The Shadow Doctor

Series disclaimer: This is not a love story. I'm interested in exploring the power dynamic behind mind control, and there is very little consent in this story. This story contains violence, rape, trauma, and abuse. I understand that's not what a lot of readers are looking for, so consider this fair warning. That being said, if you're interested in a dark fantasy of sex and control set in magical world loosely inspired by Wuxia stories, please enjoy.

Chapter notes: I hope you all enjoy this latest installment. As usual, chapter tags: Bondage, Non-consent, Mind Control, Humiliation, Slavery, Oral.

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The following are the permanent rules Tam has in place for Yelena at the start of this chapter.

- When asked a question, Yelena must answer immediately and fully, in the same language in which the question was asked.

- She cannot lie.

- She must keep Tam's control over her a secret, unless he chooses to reveal it to others or revealing it would save his life or freedom. This rule provides an exception to the two previous rules.

- Yelena cannot physically harm Tam, his servants, or his guests.

- She cannot leave the grounds of Tam's manor.

- She cannot harm or disfigure herself unless she is following a direct command from Tam to do so.

- Yelena is pleased whenever Tam compliments her.

- She becomes aroused and wet whenever he has an erection.

- She feels increasing sexual pleasure whenever she has Tam's cock inside her body, in any orifice.

- If Tam puts a plug in her ass, Yelena cannot remove it until he gives her permission, except temporarily for bodily functions.

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"Well, what do you think?"

Lin Song set down the letter and frowned in thought. "It's an interesting offer. It seems to me that you need to address three questions before deciding on a response: if we can perform the requested service, how much it will cost us, and what you intend to request as compensation."

Tam and his steward were seated for their usual breakfast, discussing the message Wong Gao had sent over the previous night. Grace's prospective buyer, a diplomat named Xiyang Ki, had agreed in principle to purchase the girl if she could learn Arabic before he left in two months. Gao had proposed sending Grace to live at Tam's manor while Yelena tutored her in Arabic.

The tutor in question knelt on the floor by Tam's feet, waiting patiently for the occasional bites of breakfast he held out for her. From the expression on her face, Yelena still disliked the indignity of eating in this fashion, but she knew better than to complain by now.

"Let's address the question of cost first. You manage my finances -- how much will we be inconvenienced by housing another slave for two months?" Tam said.

Lin Song took a moment to do some calculations in her head. "The household budget can manage it fairly easily, assuming your practice continues to produce revenue at the current rate. You'll have to watch some of your impulsive purchases -- I'd suggest you avoid extra expenditures for the next two months. No more extra work on the gardens, buying slave girls, things like that. We can afford another mouth to feed, but not much more without eating into the money set aside for emergencies."

Tam chuckled at that. A week ago he hadn't had a single slave girl; now he was contemplating adding a second to the household, even if it was on a temporary basis.

"I believe I can restrain myself. Let's address the next question. Yelena, can you teach someone Arabic in two months?"

Yelena blinked. She wasn't usually included in the conversation at these meals, but she answered quickly, her first set of rules making it impossible for her to stay silent when directly questioned.

"Yes, probably. I need to preface by saying I haven't done much teaching. When I learned Arabic, I learned to handle basic conversations in five weeks, but I grew up speaking Hebrew in addition to Rus and Ruthenian, so I was able to take advantage of the similarities. I also learn languages much more quickly than most. We won't be able to tell how quickly Grace can learn until we try. And it will mean taking up large portions of the day; the best way is multiple sessions a day, with short breaks to let the mind recover. I think I can teach her basic vocabulary and grammar in two months, but getting her to the point where she can fill her role of elegant companion in Arabic will be impossible in so little time."

Tam nodded. "Hopefully that will suffice; we will make carrying on a simple dinner conversation the goal, and Xiyang Ki can continue her education on the finer points of what he needs. I'm sure you and Grace will both do your best to ensure Grace impresses. Will you need teaching supplies?"

"Wax tablets and writing tools, or chalkboards, something reusable. If we have access to them, I can look over a selection of Arabic scrolls suitable as primers, which would help as well. I know a merchant in the foreign quarter who deals in those sorts of texts."

"Write up a message for the man in my name, asking him to send over some samples. I don't want your name popping up in your old neighborhood."

"It's a woman, not a man. But yes, that should work. I'm getting excited thinking about this; I wasn't sure I'd get to use my language skills anymore."

Tam was glad that Yelena was showing some signs of good spirits. His slave had been withdrawn when they woke up, with no sign of the excitement that had filled her at first touching her chi the previous night. She'd obediently taken care of his morning erection and her duties bathing and dressing him, but had done so listlessly. Seeing her engaged with life in her eyes was pleasing; he reached down and patted her fondly on the head.

Yelena flushed in embarrassment and looked at the floor in response to Tam treating her like a pet. Lin Song took the opportunity to rejoin the conversation.

"So, the last question to be addressed is payment for your slave's work. In the message, he only offers a favor. Is that sufficient, or do you want to request more concrete compensation?"

Tam leaned back and considered the question. The unspoken addition to the favor Wong Gao had promised was the fact that Grace would be at his disposal for two months. The slave girl was undeniably attractive, and she'd displayed an enticing submissiveness on their brief meeting. On the other hand, tutoring Grace would take up a great deal of Yelena's time, and housing her, while affordable, was not free. Still, he felt that he'd made up his mind as soon as he'd read the offer. This conversation with Lin Song was just to make sure he wasn't missing anything in his own evaluation.

"He's a well-connected man. He's sold girls to many of the richest and most powerful men in the city. I think a favor from him could be quite valuable, and he's left it very open ended. I can also wait to actually demand the favor and leverage his goodwill in subtle ways. I think it's better to leave him indebted to me rather than demanding a simple payment for housing and services. Depending on how much the teaching supplies cost, we may consider sending him a bill for those."

Lin Song nodded in satisfaction. "That was the same conclusion I reached. A straightforward transaction leaves both parties with no obligation, but a promised obligation can be turned into a much greater payment if handled skillfully."

"We're agreed then. I'll compose a reply after breakfast. Before we conclude, let's discuss keeping the girls busy. Once Grace arrives, a large portion of their days will be devoted to this tutoring, and they'll spend their nights attending me, but I won't need their attention at all times. Do you want to use them around the house?"

"To be honest, with you not having a family or doing much entertaining, this household is fairly easy to keep up. Yelena doesn't seem well suited to a maid's duties. If we keep her working as a maid, I think it will just make the actual maids lazy and idle. And adding another girl won't mean much more work for anyone except Cook, aside from an increase in laundry."

"Perhaps Grace will be suitable as an assistant to Cook. I'll question her when she arrives. And I'm sure we can find some time for the girls to assist with laundry. I'm surprised you found Yelena unsuitable for maid's duties -- despite her difficulties adjusting to her new status, I've found her to be more obedient with every passing day."

Yelena scowled as they discussed her as if she wasn't in the room, but Lin Song and Tam ignored her discomfort.

"When I tested her out yesterday, she worked hard, but she has no real knowledge of keeping house or a maid's duties. She took two or three times as long to do anything as it should have taken. Still, she was diligent. She also told me you said that I was the only one who could decide if she could be trusted around the house without her chains, and seemed determined to impress. Of course, last night I found her fetching tea without a single restraint on her. Did she tell you I'm going to switch her after we finish eating?"

"Yes, she did. She also informed me you said it was more my fault than hers."

"Tch, the little chit wasn't supposed to pass that along. Still, it's true. She's playing the good slave at the moment, but she'll run if she thinks she sees a chance, and then when she's caught we'll have to let the guards scar her pretty young back with the lash. She's our responsibility, Master Hsien; we can't let her have her head until she's been properly broken to harness."

"She'll prove herself to both of us before she earns the privilege of moving around the house freely. Still, the fact that you don't see much use for her as a maid is good. I'm thinking I may train her as an apprentice."

"Are there problems with Ho Tien, or do you need another assistant?"

"No, the boy is doing quite well on the medical portion of his training; I'm not planning to have her take his place. I'm thinking of training her as an enchanter."

Lin Song's eyebrow rose. "You're going to teach the foreign slave girl magic?"

Tam nodded. "Yes, it turns out she has a natural gift for it. She showed more promise when I tested her last night than Ho Tien has in months."

"I don't normally presume to meddle in affairs of magic. You know I'm a practical sort, I don't pretend to understand any of it. Still, are you sure that there's no danger in teaching her? The girl is barely trained."

"There won't be any danger. I'll keep a tight control on what I teach her."

Tam's confidence of course was based on the enchantment he'd cast on Yelena, but he had no intention of sharing that secret. For now, his steward would simply have to take his word for it.

"Very well. As I said, I have no interest in meddling in your magical affairs. I'm quite happy to stick to managing the mundane side of the household. Speaking of that, is there anything else you want to discuss? If not, Yelena and I have an appointment."

"Two things, actually, but we don't need Yelena around to discuss them. Yelena, clear the table and then wait for Lin Song in the kitchen."

"Yes Master." Yelena rose with a light rattle of chains and moved around the table, gathering dishes, and then slipped out of the room.

Once she was gone, Tam explained to Lin Song that he had chosen to give Yelena one hour a day to herself, explaining the restrictions he'd put on it, but not saying that it was a result of losing a bet with his slave. Lin Song disapproved, believing that slaves were happiest when busy, but Tam took advantage of his role as master of the house to insist.

After that, Tam had one other matter to discuss. When he had made Yelena masturbate the day before, she had called herself "dirty foreign trash". He suspected she was repeating something one of the maids had said to her, almost certainly Tan Jiao.

He chose to avoid the particulars of the incident, simply telling Lin Song that he was worried the staff might have trouble adjusting to the addition of slaves to the household. He explained that he did not wish anyone on staff to be unkind or insulting to the slave girls just because they were lower class. Be strict with the slaves, of course, but Lin Song should ensure the staff understood that abuse or insult to Tam's property would be considered an insult to Tam himself.

Lin Song approved of that idea completely, and seemed to guess that he had Tan Jiao in mind. She assured him that she would take the matter in hand. Their business concluded, they parted ways: Tam to his study to write a reply to Wong Gao, Lin Song to the kitchen to give Yelena the promised switching.

Tam took a brief moment to pity Yelena as he left the table; his steward might be growing old, but he was sure she could still wield a switch painfully. Shaking his head, he moved on to mentally considering how to phrase the message to Gao.

He was in the middle of sealing the message with wax when Yelena entered the study, rubbing her ass awkwardly in her chains. He looked up at her and grinned. "Does Lin Song still know how to handle a switch in her advancing years?"

Yelena grimaced. "She hit me so hard I cried, then wiped away the tears, patted me on the head, and gave me a cookie as a reward for taking the switching so well."

Tam laughed. "She should have been a mother; it's a shame she and Bin Hsui were never able to have children. Here, take this message to her and then come back right away. Once you return, I may consider teaching you how to actually use chi."

Yelena's face lit up at that promise and she hurried off. She returned quickly, kneeling by his chair, eagerly looking up at him. Tam smirked slightly; thinking about Grace had left him in the mood to tease and dominate, so he decided to indulge it. He would test his slave and see if she could be patient despite her thirst to learn magic. He ignored her, idly scanning one of the new medical scrolls he'd bought the day before.

Yelena squirmed slightly, but kept her silence. She seemed to realize what he was doing and forced herself to wait patiently for her master's attention. Tam left her like that until he was sure she would continue to wait as long as he wished, then held his hand out to her, keeping his eyes on the scroll.

Yelena wasn't sure how to react to the prompt at first. Tam carefully kept his attention on the scroll, letting her make her own decision on how to respond. After a moment, he felt her lips brush his knuckles with a kiss. Tam continued to ignore her, and after a moment, Yelena kissed his hand again, letting her lips linger. Encouraged by his tacit approval, she slowly moved up and down the back of his hand, feathering kisses across his knuckles and the back of his fingers, thanking her owner for acknowledging her existence.

Tam let out a small grunt of satisfaction and leaned back in his chair, looking down at his slave. He shifted his hand and cupped her jaw, setting his thumb against her lips. Yelena looked up at him silently then parted her lips, taking his thumb between them. She sucked on his thumb slowly and sensually, teasing the end with her tongue, her wide green eyes locked on his face. Tam felt his erection rise at the display, and Yelena gasped slightly as she grew wet in magical response, her body readying itself in case he wanted to use it. Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment at the sudden rush of forced arousal, but she steadied herself and returned her attentions to his thumb.

Now that she had his undivided attention, Yelena grew more sensual, bobbing her head up and down as she sucked on his thumb, taking it all within her mouth then sliding back until just the tip was between her lips before fellating his thumb again.

Tam sighed in satisfaction and slipped his other hand into his robes, gently stroking his erection. Yelena made a small whining sound but stayed where she was, lavishing her attentions on the single thumb Tam had granted her permission to touch.

Tam was quickly finding moments like these to be his favorites with his foreign slave girl. Yes, there was a charm to simply taking the girl, enjoying her firm young flesh as his property, forcing her to become lost in physical passion against her will. But moments like these, where she buried her resentment and came to him eagerly; Tam was finding these particularly delightful.

Tam wasn't a fool; he knew that Yelena had no affection for him. She wanted him to be in a good mood and teach her magic, and she'd had some small success manipulating him with these displays of sexual surrender. Even knowing he was being manipulated, he enjoyed them enough that he let her continue to influence him with them.

It wasn't as if she was trying to get him to do something he was opposed to anyway -- he'd teach her magic regardless, because it would make her a more useful tool. Still, letting her work for it like this was enjoyable.

Deciding to move things along, Tam pulled his hand away from Yelena's face, wiping his thumb off on her cheek. He grabbed the chain of her sirik where it descended from her collar and pulled her head down, tugging her down and forward from her kneel until she was on all fours on the floor. He stood and walked over to the couch, snapping his fingers to indicate she should follow him.

Tam undid his robe and loosened his trousers, letting them fall to his ankles. Stepping out of them, he sat on the edge of the couch, his knees spread wide. Yelena crawled over to wait at his feet. Aside from her jewelry and chains, the only thing covering her body was another of the skimpy two-piece slave silk outfits Tam had bought for her from Gao. Today's was black silk; looking down at her bare back, the ties of the top were the same inky black as her tattoo, both contrasting beautifully with her alabaster skin.

Tam beckoned her forward and she crawled between his legs, her hips swaying. When she reached his cock, she rose to her knees to suck on it, but Tam stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Your service this morning was only barely acceptable, slut. When I choose to use your body, I expect you to display a little more enthusiasm. Do you understand?"

Yelena turned red with shame. "Yes Master, your slave understands. She will try to be a better slut for you."

"Well, here's your first chance to improve. Show me that cock-hungry little whore I know you have hidden inside you."

Yelena whimpered slightly. "Yes Master."

She leaned forward then paused. Settling back on her heels, Yelena bent her head so that she could reach up with her manacled hands and tug at the strings holding her top in place. Two quick tugs let it fall then she tugged it around her waist until she could reach the back ties and let the black silk fall to the floor. Now bare from the waist up, she slid forward again, kissing the inside of Tam's knee.

She pressed her body to his bare leg as she kissed her way up his thigh. As she moved, Tam felt the contrasting touch of her soft breasts, the silver wings piercing her nipples, the small chain links of her sirik's central chain, each different sensation pressing against his calf and then his thigh. When she reached the base of his cock, she kissed her way up his length, her manacled hands stroking his balls as she took him into her mouth.

Yelena kept her eyes turned up to Tam in supplication as she took him deeper and deeper, gagging slightly but managing to force her lips down to kiss the base. She couldn't take it as easily as she did when Tam used the spell to erase her gag reflex, but with or without the spell, regular use had made her throat accustomed to taking his cock.

She slid up and down his length, eventually having to pull back to cough and catch her breath. While she caught her breath, she pushed her chest up and rubbed his spit-soaked length against her modest breasts before she lowered her head and took him into her throat again.