Juno watched as Laurel shoved another prisoner over the edge of the platform. His screams were stolen by the wind as the prisoners she was guarding grew more agitated. Naked and huddled together, the cold kept them docile more than the bayonet at the end of her rifle. Conna came back and grabbed another, taking him to the edge and asking some questions. His response, unsatisfactory, sent him over the edge with the others. One by one they were questioned and pushed over. Astra seemed to be laughing every time.

Liddy walked with Inky farther down the platform, nearer to the loading doors where a church vessel accepted the Emberborn. “I thought I ordered them questioned for other farm locations.”

“You did,” Inky replied. “Ving found the owner's personal ship parked in the garage below the platform. She's catching them and handing them off to the Church's troop ship.”

“Oh, alright.” Liddy didn't seem to care either way. “We should be leaving as soon as they are finished. Getting to another city and getting to work like normal is important. The farm couldn't wait, but if anyone connects us to it we might have issues.”

“Agreed. Vile is happy you broke your ‘no men in the air’ rule for her friend.”

“The rule is to avoid any of you from gathering inconvenient relationships. I'm happy to accommodate old friends in a time of need. Though she should be mindful that he will have to leave at some point.”

“She knows. She just wants to catch up and hopefully recover some memories from before the farm. Have you talked with Easy?”

“Poor girl, I’m happy yet saddened by what happened. Her mother, I'm glad we found her, but the things they did to her.”

“Hope says she can't do much for her wings. The healing of damage is one thing, but replacing what's missing is another.”

“I think the most healing she can get now will be from Easy herself.”

****

Hope finished talking with one of the Templars who commanded the levy currently sweeping the compound for any stragglers. Kilty waited until Hope kissed the man on his cheek and turned to leave. She fell in alongside Hope.

“Old friend? Lover?” Kilty asked, trying to recover the levity the whole farm had sapped from her and the girls.

“My brother, actually. Haven't seen him in years,” Hope replied with a glance at Kilty.

“Oh, oops.” Kilty felt a tad embarrassed.

“It's alright. And no, he doesn't know about my interests, and no, you can't ‘corrupt’ him.”

“That's fine, it's been hard for any of us to find the mood since we got here. I’ll be glad to leave. That being said, not since the first farm have I felt… like there was a goodness about what we were doing. At first, I only felt it after we saved Foxy and the others because we didn't know what was going on. Here, my nerves were steady, even while waiting, when they should have been on edge. No fear during the fight, no guilt, it was just a certainty of purpose.”

“That, my girl, is the feeling of the righteous. Doing a thing with the utmost belief that it is the right thing to be doing. It’s how I like to approach everything in my life. Even the work on the ship or any mundane task. Though it is always the strongest in battle. It’s how I keep my mace burning, it's not entirely a matter of the ember fuel I use. Most people never feel it. Consider yourself blessed with the moral fibre to feel it today.”

“I don't think I'm the only one.”

“No, you aren't. We seem to be collecting them on our ship. It happens. People see in others, parts of themselves. Being sex-crazed women isn't the real reason we have found our way to where we are. At least, not the only reason.”

Hope and Kilty laughed for the first time since they had arrived at the slave farm.

****

Boorman, who had intended to talk with Vile, sat in the lounge with her as they listened to Easy chatting away with her mother almost without pause. While her mother was silent, she seemed focused on Easy, as if still trying to decide if the miracle was real. He listened as she introduced Mari, as her lover. It almost surprised him as much as it had when he had been introduced to Inky. Then he saw the woman with red hair share a long kiss with the green-haired woman in the doorway before entering. It quickly became clear that the ship was an entirely new place for him.

Liddy shoved Hannah out of the doorway so she could board with Inky -- who repeated the shove with a smile. She stopped as she looked into the lounge.

“She sparkles like you!” Liddy exclaimed, indicating Easy’s mother.

Easy had not noticed, “She does! She didn't when we found her!”

The woman smiled as her daughter embraced her with a giant smile on her face. Liddy wasn't alone in sharing the infectious grin. Boorman took the opening to finally get a few words in.

“She’s been at the farm so long! She is amazingly resilient. It’s a common hope on the farm that someone's child would come back and buy their freedom. Though I don't know how many thought it could happen.”

“On this ship, it's our side-business,” Leira commented as she entered.

“Technically it’s a hobby,” Cat corrected, entering from below with some food, followed by Foxy. “People get paid for doing business.”

“I know, that's why I told one of those church guys to claim the ships as a ‘prize’ and sell them off. Since we were never here, they just send the money to Harlottown.” Leira paused to collect the surprised stares. “I can't be the only one who knows anything about piracy!”

Liddy’s eyes widened in surprise, “Oh my, we 'are' pirates!”

“Isn't the church taking credit?” Emma asked, holding a tray with her spectral hand.

“Yes, but that doesn't change what we actually did.”

“Score!” Hannah shouted, holding Ving close. “I always wanted to be a pirate! We are going to need hats with feathers!”

“Please stop,” Liddy pleaded.

“All shall fear the sexy harlot crew under the command of the Terrifying Trixie!” Hannah continued.

Liddy winced, wondering how long it would take to rip out a floorboard to make a plank she could force Hannah to walk.

****

Inky spotted Mari in the hall, coming from her room where she had helped Easy put her mother down for a rest. The gentle rocking of the ship, while it travelled, had put the woman to sleep quickly. Inky wondered if Easy was staying to keep watch and mouthed her question silently to Mari, who nodded. They tiptoed to the laundry room where they could speak plainly.

“How’s she doing?” Inky asked.

“It’s been a mix of excited upset. I don't think she knows how to process it all, but she's doing all the right things so it will sort itself out. Liddy has already told her and Vile to not worry about working in the next city.” Mari replied with a sigh. “Where is Vile?”

“Talking with her friend in Liddy’s room. We seem to be running out of space on this ship.”

“And our partners are too busy to take care of their lovers.”

“Should we do them a favour and help them out?” Inky asked before gripping Mari by the breasts and kissing her deeply on the lips before she could respond.

Mari enjoyed the kiss but kept her mind focused on unfastening the uniform Inky had been wearing. Slowly, piece by piece, it fell away to reveal the tanned skin underneath. She had been wearing a simple slip-dress over her underwear, having tried to look a bit more classy while at the farm, but her ink was quickly uncovered by the hands yanking it off her body.

Inky kept the contrasting white lace enclosing the massive breasts, smiling as it strained to do so. Seeing the metal piercing the nipples shine through, she slid her hand under the other white lace that covered the rather wet womanhood that ached for Inky's touch. Mari returned the favour as her head was brought down to suckle the dark nipple pressed into her open lips.

Mari pushed her mouth so hard into the soft flesh that Inky had to bring her down to the floor quickly to avoid falling over. As she moved over Inky, she lifted herself so her breasts hung over Inky's face, kept just out of reach of her tongue by the white lace that constrained them. She felt Inky raise her knee up to give her something to grind against, but she refused to lower her breasts until Inky finally pulled the bra down and freed them. It was now Mari who felt the hungry attentions on her nipples, feeling the tongue playing with the metal that ran through them.

The biting and soft moans of a hungry woman as she felt fingers playing between her legs was too much for Inky. She slapped her open palm right across the artfully-inked bum of the woman on top of her to speed things up. Mari took the hint and started to work more vigorously inside the body below her, three fingers penetrating while her thumb stayed on the button. Mari worked her hips over the strong thigh between her legs so her own womanhood felt the pleasure she craved. She pulled her body upwards so Inky was forced to tug with her teeth on the piercings to keep her close. Inky slapped her across the face and Mari climaxed hard, her fluids flowing down the leg of the woman who had drawn them from her. Although there was a brief pause as she felt the hand inside her shudder, Inky clenched around it as she felt her own climax escape.

Inky, using a trick she learned to dismount an attacker, flipped Mari over and moved in on top. “Not done yet, bitch.”

Mari moaned as Inky began to twist the metal on her breasts.

****

“Alright everyone, we are going to be landing in LilCap soon. Named due to it being referred to as the ‘little capital’ on this side of the mountains. It transitioned from governing city to a trade hub after the tunnels through the mountain were dug for the trains. That means lots of money, and we work as normal. If something comes up we will deal with it, but I’d like the focus to be on doing things we are supposed to be doing.”

“Looting and pillaging?” Hannah asked, brandishing Inky’s sabre.

“I can only agree to consensual looting and metaphorical pillaging, depending on the clients' tastes. That's all.”

Hannah sighed, pouting.

“Easy and Vile will be taking time off, so take their pictures down. I don't want people asking for girls they can't have. Has her mother spoken at all?”

“She seems to smile a lot as Easy prattles on about things. But no words yet,” Mari answered.

“Right. Well, make sure they are taken care of. Vile’s friend should just keep below decks. Don't need a man up here who isn't a client. If anyone asks about anything related to the farms, just say you heard about it but don't know the details. Gets them talking and keeps us safe. Monster stuff, we downplay. Just be modest.”

“What the fuck does modest mean?” Leira asked with a grin after raising her hand, her legs entirely uncrossed.

The rest of the girls laughed, and Liddy waited until they were finished. “We will be landing soon. Get cleaned and dressed. I want everyone not on guard duty to be working.”

****

In the city, Duke Stirling is approached in his lush office by his aide. His aide waits patiently as his Duke ponders the marble bust on his desk. An hour later his presence is noticed.

“Oh, Eric. What is it?” the Duke asked, slowly coming back to reality.

“A new arrival at the docks. A pleasure craft. I thought I might go… check?” His pause an indication of the delicate question.

“Oh, yes, you know what I want.” The Duke waved away his aide, quickly becoming lost again.

****

Astra grinned madly as the man with his head between her legs did his best to please her and was succeeding. It was rare to find, but the man had talent. She laid back on the soft bed, her uniform on the floor, her hands holding onto the man's head. What surprised Astra was that he had satisfied himself already just from pleasing her and simply hadn't stopped.

“You are magnificent!” Astra barely got the words out before her climax made her squeal.

He paused once she had finished. “My wife never lets me do this for her. Thinks it improper.”

“With this kind of skill, you only need to talk her into it once.” Astra already felt herself getting ready for another as he resumed his work.

****

Down below, Boorman listened as the women above him worked. “Oh, my! It sounds so much different when it's…”

“Consensual?” Vile finished. “Yeah, the girls all love it and the men pay well for us.”

“But you grew up on a farm didn't you?”

“Yes, but was never used for that. I was an enforcer and servant. Only kept naked to keep the illusion up that the man holding my leash had a sexy beast as a plaything.”

“He the one who gave you your new name?”

“Yup. Thought I would be degraded by it, but with the collar on it didn't even register. I was told I had a new name and accepted it. I didn't even remember my old name until you used it. Was I really born in a burst of ash?”

“Yes. We were all worried something was wrong. We weren't even sure there was an infant inside it until you started to cry. Washed you off and the whole village celebrated. Live births are rare.”

“Yes, I know. Actually, we found a way around that. At the first farm, we liberated. Already got word of several live births since we left. None otherwise.”

“That's amazing! How did you do it?” he asked, excited.

****

The only thing that really bothered Easy were the stumps on her mothers back. They seemed to be getting bigger every time she looked at them, but shook her head at the illusion. Having to hear the sex work going on bothered her, not knowing if it would bother her mother -- but nonetheless, she never stopped smiling.

“My crewmates would be aghast to hear me admit this mother, but I think I have run out of things to say.” Easy smiled, laughing a little.

Her mother smiled wider, seeming to understand what she meant.

“I think that means it's time to talk about what to do next. The town we founded is full of Emberborn from farms and the cities. It would be a good place for you to get better. I'd come with except I can help so much staying on the ship. You are welcome to stay I'm sure, but you might not be able to get better as quickly. No rush, either way. I just want you to know what we have to think about.”

Her mother smiled again and embraced her daughter in a hug, showing the most autonomous action she had taken since being free.

****

Hannah was getting plenty of looks from clients as they came into the lounge, and certainly enjoyed her company as she served drinks, but none seemed to want more than that. It was certainly odd to her when they looked surprised when she got suggestive. She would casually brush off the suggestions when they seemed to make the men uncomfortable and watched as they relaxed.

“Am I missing something?” Hannah whispered as she poured another drink.

Foxy looked at her intently for a moment before shrugging in ignorance.

Hannah sighed, wondering if she was just off her game or whether someone had cast a spell on her. Catherine wasn't having any trouble, passing Mari in the hall who was leading her client out. She smiled as she saw Cat tickle Mari’s exposed midriff as she walked by. The two social opposites seemed to have bonded rather well. Mari came over to the bar to stash a gold necklace she had been given.

“Too heavy, and made to be on a larger frame. Possibly his wife’s. Think Vile might like it? Poor girl has nothing made for her.”

“I think she would appreciate the gift. Aside from that though, am I doing something wrong? I’m getting nowhere. It’s like I’m a burly lumberjack covered in sweat asking them for a tumble. I mean, I might go for that -- but these men won't touch me but are determined to be polite about it.”

Mari sized her up. “You look rather fantastic to me. Your black lingerie with the red silk dress should be giving them heart attacks. I’ll go chat one up and suggest a two for one.”

****

Cat watched Emma run down the hall with a bundle of sheets after cleaning up the workroom Mari had used. She loved the way the tiny elf ran and was in the mood to let the man following her satisfy the lust she had inside. Her client reached into his coat once she had locked the door and pulled out a choker. It was made from black velvet and had a gold-edged stone in the middle.

“My… wife's. Do you mind?” he asked, fumbling.

“Not at all,” Cat replied as she turned to let him bind it to her neck. She knew the man wasn't married. Anyone of station would show some indication, and she already knew the tells of the city. The token was most likely his mother's or belonged to some other woman that would be socially taboo to indulge with.

He seemed to shudder when he saw her wearing the choker, her elegant dress doing the job of making her look like the lady he imagined she was. There was a weak slap across her face. He obviously held back as he had the muscle to hit much harder, before he choked her against the wall with his arm.

Cat whispered the word ‘fun’ as he started to feel up her chest, his arm pressing more on the door than her neck, and Foxy relaxed. Emma had already fixed her dress so it could be torn away and mended with ease, so as he ripped her bodice away Cat could enjoy it.

“This is wrong…” Cat gasped. “Don't stop.”

He kissed her hard and Cat knew she had her role figured out. She felt her breasts being gripped tightly in his free hand, her dress hanging open. She used her own hands to weakly protest his, pretending to push against his grip. Someone had put a vanity table in the room, and she wished the mirror could show her the assault but it faced the bed. As her client lowered his head to put his mouth on her breasts, he stopped pretending to choke her and slid his hand under her dress. She wasn't sure if he knew how ready she was to accept him between her legs, but it was his fantasy she was being paid to act out and she didn't try to force him along.

He mumbled words as he slathered his saliva across her breasts, something about having always wanted them, that they were better than he imagined. Cat wondered if perhaps she was playing his sister.

“Oh, Torm, I had no idea…” Cat knew using his first name would be the right play either way.

He pulled away and Cat had thought she had made a mistake -- until he put her face down on the vanity to lift her dress and pull down his trousers. She squealed as she was quickly filled up with his manhood, and could look in the mirror as he yanked her hair back as he thrusted. Cat watched as her breasts bounced with each thrust behind her shook them and her torn dress.

“I always want to be your lover, Torm… I don't care who says otherwise.”

“Yes, Siva, always your loving brother.”

Cat moaned in excitement at her correct guess. It was surprisingly common for siblings to lust after each other if they had grown up separately until they were older. She started to moan the word ‘brother’ as he continued to work inside her. When he stopped, it was to put his head between her legs as he sat her on the vanity. Cat pulled on her own breasts as she enjoyed the movements on his tongue.

It didn't last long before he pulled her legs off the vanity so he could penetrate her again. Cat wrapped her legs around him as he thrust into her while taking her to the bed. He threw her down and used the headboard to leverage himself inside, staring at the choker around her neck. Cat climaxed, digging her nails into his arms as she used them for support. He pulled out and pressed her breasts around his shaft as he worked it in between. Cat helped, pressing her own breasts so he could support himself as he finally burst with seed over her neck and chest. Seeing the choker covered caused him to shudder and climax yet again despite having nothing else to put on Cat's body.

He stumbled off the bed and laid down on the floor catching his breath. Cat laid on the bed, happy and wondering if she would get to keep the choker.

****

Liddy was watching Mari talk with a client and making suggestive indications towards Hannah. She wondered why she hadn't seen Hannah taking any clients when a light rifle tap on the deck indicated a new arrival. Liddy turned to see Juno admitting a well-dressed man who lacked any indicators of nobility.

“Lady Captain Liddy, sir.” Juno introduced.

“M’lady.” The man bowed. “My Duke has sent me. I was wondering if…”

Liddy watched the man turn as white as a ghost as he glanced into the lounge after his bow. She looked and saw Hannah serving drinks and Emma being carried by a client down the hall. The only other women in the lounge at the moment were Mari and Conna, aside from Foxy standing guard.

“Someone catch your eye?” Liddy asked, still puzzled as to why he looked so terrified.

He jumped back as Hannah approached.

“Alright. People have been regarding me oddly all day,” Hannah huffed. “Am I wanted for a crime or something?”

“Oh my, no…” he mumbled.

Liddy wasn't sure if he was answering Hannah's question or muttering in denial. “Sir, collect yourself and explain.”

After a deep breath and swallow, he responded. “She bears a resemblance. Uncanny. Whatever her price is, I will gladly accept. Please, my Duke would be most eager to meet her.”

Liddy was about to argue when he produced a stack of bonds, in the amounts only a Duke could authorise. It was her turn to be in shock, as well as Hannah's when she leaned over to look.

“Though, perhaps, a more modest and subtle dress. Something that won't attract attention.”

“Right,” Hannah agreed. “That means Liddy’s closet.”

“Not once I spend this, it won't.” Liddy countered.

****

Mari watched Hannah trot off to the back of the ship. “So she looks like someone?”

“Yes. The Duke gets rather jealous when he sees men who remind him of… well, let's just say there is a reason the Duke sent his most trusted servant.”

****

Emma loved the look on a man's face while he watched her fit him entirely down her throat. It had taken a lot of practice, but it was worth it. They almost couldn't believe it when she brought her head back to remind them how big they were before doing it again. Then, unable to stand it, they would lift her up and slide right inside the tiny elf and listen to her moan. She also loved being light enough for most men to lift her, making them feel strong. Her tiny feet rested on the man's chest as he held her by the hips and slammed her down over and over on him. Emma climaxed twice before her client finally couldn't last any longer, and she felt the seed flow into her body. She leaned back until she was upside down, his hands still holding her hips. She didn't want it leaving her just yet.

****

Hannah had kept her black lace on, but put on the white dress with the yellow jacket Liddy had worn when they first met. It pressed her breasts tightly, but not so much that they would fall out. Leira was walking back with a client when she noticed Hannah coming towards her. She smiled after checking out the tight squeeze on her breasts. Then Leira expanded her own to strain the dress she had on and Hannah laughed as she walked by. She felt a friendly pat on her bum and carried on.

Mari winked at her as she got into the lounge and Hannah bent over, almost spilling her chest into the client's face as she did so. She kissed Mari on the neck so her friend could whisper in her ear.

“Duke is super weird 'bout any woman who looks like his dead wife.”

Hannah left Mari and carried on, wondering just how weird the man had to be to bother his entire class enough that they wouldn't take her to bed. Liddy cocked an odd look as she stared at Hannah’s breasts before shaking her head and looking at the bonds in her hand.

Hannah was escorted into the carriage and wondered just how interesting things were about to get.

****

Conna liked the public display as she rocked her hips back in forth as she faced the client in his chair in the lounge. Her skirt covered the penetration inside her so the onlookers could only imagine. It was relaxing to have the rhythmic pleasure of feeling a man moving through her body like that. She could see Foxy lick her lips as she stood guard. Leira served the bottle of wine that she had gone to get, and Conna managed the cup for the client whose hands were busy holding her by the hips.

****

Upon arrival at the Duke’s estate, Hannah was greeted by a guard in decorated gold armour. He carried a locked box, equally decorated, in his arms. Normally, the rule was that the fancier the uniform or armour, the less capable the soldier often was. This time, Hannah could clearly tell the man was a professional. The aide assisted her out of the carriage, and the guard regarded her with quickly quashed surprise. It took a moment before Hannah started to grasp why. The servants' entrance where they had stopped was flanked by statues of a woman she could have sworn was herself.

“Open it please,” the aide ordered.

The guard, reluctant, opened the box and produced a beautiful gold necklace with a bright blue gem in the centre. It was breathtaking, and Hannah understood why such care was taken for its safety. She lifted her hair so the soldier could place it on her neck.

“Guard it with your life,” he commanded.

Hannah offered a sharp salute. “Crater Peak, Leftenant. Not my first time watching crown jewels.”

The two men both seemed surprised at her response, and they both seemed pleased. The guard because she wasn't as intimidated by the demand as others had been, Eric because of something else. Hannah knew the crown jewels of the old Emperor were priceless. The sceptre on display at Crater Peak would never have only had a single guard or even left the throne room. The Duke had obviously let his wife actually wear it and wanted her to match. It was on the statues on display everywhere as she was guided through the servants' passages.

“What was her name?”

“Anna,” Eric replied.

“That works, mine is Hannah. How did she die? Whose fault was it?”

Eric seemed surprised by the questions but understood her approach. “She died while attending a dinner he had meant to go to. Allergic reaction to some exotic shellfish. The tasters and the cooks were released from jail hours before their execution once it was figured out. He still blames himself for not being there.”

Hannah started to understand the scope of the damage done by the man's grief. His guilt haunting him, and twisting his authority towards absurd laws and the ridiculous amount of artwork dedicated to her. She was finally shown a door to a private office. Eric showed her inside, and then got in the way of the guard who found it difficult not to follow. Cursing her stupidity, Hannah turned around to ask another question.

“His name is Robin,” Eric answered ahead of her question.

Hannah turned back around and walked into the office. It was dark, the hearth offering the only light underneath a massive portrait she could swear was her own. Daytime brooding in the dark instead of whatever else a Duke was supposed to do in the large city was not proper. So, Hannah decided to do what any wife would do. She opened the window.

“Really, Robin? Brooding in the dark on such a pleasant day? Is being a Duke really so tedious?” Hannah asked, waiting by the window so he could fully appreciate her appearance.

The Duke had been so stunned that for a moment Hannah thought he might have died. It wasn't until she moved closer to check that she saw his eyes follow her. He stuttered a few noises that might have been born into inquisitive words, but they never got that far. She extended her arms, letting him take them and realise she was real. Hannah pulled him out of the chair, happy she had the strength to do so, and laughed softly before planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Why so surprised? You really think your wife would ever leave you?”

“I’m so sorry…” he started to weep.

Hannah took him into a tight embrace and felt him sob on her shoulder. He begged for forgiveness as his knees gave out and she guided him to the floor. Hannah offered all the assurances he needed as years of grief poured out of him. She looked up at the portrait. She saw the date of birth and death, realising it had been twenty years of torture for the man in her arms.

****

It wasn't often that Liddy would greet a client at the door while being escorted by his wife, but she was pleased to see her as eager to be there as her husband.

“Now, while my wife watches, would there be a lady available to ‘attend’ to her during?”

Juno spun around from guarding the door, and Kilty moved to take the rifle from her so she could present herself to the clients. They nodded in approval before Liddy led them to her bedroom. The man and his wife were kissing while holding hands as they entered. Juno closed the door behind them. Putting her arms out beside her, as if holding serving trays, the wife waited for Juno to disrobe her. The man took his own clothing off as he watched his wife being undressed in front of him. Liddy pulled up a soft velvet chair to have a good view of the bed. After setting the lady down in the chair, Juno displayed herself until she was waved at to discard her own clothing. Naked, Juno kissed the woman, letting their bodies touch, slowly sliding downwards. She kissed and licked along the lovely body of the woman until she was on her knees and ready to work.

Liddy slid her own dress off and let her client push her to her knees. Opening wide, Liddy glanced at the wife who smiled madly as she watched her husband push himself into the open mouth before him. While Juno helped, she hadn't really gotten excited until she saw another woman with her husband sliding down her throat.

“I shouldn't be surprised she can take me all the way like this,” he commented.

“These women have talented mouths,” the wife replied, running her hands through Juno’s hair. “We made a good choice in coming here. When you think you are ready, I want to see her riding you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Liddy was starting to get a feel for the dynamic at play and, when she finally had her mouth free and got to stand up, she pushed him to the bed and climbed on top. There wasn't any subtle play. Liddy put him right inside and started to work her hips over him. As his hands came up to her breasts, she gripped them by the wrists and controlled how they touched her. The wife enjoyed the sight, playing with her own breasts as Liddy held the hands tightly to her own. When Liddy climaxed, his wife followed before she stopped screaming.

“Seed her!” The wife demanded, and Liddy felt him respond immediately by pumping his seed into her body. “Now, you.” She turned her attention to Juno. “Go clean him off while I get what's mine.”

Juno snapped up and went to clean off his manhood with her mouth while the wife went over to Liddy and got her mouth on the blonde the moment her husband withdrew. Liddy laid back while the wife got to work, soon rolling over and sitting on her face. While they did that, Juno felt a hand reach between her legs and was happy that Liddy wasn't ignoring her.

****

“The resemblance is unbelievable,” the Duke stated, walking Hannah on his arm along the edge of the courtyard towards his bedchambers. “You even come from Crater Peak. My wife was born there. I first met her on the veranda. You know the one?”

“Very much so. I've spent more than a little time walking along the forum that circles the whole peak,” Hannah explained, remembering the place where upper- and middle-class got together for business.

“Perhaps you may have even seen her and I?”

“That was over twenty years ago, depending on when you met. I may have only been a child or infant.”

“Oh.” He almost seemed surprised to think of how long ago it all was. “Of course.”

They walked in silence for a while until another noble, reading a dispatch as he walked, bumped into one of the Duke's bodyguards. The man seemed surprised that someone would be in his way, but his face turned to shock when he saw his duke.

“My lord?” It was as though he couldn't quite grasp what he was seeing. “You are out of your office?” As the man relaxed he regarded Hannah, and promptly turned white as if she were a ghost.

“This is Hannah, a guest from Crater Peak. She and I have matters to discuss,” the Duke stated, as if grasping for an explanation.

“What kind of guest?” The noble asked, eying Hannah’s bust -- or the necklace resting on it.

Hannah knew the wrong lie would cause issues, so she decided to let the man lie for her. “What do you think? Who might you be anyways to speak to your Duke like that?”

The man was thrown off guard and bowed apologetically. “Forgive me, sir, I was caught unaware. Miss, I am the Duke's Steward, Lord Thot. The resemblance is unbelievable.”

“That this young woman should look like her mother? How so?” The Duke asked, not quite telling a lie.

Hannah did look like her mother, though she got her red hair from her father, but she knew for a fact that it wasn't the duke's late wife. She knew better than to counter the duke, even though it was true, but she wondered if he was digging her into a hole.

“But your first wife never--” He was cut off by the duke.

“Not within wedlock, no.”

It began to dawn on Lord Thot that Hannah was the illegitimate daughter of the couple prior to their wedding. Despite there never having been a statement saying so. “I see. When did you find her?”

“Eric found her. I only just met her today. I was going to show her some family items when you ran into us.”

“How fortuitous, with your other daughter a few days too young to succeed you as an heir…” He trailed off as he considered the political implications.

Hannah inwardly cringed at the idea of being involved in local politics. “I’m not here to upset the political landscape. I am here as a... comforting presence.”

“Indeed. Now if you will excuse us.” As the Duke stepped forward to push past his Steward, Hannah felt a spray on her face the moment the Duke's head snapped backward.

Hannah heard a distant pop an instant later and yelled on instinct. “Sniper!” She dove behind a supporting column before turning to see the Duke landing on Eric, who had been directly behind him.

The bodyguards went for cover themselves, but raised their rifles in the direction of the shot. To Hannah, they looked like old flintlocks that someone had decorated somewhere beyond ostentatious. Eric was dead from a chest wound, the bullet had hit him after passing through the Duke. Unsurprisingly, that meant the sniper was somewhere high up, but Hannah hadn't been looking around like she normally would have. She cursed her lack of awareness. Accepting her situation as it was, she looked to the Steward who cowered in a shallow alcove. It seemed doubtful that the Duke would have been the target if he was such a recluse, but it could have just been a matter of timing if it was the normal route he took to bed. Snipers tended to stay planted for a long time in order to get their shot. Hannah wanted to know for sure.

“You aren't safe there!” she shouted at him. “Get through that door!”

Hannah was pointing across the narrow courtyard where the bodyguards took cover behind statues and shrubbery. As to emphasise the point, the sniper hit the guard who had been following the necklace and refused cover as it would have taken him too far away from the charge. As soon as he hit the ground, the noble ran.

“Didn't you see where the shot came from? Look high!” Hannah shouted, wondering if they could be expected to hit anything with muskets.

Another shot came and the noble dropped, Hannah thought he had been hit until he started to crawl the rest of the way. The guard shouted and opened fire finally. It surprised Hannah that they kept firing, shell casings flying out of their rifles without even working the action. As she watched, she could see the rifles were much more modern in their function but made to look antiquated. As the shots died down, the men reloaded their weapons and waited. Then an all-clear call came from their leader after hearing a whistle from some distance away. Hannah got up, but stayed behind the pillar.

“It’s safe now miss,” he stated flatly.

“Are you sure? I’m certain you thought it was when the Duke walked in the open.”

The man flinched as if struck. He took the barb personally. “Our men have taken the tower window where the shots came from.”

“Spotter,” Hannah demanded with an open hand that she kept behind cover.

He passed his over, and Hannah carefully took a quick glance through it to see a man in the uniform of the guards standing in the window framed with bullet holes.

“His daughter?” she asked, tersely.

“Secure in the south garden, Miss.”

“A sniper slays your Duke in his own home and you think his daughter is secure in the open?! Get her inside behind a heavy locked door, now!”

The commanding tone or the previous implication of being the Duke's daughter made the man snap into action as he blew a few different tones in his whistle. A few moments later they heard a response.

“She is being escorted to her room.”

Before Hannah could respond with additional criticism, she spotted a cloud of nobles marching into the courtyard in a panic. The Steward came back from where he had been hiding and went over the Duke's body. Nobody stopped him as he pulled a ring from his finger and handed it to Hannah.

“The heir is too young. There will be fighting amongst his nobles, and she won't survive to see her birthday. Accept this title now and feel free to abdicate when she is ready. Please!”

Hannah had not even decided anything when he took her hand to place the ring on her finger in time to greet the other nobles who were gasping at the dead bodies.

“Lords and Ladies, I regretfully say our Duke has been assassinated. However, inasmuch surprise to the Duke as it was to us, this young lady was born prior to the wedding of our Duke and his first wife. Kept secret for obvious reasons until I suspected the death of the Duke's son, and continued because of it. However, at this moment, being an adult and quite obviously resembling the first late Lady Stirling, I proclaim Lady Hannah Stirling, Duchess. Any objections?”

Hannah could see a number of faces that looked like they may have been hiding the disappointment of there being no room to assume the title, but none stuck out as having their plans thwarted. Although there were doubtless many objections, none voiced them. Instead, they all knelt towards Hannah, still covered in blood, wondering just what she had gotten into. She was about to say something when the Steward clutched his left arm in pain. Everyone was busy kneeling, they left it to Hannah to check on him. She didn't find a pulse when she tried to stop him from flopping onto the floor. The old man had been pushed past his limit, and Hannah felt a pang of guilt using him for sniper bait even though she wasn't totally wrong about him being exposed.

Rising back to her feet, Hannah had something to say. “I’m going to need a new Steward.”

****

Liddy was back at the door and greeting new clients when a man in a uniform too simple to be a client rushed up the ramp. He seemed stressed, as if his day had been a disaster.

“Hello, there,” Liddy greeted.

“Lady Captain Trixie?” the man inquired.

Liddy gritted her teeth, knowing immediately that Hannah had something to do with him. “Yes, I am. Who might you be?”

“Errand of the Duchess. I was sent to summon you.”

“Duchess? I thought Duke Stirling was presiding over this city?”

“He was assassinated less than an hour ago. Duchess Hannah Stirling now presides over the city and has proclaimed you as her Steward. I was sent to escort you and the rest of your...court…” He trailed off as Ving walked by wearing a silk dress, who was trying not to have a heart attack at the news while swiping Hannah's picture off the wall.

“Of course, I will be there shortly.” Liddy nodded, screaming in confusion on the inside.