It seemed to Rianna that dawn had come hours ago, yet she was still lying in her tent, bound hand and foot, just as Niska had left her the night before. There was little of the usual sounds of movement in the camp, none of the normal bustle and noise she associated with preparations for their departure. She had not slept well trussed up like that. She was hungry and thirsty, physically frustrated, and her bladder was feeling uncomfortably full. She heard a faint noise and turned her head towards the entrance, expecting to see Chang, but it was only Tanith carrying a goblet and a hunk of freshly baked unleavened bread.
‘My lady.’ There was little trace of deference in Tanith’s tone, as if Rianna no longer deserved her respect.
‘It’s late. Why have we not departed?’ Rianna said, licking her dry lips.
‘The baroness thought the men were growing tired of constant travel. Some of them have gone hunting for fresh game in order to replenish our supplies before we take the mountain pass to Vestfold.’ Tanith kneeled by Rianna and raised her head. ‘Drink,’ she said, putting the goblet to Rianna’s lips.
Rianna wanted to refuse, fearing the water might contain the potion Niska had spoken of, but her throat was so parched she couldn’t resist taking a few sips. ‘Free my hands and I can feed myself.’ She looked pleadingly up at the plump maidservant.
‘I have no orders to free you.’ Tanith broke off a small piece of bread and put it in Rianna’s mouth. ‘I made this myself this morning. It is good.’
Rianna chewed the bread and swallowed it quickly. ‘I cannot escape, even if you untie my hands. My ankle is still chained,’ she pointed out, staring longingly at the leather bucket Chang kept in the tent for her to relieve herself. ‘Please, I need to go.’
Tanith’s smile had a cruel edge to it. ‘Are you feeling uncomfortable?’
‘Yes,’ Rianna murmured. ‘You have to let me.’
‘Let you what, Rianna?’ Niska’s cold voice interjected as she strolled leisurely into the tent and over to Rianna.
‘I just asked Tanith if she could free my hands so that I can feed myself,’ Rianna replied, turning her face away from Niska’s penetrating gaze. She had no intention of humiliating herself in front of her enemy. She would wait and ask Tanith for the bucket again after Niska had left. Although the dull ache of fullness in the pit of her belly was becoming very uncomfortable.
‘She needs to empty her bladder.’ Tanith jerked back the blanket, Rianna’s only covering, to reveal her belly. ‘She feels full,’ Tanith said as her fingers explored the lower half of Rianna’s stomach, running teasingly over the taut skin.
Rianna could not repress a faint murmur as Tanith’s fingers pressed a sensitive spot, and the need to urinate became more urgent. Tanith smiled and eased her stubby fingers between Rianna’s thighs, burrowing her way into the slit of her sex. Her ragged fingernail scraped across Rianna’s aching clit and she jumped agitatedly. Tanith gave a cruel giggle and rubbed the callused pad of her fingertip across the sensitive bud. The pleasurable friction became almost painful, as Rianna’s need to pee increased. Scared that something might leak out she clenched her muscles determinedly.
‘Leave her be,’ Niska snapped.
Tanith jerked her hand away nervously. ‘Sorry, my lady.’
‘I’ll attend to Lady Rianna myself,’ Niska added sharply.
‘Yes, my lady.’ Tanith scrabbled to her feet and scurried out of the tent.
Rianna’s skin crawled as Niska kneeled down by her side and slowly surveyed her naked body. ‘Is it too hard to bear?’ she purred, brushing her fingers across Rianna’s full belly.
‘What do you want of me?’
‘Why, to humble and humiliate,’ Niska said with a soft laugh. ‘It is an enjoyable way to pass the time. You’ve been tied up all night and half the morning. I’ll wager that by now you are desperate to relieve yourself.’ Niska pressed the heel of her hand gently down on the base of Rianna’s stomach, above the pubic bone, and it was just enough to force out a tiny trickle of the golden liquid.
‘Please, no!’ Rianna begged, turning pink with embarrassment as she felt the warm liquid trickle down the crack of her sex. If Niska applied more pressure she feared it would become a torrent.
‘What a naughty whore you are! I do believe you’ve wet yourself,’ Niska taunted. She grabbed hold of one of Rianna’s nipples in a clamp-like grasp and jerked it upwards, lifting the entire weight of Rianna’s bosom with the tiny teat. Then she slapped the underside of the stretched breast. ‘Very wicked,’ she added, slapping the breast again, then applying a couple of blows to Rianna’s stomach.
Rianna endured the stinging discomfort without a whimper. She was reminded of the months she’d spent in Sarin’s seraglio. He’d taught her that there was a fine line between pleasure and pain. He applied it to her in equal amounts, teaching her how addictive they both could be. She had almost forgotten the sweet sensations such cruelty could create, but the remembrance of it all flooded back as Niska forced open her legs and slapped the soft skin of her thighs just below the juncture of her pussy.
Niska eased open Rianna’s sex with her fingers, splitting her like a ripe peach to display the soft succulent flesh. She rubbed Rianna’s clit, and the pressure on the sensitive flesh merged with the aching fullness of her bladder, making her arousal increase.
‘Brings back memories, does it not?’ Niska teased, almost as if she could read Rianna’s mind. ‘Sarin schooled you well. They are lessons you’ll never forget.’ She rubbed and squeezed the tight nub of nerve endings, while continuing to gently stroke Rianna’s full belly. The pleasurable torture was like nothing Rianna had ever known and she fought to suppress the sensations, fearing that she could not control herself much longer.
Niska smiled, her attentions becoming even more determined. She teased and stimulated Rianna until another small dribble of liquid escaped. Dabbling her fingers in the warm trickle she used it to anoint Rianna’s sex, rubbing the moist liquid round and round her aching clit until the pressure on Rianna’s insides became unbearable. Niska must have known how close she was to losing control. She thrust three bunched fingers into Rianna with a rough stabbing movement. Rianna climaxed at once and the orgasm ripped through her flesh. She closed her eyes as the pulsing pressure was followed by a steady stream of liquid seeping, then spurting from her body. It flowed down over her thighs and buttocks in a scalding stream until she was lying in a damp pool of embarrassment and her cheeks were scarlet with shame.
Niska gave a chilling laugh as she wiped her damp hands on Rianna’s blanket. ‘What a dirty girl, you are,’ she sneered as she rose to her feet. ‘I’ll have to send Chang in to clean you up.’
‘No,’ Rianna begged. ‘Haven’t you humiliated me enough?’
‘I haven’t even started yet,’ Niska told her with a tight smile. ‘I’ll instruct him to ensure you are forced to sleep on this soiled mattress until we reach Vestfold. It will remind you constantly of the further humiliations that lie in store for you there.’
Rianna kept her eyes pointedly averted from Chang as he moved around the tent, packing up the contents ready for departure. The hunters had returned with plenty of game and they had been ordered to move again. But Rianna doubted they would travel far today as it was already well past noon.
She found it difficult to face Chang after she had endured the indignity of him seeing her lying there naked in a pool of her own piss. When he’d released her arms, for a brief moment she had thought she saw a flicker of sympathy in his dark eyes but it disappeared in an instant. He had brought her warm water with which to wash herself and clean clothing, appearing unmoved now by her nudity. Rianna had never known a man like Chang. She did pause to wonder if he preferred to take his pleasure with men. Yet most of the time he was remote, almost sexless, as if he kept his physical needs permanently suppressed.
‘We are almost ready to depart.’ He unfastened the heavy manacle from her ankle and helped Rianna to her feet. Her arms still ached a little f
rom the discomfort of having them tied above her head all night. She’d have given anything to move freely and unfettered for a while, but no doubt she was destined to be chained in the baggage wagon again. She walked slowly over to the entrance of the tent, conscious that Chang was carefully watching her to ensure she wouldn’t try to escape. There was no point; she would be recaptured in an instant.
She surveyed the part of the camp she could see, hoping to get a glimpse of Leon. At least then she’d know he was still alive. She stepped back when she saw a middle-aged grizzled man with a patch over his left eye walk towards her tent. It was Hordo, one of Chang’s most trusted men.
‘My lady,’ Hordo politely acknowledged as he paused at the entrance and looked at Chang. ‘We are ready to depart.’
‘Go with Hordo,’ Chang ordered. ‘He will attend to you today.’
Hordo cautiously took hold of her arm and escorted Rianna to the wagon, which as usual was parked close to her tent. As he helped her inside Rianna noticed that it stunk of slaughter. Bloody hunks of meat wrapped in cloths were stored at the far end, while other pieces of meat had been rolled in salt to preserve them. Her stomach gave an uneasy lurch, yet she had no choice but to sit down on a pile of sacks as Hordo picked up the chain affixed to the side of the wagon.
‘Make yourself as comfortable as you can,’ he said gruffly, appearing not to notice the overpowering stench.
Rianna smiled shyly at him and was heartened to see that he was not immune to her charms. ‘My poor ankle is so sore,’ she complained. ‘Could you not fasten that cruel thing around my wrist instead?’
Hordo frowned as he stared at her beautiful face. ‘Of course. If you wish it, my lady, I cannot see the harm,’ he said with an understanding smile.
Rianna had already prepared herself just in case. Her bodice had long pointed sleeves that extended over the back of her hand and she had tied a lace kerchief around her wrist as well to increase its bulk. ‘This will ensure that the rough metal does not irritate my skin,’ she told him sweetly. Her wrists were slim and her hands small. She had no wish for Hordo to realise that the manacle would be very loose.
‘With a skin as soft and delicate as yours, we must be careful,’ he said gruffly as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. He clamped the metal band around her wrist and fixed it firmly in place, holding her hand a shade longer than necessary. ‘You remind me a little of someone I once knew . . .’ he admitted awkwardly, then faltered as if unable to put his feelings into words.
‘A sweetheart perhaps?’ Rianna asked gently.
He nodded, then stepped out of the wagon, pulling the canvas flap back in place to afford her privacy. Rianna remained perched on the pile of sacks, listening to the sounds of the men preparing for their departure. Within minutes the wagon lurched forwards, trundling noisily over the rough track.
Once they were well underway Rianna rummaged under the sacks and took out a small bundle containing hard biscuits and strips of dried meat that she had purloined from the cook’s stores in the rear of the wagon. She had spent the last couple of days searching for things that might prove useful for her escape.
Stripping off her woollen skirt she slipped on a pair of breeches she had discovered in a bundle of clothing. The only doublet she had found was fur lined and far too big, with a musty odour that was none to pleasant, but it would keep her warm. The soft kid riding boots she had on were her own, and were not designed for walking but she hoped they would prove sturdy enough.
The cook kept a large pot of fat in the wagon and she pulled it towards her. Removing the kerchief from her wrist, and pulling up her sleeve, she dipped her fingers in the greasy mass and smeared the rancid fat around her hand and wrist. Once her skin was slippery enough it didn’t prove too difficult to slide the manacle off. Quickly, she wiped the smelly fat from her skin, and put on the doublet. Picking up her bundle of food, she made her way to the back of the wagon and eased back the canvas just a crack.
Fortunately the mercenaries following the wagon were some distance behind it. Rianna waited until they turned a sharp bend in the tree-lined road. Once out of their sight she climbed over the tailboard and jumped – aiming for some thick shrubs, which she hoped would break her fall. She lost control of her leap and landed awkwardly in a clump of ferns, then slid down a stony slope into a deep cleft by the side of the track. She froze, praying she wouldn’t be spotted as the long column rode past her.
It was probably only a few minutes but it felt like ages to Rianna before the squeak of the wagon and the chatter of the men faded into the distance. She lay there, her hands stinging where she had grazed them in her fall, hardly daring to breathe. Eventually the forest was quiet with only the shrill sound of birdsong piercing the still air.
Rianna scrambled to her feet, not knowing how long she had before they discovered she was missing. Apart from feeling a little bruised and battered, she had suffered no ill effects from her fall. Brushing the dead leaves and grass from her hands and face she looked around her, having no idea where she was, or how far it was to Ruberoc. She picked up her bundle and turned back in the direction she had just come from. Surely by now Tarn would have sent out soldiers to look for her, and if she travelled south she might eventually come upon them. If not she would have to find a place where she could hide from Niska’s men until they tired of looking for her. She set off, not daring to use the track, instead walking through the trees, just keeping the path in sight so that she would not lose her way.
Rianna was close to exhaustion when dawn came, streaking the sky with gold and red. By now she had left the forest and was traversing a gently undulating grassy plain. Anxiously she scanned the horizon, looking for a stream or river – any sign of water to drink. Her throat was parched, her lips dry. She saw a glimmer of something suspiciously like water in the distance, and she increased her pace, then she heard the distant pounding sound of horses approaching fast.
Fearful it was Niska’s men coming to look for her, she glanced around for cover. Even if it wasn’t the mercenaries it was safer not to be seen until she had discovered who the riders were. There were barely any places to hide on this bleak plain, but in the distance she saw a pile of boulders surrounded by thick glossy-leafed bushes. Fear made her forget her tiredness as she ran over the rough ground towards them, trying not to trip over stones and tufts of grass. She caught her foot in a hillock, just managing to regain her balance but she dropped her bundle of food on the ground. There was no time to pick it up. She left the bundle where it was as she ran towards the boulders.
Her breath burning in her throat and her limbs feeling weak she threw herself in the cover of the bushes. Pressing herself close to the cold ground, she crawled towards the centre of the cluster of stones. Her heart pounding fearfully, Rianna looked back at the track as a line of mercenaries, led by Chang, rode along it at full gallop. She was relived when they rode straight past the point where she had left the track and continued on their way. She’d almost begun to believe that she was safe when Chang suddenly pulled his mount to a halt and spoke to one of his men. The mercenary dismounted and walked back along the track looking closely at the ground and carefully examined the grass that bordered the narrow pathway.
Rianna froze in fear as the man stared thoughtfully down at a patch of soft grass then shouted and pointed in her direction. Chang and his man cantered back and followed the scout as he began to make his way slowly towards Rianna’s hiding place. He stopped only once to pick up her bundle of food and show it to Chang. He nodded then stared thoughtfully at the pile of boulders almost as if he knew for certain that that was where she was hiding.
Agitatedly she slithered backwards, then turned and crawled through the long grass until the ground dipped downwards. Once out of the direct line of sight of her pursuers, she stood up and ran as fast as she could.
The ground gradually grew softer and spongier beneath her feet, hampering her speed and making running much harder. She was forced to slow to a near-walkin
g pace when her feet hit softer, even boggier ground. One more step and the mud grabbed at her booted feet, and as she struggled to lift them she was sucked deeper into the soft morass. Frantically she struggled to free herself, but with every movement she made she was sucked deeper and deeper.
Rianna knew all was lost when she heard the soft thud of hoofbeats getting closer and closer. She turned her head to see a grim-faced Chang riding towards her.
Rianna’s entire body ached and she would have been sick to her stomach if her sore belly hadn’t been so empty. She was bound hand and foot with rawhide cords, which cut cruelly into her skin, and she was draped awkwardly across the front of Chang’s saddle. Every step the horse took jarred her body and she developed a pounding headache from being held upside down.
Chang brought his mount to a halt, dismounted and grabbed hold of Rianna. Heaving her across his shoulder he carried her into Niska’s tent and tossed her unceremoniously on to the ground. Rianna landed with a painful thump at Niska’s feet.
‘You’ve done well,’ Niska said to Chang. ‘Did she get far?’
‘Further than I ever thought,’ he replied.
‘She’s filthy.’ Niska grimaced as she dug her toe in Rianna’s ribs. ‘Her little escapade has caused an unnecessary delay and she must be punished,’ she continued coldly.
‘As you wish.’ Chang sounded as though he did not care either way as he grabbed hold of Rianna and hauled her to her feet.
She kept her eyes lowered, not looking at Niska, feeling bruised and battered and filled with such wretched disappointment it was hard to hold back her tears of frustration.
‘Tanith, help Chang strip off those filthy clothes,’ Niska said coldly. ‘And then tie her to the tentpost.’
Tanith cut the rawhide binding Rianna’s ankles and began to strip off her mudstained garments. Tanith was enjoying what she was doing, judging by her expression, and her hands lingered on Rianna’s naked flesh. When the bindings on Rianna’s wrists hampered the removal of her shirt, Tanith picked up the knife again and sliced through the flapping fabric.
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