Bridled Lust

by Faith Eden

  ‘When the good captain calls out,’ Savatch told them, ‘I want you two to giggle. Yes, I know you are gagged, but a man can tell a woman’s enjoyment, even though her mouth be plugged, you understand me?’ Solemnly, the two heads nodded and four saucer-shaped eyes stared back at him. Savatch grinned.

  ‘Perhaps I should give one of you a good fucking to make sure we produce a realistic sound, too,’ he mused. Not one of the four eyes so much as blinked, though a little twinkle seemed to appear in two of them - unless it was only his imagination playing tricks with him.

  The pony cart was not as hard to pull as Jekka had anticipated, but then, she thought to herself as she trekked steadily along in the line in which she had been placed, she was much fitter and stronger than most of these slave girls and had not endured several days of this labour already. Indeed, the girl whose place she had taken looked so exhausted it was a wonder she was still able to stand, let alone continue walking, even without the burden of her vehicle.

  Mercifully clouds appeared during the afternoon, obscuring the sun for much of the time, but the day was still hot and she could see the leather of her harness slowly becoming stained as it absorbed her perspiration. By now, she assumed, both Alanna and Opal would have joined the main column too, but she had not seen either of them and did not want to draw unwarranted attention to herself by trying to look about her.

  They halted briefly twice and the handlers moved up and down the lines of girls, removing their bits long enough to tip water into their mouth from long-necked flagons and then replacing them again before they moved off once more. The pace also grew even slower - not enough reserve girls, Jekka guessed - and it was all but dark by the time they finally emerged from the main forest and were guided off the trail among thinner clumps of trees to a rest that would be more welcome to some than to others, but gratefully accepted by all concerned.

  As they were released from their various carts, the girls were herded into one large group, chains clipped between the collars of their harnesses to keep them from straying during the night, chains which helplessly cuffed and mitted wrists and hands could not hope to remove unaided, but which Jekka saw would prove little problem to her once she freed her fingers.

  For the moment, however, she was content to sit, slumped in the middle of a group of exhausted girls, the air heavy with the odour of sweat and leather, dull eyes and dust encrusted faces all about her, mouths opening to receive the thick muck the handlers spooned into them from battered iron pots and then closing again over leather covered bits with barely a moan of protest. Strict training and several days of backbreaking toil had broken any spirit that might have once existed within this sorry band, Jekka realised.

  Many had probably known nothing else but slavery in their lives; the rest could probably no longer remember a time when they might once have been free. Now they were all alike and, if they still thought at all, they like as not thought only of the next rest, the next drink, the next meal - if it could be called such - and, Jekka realised, as a small group of soldiers came over and dragged two unresisting girls away into the darkness, the next cock.

  ‘Bastards,’ she hissed under her breath, as the soldiers and their quarry melted into the night. ‘Evil bastards. May the gods remember your deeds in this world when you face them in the next.’

  She closed her eyes, breathed in as deeply as she could in the tight harnessing and steeled herself, knowing only too well that it could be her that was dragged away next and, until they managed to locate Corinna and preferably Dorothea as well, she would have to play the role of the subservient slave, whether she liked it or not.

  The sight of Dorothea, grimy and exhausted, her tufted hair strip still not yet grown to anything resembling a mane, dragging her feet slowly in the heavy hoof boots, took Corinna completely off guard and she knew she would have cried out to her had she not been bitted. Just in time, she realised the danger of showing even too much interest in the captive noblewoman and turned her head away, hoping that Dorothea had not seen nor recognised her in turn.

  On the other hand, Corinna reasoned, as Dorothea and the two other girls who were now chained to her were led past her own group and away into the main camp area, even if Dorothea did think she recognised her, as long as she, Corinna, did not return any sign of that recognition, then her secret would remain safely between her and Halit. After all, nothing Dorothea could say would come as a surprise to Fulgrim, who now seemed satisfied that Corinna was no more than a remarkable look-alike of herself and would therefore think nothing if Dorothea made a ‘mistake’.

  Corinna squatted down against a tree, the two girls to whom she was now chained forming an outward facing circle against the trunk also, and waited patiently. Before too long, she knew, Halit would come for her and she would spend a far more comfortable night than her current companions. Should she feel guilt at that? But then she thrust that thought away, for she had not been singled out for special favours because of her rank. She was, after all, supposed to be Demila - or Flix, as they had renamed her - and only her perceived value as a doppelganger had brought her to the notice of their captors. Halit had then been attracted by her looks, nothing else.

  And in any case, she thought morosely, she would be paying for any supposed privileges once they arrived before the walls of Garassotta. The hour or two she had spent on Fulgrim’s specially constructed perch were shattering enough - several hours on it, mounted on a wagon as it was drawn back and forth in front of the castle... Corinna could only begin to imagine what that would be like and the prospect made her blood feel like it had turned to ice.

  She was brought back from her reverie as a tall figure loomed in front of her, blocking out what little light there was from the shielded campfires. She peered up, expecting to see Halit, but instead she found herself staring up at a Vorsan captain’s uniform, above which a lightly bearded face was regarding her with interest. The fellow studied her for several more seconds and then turned and beckoned to someone standing in the shadows behind him.

  ‘I like the look of this one,’ he said. The second man came forward and Corinna saw that he was one of the Karliean grooms. He peered down at her, but then shook his head.

  ‘Not that one, captain,’ he said, straightening up again. ‘That one’s reserved for Master Halit and on the instructions of none other than Lord Fulgrim himself. Apart from Halit, he’s the only other one who gets to sheath his cock in this little pony.’

  The Vorsan officer laid a companionable arm on the Karliean’s shoulder. ‘Well,’ he said easily, ‘I wouldn’t like to get you into any trouble, so unhook the one on her left and bring her over to my wagon, eh? I have a couple of bottles of Karliean spirits I’ve been waiting to share with someone who might appreciate them properly, and you seem like a decent fellow.’

  Dorothea hugged the tree tightly, but not for security, for she had no other choice with her arms stretched around the trunk and a cord tightened between her wrist cuffs. Behind her, the three young Vorsan troopers were joking amongst themselves as they stripped off their boots and breeches, occasionally pausing to fondle her buttocks or stroke the fuzz on her head, making mocking comments as they did so.

  ‘Fulgrim himself has shagged this one,’ one soldier guffawed. ‘That black Karliean bastard told me on his oath.’

  ‘Then she must be the one who ordered his balls cut off,’ another cackled.

  ‘She did what?’ the third soldier cried, plainly not believing what he had just heard. ‘You have to be joking, surely.’

  ‘He’s not,’ the first trooper said. ‘I heard it myself only yesterday and it’s halfway round the camp by now. They had him a prisoner for nearly a year and this bitch ordered him to be castrated, though they left him with a cock, so her maids could have a bit of fun with him.’

  ‘I shouldn’t let him hear you repeating that, friend,’ the second soldier muttered. ‘Seen what he’s done to her a
lready, have you? Those tit rings and bells are the heaviest I’ve seen on any of the slaves and the ones in her cunt lips aren’t much smaller.’

  ‘I see he doesn’t order them kept locked, though,’ soldier number three chuckled. ‘But then mostly they’re only for show anyway, it seems. All cunts are available to all men in this man’s army!’ The three of them laughed together at this and Dorothea cringed, for it was no less than the truth and she was no better than the lowest born of the pony slaves. She had long since lost count of the number of different cocks that had been inside her once inviolate sanctum.

  ‘Who’s going first then?’ trooper three demanded. ‘Or should we give her a good whipping first? Apparently Fulgrim’s given orders that she can be whipped by anyone who fancies it.’

  ‘Why bother?’ number one said. ‘Let’s just fuck the bitch and be done with it. After all, she’s done no harm to any of us. And in any case, I’m bloody tired enough without wasting any more of my strength.’

  ‘Fair point, friend,’ three conceded. He stepped forward and grasped both of Dorothea’s buttocks in powerful fingers. ‘Tell you what,’ he offered, ‘you two can have first go at her cunt and I’ll have her arse afterwards. Bound to be a tighter ride, after all the action she’s supposed to have had now.’

  ‘Fine by me,’ two laughed. ‘I’m happy with a nice easy fit and then I’m probably off for some sleep. It’s going to be another long hot day tomorrow and we’ve still got another two or three days’ march ahead of us before we get within sight of Garassotta.’

  ‘Maybe even four days,’ three said. ‘We seem to be going slower and slower and we still haven’t reached the Illeus yet, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘Means nothing to me,’ one laughed. ‘I’m just a poor bloody soldier, so I never know where I’m headed until they tell me I’ve got there. Except for times like now,’ he added, pressing against Dorothea’s buttocks and rubbing his stirring organ into the cleft between them. ‘And then, my friends, I don’t need a bloody map and that’s for sure!’

  ‘Is he dead?’ Ceth whispered, peering down at the slumped form of the Karliean groom he had enticed back to the wagon. Savatch hefted the mallet in his hands and grinned.

  ‘If he’s not, he’ll probably wish he was when he wakes up again.’ He stooped and felt at the side of the fallen man’s neck. ‘Well, he still lives,’ he announced, standing again, ‘but he’ll not be any trouble for some hours.’

  They had managed to park the captured wagon fairly near to the edge of the encampment and well in the added shadow cast by a small coppice of trees, so when Savatch fell on the unsuspecting groom there were no eyes to worry about. The pony slave the man had brought with them stood wide-eyed, shaking with fear and put up no resistance whatsoever when one of the disguised Illean soldiers lifted her into the back of the wagon.

  ‘You’re sure it was Corinna?’ Savatch asked, as another of the Illean soldiers began dragging the unconscious man around behind the wagon.

  Ceth nodded. ‘I’m certain,’ he confirmed. ‘I’ve seen her enough at Garassotta to know her and what this fellow said then confirmed it beyond doubt.’ He peered down at Ingrim’s tabard and at the double ringed crest on his chest. ‘Even a captain isn’t allowed to touch her, it would seem.’ He decided to refrain from telling what he had heard concerning Fulgrim and the Karliean, Halit.

  ‘And what about Jekka and the other girls?’ Savatch said. ‘Where are they now?’

  Ceth shook his head. ‘I’m not certain,’ he admitted, ‘other than that they’re probably somewhere close to where I found Lady Corinna. All the pony slaves are kept together in the one area, except when they take them off for their sport, of course. In truth, my lord, it was the three Valkyrs I was actually looking for and it was only by chance that I wandered close enough to your lady to suspect it might be her.’

  ‘Then we must return and find them,’ Savatch said. ‘If they know we have identified our primary target, then they can concentrate on trying to locate Lady Dorothea.’ He peered up at the stars. ‘The night is yet young, though,’ he muttered, ‘so we must go carefully and not attract any attention. It’ll be another hour before these vagabonds are drunk enough not to care, so we cannot risk trying to make a break until then.’

  ‘Don’t worry, my lord,’ Ceth grinned, his teeth gleaming, even in the near darkness. ‘Most of this lot are not so different from any other soldiers. As soon as they see this captain’s crest they look the other way and hope not to be noticed. It’s one of the first things I was ever taught as a trooper - never look an officer in the eyes unless he’s giving you a direct order, for if you do, he’ll probably give you one anyway and there’s never any point in looking for additional duties.’

  After the groom had gone off into the darkness with the young Vorsan officer, Corinna closed her eyes and tried to sleep for a while, but her mind was too filled with many things and instead she found herself listening to the sounds of the camp.

  It seemed quieter than usual, but then she reasoned that was not really to be wondered at. The heat of the day and the many miles they had already trekked had taken their toll of more than just the slave women; the soldiers too seemed exhausted and more interested in eating, drinking and bedding down than in any sport the bedraggled pony girls might offer. Only a few more bothered to walk across to their area and the ranks of the slumbering were far fuller tonight than on any of those previously.

  ‘You look tired, princess.’ Corinna looked up at the sound of Halit’s voice and tried to smile round her bit. He too seemed fatigued, but he stooped to unclip her collar chain and helped her carefully to her feet. ‘There’s a small spring over yonder,’ he told her, ‘and a couple of pools in among some rocks. Maybe you’d like to bathe in one of them?’

  Corinna nodded eagerly, the prospect of being able to immerse herself completely in water for the first time in so many days being almost too much to contemplate.

  Halit chuckled. ‘Yes, I thought so,’ he said, turning to lead the way. ‘You don’t smell as bad as a lot of these, but you don’t smell so good, either. See here,’ he added, drawing something out from beneath his tunic, ‘I’ve brought some oil for afterwards, so you’ll be as fragrant as a meadow flower.’

  And then, Corinna thought, with a sudden and unexpected bitterness, you’ll want to fuck me and I’ll end up sweating again and tomorrow will be another day just like today and perhaps there won’t be a nice cool pool in which to bathe and will you still want me as you do now?

  ‘And there’s some better news, too,’ Halit was saying. ‘They’re reorganising the wagons again tonight. What with all the stuff that’ll be eaten by morning, there’s plenty of room for all the reserve girls to ride between their shifts, so we can have our wagon back all to ourselves.’

  That at least, Corinna thought, grimacing and chewing on her bit, was something to look forward to, even though tomorrow would bring her that much closer to Garassotta and to being paraded before its garrison and Fulgrim’s entire army and reduced to a state that no woman should ever be seen in, save by her own loved one and none other.

  Jekka twisted her wrists, pulling the weakened cuffs free from her girth and carefully began easing the mitt from her right hand, all the while watching and listening, especially to the girls chained nearest to her. Bit gagged or not, if they saw one of their number effecting an escape, they could easily cry out and attract the attention of the wandering sentries.

  The second mitt was easier to remove, once she had the full use of one set of fingers and its thumb, but she continued to sit for a few more minutes, flexing her hands to ensure that all stiffness had gone. Then, unclipping the chain from her collar and easing it slowly to the ground, she slid forward on her buttocks until she was well clear of her own group of girls and then rolled over into a crouch and scuttled away as quickly as the heavy boots would allow without the risk of them clattering
on the sun hardened earth.

  A few paces from the trees stood a clump of low bushes, and it was to these that Jekka first headed. From their cover, she knew, she would be able to get her bearings again and watch until she had some idea of the pattern of the sentries’ beats. She could also fix the relative positions of the other groups of girls and watch to see when either Alanna or Opal made their respective moves. After that, she reasoned, they could quarter the sleeping areas between them and try to find Corinna and Dorothea. With three of them searching to a plan, it could surely not take them that long.

  ‘I’ll take this lantern,’ Savatch said, drawing the cowl of his cape over his head. ‘You just strut along as if you have every right to be here and I’ll act like I’m your aide or something. You’ve watched enough officers to know how to act?’

  ‘Aye, my lord, I have that,’ Ceth chuckled. His heart was pounding steadily in his chest and he was certain Savatch must be able to hear it clearly, but the older man gave no indication of this. He did, however, seem to know how Ceth was feeling.

  ‘Nervous lad?’ he asked quietly. Ceth swallowed and nodded. Savatch grinned back at him. ‘Me too,’ he said. ‘But then I’d be worried if I wasn’t. A little fear keeps us all up to the mark, believe me. Just don’t let it distract you from your purpose and we’ll come through this just fine. You’ve done well so far and if we pull this off, I’ll make it my personal business to see that you get an officer’s tabard of your own.

  ‘Though with an Illean crest, of course,’ he added, still chuckling as he led the way back across the camp, the partly shielded lantern held high in front of him.

  It was Alanna who found Jekka first, gliding up to her from the left, trilling a soft recognition signal in the back of her throat. Jekka answered with the appropriate call and waited until the older Valkyr crawled up alongside her.