The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 07

"Willingly?" Atrus asked again. The baron was silenced again. "Humans have dignity, and they can never lose it... unless it is taken by force. And that's what the demons do."

The room was silenced for a while. The girl's sob was the only sound beside the raging storm outside. Maya let a sigh of relief. She only wanted this night to end. It seemed Atrus had made his point clear. Even the guards were curious to hear more from him. But Atrus no longer spoke.

Baron Stoke let out a wicked smile, the smile Maya hated so much. "Then show me, boy... Show me what you usually do to your little Maria."

Maya shuddered at the order. Would Atrus whip her? Would he spank her? He had never done that before. He had never hurt her. But she had to do everything to support his action, at least for tonight. If she failed to endure it, her cover would be at risk.

Atrus, however, seemed determined. He stared at the two guards. The baron got the cue and dismissed both of them. Misty ran toward the other girl in the corner, crying. Baron Stoke sat on his chair, waiting for the show. Atrus just walked casually back to his seat and sat down.

"Maria, would you show them?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Master."

She approached him slowly and kissed him passionately. Her body was still shaking in fear. Her eyes were locked into his. "I... I'm scared, Master." She said the truth.

Atrus stared back lovingly. "Do not serve me... love me..."

Se let herself fall into his strong embrace. She loosened his collar and licked his neck. His hands were busy undoing his pants. She softly rubbed his member, teasing it to hardness. He responded almost simultaneously. As she lowered his pants, his member broke free. She kissed him again.

"Master... May I...?"

"You may."

Then she lowered herself on her knees and softly stroked his member. She licked the top lightly, then put it inside her warm mouth while massaging the shaft. Atrus grunted in every stroke she made. Maya's mouth had fully covered his member and she began sucking it. Every move her body made was very erotic to the audience. Even the slaves couldn't shift their attention. Maya had forgot about her play. She wanted to love her master.

After a while, Atrus knew he was close and gave her the cue with a stroke on her hair. She didn't stop her sucking. A moment later, he exploded inside her mouth. She quickly swallowed his load, something she would never do to her customers back in Tiras. But she would do it, only for her master. After he recovered, she looked up, searching for her master's satisfaction. She found it.

"Master... May I... uh... hop in...?" She asked slowly. Atrus just smiled.

She opened her top body suit to reveal her firm breasts. Atrus played with one of them and put his mouth on the other one, expertly sucking it. Maya quickly felt aroused, despite the strangers around her. She didn't care about them anymore. When she made love, her surroundings didn't matter any longer. The world seemed to fit only both of them. For the first time she understood why people said love was blind.

"Master... it felt good..." She found herself saying.

Atrus just smiled then continued his work. One of his hands reached for her crotch, feeling her wetness beneath her bodysuit. She squirmed at his fingers worked at her sensitive spots, teasing them. She embraced him tightly, her breathing was heavy in his ear. Atrus then put one finger inside her pussy, stretching the thin material of her suit. She jolted at the touch.

"M...Master... I... I'm ready for you..."

She unbuckled her leather belt and lowered her lower suit, revealing her moist crotch. She blushed as the other souls in the room grasped at the sight. Atrus, however, was unaffected by the comment. He just sat there, waiting for her patiently. She lowered her body to his and moaned softly as the sensation hit her brain.

Using the table as support, Maya began hopping on his lap. Her moan defeated the raging storm outside. Atrus continued playing with her breasts throughout the intercourse, making her frenzy. She hit the mark soon, arching her back as the powerful orgasm seized control of her body. Atrus exploded later inside her. The two lovers were completely spent and exhausted.

Maya gave him another passionate kiss. "I hope you are happy, Master..."

"I am, Maria. I'm proud of you."

Baron Stoke, who had been an audience to the show, gave a loud applause. "I'm amazed, Sir White Lion. But you do not convince me. You make the distinction between a slave and a lover vague."

"Maria did this willingly." Atrus stroked her hair. She put her head on his shoulder. "She surrendered to me willingly. I own her, but I respect her as a human."

"You treat your slave like a lover." The baron sneered.

"Wrong." Atrus shot back. "If she was my lover, I wouldn't need to own her. I wouldn't need to order her around. We would have each other."

"But you love her!" The baron snarled. "Love has no place in master and slave relationship!"

"Wrong again." Atrus' answer was cold. "Love is the foundation of all relationships. If you think otherwise, you're no different with the demons."

Maya shuddered at the comment. It was a direct accusation. But Atrus stood strong in his comment. If the baron got enraged, neither of them had weapons to defend themselves.

But the baron laughed hard. "I'm amazed, young man. You're the first who could actually defeat my argument. But I'm not ready to give up, yet. We'll continue the discussion tomorrow."

"I thank you for the wonderful dinner." Atrus bowed.

The baron stood up. "Don't mention it, Sir White Lion. Meeting you is my greatest pleasure. Good night." He signaled his slaves to follow him out of the room, and they were alone.

Atrus and Maya quickly fixed their suits again. Maya then stared at him gravely. "I suppose you did the right thing to save that poor girl, Master."

"I'm sorry about making you perform before your slaver, Maya. I..."

Maya put her finger on his mouth and kissed him. "I'm proud of you, Master. You did that to help the girl. That's very noble, and I don't mind working for that cause."

"Now I only hope we give enough time for Anna to do her part."

"You're worried about her?"

Atrus looked at Maya, puzzled. "What do you mean...? Of course I'm worried!"

Maya just giggled. "Don't worry, Master, I'm just teasing you. I love you so much that jealousy doesn't have a place in my heart. We should head back."

Atrus picked the dark wine. "I just want to know how this thing tastes..."

He took a sip, swallow it confidently, and then instantly burst the liquid out. Maya laughed hard before slapping his back to get the substance out of his lungs.

"How did you drink this stuff?!"

She giggled. "I didn't say it is easy to be a slave, right Master?"

Baron Stoke slammed the two girls against the wall inside his bedroom despite their pleas. He slapped Missy to make his point clear, and the girls silenced instantly.

"You all make me sick! For weeks I have trained you, but I have never seen such performance from you! That girl doesn't need to be spanked or whipped, but she served him well! You all disappoint me!"

Misty could just wept silently. The other girl, Sonya, could only stared down in horror.

"I will give you a chance to make things right before I punish you." The baron warned. "You are to go to his quarter and make love to him."

Nobody dared to make any objections.

"Sonya, you have a greater task. Take our best wine and have a small party. You are to put the content of this pouch..." he held a small pouch. "... inside his wine. Is that clear?"

"Master... I don't want to kill anybody..."

"Is that clear?!"

Sonya nodded slowly.

"Good. I'll be downstairs warming my whip, just in case of failure."

When Atrus and Maya got back, they sighed in relief to find Anna waiting for them on the bed. She was looking at their arrival, especially at Maya's wet crotch. Maya blushed, Atrus was speechless, but Anna just smiled.

"I suppose the dinner was... entertaining?" She teased.

"Not quite, Mistress... The baron was a difficult man. Master Atrus managed to pull up some... tricks..." Again, Maya blushed.

"Don't worry, I understand."

"You do...?" Atrus asked in disbelief.

It was Anna's turn to blush. She couldn't tell him her experience with Maya back in Rocklin. It would be too embarrassing. But since that encounter, she became attached to Maya. She still felt jealous with her, but she did a better job in suppressing it now.

"Of course... You bought me enough time to dig in some information."

"You got something?"

She produced a piece of paper. "I found this letter locked inside the baron's desk."

"Locked?" Maya asked. "Then how did you...?"

Anna just giggled. "It might take more than that to convince Atrus what a skilled sorcerer I have become..."

"We can take care of the praises later. "Atrus answered. "What did you get?"

Her voice became serious. "Read this first. If my feeling is correct, we're in a grave danger."

Sir Anthony Stoke,

Well done on the patrol. We are to inform you that things are proceeding well in our base. We may begin our action at the second day before the full moon. You are hereby advised to stay below ground to avoid massacre.

We will have messenger sent for you if we encounter any problem. Your loyalty will soon be rewarded.

Atrus looked at the girls. Well done on the patrol... "It's from the demons..."

Anna nodded. "It's my best assumption. The demons have made a contract with the baron to cancel all patrols around the area, so that they will have no opposition in doing whatever they want."

"And they're doing it tonight..." Maya murmured. "The fool moon was in two days..."

"But we don't know what they're going to do." Atrus pointed out.

"Probably an invasion." Anna said. "They told the baron to stay below ground... probably to take cover or hide somewhere...

"We need to warn the villagers!" Maya said.

"It's too late for that..." Atrus said slowly. "We can only..."

He was interrupted by the knock on the door.

"I will hide behind the cupboard." Anna said. "Deal with your guests."

Maya opened the door. She was surprised to find the two slaves standing before the door.

"Greetings, Miss Maria. We are ordered to serve Sir White Lion." Misty said slowly.

Maya turned to her master. Atrus was just as surprised as she was. "Ladies... what can I do for you?"

"We are ordered to serve you, Sir. We are at your disposal."

Atrus looked at Maya for a clue, but she was also confused.

"Master Atrus... If I may, I would like to be excused." Maya said slowly.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see an old friend."

Her answer startled him. Behind the cupboard, Anna was also shocked. Maya was going to confront her slaver. She was going to confront her nightmare.

"You are excused." Atrus slowly said while giving a warning look. Maya got the cue and left.

The girls approached him slowly. Atrus eyed them. The girl he didn't know seemed casual, but Misty was shaking. She was the newest slave, he recalled, but both of them were definitely unwilling ones. And the baron had ordered them to serve him... he had to be up to something...

"Ladies..." he announced. "How can I help you?"

They were silent for a while. "We are here... to entertain you, Sir..." The girl said slowly. "My name is Sonya, Sir... And this is Misty..."

"Ah... nice to know you. Please sit down." Atrus gestured at the chairs.

"Oh, no, Sir... We're here to serve you..." Sonya quickly replied.

"But you're my guests here." Atrus insisted. "Please..."

The girls sat on the long chair, while Atrus sat before them. He looked at them expectantly.

"Sir..." Misty began. "I want to thank you for saving my life back at the dining room... I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't spoken up..."

"Forget about it." Atrus answered. "You deserve it."

"But why, Sir? Why did you do that?"

Atrus eyed her sharply. "I thought I made my point clear. You're a human. You deserve a right to be treated as one."

Misty fell silent. "I suppose we were intended not to have a human dignity anymore..." Sonya said slowly. "The baron used to say that our destiny has been locked."

"There is no such thing." Atrus said. "Your dignity stays, no matter what happens."

The room was silent for a while. Both girls didn't know how to respond. Atrus just stared at them, wondering what they were up to. Then he noticed the wine bottle.

His gut collapsed immediately. He looked at the bottle in horror. He had tried it back in the dining room, and he didn't like it. Maya had handled the liquid well, but he was not Maya. That substance might choke him to death, but refusing the girls would not be nice, especially after what he had said.

Sonya quickly noticed his gaze. "Um, Sir... we would be honored if you would share this wine with us... of course, if you don't mind..."

Atrus cursed himself. Sonya had made a request he couldn't refuse. He found himself nodding.

Misty reached out for the bottle and a pretty crystal glass from the cupboard. She then poured the content of the bottle into the glass. Atrus noticed Misty's hand shaking while holding the bottle. Sweat covered her forehead. She was afraid of something, he thought.

Atrus grabbed her trembling hand and put the bottle down. Misty was looking at him, puzzled. Atrus lightly brushed her face and kissed her lips gently. She was completely taken by surprise, but accepted the kiss. She kissed him with the burning passion she had kept inside her for a long time. She felt she wanted to burst in tears. She had longed for the love she was accepting.

But suddenly it was over. Atrus broke the kiss, lifted the wine and nodded. One sip wouldn't hurt, he thought.

Then he heard a soft crashing sound. It was from the cupboard at the corner of the room. He knew Anna was inside. Not now, Anna!

He lifted the glass. "Ladies... for long and joyous life..."

Maya walked slowly along the empty hallway. She and Atrus had seen several guards in the way back from the dining room, but now she was not seeing any. The castle seemed deserted. Did they know the demons would attack tonight?

The letter really bothered her. Leonard was right. The baron had sold the villagers to the demons. Whatever Stoke was planning, it had to be bad. She would not resist the thought that the baron was possessed, but giving away a village to enemy's wrath would be insane. But what could she do?

The question went unanswered as she realized she was not alone anymore. Before her stood a lone figure. His image was illuminated by the chandeliers along the hallway.

Baron Stoke...

His formal attire looked as remarkable as before. His cloak was played by the wind from the opened window at the end of the hallway. He still wore the sinister grin she had always hated.

"I know you will come for me." He said slowly.

Did he recognize her? Her heart was thumping hard. If he did, their cover would be blown.

"I can't recall I have an appointment with you." Maya said defiantly.

"Tsk... tsk... What a bad manner..." He chuckled. "You should address me as Sir."

"I have no reason to do so. I am loyal only to my master!"

"Your master...?" His eyes darkened. "...or your lover?"

"What?!"

The baron's laugh echoed in the hallway. "Understand this, slave! You are a slave, and you will be treated as one. I will perform the free service of showing you how a slave should behave."

Before she could act, a strong arm circled her shoulder and a damp cloth was pressed on her nose. A sharp sting on her back forced her to grasp for breath and the thick scent of the liquid filled her lungs. She didn't know what the substance was, but the smell was intoxicating.

Her hands tried to act, but her assailant was faster. He grabbed one of her hands while her other hand tried in vain to get the cloth off. She couldn't see her assailant, but she could see the white long sleeve he was wearing.

He was the servant!

She couldn't believe it. The entire castle could be working against them. They had walked into a trap! Master Atrus and Mistress Anna could be in danger! Then the demons would...

Before she could finish, her mind ceased to work. The fluid had gained control over her body. Her eyes became heavy and she began to drift to sleep. Her effort to stay conscious finally failed. The baron's wicked laugh was the last thing she heard.

Atrus, no!!! The wine is poisoned!!!

Anna tried to bang on the wooden panel, but the door was locked firmly. The locking mechanism had somehow gone wrong, but she didn't have time to figure out why. And to her horror, she saw Atrus drinking the wine.

"ATRUS, NO!!!"

What happened later was in a quick succession, but Anna witnessed every moment in terror. Misty leaped onto Atrus and kissed him forcefully before shoving him on the bed. The girl looked at him defiantly before finally collapsing on the carpet.

The little slave had swallowed the poison!

As Anna cried, a bright light formed in his palm, and with it she blasted the door open. The wooden door was no match for the magical power and was destroyed to pieces. As she leaped outside the cupboard, she saw the little girl twisting and writhing on the carpet. The other girl, Sonya, just cried beside her. Atrus fetched his sword and pushed the sheathed tip on Sonya's chin, but she didn't fight back.

"Go ahead and kill me!!!" She cried. "We're nothing but slaves... We exist to obey our master's wish..."

Atrus stared at Sonya sharply. His eyes were blazing with anger. Anna knew better than trying to stop him in this kind of situation. Sonya, the sword still on his chin, just cried softly.

Then the anger in his eyes faded, and he withdrew the sword. Sonya fell on her knees and cried. Anna ran toward Misty and checked her condition. Atrus joined her, worry carved in his face.

"How is she? Is she hurt?"

The poison was there, and it was quite violent. Even now it was destroying her body. "I have to heal her, or she won't make it." Anna said slowly.

Atrus took the empty glass. "She saved my life... I should have known..."

"Of course you should have known!" Anna scolded. "The bottle was opened from the start. Never drink from an opened bottle! It might have been poisoned!"

"I know..."

The answer shocked Anna. Atrus had been keeping his pride high during their journey. Nobody could criticize him. But now, instead of arguing with her, he took the blame well. "Atrus..."

"I should have known... Baron Stoke... He wants me dead..." He murmured.

"Sir..."

Both of them were surprised to find Misty still awake. Pained expression was in her face. Her voice was weak and faint. The poison seemed to have stripped all of her power.

"Little girl, don't talk now. You need to rest!" Anna exclaimed.

"No... Sir... danger... da... danger..."

"It's okay!" Atrus held her quivering palm. "You'll be fine. Just rest now."

She shook her head frantically. "No... danger... baron... danger..."

Suddenly he understood. "Maya!" Atrus turned to Sonya. "Where's the baron?!"

"He's in the dungeon..." Sonya replied. "The kitchen is next to the dining room. There is a hidden stairway behind a big clock at the northern wall."

"Danger... danger... danger..."

Anna put her palm over Misty's forehead and her body went limp instantly. "Don't worry, she's fine. I have to knock her out. She will die if she keep on talking."

Atrus nodded. "I don't know what the baron is up to, but I have to look for Maya. This castle is dangerous."

"Then go." Anna said. "Leave her with me. I will try to heal her with my magic. Once the poison is gone, I will join you."

"You want me to leave you alone?"

Anna smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm skillful enough to defend myself."