by Lora Darc
She flinched and shifted in her chair, but didn’t jump away or fight. Once they finished she asked to see it and they gave her a hand mirror. She angled the mirror before the vanity and saw the crested moon and stars between her shoulders. The symbol of the Nightlands.
It didn’t trouble Danielle as much as she thought, in fact, she found it rather beautiful. She didn’t bother to ask if it would ever come off.
Just as the moon was halfway to setting, Danielle followed the servants out of her room and headed down the hall to another set of doors. She entered into what could only be the palace gathering room, double the size of the one inside the servant’s hall within the mountain. A fire pit sat at the center and more tables, chairs, and couches then she could count were positioned around it. Orbed lanterns hung from the ceiling and incense burned in tiny alcoves.
“Ah, just in time.” Melina stepped out from a doorway and waved for the lesser servants to leave. Melina studied Danielle, looking her over carefully. She circled her and nodded. “Yes. This will do. I think our princes will be very pleased.” Melina took hold of Danielle’s hand and turned it over. She grazed a finger along Danielle’s arm and rubbed her fingers together as if to inspect her for any tarnish or uncleanliness.
“Good. Very good. I think you are ready.”
“Melina, I want to ask you something?” Danielle said, looking around the room.
“Yes?”
“I’ve been wondering. Where did the city come from? It wasn’t there before. And the people... all of this.”
Melina laughed. “The city was always there, girl. Just buried beneath the sands. Once the princes brought it back, the people came quickly after. News travels fast in the Nightlands when it needs to. Once the princes were freed their people returned.” Melina took hold of Danielle’s hands unexpectedly. “You have done a great service to us with unlocking this place. The people are grateful to have their princes back.”
“And yet I am to be punished,” Danielle said.
Melina smiled. “Punished for something different I’m afraid. But you are and will be rewarded as well.”
“Is that why I’ve been given an extravagant room instead of a stinking dungeon?”
Melina laughed again. “Not exactly. You have been given a high honor, as the princes’ personal servant. No other Nightkin has been given the honor.”
“To be their pet, you mean.”
“Playful terms, but the same station nonetheless.” Melina took hold of Danielle’s arm and led her to the door. “The ceremony draws near. I must present you to them.”
***
They exited the gathering room and made their way down the hall then down the spiral stairs. At the end of the stair, a large group of nightwomen waited. They too were clothed and decorated beautifully though not as bare as Danielle. When they saw her and Melina approaching, they stopped in their whispers to bow to their mistress. A few glanced at Danielle but said nothing as she moved beside them.
“It is time, ladies,” Melina said. “Form together.” She clapped her hands and a door in front of them opened. Several palace guards awaited them along with a handful of lesser servants. Danielle was made to follow behind the group with a pair of guards to each side of her and a pair of lesser servants following last.
They marched down the corridor that led into the palace’s great hall then turned right, going the opposite direction from the palace entrance. At the end of the hall was an open door that led out into an impressively large courtyard, the very one Danielle suspected she had fallen into when first transported into the Nightlands. A path lit by bowls of flames directed them toward the opposite end. On both sides of the courtyard dark, twisting trees reached out towards them. Danielle recognized them as the very same she had encountered within the crow prince’s domain. The orchard had been relocated into the courtyard and was lit up by rows of hanging lanterns. Crows perched on the tops of the trees watching them. There was a working fountain at the center with long curving serpents spewing jets of water from their mouths.
At the opposite end, the doors opened, leading into an antechamber with a grand stair at the end, leading up to a massive door. They didn’t go through the door, however, but turned right down another corridor, then left down a dimly lit hall. They stopped beside a black and gold door with the Nightlands symbol carved in the center.
“Ladies, go in first,” commanded Melina. The guards opened the door and, in a line of pairs, the women walked into the bright room beyond. Danielle caught a glimpse of its vastness. The room looked very similar to the crow prince’s old domain. A giant, two-story chamber with a balcony all around and a circular skylight up above; the only difference was its wide, round shape.
The door closed before Danielle could see anything else. Melina looked over Danielle one last time. “When you enter, you will go directly to the center of the chamber,” she told her. “You will not look at the princes as you do so and let the servants direct you where to stand. Remember to do everything they say.”
Danielle nodded. Though she stood as calm and ready as possible, her heart began to race. They waited one minute longer than Melina nodded for the guards to open the door.
Danielle took a deep breath. Don’t let them think you’re weak You’ve come too far now. You can do this. You’re not afraid.
Despite her thoughts of encouragement, Danielle shivered. She held her head high and walked into the chamber.
Chapter 3
Gold and black was the first sight Danielle beheld. The chamber swirled with the colors, the floor so shiny and smooth she could see the night sky reflecting from up above. She dared not look anywhere else except a few feet ahead of her where she spotted a short set of stairs leading up to a stage at the center of the room. On the stage were four tall metal poles sticking out from each corner.
At the corner of her eyes, Danielle could see figures sitting around the edge of the room, but she didn’t glance over to see who they were. The lesser servants gently led her up to the stage and made her stand in the very center, looking toward the back of the chamber where she sensed a group of figures sitting, looking down on her.
She heard a few shift in their seats nearby as someone walked towards her. She recognized the appendages and feet of Prince Xaris standing before her. There was a pause of silence for a moment and then a few soft bits of laughter from nearby. Danielle felt him graze a finger along her jaw and then take hold of her chin to force her head up.
“You may look around the room, girl,” Prince Xaris said softly. “But do not look at me or my brothers in the eyes unless commanded to.”
Slowly Danielle lifted her eyes to gaze around the room. She saw a small crowd of people watching her from every angle including up on the balcony above. She recognized some of the faces as nobles she had seen from within the mountain. Others were nightwomen and men of the palace and soldiers and guards, along with Lord Torquel who observed her in rigid silence nearby.
When she looked over to her right, she saw each of the Night Lords seated and cuffed to their chairs on their own little platform. They looked worn and beaten, smatterings of bruises and scars painted their skin. Lord Tyris had one swollen shut eye and a slash across his nose. Danielle looked at each of them with pity and they glared back at her with a similar expression tinged with anger and disappointment.
She turned her eyes away to look over at the princes seated before her on their individual thrones, making sure not to look them in the eyes. They were clothed in regal attire; black velvet with gold trim. Medallions with each of their symbols—now more like crests—hung from their necks, large gemmed rings sparkled on their fingers, and long swords sat at their sides, which Danielle could only assume were for decorative purposes.
The princes gazed on her with cool indifference, but Danielle caught a couple smirking with satisfaction. Prince Morgin was such a one. He grinned down at her with a wicked expression.
“I believe this is a sight I—and my brothers—have
fantasized about for some time,” Prince Morgin spoke. “To have you here, finally serving us. But first, we must get on with the ugly matter of your punishment. Well... maybe not so ugly to us.”
The princes laughed. Danielle’s throat grew tight as Prince Xaris began to move around her.
“But it must be done nonetheless,” Prince Morgin continued, playing with a ring on one of his slender fingers. His spiked tail swished lazily under him. “You have tricked us and fled from us, defied and disrespected us. For that, you must pay.”
From behind her, Prince Xaris tied his rope-like webs to the poles above and then took their opposite ends and lifted Danielle’s arms above her head, tying each silky rope to her wrists. He raised her up until she was barely standing on her toes then tied her ankles. He cast more webs to the poles and wrapped and tied each length around Danielle’s body, making intricate knots around her waist and legs. He connected a few pieces together until Danielle was once again encased in an intricate web of rope just like she had been within the tower many moons ago.
She didn’t attempt to struggle though she could feel the heat rising in her neck and face at being tied up and exposed for everyone to see. Like some rare specimen being displayed for the crowd.
Prince Xaris looked over his handiwork and nodded with satisfaction. He moved back to his own throne chair and sat down. Once he settled in, the doors along the sides of the chamber opened and servants of all kinds entered in single files with trays of food and wine. The massive door behind Danielle was slowly opened by guards and Danielle felt a delicate, warm breeze brush at her back as the door to the courtyard was opened as well.
Danielle couldn’t turn her head enough to see, but she heard the voices of a crowd walking in from the courtyard. She heard their gasps and giggles and eventually saw their faces as they made their way around the stage to look up at her in fascination.
Soon the whole chamber was filled with people from both the city surrounding the palace and the mountain. They melded together, a mix of nobles and their servants strolling through the room, finding places to stand around the stage or up in the balconies above. Danielle watched servants weave through the masses, handing out drinks and plates of food. The nightwomen that Danielle had come with now stood or sat near the princes and handed them goblets of wine. The princes sipped at their drink while watching the crowd merge and pack into the room. Bravely, Danielle gazed upon some of the people’s faces, but soon their stares became overwhelming and she had to look away. She looked ahead instead, at the feet of the princes, aware that their gaze fell on her and that Prince Morgin watched her the closest, idly drinking his wine.
As all the people had found a place to spectate, the guards closed the massive door behind Danielle. Two servants followed by Melina, who was dressed in an elegant red robe and wore black leather gloves, stepped on to the stage before Danielle and she could see they each carried long narrow paddles while Melina also carried what looked like a silver wand. Danielle squirmed a little at the sight of them and heat pooled down into her stomach. Melina and the servants bowed to the princes and awaited their command.
The crowd hushed a little and the princes nodded their heads. Melina and the servants went behind Danielle. There was a short pause then Danielle heard the whoosh of the paddle and felt it crack sharply against her rear. Danielle gasped. The burning pain followed quickly after and soon flowered into tremors of pleasure that shook her body. A loud moan escaped her without thought and, before she could even prepare herself, another smack of the paddle hit her, making her swing forward.
At that moment Danielle silently thanked Sheek, the swamp witch, for giving her the power to feel such intense pleasure. The sting of the paddle brought tears to her eyes, but not because the pain made her suffer. She worried at that moment her moans would give her away so she began to cry out instead. The paddle hit her a third and then a fourth time and then stopped and Danielle groaned.
Melina came around to Danielle’s front and took up her silver wand. She placed it between Danielle’s legs and grazed her center. Danielle felt a sudden intense electrical pulse that throbbed against her aching core. Mindless, Danielle no longer saw the crowd or cared about the humiliation of being exposed. She reared up and lifted her head awaiting the sweet release.
“Enough,” came a voice, and the wand was instantly brought away. Danielle gazed around and flinched when she almost caught Prince Morgin’s eyes as he stood up from his throne. He watched her with an utter fascination, a fierce excitement taking hold of him.
“Why do you stop this, Morgin?” asked Prince Sethris.
Danielle saw Prince Morgin curl his hands into fists, where they shook a little. His tail waved back and forth behind him.
“Let them continue,” said Prince Cyre.
“No…,” said Prince Morgin. “Let them pause for a moment. Then, when she seems to calm, they will continue.” He looked to his brothers and they eyed him curiously. Then they seemed to understand and nodded in agreement.
Melina stepped away and Danielle moaned and struggled in her binds.
Prince Morgin is on to me, Danielle thought. The others thought to let her rest from the sting of the paddle or shock of the wand only to continue on before she could fully regain composure. But Prince Morgin saw how she reacted. Saw how she enjoyed it. He wanted to prolong her release, to watch her suffer that way instead.
The ache in her core was exquisitely painful. Danielle squirmed, badly wanting Melina and the others to continue. After what seemed like an eternity, the servants again took up their positions and the crack of the paddle echoed through the chamber. Danielle lifted her head and could feel her center tightening and burning.
Prince Morgin put up his hand again and they stopped. Danielle cried out in frustration.
A growl sounded nearby and Danielle looked over to see Lord Tyris and the other Night Lords watching with dark, crazed expressions. They struggled in their seats as if wanting to break their chains and lunge for her. Whether to save her or to take her Danielle was uncertain.
Another long pause, then a few more smacks. Then the wand came back and just before Danielle could feel herself about to come, it was once again taken away.
She cried and struggled and the crowd happily watched. The princes shifted in their seats, their expressions also darkening with heated desire. Little parts of them seemed to be transforming. Fangs were elongating, claws were lengthening, and eyes were burning bright.
Melina and the servants came around Danielle once again and Prince Morgin was pacing before his chair. “Harder,” he said as they brought up their paddles.
They spanked her harder. Danielle choked out a scream and she knew it was only a matter of time before she shattered.
No. I mustn’t come. If I do and they see, they will know something is up. They will realize I have some new power to withstand pain.
Danielle forced her thoughts away from the pleasure, trying hard to think of anything that would keep her from finishing. She closed her eyes and tensed, breathing slowly in and out as each paddle hit her. When the wand came again, however, she couldn’t stand it and nearly lost her control. Before her body betrayed her, someone yelled for Melina to stop.
The wand was quickly brought away once again just before her center spasmed and brought her over the edge. She let out a hiss of air as her core throbbed painfully. But despite the unbearable ache, she was thankful she hadn’t succumb. Melina and the servants stepped away and off the stage and Danielle hung limply, groaning and whimpering.
“Look at me,” came a whisper that sounded right next to her. Danielle glanced around, searching.
”Look at me, Danielle.”
Danielle knew the tone of voice. Slowly she lifted her gaze up to lock eyes with Prince Morgin, who stared down at her, unmoving. He held her gaze for a long moment, then his lips curved into a wicked smile.
***
Danielle hung from the stage for the remainder of the festivities. Melina a
nd the servants did not come back to paddle or shock her and she was both grateful and disappointed. The people, who looked only to her when first arriving, now completely ignored her. Servants came around again with food and wine and people chatted and even music beat somewhere unseen.
Danielle had kept her head bowed and her eyes cast down for most of the occasion, but she chanced to look over at the Night Lords who were observing the crowd. Lord Tyris caught her eye and his gaze grew dark. She looked away from him and back onto the stage where the princes were being attended to by the palace nightwomen. The women sat on the arms of the princes’ chairs and fed them bits of food, caressing their arms or their thighs. Prince Morgin forced a nightwoman onto his lap and wrapped an arm around her waist. He fondled her and she enjoyed it, arching her back. He grinned as she ground against him. But something in his eyes seemed distant like his thoughts were elsewhere. Prince Cyre too held a nightwoman on his lap, allowing her to touch the feathers in his hair. Prince Sethris had a woman’s wrist turned up to his mouth and was licking at a fresh cut he had made with his clawed thumb.
They too ignored her as if she wasn’t dangling before them. Danielle closed her eyes and sighed. The pain at her center was finally beginning to fade into a dull ache. Her rear felt tender and still tingled but she didn’t mind. Her legs and arms, however, were beginning to grow sore.
She started to relax more and thought she might even doze off when a shadow cast over her. She looked up and saw Lord Torquel standing before her.
“You did very well, Danielle. I see you’ve grown much stronger since you first fell here.”
“I had to,” Danielle said, staring up at him, “now that I‘m stuck here.”
“Are you?” Lord Torquel laughed and looked around. “I’d say you don’t seem to mind it now very much.”
Danielle turned her face away. “You know nothing.”
“Perhaps not.” He shrugged. “But I see that the Nightlands has changed you whether you’ve chosen it to or not... the others see it also, though they don’t know to what extent, yet. Maybe you won’t find it so bad.” He went to touch her, but she turned her head away more. “I know you won’t forgive me. But I did what I did to free this place. I am not the prince I had hoped to be yet, I have to make up for my other crimes first.”
