Yorth sucked in a pink cube and smiled blissfully.“Mmm, Mistress…” he murmured. “Delicious.”

“My dears, are you enjoying yourselves?” LadyTam-tam suddenly appeared beside them with Lord X in tow.

“Lady Trin, it’s so lovely to see you again.” LordX bent low over Trin’s hand in a courtly gesture that made the short hairs onthe back of Thrace’sneck stand on end. He didn’t trust the bastard one bit—there was somethingwrong about him, Thracejust didn’t know what it was yet.

He felt a growl building in his throat and had tosuppress the urge to thrust Trin behind him to keep her safe. Only the factthat he knew she would hate such a proprietary and possessive act on his partstopped him.

“It’s… nice to see you too. I—” But before shecould say more, Trin accidentally inhaled a rectangular bubble filled withwhite smoke. Thracestared at her in alarm as her eyes widened and she froze, her hand still caughtin Lord X’s grip. “You…you’re…” She choked, a small plume of white smokecurling from her mouth. “I…I can’t…”

“Trin—are you all right?” Thrace yanked her hand away fromthe other male and spun her around to face him. Taking her by the shoulders, hestared into her face anxiously. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

“Thrace…”For a moment she relaxed and then her eyes got even wider. “Goddess…you don’treally feel that way, do you?”

“Feel what way? What is she talking about?” Thracelooked at Lady Tam-tam, demanding an explanation.

“Oh, she simply got a bit of truth gas, that’sall.” Lady Tam-tam waved airily. “We call it that because it sometimes revealssomeone’s true emotions or intentions. But just as often it’s wrong and onlyproduces a vivid hallucination. Don’t worry, my dear,” she added to Trin.“You’ll be over it in a minute.”

Trin blinked and shook her head like a femalecoming out of a dream.

“That was…unbelievably odd,” she said in a shakingvoice.

“Well, it’s not what I would pick for my firstdream sphere experience,” Lady Tam-tam said. “In fact, I think it would bebetter for you and your love-slave to stick to the scarlet spheres. They’re muchbetter.”

“What do they do?” Thrace asked flatly. They werealready in a precarious position—he didn’t want to make it worse by inhalingsome strange gas that impaired his judgment.

“Oh, don’t worry my dear—the effects aretransitory,” Lady Tam-tam said, without answering his question. “Now go on, trysome of the scarlet dream gas. I insist.” She nudged Trin gently towarda triangular bubble passing by which contained swirling scarlet gas.

“I…don’t know.” Trin looked at the bubble withfearful eyes. Clearly her experience with the white dream gas had made herleery of trying any other kind. But just as clearly, Lady Tam-tam, who was nowfrowning petulantly, was determined that he and Trin try some.

“I’ll do it,” Thrace said roughly. He would trysome gas, he decided, but not exactly the kind Lady Tam-tam insisted on.Stepping forward, he inhaled a passing green sphere. The bubble popped on hislips and the smoke drifted into his throat and lungs.

At once a feeling of warm optimism enveloped him.He felt the same way he did after completing a successful run on The Empress—withhis pockets full of credit and the entire universe laid out before him.

“Ahh…” He felt a smile spread across his lips andcouldn’t stop it. “That’s good—try some, Mistress,” he said to Trin. “It’s allright—they’re not all like the white one.”

“Well…all right.” Trin inhaled a passing yellowbubble. A silly little smile plastered itself across her full lips and sheclapped a hand to her mouth.

“What?” Thrace asked her. “What is it?”

“I…I can’t explain it. “She began to giggle. “It’sjust…I can’t seem to stop laughing! I feel like I did when I was a little girland someone tickled me!”

Her laughter was infectious and Thrace felt himself laughing too,despite the fact that feeling of warm optimism caused by inhaling the green dreamgas was beginning to fade. Thracewas glad to feel it go. Though it had been a very positive emotion, he didn’twant his judgment clouded. Still, the gas didn’t seem to cause any lasting harmand he was less wary of it than he had been before.

Just then, a cube filled with midnight black gasdrifted past his nose. Without thinking about it, Thrace opened his mouth and inhaledit. Lady Tam-tam saw him and put out a hand, her face filled with worry.

“Oh no, my dear—you must avoid the black bubbles atall costs! They are—”

But before she could finish speaking, Thracefelt himself plunged into darkness.

“Kneel,”a horribly familiar voice was barking in his ear. “Kneelbefore your Master and suck! And you’d better do a damn fine job or it’s thehole for you and you won’t see light for a month!”

Rough hands gripped his head and something thickand hard and hot was shoved past his lips. Thrace gagged, feeling the familiarshame and hatred envelope him. I’ll kill him, he found himself thinking,his fists clenched in helpless rage. Kill him for what he’s done to me…

Suddenly another hand was on him, a small, softpalm was cupping his cheek.

“Thrace?”a worried voice asked—Trin’s voice. All at once, he felt her in his mind,sharing the awful memory or maybe just catching a glimpse of it. “My Goddess,”she breathed. “What’s happening? Why is he…what are you…?”

“Stop!” Thrace jerked away from her,unwilling to let her see his shame. He fell to his knees, coughing harshly,expelling the last of the midnight black gas from his lungs and body, willingthe vision of his own private season in Hell to fade.

“What is it? What happened to him?” Trin was downon her knees beside him, her dark eyes filled with anxiety. She looked up atLady Tam-tam. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Oh my dear, I should have warned you! The blackgas is from a vein of nightmare vapor that rises up through this vent alongwith the dream gas.” Lady Tam-tam looked upset. “It causes horrid visions—baddreams and memories we would much rather forget are brought to the surface.”

“They are?” Trin looked at him wide-eyed. “Thenthat…what I saw…”

“A bad dream.” Thrace straightened up, his eyeswatering from the coughing fit. He swiped at them and got to his feet. “Areally fucking bad one. That’s all.”

Trin didn’t look convinced but she turned back toLady Tam-tam at once.

“I don’t think my love-slave is well, Lady Tam-tam.I think I’d better take him back to our suite and get him settled in bed.”

“Nonsense.” Lady Tam-tam frowned. “I told you, theeffects are transitory. He should be better already.”

“I’m fine.” Thrace took a deep breath, carefulnot to inhale any bubbles as he did. “It was just…really vivid. That’s all.”

“That nightmare vapor is a problem,” LadyTam-tam remarked. “I would have had that particular vein sealed off if I couldbut it runs too close to the love gas and I couldn’t risk losing that strain.It would never do—oh my, no!”

“I’d still like to get back to our suite soon.”Trin still seemed troubled and she kept shooting mistrustful looks at Lord Xwho was standing beside Lady Tam-tam with a disquieting little smile on hislips. “It’s been a very long day.”

“Of course, my dear,” Lady Tam-tam said soothingly.“But I insist on the two of you trying some of the scarlet gas beforeyou go. You simply must—it’s the best kind.”

Thrace and Trin exchanged a glance. Clearly their hostesswasn’t going to let them leave before they did as she asked. If they tried toleave without trying the scarlet gas, they risked her extreme displeasure aswell as losing the deal with Lady Malroth. And speaking of Lady Malroth, sheand her body-slave were standing just on the other side of the tall silverfountain. Her sharp eyes were fixed in their direction and a sour looking frownwas on her face. A bubble filled with pink dream gas drifted towards her andshe batted it away impatiently.