A father is asked what he would do to save his son
“You still haven’t found a game yet?” I asked my son Zeb. I was getting tired holding the new game system I was getting him for when he goes off to college in a few weeks.
“Can I get two games?” asked Zeb, holding three regular priced new game cartridges.
“No. I said one used game. Hurry up. This box is getting heavy.” I said. I also wanted to get out of the store. It was mostly empty, but there was one creepy looking guy who kept looking at us.
“I’m hurrying,” said Zeb. He put the three games back. He then tugged on the ring he was wearing.
“Still can’t get that ring off?” I asked.
“No. And it’s driving me crazy! It’s a cool looking ring and all, but I really don’t want to wear it,” Zeb said, struggling with the ring again.
“You shouldn’t have forced it on your finger,” I said. Zeb had found it in the park this morning when he had been out riding with his friends.
“I didn’t!” exclaimed Zeb. “I told you. It just slipped on as if it was a perfect fit. Now it won’t come off!”
“After we get home and using soap to lubricate it, and we still can’t get it off, we may have to go to the emergency room and have it cut off,” I said.
Zeb held up his hand and looked at the ring and said, “It’s such a cool ring though. I’d hate to ruin it by having it cut off.”
I shifted the game system box to my other arm and said, “It wasn’t the ring I was talking about having cut.”
Zeb grinned and shook his head. “Dad.”
I pointed to the used games rack and said, “Go. Pick a game and let’s get out of here. Or I’ll pick one for you. That animal hospital game sure looks fun.”
“Okay, okay! I’ll pick something. Just give me another minute,” said Zeb.
As Zeb started scanning the rack for that perfect game, another oddly dressed guy in a long coat walked up to him. He spoke in a low tone, but I could barely hear, “Cool ring kid. Want to sell it?”
Zeb shrugged and said, “Mister, even if I wanted to, it won’t come off.”
The man stepped back with a look of surprise on his face. He said, “It’s locked? You? You’re the ring holder? How can that be? You’re of this world!”
With a worried look on his face, Zeb stepped back a few paces. As I started to move in his direction the creepy guy started walking towards Zeb as well. As I walked past the cashier I said, “Maybe you should call mall security?” I didn’t wait to see if he did anything.
The creepy guy approached the man, not Zeb. He said, “I’m taking you back, John. You can’t have the ring. It’s locked. Neither one of us belong here.”
The man whose name apparently was John said, “Get lost, Micah. I’m not leaving without the ring. I’ve been searching for it for weeks.” John pulled an automatic pistol from his coat. “You just arrived, so I know you don’t have one of these babies. The weapons on this world are so much better than what we have. Step back, Micah.”
Micah stepped closer to John. He said, “You can’t have the ring John. It’s picked a new holder. That’s why the queen tossed it into the vortex just before you murdered her. Your plan has failed. We don’t belong here. We must return now!” Micah took another step towards John.
“Fuck you!” shouted John as he lifted the pistol and fired point blank into Micah, causing him to pitch backwards. John pushed the gun into his pants pocket and grabbed a startled Zeb by the arm. “You’re coming with me, boy!” John then grabbed at an ornate disc chained around his neck and in a flash, John and Zeb disappeared! There was screaming in the store as well as out in the mall’s hallway.
I dropped the game system box and ran to where Zeb had been just an instant before. There was nothing there except a strong smell of ozone.
I ran over to Micah who was gasping for air. I’m not expert, but I was sure the wound was fatal. His clothes were getting soaked with blood. I grabbed Micah’s shirt collar and shouted, “Where’s my son? What just happened here? Who are you people?”
Micah coughed and blood trickled out of his mouth. In a hoarse voice he said, “Your son is in grave danger. I was to arrest John and bring him back.” Micah started coughing again. Continuing, he said, “What are you willing to do to save your son?”
“Anything!” I shouted. “I’ll do anything to save my son! Where is he? How can I help him?”
Micah reached up and from around his neck pulled out a disc similar to what John had used. He said, “Take this and press the center stone. It will take you to my world. There you must seek out John Banos before he can take your son to the Black Monastery.” Micah started coughing again.
I pulled the disc from its chain and slid my thumb to the stone. Micah touched my arm and said, “A word of warning. The ring, if mated with the stone in the Garden of Light, will return your son to this world. It can only send him. You will be stuck in my world. And, as you are not of my world, going there will change you. Are you still willing to go?”
“I’ll do anything to save my son,” I said through gritted teeth. “But changed how? How will I know my son if he’s changed?”
Micah nodded and said, “The change is random, but the ring will prevent your son from changing. You must find your son before the Ring of Jared is used by the high priest of the Black Monastery or our world will be plunged into war, chaos and darkness.” Micah coughed a few more times and then every muscle in his body suddenly relaxed.
Mall security suddenly burst into the store, weapons drawn. One pointed his weapon at me and shouted, “You! Hands on your head. Don’t move.”
I pressed the center stone.
I plopped down hard into some mud. The impact knocked the wind out of me and I just laid there in the mud trying to catch my breath. I was disoriented and heard strange sounds and noticed strange odors around me. I also felt wrong.
I grunted as I tried to lift myself up on my elbows. A strand of blonde hair fell across my face. Where did that come from? I then discovered two other things at once. I was lying in the mud completely naked and I had breasts. Micah had warned that I’d be changed, but I sure didn’t expect to have breasts.
I didn’t have long to ponder where I was or how I was changed as I heard some steps coming up from behind me. A rich, deep voice boom, “Girl! By Rotter’s Ghost, how the devil did you get here? Who are you? Stand up!”
Since I now had breasts, I assumed he was addressing me. I stood up and turned to face the voice. I could feel mud slowly oozing down my front and legs. The voice belonged to a large, burly guy with an unkempt beard and longish hair. He appeared to be dressed in soft leather, obviously an animal skin. There was another man with him, smaller, wiry and he kept his hand on the hilt of the sword that dangled from his belt.
“I ask again, mud girl. Who are you and how did you sneak into my camp? Trying to steal food?” the big guy bellowed.
I looked down at my hand and the disc had dissolved into a powder. I looked around and saw several wagons gathered around, smoke from several camp fires. I apparently was also in some kind of forest.
I straightened myself up and said in a girlish voice, “My name is Robert Cramer. I’m here to find my son. I need to find where John Banos is.”
The burly man said, “Never heard of him. But I’ll wager if he took your infant, he’s already sold it or disposed of it.”
“My son’s not an infant!” I said. “He’s…”
The big guy reached out suddenly and grabbed a handful of my long hair. He said, “You best forget about him, girl. And Robert is hardly a fitting name for a girl, but it doesn’t matter. You have no name now.” The man, holding my hair in a tight grip that caused pain all the way down my neck, lifted me off the ground slightly. The pain was horrible. The skinny guy hurriedly tied a leather collar around my neck.
The burly man laughed and jerked on the rope leash attached to the collar. “You’ll fetch me a good price, I’ll wager, with all that blonde hair and no markings. Whoever owned you before is going to be pissed that you’re gone, but you know what they say about finder’s keepers and all that.”
“I’m not owned by anyone!” I shouted.
The burly man slapped me across my face with his open palm. He sneered as he said, “Says the naked girl covered in mud. Well, girl. Until I sell you, I own you. You will address me as Master, understood?”
“I have to find my son!” I cried. “He’s wearing the Ring of Jared and it’s about to fall into the wrong hands.”
The man jerked on my leash and started leading me into his camp. He laughed and said, “That’s it? That’s the best you can do is bring up a fairy tale? The Ring of Jared is a bedtime story!”
“I’ve seen it!” I shouted. “It’s real and my son…”
He slapped me again. “Not another word out of you except to say ‘yes Master’ and ‘no Master’. Understood?”
I stood there, shaking from a mix of fury and fear. He started to raise his hand again and I meekly said, “Yes, Master.”
“That’s better, girl,” said my new Master as he lead me past a few wagons. There was another girl at one wagon who looked like she was preparing food. She had a cloth wrapped around her covering her breasts and crotch. Master tied my leash to that wagon.
As he tied me to the wagon, I said, “Do I get clothes, Master?”
He said, “No.” He turned to the other girl and said, “Shitforbrains, clean this girl up. I want to sell her as soon as possible.”
Shitforbrains bowed slightly and said, “Yes, Master.”
I watched the girl take a small bucket and fill it halfway with water from a larger barrel on the wagon. She fetched a brush from a box on the side of the wagon and returned to me.
Without a word, she dunked the brush into the bucket and started scrubbing the mud from me. As some of the mud started coming off, the girl said, “Welcome to the camp of Wallace the Weasel. That’s our Master’s name, but don’t ever say it. Did Master give you a name?”
I said, “No.”
She nodded and said, “He doesn’t bother with names for girls he plans to sell right away. You’re lucky. There can’t be many hell holes worse than this camp.”
“I have to get away. My son was kidnapped and I have to find him,” I said.
The girl looked at me with sad eyes and said, “You don’t have a son anymore. Babies don’t sell well. Sometimes a high-born will buy babies and give them to the females they own to raise. Not often. And whoever you were, whatever life you had before Master put that collar around your neck, is no more. The Weasel is stupid mostly. He can’t tell that you were never owned before. You carry yourself like someone who is free. Well, you’ll never be free again.”
“Maybe you can help me escape?” I said. “You don’t like being here anymore than I do. Together we can find my son.”
Shitforbrains stopped scrubbing on me and leaned in close and said in a hiss, “Your son is dead. They kill run-aways. The sooner you realize that your life is nothing the better it will be for you. Forget your son and forget who you were.”
I shook my head and said, “My son is not dead. He’s not an infant.”
Shitforbrains looked me up and down. She said, “You’re about my age. At most your son is five. Which means he’s probably dead.”
“My son is eighteen,” I said defiantly.
“And they call me ‘Shitforbrains.’” said Shitforbrains. “That’s not even possible! You would have had to have gotten pregnant before you were born!”
“Look. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I’m not from this world,” I said seriously. “In my world, I’m forty-five year old man.”
Shitforbrains just stood there and stared at me for a moment. And then she burst out laughing. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
Frustrated, I said, “It’s true I tell you! I have no idea where I am. Until just a few minutes ago, I was in a shopping mall buying my son a video game system for college.”
Shitforbrains just stared at me with vacant eyes. She said, “You were dropped on your head recently, weren’t you?”
Wallace the Weasel popped his head around a wagon across from us and bellowed, “Shut up you stupid whores. That girl better be clean. I’m taking her into town tomorrow to sell.”
Shitforbrains bowed slightly and said, “Yes my Master. She’s almost squeaky clean.” She slapped me with the harsh, wet brush again. The cool mist swirling around along with the water from the brush chilled me to the bone. The slave girl picked up the bucket and poured the cold water over my head. She then worked her fingers through my wet hair to wash it.
In hushed tones, the girl said to me, “Well there you go, you lucky bitch. You’re the guest of the Weasel for just one night. No matter who your new owner will be, can’t be half as bad as the Weasel.”
Shivering, I said, “What makes you so sure I’ll be sold?”
Shitforbrains barked a laugh. She picked up a few wet strands of my hair and said, “Blonde hair. Fair skin. Blue eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody doesn’t knock the Weasel in the head and steal you long before he gets you to the market.”
My teeth started to chatter with the cold. I said, “If I can, I don’t plan to be here for him to sell. If I can get away, would you come with me? I need a guide on this world.”
The girl frowned and slapped the palm of her hand against my forehead. She said, “What you need are some brains, girl. The Weasel might not beat you for running away because that would lower your value. Me? He’ll just kill. He doesn’t like me anyway.”
With a cry in my voice, I whispered, “I have to get away! I have to…”
Shitforbrains gave me a soft slap on the cheek and said, “You have to find your son. Yes, I know. Stop saying it. Let me say this slowly. Even if you had a son older than you, he’s dead. Whoever you were before Wallace the Weasel put a collar around your neck is no more. You’re not a human any more. You’re property. Just a girl. Unless you’re high-born, a girl is nothing but stock.” She laughed coarsely and spread her arms wide. She said, “Embrace your new life!”
“Shut up, girl!” shouted Wallace the Weasel. “I’m about to toss you into this fire.”
The slave girl picked up a bowl from a box on the wagon I was tied to and used it to scoop up some thick, whitish liquid with the consistency of oatmeal. She handed the bowl to me and said, “Eat this bitch and shut the hell up. Go to sleep and thank the gods that you’ll have a new owner by this time tomorrow.” She turned and walked away, dragging the rope tied to her collar behind her.
I sniffed the bowl. The liquid didn’t smell all that great, but I then realized just how hungry I was. The gruel had no taste, but it was hot and warmed me on the inside.
After I finished eating, licking the bowl clean, I found a burlap sack in the wagon. I wrapped it around me and crouched down under the wagon. It certainly didn’t get any warmer after the sun went down, but the wagon blocked the wind.
As the evening darkened into night, I found I couldn’t sleep. I searched the ground for any sharp rocks. I discovered that the Weasel wasn’t quite as stupid as he looked. All large and sharp rocks or even sticks that could be used as a weapon or used to cut ropes had been removed from the grounds of the camp.
Or maybe he was. I examined the leash that tethered me to the wagon and found it was merely tied. There was no lock or any other method to secure it. The knot was elaborate and tight, but after picking at it for several minutes, I managed to untie it.
I was standing behind the wagon, holding the loose end of the rope when I heard a noise from behind me. As I started to turn, a gruff voice said, “Girl. What are you doing?”
I turned around to face the man. He was just one of the Weasels henchmen from what I could see in the dark. I smiled weakly and said, “I can’t sleep.”
The pointed a finger at me and said, “You’re lucky the boss wants to sell you tomorrow. Otherwise I’d pay the difference to him and take you to my wagon.” He slapped me across the face and said, “Get on the ground and go to sleep. Don’t let me catch you up again.”
Meekly, I said, “Yes, Master.”
As he turned his back on me, a sudden thought shot through my tired brain. I quickly looped my leash and dropped it over the man’s head and jerked it as tight as I could. He gagged and couldn’t yell out. I started winding the leash to make it tighter and tighter. The man struggled briefly and then passed out.
I quickly searched the man as he lay on the ground and found a knife. He had a sword, but there was no way I could lift it. I cut the leash where it connected to my leather collar. Placing the blade of the knife in my teeth to free my hands, I quickly tied the man’s hands with the leash. I stuffed one end of the burlap sack I had used into his mouth so he couldn’t call out when he woke up.
I found Shitforbrains hunkered down besides a tree. I ran over to her and cupped my hand over her mouth. She awoke immediately with wild eyes and tried to shout. I hissed into her ear, “Shh! I’m blowing this pizza stand. You coming?”
Looking confused, the slave girl said, “You’re what? Where did you get that knife? You’ll be killed for holding that, blonde or not.”
“Only if they catch me,” I said. “I’m leaving now. You coming with me?”
Her eyes wild, she said, “I…I…I can’t. I’ll be killed. They’ll kill me anyway if they think I helped you. Hit me with the butt of the knife. Knock me out. I beg you.”
“I’m not going to hit you,” I said, growing impatient with the growing urgency to leave before I was discovered.
“If you knock me out, they’ll know I didn’t help you,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You may have a death wish, but I don’t. Hit me!”
Heaving a huge sigh of despair, I gritted my teeth, raised the butt of the knife and struck Shitforbrains hard against the side of her head. She groaned and went limp. I checked to make sure I hadn’t killed her and turned and ran into the forest.
Running naked in pitch black darkness through the woods is a very bad idea. Twigs and branches slapped my arms, legs and face. I constantly tripped over rocks and tree roots. Odd and frightening noises surrounded me.
In the darkness, I had no idea where I was running. I could be going in circles for all I knew or about to fall off a cliff or even walking into the mouth of a viscous animal. I slowed down from my panicked pace and tried to calm down. Tripping and spraining an ankle or breaking a leg wasn’t going to help me.
I stopped to catch my breath. I looked up at the sky. Through the tree tops, I could see a sky brilliant with stars. But they meant nothing to me. A breeze chilled my sweat covered body. Fear began to grip me as the realization of my situation finally started to set in no matter how crazy some of it was.
I had no idea where I was. I could be on another planet, in another time, another dimension, or just somewhere in Eastern Europe. Intellectually I rejected all these, but I couldn’t deny what I saw and felt. I could speak and understand what was said but what does that mean? I’m naked and most fantastic of all, I’m a girl. How is that even possible? Until now, I couldn’t fully process who I now was. I felt one of my firm breasts and felt the nipple erect in the cold. I slid my hand down between my legs to confirm what I already knew.
I started shaking almost violently with fear and I started to cry. I’ve never been so vulnerable in my life. Standing there, naked, cold, lost and being a young girl was absolutely horrifying. I was utterly helpless.
Standing there crying wasn’t going to help me either. I pushed onward, hoping to put enough distance between me and the Weasel. I was on foot. He had horses. I bet I was leaving a visible trail of broken limbs and twigs.
After several minutes of stumbling through the woods, I came to a clear area. It was a narrow, rutted clear area. It took only a moment to determine I had come across a road of some kind. Roads go places. Places like towns. The Weasel was going to take me to a nearby town to sell me. Would a town be a good or bad place for a lost naked girl?
I decided that anyplace was better than where I was. I was cold and getting hungry. I had no idea which direction was best. I picked one and started running. The road was soft dirt compared to the forest floor. I knew I’d be leaving foot prints, but maybe they weren’t obviously mine. I stepped in a pile of what seemed to be horse manure, so the road had been recently traveled.
The light around me gradually started to change from black to gray. I looked up and the sky was starting to get lighter. This wasn’t completely good news. While I could now see where I was going, it meant that most likely the Weasel was up and discovering I’m not in his camp any longer. I needed to get off the road.
Cautiously, I stepped back into the woods. Returning to the rocks and twigs and God knows what else of the forest floor made me almost decide to return to the relative softness of the road. But the forest offered the only protection I had at the moment.
As the light brightened, I picked up my pace. After running for what seemed like hours, I knew I couldn’t be more than a mile or two from the camp. I had to get more distance.
Suddenly my leg caught what felt like a tight string, causing me to fall onto the rough ground. I heard jingling sound, like rocks in a can. What the hell? I raised my head up from where I was laying on the ground and saw a pair of boots.
“Well well. What have we here?” I felt my hair being grabbed and then painfully jerked on. My head was pulled back to where I could see the face of the man who had spoken and who had my hair securely clinched in his fist. He had longish hair and looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. A scar running down the length of his cheek was the only mar on an otherwise handsome face. He studied me a moment with his blue eyes with more of a look of amusement than anything else.
He jerked my hair and said, “Well, girl. Can you speak?”
Scared shitless, I said, “Yes. Please sir, can you help me?”
The man chuckled and said, “Help you? You’re obviously a runaway. It’s a serious crime to help a runaway.”
“Please help me,” I pleaded. I took in a deep breath. “I have no idea where I am or how I got here. I was caught by someone named Wallace the Weasel. He was going to sell me. Please I need to find my son. He was taken by someone named John Banos. Please help me find them!”
The man felt the leather collar around my neck. He frowned and said, “So you belong to that scoundrel eh? I’m sorry for you girl, but I can’t help you. You should have let him sell you. I don’t know anyone named John Banos. Stand up.”
He pulled me up by my hair. He held it tightly. I managed to look around at my surroundings. I saw a bedroll on the ground. A horse tethered to a tree nearby. The remains of a small fire pit and a string with what looked like small metal cans attached that he used apparently as an alert.
He looked at me again as he held my hair and grinned. “Quite a beauty you are. No wonder he wanted to sell you. I’ll bet he’ll pay me a bounty for your return.”
“Please. I beg you,” I said, starting to cry again. I hated being helpless. “My son has the Ring of Jared. Does that mean anything to you?”
His expression flickered for just a moment, and then he said, “No. I stopped listening to fairy tales while still on my mother’s knee. I…” he stopped speaking and looked at something over his shoulder.
I turned and was horrified and I started shaking uncontrollably. Crying I said, “It’s him. Please don’t let him take me back! I have to find my son!”
Riding between the trees where Wallace the Weasel and several of his men. Dragging behind him on a leash was Shitforbrains, looking tired and miserable. As he approached, the Weasel called out, “Thank you, stupid girl, for leaving me such an extraordinarily easy trail to follow.”
Jerking on my hair, the man holding me said, “Is this your property?”
Still sitting on his horse at the camp’s edge, the Weasel said, “That it is indeed. If you would be so kind as to return it?”
Pulling on my hair, the man said, “Such a fine specimen. You were very careless to let it wander away. A girl like this should fetch a high price. Is there a reward for catching it?”
The Weasel grinned and said, “Sir, there are four of us and one of you. I’m more inclined to just retrieve my property and go.” He had pulled the leash tight on Shitforbrains. She looked horrified.
The man holding me casually slid his other hand to the hilt of his sword which did not go unnoticed by the Weasel. The man said, “How do I know she really belongs to you. I know you, Wallace the Weasel and you do have a reputation of being a thief. I just found this girl and you know what they say about finder's keepers and all that.”
The Weasel’s eyes went wide as he took a closer look at the man’s sword. The Weasel looked him up and down and gasped. Nervously he said, “You’re a Knight of the Realm! What are you doing in these woods? This is not a good omen.”
Pulling my hair tighter, the man said, “I think I’ve taken a fancy to this girl. I get tired of tavern girls, don’t you?”
Beads of sweat started to form on the Weasel’s head. He said, “Yes. That’s why I keep the taverns supplied with new ones.” He paused for a moment and swallowed audibly. “Take the girl, Knight, with my compliments.”
One of the men riding with the Weasel said, “You’re just going to let him have the girl? She’s worth at least five gold! That’s more than a normal three month’s take!”
“Shut up, Norman!” The Weasel looked over at Norman with a scowl. “He can kill us all in heartbeat. If he wants the girl, he can have her. Let’s go.”
As the Weasel started to turn his horse, the man holding my hair said, “I fancy the other girl too.”
The Weasel looked down and said, “You want Shitforbrains? She’s just a worthless little cunt. She’s not even a good fuck. She makes a mean stew though.”
The man tugged at his sword’s hilt. He said, “Yes. Her as well.”
The Weasel shrugged and said, “Be my guest. You won’t get much for her.”
The man said, “Tie her to that tree next to you and be gone.”
The Weasel tied Shitforbrains’ leash to a branch of the tree next to him and with a hand signal to his men, they turned and rode away.
“Oh, thank you!” I said to the man still holding my hair. He didn’t say a word as he pulled a large knife from his belt and quickly cut away the leather collar from my neck. It was like heaven to feel that awful thing fall from my throat. “Thank you for freeing me…”
Looking amused the man, still holding my hair, deftly swung a metal band around my neck. With his free hand he snapped it closed. I heard the obvious click of a lock it closed. He pulled a small chain from his pocket and attached it to the metal collar.
I just stood there in shock. I said, “I…I…I thought you were freeing me!”
He chuckled as he let go of my hair. He said, “Maybe you should be the one called Shitforbrains, eh? I own you now. No man in his right mind would ever free a slave.” He tugged on the chain to make sure it was secure. “My name is Anthony, but you may call me Master.”
Oh my God now what? I felt numb as I realized I wasn’t going to be free. How was I going to find Zeb now? Anthony, while not as gruff as the Weasel, still considered me his property. And he obviously wasn’t as stupid as the Weasel. How was I going to get away now?
Without a word he led me over to where Shitforbrains was tied. He walked up to her with a smile. He said, “I thought I recognized you.” He pulled another metal collar from a pouch he had slung over his shoulder. He deftly put it around Shitforbrains neck and locked it into place. He took another small chain and attached it to her collar and the other end to mine. With his knife, he cut away the leather collar still around her neck.
“You…you recognize me?” said Shitforbrains as she felt around the metal collar. She looked at him with confusion. She tugged the chain between me and her.
Anthony smiled and said, “I knew your father. We fought together. I met you and your mother once, many years ago.”
Tears welled up in Shitforbrains eyes. “I don’t even remember my mother or father.”
Looking wistful, Anthony said, “He was a good man. He saved my life, just before he died. Look, you know I can’t take you back to your family. They’d never take you back with the stain and shame of being a slave on you. But in honor of your father, I will take care of you.”
Crying and staring at the ground, Shitforbrains said, “Thank you, Master.”
Anthony said, “Your name used to be Lisa. I like that better than Shitforbrains, so for now at least, I’ll call you that. Displease me and I’ll come up with something worse.”
Still looking at the ground, Lisa said, “Yes, Master.”
Turning to face me, Anthony said, “And what shall we call you?”
“My name is Robert Cramer. Can you help me find my son?” I said, feeling a bit more relaxed.
Frowning, Anthony said, “Did I ask you what you used to be called? That’s an awful name for such a beautiful girl anyway. I’ll call you Caldi for now with the same warning for displeasing me.” I learned later that Caldi was the name of a rare and beautiful flower that only grew in one region of this stupid world I was on.
The sun was now shining brightly through the trees. Anthony led Lisa and me back to his camp. As we walked the short distance, he said, “Thank you girl for giving me John Banos’ name. Now I know who I’m hunting. We have little time to keep the Ring of Jared from falling into his possession.”
A father is asked what he would do to save his son
“We’ll eat something and then head to the next town which I believe is called Bugville. Sounds like a charming place. We’ll probably get there around noon,” said Anthony as we all stood in his camp. “But first things, first.”
Pointing at Lisa, Anthony said, “On your knees girl. Submit to me.”
“Yes, Master,” said Lisa as she slid to her knees on the rough ground at Anthony’s feet. She spread her legs apart, bowed her head, raised her arms and crossed them at the wrists. “I submit my body and heart to you, Master, totally and completely in all things. I am yours to do with as you please.”
Smiling, Anthony said, “Now stand. Come here girl, and kiss me.”
Lisa smiled slightly as she stepped towards him. She said, “Yes my Master.” I stood there, growing ever more nervous as I watched her slide her arms around Anthony’s neck and gave him a long, deep kiss.
“Very good, girl,” said her new Master. “Now prepare us something to eat. Look in that saddle pack.”
“Yes my Master,” said Lisa. As she turned to walk to the saddle pack, Anthony gave her a little swat on her butt.
Anthony turned to me and said, “And now you, girl. On your knees.”
I hesitated. I said nervously, “I’m not a girl. We don’t do shit like this where I come from.”
His face suddenly clouded in anger, Anthony took a few steps towards me, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Lisa stopped and turned to look at me.
Anthony said, “You look like a girl to me and in case you haven’t noticed, we’re not where you come from, wherever that may be. On your knees, girl. Now.”
I folded my arms across my naked breasts and said, “No. I won’t. I’m not playing this game.” Lisa’s eyes were pleading as she silently mouthed the words, “Get down. Get down.”
Scowling, Anthony stepped right up to me. I felt so small with his large, muscular frame towering over me. Through clenched teeth, he said, “I have no time or patience to deal with an insolent girl. You can help with my quest as you know the person I seek, or your rotting corpse can lay here in the forest and feed the worms. On…your…knees. Now.”
I smiled nervously and said, “Since you put it that way…” Lisa, her eyes wide, kept making an obvious gesture for me to get down on the ground. I lowered myself slowly to the ground on my knees, trying to find a softer spot. Imitating Lisa, I spread my legs and bowed my head. I hesitated as I started to raise my arms. I thought how insane this was. I had no desire to submit to anyone. To hand my very life over to another person. But this man can help me find Zeb. I shook my head and took a deep breath.
Staring at the ground and hoping I could remember what Lisa had said, I said, “I submit my body and heart to you, Master, totally and completely in all things. I am yours to do with as you please.”
Anthony said, “Very good girl. Now stand.”
I stood, starting to feel nauseated, afraid that my new Master would order me to kiss him. My body may be a girl, but my mind definitely isn’t.
Anthony said, “Now kiss me, girl.” Lisa was frantically nodding her head.
I felt sick. I looked at my Master’s face. Oh God I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to be here. I wish Zeb had never found that stupid ring. I looked at my feet for a moment, then back to my Master’s face. With a deep sigh of resignation, I did what Lisa had done. I slowly slid my arms around Anthony’s neck, stood on my tiptoes. He bent his head toward me and I watched as his lips parted slightly. I pressed my lips against his. I was going to pull away the moment our lips touched, but he held me close and pressed his lips into me. His scruffy beard felt rough against my face, but also felt somehow exotic. I just closed my eyes and submitted to his kiss. What else was I going to do?
Finally my Master let me pull away. He grinned at me and said, “Now that’s more like it, mine. I can tell you will provide me with much pleasure. But why were your fingers crossed as you said your oath?”
I winked at Lisa and said to my new Master, “It’s an old Earth custom. It…ah, it emphasizes what I was saying. Yeah. That.” I crossed my fingers once again.
Swatting my backside, my Master said, “Go help your sister.”
Lisa had found some salted meats and bread in the pack. She was trying to prepare a cold meal, something quick so we could be on our way. In a whisper, she said after I had gotten near to her, “What does crossing your fingers mean?”
I smiled and whispered back, “It is an old Earth custom. It means I didn’t mean anything I said.”
Lisa shook her head. She said, “Girl, I don’t think that works here. You are his to obey at his pleasure. He will take care of you, and protect you, but only if you give yourself totally to him. Like it or not, you belong to him. From what I can tell, he will be a good Master, but you must please him. If he can’t trust you, he’ll sell or just kill you. Nobody will care.”
I just stood there in silence for a moment. I have to do this for Zeb.
“So tell me girl,” said Anthony as we walked along the rutted road to Bugville. Well, Master rode his horse. Lisa and I walked beside him. “Why is your son involved? You claim to be from another world.”
“Well, that’s because I am, my Master,” I said. “My son Zeb, found the Ring of Jared on the ground and like most people would do, he tried it on. It slid on easily, but now it won’t come off.”
Anthony nodded. He said, “The ring was tossed into the Vortex where it could wind up just about anywhere. It went to your world because apparently, your son is a Ring Holder. Your son has the power to use the ring.”
“Use it?” I asked. “He can’t even take it off!”
Nodding again, Anthony said, “He can only remove it at the Black Monastery. But only he can remove it. We must be there when he does to be sure the realms stay in peace.”
I shook my head and said, “I’m worried I’m too late. That my son, Zeb might already be dead.”
My Master said, “If this John Banos has your son, then he will protect him until they get to the Black Monastery. If the Ring Holder, your son, dies while wearing the ring, the ring loses its power. It must be recharged in the Vortex where it will become lost again. The ring is my responsibility as a Knight of the Realm. We must locate it soon.”
“I don’t believe in magic, but I can’t deny I’m here,” I said. “But what’s with the ring?”
My Master said, “The ring has great power. It’s origins lost in antiquity and its history has been told and retold for so long that it’s now regarded as a fairy tale. Just children’s stories. But its power is very real. The high priest at the Black Monastery is evil. With the ring, he would enslave us all. And by all, I include your world as well.”
“My world, Master?” I asked. “But magic doesn’t really work on my world. It’s just tricks that fool people.”
My Master laughed. He said, “Yours must be a technical world. I’ve heard of those. The magic is there. It’s just not obvious. The ring would not have gone to your world if it wasn’t a Member of the Realms. If the high priest gets the ring, your world would be in for a rude surprise.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “So this is bigger than just my son.”
Looking a bit grim, Anthony said, “Yes. The fate of many realms rest in your son’s hands.” He paused for a few moments and then he said, “So tell me girl. How did you come to be here.”
I stared blankly into space as I remembered that terrible moment when Zeb disappeared. I said, “Zeb and I were in a store, shopping for a game…never mind that’s not important. Anyway, this John Banos approached my son about the ring. He didn’t know the ring had locked on his hand. That’s when this other guy showed up to try to arrest Banos. Banos shot him and disappeared with my son. The guy who was shot gave me a disc of some kind. Told me to press the stone to come here to try to save my son.”
Knitting his brow, Anthony said, “This ‘guy’ who was shot…did he say his name?”
Frowning in thought for a moment, I said, “Banos said it. His name was…um…um…Micah. Yeah, it was Micah.”
Anthony stopped his horse and looked sternly down at me. He said, “His name was Micah? Are you sure? And he gave you his travel disc?”
Looking worried, I said, “Yes my Master. I’m sure. He warned me that using the disc would change me.”
“What was his condition when you left, girl?” Anthony looked very agitated.
“I’m sorry my Master,” I said looking up at him while he sat on his horse. “He died just before I pressed the button or stone or whatever it was. Did you know him?”
My Master nodded grimly. He said, “Yes. He was my closest friend. We worked together a lot. Are you sure he was dead?”
Nodding slowly, I said, “Yes my Master. I could see the life leave his eyes.”
“And John Banos killed him?” asked my Master as his eyes stared blankly.
“Yes my Master.” I said.
Grimacing, my Master said, “Then John Banos is dead man. I will not rest until he pays for his crime.” Anthony kicked his horse in the flanks and the horse started moving forward. The rest of the trip to Bugville was in silence.
“No color TV?” I asked as I looked around the room Anthony had gotten us at the Bugville Inn. It was pretty stark. One bed and a small chest of drawers against one wall. A table with a chair was against the other wall. A couple of eye bolts were driven into the stone floor by the bed. Two lanterns hung from the ceiling.
“What?” asked my Master.
“It’s nothing my Master,” I said. “Where do Lisa and I sleep, my Master? I only see one bed.”
Directing Lisa to drop the saddle bag she was carrying, Anthony said, “The bed is for me. See those rings on the floor by the bed? You will be chained there. I’ll allow you to use some of my bedding if you don’t want to lie on the stones.”
Frowning, I said, “That’s awfully big of you, my Master.”
Smiling, Anthony said, “I try to keep my girls happy.” He sat down at the table, pulled a piece of paper from his pocket along with something that resembled a pencil. He started scribbling something that look like a list.
As he continued to write, Anthony said, “Lisa. Can you read?”
“Yes my Master,” said Lisa. “As you know, I wasn’t always a slave.”
Anthony didn’t look up from his writing, but he frowned as he said, “Girl I didn’t ask for a history lesson, did I?” He pulled up the paper and held it out for Lisa. He then opened a small pouch hanging on his belt and removed a few copper colored coins. “Take these coppers and see if you can acquire the items on this list.”
“Yes, my Master,” said Lisa. She glanced at the list. “I’m sure I can find most of these things.”
Anthony stood and removed the chain attached to Lisa’s collar. He handed her a key. “Bring everything back to this room and lock the door. I’m going to the tavern to see if I can learn anything about Banos.”
Feeling the chain attached to my collar, I said, “Am I going with Lisa or staying here?”
My Master smirked and said, “You’re coming with me, girl. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“But but but…you’re letting her go by herself!” I exclaimed.
Looking serious, my Master said, “Lisa knows her place, Little One. I could see she took her oath of submission to heart. I’m afraid you’ll bolt at the first opportunity.”
“No I won’t, my Master!” I said, stung by his words of distrust. Honestly, where would I go? This knight is my best chance so far of finding Zeb.
Anthony said, “You’re too valuable for me to let you roam around loose anyway. You’d be stolen before you got halfway down the street.”
My words heavy with sarcasm, I said, “This is such a lovely world you have.”
My Master smiled broadly, showing white, even teeth. He said, “We call it home.”
Master jerked on my chain for me to follow him. He stopped and turned to face Lisa. He said, “Oh, girl. There should be a clean camisk for you in the saddle bags. Burn those rags you’re wearing and put on that camisk.”
“Yes my Master,” said Lisa simply.
“Do I get some clothes?” I asked timidly.
Anthony laughed and said, “No Caldi. I prefer you the way you are. Come.”
It was a short walk to the tavern. I felt really uncomfortable walking in public stark naked. Looking around, I noticed other girls with or without a Master, but wearing the ever present collar, going to and fro. Most were dressed in what I guess was a camisk. I really had no idea what that was. A few girls were naked like me. What surprised me, just based on my experience so far on this world, were other women, walking freely around, not wearing collars. Some of these women wore dresses while others shockingly to my slave sensitive eyes, wore workpants and shirts. It was a world of contradictions, for sure.
“Just curious my Master,” I said as we walked. “How will I be able to return my son to our home?’
My Master smiled down at me and said, “A couple of things. One, it’s dangerous for a slave to be curious. Secondly, let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves. First we have to find him before he gets to the Black Monastery and defeat Banos and the high priest. If we manage that, your son removes the ring in the Garden of Light and hands it to the priestess. She’s on our side. He then walks into the Vortex and he returns home.”
“And then I follow him, right?” I said hopefully.
Anthony stopped walking and looked sadly at me. He said, “No. Without a travel disc, which are, as they say, as rare as hen’s teeth, you can’t enter the Vortex.”
“But you said all my son has to do is enter the Vortex to return home! Why not me?” I asked.
“Your son is not of this world,” said Anthony. “The Vortex will correct that and send him to where he belongs.”
Speaking louder than I should have, because some people turned around to look at me, I said, “But I’m not ‘of this world’ either. I should be able to just follow him.”
Shaking his head, my Master said, “Micah must have surely warned you before he gave you his travel disc. In coming here, you have been transformed. You are now of this world in this form. You can never return to your former life.”
I tugged on my Master’s shirt and said, “But that’s not fair! Yes, Micah told me I couldn’t come back, but I thought surely there’s a way around that.”
My Master ran his fingers through my long, blonde hair and said, “I will help you return your son to your world or die trying. There’s just too much at stake. But I’m sorry Little One. This is now your life.”
I started to cry. I said, “Nothing against you, my Master. But this royally sucks.”
Anthony shrugged and flashed a brief smile. He ruffled my hair and said, “Come my girl. Let’s see if we can learn anything in the tavern.”
I followed my Master into the tavern as he led me by my leash. It was bigger inside than I expected. Not very well lit but busy with patrons and girls bringing food and drink to tables. There was a raised circle in the middle of the room filled with loose sand. Two girls, dressed in silks were dancing there.
A bald man dressed all in black leather stood up and stepped in front of my Master. He was missing a few teeth. He said, “That’s a magnificent girl you have there, sir! I’ll give you four gold for her now.”
My Master just stood there expressionless. He said, “She’s not for sale.”
From the table next to us, another man said, “She’s a virgin, isn’t she? I’ll give you five gold for her.”
Another man at the same table said, “Hell, if she’s a virgin, I’ll give you one gold just to pop her!” There was a roar of laughter around the room. I wanted to run away and hide.
Anthony just smiled and said, “I’m her owner. I reserve that for me.”
The first man looked hungrily up and down at me. He wouldn’t take his eyes from me. I felt like I going to throw up. I looked around and almost every man was looking and grinning at me. The man who spoke first said, “Six gold. That’s my final offer.”
Laughing, a man at a table behind him shouted, “What are you goin’ to do with her, Carl? Ever since that varmutte bit off your pecker, you have no use for girls!” Several of the girls working the tables laughed.
“Shut up, Larson!” shouted the man with the missing teeth and apparently his manhood as well. “I can sell her up north!”
Smiling, Anthony said, “Like I said. She’s not for sale. Now if you’ll excuse me?” He started to walk past the man.
Suddenly serious, the man behind Carl said, “Better sit down. Look Carl. He’s a Knight of the Realm.”
Eyes widening, Carl said, “What? Um…excuse me sir!” He quickly sat back down.
Anthony led me to a wall where I saw half a dozen girls chained there. To me he said, “Wait here.” He then locked my leash to a hoop embedded in the wall. I started to protest, but Anthony raised a finger to his lips and said, “Quiet girl. I’ll be back after a few drinks.” He turned and walked away leaving me with the other girls.
I watched as he approached the man behind the bar. The man raised his hands and said, “We don’t want no trouble, Knight.”
The last thing I heard before he got too far away to hear in the noisy tavern was, “I’m just here to quench my thirst good sir.”
Frowning, I sat down on the floor with the other girls chained to the wall. I just sat there, watching Anthony get a tankard of something and chat with the guy behind the bar for a few minutes. He then walked up to a table of scruffy looking men and sat with them, drinking and laughing.
After that got boring, I turned around and looked at the other slaves chained to the wall. We were a glum looking bunch. Everyone seemed to be keeping to their own thoughts. Why didn’t Anthony just let me stay at the inn? This place was too dark, it stank, it was too loud and if you’re chained to a wall, it’s incredibly boring.
I was about to doze off when I saw man enter the tavern, wearing basically the same black leather and armor that Anthony wore. Trailing behind him was a tall, slender girl. My Master looked up and waved at him. Anthony stood up and embraced the newcomer’s shoulders. He pointed at me, and then pointed at one of the few empty tables. The newcomer smiled and brought his girl over to the now crowded wall.
The newcomer looked down at me and said, “Greetings, girl. You’ll keep my girl Saki company while I discuss business with your Master, okay?” He then chained his girl to the same post I was chained to.
“Yes, Master,” I said as the girl sat next to me. He turned and walked back to where my Master was now sitting.
I turned to the girl and said, “I am called Caldi. Nice to meet you.”
The girl smiled weakly at me and said, “Same. Is that your Master mine is talking to?”
I nodded and said, “Yes. I’m guessing your Master is a Knight of the Realm?”
She looked nervously back towards her Master, then back to me. She said, “Yes. I think something is going on.”
I looked at her curiously and said, “Why do you say that?”
Looking directly at me, Saki said, “Your Master is the second Knight we’ve seen today. Three Knights in one small area doesn’t happen very often.”
“I think I know what might be going on,” I said. “My Master is looking for…”
Saki put her finger on my lips and shook her head. “Don’t speak of it here. Has your Master not taught you anything?”
Knocking her hand away from my mouth and frowning I said, “Actually, he hasn’t. But what’s the idea? It’s just us chickens here.”
Smirking, Saki said, “These other girls are just like little magpies. Without knowing what it’s about, they will tell their Masters anything they’ve heard.”
Shrugging, I said, “Sorry. I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Looking a bit smug, Saki said, “For Masters like ours, a good slave keeps her mouth shut and ears open.”
Before I could say anything else, my and Saki’s Master approached us and unchained us from the hoop. My Master, in a serious tone jerked my chain and said, “Let’s go.” All four of us walked in silence back to our room at the inn.
Once we were back at our room, Anthony sat on the bed while the other Master, a Master Damari sat backwards in the chair by the lone table.
“This is getting more serious by the minute, it seems,” said Anthony. “Your description of the two men you saw hiring a few soldiers of fortune match those of a John Banos and my girl’s son.”
Master Damari looked at me strangely and said, “Her son? Both men were clearly older than her.”
I laughed lightly and said, “Well, it’s a long story…”
My Master shot me an angry glare and said, “Nobody gave you permission to speak, girl!” Turning back to Damari he said, “It’s a long story. The older man’s name is John Banos. The boy’s name is Zeb and is Banos’ prisoner. Zeb has the Ring of Jared.”
Damari said, “Prisoner you say? He was not restrained and seemed pretty anxious to get moving. In fact, they left a little more than an hour before you arrived.”
“Damn the luck!” said my Master through clenched teeth. “We were so close. We have less time than I thought. The boy is feeling the ring’s power. The closer he gets to the Black Monastery, the more influence the ring will have on him.”
Nodding, Damari said, “Aye. If he’s gathering an army as he goes, it’d be suicide for us to just ride in and try to take him.”
Anthony looked in deep thought for a few moments. He looked up and said, “You’re the Knight for these parts. What resources do we have in this region?”
Damari said, “There’s a small garrison about five klicks up the Eastern road towards Sullsbury. They protect this region from marauders from the neighboring kingdom.”
My Master said, “Can we use them? Will they fight for us?”
Leaning back reaching into her camisk and twirling a finger around Saki’s nipple for a moment, Damari said, “A lot of them are weekend warriors, working off debts and minor crimes. But there are Royal Regulars there as well. I think they would all jump at the chance to serve the Knights of the Realm.”
Anthony smiled. He said, “Good. If we can stall their army long enough for you and me to get this girl…” He pointed at me. “Get this girl into the Monastery, we can defeat the evil priest and send the Ring back into the Vortex.”
Damari looked at me quizzically and said, “This girl? Yes, she’s beautiful and I’m sure will keep you warm at night, but she’s far too delicate to take into a campaign. You’re other girl, while pretty as well seems to be much tougher. I wouldn’t doubt if she could handle a sword herself if it wasn’t illegal.”
Lisa grinned broadly at Damari’s words.
“Oh, I’m bringing her too,” said our Master. “But I feel Caldi is the key. It has to be more than just luck that I found the only one on the planet who knows who holds the Ring.”
Damari looked at me with disbelief and said, “And how would such a young, beautiful little slut come to know this?”
I waved my arms in frustration and almost shouted, “Because Zeb’s my son!” I almost added “you fucking asshole…” but held my tongue. I affected a Texas accent and said, “We alls ain’t from around these parts!”
Everyone in the room looked at me as if I was from Mars. Well, I guess to them it’d be the same difference.
Anthony laughed and said, “Easy, Damari. Caldi isn’t a slut…yet. She’s still a virgin.”
Damari laughed heartily and said, “Still? With you owning her? You’re getting slow old man.”
Standing, Anthony said, “Give me a break. I only found her this morning. Girls. Load up the saddle bags and load up the horse. Damari and I have some planning to do. We leave in a few minutes for that garrison.”
I stood there, angry. How could they say such things while I’m standing right here? I might as well be an end table as far as they’re concerned. I’m an it. A thing. I said, “I can barely lift one of those saddle bags. Can’t they just wait until we’re actually leaving?” Lisa covered her eyes and shook her head.
Saki slapped my naked ass. She said, “You heard your Master. I sure hope you get some training soon, girl. You dishonor your Master.”
“The tavern here needs a new kitchen slave,” said Anthony. “I may sell her after we’ve retrieved the Ring.”
I glowered at my Master for a moment, and then with a sigh started helping Lisa with the saddle bags.
Hissing into my ear, Lisa said, “I’ll kill you myself you stupid bitch if you don’t stop acting like that!”
Whispering back, I said, “Sorry. I’ll try to be a good girl.”
“Honestly? You don’t know how to pleasure a man?” said an incredulous Lisa.
“I know what pleasures a man,” I said. “But it’s certainly not anything I’ve considered having to do myself. I mean, to another man that is.”
Lisa, Saki and I were given a small cell at the garrison’s kennel. I bristled when I heard the word “kennel”. It was where the girls who served the garrison were quartered. Each cell had its own cage door, but none seemed to be locked. The girls came and went as needed for various chores. Each cell’s floor was covered with blankets and other bedding.
Saki said, “You must learn to pleasure your Master. It’s part of your duty to him to make him feel like a man. His day is hard. His nights should be filled with pleasure.”
“You don’t get it, either of you!” I said. “I have no desire to do anything with a man. Until yesterday afternoon, I was a man. I didn’t choose this!”
Lisa pushed my forehead and said, “None of us chose this, you stuck up little twat. I was stolen from my home during a raid and sold to that walking pile of garbage The Weasel. I had to pleasure his men so they’d stay out of his stock. You think I chose that?”
Saki said, “Same for me. I was taken as a young girl when marauders sacked my village. I was sold to a house of pleasure in Muldar. I was beaten daily by the men who came there. My Master won me in a game of chance. I love my Master and would do anything for him. You need to learn to love your Master. I can tell he loves you.”
Looking shocked, I said, “You’re out of your mind! He doesn’t love me. He didn’t even know me until this morning when he took me from The Weasel.”
Lisa said, “Yes he does. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. Me he took because he felt he owed my father a debt. He took you because of your beauty.”
I shook my head. “He took me because I can lead him to the ring. That’s all. Besides, men own us. They don’t need to love us.”
Saki said, “A good Master loves his girl, even if he’s sometimes harsh to her. A good Master is also a teacher. You should learn from him.”
I laughed humorously. I said, “Those girls serving in the tavern might say something different.”
Saki shrugged and said, “Tavern owners aren’t good Masters.”
Lisa said, “Like Saki, I love our Master. I’ll do anything for him as long as I’m away from The Weasel. Which is why I’m going to help you. Saki too. It’ll be dark soon and we don’t have much time to prepare you.”
“Prepare me?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
Lisa picked up the small bag that held the new clothes our Master had sent her to buy along with supplies. Instead of a rough camisk, she pulled out something small, made of red silky material with golden highlights. She and Saki both smiled as she held it up.
Lisa said, “You will wear these beautiful silks tonight and enter our Master’s tent. You will make him feel like a man and he will finally make you feel like a woman.”
I shrank back against the cell’s wall in horror. I said, “You’re out of your fucking mind! I…I’ll do no such thing! The hell with what I look like! Inside, I’ve spent my whole life being a man!”
Scowling, Lisa said, “You told us what our Master said to you. You’ll spend the rest of your life here as a woman. He’s your Master. You must show your love for him.”
“Look. He’s a nice guy and all, but I don’t love him,” I said trying fruitlessly to force myself through the wall. “I mean, he bosses me around and treats me like shit.”
Still scowling, Lisa said, “You don’t know what shit is like, you bimbo. The Weasel was going to sell you to that very tavern you were at today with Master. The tavern owner would have made a fortune selling your services…your body to a never ending parade of men until you died. Master saved your life. You owe him everything.”
I swallowed hard and said, “You’re right. I owe him for that. But what you’re asking. I…I…”
Saki held up the skimpy silks and said, “Put this on. It’ll be a quick lesson, but we’ll teach you how to make your Master feel like a man.”
I took the silks from Saki and felt them in my hands. They were smoother and more sensual than any of the sexy panties my wife had ever worn. I said, “Look. I don’t think I can do this…”
Through gritted teeth, Lisa snarled, “Put on the fucking silks!”
It was quiet inside the walls of the garrison at night. Light from dozens of torches along the top of the wall as well as scattered throughout the garrison grounds cast odd dancing shadows. The men of the garrison were either standing guard duty or standing around talking or sitting on the ground eating their dinners. Those in view of me stopped what they were doing when they saw me. Their eyes followed me as I headed towards a large tent in the middle of the grounds.
I could feel the silks slide around my legs as I walked. You couldn’t help but feel sexy wearing these silks. It felt incredible. And despite being embarrassed at being dressed like this in public, my self image still being my old self, I held my head high.
None of them made any move towards me. They all knew who owned me. I felt nervous as hell walking past all these men. There was no masking what their thoughts were. I had never worn make-up before, but Lisa and Saki had lightly rouged my cheeks and reddened my lips and made up my eyes. Apparently, for special occasions and dancing, girls would wear make-up and jewelry.
The two guards at the entrance of Anthony’s tent smiled, but made no move to block my entry. My Master didn’t notice me as I entered. He was shirtless and seated on a bench before a table studying a large map. Several candles lit the table while a few torches lit the interior of the tent. In the middle of the tent’s floor were a pile of silks and blankets for his bedding. I doubt even the garrison’s captain had a bed so inviting. It’s good to be Knight of the Realm apparently.
My Master turned with a look of surprise followed by wide smile when I said in as sultry a voice as I could muster, “Greetings, my Master.”
Following the quick lessons Lisa and Saki had given me, I gently placed my hands on my Master’s broad shoulders. I softly kissed his neck between his shoulder blades and started to gently massage his shoulder and neck muscles. His muscles were so tight! He’d never let on that he was so stressed. I pressed my fingers deeper into his skin and kissed his neck. He closed his eyes and started to relax. I was surprised that he didn’t say a word as I massaged his tight muscles.
After a few minutes of massaging him, and after another soft kiss on the base of his neck, he suddenly turned and put a hand behind my neck and pulled my face towards his. He kissed me deeply. I was suddenly breathless. I’d never been kissed like this before. Trying to think of baseball players or other distractions, I found I just couldn’t resist his kiss. My heart started to race and I felt other things…strange feelings…starting to happen with my body.
Anthony pulled away and said, “Dance.”
In a breathy voice, I said, “Yes , my Master.”
I’ll never be a Fred Astaire or I guess in my case a Ginger Rogers, but Lisa and Saki had taught me a few moves and both had assured me that the rest would begin to flow naturally. I swayed my hips and moved my arms as gracefully and as sexily as I could. I hoped I looked sexy and not like a football player trying to belly dance.
For several minutes I danced before my Master. He smiled at me the whole time. I wasn’t sure if he thought I was being funny or I was entertaining him with my dance. I guess it didn’t matter if he was enjoying it.
After several more minutes of dancing, he waved his hand indicating I should stop. He said, “Remove the boots.”
“Yes my Master,” I said. I slid to my knees before my seated Master. I started dutifully unbuckling the several buckles on his boots. His boots were pretty dirty and scuffed up. But I dared not mention that as I was afraid he’d direct me to lick his boots clean and buff them with my hair or something.
After unbuckling the first boot, I grabbed it by the heel and tugged. And tugged. I finally jerked on it hard and went tumbling backwards when the boot finally came off. I lay on my back a moment, holding his smelly boot while Anthony laughed. I smiled sweetly at my Master as I sat back up. I saw my Master’s naked foot and wondered if socks have even been invented on this stupid world.
The smell from the boot was nauseating and I muttered under my breath, “Master could use a bath.” I crawled on my hands and knees back up to Anthony to pull his other boot.
Frowning slightly, my Master said, “What did the girl say?”
I shook my head slightly. I really need to stop saying things. I said, “I said that Master could use a bath.”
Anthony grinned and said, “I’ll look forward to you bathing me when we return from the coming battle. Remove the other boot.”
As I unbuckled the other boot, my face was almost next to the crotch of his pants. There was an obvious bulge there and I shocked myself by wondering what was underneath his pants. I had less difficulty in removing the other boot. I rested on my knees after tossing the other boot to one side.
“Remove my pants,” said my Master.
I tried to smile as I said, “Yes my Master.” I’m sure they don’t wear underwear here and despite my earlier random thought, I really didn’t want to see anything. I unfastened his belt and pulled it loose. His pants had a row of buttons instead of a zipper. I slowly unbuttoned his pants. I could feel a hardness underneath. When I opened his pants wide, my Master’s penis popped out. It was larger than I expected. I had spent my whole life avoiding looking at other guy’s penises in restrooms and such and now here it was, hanging right in front of me. I couldn’t help but just stare at it for a few moments. I shook my head and pulled his pants down his legs and discarded them to one side.
Smiling, my Master said, “Pleasure me.”
Oh my God. I was afraid he was going to say that. Lisa and Saki gave me pointers on this, but I had told them there was no way in hell I’d do it. I just stared at his massive manhood for a moment. Master slid his hips forward towards me as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
I grimaced and thought to myself, “Aw fuck.” Hesitantly I opened my mouth and leaned forward. I stopped and pulled my head back. I reached up and held his penis steady with one hand. I mentally recoiled at the touch. Never in my life had I touched a penis that wasn’t attached to me. I closed my eyes tightly and leaned back in, his cock sliding between my lips.
I couldn’t believe I was actually doing it. The taste of his sweat and what I really hoped wasn’t urine accosted my taste buds. I slid it all the way until I felt I was about to gag. Then slid it back to where it almost came out of my mouth. I pressed my tongue hard against it as I started sucking on it. My Master moaned as I pleasured his manhood. I’m sure he believed my story about having been a man on my world and I have no doubt he took extra pleasure in dominating me.
With his cock in my mouth, I thought about what I’d like to have done to me when I still was male. I changed my approach and was rewarded by a satisfyingly loud moan from my Master. After a minute or so, I decided giving my Master a blowjob wasn’t as bad as I had imagined and was starting to get more into it.
Anthony suddenly pulled himself from my mouth and stood. Tugging on my hair, he said, “Come to my bed.” I quickly moved to his bed. I knew what was coming and now I was resigned to it.
As I lay on my back, Anthony kissed me deeply as he gently kneaded one of my breasts. I could feel my nipples getting hard. He slid a finger inside my vagina. The feeling surprised me. After spending my adult life sticking my fingers inside someone else’s pussy, it felt weird to know someone was doing the same thing to me. I felt no guilt in deciding I enjoyed it.
Then my Master started massaging my clitoris. I gasped as he stimulated me. The sensation was beyond anything I could imagine! I moaned uncontrollably.
Anthony removed his fingers and I felt his swollen cock slide into me. I felt pain as he pushed into my virgin pussy, but that was secondary to the pleasure of having his manhood push into me. I gasped again, finding it difficult to breathe. I was being fucked by a man, and so help me, I loved it.
I couldn’t help but moan, groan and yelp as he pumped his cock into me. He kissed me deeply. I raised my hips up to match his thrusts. I had never experienced such absolute, raw pleasure before. I decided that sex from this side was much, much better.
Finally, with one mighty thrust, Anthony plunged his cock deep and unloaded his seed inside me. At the thrust, I cried out loudly, “Oh, Master!” I had forgotten I was in a tent and I heard a muffled cheer go up from the men outside. I didn’t care. Both of us hot and covered in sweat, my Master just lay on me, as his cock continued to pulse a few times, pumping more of his seed. Oh man, I sure hope I don’t get pregnant.
He kissed me again, and then rolled off me. He was immediately asleep. I smiled at my Master and cuddled up next to him and closed my eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Tonight, I became a woman.
A father is asked what he would do to save his son
“Are you going to sleep all day?” asked an annoyed Lisa.
I cracked open an eye and found I was lying in the sun on a few blankets. The tent was gone. I was no longer wearing the silks. I blinked in the early morning light and lifted myself up on my elbows. I was very sore down in my private region. I wondered if I would even be able to walk.
Lisa said as she passed by again, “We could really use the help. You’re not one of those ‘princess slaves’ are you?”
I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I tossed my hair back and said, “Maybe I am!”
“Or maybe you’re not,” said my Master from behind me. “Help Lisa load up that wagon. We roll out in half an hour.”
“Yes my Master,” I said as I stood on wobbly legs. I walked over to where Lisa and Saki were loading a wagon with supplies.
Lisa looked at me and laughed. She said, “You’re walking funny.”
Frowning, I said, “Ha ha. You’re very funny.” I picked up a box of cans and carried them to the wagon.
Saki said, “The whole camp heard you last night. Can you be more quiet next time?”
Still frowning, I said, “I’ll try.”
As we loaded the wagon, I looked around. It seems that Master and Master Damari were taking about fifty men to do battle against the evil priest and possibly my son. I really didn’t care for the idea of anyone attacking my son, regardless of what side he was on. I’m sure if he wasn’t be influenced by Banos and the Ring of Jared, he’d never do anything evil.
We finished loading the wagons. The soldiers did help. It wasn’t just us girls doing all the work. Good thing because some things all three of us together couldn’t lift. We watched Damari muster the men into ranks.
“Caldi. Walk with me a minute,” said Anthony.
Looking at him curiously, I said, “Yes my Master.” Taking my leash, he led me away from everyone, over to one of the garrison’s walls.
Leaning against the wall and idly twirling my leash, Anthony said, “Girl, I’m glad you did what you did last night. For several reasons. One, is well obvious. You pleased me very much. I’m also glad because lying with me cemented your resignation to your fate of being a woman. Some of this may seem barbaric to you, but this is where you are, and this is who we are and as harsh as it sounds, you’re never seeing your world again. I didn’t make the rules.”
Looking up at his face, I said, “Yes, I understand my Master. I know I’m here for the long haul.”
Stroking my hair, my Master said, “Doing those things last night I’m sure wasn’t easy for you to do, considering who you used to be. But it showed me that you do have the determination to do what it takes to reach your goal, which is to return your son to your world.”
“I’ll certainly do all I can, my Master,” I said.
Looking towards the north, the direction where the Monastery lay, Anthony said, “I really believe it was no accident that I found you. And that it was no accident you arrived here, blonde, blue eyed and beautiful.” He paused for a few moments and then said, “We need to get going. You girls can ride in the wagon. We need to move a bit faster than normal. It’s a four day trip that we need to make in two.”
Looking down at myself, I said, “Can I get something to wear?”
He didn’t even look at me as Master started walking towards his troops, pulling on my leash. He said, “No.”
Lisa looked at me with disbelief and said, “You’re serious? On your world, people fly through the air on machines and instead of horses and wagons, people use machines that move themselves?”
I readjusted my seating position as sitting on the back of the wagon wasn’t the most comfortable place to be. All three of us were securely tied to the wagon in case we got any bright ideas. Actually, I think it was mostly for me. Lisa and Saki seemed content with their situation. They’ve both had it much worse.
“It’s true,” I said. “I mean, not everyone has a car. There are still many places in my world where people depend on animals and such for basic transportation. The world is big after all. The cities are huge with thousands and sometimes millions of people living in them. Everything is connected through paved roads and trains.”
Lisa shook her head. She waved an arm to take in the whole outdoors in her gesture. She said, “I don’t think I’d want to live in such cities. Too crowded. Do they have slaves?”
I frowned and said, “Some places still do that. Most civilized people are offended by it. And you don’t have to live in a big city. The city I lived in wasn’t huge, maybe around a hundred thousand or so. But big enough to have a mall, some big grocery stores and a good electronics store and lots of restaurants.” I smiled as I thought about the last steak I had. I miss eating steak.
Saki said, “My Master has told me of the ancient legends of our world. Our world was once like yours. Then a group of priests, called scientists back then, created the Vortex. There was a great war where they used unimaginably horrible weapons that wiped out most of the people on the world. A priesthood has managed and protected the Vortex ever since. Well, until now.”
I said, “Now an evil priest wants control of it?”
My Master, riding beside us had apparently been listening. He turned slightly and said, “Yes. And the Ring of Jared is the key. With it, the holder can wield unimaginable power.”
Saki said, “Maybe it would be best if the Vortex was destroyed.”
I laughed. They all looked at me like I was crazy. I said, “Don’t you get it? Destroy the Vortex and our Masters are out of a job!”
My Master just shook his head. He said, “You can’t destroy it. To do so would destroy our whole world and the Gods know what else.” He turned around and returned his attention to moving his army forward.
We rode for a while in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts. I finally broke the silence and said, “Lisa. Do you know how to cook a steak?”
While it was nice to not have to do much for a change, riding in the wagon did get a bit boring. I enjoyed watching the landscape roll by as our small convoy of wagons and small parade of troops passed through. In stark contrast with the harshness of the society, the countryside itself was beautiful. Mountains and forests, rivers, green meadows dotted with trees. The landscape was gorgeous and varied. We traveled through it fairly quickly though.
We stopped at noon. We three slaves were tethered to the food wagon along with two other girls I didn’t even know they were with us until we stopped. We distributed salted meats, bread and water to the men. I didn’t much care for how the men leered at me as I handed them their food. Of the five girls handing out food, I was the only one that was naked.
My Master and Damari were the last to be served. While it wasn’t exactly a cheeseburger, we girls delighted in being allowed to take some of the meat and bread. Nice break from the gruel we were normally given.
Lisa and I sat down on the grass next to Anthony while we ate. I looked around at the all the barbaric, medieval looking splendor. The colorful banners. Men in armor. Squinting in the sun, I looked at my Master and said, “Master. Will this be enough men to defeat Banos’ army and take the Monastery?”
Still chewing, Anthony said, “If they are outside the walls of the Monastery, Banos’ men should be fairly easy to defeat. We have soldiers skilled in the art of war. Banos has drunks and thieves. The Monastery has its own defenders as well. It’s like a small city inside the walls. They have spring water, grow all the produce they need. They have livestock. There’s no way to out siege them and the wall is impenetrable. At least with our forces. My goal right now is to stop Banos and your son from entering the Monastery.”
Looking confused, I said, “How are we supposed to get in? How is Banos getting in?”
Anthony laughed and said, “Really girl? Banos works for the Priest. Bringing the ring to the Priest was his goal. Your son is just along for the ride.”
I shook my head and said, “I hope we catch them. It’s only been a few days here, but it seems a lifetime ago that we were shopping for games back home. They have a huge lead on us though.”
My Master grimaced and said, “Aye. They have a lead, but they didn’t have time to get much in the way of supplies. Banos’ men are probably getting tired and hungry by now. Hopefully, they’ll be moving slower now.” Anthony looked around, brushed his hands together and started to stand. “You girls are going to get lazy with all these breaks. Time to move.”
Secured inside the wagon once more, we started on our way. It seemed we were moving a bit faster than we had during the morning. Lisa curled up in a ball and fell instantly asleep. Saki just stared blankly into space with a worried look on her face.
“Saki, is something wrong,” I asked.
She shook her head and looked down at the planks in the wagon’s floor. She said, “I’m worried, that’s all.”
“About fighting Banos’ army? Master seems pretty confident about defeating them,” I said moving closer to Saki.
Frowning slightly, Saki said, “My Master isn’t worried about that either. It’s…well, it’s when we get to the Monastery.”
I nodded and said in a low tone so only Saki could hear, “Yeah. My Master confused me. He said the walls of the Monastery are impenetrable. How do we get in?”
Whispering back, Saki said, “That’s what has me worried. From what my Master told me, no army, no forces have ever broken through the wall. Even if there are no defenders on the wall. No one has ever breached the wall.”
I shrugged and said, “They must know a way in, I’m sure.”
Saki shook her head. She said, “My Master said the only goal is to catch Banos before he reaches the Monastery and retrieve the ring and put it in a guarded place. Our Masters are very determined. They are willing to die to complete their mission.”
A cold shock flushed down my spine. I said, “You said they’re going to lock up the ring? But…but, it’s on my son’s finger. It won’t come off. That means locking up my son!”
Looking sad, Saki said, “They are Knights of the Realm. The security of the Realm is paramount to them. Nothing else matters.”
Tears forming, I said, “But my Master promised me he’d help me get my son home.”
Saki sadly shook her head. She said, “A promise to a slave is meaningless.”
I curled up next to Lisa and cried.
“I want five men to constantly patrol just inside those woods,” said my Master as we set up camp in a small clearing. It was getting dark and he didn’t want to travel the narrow forest road at night.
I hadn’t said a word to anyone since my conversation with Saki earlier. I felt betrayed. An immense sadness had overwhelmed me. The whole point of me coming here in the first place, enduring all this humiliation and hardship was to get my son back home. I didn’t sacrifice my life just to have my son locked away somewhere.
That night, I just sat in a corner of our Master’s tent. I stared coldly at Anthony while Lisa pleasured him. I grew angry watching them. I wanted to hate Lisa for what she was doing, but I had to admit to myself that she probably didn’t know Master’s plan to betray my son. I also had to admit that Lisa was an opportunist. She lived for the moment. Even if she did know, she wouldn’t let it bother her.
With a final moan and squeal of “Oh Master!” Anthony rolled off her, with a look of satisfaction on his face. He looked up and saw me glowering at them. An expression of concern clouded his face for a moment.
Anthony said, “Lisa. Go check on the horses.”
Still lying on the blankets, grinning, Lisa said, “The horses are fine, my Master.” She sat up and kissed him.
Looking angry, Anthony pushed Lisa away and said, “Girl, I said go check the horses. Go! And take your time about it.”
First looking confused, Lisa stood up and said, “Yes my Master.” Seeing me, she shot me a withering glare and quickly left the tent.
Looking sternly at me, Anthony said, “At my feet, girl. Now.”
I hesitated a moment, then slowly rose to my feet and walked over to him. Briefly, I just stared at him, not trying to mask the anger I felt.
“Sit,” said my Master.
I sat down before him without saying a word. I just glared at him.
Frowning, Anthony said, “Before I have you whipped for insolence girl, tell me what your problem is. I thought we were past this defiance of yours.”
“You lied to me,” I said through clenched teeth. “Whip me, beat me, hell even kill me if you want. You betrayed me. You betrayed my son. You’re not going to help me save him. You’re going to lock him away. I thought men had honor and all that shit.”
My Master looked suddenly royally pissed off. “Who told you this?” he demanded.
“You might as well kill me. I’d be better off,” I snarled. “I’m not telling you. I won’t betray a friends’ trust. Unlike you.”
With a fury I’ve never seen in Anthony before, he reached out and slapped me. “You stupid, insolent little whore!” The slap stung and I fought back tears.
“Kill me,” I said, staring coldly at my Master.
His expression softened and his muscles relaxed. He said, “Caldi, there are forces at work here that neither of us understand. I didn’t take you from the Weasel. He delivered you to me. There are a million different ways that you could have been changed to, but you arrived as a beautiful girl. I don’t believe any of this is an accident.”
“I believed you when you said you’d help return my son. I threw away everything I had and everything I will ever have in order to return my son to our world. And now it was all for nothing?” I started to cry.
“Caldi,” said Anthony. He reached out to touch my face. I slapped his hand away. He frowned and looked away for a moment. “Caldi. The walls of the Monastery cannot be breached. Once we have your son in custody, we’ll have something to hopefully bargain with. I intend to keep my promise to you. The safety of the Realm depends on it.”
I defiantly stood up and shouted, “How? You said yourself you can’t get in!”
Remaining sitting and with a calm demeanor, my Master said, “You’ll have to trust me.”
Before I could answer, there was suddenly shouting from outside. Someone yelled, “We’re being attacked!”
Anthony jumped to his feet, drew his sword and said to me, “Stay here!” He started to run for the tent’s entrance. The back end of the tent was suddenly engulfed in flames. He turned around, grabbed my hand and pulled me. “Well shit. Come with me.”
The tent burned quickly. Outside men were scrambling everywhere. There was clanging of steel against steel, screams and howls. Only the campfires lit the pandemonium all around. I couldn’t tell who was who.
My Master grabbed a nearby soldier by the arm. “Take this girl. Find the other girls. Get another man and protect them. Especially this girl.” He started to head into the fray.
The solder, looking disgusted at such an assignment said, “They’re just sluts, Sir Anthony!”
Snarling, Anthony pushed the tip of his sword against the man’s chest and said, “Do as I say. If this girl especially gets so much as a scratch, I’m personally running you through.”
Frowning the soldier said, “Aye, Sir.” To me he said, “Come, wench. Let’s get the others.”
Lisa and Saki had been hiding under a supply wagon and saw me with a soldier. They came running towards us, scared out of their minds. The wagon burst into flames. The soldier tapped another man and told him to follow him. One of the girls from the garrison came running across the camp screaming. Two men chasing her.
“Stay behind us,” commanded the man guarding me. He and the other soldier rushed to engage the two chasing the girl.
The two men chasing the girl stopped their chase and fought wildly. They didn’t seem to know how to properly handle a sword as their thrusts left themselves wide open for attack. In just a few moments, the two lay on the ground in a crumpled bloody heap.
I heard the other girl scream. I looked around for her and in the dim light, I saw her being dragged away into the forest. She was too far away to help.
The four of us girls huddled together, completely terrified. All around us were the screams of dying and wounded men. We were totally helpless, dependant on the two soldiers for our defense. I hate being helpless. Without proper training, even as a man I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle a sword. I really wished I had an Uzi or something.
And then just as suddenly as it had began, the battle stopped. The remnants of the attacking force turned and ran back into the woods. Our troops, only taking a small loss started to give chase.
“Stop! Don’t follow them into the woods! It’s a trap!” shouted Anthony. His command was echoed among the men and they stopped their pursuit, some just feet from the wood’s edge.
Anthony then came running up to where we were huddled. To me he said, “Are you uninjured?”
“Yes my Master,” I said, shivering from both fear and the chilled night air.
Anthony looked down at the two dead attackers at our feet. To the soldiers protecting us, he said, “Good job, men.”
I said, “They took one of the garrison girls, my Master. She was too far away to help.”
My Master ruffled my hair and said, “We’ll try to get her back.”
Damari came running up to my Master, breathing hard. Saki ran up to him and collapsed to the ground, hugging his leg. After taking a few deep breaths, Damari said, “Anthony. I’m sure you’ve guessed these were John Banos’ men. It was only ten of them, but they hit with such surprise and ferocity, it seemed like three times that many.”
“Damage?” asked Anthony looking around the shambles that was the camp.
Damari said, “Three wounded, but they’re still able to fight. They stole one of the girls. We captured two of the attackers. The rest were killed.”
“Take me to the prisoners,” said Anthony with a scowl.
We walked past the still burning wagon. Some of the grass was burning as well. Sitting on the ground, their hands tied securely behind them were two cut and bleeding men. They looked up briefly as we stopped before them. One of them squinted up at my Master and said, “Fuck you.”
Anthony took the tip of his sword and pushed it into an open wound on the man’s side and gave it a twist. The man screamed in a howl of pain.
Getting down on one knee, Anthony grabbed the man’s hair and pulled his neck back hard. He said, “I have no patience for the likes of you. How large a force is waiting for us in the forest?”
Through gritted teeth, the man said, “Fuck you!”
Anthony snapped the man’s head back so hard I thought his neck would break. The man again howled with the pain. Still holding his hair tightly, my Master said, “Next time I snap your neck. Once again, I ask politely, how large a force is waiting for us?”
Barely able to breathe, his voice strained said, “About sixty.”
Anthony let go of the man’s hair and said, “See? That wasn’t so hard.” Anthony then stood. To Damari he said, “It’s still about 4 hours until first light. There’s no way we can enter the forest in the dark and expect to make it out. Put half the men on watch and then rotate them in two hours. Get the turned over wagon back on its wheels and see if there’s anything to salvage from the one that’s burning.”
Damari pointed at the two prisoners. “What about them?”
Anthony looked at the two with disgust and said, “Put manure bags on their heads and put them on the last wagon. After the Ring is secure, we’ll sell them in Shalar.”
Both men shouted, “No! Please! Not that! Anywhere else!”
Anthony ignored them and we walked away. I said, “I’m confused, my Master. Those two seemed more upset about where you were going to sell them than the fact that you plan to sell them as slaves.”
My Master grinned and said, “Shalar is a small kingdom. It’s one of the few city-states on this world that has a woman ruler. Some male slaves are picked to be breeding stock. The others are emasculated. Many criminals are sold to Shalar or places like it.”
I frowned and said, “You have such a charming world, Master.”
Anthony laughed and said, “Well, now it’s your world too.”
The dawn’s light was barely starting to brighten the sky when we broke camp and quickly loaded the remaining wagons. Lisa and the other garrison girl prepared a hurried breakfast. Anthony said something about an army traveling on its stomach and knew his men needed something to eat before they headed into battle.
From his horse, Anthony shouted behind him, “Keep the wagons in the center. Make a wide circle around them. Keep the two men on either side of you within sight. Call out if you see anything.” He then made a gesture to signal it was time to enter the forest. The road narrowed as it lead into the woods.
It became visibly darker as we entered the woods. I was pretty scared. We could be attacked at any moment. I didn’t want to get killed and I sure didn’t want to wind up in the hands of Banos’ men. The wagons stayed on the road. Anthony had the men in a wide circle around the wagons so hopefully we wouldn’t get surprised. Every bird and other animal noises made me jump.
About a half hour into the woods and it was getting brighter. The sun had finally risen above the trees. It seems that Banos and his men may have just taken advantage of our delay and moved on ahead of us. The girls and I had started to relax.
There was suddenly an odd zinging sound in the air and a loud thwack sound as our wagon’s driver was thrown backwards off his seat, followed immediately by a loud report. Holy shit! Banos still had his gun from my world!
I shouted, “Get down! Get down on the ground!”
Lisa jumped up and grabbed the reins and halted the horses. The other wagons behind us stopped. And then we all jumped to the ground next to the fallen driver. He was dead.
Anthony stopped his horse and turned in my direction. He said, “Get down? What just happened here? Why are we stopped?”
Another whizzing sound and the sound of a bullet impacting the tree next to Anthony. He looked at the tree with a large nick in the bark. He shouted, “What is that?”
I yelled, “Get down my Master! Banos has a gun!”
Anthony shouted, “Dismount! Get down low behind something!” The few mounted soldiers jumped quickly from their horses. The other men started ducking behind trees, rocks or the wagons. Crouching, Anthony made his way quickly to where the girls and I were laying under our wagon.
As his eyes tried to scan the forest before us, Anthony said, “Girl. What is this gun Banos has? How do you know of it?”
I said, “It’s a small, handheld weapon, my Master. It fires small projectiles called bullets over distance. He took it from my world. He must be close because the handheld guns aren’t accurate over long distances.” I paused for a moment and then said, “It’s what Banos used to kill your friend Micah.”
Anthony frowned and said, “How many of these…bullets…does it hold?”
I shrugged and said, “I don’t remember if it had an extended magazine or not. My guess would be ten. But he could have extra magazines or if he has a box of bullets with him, then there’s no way to know how many he has.”
My Master looked at me curiously and said, “How do you know so much about this weapon?”
I said, “I have…or rather had, three of them myself. Zeb and I spent quite a few Saturdays at the range plinking away.”
“Plinking? Nevermind,” said Anthony. “We can assume he has at least seven more of those bullets as he’s used the weapon at least three times. How far can he hit his target with it?”
I bit my lower lip in thought. I said, “Since he probably hasn’t had much time to practice with it, I’d say ten yards…twenty-five at most. And all these trees make hitting anything at distance even harder.”
Anthony raised an eyebrow and said, “So he’s close?”
“Probably not anymore. I doubt he’s foolish enough to stay in one spot after taking those shots,” I said taking what satisfaction I could from my Master talking to me as more or less an equal.
Nodding, Anthony then turned to the nearest soldier crouching next to him. He said, “You. Take four men and move up thirty yards. Stay low. Search the area, then send one of you to report back.”
It seemed forever to sit under the wagon, waiting for the soldier to return. After the gunshots, the forest was strangely still. Finally one of the men returned.
“It’s clear up ahead, Sir,” said the soldier, breathing noisily. “We checked another twenty yards ahead and no sign of the other army. It looks like they moved to the road. They seem to be moving quickly.”
Nodding, Anthony said, “We’re getting close to the Monastery.” He then shouted, “Mount up! I want twenty men in front of the wagons, twenty behind and the rest guarding the flanks.”
Anthony looked at our driverless wagon. He said, “Lisa. Can you drive a wagon?”
“Of course, my Master!” said Lisa with enthusiasm.
Anthony said, “Then do so! Let’s move!”
The soldiers started moving at a faster pace down the road. Lisa snapped the reins and the horses started trotting forward.
I moved up to the front of the wagon and said into Lisa’s ear, “Don’t get shot.”
Lisa nodded and said, “That’s high on my list.”
After several minutes, the forest began to thin out and we abruptly came out to a large clearing. About a mile in front of us loomed the high, black walls of the Monastery. Between us the wall were Banos’ men about 50 yards in front of us.
Standing in the stirrups, my Master shouted, “Attack! Don’t let them reach the Monastery!”
The men pulled their swords and raised them high and shouted. Banos’ men turned and also unsheathed their swords. They knew they couldn’t reach the safety of the walls in time.
Lisa pulled hard on the reins and brought the wagon to an abrupt halt. She set the brake and scurried into the back of the wagon with Saki and me.
I looked on in horror as I saw Damari lurch back in his saddle and fall from his horse, followed by a loud report from a pistol.
“My Master!” shouted Saki as she jumped from the wagon to rush to the fallen Damari.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed. “What a lucky shot.” I followed Saki from the wagon to her Master’s side.
Damari sat up as we got near him. He was bleeding from near the top of his shoulder. I checked his wound and laughed. Saki’s eyes flared at me. I said, “You lucky bastard. Your armor deflected the bullet so it just grazed you. It didn’t penetrate.”
Darmari winced as he tried to stand. He might have a bruised or broken rib. He coughed and said, “Under the circumstances girl, I’ll ignore just this once you calling me a bastard.”
Saki, looking worried said, “Are you alright my Master?”
Damari regained his feet and said, “I’ll live. Get back in the wagon, girls.” He drew his sword ran towards the fight raging just a few feet from us.
We watched from the wagon. It was as vicious battle. Swinging swords, flashing knives, screams and blood covering the ground. It had been smooth meadow grass, but it was quickly being churned up into a muddy, bloody mess. Several of the garrison’s men were cut down by the brutal onslaught of Banos’ men.
The sight of the battle was more barbaric than anything I’d seen portrayed in a movie. There was no graceful slow-motion ballet of death. Convulsing limbs and heads lay on the blood stained grass. Steel flashed in the sun and shouts of the mortally wounded filled the air.
Suddenly, from Banos’ ranks someone shouted, “He’s at the gate! Run away!” There was a chorus of “Run away!” as Banos’ men disengaged from the fight and turned to run towards the Monastery. Our soldiers started to give chase.
“Hold!” shouted my Master. “Do not pursue. It’s too late. Banos and the ring are inside the walls. This fight was just to delay us in pursuing Banos.”
I jumped from the wagon and ran to my Master with Lisa hot on my heels. When I got near him, I saw that he had a gash in his arm. I ran up to him and took his arm. “My Master, you’re hurt!”
He waved me off and said, “It’s just a flesh wound.”
I looked at the retreating army and the black, foreboding walls of the Monastery. I said, “We’ve failed, my Master.”
Anthony shook his head and said, “Not yet.” He then called to our men and said, “Gather weapons and the wounded and put them in the wagons. We’ll set up a camp down near the wall, just outside of archer range.”
Damari hobbled up to us. In a tired voice he said, “Well that was fun.”
Anthony laughed and said, “You’re walking like an old man!”
Damari laughed and said, “Give me some slack, Anthony. Six months ago I took an arrow to the knee. I’m afraid that’s ended my adventuring.”
From what I could see of it, the Black Monastery was one of the ugliest structures I’ve ever seen. Huge, black and foreboding. A tall, black wall had been built around it. Along the wall, the army of John Banos and my son had built up were lining the top of it along with the regular defenders.
Even though both opposing armies weren’t all that large, it was still a spectacle to see. Banners waving and soldiers wearing colorful tunics of their armor. We had stopped just short of the enemies archer range. They didn’t have many, but it was enough to damage our small army.
The men on our side had already started cook fires and set up tents like they were in a siege. I thought we were just going to rush them and wipe them out, but we made no move to get closer. My Master had taken me up to the edge of our camp while Lisa and Saki helped with cooking up a meal for our small army.
I sat in the grass next to my Master as he surveyed the Monastery. I said, “What’s next, my Master? Do we attack?”
Anthony ignored me for a minute or so as he scanned the walls with a crude telescope. Finally he said, “Not yet. Not if we don’t have to. We wouldn’t stand a chance going against their defenses. I really had hoped that we could have arrived here first to cut them off. We could have won that battle. But this works better, I think.”
“Better?” I asked. “But you just said we can’t break through their defenses.”
Nodding, my Master said, “Yes. Getting control of the Ring would have made things easier. But we would still need to free the Priestess who I’m sure is held prisoner. Plus, doing battle might have endangered your son.”
I stood up next to my Master. A rowdy cheer rose up from the men manning the wall. I keep forgetting I’m stark naked. Ignoring them, I said, “So it’s standoff. How long can we just wait out here?”
My Master looked down at me and said, “You ask a lot of questions for a girl. But to answer you, not long. The Priest has your son. Ordinarily we’d just lay siege against a fortification. But the Monastery has its own farms and spring fed water supply. They can wait us out until we’re old and gray. Damari has been dispatched to the town of Hotspring where there is an actual fort. But it will be two days before he gets back with a larger force. We can’t wait that long. I’m sure the Priest will use the ring very soon.”
He handed me the little telescope and said, “Here. Look at the tallest part of the Monastery, over there on the left. There are three people standing on a platform. I think one of them is your son.”
I quickly placed the telescope against my eye and frantically searched for the platform. After a few nervous moments, I brought the telescope to view the platform. There was an older guy, bald and dressed what I swear looked like a white lab coat. That had to be the Priest. Next to him was John Banos. I recognized him from the game store. And next to him…stood Zeb!
I squealed, “It’s him! It’s Zeb.”
My Master took the telescope from my grasp and looked at the platform again. He said, “Thank you girl for confirming your son’s presence.”
“So now what, my Master?” I asked earnestly. “I don’t see any catapults or battering rams with us. Have you found a weak spot in their defense that we can attack?”
“No. Not exactly,” said my Master. He pulled a large white cloth from the pouch he always carried. He then dropped his sword onto the ground and waved the white cloth in the air.
“We’re surrendering?” I asked, my eyes widening with disbelief. Maybe white flags mean ‘attack’ on this world.
Still waving the white flag in the air, my Master jerked on my leash and led me towards the gate. He said, “I’m gifting you to the Priest.”