by Lauren Wood
“Got her,” one of the men laughed triumphantly.
“What are you doing?” Nera demanded angrily.
“Be quiet,” the man said, “You are going to start a new life in the court of His Majesty, Crown Prince Hassan.”
“What are you talking about?” she spat at him. The two men laughed and ignored her.
“Bring up the wagon,” the second one called out to someone unseen.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked as they lifted her and bundled her into the bed of a tired looking wooden wagon that was dragged to where she was by an older looking man with sad eyes, whom Nera took for a slave straight away, and in doing so felt she knew the fate these men had in mind for her. They didn’t answer her. She struggled against the ropes and threads of the netting but seemed only to become more entangled and enraged.
They traveled overland and soon met up with some more men with wagons. In each wagon, there was a woman, sometimes more than one, lying or sitting and sad. Some were in netting like her, and some showed the bruises of resistance on their arms or faces. None of the women would return her gaze, and none of the men would answer her questions; they would look at her appreciatively and say something like, “The Prince will be happy with this one!”
It was clear that all of the women were attractive and would be used for the personal pleasure of the Court. This was not a new occurrence, but it had been a while since she had heard about it, and never this far from the Capital.
Nera looked around as they moved into some sort of caravan and saw that they were taking the coast road. No doubt there would be a boat waiting for them at the harbor and then it would be a few days in the crossing of the sea. If she didn’t escape before they put her on the boat she wouldn’t be able to try again until they landed- and over there she would have no idea of the land or how to get back home.
At the ship, they were all loaded on as they had been on the wagon. Nera’s net was torn slightly as she was carried aboard but it was such a small rip, and in a place that made it almost impossible for her to get at that she didn’t get excited about it. They were all put in a large hold with burning lanterns hanging from wooden beams and from hooks hanging from the ceiling. It was so bright in there that it hurt her eyes in contrast to the darkness of the night outside. Some of the women were crying, but no one said anything to their captors.
A stocky man with a whip coiled at his hip came into the hold and looked over them all.
“Very good haul,” he said salaciously, “His Majesty will be pleased.” Then to the assembled women he said, “You should all be very proud of yourselves. You have been deemed to be the most beautiful women in your region. The great honor or becoming part of Crown Prince Hassan’s harem will now be yours!” He spoke as though he expected a ringing round of applause, and she laughed at the silence that greeted him instead. He looked over them all once more and then left.
One of the men who had captured Nera then came forward and said loudly,
“You now have a few days to reverse your sleeping patterns! You will not sleep tonight but will be permitted a few hours come sun up.”
“What is this?” Nera found her voice say before she had any control over it. The man looked at her and walked over. “Prince Hassan likes to sleep during the day, so from now on you too will like to sleep during the day.” He pointed a dirty stubby finger at her, and she was afraid of saying anything more to him.
“What will he do to us?” another woman called out, the fear evident in her trembling voice.
“Shut up!” the man barked at her, “You are not permitted to speak!”
Nera looked at the woman who had spoken and saw her convulse in tears. Some of the other women looked about to one another in confusion, but Nera knew what she had been so fearful about. She had heard the rumors of the Prince’s appetite for human blood; something that up to this very moment Nera had believed for even a moment. She had always thought this was some propagandist story to scare his rivals and enemies, but, now they were putting these women on a sleeping during the day routine she was not so sure. Could it be that the Vampire of folk tales and stories actually existed?
The crossing took several harsh days, and there were many times when the wind was up, and the boat would toss and tilt in the squall so much that Nera feared she would never see dry land again. When not killing themselves with work to keep the boat afloat the crew used all of their time into adapting us to the reversed routine that we would now be living. It wasn’t hard to stay awake with the level of fearful adrenaline that ran through all of the women’s veins, but there were severe punishments meted out for those who did not sleep when the sun could be seen through the boards above us. One woman was thrown overboard as a lesson to the rest of them, but Nera thought this act had the hallmarks of something planned and staged- that they had brought one extra woman on board just so as to make an example of her to scare the rest of them.
They were fed decently enough and were given plenty to drink and twice a day, or should that be night, they were all paraded around the deck to get both exercise for their stiffened limbs and muscles and for some fresh air. They were, after all, going to the Harem of the Crown Prince and had to be in the best condition possible for this position.
Finally land was reached. Those who were asleep were woken by the bustling cacophony of the dock they had arrived at. There was a market just inland, and they could hear the hawkers yelling and the general bustling sounds of barter and trade. They could see that the sun was shining outside, and its heat seemed to permeate the wood around them, and they all ached to stand up and be allowed to walk on dry land once more. It was a wish that was to go unfulfilled as it soon became apparent that they would not be leaving the ship until night fall.
“You should all be sleeping now!” the lead guard roared at us from the door above them. Nera went to the hull and looked out through the cracks at the town. It was not a big place, but it was very busy- the people must come from the surrounding areas to use the market here she thought. That could be to her advantage if she were to escape, there would be many people travelling the roads at the end of the market and it would give her more opportunity to escape. She could only hope she would be able to undo her binds in time. She set about this task and all afternoon she sweated in her labours as she ground the ropes against the edge of the wooden ribs of the hull. It was very slow progress, and she seemed to be doing more damage to the wood than to the rope but by evening fall she could feel a slight loosening at her wrists and she knew her work had not been in vain.
When it was full dark, the lead guard appeared with some minions who lighted the lamps about the hold. The sounds of horses and carts being readied filtered in from the land.
“I’ve been in this business for a long time,” the guard said, “And I know all the tricks so it would be in your best interest not to try to pull anything.” He looked about him menacingly. “Tie them all up with fresh rope!” he called out to his men, and he laughed heartily. Nera’s head sank with the wasted effort of her afternoon, and her spirits sank to their lowest ebb yet. She looked quickly around the room, and she saw that there was no way she was going to be able to escape with all the guards around and the layout of the boat was against her too. She sat resignedly as she was retied; she would have to escape at some other time.
They walked through the dark in a single file of five caged carts with five guards around each carriage and some men both fore and aft of the convoy. Nera looked up to the high mountains where they headed, the blue night and the light of the moon made everything seems so clear and sharp. They could see the Royal Palace for many hours before they finally came to a magnificent stone bridge that held high over a deep chasm. At the end of the bridge was the rough, thick wood of the drawbridge that was open to their arrival.
Despite her misgivings and abject fury at her abduction, even Nera could not help but be impressed with the high towers and walls of the palace. It was like nothing she had ever s
een, or even dreamed of before. She could only imagine how amazing it must look in daylight. She looked down deep below and saw that without the drawbridge been down there was absolutely no means of either entry or escape. This was going to be even more difficult than she imagined.
A guard walking along beside her pointed to the highest tower from which light emitted even at this very late hour and said,
“That will be your new home.” He smiled with a sneering twist on his face as she looked up at it. She didn’t have long to look up, however, as the ear shattering creak of the drawbridge being pulled back up called all of their attention to them. Nera looked through the gap as it dwindled and wondered would she ever see the outside world again.
The cages came to a halt inside a great hall that was well lit and had comfortable looking cushions and sofas all the way around the four walls. The walls themselves were draped with woven images of war and the victories of the Sultan. It was an impressive room, and there was the pleasant smell of food coming from somewhere very nearby.
As the women were looking about the room they all failed to notice that the guards had not entered this room and were now gone, the doors closed behind them. A woman appeared from a side door and came up and looked over the cages. She was not old but not young either, and she had a regal air though it was clear she was not part of the Royal House. She clapped her hands loudly and five young women came scurrying in and opened the locks of the cages. None of the women in cages dared to move, but Nera was very interested in this new development. She fancied herself in a fight with a man and now that there were only women to contend with here she felt her confidence grow once more.
“Don’t be shy girls,” the woman said, “This is your new home, come out and enjoy the sofas and the hot food we have prepared for you.” She was smiling as she spoke, but it seemed pasted on and none of the women moved. “I know that you have not had a pleasant journey here,” she spoke up again, “But, that is over now, and you will be looked after here well from now on. We must have you in the best possible condition for meeting His Highness.” She clapped her hands again and more girls came out with small tables and set them with steaming dishes of various hot foods and drinks. The sight and smell of these things did at last being to draw the women out of the cages, but Nera was last leave, using her time in there to see as much of the room and the people who worked there as possible.
The next two days were spent, as the woman had said, in the comfort of this great room. The woman were taken in twos and bathed and clothed in fine silken garments. They ate well and were promised a good life here once they did anything asked of them by the Crown Prince. Nera went along with everything she was asked to do. She could see through small windows that guards littered the area outside and should she try to escape now that would be as far as she would get. The bathing pools were in a room that was closed in completely, and the only door led back into the great hall. She heard some of the women who had come here with her ask the servant girls if any of the rumours about the Crown Prince were true, but the girls would only laugh as though the women were being ridiculous and continued on with their work. They were still kept to the night time routine, however.
On the morning of the second day, the head woman came to them and said,
“You have all done well here, and I hope that you will be happy. Tonight you will be presented to His Highness so I suggest you all do your level best to sleep as well as you can today so as to be fresh and alert for this great honour.” The women looked to one another nervously, but a couple actually smiled; these were the younger ones who were naïve enough to be indoctrinated in this place already. Nera lay down on her comfortable pillow, she would be well rested, up there was the place where she was going to have to find a way to escape. She had to, or else she would be here forever.
That evening they were all roused and fed a light warm meal and then bathed once more and dressed. Their faces were adorned and made up and their hair put into various styles of ringlets, curls, waves, plats and pony-tails. They were led as one unit across the heavily guarded courtyard and entered the main palace. Nera was surprised as to just how many soldiers there were in the compound and she wondered where they all slept. The women were ushered along corridors of cool marble floors and then came to a high stairs that spiralled up and up almost as far as they could see.
“Follow at my pace,” the lead woman said, “We don’t want anyone huffing and puffing when we get up there.” She led them in an agonisingly slow ascent of the stairs that took almost half an hour. At the top of the stairs, there was a small antechamber, and they were told to wait here while the woman went inside. Nera had looked behind them as they came up the stairs and saw that men had been stationed at the bottom of the stairs after them.
The woman came back and told them all to follow her. “Do not look to your right as you enter the Crown Prince’s entertainment room,” She warned them, and her voice was grave enough that she didn’t need to say anything more. The doors opened and music from with started as though this were some great military procession. The women walked in single file into the room, following the lead woman’s steps and gestures as best they could and none of them daring to look at where they all felt the eyes of the Crown Prince on them. None that was until the last woman came in. Nera couldn’t help but turn her eyes slightly to see this person whom they had all come to entertain. He was very white, but also very beautiful and she saw that he wore no shirt, and his body was well muscled and broad. He was hairless and scrupulously clean, and she had never seen a male specimen like him before. She looked away just in time as she felt his eyes fall on her. Her heart raced at the closeness of punishment and also in attraction to him. His face lingered in her minds eye for a moment, and she saw his red lips and blue-grey eyes, the small beard he wore solely on his chin and his shoulder length jet black and shining hair, curled and ruffled looking. She couldn’t help herself from imagining his holding her against his thick chest with his strong arms.
She looked around the rest of the room, and she could see that there were a lot of people there. A band was playing music, and she could see there were jugglers and other kinds of entertainers lying in wait for their turn to impress the Royal. Many women littered the seats and large rugs spread about. Nera noticed that these women looked upon the new ones with great curiosity and, it was odd but, she felt a lustful hunger. Some men sat about in small groups or with women and Nera thought that these must be the Prince’s friends.
The lead woman came to a halt and instructed with her hands for all the women under her charge to stop and face the Prince in a line. Nera was last to stop, and she turned and looked to the handsome Royal once more. He looked them all over but seemed to look at her longer than the others, or was this just in her imagination? He sat back in his chair and nodded to the lead woman. She bowed and then stood in front of the women.
“You have done well,” she said with a smile. “Do whatever any man here asks you,” she went on, “His Highness may be around to talk to you as he chooses.” With that, she turned once more and bowed to the throne and then left the room, by the way, they had come in.
The new woman stood in a huddle in the middle of the room not knowing what to do with themselves. Soon a few of the men came over and began to talk to them as they looked lasciviously over them. When one came over to talk to Nera, the band suddenly stopped, and all eyes turned to the Prince.
“Everyone except the new girls can leave!” he said. It sounded more like a suggestion than an order, but every single person in the room made their way to the door straight away after bowing to him. Nera couldn’t help but be impressed with the total control he had over all of these people.
When the room was finally devoid of everyone save the new women, the Prince stood up and walked towards them. They cowered into a huddle, and Nera felt them all jostle against her. She stood there implacably near the back waiting to see what would happen.
“You do not need to fear
me,” he said in a softer than expected voice. “As you have seen this evening I treat my guests in this room well.” He looked at them one at a time; a full body look at this time. “When I look at you tell me your name,” he said. He looked from woman to woman, and they all answered falteringly. Finally, he came eye to eye with Nera.
“I am Susan,” she said. No one else had yet asked her name and if she was going to escape she did not want people looking for her under her real name. His eyes flickered as though in delight when she spoke, and he smiled at her, a wicked smile as though they shared some private joke.
He stepped back from the women and faced away from them looking around the room.
“You may have heard things about me,” he said in a louder voice, “Things that you may have even been afraid of,” he said this part with a slight chuckle, “But,” he held a finger in the air, “Everlasting life is nothing to be frightened of!” he said. He turned swiftly back to them, and they saw that his features had changed and hardened, and there were ridges on his face that were not there before. His teeth had become elongated and sharpened, and he smiled a malicious smile at them. The women screamed, even Nera, and he feinted towards them and sent them scurrying in all directions.
Nera watched in horror as the women around her tried the door and looked to climb out windows but to no avail. The door was locked, and she already knew that they were far too high up for a speedy escape through a window. The Prince skulked about laughing as he watched his terrified and flitted prey and then he moved with great speed after them.
One by one he took hold of them in his strong arms and bit deep into their throats with those two long teeth. Shrieks of fear and pain rang out and when he pulled away from them and let the lifeless bodies of them fall to the floor there would be flecks of blood from both his mouth and their wounds that splattered on the stone slabbed floor. Some of the women fainted and made his task all the easier.
