by James McEwan
This tactic might have worked on others, but not these three women. All of them had been forged in the fire of adversity and tragedy and they were not going to be broken by this man, or any other man for that matter. They all would die first. They hope it would never come to that.
Both Fiona and Freya dreamed of ways to skin that bastard alive while Lex she was more interested in escape than killing. Commander Cotton Paw felt awful as she was the only one that was not mistreated. Even though she was being confined with the others, their captors seemed to treat her with almost a reverence that was due a beloved pet.
They climbed ever higher into the mountains until they came to the end of a large canyon. There, carved into the rocky face, was Qasr Burqu' the mountain fortress. It didn’t look like much until they were off-loaded and marched inside.
Inside was a different story. Unlike the ruff red rock that made up the outer walls, the inside was made from multiple kinds of marble as well as other types of stone. It looked more like a palace than the headquarters for a religious extremist terrorist group. Gold gilded most of the hand-crafted wood work. The rooms had silk curtains and everywhere you looked there were plants of all sizes and shapes. The place was unbelievably beautiful and yet it all seemed shallow and fake. There were mostly humans walking around the fortress yet they saw a few other humanoid races there as well.
The women wondered how Rod Masters was fairing as they had not seen him since leaving the oasis. They got their answer as he was dragged in. He was in chains and his face showed the effects of what looked like several beatings. They noticed he was walking better on his cast but he was walking hunched over a bit. It was Lex who noticed the lines of dried blood on his back.
It seemed that he had also found himself at the end of the lash but they hadn’t held back on him. The large son of a bitch who had been on the other end of the whip was now on the other end of the chains. Rod stole a quick look in their direction and paid for it. The man pulled the chains so hard and fast that Rod lost his footing and fell flat on his face. In the man’s other hand was the whip and he cracked it. The lash tore open Rod’s clothing and sprayed fresh blood towards them.
Fiona, in front of the three women, caught a fine spray of Rod’s blood on her face causing her to jump. The man saw it and laughed. He whipped Rod again who could not help but cry out in pain. “Get up dog,” he said in broken English. As he said it he pulled Rod’s chains again lifting him back onto his feet.
While Freya and Fiona had been angry with Rod for putting them in their current predicament, neither of them felt that he deserved this. Anger and hatred burned inside of them as if they had a fire in their bellies. Freya whispered to her sister, “I don’t care what it takes, we are killing that son of a bitch.” Fiona nodded, “Agreed.”
Rod was dragged off to somewhere unknown while the women were taken to a separate wing of the building. It was obvious that the women held a lower standing in this religion and it was clear that this part of the fortress was sectioned off for them. There they were met by a handful of women who faces were vailed with dark colored vails that were adorned with gold and silver bobbles.
“Come, come this way,” They were beckoned to follow. Seeing no other option, they followed, with Commander Cotton Paw walking right beside them. They were led to a room that looked like a changing room of some kind. It had shelves that lined the walls. On the shelves were stacks of towels and glass bottles filled with all kinds of different colored liquids. Some of the bottles had sparkling bits floating around in them. The veiled woman then ordered them to strip.
“Why?” Lex asked first.
“You are unclean you must be washed. The master will not allow the unclean, unwashed, and unpurified to enter his house. You must be washed. Now come, and hurry. It is best not anger the master,” she said as she grabbed Freya’s robe and pulled on it.
Fiona tugged her robe off over her head, “Well ladies, when in Rome…...”
They stripped down and were led to the next room that had a large steaming bath. “I don’t know about you two, but after two days of ridding on the back of a hairy pig I am ready for a bath,” Lex said as she waded into the water.
The twins looked at each other and then followed her into the warm inviting water. Almost immediately, their hopes of enjoying a warm bath was dashed. As soon as they entered the bath waters several females wearing just enough silk to cover their breasts and loins, followed them into the water. These carried different kinds of soaps and numerous scrubbing instruments. There were two women for each one of them. They chanted prayers of purification as they scrubbed the dirt, sand and a little skin, from their bodies. At one point one of the women who was attending to Fiona reached between her legs.
Fiona grabbed her arm and yanked it out of the water, “Hey there sister there is a limit.”
“But, you must be washed, especially there,” the woman winced as she explained.
Fiona really didn’t want to let the woman’s arm go, however, Lex put her hand on Fiona’s, “They have to or you know what will happen to them, besides it’s not as bad as you think,” she winked at her. Fiona relented and allowed the woman to wash her.
After they were done with the ritual bath they were directed towards the other side from where they had entered. They were met by more women who were dressed head to toe in black robes and veils over their faces who, with white soft towels, dried the trio all while praying rhythmic prayers.
After being dried they were directed into yet another room where they were women rubbed down with wonderfully smelling oils. Next they were given black robes of their own. Their hair was brushed and twisted up to fit under the black cap that covered their heads.
Lex noticed that they hadn’t been given vails yet, “So when do we get those fabulous monkey face wraps you are all wearing?”
“You will receive your niqab when you are wed to one of the masters. Only then will your face be hidden so as not to temp the other masters,” the woman answered.
“Great! I wonder what the masters are going to do when they find out that some of us are already married.” Freya said.
“It matters not what you were or who you were before you came here. You will belong to the masters and the divine,” she replied simply.
“Yeah, but the masters haven’t met our husband yet, and I don’t think he will take to kindly to someone else trying to marry us,” Fiona added to the conversation.
“Enough!” Barked an older woman. They could see that she was in charge as she had no vail and she looked like she could have been old enough to be a grandmother several times over. “No more questions, no more talk, you three come!” She ordered.
The building they were in was built into the side of the mountain and it had a natural chasm that was open to the sky. They followed the woman down a narrow corridor with slit windows that overlooked a massive courtyard. They passed the last of the windows and came to a spiral stair case.
It was at that point that Lex noticed that Commander Cotton Paw was no were to be seen. “Hey, has any one seen my cat?”
“The animal is being prepared as well,” the old woman said.
“What they are going to marry her off to the master’s cat too?” Lex smarted off.
“No. She is being washed and prepared for the wedding feast,” the old woman said as she started up the stairs.
“Oh, that’s nice she gets to come too,” Fiona said.
The old woman stopped and spun around and looked at them, “Going? Heavens no She will be the burn offering for the ceremony. Then the masters will dine on her flesh.”
Lex's face turned a couple shades darker, “You’re going to eat my cat?”
“Yes, and by the looks of this one she should be tasty. Now move along quickly. You must be in your cells before the sun sets,” The old woman said as she led them up the stairs.
“Oh, hell no! You freaks are not going to eat my cat!” Lex yelled and then followed it with a stream of curses and
profanity.
“Enough!” the old woman barked out, “No more talk. If you open your mouth again I will stuff it with Heek root and tape it shut.”
Lex stopped talking, but it didn’t stop Freya from whispering to Fiona, “What do you think Heek root is?”
“Nothing good I would wager,” Freya whispered back. This earned them a stern look from the old woman. They got the hint and stopped talking.
At the top of the stairs they were led down a hallway which had narrow wooden doors with rod iron banding. By the look of this part of the fortress they could tell that the masters had little care for the comfort of their women, as there wasn’t a spec of gold anywhere. Everything was plane and ugly compared to the areas where they saw men. They stopped in front of one of the doors, the old lady pulled the door open and pointed to the small room inside.
It was about the size of a jail cell not more than six by nine. There was a pad on the floor, a small slit window at the back of the room, and in the corner, a stone chair with a hole for their waste. Next to it was a bucket of water, a sponge, and a couple of little glass bottles with different colored liquids in them.
The old woman grabbed Fiona by her arm and shoved her into the cell. She then explained, “This is your cell. You will say here. You will not talk to anyone. You are to pray and prepare yourself. Food will be brought to you and you will not make any attempt to escape. If you disobey or fail to follow instructions, you will be punished. The Divine have degreed that you must spend three days in isolation and prayer before you are fit to be wed to a master.”
She closed the door and then she marched to the next door in which she pushed Freya into. Followed by the last door on the floor for Lex.
After the door closed, Lex waited until the old woman’s footsteps fade away. “Hey, can you guys hear me?” She asked through the small slit in the middle of the door.
“Yeah Lex we can hear you,” Freya answered.
“There is no way I am staying in here for three days. And there is no fucking way that they are going to kill and eat my cat!” Lex said sternly.
“Okay we are with you, but how do you plan to get out of here?” Fiona entered the conversation.
“Look, there is no jail that I have been in that could hold me yet. I will get out of here and it will not take me three days to do it. First of all, I have to do some recon. It looks like they didn’t bother to light this area so when the sun goes done I will slip out and do some poking around and see what I can find,” Lex said as she was busy feeling her way around the door looking for a means to exploit for escape.
“Okay, but how are you going to get out of the door it seems to be bolted from the outside?” Freya asked.
“No worries. Where there is a will there is a way. Just give me a little bit of time and I will have an escape plan. I need you two cover to for me if anyone comes looking,” Lex said between bites. She was using her teeth to strip the side of the pad that was left for her to sleep on. After a couple of good bites and one hard tug later she had pulled free the edging that covered the stitching.
Lex looked around the sparse room before stopping on the metal bucket of water they had left for her to wash with. It had a handle so that it could be easily carried. A few minutes later she had the handle off of the bucket and had bent it into a hook.
Lex tied the edging that she had stripped from the pad to the makeshift hook and was ready. “Fiona, can you tell if anyone is coming?” she asked.
“It sounds all quiet,” Fiona answered.
“Alright ladies, here goes nothing,” Lex said as she lowered the hook down to the bar that was across the door the prevented them from opening it. It only took her practiced hands twice before she got a good perch on the wooden bar. She pulled up carefully and luckily for her the metal hinge that the bar rotated on was well oiled and in good repair. The bar lifted up without a problem.
Lex slipped out of the cell quietly as a church mouse. She stopped by each of the twin’s doors to touch their fingers that stuck out of the small slit in the door. She did this to reassure them that she was out and would be back.
The sun set fast and it was almost pitch black in their cells, save for the little bit of star light that came through the slit window. “Hey Fie,” Freya said with her back to her door sitting on the stone floor.
“Yeah?” Fiona answered.
“What do you think Thad is going to do to these assholes when he gets here?” Freya asked.
“I think the better question is what am I going to do to these assholes when I get out of here,” Fiona said thinking of the number of ways she was going to kill the seven-foot-tall bastard.
Freya laughed, “That’s the spirit sis, that’s the spirit.”
Chapter 27
Things didn’t go as well for Rod. He was dragged to the courtyard chained to a post and left to wait for whatever came next. Just as the sun was coming down the man himself, Yiska Yanisin, came to him. He was dressed in a black button up shirt, plain black pants, sandals on his feet and a white Embroidered Jubbah. The thread used on his Jubbah was pure gold. He was also wearing a matching Kufi on his head.
Rod looked up at his captor and laughed, “Man look at you. You must think you are Mohammad himself. Hey, let me ask you something. What do the Muslims think of you high-jacking parts of their culture and beliefs for your little cult here?”
“Blasphemy!” Screamed one of Yiska’s bodyguards as he kicked Rod in the face. Yiska held up his hand, “That is enough, leave us.” The two bodyguards bowed and left his side but they didn’t go far. They remained just out of ear shot.
Rod spit out blood and what was left of a broken tooth. The other part had been knocked out a day earlier. He looked up at his captor, “Hey, remind me to send that guy a Christmas card. Your guy knocked out the rest of that tooth. I gotta admit it was really jagged and was playing hell with my cheek.”
Yiska stood unmoving, “Mr. Masters,” he paused for effect, “I understand you reject the Divine and me as their one and only true prophet in the universe.”
Rod interrupted him with a chuckle, “True prophet, my ass. Look, jerk off, I use to be an actor and it doesn’t take a good one to spot a bad one. By the way you should have done some better research when you dreamed up this little scheme. I have seen parts from at least half a dozen religions in your little rituals.”
“I must say you are awfully informed on religion for an actor,” Yiska said.
“I wasn’t always an actor. I was born and raised as an Ameron. But I didn’t buy their brand of religion any more than I buy any of yours,” Rod said as he spat out more blood. He tried to hit Yiska, but missed.
“I admit when I started it was a means to an end, but as I continued I have been blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Just look around at my holy army and all that we have accomplished,” Yiska up his arms. “I didn’t believe it possible, but it is all true. There is a Devine God and he touched my mind and he tells me what to do. And because of my obedience I have been given all of this.” Again, he waved his arms around.
“What this little patch of dirt? I got to tell you Yiska, I have stayed at places much better than this shit hole. I will concede that it has a nice interior, but the help is overly hands on, and the management believes their own advertising and that is never good. If I ever get around to writing my travel guide on the best and worse psycho places to visit your little slice of heaven will get at least two, maybe two and a half chain saws,” Rod shot back.
“Mr. Masters, I was hoping to reason with you, to make you see the light, but your soul is just too far corrupt to see the truth. Maybe some time alone will help you cleanse your soul.”
“Reason? I think that went bye-bye some time ago. And while I am on the subject of reason, do you really think beating on the people you wish to convert really works? Cuz I got to tell you, it is not doing a whole lot for me. In fact, I think it is having a bit of the opposite effect. If I can be honest here, it is making
me think you all are a bunch of bat shit crazy sadists, whose god is the god of dicks and assholes!”
Yiska's polished demeanor cracked for a brief moment as anger flashed in his eyes. “Pain purifies the body and the soul. I guess some just need more purification than others. You shall have time. Three days until I take new wives. If you have not found the Divine by then, well, I shall offer you as an offering.”
Yiska clapped his hands and within seconds his bodyguards were at his side again. “Stake him,” he said then turned and walked away.
“Wait, what? Stake me? That doesn’t sound too good,” Rod called out after him as he walked way.
The two guards unchained him and grabbed his arms and drug him over to another area of the courtyard. This part had no stones like the rest. Just hard packed dirt which was stained in serval places a dark reddish brown. They pushed him down hard. One guard stood on his left wrist while the other wrapped a leather cord around his right wrist and then he pulled it over to a metal stake that was sticking out of the ground.
“Easy now fellas. It is my first time being staked,” Rod said trying to keep his spirits up. The man who had been standing on his wrist was now wrapping a leather cord around it. He said nothing and just yanked it tight as Rod led out a shriek of pain.
Meanwhile, Commander Cotton Paw had been led away from the girls and down into one of the many kitchens the fortress had. She then was instructed to get into a cage that was prepared for her. She hissed and growled and did not want to get in the cage, but the large round woman with a wooden spoon soon changed her mind as she smacked Cotton Paw on her nose. Hurting and humiliated, she relented and got in the cage. She was given some cream and some kind of fish that reminded her of tuna. With nothing else to do she ate the fish and lapped up the cream. After her meal she set about cleaning herself and then promptly fell asleep.
