Chapter five

When the prison`s door opened, Tina felt relief for Veena had been about to think of new ways to torture her. Indeed, she seemed annoyed about the interruption, but since it was Queen Zirelda herself, she bit her lips and bowed slightly. Soon, the little room became quite crowded, for there were not only Sarina and Lana, but also the guards brought no less than five captives, all with bound hands and only clad in black leather skirts.

„Today`s a day of joy! Thanks to the help of my guests, we now finally have my rebellious sister in our hands! Now, we can live in peace and harmony again!“

„If you kill me, the people will revolt!“, Tigrana blurted. Though topless and bound, she still tried to express some dignity. Tina felt for her, for she knew how Veena thought about such attitude. Zirelda smiled:

„Who is speaking of killing you, my dear? No drop of your Royal blood will be spilled and maybe, you will once even get close to a throne – albeit not mine!“

Now, Tigrana`s jaw dropped:

„You – you can`t mean that! I am of Royal blood!“

Zirelda laughed:

„I know, and that`s the reason why I have to get you as far away from me as I can! I had been a fool not to do that years ago! You will go to the South as a slave – and the people will enjoy the party paid by the money I will get for you!“

Now, Tigrana tried to break free, but the guards reacted quickly. The Queen`s sister was wrestled down and her ankles were tied to her thighs, forcing her to kneel in front of her sister. Minutes later, her henchwomen were all tied the same way and now, Zirelda ordered:

„Get the dragon ready! We will bring them to their destiny before dawn!“

The guards left except for the two men that had already been in the prison with Veena who now could no longer hide her disappointment.

„Can`t I play with them a bit? You promised it, Your Highness!“

Zirelda smiled as if Veena was a child that had asked for another cookie.

„I know, dear, but it`s for the realm`s sake! But maybe, this will please you!“

She bent to Veena and whispered something into her ear that indeed made the blonde smile. Then, she ordered:

„Well, we have to take care these women will get us some gold!“

At Veena`s orders, the guards now grabbed Marla, a busty woman with black curls, and raised her by her hair until only her knees touched the ground. In this painful position, she was kept by a rope that was connecting her hair to the ceiling. When she screamed, a rag was stuffed into her mouth and Veena had once more taken the belt and whipped Tigrana with it. The former Queen oppressed her cry, but Marla`s eyes widened and when Veena told her that Tigrana would be whipped for every disobedience by her, she nodded, no longer daring to spit her gag out.

Now, Caris was released from the pillory and had to wash Marla`s body that still was covered by a mixture of paint and mud. Tina felt pity as she saw how Caris had difficulties to stand on her still reddened soles and how her butt looked from the whipping, though her skin still was intact.
Marla did not dare to resist, even when one of the guards removed her skirt, leaving her stark naked. She endured being soaped and washed by Caris, though the girl once again had been given no cloth and had to work with her bare hands. Veena, however, didn`t seem satisfied:

„Do her boobs again! And you have also done a rather lousy job between her legs!“

Again, Caris had to soap and wash Marla and now, there was a pink rash of embarrassment on both girls`s skin. But still, the black haired girl did not dare to resist for Veena was standing behind Tigrana, the whip in her right hand.

Finally, Veena seemed to be bored and she ordered to get Marla „ready for transport“. The guards opened a large box and in it were several items that were used to restrain female slaves. Marla got an iron belt with shackles on both sides in which her hands were tied. Her ankles were cuffed and a black leather hood was pulled over her head. It had a leather plug to be inserted into the mouth and so, she was allowed to spit out her gag before. Then, the hood was tied in place and tightened till it fit close to her head contures. It had an opening at the top for Marla`s hair, but it covered her entire head, except for two very small openings at the nosrils. When the hood had been secured by a padlock, Veena took a piece of leather that had the size of a scarf and thoroughly soaked it in the water bucket. Then, she knotted it to an eyelet at the front of the belt.

„Mmhmmph!“

Marla protested through her gag as Veena now pushed the leather between her legs, pulled it snug and then tied it off at another eyelet right above her butt. The broad band now covered her sex and worked almost like a loincloth, but it had not been applied for moedesty: once the leather would dry, this tight band would become very uncomfortable for the helpless girl.

Now, it was the turn of Niamh, a petite girl with red hair, followed by the tallish blonde Gina and last, the black haired Alina who was as small as Caris, was washed and soaped. Veena took the same cloth to gag them one after the other, though the rag became more and more soaked with saliva, and each time, she ordered Caris to wash their intimate parts extra. Then, each was tied, gagged and hooded just as Marla, each with a tight wet leather band between her legs.

The guard seemed to have prepared the dragon for now, the four girls were escorted outside to be stowed inside the sedan chair.

Tigrana tried to fight when Caris was ordered to wash her, but Veena seemed to have expected that. She ordered the six men to do so and did encourage them to touch Tigrana`s Royal flesh everywhere. Though also gagged, she screamed and squirmed, but in the end, she was carefully washed, her skin red from all the kneading and rubbing.

„You really did not find much time for yourself out there“, Veena mocked and plucked on Tigrana`s thatch of pubic hair, causing the woman to groan with anger and embarrassment. Then, Veena said:

„Since the Queen and I will have to join the trip, the sedan chair`s full now! So, you will have to sit – outside!“

Tigrana was tied the same way as her maids, but with two additions: the saliva-soaked cloth was left in her mouth when the gag ball was pushed inside, causing her to retch, and before tying the leather band between her legs, Veena placed a rough pepple over her pubic mound to increase the discomfort. Then, before Tigrana was led outside, too, she was given a short, but intensive spanking by the guards. They only used their hands, but the former Queen`s butt was bright red when they led her outside.

„Maybe, you are happy that you will join our trip to the South, too!“, Veena announced towards Tina and Caris. The latter first was ordered to wash Vanessa who was fetched from her Iron Maiden. She weakly protested when Caris touched her breasts or pushed her hands between her still tightly bound legs, but the girl seemed to have given up doing anything but what she was told.

Once Vanessa had been tied up, hooded and gagged like her companions, Veena poured a liquid over the leather band before she tied it between the brunette`s legs. Since Vanessa only slightly stirred, it was nothing that caused pain, but it would have been untypical for Veena if she had used just a balm. And indeed, she went close to Tina and whispered:

„This is a lotion that works wonders if someone has got rheumatic diseases. For her – well, let`s say that whoever takes the leather off from her will find she`s already quite hot!“

Tina let out a groan that she hoped sounded encouraging to Vanessa when she was led outside. Then, she helplessly watched as Caris was tied up and her head was covered with the gagging hood, too. She waited for Veena to tie a wet piece of leather between the girl`s legs and lead her outside, but instead, she took a long stick with a broad shackle on it.

Quickly, she untied Tina`s neck ring, then, she was tied to the stick that Veena now held like a leash. Then, she reached under her tunic and managed to drop her flimsy silk loincloth without showing anything intimate to the two men who were busy untying Tina`s hands and feet.

„Catch!“

Veena handed the loincloth to Tina who reluctantly took it, then, she pointed at Caris.

"Our friend became a bit sweaty from all the washing. So, would you mind dabbing the sweat from her body?“

Of course, this was an order and Veena directed Tina towards the girl by using the stick. Tina had no other choice than to ball up the loincloth and wipe the sweat from Caris`s body, for when she hesitated, she felt a sharp lash on her naked butt.

Of course, with the tiny cloth, she could only clean up Caris symbolically, but nevertheless, Veena forced her to rub over the girl`s body again and again. Then, Caris was led outside whilst Tina got an iron belt to which her hands were shackled. To her surprise, Veena did not reach for the balm or even a leather band for her. She just took a hood and then, again using the stick as a leash, she forced the blonde to follow her outside.

Tina had seen the dragon before, but now, from close distance, it looked impressive, though the sedan chair tied to it`s belly made the monster look much less dangerous. It seemed more like something from a fairy tale book for kids than something that could burn entire cities with it`s breath. Tina shyed back when the dragon turned it`s head to her, but his eyes indeed looked intelligent and friendly, like that of a good-natured horse. Under other circumstances, Tina would have smiled when one of the guards held a bucket to it`s mouth and a long, forked tongue came out to lick up the content.

„He loves coconut liquor!“, Veena explained, „But don`t be afraid, he still is able to fly straight!“

She giggled, but Tina had petrified when she realized another detail. The sedan chair was standing between the dragon`s legs, the side doors still open. Inside, she could see the four henchwomen of Tigrana, still bound and hooded and sitting close to each other on one of the benches. The other side was occupied by Zirelda who had some space to her side that obviously was reserved for Veena.
Tina could not see Tigrana and Caris who seemed to be on the other side of the sedan chair, but she could see Vanessa who was sitting on the ground – or rather on a wooden board. It had been tied to her upper thighs and from the sides, two ropes led to a point at the bottom of the sedan chair. With horror, Tina realized it was a swing. A swing on which the girl would have to sit during their flight.

„Uuhhmmm!“

She tried to refuse walking on. Since her childhood, Tina was suffering from vertigo and even the idea of having to step on a high ladder horrified her. But sitting on a swing when flying high above the ground was just too much.

„For you, Rebel Queen, we have, of course, a special throne!“

„Mmhrrmmm! Uuhhmmm!“

A guard brought another board that had long ropes tied to the sedan chair. But in it`s centre, it also had a wooden hook. Tina shivered when she realized where this was meant to go and when the man came closer, she could see that the smooth wood had been lubed with some cream.

„First, I thought using an aphrodisiac, but then, you might fall off in the heat of passion! Instead, I took a drug that has been developed for soldiers. It will prevent you from fainting and it will also sharpen your senses!“

Tina had to be held by four men whilst the fifth forced her to sit on the board where she felt the thick hook press against her pubic mound. The men adjusted it and slightly pulled and since it had been well lubed, it finally pushed inside her a few inches. It was not painful, but very humiliating and besides, Tina now was given the ropes of the swing into her bound hands.

„Unfortunately, we don`t have any rope left to secure you to your throne, Rebel Queen! So, you better not let these ropes go!“

She now ordered one man to hold Tina`s head still and worked on the screw of the choke pear. Tina was too terrified by the idea of having to sit on the swing whilst flying that she did not even think of uttering a spell when the gag was pulled from her mouth and her jaw painfully came into it´s original position. She felt that something that tasted vile was crammed into her throat, obviously Veena`s loincloth with which she had rubbed over Caris´s body before. Then, a leather plug was pushed between her jaws and a hood was pulled over her head. Tina vaguely realized that it was different from that of her companions for it had eye holes in it.

„You shall enjoy your flight, Rebel Queen!“

Veena went inside the sedan chair, closed the door and sat down beside Zirelda. Sarina handed a document to the Queen and then, the dragon moved it`s mighty wings. When it had reached a height that made the slings lift from the ground, the guards who had held Tina let her go and she tightly grabbed the ropes to prevent herself from falling. Sarina stepped close to her and let her index finger run over Tina`s sole.

„I gave the Queen a letter to Sikander, a slave trader I trust! She has to get ther herself, for otherwise, he won`t do what she says, but if you don`t like the idea of becoming a harem`s slave, you are free to end the flight whenever you want!“

The las sentence, Sarina had had to yell, for the dragon had now reached an altitude of 50 feet. With horror, Tina saw the Countess, Lana and the guards grow smaller and smaller and she felt the swing shake by the dragon`s moves. A wave of panic flooded through her body, but obviously, the balm had already been absorbed by her body, for her terrified brain denied her the escape of fainting and she had to endure the horrors of her vertigo with fully alert senses.

***

„What the-“

Malik nearly had left his cover when he saw the dragon raise into the air. He knew such creatures, had even once sat on one, but they still looked impressive to him. However, what astonished him were the four persons dangling from the cabin. Each was a woman, obviously naked, sitting on a swing. The dragon was some distance away and the women were all hooded, but he would have recognized Vanessa`s body from thousands – even now that he knew one more body from his encounter with Ella.

It had been great for both. Though it had been her first time, Ella instinctively had known what to do and since Malik was an experienced lover, Ella had felt the embrace of the goddess of love. Unfortunately, this, combined with her rapture for the man that had saved her life, had caused that the girl now was deeply in love. And Malik was not sure about his feelings, too.

And so, since there was no chance to follow a flying dragon whilst he did not even have a horse, he was deep inside glad that this decision was delayed for a while. Now, all he could do was to get inside the palace and try to get some information.

„All right, I will get inside, wait here!“

Ella shook her head. Her touch was soft when she grabbed his arm, but the look in her eyes showed some newly found bravery.

„I will come with you!“

Malik knew that this was dangerous, but on the other hand, the girl had no chance if he got caught either. So, he just took her hand and together, they sneaked close to the wall. Since the guards had watched the dragon, too, they had not taken care of the outer area. His experience enabled Malik to find an ideal place where he could get close to the wall and was hidden by a palm. He climbed up and saw that on the inside, there was a small pond.

„Time for some distraction!“, he thought.

He climbed back down and found a rock the size of his head. He tied a piece of rope around it and then again climbed up the tree. Then, he bound the rock to a branch so it dangled over the pond. Before he jumped down, he poured a few drops from a small bottle on the rope. It was an acid that he sometimes used to open locks, but it would also destroy the hemp.

„Quick!“

He and Ella pressed themselves against the wall and sneaked close to another place he had discovered from his short look. Then, they waited until the rope got destroyed by the acid and the rock landed in the pond with a loud splash.

„Hey! Who`s there?“

They heard the guards rush to the source of the noise and so, they had a few seconds to climb the wall and hide behind a pavillon on the inside. From here, it was not far to an open door, obviously that of the kitchen.

After some time, the guards, who had not found anyone, returned to their posts. Malik recognized that they were not really concerned. Perhaps they thought it had been just a coconut, though this would have swam on the surface.

He and Ella rushed through the door. It was indeed the kitchen and they had to be careful not to touch anything in the dark. But finally, they were in a corridor. And then, they heard approaching steps. Quickly, they disappeared behind a column and to their surprise, they knew the to women who were coming, a small lantern with them. It were Countess Sarina and her maid Lana.

„Just get me some honey and a small amphora with wine, the rest, I have in my room!“

Lana obeyed whilst the Countess seemed anxious that nobody saw them. Malik frowned. These two were official guests, they had all right to be here. And besides, if they felt an appetite for wine and honey, why didn`t they just send a servant?

So, when Lana returned, he kissed Ella and made her wait in her cover, then, he followed the two women to Sarina`s room. There was a guard in the corridor, but he was asleep and so, the two could get inside unseen and Malik had no problem entering the adjacent room and get on Sarina`s balcony.
Inside, he could see quite well what Sarina and Lana were doing, since the women had lit a lamp. Currently, Sarina was mixing the wine and honey in a bowl, together with some herbs. He wasn`t quite sure, but it seemed that they were preparing a sleeping drug.

„And you are sure that this will work, Mistress?“, Lana now asked. Sarina smiled:

„Of course, dear! Once Zirelda and Veena are back, I will invite them to celebrate our victory with a glass of Ruanian sweet wine!“

She pointed at the bowl and now, Malik could also see a green glass bottle with a funnel in it. These bottles were characteristic for the Ruanian wine that was indeed flavoured with honey. So, the Countess planned to narcotize the Queen and her counselor. Now, Sarina was letting an amulett swing on it`s chain.

„The plan is still the same: I will put on the amulett and feign to be this fake ambassador when I send the soldiers on a mission against the tribes in the desert. And Zirelda will send her men to join them! So, all men left here are the soldiers of Ruan!“

„And nobody will notice until it`s too late, since the orders are given by Zirelda herself!“

„Exactly!“, Sarina said, now producing a second amulett.

„It was not easy to cut some of Zirelda`s hair, but I did it. So, whilst I seem to be the ambassador of the Sultan, you will be Queen Zirelda – at least until we are the rulers of this realm.“

Malik now was alarmed. He had heard of such amuletts that allowed the carrier to become the person whose hair was inside the medaillon. They were difficult to make and only few people knew about the technique, but obviously, Sarina and Lana had two of these. He did not understand all details, but he knew that the ambassador of the Sultan was Vanessa. So, they had found out about her fake identity. And now, the real Vanessa was on a way to an unknown fate whilst Sarina should disguise as her and send the Sheikh`s men away, together with the soldiers of Zirelda who would receive orders from a disguised Lana.

„And once you have the palace under your control, you can just wait until reinforcment troops from Ruan arrive.“, Malik thought. So, Sarina did not want an alliance, but she wanted the Kingdom of the Silent Swamps to become a part of the Kingdom of Light. And with Zirelda out of the game, this could indeed work.

„Queen Aleera will be more than happy! The Rebel Queen is on her way to some harem in the Sultanate and the Kingdom of the Silent Swamps will soon be ours!“

Forgetting about social barriers for a moment, Sarina hugged Lana and Malik now knew that the other hooded woman had indeed been Tina. So, he at least knew that they were somewhere in the South, to be sold as slaves. Well, before he could handle that, he would have to do something about what was going on right in front of him.

„I think our special wine is ready now“, Sarina said and carefully, she took a ladle and filled the wine bottle. Then, she held the ladle to Lana.

„You know, we have to find out if we did the mixture right!“

Lana seemed reluctant, but she took a sip of the wine. She licked her lips and said:

„The taste is exactly the same as our – beloved – Ruanian – w-“

She croaked something, her eyes widened, then, they twisted and a moment later, Lana collapsed on the carpet. Sarina seemed satisfied as she quickly checked that her maid really was unconscious. The narcotic would only work for some hour,but it was very effective. Now, all she had to do was to let the bowl disappear.

Suddenly, Sarina felt a cold blade on her neck.

„Maybe, you should take a sip of that wine, too!“

***

The ability to fly dragons have is due to magic and so, they only need flapping their wings for maneuvering. Once they have reached their destinated altitude, they can keep  still which makes flying a pleasant and quiet experience. That is – if you are sitting on the dragon`s neck, like on a horse or if you are in a gondola under it`s belly. If you were forced to sit on a swing dangling from the flying dragon, it is close to hell.

Caris, being the most petite of the four bound and gagged slave girls, had it best, if such a torturous way of transport could be called so. she was sitting on her board and almost instinctively managed to keep her balance. Her risk of falling was minimal, since she was tightly tied to her seat, but if she toppled over, it would be more than inconvenient.

Both Tigrana and Vanessa had experienced that horror. Vanessa, being lithe and quite athletic, had managed to get back into a sitting position and to adjust to the slight movements of the flying dragon. She could now balance out the swinging of her seat and only the increasing warmth between her legs was torturing her. The leather band had tightened and it pressed against her pubic mound and whatever it had been soaked with was now becoming hotter and hotter. Already, Vanessa felt sweat build there and the desperate urge to scratch was becoming more and more urgent.

Tigrana was worse, however, since she was still dangling in the air, only held by the ropes connecting her butt to her seat. She helplessly flailed her bound legs and shaked in the air, screaming through her gag. The ropes dug painfully into her skin, for she was pulling against them with all her might.

Tina was still sitting, but she did not have the luxury of being tied to her sitting board. Her security, her life, it depended on the ropes she held in her hands. Her fingers had lost all feeling from the way she had cramped from holding these ropes so tight. Tina had tried to close her eyes, but then, the constant swaying and the breeze of air had felt even worse. But keeping her eyes open meant to see the ground, some 300 feet below her. Even in the night, she could see sandy hills and rocks, all so small from her position. She trembled, but did not dare to move, since this would have caused her to end like Tigrana – only that she would not be held by ropes, but fall into the depth.

The wooden hook that was between her legs had worked itself deeper inside her, but she did not dare to push hersef back. Now, it was some six inches inside her and she was pushing against it`s base. Somehow, this hook prevented her from sliding from her seat, but of course, it was inconvenient and humiliaing to be stopped by a plug inside her pussy. Tina had screamed, sobbed and hyperventilated, but the terror just would not go away. When the dragon finally lost height, she was just a helpless bundle of fear and growing madness.

In the South, flying dragons had become rare, but they still could be seen sometimes and so, the men on the high plateau the dragon was about to land did not react with panic. Had this been an attack, they would have been able to fight it off, since Sikander had some 100 men under his command.

He was one of the most successfull slave traders in the whole Sultanate and he had his central at a fortress built on a giant rock that was some 100 feet high and hat a flat surface the size of some ten acres, whilst the perpendicular walls made it impossible to reach the fortress. The only way to get there was via a funicular – or by coming through the air.

Since a visit at night was quite unusual, Sikander himself, accompanied by some men, approached the landing dragon. To his surprise, he now could see two things: the gondola under the dragon showed the coat of arms of Queen Zirelda – and to the bottom of the gondola, four naked women were sitting on swings. Or, to be precisely, three were sitting and one was dangling from it.

He ordered his men to take care these women did not get trapped under the landing dragon. He vaguely noticed that three of them were just collapsing on the ground once they had reached it whilst the third was squirming and obviously still suffering though the flight was over.

The door of the sedan chair now opened and Sikander could see Queen Zirelda he knew from seeing, followed by a blonde woman in a robe with arcanic symbols.

„Who`s in charge here?“

„That`s me!“

Usually, members of the aristocracy treated slave traders like scum, but Sikander was so rich that he could treat them like equals and they had to accept it. Queen Zirelda seemed not to care, for she simply approached him, handing him a parchment.

„A letter from your friend, Sarina Countess of Ruan!“

Sikander quickly broke the seal and read. When he had finished, he smiled and said:

„To your service, Your Highness!“

He even bowed and then, he added:

„I can offer you 10.000 for both the Rebel Queen and your sister. And 2.000 for each of the others!“

Zirelda, who had only seen an easy way to get rid of Tigrana, did not even think of haggling and quickly accepted. Four of Sikander`s men brought the money and just some 20 minutes after their landing, the dragon onve again disappeared into the night.

„Well, let`s see what we have got here!“

According to Sarina`s letter, five of these women were just some rebel girls. If they were pretty enough, they would be sold as usual slaves. But Sikander did not want to remove their hoods right now. Smiling, he saw how the tight leather bands pressed against their pubic mounds.

„Get these five to a cell! Remove these bands so they can pee, but leave them bound and gagged until the morning!“

Number six was a woman that had pretended to be the Sultan`s ambassador. She looked not terrified, but seemed to feel very uneasy about her crotch band, for she was permanently wriggling her hips and squirming on the floor. Sikander ordered to take her to a single cell, then, he turned to his guests of honour.

„A Pretender Queen and a real former Queen – look at you now!“

„Mmhmmph!“

Tigrana made a defiant sound through her gag, though she still was exhausted from the horrors of her flight. Tina, however, remained silent, obviously, she hadn`t even fully noticed what he had said. Still, she was trembling and looked at Sikander with widened and tearful eyes.

„Well, it looks that now, you are slaves. And you will behave like slaves, taking orders without questioning!“

Again, Tigrana mmphed angrily and Sikander smiled broadly:

„If not, we will teach you how to behave! Luckily, breaking wilful women is both my job and my hobby!“

***