XIV
It seemed a longer day than it was by the time Mistress Minx returned to
our rooms. I had prepared eggplant parmagana for her dinner and served it to her
with some pasta. She picked at her food and she seemed distracted by something.
I finally summoned up the courage to ask her if I could be of any
assistance.
"No Michael. It is nothing that your abilities can resolve." she said.
She got up from the table and ordered me to clear the dishes away.
When I returned to the room she was sitting at her desk writing. I knelt
near the kitchen door and waited so as not to distract her from her task.
She turned and saw me waiting and ordered me to kneel next to her. I
moved to her side and knelt again.
Time passed and I had almost nodded off in my kneeling position when she
spoke to me.
"Michael, perhaps you can be of assistance to me in this matter. Are you
willing to try?"
"Yes Mistress. Whatever I can do to help."
She frowned then warned me that her request might prove somewhat
dangerous to me.
"I will not order you to do me this service, but if you are willing to
help, despite some risk to yourself, I would be pleased."
"Mistress, I want to make you happy. What must I do to help?"
She stood and started pacing the room.
"There are many aspects of Ay'esha that you know little about. There are
forces internal to us that disagree with the methods of the Matriarchs. There
are forces that believe that men should be eliminated, rather than trained to do
our bidding."
"Mistress Lydia has given me that impression, Mistress." I said quietly.
She turned to face me and stopped.
"You are not in any position to venture an opinion M - 5. Remember that!
", she commanded. " Nevertheless, you are correct. She does represent a faction
that has very little use for men other than breeding stock."
"What can I do to help Controller?"
She waited for a moment and then told me what she desired of me.
" I would like you to serve Lydia tonight Michael. In any way she might
wish you to serve."
I was taken aback. Serve Lydia? Lydia had made it clear that I was on
her shit list, possibly even literally.
" If you please, Controller, might I ask why? "
"Without going into detail, she has suffered a personal loss. As you
have also suffered the loss of a loved one, you may be able to help her at this
time."
I weighed the pros and cons in my mind. If I could make Lydia a friend,
it would be to my good, and apparently the good of the whole. The other side of
course was the possibility of permanent physical damage. I was still aching from
Master Melody's treatment. Well, I've never been known for being sensible about
things like this anyway.
"Mistress, the needs of the many outweigh then needs of the few or the
one. ''Tis a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done before."
"The Dickens quote is unnecessary, although I am pleased to find you
literate. Just remember the last part of the line please. "
The last part of the line is " 'Tis a far better resting place than I
have ever known before."
I was led hooded and tied to Lydia's quarters. The cock ring was still
in place from earlier so I was displayed somewhat more than usual.
I could hear my Mistress speaking to Lydia in quiet tones before Lydia
spoke to me.
"You wish to serve me piglet?" she demanded.
"Yes Mistress I do. I wish to give you pleasure", I assured her.
"I am in a very bad mood piglet. You know how much I want to hurt you;
do you still want to serve me?"
"Yes Mistress"
"Were you ordered to serve me piglet?"
"No Mistress. I am doing this willingly", I answered.
She spoke to Minx quietly, and then Minx spoke to me.
"Michael, you will obey Lydia as you obey me. And you will keep our
discussion of Dickens in your mind. Lydia will return you when she is through
with you."
I heard Minx walk away, leaving me to my fate. I could hear nothing from
Lydia.
I stood, cloaked in darkness, the apprehension growing every second that
passed.
Then the slash of a whip down my spine. I felt the warm trickle of blood
running down my back. Another lash across the shoulders driving me to my knees.
I could her Lydia breathing. I could feel her anger and hate radiating like a
furnace scorching me. Another blow across my exposed ass. I felt another trickle
of blood on me. Or was it blood? Another blow and yet another. The pain was
becoming extreme. My fear grew into full bloom. I rolled on the floor trying to
escape her fury. She was a raging inferno. Then the blows seemed to reduce in
force, as they dropped off. I could feel the wetness on my skin again.
The sound of her breathing became more labored until I knew what caused
it. The wetness was her tears as she cried in anger. But not with anger at me,
but the universe that had hurt her.
I fought back my pain. She was hurting far worse than I was. I knew her
pain, the pain of grievous loss.
"Mistress Lydia, please let me help you", I said through shaking lips.
"Help me?" she screamed. "What presumption! I don't need your help! I
don't need anything from you other than your blood!"
"Then take it", I offered." I am here to please you."
I rolled onto my hands and knees with my ass up and waited for the next
blows. I knew I couldn't take much more, I could only hope that I would pass
out.
The next blow never came.
For the first time when she spoke to me, the hatred was gone from her
voice leaving only the anger.
"You are willing to let me beat you bloody?"
"I am not willing, but I will do it to please you." I said respectfully.
"Why? You are a fool if you do that."
" I was asked by my Mistress if I was willing to serve you, and I said
yes. She said I might be hurt, and I said yes."
"Why would you do that?" she demanded.
"Because you needed someone."
"What do you know of need?" she demanded.
"You have suffered a loss of some kind today. I wished to help."
There was a thoughtful silence
"If you know that, then you know too much."
Mistress Minx had said it might be dangerous not lethal!
There was another silence, Then the hood was removed and she looked at
me with puzzlement in her eyes.
"You wish to help me? You know how much I hate you and your kind, and
yet you want to help me. How amusing." she said coldly. "I don't want your help
or your pity. Get out of my sight before I decide to do something about your
insolence. Go into the kitchen and remain there until your Mistress comes for
you."
I did as I was bidden and a short time later Minx came into the kitchen.
She stopped when she saw the welts and blood on my body. For the first time I
saw hatred in her eyes.
"You permitted Lydia to do this to you Michael?" she demanded.
"I was not given a choice Mistress. She left me tied as you see me
here."
"We will speak of this later. For now I am taking you back to your pen.
Perhaps a night in a cage again will remind you that you must not be injured or
you will be unable to serve us."
She took a hood from a pocket, and placed it over my head. As she led me
out I heard her ask Lydia if I had been entertaining enough for her.
"He was insolent, so I punished him. I don't need or want his help. Or
yours. Now get out!"
Minx said nothing and led me out of the room and back to the cage I had
first been confined in. I crawled into the cage and collapsed on the padding
exhausted from my ordeal.
"You will spend the night here Michael. In the morning I will treat your
wounds. I must see Anna right now. I will lock the door so you will not be
disturbed."
She left the room after locking the cage, and I heard the door to the
room lock. I was again in darkness, both physically and mentally. What had I
done wrong? Why was Minx angry, and why did she need to see Anna?
Was Minx going to get rid of me? I wept in my pain and misery. I didn't
want to go away. I didn't mean to disappoint her. I fell asleep with a heavy
heart.
I awoke to Minx's voice.
"You see how much damage was done to him? "
"He agreed to serve Lydia. The choice was his. And if she wished to beat
him, it was her choice", said Anna's voice.
"It is not her right to damage my property to the point of being
unusable. He agreed to do this for a reason beyond pleasing me."
"Oh and what might that reason be?" Anna asked.
I stirred and turned as best as I could in my cage towards the voices.
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one." I
murmured.
There was a startled silence.
"Repeat yourself Michael", Anna commanded.
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one." I
repeated louder.
"Then you did this for Ay'esha, not your Mistress?" Anna pressed.
"I serve both by serving either. I agreed to serve in order to be with
Mistress Minx. I will pay the price demanded"
There was another silence.
"Take him to the examining room Minx. Have Mei Ling start the treatment
for his pain. I will send Ruth to tend to his wounds. When Ruth arrives you will
join me in my chambers. I wish to discuss this matter in private."