Silk and Sand

Preface:
This is the third adventure of Tina on her way of ascending the Throne of Light. However, the story may also be read alone.

Chapter one

„2000 for both!“

This sum had become the mantra of Petico, captain of the „Mara“, a small trading ship. A few weeks ago, the „Mara“ had been assaulted by pirates and though all men had survived the attack and they had also kept their ship, they had lost almost all of their cargo. All that was left were some sacks of herbs the pirates had thought were worthless – and two slave girls that had once more fallen into Petico`s hands after the pirates had taken them with them, too.

It were, however, two peasant girls, both young and pretty, but nothing extraordinary. Petico could expect to sell them for 250 to 300 gold coins each. But to cover his losses, he had calculated he would need 2000 for both.

So, during the two weeks of his journey, he had tried to increase the value of his merchandize. Besides, this was the reason why he had finally anchored at the small town of Marhim; not only was it the first city on his Southern route that belonged to the Sultanate where slavery was legal, but here, there was less concurrence and maybe, less experienced slave traders who would believe that Caris and Ella were princesses.

For the two girls, it had been a strenuous and strange trip. Strange because, despite being slaves, they had been treated better that the crew. They had been fed the best food and though they had been kept in the slave boxes, they had been given silk sheets and their chains had been upholstered to avoid marks. And, of course, everything had been done to ensure they looked like aristocrate girls. And that had been the strenuous part of the journey.

Each morning, they had been forced to wash with sweet water. This, they had to do on deck, watched by all men who were not on duty and so, this had been quite embarrassing, for neither Caris nor Ella were allowed clothes, except for the gag masks they had locked over their mouths the entire day, except for meal times or during their reading lessons. These masks were made of fine, smooth leather and the balls inside the mouth were relatively small, but they prevented intelligible speech and besides, they didn`t cover anything they would have loved to hide from their captors. However, there had been a flying tent to avoid that they got a tan. Especially Ella was guarded from the sun to preserve her curd-like skin.

When in their village, the two girls had taken a bath in the river every month, but the increase of hygiene was not what bothered them. It was the fact that every move was watched by at least half a dozen men who forced them to do their boobs, butts and private parts again and again. They had first refused to was themselves in front of the crew, but then, the men had grabbed them and done the job themselves, groping and fondling the poor girls all the time. In addition, Petico had ordered that from now on, Ella and Caris had to wash each other. And to do so, they were given no sponges or cloths; they had to touch each other everywhere with their bare hands.

On the first morning after their kidnapping, they had been ordered to shave their armpits and legs and also their pubic hair. When they had refused to do so, the men had tied them down and done it, ignoring their frightened pleading as they shaved off every single hair below the neck. After that, they had rubbed the sensitive skin with a pumice.

When they had also creamed their bare skin with some oil, their lessons had started. Whilst learning to read and write was difficult, but also interesting, being tought etiquette was difficult and boring. Neither Ella nor Caris saw a sense in it, but since forgetting a rule or disobeying one meant getting spanked by the crew, they preferred to learn how to behave at the table or when talking to nobles.

The seamen almost felt like passengers when they were served by two maids on every meal, but for Caris and Ella, it was a test of self control. Petico had warned them that if someone touched them and they talked back or tried to shake the man off, it might happen that their new owner would punish them severely.

All the time, they had their ankles shackled together with a short chain that only allowed them to take small steps. That way, Petico said, they would get used to walk pleasantly, moving their hips and showing their suppleness. The less clumsy they appeared, the more likely it was that they could be sold for a higher price.

In the evening, their „lessons in dancing and more“ began. Both Caris and Ella actually liked to dance, but this time, it were dances like the „Dance of the Seven Veils“, a famous strip dance. Other dances had more or less sexual connotations, too. And their order was to tease the audience.

„The longer your new owner isn`t bored by you, the better!“

The crew willingly watched their dancing performances, but to fulfil their job of teasing became increasingly difficult. All the men had seen them stark naked already and so, even the most erotic dances became more and more a routine. And that was where the „and more“ of the lesson started. Caris and Ella were only allowed to sleep after they had satisfied at least one man.

Since Ella was a virgin and Caris, well, almost, Petico had taken care that this would remain like that. The only item each girl was wearing was a chastity belt made of silver plated steel. It was a special design that protected their sex, but allowed them to relieve themselves and therefore had not to be removed.

Their mouths were gagged and this spared them to please the men orally. Their hands, however, were free and they had both learned to use them to makee their captors happy. It was all part of Petico`s plan: he wanted to sell them as innocent princesses, but if their new owner found out that they knew what to do with a man, he would be happy and therefore buy more slaves from Petico if he returned.

After two weeks, the „Mara“ reached the coast and Petico guessed that Marhim was only a few miles ahead.

„Time to get you two prepared!“

The two girls had just washed themselves and were standing there, dripping wet. Now used to the routine, they had already shaved off their body hair, too, a procedure they were forced to do every few days. Now, they were covered with olive oil before they were powdered with sand, too. After that, two men took a curved piece of metal and scraped the mixture of oil, sand and dead skin off their bodies, leaving their skin clean and soft in the progress. After that, they were once again creamed with perfumed oil. Even their chastity belts were polished until they glistered in the sun.
When the silhouette of Marhim appeared on the horizon, Ella and Caris were given sandals, but no other clothing. Instead, Petico tied an iron ring around each girl`s neck. These ring was connected by a chain about one yard long, forcing the two girls to stay close to each other. Then, the men brought two slave hoods.

The law of the Sultanate said that a slave woman had to be covered in the public, but on the other hand, the slave traders wanted the potential customers to see what they would get. And so, a compromise had been made: it was enough if the head was covered.

The hood was made of stiff black leather and was roughly formed like a woman`s head. It also had a big plug at the inside of the mouth part that went between the slave girl`s lips and stuffed her mouth. This gag could also be tightened by a strap closed in the nape. Another strap went close around the neck and when both were locked, the captive was gagged, blindfolded and helpless and could not remove the hood even with her hands free.

Petico had used hoods that had an opening at the top of the head through which the slave girl`s hair could be threaded. Now, the face was hidden, according to the law, but the crowd could not only see the girls`s naked bodies and admire their forms, but also see that Ella was a redhead and Caris a brunette.

Petico completed the bondage with light silver plated cuffs with which he tied the hands of Ella and Caris behind their backs. They had been helpless and unable to run away before, but tied like that, they could no longer hide their charms.

And so, when the „Mara“ had anchored, he led the two girls down the gangway where already a few people were watching. Marhim only had some thousand inhabitants, but some of them were rich and after just a few minutes, the first man asked whether he could give the merchandize a closer look. Petico nodded and both Caris and Ella had learned their lessons and did only slightly twitch back as the man touched their boobs and hips.

More men came and one even started bidding, but he only offerd 200 for both and so, Petico started to praise his two slaves as princesses from the North, both innocent and once close to the Throne of Light.

„The small one is even related to our beloved Queen!“

„250!“

There weren`t enough people and so, no bidding battle could start. Petico now feared that he could be glad if he got 500 when a sedan chair appeared, carried not by simple slaves, but by armed men. The way the crowd willingly stepped aside told Petico that the owner of the sedan chair seemed to be an important person.

„Show me the girls!“, a female voice, used to command, ordered from inside. Petico grabbed Ella`s arm and led them close to the curtain of the sedan chair.

„Step aside!“

Petico obeyed and he could see the arm of a woman reach out, groping Ella`s buxom forms and then examining Caris, too.

„How much?“

Petico gulped. This seemed to be an important woman, though he had thought that he knew all the officials here in Marhim. So, perhaps, she also was rich. He decided to try his luck:

„2000 each, Madam!“

He hoped that now, the haggling would start, but instead, the arm withdrew, only to throw a small, heavy bag to his feet a few moments later. Petico quickly grabbed it and opened it. He gasped. It contained some heavy coins. The Sultanate minted such coins and each was worth a 100 of the golden coins of the North. When he counted the content of the bag, he found out it were 50 pieces, meaning the mysterious woman had given him 5000. Petico wanted to hand her the change, but she only said:

„I am in a hurry, keep the rest!“

Two of her men escorted the slightly reluctant Caris and Ella and made them sit inside the sedan chair. Three seconds later, the lady disappeared, leaving a perplexed, yet quite happy Petico behind.

Nobody noticed the man who had watched the whole transaction from the distance and who now mounted his horse, following the sedan chair.

***

„Let`s follow that sedan chair, Ladies!“

Malik had been in the harbour of Marhim, like he had been the past four days. After they had organized a third horse, they had been able to travel faster than the „Mara“ and Tina`s magic had led them to the small city. Here, the two women had hidden in a small cave just outside the walls. It would have been suspicious if there had been women running around in the streets that didn`t belong to a man in a city of the Sultanate and if Malik had pretended to be their husband or brother, he would have been less able to look for any signs of Caris and Ella. Unfortunately, Tina could only predict that sooner or later the two kidnapped girls would arrive here, but no more details.

Now, the ship had arrived and there had been two slave girls. The captain had announced the two naked and hooded women as princesses, but Malik could say that there were a petite brunette and a buxom redhead, both fitting the description. He had thought of pretending to be an interested bidder, too, when the mysterious woman had appeared and taken Caris and Ella with her.

He had heard the captain demanding 4000 and according to what he had seen, she had paid him even more. And the captain didn`t look as if he could have been fooled with false money.

„So, who on Earth pays such a high sum for two simple slaves?“

2000 would have been adequate for a real princess, but then, the buyer would have asked for a proof of the slave girl`s noble birth. Malik had to admit that the captain had done his best to make Caris and Ella look presentable, but under normal circumstances, 500 for each would have been a fair price.

The sedan chair did not move fast and so, Malik went for Tina and Vanessa and they followed the mysterious woman and her entourage from the distance.

„When they do a break, you will use your magic against the guards and then, we can free Caris and Ella. It will be more than easy!“

Tina couldn`t quite believe that. There was something she felt about that sedan chair. She could not put her finger on it, but it somehow had a strange, creepy aura. But perhaps, this was just nervosity.

After some five miles they had walked straight into the desert, the sedan chair indeed stopped and the eight men lowered the carrying sticks. Hiding behind a hill some 400 yards away, Tina could see that they were shaking their arms and drinking some water. Obviously, these men were ordinary people.

„Maybe, it will really be that easy“, she thought, but then, she could see it.

First, Tina thought it was a big bird, but then, she saw it was too big and besides, it wasn`t a bird, but a dragon. Tina wiped her eyes in disbelief, but there really was a dragon, with big leathery wings and green, shimmering scalation. It didn`t spit fire, but despite that, it looked exactly like the dragons from the old fairy tales.

„Wow!“

The dragon landed beside the sedan chair and there, the eight men didn`t seem upset or frightened by it`s appearance. Now, Tina could see a man sitting behind the dragon`s head. The guards now took ropes and tied the sedan chair to the monster`s belly and when they had done so, the dragon once again moved it`s wings and started. After just a few minutes, it had reached a considerable height and was flying towards where it had come from.

„What the-“

Tina had turned to Vanessa and Malik who had watched the appearance of the dragon in silence, too. Before any of them could say something, the eight men, one by one, changed into a black bird and they followed the dragon on it`s way through the air.

„All right, it will not be easy!“, Malik said. Vanessa whispered:

„So, she still exists!“

„Would any of you mind telling me what we just have seen?“, Tina asked. She was, of course, puzzled, but not as puzzled as she had expected to be after being confronted with a real dragon. In this world, with it`s magic powers, it seemed almost logically that such creatures existed.

„Well, according to the fact that these men could change into crows, I am quite sure that they are henchmen of Zirelda, the ruler of the Silent Swamps!“

„Oh, of course, how could I forget!“, Tina replied sarcastically. Now, her friends explained to her that Zirelda was a witch Queen that ruled a mysterious kingdom, surrounded by the swamps that had given her realm it`s name. She was a loose ally of the Sultan, protecting the Northeastern border of the Sultanate for him.

„And has anybody ever been in that kingdom?“

To her surprise, they told her that, albeit surrounded by swamps and quite inaccessible, the Kingdom of Zirelda was doing trade with it`s neighbors and was famous for it`s coconut liquor. The Queen also wasn`t a witch living in a secluded tower surrounded by bats, but frequently accepting ambassadors in her capital.

„But she has a dragon!“

„Yes, I would call that old fashioned, too, but I think it`s quite convenient if you live in the swamps!“

Obviously, in this world dragons as flying pets were as common as planes in her old world. Vanessa told her that the technique of taming dragons was indeed forgotten, but since these creatures could become a few thousand years old, some riding dragons had survived and sometimes still were in use.

„And they are fed with virgins?“

„Eeew!“

Vanessa seemed a bit disgusted by Tina`s thought, telling her that dragons were fed with meat, just like dogs. However, it reminded her of the fact that at least Ella was indeed a real virgin. And perhaps, this was the clue why this Queen Zirelda had decided to buy two slave girls some 200 miles away from her realm.

„I refuse to accept that this was just a coincidence! She must have some wicked plan that involves Caris and Ella!“

„Well, there is only one way to find out!“

Vanessa pointed at the desert lying in front of them. Far at the horizon, they could see the shadows of a few mountains. Behind these, there were the Silent Swamps.

***

Both Caris and Ella sat on the upholstered bench in enforced silence. All had happened too quick for them to fully realize the turn of events. At the ship, during the nights, they had tried to prepare themselves for their fate. They had been kept gagged even when the crew had left them alone. Not because there was anyone around who might rescue them, but to keep them from „useless chatting“ - a term used for everything but responding to orders. But since they had been chained only lightly, they had been able to console each other and without speaking about it, they had come to the conclusion that, as long as they stayed together, slavery would be not the worst fate of all.

To be touched by interested customers had been humiliating, but not worse than what they had experienced on board of the „Mara“ and in addition, there hadn`t been many interested customers. But then, they had heard the female voice – the voice of a woman that had willingly paid 4000 for them. At their village, even someone owning a hundredth was considered rich.

„Someone paying so much for us sure won`t treat us bad“, they had thought when they had been led inside the sedan chair and made sit on the bench side by side. Their ankles had been tied, Caris`s left and Ella`s right to the side frame of the chair, the other legs to each other, forching them to sit there with their thighs slightly open.

When the sedan chair had started to move, both girls had hoped that the woman would take the hoods from their heads, but instead, she had only caressed them a bit. She hadn`t spoken to them and so, all they knew was that she had long fingernails.

Caris had screamed through her gag whilst Ella had tried to communicate through the ball in her mouth, but after a while, they had stopped and waited for what would happen to them. When the chair had stopped, they had expected to be released, but instead, they had heard a strange swoosh and after a while, the cabin had moved once more. This time, it only swayed slightly, like a ship on calm waters. But the sedan chair had moved upwards!

„Oh no, we are flying!“

Again, Caris screamed and thrashed in her bonds and this time, Ella joined in. In their opinion, the air wasn`t meant for human beings!

„Calm down!“

The voice of the woman sounded so strict that Caris and Ella indeed fell silent. Now, her buyer became almost friendly:

„If you remain still and quiet, flying isn`t more dangerous than riding – only twice as fast and much more convenient!“

Again, she leant forward and this time, she concentrated on Caris. The girl mewed and squirmed, but could not help it that the unknown woman cupped her small breasts with her hands. After a while, Caris relaxed and endured the touching, remembering the warning of the ship`s captain that resistance would only make things worse.

„Just as I thought. You are just a peasant girl and this creep just washed and oiled your body to make you seem more than you are.“

„Mmhhmmph!“

Caris shuddered. She was not sure how the woman could have guessed that from touching her breasts, but perhaps, she had just seen other signs for her true nature on her and touched her boobs just because she could do it and liked it. However, she didn`t seem angry, and her touch was still almost pleasant. Then, she let one hand slide between Caris`s legs and snapped her finger against the chastity belt.

„What a waste on a girl who is no longer a virgin!“

„Mmhrrmmm!“

Now, Caris was frightened. This woman must be a witch or magician, or how did she know that? She let out a moan. Petico had told her that virgin slaves were precious and so, she should try to keep up the illusion as long as possible.

She got distracted when she felt fingers fumble on the chastity belt and then, it was removed from her. Then, Caris felt a long fingernail playfully scratch over her shaved pubic mound.

„The toothless Empress, now freed from her iron cage!“

Caris never had heard someone call her vagina a „toothless Empress“ and under other circumstances, she would have laughed, but now, she just trembled. Next to her, she could hear a gasp and felt Ella stiffen.

„Oh, don`t be jealous, Ginger, I haven`t forgotten about you.“

She bent over to Ella and began to massage her big boobs, too.

„Mmhhmm, a bit soft, but nice and full! You are nothing but a peasant girl, too, but you sure have enough to offer!“

„Mph!“

She touched Ella`s chastity belt and giggled:

„Maybe, we should leave it on you. Or do you want me to take it off and show you why the priestesses of Kiralu always seem happy, though there are no men allowed in their temples?“

„Nnngg! Mmhhmph!“

Vigorously, Ella shook her head and to her surprise, the woman took her hands from her. Then, she continued to talk, this time less mockingly and all matter-of-fact:

„We will arrive at my Mistress`s palace in about half an hour. There, we will take care of your well-being. You will be given something to eat and drink and you may rest a bit before you will – start what we bought you for.“

This was a bit cryptic and did little to soothe the two bound and gagged girls. They had recognized that the woman was speaking about „we“ when obviously talking about her Mistress. So, she seemed to be someone of importance, maybe a counselor. But what would be their duties?

However, the woman stopped talking for now and so, Caris and Ella could do nothing but to await their fate.

***

In the desert, a horse isn`t much faster than a walking man and so, Tina, Vanessa and Malik moved at some five miles per hour. At least, this part of the desert was known to Malik who had grown up near Marhim and so, he knew where to find water. They still had provision for a few days and he was sure that they would reach the Silent Swamps within three or four days.

„After the desert, there are the mountains, but in the summer, we should have no problems in passing them. Then, we will be able to see the valley where the swamps are. They are quite impenetrable, but there are several fortified roads leading through them. The only thing is that we should have a plausible backup story.“

Malik had only been in the capital of Zirelda`s realm twice when he had been a boy. He estimated that it was as big as Marhim and was dominated by the Royal Palace. The Queen had her own palace guard and since the Sultan was her ally, there was also a company of his men around. Most other inhabitants were farmers and plantation owners, liquor producers and craftsmen.

„Most foreigners there are liquor traders, but we don`t look like one of these!“

Vanessa considered to get inside the city at night, but this did not seem to be a good option. The walls would be no problem, but the roads were well guarded and walking through the swamps was too dangerous. Tina had the idea to use her magic to find a path, but Malik decided to check the conditions first and only keep that in mind if they had to escape quickly.

They interrupted their conversation as they saw a group of palms a mile ahead.

„That`s an oasis! I think we should rest there!“

From a hill, they could see that the oasis was free from any visitor, except for a few birds that fluttered away when Vanessa`s horse neighed. For a moment, they thought it were the guards that had changed into crows, but these birds definitely hadn`t been black. And so, the three began preparing their camp.

Among the birds, there had been a falcon, and when it had reached som e height, it looked around for the group of men that were resting some two miles away. It landed on the shoulder of a man and when he had fed it with some meat pieces, the man scratched his beard.

He was no magician and so, he could not ask the falcon what he had seen exactly. He had just trained this and some other birds to fly to him immediately once someone entered one of the oasis around that were under the custody of his tribe.

„Ilan, there are strangers at the oasis next to here! Get there and see what is going on.“

The man obeyed, putting on a sand-coloured cloak as a disguise and leaving behind his camel, for he wanted to avoid to swirl up dust. In his hand, he held something that had cost a fortune, but had paid off since: a spyglass. It enabled him to examine the oasis from a distance too far to get discovered by the people there.

Though some 800 yards away, he could see a small tent and three horses. A woman was preparing a campfire whilst another one was standing beside a man, talking. Ilan could not make out any more members of the group.

Their tribe was allowed to take money from those who used their waterholes, but Ilan was quite sure that these three weren`t rich. Of course, he could get a few copper coins, but that wasn`t worth walking over to the oasis. But then, the woman by the campfire removed her cloak.

„A blonde woman! And she has only another woman and a man with her!“

From the distance, he could not tell whether she had green eyes, but usually, there were only three sorts of blondes in this area. Members of foreign embassies, slave girls and those who had escaped from slavery. This little group was hardly an embassy, they didn`t look like a slave trader and his merchandize and they didn`t look as if they were running away from someone either.

„Maybe, she`s the woman they had been talking about!“

Ilan quickly retired to their camp and told their leader what he had seen. The man once more scratched his beard, then, he said:

„I think we should spend these three a little visit!“

Little later, they had packed everything and mounted their camels. Ilan noticed that Karim, their Sheikh, ordered the men to makeshift polish their armors and to put coloured cloths to their lances. Obviously, he wanted his men, literally just a bunch of  Bedouins, look as impressive as possible. They were not more than some two dozen men, but now, they did at least no longer look like a gang of thieves.

Whirling up the sand, they gallopped towards the little oasis.

***