by H. A. Kotys
“Observation room, behind mirror,” Katarina panted, using precious breath before putting her head down to drive on. Jade looked. The door was well hidden but sure enough it was there. She ran over, wrenching the handle down and flinging the door open the second she reached it.
The sight in the room though was the last she expected. Wrapped up in her need to help, she’d thrown caution to the wind and forgotten the dangers. There, right in front of her, lay Mela, hogtied and gagged.
== ~ ==
Mela squirmed and mewled but could do nothing to provide an effective warning. She had watched as her newly ordained Mistress had tried to help Katarina and her heart had sunk as she’d seen Jade rush towards the door.
Mela could also see the smirking Raven crouching behind it, prepared, ready to strike. All would soon be totally lost.
== ~ ==
Jade didn’t see it coming, distracted by the sight of Mela trussed like yesterday’s meat. As Raven slammed her body into the opening door, Jade was tossed heavily aside, crashing into the frame, injuring the arm she flung out to break her fall.
The door was drawn back. Stunned, Jade didn’t move and it was slammed into her a second time, and then a third.
As it came at her a fourth time, Jade still had the wherewithal to fall back into the gym, causing the door to slam shut so hard the mirrored glass shattered, raining a thousand dangerous shards over her.
Jade shielded her eyes and got to her feet but before she could react again, Raven leapt on her, screaming like a banshee as she tore talon-like nails into her hated predecessor’s cheek, pressing on the sharp slivers of glass between them. Her legs quickly wrapped around Jade who, unable to resist, took punch after punch painfully into her kidneys.
All those lessons, all that teaching and yet her martial skills were no use against the feral frenzy of Raven who was attached too tightly to dislodge. Each blow sucked air from her and, gasping, Jade first staggered then fell with Raven on top.
A hand snatched at Jade’s hair, agony exploding in her scalp as her head was yanked backwards and a knee driven down into her chest. Stars swam into her vision. She had to fight. She couldn’t go out like this and remembering her training, Jade jabbed the heel of her hand sharply upwards in the area she hoped her assailant’s face would be.
== ~ ==
Though the driven blow shocked her, in the nick of time Raven turned her face, saving her from a broken nose. It hurt though, connecting with her right cheek with a crunching force. It caused Raven to pause for a split second, which was all her victim needed.
A knee quickly followed, snapped up between her legs and then a second more focussed punch hit her squarely on her left breast. ‘God that hurt,’ Raven’s mind flashed. A second punch landed on the exact same spot – ‘Oh God, that’s good.’ Perhaps she would keep Jade for sport - beat her, allow her the hope of retaliation, and then crush her.
Raven threw her head forward, contacting directly against the woman beneath with a ringing thud. It wasn’t ideal but it staunched the rebellion enough for Raven to straighten for a moment, a brief respite in their struggle. She took a breath, her body buzzing with adrenaline and exertion but also pleasure. She was about to resume when there was an unexpected movement to her side and the tide turned again.
== ~ ==
Jade saw the movement at the same time, welcoming the distraction that Dan’s arrival provided. With absolute force, Jade drove her hand upwards again, this time connecting perfectly with the nose of the woman above her.
The blood told Jade that her aim was true and her training told her that her victim would be dazed and sightless. “The treadmill control! In the Observation Room!” Jade screamed out directions before throwing a stunned Raven off to the side. She landed heavily, hands clasped to her nose.
“I can’t see the control Miss Jade, it’s so complicated!” Dan shouted, frantic.
Jade glanced at Katarina, who was stumbling more often now, then back to Dan, a fateful hesitation. A stiletto stamped on her foot above the steel toecap. Jade crumpled, then her head was yanked back unceremoniously by the hair.
The knee in her kidneys drove the breath from her, another had her cough and prioritise gasping in air. It was the stiletto heel gouged and twisted into the back of her knee though that caused Jade to kneel and with scalp burning from Raven’s grip, Jade knew they had failed.
Part 5
Destinies
CHAPTER LII – Late Arrival
Better late than never – a phrase often used but never quite as fitting as now. It was a bizarre sight that greeted Amber as she rounded the corner and entered the gymnasium.
There, on her knees, with Raven holding her head harshly back, was Jade. She had been so determined and appeared so skilled but Raven offered an altogether different challenge to that of Red and that challenge had been lost. Beyond them and the smashed door, Amber could see Mela, her back arched uncomfortably in her bindings. The servant, Dan, was frantically tapping at a console.
The real shock came from the sight of Katarina on the treadmill however. It wasn’t the sight of her body though it was a sight to behold, it was rather how she was tethered by her breasts and clearly running along a precipice of exhaustion.
The rage in Amber grew. Amber had declared her love for Katarina, who was tough but looked ready to give up, the consequences of which would clearly be severe.
An explosion of adrenalin flushed away the pain in her knee and Amber sprinted across the room, snatching up a heavy fire extinguisher and screaming in fury as she went. The stiletto heels of her boots rapped out on the floor but, with her back to the door, Raven had no time to process the sound, let alone react. The red cylinder cracked into the base of her neck. Raven couldn’t even curse her own carelessness as her world went instantly black.
== ~ ==
Although the scream shocked her, Jade immediately knew it was Amber. But instead of feeling relief, Jade’s heart sank - she didn’t want Amber to be taken too.
The intense pull on her scalp suddenly released and Jade collapsed forward. Able to breathe again, she stayed on all fours, panting in air. She crouched there, chest heaving as her body recovered from the vicious assault.
The rush of air past her told of Amber’s immediate priorities and quickly Dan was pushed aside. Katarina gave one final stumble, legs succumbing to the strain and unwilling to support her anymore. A cry, anguished and needy, gurgled from her throat as the pull on her breasts only part-held her fall.
A chill sped down Amber’s spine. She could do this. Desperately pleading, “Kat, hang on!” she quickly navigated familiar menus. Almost immediately finding the command she needed, Amber punched the mouse and the treadmill finally slowed, and then stopped.
Thrusting away from the console, Amber launched herself toward the suspended Katarina. It was too much though for her knee, which refused to support the effort her heart demanded.
“Help Kat,” she yelled, pointing as she crashed back against the computer.
Dan sprinted across the room to cradle the distressed girl in safe, strong arms as she sobbed. A recovering Jade and a limping Amber arrived at Katarina’s side simultaneously and began a frenzy of activity to free her from her chain.
== ~ ==
It wasn’t quick and it certainly wasn’t easy but eventually, the trio got the weeping Katarina unhooked. They carefully sat her down on the edge, a moment to allow her abused body to start the process of recovery.
The flood of relief that surged through Amber found an outlet in her own tears. They streamed down now as she cradled Katarina in her arms, rocking her gently back and forth.
A gentle kiss on her cheek and Katarina’s eyes opened with a smile, so rare since entering the manor. They were finally together. Nothing would wrench them apart. Amber would care for her, nurse her back to health. Katarina’s arms wrapped slowly around the woman who had saved her.
When Katarina’s smiled dropped, Amber stretched back, looking quiz
zically at the woman she had saved. Their eyes met. “Where’s Raven?” As they looked round in unison, they realised as one that Raven had gone.
CHAPTER LIII – The Hunt
Head pounding and vision starred, basic survival instinct forced Raven up. While everyone else in the room was preoccupied with saving Katarina, Raven lurched out, to save herself.
This was her time, not theirs and the thought of what she’d fought so hard for being snatched away spurred her on. It wasn’t easy. Barely able to focus still and with the drumbeat of hurt in her head intensifying with each movement, her attempts at speed just zig-zagged her along the corridor, crashing into walls and chairs. Eventually, bruised even more now than she had been, she made it to the side door Jade and Mela had come into the house through. Fumbling at the keypad, she punched in the code, unlatched the lock and passed outside.
Past the stone bench where the access code had been secreted and then over the formal lawn, Raven headed for the river and, just beyond the tree line on the far bank, the manor’s closest boundary.
Her head felt so light - she’d lost a lot of blood and her nose was still bleeding. She needed time and distance to gather her senses. But her sight still fogged, her blundering run came to an end as she fell headlong over the sundial.
== ~ ==
A trail of blood pointed the way and with Mela freed from her hogtie, the four women and Dan set out to track the flight of the Raven. They knew she was still dangerous and not one of the women was near to being as fit as they needed to be, in mind or body. Each clash, each retribution, each punishment, had taken its toll on them. Yet they had to track her if there was to be any hope of finally purging themselves of the cancerous malevolence that was Mistress Raven.
Nearing the door, Dan ducked into a small passageway that led down to his quarters. “Please, wait here, Miss Katarina,” he beseeched, heading off to retrieve clothing for her. Nodding, Amber waited with her while Jade and Mela pressed on.
Ideally they would have stayed together but time was of the essence. The trail was fresh and they had to get after Raven before they lost her completely. Running across the lawn, Jade and Mela caught sight of a figure ahead, picking its way through the formal garden that ended at a steep bank above the river. Mela was the faster, her muscles revelling in the ability to stretch after their tight bondage and she pulled ahead, starting to circle round the edge of the garden to head off their quarry.
Jade plunged straight through, ignoring even the snag of a hawthorn bush as it tore at the thick latex of her catsuit and gouged her thigh. She could see Raven running down the central path, heading straight for the river bank.
It would be close, but if Raven made the river, it would be doubly difficult to stop her. Jade wasn’t a strong swimmer and she was unsure of Mela’s ability. Mind wandering, Jade missed the stone in the path. Landing on it, her ankle twisted and she hopped forward, wincing with each step.
Cursing, she wouldn’t make it now, Raven was too far ahead. It was all down to Mela. A personal battle to break free of the bewitchment that Raven imposed.
== ~ ==
Her lungs felt free and the fresh air was a welcome change from the manor which felt oppressive and stale now, as if mirroring the rule of Mistress Raven. Mela pushed herself on, looping round, keeping an occasional watch on the two women racing through the formal garden. There was scarcely time to think, certainly none to question her actions and as Raven emerged and primed herself to leap into the river, Mela dived forward, thumping into her.
Momentum alone would have taken her there but the spring her emotions summoned managed to propel Mela forward with the force of a thousand lashes. It was a tackle that professional rugby players would have been proud of. It knocked the wind clean from Raven, negating her strength as she thudded into the grassy bank.
Down they tumbled, Mela tenaciously clinging to Raven’s waist. When they plunged into the river her arms remained locked there, even as memories of the accident that had killed her brother flashed back and she saw the long buried memory of that riverbank for the first time since the crash.
The river was fast. It wasn’t long before the current tore Raven from her grasp. Clawing at the water, Mela broke the surface and she saw the bedraggled and mud splattered Raven break the shallow surface just in front of her, facing away. Mela thanked fate for that, she still couldn’t handle that look.
Snatching up a rock from the river bed, Mela waded the two paces to the woman. She seemed dazed from the surprise of the tumble and the shocking cold of the river. There was no pause this time, no second thoughts and as she swung the stone down, Mela knew she had exorcised her principal demon.
CHAPTER LIV – Nighty Night
Jade looked down to the river. Mela was standing thigh deep in the water, holding an unconscious Raven above the surface by her matted and muddy hair.
It was a satisfactory end to two turbulent hours, two hours which had physically and mentally sucked its participants dry. Amber and Katarina, now dressed, soon joined her and, in unison, they erupted into a round of applause. “Great tackle!” shouted Amber, whistling loudly in extravagant celebration and punching the air.
The tension seemed to wash away as the cleansing motion of the current plucked at Raven as if trying to rid her of filth. There was no way Mela was letting go and as Katarina and Jade waded out to help her, she finally broke into a victorious smile.
Amber stayed on top of the bank, protecting her knee. Looking down with a wicked glint in her eye, she watched the river tugging at Raven’s muddy dress. “Well I guess that little black dresses really are the dress for all occasions.” The laugh swept all lingering tension aside.
Raven was soon manhandled to the shallows and the trio started to haul her up the bank, gathering more dirt to further soil her usually pristine appearance. “The bitch weighs a ton,” observed Mela, easing her hold to allow the other two to take the strain.
“Just stop here a minute.” Katarina paused on the bank. She bent slowly, scooping up a clod of sodden earth. After savouring the moment and with vengeful zeal, she smeared it over Raven’s expressionless face. To Katarina, it was a precious moment indeed.
== ~ ==
Raven came round in an unfamiliar position. Standing, cold damp air slid past exposed skin, breaking her out in goose bumps. Her first realisation was that she was naked, and her second was that both her wrists and ankles were splayed out wide between unforgiving chains.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, unsuccessfully trying to blink aside stray hair. She could feel the mud plastered dry on her face and was reminded of her bloodied nose by a throbbing pain and a nagging urge to sneeze.
Her vision clearing, she looked upon the quartet of captors. Three were in functional catsuits, the fourth in oversize jeans and t-shirt, a comfort long-craved. Raven screamed her frustration, hurling her body against the chains and spewing abuse.
The icy blast of water that struck her abdomen momentarily staunched her bile, sucking breath away. It didn’t last long. A second blast to her chest brought stunned silence again. As she started up for the third time, the warning came. “Brace yourself, this one’ll hurt.” Concise and matter of fact.
She wouldn’t be told what to do, not here, not by them. The insults cascaded again, the language making even Amber cringe. Another torrent of water struck Raven squarely in the face, choking off her abuse and causing her to gag even before the pain to her nose fully registered.
The cycle continued. Each pause brought new levels of cursing and each blast shut them up. The mud was methodically cleaned and the filth from her mouth gradually abated.
The hose was stowed back on the reel on the wall. “Would you like to do the honours?” Jade smiled, offering Katarina the chance to fit the collar around Raven’s neck.
“This is your place, Mistress Jade, she was only ever a squatter.” Katarina pressed the offering back, smiling at the unnecessary courtesy she’d been shown.
Taking the colla
r, Jade paused. This was one of life’s ‘moments’. She stepped forward, the poignancy heavy, to stand barely inches from the woman who still flailed against secure steel chains.
The spit that greeted Jade’s approach was ignored and she stood impassively. The woman before her had engineered her removal and was ultimately responsible murdering the man she had loved.
Raven bucked and jagged and the unyielding chains danced. Jade slowly closed the steel collar around her neck, snapping it shut with an echoing finality that was marked by a single word, “Mine.”
== ~ ==
Never offered a chance to lash out, let alone free herself, they steered the still protesting woman to her former bedroom. Ankle was chained across to ankle, wrist chained to wrist and all were welded to chain that ran to her collar. Raven had to shuffle after them as they pulled on it, howling her abuse and promising a particularly violent revenge.
