A wide and wicked smile crossed her ashen face. “Across the landscape I seek to leaven, a prison for all; the towers seven!”

That night, all across the seven kingdoms of Esterlin, seven dark stone towers stretched high into sky. Each tower had smooth walls and heavy iron doors with formidable locks to keep them shut. They were also marked with a banner hanging down from the top and each tower marked the names of one of Esterlin’s Princesses.

The witch smiled again as she eyed the towers spring to life across the kingdom from her own twisted, dark tower far to the west. Jhana, sometimes called The Dark Witch by the people of Esterlin, wished for nothing more than to capture every member of the Princess Guild and bring herself to rule as, she believed, was her birthright.

From all appearances, Jhana the witch was a very attractive woman. Her skin was a sort of dull grey colour but it was smooth and very healthy. Her hair was long and black and her eyes were pale and cruel, though quite beautiful. She wore a long, purple dress with long sleeves and a rather deep neckline that showed off an ample chest. She wore gold around a thick belt on her waist and in a brooch on her chest as well as heeled, black leather boots.

The witch closed her eyes and again spoke her spell aloud to finalize her plan. “Two for each, wraiths from the dark. The giants fulfill my black art. Take them from here to each of my towers! Go now and show them my powers!”

From the very stones beneath her, fourteen formless shadows with red eyes rose to a staggering height above her. All at once, each creature took on the strange forms of a mass of rope and cloth. Their purpose then became very clear as each creature shifted out the windows of Jhana’s tower. The witch watched her creations begin to work. If she had her way, every princess of Esterlin would be locked away in one of her new towers. She just hoped her rival, Aurora, would play her part and take care of the Guild’s lone Guardian.

...

A caramel-skinned woman in red paced back and forth inside her hut in the forest. Looking at the inside of her hut, one might be forgiven for thinking that this woman was part raven for all of the strange, shiny objects found within her hut. But a closer look revealed that the shiny objects were, in fact, stolen valuables from throughout the kingdoms of Esterlin.

Aurora the Witch, it turned out, was more than just a witch. She was a thief and a well practiced one at that. It might even be said that there was no thief in the world greater than her. Though, of course, it would be Aurora who might make such a statement.

But thieving was not on the mind of the witch in red. Aurora dressed herself in a short gown with its skirt coming to her knees. A black cloak flowed from her back and matched the fingerless gloves and knee-high boots she wore as well.

Pacing as she did, Aurora’s thoughts drifted two two particular women. One of them was a voluptuous princess from the kingdom of Sixellia who shared a rather specific taste with Aurora. Ever since their last encounter, it had been difficult to remove the orange-haired beauty, Princess Elyn, from her mind. Invasive thoughts plagued her about wanting to be close to Elyn, to hold her, to gently tie her up and watch her squirm. But she pushed those thoughts aside and instead focussed on her goal of vengeance on the Princess Guild.

Aurora had tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of those women. The other woman she was thinking about then popped into her brain, the one Aurora liked to call her ‘pet.’ Celia, the Guild’s Guardian, drew her attention and Aurora couldn’t help herself. She had to act on these thoughts this time.

“Dearest Celia,” she said to herself. “I think it is time to play again.”

Aurora glided across the room with effortless steps and sat on a shining, expensive cherry wood chair in front of an immaculate table of white marble. A crystal orb sat perched upon a small pedestal in the centre of the table and Aurora stared deep into it. She smiled wide when she spotted Celia, the Guardian of the Guild, walking through the forest alone with one hand resting gently on the hilt of her one-handed sword.

“Perfect timing,” she said standing up again and raising her hands up. Aurora paused for a few moments to remember the words to her spell. I still can’t believe the power I wield in this world Aurora thought to herself. Her teleport spell returned to her mind and Aurora took in a breath to recite the words.

“Take me to places both far and near, I command the wind to turn there into here!”

A spiralling gust of wind enveloped her entire body and the inside of her hut soon became the dark forest where Celia still wandered. The Guardian stopped dead on her patrol, tightening the grip on the hilt of her sword, when she heard a sudden gust of wind rustle the trees behind her. A familiar voice spoke into the darkness from somewhere she could not see.

“Within the trees there lies no hope, from wooden limbs, make them become rope!”

The trees around Celia suddenly lashed out and their branches changed to rope before her very eyes. Two of them coiled around each of her wrists and forced them behind her back, fusing them together. Another wrapped around her arms just above her elbows to pin her arms in place. She still kicked and fought but the trees soon dealt with that as the branches-turned-ropes tightly bound Celia at the ankles and just above the knees. More ropes pulled taught from the one wrapped around her arms and pinned her to a pair of heavy boughs near to each other, suspending her a few inches off the ground. Celia squirmed and struggled against the ropes but found no give.

As she struggled, one of the ropes tangled itself around the sheath of her sword and pulled it quickly away. “Hey! Give that back!” Celia shouted, still fighting the ropes but it was becoming clear that she couldn’t escape.

The trees finally stopped moving and simply held her there as a figure emerged from the shadows in front of her. Celia glared and struggled harder against the ropes.

“Aurora! You let me go right now or I swear I’ll-mmmph!”

A rubber ball was shoved into Celia’s mouth and strapped on behind her head. Aurora pulled the gag as tight as she could and kept her eyes fixed on Celia’s. The little warrior could do nothing against the strong ropes that held her and growled into her new ball gag.

“You’re getting a bit more fight in you,” Aurora said, her face now only inches from Celia’s. “I always do like the feisty ones. But it won’t do to have a feisty pet, will it? We’ll have to train that out of you.”

“Mmmph!”

“Oh yes, my pet. It’s been a while and I’ve been dying to have some fun with you. And, oh, the fun we’ll have!” Aurora said with a wicked grin.

“Nmmm! Lmmmt mmm gmmmm!”

“Sorry, Celia, but I’ve been waiting to see you again. I’ve missed you.”

“Grrrmmmph!”

“Oh there’s no need for that now. Come with me. You don’t even have to walk! I’ll have the trees carry you home. Our home now, dear.”

“Nmmmm!” Celia squealed as the ropes on the trees started passing her along at a frightening pace through the forest. She could hear Aurora’s smug laugh every so often but she couldn’t see the witch. But now Celia spotted a small hut in the middle of woods and started fighting the ropes that were being passed from tree to tree. It wouldn’t be long until she would be inside that hut as Aurora’s bound and gagged prisoner. Unfortunately for her, there didn’t seem to be a way out.

...

It had all happened so suddenly and Lanala was shocked when even Artema couldn’t fight them off. But now she was being carried across an empty, grassy plain toward a tall tower made of black stone and a banner at the top bearing her name.

She didn’t know how she was being carried but those strange creatures had all but disappeared when they left each princess tightly tied up and gagged. But Lanala knew there were two of them carrying her, as they had carried her wife, and now they were both separated and headed off to their isolated prisons.

Lanala knew the creatures were wraiths of Jhana’s creation; she felt their power right away when the four of them rushed the pair of princesses. But Lanala had no time to prepare a spell as one of the creatures quickly fired a wad of cloth into her mouth when she tried to speak, following that up with another cloth over her mouth and tied onto the back of her head. Unable to summon any spells to stop the giant wraiths, Lanala was quickly subdued and tied up with plenty of the rope coils that made up the creatures.

They tied her hands, crossed, behind her back and followed that up with a pair of thick coils of rope for her arms, framing her chest, and then tying her wrists to the ropes on her arms. More rope tightly tied her legs together at the ankles, below the knees, and at the thighs. She could only squrim as two pairs of strong, invisible hands held onto her and carried her high above the ground toward the tall, foreboding tower.

“Mmmph!” Lanala mewled, trying and failing to fight the iron grip of both her bonds and the now invisible creatures carrying her. They finally reached the tower and Lanala felt herself quickly lowered, letting out a muffled yelp, and then pulled inside a heavy iron door that slammed shut as soon as she entered. The door was then locked in place and Lanala found herself very rapidly ascending the winding staircase of the tower.

“Mmmph! Slmmm dmmmn!”

The creatures ignored her muffled pleas and made it to the top of the tower, a small empty cell, in only minutes, They laid Lanala down on the ground and she felt her ankles pulled up toward her wrists as she lay on her stomach.

“Nmmm! Stmmmp! Plmmmph!”

Another rope was quickly tied between the ropes on Lanala’s ankles, wrists, and arms before another cloth was tied over her eyes to keep her hogtied and blindfolded on the floor of the cell.

“Mmmmph! Lmmmt mmm gmmm! Hllmmmp!” Lanala struggled desperately but the ropes had no visible knots and stubbornly refused to let her go, still holding her very tightly.

Soon everything went silent, save for the muffled grunts and groans of the captured princess inside the locked cell. With the iron door of her cell shut and locked, Lanala was now a prisoner atop one of the seven tall towers across the massive plain that separated the seven kingdoms of Esterlin. Knowing her wife had also been captured and quickly subdued, Lanala could only hope the others were still safe.

...

Jhana took a moment to bask in her glory and watch as each of the seven towers was occupied by the captive princesses. She saw in her mind’s eye as Lanala was hogtied and locked away first before watching Meryn, still ever the fighter, get hauled away in a tight little bundle to the top of the Gold Tower.

The invisible wraiths secured Meryn, who was dressed in her royal regalia this time. It wasn’t much different than her uniform as the Holy Sunlight only she didn’t wear a mask to conceal her face. It was a knee length, sleeveless yellow dress with a red belt cinched around her waist and a silken, black vest. Her knee high, leather boots matched the dress and she was, of course, minus her weapons and equipment. That made her easier for the wraiths to capture and tightly bind and gag.

She had to be secured a little tighter than Lanala, with a coil of thick rope binding her arms from just above her elbows to just below her shoulders. A length of rope was tied to her arms ropes and secured to her wrists, tied and crossed behind her back with more of the thick rope. The Princess of the Seven Islands also had her legs tied at the ankles and above and below the knees to make her skirt ride up a bit and showcase her strong, shapely thighs. Meryn battled her restraints with boundless energy and her voice was nothing but muffled grunts behind her thick gag; a large sort of sponge stuffed in her mouth sealed inside by a thick cloth covering her mouth and tied on behind her head. Another gag, covering her mouth and nose, was tied on over that to further silence the struggling princess.

Once she was inside the Gold Tower, Meryn was tied to a heavy wooden pole in the centre of her cell where she struggled helplessly against her tight bonds. Even a strong crimefighter like Meryn could not escape the tight bondage the giant wraiths had placed her withing. Still, Meryn refused to quit. She would not be the prisoner of Jhana yet again. Everything in her would fight until she escaped or collapsed from exhaustion trying.

“Mmmmrrrggh! Grrrmph! Mmmph!” Meryn’s voice was completely muffled by her gag.

Jhana couldn’t help the smile that played at her lips when she thought about the fun she could have with Princess Meryn. But her attention was drawn in by the most captivating of captives, her oldest acquaintance in the Guild, Princess Elyn.

Jhana did so love to indulge Elyn’s love of bondage and so made the two wraiths that captured her tie her up rather strictly at the top of the Red Tower. Elyn was suspended from the ceiling of her cell by thick rope and left in a tight hogtie/frogtie position. Elyn’s beautiful legs had been tied together by ropes connected her thighs to her ankles. Further rope bound her legs to each other. Then her arms were folded over each other behind her back so she was gripping each elbow in the opposing palm. The rope binding her wrists in that position was tied to the ropes binding her ankles together. More rope framed her breasts elegantly and kept her arms tightly pinned to her sides, also attaching to her bound wrists. All of this rope, in turn, was anchored to the ceiling were Elyn swayed gently back and forth in pure bliss as she struggled.

She knew this was all Jhana’s doing and didn’t exactly enjoy the idea of being her prisoner but the tight ropes distracted her mind to the point where she could think of nothing else. Not to mention the tight leather gag that sealed her lips shut and kept a rubber ball wedged between her teeth that was strapped on behind her head. Nor could she ignore the padded leather blindfold that kept her in complete darkness. Even if she wanted to escape there was no way Elyn would get out of these ropes.

All she could do was struggle helplessly, moaning and groaning with pleasure she derived from her predicament.

“Hmmmmpphhh....” she sighed into her gag. “Mmmmph... mmmmppphh..... mmmmph! MMMMPPHH!” Elyn tested her gag and shivered in excitement at how quiet it kept her. Elyn did occasionally struggle in earnest when she realized that she and her friends were now at Jhana’s mercy but the ropes did their job and kept her mind occupied enough to the point she hoped they would never let her go.

Though she always found it difficult to tear her attention away from a gorgeous woman like Elyn, especially when she was tied up and gagged, Jhana eventually did and saw the tall, dark-skinned princess of Fivellin, Luna, struggling away on a wooden chair locked away in the blue tower.

Thick ropes tied each of Luna’s ankles to the chair legs and bound her legs together just above the knees. Her wrists were tied behind her back and behind the chair and further tied to a thick coil of rope attaching her waist to the chair. Tight ropes also framed her chest and kept her arms tightly pinned to her sides, as well as attached to the chair, and completely restricted her movements. This was topped off with a heavy cloth with a knot tied in the middle. The knot was pulled tight between her teeth in a cleave gag and then knotted off behind her head to keep her quiet.

“Grrrmmmph! Mmmmph! Mmmrrgggh!’ Luna growled and struggled against her bonds but, with the gag in her mouth, she could not summon any of her powerful ice or water spells to get her out of this mess. Worse still, she had seen her fiance Mirelle get grabbed by the giant wraiths as well and could do nothing but helplessly mewl and grunt into her gag. Princess Luna was now a captive at the top of the tall Blue Tower in the middle of Esterlin. It could almost be an old fairy tale but Luna was fairly certain that there was no knight coming to save her. Everyone who could had been captured and tied up by the vile creatures and there was nothing she could do about it.

Jhana laughed when she thought about the one person who could save them and how easily he could be dealt with. Indeed, Prince Jonas was alone, still wounded and, though he could fight, he never fared well against multiple opponents. It would be nothing at all to have him killed or even just put to sleep forever with a powerful enough curse. Though such a curse would take a lot out of her and she was quite busy at the moment. She would have to deal with Jonas later.

Next she watched as sweet Princess Mirelle struggled, furrowing her brow and growling into the tight gag around her mouth. She had simply been laid down on the floor to roll around and struggle away. Jhana knew that Mirelle was perhaps the least capable escape artist in the Guild, aside from Elyn who wanted it that way, and secured her with just enough to save it for the remaining two ferocious captives.

Mirelle’s legs were tied at the ankles and thighs and her elbows were tightly tied together behind her back, secured further with a rope that went around her midsection. Her wrists were then bound as well and a cleave gag like Luna’s was tightly tied into her mouth to keep her silent.

Inside the Green Tower, Mirelle struggled away but she was left totally helpless. The ropes had no knots, much like the awful magic ropes Jhana had once used on her, and she was nowhere near strong enough to break out of them. Thinking of her new fiance, Mirelle fought on against the unyielding ropes to get to Luna once again. But this was a difficult tie and Mirelle’s escape training had not advanced as far as the others. She had only surpassed Elyn, after all. With her elbows tightly tied together and her arms so thoroughly restricted, Mirelle could do nothing. She couldn’t even call for help with the gag in her mouth. Not that anyone else was inside the tower to help her but it only made her situation worse.

With Mirelle bound and helpless, Jhana grinned wide when she pictured Princess Taria in her mind’s eye and watched her wild struggles. As usual, Taria could not stay calm while she was tied up and her rather adept escaping skills were all but nullified by her anger. That and she had been bound and gagged quite tightly this time.

Taria was forced into a sitting position on the ground as a collar was tied around her neck and attached to the wall with a thick rope tied to an iron ring wedged into the wall itself. Atop the Purple Tower, chosen for her eye colour she suspected, Taria simply could not get herself out of these ropes.

Two thick coils of rope framed her breasts and were tightly cinched and tied around her toned biceps and just below her shoulders. Her wrists were also crossed and bound behind her back, tied to a rope that went around her waist and between her legs. The sensation was... stimulating and Taria only got angry and frustrated that it was there. If this was only a more intimate situation and not so dire, Taria might actually have been enjoying herself. No! Focus! Don’t Elyn’s way of thinking into your mind! Taria thought to herself.

Still, the crotchrope did her no favours and pulled Taria’s skirt up quite high to fully expose her strong and beautiful legs. Her legs were also tied in several places; her ankles were tied together as well as her calves. Ropes also bound her legs above and below her knees and yet more was used to bind her thighs higher up in three different places. The final touch was a rubber ball gag that matched her hair and was strapped on behind her head.

No amount of struggling helped her get loose and the tight, black leather collar around her neck made turning her head difficult. Without much choice, and getting desperate in her anger, Taria tried to call for help.

“Hllllmmmmp! Sghmmbdmm hllmmmmp mmmm! HHHLLLMMMMPPP!”

Her muffled cries were kept quite silent by the large ball gag in her mouth and, even then, would have fallen on deaf ears. Or even no ears at all as Taria was completely alone, tied up and gagged as a captive princess at the top of the Purple Tower. She could only hope one of the Guild had not been captured during the wraith ambush.

Though she didn’t know it, Taria’s hopes were dashed when Jhana’s mind turned her attention toward the last of the seven captive princesses atop the White Tower. This was where the mighty warrior princess of Onellia was being held and she was very tightly restrained indeed.

Coils of rope bound her legs together from the ankles to just below the knees and then from just above the knees all the way up to the tops of her muscular, shapely thighs, thus pushing up her skirt to show them. More ropes, in turn, lashed them to the thick iron pole she was tied to. Her arms were tied together and behind the pole as well. Another coil of rope tightly tied Artema’s wrists together behind her back, wrapping up her wrists and even part of her forearms. Another tied her arms together just below the elbows and yet another kept her bound just above the elbows. Further coils of rope tied her arms together in two places just below her shoulders. These ropes, in turn, were attached to a thick coil of rope that wrapped around Artema’s chest and arms from the elbows to the shoulders. Even her hands her been tied together, palms placed flat against each other, and a rope tying them together. More thin ropes were intricately tied between her fingers and thumbs to tie them together and prevent the use of her hands. Artema was also kept gagged by a thick leather muzzle gag harness that kept a huge rubber ball wedged between her teeth.

“Mmmmph!” Artema barely made a sound against her heavy gag and the mighty warrior princess struggled hard against her bonds but she feared that Jhana may have once again presented her with an inescapable challenge. Though, like always, Artema’s warrior spirit could never be crushed and she fought on regardless. No restraints, no matter how tight, could get the mighty Artema to yield. No ropes, no matter how restrictive, could make Artema give in.

But with her hands and fingers even tied like they were it was proving a very difficult task. Jhana knew this as well and let the big, muscular woman fade from her mind’s eye and let herself relax. The wraiths dissipated, the towers finally settled in with their captives, and Jhana laid herself down on the long, elegant couch at the top of her own tower. She let herself rest then, triumphant, ready to deal with her last enemy when she awoke.

...

Artema continued her struggle but it was beginning to feel hopeless. There wasn’t much she could do, tied up as heavily as she was. But she knew she had to do something. She closed her eyes, shifted in her bonds, and took in a deep breath. When they entered this new world, Artema knew she had gained abilities as they all had. But she didn’t tell anyone about what hers did. Not even Lanala knew and Artema shielded her from it for her own protection. It was a sort of blood lust that boiled deep within her. A ferocious warrior’s spirit that, when summoned, would make Artema unstoppable and uncontrollable. It was a blind rage where she simply could not tell friend from foe. The power could give her great strength though it would exhaust her completely after only a few hours. But there wasn’t much choice. She had to get herself free of these ropes.

To bring this power forth, one normally had to speak a verse but, as she was gagged, that was not possible at the moment. The only other way to summon it was to feel a deep and terrible anger from within and, at the moment, that wasn’t hard to do.

Remembering all the times Jhana had kidnapped and threatened Lanala, her friends, all in the name of some mindless lust for power, and all the times Artema herself had been rendered helpless at the vile woman’s hands. She would take no more! This would be the end of it!

Her breaths getting heavy, Artema let one though cross her mind before she lost herself to the rage. A simple word would make her fall unconscious and keep her from harming the people she cared about. It would bring her back to herself after she got some rest. She told it only to Lanala and Jonas, though she didn’t tell either of them why they needed the word. Just that they would know when to use it. The word, simply, was her wife’s name. Lanala. That was the only thing that could quell the burning rage inside.

With her strength surging and the anger consuming her thoughts, Artema bucked against her tight bonds. They held her but the ropes groaned and stretched with the effort. She bucked and thrashed again and still the ropes held, though they began to fray in several places. Struggling as hard as she could, Artema kicked and thrashed and ripped the ropes to shreds and tore the muzzle from her face.

She walked to the iron door and kicked it twice to break it off its hinges. Somewhere in her mind, she knew where her sword was. Now that she was free there was work to be done. And anything that stood in her way was as good as dead.

...

Jonas had awoken within the Guild fortress and was surprised to find himself completely alone. Artema had mentioned that everyone would be going home but something felt... off about the silence.

His shoulder still screamed at him but he ignored it, like always, and stood himself up. Celia was out on patrol as well, checking the woods for bandit camps, but she should have been back by now.

Something’s happened Jonas thought to himself. He winced as he reached for his bow but he gritted his teeth and picked it up all the same, slinging it over his shoulder along with a quiver of arrows. As he was about to take himself out of the little healing area of the fortress, a huge figure burst in the door and broke it off its hinges. Jonas stepped back and reached for the knife on his belt but he stopped when he recognized who it was.

“Artema? What’s happened?”

She was heaving breaths and didn’t seem to hear him. She tightly gripped her longsword in one hand and seemed to be fighting the temptation to run him through with it.

“Jonas...” she said behind gritted teeth. “We... get to Central Esterlin. We have to save the others.”

“From what? From Jhana?”

“NO.... time,” Artema said, clenching her jaw and battling her unquenchable rage. “We have to... go. NOW!”

“Okay. Let’s go.” Jonas said, cautiously approaching his friend. Artema tensed up when he got near but she closed her eyes.

“You... remember what I told you? About... that... word?”

“Um... yes? Why?”

“When we’re done, say it to me. I can’t... fight this... FOREVER!

Jonas nodded. “Okay. Just try not to kill me until then.”

“I... won’t. But we need to HURRY! It’s... getting hard to... CONTROL!”

Jonas said nothing more and rushed out the door ahead of Artema. Everything in his mind, his instincts, told him to run for his life. Whatever she had done, Jonas knew that Artema could rip him apart with her bare hands right now. But if the others needed help then Jonas couldn’t let fear get in the way of his job. Even if he feared one of his greatest allies.

So they travelled, together, and went to the remaining six towers on the plains of Esterlin. As he expected, they stopped at the Black Tower first where Lanala was being held. Artema let herself go and Jonas nearly jumped out of his skin at the bloodcurdling scream Artema let out when she charged the iron door and knocked it down with her shoulder. She ran up the stairs and Jonas could only shake his head.

“I’m never pissing her off again,” he said to himself.

Artema also kicked the iron door to Lanala’s cell off its hinges and then simply stood in the doorway, closed her eyes, and practically vibrated from the rage inside. She didn’t want her wife to see her like this, nor the look in her eyes, so she turned away and let Jonas untie her.

Lanala wanted to get up and kiss Artema but Jonas stopped her and shook his head. “Not now. She’s done... something. Something to do with the word.”

Upon hearing mention of ‘the word’ Lanala seemed to immediately understand. “She never told me,” Lanala whispered. “But I always suspected that she had something like this inside her. Ever since we got to Esterlin. I know she’s trying to protect me but I wish she would let me help her. I could help her control it better. It must be so painful.”

“I’ll get her back,” Jonas said. “You get after the others. Save Mirelle and Luna. We’ll handle the rest. Okay?”

“I’ll do what I can,” Lanala said. “Just keep her safe for me. And don’t make her angry.”

“Trust me, I’m never making her angry again after what I’ve seen. Let’s get out of here. Be careful,” Jonas said.

They went their separate ways and, when they were gone, Lanala summoned her own power. “From within my power alone, make me able to pass through stone!”

An otherworldly glow consumed Lanala’s body and she moved off on her own to the Blue and Green Towers to help free her friends. Artema and Jonas, meanwhile, went to the other towers to break down some more doors.

The Gold Tower was next, where Meryn remained silent and simply exchanged nods with Jonas before she went off to help Lanala with the others. After that came the Red Tower, where Elyn was a little disappointed to be freed but then she was greatly concerned about Artema’s well-being. “Let me help you out, Jonas,” she said. “I’ll watch your back in case she goes crazy.”

Jonas nodded. “All right. I appreciate that, Elyn. Thanks.”

“Sounds like just one left. Poor Taria. They’ve had a hard time in Trivalia.”

“You don’t have to tell me. Just ask my shoulder,” Jonas said.

The three of them moved on together to the Purple Tower where Elyn and Jonas just stood back as Artema once again brought down the iron doors and the two of them together walked up to the top and freed Taria from her bonds. But that was when Artema got worse.

“Who... who are you people!? I... I’LL KILL YOU FOR TAKING MY WIFE FROM ME!”

Artema practically roared and punched a hole in the stone wall before charging straight at Jonas with her sword raised.

“Lanala!” he said, as forcefully as he could, just as Artema reached him.

Artema stopped dead in her tracks, her breathing slowed, and she collapsed to the floor. Elyn and Taria both caught her and rested her gently on her back.

“What the hell was that all about?” Taria asked.

“It’s this world,” Jonas said. “It gave her power. And I guess this is what hers does.”

“That.. kind of sucks,” Elyn said. “Tons of strength but she can’t control it. No wonder she didn’t say anything about it.”

Jonas sighed. “We’ll need to carry her back home. We’ll meet up with Lanala and the others there and try to find out where Celia has gone.”

“Celia’s missing too?” Taria asked.

“And she’s not in a tower. There are only seven. That means she must be somewhere in the woods. But we’ll find her. All of us.”

The two women nodded and had to take the brunt of Artema’s weight to help out Jonas’ shoulder on the way down the Purple Tower. With every princess free, now it was time to get after the Guardian of the Guild. And Jonas had a feeling her knew exactly where to look.

...

“Mmmmph! Nmmmm! Mmmtmmm mmm! Stmmmp!”

Celia squirmed and struggled away as the disgusting creatures leered at her and tormented her, circling the tree she was tied to, snarling, howling and making all sorts of horrible and frightening sounds.

“Oh you are adorable when you struggle like that,” Aurora said from a stump nearby. They were in a small clearing near her hut where she had built a large fire and placed a small cauldron above it. She worked on a few concoctions while her summoned creatures tried to scare Celia into submission.

“I told you if you stopped fighting then those creatures would go away. Just call me mistress and this will all stop. Simplest thing in the world right, Celia?”

“Mmmph! Nmmm! Mmm wmmt!” Celia said, shaking her head.

Aurora chuckled again and stepped between the two ghastly creatures. They stopped what they were doing and stepped aside for their creator.

“Celia, sweetness, you’re just going to have to learn. I really hate to do this... actually no. That’s a lie. I love to do this to you! But I would love it even more if you and I could just learn to get along. And that’s what this training is for.”

“Mmmph! Thmmph immphmnt trmmnmmng!”

“I can’t understand what you’re saying through that gag, sweet cheeks. Ah well. Suppose that means you want your training to continue?”

“Nmmm!” Celia said, shaking her head and struggling with her bonds.

“Excellent. I’ll be over here if you need me.”

“Mmmph! MMMMPPPHHH!”

Though she struggled hard and hated the creatures that tormented her, she was actually enjoying the tight ropes against her body and the ball gag that stifled her cries. If only Aurora would make the creatures go away then Celia could actually have fun with her bonds. But, of course, she also wished she didn’t have to put up with Aurora while in tight ropes like this. I wish Elyn was here.

As if on cue, Celia heard a sharp, smoky voice from somewhere behind her.

“Aurora, what are you doing? Is this any way to treat a classy lady like Celia?”

“Mmmmn!?”

Aurora peered through the trees and caught a glimpse of the orange haired princess striding into the clearing, on her own, with her hands resting on her hips.

“Oh Elyn. It’s always good to see you,” Aurora said. “I have missed you, my darling. And I long for the time we spent together.”

“That’s all well and good, Aurora. And I’m all for tying up a pretty girl like Celia. But you can’t treat her like this! A girl like Celia needs to be treated gently, kindly, and with a lot more respect than this.”

Aurora nodded as she approached Elyn and the two women locked eyes. In her mind, Aurora felt her thoughts catch fire with just a glimpse of Elyn’s wild eyes.

“I see. So you think I’m doing it wrong?”

“I could show you if you like. Maybe you and her could change places. I could show you one hell of a time, dear,” Elyn said.

“Oh, what an offer. But I have missed Celia too. I can’t just let her go, you understand.”

Another voice rang out from the darkness. “Then let me make it simpler for you,” a gravelly, man’s voice said. “You let her go or I’ll burn you at the stake, witch.”

Aurora turned up her nose as she faced the large, wounded man now standing beside Celia. Five other women were by his side and she knew then that the game was up.

“You. The scruffy one. I never did like you.”

“Get in line,” Jonas said. “And release her now. You don’t want to have to deal with all of my friends at once, do you?”

Aurora eyed each woman of the Guild and, despite her power, there was no way she could take them all. Meryn would likely get behind her and knock her out. Mirelle could cut her to ribbons with the quickness of her blade. Luna could freeze her in place, Lanala could do almost anything and Elyn... sweet Elyn, she had no idea what Elyn might do. The unpredictable temptress of her heart always kept her guessing.

“Very well. Free her and do what you will. But you won’t be getting me this time!” Aurora said.

She clapped her hands once and disappeared into a puff of smoke. Jonas and Lanala stepped forward and cut Celia free of the ropes that bound her and she gently hugged him, staying aware of his hurt shoulder.

“We should get you home,” Celia said. “You’re still hurt and you need your rest.”

“So do we all, I think,” Jonas said.

...

A scream of rage broke the night air when Jhana awoke to find her seven towers empty. They collapsed to the ground piles of rubble from her anger and she stormed down the stairs of her tower to the dungeon below where she kept her newest prisoner.

“No matter,” she muttered to herself. “They won’t get away so easily. Not when I have you and that enchanted armour of yours. Right, Fa’rah?”

The rogue warrior, Fa’rah, was a tall and muscular woman, though not quite as big as Artema. She had long, flowing blonde hair and dark brown eyes and had healthy, pale skin despite her supposed age of around fifty. She looked like a woman twenty years younger.

Enchanted, gleaming steel armour lay beside the cell she was tied up within. She had once worn it but now she only wore the clothes beneath it; a short, wool battle dress with a skirt that rested well above her knees and exposed most of her shapely, muscular thighs. Around that she wore a thick, brown leather belt with a large, buckle that had thick leather tassels hanging from it. A brown cloak and brown, knee high sandals completed the rogue warrior’s outfit.

“Mmmmph!” she said, struggling with her inescapable bonds.

Fa’rah had been captured by the witch many days ago and tightly tied up with rope. Her wrists were crossed and bound behind her back and attached to the two ropes that framed her ample chest and pinned her arms to her sides. More rope tied her legs together at the ankles, calves, and thighs to render her immobile and helpless. Fa’rah was a strong woman and a good fighter, to be sure, but she was lousy at escaping from being tied up. Not only that but she couldn’t call for help with the tight ball gag stuffed and strapped into her mouth, covered over by a tight white cloth tied on around the back of her head.

Fa’rah struggled uselessly as she watched Jhana write words down in her spell book, still working on some spell that she said would ‘reunite’ Fa’rah with her armour. The warrior did not like the way Jhana had used the word ‘reunite’ but she could do nothing about it. She could only watch, struggle and mewl helplessly, bound and gagged as Jhana worked away on her next plan to capture the guild.