Unmasked

by Shannon Youngblood

“Always, Master,” she whispered, her cheeks turning a familiar and beautiful shade of rose.

  “Enough with the heavy,” I smacked her ass and rolled over, hovering on top of her. “Let’s get to breakfast.”

  She giggled and kissed the tip of my nose before I climbed off of her.

  “Anything in particular you want, Master?” She asked as she grabbed her discarded robe from the floor and wrapped it around her delicious pale skin.

  “Bacon,” my stomach rumbled and we both laughed.

  I could wake up like this every day, I thought as she walked out of the room.

  Breakfast and the rest of the afternoon flew by in a flash. While the ladies did their chores and studies, I looked through more of my father’s notes to find out what else I needed to do before I could claim my right as High Master.

  Every second that passed made me even more agitated than I had been last night, and the cheery mood of this morning was long since gone. A knock sounded at the door and my ire rose. The ladies knew not to bother me when the study door was shut.

  “What?” my gruff reply came.

  “The phone is for you, Master Zander,” Mildred’s voice sounded. I had forgotten I had turned off the ringer last night. I picked it up.

  “Mildred you can hang up,” I said into the speaker and waited for the click to know she had.

  “Hello?”

  “Zander, its Corbin. Listen, I think I’ve got some information for you. Can you come over for dinner?”

  “What time?”

  “Six.”

  “I’ll be there,” I said, hanging up the phone and glancing at my watch. It was just past four now. I would need to leave in about an hour.

  I got up and left the office, advising the ladies I wouldn’t be around for dinner and letting them know to treat themselves to whatever they wished. That seemed to bring a smile to their face and excited whispers around the table. Phoenix looked at me questioning my soon to be absence, but I just smiled at her and took off towards my room.

  I hastily took a shower and dressed and Claire and I were on the road within the hour. I was going to be early, but I needed to know what Corbin had for me.

  I arrived at half past five but I wasn’t the only one in attendance. Of the twenty five members of the high council, four of them were sitting in Corbin’s living room.

  “What’s going on? I asked, handing my coat to Bella and grabbing the glass of honey-amber liquid from her outstretched hand.

  “Zander, it seems like we know what the hold-up is regarding your induction as the High Master,” Corbin told me.

  “What is it?” I asked impatiently.

  The man next to me, Master Frank answered for him.

  “Wayne Ainsworth is the hold up,” he said. “He has been making his rounds to all of the high council members since the passing of your father.”

  The other three men nodded, corroborating Frank’s story.

  “What is he doing?” I asked.

  “It depends on the person,” Master Edward spoke up. “Some of them he’s been able to bribe with either money or new rules that benefit them. If he can’t do that, he’s threatened their family.”

  “He has convinced them he belongs in the High Master chair, and most of them are agreeing out of fear for their families, or to line their own pockets,” Master Corbin spoke up. “And we need to put an end to it.”

  All of the Masters around me nodded in agreement.

  “You’re the rightful High Master, Zander, and as much as we respected your father, he was just another pawn in Wayne’s sick game,” Frank told me. “Corbin has filled us in about some of the changes you want to make, and we fully support you. We just need to make the others see.”

  “And how do we do that?” I questioned.

  “Well, we have a few ideas, but first, we need to dispose of Wayne Ainsworth.”

  The men nodded simultaneously and we all put our heads together to work out a plan.

  Chapter 22

  Phoenix

  “I want pizza!” Gwen shouted and we all laughed.

  “You always want pizza,” Mildred jokingly chided. “What about Chinese?”

  We all groaned at Mildred’s normal suggestion.

  “Thai?” Jenny piped up.

  A chorus of ‘eww’ sounded around the table followed by a round of laughter.

  “What do you think, Phoenix?” Gwen asked.

  I thought about it and an idea popped into my head. “Why not everything?”

  They all looked at me like I was crazy. “Master Zander said we could treat ourselves, so let’s do that. Gwen, you and I will get pizza, Mildred will order Chinese, and Jenny, Thai. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

  They all nodded and grabbed their respective menus as Gwen and I figured out what we wanted on our half of the pizza. Once everything was ordered, we all headed into the living room and made the next hard decision; what to watch.

  Forty-five minutes later, a knock sounded at the door and I made my way with cash to grab one of our meals. When I opened the door it was not a delivery driver standing there.

  “Daddy? What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Is that any way to greet you father, little flame. Come give your daddy a kiss.”

  I didn’t want to, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I leaned in to kiss his cheek but he turned his head and grabbed my hair, forcing his tongue down my throat as our lips clashed together. When he finally let me go, a smile lit up his face.

  “Now that’s better, but that’s not why I’m here. I need you to grab Gwen and come with me. Zander is waiting for you at the community center. It’s time for your third task.”

  I took a step back and scrunched my eyebrows.

  “He didn’t say anything about it,” I questioned.

  My father’s large hand came up quicker than I anticipated as it connected with my cheek.

  “It’s not your place to question me, or your Master. Grab Gwen and come with me, right the fuck now before I lose my temper.”

  I looked down at the floor, “Yes Daddy.”

  I left my father at the front door and headed back to the living room.

  “Hey! Where’s the food?” Gwen laughed, but her laughter immediately died on her lips as soon as she saw my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my father at the door. Zander and the other slaves are at the community center. It’s time for my last task.”

  The girls got up and crowded around me, patting me on the back and offering me words of encouragement.

  “It’s going to be ok, child,” Mildred cooed. “This is the last one and then you’re done.”

  “Gwen, you have to come with me,” I told her, grabbing her hand. “Zander has requested you come along as well.”

  She nodded at me and we both headed towards the front door.

  “Don’t eat my pizza,” she yelled back and both Mildred and Jenny chuckled at her innocence, but there was fear for us behind their eyes.

  Once out in the car, my brain began firing on all cylinders again, and I looked up at my father.

  “Why didn’t Zander come get us?” I asked him.

  “God, you’re a nosey little bitch tonight,” he huffed. “He’s already there prepping for your task if you must know.”

  I nodded, but something just didn’t feel right.

  Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the community center and got out. My father ushered us up the stairs and instead of turning left to go into the ballroom, we continued straight ahead and out the backdoors to the fenced in courtyard. All thirty six slaves stood there with their handmaids and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Every Master was present, except Zander, and behind each trio was a wooden pole. We took our place in the empty spot.

  “Where’s Master Zander?” I turned, looking at my father.

  “Oh he won’t be joining us for this task,” my father grinned, patting himself on the back for successfully tricking me.

  I
was about to question him further which I’m sure would have gained me another hit, but just as I opened my mouth to do so, the auctioneer from the first night, Master Brutas, stepped into the center of the circle and started talking.

  “Good evening slaves and welcome to your third and final task; Thank the Faith. It’s taken us a long time to come up with and plan this task, so we hope you’ll appreciate it as much as we do.”

  I rolled my eyes. I was sure, not one female person in attendance would be enjoying this task.

  “Today’s task comes from the ancient patriarchal culture. Aristotle taught us that women are born, and live with colder blood than that of their male counterparts. Because of this defect, woman were not able to evolve into the superior gender.”

  I could feel my eyes roll back again.

  “Today, you will see the true power of His Lord’s Holy Light. Master’s, please bind your slaves.”

  Since Zander was not here, I watched as my father pulled out his ankle and wrist cuffs and tightly put them on my body.

  “Slaves please kneel facing the pole,” he commanded.

  I turned around to face the tall round shaft protruding up the ground thirty or so feet in front of me. Apparently I didn’t kneel quickly enough, because a kick to the back of my knee sent me tumbling to the ground. A foot in front of me was a metal hoop sticking up from the ground I hadn’t noticed.

  My father leaned down and grasped my wrists tugging them forward to hook them to the eyelet, while my knees stayed in place, my ass in the air. It was the same position that Zander had put me in for my first punishment.

  “And now the handmaids,” the announcer called out.

  I watched as Wayne pulled out another set of cuffs, wrapping them around Gwen’s wrists as he pushed her back against the pole, securing them above her head.

  “Slaves, on this day, you shall witness a miracle to both the Lord, and to The Faith. Repeat after me:

  “Today, I thank The Faith, for it has provided me the knowledge to know that I am but a cold blooded whore. Today, I shall watch and give thanks to the Lord above and offer him up a sacrifice of my loyalty. I will watch as my fellow slaves warm their blood and become superior to me and I will thank The Faith for allowing me to admire this miracle. I will leave this place knowing that I am still a worthless cunt but that my sacrifice has pleased my Master, my father and my Faith. The Lord giveth and the fire taketh away.”

  Every word was like a knife to my chest as I watched the Masters bring out logs of wood and place them at the feet of Gwen and the other handmaids. I screamed, cried and begged for my father to stop this madness but all he did was laugh as he doused the wood in lighter fluid, my screams lost in the crowd of the other slave voices.

  I pulled at my cuffs with all of my strength, ripping the skin from my flesh as my father lit a match and threw it at the logs at Gwen’s feet. The flames roared to life as I looked up into her eyes.

  “GWEN!” I screamed. “NO, PLEASE, NO! I’M SO SORRY,”

  She cried out for me as the fire licked at her clothing, her feet and legs already engulfed by the raging inferno. I bowed my head as tears rushed from my eyes.

  “PLEASE! STOP THIS,” I cried. “I’LL DO ANYTHING!”

  “Oh, no you don’t bitch. You’re going to watch,” my father screamed in my ear, straddling my waist and grabbing my hair to tilt my head towards the massacre. “Watch your sacrifice. Watch the miracle in front of you,”

  I coughed as the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils and the smoke took on an ugly shade of green, but I couldn’t put my head down. My father held on too tight. I imagined that the orange flames and the green smoke were something of a sight to see for anyone who didn’t know what was going on behind the fence. It was hypnotic, and devastating.

  I watched in horror as Gwen’s screams mingled with the other burning slaves. Her eyes never left mine as she called out my name, over and over, until her head finally bowed and the fire spread over her entire body. I could barely see as my tears cascaded down my face, and my voice was hoarse and raw.

  Even after Gwen had stopped moving, completely taken by the flames, he still made me watch, his fully erect cock pressed against my back. I hated him. With every fiber of my being, I hated the man who had fathered and raised me, and one day, he would pay for what he did to Gwen. I would make sure of it.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see every Master in the same position as my father was, making all of their slaves watch the horror in front of them. Most of the Masters had their eyes closed, unable to watch themselves, but still forcing their wives to. Some of them were actually enjoying the show and had pulled out their dicks to shove into their slave’s accessible holes, and it made me sick.

  Without warning, my stomach heaved and I threw up the contents of the day’s lunch on the ground in front of me. Between the smell and the sounds coming from the other slaves, I knew I wasn’t the only one.

  “Has he fucked your ass yet, little flame?” My father leaned down and whispered, chuckling when he realized how appropriate the nickname was in that moment.

  I didn’t answer. I couldn’t speak. There were no words in that moment, only fire, and death, and horror.

  I knew he was raising my nightgown and ripping off my panties, and I knew when he pulled his cock out of his pants, but I could no longer feel my own body. I was numb to everything around me. The only thing I could see was the burned and charred remains of my friend, my sister, in front of me, and the only thing I could hear was the flames.

  His cock pressed against the ring of my ass, but I didn’t flinch, and I didn’t take my eyes off of Gwen. She was the only thing that mattered. He could do what he wanted with my body, he had already broken my mind. A sound to my right pulled me from my trance.

  “WAYNE AINSWORTH, TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF MY WIFE,” Zander’s voice rang out over the chaos. I looked over at him, my eyes filling with more tears. Behind him stood at least eighteen other men, all of them looking onto the scene in horror, covering their noses from the stench.

  The weight on my body from my father’s large frame disappeared as he stood up, tucked his cock away, and marched towards the small crowd. I tried to keep my eyes on Zander, but my vision tunneled and I lost all presence of sound. I needed him to be my anchor, but I was too far gone.

  Right before the blackness took me I saw my father approach the crowd. They gathered around him, locking him into their circle. I couldn’t hear them anymore, but I knew they were arguing. My father raised his fist and let it fly, but I never saw it connect as I gave in to the oblivion.

  Chapter 23

  Zander

  I saw her body collapse mere seconds before Wayne’s fist clipped my jaw. My only thought was getting to her as fast as I could, and I had been distracted. Luckily, the other council members grabbed him before he could get another swing. He wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again. I pushed through the crowd, my entire body on pins and needles to what I would find when I got to her.

  On top of the disgraceful, vile and unforgivable task he had forced her to be a part of, had he defiled her body again? Was it possible that he had scarred her so badly that there was no coming back from it? Phoenix was a tough girl, stronger than most by far, but there were just some things that you didn’t come back from. I prayed this wasn’t one of them.

  I had been fooling myself when I said I was falling for Phoenix, I had already fallen, and hard. She was everything that I didn’t want, and everything that I desperately needed. If today was the day she broke on me, and I didn’t have the chance to tell her, I would never forgive myself.

  I crouched down beside her and pulled her hair away from her face. She was covered in ash and tears, and even passed out, the pain on her face was indescribable. I removed her from the eyelet in the ground and unbound her bloody wrists before cradling her in my arms and walking back over to the crowd of men.

  As the newly inducted High Master, I should have checked on eve
ryone, but my slave came first. The others would handle the cleanup after they dealt with Wayne. I wanted him dead, but that didn’t seem to be a viable option at the moment.

  I carried Phoenix to the car where Claire was waiting.

  “Take us home, Claire,” I told her, and she nodded.

  The journey was short; too short, and I knew Jenny and Mildred would wonder where Gwen was. I didn’t know if I had the heart to tell them. I could only hope they were already fast asleep in their beds and I could break it to them tomorrow. Phoenix didn’t need to relive the horror she had just gone through.

  Phoenix did needed a bath, but she was still passed out, and I took a moment to berate myself for the events of this evening.

  After Corbin, myself and the handful of other Masters decided that Wayne needed to be dealt with, we all called the members of the high council to an emergency meeting. There was some opposition from some of the elder members who liked our current way of life, but most of them were on board, and truthfully most were glad to be out from under Wayne’s thumb.

  There was an unofficial tally, and minus two people, I got the majority vote. I felt a modicum of peace and happiness flood through me when they called me the High Master, although I had never wanted it. It was still strange to me how quickly my life had changed, and all for the better.

  We sat and discussed plans for the new Faith and we drank to our good fortune and the future. When a knock sounded at Corbin’s door, I felt the hairs on the back of arm stand at attention. A nagging feeling inside of me said there was something amiss.

  A slave from the community center came running in and told us of the unofficial task taking place. The tumbler in my hand fell, in slow motion, and glass shards spread across the floor around me even though I never heard the cup hit the ground.

  I was the first one out the door and into my car and Claire drove faster than I thought was possible in a limousine. If I hadn’t been celebrating my new title, if I hadn’t been discussing plans that could have been decided tomorrow, if I had just gone home, I could have saved both of them; Gwen from the fire, and Phoenix from her own mind, but I was too late.