Prisoner of the Seraglio

Prisoner of the Seraglio

A Cordelia Delacourt Adventure

Chapter 16 Murder

Cordelia entered the Emperor’s bedchamber with head bowed and went to her knees. She sensed rather than saw the Emperor nod approvingly. No doubt to Menelik it appeared that his rebellious concubine had learned her place. But it was far from that. Hatred burned in Cordelia’s eyes with such intensity that she feared to look directly at the man who had disfigured her. Beside her Liz knelt also. Her elfin features were most controlled, revealing little, and Cordelia recalled that Liz had once made a living out of pleasing men. No doubt she was fully capable of appearing to enjoy whatever the emperor had planned for her. She had certainly shown enthusiasm the first time she and Cordelia had been brought to the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Cordelia noted that as usual the emperor was attended by several young women. She remembered that last time she had been in the room the women had remained the entire time, waving large palm fans as she, Liz, and Menelik engaged in their orgy.

“Approach,” Menelik ordered, motioning with his hand. Heads still bowed both women obeyed. As they neared him Menelik reached out and touched the still raw brand just above Cordelia’s nipple. “Perhaps,” he said as Cordelia held her breath and tried not to cringe. “Perhaps I shall forgive you if you perform well for me tonight.”

“We live to serve you, my lord,” Cordelia lied, her head was still bowed subserviently

Menelik seemed pleased by her answer. “Come here my child. Show me how well you serve.” He depressed her head toward his loins, his demand more than obvious.

Cordelia swallowed then bent her head toward his partially erect member. She teased his glans with the tip of her tongue. Menelik groaned obligingly. His member began to stiffen under her lips and tongue.

While Cordelia stimulated him Menelik pulled Liz to him and fondled her right breast. He shifted his hand to her loins and found her entryway to her pleasure garden. Liz gasped and the groaned in feigned response. Pleased by her reaction Menelik pulled her close, kissed her on the lips and then ordered her to pleasure Cordelia.

Like Cordelia, Liz dared not disobey. Moving behind her friend she positioned herself on the floor so that her upturned face was between Cordelia’s thighs. Cordelia almost cried out in surprise as Liz’s skilled tongue slipped between her labia. The sensation was incredible and entirely new to her. Menelik had to grip her head to hold her to her task. As Cordelia bobbed her head, Liz went to work, showing that she was very skilled indeed. Within minutes Cordelia was panting heavily, hardly able to concentrate on Menelik’s now erect phallus, but the emperor seemed not to care, being too intent on watching the reaction of his concubine as she was slowly brought to orgasm.

Cordelia arched her back as a carnal explosion occurred inside her. For a few seconds her duty to Menelik was forgotten as she writhed in the throes of passion. Menelik, however, seemed delighted with her reaction. He rose from the bed, and lifting Cordelia pushed her face down onto its soft surface. Temporarily ignoring Liz, he positioned himself behind Cordelia. Gripping her elbows he pulled her backside toward him and impaled her with a single powerful thrust.

Cordelia cried out in surprise and pain as he took her, and then squealed as Menelik began to drive in and out of her. Her back arched and her breasts quivering with every thrust, she felt passion mounting within her in spite of the hatred she felt for the man who mounted her; and then Menelik changed his target.

As Menelik withdrew from her, Cordelia almost felt a sense of disappointment. But it was changed to one of shock and horror as his hands settled on her rounded buttocks and exposed the tiny button of her anus.

Cordelia had time only for a single scream before Menelik’s organ forced its way into her, and then she screamed a great deal more. She had never imagined such agonizing pain was possible during the act of love. Her attempts to escape the pain were futile. Menelik’s cruel laugh sounded close to her ears.

“Now you know what it is to truly serve your lord,” he jeered. “Scream if you like, but you will do as I command.” He gripped the screaming girl by the elbows and disregarding her anguish, slowly satisfied his urges.

Cordelia lay exhausted and humiliated when he was finished. Menelik had completed his revenge, forcing her to submit to a most degrading and painful ordeal, but the Emperor was not quite finished. He forced a horrified and disgusted Liz to stimulate him with her mouth until his erection was restored once again.

While Cordelia watched, in too much pain to move, he subject Liz to the same torment, pinning the much smaller woman to the bed and raping her anally until she too shrieked in protest. It was the first time Cordelia had ever seen Liz hurt by any sexual act and she was filled with an almost uncontrollable rage. But she could do no more than lie where she was and try not to weep from the pain in her backside.

Eventually sated, Menelik dropped onto the bed, his body dripping sweat. Overcome by his exertions, he closed his eyes. Too exhausted to do otherwise Cordelia and Liz followed him into sleep.

Cordelia awoke to the sounds of Liz choking. It was almost dark, most of the lamps having burned out, but she could make out the shadow of Menelik straddling the much smaller girl, his loins over her head, pinning her to the bed. Liz was struggling frantically, attempting to push him off her, but his greater weight pinned her easily as he forced himself in and out of her mouth. The fact that his partner was not responding properly seemed lost on the Emperor as he satisfied his midnight cravings.

Cordelia’s suppressed rage boiled out of her. For a few seconds she forgot where she was, knowing only that Liz was being attacked by a man she had come to detest and hate. She did remember one thing, the martial techniques that Burton had taught her. Rising from the bed she hurled herself toward Menelik using all of her weight as she struck with her outstretched toe.

Whether it was the precision of her strike, or the fact that Menelik looked up just before she arrived she never knew. But whatever the reason, there was a sickening crunch of collapsing cartilage and the emperor of Aksum was hurled from the bed. For a few seconds Menelik laying thrashing on the floor, his hands grasping his throat and then he lay quiet.

Cordelia’s rage left her as quickly as it had come, leaving her shaking like a leaf. “Oh god, Liz” she gasped, “What did I do?”

Still gasping for breath, Liz clambered off the bed. She immediately went to Menelik and lay her head on his chest. “He’s a deader alright, the bastard,” the girl remarked.

Cordelia placed her hands over her face while Liz came to her side. “It’s alright, Luv,” Liz crooned softly, stroking Cordelia’s back. “The bastard had it coming.”

Her heart still thundering inside her, Cordelia pulled herself together. She noted with considerable relief that the female attendants had withdrawn to an outer room as was their custom. No doubt they were asleep, provided that they had not been awakened by the commotion in the emperor’s bedroom.

“What are we going to do?” Cordelia asked. “For what I did we’ll be put to death by slow torture.”

“I think,” said Liz. “We better find a way out of here.”

Cordelia sat down on the bed and tried to think. She knew Liz was right. They had to escape before Menelik’s death was discovered. However, she knew that she couldn’t possibly try to escape the way they had tried before. Then it occurred to her that they were no longer in the harem. They were in the emperor’s quarters. It just might be possible to escape from there.

She tried to remember to layout of the palace, but realized that she and Liz had not been brought to the harem through the emperor’s quarters. “We’ll just have to play it by ear,” she said. “Let’s see if we can find anything in the Emperor’s quarters that might help us.”

Hurriedly they looked through the elaborate set of suites once occupied by the Emperor. To Cordelia’s pleasant surprise they found a number of items that might be useful in their escape.

Cordelia carefully strapped the fine metal blade over her shoulder. Liz looked at her somewhat dubiously. “You know how to use that thing, Luv?”

“Not really,” Cordelia replied, “but how hard can it be? It’s just a matter of poking the pointy end at someone you don’t like.”

“I’m thinking it’s a bit harder than that,” Liz replied. “I’ll stick to a knife.” She waved the impressive looking jeweled dagger she had found.

“I think we better be going now,” Cordelia ventured. “We can’t carry much more than this.”

“Right,” Liz said. “Lead the way.”

Properly dressed in clothing that was no longer translucent, and carrying a swag of food and other useful items they had managed to scrounge in the Emperor’s quarters, both women slunk through the corridors toward what they hoped was freedom. It soon became apparent, however, that the palace outside the Emperor’s quarters was crawling with guards.

Cordelia and Liz had only gone a few steps before they were forced to retreat to the Emperor’s quarters for fear of discovery. “We’re like lobsters in a pot,” Liz remarked. “I don’t look like there’s any way out.”

“There is if everyone is too busy to stop us,” Cordelia replied.

Liz brightened. “You’ve got another one of your ideas ain’t you, Luv?”

“Come on,” replied Cordelia. “Help me pile up the furniture. Anything that will burn.” She began to push a large wooden table toward the centre of the room.

“Got you,” Liz grinned. In a short time they had piled most of the furniture in the emperor’s suite in the centre of his main living quarters. It made quite a nice blaze, helped by the lamp oil that they poured over it.

The open large open windows of the palace helped the fire. Within minutes it was roaring the height of the ceiling. Cordelia opened the door. “Let’s go,” she said, “and shout as loud as you can.”

The two girls ran screaming through the place, shouting “fire” at the top of their lungs. Not a soul attempted to stop them and within minutes they were moving through the streets of the city.

With all concerned distracted by the fire, they managed to make it through the city and down to the Lake of the Sky without being stopped. Cordelia stopped on the stone pier to look back. The reddish glow from the area of the city where the palace was showed that the fire still burned. She hoped that no one in the palace had been harmed in the fire, she had no wish for anyone to suffer on her account. Then she turned away.

There were many boats to choose from and Cordelia selected one that looked about the right size for two women to handle. They tossed their few possessions aboard and pushed off from the pier. “You know anything about boats?” Liz asked.

“No,” Cordelia replied. “But I think I can figure it out.” She plied her oar against the water. Rowing was something she did know something about, having done a bit of boating with her father. Liz on the other hand handled her oar like she was trying to beat the lake to death and it was tough going until the girl managed to develop a stoke that pushed the boat in the desired direction. Cordelia did not plan to row for long anyway, hoping to use the sail once they were away from the land, and there was enough light to see where they were going.

Neither she nor Liz were in much shape for rowing very far in any case. Cordelia’s backside still ached from the reaming Menelik had given it, and Liz was not in much better shape. It was with some relief when the sun gleamed over the horizon, providing enough light to raise the sail.

Cordelia basically went on instinct and common sense when it came to setting the sail. As a result the first hour of attempting to catch the wind was a learning experience. As the boat turned uselessly in circles, Cordelia used most unladylike language, much to Liz’s amusement, until finally, more by luck that anything else, the boat began to move in the desired direction.

Possibly because of the fire in the palace, or possibly because of some other reason, the lake remained deserted long after dawn. Cordelia had feared that early fishermen might see them, but none appeared, and by slow degrees Cordelia with Liz’s help, piloted the boat toward the far shore.

They dragged the boat up on the same beach where Burton had set out. It seemed so long ago since they had been there, but it could not have been more than a couple of weeks. “I think we should rest, Cordelia proposed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted and we didn’t exactly get a proper night’s sleep.”

“You and me both,” Liz agreed.

Together they set up camp. The sail of the boat served as a tent and they were able to start a small fire from driftwood. Neither woman had much in the way of outdoor skills, but one of the things Burton had shown them how to do was how to light a fire without matches. It took several attempts, but eventually they were able to get their crude fire drill to work.

They concealed the fire between a couple of large logs so that it was not visible from the water. Cordelia hoped that no one would come looking for them, but she did not want to take any chances. With any luck the Aksumi would not even notice that she and Liz were missing and then if they did it was likely that they would think she and Liz had perished in the fire.

They broke out their meagre supplies of food. The food was something that greatly worried her. There was enough to last just a couple of days and then they would have to find more. Without weapons there was no way to hunt for food so they would have to hope that they could find some of the edible plants that Burton had pointed out.

Cordelia sighed. She and Liz were thousands of miles from their homes and hundreds of miles from any settlement that might contain a white man. They could only hope that somehow something would happen that might save their lives. As she looked into the fire and thought about her adventures she wondered what sort of fantastic set of circumstances would enable her and Liz to make it out of Africa with their lives.

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