The Citadel Ch. 09: Slave to Darkness

The Citadel

© 2020 by Pitchblack

Chapter Nine. Slave to darkness

Greyness surrounded her body. Her eyes half closed, she was able to experience it as a lucent and billowing substance, floating like a soft, glowing mist, a cotton sheet, covering the whole world around her. Annie didn't remember how she had come to this place. Nor had she ever heard of it or recognized what it was. There was no sound whatsoever and her vicinity radiated peace and calmness, a sensation she had missed badly during her recent course of life. She was so tempted to let go, to revel endlessly in this feeling that soothed her mind and soul.

But she couldn't stay here forever. She harboured the certain feeling, that she didn't belong to this place, that it wasn't meant for her. Sooner or later she had to depart. With a groan Annie opened her eyes fully and tried to straighten herself. The surrounding mist receded somewhat, showing her body rested on something solid. It seemed to represent a sort of disc, which floated in the greyness. When she looked closely, she was able to distinguish more of her whereabouts. The platform was round, circular shaped and big enough that her outstretched body couldn't fall off. She looked up from the ground towards the sky. The disc seemed to be the basal part of an object that resembled a hanging basket or a cage that swayed lightly to and fro once she started to move her limbs to sit up.

There was no lattice or bars which hindered her escape. Only six slender, round and plain columns were circling the perimeter. Each of them resided on a contoured hemisphere, which constituted their base on the platform. Examining the tops, she could recognize their capitals, holding a hemispheric roof above her head. The entire cage was made from a gold-coloured metal, whose polished surface showed a dull glamour, like it was made out of lead. She could hear a creaking noise coming from above the roof, as if a chain was mounted there, which held the whole contraption floating in mid-air.

To her profound astonishment she wasn't naked any more. A trouser covered her legs. Carefully made from a soft, silky substance the cloth fluttered around her ample hips, reaching down to her ankles. The cerulean fabric was ruffled there by a broad trim that tied the full leg portion slightly above her feet. The side seam was slit and reached steadily down from the hip to her legs, adding to the lightness and airiness of the flowing garment by permitting fresh air to reach the skin. The pants were held over her hips by a broad sash, which encircled tightly her waist. Both the sash and trim on her shapely ankles were made of similar material: a heavy brocade fabric, stitched excessively with golden and silver threads, that gave the material a stiff quality, almost as if it had been made of solid metal.

A delicate, golden brooch adored the front of the waist belt. It looked like a buckle that kept the trousers in place. When she examined it closely, it seemed to her that it resembled a kraken or octopus. Eight writhing tentacles encircled his bulbous body. They embraced two more miniature versions inside them, like baby squids nested between the protective arms of her mother. The eyes, made of small sparkling gem stones stared at her with a malign intensity, she had never recognized before in an ordinary piece of jewellery.

She shuddered, an odd feeling of uneasiness running down her spine, when she carefully touched the ominous object in front of her belly. Her fingers groped over the metallic surface which seemed cold and tingling to her touch, as if the metal had been coated with a sheen of icy crystals. Churned up by its strangeness she searched for a mechanism to open the buckle and dislodge the costume. To her disappointment she couldn't find anything operable, the whole brooch was made from one piece, tightly connected to the belt around her waist.

Not only Annie's legs, but also her upper body was exquisitely dressed. Her breasts were scantily clad with a bra top. The snug, tight-fitting cups, made of a gauzy, shiny material squeezed her bosom together to form a voluptuous V shaped cleavage. The broad fringes but also the centerpiece, draped between the cups was beaded with small turquoise and blue sequins alternated with lucent beads. The surface of the cups was stitched with contrasting bluely and gold colours used to create a complex pattern of clamshells interwoven with delicate tendrils and exotic flowers, encircling her areolas and accentuating the nipple area. Overlapping beaded loops in blue and gold hang between the bra cups, tickling the exposed skin of her chest, while they swayed gently to the movement of her chest.

She ran her fingers along the edges of the bra and fringes to feel the intricate crafted small scallops, embellished with delicate curlicues. While the fringes along the side of the cups changed into halter-neck straps, the one at the base of the bra extended around the back to hold the piece of clothing tightly in place.

After Annie had completed the inspection of her vestment, she recognized a set of jewellery complemented her outfit and appearance. A thick beaded necklace in turquoise gold and peacock blue was strung around her neck. Dangling from the necklace was another octopus pendant, albeit smaller but similar in style as the brooch on her belt. The only difference was it lacked the baby squids. Slung around each of her wrists was a slender, embossed arm cuff bracelet. Although the surface looked delicate and was adorned with intricate patterns, the metal ring underneath was sturdy and durable. Even a considerably stronger person than her would be incapable to forcibly remove them from the arms by distorting them out of shape or prying them apart. She couldn't explain how they had been secured around her wrists, for they were completely rounded without visible lock.

Annie had never seen such clothing before. Scantily and gauzy, it showed frivolously way too much of her skin emphasizing the unique qualities and lushness of her body. Besides lacking the thickness, to hold back the cold winter winds, she would have felt abashed if she had ever worn it at the streets of her home town. Maybe it belonged to the hot and burning lands of the far south, an unknown area to her. Rumors said there was no water at all and whole tracts of land were covered by dessert. Nevertheless, the flimsy outfit was quite snug and followed perfectly her feminine curves while it felt natural and fitted like a glove.

Absorbed in the strange and exceptional situation she didn't recognize the basket had started to move. Startled from the faint clinking noise, the chain seemed to make above her head, she noticed the cage was descending. How far she was above ground, she couldn't assess. There was still this fog surrounding her, obscuring her vision. With time the greyness dwindled away as if she was dropping out of thick clouds towards the ground. When the basket came to a halt, there were only small wisps left, showing that the platform was hovering over a vast area of water. It looked like the surface of an ocean, which stretched endlessly towards the horizon. Bending over the rim, she could reach down and when she put out her arms, her fingertips dipped into the water. It felt cool and sparkling to her skin. Small drops dripped off her hand when she pulled it back. She wasn't sure if she could drink from it. Licking her finger, the liquid possessed a sweet taste, but she was cautious. Better not to savour too much of it, before she knew what this was all about.

While she dabbled for some moments longer with the water, she heaved a deep sigh. A muffled gurgling sound broke in on her daydreaming. Slight ripples were spreading out over the surface of the peaceful sea, but they were not caused by the splashing of her hands. Perturbed she looked up, to find that she was not alone any more. Something had risen silently out of the water, a creature which was cautiously observing her. Scared, she started back from the edge and crawled on all fours towards the centre of the basket. She wanted to bring as much distance as possible between herself and the sinister intruder.

While she cowered at the ground, she dared to take a closer look at the thing. She hardly believed her own eyes, when her examination had come to an end. The grotesque creature seemed to be a merman or a water sprite, fully adapted to life in the vastness below the surface of the sea. Pearly blue and grey scales covered parts of his body, who resembled a male human from the waist up and a fish like tail below. Coating his rubbery skin and piscine scales was a layer of slippery slime that gave his body a glimmering sheen.

Small fins ran along his arms, which were big and heavily muscled. At the end of each arm were broad, distended and partially webbed hands, which hang loosely at his side. There was additional webbing down at the back and also along his tail, which was partly submerged down the surface of the water. The head was vaguely human, albeit it looked much more like that of an amphibian creature. Barbels sprouted under his lower lips, beneath a broad, gapping mouth full of razor sharp teeth. A pair of bulging silver-black eyes, set deep in their sockets watched her cautiously.

A hideous appearance, that caused Annie to cringe inwardly. She wasn't sure what the creature intended or if it had come to harm her. Although his eyes were animal in nature, they possessed a disturbing intelligence, as if the merman felt himself much superior to the human crawling before him. With a commanding gesture of one of his arms, he indicated her to move closer in front of him. Simultaneously Annie felt a tug on her mind, as if his order was bolstered by a mental command, leaving her no room to refuse to obey. Reluctantly she crawled forward, each move a fight against her own scared mind, which screamed at her to turn around and run away.

When she had reached the edge of the platform Annie didn't know what to do. She cowered before the dreadful creature which towered above her, while she tried to look him into his eyes to discern what he intended to do with her. From his elevated vantage point, he had a good look beneath the neckline of her bra top, an easy opportunity to assess the voluptuousness of her ample bosom. Although she felt uneasy and cringed inwardly about her tantalizing position, she didn't want to show her insecurity. Annie mustered up her courage and stared straight and perkily into his eyes.

Another mental wave struck her conscious mind. The creature sounded annoyed as if he wanted to express that he paid little heed to her insolent behaviour. His displeasure was not only emotionally evident, an emanation that shocked her to the depth of her being, but also manifested itself in a more complex way than the command a short while ago.

"A slave has to know how to present herself properly." was the meaning of the message which seemed to be projected directly into her mind.

The term "slave" had not only the connotation of property and serfdom but also that she was human. A mark, which exposed her as a member of a menial species of the lowest rank without any dignity or free will. She merely existed to obey and follow obeisantly the dictates of her aquatic master.

Despite her anxiousness Annie's feelings and mind revolted against the way, the creature regarded her. She was not an obedient slave to anybody, not the mere property of someone else, but a free woman that bowed to nobody.

"Go to hell! I am not your possession, nor your plaything, hideous monster!" she spat the words into his face while she straightened her spine, trying to look brave and unimpressed by the creature. With an aggressive gesture she raised her arms, her hands clenched to fists, ready to defend her or even try to mount an attack.

The merman didn't react visibly to her passionate outburst. While he observed her with eyes, big as dinner plates, she felt a faint tug on her mind. Only this time the meanings of the words were not understandable, as if she wasn't the object of his command. To her horror she felt the octopus pendant dangling from her neck come to life. The inanimate metallic object revived and turned into a real creature made of flesh. Terribly shocked and frozen solid by this deviate transformation she could feel the touch of its rubbery tentacles on her bare skin and the small pricks the suction cups left when they reached out and attached themselves to her chest.

"No stop! Leave me alone!" she screamed terrified when the vile thing, after detaching himself from the necklace, flexed his tentacles and started to crawl up on her throat towards her face.

Frantically she reached towards her chest to claw at the monstrosity adhering to her skin to rip it off, but suddenly she felt the bracelets on her wrists grew heavier and watched thunderstruck as solid metal links manifested themselves out of thin air to shape a solid chain between each of her cuffs and the brooch on her belt. Not only the growing weight of her manacles but also the irresistible pull of the bonds, which retracted forcefully towards the brooch made her impossible to hold her arms up or reach the pendant, which had started to crawl up towards her face. The ensuing struggle against the animated fetters fuelled her growing frustration. She was too weak to prevent the tightening of her bondage, as her wrists were tuged inexorably towards her stomach. Tightly secured by the chains, which had been drawn back up to just a few links towards the brooch her hands were irremovable pinned in the folds of her thighs. Desperately she wriggled her wrists in the tight bracelets but could do nothing to break her utter captivity.

Helplessly bound she could do nothing to prevent the pendant completing its intended work. With the help of its sucker cups the octopus climbed nimbly over her chin. To her genuine horror the tentacles attached themselves around her pursed lips and the bulbous body tried to squeeze between her lips and find its way into the cavity beyond. Frantically she strained every available muscle of her jaws to clench her teeth. No matter what the cost, she would do anything to prevent the horrendous thing from forcing itself into her mouth.

A gurgling sound of desperation and fierce hatred escaped her lips. She shook her head wildly to dislodge the object, but the sucker cups on the tentacles held the octopus in place. Not only that, some tentacles let go to push themselves between her teeth, prying them vigorously open. She gasped in revulsion and disgust but once the gap was wide enough, the bulbous body elongated and slipped with one quick move between her lips. As soon it has entered the leathery bag inflated, prying her jaws apart and filling her mouth to its full extent while it puffed up her cheeks. An oily and fishy flavour hit her tongue, a vile taste which made her nauseous. She retched, wanting to spit the gruesome gag out, but it was too late. The rubbery object had grown enormously in size and become a solid object that braced itself firmly behind her teeth.

When she looked with fearful eyes down, she could see that the tentacles outside her face elongated and started to run like straps around her chin and jaw towards the back of her neck. The moment they struck each other ends their flesh merged together and created a compact mass which completely covered her lower face. While she pressed her tongue against the thick intruder into her mouth to seize her last chance to expel it, she felt that the living tentacles turned into metal again forming a rigid, yet flexible ring that stretched over her cheeks. The pendant had turned into a broad panel like a close-fitting mask. The rigid metal encased the whole of her lower face and held the gag pressed against her lips and the plug behind them. The enormous size of its rubbery body stretched her jaw painfully, filling her mouth to the utmost. Unable to utter any intelligent words, she mewled desperately into her gag. Tears of frustration and disbelief of how she had been bereft of her speech and turned it into unintelligible babbling of a lunatic ran down her cheeks, as she started to sob uncontrollably.

"A humble slave kneels for her master." she received another message in her mind, although she almost didn't recognize it through her misery and racking sobs.

Clumsily she tried to rise up from her prone position, but with her hands restrained tightly in front of her body and with no support from them, she toppled down to lay on the floor. To add to her misery, she recognized not only her arms had been tightly bound, but that a short chain had come to life between the trims of the pants fettering her ankles together with sparse range between them.

At least she was able to fulfill the creature's instruction. Subdued by the strange and restrictive way of bondage she felt that her resistance had broken down and that she was wholly at his mercy. She didn't dare to look up but instead inclined her head as a sign of humility. When one hand of the creature reached out towards one of her breasts, she flinched but didn't dare to shrink back.

Annie's body stiffened as his forefinger pointed towards the cup of her bra right above her nipple. Starring down she watched as a little spray came forth from his fingertips hitting her areolas. She gasped with pained surprise as a blast of frigid cold doused the top of her exposed breast. Her nipple hardened immediately and pressed itself against the cup, creating a well-rounded, bulging mound under the delicate fabric of her bra. Her agitation rose when the other nipple received the same treatment and she blushed hotly about the intensity of her wanton reaction. Her arms writhed in her bonds as she yearned to reach out and rub her agitated nipples, to give them comfort and soothe the horniness radiating from them.

Annie slumped down, almost losing her balance on her tethered feet as the stinging sensation on her breasts suddenly faded away. Her upper body teetered awkwardly, as she coughed into her gag while she struggled to regain her balance. After a few tense and fearful moments while she strained her arms and feet she was able to sit uneasily in her kneeling position once more. The metal chains on her wrists and ankles jangled faintly as she panted in nervous relief.

The merman in front of her seemed to be undisturbed by her commotion. It had watched her closely during her subjugation. Although it was difficult for her to read the look on his bestial face, it seemed to Annie that the creature was pleased that she had given up her resistance and been coerced into submission. Without a gesture it uttered another one of its mental command in his unintelligible language. Annie feared what was in store for her and couldn't prevent a cry of surprise as the brooch on her waist belt became agitated. The eyes on the head of the octopus started to glow with a faint light as some of its tentacles commenced slowly to writhe. Her heartbeat accelerated as one of the baby squids was released out of their hold and started to crawl away from its parent. Without waiting, it moved down and wriggled through the fly of her pants, which was loosely secured with some knotted strings. Now inside the fold of the flimsy outfit and hidden from her view she could feel it as the creature crawled over her bare skin down between her thighs towards her nether region.

Her heart started to race, when she felt the faint imprint of the tentacles grazed the sensitive skin over her pubic mound. The creature didn't dwell there for long. His intended destination was the warm and shaded crevice deep between her thighs. For a brief second she fervently hoped he would get entangled in the hairy bush residing there, but it was no obstacle for his advancement. A sense of grievous disappointment occupied her mind when she felt the small sucker cups as they padded the base of her vaginal orifice.