We arrived at my new home, which resembled a palace. It stood on the sea-side cliffs of the White City and was magnificent. Especially, in contrast to Goren's estate. Goren's estate had been large, sprawling and so old that it was practically falling apart there up on the hill overlooking the White City. Master Bangkai's estate was glistening white against the bright blue sky and the aqua seas, it was compact, and everything was modern from the gate to the walkways and the architecture itself. I had to shield my eyes against the brightness of it. It was truly a wonder.

But my heart was chilled in my chest. What lay beneath the facade of this pristine beauty? What terrors awaited me here under Master Bangkai's hand? I shivered and dreaded disembarking from the motorized carriage. But, what could I do. I was her slave to command.

Without delay, I was ushered into a large and spacious office with little in the way of comforts or personal items. There was a short stalky man with dark skin, fair hair and pretty sea-green eyes there waiting for me. He also had a silver collar.

He stood from his desk and came around to briefly greet the woman who had escorted me here. They exchanged nods and nothing more. Still, I couldn't help but feel he had greeted her warmly in some way. I was sure her cheeks flushed as she stepped back to allow him to inspect me.

"I am Pontus," he told me in a rather cold and formidable voice. He circled me once, slowly. "I oversee all new arrivals," he stated plainly.

I gave a quick nod to show I understood he was my Master while I was in the slave quarters. I wished I could size him up, but I didn't dare look too much at him. He did not seem like the welcoming type, and I felt I might have to tread very carefully around him.

He narrowed his eyes at me a moment and frowned. I could not even begin to understand what it was about me that had disappointed him. I would never be so bold as to ask either. I was sure I would find out soon enough.

As it was, he continued on instructing me saying, "You will be escorted around the estate. Memorize the layout. You will be instructed very clearly where you can and cannot go. Commit these things to memory quickly. We punish slaves who do not comply, who are found wanting."

Something in the harsh turn of his eyes made me feel edgy. I fidgeted in the moment, but nodded at him all the same.

"I am responsible for punishments. I am not a lenient man. You must remember this," he said coolly.

If he had meant to intimidate me, well, he certainly had. I felt it would be in my best interest never to find myself on this man's bad side. He had given me fair warning. Only a fool would rile him up.  I gave another quick curt nod to show I understood. My fate was in his hands should I disappoint. Somehow, that was more comforting to me than to think my fate was in Master Bangkai's hands. I was sure that this man, no matter how strict, could not compare to the terror she had instilled in me that morning.

Suddenly I heard him say, "You are dismissed" and realized I'd been drifting off in thought. I hoped he hadn't said anything important before that, and grimaced as I watched him turn abruptly on his heal and walk back to his desk. He took up his seat, shuffled through some files on his desk, and never glanced our way again.

The woman who had brought me in came forward, took hold of my elbow and directed me out the door. I did not make a sound until she closed the door. And then I heaved a sigh of relief. I wanted to tell her that he looked like a real stick in the mud, but I caught a smile on her wooden face and thought better of it. I could not be sure, but, it seemed to me my escort was enamoured with the curt and demanding Pontus. I probably shouldn't get on her bad side either!

Still, I had survived my first official contact with someone here in Master Bangkai's estate. That was something.

It wasn't long though before my fears and regrets returned. The estate was compact, but enormous, and I soon began to despair I would never remember my way let alone which corridors I could use and what courtyards I must never enter.

The pressure did not end there either. I was bombarded with rule after rule about everything from hygiene, to punctuality, to dress and general behaviour. Nothing about my previous life had prepared me for such extreme discipline and order. I was sure, by nightfall, that I would be pulled before Pontus daily for multiple infractions. It didn't seem possible than any one slave could follow all these rules all the time.

I was miserable. I longed for my simple life back at Goren's estate.

Weeks passed and the learning curve was sharp and painful. I was shown no leniency and was taken before Pontus regularly for punishments, which were mild in the beginning but became increasingly more severe as I showed little improvement.

I did not blame Pontus for beating me. It was his job. And, I did fail continuously to comply with the countless rules and regulations here. I didn't do it on purpose. I did try every day to blend in. However, just when I thought I had conquered one rule I found I was in breach of another. I couldn't seem to keep it all straight.

The trouble was, everything was set up here to ensure that slaves looked, acted and thought alike. A good slave did not think, feel or act for themselves. A good slave only thought, felt and acted as the Master directed. And this master, Bangkai, had demanded conformity and obedience from her slaves at all times. Anyone who did not comply with the estate's rules and regulations governing slaves was punished. I was punished.

The entire premise for life and order here was foreign to me. I could not understand this new slave culture. In Goren's estate there was little regulation of slaves and even less conformity to a set of slave values. In fact, our worth was often predicated on our ability to showcase unique attributes. In my particular case, I was praised and celebrated specifically because I was a Dhuuni. My very worth had always been based on my distinctly unique identity.

I had no experience with living a disciplined and orderly life in which I was expected to conform every single day to what seemed to me a ridiculous amount of rules. I could not fathom how the other slaves did it.

I received lecture after lecture from Pontus, who dutifully reminded me daily that every act of disobedience and non-conformity had to be addressed immediately and action had to be taken in order to maintain discipline and tranquility on the estate. I think he thought I was purposely making trouble in the beginning - like a wayward child. I don't think he was aware of how I groaned and cursed myself as I tried and failed repeatedly to remember and follow the rules set out before me. Each day was as much a struggle for me as it was for him. I often felt like it was a hopeless endeavour too - my efforts to conform and his efforts to discipline me.

Oh, how I lamented now the easy life I had in Goren's estate and wished, not once but many times, that he had forced some discipline on his slaves. It might have prepared me more efficiently for life outside his estate.

Still, I pressed on. I took my beatings in stride. A part of me even felt a little sorry for Pontus, who I truly believed did not take any joy in stripping me down and laying the whip to my back. But, something was going to have to give and soon. I was not cut out for such a disciplined life and Pontus was not cut out to punish me repeatedly. I could see it in his eyes and feel it in the strength of his lash. They bit less and less now.

Change was coming in the form of more discipline but in a very different setting.

I was called to Pontus' office early in the morning one day. Master Bangkai stood in the room. Pontus was nowhere to be seen. I felt my knees shake at the sight of her tall, lean figure. She turned her sharp vulture-like eyes from a window and let them fall on me. I remembered her dagger. I remember the crazed look in her eye on that fateful day. I remembered it all and suddenly felt my legs would not hold me up.

I bowed deeply and waited for her to address me. She came forward, much like that day in the Chamber. She walked around me, took hold of my arm and gave it a painful squeeze as she pulled me to stand up straight again. I cast her a quick look. Her face was thoughtful and pensive, like she was trying to come to a decision about something. I said nothing. I just waited, trembling from head to toe and trying to remain on my feet.

"She's thin," Master Bangkai said to someone. I knew she was not speaking to me.

Pontus, who must have entered the room shortly after I did, answered her, "She is often punished."

What he meant was that I often went without a meal as punishment for any number of my many infractions. I coloured feeling ashamed.

Master Bangkai looked at me with new eyes. "So, she is a handful after all!" She said with an amused smirk. She sounded pleased rather than infuriated.

Neither Pontus or I responded. Master Bangkai reached out her free hand and caressed my cheek.

"She has cleaned up well. You should have seen her the day I bought her. She looked like a street urchin." She laughed, delighted with the change in my appearance.

Her laugh was light and musical, much like her voice, but I knew it was deceiving. There was nothing light or musical about the woman in front of me who slew a man in cold blood just to see me heal him. I shuddered a little in her grasp. She didn't seem to care or notice my revulsion.

"I can't use her in this state," she told Pontus. Her tone morphed from easy and casual to formal and business-like in the blink of an eye. "I was hoping she would have put on some meat and become a little stronger by now.  But look at her!" She said with unveiled disappointment and perhaps a tinge of disgust. "She's as thin and as frail as the day she arrived."

I could not fathom why she should care if I was strong or frail. What did such things matter to a Master. I was not fooled. I knew her interest did not stem from a sense of genuine care or obligation. She had something in mind for me. I just could not comprehend what it was or why I would need to be fit for it.

Master Bangkai appeared to deliberate in her mind a moment longer before saying to Pontus, "Have her delivered to the monks at Collain. I want them to train her. When she is ready they may send her back to me but not before then."

Master Bangkai let go of my face and arm simultaneously and without another word strode right out of the room.

I immediately collapsed to the floor in a quivering puddle of brightly coloured fabrics. I tried to breath evenly. I tried to calm my racing heart. But, it was too much trouble. So, I laid down on the cold stone floor of Pontus' office and closed my eyes. I would just rest here a moment, I thought, and then ... and then ... Well, I couldn't finish the thought. I didn't know what Collain was or where it was. I didn't know if more discipline was going to be favourable or torturous. However, I did understand that I was leaving this place for a time and anything that put distance between me and my mad Master must be a good thing.

I determined I would welcome the change just as I heard rushing in my ears and felt my eyes dim. I was passing out, but Ifelt strangely unconcerned about it despite not knowing what I would wake to.