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Chapter
9
Sold
Kara tore the last of the gold ornaments from
her body. She shook with
rage. No longer would she cower
before the Littan. If she was
to be ravaged then she would fight him every step of the
way.
She was still very sore from her first session
with the alien, but during the weeks it had taken her to heal a strange resolve
came over her. Perhaps it was
a strength born of desperation, but whatever it was she no longer intended
to be the Littans cooperative
plaything. As she threw the chain
angrily across the room Falana entered.
What have you done? the Twarg
queen asked, her voice filled with shock and
dismay. The Littan will be greatly
angered.
Ive freed myself from his loathsome
decoration, Kara replied.
If I am going to be raped I fail to see why I should cooperate
in my humiliation and torture.
You foolish
girl. The Littan will punish
you. And punish you most
severely. I have no choice but
to report what you have done.
Go ahead, Kara said with forced
bravado. In spite of her anger
and resolution she was quite cognizant of the fact that she was entirely
at the mercy of the alien monster.
She had no doubt that her punishment would be painful, perhaps even
fatal, however, she was so angered at what had been done to her that she
preferred death to living as a slave to an alien
monster. And you can tell
that stinking alien piece of filth that his seed didnt
take. Im not carrying his
child and if I was Id abort it.
Falana fled the room in
shock. No doubt she had never
heard such blasphemy. Kara expected
that the Littan would soon be informed of her outrageous and defiant behaviour.
She wondered what his reaction
would be. No doubt he would not
be pleased.
She was certainly right about the
latter. An hour after Falana
had left six eunuch guards came for her.
She considered resisting, but decided that she might as well put off
the inevitable beating for as long as
possible. However, to her surprise
she was not taken to the Littan.
Instead she was hustled into a windowless side room where Falana and
an older woman awaited her.
Get onto the table, Falana ordered
pointing to a medium sized table in the centre of the
room.
Go to Hell, Kara
replied.
Falana looked at her somewhat
confused. Sorry,
Kara I forgot the Twarg have no concept of Hell.
Falana shook her
head. Put her on the
table, she ordered the eunuchs.
Kara kicked the first eunuch where his testicles
would have been. Not surprisingly,
her attack had very little effect.
Immediately the other eunuchs closed about her, and seizing her arms
and legs picked her up and deposited her in the middle of the
table. Once there they held her
down while Falana and the older woman proceeded to give her what amounted
to a thorough gynecological examination.
When they were finished Falana looked at her
with a look of disgust. You
are not with child. The Littan
will be most displeased.
Turning to the eunuchs she ordered, Take her back to the
harem.
Kara stood defiantly before the
Littan. She was as usual quite
naked, but she was becoming almost used to
that. She suspected that if she
was ever allowed so much as a g-string she would feel heavily
overdressed.
What do you want from me this
time? Are you planning on trying
to impregnate me again? It
didnt work so well last time.
No, the Littan
replied. It is apparent
that our species are not sexually
compatible. Normally I would
send you to the barracks for my soldiers to enjoy, but your beauty is so
unusual that I have found a better use for you.
Kara waited with baited breath for the Littan
to continue. She was almost past
caring what he did to her, although the part about being sent to the barracks
seemed a bit extreme.
I have found a buyer for
you. Today you will be taken
to your new owner. I hope that
he enjoys you as much as I did and has better luck filling your
womb.
Youve sold me? Kara asked,
her voice rising in anger.
What am I a piece of meat to be put on the shelf whenever you
have used me? I demand to be
released at once.
Release
you? Youre not thinking
very clearly. You are a complete
stranger in this land. I dont
know how you got here, but it is obvious that you dont
belong. If I put you on the street
you would be picked up almost
immediately. The Twarg do not
allow their women any freedom. A
beauty like you would be sold into slavery within a
day. Count yourself lucky that
Ive found a good owner for you.
Owner? Kara
raged.
Owner! No one owns
me!
The Littan
laughed. Take her away,
he said to the eunuch guards.
I dont want her tiring herself
out. She has a long journey in
front of her.
Protesting, Kara was escorted from the
room. Frustrated and humiliated
she wondered what was going to happen to her
now. She was deeply ashamed of
the fact that she could be passed on to someone else like a piece of used
furniture. It was completely
mortifying to be thought of as property and not as a
person. Someone she had never
laid eyes on now owned her and intended use her in whatever way he
wished. It was the ultimate in
degradation.
However, she had no choice in the
matter. Still as naked as everyone
else in the harem she was escorted to the courtyard of the
palace. There to her surprise
a kapert awaited. Strapped to
the beasts broad back was a canopied seat resembling a
houdah. It was large enough to
afford her complete privacy and shelter her from the blazing desert
sun. With very little alternative
she clambered aboard and pulled the curtains closed, enclosing herself in
her own little private space. She
was far from pleased at being treated like a piece of property, but at least
her new owner cared enough to make sure that she was afforded some dignity
while she traveled.
She had barely settled into her seat when
the silken curtains were drawn back and a young woman
entered. Kara had never seen
her before and since she was not naked supposed that she was not part of
the harem. As the girl entered
the tiny compartment she bowed low.
I am here to serve you
mistress. I am Valessa, your
servant.
My servant? asked
Kara. Well the first thing
you can get me is some clothes.
Valessa bowed
again. Kara saw that she was
very attractive, with long ebony hair that swept down past her waist, and
dark mysterious eyes set in an oval face of great
beauty. Kara guessed her age
at somewhere between sixteen and
eighteen. As you wish
mistress, she replied. She
immediately exited the houdah. Kara watched as clinging to a simple rope
ladder attached to the side of the houdah, the girl swung nimbly down the
kaperts side and dropped to the
ground.
She returned just a few minutes later with
a small bundle. A very small
bundle. Kara looked at what she
had been given with dismay.
Dont any of you ever get cold?
Mistress? the girl asked, obviously
not understanding the reference.
Kara smiled. Valessa was
wearing only a small halter top that barely covered her swelling
breasts. Her midriff was bare
to five inches blow her navel and her loins were afforded privacy only by
a loincloth that hung down front and back to just above her
knees. The outfit she had offered
Kara was almost identical.
Shrugging, Kara put it
on. It was obvious that she was
not going to get anything better.
Where are we going? she asked
Valessa.
To meet your master, answered
the girl.
My
master. I dont think I
care for that term. You mean
the man who has bought the right to rape me this
time.
Rezar, Lord of Gorgos, would not do
such a thing. You are the
Chraga Suhm. He
would not permit such sacrilege.
Kara permitted herself a sardonic
smile. Such sacrilege,
as you put it, has already taken place.
You have seen the scars on my
body. You know what was done
to me.
The cruelty of the Littan exceeds all
bounds, Valessa replied.
But you will be safe with my master and you will be
avenged.
Avenged, Kara
thought. That sounded
interesting. Who was this mysterious
Lord of Gorgos she was being taken to see?
She got no more information from Valessa,
not that day or on the next ten days that it took to travel to
Gorgos. The scenery improved,
however. Despite their ponderous
appearance, the kaperts made good time, probably covering twenty miles in
a day. The last part of the journey
was spent moving higher into the mountains that bordered the
desert. Here the landscape change
from one of parched desolation to one covered with trees and where tinkling
brooks tumbled down the mountainsides and across the caravan
route.
It was very different from the desert empire
of the Twarg. The last day of
the journey was spent traveling in a country dotted with well-ordered small
hillside farms that were carved out of the
slopes. The country looked green
and prosperous and Kara began to hope that perhaps Valessas assessment
of the Lord of Gorgos might be correct.
By this time she and the girl had become good
friends and Kara used the time spent in the houda with Valessa to learn more
of the local language and discover more about
Gorgos. As she had already surmised
Gorgos was a mountain kingdom, but one that received adequate
rainfall. More importantly it
controlled the caravan routes from the north which gave it considerable power
and influence. For centuries
the Twarg had been trying to capture it without much success, the last war
concluding only a few months before Kara had been sent to the Littans
harem.
As punishment for starting the war Gorgos
had cut off Twarg access to the northern caravan routes until the fighting
ended and had then demanded an annual tribute as
payment. The caravan Kara was
part of was now carrying that tribute.
Kara began to have a strong suspicion that she had not been purchased
after all, but simply included as part of the
payment. So she had not been
sold. Instead she had been used
as payment for a debt.
There, Valessa said, pointing
into the distance.
Kara
squinted. The sun was setting
over a mountain just in front of her.
Already, Chera, Zhims largest moon was visible in the night
sky. However, the caravan had
not stopped for the night as was the
norm. Instead, this close to
the
Impressive, thought
Kara. It was a formidable fortress
of high walls and taller towers.
Kara could see why Gorgos had been so difficult to
conquer. Even if the enemy penetrated
all the way to the capital capturing the castle would have been almost
impossible.
An hour later the caravan entered the castle
gates. Kara peered out between
the gauzy curtains. Beside her
Valessa gave a little gasp.
He does you a great honour! she
exclaimed.
Kara
looked.
He was a tall,
broad-shouldered man in his late thirties or early
forties. A hint of gray tinted
his dark hair. Kara noted that
in spite of what she considered his advanced age he was strikingly
handsome. Dressed in a simple
tunic and tight-fitting brown leather pants, he wore a gold medallion on
a heavy gold chain and a sword was belted at his
waist.
He doesnt look too bad,
Kara thought. I only he
wasnt so old he might almost be
acceptable. She stopped
herself. What was she
thinking? She was nothing more
than a slave and this was her new master.
Remember to touch your head to the ground
before him, Valessa whispered and then she set an example by climbing
to the ground and prostrating herself before
Rezar.
Damned if Im doing that,
Kara muttered. She made no attempt
to leave the houdah until several servants came forward and placed a ramp
against the side of the kapert so that she could descend more
gracefully. Only when one of
the servants took her arm did she deign to leave the
houdah.
To her surprise the middle-aged man who waited
for her did not seem the least put off by her rude behaviour, although Kara
was certain that Valessa must have been mortified by her bad
manners. Welcome,
Chraga Suhm, Rezar said, stepping
forward. He took her hand and
touched it briefly to his lips, bowing as he did so.
Kara suddenly felt very
awkward. She was almost 80% naked
and being greeted by one of the most courtly gentlemen she had ever
met. In the courtyard dozens
of eyes watched her every move. She
hardly knew how to behave. Should
she abase herself like Valessa, or continue to stand awkwardly erect and
attempt to ignore those around her?
The uncomfortable situation was saved by
Rezar. Taking a cloak from one
of the guards, he draped it about Karas
shoulders. Come,
he said. Lets go
inside. I will have your serving
girl take you to your room and will have proper clothes sent to both of
you.
Not knowing what else to do, and helpless
to refuse in any case, Kara allowed Rezar to escort her into the great hall
of the castle. There he bowed
to her once more and allowed Valessa to guide her toward the
staircase. He watched her without
a word until she was out of sight.
Kara watched Rezars lithe and powerful
body as he dueled in the courtyard.
The window of her apartment looked out over the practice yard and
her new lord and master practiced almost every day so she had ample time
to appreciate his skill. He was
an interesting man; quite unlike her first and only lover,
Theran.
Theran had been young, brave, and gallant,
and as Karas first love she had been completely infatuated with
him. But he seemed far away
now. She knew that he was somewhere
on Zhim, but she had no idea exactly
where. He could have been thousands
of kilometers away. Larsons
portal could have dropped her anywhere on the
planet. Her chances of finding
him were somewhere between slender and
nonexistent.
Rezar was quite
different. He was much older
and more sophisticated. He could
even read, a rare characteristic among most members of the planet she had
come across. He treated her like
a queen, providing her with clothes that properly covered her body and equipping
Valessa with a similar wardrobe. He
was also a perfect gentleman. Or
at least he behaved in the way that Kara had been taught a gentleman
behaved. He never ordered her
to do anything; he always asked, even over such mundane matters as whether
or not she wished to attend meals in the great
hall. After her treatment by
the Littan and Twarg society in general, she was surprised by such civilized
behaviour.
The most surprising revelation, had occurred
last night during the evening banquet.
She had been seated next to Rezar as was his custom when he turned
to her. Would you accompany
me on my morning ride
Chraga
Suhm?
It would give me great pleasure.
What choice do I have? Kara
answered. I am your
slave. You may do with me as
you wish.
A look of surprise crossed Rezars
face. My
slave? No you are my
guest. No woman is a slave in
my kingdom.
You purchased me from the Twarg and
brought me here under heavy guard and yet you expect me to believe that I
am free.?
Rezar looked into Karas
eyes. You may leave at
any time. I will escort you anywhere
in my kingdom and provide transport and money so that you may choose your
destination.
Kara found that she believed
him. For an instant she was tempted,
but then she realized that she had no place to
go. She was almost certain that
she could not find her way back to the place in the desert where Larson had
dropped her. She needed more
time to find out more about the strange world she had been dropped
into. I will go riding
with you, she said, if you answer one
question.
And what is
that?
Have you ever heard of a place where
men ride birds? A kingdom called
Attalan?
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