Long corridors stretched along a perfect grid of squares within the dark stone fortress. From the front, barred entrance to the very rear of the building the cold stone and iron bars made this a very unwelcoming place.

Each corridor contained square cells with heavy iron gates keeping them enclosed. Thick bars with only a few inches of space between them made each room a foreboding prison for anyone kept inside.

Every cell contained a bed and a deep hole in the floor for those who would be making an extended stay. A few of the cells were empty but most of them contained a person and all of those people had to be kept restrained, as per the orders of the prison’s warden.

The warden walked the halls, her royal purple robes flowing out behind her, and the Captain of her prison guard walked beside her. The captain was a shorter woman but quite muscular for her size. She walked with a wide, bracing gait and a straight posture. The woman kept her light red hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore the standard uniform of the prison guards; a thin, platemail cuirass without sleeves, heavy steel bracers, an iron battle skirt and thick leather boots. This woman wore a red sash to denote her rank as captain.

The robed woman walked beside her and they turned down a corridor labelled ‘high security’. The walls here grew darker and were made of an almost black stone. The walls looked indestructible and carved magical runes adorned every inch of the corridor and glowed bright.

The pair stopped at a cell and peered in at a large woman inside. She struggled hard against thick ropes that kept her bound and grumbled into a thick, leather gag that kept her silent. Her blonde hair waved back and forth with her movements. She sat perched on the cell’s bed and writhed against the ropes that tied her up.

The armoured woman with the sash spoke then in a calm and clear voice, devoid of emotion.

“Prisoner 256. Name: Fa’rah of Dermaga. Exiled member of House Dermaga. Sentenced to ten years for thieving and kidnapping. What is her status?”

The robed woman smiled and folded her arms. The bandit struggled and growled at her under her gag.

“Mark down undecided, Captain Serran. It is always a bother to decide what must be done with traitors.”

The woman looked down at the leather-bound book she was holding and scribbled something inside it. The robed woman stepped closer to the bars and leaned on the cell.

“Is there a problem, miss Jhana?”

Jhana let her smile widen. “No problems, Captain. I just enjoy watching this one squrim.” Jhana fixed her gaze upon Fa’rah’s angry eyes. “You were surprised to see me, weren’t you? And here you thought you’d spend some time in the castle dungeon. It’s a good thing I have people everywhere or else you and I might never have reunited. And that would have been a real shame, Fa’rah. I always thought we got along rather well.”

“MMMRRGGH!”

Jhana chuckled.

“You make my decision quite difficult,” Jhana said. “Should I put you with a failure like Lila? Should I make you a statue in the prison courtyard? Or maybe shrink you down and put you into a sculpture for my mantelpiece? I do rather like you, Fa’rah. But you do need to be made an example. Oh, such decisions.”

“MMMMPH!”

Jhana stepped back from the bars and allowed the bandit leader to resume her furious and useless struggling. They moved on to the next cell and Jhana allowed herself a wide smile again. She stepped closer to the bars and watched the orange-haired woman within struggle gently and moan into her gag.

“Prisoner 257. Name: Elyn Saka Geni. Soothsayer and expert fire mage, formerly of the Royal Guild of Magic. Given indefinite sentence for conspiring against the future Queen. What is her status?”

Jhana watched Elyn enjoy her strict bondage as she lay on the bed at the back of the cell. Elyn had been strapped up tightly with thick strips of leather. They wrapped around her legs at the ankles, knees, and thighs. One wrapped around her waist and three more went up her arms, pinning them to her chest. Another kept her wrists crossed and secured behind her back, held down by the strap around her waist. A rubber ball had been stuffed into her mouth and a thick harness muzzle covered half of her face in leather to keep it inside. The harness had a blindfold attached that sealed Elyn in darkness.

At first, Elyn hopped around her cell as she had been afforded that range of movement at least. But now she was tired and decided to lay on her bed and try to get as much enjoyment out of her predicament as possible. She just laid there and let herself feel the straps bite into her skin.

“Another hard decision,” Jhana said. “Mark her down for gilding. I think the colour will suit her.”

“And when should we carry out the gilding, miss Jhana?” the captain asked.

“To be determined,” Jhana said. “For now, let her struggle away. She may be a failure but Elyn does know how to put on a good show.”

The captain scribbled something else in her book and followed Jhana to the next cell. A woman in a skintight, blue body suit rocked back and forth in a heavy wooden chair and glared daggers at Jhana when she stopped by the bars.

“Prisoner 258: Only name on file is Luna. Adherent to the ancient Disciples of the Moon religion and expert practitioner of ice magic. Listed officially as an illegal Pamest Mage. Sentenced indefinitely for conspiracy against the future queen. Status, miss Jhana?”

Jhana’s eyes looked the ice caster up and down and Luna struggled against the tight ropes that bound her to her chair. She had recognized the sticky coating of the adhesive when she woke up to find herself bound and gagged. Much like with the cave, Luna had been tied up with thick ropes and a gag coated in the same special adhesive. They kept her legs bound together at the ankles and knees. Her wrists were tied behind her back and a thick rope attached her ankles and wrists together to further hamper movement. Another long rope wound around her waist and pulled her wrists tight against the back of the chair. Two more framed her breasts and pinned her arms tight at her sides. Her mouth had been stuffed with a very soft but very thick cloth and another, coated in adhesive, clung to her face and kept her completely silent.

“Mmmmph!”

“Such an angry one,” Jhana said. “I thought you ice wielders were supposed to keep cool heads.”

“Mmm mmmph!”

Jhana watched Luna rock back and forth, fighting against the immovable ropes that bound her to the chair. The sight brought another smile to the spymaster’s face. She found herself thinking hard about what to do with Luna. An idea then struck her.

“Tell the alchemists to finalize their work on the kaademen potion. And mark the ice caster down for freezing. We’re going to make her into an ice sculpture.”

The captain wordlessly wrote some more in her book.

“And when will this occur?” the captain asked.

“As soon as the alchemists have perfected the formula,” Jhana said. “Which will be in less than a week, if I calculate correctly.”

“Mmmm mmpph! MMMMPPHH!!”

Jhana chuckled.

“Oh, you order women are so cute when you’re in peril. I love it.”

“MMMMPHH!”

The two women moved on to the next cell where a red-haired woman in a yellow dress stood up straight and hopped closer to the bars. She growled at Jhana behind her gag, which made the spymaster laugh.

“Prisoner 259. Name: Meryn Dane, also known as the Gold-Eyed Maiden. Expert marksman and hand-to-hand combatant and former crimefighter. Indefinite sentence for conspiracy against the future queen and unlawful vigilantism. What is her status?”

Meryn thrashed against the chains that held her but it was pointless. Thick, heavy chains restrained her legs in four places: at the ankles, above and below the knees and at the thighs, which caused her skirt to ride up and show off her strong, shapely thigh muscles. Heavy shackles with a hinge joint instead of a chain restrained her wrists behind her back and another chain looped around them and attached to her waist. A further, heavy chain wound its way around her biceps and kept her arms pinned. Glaring her golden eyes into the dark eyes of Jhana, Meryn growled again behind the thick leather panel that gagged her and kept a soft, spongy ball wedged inside her mouth. To top it off, Jhana had her fitted with a heavy, golden collar that prevented Meryn from turning her head or even looking down at the floor. It was attached to a chain on the back wall that prevented Meryn from even being able to hop to the bed in the corner. It was pulled taught and stopped her in the middle of the room, struggling and growling at the woman in front of her cell.

“MMMRRRGGHH!!”

“Such a beautiful woman,” Jhana said. “Gilding might seem appropriate for her but I don’t think she needs to be touched. She’s perfect as is. Mark the Gold-Eyed Maiden down for entertainment. She will be kept with me to struggle and growl at my leisure.”

“MMMMPH!”

“Precisely like that,” Jhana said, smirking.

The captain jotted something down and the two of them quickly moved on from Meryn. Before she was out of sight, Jhana blew a kiss to Meryn who struggled wildly in her chains and screamed into her gag.

“MMMPH MMMMMPH!!”

The second to last cell in the hallway contained a tall and toned woman in black clothing with sort of pink coloured hair. When Jhana approached the cell, she could barely move.

“Prisoner 260. Name: Lanala Sihira. Master spellcaster of the lightning school and expert ward caster. Marked a prodigy from a young age. Turned down the role of Master of the Royal Guild of Magic.”

Jhana shook her head and clucked her tongue.

“Such a shame. Think of the power you cold have had, Lanala.”

Lanala tried to reply but a tiny squeak escaped her heavily gagged mouth.

“Mmph.”

The captain continued. “Sentenced to indefinite stay for conspiracy. What is her status, miss Jhana?”

Lanala strained with every single one of her toned muscles but none of her heavy shackles and straps would budge. She was pinned against the back wall by heavy steel shackles that held her in place. They locked on to her ankles, waist, arms, neck, and forehead. Heavy and thick straps with huge metal locks on the buckles weighed her down and made jangling sounds every time she moved. The straps bound her ankles together and wrapped around her legs going all the way up in five places at her calves, knees, and thighs. Her wrists were each looped into a thick strap at her sides and pinned to her upper thighs. This caused her skirt to ride all the way up and expose her small, black panties and all of her shapely, muscular legs. More straps held her arms in place just above her wrists, above and below the elbows and just below the shoulders. A heavy, leather muzzle with a steel plate reinforcement was locked around her head and kept two thick sponges sealed inside her mouth. Only the tiniest sounds escaped from beneath it and the simple effort of shifting her weight made her tired from the brutal weight of all the steel and leather and her standing position.

Jhana stared hard at the spellcaster who had managed to escape her grasp twice before. She was certain that Lanala could not escape again. She saved some of her heaviest restraints for Lanala but not quite the heaviest. She knew Lanala wouldn’t escape these bindings.

“Oh, I do like her,” Jhana said. “It’s much like with Fa’rah. I’m not sure what to do with her. Perhaps she can join the Gold-Eyed Maiden? But I have too many toys already. Hmmm. Perhaps she’d make a fine marble sculpture. Or ebony. Yes. Send for an order of ireng potion, Captain. We’ll make a fine sculpture for the city centre. With a gorgeous fountain. Oh, what a sight it will be.”

Once again, the Captain wrote something in her book and looked up at Jhana.

“Should we proceed when the potion arrives next week, miss Jhana?”

“Of course,” Jhana said. “We can’t wait to create such a beautiful landmark.”

“Hmmmpphh,” Lanala said. She struggled but could only move a few centimetres in her strong bindings.

They moved on to the final cell at the end of the hallway and Jhana smiled wide and clutched at the bars to the cell. She leaned forward and stared inward at the giant woman writhing and thrashing within.

“The crown jewel,” she said. “Do go on, Captain.”

“Prisoner 261. Name: Artema Venator. Legendary warrior and former leader of the Order of Ikaatan. Sentenced indefinitely for plotting against the future queen and inciting conspiracy to commit treason. What is her status?”

Jhana bared her teeth in a malicious smile at the heavily restrained Artema.

The purple-haired warrior stood anchored to the ceiling and floor, suspended between them, in thick chains and metal restraints. A thick armbinder reinforced with steel plating pulled her arms behind her back and caused her chest to jut out in front of her. It sealed her hands away and was locked on with five huge, iron locks around the various buckles that held it in place. Her legs had been shackled with the largest and heaviest steel shackles that Jhana’s prison could construct. No chains were used for them as they were joined together by hinges, much like Meryn’s shackles. They kept her shackled at the ankles, calves, above and below the knees, and the thighs. Her long skirt was pressed upward and her thick, muscular thighs were exposed to the air. A heavy chain had been wrapped around her waist and pinned her armbinder in place along with two more chains that framed her ample chest. Artema had been gagged with a thick rubber ball and that was sealed inside by a thick, steel muzzle that fit around her head like a masked helmet. Almost no sound could escape her lips. The finishing touches were a thick steel collar that forced her head upward and chains that pulled her from the ground and caused her to dangle. They were attached to a loop in the middle of the ceiling and lifted her off the ground from three anchoring points on the chains around her waist, arms, and the top of her muzzle gag. A final chain was attached to her ankle shackles and anchored to a loop in the middle of the floor.

The chains rattled when the mighty warrior struggled but nothing gave way. Despite her mastery of escape skills, this was something that even Artema could not escape from. Jhana knew this perfectly well and restrained Artema more heavily than any other prisoner she kept in her island prison.

“A mighty statute for the front gates,” Jhana hissed. “To be bronzed and shown to the world, shackled and beaten. A message to anyone who would defy me: this shall be your fate. If even someone as strong as Artema can fall then what hope is there for anyone? None. It is pointless. I am your Queen, now and forever. Long may she reign.”

“Mmmmph!” Artema’s gagged protests were nothing but a soft mewling. Her struggles had made her tired but even at full strength it was useless. There was no one in the world who could escape the bondage Jhana had placed her in.

The captain jotted down a final note.

“When is she to be made a statue, miss Jhana?”

“Tomorrow,” Jhana said. “Tonight I will watch the mighty, fearless Artema squrim and struggle. I will watch the hope fade from her eyes when she sees that she has lost. I will see fear in her, the legendary Artema, when she realizes that there is no escape. Today I witness the fall of a titan and tomorrow we will see the example she shall become. Rest well, dear warrior. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

“Hmmmph!”

“Yes. Keep up the fight,” Jhana said. “It will be all the better to see your soul crushed beneath the weight of failure.”

The two women left Artema alone then and she heard each one of her captured order wail and moan into their gags when Jhana passed them by. It had been lucky that only five of them had wound up in this place. She didn’t know how Taria and Mirelle escaped the ambush. It had all happened so fast.

Jhana arrived with half an army and stormed their headquarters, taking them all by surprise. Before Artema could even fight back, she had been knocked unconscious by some foul magic that not even Lanala could identify. And now five of them sat captured, bound and gagged on this stone island prison with no hope of escape. The warrior had never felt such heavy restraints and could never have practiced with them. She suspected that the metal and chains that bound her could hold even the most powerful creatures of the world in place. So there was no hope for even a strong woman like her to escape them. But she still had to try.

Artema writhed and bucked and kicked her legs as hard as she could but the chains held firm. They rattled and shook but all she managed to do was make herself spin in place slightly before twisting back to her forward facing position. And with her hands sealed away, all of her weapons and equipment taken away, and no way to reach any of the locks, Artema was completely helpless. But she refused to even entertain the notion of the word ‘helpless.’ She was Artema, the legendary warrior! There were no chains that could hold her! Keeping her confidence up, Artema continued to thrash and struggle against the heavy steel that held her captive. With a heavy breath, Artema rested her tired limbs and wondered how the rest of her order were doing in their captivity.

...

Elyn loved the sensation of the straps. I absolutely must get some of these for home she thought. The straps that bound her afforded her very little movement at all and she just laid there and allowed the bliss to consume her mind. But every now and then she’d realize that that was what Jhana wanted.

Keeping Elyn passive and restrained meant no hope of escape for her or the others. But every time Elyn tried to genuinely struggle, the excitement would bubble up in her stomach and she wouldn’t want to escape. Of course the straps were so tight and she’d done so little actual training that Elyn wasn’t sure she could escape even if she wanted to.

All she could think to do was enjoy her predicament until help arrived. Or, if that didn’t happen then she supposed she would become a decoration for Jhana. Elyn hated that notion and sometimes it would stir genuine anger within her and she would thrash about on her bed but the feeling of the straps would cause that anger to dissipate and be replaced with excitement and joy.

Jhana also knew how to excite Elyn more with the blindfold and it made her enjoy the bondage even further. Every so often, some sound would come from within her cell; a scrape, a knock, something dragging, rattling chains, heavy footsteps and even heavy breathing.

What Elyn couldn’t see were the small grates dotted around her cell that covered various shafts that led into other cells and hallways. The sounds would echo from their source and travel up to the vents and echo inside Elyn’s cell. The sounds would make her turn her head and sit bolt upright. She’d struggle at some of them and try to remove the blindfold that was attached to her muzzle. But Elyn could never tell where the sounds were coming from or what they were and the thought just filled her with even more excitement.

She heard maddened laughter echo inside her cell and she struggled hard against her bonds, sitting up on her bed.

“HLLMMMMPPH!” Her muffled cries for help didn’t even echo off the walls of her cell and that gave her an amazing thrill. The uncertainty of it was both terrifying and exciting and Elyn didn’t want it to stop.

Something scraped against the stone wall very loudly to her right and she struggled to her feet, hopping away from the bed and turning her head frantically, searching for the strange sound. Nothing else happened and she relaxed a bit, tentatively hopping back to her bed. Then she heard a voice very close from above her scream.

“YOU’RE NEXT!”

“NMMMPH! HLLLMMMMPH!”

Elyn struggled furiously on her bed, kicking and thrashing against the tough straps but they held her tight. She turned her head back and forth, desperately trying to find where the scream had come from but it was pointless. She was completely blind to the world.

The thrill of the uncertainty made her shiver and she laid down again, enjoying her bondage even more with each passing second.

“Hmmmmmph,” she sighed.

...

Luna couldn’t get any of the sticky ropes to budge. She pulled hard against the chair but it had been anchored to the floor. In her mind, Luna tried to think positively like Mirelle. At least there’s no chance of falling over and hurting myself Luna thought. But that didn’t exactly comfort her when she knew she’d be turned into an ice sculpture in less than a week.

With this last depressing thought, Luna refused to stop struggling and fought back against her bonds but they didn’t budge. The fused knots of the adhesive covered rope were impossible to even reach, much less undo, and her every movement was stifled by the strength of the ropes that bound her.

The worst part for Luna was the profound boredom. She’d counted all forty-seven bars on her cell at least a hundred times since they had been captured. She’d given up on counting the flagstones of her cell since she couldn’t see the ones beneath the chair. She knew the wall to her left had exactly one hundred and twenty of them. Luna also knew that each flagstone was a perfect one foot by one foot square. That meant the wall was twelve feet wide and the cell was ten feet high. It was safe to assume that space of the floor then, given its square shape, measured twelve by twelve and that every wall was twelve by ten. That meant her cell was...

Luna gave her head a shake. How ridiculous was it that she was calculating the exact size of the cell she was bound and gagged within? Frustration started to settle in again and each of Luna’s tired muscles groaned when she struggled against the sticky ropes.

“Mmmmrrrgh!” she growled.

Nothing she could do would loosen anything and even give her an inch of space. No relief came since she was kept restrained round the clock and it didn’t make sense how she wasn’t wasting away or didn’t have to go to the bathroom. She didn’t know how she was being kept fed for the last three days but she suspected it had something to do with Jhana’s magic or alchemy. Whenever Luna would fall asleep in her bound and gagged position, she would wake up feeling mildly refreshed and she never felt weak or hungry. Something was keeping her healthy but she didn’t care to know what.

Even though her spells were useless when she was bound and gagged like this, the runic symbols on the walls frustrated her even more. She couldn’t hear the moon like this. They were blocking her out and even if she wasn’t gagged, she suspected that her magic would be countered by whatever wards Jhana had set up. So even if she could free herself from her bonds, chances were good she would just be recaptured anyway.

“Mmmph. MMMPH!”

Luna screamed into her gag in frustration. She didn’t know how any of them were going to get out of this one.

...

Meryn hopped back and forth in seething fury, railing against the degrading collar around her neck. Her energy seemed boundless in this place that frustrated her to no end. The Gold-Eyed maiden never did like to be caged and this had to be the worst predicament she’d ever found herself in.

“MMMMPPPHHH!!”

The blasted panel gag kept her so quiet she could just barely hear her own voice. She hadn’t screamed her throat raw this time, though. She’d learned her lesson when she had been hogtied in that bandit tent. Her throat was sore for days after that and she didn’t want a repeat of that feeling. Not that it would matter much now. She assumed there was no escape and she’d be turned into a struggling, bound and gagged sideshow for Jhana in a few days time. Meryn didn’t know how any of them would get out of this. She’d heard the muffled cries of the other four and knew they were bound just as tight, if not tighter, than she was. The other two wouldn’t last long on their own with that ridiculous army of mercenaries Jhana had. They didn’t stand a chance when nearly seventy warriors and mages descended on their headquarters and subdued the five of them in seconds.

The scraping of the chain that attached her collar to the wall made Meryn’s temper rise again and she writhed and thrashed against her heavy chains for a long time before her muscles gave out and she collapsed against the wall. She sat down on the floor but the chain on the wall pulled on her collar and craned her neck upward, forcing her to get to her feet again.

It seemed that Jhana would not let Meryn get comfortable and enjoyed watching her struggle. She supposed that was why Jhana wanted her for entertainment.

Meryn leaned against the wall, still standing, and allowed herself to relax into her chains and take in deep breaths through her nose. When her energy returned, Meryn straightened herself out as best she could and began hopping back and forth again. It was all she could do to kill the time. She couldn’t sit or lay down; the chains wouldn’t allow it. So, instead, Meryn hopped back and forth and counted her laps. The best she had done so far was fifty-two. She’d kept trying to break that record but it became harder with the passage of time.

While hopping, Meryn was quite surprised at how incredibly good her balance was. Even while tired and chained from head to foot, she had not fallen over once while hopping. She supposed that had to do with her many days spent dashing across rooftops in the capital and in learning to keep her footing in a fight. But Meryn never suspected that her balance was this good. If there was some chance that they could get out of here, Meryn decided that at least all of this hopping would be good training for the future. So she kept it up until whatever the fates had in store for her.

...

Lanala mewled into her gag and shook hard against the shackles that bolted her to the wall. They had no give and she really couldn’t move. She couldn’t even so much as turn her head or look at the floor with the ones that held her neck and forehead. And the tight muzzle made breathing difficult so she would be tired out from any minuscule amount of struggling.

She stopped and let her hands relax. They touched the bare skin of her shapely, toned thighs and she closed her eyes. She imagined that her hands were Artema’s and stroked her thighs gently with both hands. Imagining her wife in the room with her kept her calm and would keep her from panicking and tiring herself out from useless struggling.

Lanala stopped caressing her thighs and opened her eyes. She kept her mind clear and searched every corner of her mind for some way out of her bondage. All manner of magical words and incantations came to her but none of them were of any use to her since she was so severely gagged.

The runes surrounding her would also make any casting she could do very difficult but if she concentrated hard enough she could overcome them. It was just a matter of finding the right magic that she could use with her mind. But there wasn’t any spell that existed that could free a mage from being bound and gagged. That was why it was such an effective method of restraint against magic users. Even Jhana was basically helpless if she was bound and gagged. Every mage was different, of course, but it wouldn’t take much to figure out what keeps them nullified.

So Lanala would have to improvise and come up with an entirely new spell by combining two words in her mind. But what words? And how would she find the right way to use them mentally? She only had a week to figure that out and, even given her current imprisonment, that didn’t seem like enough time to actually come up with anything. A spell like that might even take decades of research and testing before it became a viable option for use by even master spellcasters like her.

“Mmmmmph,” she said, silenced by her muzzle.

Panic started to bubble up inside her and she thrashed against the shackles and straps that bound her but all she succeeded in doing was making the tough leather stretch ever so slightly and the shackles rattle against the wall. The locks on the straps jangled with her tiny movements and the sound made her panic even more. Her bonds were so tight and restrictive that there was no chance she’d be able to escape. So it was magic or nothing and she didn’t have nearly enough time.

“Hmmmph. Mmmmph MMMMMPH! MMMMMMPPPPHHH!!!”

Lanala struggled harder but it did nothing. She was held as firmly as ever. This made her breathe heavily and she became almost mad with panic. She tried to move her head but the shackles held her in place and she pulled hard against the straps.

“HLLLLMMMMMMMPPPPPHHHHHH!!!”

Her cries for help were barely a whisper. No one could hear her and there was no one in this awful prison who would help her anyway. But the panic made her desperate.

“HLLMMPH! HLLMMMPH MMM!! LMMM MMM GMMMMMPPPHH!!””

Lanala struggled and struggled until her screaming muscles wouldn’t let her anymore. She took in a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes. She relaxed her hands again and thought of Artema. Gently stroking her own thighs, Lanala began to calm again and her breathing became easier. Then the cycle started again. She concentrated on all of her magical knowledge, tried to come up with some way to create a spell, and her terrible bonds made her panic and cry out for help again. It really seemed hopeless this time.

“HLLLMMPH! HLLLLMMMPPPH!! HHHHHLLLLLLLLMMMMMMMPPPPPHHHHHH!!!!”