The Search 4

In a way, Milan was a kind elderly man, educated and soft spoken – and yet, Mira was more scared than ever before in her life. Of course, lying naked, gagged and spread on a table didn`t help the matter, but she had been in worse conditions previously. However, there was the way Milan spoka about sending her through time.

He did not show glee or did not even want to hurt her, but Milan sure lived after the credo »sacrifices have to be made«. In this case, however, the sacrifice would be her.

Mira did not actually believe that time-travelling could work, but she was sure that Milan would try something with her in the night – something that could cause her death. She had felt for her cuffs, but these had turned out to be firm. The ball gag wasn`t too inconvenient, but even if she had been able to cry out, only Milan and his servants would have heard her. In addition, the scholar still was close to her, rummaging through some books and papers.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Unwillingly, Milan opened it and Mira could hear him whisper to the servant, obviously indignant about the disturbance. Then, however, he nodded and went back for the girl.

»Sorry, but I have to leave you for a while, Mira. And since my – guest shall not know about you-«

Milan took a veil and carefully soaked it with some smelly liquid. Then, he approached Mira who anxiously moaned through the ball in her mouth.

»It`s just something that will put you to sleep, girl. It`s harmless!«

Despite her resistance, he tied the cloth over her mouth and nose, forcing her to breathe in the narcotic. After just a few seconds, Mira already felt a bit dizzy and her muffled cry sounded as if it was absorbed by a pillow.

Milan now quickly left her and she could hear him walk down the stairs. Then, when she could already notice that her vision blurred, she could hear his voice directly from below her.

»What an unsuspected surprise!«

Mira reared up and screamed through her gag, but the narcotic had already taken its toll and so, only a faint croak came out and, according to the increasingly indistinct murmur from below, nobody had noticed her presence.

»I – must – fight – this!«

The girl blinked, knowing she would lose consciousness within the next moments. She could not make any sound mentionable and her head sank down. Mira could see the floorboards and knew that just below these, a potential rescuer was standing.

Then, immediately before she passed out, Mira took the only way of – perhaps – making herself noticeable.

***

Some 30 miles away, and totally unaware of Mira`s fate, Tabea was struggling to stay awake, too. Not only did she have to walk for hours now, but she had to do so without shoes – she had lost her cloth shoes some hour ago – and the ground was quite rocky. She had not yet cut her feet, but her soles hurt and in addition, the road was quite steep.

What made things worse was the way Tabea was tied up and gagged. Her wrists were bound and held in her lap by a rope bisecting her crotch and anchored at her neck and her elbows had been tied behind her back and also were fixed to a bar that connected her to Bahira, her fellow prisoner. So, whenever one of the girls staggered, both had to suffer from the consequences – either a tug on the leashes around their necks or a slap from the man with the crop – or sometimes both.

Then, there was the rope that ran through her crotch and anchored her wrists to her lap. It was only upholstered by her makeshift panties and on every step, the rough hemp rubbed over her soft flesh or tug on her throat. Tabea had tried to cope with the constant irritation, but from time to time, a small grunt emerged from the sack covering her head.

Underneath, the girl had been blindfolded and thoroughly gagged. A giant wad stuffed her mouth to capacity and since her captors had soaked it with liquor before, she now was dizzy, half mad with thirst and completely exhausted. The gag was secured by a tight cleave gag, an additional cloth over her mouth and nose and a leather band that had been soaked with water. Now, it had almost dried and shrunk, causing additional pressure and discomfort.

»Just kill me! Please!«

However, her physical strength, the will to survive and the help of the man`s beatings had so far made Tabea walk behind the horse she had been tied to. Now, however, she staggered and landed on the dusty ground. When the crop hit her buttocks, the girl barely twitched.

»Even if he uses a bull whip, I can`t get up anymore!«

Panting through the cloths covering her mouth and nose, Tabea just lay there, waiting for what her captors would do. She could not understand the discussion, but then, she felt that someone pulled on her elbows and her arms were cut from the stick. She heard a muffled cry from Bahira and then, one of the men lifted her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.

The man who carried her kneaded her buttocks, causing Tabea to cringe and moan with pain, but she couldn`t manage more of a resistance than to weakly flail her unbound legs. After some hundred yards, she was unceremoniously, yet not brutally lowered to the ground and leaned against a rock. Then, the sack was pulled from her head and the cloth was peeled from her nose, though her gag was left otherwise intact and they also kept her blindfolded.

Greedily, Tabea breathed fresh air for the first time in hours and she noticed that it had become colder around her. The sweat on her skin now made her shiver and she felt goose bumps build on her limbs and shoulders.

»Uuuhhmmmm!«

She groaned when, suddenly, a wave of pain strayed through her boobs. It took Tabea a few moments to realize that the man had plucked the clothespins from her nipples – actually a relief, but now, she felt a slightly painful tingle at her sensitive buds. Then, she heard a rustling and then, her captor draped a blanket over her body. With a grunt, he padded her head before he obviously took care of Bahira, as Tabea could hear some faint noises from a few yards apart.

»Obviously, we have reached our destination, at least for today!«

Her arms were still tied in a straining position, anchored by her inconvenient crotch rope, she still was blindfolded and thoroughly gagged. But at least, she could sit now, leaning against some hard, yet smooth rock, and relax her tired legs and sore soles. Her buttocks still hurt a bit from the earlier spanking, but the cold ground helped a little and in addition, the blanket protected her from the cool air. Suddenly, she felt just very, very tired. Tabea`s head sank to her chest and she dozed off.

***

 Jelena had tried to remain calm when Goran had left, though she had seen how Mensud and Amar had ogled her scantily clad body. She still was free except from the leash around her neck, but even if she had taken that off and run, she would not have gotten very far, barefoot and with two mounted and armed men behind her. So, Jelena had decided to try her best to be friendly, but not too friendly. She had offered to prepare some tea and a meal and the men had agreed to that. Then, they had eaten and she had felt their eyes upon herself again. She only knew a little Serbian, but it was clear that they were considering her as dessert.

»Sure, Goran has forbidden them to get too far – but how far will they go? And besides, what would he do if they disobeyed him? Fight for his Princess?«

Jelena knew that there would be at least some fondling by these two. So, the girl gulped before she rose and approached Mensud who had called for her.

»You know Tavli?«

He pointed on the ground where he had placed an open wooden box with painted zigzag lines in it. Besides, he had placed small black and white stones and two dices. Jelena knew the game as »Backgammon« and she considered herself an average player. So, she nodded, wondering whether Mensud just wanted to spend some time with her playing. In his broken Turkish, the man said:

»Loser must pay clothing to winner. If has no clothing left, must make other offer. Winner may decide whether offer is good or bad.«

Jelena looked to Amar, but he had already prepared a camp bed for himself, using his saddle as a pillow. Obviously, Mensud had the first watch. He grinned and with a sigh, Jelena sat opposite to him. Generously, he allowed her to begin, but it soon turned out that he was far more skilled than Jelena.

»He will win this round – and then, I will be naked! And then, I am quite sure he will not be content if I just offer to make him another tea as a reward for his next victory!«

She looked up and could see Mensud stare at her boobs, licking his lips before he threw the dices once again.

***

»It must have been years we two last saw each other!«

»Two years and three months exactly«, the man replied. They had only exchanged a few words, since taking care of the wounded Predrag was on the agenda. Milan had ordered his servant to get clean linen and hot water and then, they had cleared the table and carefully placed Predrag on it. Milan now examined the wound before he opened a leather bag and placed some silver plated tools on a side table he had covered with one of the cloths.

»If I manage to remove the bolt without doing too much damage, he might survive it. He has lost quite some blood and he will lose more during the surgery, but if the wound doesn`t get gangrenous, he will become almost as he was before during the next three months. By the way, is he a friend of yours – or an enemy?«

»Neither«, the man replied. Milan frowned and so, he added some more information:

»He was together with some girl I am looking for. However, he got shot when said girl was kidnapped and since I am a kind man, I decided to save his life.«

»Because he may have some important information for you«, Milan added the second reason to take care of Predrag`s well-being. The wounded had lost consciousness and so, Milan began to spread the wound to get a better grip on the bolt with his tongs.

»Now, grab his shoulders and hold him tight as I pull! The next few moments are decisive!«

The man obeyed and Milan grabbed the bolt with the tongs and pulled. A terrible crunching could be heard and then, Milan staggered back, in his hand the tongs with the bloody bolt in it. Quickly, Milan then cleaned the wound and put some herbs on it before he and the other man tightly bandaged Predrag`s shoulder. Milan wiped some sweat from his forehead and nodded.

»Now, all we can do is waiting. May I offer you some coffee whilst you tell me why you are here? I thought you were in Hungary, helping to prepare a defense line against the Ottomans.«

The man waited until the servant had brought the coffee and had withdrawn again before he answered:

»Until some two months ago, I have been in Hungary. In Pécs, to be precisely. However, one of our Generals decided to change sides.«

Milan took a sip.

»So, you are here to find this General?«

»No. I am quite sure he is at Belgrade, but by now, he has told the Turks anything he knows anyway. But in the night he disappeared, two girls also vanished. And one of them, I want to see once again!«

Now, Milan could see a glance in the younger man`s eyes.

»You – you are in love? Androsch, the fearless agent, leaves his post and runs after some girl?«

Androsch smiled, but his eyes told Milan that he had been right.

»Well, even fearless agents have feelings. And besides, I am sure that there was something between us, but now, she`s gone! However, I now have a track! By the way, you may have heard of her, since she`s not only extraordinary to me. Have you seen a girl with a black skin during the last months? An African?«

Milan shook his head. He had only seen black women on very rare occasions and not since he lived here in Serbia. He then rose to look for Predrag, leaving Androsch alone with his thoughts.

The Hungarian had indeed left Pécs without permission and he knew that both the inquisitor and the Royal house of Hungary would not be amused, but since he had rescued Tabea from the dungeon and then helped to free her friend Jelena, too, he could not stop thinking of the black girl. She had been a tough and intelligent woman, though when he had seen her in the dungeon, she had been naked, bound and gagged, helpless as one could be.

He had tried to visit her at General Hunyadi`s palace, only to be told that the General was absent. Later, he had found out that Hunyadi had left in the midst of the night and that he obviously had fled to the Turks. With him, he had taken his daughter Ilona – and also Tabea and Jelena. Androsch had doubted that the latter two had joined him on their free will.

So, with no better track than to look somewhere in the part of Europe occupied by the Ottomans, Androsch had started to search for the girls. His only hope had been that there were hardly any black girls in Serbia and so, people would perhaps remember having seen one. Indeed, he had gotten some hints and then, finally, he had even seen Jelena, who had been in the clutches of some brigands. In his spyglass, he had even seen a glimpse of Tabea the day after, when the two thugs who had wounded Predrag had kidnapped her and Predrag`s sister.

However, though he was following his heart, Androsch had not completely lost his mind. He had noticed that Milan had not been too happy to see him, though they had almost befriended when Androsch had been looking for some conspirators. One of these had been a young man named Bela, a man whom some considered to be a real magician. Said Bela had also been involved in the first kidnapping of Tabea and Jelena and now, he was on the run.

But before, Bela had been corresponding with other scholars, including Milan. The latter had told Androsch that both he and Bela were researching the same item: travelling through time. He had begged Androsch not to tell the inquisitor about that and he had agreed, considering the idea as just weird anyway.

But now, though they had been busy in taking care of Predrag, Androsch had noticed that sometimes, Milan had looked up to the ceiling. It had been as if something was hidden upstairs – something very important to Milan and also something he did not want Androsch to know about.

Milan had always been quite talkative about his researches, but now, he seemed to be eager to guide the conversation to other topics. Androsch did not say anything, but from time to time, he now looked up to the ceiling, too.

Since they were in the basement, there was of course another room above. But he could not just get there without Milan noticing it and if the scholar called for his servants, he would have to fight. Besides, perhaps the hidden secret was not of his interest at all.

Again, he looked up to the wooden planks of the ceiling. And then, he saw it. It was a small gap between two planks, maybe not bigger than the eye of a needle. And there, he could see a drop was building.

»Perhaps, he has been preparing a bath and just spilled some water. Perhaps, it`s something else!«

For another minute, he watched the growing drop. Then, he rose and approached Milan, managing to catch the drop with the back of his hand the moment it fell down.

»It seems that our patient is sleeping now, Milan. Well, I will find a room for the night and come back tomorrow. Then, I am sure you will be able to tell me that your knowledge and skills worked well and that he is alive and getting better.«

Androsch noticed that Milan seemed relieved by this proposal and did not even attempt to offer him to stay at his house instead. Once he was standing on the street, he looked down on his hand. There was just a little wet spot and whatever it was, it had not affected his skin at all.

»Well, I just hope it`s no poison!«, Androsch thought and licked over his hand. The taste was familiar and though he spat out immediately, he also smiled when slowly walking the street.

»Urine! Well, I somehow doubt that Milan is running his own tannery and I am also sure that he does not keep any wild animals in his upstairs rooms!«

Androsch was sure that this little drop had been a sign of someone kept captive in Milan`s house. And so, Androsch now had to weigh up between his urge to get back on Tabea`s tracks or to find out what was going on inside Milan`s house.

***

Their captors had cut a small opening in the leather band over Tabea`s mouth, just big enough they could push the nozzle of a drinking hose through it. By sucking the liquid through her gag, Tabea could quench her thirst a bit, though of course, also some of the liquor her gag had been soaked with ran down her throat. However, she now felt less sick and the alcohol even helped her to relax a bit.

Obviously, they thought that Bahira was less dangerous when ungagged, for Tabea, still tightly blindfolded, could hear her utter a few words when she was allowed to drink, too. She was apparently asking for Predrag, but her speech was interrupted by some moaning when the men gagged her again. Then, the men stepped away.

According to the sounds Tabea could hear, she and Bahira had been placed inside a cave whilst the men were outside, obviously preparing a campfire and having supper. Her stomach growled, but it seemed that there was no food for them on the men’s agenda.

»Well, let`s see if we can improve on our situation by ourselves!«

The few hours of sleep had made her recover a bit, at least enough to now once again test her bonds. Her wrists, however, had been bound with the same rope that ran between her legs and then had been tied around her neck. Not only did the arrangement punish too much movement, it also meant that the only knots were at her throat, unreachable for her fingers. In addition, her thumbs were tied together and also, her elbows were pulled together as far as her bonds allowed. Her legs were free, but when Tabea rose, she found that her leash had been tied somewhere. She could stand up and even walk one or two steps, but she could not touch Bahira, no matter how much she stretched her legs.

»Damned! All this got me was losing my blanket!«

However, she did not want to give up that easy, at least not until the men discovered what she was doing. So, she tried to follow her leash, to see where it was tied off. To her frustration, it led upwards, had been knotted somewhere above her head, but when she leaned against the wall, she felt a small protruding knob. It was smooth and so, it could not be used to cut through a rope, but with some effort, Tabea managed to get at least rid of her blindfold.

Blinking, the girl adjusted to the dimly lighting. They were indeed inside a cave and according to the light coming from around the corner, the men were currently unable to see her or Bahira whom she now could see some three yards away, leaning against the wall covered by a blanket. She too was still gagged and blindfolded and also leashed to the ceiling. Obviously, the further steps of freeing themselves would be on Tabea`s shoulders, too.

The leather band turned out to be too tight to be hooked under the knob and so, she would remain gagged until her hands were free. However, it could be of even better use. The noose around her neck was a classical hangman`s noose and so, by carefully pulling on it by using the knob, Tabea could increase the opening until she could slip her head through it.

Panting from the effort, the girl now sneaked towards the cave`s entrance and looked for the two men. They were busy eating some stew that smelled delicious and in addition, they were drinking something that didn`t seem to be water.

»At least, they won`t be coming for us for the next few minutes!«

Now, she went for Bahira. The girl obviously had dozed off, for she twitched and mmphed when Tabea used her toes to pull the blindfold from her. Then, however, she quickly calmed down and looked at her with great eyes. Tabea grimaced and pointed at the corner from where laughter could be heard, trying to make clear to Bahira that they had to remain quiet and to try to get loose by helping each other.

Tabea stepped closer, reaching for Bahira`s gag. with her hands tied in her lap, it meant she had to get her crotch close to the other`s face, too, and she could sense her breath on her loins when she peeled down the cloth covering Bahira`s mouth. The scarf had been pulled tight and so, Tabea worked with more effort, ignoring Bahira`s indignant grunts as her nose was forced into the silk of Tabea`s panties. Finally, she could work the gag over her chin and now, she could start on the even tighter cleave gag. Tabea felt Bahira`s soft lips and her hot breath and when she looked down, she could smell the fragrance of her lap. Tabea blushed, but she bit down on her own gag and managed to free the other girl from the cleave gag. Then, she even helped her to spit out the wad of wet cloth, feeling the saliva drop on her fingers. After what seemed an eternity, Bahira panted and coughed and then, she breathed a soft »Thank you!«.

»Mph!«

Tabea had already come to the conclusion that it would be better if she got free first, for she could at least try to fight the unprepared men if they came for them. So, when Bahira looked up to her and asked what they would do now, Tabea knelt between the other`s legs and bent forward.

»Wha-what? No!«, Bahira protested as Tabea`s ample breasts pressed against her own, also pleasingly sized boobs. Tabea arched her back and brought her neck closer to Bahira`s mouth. After a few seconds, Bahira understood.

»You – you want me to open the knots? With my teeth?«

Tabea nodded and moments later, she felt Bahira`s lips on her throat. The girl tried to concentrate on loosening the knots, but of course, she had to lick and kiss Tabea where she was very sensitive to touches. Involuntarily, she moaned and shifted her position slightly. Her fingers found that of Bahira and they held each other`s hands. Their boobs grinded against each other and Tabea felt a warm tingle.

»Oh my God, my nipples are getting hard! What will she think of me?«

But she pressed closer and when Bahira pulled on the rope again, she opened her thighs, allowing the crotch rope to chaff her more. A deep groan emerged from deep within her and-

BANG!

The sound, loud as a shot, made Tabea twitch and raise and Bahira gasped with fear. It took the girls a few seconds to realize that one of the men had obviously broken a clay bottle. According to the laughter that followed, it had been empty and they had another bottle in store to continue their drinking.

Tabea now noticed that the rope around her neck had loosened. She now could move her arms better and though her elbows were still tied. When she looked at her panties, she saw the wet spot where the crotch rope had been and she felt her cheeks burn. With a lowered head, she looked at Bahira, but the girl was just busy oppressing a scream and panted heavily.

Again, the Bosnian had to use her teeth, but now, Tabea could offer her her hands and her bound thumbs which was less intimate than the interaction before. Once her hands were free, Tabea flexed her arms until the elbow tie slid down. Then, she quickly removed Bahira`s neck rope before she started working on her bonds.

»What will we do when we are free? Do you think they will fall asleep?«

Tabea, still gagged, answered with a grunt and continued to pick on the knots with numb fingers. Only when the other girl was freed, she allowed herself to pick on the dry leather band that covered her mouth. However, it turned out to be too tight to be removed without a knife. Tabea sighed and accepted to remain gagged a little longer.

The two captives hugged each other and then, they sneaked towards the cave`s entrance. The two men were indeed still drinking, but seemed far from falling asleep. Suddenly, Bahira gasped, grabbed Tabea`s arm and pulled her back.

»Mhmm?«

»I – I just heard what the tall one said!«, Bahira whispered. »H-he said, that o-once they had f-finished their drink, they should h-have some f-f-fun with – with us!«

She shuddered and Tabea looked around. Sure, she could try to attack them by surprise, but they were two and had arms. In the cave, there was nothing of use in a fight, since they had left all their belongings outside. Then, she saw that the cave went on to the other direction.

»Uuhhmm! Mhhmmph! Hhrrrrmmm!«

It felt a bit ridiculous when she tried to tell Bahira that they should see if the cave had a second exit with her mouth thoroughly stuffed, but the girl understood her and nodded. Tabea once again listened for their captors, then, she grabbed Bahira`s hand and they stepped into the darkness of the cave.

***

Jelena tried to shift her inconvenient position without giving Mensud too much of a display of her most intimate parts.  The man had won the first round which had cost her her gown, the only clothing she had. Since she had to keep on playing, she could only use one hand to shield her breasts and so, she had tried to sit with squeezed thighs and in a way that covered at least a bit of her assets.

She was not sure whether Mensud was cheating or if he was just the better player, but again, Jelena was losing. When she could not make any other move, the man grinned:

»Make offer!«

The girl sighed. If she proposed to make him some tea or something like that, he might decide that he wanted another kind of dessert. So, she decided to go a little further to prevent him from doing even more.

»You – want me to dance for you?«

Dancing in the nude was definitely not what she wanted, but at least, he would not touch her. Jelena forced herself to smile and lowered her arm a bit, allowing him to see the top of her left breast.

Again, Mensud licked his lips and then, he reached for his bag and produced a small flute. He started to play a fast tune and Jelena started to dance in a way she knew would make his blood wander below his waist. She was stark naked and had buxom forms and in addition, Jelena was a good dancer. She oppressed her embarrassment and danced until Mensud stopped playing and applauded. Then, he rose and took a piece of rope.

»Dance was good – but not good enough!«

He stepped behind her and quickly tied her wrists before grabbing her elbows. Jelena whimpered as he brought them together and tied them with the same rope. Mensud took some care not to hurt her, but the position was straining and when he stepped in front of her to admire his work, Jelena could not help blushing all over. Not only was she now forced to thrust out her 34D boobs, she also could no longer cover her pubic area.

»Now, let`s continue playing!«

Mensud made her sit down and then took his place opposite to her. Jelena quickly understood the perfidy of this: with her arms tied, she had only two options of throwing the dices or moving the stones: she could either bent over the table and move the stones with her mouth – or she could use her toes, forcing her to open her thighs.

She looked up to where Goran had left, but the rising moon told her that even under the best conditions, it would take another ten hours before he would return. Jelena gulped. Then, she reluctantly stretched her leg to grab the dices with her toes.

***

Androsch ducked behind the chimney of the house adjacent to Milan`s. The full moon lit the darkness as if it was broad daylight and it had been difficult to climb the roof unseen. Now, he could see the roof of the scholar`s house. It looked like any other roof – except for one detail: it had a large opening that was covered by a glass window. Sure, this window had cost more than the entire house and Androsch knew that Milan wasn`t especially rich. So, he had not bought this window just to admire the clouds.

»Maybe, he is just watching the stars!«

Now, he could see a light from within the other house: obviously, someone had entered the room under the window and had started to light some candles. Many candles, according to the growing brightness.

Carefully, Androsch looked if there was anyone around. Then, he jumped over upon Milan`s roof, landing without a sound. He knew that whoever was in the room, could now not see him, for it now was much darker outside. Slowly, lying on his stomach, he crawled forward.

Directly under him, Androsch could see a round table and upon it, a girl was lying, staring up to the window, but obviously unaware of his presence. She was a tallish slender blonde and she was stark naked. Her arms and legs were tied spread-eagle to the table and there was also a chain around her neck. He could also see a ball gag in her mouth, but though the girl squirmed and seemed to fight her bonds, he could hear no sound through the thick glass.

»So, that`s what you are hiding from me, Milan!«

As on keyword, he could now see the scholar, approaching the girl. First, Androsch thought he was holding a knife, but it was a paint brush with which he now began to paint strange symbols all over the blonde`s body. From time to time, Milan looked up to the sky, causing Androsch to duck away, though he was sure Milan could not see him anyway.

»What the hell are you doing? Conjuring up a demon – or Satan himself?«

Involuntarily, Androsch crossed himself, but he kept on watching. Milan finished painting the girl. Then, he reached for a long stick. When the window began to move, Androsch withdrew a bit, as the stick was meant to open it. Now, he could hear faint moaning and heard Milan say:

»Soon, the full moon will shine on you, my girl!«

***