Wandering in the Dark Ch. 01

I hear his screams and it turns my blood cold. He is furious with me and he will punish me in a harsh and unforgiving way, I know it. I was warned the last time; the time I ran away. I shiver remembering the punishment I suffered when I was dragged back to the castle.

I want to scream: But I didn't run this time! I only went exploring. The manse is fascinating to me and my curiosity has gotten me into real trouble, possibly danger now. I want to hold him. I want to please him, but I am trapped with no escape. There's no escape that I can find in any case.

The room is dark and the hard stone floor is so damp. Feeling along the rough stone walls, I struggle trying to find any sort of escape. Something sharp stings my finger and I know that I am bleeding. Whimpering, sucking my finger, tasting the warm coppery blood from what I realize is mercifully a minor cut. I freeze when I hear a squeaking and then scream when I realize there are rodents in here with me.

"Oh, god! Oh Master! Please!!! Someone help me!!!!!"

Why can't he hear me??? I heard his rage-filled screams before; why can't he hear my terror-filled ones now?

Still feeling along the wall, I can feel my heart racing inside my chest. My breath is coming rapidly. I stumble on something and, as I fall, my flailing hands find something to cling to. It feels like a metal rod but it is not sturdy. When I grab it, the rod sticks as though pausing for a moment. It delays my fall but only for a second. Too late and to my horror, I realize the rod is a lever that pulls down with a grinding metal-on-metal sound and I fall hard to the ground, soaking my panties and the tiny negligee on the damp floor.

I sob pitifully, holding my body with my arms wrapped around myself. As my sobs subside, my terror rises once more as I realize the lever has opened something and I hear water flowing. I stand up and try to pull the lever back up into its original position, but it is jammed. I pull with all my strength and then fall to the floor again.

The flow of water continues like a faucet turned on low. It is slow but it is frighteningly steady. I begin to feel the water under my ass moving, flowing. I can smell the sweet smell of fresh water cutting through the staid, moldy smell of the long forgotten room. It would be a relief was it not for the fact that the water level in the small room is rising at a slow but still alarming rate.

I bang on the stone walls, screaming hysterically! My fists are now torn and bloody, but I keep pounding frantically.

I move to the dim source of light that was revealed when I pulled the lever. The water is up to my thighs already and rising, ever rising. I scream for my master, praying that he can hear my cries through the tiny opening. I pray that somehow he can hear my cries. I pray to the gods to let him forgive my wayward curiosity. I pray that I have not lost him forever. I scream and sob for what seems like an eternity.

The water up to my chin now and panic is rising in my chest. I try to comfort myself with the fact that this is such a high room and that I am a strong swimmer who can float and tread water forever. No sooner than this calm settles on me, I hear an ominous rumble and then feel a vibration in the water around my body.

Suddenly, the slow flow of water transforms into a torrent! My cold, exhausted body is tossed and flipped in the rage of water, crashing and bouncing between the walls of the tight high room. I have no sense of up or down and cannot breathe. The dizzy feeling that so aroused me when Master applied his scarves and collars is now exacerbated and terrifying. I am flung to the surface for a merciful drag of oxygen and opportunity to scream once more, before being pulled under helpless and alone.

I hold my breath as long as I can and then feel my resolve fading and my strength giving way. The water invades my ragged lungs. My eyes flutter and I feel my body go limp.

I can only pray that someone heard my cries. Everything fades to black as I pray desperately that he will find me before it is too late.

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"Listen!" He commands to the servants gathered nearby, "Did you not hear the thunder of water just then and a scream just following it?"

He bolts from the room and runs down multiple flights of circular stone stairs, seemingly carved into the very walls of the manse itself.

Leaping down the stairs covering five or more steps at a time, he quickly reaches the lowest levels of the building. He heads straight to a large wooden door at the far side wall. He is oblivious to the servants who are desperately following as quickly as they can.

Pulling on the heavy door, he finds it is stuck. Years of disuse and swelling due to moisture have caused it to nearly fuse into the frame. He screams in frustration as he throws all his might into opening the portal, jamming an iron bar into a crack and using it as leverage to get the door to move.

He knows there is little time. The crash of water finally had revealed to him where his slave has gotten to. His heart swells knowing now that she did not run away again. However, he also knows that every second is precious if he is to save her from her own curiosity and foolhardiness now that she has triggered one of the many defensive traps set about the manse to ward off invaders.

There is only one access point left after the trap has been sprung. As he finally gets the door open enough to slip his muscular body through, he sees the water lapping up through the heavy grate on the floor. Quickly grabbing the iron rings attached to the grate, he pulls upward, the muscles straining in his back and neck as it comes loose with a squeal of metal hinges long rusted and out of use.

Calling her name, he dives headfirst into the water. He is enveloped immediately into the black depths of the water pit. He searches as best he can with such limited visibility. He uses his large hands to feel along the edges of the walls, hoping he will find her floating somewhere close. He catches a long black shadow swimming by out of the corner of his eye and silently prays that the shadow has not found her first.

His hand comes to rest on a piece of silky material and he realizes at once that he has found her. Grasping the fabric tightly in his fist, he drags her as quickly as he can toward the dim light coming from above. His lungs are nearly at the bursting point when he pushes her with all his remaining strength upward and through the opening to the waiting arms of his servants who grab onto her and drag her out of the cold dark waters.

They roll her onto her back, attempting to revive her. He prepares to climb out of the opening himself when he cries out in agony. He looks down and sees the long powerful jaws of the creature clamp around his leg. In a split second, the creature drags him back under. The servants scream in surprise and horror as they watched him slip under the water again.

He pulls the knife from his belt and slashes violently at the creature's eyes, or at least where he thinks the eyes should be as he cannot see them in the darkness. The blade connects with some part of the creature. The powerful jaws shake his body violently for a second.

Feeling the pressure on his leg release, he makes for the light, bursting through and grabbing onto the side of the floor to pull himself out as quickly as possible.

He yells to the servants, "Close the grate and lock it! NOW!!"

Rolling over to her, he is horrified to see her lying there so cold and seemingly lifeless. He begins breathing into her mouth, forcing air into her lungs in hopes of bringing her back. He ignores his own wounds and the blood streaming from his leg as he continues to try to drag her back from the jaws of death.

Suddenly, she coughs and water gurgles in her throat. He rolls her to her side to help expel the water as she coughs more and painfully gulps air back into her lungs.

He breathes a ragged sigh of relief and collapses onto the stone floor. His head is spinning as he feels the life flowing back into her. He feels faint from the loss of blood caused by the creature's bite on his leg. He wraps his arm over her body and holds her tightly. He whispers a single word as he fades into unconsciousness.

"Mine."

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She awakens to bright white light and feels completely warm and at peace. For a moment, she believes that she has passed from her earthly existence into something much more ephemeral. Only when she attempts to move, and every muscle in her body screams with aching pain, does she realize that she is quite alive. Her eyes adjust to the sunlight streaming in the windows and she looks around at the sterile, yet elegant room.

Virtually everything in the room is silver, chrome, or white. The furniture, the draperies, and even the plush bedding that her body is nestled into. She wonders where she is and how she got here. She is dressed in a beautiful silk negligee which feels soft as air on her bruised and battered flesh.

She tries again to sit up and dizziness overtakes her. She collapses back onto the bed. Her eyes flutter and she sleeps again. Rushing images and sensations sweep over her in the ensuing dream state. She remembers floating weightlessly, helpless in a torrent of water. She recalls a low guttural animal sound, terrifying and unidentifiable. She recalls terror and unconsciousness. And finally her mind retrieves the memory of being lifted like a rag doll by a powerful entity, followed by roars, splashing, and a single familiar spoken word: Mine.

She jolts awake.

"My Master!" She cries,"Was it him?"

It had to have been; no one else on earth would've fought so fiercely for her. She sobs and screams hysterically until the master's servants hear her and come in to calm her. She begs them to let her see the master, but they each look one to the other silently. Her hysteria grows as she realizes the danger he was in when he saved her life. She feels the sting of a needle in her arm and the slave-nurse wiping the spot with a cotton ball. Thick heavy sleep descends on her like a blanket.

She slips swiftly into unconsciousness, sobbing softly, and muttering, "Master...Master."

The days pass slowly. Each day she is gently bathed. The servants are scrupulously careful and gentle with her bruised body. She can't help but feel a twinge of arousal each time they wash her full breasts and each time they wash her labia and anus. The twinge only serves as a reminder of the Master. Each bath inevitably ends with soft sobs though not from physical pain. Her pain comes from frustration, confusion and an aching need she has to see her Master's smile. It is an ache that comes from a desperate longing to feel his strong arms around her, and feel his pleasure inside her.

One of the older slaves is particularly attentive, smiling as she bathes her body. The older woman lightly touches her swollen clit. The older woman meets her young eyes with a knowing look as if she understands the deep need. The older slave hums to her as she brushes her silken wavy black hair back on the pillow, calming her fears and anxieties. It is in this way that she is lulled to sleep most nights

With the passing days, she becomes stronger physically; however, her mind and soul settle into a heartsick despair. No one yet has uttered a word to her. No one will tell her news of her Master or allow her to see him. Today, she decides, is the day she will get answers. The slave-nurse comes as usual with the sedative and she swallows the pill like the obedient slave that she is. She extends her tongue to show the nurse that the pill was properly ingested. When the nurse leaves, she pulls the pill from the fleshy pocket in her cheek and gingerly moves her legs to the side of the bed.

Her feet touch the floor for the first time in many weeks. She stands slowly on weak legs and, for the first time, does not collapse dizzily. She smiles as she is able to stand up, albeit unsteadily. The silk of her gown rustles as she takes one step and then another, slowly making her way to the door. She carefully opens it, grateful that the hinges are well-oiled and silent.

She looks quickly down the corridor, first right, then left. She does not recognize this part of the manse. She feels a giddy curiosity at first, and then remorse for her misguided explorations washes over her like a tidal wave. Silently she glides down the hall, reveling in her returning strength. She knows there will not be much of it and that she will need to be near her bed soon.

After glancing in several rooms, she realizes that this is some sort of hospital wing; she can only assume it is in the manse since the servants are here. The rooms to the left and right are all unoccupied; she counts 7 in total, not including her own. Finally she comes to the end of the hallway where she comes to a pause before two enormous and ornately-carved wooden doors. She places her shaking hands on the brass pulls of the doors, trembling with an innate knowing.

She pulls the doors open to see a tremendous bed in the center of the room which is inhabited by a large unidentifiable sleeping figure. The shades are drawn and the room is very dark, save the flickering light from the raging fire crackling in the fireplace on one side of the room. Slow steps bring her ever closer to the bed.

When she is halfway to the bed, she hears a low snore and her heart leaps! It is him! She races to the bedside, expending her remaining dwindling energy, and collapses to her knees at his bedside. She touches his face; heavy tears stream down her cheeks.

She whispers, "Master? It is me. It is your Lexi."

He stirs slightly but does not wake.

She scans his sleeping body and gently strokes his hair with her still trembling hand. She sees the bandages and the splint on his leg; she feels the heat on his forehead. His body harbors a terrible fever. Could it be an infection from the wound perhaps? She peppers his face with tiny kisses, so light and delicate that they can hardly be felt.

"Oh, my strong courageous Master, you saved my life!" She sobs uncontrollably, hanging her head, covering it with her hands, "Master, my Master, I am so sorry. This is my fault. Please, please forgive me".

He stirs again, still not waking, but he murmurs the word she remembered in her dream, "Mine".

She sits up with a start and looks at his handsome face. Smiling and laughing through tears, she knows that he must sense her presence. Mindful that there is surely punishment to come, she revels in his unconscious recognition of her.

Carefully and without any regard for possible consequences for her brazen actions, she climbs under the luxurious covers and into the bed with him. She gently lifts his arm to encircle her body as she snuggles into his heavy warmth.

Panting from the effort and with the last shreds of her energy spent, she feels herself drifting off. She sighs softly and nestles more deeply into his arms. She slips into sleep, joining her Master at last.

She yawns and whispers, "My darling Master. I am Yours".