The Sky Kingdom Ch. 18

Thank you to everyone following this story, I've really appreciated all your feedback so far. This chapter has a darker tone to it so please proceed with caution.

I also wanted to say a massive thank you to those who've helped to edit/proofread this chapter.

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Scarlett and I rushed to get ready while Matilda looked on, surprised by our reactions after Jasper had gone.

"Master, who is Emily?" she asked with no small amount of bewilderment on her face.

I was worried by what Jasper had warned me about Lady Vivian's girls and hesitated in my reply.

"She is a friend of Master's," Scarlett replied on my behalf. "She is in some trouble, so we are going to try and help. Why don't you get ready and join us?"

"There is no need, the two of us will go, and Matilda can relax here," I added, noting Scarlett picking up on my wariness.

"I won't be any trouble. I swear," Matilda replied, looking between the two of us.

"Master, why don't you send her to run some errands instead of staying here?" Scarlett asked. "That would be part of her duties if she is to be your maid."

"What did you have in mind?" I queried, keen to ensure she didn't find out too much about Emily.

Scarlett gave me an oddly embarrassed look before turning back to Matilda.

"Mads, do you remember the special dark red dress you helped me pick out at the Arboretum?" Scarlett asked.

"The evening dress or the sex slave one?" Matilda wondered with a knowing smirk.

Scarlett blushed. "The second one with the shiny new material. Master quite enjoyed how it looked. Can you see if getting more items like that is possible?"

"Lady Vivian has been buying a lot of it for her slaves. I could go back to the shop, but today is normally her day off. It shouldn't be hard to find similar clothes," Matilda replied awkwardly.

I had sudden mental images of Scarlett dressed in the skin-tight dress with all sorts of kinky fantasies.

"That's a great idea. Any lingerie would be perfect," I added while giving Scarlett a heated look that she returned with a little smirk, feeling my arousal.

"Master, I can select the items, but I'm unsure how they would treat me. I wasn't exactly high up the ladder of importance before you hired me," Matilda replied as a nervous demeanour came over her features.

"Are you scared of going back?" I asked Matilda directly.

Matilda nodded reluctantly to avoid saying it aloud.

"Then you will take guards with you. Tell them I want you completely untouched, and if I read the contract correctly, it gives me full rights over your body."

"Ok, Master," she replied with some relief. "I know who to speak with to get that all arranged without needing to see Lady Vivian. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I pondered how sexy the new clothes might look on Scarlett, and the image of Emily alongside her wouldn't go away.

"Matilda, I also want you to purchase exact duplicates of all the items you get for Scarlett, including the red dress," I added momentarily, letting my lust get the better of my other concerns.

"But Master, I am not the same size!" she replied, blushing at my request.

Too late I realised that I hadn't stipulated that the clothing was for Emily and not Matilda.

"Sorry, I have another person I also need those items for," I replied, cringing at the brief pained look on her face. "Why don't you select some items for yourself we can use in private?"

This seemed to placate her somewhat as she nodded in reply.

"Are they for Emily? Is she one of your slaves?" she asked.

"They are for her," I replied, trying not to give away too much as my worry returned.

Matilda turned to her bedroom. "Master, I promise to serve you to the best of my ability."

As Matilda left the room, Scarlett turned to me.

"Master, what was all that about? Why can't she come with us?" She asked with urgency. "We need to go as soon as possible."

"I'm sorry, but Jasper is concerned that she might be here as a spy for Lady Vivian!" I replied.

"She would never do that," Scarlett spouted, pausing ponderously, "although she was behaving strangely yesterday. She told me not to say anything private in front of her," Scarlett continued, as her look became troubled.

"We'll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I don't want Matilda to find out about Emily until we have her safely with us or out of the Kingdom!"

"I understand, Master. We can be careful until we know more. Would you like me to speak to her about it?"

"No. Don't worry. Jasper is handling things I just want us to focus on rescuing Emily."

"Are you sure it is her?"

"I honestly don't know, but I can't imagine that strong Fire Fonts come around all that often."

"Master," Scarlett began cautiously, "if it is her, you'll have to make her your Font to save her. Is that what you want?"

"If that is the best way to protect her, then I'll do it," I replied.

"Master, that wasn't entirely what I meant. Would you prefer to help her escape, or do you want her collared as your slave?" she asked, giving me a knowing look.

I blushed as I realised that what I desired was not necessarily in her best interest. I wanted her. I wanted the beautiful blond angel in a skin-tight, sexy dress as I led her around on my leash.

"I want her. I want to keep her close and never let her go."

Scarlett gave me her biggest smile.

"Me too, Master. I've been desperate to get her back. I immediately felt a connection with her."

"Then let's go get her and bring her home!" I said firmly.

Seeing Scarlett's determination, I hugged her as she gripped me fiercely. She unexpectedly took hold of my chin with her hand and pulled my lips down to meet hers. I felt a spark of connection as I returned her kiss, feeling my excitement grow from the tingles.

I managed to withdraw as the surprise of the new sensation scrambled my mind.

"Master, what was that?" she asked, equally surprised.

"I'm not sure. That was just like with Emily!" I said, momentarily dazed, as I turned to leave with a spring in my step, despite our concerns.

We made our way to the lobby, and I spoke with the concierge on duty. In short order, he had runners sent to my father's guards and driver. In what seemed like hours but was likely only minutes, a carriage pulled up surrounded by a new host of liveried Carrara guards.

"Your Highness," the smartly dressed driver said, addressing me directly, "we sent for further backup as the lower city is not safe for someone of your position."

There as now a driver with six guards, all armed with crossbows and swords, on and around the carriage.

"I need two of these guards to report to my suite and escort my maid in her duties around the city today," I stated as I threw a bag of gold to the closest guard. "This should cover the required expenses. Extra items can be charged to the Carrara accounts directly."

I then addressed the driver, who seemed to be the most senior member of my entourage. "My companion and I will be traveling to the islands to visit the Font Training facilities. Please take us to the nearest relay station."

"Of course, your Highness," he replied as he directed guards to place steps before the door. I discussed the best place to go with him before climbing inside to join Scarlett.

"Master, where are we going?" Scarlett asked me with evident eagerness.

"I spoke to the driver. He is taking us to the Whitecliffe Island relay station so we can visit Drury House. It is supposed to be an institution of the Sky City, where they have the largest collection of available Fonts in the Kingdom," I replied, passing on what I had only recently learnt.

"Are there any others that have Fonts?" she inquired.

"I understand that there are two other key ones, Dunford's and The Grove. But we hopefully won't have to visit those."

The journey was slow as traffic had already built up through the city. Market day was not the best time to have such a large carriage, as swathes of free folk and slaves crowded the streets. We eventually reached a platform surrounded by Sky City guards, and I eyed a small sloop gliding down to dock against it.

"Master, are we traveling on that ship?" Scarlett turned to me excitedly.

"If we can get on. Look at the queues!" I replied as a large group of traders and merchants vied to board the ship and visit the Sky City.

The city guards, upon seeing our carriage reacted swiftly by dispersing the crowd and creating a pocket for us to enter through. I attuned my hearing as I picked up on our driver, informing the Captain of the guard precisely who I was. At his command, the guards stepped out to further drive the queue away. Holding Scarlett's hand while she gripped the box under her other arm, I exited down recently placed steps as the surrounding people gawked and pointed at us. I was glad when a uniformed man approached and guided us up to the upper level of the platform.

"Your Highness, we are honoured that you would choose to travel on our humble ship," the uniformed man stated, directing us up a gangplank. "We are delighted to welcome you aboard, and we will make haste for Whitecliffe Island."

"Thank you. Do we not need to allow other passengers aboard before we depart?" I asked in response.

The man seemed taken aback momentarily. He was obviously surprised that a member of the Royal Family would even consider such a thing.

"On second thought, I would like to commandeer this ship as my companion and I are urgently needed above," I quickly added as the ship's representative visibly became less agitated.

The ship was small, but we were directed to benches at the stern while my retinue stayed on the main deck as the ship's company began releasing the vessel. The journey as the crow flies was short, but it wasn't possible to simply fly straight up. Consequently, we spiraled in wide arcs upward as we passed under the vast islands above.

Scarlett and I sat against one another to keep warm in the crisp breeze. Despite our worrying about Emily, she seemed to have something else she wanted to discuss but was struggling to find a way to bring it up.

"Scarlett," I said, gripping her hand, "you look like there is something you want to say?"

"Master, I'm worried about what will happen to Mads when we bring Emily home."

"There is no need to worry about her. I'm not going to send her away. I promised you I'd protect her," I replied reassuringly.

"But Master, you haven't used her yet and found an excuse to put us in chastity. Do you want her to serve you or not?"

"It's not that simple, and we must be cautious with her. She is beautiful and submissive...two qualities I certainly enjoy."

Scarlett took in my words, but they didn't seem to placate her.

"Master, I feel bad. Did you only rescue her because of me, or did you actually want her? Please be honest with me."

"I care a lot about you. I couldn't bear to see you worrying about your friend. I'll admit, there is also a part of me that is more than willing to leash and fuck her," I finished more crudely, smiling at Scarlett.

"Then you should do just that, Master," she replied heatedly, returning my smile, "but it means a lot that you did it for me. I don't want to over complicate your life too much."

"Scarlett, nothing in my life has been simple since I found you, but I wouldn't change that for anything."

Scarlett gripped me in a fierce hug at my words which I returned, kissing her on the forehead.

"I don't want to lose her, and I don't want her to return to that evil woman. But I also don't want you to force yourself to have another slave. If you can buy her, can we find her a Master where she would be safe?"

I was surprised by the turn of events and appreciated Scarlett giving me the option.

"Why don't we discuss this once we've rescued Emily and have time to think things through properly," I replied with an odd sense of relief.

It was easy to spot Whitecliffe Island as its ivory colouring distinguished it from its neighbours, and in short order we were docking in a significantly fancier dock.

I marvelled at the white marble structures and ornately landscaped streets before us. Scarlett gasped at the sight as she pointed to the colourful arrangements of flowers and neatly cut hedgerows and turned back to me with sparkling eyes.

"Master, it's stunning!" she exclaimed, continuing to absorb the awe-inspiring view of the Kingdom below.

"This is nothing. Wait until you see Akana island. It is a spectacle of blue-blood wealth and competition. I've rarely been, but my family estate is beyond spectacular."

"I'd love to see it! But where are all the slaves? Aren't the city's leading auction houses and training facilities on this island?" Scarlett asked.

"A separate dock on the other side caters to such things, my Lady. Our destination is toward the island's centre," explained one of the guards as our driver arranged transportation.

Once a carriage of sufficient finery had been summoned, we passed along winding cobblestone streets and finally drew up in front of a grand-looking mansion with large ornate gates. Footmen saw the livery of my guards, the outer gate swung open, and they directed us inside. I watched through the window as we pulled up under a stone gateway. Our door swung open and I, as gracefully as possible, stepped down from the carriage to be greeted by a smartly dressed man.

"Welcome, Your Highness, to Drury House," he announced in an elegant accent. "I am Gregory Ashcroft, owner and purveyor of this historic establishment."

Before responding, I slipped my sword onto my back before turning to give Scarlett my hand. I helped her from the carriage until she stood beside me, looking every part the refined Lady despite her collar.

"Thank you, good Sir," I replied in my most confident manner.

Scarlett and I had discussed how we would approach things during the short journey and had decided that a horny young sorcerer with deep pockets making enquiries would help us get the answers we needed.

"What can we do for you, Prince Henry?" the man asked. I realised the livery had once more given me away.

"I am due to start at the academy soon and hoped to peruse your prospective Fonts to see if they are compatible. I've also heard that you have a fine collection of pleasure slaves, and I am always looking to expand my collection."

The man's eyes lit up with interest.

"Well you've certainly come to the right place. We even have one of your cousins here already doing the same thing," the man replied as anxiety sweep through me.

Scarlett stepped up behind me, taking a fierce grip on my arm as I felt the same concern from her through the bond.

"Which one of my uncle's sons is here?" I asked, knowing there were a few of a similar age to me.

"His Highness Prince Frederick. He is a powerful Fire Sorcerer, so we weren't surprised he came so quickly," he replied, sending my anxiety to new heights.

"We already have the potentials out for display, so please do come and peruse the stock," he continued, gesturing for me to follow.

Scarlett's nails dug into my hand as we made our way into the finely crafted room.

"So, were you the House that recently acquired a powerful Fire Font?" I asked as casually as I could, my heart thumping.

"We did. We managed to pick quite the feisty one, but she is nothing our handlers couldn't manage. Might I ask of your cores to understand what you are looking for?" the man responded with the eagerness of a salesman.

"I am looking for a Font for either my fire or arcane cores," I replied.

He raised his eyebrows at my answer and stopped before a set of wooden double doors that almost reached the ceiling.

"Well, let me show you our stock, and you can decide for yourself. Each prospect has a placard in front of them detailing their core and our assessment of its strength," he finished as he rapped on the door. Two guards armed with advanced-looking one-handed crossbows opened the door from the inside.

"If there is one you find compatible, give me its letter, and we can negotiate accordingly."

The man stood by the door as we entered a torchlit cavernous room while he stayed outside the door. Scarlett stayed close to me as we took in the line of kneeling women down one side, all dressed in light blue dresses to signify they were yet to be bound. I counted seven in total, and all but one maintained a perfect posture in a supplicatory pose with arms hidden in leather arm binders. Each had chains running from a chunky collar to a thick metal rod behind them which I realised must be grounding rods to keep their power under wraps.

My eyes swept along the line looking for blond hair, finding relief at not seeing any. I stepped up to the first placard to find that the woman, listed simply as 'A', was a medium-strength Ice Font. She had light brown hair and a plain youthful face. As I stood before her, she looked up with emotionless and unfocused eyes before asking in a monotone, "How can this slave be of service?"

I was taken aback by the lack of expression or change in tone. I looked up and down the room noting the guards at either end as I addressed the Ice Font.

"Have you seen a blond Fire Font?" I asked her as she stared back blankly.

"How can this slave be of service?" the drone replied, and my heart broke as I looked down the line realising that all these women had been subjugated to the point that their personalities no longer existed.

"There is no point in trying to speak to them. I tried for weeks, and they are beyond saving," a lyrical but downbeat Northern accent proclaimed from the end of the row.

I quickly stepped down the line, passing primarily mid-to-low strength Fire Fonts, to find a woman with bright red hair with her head bowed. She seemed to be bound to a frame with her arms stretched straight back in a stressed position, leaving her unable to move even an inch.

I squatted down to her level as Scarlett joined me.

"Have you seen a blond woman come through?" Scarlett asked her with a hint of desperation.

"I can't tell you. I never saw the new girl, but I'm her replacement. They don't always put me on the line, but apparently, seven is a lucky number, and I am the only spare."

"Replacement?" I asked, raising my voice in question.

"The other Sorcerer has already claimed one of us. They took her away, and now I'm here."

"Why weren't you here originally?" I asked, trying to find out more.

"I'm the runt of the litter," she morosely replied. "They've given up on breaking me as I'm not powerful enough for anyone to care!"

"I thought gifted women were more powerful." Scarlett commented.

"They typically are. What is your core?" I responded.

"I'm a powerless Arcane Font. They've kept me because it is a rare core, but no one would want me even if I found a compatible sorcerer."

"I have an Arcane core," I replied as her head shot up to look at me, staring daggers.

"Don't you dare. I'd rather die than be a lapdog like these empty shells," the slave growled aggressively.

I noted instantly the vivid the green of her eyes as her delicate features made her uniquely beautiful, despite her anger.

"I will never let anyone control me, so don't even consider trying!" she continued.

I worried as my thoughts drifted to how she needed a bright red ball gag to shut her up and make her look even more stunning.

A sudden crack broke my daydreaming as Scarlet slapped the young woman across the cheek.

"Don't you dare speak to my master like that!" she screeched at the bound woman, who recoiled in shock.

I reached out and pulled Scarlett into my chest, trapping her arms to stop her from striking again.

"It's ok, calm down," I said soothingly. "This poor woman has every right to want to avoid her fate. You can't just hit her like that."