Flower and Thorne

Ariadne ran a trained eye along the door jamb looking for anything that smelled like a trap. Trip wires, unusual marks, hidden levers or catches- anything that might harm her, or worse yet; get her noticed. So far she'd gone undetected and wanted to keep it that way; however, it just looked like a door. Nothing interesting. The lock was no different, and picking it was the work of a few moments. Far too easy. Not good. She was sure this was the right place... All those missing people. Their trail ended here. Now, It was a matter of whether she'd find- prisoners or bodies. if what she thought was waiting for her on the other side of this door was indeed there; she literally could not be too careful.

The last tumbler slid home and she pushed the door tentatively inward with a soft creak. The room on the other side did not disappoint. Large cages hung from the rafters. Naked bodies turned their heads listlessly to look at her- eyes unseeing- husks of the people they had been.

The room was ranged with strange furniture: large wooden chairs with empty shackles chained to them. Most of which lacked whole sections of their seats, leaving the tenderest flesh vulnerable. There were benches fitted with straps to immobilize arms and legs, while presenting an offering of the sitter's ass and genitals. A cross leaned against the wall in the shape of a letter x.

It was what was in the center of the room that had gotten her attention though. That was the thing that made her heart grow cold and then livid with rage. That was when she made her first mistake.

In the middle of the room was a small stone circle. A woman knelt on the floor. Chains ran from the edges of the stone circle to the steel collar round her neck- like the spokes of a wheel. She looked up through Locks of long raven hair that fell over her pleading eyes. A ball gag lodged in her mouth. She wore a black leather... What was that? Some sort of jacket? It could have been, but the sleeves were too long; long enough to wrap around her torso and buckle behind her body. It immobilized her whole upper torso. She was naked from the waist down; Gods knew why, but it was a detail Ariadne really did not like.

She crossed the room warily. This had trap written all over it. She removed the ball gag holding a finger in front of her lips. "Stay quiet, l'll get us out of here," she whispered. The woman nodded, wide eyes streaming tears and whispered, "We must hurry. I don't know when my mistress will return."

"Just...Stay calm," Said Ariadne examining the collar around the girl's neck. Six 5 foot lengths of chain joined to it by a single padlock each, and was bolted to the floor. This was going to take time she did not have. She began working the first lock. The woman was weeping now.

"Please, we must hurry. She could return at any moment." Tik. The first padlock dropped to the floor and the dissonant clatter of chains followed. Too loud. Can't be helped. " What is happening here?" Asked Ariadne.

"She keeps us prisoner. Drains us... feeds off us. The others are all just husks... Thralls... I would have been too, if you hadn't come. " Tik. Another padlock, another rattle of chain and stone.

"How long have you been here," asked Ariadne. The information she was getting was only marginally useful, but the conversation was distracting the woman and that was useful.

Tik. Rattle.

"days ...weeks... I don't know"

kneel before your mistress slave.

What... what was...

Tik. rattle.

She looked down at her hand, the hand that held the lock pick. Had she already picked that? no.

This was bad.

Tik. Rattle.

You belong to me now, slut. Kneel before your new mistress.

Tik. Rattle.

The last chain clattered to the ground, untouched by Ariadne. She had to... needed to... she sunk to her knees.

That strange jacket unraveled itself, its long winding sleeves shredding into living shadow. They reformed into bat -like wings that folded and settled like a cloak around her shoulders.

She smiled revealing long glistening fangs. The woman stooped over Ariadne and extended one long slender finger that she used to lift Ariadne's chin to meet her gaze. She smiled at the hapless woman. "Welcome to my service, pet."