The Isle of Torment

by Andrew Hunter

  Vriene leaned forward, his face a study in cruel delight. "Dance for us," he said.

  Vecca writhed, twisting her body like a serpent. Her silvery hair cascaded down over her slender shoulders as she danced. Her hands moved over her body, smearing red streaks across her small breasts where the demon's magic had marred her. She lifted red fingers to her lips and sucked them, licking them clean as she gazed up at her master, her eyes smoldering with verdant flame.

  "Good," Vriene said, "Now that we have our entertainment, we can eat." He plucked a strip of flesh from his plate on the tip of his knife and popped it in his mouth, smiling as he chewed. He looked at Tanys and raised an eyebrow.

  Tanys turned her attention to the food on her plate and began to eat. She could not guess what sort of meat it was. Her eyes were drawn continually to the gyrations of Vecca's body in the pit below.

  The demon slunk to the far end of the outer circle, its jagged shoulders drooping. It watched in silence as its magic enslaved the silver-haired girl to the master's will. Vecca danced until her skin glistened with the sweat of her exertion, and she gasped for every breath. Still, she did not step from the yard-wide area of the inner circle, her body twirling endlessly within its violet ring.

  Tanys swallowed the last fatty lump of meat from her plate and drained her cup, setting it aside. She met Vecca's gaze as the girl spun. Vecca's eyes flickered, sometimes the lambent green of the demon's spell, sometimes golden and hopeless and weary of shame.

  Vriene finished his drink as well, setting the empty on the table before him. He dabbed his lips with a white napkin, leaving the red stain of his wine. He looked down on the dancing girl with a thin smile. "Well done, Vecca," he said, "We've quite enjoyed our suppers. Now I think it is time for dessert."

  Tanys saw Vecca's face contort in misery. Vecca mouthed a silent No.

  Vriene leaned forward again, his grin as sharp as a hungry fox. "Show us what you really are, Vecca," he hissed.

  Vecca shook her head, her eyes begging him to end her torment.

  Vriene lifted his hand toward the waiting demon. "You might ask our friend for help, if you think my punishment too harsh," he said.

  Vecca groaned, lowering her head as she fell to her knees on the floor.

  "No," Vriene sighed, "Stand up now. Be a good girl for us... We would all like to see exactly what you really are... Show us, Vecca... Show us what you are."

  Vecca rose, shaking, to her feet. She lifted her face in hopeless despair, and her eyes flared green once more as she surrendered herself to the dark spell.

  Tanys watched as Vecca's fingers curved into claws, raking across her petite breasts, sliding down her body and between her legs. Vecca pawed at herself, one hand spreading the petals of her sex, the other delving feverishly between them. Vecca chewed her lip as her head thrashed side to side, and she whimpered as her body pleasured itself before her audience.

  Tanys's eyes moved to the Zhadeen princess. The girl sat, unable to look away, but something else now mingled with the horror in her large, beautiful eyes. The princess's dainty teeth pressed against her delicate pink lips in an unconscious imitation of Vecca's wanton desire. Her cheeks flushed the rosy hue of slumbering passion as she watched the ensorcelled girl bring herself to climax. One of the princess's hands strayed to the collar of her dress, absently caressing the silky frills at her throat.

  Tanys looked up at Vriene who was watching the princess's reaction as well. He looked at Tanys with a wicked chuckle and nodded before turning his attentions back to Vecca on the floor.

  Vecca cried out as she came. Her left hand fell to her side as she swayed on her feet, her right middle finger tip still weakly circling the quivering bud of her womanhood. She looked up at Vriene, devastated and spent.

  Vriene clucked his tongue. "That's not all you've got, is it?" he demanded.

  Vecca moaned, beyond exhaustion.

  "No," Vriene said, "I don't think you've really tested your limits at all." He nodded toward the hulking demon.

  The demon lifted its glassy claw once more, and a white mist formed upon the floor at Vecca's feet. Vecca looked down, shaking her head in numb horror as a glistening icicle grew up from the floor between her legs, its dull tip pointing directly upward. It hardened into a foot-long rod of ice, nearly six inches across at its base and tapering to a thumb-sized tip. Vecca looked up at her master and sobbed, "Fuck you, Vriene."

  "No, Vecca," he said, "Fuck yourself."

  ****

  Tanys supported the Zhadeen princess as they walked together from the chamber of horrors. Naietta had returned to lead them to their rooms once Vriene had dismissed them. The trail of Vecca's blood on the floor showed that the guards had dragged her away down another hall after she had lost consciousness. At least she had survived the ordeal and never once broken the violet circle, no matter what degradations she had suffered at the master's whim. Whatever hatred that Tanys had held toward the Daima, it was gone now, replaced by pity for what she had seen Vriene and his pet demon do to the girl.

  "I can't take any more of this," the princess wept.

  Tanys wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder and stroked her golden hair. "Be strong, girl," she said, "I don't think he means to harm you."

  "I'll go mad!" the princess sobbed, "I'll go mad!"

  Tanys pushed her against the wall of the corridor, and stared into the girl's wide, frightened eyes. "Look at me!" Tanys said, "Look... at... me."

  The princess blinked, holding her breath and trembling.

  "What's your name, girl?" Tanys asked.

  "Anavaiel," she said.

  "Are you really a princess?" Tanys asked.

  The girl nodded. "One of the seven ascendant beauties." Her delicate fingers went to her cheeks suddenly, "I'm still beautiful, aren't I? He hasn't..."

  "Yes!" Tanys said, "You're fine. No one's hurt you."

  Anavaiel's pretty lips curled in disgust. "That girl! Her face!" she sobbed.

  Tanys wanted to slap her to calm the girl down, but thought better of it. "Ana," she said, "Ana! You're going to be fine. I'm going to get you out of here."

  Anavaiel's eyes focused on Tanys again. "Cranston too," she gasped, "You must find him! They must have him somewhere."

  "That man that was with you on the boat?" Tanys demanded, "If I find him, the ghasts will be the last of his worries."

  Anavaiel's look showed that she had caught the threat in Tanys's tone. Tanys steeled herself to disillusion the Zhadeen girl about her former friend's loyalty, but Naietta's hand on Tanys's shoulder interrupted.

  Naietta tugged at her, motioning for the two of them to follow, and Tanys complied. Anavaiel leaned against her once more as they continued toward the stone lift. When they reached the upper floor, Naietta led them down an unfamiliar hall to the door of Anavaiel's bedchamber. Tanys watched as Naietta lifted her hand to a symbol carved in the wall beside the stone door, and the chamber door rolled back into the wall. Anavaiel's room proved to be a cozy, brightly lit chamber full of warmth and light and mirrors. The princess rushed inside turning as she regarded her reflection, touching her face with her fingertips.

  "It's still there," Tanys said with a smile.

  Anavaiel turned to look at her, blushing, and smiled as well.

  "I won't let him hurt you, Ana," Tanys said, "I promise I'll find a way out of here." She looked at Naietta, still staring blankly. "... for all of us."

  "Thank you, Tanys," Anavaiel said.

  Tanys nodded as Naietta lifted her hand once again, and the door rolled shut.

  Tanys pressed her hand against the rune to no effect. "How do you do that, Naietta?" she demanded. Tanys seized the mute girl's wrist and lifted her palm for inspection.

  Tanys shivered at the sight of the black stiches laced across Naietta's palm. A slim bulge outlined the shadow of something they had inserted beneath the skin. Tanys lifted Naietta's arm and pressed her palm to the stone symbol again.

  The door rolled open, and Anav
aiel shrieked as she turned, her hands clasped over her breasts and her dress pulled down to her waist.

  "Sorry!" Tanys cried out, lifting her hands and Naietta's hand as well in apology, "I was just... testing something."

  Anavaiel face and shoulders blushed bright pink, her lips puckered into a furious pout.

  "Good night," Tanys offered lamely as Naietta twisted her wrist free of Tanys's grasp and shut the door once again.

  Tanys smoothed a strand of hair from Naietta's shoulder as they walked toward Tanys's room. "I suppose I'm going to have to get one of those things for myself," she sighed, "I wish you could tell me where you got yours."

  Naietta showed no sign of comprehension but led Tanys back to the door of her own chamber and palmed it open.

  Tanys stepped inside the room, now lit by a golden-flamed lamp upon the small table against the wall. She flinched involuntarily when she saw the faceless boy standing beside the bed with a bundle of blankets in his arms. She realized suddenly that the room had been swept clean of cobwebs, and that the bed had been replaced with one that actually stood on four solid legs. Tanys looked around. A new chair had been pushed up beneath the table, and a steaming kettle and cup sat on a silver tray before an oval mirror atop the table.

  Tanys looked at the faceless boy. He lowered his head, quickly setting the stack of blankets onto the freshly made bed. He stepped away, uncertainly.

  "Did you do all this?" she asked.

  The boy's hand lifted halfway to his chin then paused, trembling. He nodded, making a low noise that might have been a, "yes."

  Tanys's voice caught in her throat when she tried to speak, and she covered for it with a small cough. "Thank you," she said.

  The boy nodded again and walked quickly toward the door. Tanys stepped aside to allow him to pass. She saw him glance at Naietta, then bow his head and disappear down the dark hallway beyond. Naietta showed no sign of comprehension but lifted her hand and closed the door, leaving Tanys alone in the room.

  Tanys stiffened, exhaling slowly. The fear and horror of what she had seen tonight threatened to overwhelm her. She held it at bay by force of her resolve. She had quelled an entire coven of blood mages and helped to overthrow the rule of a city of beastmen slavers. What chance did a single demoniac have against her?

  Tanys shivered at the memory of the demon. She had faced hell-spawn before, but they had always been creatures of flesh and blood, warped by dark magic. How could she destroy a monster made of broken glass?

  She looked at her reflection in the mirror, disgusted at the way the thin white dress clung to her body, Vriene's gift to her. She stripped it off and tossed it away, facing herself, naked and defiant in the mirror.

  She didn't need to kill the demon. She only needed to kill Vriene before he could summon it to face her.

  She brushed a strand of dark hair from her face and smiled.

  Chapter 5

  The grating of stone woke Tanys from a troubled sleep. Her hands reached for her blades, but they were not there. She blinked against the light that framed the silhouette of a man in the doorway, remembering again where she was.

  "Good morning," the man spoke.

  Tanys recognized him as the ghast named Brynn, the beastmaster.

  "I guess you survived the night," he said, stepping into the room. He carried a bundle of cloth under one arm and crossed the room with an easy swagger to her bedside. "I see he let you keep your face. Everything else intact too?"

  Tanys frowned at him. She sat up in bed, pulling the blanket up over her chest as she did.

  Brynn scoffed, the corner of his lip curling upward.

  Tanys placed her hands on the bed to either side of her hips letting the blanket fall away to reveal her full breasts as she looked up at him, her eyes hard.

  Brynn smiled, tossing the bundle of brown cloth to land in her lap. "Put these on," he said, "we've got a lot to do today."

  Tanys tugged the bundle open to find a pair of brown trousers with threadbare knees and adjustable leather shoulder straps to hold them up as well as a stained shirt.

  "No shoes?" she asked.

  "Are you planning on running away?" Brynn asked.

  Tanys bit her lip. "I like to keep my options open," she said.

  Brynn laughed. "Good for you," he said, "but, between you and me, we're all gonna die on this fucking island. You might as well accept that and pass the time as best you can."

  "You're a prisoner here too?" Tanys asked.

  Brynn chuckled. "You're lucky enough to have someplace that you can dream about escaping to. For us, this is just the last place left to hide."

  "You're exiles?"

  "Something like that," Brynn said, "Suffice to say, most of us thought we were lucky to escape the executioner. I'm not so sure about that now."

  "Even Vriene?"

  Brynn laughed again. "He's the worst of the lot. Difference is, I think he likes it here."

  Tanys glanced toward the open doorway.

  Brynn glanced over his shoulder then shook his head. "Oh, you think I'm afraid he'll hear me?" he said, "Vriene knows what everyone on this island thinks of him. He doesn't care... he revels in our hate, but, so long as you never disobey him or try to hide something from him, he doesn't give a fuck."

  "Why is he in charge?" Tanys asked.

  "Because he's the scariest son of a whore I've ever met," Brynn said, "Now get that shit on and let's go."

  Tanys's hand went to the edge of the blanket that lay across her lap, hesitating. Brynn stared down at her, lifting his blonde eyebrows impatiently. With a sigh, she tugged the blanket aside and got to her feet, standing naked before him.

  Brynn watched as she pulled the trousers on, letting them bundle around her hips as she reached for the shirt. His eyes went to the dark triangle of hair, just peeking out above the trousers' fly, and his upper lip drew back into a feral grin.

  Tanys tugged the shirt on, finding the seam of the left sleeve torn. It hung open, exposing the pale curve of her shoulder as she tried in vain to button the man's shirt closed over her ample breasts. She shot Brynn a vexed look.

  "All I had lying around," he said.

  Tanys twisted the shirt together in front, tying it into a knot just below her breasts. Brynn leered at the heaving swell of her bosom through the open collar of the shirt.

  Tanys sighed and tugged the trouser straps up over her shoulders. "Where are we going?" she asked.

  Brynn gave her an evil smirk. "The closest you're ever going to get to seeing the sun again," he said, "We're going up."

  ****

  The upper caverns stank of seawater and dung, and echoed with the barks and hoots of the scores of animals caged there. The roof of the cavern curved up in sort of a natural dome, a hundred feet above their heads where dim sunlight trickled in through a jungle-choked hole in the ceiling. Ghast workers walked between the thick-barred cages, tending the needs of the beasts within. Here and there, the cavern floor dropped away into pools of water whose dark surfaces roiled and churned as scaly finned things fought for the chunks of raw flesh that handlers ladled out from blood-stained buckets.

  "Is this where you keep the sea beast?" Tanys asked.

  Brynn laughed, looking back at her over his shoulder as he walked. "No," he said, "We needed a bigger cavern for her."

  Tanys remained silent for a moment, keeping pace with the beastmaster as he made his way toward the far end of the cavern. She dared another question then. "So, you can... ride the sea beast, and make it go where you want?"

  Brynn shook his head without looking back. "You still think you're getting off this island, don't you?"

  Tanys felt her cheeks grow hot. "I don't give up so easily as some!" she said.

  "You will," Brynn said, "Everybody gives up eventually."

  "What made you give up?" Tanys demanded.

  Brynn stopped walking suddenly and spun to face her, a flash of anger in his eyes. Then his face softened, and he smiled again. His eyes drifted d
own her body. "You're cute when you're angry," he said.

  Tanys looked away, an unvoiced curse on her lips.

  "Come on," Brynn said, "let's go wake your tiger up. He'll be glad to see you, I think."

  Tanys's heart leapt at the mention of Ghodn. She followed Brynn anxiously to smaller cavern at the far end of the central chamber. Inside, they found a large cage with scarred wooden bars as thick as a man's leg. The gray mountain tiger lay within, his mighty chest rising and falling slowly, and his claws flexing in restless slumber.

  "Ghodn!" Tanys cried, rushing to the cage bars, "Ghodn, it's me!"

  The big cat's ear twitched, and he let out a groan, but otherwise showed no sign that he had heard her.

  Tanys turned to face Brynn. "Let him up," she said, "Let him up now... please."

  Brynn eyed her cautiously. He brushed his long blonde hair back over one ear with his left hand, even as his right hand drifted to the axe at his belt. He sighed. "All right," he said, "I'm going to let him wake up, but you have to understand something first. He's going to want to tear his way out of here when he comes to, and maybe you're gonna want to let him do just that, but that is not going to happen."

  Tanys tensed her lips and kept silent.

  "I could break his will in half if I wanted," he said, lifting his hand quickly in response to the look of rage on the raven-haired girl's face, "but I'm not going to hurt him if I don't have to! I've never seen his match, and it kills me to see him down like this. I want him awake, and I want him happy. I just want you to understand the situation. As far as I'm concerned, you're his pet, and, if it makes him happy to play with you, then I'll allow it. If you've got something else planned... some crazy dream about turning him loose and making a run for it, I will put him down and kill you in front of him. Do you understand?"