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Chapter
12 Rezar
Kara
groaned. Her shoulder was on
fire, the flesh around the wound made by the arrow an angry
red. The bloody bandage her shoulder
had been wrapped in stank of blood and
pus. In spite of her weakened
condition, Pern had decided to move her.
After all, she was not his primary concern, Rezar
was. The Littan had paid the
bandit chief to capture Rezar and he had done
so. Now he was taking him to
the Twarg capital to collect his reward.
Kara was an added bonus. If
she healed enough that Pern could bed her so much the better, if not then
it was just Karas tough luck.
She was secured to the jarah she was riding,
her hands tied to the saddle and her ankles bound beneath the belly of the
beast. If not for these preparations
she would have certainly toppled off.
Even so, Kara was not sure how much longer she could
last. It was obvious that her
shoulder was seriously infected and yet nothing had been done to treat
it. The little man Pern had told
to look after her appeared to have only limited medical
skills. Either that or he simply
did not care.
Ahead of her, separated by several bandits
were Rezar and the escort Pern had taken
prisoner. Both men were heavily
bound, and a rope was tied about each of their necks and held by one of the
bandits. Escape was impossible
and in a few days they would be at their
destination. Kara wondered what
the Littan had planned for Rezar.
Perhaps he thought to force Rezar to cede his kingdom to him or perhaps
he just wanted revenge for the humiliating defeat his army had suffered at
Rezar's hands. Whatever the
situation, it did not look good for the man that Kara had come to
admire.
It was a strange
situation. Kara realized that
in spite of the fact that Rezar was almost old enough to be her father, she
felt a sort of attraction to him.
There was no reason why she
shouldnt. He was handsome
(for a man his age), brave, skilled in battle, and considerate and
kind. He had been a perfect gentleman
toward her, showing what amounted to a fatherly concern for her
well-being. But none of that
mattered now. Taken prisoner,
her focus was now on escape, but the deteriorating condition of her wound
made that very unlikely.
A shout up ahead woke her from her
reverie. The column of men and
animals had come to a halt.
Perns men were dismounting and heading toward a large
building. The slightly built
man who had tended her wound rode over to
her. Kara had learned that his
name was Winder.
We stop here for the night, Winder
said. I will see to your
accommodation. Without
waiting for Kara to reply he took the reins of her jarah from the man who
had been leading it and led her toward the
building.
Kara saw that the building was quite
large. It appeared to be some
sort of barn and close by was a smaller building that appeared to be a
farmhouse. It looks like
were in for a bit of snow, Winder
said. But we should be
sheltered here. Untying
Kara from her mount he helped her down and led her toward the
barn.
She stumbled as she
walked. Kara suspected that she
had blood poisoning and was probably suffering from the trauma of her
wound. Got to keep
going, she thought.
Find some way to escape.
Here we are, sweets, Winder said,
interrupting her thoughts.
Kara looked
up. Winder had taken her to the
very back of the barn. There
were several stalls there and he guided her into
one. It was lined with straw
and would make a fairly decent bed.
Winder guided her into the straw.
He smiled. Kara didnt
like that smile. She attempted
to pull away.
No you dont, Winder said,
neatly tripping her.
Ive decided not to wait until you are
healthy.
Kara landed on her back in the hay with Winder
on top of her. She gasped in
pain as her injured shoulder slammed against the side of the
stall. Winder stuffed a gag into
her mouth as she tried to scream and tied it in place with a strip of
cloth. Now, said
the bandit. You and I are
going to enjoy one another.
Kara kicked out, but the bandit was already
straddling her. The best she
could do was strike ineffectively at him with her left
arm. Winder was amazingly strong
for his size. He seized her wrist,
and twisting it, forced her arm behind her and rolled her
over. Wrenching her other arm
behind her he began to bind her wrists.
Mmmphh! Kara screamed.
The pain in her injured shoulder was
excruciating. She could do nothing
to stop Winder from binding her.
Then he began to remove her
clothing.
Her boots were already
gone. One of the bandits with
small feet had appropriated the fine leather when she had been
captured. It took him only seconds
to ease her trousers over her hips.
Mmmpppphh!
Kara cried. Perhaps if she screamed
loudly enough someone would hear her through the
gag.
Stupid whore, Winder
said. He rolled her over and
slapped her face. Keep
quiet or Ill knock your teeth
out.
Mmmmppphh! Kara protested
again.
I told you to shut up! Winder
said. Making a fist he punched
Kara between the eyes.
Karas head rocked back, blood flowing
from her nose. She was only dimly
aware of what was going on as Winder ripped open her shirt, exposing her
quivering breasts. The bandit
finished removing her trousers and then climbed onto
her.
No!
Kara
thought. Not
again. Not so soon after what
the Littan had done to her.
Winder straddled her, his hands covering her
breasts. By the gods,
he said, Ive never felt tits like
these. Youre a remarkable
woman, and right now youre mine to do with as I
wish.
Uunngghh! Kara grunted as Winder entered
her. He wasnt particularly
violent and his penis was of only normal size, but Kara still felt the shame
of being taken against her will. It
seemed she went from one aspect of her nightmare to
another. Unable to resist, and
not wishing to encourage Winder to hit her any more, Kara did not offer any
further resistance as Winder took her.
Fortunately, the rape didnt last
long. The little man got to his
feet, smiling in satisfaction.
Finally got something before
Pern. He pulled up his
pants. Ill be back
with food and water. Try not
to move too much. I wouldnt
want you to aggravate your injury.
Kara buried her head in the straw as Winder
strode off. It wasnt enough
that the bandit had raped her, but he had to laugh at her as
well.
Winder returned a short time
later. As promised he had food
and water. He had to wake
Kara. She had fallen into an
exhausted sleep. Removing her
bonds and her gag he set the food and water beside
her. Im supposed
to keep an eye on you, he grinned.
Just to make sure you get
well. He settled down beside
her in the hay, pulling a blanket around
himself. Get some rest,
he continued. I might want
to have another go at you during the
night. He tossed a blanket
in her direction.
Kara pulled the blanket around her and lay
down, but she did not sleep for quite
awhile. Finally, she fell into
an exhausted sleep. Shortly before
dawn she awoke.
She lay very
still. Beside her Winder snored
with enough power to cut a cord of wood.
For a small man he made more than enough
noise. Kara sensed that something
was wrong. Between snores she
listened and then she knew what had awakened
her. There was someone else in
the stall.
She clutched the blanket tightly to
her. What
now? Another man come to rape
her? She knew that the blanket
would offer little protection and her injured shoulder was throbbing even
worse than it had earlier. She
cringed as a hand touched her shoulder.
Mistress, a low voice
murmured.
Karas heart skipped a
beat. Valessa, she
whispered. Have you brought
help?
Just myself mistress, Valessa
said. Then she went silent as
Winders snoring stopped for a
moment.
Kara felt Valessa move past
her. There was a sudden sound
and Winders snoring stopped, replaced by a horrible gurgling sound
that slowly died away.
Valessa touched Karas
arm. Come mistress.
What did
you
? Kara didnt
finish. Valessas hand was
wet with something sticky.
Hurry mistress, Valessa
said. We dont have
much time.
From somewhere Kara found the strength to
follow Valessa through the dark barn.
Her teenaged servant had surprised
her. Not only had she somehow
found where Kara was being held prisoner, but she had calmly cut Winders
throat. It was quite horrifying,
but nothing that the loathsome little bandit hadnt
deserved.
Valessa did not lead her to the
entrance. Apparently she had
found another way in. Just before
they left the barn Valessa stopped.
In the pitch darkness Kara could not see what the girl was doing,
but suddenly a spark was struck. In
a few seconds Valessa had a small fire burning in pile of straw near the
door.
In the light of the fire Kara could see that
Valessa was dressed only in a poncho-like
blanket. She also saw that the
girls face was scratched and
bruised. There was something
in her eyes that told Kara the girl had been through a similar ordeal to
that which she had suffered. But
there was no time to ask any questions.
As soon as the fire was burning well enough by itself Valessa hustled
Kara through a small door.
Outside she almost fell over the body of a
dead bandit. Like Winder his
throat had been cut. Kara looked
at Valessa. What had happened
to her to change her from a light-hearted young girl into a ruthless
killer?
Valessa pulled Kara toward a stand of
trees. Keep going,
the girl whispered. There
are three jarah waiting. I will
be right back. Without
waiting for a reply she headed off into the darkness.
Kara hesitated and then did as she was
told. It wasnt very heroic,
but she was in no shape to follow Valessa, and the girl seemed to know what
she was doing. In any case, the
fire in the barn would soon attract considerable attention and it might be
well to be elsewhere.
She found the jarah easily
enough. By the time she did the
adrenaline rush that had given her the strength to follow Valessa was wearing
off and she was beginning to shiver in the cold night
air. Most of the ground was still
snow-covered and Kara had no shoes or
boots. Should have taken
Winders, she thought, but it was too late
now. Hunching down in the snow
she tried to keep warm while the minutes ticked by.
Kara drifted into a sort of mindless
trance. Numbed by the cold and
traumatized by the injury to her shoulder, not to mention dazed by the rapid
turn of events, she lost track of where she was and what was
happening. She was vaguely aware
of shouts as the barn burst into flame and the flurry of activity as confused
men ran to and fro, and then suddenly Valessa was back and Rezar and the
remaining escort were with her.
There was no time for a happy exchange of
greetings and Kara would probably have been incapable of responding in any
case. Rezar helped her onto one
of the jarahs and mounted behind her, while the escort and Valessa rode the
other two. Before the bandits
had time to discover their absence they were away and out of the bandit
camp.
They rode for the rest of the night, finally
stopping near dawn at a woodcutters
cottage. The woodcutter and his
wife quite happily yielded the cottage to their unexpected
guests. After all it was not
everyday that a woodcutter was visited by his prince.
Rezar instructed the man to take
one of the jarahs and ride to his castle for help, while the woman went to
live with her parents who lived only a short distance
away.
Kara was too far gone to care what the
arrangements were. She was instantly
asleep as soon as she hit the bed.
Valessa too was worn out from her
exertions. She had survived a
vicious triple rape and only her determination to rescue her mistress had
kept her going. She cuddled up
alongside Kara and was soon dead to the
world. Rezar and the escort made
the best of it, placing blankets on the floor and sleeping next to the
fire.
They awoke to a knock on the door.
It was the woodcutters
wife checking to see if her prince needed
anything. Rezar accepted a basket
of eggs from the henhouse with thanks and closed the
door. I dont think
well be going anywhere for a few
weeks. It snowed heavily over
night. The passes will be
blocked. We are here until the
weather breaks.
Valessa
nodded. She was stiff and sore
from her ordeal. Kara said
nothing. She was only
semi-conscious. Valessa placed
a hand on her head. She
has a fever. I think her wound
must be badly infected.
Let me look, Rezar
said. I have a little
experience in treating wounds.
Valessa looked dubious, but she opened
Karas shirt. Do not
worry, Rezar said. I
would not dream of dishonouring your
mistress. He moved onto the bed
beside Kara and gently began to remove the
bandage.
Kara moaned, but did not open her eyes.
Ill need some warm water, Rezar
said. The bandage is stuck
to the wound.
Valessa poured water from the kettle by the
fire into a small earthenware pitcher.
Taking a rag, Rezar gently soaked the bandage and began to work it
loose. He knew Kara was in
trouble. The smell of the wound
told him that it was seriously infected.
As he removed the last of the filthy bandages he gasped in
dismay.
This is not good, he
said. There must be something
still in the wound.
Kara moaned and opened her
eyes. The throbbing of her injured
shoulder felt like a small drum.
Rezar, she gasped as her eyes focused on the princes
face.
Rezar spoke
quietly. I am going to
have to open your wound. I think
that part of the arrow may still be in it, or perhaps a piece of your shirt
was carried into the wound. It
must be cleaned otherwise the infection will spread and you will
die.
Kara
nodded. The terrible pain of
her wound had awakened her. She
could tell from the pain that something was very
wrong. Do what you have
to, my lord. I will try not to
scream. The agony of her
shoulder was so great that she was oblivious of the fact that she was offering
Rezar a splendid view of her swelling
breasts.
Rezar handed one of the knives Valessa had
managed to acquire and handed it to the
escort. Heat this in the
fire, Helm, he said using the soldiers name for the first time.
He turned back to Kara. What
I am going to do is going to hurt a great
deal. You must try to hold still
if I am to save you.
Kara had difficulty believing that anything
Rezar could do to her could hurt more than her shoulder did
already. She nodded her acceptance
of what he was going to do.
Hold her arms like this, Rezar
said to Valessa as he moved Karas arms over her
head. She grunted in anguish
as the movement sent pain rippling through her injured
shoulder.
Rezar cut a strip of leather from the end
of his belt. Bite down
on this and try to think of something pleasant, he said as he placed
it between her teeth.
Rezar picked up the glowing
knife. Helm moved to the end
of the bed and held her ankles.
Alright, Rezar said,
calmly. Take a deep breath
and close your eyes.
Kara tried to hold very still, but as the
hot steel touched her flesh her body jerked and she grunted in
agony. She bit down so hard on
the strip of leather she thought her teeth would break, but somehow she managed
to hold relatively still as the smell of burning flesh and the stench of
pus filled the room.
Brave girl, Rezar said.
With her eyes closed Kara
couldnt see what Rezar was doing, but it felt as if he had thrust the
burning blade of the knife six inches into her
shoulder. It took every gram
of self control not to shriek in pain and fight to escape the torture she
was undergoing.
Ahh, Rezar
breathed. This is the
culprit. Carefully he worked
the knife free of the wound bringing with it splinters of wood from the arrow
shaft and a small piece of filthy cloth which the arrowhead had carried into
the wound.
Kara gasped in relief as the knife was removed,
but her ordeal was not quite over.
I am afraid I must still properly clean the wound, Rezar
said.
Thank you, Helm, Rezar said as
the man handed him a steaming cloth.
He had obviously helped Rezar before while he tended mens
wounds.
Rezar took the cloth and as gently as he could,
cleaned the wound, wiping away all traces of the infected
tissue. Through it all Kara held
still, her superheroine self-control rising to the
fore. Finally Rezar
finished. There,
he said quietly. Now we
let nature take its course.
Kara fainted.
The first face Kara saw when she regained
consciousness was Rezars. He
was seated next to her a damp cloth in his
hand. Welcome back,
he smiled.
Karas mouth was too dry to
speak. Rezar seemed to understand
her problem. Lifting a wooden
cup to her lips he helped her sip the water it
contained. I will leave
you so that you have a little privacy, but I shall return in an hour or
so.
Kara nodded weakly as Rezar left, taking Helm
with him. Valessa, who had been
sitting by the fire took his place by the bed and began spooning soup into
her. The warm broth helped revive
her, and soon she was able to sit up.
Mistress, Valessa
said. May I get you
something?
Kara could think of a lot of things Valessa
could have gotten her, but right now the only thing she wanted was a luxury
bathroom. However, she suspected
that might be a tall order. She
tried to get up, but immediately discovered that she was too weak to do it
on her own. However, she felt
much better. Her fever was gone
and the incredible pain that had tormented her was just a dull throbbing
in her shoulder.
You should not try to get up,
mistress, Valessa said.
I will get what you
need.
Kara nodded her
agreement. It was obvious that
for a day or so at least she was going to have to rely on Valessa to do things
for her. She also noticed something
else and that was Valessas subdued
manner. However, that was something
she would inquire about later.
Right now she desperately needed to attend to the call of
nature.
Valessa helped her with that as well as offering
her some broth from a pot by the fire.
Kara ate all of it and then asked for
more.
How long did I sleep? Kara
asked.
Two days, Valessa
replied. Rezar stayed with
you most of that time, until he was sure you were out of
danger.
Kara felt a strange thrill at that
information. Rezar had undoubtedly
saved her life, and although she was young enough to be his daughter she
no longer viewed him as an old man.
How would she feel when she was fully
recovered? She knew from the
way he looked at her that he desired her.
Kara had seen that look too many times to mistake
it. However, he was such a gentleman
that he had never acted on his impulses.
She wondered if his correct attitude toward her would ever
change.
Valessa sat by the fireplace, stirring something
in a large iron pot. Kara was
reminded that something about the girl had bothered
her. The girl had an aura of
sadness about her that was palpable.
What is wrong, Valessa?
The girl turned, her dark eyes blinking as
she fought back tears.
Mistress, I have been
dishonoured. The men who chased
me they
Valessa could not finish, but Kara knew at
once what had happened. It
was not you who was dishonoured, Valessa, but the men who violated
you. Do not blame yourself for
the actions of others.
But mistress, Valessa
sobbed. No man will want
me now. I am tainted; unfit for
marriage.
We will see about that, Kara
replied. If it helps any
you should know that I too suffered at the hands of the
bandits. I do not intend to let
it affect my honour.
Oh mistress, Valessa
wept. But this time it was for
Karas lost honour not her own.
Kara shook her
head. Valessa this will
not do. I do not intend that
either you or I should suffer because we were unlucky enough to be placed
at the mercy of evil brutes. Now
stop your crying and get me some more soup.
Valessa did as she was asked; stifling her
sobs, and then over the next hour told Kara of her adventures and her
disgrace.
Valessas story filled Kara with
admiration. Alone and at the
mercy of three bandits the young girl had overcome her enemies and not only
escaped, but destroyed them as well.
And then, still suffering from her ordeal she had tracked the bandits
to their camp, and in a daring
She had that opportunity very
soon. Rezar reappeared a short
time later. He smiled when he
entered, and Kara could not help smiling
back. Somehow he no longer seemed
quite so old and he was handsomer than she remembered.
I see you are feeling better my lady,
Rezar said, bowing as he stood at the foot of her
bed.
Kara
nodded. Thanks to you,
my lord. The words seemed
almost natural coming off her tongue.
Up until a day or so before, she had thought of Rezar as her slave
master, but now her view of him had changed
radically. He might have purchased
her from the Littan, but his effort to save her life went beyond that of
slave and master.
The passes are still snowed in,
Rezar said, but there has been a break in the
weather. I have hired a sled
from the woodcutter who owns this land and we will be able to leave
tomorrow. I would like to give
you more time to recover, but I fear that the bandits who attacked us may
still near and it is important that we get to a place of safety.
I will be ready to go, my lord,
Kara said. I know it is
important to get back to your castle.
There is no telling what the Littan might be up
to.
Rezar
nodded. He seemed pleased and
Kara decided that this was as good a time as any to keep her promise to
Valessa. First, however, she
had to find a way to get rid of the young
girl.
Valessa, she
said. I wish to
bathe. Could you please fetch
enough water to fill the tub?
It was a lengthy job. It
would take Valessa several trips to fill the large wooden tub with enough
water. The girl nodded and picking
up the wooden bucket headed out of the
cottage. As soon as she was gone,
Kara explained. Quickly, she
told Rezar of Valessas heroism and the shame the young woman felt over
her dishonour.
Your concern for your servant is
admirable, Rezar said.
It confirms what I have come to think of
you. Do not
worry. Valessa will be well rewarded
for her sacrifice. I will bestow
a title and land upon her for her
services. She will not lack for
suitors.
Kara smiled and lay
back. Now she could enjoy her
bath.
The next day they loaded the sled and headed
for Rezars castle. The
snow was deep, but enough of a crust had formed on it that the sled traveled
on the surface. Pulled by four
jarahs the sled moved easily over the
snow. Snuggled in blankets, Kara
made the most of the smooth ride and
slept. By the time the sled stopped
for the night she was well rested.
This time they stopped at a crofters
humble farm. Rezar refused to
allow the farmer to give up his simple farmhouse, instead insisting that
they bed down in the barn. It
was fortunate that they made that choice, as Perns men arrived in the
night.
The bandits assumed that Rezar would be staying
in the farmhouse and ignored the barn.
It gave the four fugitives the
chance they needed to escape.
Moving out the back of the barn they headed into the trees bordering
the farm. There was no time to
take more than the few possessions they had with
them. As it was they gained the
shelter of the trees just in time.
A shout from one of Perns men alerted then to the fact that
the bandits had discovered their mistake and then the chase was
on.
Rezar stayed close to Kara as the four of
them ran through the forest. The
snow was not as deep in the trees, but it was still hard going and soon all
of them were gasping for breath.
The only consolation was that Perns men found the going equally
difficult, and in the darkness, could not easily pick up their
trail. After awhile, the sounds
of pursuit died away, but Rezar kept his party going, wanting to put as much
distance between himself and the pursuers as
possible.
Morning found them safe but
exhausted. Pern and his men were
nowhere in sight, but Kara and all of her companions were tired and
hungry. Fortunately, Rezar knew
where they were. Two leagues
from here there is a village, he
said. Helm can probably
make it there in a couple of hours and get
help. I will stay with Kara and
Valessa and will follow more
slowly.
Helm nodded his acceptance of the orders and
was about to set off when Valessa spoke
up. My lord, this place
is known to me. It is near where
I was born. I can help Helm make
sure that he does not lose his
way.
Rezar smiled as did Kara, although she hid
her grin behind her hand, pretending to
cough. It had not escaped her
notice that Helm and Valessa seemed to have established some sort of relationship
during their short time together.
Rezar seemed to understand also.
Very well, he said.
I am sure Helm would enjoy the
company.
Both Helm and Valessa blushed, confirming
what Rezar and Kara already suspected.
A few minutes later they were moving off together, Helm breaking trail,
and Valessa
following.
Rezar waited half an hour, giving Kara more
time to rest and then followed, moving at her speed so as not to tire her
out.
Some Supergirl I am, thought
Kara. When am I ever going
to get out of this mess? Its
embarrassing to always be the weakling of the
party. She felt a sense
of anger that her stupidity had led her into one mess after the
other. If she ever got back to
Earth she was going to make Larson pay dearly for what he had done to
her. She amused herself as she
trudged through the snow by trying to think of suitably painful punishments
for the evil scientist. She
didnt even notice the change in the weather until a violent and unexpected
gust of wind almost blew her off the trail.
Suddenly she was surrounded by swirling snow
so that was so thick she couldnt see an arms length in front
of her. The force of the gale
pushed her to he knees and might have knocked her over had not Rezars
hand on her arm pulled her to her feet.
Without explanation she felt Rezar pulling her after
him. She stumbled along beside
him trusting that he knew someplace where they could get out of the
wind. A few minutes later she
found herself in a slight depression.
We have to dig, shouted
Rezar. We have to get out
of the wind.
Kara had no idea what they were to dig with
until she saw Rezar using his hands and a broken branch to gouge a hole in
a snow bank. She joined in, scooping
handfuls of snow and tossing it behind
her. Soon they had a sort of
snow cave. Then Rezar took out
his knife and cut branches from the surrounding fir and pines trees, tossing
them toward Kara as he cut them.
Place these on the ground, he
instructed and then proceeded to cut still more while Kara did as she was
ordered. In a short time she
had a layer of branches about a foot
deep. Rezar then took some larger
branches and laid them across the entrance to the snow
dwelling. Together he and Kara
heaped the snow they had scooped out of the bank on top of the
branches.
All the while the temperature was dropping
and the wind howled about them.
Kara was sure that she was going to freeze in spite of the exertion
of preparing their crude shelter.
But just as she thought her body was about to turn into an icicle,
Rezar pushed her toward the now almost covered entrance to the snow cave
and then followed her inside.
The snow shelter seemed almost warm compared
to the raging blizzard outside, but Kara was shivering
violently. Rezar pulled several
branches across the entrance and snuggled down next to
her. Almost as once, she could
feel the heat of his body as it warmed
her. She pushed her body as close
to his as she could get and let his warmth surround
her. Then she closed her eyes
and tried to stop shivering.
Kara opened her
eyes. She must have fallen asleep,
but she could feel Rezars arms around her and the heat of his breath
on her check. From the regular
sound of his breathing she determined that he must be
sleeping. She moved slightly,
molding her body more closely to his.
It felt very natural to have his arms around
her.
My lady? Rezars
whispered. So close to her ear,
his voice was almost erotic.
Damn, Kara
thought. I shouldnt
have moved. She rolled
over, trying to find a little room in the confined
space. Is the storm
over? she asked.
I think it is, Rezar
replied. If so we should
try to build a fire. He
shifted away from her and pushed open the entrance to their
shelter. A wave of cold came
in through the opening. Grunting,
Rezar crawled outside. A few
seconds later Kara followed.
It was
cold. Inside the shelter Kara
had been relatively comfortable.
But she couldnt have stayed there forever; there was something
she had to do. Without explanation
she moved away from Rezar.
A few minutes later, and much colder than
she had been, she returned. She
saw from the tracks in the snow that Rezar had also gone
off. A minute later he reappeared,
lugging an armload of wood.
This should burn, he said,
provided I can find a way to get it
burning. Im afraid I
dont have any flint and steel.
Perhaps I can help, Kara
said. Kneeling before the shelter
she arranged the pieces of wood and then selecting two of the drier pieces
she tried to construct a fire drill.
Rezar watched her with curiosity, but murmured
in amazement a few minutes later as the piece of wood Kara twirled between
her fingers produced a thin plume of
smoke. Getting down on his hands
and knees he blew gently on the smoldering pieces of
wood.
Kara felt enormous
pride. For once she had done
something right. She had not
been sure that her fire-making idea was going to work, but as the pieces
of tinder Rezar placed around the base of the drill burst into flame she
almost screamed for joy.
A few minutes later there was a merry blaze
going. Rezar brought in more
piles of wood and then sitting in front of the fire reached into his coat
and brought out a few pieces of dried
meat. Not much of a banquet
I am afraid, but it is all I have.
I usually keep some emergency rations on me when I am in the wilderness
and fortunately I was smart enough to do it this
time.
After having not eaten for hours, the dried
meat and a handful of raisins that Rezar produced from another pocket seemed
like an excellent repast. Kara
leaned back, on her bed of evergreen boughs and let the fire warm
her.
Rezar dragged several large logs to the fire
and threw them on. The flames
blazed up, throwing out so much heat that Kara actually moved farther away
from the fire. Rezar followed,
sitting down next to her.
Too bad we dont have any tea,
Rear said, or a pot to brew it in.
We will just have to make do with melting snow on a
rock.
Kara
nodded. Warm water was better
than nothing, and it wasnt a good idea to eat
snow. Rear had found a rock with
a slightly concave surface that allowed melted snow to
pool. It wasnt the best
arrangement but it was the best they could
do. She closed her
eyes. She was beginning to get
quite comfortable. Within minutes
she was asleep.
She awoke to a delicious aroma and a sizzling
sound. Night had fallen and something
very tantalizing was dripping its fat into the fire.
I set up a few snares while you were
asleep, Rezar said.
A rabbit was unfortunate
enough to blunder into one of them.
It is not much, but it will provide a little
nourishment.
Kara noted that Rezar had done more than catch
a rabbit. He had stockpiled a
huge pile of wood, enough to last the night and
more. Never can tell,
he said, catching the direction of Karas
gaze. We might be here
for awhile. However, if this
clear weather holds I think we will be on our way
tomorrow.
Kara bit into the chunk of rabbit flesh, letting
the sweet juices drip out of the corners of her
mouth. She felt like a real
carnivore. It was amazing how
good something she would never have considered eating on Earth tasted when
she was half starved. She smiled
across at Rezar who was devouring his own
portion. She ate slowly, savouring
every bite. Finally, she finished,
but not until she had chewed on every bone and licked every
finger.
Her stomach full, a deliciously warm from
the heat of the fire she felt a luxurious drowsiness coming over
her. It was time to sleep, but
first there was something she wanted to do.
My lord, she
said. You are not what
I imagined a slave master would be.
No? Rezar
responded. And what would
a slave master be like?
Kara
flushed. You could have
done what you wanted with me, but instead you have treated me like a
lady.
It is the only way I know how to treat
a woman, my lady.
Kara liked Rezars old-fashioned courtly
ways, but thought the time had come to show her friendship.
Please call me
Kara.
Rezar
smiled. As you wish, Lady
Kara.
Kara
grinned. I cant win
can I? She edged closer
to Rezar and suddenly found herself right beside
him. He no longer seemed quite
so old. Wordlessly she turned
her face toward him and sought his lips.
Rezar returned the kiss, enfolding her in his
arms. Their tongues entwined
and then suddenly they were removing one anothers
clothing.
They did not hurry, but rather took pleasure
in releasing every tie and revealing every inch of
flesh. Kara shuddered, her loins
contracting as Rezars tongue swirled over her
nipple. She gave a little cry
as his hand cupped her mound of Venus.
Her nether region burned even before he lowered his head and plowed
her furrow with his strong pliant tongue.
When he finally entered her, her moans echoed through the
trees.
Hours later, their sweaty panting bodies
intertwined before the embers of the dying fire, Kara and Rezar looked into
one anothers eyes. I
never thought to find a woman like you, Kara, Rezar said, as he slowly
stroked her long, rounded thigh.
Kara did not
reply. She thought briefly of
Theran. She had already found
an ideal lover. But now she had
more than one. She took Rezars
hand and kissed his fingers. Not
everything in this strange world was bad.
She would miss her new lover, but her superheroine instincts were
calling her. Somehow she had
to find a way to get back to Earth.
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