The man gasped and Mennalin’s hand pulled from the jaw and eye. Where once was anger, now lay madness. The sorcerer looked to the one keeping him bound and took the hint. He crumpled to the ground and Mennalin sat on his heels to ask “Tell her highness where you hid this artifact and your misery will be at an end.”
It took a moment to find his tongue, but the man said in a delirious, pained voice while unable to move. “Krii. Under second floorboard of the Drunk Ape Inn.”
“Are there any traps?”
“Poison in rag it is wrapped in. If it touches skin it will paralyze… kill me.”
“I have what I need. Kill him by the light… and store his soul for later.” The empress commanded.
Mennalin looked around the room and colored lights surrounded every mage and Familiar’s face. Even Empress Vika covered her eyes with a gentle white, sparkling set of visors that matched what Rex Shakka wore.
An orb sprung into his hand as he covered his eyes, but the captive looked at it as if it were his salvation from misery. A flash so bright even filters could not fully dim made everyone instinctively turn away. But magic sensed the man’s brain and body hemorrhaging and liquefying within the lifeless shell.
One guard came from the nearest shadow, holding a piece of topaz and moments later the gem glowed with a man’s insane cackle mixed with fear. A moment later the dead man disappeared. The gem though fell in a pocket which silenced the guffaw. He then went back to his hidden position.
“Well it seems your talents weren’t exaggerated.” Empress Vika’s voice emanated from her darkened throne. “And I am a woman of my word, Mennalin the Torturer. For the next century you drinks are all on me. In the morning I’ll have your papers drawn up with the arrangements finalized. But before I hire you as an expert interrogator you will write down the shadowwalk method, leaving nothing out as well as teaching my assassins the frequency of light you used. It can take out many enemies. Your income will be one gold per month till I see fit to allow you to deal with more problematic captives. And as my newest subject you will abide by my laws and act to my every whim without question. The slaves you choose from me will be yours to do as seen fit and as such, if you impregnate any slaves you will send them to Xeer for birthing and should they not be enlightened you may do as you see fit and if they are, you may visit any time outside their learning. Is that clear?”
The third class sorcerer bowed again. “I am yours to command, My Empress.”
“Very good.” She paused and pointed. “Take him to my slaves and allow him his pick. Five women and two eunuchs to watch over them. No more. If he wants more slaves, he can buy them out of his own wages. And as for the bounty on these heads, give him the equivalent of a hundred thousand gold from the treasury.”
“You are most generous.” Mennalin said and knew he was dismissed. He backed away, following the aide who said not a word. As the two huge men were shutting the doors his hearing picked up the empress ordering “Discover what, when and how Rex Nattan plans to destroy Raliea and inform the Division Mountain Colony of…” the doors closed and nothing further came through.
The crystal staff was returned and he sighed as he drew from its stores before flying through the air, following his guide. She went one level below and placed her hand on a large crystal ball. It began to glow and a section of wall from the central pillar began to slide down. Light escaped and revealed two guards that seemed statues, but were sensed to be alive. They did not budge a muscle more than their eyes focusing on the visitor. When the aid nodded they landed and she said simply “Charity.”
Likely being the codeword of the day, she led Mennalin inside. The tunnel was short and led to a grand room filled with naked men and women ranging from adolescents to voluptuous prime, all collared and were platinum by mark of their left earring. Men who had their testicles removed watched a much smaller group of naked men who were still able to keep theirs as they all sat chained to a wall. The room was all for the empress’s amusement and none seemed to have much life in them. All were beautiful, or once were. Mennalin licked his lips and the aide said with a smirk “You are quite lucky. Few have ever been in this room or been allowed to have such valued gifts, but I warn you not to sample them all. You may touch to judge, but stay your lance till I bring you to your quarters… and do not touch my empress’s men. Those belong only to her and she will kill any who cross that blue line. I will trust you to choose your slaves as I collect the gold from the treasury. Be discrete.” She walked away, but her voice carried and the slaves knew he was to take some for himself.
The torturer made a beeline for the women and began moving among them, none met his gaze or moved without permission. Every woman was unmarred, bathed daily and lived in seeming luxury on soft beds and pillows, but they were broken of spirit, mere dolls. He lifted an eyebrow as he made his selection of two women in their early twenties and three of the very youngest girls of the room along with two of the seemingly fastest men by the time the aide returned levitating the heavy bag of gold bars equivalent to a hundred thousand gold coins. She guided the bag over and said “Interesting choices, but here is your prize.”
He took the bag and dropped the gold bars down into the pocket of his gifted black robe General Adair gave. He didn’t bother measuring the weight as he put them away one at a time. All he asked was “Do they know the city?”
“Of Course. These unenlightened fools do have their uses for her majesty. Only the men chained up are never allowed outside this room, other than to be brought up to service her. After I show you your quarters, they will do whatever you ask. Each are perfectly trained and will obey any command. They are now yours, but I need to know what mark you will use on their collars. The empress will not permit them to be yours with her mark. You and your slaves will be killed if they are not under her orders. Change their collars now.” She brought out a sheet of paper and watched as he turned and altered the empress’s mountain emblem to a rack with a man being stretched apart, just like what is displayed on his back. She nodded. “That will do. I do not believe any have that mark for their slaves. Now let me verify and catalogue it into our archives… there!” the paper flashed and transposed a large version while he corrected the rest of the collars.
“Where can I get clothes to cover my slaves?”
“Give me a decent shaving of gold and I will offer a sheet to throw around them.” In a moment she held a gold coin’s worth of gold and she produced enough sheet to drape around all seven naked slaves.
Ten minutes later they were outside the palace and at a nearby skyscraper. Mennalin stood in front of his slaves while the aide made arrangements with the building manager and returned to him holding up two iron keys saying “Go to the lift and know the entire fifty ninth floor is yours to do as you see fit. It will also be used for any business the empress sends to you. Payment will be one gold a month after six have passed. Until then the empress herself has made you her guest. Familiarize yourself with our ways and try not to get into trouble drinking. Your uses are needed, but not so much as to think you are not expendable. Enjoy your night and begin working as she commands.” She handed the keys over and stepped back into a purple sphere and disappeared.
Mennalin spun to his slaves and pointed to one man and a young girl. “Buy decent clothes for every one, two pairs. Girls get dresses. Afterwards bring me five bottles of spiced wine and a decent meal. You may all buy bread, cheese and a single slice of salted pork for each of you.” He handed a chunk of gold. “Return the change when you come back.”
The man and girl bowed, took the gold and left the building. The rest followed him to an elevator and waiting inside were two well dressed slaves who began pulling a rope easily to raise them all the way to the fifty ninth floor, picking up two serving slaves which had to clean the floor above Mennalin’s.
Eventually they reached it and as they approached the only door, he opened it and went inside where five doors stood in the private hallway labeled, Bath, Bedroom,
Slave Quarters, Study and Storage. He pointed to the man and said “Stand watch here for the others. The rest of you go to the room and eat when your meal comes, but you” he pointed to a blonde woman of early twenties with a full figure hidden beneath a closed sheet. “are going to please me.”
“Yes, Master.” She said and followed him into a spacious bedroom with a bed large enough to sleep ten. It had four posts and thin blue sheets surrounded it. Fresh candles lit magically as curtains leading to a balcony closed and darkened.
But just as the door closed and showed the three other young women going directly to their room, the woman bit back a gasp as an image of herself stepped from both her body and her new master’s. The man’s image disrobed and sat his staff down and his thrown voice said “On your knees.” And her image dropped the sheet and did as she would have and took his lance in her mouth and worked it.
She couldn’t help looking at the actual man beside her giving a wry wink and said “Hello, Lolon. I guess this is our first meeting, but we have a mutual acquaintance.” Despite months of forced conditioning she swallowed a lump and looked up into changing eyes.
Lolon watched as the man before her grew taller, up to six foot six. Bulging muscles reformed to fit more comfortably while a hooked nose lifted and straightened. Paler skin changed to golden brown as hair began falling from his face into by far the most handsome man she eve laid eyes on. And those eyes went from blue to an endless black from which nothing returned. “Wh… Who are you and h… how do you know me?”
“Come now, I’m sure Meeka spoke of me plenty.”
“I… It cannot be… Cage?”
Chapter 13
“The one and only.” He grinned and shivered. “Damn that was hard. I knew she’d be a handful of insane, but whoa… This place gives me the fucking creeps.”
“No! you shouldn’t have done this! I…” She blinked and touched her throat.
“Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I respelled the compulsion Vika put on you to run to the nearest garrison to report my true identity, but I didn’t remove it. I simply shifted your loyalty from that bat shit crazy broad to me, just incase a dragon saw a slave without a master and reported you. I kept you safe and me too.”
“Master?” Lolon asked and stopped as he lifted her chin with kindness.
“Damn, Girl, what did that psycho bitch do to you? You’re barely still there. The other girls are completely gone. Come here.” He pulled her into a hug the moment he saw some life get rekindled in those soft emerald irises. “Shhh, it’s alright now.” He patted her back as she began to shake. “I’m here.” Go ahead and let it all out.” And that she did as she griped his robe as if it was her only thread to sanity. “I’ll help you recover who you were, but I need to know if you love Vika right now.”
After a few more moments she sobbed into his robe while he continued to make the lifelike illusions he created of them still have sex, his image forcibly bending hers over and slamming himself fully from behind, using some of her actual sounds he had deduced she would use if taken in such a way. The sound of sex slowly pulled Lolon from her despair and asked “What are you doing?”
“Putting on a show for everyone watching.” He laughed. “Don’t worry, we can’t be seen or heard. But I wouldn’t mind if I knew how you sound during orgasm in the next few seconds. Since I don’t know you that well, I need to know so those watching, who know your sexual sounds don’t get figured.”
“Then you better make my noises quieter. I barely make much sound, but I wet the sheets profusely.”
“A squirter?” She nodded. “No problem. My mates also do that, but are quite vocal. Do you simply spread your legs or lock them around a man’s waist when he enters?”
Realizing he was just being methodical and not rude and that it was up to her to keep them alive, self preservation kicked in. She said “I was trained to dig my heels in the bed so my masters could satisfy their desires. I also learned to twist my hips and clench my flower so you should act surprised. Also I’m not allowed to touch you with my hands without explicit orders, Master.”
“It’s Cage, but thanks for the info… here it goes.” The illusions moved to the bed, the mattress even sunk the proper depth from the combined weight. Mennalin then did everything Cage’s made up character would have and Lolon’s double moved as she supplied. After a few seconds, conjured water wet the bed as a fake orgasm.
“Oh, and make sure you try not to pleasure me. No master would do that. Release seed in two more minutes.” She coached.
“Even for a fake I feel bad for the bastard. My women would kill me if they saw this.” He laughed and looked at Lolon. “I guess that answers my question.”
“What question?” She looked up at him.
“That you have Stockholm Syndrome, but still have enough scraps left inside you to tell me truthfully how you have sex to keep up my ruse. You still have empathy and love to Vika due to her brutal ways. It won’t be easy to break that bond. And until I determine you won’t relapse or get us killed, you will remain in this room. To everyone it will look like you are my favorite slave and every now and then I’ll bring in that other woman your own age for a threesome. You are still a magician, but the rest of them are normal people. I chose them, especially the little girls to get them away from her.”
“And the young girls? Will you bring them in with me for pleasure.”
“No way in hell! They will simply do errands. I chose them to get away from Vika ‘cause when I make my move I’m going to see them live as normal a life as possible when all is said and done. I’m not going to compromise my plans any more than I already have by reveling myself. I only do it now is because when I was up their watching you in Vika’s slave harem, I saw a flicker of retained personaility. I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken, Lolon. You are as much a fighter as Meeka remembers. Now, let’s begin your rehabilitation.” He actually disrobed and her jaw dropped as her eyes naturally went below, but he didn’t react to her as a normal man would. “The first step is to get comfortable speaking to one another without boundaries. Sit on the plush carpet with me.” Conditioned to obey her master, she dropped the sheet and sat cross-legged. “No matter how hard it is to say, tell me every detail of how you were recaptured. Facing reality and sharing will help you respond and reclaim more shreds of who you were. I’m afraid you’ll not be truly as you once were, but I will do all I can. As for boundaries, no sex, kissing or any advancement to shift to me as a rescuer. Lolon, you may not speak to anyone other than me when I let you leave this building. I showed myself only for Meeka because you were her friend and I’m certainly going to use you to bring this place down so lovely women aren’t mistreated like this again. Clear?”
“Yes, Master.” She said and Cage felt his jaw clench as he looked into those tormented eyes. She began doing as ordered and explained that after two weeks from escaping Eeroan, the freed magician class prisoners started breaking up into smaller groups and going in different directions to avoid capture. She was leading a group of young magicians through Ert Swamp when her magically enhanced hearing picked up sounds of trackers and split off from her group to lead them away, only all were recaptured no matter how well she led the pursuers away from her group. But instead of being returned to Eeroan for study and execution, she and several others were forced to board a boat and sail north to Tryway and then to Sepre before being marched to Laqura Castle. The day Lolon had come to the city she was bent over and chained naked with all the other women who tried to escape inside of the massive retraining complex in the city. Thousands of men raped her day and night, even while she was forced to drink gruel just to stay alive. Forced to be chained in a bent position the entire time. It was a month she suffered agony and whenever her ass and flower was in desperate need from harsh abuse she was healed tightly so that it hurt like a virgin all over again. She was physically beaten down while sleep deprived and when she no longer had a grip on who she was the empress had her fully healed and brought in to her servi
ces.
To Cage, he knew then just how deeply she was scarred and the empress was her false hero from more and more nonstop punishment from nearly every man in the entire city it sounded like. Such brutality pissed Cage off though it didn’t show and it added yet another reason to see this place torn apart. Even with the spell modification he could see wrapped around her head, Lolon was a major threat to his extensive plans. A dangerous liability. Even though she was no longer magically compelled to service the old woman’s whims, the distress ran deep enough that she would do it regardless. So just in case she or someone managed to get in and learn his true identity from her he created a spell buried in her collar to prevent speaking aloud of who he was while maintaining his cover as Mennalin.
She spent more than an hour spilling her heart wrenching tale and the illusions were, in all appearances, asleep from exertion. Towards the end he could see how much expressing her hurts had helped, but the road to recovery would be long.
Then there came a knock on the door and a young girl’s voice rose. “Master, we return. I have your meal ready.”
From the bed his illusion said “Bring it in and put it on the table… and hers too.”
A young girl in a drab wool dress came in carrying his heaping and steaming tray. Her eyes stay lowered the entire time. As the tray was sat down she put down three silver and four copper coins. The real people watched from behind an invisible dome and she walked out as a second girl came in with Lolon’s meal and the bottles of wine. They closed the door behind them hearing their master command Lolon’s image “Feed me.” And she answered “Yes, Master.”
Using clever tricks for those his many spells detected were watching, Lolon hand fed her master with his head using her naked lap for a pillow, but already the food was fake and was instead with the real people. Cage laid both plates down and pulled the cork from a bottle of wine. “Lolon, go on and eat as much as you can.”
Empress's Endgame (Book 5 and final of the Death Incanate Saga) Page 43
