A Slave to the Servants Ch. 05

Since my purpose was now on hold, I felt real fear. I wasn't sure they would keep a slave that was not responsive; that seemed important to them. I followed Damien and tried to coax him back to bed. My terror wasn't lost on him and he stroked my head as we waited for the Healers.

"You will not stay ill, Ciara," he soothed. "We will care for you and you will be better. My brothers and I do not wish to worsen your malady by forcing your use."

I wasn't sick; I knew that much. Without spilling Christof's secret, there was no way to explain that. It wasn't clear to me what they would do to fix a non existent illness. Wow, how I wished they had listened to me and just used oil. The healer's advice was disgusting.

At the next meal after my usual vitamin drink the first thing Master Bane offered me was a slimy green worm about six inches long. It wiggled in his fingers as he held it. I backed off of my kneeling place and stared at it from the wall.

"Master Evan, that's not funny," I said addressing the most playful member of the group. If this was joke it had to be his idea.

"Ciara," Master Damien chastised, "it's not a joke. These are very good for humans. It will stop the illness and the weight loss. Kneel back down and take your sustenance."

I continued to watch the thing move around and refused to move back to my place. Out of habit I was shaking my head 'no'. At least they finally understood what I meant when I did that.

"Ciara, if you do not kneel down and take your meal from my brother I will hold you down while he puts it into your mouth," Master Evan threatened.

I continued to refuse and Master Evan had me around the waist before I could blink. They laid me across the table and I screamed at them, in English I think. They did exactly what they threatened and it was positively the worst experience I have ever had.

They force fed me the worms. Master Damien pried my jaws open as Master Evan and Master Kein held me down. Master Bane chewed the worm and then spit the chewed up remains into my mouth. They would hold my mouth closed until I swallowed. By the third worm I swore to them I would eat anything they wanted. Christof asked them to let me try again.

Shaking head to toe I kneeled down and took three more of the disgusting worms. It was like eating blood mixed with rubber. Afterward Master Bane fed me the slime from the bowl they had been in. I gagged on it, but took it all. The salty ooze was also supposed to have healthful properties.

After the worms I was asked to eat a little of the meal they were having. Fearing it would be delivered like the first two worms if I refused; I took all they gave me. Master Kein commented what an effective way to feed me that had been and I just glared at the floor. I couldn't stop the question from popping out in response.

"Why can't they at least be cooked?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Who are you speaking to, slave?" Master Damien asked pleasantly.

My eyes got wide as I realized my dual mistakes. I hadn't addressed them as Master and I was asking too many questions.

"I'm sorry, Master Damien. I was wondering why the worms can't be cooked, Master Damien?"

"The creatures lose the nutritional content when they are cooked. They must be eaten the way you just did. We will feed them to you frequently. I do not suggest you argue with us about this again," he stated.

"Yes, Master Damien," I answered him defeated.

The next day the men were scheduled to leave for their coupling and I was a wreck. They took me downstairs and gave me to Fuji's Masters. They would be my Keepers while my Masters were away. Master Damien quietly told me to behave for them. I heard the threat in his voice.

Fuji was excited I was there with her. She said she had asked her Masters to get us a set of drums so I could play and she could dance for them. It was hard not to be happy spending time with such a perky person.

We sat and talked quietly while her Masters got ready for their day. A commotion outside got everyone's attention. Fuji's Warriors opened the front door and asked a passing man what the problem was.

The man said Christof had refused to go to the coupling again. The General had been alerted. I panicked and bolted out the door.

I felt Fuji's Warriors behind me and one of them grabbed me. I screamed bloody murder and fought him.

"I have to talk to him!" I screamed at the man holding me. "He will die if he doesn't go. Please, Keeper, let me speak to him."

Shockingly the man dropped me and let me go. I felt him follow me, but he didn't interfere.

I ran as fast as I could up the stairs to our dwelling. There was a swell of Warriors outside the front door. I wove between them and dashed into our apartment. Master Damien, Master Evan, Master Bane, and Master Kein were standing in the main room looking frustrated. I could see Christof in the bedroom.

Master Damien yelled at me to stop and come to him. I ignored him and rushed into the bedroom, pulling the leather door cover closed. The last thing I saw was my Masters' faces go from shocked to furious. I didn't have long.

"Christof," I panted, "you promised me. Don't do this. We all need you. I need you. Think of me, you can get through this. Life is awful sometimes and you have to work through the bad parts to get to the good parts."

"Ciara," he said looking a little stunned, "shouldn't you be downstairs? How did you get up here?"

"Doesn't matter, I love you. Please just accept your life isn't what you thought it was, but it's still good. There are still things you need to live for. You won't win or prove anything doing this-"

I stopped talking when Master Damien's enraged face appeared in the door way.

The covering to the little room was thrown back and Master Damien stalked toward me. I remembered Andre and cringed. "It was worth it Master Damien," I heard myself say. "Some things are worth a beating."

"I will not touch you, slave," he ground out, "the General will take a lash to your back until we feel you have had enough," his face was indescribable it was so angry.

"Not now, brother," Christof sighed from behind me, "we don't want to be late for the coupling."

Uncertainty flitted across Master Damien's features. He hadn't been expecting that. Christof strode out of the room and called to his brothers to hurry up. Master Damien stood watching me for several long moments. I didn't back away, but I flinched when he reached for my arm. He passed me back to Fuji's owners as we walked by them on the walkway.

As we went downstairs I chanced a glance up and saw my Warriors talking with the General. I watched them finish their conversation and head out the wall of the compound. With all my staring I got the attention of more than a few Warriors and they started toward me. Fuji's owners forced my head back down as they escorted me back to their apartments.

The Keepers compound was subdued that day. Rose had seen the General administer one lashing and she didn't want to talk about it. All the other slaves looked at me with a mixture of shock and pity. Fuji paced around and prayed in her native language.

All their concern was nice, but it didn't change anything. I would be beaten, probably within an inch of my life and Christof might still not come back. When the lunch bell rang I was glad for it. At least no one could talk about it for the next little while. I was wrong.

Fuji's Masters came to feed me and all the Warriors were talking about the morning excitement. Christof's refusal to go and the reason for it, my strange behavior, and exactly what a beating from the General would entail. I had no appetite, so it didn't really matter when they fed me the worms.

"Eat up, slave," the Warrior feeding me laughed, "you'll need the strength to heal once the General is done with you."

I started to retch a little and held it down. Getting sick wouldn't make this any better.

After lunch the Keepers took us to the beach. Straightaway, I went into the water and scooted through my secret hole. I spent the afternoon diving deep outside the inlet. If I was going to be lashed I doubted I would be enjoying the water anytime after that.

When I went really deep I felt a strong current. I always managed to stay just above it. It was exciting and distracting to let it pull me a little. The fun almost made me forget the horror that was coming, almost.

Fuji's Warriors came and picked us up and transported us back to the Warrior's compound. They poked fun at me and made little comments; I didn't let it bother me. There was a good reason to act like I had this morning. I'd take the lashing if it meant that I got to keep my friend.

We went to the bathhouse as a group, but I wasn't asked to wash anyone. I just sat on the little steps by my Keepers and kept my head down. That didn't mean I didn't get attention.

Groups of Warriors would come over intermittently to inspect me. They didn't touch me, thank goodness. They watched me and tried to get me to respond to them. Most commented on my scene that morning.

I was relieved when we finally left the bathhouse; perhaps my day was finally over. That was not to be. Fuji's owners wanted to see her dance, she had promised them.

The men had little drums in the apartment, like the ones I played every day. Dutifully I played the drums with a sensual, wild beat. Fuji moved her hips and swung her wispy hair every which way. Her owners looked like they were in heaven.

It wasn't surprising when one of them got up and threw her over his shoulder. I could see the erections grow as Fuji had danced. Sex was the obvious outcome, but Fuji's reaction was unexpected.

My calm, demure friend screeched and fought the Warrior who held her. I'd never seen Fuji fight. She cursed him in their language and said she wanted to finish her dance. My hands were stopped in mid air over my drums.

Her owners laughed and started walking toward their bedroom. One of them pulled me to my feet and followed. I was too stunned to resist him. The large man thrust me onto a kneeling place inside the room and went to join his brothers on the bed.

The men held Fuji down to the bed and she continued to scream. One man got between her legs and started to lick her feet and suck her toes. Two other men held her arms and played their fingers across her cool skin. I didn't want to watch my friend get raped by her men, but I knew I couldn't stop them. In defeat, I dropped my eyes.

All too soon the screaming from the bed turned to moans. I chanced a glance up and saw Fuji writhing in the hands that held her. She looked like she was in the throes of ecstasy as a man with long dark hair grunted and thrust into her. She squealed beneath him and protested, but it didn't sound real. Her hips moved in time with his and I could hear the wet slapping they made as they joined.

The men passed her around, but whenever they let her go, she started to fight again. She wanted to dance and they were a series of words I couldn't understand. I'd never seen this side of Fuji, not that I really wanted to.

She was restrained and ravished by every one of her men. I wouldn't have thought to ask if her kind could orgasm, but by the sounds of it she did, over and over again. The scent of pungent sex filled the air and I tried to ignore it.

Eventually, everything quieted down. They wiped Fuji with a cloth and gave her a long drink. Once they were done, I watched them tuck her exhausted body into the covers.

One of the men came over and brought me to the bed. He forced me to lay down, which I wasn't comfortable doing at all. I tried to sit up and he got behind me and pulled me down. He brought my back flush to his front and wrapped strong arms around me.

"No more running," he said pulling me tight to his body as the covers were draped over us.

Inside me was a panic. I imagined all the horrible things these strange men could do to my naked body. Much to my dismay I'd seen what they'd done to Fuji and I did not want to be next.

After a while the sensation of fear faded because nothing was happening. The man holding me sounded and felt like he was just going to sleep. I lay still and listened to the man's breathing, slow and even. I felt his staff behind me, it was completely flaccid. There was absolutely no danger of this man being interested in me. The worry melted away and I sunk into the strange embrace.

We rested like that for a while before he spoke again. "I don't know what you did this morning, slave," he whispered quietly, "but it is why we let you go and I'm glad you did it."

A murmur of consensus went around the bed. It did make me feel a little better that the Warriors weren't all mad at me. I yawned loudly and started to slide toward sleep.

Sleeping with strange men should have been impossible, but I felt oddly safe with them. Master Damien would not have left me anywhere I would get hurt. That was abundantly obvious now. I slipped into a sound sleep almost immediately.

I woke in the middle of the night like I was accustomed to doing. As I was restlessly trying to back to sleep with a full bladder, the man next to me woke up.

"Slave, what is wrong?" he asked sounding concerned.

I told him and he walked me to the bathroom. Once I was done he walked me back toward the bed.

"They will have to punish you, you know," he said softly before we entered the bedroom. "Such defiance cannot be left alone."

"Yes, Keeper," I answered dutifully.

"I do not understand what you have with Christof, but it must be important. He needs to share his bond with his brothers, though. It is essential," the man said as we laid down.

I was so tired the comment didn't make any sense. Before I fell asleep, I wondered if I should ask the man what he meant. Unfortunately, the thought was lost as I drifted off again.

Fuji's bright eyes were in my face when I woke up. She was bouncing happily around the bed teasing me about being so deeply asleep. I let her lead me to their bathroom, where I received my morning cleaning, my entire morning cleaning.

It was bad enough that I had to accept the enemas and the plug from my Warriors, this was so much worse. I was blushing from head to toe and wishing it wasn't happening. Fuji touched my face as I lay over her Warriors lap and asked why it was that color. I shook my head and looked away while her Warrior laughed.

"Earth slaves think this is embarrassing, don't you slave?" he asked me finishing up.

"It's where I make waste, sir. On earth only dirty men would touch it," I said shifting around.

It always took me a while in the morning to get used to the plug. They had removed it before we went to the bathhouse the night before.

"Hmm," he said lifting my chin, "are we dirty men, slave?" he asked.

"No, sir," I stammered out terrified.

The rest of the morning meal consisted of the Warriors discussing whether they were what I called 'dirty men'. I was terrified they would tell my Warriors, who were mad enough as it was.

"Please Keepers, I didn't mean it that way. Please, don't tell Master Damien and his brothers," I begged.

"If you were to behave the rest of the time they are gone, we may forget to tell," one of them offered.

I nodded and pleaded with my eyes. Fuji interpreted and told them that meant 'yes'. I kept forgetting.

When we got to the Keepers I couldn't wait anymore to ask her. I pulled a confused Fuji aside and asked her, "Why do your Warriors hurt you at night? Are you all right?"

Fuji bounced around and laughed, "They weren't hurting me, they just like it when I fight them a little. Native coupling for them is very violent, they have to battle the woman they are mating with. It makes it more real if I fight them. You worry too much, Ciara."

She told all the girls about my concern. I made a mental note that Fuji can't keep a secret. Rose and Tamia agreed with her. Even Shi who was usually quiet agreed, the Warriors liked a struggle. Fuji did make a point to say they only liked it when they were not fresh back from a coupling.

That conversation was quickly replaced by Rose's fretting over the lashing. Rose's family on earth had hit her with a belt and she talked about breathing through the pain.

"I'm not sure if it's better to scream or if there is a set number of lashings," she mused pacing back and forth.

"Why would screaming make a difference?" I asked her.

"Do you remember the posts?" she asked incredulously. "Your Warriors watched you the entire time, they stood out of sight. They choose who went up after you, if you panicked too much they tell their friends to stop. Your Warriors will never cause you pain directly, they will only ever be the one to stop it."

"That is so weird," I mused remembering that awful night.

The torment had only stopped when one of my Masters called a halt to whoever was harassing me. The torture had ended with Master Damien and his brothers taking me home and caring for me.

"Right, so I don't know if it would better for you to panic and have your men call the General off or if there will be a set number of lashes," she said back in planning mode. "If they want to see you scream, you need to wail. If there are a set number of lashes, you need to control your breathing and get through it. Your Warriors will feel better about you if you act strong, I think."

We spent the rest of the morning practicing what I would call Lamaze breathing with Rose. She seemed so mature, but she didn't look any older than me. I asked her finally.

"Rose, how long have you been here?"

"Well, what year was it when you left Earth?" she asked me.

"March 28, 2011 was the day they took me," I answered.

Rose's eyes misted over a little and she took a deep breath. "Well, it has been quite a while then. They took me in March of 1956; I was twenty then."

I sat and stared at her in shock. I did the math quickly in my head. Rose didn't look or act like a seventy year old woman. She was calmer than I was, but otherwise was like a teenager.

"Things work different here," she said stroking my hair, "just breath."

"But on Earth..." I stammered.

"You mustn't talk about it," she warned cutting me off. "They do not like us to speak of our home planets. We must only think of our Warriors now."

The lunch bell was a much needed distraction when it finally rang. I went in the lunchroom to look for my little pad, but it wasn't there. I rushed to ask the Keepers and they pointed to the courtyard. I nearly didn't make it to my place before the Warriors started to come in. I guessed the Keepers did not know my Masters were gone.

One of Fuji's owners stood in front of me a moment later. He motioned me up and picked up my kneeling pad. Confused, I followed him out the gate into the forest.

Eventually, he found a spot Christof and I frequently stopped in. The man lay my kneeling place on the ground and proceeded to feed me. He sat on a stump in front of me. It was a place I liked most of the time, now I felt a little edgy.

The man cleared his throat and pointed out a yellow plant clinging to the soil. It grew sparsely around the trunks of the larger plants.

"That," he told me, "is called a pana plant. The leaves can be used to make a calming tea. The shopkeepers collect and prepare it. The preparation is complex. It is very expensive to buy."

He offered me a bite and I took it looking up at him strangely.

"Christof told me he talks to you and tells you about this world. He said you are curious and ask many questions. My brothers and I wish to be a happy slave when your owners return. If this practice makes you happy we will continue it," the man said matter - of - factly.

I swallowed and took another bite, still not quite understanding this strange happenstance.