Keyholder Demoness Bk. 02 Ch. 07

The next morning as Empusa was packing up the cart, Faith approached Charity.

"(tick) sai-lan (tick) sau-the?" Faith said. "That means, 'How are you?' Empusa has been teaching me some useful phrases. You might respond, '(tick) so-ra (cluck) aria!' But, I've forgotten what that means..."

Charity frowned. She recognized the first phrase. Hope had taught her. The second sounded similar to something Hope said when she was feeling aroused.

"Anyway, you know how Empusa was saying that there are some outlaws in this part of her queendom? I was lying awake all night worrying about you. Apparently, you're worth something in these parts." Faith pointed at the chastity belt, then patted Charity on the shoulder. "Well... I was worried because if we... if Empusa and I, that is, were busy or something and someone came along and snatched you while we weren't looking... You wouldn't even be able to scream."

Charity remained expressionless waiting to see where Faith was going to take this. She was pretty sure she knew what Faith was implying about being "busy".

"Empusa agreed with my concerns and she suggested that it might be a good idea to, you know, tether you to the cart," Faith explained. "That way the outlaws wouldn't be able to just run off with you. So, are you ok with that? I'd feel a lot better. I think that you should."

Charity stared at Faith for a moment, trying to remember what 'tether' meant. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head.

It turns out that Empusa had an extra ponygirl harness. It was far too big for Charity, but nothing that a bit of Empusa's magic would not be able to handle. The widest bit of leather was a belt which was tightened around Charity's waist. A bustier strap pushed up Charity's breasts. She was not naturally well endowed, and she moved gracefully without too much extra motion. These straps curtailed any breast movement at all while leaving them mostly exposed. (Of course, concerns about exposure were an utterly foreign concept in Empusa's universe.)

There was also a collar that wrapped Charity's neck tightly, but comfortably. Vertical straps, front and back, held everything strictly in place - in particular, two straps that ran between her thighs and would have framed her sex were it not already hidden by her chastity belt.

Two loose straps which terminated in thick loops were anchored on the waist belt and wrapped around from behind. Empusa fed a large padlock through the two loops and the end of the tether. It turns out that the 'tether' was a ten foot length of thick linked chain. The opposite end of the tether was attached to an eyebolt on the rear end of the cart.

"Comfortable?" Faith asked.

Charity nodded her head. Actually, oddly enough, it made her feel really sexy.

And so, they set out with Faith and Empusa up front leading the ponygirls who were pulling the cart with Charity, alone, bringing up the rear. She remembered the many times she fantasized about being a slave in service of a strict and powerful queen. It seems that more and more, she was living that fantasy, except that instead of being in service of the queen, she was the prime entertainment for the queen's ponygirls.

<>--+-

Later that day, Empusa halted the cart and pointed out a small group of approaching women. Faith moved to the back of the cart to stand by Charity.

"Wow! They are magnificent," Faith whispered as the six women approached. All were thin, muscular, and adorned in tight fitting leather. Four of them had bows and quivers slung over their shoulders. The other two had short swords sheathed at the waist of their tight petal leather skirts. All had long braided ponytails except one, who, curiously, wore a full leather hood. The only openings seemed to be two small holes for her eyes. A padlock was affixed below her nose and rested against her chin.

The leader greeted Empusa in a friendly manner. They obviously knew who she was. Empusa moved to a position where she could easily see Faith and Charity, and she assumed a confident, relaxed stance. After a bit of conversation, Empusa said something that caused all the women to direct their attention back to Faith and Charity. Most seemed to be curious, although two stepped back with looks of concern.

Four, including the hooded woman, walked towards Charity and Faith to get a better look at them. Faith seemed to stiffen up a little, but Charity noticed that Empusa still looked calm. The newcomers were engaged in some sort of dialog among themselves. Charity realized that they were pointing at her - pointing at her chastity belt.

The leader turned back towards Empusa and said something while still pointing at Charity. Empusa's answer was terse and seemed to upset the leader a little. The leader turned directly towards Charity and was moving towards her with some sense of purpose.

"Stay behind me," Faith said, and she stepped between Charity and the approaching woman.

The woman was speaking loudly. She was looking at Faith, seeming to challenge her in some way. Charity glanced at Empusa who continued to retain her relaxed posture.

The leader started talking directly to Faith. Two of her companions stepped up behind the leader, including one of the sword bearers, whose hand slid up to the hilt. The hooded woman also moved a little closer, although without any sense of aggression.

The leader turned back towards Empusa saying something which made Empusa smirk.

The leader turned back to look at Faith. She slowly pulled the bow off her shoulder and seemed to be setting it on the ground to the side. At the last second, however, she swung the bow at Faith, the wood whistling through the air. Faith's reflexes were surprisingly sharp. She raised her arms to block the blow.

The leader stopped her swing before actually hitting Faith. However, Faith's defensive move caused her to stumble to the side a little, no longer a shield for Charity. The leader smiled and then turned to look directly at Charity.

Charity was immediately filled with anger. How dare the bitch swing at her sister? There was no conscious thought on Charity's part, but she felt her right leg raise high and then stomp on the ground. Her foot landed with a deep thump. The leader and her two companions were suddenly tumbling head over heels across the grass away from Charity as though they had been hit by an explosion's shock wave or a strong wind..

Curiously, both Faith and the hooded woman remained unaffected.

"Holy shit!" Charity thought. "Did I do that?"

Charity turned to the hooded woman, teeth gritted, prepared to stomp again if she must. The hooded woman had crouched when she saw her friends tumble away, but she still seemed fixated on Charity.

Empusa said something calmly to the leader and her companions who were scrambling to get back on their feet. There were some calls for the hooded woman to step back from Charity.

Instead the hooded woman slowly raised her arm with her hand open. Charity could not sense any form of aggression in the woman. She reached out with her own hand until their fingers met. Charity suddenly felt an intense pulse of arousal. The inverted Y design on the faceplate of the chastity belt emitted a brief blue glow. The hooded woman, meanwhile, stumbled to her knees and let out a long muffled moan. Somehow Charity knew immediately that the hooded woman was in the throes of a huge orgasm.

The leader crept back towards Charity, grabbing her bow where she had dropped it as well as the arm of the hooded woman, then began dragging her across the ground. The other four women decided that they had witnessed enough and began running away across the field towards the forest.

Empusa laughed as the leader dragged the hooded woman along behind her.

Faith turned to Charity with her mouth hanging open. "What did... How did you do that?"

Charity was equally surprised. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

Empusa walked up laughing. "Everybody knows about the artifact that Charity is wearing, but its power is shrouded in mystery. I told them that Charity was wearing the Zoic Amplifier. The leader, Goga, apparently thought that she wanted to get a little closer look. She obviously needed to be put in her place."

"The bitch was going to hit me," Faith cursed.

"She wouldn't have touched you, unless she thought that she could best me," Empusa said, still chuckling.

"But, how did Charity do that with her foot? Did the belt do that?" Faith asked.

"No!" Empusa laughed and she pointed to herself. "That was me."

Charity frowned, disappointed that she did not wield some mysterious power. Faith hugged her. "Poor baby!"

"I think that was a very successful encounter," Empusa said. "The two women who held back were afraid of the power of the belt to begin with. Three were willing to become covetous - or at least challenge me for possession of the belt. A little magic seems to have changed their minds. Finally, and most intriguing, (pop) oh-li (tick), the hooded woman... I think that she fell in love with you, Charity."

"Do we have to worry about them coming back to challenge us again?" Faith asked.

"No. I think that Goga is embarrassed, but her temporary forgetfulness has been cured. You know... Don't fuck with the queen, bitch!"

Faith laughed. "Rock on!"

Empusa placed a hand on Charity's hip, gently caressing the metal waistband of the chastity belt. "I think that word will spread quickly about the return of the Zoic Amplifier. There will be quite a crowd to greet us when we get home. We'll need to give them a good show."

As Empusa led them on, Charity worried about what a 'good show' implied. She also wondered about the hooded woman. Did Empusa use magic to make her spontaneously orgasm? Could Empusa use that power on Charity? She decided that she would have to wait until she could speak again before she could ask such a complex question...

<>--+-

In the afternoon, a cool breeze started to blow. Charity swore that she could smell the ocean, despite the mountainous terrain. By evening, low clouds blew in over the hills and drizzle began to fall. At night, Faith and Empusa set up two tarps for protection from the elements. Charity and the ponygirls slept underneath one of the tarps. Despite the cooler temperatures, Charity felt warm and cozy sandwiched between the two warm ponygirls, despite the fact that she was naked.

As she settled down, after a quick, quiet romp with Hazel and Garnet, she noticed that Faith and Empusa were sharing a blanket under the second tarp.

How far had they traveled? How long had they been in this world? A month? Charity had lost track of time. She worried about Hope. She worried about her home. Was she just another missing woman? Did the police suspect that she and Faith had perished in the mine? Would she ever be able to go home again?

Would they find Dammasch and Blue? Certainly, they were getting closer. Charity felt like she was maintaining her humanity. Because she was unable to speak, it was almost easier to deal with her possible transformation into some kind of animal. She never had the opportunity to stumble over words.

Each day they began to encounter other travelers with their own carts and ponygirls. All greeted Empusa respectfully, but they seemed to give them a wide berth to pass. Charity felt every one of them stare at her as she marched by, chained to the back of Empusa's cart.

A few days later as Faith was helping to shackle Charity's ankles for the evening, Empusa announced that they would arrive at her estate the following afternoon. What would it be like to wear clothes again and sleep in a bed and eat at a table?

The next morning after breakfast, Empusa and Faith approached Charity. "I believe that you will draw a lot of attention when we arrive today," Empusa said to Charity. "I'm afraid that the crowds could become overwhelming. I don't believe that anyone would try to harm you, but I feel I need to protect you. Besides, I'd prefer to introduce you to my subjects in a more formal setting. You are going to ride on the cart today."

Charity nodded and wrapped her arm around Hazel who was standing next to her. It was her way of thanking the ponygirls for having to drag her weight all day. Of course, Garnet bent over and licked Charity on the head, so she stepped around the hitch and gave her a hug too.

Behind Charity, on the cart, there was a sudden shrill ringing sound like metal being bent in an unnatural manner. Charity turned and found that Empusa had used her magic to transform the wooden crate that she had ridden in before into a metal cage. Faith climbed up on the cart and pulled on the top of the cage which was attached by a hinge on one side.

"Up you go," Empusa said to Charity.

Charity raised her eyebrows. She turned back to Garnet and gave her a quick kiss. The ponygirls watched as Charity climbed on the cart and stepped into the cage. The dimensions of the cage were the same as the crate had been, but she was going to be much more visible to onlookers as they rolled by.

Empusa fed the chain tether through the bars of the cage and handed the free end to Faith.

"Why the tether?" Faith asked.

"This is part of the show," Empusa responded. "If it looks like I am taking every precaution to keep Charity strictly restrained, then people will believe that I am doing it for a reason. In the long run this will keep Charity safer after we settle in at the Estate."

Charity shrugged her shoulders and watched as Faith padlocked the tether to her harness. Faith kissed her cheek and patted Charity's head. "Love you, babe."

Charity crouched down into the body of the cage and ducked as Faith closed the lid. Empusa passed Faith a pair of big, heavy padlocks to thread through a set of eyelets which secured the lid in the closed position.

"Please do not interact with anyone," Empusa said to Charity. "I need you to appear to be fierce, wild, unpredictable. Don't touch anyone!"

Charity sighed and nodded her head.

After about ten minutes, Empusa let out a whistle and the ponygirls pulled the cart onto the road. Boxes had been stacked around Charity on three sides leaving only the view out the back of the cart available. Charity sat cross legged with her hands on the bars at each side watching the two large padlocks hanging from the eyelets, rocking back and forth with the movement of the cart.

The cart stopped next to a small river for a while. Neither Empusa nor Faith came to visit Charity in her cage, so she sat silently waiting, unsure of what was going on until she heard the sound of splashing and Faith squealing about how cold the water was. Ten minutes later the cart was moving again and about a half hour after that Faith dropped back to check up on Charity.

Faith still wore the outfit that Empusa had transformed for her - a loose, cropped tank top and a low waisted ankle skirt, however it looked clean and the colors - more vibrant. Charity looked down at her tanned, naked body with her dirty feet and skin discolored by patches of dirt. She dragged her fingers into her knotted hair. She realized that she must certainly look like a wild animal. Especially compared to Faith, who had her hair pulled out of her face.

"How are you doing, babe?" Faith asked.

Charity granted a brief smile, then pointed at her dirty feet.

"Don't worry, babe! You look awesome. You look fierce!" Faith said, smiling. "I think that's the image that she wants you to have as we head through the village and up to her estate. You are a beautiful, wild woman. You look dangerous. I love it!"

Charity shrugged her shoulders.

"Once we settle in we'll get you cleaned up. We'll restore your voice. It's about one easy, relaxing month until the airship arrives, then we'll find Blue," Faith said.

Charity nodded.

"Empusa sent off a runner to announce that we are on our way. We will have an escort once we get close to the village. This is pretty exciting, don't you think?"

Faith walked along behind the cart for a while making small talk.

After lunch, four sword-wielding women fell in line behind the cart. Charity decided that they must be part of Empusa's escort. They were quite impressive - tall, lithe, and noticeably muscled.

Charity saw people standing on the side of the road, cheering Empusa as they made their way. Girls and their mothers would point at Charity in her cage and cheer with excitement. The escort kept any bystanders from getting too close to the back of the cart.

Charity obeyed Empusa's wishes and sat impassively as the crowds along the road grew in size. She pretended that she was playing a character in a parade. That mindset seemed to distract her from the feeling that she was merely an animal on display.

Finally, the cart passed through a series of gates, away from the crowds and onto the queen's estate. They stopped next to a weathered looking building. The armed women assumed positions near Charity's cage. They seemed to be guarding her... Charity wasn't sure if they were there to protect her or if they were protecting everyone else from her.

Finally Empusa appeared at the back of the cart with two women carrying long poles. The poles were slid through wide rings affixed on the top of the cage. Four women then lifted Charity's cage off the cart and carried her into the building, where they set her on a wooden platform.

The cage-bearers left and Charity spent some time looking around the interior. The building was a single open room but divided into two sections - one which resembled a barn with stalls and corals, while the second looked like a jail with a series and heavily barred cells. Indeed, Hazel and Garnet were led by leashes attached to their harnesses. When they saw Charity, they smiled and stomped and tried to move towards her, but the handlers shouted terse commands and dragged them over to the stable side of the building where women with buckets of soapy water were waiting.

Charity looked over to the jail side of the building. One cell contained a naked woman sitting on a bunk with a detailed animal print tattoo covering the entire back half of her body. Charity was shocked when she realized the woman had a fully articulating flesh colored tail emerging from the base of her spine.

Charity suddenly realized these cells were not for criminals. This was no jail. These were cages for women who had some kind of animal-like calling. Of course, there would be more than just ponygirls! From her angle, Charity could not see how many cells there were in the building, nor how many were occupied. Did Empusa consider that one of these cells was for Charity?

<>--+-

Charity was certain that it had been more than two hours since she had been abandoned in the building with all the animal-like women. She was still confined to her small cell. Most of the activity had died down. Hazel and Garnet had been cleaned and led to a stall too far away for Charity to see what they were doing. She had almost decided that she was going to have to pee in the bottom of the cage.

Finally, the exterior door opened and Faith walked in wearing a fresh white lace up peasant dress. She was flanked by four guards in tight leather with swords at their sides.

"Hey, babe! Sorry it took so long to get out here. Empusa had to greet all the workers here at the estate. She's doing some of her official duties. Are you ok?"

Charity patted her lower abdomen and made a 'p' shape with her hands - or maybe it was a 'q'. Regardless, Faith understood.

"These guards are going to get you out of the cage, and I'll take you into the residence. Bath! Soft beds! And more! But I'll let you see for yourself."

Charity was happy to hear that she wasn't going to be left out in this building - this barn.

The guards, who seemed to keep a close eye on Charity, undid the locks and pulled up the top of the cage. Charity's leg muscles complained as she stood, but she was happy to be able to stretch. The ten foot long chain tether was still connected to the harness she wore. She gave the loose end to Faith to hold as she climbed out of the cage.