The Rift Rider

by Mark Oliver

  Square Head led them under an arching spray of water that somehow managed to water the plant life without getting anyone wet. Outside the palace walls he had seen the poor fighting over bottles of dirty water, but it seemed there was more than enough refreshment for Lady Ori's plants.

  A glass door, two storeys in height yet incredibly thin, slid open. They stepped through it and into pure opulence. Charlie's jaw dropped. He had visited Windsor Castle as a kid once. This place made the Queen's weekend haunt look like a Merthyr Tydfil council estate.

  The door into the palace was a great glass monstrosity. Square Head pressed his hand against a random patch and it slid open. Charlie and Bei followed the huge guard inside. The five other mercenaries kept behind them.

  The room was as large as it was splendid. The ceiling and walls curved to give those lucky enough to enter the impression of standing inside a giant shell. The cool marble floor lay half covered by magnificent rugs. Winding rows of chandeliers hung from the ceiling, basking all beneath them in golden light. Positioned at seemingly random intervals along the walls were great canvases depicting rolling landscapes, ancient battles and handsome gentleman in varying states of undress.

  "Lady Ori's court," Bei said, no less impressed than Charlie.

  The monarch glittered like a mirage at the opposite end of the room. Charlie and Bei walked towards her. She was not alone.

  Guards, handpicked for their loyalty, strength and looks, stood in a row behind her. Large rifles hung from their shoulders, sword hilts stuck out at their waists and the tops of battle-axes peaked out from behind their broad shoulders.

  In front of her sat a semi-circle of finely dressed men and women. They rested on thick furs and intricately weaved rugs, chatting and laughing.

  Lady Ori looked down upon them from a throne of rubies and emeralds. She wore a long emerald robe over a sapphire dress, but those delicate fabrics paled in comparison to the shimmer of her golden skin, and the lustre of her curly, black hair that flowed over her dress like a waterfall. Covered head to toe in jewels, she was a blazing star, pulling everything into her orbit.

  Charlie had seen more beautiful women, but only in his dreams.

  Two beasts sat either side of her, their chains wrapped loosely around the throne's arms. They looked like a cross between a Rottweiler and a Komodo dragon. Just like the monarch, their bodies had been covered in precious stones. The creatures looked down upon those below with cool indifference, and yawned, revealing fangs that glistened like rapiers in the light of the giant chandelier hanging above them.

  Charlie shuddered. Ever since a pit-bull terrier had attacked him on his paper round, he had feared big dogs, one he had done his upmost to keep hidden from his mates. He glanced again at their chains. They looked far from thick enough in his opinion.

  As Square Head led them closer, the beasts sniffed the air and stiffened. Two pairs of burning eyes fixed upon Charlie. He froze. Bei noticed, and misreading the situation, said, "Don't worry, Lady Ori's won't hurt you." He laughed, struck Charlie lightly in the ribs and pushed him onwards. "Unless that's your thing."

  Charlie said nothing. He was too busy avoiding the four demonic eyes following his every movement.

  Lady Ori held up her hand, revealing a thick golden bracelet covered in dials and buttons, and called for the two guests to be brought closer. Square Head stepped aside and motion for them to go ahead. Charlie stayed close to Bei as they padded their way through the throng of palace guests.

  “Captain Lowaiki,” Lady Ori said. “I thought I’d never again have the pleasure of your company.”

  “It is with a smile in my heart that I stand here before you today, your Ladyship,” Bei said, bowing low.

  “So Captain Lowaiki,” Lady Ori said, a hint of steel in her voice. “Can I assume that you are here to repay your debt and the necessary interest?”

  “You assume correctly, your Ladyship”

  Lady Ori signalled to a stern looking man standing in the distance holding a small tablet device in his hand. He strode over to Lady Ori and whispered into her ear. Then he backed away.

  “Taking into account eight year's worth of interest, let's round it up and say you owe me one hundred thousand Seenthee notes.”

  The guards that had led them in, and had so far hung back, stepped forward, forming a crescent behind them.

  “I offer you something far more valuable,” Bei said.

  A bemused look passed over Lady Ori's face. “I'm listening."

  “Your Ladyship, you are famed throughout the land for keeping a harem filled with the most handsome male concubines on the planet. At what price would you sell your most handsome concubine?”

  “Why, I can put no price on him. The pleasure he gives me is beyond monetary value.”

  “Well then, before you stands a male I believe would challenge any concubine in your harem for looks and charm and sexual prowess,” Bei said, presenting Charlie with a sway of his arm.

  Charlie smiled what he hoped was a most charming smile. To have any hope of finding Brother Yojim and getting home, he would have to fulfil his end of the bargain. And that meant impressing this beautiful alien overlord.

  “You mean to say you are offering me this gentleman?” asked Lady Ori.

  “You are correct your Ladyship.”

  Hazel eyes filled with unhidden scepticism. “Can that hair and skin be real?”

  “This, my lady," Bei said, "is the legendary Charlie Scott and I can assure you that everything about this gentleman is real,” said Bei.

  “Legendary? I've heard nothing of this boy."

  "The ladies of moons one and two whisper a hundred tales about this man's loving. And I have seen his manhood with my own eyes. In all my travels I've never seen a finer example."

  Charlie cringed. So Bei had seen him naked too.

  The lady smiled, seemingly pleased at what she heard. She studied Charlie with hungry eyes. He recognised the look. He had seen it a thousand times in Swansea's meat markets. It was the wolfish look of sexual desire imprinted on every fool's face, including Charlie's, when at ten minutes to two the clubs threatened to close without them pulling. By this time in the night the downed vodka red bulls had ramped up their horniness to inhuman heights while also ruining all chances of impressing a member of the opposite sex.

  "Step forward young man,” Lady Ori said.

  Charlie took a few paces forward, stopped at the base of the throne and bent down onto one knee. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched the two alien beasts.

  Lady Ori reached down and placed a hand against his head. She ran her amber hands through his hair, leaned forwards, and stroked his cheek with a gentle caress, lifted his chin and looked deep into his eyes.

  Bork's beastly come on momentarily flashed through Charlie's mind. He pushed the memory away and smiled at the monarch.

  “Lovely,” Lady Ori said, pulling away and leaning back on her throne. "Where did you find such a delightful specimen?" She asked Bei.

  “On my travels, your Ladyship.”

  “You must have travelled far, Captain Lowaiki. I’ve never seen a man such as this. He has the eyes and hair of a silver, without their hideous skin or tedious personality. He's quite gorgeous.”

  "Indeed," Bei said.

  To Charlie she said, “You may stand.”

  Charlie climbed to his feet and returned to his place beside Bei.

  “I accept your offer Captain Lowaiki.”

  "Excellent," Bei said.

  "Consider yourself most fortunate Captain," Lady Ori said, her voice edged with steel once more. "I would have been well within my rights to take the boy and your life. But as a young man you gave me two nights of quite exquisite pleasure that I remember to this day. For that reason alone, I'll let you walk out of here with your life."

  "Thank you, your Ladyship," Bei said, bowing again.

  "Now leave my city immediately and don't come back. I have a reputation to maintain and the fact that you're st
ill breathing reflects poorly on me."

  "I understand, your Ladyship," Bei said, straightening. He patted Charlie on the shoulder, moved in close and whispered, "Good luck." Then he walked out of the court, escorted by Square Head and his troop.

  Charlie's heart sank. He was alone now.

  Lady Ori clapped her hands twice, and two guards stepped forward from the line of handsome mercenaries behind her.

  "Charlie Scott, you are now my property. Whatever I ask you to do, you shall do without hesitation. Insubordination will be punished and if you fail to please me you will be sent to the mines. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, your Ladyship," Charlie said, bowing as he had seen Bei do.

  "Excellent. I am very much looking forward to our first sexual congress."

  Charlie swallowed. Bei had said nothing about shagging.

  “Guards, place the palace bracelets on my new concubine and show him to the harem.”

  While one guard held him, the other attached a pair of silver bracelet to his wrists. Each one had a series of gently pulsing, blue spheres embedded into the metal. They looked expensively made, like something a rapper would wear in a music video. However, Charlie doubted they were simple fashion accessories. Something told him their real purpose was to keep him under Lady Ori's control, to keep him enslaved.

  For that was what he had now become, a palace sex slave.

  Chapter 14

  As the guards led Charlie out of the court and through the palace corridors, he kept his eyes wide open. When he escaped he would need to know his way around the place. He had no intention of living the rest of his life as a rent boy, no matter how hot Lady Ori was.

  He noted mentally where each corridor led and where the patrolling palace guards came to rest. Life-sized statues of men, so disproportionally proportioned they would make a porn star feel inadequate, appeared every ten metres of so. Charlie memorised their location too.

  The guards came to a stop in front of a great wooden door. Although Charlie had grown somewhat accustomed to the splendour of the palace, the door took his breath away.

  It had been expertly engraved with intricate images of men and women engaged in all manner carnal acts: a furry man bending over a hairless woman, a furry woman with her heads between the legs of a furry man, a furry woman sat astride a hairless man. The carpenter had covered every conceivable position and then thrown some more in. Half of the moves seemed impossible to achieve without a year's yoga practice and a two-foot willy.

  Looking at the enwrapped men and women, Charlie realised he was considerably out of his depth. If this is what Lady Ori's used to, he thought, I'm going to have to raise my game.

  Two huge guards, topless, their stacked muscles glistening with oil, stood either side of the massive door. They looked like genies put in place to guard a secret treasure trove. They exchanged a few words with Charlie's escort. They grabbed the large golden handles and pulled, revealing Lady Ori's most prized possessions: her concubines.

  Charlie walked inside. The room stood at two rugby pitches in length and one in width. Decorative tile work formed complex mosaics on the floor. The ceiling was no less impressive. From it hung golden chains supporting candles and lamps of every shade and hue.

  All around the room, men of varying colours and sizes sat lounging in small groups. Some of the men wore soft robes, others only underwear. All were in peak physical conditions. It reminded Charlie of the gladiator stable he had seen on Spartacus.

  The sound of idle chatter and laughter drifted to Charlie on the back of plumes of delicious smoke puffed into the air by water pipe smoking concubines. Charlie sniffed the spicy and fruity scents.

  Halfway down the room, a live band played. Its musicians blew on flutes made of bone, banged animal hide drums and fingered strings on instruments resembling guitars but sounding like harps. The music was soft and relaxing, allowing the men to talk without shouting.

  The harem had been divided into different sections. The sleeping sections, filled with soft looking beds and large hammocks and lounges, occupied the central left side of the room. A huge swimming pool filled the centre of the room. Exercise areas formed a ring around it. Charlie checked out the equipment and weights. It made Charlie's university gym look like a toddler's playground surrounded it.

  All in all it was a spectacular room, but right now all Charlie wanted to know was where the toilet was. His bowels were screaming in protest and the long walk through the palace had been more than a little uncomfortable to say the least.

  A man, older than the rest, walked over to greet Charlie. His face was heavily wrinkled, and his burgundy skin had the texture of dried leather, but his eyes danced with light. He wore a suit, cut tight, revealing a still muscular frame. Charlie hoped he would tell him where the nearest toilet was.

  The man's lips curled into a handsome smile. “Welcome to your new home. My name is Waw Keep.”

  “I’m Charlie, Charlie Scott.”

  “Charlie," Waw said, rolling the name around his mouth like a boiled sweet. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I’m the mister here. It’s my job to make sure the men stay healthy, well fed and content. If you need anything, just ask and I'll do my best to see it done.”

  "Actually I do have a question," Charlie said, squinting. "Where are the toilets?"

  Waw laughed. "Follow me."

  Five minutes later, Charlie stepped out of the bathroom a new man. The toilet had been of the type usually reserved for dictators and megalomaniac movie stars. It had more buttons than his DVD remote control and seats lined with animal fur. Charlie was already looking forward to his next trip.

  Charlie, smiling and feeling a good deal lighter, followed Waw on his tour of the palace harem. Despite being imprisoned and about to start work as a prostitute, Charlie could not shake the positivity that always accompanied a good shit.

  As they walked, Charlie saw that all of the concubines wore the same silver and blue bracelets he wore. Waw was the only person without a pair. Charlie held up his wrists. "What's the story with these?" If, as he expected, their purpose were to imprison him, he would need to know how they worked.

  "They're palace bracelets. Her ladyship places them on all of her concubines and servants. She wears the master bracelet."

  Charlie recalled the thick gold encircling her wrist.

  "If anyone displeases her," Waw, said coolly, "they receive a pulse up their arms. An experience I can assure you most remember for a long time. In that way she can keep her staff in check without having to resort to the usual physical mutilation that takes place outside. She wants her palace staff obedient and in perfect physical condition."

  Charlie frowned. Having to wear these bracelets was another thing Bei had conveniently failed to mention. “So, Lady Ori likes to keep us slaves on a tight reign."

  Waw snorted. “Slaves? Take a look around. This is paradise. Are you saying you'd rather be out there shovelling shit like the rest of them?"

  Charlie said nothing.

  "In the harem, you'll live like a prince. You'll eat food cooked by the best chefs on Seenthee, sleep on sheets made of the finest silk and wear robes fit for a monarch. All that is asked of you is that you stay in shape and seek to improve your lovemaking technique."

  Charlie turned to the pool and exercise areas. Staying in shape will be easy enough, he thought. But improving my lovemaking techniques?

  "If her ladyship loses interest in you or you fail to satisfy her," Waw said, growing serious, "you'll be sent to the mines. And then you'll know what it is to be a slave."

  Charlie swallowed. Although Amy had never complained about his bedroom skills, she had never exactly complimented them either.

  "So you've got plenty of incentive," Waw said. "And, if you make it to ten year's service, the ladyship will reward you with your freedom." He held up his bare wrists.

  “How many make it to ten?

  “Some. It’s a constant challenge to keep her ladyship interested. It requires charm, tec
hnique and constant invention."

  "Why did you stay?"

  The burgundy gent smiled and waved an arm at the harem. "I got used to the luxury. And I'm not alone. Many former concubines remain in the harem after their service, teaching the next generation how to give pleasure in all its many forms.”

  The old man smiled. He reminded Charlie a little of an ex-professional footballer, refusing to leave the game.

  “Now, if you're ready," Waw said, "I’d like to introduce you to some of the concubines.”

  Charlie smiled. "Go ahead."

  The concubines greeted Charlie as one of their own. Friendly and welcoming, they shuffled aside to allow him space to sit and answered his questions with smiles and good humour. He sensed that despite their captivity, they were a happy bunch, content to spend their days lazing about on the piles of soft cushions, smoking their fruity water pipes and sampling the delicacies brought to them by the palace servants. They passed their time playing holographic games beamed up from hologram torches built into the floor, or reading on sleek tablet devices.

  A thick set concubine with a lustrous moustache was showing Charlie a graphic novel depicting one of Seenthee's ancient myths, when Waw interrupted them politely and said, “It's time to show you the marquees.”

  In each of the harem's four corners a giant marque had been erected. The marques all had a unique colour and purpose.

  A couple of hover cycles floated nearby. Waw got on one and showed Charlie how it worked. After the rocket ride, they looked as safe and simple as a child's tricycle.

  Charlie climbed on, placed his feet on the square pedals, and pushed his right heel down. The battery, hidden beneath the leather seat, powered up. The hover cycle rose. A push of the left pedal sent it floating forward and then Charlie was off, weaving his way through groups of lounging concubines, towards the first of the four marquees.

  It was massive, spreading out from the corner in an explosion of purple fabric. It had three peaks. They brushed the harem ceiling. Its drapes flowed out around it, spreading over the harem tiles like giantess's dress.