“It seems I will require a new servant. Since you're the one who cost me Davan, you'll take his place. Come.”

Without looking back to see if Marden was following, the Ashter slithered away, opening one of the other walls. When Marden didn't follow quickly enough, the Master clicked his fingers a few more times upon which Marden was thrown ahead of him.

As he was slithering down the hall, continuously throwing Marden further, the Master started instructing him.

“I expect to be obeyed immediately. You will learn what I want you to do, when I want you to do it and how I want you to do it. Whether I order you to do something or not, if I want it done, you will do it, and you will do it well.

“How do I ...”

“You will not question me, you will not interrupt me. I will teach you what you need in order to serve me well. You will use this knowledge only to serve me, and you will take it with you when you die.”

The Master's voice hissed on, explaining all the rules, and Marden found himself remembering them all, down to the last detail.

[...]

When he returned with the other ashter, they found Silinther slithering out of the building in a panic.

“It's gone! I can't feel you anymore! Why are you even here? Leave me! And you, human, you should have stayed by my side! Come, now!”

Together, they returned to Silinther's dwelling, leaving behind the other, quite perplexed, ashter.

“Master, what is wrong?”

Silinther spun around and hissed.

“What is wrong? Nothing a human like you could understand. You humans aren't aware of each other as we are – as I used to be of the other ashter. We can always sense each other ... and I can't anymore. It is as if they are all dead! And who says they aren't? Did you see them, out there?”

“Yes Master, I did.”

“Then how come I didn't sense them?! They are dead I tell you!”

The desperate hiss had something of a howl and Marden flinched. He'd never seen his Master so distressed. The ashter didn't give Marden much time to think, though.

“Or perhaps I am ... perhaps I was killed like Issinthir. But then, why isn't he here?”

Marden was at a loss for words, and it must have been visible on his face.

“You don't know, do you human? Tell me, why are you here, if you weren't there to die with us?”

“I don't know, Master. Perhaps if you tell me what ...”

Silinther interrupted him with a wave of his claws.

“Of course you don't know. You humans are born, live and die without knowing anything except what you need to know to work for us. As it should be! And you shouldn't be able to kill us, either!”

“I couldn't ...”

“You all could!”

The ashter hissed with such intensity that Marden was almost physically thrown backwards.

“I can see it in your eyes now – you have all hidden this from us somehow, and all this time, you were waiting for an opportunity to kill us like the ones in the clearing did! Too bad for them they didn't survive either, isn't it?”

“Master, what ...”

“Not now! I must sleep, and so do you. And don't even think about trying anything!”