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Episode
I The Corsair
Qwang Gui permitted
himself a grim smile. His expedition
against the Silvani had not gone as well as he had
hoped. The casualties inflicted
on his army did not reflect well on his
leadership. But his Dragon Warriors
had carried the day. Even as
his forces were retreating from their encounter with the Silvani the five
black clad assassins had returned with the Green
Heart. In spite of the defeat
of his army he had won the war.
Without the mystical gem the Silvani would lose their mastery over
the forest. They would be no
more than an ordinary barbarian tribe and would be easily
subjugated.
He would have liked to have finished the job
against the forest tribe, but events in the Shang capital of Chinwa had made
the conquest of the Silvani relatively
unimportant. A messenger had
arrived from the capital with news of the death of the
emperor. This changed
everything. The imperial throne
was there for the taking. Qwang
Gui had spent years building up support for his
candidacy for the Throne of Heaven.
Now only his presence in the capital was necessary to secure absolute
power. But he would have to move
fast. The message he had received
had mentioned that his enemies were organizing a movement to replace him
with the only other person who had a legitimate claim to the Throne of Heaven;
his own sister.
He smiled again, his mouth twisting into a
sneer. His
sister. His enemies must
be desperate indeed to think that they could use her against
him. Che Sha was hardly a match
for him. She was little more
than a girl, barely sixteen years of age.
Without a doubt her supporters sought to place her on the Throne of
Heaven and then manipulate her from behind the
scenes. A girl of such limited
experience would be easily influenced.
Little did his enemies realize that he already had knowledge of their
plans. He
had known of their little plot for
months. Ever
since the emperor had become
ill. His spies had kept
him well informed of their activities and even now his Dragon Warriors were
on their way to stabilize the situation until he arrived in the
capital. Che Sha was in for a
rude surprise.
The Red Dragon moved silently through the
darkened corridors of the palace. A
few feet behind her were the other four Dragon
Warriors. They had ridden hard
to reach the palace. Three horses
had died under her in the two week journey, and the other Dragon Warriors
had killed at least that number.
She hated to abuse such fine animals, but Qwang
Gui was not to be
ignored. His orders had been
explicit. Reach Chinwa as quickly
as possible and eliminate opposition to his
rule.
Upon reaching the city, the five Dragon Warriors
had waited until dark and then had scaled the outer wall of the
palace. It was heavily guarded,
but none of the guards were prepared for intruders as silent and deadly as
the Qwang Guis highly trained
assassins. So far the Red Dragon
and her comrades had not had to kill any of the
guards. Stealth was much more
effective than force. Their quarry
was much more important than any guard, and it was best if she and her guards
had no advance warning of their presence.
The Red Dragon raised a hand, signaling
caution. Just ahead were the
private rooms of the Shang princess.
Four heavily armed guards were posted outside the impressive double
doors. Rushing them was not an
option; there were too many other guards
nearby. The Red Dragon was not
so much concerned about the odds, but she did not want to alert their real
prey and give her a chance to escape.
There seemed no option. She
would have to find another way.
Moving back down the corridor she halted beside
a side door. Placing her ear
to it she listened. The sound
of slow regular breathing came through the
door. Gently, she tried the handle
of the door. It moved and a small
click told her that it was unlocked.
Quietly she crept into the room followed by the four other black clad
figures. The room seemed to be
a dormitory of sorts for servants.
A row of beds along one wall held a half dozen sleeping
women. She gave them a quick
look to ensure that no one was awake and then made for the window on the
other side of the room. Swiftly
she climbed out the window. Just
outside was an ornamental ledge about four inches
wide. About a foot over her head
was a similar ledge. Stepping
onto the ledge, the red Dragon anchored herself by turning her body to the
outside wall and holding on to the top ledge by her
fingertips. It was a precarious
situation at best, but it was enough to provide her with the alternative
route to the princesss room.
Slowly, she worked her way along the
ledge. Taking a quick glance
behind her she saw that two of her companions had followed her out onto the
ledge. The other two waited their
turn. Turning back she continued
her painstaking progress. She
was almost past the section of the palace where the four guards were
stationed. In only a few more
feet she should be next to the windows to the princesss
room.
One more step
and
bars! She should have
expected that. At least they
provided a better handhold. She
hung onto the bars while she tried to think of her next
move. She thought of checking
another window, but suspected that they would all be similarly
barred. Her companions were almost
up to her now. She shifted down
to the next window to give them something to hold
onto. As she had thought, it
was barred as well. She
sighed. This complicated
matters. She might have to try
to fight her way into the princesss quarters
anyway.
All four of the other Dragon Warriors were
on the ledge now. She shifted
down to the next window. Holding
onto the bars, she leaned out and looked for any sort of opening in the
wall. Her eyes
narrowed. About ten feet up was
a grating. There were actually
several of them, no doubt used to improve the air circulation in the
princesss suite of rooms. It
was possible that the grating might be less secure than the barred
windows. She motioned to one
of her companions to move closer.
Using hand gestures she signaled her
intentions. The other Dragon
Warrior nodded and signaled to the next black clad
figure. The two warriors moved
together. One held tightly to
the bars on the window and the other stepped on her
shoulders. Once they were in
position, the Red Dragon climbed onto them and using them as a human ladder
climbed up to the grating.
The grating was made of iron, but was badly
corroded. With a little bit of
effort she might be able to work it
loose. The only problem was the
amount of noise she would make. But
there seemed to be no other way.
Hoping that her companions could hold her long enough, she began to
work at the first bar. With a
slight scrunch it came loose.
Carefully she tucked it into her
belt. It wouldnt do to
drop it. Then she went to work
on the next bar. One at a time
she worked the bars loose. Three
bars seemed enough. It provided
an opening just large enough for her to squeeze
through.
Wriggling through the opening, she found herself
about ten feet up in a room lit only by a single
candle. Swinging her body around
she lowered herself until she was hanging by her
fingertips and then let herself drop.
She hit the floor almost silently, landing lightly on the balls of
her feet. She looked around the
room. There were two small beds,
probably for the princesss personal
servants. Gently breathing came
from both. There was no large
bed that might be suitable for a princess and she guessed that the
princesss sleeping quarters were probably in a separate
room.
She tiptoed across the room toward a set of
double doors. Opening one of
them she slipped inside. A few
moments told her that the large bed in the centre of the room was
occupied. Crouching low, she
approached the bed and then stood up so that she could view the
occupant.
Although only sixteen, Che Sha was one of
the most beautiful women the Red Dragon had ever
seen. Jet black hair cascaded
like a dark waterfall over the silken pillows, framing a perfect oval
face. Slender eyebrows arched
over almond eyes that were now closed in
sleep. High cheekbones and a
small delicate nose highlighted a perfect rosebud
mouth. She stirred slightly as
she slept, her small pointed breasts rising and falling
rhythmically.
The Red Dragon sighed with
relief. She had found her
quarry. Quickly, she removed
a small vial from her belt and poured a few drops onto an absorbent cloth
that she produced from within the folds of her
gei. A pungent odor assailed
her nostrils, but she held her breath and pressed over cloth to Che Shas
nose and mouth. The exotic almond
eyes opened wide in shock and fear.
For a second her hands flew to her face, tugging at the cloth, but
she had already taken a breath.
Slowly her eyelids closed and her excited breathing slowed once
more.
The Red Dragon rolled the unconscious girl
over. She had to move fast; the
sleeping drug would not last long.
She produced a ball of cloth that she stuffed into Che Shas
mouth to prevent her from screaming if she should
awake. She tied it in place with
a length of cloth. By this time
two more Dragon Warriors had found their way to the
bedroom. One of them took out
a long black sack and slipped it over Che Shas
feet. Together the Red Dragon
and her companion pulled the sack the length of the sleeping girls
body until she was completely covered.
Then she wound a long cord around the sack, tying the girl inside
so tightly that she would be unable to
move.
The three Dragon Warriors picked up the bound
princess and carried her over to a set of balcony
doors. Like the windows, these
were barred, but they could be opened from the
inside. Che Sha would not smother
in the short time she would be in the sack, but it would keep her
quiet.
They carried her to the balcony, and using
another length of rope lowered her over the
side. By this time all of the
Dragon Warriors had arrived in the
bedroom. Once Che Sha was safely
on the ground each of them followed, the Red Dragon going
last. As she clambered down the
rope she allowed herself a sigh of
satisfaction. She had done her
job well. Qwang
Gui would be
pleased.
Che Sha trembled in
fear. She had been in a continual
state of terror ever since she had awakened in total
darkness. For a few seconds she
thought she was drowning. She
could not draw a breath, nor could she move a
muscle. It was only the sensation
of being carried that brought her back to a sense of
reality. She knew then that she
had been kidnapped and bound and gagged.
A hood had been placed over her head to keep her from seeing what
was happening to her or where she was being
taken. The sudden realization
of her plight had caused her to struggle
desperately. But her efforts
were futile. She was being carried
by at least three persons, and her feeble efforts to escape did not slow
them down at all.
Her captors had carried her quite a
distance. She heard doors being
unlocked and felt the sensation of being carried down several flights of
stairs. Then there had been a
loud clang, as of a large door being pulled open and she had been set
down. The sack covering her head
had been removed, but the gag had been left in her
mouth. She saw that she was in
a grim stone cell. A guttering
torch dimly lit the small room.
Blinking in the sudden light she could only watch helplessly as several
figures dressed in black quickly left the cell and slammed the huge barred
door. She did not even have time
to make a muffled protest before they were
gone.
She struggled into a sitting position and
examined her bonds. She saw that
a single length of rope encircled her body several times, confining her tightly
in a sack. The rope effectively
pinned her arms to her body and prevented her legs from
moving. Taking a deep breath
and exerting all her strength, she sought to stretch the
rope. It gave just a
little. She tried again and felt
the rope stretch a little more.
Encouraged by her slight success she kept at
it. Bit by bit she loosened the
ropes. Eventually she was able
to work one arm free, pushing it out the top of the
sack. After that she was able
to slide the ropes down her body and slip out of the
sack. Removing the gag, she examined
her harsh prison.
The cell she was in was only about eight feet
square. It was bare of any
amenities. There was not even
a bed of straw to lie on. A hole
in one corner served as a lavatory.
A damp chill told her that keeping warm was going to be one of her
main concerns. She wandered where
she had been taken. The featureless
walls offered her no clue as to her
whereabouts. She tried to peer
through the bars of the cell door, but the corridor outside was completely
dark. She listened but could
hear no sound other than the dripping of
water. She
shivered. Already she was feeling
the cold air of the cell beginning to drain the warmth from her
body. Picking up the sack she
had been tied in, she used her teeth to work loose the threads at the
bottom. Then she slipped the
sack over her head. It formed
a crude but serviceable robe. At
least it would help to keep her from succumbing to the
cold. Sighing, she sat down on
the cell floor to wait.
Without any natural light it was impossible
to tell how long she spent in the cell.
Her meals were brought at irregular intervals and were passed in to
her through a small opening in the bars.
The main cell door was never opened and the guards who brought her
food and water, and removed her empty food bowls refused to speak to
her. There was only one improvement
in her condition. On her second
day in the cell one of the guards tossed a coarse woolen blanket into the
cell. Che Sha was very glad of
this gift. She had been suffering
from the cold as she spent most of her time sitting on the stone floor wondering
who had ordered her kidnapped and what was going to happen to
her. She feared the
worst. She knew that with the
death of the emperor she had become part of a power struggle and that rival
factions were hoping to use her to gain access to the Throne of
Heaven. She also knew that she
was in deadly danger. She would
be kept alive only as long as the person who had kidnapped her thought he
could use her for his own ends.
The time
passed. She had no idea how many
days she had been in the cell, but she kept track of her
meals. She had been fed twenty
seven times. She was so hungry
that she guessed that she was being fed only once a day and that gave her
some sense of time. And then
one day things changed. The meal
brought to her was much larger than her normal meager ration, consisting
of a full bowl of soup and a plate of rice mixed with meat and
greens. Che Sha ate eagerly;
glad to have her shrunken stomach full for a
change. But at the same time,
she was apprehensive. She was
certain that this change in routine signaled something more
ominous. She was proven right
an hour later. Her cell door
was flung open. There waiting
for her were five dark-clad figures.
Che Shas heart leapt into her
mouth. Her worst fears were
realized. The figures facing
her were the Dragon Warriors, the personal assassins of her brother, Qwang
Gui. It
was her worst nightmare come
true.
From the time she had been a little girl Qwang
Gui had terrified
her. Her father had died shortly
after she was born. Qwang
Gui, her half brother, was already a young man and
had taken over as head of the household.
As the ruler of a noble Shang family he possessed great power and
he was not afraid to use and abuse it.
She had learned early of her brothers perverted
tastes. He had paraded his female
playthings openly and their screams had echoed though the private
areas of the palace as he entertained
himself. Although her brother
had never touched her, he had often given her a look that sent chills through
her. That look had become more
and more frequent as she had gotten
older. She had eventually made
every effort to avoid her brother whenever he was in the palace, secreting
herself away in her own quarters and trying to ignore the cries of his
victims. Fortunately, his rank
in Shang society required that he be away
frequently. He was often absent
for months at a time. But with
the decline in the health of the emperor a new problem had
arisen. A faction in the Shang
court, fearing Qwang Guis cruelty, had organized
to prevent him from succeeding to the Throne of
Heaven. They had proposed that
Che Sha become empress instead, believing that they would be able to manipulate
her once she ascended the throne.
That plot seemed to have gone horribly
wrong. It was obvious that Qwang
Gui had outmaneuvered his
rivals. His Dragon warriors had
kidnapped her, thus eliminating her as a
rival. Now she was at his mercy,
and Qwang Gui was not known to show
mercy.
Che Sha was escorted from the cell, still
clad in only her filmy nightdress and the crude sack covering she had made
for herself. She was marched
up a long sloping corridor and several flights of stairs until she finally
reached a heavy iron-bound door. It
was opened by the one of the Dragon
Warriors. Che Sha saw to her
surprise that the warrior opening the door was not
Shang. A long red braid hung
from her head, clearly indicating that her origins were
foreign. Che Sha wondered at
this for a few seconds but then forgot all about it when she realized where
she was. She was in the imperial
palace, the seat of the emperor.
She had been in the palace on one previous occasion and was able to
recognize its splendid architectural
style. She knew then that Qwang
Gui had probably seized absolute
control.
Her escort took her to the upper levels of
the palace, where the emperor and members of his family had their private
rooms. She was finally ushered
into a large room. To her surprise
she saw that it was one of the royal suites and that a dozen handmaidens
awaited her. All of the Dragon
Warrior escorts left except the one with the red
braid. And then as she wondered
what was going to happen to her, the handmaidens surrounded
her. In short order she was stripped
of her filthy clothing and placed in a warm
bath. Then every inch of her
body was thoroughly scrubbed in perfumed
water. It was the most thorough
cleansing she had ever received, and it went on for over an
hour.
Satisfied that she was clean enough, the
handmaidens helped her from the bath.
Her gleaming black hair was combed out and she was dressed in the
white and green robes of a virgin
princess. Clearly she was being
prepared for some special event.
Then, jeweled sandals were placed on her feet and she was ushered
to the door of the room. Waiting
for her were four slaves with a sedan
chair. She settled into the cushioned
seat, and accompanied by the lone Dragon Warrior was carried through the
palace toward the emperors
quarters. All the while Che
Shas brain was whirling as she tried to understand why she was being
accorded such special treatment.
The knowledge that she was in Qwang
Guis power caused her heartbeat to
accelerate. She was sure that
she would soon be in his presence and that thought filled her with
fear.
Qwang Gui rose from
his seat as Che Sha was carried into the
room. Greetings, sister,
Qwang Gui leered in mock
courtesy. I have been looking
forward to this meeting ever since I heard of your
treachery.
Che Shas mouth went
dry. The room she had entered
was not typical of the royal apartments.
It was bare of all furnishing except for several strange
machines. She shuddered as her
eyes swept over them. They were
clearly instruments of torture.
Swallowing, she slipped from the chair and prostrated herself before
him. Merciful brother,
she said I ask for your forgiveness if I have been any source of opposition
to you. I am innocent in this
matter and know nothing of it.
I believe you sister, but I fear that
my enemies may still make use of you to bar my way to
power. You are a source of potential
opposition that must be eliminated.
Fortunately, I have discovered a solution to the problem that should
be mutually agreeable to both of us.
Che Sha held her breath for a
second. She raised her head,
trying to master her fear. I
will help in any way I can to further my brothers
desires. Perhaps by cooperating
with Qwang Gui she could avoid his anger, but she knew as she spoke that
what he would want of her would not be something easily
given. If it was he would not
have imprisoned her in such harsh
conditions.
I am glad you have seen the wisdom of
cooperation, replied Qwang
Gui.
It will make things so much easier for both of
us. The Shang lord sounded
genuinely pleased as he spoke, and for the first time since she had been
kidnapped Che Sha felt a spark of hope.
But her hopes were moderated by knowledge of her brothers
character. She sensed that Qwang
Gui was playing with
her. He wanted something
important from her but she feared to ask him what it might be and so she
waited for him to tell her.
Qwang Gui seated
himself in the only chair in the room and rested his hands on the
arms. With a gesture he waved
the guards from the room, except the red-braided Dragon
Warrior. As the last man left
the redhead closed the door after them.
There, said Qwang
Gui, that will give us a bit more privacy
for what I must do. I would not
want anyone other than the Red Dragon to witness my sisters
sacrifice.
What sacrifice, brother? quavered
Che Sha. What would you
have me do?
You are my only serious rival for the
Throne of Heaven. I now control
the throne, but wish my claim to be
absolute. That can only be achieved
one way. You, my sister, must
become my wife.
Che Sha felt
ill. My brother, such a
thing is forbidden. A brother
cannot take his sister to wife.
Oh, but he
can. During the time you were
confined as my guest I had my scholars study the
matter. There is a
precedent. A
very ancient one. During
the time of the first Shang emperors two rival claimants to the throne resolved
their differences through marriage, thus incorporating their separate claims
into one. It is a simple solution,
and one I intend to put into
practice. As he finished
speaking, Qwang Gui pulled a bell
cord. A few seconds later a high
priest of Zhan, goddess of marriage and fertility, entered the
room. He was dressed in his
ceremonial robes.
My brother, you cannot do this,
Che Sha protested. It is a violation
of ancient custom and tradition.
But emperors make their own customs
and traditions. Qwang
Gui gestured to the
priest.
Proceed.
No! cried Che Sha, moving back
toward the doorway. But she was
stopped by a hand on her shoulder.
The redheaded Dragon Warrior Qwang Gui had called the Red Dragon was
there. With steady pressure she
directed the trembling girl into the centre of the room, and then forced
her down on her knees. Qwang
Gui moved beside her, but did not
kneel. As he moved into place
the priest began to chant the marriage
ritual.
Held on her knees by the Red Dragon, Che Sha
sat in mute horror as the ceremony
continued. Qwang
Gui had chosen
well. The particular ceremony
being conducted was an ancient one and required no input from the
bride. All aspects of the ceremony
could be completed by the priest and the
groom. All that was required
of Che Sha was that she be present to hear the proclamation of the
marriage.
The ceremony
finished. Qwang
Gui turned to his
bride. Now my beloved,
we will consummate the holy union that has been proclaimed between
us. He nodded to the priest
of Zhan, signaling that his presence was no longer
needed. Che Sha looked desperately
around her, looking for a way out.
But the grip of the Red Dragon on her shoulder tightened slightly
as if signaling that such thoughts were
futile. She was
trapped. There was no way to
go from the room she was in, even if by some miracle she could have overcome
her brother and the Dragon Warrior.
But such thoughts were foolish.
As a Shang princess she had been given a little martial training,
but nothing to rival that of the trained killer who served her
brother.
You do no know how much I have longed
for this moment, Che Sha, said Qwang
Gui.
I have thought of little else since I first conceived of our
marriage three weeks ago. Your
beauty has overflowed my mind. Now
you will be mine. I will impregnate
you and secure my position on the Throne of Heaven with our
child.
Please, begged Che Sha, do
not do this. It is a sin against
the gods and nature.
Qwang Gui smiled,
and Che Sha saw the mad glint in his
eyes. Only then did she
understand. You are
insane, she said. I
will not do this.
Qwang Guis
face clouded. In a voice tense
with controlled rage he answered.
You will see how insane I am,
sister. I had hoped to have your
cooperation in this matter, but you have chosen to fight
me. So be
it. Your conquest will be even
more pleasurable. With a jerk
of his thumb he gestured to the Red
Dragon.
Che Sha gasped as the women seized her arm
in a painful submission hold.
Helpless in the grip of the black clad assassin she was forced toward
one of the strange machines she had noticed upon entering the
room. In sudden terror she realized
what it was.
No! Please no!
she pleaded.
Too late
sister. You had your
chance. Now I intend to enjoy
myself.
Che Sha struggled to escape from the Red
Dragons iron grip, but the Dragon Warrior was far too
strong. Step by step she was
forced toward the machine until she was close enough for Qwang
Gui to lend a
hand. The torture device was
simple enough in construction. But
it looked painful. It consisted
of a post about eight inches in diameter.
Attached to either side of the post about a foot
from the floor were two horizontal crosspieces about four feet
long. These were connected at
each end to that they could \be moved vertically up and down the
post. Heavy metal rings were
screwed into the wood at each end of the
crosspieces. Across the top of
the post was a padded wooden beam measuring two feet in length that was placed
at right angles to the lower crosspieces.
Qwang Gui and the
Red Dragon arched Che Sha across the wooden
beam. Then while the Red Dragon
held her, the Shang lord first tied Che Shas hands to the rings at
one end of the lower crosspiece, and then secured her ankles to the other
end of the crosspiece in the same way.
The result left Che Sha arched painfully across the padded wooden
beam, with her arms and legs pulled toward the floor so that her body was
bent in the shape of an inverted letter
U. After Qwang
Gui and the Red Dragon had tied off the last rope
they stepped back to admire their
handiwork.
Che Sha struggled to escape from the painfully
uncomfortable position. Her mouth
was dry with fear. She had been
terrified of what might happen to her if she fell into the twisted clutches
of her brother. Now she was to
share the same painful torture he had meted out to so many other helpless
women. She found that if she
pulled hard enough she could move the crosspiece at the bottom of the post
upward, but it took all of her strength to hold it for any length of
time. But letting the weight
of the crosspiece pull her arm and legs down left her with all of her weight
in the small of her back, and terribly vulnerable to whatever Qwang
Gui might want to do to
her.
In her struggle to escape Che Shas jeweled
sandals had been kicked off leaving her feet
bare. Her long legs were bare
to the knee as her white and green robe had been pushed up when she had been
bent across the padded beam. Her
bosom heaved from the exertion created by her painful position, emphasizing
the perfect shape and firmness of her still developing
breasts. A low moan of terror
escaped her lips as she visualized what was about to happen to
her. Please, she
begged, her trembling voice on the verge of breaking, do not
do this. Let me
go. I will not challenge you
in any way.
You misunderstand me, sister,
replied Qwang
Gui.
I do not do this because I fear
you. I do it because it is my
will. I want to do
this. I want to delight in the
look of fear and humiliation in your eyes as I take your
virginity. I want to watch you
weep in shame as you beg for mercy.
But
why? Che Sha
gasped. Why would you do
this to your own sister?
Qwang Gui moved close
to the trembling princess.
Deliberately he began to run his hand over the tightly stretched silk
that covered her belly. I
do it because I have desired you ever since you began to blossom as a
woman. I do it because I delight
in breaking a woman to my will.
Soon you will be my obedient
slave. It will take a little
time and effort but eventually you will be as subservient as is the Red
Dragon. It took me months to
break her. But now she is little
more than a highly trained slave.
Che Sha gave a despairing sob as Qwang
Guis right hand settled on her left
breast. Her eyes rolled toward
the impassive figure of the Red Dragon as the redheaded woman watched, her
eyes revealing no emotion as she watched her master slip his hand beneath
the robe to the satin soft skin beneath.
Che Sha tensed as Qwang
Guis fingers slid down the V neckline of her
robe and between her breasts. Her
lower lip trembled as his hand cupped the soft flesh of her right breast
rotating the palm over her taut nipple.
Then he withdrew his hand and in a leisurely manner undid the ties
that held her robe closed. The
shining green-trimmed white fabric fell open, revealing her perfect
body. Qwang
Gui suppressed a gasp of
admiration. His sisters
body was exquisitely beautiful. Her
peach-coloured skin was flawless, perfect,
unblemished. Her legs were long
with strong rounded thighs. Her
hips were well-formed even though still a little narrow, having not yet attained
their full womanly maturity. Her
waist was tiny and served to emphasize the perfect shape of her small delicately
rounded breasts crowned with their dark prominent
nipples. Her neck was long and
swan-like. Her thick ebony mane
swept the floor as she moved her head from side to side in a vain attempt
to find a more comfortable position.
Qwang Gui licked
his lips. He had a sudden urge
to remove his gold and green robes and take her
immediately. But he resisted
the temptation. He had to play
with her first. He wanted to
watch her squirm. Soon she would
be screaming in pain. Then he
would delight in watching her face as he took her
virginity.
The Shang lord placed both hands over her
breasts and rotated his palms over the
nipples. The feel of the tender
buds as they hardened under his palms caused his loins to
ache. He longed to take her,
but he controlled his urges. There
was more than one way to enjoy a women and he intended to explore as many
as possible.
Che Sha whimpered in
fear. He body was covered in
sweat, and she was almost shaking in
terror. She tried to control
her trembling, but maintaining her composure was almost
impossible. He was violating
her most private places in the most painful way possible. She gasped as his
fingers tightened on her breasts, squeezing the flesh between his
fingers. All the time his eyes
were on her face, gauging her reaction.
She saw a hint of a smile twitch at the corner of his lips, as he
enjoyed her discomfort. Then
he took her nipples between his thumb and forefinger and twisted
hard.
Che Sha cried out, her resolve to show no
pain gone in an instant. She
wanted to be brave, but was just a frightened girl caught up in the most
horrifying of circumstances.
Please, she begged one more time, her voice breaking in
terror. Please let me
go. Qwang
Guis only reply was a twisted smile and a
tightening of his fingers on her tender flowerets as he pulled her breasts
into a sharp point.
Ugnh! Che Shas grunt
of pain spurred Qwang Gui
on. He was having great difficulty
controlling himself. Already
his erection was more impressive that anything he had experienced since he
had last raped the Red Dragon. He
moved his hands lower.
The Red Dragon watched impassively as Qwang
Gui fondled and tormented his own
sister. Any feelings that she
might have had for others had been driven out of her in her three years of
training under Chang Jao. The
day that she had learned of the death of her lover something had died inside
of her. She had learned to respond
instantly and without question to the commands of the Shang
lord. Chang Jao had turned her
into a finely tuned killing machine.
Strangely, she had taken to the Shang martial training with an enthusiasm
and skill level unmatched by any of the other
trainees. Within a year she was
the foremost student in Chang Jaos
classes. Within two more she
was able to almost match the Shang master
himself. Her progress astonished
both the martial arts master and Qwang
Gui. It
was almost as if some mystical force drove her to
succeed. Her prowess and her
devotion to her new lords had placed her in the forefront of the Dragon
Warriors. Qwang
Gui had soon learned that he could trust her with
any mission.
Some of the things the Red Dragon had been
ordered to do had not been pleasant.
Qwang Gui had chosen the missions carefully,
testing his latest disciple. She
had met or exceeded his standards in every
case. He decided to make her
his personal attendant. This
appointment served two objectives.
First, the redheaded warrior was the perfect
bodyguard. Second, he took great
pleasure in having such a beautiful and exotic woman close to
him. He had never seen anyone
more beautiful, and in spite of her new status as a Dragon warrior there
were times when he invited her to his apartments for a special private
meeting. On these
occasions he took great delight in humiliating her in every way he
could. She was so submissive
that she would have been the perfect bedmate had he simply wanted a compliant
slave. But he had broken her
too completely. The defiant spirit
that had made her so entertaining before her complete degradation was
gone. She no longer offered any
sort of resistance and so he had taken to inflicting as much pain upon her
as he could, short of disfiguring her magnificent
body. But nothing had
worked. She remained unresponsive,
going into some sort of dreamlike state where she remained until he had finished
with her. Qwang
Gui found her lack of response infuriating, but
there was little he could do about it.
Still, it did not stop him from
trying. She was repeatedly ordered
to his suite of rooms, where he entertained himself at her
expense. These sessions were
always painful and quite degrading.
Only the fact that she was so valuable to
him as an assassin kept him from performing even more brutal acts on
her.
Today, however, Qwang
Gui had come up with something
new. Never before had she been
permitted to attend one of his private torture
sessions. No hint of emotion
crossed her face as she watched the Shang lord run his hands between his
sisters legs. She understood
fully the pain that the Shang princess was
suffering. Only a few weeks ago
Qwang Gui had confined her in the same
device. It had been a most agonizing
experience, but one she had suffered without a display of
emotion. This was not the case
with Che Sha. The beautiful young
woman was trembling in pain and fear, her back arched brutally across the
top crossbeam and her limbs stretched
painfully. Her expressive almond
eyes were rolled wildly as her brothers fingers began to explore her
most intimate places. Her
sweat-soaked body heaved as Qwang Gui inserted first
one and then two fingers into her vagina.
A low moan escaped her lips and she panted from fear and the exertion
of trying to escape. Again and
again she plaintively begged her brother to stop, but her pleas only spurred
him on. The Red Dragon could
tell from his body language and sweating face that he was fully
aroused. It was only a matter
of minutes before he would take his sisters
virginity.
And then the Shang lord dragged himself away
from his victim. He turned to
the Red Dragon. It is time,
dai zhu, he said
still using the derogatory term with which he always referred to
her. Come
here. I have something I want
you to do.
The Red Dragon stepped toward Che Shas
glistening body. Qwang
Gui took her right hand and paced it on the arched
belly of the Shang princess. A
strange sensation ran through the Red Dragons
body. The girls skin was
like silk. She had never touched
another woman like that before.
Qwang Gui seemed to sense her
reaction. Beautiful isnt
she? Now run your hand toward
her breasts. Hesitatingly,
the Red Dragon obeyed.
The Red Dragons hand swept slowly toward
Che Shas quivering breasts.
Beneath her fingers she could sense the panicked beating of the young
girls heart, and feel the warm dampness of her sweat soaked
body. Please, the
girl whimpered, dont hurt
me.
The Red Dragon did not
reply. Her fingers came to rest
on the soft mounds of the girls trembling
breasts. She seemed to feel an
electric tingling as her palm cupped the soft
mounds. Deep within her mind
something stirred, a feeling that was so remote that she could not identify
it. Gently she closed her hand
slightly, kneading the soft, firm flesh.
Thats it, said Qwang
Gui.
Now use your mouth.
Take her nipple between your lips.
The Red Dragon lifted the cloth that covered
her face, bent her head, and kissed Che Shas erect
nipple. The frightened girl gave
a squeak of fear as she felt the black clad assassins tongue flick
over her stiffening rosette.
Excellent, exclaimed Qwang
Gui. For
some reason he found the sight of the Red Dragon sucking on his sisters
teats incredibly erotic. He could
feel his hard shaft thrusting against his
robe. Now, he said,
hoarsely, use your tongue to explore her petals of
passion.
The Red Dragon shifted her position so that
she was kneeling between Che Shas splayed
legs. Running her hands over
the girls trembling thighs she maneuvered her mouth into
position. As she neared Che
Shas virginal vulva, she could smell the sweet musky odor of the
girls sex glands. It was
a scent she found strangely attractive.
Her tongue flicked between the folds of the girls vagina eliciting
a despairing moan from the captive
princess. No, the
girl groaned, please
dont.
The Red Dragon ignored the girls pleas,
snaking her pliant tongue deep into the princesss nether
region. Incredibly, Che Sha actually
managed to arch her back even farther than the brutal contraption she was
lashed into already had. Her
breathing became laboured as the Red Dragon probed deeper, swirling her tongue
within the girls supersensitive vaginal
area.
Qwang Gui
smiled. It was obvious that in
spite of her pain and terror, Che Shas body was betraying
her. The Red Dragons tongue
had managed to do what he had not; stimulate the flow of his sisters
vaginal juices. She was almost
ready, but first he wanted to give her a little more
pain. Enough, he
ordered. Now it is my
turn.
The Red Dragon stood aside as Qwang
Gui approached.
He was holding a familiar metal device in his
hands. Che Sha saw it
too. No! she protested,
her voice rising to a scream.
No, dont!
Aagghh! Che Sha screamed as the gold
ring pieced her labia majora just below her
clitoris. The blunt ends of the
ring clamped together, ripping through her
flesh. She had been ringed like
some farm animal.
But Qwang Gui was
only getting started. He held
up two more rings and the special pair of pliers he had used to insert the
first one. He beckoned to the
Red Dragon. Pierce her
breasts, he ordered.
The Red Dragon reached out to take the brutal
instrument of torture. And then
something inside her made her stop.
She looked at her master and then at the trembling, weeping young
girl she was being asked to torture.
A memory flooded into her mind.
One she had long
suppressed. Of a young
girl held down by three men and raped on a tabletop in her own
home. Then the image faded to
be replaced by one that was even more vivid, of a young woman allowing
herself to be raped to save someone she
loved. That image too dissolved,
only to be followed by a series of painfully brilliant mental flashes, each
one of a redheaded girl being raped again and again in positions of severe
bondage and torture. He hands
dropped to her side. Looking
Qwang Gui directly in the eye she uttered a single
word, No.
Qwang Guis
face reflected a range of emotions, from disbelief, to anger, and then fear,
as he saw something in the eyes of his personal assassin that made his blood
run cold. He stepped back quickly,
his hand reaching for the bell rope that would summon his
guards. But even as his hand
closed on the rope, the Red Dragon moved catlike across the space that separated
them. Fingers like steel spikes
drove with frightening force into the Shang lords solar plexus ripping
into the flesh like the edge of a knife.
For an instant, while he screamed in pain and horror, he felt the
Red Dragons fingers close about his beating
heart. The woman he had thought
his slave looked into his eyes.
This is for Vandar, she
said. Then she closed her hand.
Qwang Gui managed
only half a shriek before his heart burst, and then as he fell away, the
Red Dragon twisted her wrist, ripping the still pulsing organ from his
chest. Then, with calm deliberation,
she turned to face the dead Shang lords guards who had burst into the
room.
The guards halted,
looks of bewilderment and horror written on their usually impassive
faces. With calm deliberation
The Red Dragon, now no longer thinking of herself as the Red Dragon, tossed
Qwang Guis heart onto the floor in front of
them. Cut the girl
loose, she ordered. Her
tone was flat, unemotional, but there was a hint of menace behind her words
that sent a chill down the spines of the men who faced
her. Hesitatingly, one of the
guards lowered his gisarme and with the reverse side of the razor edged blade
cut through the ropes binding Che Shas
hands. With a sob of relief,
the Shang princess
rolled herself forward and with her ankles still bound pitched
toward the floor.
The Red Dragon caught her as she
fell. Nodding to the guard she
watched as he cut through the ropes around Che Shas
ankles. Can you walk?
asked The Red Dragon as she helped the girl to
stand.
Che Sha
nodded. The Red Dragon turned
to the guards. Provide
escort to the princess. She
turned back to Che Sha and helped her refasten her
robe. The girls trembling
fingers could barely tie the silken
cords.
Che Sha put out a restraining arm on The Red
Dragons shoulder.
Arent you staying with me? the girl
asked.
The Red Dragon shook her
head. I have other things
to do. I must correct another
wrong.
I cannot go with the guards, said
Che Sha in a low voice.
Qwang Gui would have filled the palace
with his supporters. I would
be dead or imprisoned within a week.
And this time you might not be around to save
me. I must go with
you. I cannot stay
here.
The Red Dragon
nodded. She knew Che Sha was
right. Only the fear and awe
surrounding a Dragon Warrior had kept the guards from attacking
her. But soon, they would react
to the death of Qwang
Gui. And
then there were the four other Dragon
Warriors. They would not be far
off and would take a dim view of the death of their
master. It was important that
she leave the palace as soon as possible.
But she would have to take Che Sha with
her.
The Red Dragon took the girl by the
arm. Clean up this
filth, she said to the guards, nodding her head toward Qwang
Guis bloody
corpse. The four armored warriors
looked blankly at her, but made no effort to impede her passage as she led
Che Sha from the room. Their
progress was not rapid, as Che Sha was having difficulty walking after her
ordeal, but the girl seemed to gain strength as they progressed and soon
they had almost reached the outer door of the
palace. It was at that point
the Dragon Warriors caught up with them.
Stop, Sha zhu, ordered the lead
warrior. The Red Dragon recognized
him as Sha Xin, the Green Dragon.
You may not leave.
The Red Dragon turned to face the four black-clad
assassins. I wish you no
harm, she replied, but if you seek to stop me I will kill
you.
There are four of us and one of
you. Surrender and
live. Fight and
die.
The Red Dragon pushed
Che Sha behind
her. I am
leaving. Stop me if you
will.
Sha Xin nodded and his three companions spread
out on either side. Together
they came at The Red Dragon, but their intended victim did not wait for their
attack. She moved with blinding
speed toward Sha Xin. The Dragon
Warrior, moving with almost equal speed, adopted a defensive
stance. He had sparred with the
Red Dragon before and knew of her formidable prowess as a martial
artist.
But at the last instant, The Red Dragon changed
direction, moving to the right of Sha Xin before he had time to
react. The move caught the single
warrior on that side completely off
guard. Expecting the Red
Dragons attack to carry her into Sha Xin he was maneuvering to come
at her from the side when she ducked under his guard and drove her right
leg into his knee. A scream and
the crunch of ripping cartilage told the Red Dragon that she now faced only
three opponents.
The highly trained assassins, however, did
not wait for her to move again, but came at her in a well coordinated assault,
Sha Xin in the centre and the other two flanking
her. The Red Dragon arched herself
back, and leaving her feet performed a backward somersault over the Dragon
Warrior she had just disabled. The
sudden move stopped Sha Xin in his tracks, as he would have been forced to
leave his feet to the engage the Red
Dragon. Taking advantage of the
situation, the Red Dragon moved to her left and struck at the assassin coming
at her from that side. She exchanged
a flurry of punches too quick for the untrained eye to follow with the adversary
on that side. Her opponents
blows did not make contact, but the Red Dragons
did. A satisfying crunch told
her she had broken the nose of her foe.
As the Dragon Warrior staggered away from her the Red Dragons
foot drove hard between his legs.
The agonized scream told her that she now faced only two
opponents.
Made cautious by the fury of the Red
Dragons attack, the remaining two Dragon Warriors circled her at a
distance. The Red Dragon stepped
back. Let us go, Sha
Xin. There is no reason to force
me to kill every one of you. Your
master is dead. Seek someone
else to serve.
Sha Xin shook his
head. I must avenge my
master. The honour of a Dragon
Warrior is at stake. Surrender
to me or I must fight you.
There was no honour in serving that
scum, replied The Red Dragon.
He lived only to torture and rape and I gave him a better death
than he deserved. But if you
will not stand aside then I must defeat
you. She moved
forward. There was little time
to waste. Already a crowd of
palace guards had gathered to watch the strange sight of battle between Dragon
Warriors. Soon, however, they
would learn of the death of their lord and then there was no telling what
action they might take.
Sha Xin and the other Dragon Warrior seemed
to sense that if they waited long enough they would soon have overwhelming
numbers on their side. As the
Red Dragon moved toward them they stepped back, cautiously waiting for an
opening. It was Che Sha that
provided the opening. Forgotten
in the fight, the Shang princess realized the Red Dragons
dilemma. If they did not escape
quickly it was only a matter of minutes before they would be
captured. With a loud shout she
launched herself into the fray.
Lacking any real training, the young girl
could not hope to defeat either of the Dragon Warriors, but her unexpected
attack provided the distraction the Red Dragon
needed. For just a split second
Sha Xin and the other Dragon Warrior glanced in the direction of the
princess. In that brief instant
the Red Dragon struck. She executed
a perfect flying side kick, catching Sha Xin in the throat, and then even
as he fell, she tore into the last of the Dragon
Warriors. For a few seconds he
stood up to her attack, intercepting all of her blows, but the Red Dragon
struck with lightning speed. Her
opponent was simply overwhelmed by the barrage of kicks and punches directed
at him. Several struck home and
he went down in a heap, his ribs broken in several places, and his nose and
cheekbone shattered.
Even as the last Dragon Warrior fell, the
Red Dragon turned to continue her flight from the
palace. But the way was far from
clear. The palace guard, which
had watched the encounter between the Dragon Warriors without interfering,
now moved to surround them. There
were several dozen warriors, all armed with the deadly double edged gisarme,
a weapon capable of disemboweling a man in
seconds. The razor sharp points
of the murderous pole axes were directed toward them in a closing ring of
steel. The Red Dragon looked
quickly for some place where she could get her back to a wall, but saw that
she was already cut off. She
would have to face a simultaneous attack from all
sides.
Che Sha saw that if there was to be any chance
of escape it would be up to her.
Skilled as the Red Dragon was, she could not hope to fight so many
soldiers at once from such an indefensible
position. Assuming what she hoped
was a calm demeanor she stepped forward.
Do you not recognize your princess? she asked, in a voice
tinged with anger. I am
Che Sha, sister to the emperor.
A slight murmur went up from the encroaching
guards. For a brief second they
halted their advance. The soldiers in front of her exchanged uncertain
glances. Che Sha saw her
chance. Who is in charge
here? she demanded. Stepping
forward, she advanced directly toward the lowered point of the gisarme directly
in front of her, daring the soldier to skewer
her. As she had hoped, the soldier,
bewildered by her boldness, raised the point of his weapon from her breast
and stepped back. Turning her
head quickly right and left, Che Sha made a great show of looking for the
officer who commanded the guard.
Toward the back of the ranks she noticed
movement. Then the soldiers parted
and a soldier wearing the red cape of a captain stepped
forward. Che Sha recognized the
man. He had been in command of
the escort the last time she and Qwang Gui had visited
the old emperor on the occasion of his eightieth
birthday. Her only hope was that
he would remember her and be ignorant of the cruel fate that Qwang
Gui had planned for her.
The officer moved to within a few feet of
her. Che Sha saw his eyes narrow
as they swept over her figure.
Would he recognize in the young woman before him the skinny teenager
who had been present in the palace two years
ago? Then she discerned a glint
of recognition. With a bow of
his head he signaled his acknowledgement of her
authority. My lady,
he said, what is your wish?
Che Sha took advantage of the
opening. She knew that the
captains confusion would not last
long. She had to act
decisively. She knew what was
churning through the captains mind.
What was she doing in the palace?
And why had the Red Dragon attacked the other Dragon
Warriors?
Captain, she said, elements
hostile to the emperor have infiltrated the
palace. The emperor Qwang
Gui has been killed and I was attacked while visiting
my brother. Members of the
emperors personal guard have betrayed him and even now may be moving
against me. She pointed
to the Red Dragon. This
Dragon Warrior saved my life when it was threatened by the
others. Take action immediately
to secure the palace.
With relief Che Sha saw the captain turn and
move to carry out her orders. If
she could deceive the palace guard for just a few minutes it might be long
enough to allow her and the Red Dragon to
escape. But at that point one
of the injured Dragon Warriors screamed at the soldiers around
him. Stop them! he
shouted. They have killed
the emperor!
The soldiers that had been moving away suddenly
stopped. Che Shas face
reflected the truth of the Dragon Warriors
accusation. The captain whirled
back toward the two women.
Hold them! he ordered.
The Red Dragon, who had been controlling her
urge to strike out the whole time they had been surrounded, now
acted. Her speed was
blinding. Exploiting a slight
gap in the ranks of the soldiers as they had moved away, she moved among
them, striking right and left with incredible power and
rapidity. Into the even wider
gap now created, Che Sha followed.
Within seconds the two women were through the disordered ranks of
the soldiers. Before them was
the outer door of the palace and a clear path to the gardens
beyond. If they could reach the
gardens they might have a chance of escaping.
Che Sha had never run so hard in all her
life. Her bare feet pounded the
marble floor as she and the Red Dragon hurtled toward the
door. But behind them came over
a score of the palace guard. The
men were so close that Che Sha could hear the individual footsteps of the
soldiers behind her as well as the panting of their
breath. Only the fact that the
palace guard wore heavy ceremonial armor gave them any chance of escape at
all.
Bursting through the open door, they entered
the gardens. A few more steps
and they might have a chance.
Gasping for breath, Che Sha followed the Red Dragon as she hurtled
a low hedge. Now they were moving
among the ornamental shrubbery and trees and their heavily armored pursuers
began to fall
behind. But Che Sha was almost
done in. Her sheltered life as
a princess had not prepared her for such strenuous
activity. Gasping for breath,
she began to fall behind, and her pursuers
gained. Suddenly the Red Dragon
darted to one side. Staggering,
Che Sha followed and found herself on a path lined with eight foot
hedges. The Red Dragon had halted,
waiting for her. As she caught
up the redheaded assassin reached out and pulled Che Sha behind
her. Keep going,
she said, I will delay them.
Che Sha shook her head. You saved me from Qwang Gui. I will not leave you. Stepping forward, she moved beside the Red Dragon and waited for the approaching guards.
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