The Mystery of Mohács 3

The man rose from his chair and approached the two bound girls. Ilona looked at him with sheer fear whilst Tabea tried her best to remain calm and to at least seem confident. However, her heart was beating wildly and she could not help feeling scared. She wasn`t a secret agent or a superheroine, just an ordinary woman that knew karate.

»So, your first name is Tabea? It means ›gazelle‹, doesn`t it?«

His eyes wandered over her long, shapely legs and she involuntarily pulled her feet away from him. However, he then paid attention to her big, thrust out boobs and she suddenly felt even more exposed then when the criminal guy had touched her. He did not drool and his expression wasn`t that of a creep, but she saw him soak in the impression of her dark skin gleaming through the transparent lace of her white bra. Tabea could not help blushing all over and she lowered her eyes.

»…Sandor.«

»Mhhmm?«

Tabea startled as he spoke to her. He stood very close to her now and was smiling, still friendly.

»I said my first name is Sandor. It`s only fair, since I am calling you by your first name, too – Tabea.«

He breathed her name as if he was flirting with her. Tabea shifted on her stool with uneasiness. His eyes on her boobs almost felt as if he was touching them. When he looked at her eyes again, he said:

»Can you forgive me I first thought you were wearing a padded bra? Perhaps, I do not own such ample beauty if I don`t even recognize it when it`s presented to me.«

Tabea whimpered and Sandor grinned. He went back for his desk and when he turned back to her, he was holding the book. He slightly moved his hands and the reflection of the polished metal at the cover let a small spot of light wander over Tabea`s body. It encircled her left breast before he positioned the spot right at her forehead. She forced herself to remain calm, waiting for him to talk.

»I have to express my gratefulness you found this, Tabea. We have been looking for it for some time and now, we can finally continue our plan. However«, he suddenly looked stern, like a teacher reprimanding a pupil, »why have you taken it for yourself, instead of handing it to the librarian or at least to some of the history professors? Now, I have to assume you know what power this little book has! Which means I can`t just let you go!«

She gulped, but somehow managed to keep looking at his eyes. Sandor seemed to appreciate her courage and continued, smiling again:

»You caused quite a commotion, Tabea. My connections are just powerful enough to make everyone believe that the Police and Special Forces just grabbed two female drug dealers and criminals and took them into custody. However, as long as our plan is in progress, we can`t risk that one of you is ever seen again!«

Now, he looked at Ilona who, since Sandor had spoken English, hadn`t understood a word. All the poor girl knew was that their kidnapper had said something threatening and she moaned with fear as he approached her. Not too gently, Sandor ripped the tape from her lips and pulled the soaked nerf ball from her mouth.

»What?«

Ilona panted and licked her lips, looking up to Sandor like a puppy at a raised hand. Then, she began talking in her mother tongue, causing Sandor to frown.

»What kind of gibberish is that?«

He pressed a button on his desk and a few seconds later, two men Tabea knew only too well appeared. He said something in Hungarian to them and the two grabbed Ilona, dragging her out of the room. The girl started to scream, but her high pitched yell was cut abruptly and Tabea could only hear a faint gurgle till the door fell close again.

»Now, will you show a little more countenance if I allow you to speak, Tabea?«

She would have preferred to kick his ass in a way he could lick her toenails, but she told herself that she had to spare her vanishing powers and to wait until she was in a better position. Besides, she definitely wanted to have the terrible gag out of her mouth. Staring daggers at him, she nodded.

He unwrapped the tape from her mouth, took even some care with the fine hair at her nape. Then, he looked at the zip tie and traced it with his index finger.

»It`s really a shame what Jarko does if he is angry. Now, wait a minute!«

Without haste, he rummaged through his desk drawer and came back with a small pair of scissors. Carefully, he shoved it through the plastic tie and then cut it. Tabea let out a small sigh and then pushed against the nerf ball with her tongue. However, the ball was so big she needed Sandor`s help to get rid of it. She panted and licked her parched lips as he held the sodden ball in his right.

»The color doesn`t match your eyes«, he said and threw it to the floor.

»Tell that Jarko, it was him who did the choice!«

Her voice sounded hoarse, but obviously, her remark seemed to please Sandor.

»You are a brave woman, Tabea. In addition, you have a PhD in history and archeology. Maybe, you could become quite – useful to me.«

Tabea had frowned since he knew about her qualifications, but of course, he had the librarian on his paylist. She forced herself to smile and replied:

»Well, you could get lots of well-educated historians if you would change your – recruiting methods. Have you ever thought of offering a good salary?«

Now, Sandor laughed heartily.

»My dear, you are not here because I am too greedy to pay a few thousand Euros! However, I am forgetting my manners!«

He went for a sideboard and poured some Whiskey in a glass. Tabea shook her head. If she would drink it now, on empty stomach and after her bound and gagged car trip, she knew she would throw up. Sandor took a small sip and then, he took another glass and filled it with water from a carafe. Whilst doing so, he looked at her with interest. Then, when he offered her the water and Tabea only took a small sip, he began to talk again:

»You must be thirsty after being gagged for over an hour, Tabea. And I don`t think you are considering me to have poisoned that water.«

As if to prove the latter, he emptied the glass by himself. Then, he refilled it, watching Tabea closely as she cringed slightly at the splashing sound.

»Ah, that strained expression, the way you are squeezing your thighs together – you need to go to the bathroom, am I right, Tabea?«

»Fuck you!«

»Language, Tabea! I just wanted to be polite!«

He now poured the water from one glass to the other and now, Tabea fumed:

»Yes, you Bastard! I need to pee terribly and if I have to hold it for much longer, your precious Persian carpet will suffer! Are you satisfied now, you-«

Sandor raised his hand placatory and went for a door behind him. As he opened it, a light went on automatically, showing a small toilet. He stepped beside the door and made an inviting gesture.

Tabea`s instinctive reaction was to spin around on her chair and show him her middle finger. However, this game wasn`t worth the effort. And in addition, she would perhaps get a chance to get free if he released her from her cuffs.

Since he made no effort to help her up, she stood up, fighting for balance for a moment and knowing only too well how her boobs bobbed as she did so. Then, she walked over to Sandor, cursing at the ankle cuffs that not only forced her to take small steps, but also made her sway her hips more. Finally, she stood close to him and turned around, presenting him her bound arms.

»You – want to shake hands with me, Tabea?«

Damned, this man was really enjoying this! With a feigned smile, she glanced at him.

»I would rather stick it up a pig`s ass! But as you may have noticed, I am wearing jeans and a belt!«

»You are really feisty, Tabea! So feisty I would be mad if I would free your hands as long as I am alone with you! However, I could help you with your belt and trousers.«

He grinned at her, enjoying her anger. Tabea was about to slam her forehead against his nose, just to show him how dangerous she could be even without her hands.

However, what would happen next? Tied hand and foot, she would be no match for his henchmen and sure, Sandor would punish her for that. Now, all she could do was to keep some dignity.

But how dignified would it be if she just went back for her stool? Sure, Sandor would just wait until she peed her pants and would then call in his men.

»Step aside!«, she hissed, slowly approaching the toilet and then turning towards Sandor. He looked bemused, but also a bit disappointed. Obviously, he had expected her to suffer more.

Tabea forced herself not to stir as he opened her belt and then slowly pulled down her zipper. He at least did not touch her more than necessary as he peeled down her tight jeans to her knees. When he hooked his fingers into her panties` waistband, she let out a fluttering breath, but as he looked up to her face, she answered his look calmly, albeit with tightened lips.

He worked slow as he pulled down her thong, but again, he did not touch her, nor did he make any comments to her neatly trimmed landing strip of pubic hair. When her panties were gathered at her knees, he stepped back and Tabea sat down. Sandor looked at her with his arms crossed, obviously not intending to turn around, let alone leaving the bathroom.

»Pervert!«, she hissed.

»It would be perverse if you were ugly. With a beauty like you, it`s just a weird fetish!«

Tabea rolled her eyes. Just to get this creepy dialogue done, she closed her eyes, tried to imagine Sandor`s face in the toilet bowl and relieved her bladder. Sandor waited until she was finished and then pulled her thong back in place, followed by her jeans. Again, he seemed to enjoy every step he took, but apart from that, he did not touch her.

She went for the door and he flushed. Now, she accepted his offer of some water and even found some strength to argue with him:

»Now, that you are remembering your manners, how about removing my elbow cuffs? I know you had no chance against me if I am free, but I would still be bound hand and foot. I know you enjoy the side effect of it, but I can assure you, my boobies look big even if my shoulders are not pulled back.«

It took her quite some willpower to talk that way and she was grateful her dark complexion hid her blushing cheeks. Sandor smiled and let his eyes wander over her boobs and said:

»They would look even better without that lacy prison they are trapped in. It`s your choice, the elbow tie only comes off together with your bra.«

Tabea felt some pure hatred, but at the same time, she somehow understood why quite a lot of women found powerful assholes attractive. The way he was playing out his dominance was disgusting, but also a bit intriguing.

»Tabea, it`s refreshing to talk to you, but I think I should now tell you what this is all about. After all, you will play an important role in it.«

Before she could say something, Sandor produced something Tabea knew from the internet, though she had never tried out one so far: it was a ball gag.

»Ah, the only way you can win an argument!«

»One of two ways«, Sandor answered, pointing at the gun in his belt. Tabea had to admit that this was indeed a good point and so, she opened her mouth and accepted the ball gag. It was smaller than the nerf ball, but she saw that the strap had been applied to the side rather than the middle. So, he could force it deeper into her mouth and she would not be able to push it out with her tongue.

»Gllgg!«, she commented as he buckled the straps at her nape.

»If you say so!«, Sandor replied with a shrug and pulled the straps one notch tighter. Then, he gently grabbed her arm and led her with him, adjusting to her slow pace.

They walked down a corridor that seemed to belong to some older mansion. She expected to be brought to some dungeon or maybe the lab of a mad scientist, but instead, Sandor shoved her into a dimly lit room that turned out to be an old-fashioned library, complete with an open chimney (though unlit, since it was summer) and heavy upholstered leather chairs around it. There were four chairs and two of them already were occupied.

In one chair, Ilona was sitting, gagged in a similar way to her, but still wearing the tunic. Behind the backrest, Jarko was leaning, reaching around and massaging her breasts. Ilona seemed to have given up pleading and endured her plight with a confused expression, moaning only as she recognized Tabea.

The Black, however, was distracted by the other person, for she was dressed in the most unusual way, even compared to her exposed breasts. The woman was clad in ruby red, featuring a shoulder-free tight corsage with black ornaments and an also black lace trimming, also with garters that held her red fishnet stockings. A matching pair of panties, red with a broad black lace edging, and bright red high-heeled pumps completed her ensemble. Her head was covered with a black hood, but Tabea could see she was some 5`4`` and quite voluptuous forms. Her skin had a slightly dark tone; perhaps, she was a Latina. She had her ankles cuffed and her arms were behind her back, but obviously, they had spared her an elbow tie.

Sandor directed Tabea to one of the free Chairs and made her sit down. To Jarko, he said something in a mixture of amusement and rebuke: obviously, he had given order to soothe Ilona which the henchmen had interpreted in a way that allowed him to take advantages. The man took his hands from Ilona`s breasts and bowed slightly. Sandor said something else and Jarko placed a carafe with some brown liquor and four glasses on a small table between the chairs before he left, staring at Tabea`s thrust out boobs before he did so.

»He`s a bit rough, but I needed someone who is a member of the Secret Service and so, I could not be too picky!«

Sandor took the carafe and filled the four glasses. Meanwhile, Tabea and Ilona exchanged views, ensuring each other they were okay so far. Then, they both watched the third woman beside whom Sandor had now positioned himself.

»Ladies, allow me to introduce you to each other. However, in the confusion of the last hours, I simply forgot to ask for your«, he looked at Tabea, »friend`s name.«

Tabea gave him an icy look. Did he expect her to dance Ilona`s name for him? However, he went over to the girl and raised his finger in a way to tell her to remain calm before he removed her gag. Then, he asked her for her name in Hungarian.

Ilona did not scream, but she not only gave him her name, but added some more information. Her words were cut off as Sandor gagged her again, but Tabea had seen the hooded woman`s reaction to that: she had raised in her seat and seemed to listen closely.

»Well, Ilona, the girl talking in strange tongues. Really, I have no idea what to do with her, but let me continue! The mysterious woman in red is a colleague of yours, a PhD in history and linguistics. However, we are keeping things informal here, so just say hello to Jelena!«

He pulled off the hood and Tabea could see a woman with long black curls, blinking at the light. She was sporting a ball gag, too, and she just gave Tabea a short look before she stared at Ilona. Tabea, who had no idea who Jelena was, saw she had to correct her assumption: the woman wasn`t a Latina, but a Gypsy – or Roma, as they preferred to be called.

Sandor shortly introduced Tabea, mentioning her PhD, but not her last name, before he also sat down. However, Jelena still seemed to be fascinated by Ilona. Then, she began to mumble through her gag, calmly, but nevertheless demanding. Sandor, however, raised his hand and now, he presented the book again.

»I am not sure how much you already know, Tabea, but this plain book works as a portal to the past. Kudos to Jelena here who not only found it by accident, but also discovered it`s magic. She did not tell anyone, but she did her research at the library where my aunt is working. And, also just by accident, auntie`s eyes fell on some of Jelena`s notes. So, she phoned me and I made an offer to Jelena once I had seen it`s true potential. You know, I am no historian, but a businessman. However, she refused to work together with me and so, I had to become a little more persuasive. That`s why Jelena`s here now – but unfortunately, she had hidden the book before and so far not told us where it is!«

Tabea gulped. The woman showed no physical traces of torture, but sure, they had tried everything to make her talk. She shuddered when she thought that Jelena being dressed like a hooker might have to do with that.

»Now, though you also showed some unwillingness to cooperate, Tabea, I now have both the book and the expert! However, it seems that Jelena wants to break her silence!«

He went to Jelena and removed her gag. She coughed and then, ignoring both Sandor and Tabea, she spoke to Ilona in what Tabea recognized as the ancient German idiom Ilona spoke, too. The girl`s eyes widened and after a few words, she nodded emphatically.

»Would you mind introducing us to your secret conversation, Ladies?«, Sandor asked, trying to mask his impatience with a lame joke. Jelena looked at him with sheer contempt.

»This ›secret language‹, as you like to call it, is an Austrian dialect, spoken some 500 years ago – the language of the time the book was written. I heard Ilona use it earlier and besides, I recognized her!«

Sandor was no fool. He grabbed the book, opened it and then looked alternately at Ilona and her portrait. His lips formed some silent words and he fell back on his chair.

»You- you mean-«

»Yes!«, Jelena said, straightening in her seat, »I don`t know how you managed to do it, but you did what I warned you to do – you altered the past!«

The way she said it made Tabea wait for some rolling thunder to emphasize her words. She looked at Jelena and moaned some unintelligible words, trying to tell her that she had acted out of pity and not just fooled around with magic. However, Sandor now rose and pointed at Ilona.

»You – you are Ilona Hunyadi, daughter of Imre Hunyadi?«

Even though he spoke modern Hungarian, the question was easy to understand and Ilona nodded, seeing no point in lying about herself. Sandor reached for one of the Whiskey glasses, emptied it with one draw and then grabbed for the second. Tabea groaned and angrily stamped her feet, causing Sandor to make a fluttering gesture.

»Jelena, please, introduce Tabea to our project. But keep it short – and talk English, please!«

Though he was clearly somewhere else with his thoughts, he did not want to be excluded from the conversation. Jelena looked at Tabea and spoke. Her English was good, but she had the hard accent of someone who often read it, but rarely spoke it.

»As you already know, the book offers a connection to the year 1525. The year when Ilona Hunyadi, daughter of the famous General Imre Hunyadi – vanished.«

At the mentioning of her and her father, Ilona whimpered and Tabea frowned. She was no expert on Hungarian history, but she had read some books about the period and she could not remember any of these two. Jelena, who seemed to have read her thoughts, continued:

»All we know so far is that Bela, the author of that book, was obsessed with Ilona – and he contacted a magician of whom I only know he existed, for the book does not give us his name. However, Bela kidnapped Ilona to leave not only the country with her, but also the time period!«

Tabea`s eyes widened. A part of her brain still refused to accept the truth of Jelena`s words. But there, sitting next to her, was a girl from a time long gone! Now, Sandor spoke again:

»Imre Hunyadi was maybe the best General Hungary ever had. But when his daughter had disappeared, he tried everything to get her back, leaving the court and searching for her in vain. And so, when, one year later, the Ottomans attacked, Hungary had no capable leader.«

Tabea nodded slightly. Still now, the battle of Mohács was some kind of national trauma for the Hungarians. Their army had been annihilated, their king killed and their country occupied by the Ottomans for some 150 years. After that, the Austrians had become the new rulers and though Hungary now was an independent country for some 100 years, it was now a small and unimportant land. She remembered what Sandor had said about his will to gain power over central Europe earlier.

The man now gagged Jelena again before he removed Tabea`s gag to allow her to add her part of the story. She obeyed, looking only at Jelena and trying to prove her that she hadn`t altered the past just for fun. However, it seemed that she had either done so – or made it happen, for her intervention had made Ilona disappear from her time. If Ilona was in 2020, Imre could search for her as long as he wanted.

Sandor gagged her again and emptied the third glass. Then, he spoke, slowly, but definitely not drunk:

»So, though by accident, you have done what I wanted Jelena to prevent! You kidnapped Imre Hunyadi`s daughter, so to say!«

He leaned on the armrest of his chair and giggled. Then, he suddenly straightened and said:

»Well, you know what that means, Ladies! You have to take her back and reunite her with her father!«

Tabea stared at him and Jelena moaned and emphatically shook her head. However, Sandor now seemed to speak more to himself:

»Led by Imre Hunyadi, we will win the battle of Mohács! And then, Hungary will play a more dominant role in history! Maybe, there will be a Hungro-Austrian Empire, ruled from Budapest!«

He looked to some point above, as if he himself was the Emperor he was dreaming of and Tabea needed some time to realize that this was even crazier than using the possibility of time travel for getting buried treasures or things like that. Even worse, it was dangerous!

If Hungary won the battle, there was absolutely no guarantee it would result in a more powerful country. It could also cause massive changes in the whole history, even resulting in wars and other catastrophes! So, after a few seconds, Tabea joined in Jelena`s muffled protest.

Sandor seemed to have come back to reality, but he did not seem willing to negotiate. He called for Jarko and together, they quickly reinforced each girl`s gag with three strips of tightly applied duct tape before they once again pulled the hoods over their heads. This time, a round of tape around the neck further ensured that all light was blocked.

Despite their resistance, they were then pulled outside the mansion and forced to get into a car. This time, they were all placed on the back seat and the seat belts ensured they remained on their seats. Tabea was placed in the middle and she was sure it was Jarko fixing her, as she felt a groping hand on her breast.

The car was a big limousine and so, even the back places were quite convenient. For a while, the three captives continued to protest through their gags, but since the men were silent, they soon stopped moaning and the only sound came from the navigation system. From what she understood, Tabea concluded they were heading towards Pécs. She knew it was in the South – close to Mohács.

Tabea still was sure that Sandor could not send them to the past. Even if it had been possible to take Ilona from the 16thto the 21th century, it would not work the other way round. It was against the laws of physics. One could not travel back in time!

»Of course, if magic is involved, then maybe it`s possible.«

It was not a comfortable thought – and neither was the thought what Sandor would do with them if his plan didn`t work out. However, gagged, bound and blindfolded and sitting in a car that drove quite fast, she had no other chance than to wait for things to come.

The day`s hardships took their toll and so, Tabea had even dozed off when the navigation system announced that Pécs was some ten kilometers ahead. Now, Sandor broke the silence for the first time:

»You may reprimand my impatience, but according to Bela`s book, time travels are only possible during a full moon – Tabea, you proved it works during the day, too, but tonight is the last night the moon is full. However, we have prepared everything!«

Again, Jelena mmphed something unintelligible, but Sandor continued:

»Maybe, you are thinking of me as a coward for sending you to the past, but as Jelena could tell you if she wasn`t gagged, there is one problem Bela describes, but doesn`t explain: the time travelling only works for women.«

He giggled and added:

»Luckily, the ritual doesn`t request true virgins!«

The car now slowed down and seemed to have entered an uneven path. After some more mile, it came to a halt and some rustling and moaning to her left told Tabea that they had grabbed Jelena first. However, she did not have to wait long. She was pulled outside the car and placed on her belly. Again, her wrist and ankle cuffs were connected by a zip tie. Then, the two men carried the hogtied woman for a few yards before placing her on the ground again. Tabea could feel grass when she groped around.

When they had brought Ilona, too, the men removed their captives` hoods. Tabea shifted her position and saw Jelena and Ilona lying close to her, both hogtied like her. They seemed to be on some airing and above them, the full moon was shining.

Sandor and Jarko now brought two aluminum boxes and placed them close to the captives. Then, Sandor padded the bigger of these and said:

»We won`t send you unprepared, Ladies! This box contains a collection of historically accurate costumes, so you can dress up for your mission. In the other box, there are weapons and some coinage from the early 16th century. In addition, the key to your cuffs is taped to it, so you can free yourselves once you have landed. So, you have everything you need to get Ilona back to her father. If you are quick, you even have a few days for doing first hand research!«

Again, Jelena moaned with protest and squirmed in her bonds and Tabea and Ilona joined in, though less heavily. Sandor raised his voice and added:

»In 29 days, we will try to get you back, for then is the next full moon. That is, if you haven`t altered the past so much we are not even born!«

He laughed a bit hysterically, but then, he suddenly became serious:

»If, however, you chose to do nothing at all, you will not only remain in the 16th century – I will be not amused. And even now, I would be powerful enough to find and kill both your families!«

He padded his gun and both Tabea and Jelena knew that he wasn`t joking. In Tabea`s case, her parents lived in Germany, but since she would not be able to warn them, this would not prevent them from Sandor`s wrath.

Now, Jarko approached and helped Sandor to put on a robe covered with arcane symbols. Now, he was the jovial, friendly man again.

»Actually, I don`t think this is necessary, but it adds some style! All we need is here«, he raised the book, »and here!«

He pointed at a spot at the ground and Jarko lit a match and threw it there. With a loud »WOOSH!«, a fire started. Obviously, they had spilled copious amounts of oil before, for soon, the three girls and the boxes were surrounded by a ring of fire.

»Mmmrrrhhhmmmmm!«

However, the girls` protests were now drowned by Sandor reading from the book. It sounded Latin, but Tabea could not understand more than single words. The flames had reached a height of some yard and so, she could only see his upper body. He seemed to have adjusted the book in a way the mirror on the cover reflected the moonlight, for it gleamed like an eye. And then, it began.

She was not sure what exactly she had expected, but suddenly, Sandor disappeared and his chanting died away. Above them, there was an accelerating change of darkness and light, becoming more and more like a stroboscope. Everything looked more and more unreal, but Tabea knew the source of it: it was the passing days and nights as they were travelling through time.

There was absolutely no sound and the ground was not moving or shaking, but Tabea felt as if she was on a rollercoaster. She could not scream or move and had to close her eyes when suddenly, she felt it had stopped.

When she opened her eyes, she could see the grass right in front of her. So, they had not travelled to another place. She wiped her eyes and only when she brought herself in a sitting position, she realized she was no longer bound and gagged.

»Where – what?«

She looked around, seeing that the fire had burnt down and was just glowing now. Beside her, she saw a human figure. It was Jelena – and she was stark naked!

Behind her, she heard a cry of surprise and saw that Ilona was free, but totally nude, too. Tabea looked down on her body, finding it had happened to her, too.

Now, Jelena brought herself into a sitting position and, with some hysterical giggling, she gasped:

»I knew it! We can`t take things back in time! The clothes, the boxes – they are all not even made! We are stranded just like we are!«

***