery trail as zie caressed the airtech’s suit. When zir paw reached Gemini’s hip, zie turned her roughly to face the Wall. “If you happen to certify that repair work while you’re enjoying yourself, so much the better.”

Gemini grit her teeth, trying to ignore the warmth she was feeling inside her suit. She jerked her shoulder forward out from under Kassita’s grip, but the raccoon’s glove held as if bonded in place. “Technicalities. What do you want?”

Kassita chittered again, this time backed by a dissonant trill, like a pair of sine waves fighting for dominance. “The same thing you want, of course. You haven’t actually told me to stop, you realize. You could at any point, but you haven’t, have you?” Zie snapped one arm forward, grabbed Gemini by the back of the throat and jerked backwards. “I’m starting to suspect you don’t really want me to stop, do you?”

Gemini’s eyes went wide as a binaural beat began to drum its way into her head, disrupting her focus. “I—” Between the sudden motion and the carrier signal, Gemini’s thoughts struggled to cohere. “I want you….” She shook her head, her tail lashing behind her, swatting at Kassita’s thighs. “… to stop.”

Kassita put one paw on the release valve of Gemini’s airtank and gave it a quarter-turn. “Do you really?”

Gemini groaned as the air hissed behind her. Unbidden, one of her paws went between her thighs, as if she could physically restrain the physiological response through her latex suit. “Don’t,” she whimpered. “Stop.”

“Don’t stop?” Kassita chittered. “If you insist.” Zie gave another half-twist, and the pressurized air in Gemini’s tanks began to boil away, tiny flurries condensing across the raccoon’s helmet. “Breathe slow, Gemini. Every lungful will cost you.” Zir other paw went to Gemini’s tail, pulling it to the side as zie pressed against the rear of the airtech’s suit. “Here, let me give you something that will help.” Zie casually linked the front of zir suit to the back of Gemini’s and extruded a nanotendril between them.

“Wh—” Gemini interrupted herself midword, holding her breath as she listened to the gas venting behind her. She keened softly into her rebreather and pressed more firmly against her cleft. Her whole body shook as as she struggled against the urge to grind her hips against her paw. As she rocked on her hinds, she felt one of her waste-seals crack, and then something body-warm and slick pressing directly against her fur. Her teeth chattered as the filaments of nanopaste began to light up her neurons, compounding her desire. “—at!” she finished sharply, caught between the need to pull away and the fear of breaking the seal.

Kassita’s laugh echoed in Gemini’s cochlear transducer again, rolling along the dueling sine waves. “It’s just a small gift, Gemini. Something I’ve wanted to share with you for a very long time.” Zie pushed the silvery probe further into Gemini’s suit, slipping between her legs, splitting and gliding through her fur towards her openings. “You’ll love it once you try it, I promise.”

Caught between rising arousal and terror, Gemini’s heart began to pound. The dissonant hum and the dwindling oxygen killed any hope of protest. Everywhere the nanotendrils touched her, cool electricity poured into her skin, lighting her nerves and augmenting her arousal. She began to rock impatiently against her fist, fingers rolling against her crotch as she mewled into her rebreather. Stars danced at the edge of her vision, while the Wall glowed directly before her. “No.” The word was automatic, a whisper among howls. “Please.”

“No and please?” The raccoon’s voice flowed along those sensuous sine waves, cold enough to burn. “You should make up your mind, Gemini. You don’t have much air left. Which is it?”

“Please!” came Gemini’s gasping reply, her lungs starting to sting. The stars grew brighter even as her vision began to fade. She jammed her paw tightly to her crotch, pressing inward against the thickening quicksilver tentacle crawling inside her sex. “Please! Please! Please! Please!” The word became a mantra, every thrust of her hips forward and back matched with a fresh exclamation as she rode the dizzying wave of disorientation towards climax.

Kassita’s smile turned cold, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Then… no.” Zie hissed, and suddenly the tendrils withdrew, sucking backwards into the raccoon’s suit, replacing the seal in their wake. Zie pushed the airtech away and stepped back towards the airlock. “If you want it, then it isn’t any fun.”

Gemini cried out in frustration, rocking frantically against her fingers. The loss of the nanoprobes inside her left her cold, but the oxygen-loss was enough to push herself over the edge, and she dropped to her knees, yowling into her rebreather as she climaxed. She fell forward onto all fours, wincing as the metamagnetic bracelet banged into the back of her paw. “Bitch,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“You wouldn’t appreciate it otherwise,” Kassita smirked as she withdrew. “Come find me in Red Sector, four-eight-two-five, if you change your mind later. You may want to refill your tanks before you try to work. Oh, and one more thing. Jakob Voynovich sends his regards.” Then the raccoon stepped back inside the airlock, disappearing from view.

The words stopped me in my tracks, one paw on the edge of the door, the other tugging at the buttons of my polo shirt, my eyes trapped by my girlfriend. Despite being tall for a raccoon, she was usually a study in curves: wide hips, a gentle tummy that made her giggle when I tickled it, and ample breasts that my paws longed to caress. Today, though, she was all red leather angles, severe and imposing. The platform boots she wore brought her almost eye to eye with me and tilted her onto her toes, making her look like she was looming. Her corset accentuated her already-generous figure, pushing out her chest and drawing her waist into a sharp line. Elbow-length fingerless gloves covered her forearms, and in one paw, she lazily twirled a slim rattan cane.

In the other, she held my collar, its small gems glittered against the powder-blue leather. Her deep blue eyes were cold and unreadable, bright against the black band of fur. She held my gaze for several seconds, until I had to force myself to look away. My ears flattened against my head and my tail drooped, and I could feel its tip flicking nervously to spite me. I glanced back, cautiously, and forced a smile to my muzzle. “Sorry, love. I got stuck in a meeting and couldn’t—”

My voice froze when the switch in my mate’s fingers stopped. “I said you’re late, kitty.” My chest froze as Mistress invoked scene. “And by over two hours, I should note. Kneel, paws behind your back, and they had better stay there.”

I swallowed heavily but did as she asked, lacing my fingers together, the backs of my paws pressed against the small of my back. As I sunk to my knees and bowed my head, the tip of her cane tapped my shoulder, and I heard the door close behind me with an ominous thunk. “Do you remember what you’re supposed to do if you’re going to be late?”

I winced, my muzzle suddenly dry. I licked my lips nervously and swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

I heard Mistress’ boots step closer, and her short claws gripped the scruff of my neck. “Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”

The tug at the sensitive fur sent a ripple of heat down my spine even as my cheeks burned. “I’m to call if I can, text if I can’t, before our meeting.” My voice came out a lot smaller than before. “And I’m to either tell you when I’ll be there, or when I’ll next contact you, ma’am.”

“So why didn’t you message me, pet?” Mistress’ tone was far too light, too casual. “I’m curious. How long did you plan on making me wait?”

I swallowed heavily again. My knees were starting to hurt, but I didn’t dare move. My chest felt tight and my paws were sweating, but my cock was already starting to twitch. “I’m sorry, ma’am.” The words started to spill out of me. “Paul and some of the other guys in the office invited me to join them for drinks. I tried to tell them I had a date, but they started cracking jokes about me being whipped. I had to go! I had to save face!”

Mistress was quiet for a few seconds after that, though her claws never stopped their teasing. Then I felt her breath on my ear, her words a murmur. “Are you embarrassed by our relationship, kitty?”

“Are you sure?” She drew out the last word, rising in gentle mockery. “You’re such a big, strong, buff tiger.” A tap from Mistress’ cane emphasized every word, sending a fresh rush of warmth to my cheeks. “And I’m just a meek little raccoon. Everybody thinks you’re the alpha and I’m the omega, but…” She paused and nipped my eartip, making me mewl. Her voice fell to a husky whisper. “We both remember rule number one, don’t we, kitty?”

“You own me, ma’am, and I’m glad to be owned.” The words were a mantra of arousal; just saying it was enough to make my shaft throb in its sheath.

Mistress’ claws suddenly dug into the scruff of my neck, though her voice never rose in pitch or volume. “So why don’t your coworkers know when your mistress expects you to be home, hmm?”

The strength of her grip in such a sensitive location made me whimper. “I… I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“Oh, not yet you aren’t,” Mistress hissed in my ear, “but you will be.” The cane left my shoulder, and then I felt her paws at my neck, fastening my collar in place, followed by the click of a lock behind me. “Rise, strip, and follow.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said as I got up off of my knees. I wanted to take a minute to rub some blood flow back into them, but I knew better than to delay any longer. I shed my pants and shirt, then my underwear, bundling it all under my arm as I followed Mistress back into our bedroom. Inside, the room smelled of her musk, velvety and warm. Red lights in the lamps on the nightstands made the room seem a few degrees warmer, and a pile of nylon strapping and leather cuffs sat in the middle of the bed.

Mistress took my clothes from me as I entered. “On the bed, kitty. All fours.” Once I was in position, she pulled the restraints from under me, then quickly tied my ankles to the foot of the bed, forcing me to spread my legs. She balled my paws into fists, then tucked them into a pair of mitts, which she then fixed to the bedsides. I heard her climb up beside me, and then the room went dark as she put a padded blindfold over my eyes. My shaft bobbed out of its sheath, but with my arms tied, I couldn’t do anything about it. Not that I would have dared without her permission.

The cane bounced lightly against my back, but I quickly bit my tongue. “That was just a warmup, kitty,” Mistress said from behind me, her voice still tight. “Seven strokes, one for every fifteen minutes you made me wait. Count out loud.” Then the air whistled, and the slim rattan rod landed squarely across my rump with a crack.

“One!” I yelped, jumping slightly. The blow sounded worse than it felt, but the sting it left still hurt. The cane whistled again, and the second stroke fell just below the first. “Two!” My cheeks burned a bit more with each number, my ears pulling more tightly against my head. Tears welled up behind the blindfold, as much from shame as from pain. Every lash made my cock jump, spattering a few more drops of precum against the sheets.

I tried to imagine how the scene had to look from the outside, the apex predator whipped, figuratively and literally. The next stripe of pain caught me off-guard, landing just above the first. “Three!” My voice broke. Not even halfway and you’re crying. Sissy. The imagined words sent a wave of warmth and embarrassment down my back and made my balls twitch, like I was going to cum just from the thought. Another whistle, and the backs of my thighs lit up. “Four!” I drew in a ragged breath, tensing all over.

“Oh, poor kitten.” Mistress’ voice poured like honey into my ears, rich with her amusement and arousal. The smell of her had thickened with every blow, rolling around in my nostrils. “I’m pulling my punches, and I’m not even that strong.” She pressed her paw gently against one abused rump cheek and rubbed, warmth overriding the pain. “I’d better stop, or I might actually hurt you.”

“I… I’m sorry, ma’am.” My voice cracked again.

I felt her moving in front of me, her tail briefly brushing against my muzzle, and then her fingers were at the back of my head. “It’s okay, pet. I have a better way you can work off those strokes.” The fur of her thighs brushed against my cheeks, and then her scent was full and rich below me. “Lick, kitty,” Mistress hissed as she tugged my collar. “Back of tongue only.” I mewled softly, squirming against my bonds, but I did as she ordered, careful to keep my tongue curled. Blind, I worked by feel and taste, caressing her labia, then dipping down to circle the opening of her tunnel, before rising to carefully glide around her clit.

The lingering sting in my rump and the burning in my cheeks had me almost in a trance. I poured my arousal and shame into my servitude, letting Mistress’ moans guide my tongue. As her breath rose and fell, I followed her gasps, hoping to make her cum, but the sudden chime of the doorbell snapped me sharply of the reverie. She groaned in response, and then I felt her pull away from me. “And that’s the rest of your lesson.” I heard her boots hit the floor, and then steps as she left the room. She closed the door behind her, and then I was alone with the scent of her arousal lingering in my muzzle.

It felt like several minutes passed while I squirmed against my ropes. I had a little slack, but only enough to shift my weight from one side to the other. I started to think that making me wonder what she was doing was part of my punishment. Before long, though, the bedroom door opened, and Mistress’ voice came through. “—n here. I was just getting him warmed up.” I caught whiff of a second scent, male, canine, and very earthy, but I couldn’t place it.

Then I heard his voice, faintly accented, and recognition flared. “I have to tell you, I’ve been—”

“Paul?” The name was out of me before I could stop it. The thought of any of my coworkers seeing me like this was enough to freeze my blood. Imagining his expression as he stared at me, naked and bound, made me thrash against my restraints. “Sarah, what’s—”

Mistress’ cane landed sharply on my hip, an echo of the earlier stripes. “Did I tell you to speak, pet?”

Her words cut across my panic. “No, ma’am,” I whimpered in response. My head was swimming, my heart pounding in my chest.

“He’s usually much better behaved.” The switch bounced lightly against my side, emphasizing her words.

“No worries,” Paul drawled casually. “How should we handle this?” One of his paws rested on my back, his claws drumming against my spine like I were a piece of furniture. The thought and the touch made my cock jump and a moan escaped my muzzle.

The bed rustled, and then Mistress’ paw slowly brushed down my shoulder and back. “There’s lube and some condoms in the drawer by my bed. Take your time getting ready; he’s not going anywhere.” Her breath was suddenly warm against my ear, her voice that heady whisper. “I can hear your heart pounding, kitty, so let’s talk. Lemon-drop.”

Hearing her use my safeword, I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I wasn’t ready to run, but my heart was still racing. “Okay, but… that’s Paul. From work. I—”

“I’ve already talked with him,” Mistress said quietly, still brushing my back with her paw. Behind her I could hear my coworker muttering to himself. “You said you thought you’d be okay if he knew, so I reached out to him and he’s fine with everything. Around six o’clock, I asked him if he knew where you were. He said you were out with your team, and I explained where I thought you were supposed to be. He offered to help. I told him to wait ten minutes after you left, then come over. Okay?”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. My chest was still pounding, but I was breathing easier, and I couldn’t deny being turned on by the exposure; my cock was drooling precum onto the bed and every touch sent a fresh shiver down my spine. “So, kitty,” Mistress continued as she sat back, restoring scene. “We’re going to clear up a few misconceptions. One, when I say you’re going to let me know when you’re going to be late, you will let me know. Is that understood, pet?”

Paul groaned loudly behind me, punctuating Mistress’ words. “Yes, ma’am,” I moaned into the mattress, lifting my rump in the air.

“Two.” She gripped my scruff around my collar, and a second pair of paws landed on my back. “When somebody teases you about being whipped, kitten, you’re to remember rule number one, which is…?”

I blushed hard, ears flattening against my head, knowing that Paul would hear me, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You own me, ma’am, and I’m glad to be owned.”

“Three.” The bed shifted as Paul knelt behind me, and I felt his paws spread my rumpcheeks. “I don’t ask you what you do with your time, kitten, but mine isn’t yours to waste.” A cold dollop of lube fell on my pucker, making me wince, but it warmed quickly as my coworker positioned the head of his shaft against it. “So, we’re going to play hurry-up-and-wait. Paul?”

Paul’s response was a grunt and groan as he pushed himself into me, forcing me open. I’d been pegged before, Mistress riding me with a strap-on, but it had been some time and I was out of practice, so there was a lot of pain mixed with the pleasure of his cock filling me. His paws moved to my hips, and then he began to ride me, long slow strokes in and out. I did my best to match his movements, but he was bigger than I was expecting, and my heart was still thumping in my chest. All I could really manage was to squirm against my bonds and whimper into the mattress while my cock bounced under me with every one of his thrusts.

All the while Paul rode me, I could feel Mistress sitting beside me, her finger lightly rubbing my scruff and stroking the backs of my ears. You’re being fucked by your coworker, I heard in my head, my shaft throbbing at the thought. Everybody’s going to smell him on you on Monday. They’ll know your secret. You’re the sissy. You’re the slave. Was she saying it? Was I just imagining it? I started to grind back against the wolf, losing myself into the embarrassment, the exposure.

Something sharp and hard rammed into my pucker, and I heard Paul whine. His muttering got louder and growls started punctuating his words. His thrusts started coming shorter, harder, faster. Another stab ran up from under my tail, and I realized what he was trying to do. “Ma’am?” I managed to whimper. Despite my arousal, I knew what was coming. “He’s… he’s trying…” His hips ground urgently against my rump. “Oh, gods… too much…”

Mistress’ paw tugged at my collar. “What’s rule number one, kitty?”

I tried to respond, but Paul’s insistence made it hard to focus. “You o-own me, ma’am, and… and I’m….” My chest was starting to feel tight again, my voice shaking. “I’m glad to… to be owned.”

“That means your tailhole is mine, too,” Mistress cooed, kneading my neck. “To use or give away, doesn’t it? That means that—unless you safeword—Paul’s going to tie with you. He says it’s about… oh… two hours or so for that to go down enough to get free.”

“T-tie?” My voice cracked. “Bu-but…” Paul’s knot slammed against my pucker again, grinding more urgently against me. “Oh gods…”

“I’m getting close,” Paul huffed behind me, his claws digging into my hips. “Say it or take it, kitty.”

I bit my lip, whimpering into the mattress. “I… I…” For an instant, I thought about safewording, but then I clamped down on my tongue, and agony blossomed behind me, followed a moment later by a wave of pure bliss as I clamped down on Paul’s knot. My coworker bent over me, whining, and then let out a howl as he jammed himself deep into me. Heat rippled up from my guts, and I shot my own load into the mattress, collapsing with a groan into the puddle a few seconds later.

Mistress’ paw brushed my cheek. “Status, kitten,” she murmured in the suddenly still room.

I shook my head to try to clear it. “I… hurt, ma’am, but… feels so good. Paul’s heavy. Arms starting to tingle. Ashamed. Loved.”

I could feel Mistress’ smile in the brush of her lips against mine. “Good kitty.” She shifted off the mattress, and I heard her fussing with the straps. Then the tension in my arms and legs vanished, and I felt her paw at my hip. “Let’s get you two on your sides.” He groaned his assent, and we managed to roll over, with the wolf’s arm under my head. “Paul, do you need anything?”

“Towel might be nice,” Paul groaned behind me. “And some water.” I heard Mistress’ steps head into the bathroom, then come back, and something soft fell on my hip. “Other than that….” He moved behind me and pain spasmed up my spine, dragging a hiss out of me. “Nothing for it. We’ll have to wait.”

Mistress’ gloved paw brushed my cheek again. “Then I’ll get you some water, and I’ll be back in a few hours. If you’re free before then, kitty, come get me. I’ll be in the living room.” I vaguely nodded, and the world drifted around me.

A light jostle at my shoulder brought me back to attention. “Status, kitten?”

I squirmed against the wolf behind me. “Still sore, ma’am. Warm.”

“Paul?”

“Oh, fine. Just about…” Paul shifted, making me spasm again, but I felt his paw at my hip. “Yeah, I think… ready?” Without waiting for an answer, he shifted away, slowly but insistently pulling his knot out of me.

A last spasm of pain ran up my spine, followed by a wave of relief as he withdrew from my stretched tailhole. My pucker burned from the abuse. “Ow.” I put a paw against my rump, rubbing the bruises to distract myself from the ache. “Oh… oh gods.”

One of Mistress’ bare paws carefully removed the blindfold, the other resting on my shoulder. “How’s the condom, Paul?”

“Feels intact; the tip’s still full.” Paul sat up, and my back was suddenly cold. “Care to check it?”

Mistress’ shook her head. “No, go ahead. Robert?”

I drew in a sharp breath and let it out with a smile, sliding back out of scene. “Yes, Sarah?”

Sarah gently gripped my shoulder. “Seriously, full status.” Her blue eyes, set in her black-furred mask, were wide and shimmering. “I just pushed a lot of boundaries. I want to know how you feel.”

I rolled onto my back, staring up to the ceiling. “I’m…” I put my paws behind my head. “Hearing Paul’s voice was a shock; I was terrified you’d outed me to the whole office. The knot was more than I was ready for, but not more than I could handle. That was two hours?”

“About… thirty minutes,” Paul said from the edge of the bed.

“It felt like days,” I replied, shaking my head. “I hurt, but it’s a really good hurt.”

Sarah lay down beside me; she’d taken off the rest of her clothes and curled up naked against my side. “I told you when we started this that I would test your limits. You said you were afraid of exposure, and you were scared of being seen as weak. I figure my job as your mistress, as well as your mate, is to help you get over those fears.”

I nodded and tugged at my collar, looking towards my coworker; the wolf sat with his elbows on his knees, wiping at his fur with the towel. “I’m still afraid of what happens on Monday.”

Paul barked a laugh. “You tell folks you and Sarah kissed and made up, and I tell folks about the sweet bit of tail I found after I left the bar. Nobody has to know more than that.”

I shook my head. “I…” I drew in a deep breath, then sighed. “I don’t want to be afraid any more.”

Sarah put her arm around my waist and hugged herself to me. “Bobby, I’m not asking you to bare every detail of what we do, but I think you have a lot of reasons to be proud of who you are, and I don’t think that pride will hurt your career.”

I nodded, but my attention was still on Paul. “What do you think will happen if I… if I wear my collar to work?”

Paul shrugged. “Assuming anybody even notices, they’ll think it’s a nice piece of jewelry. The ones who know what it means probably won’t say anything. The ones who do, you can tell ‘em to take it up with her.”

“Then…” I held still for a moment, then turned to my mate and mistress. “With your permission, ma’am, I’d like to start wearing it out more.”

Mistress smiled at that and kissed my shoulder. “Of course, kitty. You remember rule number one, don’t you?”

I smiled. “You own me, ma’am, and I’m glad to be owned.”

Master Valentin, Baron Deterikh, replied with a groan as he stepped into his parlor. “Rikeh, to the kitchen,” he mumbled wearily as he slumped towards the table. “Tea for three, bowls of stew, and whatever bread and cheese they can spare.” Mister Chelin filed in after him, with Miss Aura behind. “Taneh, heel. It’s going to be a long night.”

“Yes, master,” we replied as we both stood. My love brushed eir stubby paw against my arm, then took off at a dash for the kitchen. Eir golden-hued chains—a gift from the alchemist to complement my silver ones—rattled as ey shuffled rapidly out the door, tugging it closed behind em. I knelt beside the baron and, unbidden, took one of his hinds onto my knees to massage it as best as I could.

The lynx groaned and sagged against his high-backed chair. “Stars, that feels good.” He leaned down and tousled the fur between my ears. “That was the most brutal day in court I have ever had to endure.”

Mister Chelin, Deterikh’s new sergeant-at-arms, shifted forward on his seat and leaned his elbows against the table. “It could’ve been worse, I’m sure.”

“I’m not sure how,” my master retorted. “It seems half of Baris was in Erik’s camp, the other half supported Datsia, and the only common ground between them was disappointment in me. I think they’re all just holding their breath, waiting for me to make some gross misstep.”

“They weren’t holding it quietly, from what I heard,” the stocky young wolf chuckled. “At least none of them questioned your succession.”

“I don’t think any of them dared.” My master rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with one paw. “The reports of both of my predecessors’ deaths were too widespread, and I was one’s confidant and the other’s best friend. Iladin’s recital of Erik’s last words probably didn’t hurt either.”

“Neither did your accomplishments, don’t forget,” Deterikh’s sergeant-at-arms added. “You stopped a war and laid two heads of state to rest on the same day; that’s no simple feat.” Then Mister Chelin grinned, his ears perking. “At least Inika wasn’t here to challenge every statement you made.”

Miss Aura cackled at that from one of the couches along the wall, her tail hooking in amusement behind her. “No doubt she’ll be busy making plenty of her own mistakes at Tomas’ court.”

“Matska’s grace, Inika’s making a better showing there than I did here.” My master hissed against clenched teeth as I kneaded the ball of his hind. “She’s no Dion, but hopefully that will be worth a few coin in her favor. With luck, Baron Jazinsk will find her directness refreshing.” He tugged his hind out of my lap, then replaced it with the other, letting out a fresh groan of discomfort as I worked the tension out of his weary pads.

Deterikh’s court alchemist picked at the tattered hem of her blouse. “Speaking of Baron Jazinsk, do we know for sure that he’s agreed to end the war?”

“Not for sure, but I think we can assume so.” The young sergeant added. “The reports from the front are that the Jazinsks have pulled their forces back to just outside Krolik’s walls, same as we have. We know Inika’s made it inside, and we received confirmation that they turned back the ambush from their southern approach.”

That drew a general sigh of relief from around the room. “Any word of Dion?” Miss Aura asked, her tail lashing. “Have they caught the right bastard yet?”

My master shook his head. “No word on that, no. I think if they’d caught him, they’d have said, so I have to assume they’re still looking. Hopefully when they send their next envoy, he’ll come bearing that snake’s head on the end of his spear.”

“So who did you have Inika ask them to send?” Miss Aura asked, her gaze suddenly on the painting over my master’s shoulder.

My master shifted uncomfortably in his seat, then pulled his hind out of my lap. “Justik, son of Jedrik. I told you that before.” My heart leaped into my throat at the name, and my chest suddenly felt tight, but my master just put a paw on the back of my head and brushed my fur with his fingers. “Something the matter, pet?”

I bit my lip. “No, master.” The word was a lie, the sudden flush of embarrassment making the ache between my legs throb.

A soft thump at the door interrupted his words. Instead of further teasing, he merely hooked his thumb towards the door. “Go open that.”

I shifted awkwardly and rose to my hinds. “Yes, master.” I dashed over to the door and, twisting the knob in both paws, opened it to admit Rikeh, a wooden tray balanced across eir paws, loaded with bowls and a tea service. Eir chains rustled against the ground as ey walked slowly to the table to lay down eir burden. Eir order fulfilled, ey knelt where I had been moments before, and I took my position beside em.

For several seconds, no-one spoke. My master poured tea, Mister Chelin dug into his stew, Miss Aura joined them at the table, and my love and I shared the warmth of each other’s body. I heard the gentle shift of eir chains, felt the touch of eir stubby paw against my knee, and the emptiness between my legs flared, begging to be filled. I returned the touch, and a quiet whimper escaped Rikeh’s muzzle, eir ears folding back against eir head. I giggled, and ey turned, briefly pressing eir lips to mine.

“Down, both of you,” Master Valentin reprimanded, a smile on his muzzle. “There’ll be time enough for that later.”

“Oh, let them play,” Miss Aura chided, holding her mug in both paws. “This is all people-talk. You don’t even need them in here for this.”

My master grinned and lightly stroked Rikeh’s ears. “No, I don’t, but… truth be told, I’ve gotten used to their involvement. I need every honest voice I can find to warn me when I’m about to do something rash, and I sent one of my best advisors to Jazinsk to act as my voice there. I see no reason to turn down help where it’s available, even if sometimes I have to order them not to speak.” His eyes caught mine in a pointed stare, and I ducked my head, my ears growing warm under the sudden attention.

“Fair enough, I suppose,” Mister Chelin conceded. “It’s not like you’re bringing them to court with you. Will you really want them in the room when the envoy is here, though? Isn’t that just begging for trouble?”

“Probably,” my master admitted. “But he already knows about Taneh. I want him to see ey’s being well-treated. I can’t think of a faster way to build confidence in us. That’s why I asked for him in the first place.”

“It’s not Taneh’s presence that worries me,” the wolf grumbled as he tapped a claw against the patch of white on Rikeh’s shoulder. “Those markings are far too similar to be coincidence; they even look alike, in the muzzle and such. That’s going to raise questions.”

“What could he possibly ask that could be a problem?” Miss Aura asked as she filled her mug. “He won’t have any reason to suspect the truth.”

“He won’t have to,” the young sergeant countered, tapping against the table. “He knows what happened to Taneh, and even if he accepts that ey wanted it, that doubt has to linger. All he has to do is ask why they look so similar. That would be reason enough to suspect something, even if it’s not the truth.”

Rikeh and I exchanged glances, but Master Valentin leaned forward and put a paw on my love’s shoulder. “Listen, Chelin. If he asks outright, we tell him. If he’s smart enough to piece together the truth, then keeping it from him will hurt us in the long term. So far, no one has questioned Rikeh’s presence or history, and I don’t see that changing. That’s the way of slaves; they’re mostly beneath people’s attention.”

“And if he doesn’t ask directly, the answer is simple,” The alchemist added with a flick of her tailtip. “The Slaver’s Guild has a branch in Baris as well as Krolik, and I chanced upon a close fit. I wanted a gift to offer at the inauguration, and, well….” Her grin widened as she tugged at the hem of her blouse. “Baron Deterikh seemed so pleased with Taneh, I thought he should have a matched set.”

The words sent a spasm of warmth up my spine, and from Rikeh’s muffled whimper against my shoulder I could tell it had done the same to em. I shifted closer to my love and took eir paws in mine, then nuzzled into the other rabbit’s velvety black fur. I might have been nothing more than a slave, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing more I could want.

  KRT  

Behind me, I could hear the sounds of the sages’ preparations, but they seemed dim and distant. Chalk scratched against the dais around me, and salts flowed in a circle around it. The air grew thick with the scent of rain and woodsmoke. I could hear, if I focused, Miss Aura and Mister Iladin discussing sigils and stars, influences and intentions. I caught my name, once or twice, or perhaps I just remembered it. Taneh. It was a pretty name, strong but yielding. What will yours be, pet? I wondered, as I stroked the young wolf’s ears.

Miss Aura’s voice came to me from miles away. “Pet, how is he? And yourself?”

“Quiet, ma’am,” I replied, letting the words fall gently out of my muzzle. “Relaxed, a little scared.”

“Just a little?” The question was gentle. “Not a lot?”

“No, ma’am,” I assured. “I’m well-trained and doing as I’m told.” I lowered my gaze, then rested a paw over my pet’s chest. “He’s frightened, mostly of the pain.”

Mister Valentin’s voice was more insistent, but no less removed. “Tell him he won’t hurt much more.” Then, more quietly, in a voice I don’t think I was meant to hear, he added, “I’m still not sure what you’re planning.”

“I’m correcting two mistakes tonight,” the sage replied just as softly. “I haven’t time to explain the rest. Trust that everyone should be happier with the outcome.”

After that, for a time, there were only the sounds of preparation and my own gentle murmurs, keeping my pet relaxed. He turned his head and gently nuzzled at my leg, whimpering softly, and I held one of his paws between both of mine. Then, finally, Miss Aura called out to me again. “Taneh, do you remember when we stepped outside the Great Work together? How the skeins supported us when the ground gave way?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, closing my eyes. As she mentioned it, I could easily imagine the glowing lines of light beneath us, feel the sway and tip of the rays bowing slightly beneath our weight. I shifted faintly to compensate, adjusting my knees, which grew a muffled grunt from my pet’s muzzle.

Far behind me, the sage chuckled. “Never mind, pet. You’re doing as you’re told, and doing very well.” Hindfalls whispered against stone. “When the circle closes, be ready to catch yourself. Do you understand?”

I drew in a deep breath, then let it out and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Somewhere far behind me, a final chalk-line scratched into place, a few grains of salt poured across them, and the witchlights faded into twilight. “From the furthest star to the tiniest speck, all things are connected in the Great Work.” Miss Aura’s voice echoed faintly, her voice all around me. “The tapestry stretches in all directions, from the heavens to the earth, binding all things together. Past and future, above and below. Here, within the unbroken circle, we separate off a small piece of the Work, that we may weave changes into it.”

The air around me hummed with potential as Miss Aura spoke. I opened my eyes, but the glowing lines remained, shining up from below. It took me only a moment to find my balance, the shining skeins more than enough to support my weight. My pet startled when the world began to fade, but I lay my paws on his shoulders and chanced a whisper. “Easy, pet.” I nuzzled between his ears, and lay still again with only a whimper. Once we both had our balance, I lifted my head. “Yes.”

“Beyond the Great Work, cause need not precede effect, and before may follow after,” the sage’s voice continued. Beyond the circle, all had become darkness; only her words breached the barrier. “In this place, we may make changes, and not fear the consequences. Water may pour up to a vessel, and fire may burn without consuming fuel. Outside the Great Work, we may pull the weapon from the wound, and no blood shall flow.”

My stomach clenched at the words, but the order was clear. Gingerly, I pressed my paws together on either side of the broken wooden shaft, then gradually pulled upwards. My pet arched his back, but then I felt something give way, and the blade slid free, slick with blood. Light shone up from the hole left in his chest, lit by the strands supporting us over the abyss. I resisted the urge to peer into the opening; I was afraid of what I might see inside.

“Good pet,” Miss Aura assured me, and my own breathing eased slightly. “You’re doing as you’re told, and doing it well. The hole below marks a point of egress, a space through which the unneeded may leave. The hole above marks a point of ingress, a space through which the needed may enter. Salts may separate, chalk may mark and guide, but it is the will that directs and commands. Let us trace a circle around this hole with the tool that created it, to bless it and keep it pure.”

Clumsily, I drew the metal spear tip through my pet’s fur, in a rough circle around the wound. It was far from precise, but I was doing as I was told. Once marked, the sage’s voice resumed as if she had never stopped. “So blessed, we may separate the unnecessary from the desirable, the wheat from the chaff. Ruby dust for Oshka. Thistle for purity, elderberry to consecrate. Clover and clove, basil and bay. Within the circle, two threads bind incompletely, brought together by arrogance and fear, wolf and rabbit conjoined in a single skein. Let us lay paws on this knot, and with this touch untie. The hole below marks a point of egress, through which Wilik’s thread may leave.”

As my paws came to rest on either side of my pet’s injury, it felt as though they were passing within, as though the flesh weren’t quite solid. As a test, I gingerly pressed down against his pelt, and I something inside gave way, as a waterskin breaking. The light rising through the wound began to sputter as something smelling of fresh-cooked stew poured out below, between the strands of light and down into the darkness. As I watched, his tail began to recede, and his ears grew longer in equal measure. His muzzle shrank to a rounded curve, and his hinds swelled like mine. Melka, I realized. He always was his mother’s son.

“With Wilik’s gift removed, the knot remains incomplete, a single thread tied to naught.” Suddenly the sage’s voice was a whisper all around, in my ear but nowhere to be seen. “Sapphire dust for Matska. Orange for marriage, peony for love. Heather and honeysuckle, mandrake and mistletoe. Within the circle, two threads bind completely, brought together by love and compassion. Let us lay paws across these threads, and with this touch unite. The hole above marks a point of ingress, through which Jedrik’s thread may enter.”

Lifting one paw from my pet’s chest, I placed it upon my own, and pain the likes of which I had never felt shot through me, as if I had been stabbed through the gut with a spear. I felt something move within me, and then an arc of lightning jumped between us. My pet spasmed once against me, then again, his motions echoed by my own. The blood rushed from my head, and my world swam around me. I swayed and stumbled, but then his paws were at my sides, holding me steady. I looked down, and he smiled back, his golden eyes alight. At his shoulder and hip, patches of white fur stood out from the black, no doubt matched by one on the back of his leg.

“With Jedrik’s gift added, the knot becomes whole, two threads brought together by love and compassion.” Miss Aura’s voice returned to normal, though still at a great distance. “What remains is to mold the second as the first, to complete the pairing. Anise to bless, cinnamon to heat and stoke. Peppermint, motherwort, and clove. Let us wipe away the inner circle and match touch for touch, gift for gift.”

I wiped my paw across the circle I’d traced, and the hole in his chest went with the rest of the marks. The other rabbit below me let out a gasp, then a full-throated moan as the heat within him swelled. Cautiously, I slid back along the strands of light to let him lay flat, then took one of his paws in mine. It took only a little effort to take each of his claws between my stubs and work them back into the ends of his fingers. A bit more, and his fingers lay folded flat as mine were. The thumb was hardest to mold away, but when that was done, his paw was the mirror of mine, a thought that stoked my own inner fire. His other paw went quickly, but there was more to do.

Working my knees to either side of his head took time, but soon his muzzle was just below my nethers. “Lick,” I whispered into the darkness. “Learn.” Then I lay across his chest, so that his groin was just beneath me. As he pressed his lips to mine in a most intimate kiss, I took his sheath in my paws. Guided by his tongue, I cautiously molded flesh to match the sensations I felt. The heat within me became a flame as ey pleasured me, fueled by eir fire and my own efforts.

Soon that ache burned too brightly, and I plunged my muzzle into eir newly-molded sex, hoping to slake my burning need in eir depths. I rubbed the opening to eir tunnel gingerly with one stubby digit, squirming back against eir paw in return. Every lick echoed against my body, every shudder mirrored in my own. I traced eir nethers with my tongue, carefully avoiding that sensitive button as long as I could, until my need drove me to caress it directly, drawing a howl from my lips. I held back as long as I could, but my tongue was too insistent, my need too demanding. My release was a lightning strike that ran from the tips of my newly-lengthened ears to the base of my shortened tail, my tunnel clenching tightly as if to try to hold the other within me until the stars ran cold. “Yes,” we whispered in unison, when voice finally returned to us.

Miss Aura’s chuckle probably wasn’t part of the ritual. “You’re doing what you’re told, and doing it well. As all things have symbols to give them meaning, so is the name the symbol of self. The self that entered the circle is not the self that leaves, and so the name must change to match. Wormwood and violet, with licorice root to seal. Outside the Great Work, we may separate a skein to make changes to it. To weave those changes back within the larger pattern, we carefully part the circle. Salts divided, chalk split.” I heard the thunk of wood against stone, and then the scrape of one of the lines being split. “Wake up, Taneh.”

I startled at the name, my name, and fell onto my side with a groan, thudding against the solid wooden dais. The first rays of sun were just streaming in through the windows, making the witchlights seem dim by comparison. Every muscle in my back and legs felt stiff, and my paws ached. “Ma’am,” I groaned.

A whimper to my right made me turn my head, and my heart jumped in my chest. Staring at the rabbit that lay beside me felt akin to gazing into a mirror. Eir fur was black where mine was white, white to my black, but the patches across shoulder and hip were an eerie match. Eir arms ended in an animal’s paws, and between eir legs was only a need to be filled. Ey lifted eir head with a groan, pressing eir paws to eir eyes. “I’m exhausted.”

“Quiet, pet,” Miss Aura corrected as she shuffled over. “Any pain, at least?”

Ey paused, biting eir lip. One paw went to eir chest in surprise, brushing against where the spear had been. Of the broken weapon itself or the wound, there was no sign. “No, ma’am… just tired.”

The grin that split the sage’s muzzle could have outshone the sun itself. “Good. Very good,” she said as she wiped at her eyes. “If anything ever hurts, ever, you get your master to come tell me, do you understand?”

The other rabbit ducked eir head sheepishly, squirming. Ey glanced to me and blushed; eir eyes were a deep and vivid gold. “It’s not pain, exactly, ma’am.”

Miss Aura laughed, her tail hooking behind her in amusement. “I think you’ll be fine. Baron? You can claim your pets.”

“Hrr?” Half-asleep on the floor just beyond the circle, Mister… Master Valentin’s eyes fluttered, then snapped open as understanding dawned. “Oh! Right.” He sat up and stretched, then pushed himself from the floor with a groan. “Taneh, heel.” Then his eyes turned to the other rabbit, and the world held its breath. “Um….”

“Yes, master.” I struggled to my hinds, then knelt with a wince slightly behind and to the left of Baron Deterikh. The other rabbit watched wordlessly as I moved, then up to the baron’s face. Eir eyes went wide with longing and confusion, but before ey could speak, I took a risk and gestured towards the space to my right, at the lynx’s other side. “Rikeh, heel.”

At the mention of eir new name, ey sagged against the ground in relief. When ey lifted eir face, the smile on eir muzzle shone brighter than the coming dawn. “Coming, master,” ey whispered, then rose and took eir place beside me.

Master Valentin looked down at the both of us, and a weary smile broke out on his muzzle. “Both of you, rise follow. I have a few announcements to make and a war to stop.”

Em, I thought over the sudden rush of boots, but I didn’t say it. I was doing what I was told, and doing it very well. I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t even angry. I had every reason to hate Miss Datsia for what she had done to Erik, Miss Aura for what she had done to me. All I could feel was a dim relief that everything would soon be resolved. I dropped to my knees beside my master and pet, then gingerly placed my body over his to shield it. His bloody jacket was warm against my stomach, but cooling rapidly, and his fur was already growing chill. His chest still moved, and he trembled, but I could tell it wouldn’t be long. Already I could see the anger of his wound fading, the pain passing into hollow numbness.

The guards from all around the room had perhaps made it halfway to the dais when a thunderclap blew the main doors off their hinges. Shards of wood flew into the room and smoke poured in in their wake. I cringed reflexively against the sound and snapped my ears back against my head, but my skull still rang with the force of the blast. The guards all stopped in their rush and turned, spears at the ready to protect them against whatever dragon or demon had just been summoned into their midst.

Out of the smoke stepped Miss Aura, clutching a lit torch in one paw and a small sachet in the other. Her eyes burned and her tail lashed madly behind her. Miss Inika stood close behind her, her spear at the ready to guard the sage. Mister Iladin followed behind, a heavy pack on his back. “I am Inika, daughter of Eskaya,” the vole pronounced, her voice muffled by the ringing in my ears. “With the rightful heir and his sergeant incapacitated, I am assuming temporary regency of Barony Deterikh.”

A few of the soldiers turned to charge the small group, but Miss Aura shook the pouch in front of her, sending up a cloud of powder into the air, and words flew from her muzzle in a tongue that seared my ears to hear. Her voice peaked in a shout, and then she thrust her torch into the dust, sending a gout of flame shot out from her outstretched arm towards the guards. The two closest to her didn’t have time to scream before they were burned alive, their bodies collapsing to ash and scorched bone. The third, though, had only his arms caught in the sudden inferno. He shrieked and dropped to his knees, desperately trying to put himself out, his frantic flailing only spreading the flames across his body.

The stink of charred fur and flesh filled the room, and one of the other guards dropped to his knees, retching at the stench. Miss Inika, however, only wrinkled her nose as she marched toward the dais, the two sages close behind her. “Anyone wanting to challenge my authority can go through Aura to do it.” No-one else moved, and she hollered back towards the entryway, “Secure!” Erik’s loyalists rushed into the room, quickly stripping the last of Datsia’s guard of their weapons.

In the midst of the chaos, Miss Inika casually pointed the tip of her spear towards the back of the hall. “Valentin’s that way, sleeping in a washtub.” Mister Iladin bowed and then, escorted by a trio of Miss Inika’s supporters, shuffled back to recover the sergeant. The vole’s attention, though, had already returned to the two of us beside Miss Datsia’s body. Her muzzle quirked into a gentle frown, and she knelt next to us. “Poor th—” She froze mid-word, then snapped her head upright. “Aura! They’re still alive! Both of them!”

The sage was at my side before I could blink, her torch discarded, her fingers gripping my shoulder. “Taneh, up.” Her voice shook worse than her paw. “Off the baron. Let me…. Great Family.” She delicately caressed my pet’s shoulder as if she were stroking an eggshell. “Erik?”

“Aura?” Erik’s voice was a whimper, barely audible even at this closeness. “I’m sorry. She… she beat me.”

“Hush, boy,” the sage soothed. “Save your breath.” She spied the shard of metal jutting from his back, and her tail collapsed to the ground behind her. “I need to turn you to inspect the wound. I won’t lie: this’ll hurt.” He nodded, and she shifted backwards. “Taneh, his shoulders. Inika, legs. On three.” We scrambled around, then eased him onto his back, but not without drawing a choking gasp out of the young baron. We rested his head in my lap, his upper back balanced on my spread knees to keep the tip from hitting the floor.

When she saw jagged end of the broken spear jutting from Erik’s chest, Miss Aura’s ears went flat against her head and the blood drained from her face. “Dust.” The her eyes narrowed as she lifted her gaze to mine, her muzzle tightening to a thin line. “Did she suffer, at least?”

I shrugged as best as I could without moving. “I don’t know, ma’am. I emptied the vessel. She begged, at least.”

The sage nodded tightly, tail lashing once. “It’ll have to do.” Then her attention went back to Erik, and her manner softened instantly. She cupped one paw gently against the side of his cheek. “Relax, boy,” she murmured softly. “I’ll try to make you comfortable.”

Erik coughed, paws still clutching at the wooden shaft embedded in his gut. “I hurt… want to lie down.”

Miss Aura gave the barest shake of her head. “That might dislodge the spear. You’ll bleed out.”

“Don’t care,” Erik said, panting. “Going to die… anyway.”

The kitchen door banged, and two pairs of hindfalls stumbled towards up. A shadow fell across us, and then Mister Valentin knelt next to Miss Aura. “Inika, find Chelin. Go spread the news of Datsia’s death.” He was silent as his lieutenant left, then lowered his head to survey the damage. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “It should be me down there.”

Erik shook his head, grimacing at the motion. “Had to… be me.” He bit down hard against a spasm of pain. “Succession.”

“Don’t talk,” The sergeant admonished gently. He cautiously pried one of Erik’s paws off of the spear and held it in both of his. “Listen, Erik, you’re going to be fine. Aura and Iladin will take care of this.”

“Lying again.” Erik hissed around gritted teeth. “One thing… Valentin. Your oath. The barony.”

Mister Valentin shook his head emphatically. “You’re not dead yet, and you’re not giving up on me.”

Mister Iladin squatted to Miss Aura’s other side and leaned in close to peer at the wound. He bit his lip, then sat back on his heels and shook his head. “He’s lost so much blood, and the damage is extensive.”

“Six generations… founder’s blood.” Erik’s voice was growing softer with every breath. “My jacket… soaked with it.”

I gently stroked a paw down Erik’s cheek. “You’re still talking, pet,” I chided as gently as I could. “Relax and let the people handle this.”

Erik’s eyes went wide, and then a gentle smile spread on his muzzle. “Yes, master.” Then he drew in as deep a breath he could manage and went limp in my arms.

I waited for a few seconds, then narrowed my eyes at Miss Aura. “What can you do?”

Miss Aura’s gaze held mine, and then she snapped her head down to Erik. She began tracing symbols in the air before her, muttering to herself, and then nodded sharply. “It’s worth the risk.” She turned to Mister Valentin and drew in a deep breath. “Do you trust me?”

“What?” The lynx almost bellowed the word. Then he stopped and sighed. “I don’t have much choice, do I?”

“Not really,” the sage confessed. “Iladin, chalks and salt, ruby dust and sapphire. The contents of your herbal racks, and fast.” Mister Iladin rose, then rushed from the hall faster than I had ever seen him move before. “The barony will soon be yours, Valentin. Be gentle with it.”

Mister Valentin’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you could save him!”

“I can’t save Erik, Baron,” Miss Aura corrected. “If Iladin hurries, though, I may still be able to do something.” She turned back to me, bobbing her head. “Little light?”

I smiled and let the warm heaviness spread through me once more. “I am ready.”

Miss Aura smiled back. “Of course you are. I’ll need your help as well.”

My left paw began to itch, and I rubbed it as subtly as I could against my side. A paw fell upon my shoulder, and I turned to see Miss Aura give a shake of her head. “Leave it, pet,” she murmured in my ear.

“Something wrong with Taneh?” my master whispered as he looked back, one weary paw resting on the pommel of his mace at his hip.

“Ey’s just anxious,” the sage covered smoothly, giving my ears a gentle stroke that sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s been a long few weeks.”

Mister Valentin chuckled mirthlessly at that. “For all of us,” he muttered. Then he swung one arm towards the shack and its attendants. “Aura, if you would?”

Miss Aura nodded, then strode towards the gate, into the light, one arm raised in greeting. “Ho there!”

At the sudden voice in the darkness, both guards snapped to attention, spears half-lowered towards the darkness beyond the city walls. “Who goes?”

“I’ve an urgent message for Iladin!” the sage replied. As she spoke, she reached into her blouse and pulled out a familiar folded sheaf of parchment, which she shook in front of her to punctuate her words. “We’ll need an audience with the sage, and as quickly as possible.”

The guards slowly lowered the points of their spears in her direction. “Who are you?” the one on the left asked, flicking the tip of his spear in our direction. “What’s your message?”

“It’s about Jazinsk’s harvests and a risk to Deterikh’s stores.” Despite my best efforts to stay silent, I couldn’t quite repress a chuckle. For all that Miss Aura had accused Mister Dion of having a quicksilver tongue, the sage herself was no slouch at fast talk. “I’ve made some notes that he’ll want to see, given the war and all.” She held out the folded paper. “You’re welcome to review them yourselves, but Iladin’ll need to to see them.”

The guards exchanged glances, but as one of them began to return his spear to the ready, a fresh voice called out from the shack. “Who’s there? What’s she want?” Moments later, a familiar wolf in Deterikh’s green and white stepped out into the road, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Someone asking for an audience with Iladin, sir,” the guard on the right answered, still facing in our direction. “She says it’s about our—”

“Chelin! Koshki’s luck!” Mister Valentin strode into the light, right past the suddenly-slackjawed sage and towards the cluster of guards. “Listen. We need your—” Both spears suddenly focused on the newcomer, and the sergeant raised his paws in surprise. “Chelin? We need your help.”

“Valentin?” The runner’s voice rose in shock, his arms outstretched. “What are you doing here? Datsia… she said you’d gone purple on us!”

Mister Valentin clasped arms with his lieutenant, a smile on his muzzle and a laugh in his voice. “Never, Chelin. Never. I went to save the rightful baron. Erik!” He turned and beckoned towards my master. “Step into the light!”

As my master stepped forward, one of his paws still on my shoulder, one of the guards suddenly stumbled, his spear clattering loudly against the ground. I saw a blur of motion behind the sergeant, and then the other spearpoint suddenly dropped out of view. I thrust one arm out in front of me, trying to point past him. “Sir!”

Mister Valentin’s ears flattened at the commotion beside him as his training visibly took control. He sprung forward, slamming into Mister Chelin and sending the two sprawling to the ground as a spear thrust into the space that his chest had been not seconds before. His killing blow denied, the guard attacking them raised his spear to drive it downward, but it clattered off of my master’s sudden rising swing, skittered down the pole, and then bounced off of the baron’s knuckles.

My master yelped in surprise and jerked back his paw, snapping his spear upright. The sudden tug sent Mister Valentin’s attacker into a lurch before dropping his weapon, which clattered against the well-trod path. Rather than grope for his fallen spear, the guard simply turned and dashed inside the walls, his voice rising in a strangled cry. “At the gate! At the gate!”

“Dust!” Mister Valentin hissed as he scrambled back to his hinds. “Everyone, now!” He jerked Mister Chelin upright, then marched us through the gates, shoving us ahead of him as fast as he could. “Move! Move!” As guards began to move along the walls towards the circle of light, Mister Valentin drove us inside, back into the darkness, across the empty market square and into the outer edges of the city itself. Behind me, I heard two bowstrings twang, the hiss of arrows, and then a choked-off grunt from the sergeant as we ducked behind a closed tavern.

In the sudden dark and still, five breaths were a tornado. As I panted and swallowed, trying to get my heart under control, I caught a whiff of blood and a grimace as Mister Valentin fought off the urge to faint. The arrow that protruded from the back of his arm hadn’t come through to the front, but the head was fully under the skin and the sleeve below was slick and shiny.

“And that’s your way of letting me handle it, then.” Miss Aura’s tongue was quick as ever, though her tone was all patience. “It’s not deep; best to pull it.” She snatched a stick from the ground, then held it to the Mister Valentin’s muzzle. “Bite,” she murmured, and the sergeant nodded, taking the wood in his teeth. She put one paw on his shoulder, then wrapped the other around the shaft. “On three. Ready?” Mister Valentin nodded again, and the sage braced her legs.

“One.” Miss Aura’s arm jerked and the sergeant gagged, the wood cracking in his teeth as he bit down against the pain. The sleeve of the jacket let out a wet rip as the arrowhead pulled free from his arm, shredding the fabric as she tugged it free. “That’ll leave a scar. Best give me a minute with it.”

“No time,” Mister Valentin groaned around the last of the splinters. “Listen. Got to get to the keep. Got to split up; they’ll find us if we stay here.”

“You’ll be no good to us or to Baris if you bleed out,” Miss Aura hissed in response. “At least let me stanch the flow.”

“Just tie it,” the sergeant insisted. “Go, wake Iladin, start him crafting all the potions he can manage. Chelin.” He put his good paw on his lieutenant’s shoulder. “Find that runner.” Mister Chelin nodded and saluted, then sprinted down the alley, vanishing as he hit the street. “Guard.” Without turning his head, he addressed the warden who’d been dragged along with us in the commotion. “Your name?”

The young guard that had followed us clutched his spear to his chest. “A-Andor?” he stuttered. “Sir?”

The sergeant nodded, staggering slightly as he bobbed his head. “Andor. Go find Inika, daughter of Eskaya. Tell her the baron has returned; she’ll know what to do.” Andor gave the same nod and salute, then disappeared towards the keep. Mister Valentin watched him run, then looked at Miss Aura. “You’re still here.”

“You’re still bleeding,” Miss Aura retorted. “Where’s that draught I gave you?” Mister Valentin fumbled at his waist, then held up the battered flask. “Drink it.” The sergeant unscrewed the cap, then scowled as he tipped the bottle. His fur bristled and his ears went flat, but he held the flask to his lips until it ran dry. “That’ll keep your strength. Taneh, tend his wound.”

“Taneh?” At that, my master’s ears flattened. “Ey’s got no fingers! How’s ey going to—”

“Ey has other means,” The sage interrupted. “Between that flask and eir work, he should be fine. Just try not to favor the arm too much, Valentin.” She clapped the sergeant on his good shoulder, but the blow still made him wince. “I’ll go find Iladin. Great Family willing, you’ll still be alive by the time we get to the keep.”

As we drew close enough for me to make out individual archers pacing along the rooftops, the sage’s horse let out a halfhearted squeal, and then the thundering of Kelena’s gallop suddenly became little more than a shuffling walk. I heard Miss Aura rattle and crack the reins, but the wagon held its trudging pace. The drivers’ window opened, and Miss Aura yelled down from the front seat. “That’ll be it, then. Kelena’s run to her limits.”

The baron and sergeant exchanged a glance, then my master shook his head with a bitter chuckle. “That would be the way of it.”

Mister Valentin groaned and hammered against the wall of the wagon with his fist. “Dust,” he swore under his breath. He twisted his muzzle into a scowl, then raised his voice to the window. “Can she still walk?”

“She’s walking now, isn’t she?” Miss Aura called back. “I’ll take no bets on her making it to the walls, though. The sooner we can lighten her load, the sooner she’ll recover.”

The sergeant sighed in response. “Right, stop the wagon.” Almost as soon as he spoke, we shuddered to a stop and I heard Kelena groan and slump to the ground. He tugged the door open, then jumped down to the ground and held a paw up for us. “From here, we walk.”

My master took the proffered paw in one of his own, the other on my shoulder as he dropped from the wagon. “But what about the supplies? We can’t just leave them here.”

“We’ll bring what we can carry,” the sage called down from the seat. “Unpack the chest, I’ll need that at least. Valentin, your help? Now’s no time for another twist.”

While the sergeant helped Miss Aura down from her perch, my master tugged me after him to the rear and began untying the knots holding the supplies from Barony Jazinsk. “What’s all this for, anyway?” he groused as we set aside bags of hardtack, a quiver of crossbow bolts, and a coil of rope. “Were they expecting us to scale the battlements?”

“Likely Dagos gave us everything he thought they could spare,” Mister Valentin chided. “Take it as a gesture of political support, not material.” He wiped his paws on his pants legs. “My pack is clothes; it can stay, as can the rest of this.” He pitched himself into the work alongside his baron, and soon bags lay scattered around the rear of the wagon. “Aura? Your trunk is free.”

The sage picked at the sleeve of her blouse with her claws as she knelt in front of her chest. “Good, I’ll start sorting this.” She motioned to one of the bags of rope. “Erik, unhitch Kelena and tie her bridle with as much lead as you can give her. She’ll not run far, but she’ll want a bit of room to pace when she recovers.” While my master nodded and set to work securing the horse, Miss Aura opened the trunk and began rummaging within. Inside, thickly padded crushed velvet lined the walls, with rows of pockets holding small vials and bottles. Books and scrolls haphazardly filled the center, along with other bits of apparatus I couldn’t identify. At one point, I heard the tinkle of glass shards bumping into each other. “That’ll have been my alembic, no doubt,” she hissed through clenched teeth. She lifted what looked like a hollow teardrop with a flattened base, its tip hooked sharply. “That’ll be a prince’s ransom to replace.”

“No doubt Baron Deterikh will be happy to replace it, assuming we live to see the exchequer again,” Mister Valentin quipped. “What did you need out of there?”

“Everything, eventually,” Miss Aura quipped, her head back down into the trunk. “In the immediate, though… ah, there!” I heard more shifting glass, and then the clank of thin metal banging against something solid. The sage sat back on her heels, holding a pair of worn pewter flasks, which she passed to the sergeant. “Strength and speed. You’ll want that when the time comes to stare down Datsia. One for each of you.”

My master took his flask and unstoppered it, then sniffed at the contents. His ears flattened and his lips curled, and he quickly capped the bottle again. “And we’re supposed to drink it?”

“As much as you can manage,” the sage agreed. “Give it, oh, a quarter-hour to come to full potency, so plan on downing it well before you meet her, and expect to feel a li—” She snapped her eyes in my direction, then turned back to the sergeant. “A bit foggy after. It should give you a good half-hour’s advantage, though.”

Mister Valentin pinched the bridge of his muzzle with his free paw. “Assuming we get the chance to use it. Anything else?”

Miss Aura turned back to the trunk and cautious rattled the contents, grumbling to herself over other broken apparatus. “One last… there.” She sat back over her heels, a small metal vial balanced on her paw. Unlike the others, this one was highly polished, likely silver, and stoppered with wax. In the wax, someone had scraped a rough circle with three small dots in it, an uncomfortably familiar symbol.

Reflexively, I put my right paw against the left and rubbed at the blackened fur, but the sage glanced in my direction and gave the barest shake of her head. I lowered my arms to my sides, but the fur continued to itch, as if the sight of that sigil had reminded me of the sensation. Miss Aura, however, turned her attention back to the other two, visibly dismissing my discomfort. “Crack the seal, carefully, and pour this on your spearpoint before you stab her.”

That sent Mister Valentin’s ears flat against his head. “Poison?” His voice rose in disbelief.

The sage’s eyes glimmered above her cold smile, and her tail hooked behind her. “It’s no dragonbane, but it’ll do the job.” She rolled the slim vial in her fingers. “Just don’t get it on any cuts. I can treat it if I get to it fast enough, but for her, I doubt that’ll be an issue. The closer to her heart you can get it, the quicker it’ll do the job.”

Mister Valentin frowned at the vial and crossed his arms. “I’m not comfortable with this, Aura. In one swift stroke, you’ve turned us from rightful rulers to a bunch of assassins.”

Miss Aura shrugged in response. “History is written by the victors. You wanted tools to help you deal with Datsia; I’ve provided what I could in the time I had.”

The sergeant shook his head at that, turning towards my master. “No, no, this is a step too far. If we have to stoop to this—”

“Datsia’s already done worse,” The sage snapped. She jabbed one finger at me, glaring at Mister Valentin. “She had an innocent slave warped to serve as a distraction, duped the baron’s best friend to turn against him, sold out her own family’s legacy for a strip of land, and waged an unjust war on her neighbors. Assassins? We’re physicians, drawing out the disease to save the patient. No-one blames the leech for its necessity.”

Mister Valentin stared down at Miss Aura for several seconds, then pressed his fingers to the bridge of his muzzle. “Listen, Aura, you’ve managed to make me doubt the virtue of our path. Well done.”

Miss Aura sighed. “Then consider this. When you run into Datsia, you’ll have a choice: let her live, or kill her. You know you can’t trust her as long as she lives, and you know that she’ll not hesitate to kill you in return, by whatever means she can. The faster she’s dead, the faster you’ll be able to stop the war and the smaller the odds that you’ll have to fight the Jazinsks.” She tossed the vial to Mister Valentin, who fumbled for it reflexively. “If both of you fall, I’ll have no hesitation about using it myself.”

My master and Mister Valentin exchanged a look at that. Then Mister Valentin passed over the vial. “Hold onto this. Use it only if it looks like you’ll have to fight her alone, and Great Family, don’t spill it.” He turned back to Miss Aura with a frown. “What other surprises have you packed? A plague of locusts, perhaps?”

The sage chuckled bitterly at that and picked at the sleeve of her blouse. “We hadn’t the time to summon one. The rest, I’d need a circle to manage properly, and more supplies than we’d rather carry. I can get us past the guards at the front gate, but from there, we’re in Koshki’s paws and yours.”

Despite the near-constant noise streaming in from outside, silence reigned within the wagon. I knelt beside my master, my paws folded on my knees with my head in his lap. At times his fingers caressed my neck, tracing the edges of my collar and gently rustling the links of my chains. At others, he splayed his paw across my back, sweeping his paw slowly over my shoulders and down my spine. I kept myself still as he petted me, sinking into his touch as much as the constant jostling would permit, quietly savoring the contact.

A sudden jolt to the right dropped me out of my reverie as the wagon rolled sharply onto two wheels. Both he and Mister Valentin slid into the far wall, tipping the vehicle further and sending me sprawling. Miss Aura cried out and cracked the reins, and Kelena let out an exhausted whinny in response. Then we jerked forward, spilling my master out of his seat, pinning me under his knees. The wheels dropped home with a crunch and an awful screech of tortured wood and metal, and visions of the cart collapsing into splinters flooded my head. The iron-shod axles held, though, and soon we were rushing headlong towards Baris once more.

Mister Valentin helped lift my master off of me and back into his seat, then turned and yanked open the window up to the driver’s seat. “The next spill like that will probably shatter a wheel or worse, Aura!” he yelled over the wagon’s constant protests. “Speed is of the essence, but for naught if we don’t arrive at all!”

“Aye, and next you’ll be up here telling me how to do that!” the sage shouted back. “You’ll take the reins and suddenly this half-crazed horse will just up and obey, the roads will all run straight, and every rock will find a rut and fill it!”

The sergeant let out an exasperated sigh and slammed shut the window, then dropped heavily into his seat, adding another jolt to the wheels. “At this rate, we may not even make it to Baris,” he groused. He drew in a heavy breath, then leaned back and stared at the ceiling as he exhaled. “What a waste.”

“Even if we do, we still have Datsia to face,” Erik added around his scowl. He drummed the claws of one paw against the seat beside him, the other clutching my shoulder. “We still haven’t talked about what we’re going to do if we get that far.”

Mister Valentin shrugged. “That depends on….” His voice trailed into silence for a moment before he shrugged. “How many troops she has left in Baris, whether we can get to the scullery without being seen, how much support we can muster inside the keep….” He sighed. “Listen, Erik, there’s just too much that’s unknown at that point.”

My master chuckled softly and shook his head. “You’re lying, Valentin.” He lowered his head and smiled as he casually kneaded my shoulder. “You always say ‘listen’ when you’re trying to get someone to believe you, but when you’re condescending about it, you’re the one you’re trying to convince.”

“Dust, Erik, that’s—” The curse was out of Mister Valentin’s muzzle almost immediately, followed by awkward silence, then an uncomfortable chuckle. “That’s painfully astute, actually. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it.” He looked out the window at the rushing countryside. “Keep that up, and I might actually believe you can do the job.”

My master shrugged. “I still don’t want it, but that raises a question.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, back towards Barony Jazinsk. “During the negotiations in Tomas’ chambers, you spelled out Datsia’s battle plans. Do you know that’s what she’s doing?”

The sergeant-at-arms crossed his arms and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Why this sudden doubt?”

My master smirked, his head still bowed. “I couldn’t say anything, but I could still hear you talking. I can’t recall the details, but you said ‘listen’ a lot, and, well….” He shrugged. “I guess I’m wondering why she trusted you with her plans. Datsia doesn’t trust anyone, especially if she thought you’d stab her in the back.”

Mister Valentin’s ears went back against his head, which drooped as he sighed again. “I was helping her get you off the throne in the first place. She didn’t think I’d betray her.”

“Datsia assumes everyone will betray her,” my master growled. “She doesn’t even trust Dion, I don’t think. She just knows what he likes and plays to it.” Mention of the loathsome envoy made my master dig his claws into my shoulder further. I whimpered, and he hissed through his teeth, rubbing the abused patch tenderly with his pads. “Sorry, pet.”

I shrugged and nuzzled at my master’s leg, but Mister Valentin was already talking. “I don’t think there’s an honest bone in Dion’s body, but he’s good at what he does.” He sighed and pinched the top of his muzzle. “Too good.”

My master smirked. “You’re changing the subject. What do you think Datsia’s actually doing?”

Mister Valentin leaned back against the wall and sighed. “I think she’s doing what I said she was, sending Dion south through the Estuzias to secure those mines, then flank Krolik and try for a back entrance while Tomas’ forces are braced for a frontal assault. Why?”

“Is that what she said, or what you think?” My master hissed the words.

“What does it matter?” The Deterikh sergeant threw his arms in the air reflexively, rapping his knuckles against the roof of the wagon with a wince.

My master was quiet for several seconds. “Because Datsia doesn’t trust anybody, and if we’re defending against what she told you she was planning, we’re probably riding into a trap.”

Mister Valentin didn’t answer immediately. His gaze turned to the window for a brief eternity while he watched the grasses and trees flow past us. “All I know for certain is that Datsia told Dion to take his time with the advance on Krolik,” he finally replied, his voice barely audible over the protests of the wheels. “That and she gruffed about your father giving up the mountains for too little. The rest….” He shrugged again. “I don’t know. She could’ve been deceiving me, but I don’t know. That’s the problem with her; there’s never any way to know for sure.”

He looked back to my master, then put one paw on my shoulder. “Listen, Erik,” he said with deliberate certainty. “All I can tell you for sure is that I don’t have any better plans than what we’re doing right now. I’m hoping that flying our colors will get us past the gates, but the odds are good that we’re going to have to fight our way into Baris. We may get lucky between there and the back gate, but once inside the keep, all plans are cancelled. Much depends on how quickly we can find—”

“Brace!” The shout from Miss Aura, outside, cut across the sergeant’s lecture, and then suddenly the wagon pitched sharply to the left, sending be back against the door, which rattled as I fell against it. This time, my master’s knees wound up in the small of my back, pinning me against the frame. The sage’s horse let out another whinny, and then we tumbled back to the center again as the cart righted itself, the wheels slamming down onto the ground.

Mister Valentin was up on his knees on the bench in a heartbeat, jerking open the window. “Aura! Another one of those and you’ll shatter a wheel!” he bellowed up at the driver.

“You’ll be saying that every time we go around a bend!” the sage shouted back. “Or perhaps you’d rather try to take the reins?”

The sergeant pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just tell me how much longer.”

Miss Aura snapped her reins in response. “Before dusk, assuming the wheels and my patience all hold! We’ll need one more stop for grooming and feed, though; Kelena’s starting to flag.”

“I couldn’t tell,” the sergeant grumbled as he slammed the window closed and dropped back to his seat. “I’m sorry, Erik. Where was I?”

My master shrugged again as he struggled off of me and back into his seat. “Sorry again, pet.”

“It’s alright, master,” I replied softly, with a hint of a smile. “I’m used to it.”

My master winced at that, but to his credit, he turned back to Mister Valentin as though the matter were finished. “You were saying something about much depending on something.”

“Right.” Mister Valentin sighed heavily and shook his head. “Much is going to depend on how quickly we can find support inside, and how much resistance we face. The more we have to fight before we reach Datsia and the less support we have, the worse our odds.”

My master nodded. “So, what do you think our odds are?”

Mister Valentin didn’t answer; he just turned back to the window, watching the world rush by us as we raced towards Baris.

Deep within the alchemist’s quarters, something stirred, followed by the click and rattle of the interior door. Dimly, hinds shuffled against stone, and I could just make out Miss Aura’s voice, muttering to herself as she stumbled closer. The latch on the outer door clacked, and then the Deterikh sage peered out through a crack, blinking rapidly. Her fur stood unkempt, and sleep lidded her eyes. “Is it sun-up already?”

“Half an hour past, at least,” Mister Valentin replied sourly, his muzzle twisted into a scowl. “Can you be ready in ten minutes, or should we leave without you?” By the lay of his ears and the tone of his voice, I had some sense which he would have preferred.

Miss Aura stood silent on the other side of the door, then pulled it open as she stepped inside. The trunk she’d brought sat beside the entrance, with a small bundle of clothing atop it. No blankets were visible on the couch, nor could I see any sign of the sage having slept in the room. “You’ll have to forgive my indecency, sergeant,” she said as she cast aside her robe, leaving herself nude.

Mister Valentin’s eyes widened at the sage’s sudden exposure, then turned away. “If you’d said, we could’ve waited in the hallway.”

“If we’re to depart that soon, there’ll be no time for formality,” Miss Aura replied as she slid the bra up her shoulders and fumbled with the clasp. “Besides, Taneh wears not a stitch and you don’t seem to care.”

The sergeant sniffed. “That’s different. Ey’s a slave.”

That made the sage chuckle. “Oh, of course, and that’s all the difference right there.” She struggled into her blouse, then retrieved short braies and stepped into them. “Rena? No time to break fast, I fear.”

“Hmm?” The alchemist swung open the inner chamber, then stepped into her small parlor. Her own robe hung loosely over her shoulder, the sash at her waist tied in a hasty bow. “Pity, that. Another time, then.”

“If we live to see it, certainly,” Miss Aura replied with false cheer. She tied her skirt around her waist, then kicked the trunk. “If you and Erik can manage the trunk, we can be off. I’ll want the rest of my time at the wagon. I’ll want some apples for Kelena, and then we can be off.”

Mister Valentin shook his head. “Listen, Aura, there’s no time for treats. We need—”

“We need every advantage we can give ourselves, sergeant, and that means listening to your sage.” Miss Aura glared at the sergeant over her outstretched paw. “Rena and I cooked up a draught that should let her gallop from Krolik to Baris in a single day and not two, but it’s too bitter for her to drink and too much at once and she’ll come down with the shakes. An apple ensures she eats it, and having a few means that if she starts to flag, we can lift her spirits.”

Miss Rena nodded. “I’ll dash to the kitchens and see what can be done, then meet you at the stables.” With that, the alchemist slipped past Erik and I, leaving the door open behind her.

The sage waved to her Jazinski counterpart, then turned back to the sergeant. “That’s two minutes you wasted making me explain myself. Shall we go? You said we were in a hurry.” Despite her smile, her gaze was cool, and the tip of her banded tail lashed behind her.

For a moment, Mister Valentin shook with barely-repressed frustration, squinting at the sage with his paws balled into fists. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing, sagging back against the wall. “I yield; you win.” He slid the bag from his shoulders and gestured towards it. “Taneh, carry this.” As I knelt and shrugged into his pack, he walked to the chest and motioned for Erik to take the opposite handle. “Listen, Aura, why don’t you tell us about the other surprises you’ve prepared once we’re on our way, alright?”

Erik took up his position beside the sage’s trunk, then groaned as he strained to lift the massive trunk off the ground. “Oshka’s strength, Aura! What do you have in here, bodies?”

Miss Aura chuckled at that. “Not whole ones, at least,” she replied. “Mostly books and some scrolls, with a few hard-to-find reagents I suspected I’d want, and those surprises I mentioned.” She motioned towards the door. “I’ll latch up once you’re outside.” I quickly stepped outside, out of the way, while the two struggled the sage’s chest out into the hallway. As soon as they were clear, she fumbled with the catch on the inside of the door, then pulled it closed behind her. “Let’s go.”

The hallway from Miss Aura’s chambers to the front of Krolik Tower seemed to stretch on twice as long as before with Erik and Mister Valentin grunting their way down its length. Once outside, though, it was a thankfully short stretch under warm morning sun to the stables. A few hostlers and slaves stood around the wagon, loading bags onto the roof and tying them down. Mister Dagos stood beside Miss Rena, directing the work.

Mister Valentin motioned for Erik to drop his end of the trunk, then dropped his side with a groan. “What’s all this?”

The Jazinski sergeant turned to face us, then motioned towards the trunk. “Make sure that goes on bottom at the back,” he said to one of the slaves, a heavyset lynx wearing only a leather collar. Then he approached and clasped arms with Mister Valentin and smiled. “The baron thought it best to send you with a few goodwill tidings. It’s not much, but Barony Jazinsk stands with you in this.”

Mister Valentin and my master exchanged raised brows at that. “That’s very generous of you,” my master replied carefully. “Are you sure you can afford to be so giving?”

Mister Dagos smiled wanly in response, not quite able to cover the pain in his expression. “If Valentin’s words are to be believed, then we have little choice in the matter; it’s give them to you today or Datsia in a month. Tomas and I agreed that you were the better option.”

My master swallowed at that and put his paw on my shoulder. His claws dug into my fur, but he kept the tension to just his fingers. “Jazinsk’s generosity in our time of need will be well and truly remembered.”

“I trust it will,” the Jazinski sergeant replied.

“Speaking of which,” Miss Rena added, hefting a small burlap sack in her paw. “Aura? You wanted apples? The last ones in the larder. I hope they’re enough.”

Everyone fell quiet at that, with uncomfortable glances shared in the awkward silence. Wordlessly, the Deterikh sage took the bag, then went behind her wagon and began rummaging in the trunk. “Won’t be but a few.” While she prepared the treats for her horse, Mister Valentin helped my master and I into the wagon, then climbed in himself. Outside, I could hear Miss Aura whispering to her mount, mostly soothing tones without any real content. Erik shivered beside me, and I ran a soothing paw down his leg, shushing softly. He half-turned to me and nodded, and I patted his knee with one paw. Across the small space, Mister Valentin caught my eye, but I gave a shake of my head, and the sergeant shrugged in response.

“Help me up?” I heard Miss Aura ask, and then the wagon shook as she climbed up into the driver’s seat. “You’ll know soon enough if we’ve won, I suppose.”

“We’ll be waiting for news,” Mister Dagos replied as he poked his head into the wagon. “Valentin?” He held out his paw, and my master’s sergeant took it in his. “Koshki’s luck with you. You’re going to need it.”

“Koshki’s luck with us all, Dagos. We’ll send word.” Then he pulled the door to the wagon closed and rapped on the sliding door to the front of the wagon. Miss Aura cracked the reins, and we began to move.

Erik’s answer was to stop and stare like a kit, ears perked and tail jutting out behind him. “Aura?” His voice was years ago and miles away. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, not much,” she replied, picking at one sleeve of her top with her claws. “Consulting on Jazinski’s crops, saving my sageson.” She wiped at her eyes. “Waste of my time, it seems. You and Valentin had matters in paw.” She took one hesitant step forward, then another and another, until she was running towards us, her arms around my master’s shoulders. As he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, she shook against him, her muzzle pressed against his neck. No sound escaped her, but her shoulders shuddered as she held him, and when she withdrew, the fur beneath her eyes glistened. “I thought I’d lost you, too.”

My master squeezed his sagemother tightly, his tail curling between her legs at his words. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his tail curling tightly below him. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“It’s alright,” Miss Aura sighed. “All’s forgiven.” She held my master for several more seconds, until both their shaking subsided. “Now, let me get a look at you.” She snorted and cleared her throat noisily, then stepped back and put her paws on his shoulders. “Did they treat you well? Great Family help me, if they hurt you—”

“Aura?” My… Mister Valentin’s voice suddenly overrode the sage’s. “With all respect, there’ll be time for that later. Right now, I need you and Rena to focus. We’re two against a battalion. We’ll need every edge we can get.”

The sage laughed darkly in response. “I’ve already made a few plans, but I can prepare a few more, if Rena’s game to help.” The Jazinski alchemist nodded, and Miss Aura’s tail lashed behind her to accompany her almost feral smile. “It’ll be three, though, so plan accordingly, sergeant.”

Mister Valentin opened his muzzle to protest, then closed it and shook his head. “Protesting would be useless. Your help is welcome, of course, but I won’t have time to argue with you. If I give an order, I expect it to be followed.”

Miss Aura drew in a sharp breath, but then bowed her head and heavily sighed. “As you wish.” She turned to the Jazinski alchemist, then cautiously held forth a paw. “I… was surprised by Baron Jazinsk’s insight.”

Miss Rena chuckled and took the offered paw in hers. “Your apology is accepted.” At the sage’s flush, she laughed. “Come; let’s see what can be done before tomorrow, and of course you’re welcome to stay another night.” Turning to my master, she gave a quick half-bow. “Baron, Dagos will surely come here to tell you when your room is ready; would you prefer to wait here, or should I suggest he find you elsewhere?”

My master shrugged in response, but Mister Valentin leaned a heavy paw on his shoulder. “We have plans to make and little enough time to make them. Do you have paper and charcoal to spare?”

The Jazinski alchemist nodded, then motioned us into the room after them. The alchemist’s lab reminded me of Miss Aura’s workshop, the floor mostly open, dotted with scuffed chalk-marks and traces of salt. A single table ran the length of the room, holding stands of clouded glass apparatus, some half-filled with powders and fluids. Half-familiar charts hung from two walls, with a bookshelf covering the third. Three steps within, the two sages fell to talking, leaving my past and present owners to plan our untimely return.

I did my best to follow my master’s conversation, watching as Mister Valentin drew charts and maps, listening as they talked of shifts and rotations. Soon, though, the words began to run together in my ears, as each interrupted the other with new suggestions. I paid as much attention as I could, but before long the pictures before me seemed more arcane than Miss Aura’s sigils. I bit my lip and shifted uncomfortably from one hind to the other, my paws pressed together before me, squinting at the sergeant’s papers, but I couldn’t calm the thudding in my chest.

Mid-word, my master stopped and turned to me. His ears flattened against his head and his tail wagged behind him. One paw gently brushed my shoulder, and he smiled. “This is people-talk, pet,” he chided gently. “Shouldn’t you be down with the other animals?”

I couldn’t help the whimper that rose in my throat. I managed to nod, once, as I sunk gratefully to my knees and pressed my paws against my thighs. My master’s fingers moved to the backs of my ears, and he stroked them gently as I shifted closer. That familiar ache, so long ignored I had almost forgotten it, flared to life deep inside me, and I pressed my muzzle to his hip, breathing deep of his scent, remembering it, letting his presence wash over my senses. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to feel him within me, to let myself be consumed by his desire, an urge so potent that it made me tremble.

Mister Valentin chuckled above me, and I felt a second paw touch the back of my head. “Ey’s been really well-behaved.”

My master lowered his head and cupped my muzzle with his paw, lifting my gaze to his. I stared into his sky-blue eyes, whimpering at the thought of his muzzle against mine, his tongue dancing past my lips. He smiled and brushed his thumb slowly over my cheek. “Ey’s been through a lot, and it isn’t over. Best to give em a bit of rest. Little light?”

I sagged forward at that magical phrase, eyes closing as I sank against my master’s hip. “I am ready,” I breathed.

“I know you are,” my master soothed, stroking my muzzle with his fingers. “Relax, breathe deep. Close your eyes, count the lights within you. Just an animal. Just a slave.” His voice sank to a low murmur as he petted me. “You don’t have to think; you just have to obey.” He kept up his quiet patter as I fell against him, shivering and breathing quietly, counting the twelve lights that spun and danced before me as I fell deeper and deeper, even the need within me receding as I sank into trance.

Time disappeared as I knelt beside my master. At one point, I noticed that the sun had set. At another, I discovered that I had been hungry for some time. Each of these realizations, however, seemed distant and disconnected. My world had become his paw against my fur, his musk in my nostrils, and his words in my ear.

The tap on the top of my head, a sudden change from the steady caress of my master’s paw, made me lift my head, but not until I heard my master say, “wake up, pet,” did I manage to shake myself out of that drifting reverie. I blinked and rubbed at my eyes with my paws, and my master shook my shoulder gently. “Stand and follow.”

I yawned and nodded, then stretched as I stood. Behind me, the door to Miss Rena’s lab latched closed. “Yes, master?” I kept my voice low. “What is it?”

“That was Dagos,” Mister Valentin replied with a rustle of paperwork. “Supper is ready, after which our rooms should be as well. We need to get an early sleep; we leave for Baris at dawn tomorrow.”