Possessions Ch. 05

The warm body bent over her, pressing a firm chest to her back. The man whispered into her ear. She didn't understand the language, but they words were harsh, nearly snarled. This must be wonderful for him, she realized. A slave, yet here he was. He was able to brutalize a Keeper's daughter, take his revenge savagely on her body. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity bearing such unbelievable pain, the man behind her gave a last brutal thrust, grinding his hips into her buttocks. She whimpered her relief when his body slid from hers and he moved away. The cool air on her sweat soaked skin felt good, even as it chilled her.

Her relief was short lived as another man took the first's place. She looked to her father, hoping he would take pity and end this. Instead, dread and disgust made her light headed. Her fiancé sat observing her indifferently. Her father was reclined in his seat, his lower half blocked by the slave facing him on her knees. Her stomach churned when her mind finally acknowledged why the girl's had was bobbing the way it was. Her stepmother, it seemed, still hadn't opened her eyes. She closed her eyes, turned her head away. Betrayal left a bitter taste in her mouth and a foul stench in the air.

When the second man slid into her, she twisted her face, trying to bite back the scream that threatened to spill out. She didn't succeed.

As her mouth opened, the slave's hand covered it. She almost gagged when whatever ball he had in his palm hit her tongue. She tried to turn her face away to spit it out, but he held her firm.

"Don't chew it; just swallow. It will help. I promise you, it will help. Just swallow."

She had no idea why she did it. This man was hurting her, raping her, but for some reason she trusted that soft voice. She swallowed as her fiancé demanded that the slave release her mouth. He obeyed, and proceeded to do the despicable thing that was demanded of him by his Master.

Soon, whatever herb concoction he had slipped between her lips began to work, making her even more lightheaded, detached from the events around her. The pain lessened, but did not disappear. She was grateful, since it allowed her to lose count of how many times she was violated. The men snarled harsh, cruel words into her ear in what seemed to be an endless procession. Sometimes she understood the language, sometimes not. Many of the voices she heard a second time. Some of them a third. But she remembered each voice, committed them each to memory.

She kept her head turned away, but at a sharp command from her father, the slave using her gripped her hair and forced her head up to see her father as he held his slave's head down and grunted his as he spilled his seed into her mouth. He held her eyes through it and after as he continued holding the slave in position. After she was released, he ignored the girl as she knelt on the floor gasping and Alaliya was again allowed to drop her head.

She didn't know how much time passed before a crash made the men in the room jump to their feet. She didn't have the energy to look what the commotion was, to try to see what manner of creature produced the roar of pure rage that seemed to vibrate through the entire room. The clash of swords should have alarmed her, should have made her move to cover, but all she could manage to do was to lay slumped over the padded bench beneath her.

She was vaguely aware of being lifted into a strong embrace. She opened her eyes just long enough to see human shaped blurs moving on a stage of crimson. One of the blurs turned toward her, the space where its eyes should have been two odd, silver, shimmering pools.

Then, just as suddenly, the stage, and the shape, was gone.

Her head fell back down against a hard chest. She didn't bother trying to lift it again.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Alaliya sat up with a start, tears streaming down her face, panic making her body tremble as she gasped for breath. Her eyes flew around a room that seemed both familiar and foreign. Both immaculately clean and bloodstained. Both secure and full of danger.

Arms as strong as steel pulled her unyieldingly into warm embrace, ignoring her attempt to escape. She resisted for only a moment before Ehrik's voice pulled her fully into the realm of wakefulness from the hell of her dreams; her memories. She looked up into the face of the only person she trusted, the only one who would ever hold her heart in his hands.

Ehrik held her in his arms, safe, cherished, loved. Alaliya pressed herself against her husband's welcoming body as he murmured sweet words to her, telling her she was safe, that no harm would come to her. He whispered how he loved her, adored her, how she commanded his very heart and soul. He stroked her hair, pressed kisses over her head and temples.

Alaliya looked up into a face that held nothing but love and concern. He never showed impatience at being woken in the middle of the night by her nightmares. He just held her cradled in his arms until she calmed, whispering or singing to her in soothing tones. Sometimes it took only minutes, sometimes hours. He always waited for her to fall back asleep before he allowed himself the same. Many nights she never did, and therefor neither did he. This was one of those nights.

After the hours of early morning passed, the first servants came to set out breakfast and a fresh pitcher of fruit sweetened water. As they entered, so did a familiar face that made Alaliya smile. Captain Kriel and his wife followed closely behind, their faces serious.

Alaliya heard Ehrik sigh. Nothing good could possibly bring Kriel to their chambers at such an early hour. After the night before, it was a surprise the man was even awake.

Triya thought nothing of climbing onto the bed with her Master and Mistress. She was a slave, but all were aware it was by choice. Triya was sneaky, slippery. She could have escaped anytime she wanted and been out of the Keep, and probably country, before any would even begin to track her. It was her loyalty was to Alaliya that kept her in the Keep. She willingly acted as her Mistress's eyes and ears to what she couldn't herself witness. Much like Ebon was rewarded for his loyalty to Sarantha, Triya was rewarded the same way: freedom. Triya was allowed to go anywhere in the Keep, anytime she wanted, so long as she was available when Alaliya or Ehrik needed her.

Typically, Alaliya benefited most when Triya roamed, gathering information or evidence for her. Ehrik used her the same way, as well as occasionally gifting her to one of his soldiers for a night as a reward. Triya loved the attention, often pointing out soldiers who she thought were doing "well". It was always the more attractive soldiers she noticed doing well in their training. There was no worry that one of the soldiers would be stupid enough to hurt her.

Alaliya was also well aware that her husband would occasionally make use of the slave's mouth to relieve stress if Alaliya was otherwise occupied. Or was in the mood to see her husband's pleasure without participating in it. Which right now she was.

Unfortunately, Kriel's presence told her that her mood didn't matter.

His first words confirmed it. "There's a problem with Sarantha."