Encircled

by Robin Roseau

  Pelnie took it from me. Through my eyelashes, I saw her take a sip, then another. She nodded, and so I bowed more completely to her before rising and returning to my seat. She began to rise herself, but Jessla put a hand on her shoulder.

  “You will remain where you are,” Olivia said. “Or you may drink that and return to your room.”

  “Fine,” Pelnie said. She swallowed the entire glass in one gulp and laid her head back in Jessla’s lap, but she held the glass out to me. “Another.”

  “Of course, Madam,” I said. I took the glass from her and headed back for the liquor cabinet.

  “I want to see how you make that,” Olivia said, rising to follow me. She reached my side and whispered, “How much did you give her?”

  “Just a few drops,” I said. “I didn’t want it to overwhelm the taste of the cognac.”

  “She just destroyed her taste buds. Put more in this time, but let me watch you.”

  I nodded and prepared the drink, then smiled and asked Olivia if she wanted one, too.

  “Smart ass,” she said. “Oy, and my best cognac, too. Did you have to use the good stuff?”

  I delivered this one to Pelnie the same as the first, complete with a bow at the end. Then I returned to my own seat.

  Olivia led us in small talk for the next several minutes. I watched Pelnie, her head in Jessla’s lap, although she lifted her head from time to time to drink the cognac, laced with pacification formula. When she emptied the glass, I smiled and stood up and said, “Well, Pelnie seems more agreeable.” I crossed the room and knelt down beside her. “Did you enjoy that, Pelnie?”

  She lifted her head and smiled at me, nodding. I took the glass from her, and then Jessla reached out and took Pelnie’s chin. “Look at me.”

  Pelnie turned and looked up at the judge. Jessla leaned down and grunted. “Ask Claary for one more, and not so much cognac this time.”

  “Claary,” Pelnie echoed, “May I have one more, but with less cognac?”

  I looked over at Olivia, who nodded. So again I stood and headed for the liquor cabinet. And that was when Kylia said, “I’d like one, too.”

  “Certainly,” I said. And so I poured a glass of straight cognac for Kylia then looked at Olivia.

  “A half glass,” she directed. “No more.”

  I poured a pure glass of the pacification formula. Then I delivered the cognac to Kylia, who said, “You’re not going to kneel to me?”

  “Let me see to Pelnie first, but if you want me to treat you like I’m treating her, make that suggestion again,” I said. I retrieved the formula for Pelnie.

  I was about to kneel down, but Jessla said, “Pelnie, ask Claary to give you this glass the same way Olivia once gave the same drink to her.”

  Pelnie turned her head slowly and looked up at me. “Claary, please give this to me the same way Olivia did to you.”

  “Of course,” I said. I stepped beside her. “Relax and allow me to do what I want to you.” She didn’t react, so I set my hand on the back of her neck. Then with the backs of my fingers I caressed her cheek before setting two fingers on her chin. “Open your mouth.” She did, and then I tipped her head back and poured the drink onto her tongue. I slipped my hand over her mouth and pinched her nose, then waited for her to swallow before releasing her. I caressed her face once more. “There you go, Pelnie.”

  “What just happened?” Restia said. “I can’t believe she let you do that.”

  “Lady Olivia,” I said formally, not answering Restia. “This woman is Pelnie Opal. She is well past her 21st birthday and has not yet had her First Enslavement. I have delivered her to you, Duchess Charthan, and to Judge Jessla.” Then I turned to Restia. “As your influence played a part, I will share my reward with you. Ten percent.”

  “Half,” Restia said immediately. “What fee?”

  I snorted.

  “One crown,” Jessla said. “That’s all I’m offering.”

  “She’s worth more than a single crown,” I said.

  “I think I would like to know what is happening,” Melartine said.

  “She said she wished to be treated as her real age,” I said. “And not one of you interfered when Rishia suggested it. And so I am simply doing so.”

  Rishia was the first to begin laughing, but it was Kylia who said, “You drugged her!”

  “I certainly did,” I said. “You all watched me do it. You all heard her say she wished to be treated as 24 years old, and you heard her say she didn’t want to get sent back to Flarvor.”

  “You can’t keep her for a year!” Melartine said.

  “Of course we can,” Olivia said. Then she sighed. “I’m sorry, Claary.”

  I offered my own sigh. “I know. But she did declare quite firmly she wished to remain.”

  “Two months,” Olivia said. “And no fee.”

  “Jessla just offered a crown!” I complained. I held my hand out to the judge. “I’ll take it.”

  “That was for a year,” Jessla replied. “Now it’s only two months. She’s only worth a sixth of a crown.” I snorted, sighed dramatically, and returned to my seat. Jessla leaned down and told Pelnie, “Put your head back in my lap, dear.”

  The woman did so. Jessla stroked her hair.

  “So that’s it?” Amber asked. “You drugged her, and now she’s Jessla’s slave?”

  “No. She’s simply been pacified,” Olivia explained. “It wears off in a few days. But there’s another ritual involved, which we will do later, presuming we’re going through with this business arrangement.”

  “It’s not always done with the drug,” I said. “I’ve experienced it twice.” I briefly explained.

  “She’s really drugged,” Rishia said. “She’ll do anything she’s told.”

  “Yes,” Olivia said. “But I will be vexed if you abuse her. Until you have had your First Enslavement, it is not customary to offer you authority over anyone pacified or enslaved.” She smiled. “If you wish Claary to prepare a similar drink for you, go ahead and order Pelnie to kiss your feet.”

  “I’m not sure I’d be foolish enough to drink something she makes for me,” Rishia replied.

  “I’m fairly certain I can acquire enough assistance that your cooperation wouldn’t be necessary,” I said. “I’d much rather a friendlier agreement.”

  Olivia nodded. “Well. Tressain. Melartine. Are we doing business?”

  “Do you intend to drug us, too?” Tressain asked as Melartine leaned closer to Pelnie.

  “As Claary mentioned, for her First Enslavement, I drugged her to take away her fear. It would be your choice, but if you decide to offer yourselves, and then withdraw, then yes, I will take this choice from you.”

  “And so, our choices are?”

  “Offer yourselves tonight,” Olivia said. “Ask for more time, but then you will owe a greater duration if you choose to offer yourselves, or ask to be returned to Flarvor. You may each decide for yourselves.”

  “Unless we’re withdrawing,” Rishia said, “Then I am offering.”

  “As am I,” Kylia said.

  “Yelshie and I will, too,” Amber said.

  “You know I’m capable of making my own decisions,” Yelshie complained. “Amber and I wish to stay together.”

  Tressain considered the younger women before turning to look at Olivia. “And then?”

  “I am authorized to make agreements,” Olivia said. “I will offer this. Ressaline will offer no greater tariffs against your goods than you offer against ours. However, we require continued tariffs for goods passing through our country if they are bound elsewhere.”

  “We have an agreement with our government,” Melartine said. “If we serve as the agents, Flarvor will charge no tariffs, under the same terms. If you work with others, the existing fees remain. We are happy to import to you anything you require. In return, we desire raw natural resources and may be interested in other products.”

  Olivia nodded. “How did you reach this agreement?”
/>   “Tressain interrupted a plot to overthrow the government,” Melartine said.

  “I was in the wrong place at the right time,” Tressain said. “I saw something I shouldn’t have seen, and it was enough to make a report.” Olivia nodded, and Tressain continued. “Melartine and I are not required here for this to work. We could work with one or two agents.”

  “Or five!” Amber said quickly.

  “I do not believe this was something Pelnie knew was in discussion,” Tressain said.

  “She’s beyond caring now,” I said with a smile.

  “Quite so,” Melartine agreed. “But in two months, I wonder what ruckus she will make. Tressain, you were right. I shouldn’t have brought her. I would rather have brought my son, but he asked to send her as his proxy. I believe we should send her home, but perhaps not until after whatever they gave her wears off. It is going to wear off, isn’t it?”

  “It takes a few days, and it’s unpleasant for a day or two after that,” I said. “Although I didn’t suffer that the second time.”

  “The enslavement process takes care of it,” Olivia said. “She’s very agreeable right now, but she’s capable of expressing an opinion. Jessla, ask her.”

  Jessla leaned forward. “Pelnie, straighten up, dear.” Pelnie lifted her head. Jessla caressed her cheek then said, “Pelnie, you missed most of the discussion. Part of our culture is that all women become temporary slaves sometime between their sixteenth and twenty-first birthday. If you want to stay to do business here, then you must accept our customs. Do you understand?”

  It took her a moment, and I remember feeling that way, but slowly Pelnie nodded.

  “Good,” Jessla said. “Very good. Pelnie, I need you to make a decision. You may go home and never return to Ressaline, or you may put your head back in my lap. If you put your head back, then you will be my slave for two months. I will take very good care of you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Pelnie said, slurring the word a little. Then she said, “Staying.” And she laid her head back down.

  “She’s so drugged,” Rishia said. “That’s worse than being drunk, which I’ve never seen from her.” Then she slipped from her chair and actually crawled over to me to lay her head in my lap. I looked down and stroked her hair, much like Jessla was doing with Pelnie.

  “Not fair,” Kylia said. “I wanted her.”

  “She has enough room for two heads in her lap,” Olivia said. “Don’t you, Claary?”

  “Of course.”

  Kylia looked down at Rishia’s head for a moment and then leaned over, curling up tightly to fit on the sofa, her head in my lap. Rishia made a little room for her. Slip looked up at me with a smile.

  “What about us?” Amber asked.

  Olivia didn’t have to say anything. Instead, Dee and Bee stood up. Bee came to a stop in front of Amber and Dee in front of Yelshie. They held out their hands then pulled their girls to their feet and led them to Olivia. Soon, Olivia had two new heads in her lap, with Bee and Dee clustered with them, offering additional comfort.

  “Well, Mellartine?” Tressain asked. “Should we work through our proxies, or did you care to pick a lap?”

  Mellartine looked around, gazing longest at Jessla.

  “The lap is symbolic,” Gigi said gently.

  Mellartine nodded and looked at her cousin. “Did you have one in mind?”

  “I do,” Tressain said. “Lassa, you own a bakery. Did I get that right?”

  “I do,” Lassa said. She patted her lap. “Set it here, and you’ll find yourself working there.”

  “Is that all I’d do?”

  “Not hardly,” Lassa replied. “I have a duty to teach you how to treat a slave, and I took my lessons from Claary.”

  “You can’t possibly want an old woman.”

  “You’re not an old woman,” Lassa said. She patted her lap again. “Li-li, help her.”

  My sister rose to her feet and stepped in front of Tressain, holding out her hand. Tressain looked up at her for a minute before offering her hand. Li-li laughed happily and pulled the woman to her feet, then led her to Lassa. Slowly, she lowered herself and laid her head in Lassa’s lap. Li-li squealed happily, clapped her hands, and then sank down, adding her head to Lassa’s lap while also partially cuddling with Tressain. A moment later, Arr took the other side. There wasn’t room for her head, but she cuddled against Tressain as well, leaning against her back.

  “Well, Melartine,” Gigi said.

  The woman turned to look at her, and her indecision was clear. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “That’s not like you, Mom,” Kylia said from my lap. “Pick a lap. This is actually kind of nice. I think the last time I had my head in someone’s lap, it was yours.”

  “You were about eight,” Melartine said.

  I bent down and kissed Kylia’s head. “I’ll take very good care of both of you,” I whispered.

  “Melartine,” Gigi said, “Is your indecision over whether you’re going along with the fun, or is it simply a problem picking with whom?”

  “I didn’t come here to give up,” she replied. “But I don’t know what to do.”

  Gigi nodded then stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet. I saw which bottle she chose. I thought it was a mistake. But she poured a glass and then walked to Melartine.

  “Is that what I think it is?” the woman asked.

  “Drink this, or ask me to help you drink it, and someone here will make this decision for you.”

  “That’s Mom’s style,” Kylia said, the sarcasm clear.

  I leaned over and whispered, “I'm not sure you’re helping.”

  “Trust me,” she whispered back. “May I look?”

  I thought then said, “Yes.”

  Kylia lifted her head and turned to look at her mother, who was staring at the glass in Gigi’s hand. “Mom, if you drink that now, Gigi is going to give you to the judge. But if you tell her what you really want, I bet you’ll get it.”

  Melartine didn’t change her gaze, but she asked, her tone subdued, “Have you ever drunk one of those, Gigi?”

  “For my first,” she said. “I was one of the first, and none of us knew what to expect. Frankly, I thought they were joking. It didn’t seem real. I bet you think we’re joking, too, in spite of the evidence in front of you.”

  “Is my daughter right?”

  “That if I pick for you, I’d give you to Jessla? Yes.”

  At that, Melartine looked up. “Because you think I’m too old for any of the rest of you.”

  “No, because I think you have a hard time seeing most of the rest of us in a position of authority over you. You recognize Jessla’s authority. You may recognize Olivia’s as well, but I believe with the dynamics as they sit, Jessla is a better choice for you. The question I have is this: are you brave enough to tell me what you really want?”

  She dropped her gaze to the glass. “If I drink that, you could make me tell you, couldn’t you?”

  “Probably, but I have little experience using it. I’m not sure it’s the same as managing a slave.”

  “Don’t be a coward, Mother,” Kylia said. “Tell her.”

  This time, Melartine turned to glare at her daughter. “You be quiet.”

  I reached forward and slipped my hand into Kylia’s hair, then used her hair as a handle to pull her back to my lap. She didn’t fight me. One she was back in place, I lowered my head and whispered, “Are you sure she doesn’t want Jessla?”

  She lifted her head. “No, but I think she actually wants your wife.”

  “If I pinch your arm, interfere again. Otherwise you’re done. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Claary.”

  “Good.”

  “Whatever she said,” Melartine said, “Is wrong.”

  I smiled. “I’m not sure she is. Gigi, set that aside and sit down.” Gigi turned to look at me then nodded. She set the small glass down on one of the end tables then returned to her seat. I smiled at her. “N
ow pat your lap.”

  She smiled more broadly, looked Melartine in the eye, and patted her lap. Melartine paused, glanced at the glass, and then rose from her chair, walked to Gigi, and looked down at her. “Are you going to simply make me a housekeeper or something?”

  “Your duties will be varied,” Gigi replied. “But you will be used for my pleasures, and that of my other slaves. Do you doubt me?”

  The woman didn’t respond in words. Instead, she sank to her knees and lowered her head to Gigi’s lap.

  After a moment, barely audible, Kylia said, “I told you.” She wasn’t even looking.

  Logistics

  Olivia and Jessla handled paperwork. Olivia had it waiting and only needed to supply names in the proper places. Pelnie was not competent to sign anything. For that, Olivia said, “Legally, I could treat most of you as if you are 21. Your consent is not required. But I wish signatures.” And so she presented a single sheet to Melartine. “You are witness that she accepts this willingly, with Jessla to own her.”

  Melartine read the document slowly then picked up the pen and signed it. She smiled. “There’s a place for your signature, Tressain.” And so Tressain signed without reading it.

  With that done, I announced, “Lady Olivia, I believe what happens next is solemn, and I wish my volunteers to experience this properly.”

  “You’re right,” Olivia agreed. “This is quite a solemn moment. I know you have strong opinions, Claary, but do you think you can remember who taught you?”

  My friends laughed lightly. Li-li grinned and said, “Mother used to say as an infant, she even cried with an opinion.”

  I thought about it and said, “Of course, Lady Olivia. I only wished to say I wish my volunteers to be allowed to savor what is to happen next.”

  “I agree completely,” Olivia said. “We’ll come back to that in a moment. “Ladies, the papers you each signed are binding. It is too late to change your minds, but if you do, you will be pacified. For some of you, that is actually easier.” But she smiled. “Claary, explain your first time, if you would.”