The Search 6

When the man slowly approached, Tabea quickly checked their chances: they were two, but the man was armed and Bahira sure wasn`t much of a help. So, she stepped a little bit away from her companion and hissed:

»Run! I will see if I can keep him occupied for a while!«

Bahira looked at her with widened eyes, but then, as the man came closer, she turned around and disappeared into the darkness. Tabea looked at the stone in her hand and, since it would not have been of much use in a fight, threw it at the man.

»Ouch!«

She hit his shoulder, but unfortunately, it was his left and so, he still could use his weapon arm and besides, the man had sounded rather angry than seriously wounded. He faced her, now just some ten yards apart from Tabea.

»You better give up, girl!«

Tabea frowned when she recognized his voice: she had been blindfolded, but this was the leader of the group that had kidnapped her and Jelena some days ago! Tabea`s brain now ran fast: why was he alone? Where were his accomplices? And, not the least, what had been going on between Jelena and him?

»Nelly? Are you okay?«, she asked in German. Her friend squirmed a bit and answered by a moan. The man quickly looked at his captive before he turned back to Tabea again.

»She`s fine! Now, come close to me!«

Tabea once again looked at Jelena. She could see that her friend was bound, gagged, blindfolded – and, quite unsurprisingly, stark naked. And yet, something didn`t fit the picture.

»What will you do to us?«, she asked, just to gain some time.

»You won`t get hurt!«, he answered enigmatically, but now, Tabea saw what was strange: sure, the thug had recognized her and he had Jelena in his hands, but he had not threatened to do any harm to her if Tabea refused to give up. So, he either was very silly – or he was in a condition where the very idea of hurting or threatening Jelena just wasn`t in his mind!

Tabea considered her options: she could run away and hope that the man who was wearing boots and in addition had a horse would lose her track. Or, she could fight against a man with a sword, something that could be very dangerous, even for a skilled Martial Arts fighter like her. Or, she could do what he ordered and see what had happened since she had escaped his clutches.

»Perhaps, Nelly has seduced him and he will let her go! And sure, she won`t leave me behind!«

So, Tabea raised her hands, showing her palms towards the man, and stepped towards him. He grinned and said:

»Turn your back to me and get on your knees!«

So, the idea of maybe attacking him when he put away his sword had just become more difficult. Tabea obeyed and could hear him come close. Then, she felt the blade touch her throat.

»Loosen the cloth and give it to me!«

It was clear what he meant: slowly, Tabea reached behind her back and undid the knots of the cloth that covered her breasts. Then, seeing from a corner of her eye that he was standing in a position where, had she tried to kick him, he would have been able to cut her first. So, the girl just handed him the long silk band.

The man now jumped close. In the same second, he grabbed her wrists and stepped on one of her calves. Then, he forced her wrists together at the back of her neck and tied them together with her breast cloth. The long ends, he tied around her neck, knotting them off at Tabea`s throat. Now, her hands were crossed at her nape, which tied her arms simply, but efficiently. The man grabbed her arm, showed her that he still had the sword in his other hand, and pulled her closer to the fire.

»Stay!«

Roughly, but not yet brutal, he made her kneel in front of Jelena. Then, he produced a rope and tied Tabea`s ankles, connecting the end to her wrist tie in a mere hogtie that allowed her to sit upright without having to arch her back more than a bit. Then, he went for Jelena and loosened her blindfold.

»Mhhmmm!«

Jelena stared at her and Tabea forced a smile on her face.

»So, you and this guy, eh?«

Now, Jelena blushed deeply and Tabea could also see that, once he had loosened the cloth, the man caressed Jelena`s hair before getting back to Tabea. He now not only held the blindfold, but also another cloth rag. Knowing what would be next, Tabea whispered:

»We will talk later, Nelly!«

Without resistance, she allowed the man to stuff her mouth and to tie the other cloth tightly between her lips. Then, he took one of the blankets and draped it over her shoulders before he sat down close to Jelena again. He said something in Serbian Tabea couldn`t understand, but the intonation told her that it was something friendly and when he caressed Jelena`s chin and neck, she didn`t twitch back.

»So, this time, we changed the past by bringing forward Stockholm Syndrome some 450 years! Maybe, I should ask this man if he has got a handsome accomplice!«

However, Tabea`s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves.

***

Androsch thanked God for his luck: early in the morning, he had went for Milan`s house and the reaction of the old scholar told him that he hadn`t recognized Androsch as the man who had attacked him at night. Milan just told him about a fire that had broken out the last night, but he did not mention any secret experiments or the blonde girl. In addition, he seemed to be quite happy that Androsch wanted to take Milan with him if it was possible. Obviously, he wanted to keep last night`s events secret from Androsch.

»Well, he will need some more days of recovery, but I think he will make it!«

So, Androsch paid a few men to get Predrag to his hotel where he took care that he got a room with a clean bed and that the people there would take care of him for a week. Then, Androsch headed to the staple and secretly climbed up to the hayloft where he had left Mira. The blonde still was tied and gagged, but didn`t seem too frightened at his sight.

»Time to go, girl!«, he said and loosened the cloth that was tied her head to the post. Mira seemed quiet and so, he removed her gag and gave her some water before he asked:

»Do you trust me, Mira?«

»Actually not. But I hardly have a chance!«

Androsch smiled and caressed her chin.

»That`s true. But I have no intention of hurting you – or Tabea, for what that means.«

Now, Mira looked at him directly.

»You – you love her.«

Androsch slightly nodded and answered:

»Just like you do.«

Tears formed in Mira`s eyes and Androsch suddenly felt a wave of compassion for his captive. He fought down the urge to embrace her and instead just caressed her cheek before he said:

»Well, you may not trust me, but I promise you one thing: once we have her back, she may decide! Now, any last comments before I get you ready to go?«

Androsch reached for the ball gag and Mira gulped before she forced herself to smile.

»Just let me pee and then, we can leave!«

***

 Goran had once again drawn his sword when he had heard the riders and quickly kicked out the campfire. Then, he listened into the darkness. There suddenly was a noise that he first considered a neigh, but then, he heard a yell. He was almost sure it had been Mensud and so, he could tell the other riders were Amar, Sanjin and Sinisha, his former comrades. However, they didn`t come closer and even seemed to retreat a bit. Suddenly, he understood. He stepped close to Tabea and surprisingly gentle put his hand on her shoulder.

»They spotted your friend – and now, they are hunting her!«

Tabea gulped, thinking of Bahira, the girl she had known for only such a short time. However, there was nothing she could do for her, even if she had not been bound and gagged and even if the man and Jelena had supported her. Anyway, Goran seemed to have other plans.

Quickly, he put the saddle back on his horse and then, he cut Jelena`s legs loose. Leaving her gagged and with her arms tied, he made her sit on the horse, securing her to the pommel. Tabea could not help noticing how gentle the man treated her friend. Then, however, he came for her, holding a pair of boots in his hand.

»You kick me, you go barefoot!«

He hardly waited for Tabea to nod and cut her ankle ties. Then, he put the boots on her feet, before tying a leash around her neck. So, he intended that Tabea would have to walk behind the horse whilst Jelena and he would sit in the saddle.

Indeed, Goran then mounted the horse, sitting behind Jelena, and made the animal walk. With no other choice, Tabea followed them. At least, he did not make the horse walk faster than a pedestrian; he had provided her with boots and in addition, he regularly turned his head to see if she hadn`t staggered. But Tabea could not help feeling a bit jealous when she could see that he had draped a blanket over Jelena`s shoulders whilst she had only her sweaty panties to protect her from the cold.

Besides, she still was wondering what he wanted from her: perhaps, what he felt for Jelena was true love, but why was he still taking her with him? Somehow, Tabea was sure he did not just want Jelena to have her best friend around.

***

Being a dancer and used to a simple life, Bahira was quite sportive, but now, she was panting heavily. She was suffering from side stitches and was rather crawling over the rocks than she was walking. The hills were steep and so, her four pursuers had dismounted their horses, but they sure had an idea where the girl was and they were coming closer. In addition, the sun was now beginning to rise.

Bahira licked her parched lips and looked at the horizon. She had indeed more or less found her way to Valjevo, since she now could see the hills behind which the city was located. However, it was another eight miles or so and Bahira knew that she needed a rest.

Frantically, she looked for a place to hide. Some 500 yards away, she spotted a small barn, not bigger than a cart. Of course, it was an obvious place to look at, but on the other hand, it offered a little protection. Indeed, it even contained some straw and so, the exhausted girl stumbled inside.

»If I see them coming, I can still try to get on! Just a few minutes!«

However, just seconds after she had sunk on the straw, Bahira fell asleep, having to pay tribute to the strenuous last hours.

***

Mira had to admit that Androsch was trying to be as gentle as keeping her restrained allowed him: he had given her a plain cloak instead of the noticeable bright one he had taken from Milan and despite the fact she still was stark naked underneath, Mira felt covered. Her wrists were tied to the pommel by a soft rope and she was still sporting the ball gag, now hidden under a veil. However, before he had sat in the saddle behind her, Androsch had put a folded cloth under her butt – not so much as an upholstery, but to keep her from direct contact with his manhood. Obviously, he respected the fact that she was not into men, at least a little bit.

The mule was pulling a light, two-wheeled cart, just big enough to carry the sleeping Predrag, embedded on a pile of straw. Androsch told a plausible story to the gate-keeper why he was getting a wounded man outside the town, but the soldier was only interested in an extra silver coin; in addition, Predrag distracted him from a closer look at Mira who of course could have alerted the guard – had she intended to do so. But she was as keen on finding Tabea as Androsch was, though this meant having to stay bound and gagged for some more time.

Since the mule had rested the whole night and had been given the best oat, the little group reached the place where the thugs had assaulted Predrag and kidnapped Tabea and Bahira after some hour. The cart had been plundered by some peasants, who had only left some colored cloths behind. Androsch padded Predrag`s shoulder when he gave him some water and showed him what had happened. The man, who was still weak, but seemed to recover well, just croaked:

»Look – under right wheel!«

Androsch did as he had been told and indeed found a hidden box that contained some gold and silver, enough to get a new horse and some more goods. Androsch nodded slowly: obviously, Predrag thought that he would help him, but of course, it would be more reasonable to leave the wounded man behind and take the money with him. However, Androsch had another plan.

He untied the cart Predrag was lying upon from his mule, taking care the man still was okay. Then, he handed him the money, telling him to hide it well. Predrag nodded and Androsch now lit a dry branch.

Looking around, he could see some peasants or shepherds in the distance. These people had plundered the abandoned vehicle, but they sure were no real criminals. So, they would sure help a wounded man, at least someone who would be able to pay for the treatment.

Predrag nodded as he explained this plan to him, weakly padding on his chest where he had hidden the money under his shirt. Androsch handed him the flask; then, he lit the cart, setting it on fire to alert the peasants.

»Now, all we have to do is to follow that track of hooves which is more than a day old and leads towards rocky ground. Then, we have to fight an unknown number of armed brigands and then, we may throw the dice to decide who of us gets the girl!«

Unable to speak, Mira just sighed, but despite these true, but dissuasive words, she felt some hope as the mule, now able to walk faster, approached the hills.

***

Under other circumstances, Tabea would have appreciated the sight of the little plateau lit by the morning sun. It was a lovely place that offered a marvelous sight, but for the exhausted girl, it just meant that they had reached the highest point for the moment and that Goran made his horse stop. When he dismounted, Tabea sank to her knees and then quite unceremoniously landed on her side.

»A little rest, Nelly!«

Tabea could not help feeling a little jealous when the man carefully untied Jelena from the saddle and gently placed her near a rock so she could lean against it. Jelena looked at Tabea who still was panting through her nose, sweat glistering on her bare breasts, despite the still cold morning air.

»O – K – A - Y ?«, Jelena morse coded by humming through her gag. She was stark naked, unlike Tabea who still had her damp panties, but she sure was more comfortable since she had been riding whilst Tabea had walked, leashed to the horse.

Too weak to rise, Tabea just nodded towards Jelena. Then, she looked at Goran who had stepped over to the plateau`s edge, looking down at the valley. He seemed to enjoy the view, but suddenly, the man stiffened and ducked behind a rock whilst still watching something.

Tabea now was alerted. Perhaps, the thug had spotted some rescuers – though it was quite unlikely that anyone, either Turkish or Serbian, would improve their situation. However, any change could be good, given the fact they both were naked, bound and gagged.

Biting down on the cloth stuffing her mouth, Tabea forced herself on her feet and then, she staggered closer to Goran, trying to make as less noise as possible.

»Perhaps, I can land a kick before he sees me! Perhaps-«

However, now Tabea could see what had caught Goran`s attention: down in the valley, some 500 yards away, four riders had surrounded a small barn. Or, to be exactly, it were four horses of whom only two were mounted. The other two riders now left the barn, pulling a struggling figure between them.

»Mhhmmph!«

Tabea moaned when she recognized the fighting girl as Bahira. A second later, her high-pitched scream reached the plateau, only to be interrupted by one of the men slapping her face.

Goran had recognized Tabea beside him, but just nodded with a bitter expression on his face.

»Your friend didn`t make it very far!«

There was no glee in his voice, just the simple acceptance of a fact. With horror, Tabea watched how the men ripped the clothes from Bahira, stripping her naked. She was not sure, but since she could hear no more cries, she guessed that the men had gagged the girl. Then, Tabea felt a cold shiver run down her spine: two of the men dragged Bahira inside the barn whilst the two others positioned themselves outside as guards.

»Mhmm?«

Jelena had come to her feet and approached them. She hadn`t seen the attack on Bahira, but according to her widened eyes, she recognized the two men who had remained outside. Goran now slowly shook his head and said:

»I can`t help her!«

He hesitated for a few moments before he added a »Sorry!«, turning away from the barn. Jelena moaned questioningly, demanding to know what had happened, but Tabea stepped in front of Goran, glancing at him.

»Mph!«

Now, things happened very quickly. Goran made a move, perhaps, he just wanted to push her aside, but Tabea reflexively raised her leg. Her knee hit Goran`s stomach and the surprised man stumbled backwards – one step too many, as he had still been standing close to the edge.

»Mhhrrrrmmmm!«

Jelena screamed through her gag as Goran fell. Then, she jumped for the edge and nearly fell over, too, but managed to land on her knees. Desperately, she looked down. Tabea, just realizing what she had done, also watched but could not see any trace of Goran. However, after a few terrible seconds, the girls could hear his voice. He was cursing in his mother tongue and Tabea could hardly understand a word, but obviously, he had managed to grab a root or something and was trying to get back.

»Uhmph! Mph!«

Tabea, who had regained her ability to think clearly, pushed Jelena with her shoulder and luckily, her friend understood: she turned around and when Tabea had brought her neck close to Jelena`s fingers, she began to work on the knots. It took perhaps two minutes until Tabea`s hands were free. Without hesitating, the girl pulled the leash from her neck and tied the other end to a protruding root before throwing the rope over the edge. Then, she pulled the cloth from between her jaws and worked the gag from her mouth.

»Mhhmm!«

Jelena demanded to be freed and Tabea quickly worked on her ties. She could hear Goran yell something and then, the rope tightened: obviously, he had managed to grab the other end.

»He will be back in a minute, quick!«

Once Jelena`s arms were free, Tabea pulled her friend towards the horse, not even giving her time to ungag herself. Tabea, who was quite a good rider, approached the animal and padded it`s neck before she put her foot into the saddle. Jelena, who had managed to remove her gag, hesitated.

»He will make it, but this is our only chance, Nelly!«

As on keyword, now, a hand could be seen at the edge, followed by Goran`s head. Jelena let out a sigh of relief, but then, she climbed on the saddle, right behind Tabea, and slung her arms around her. Tabea pushed her heels into the horse`s sides and it walked on. Since the horse still was quite exhausted, it just trotted, but they were still faster than the man who, as he had reached safety, had to remain crouching for some more precious moments.

»What now, Tabby?«, Jelena asked once they had brought some distance between them and the plateau. Tabea pointed to the vague direction of the barn.

»We at least have to try to save Bahira! I have no idea what to do, but I owe her at least an attempt!«

Jelena didn`t answer, but tightened her grip around Tabea who tried to find a way down the hills.

***

Sinisha and Mensud had dragged Bahira inside the barn where they had tied up the naked girl in a simple, but efficient way: they had tied her wrists with a long rope and thrown the other end over a ceiling beam. Then, they had pulled until Bahira was standing with her arms pointing upwards, her shoulder aching from the inconvenient position. Since they had tied her hands behind her back, she had to bend forward and she was whimpering through the cloth that stuffed her mouth. Mensud tied another rag between her lips whilst Sinisha held the loose end of her wrist tie. Then, he went for two rocks, each almost round and the size of a melon. One by one, he carried them towards the panting girl, placing them in front of her feet.

Sinisha seemed to understand his comrade without a word, for he just pulled on the rope, forcing Bahira to step on the stones if she didn`t want to dislodge her arms. There she stood, staggering and fighting to keep balance. Mensud grinned and reached for her breasts.

»Mhhmmph! Nnnggg!«

Bahira squirmed as he fondled her boobs, but she did not dare to struggle too much. Sinisha now approached and also stepped on one of the stones. The girl moaned with fear, but he slung the loose end of the rope around her neck, making sure she had to keep her arms in a very inconvenient position if she didn`t want to strangle herself. He knotted the rope off and then, he jumped from the rock. For some time, they just groped the naked girl, but when Sinisha tried to push his hand between her legs and Bahira pressed her thighs together, he suddenly grinned and whispered something into Mensud`s ear. The two men then stepped back. Bahira looked at them with dismay as they bowed mockingly. Then, remaining in their bent position, each of them grabbed one of the stones Bahira was standing upon.

»Uuuhmm! Mmhhmmmm! Hhhrrrrmmmm!«

Bahira screamed into her gag as they slowly pulled the stones away from each other. This not only forced the girl to open her legs, but also made her position even more unstable. Finally, when she was balancing on her toes and her leg muscles were strained from her spread position, they finally stopped, but only to once again touch her pussy. Now, Bahira could not even try to close her legs and had to endure the humiliating touch of the rough hand.

»Ey, Sinisha, Mensud!«

It was Amar and the two just wanted to reprimand him, since it would be his turn with the girl soon, but Amar made them step outside and pointed on a steep hill some 500 yards away. When they realized what it was, the two men fell silent: there, near the top of the hill, a figure was hanging or rather trying to climb back on the top. A figure wearing a red shirt they all knew only too well.

»Is that Goran?«

»If not, he has got a twin brother! Well, last time we saw him, he had another girl and in addition, there is something I would like to tell him! Something about loyalty and comradeship!«

The others nodded grimly and after a few seconds, they had made a decision: Goran had become their leader because he was a better fighter than each of them alone and so, they didn`t want to give him a chance. Besides, the girl would not run away and with a little bit of luck, they would soon also have Jelena for their pleasure. So, all four mounted their horses and galloped towards the hill where Goran had just reached the top and gotten out of their sight.

***

Once they were sure that Goran was not trying to follow them, Tabea had stopped the horse and they had quickly checked if there was anything that could improve their situation. It wasn`t much: there was a blanket big enough for the two of them to get covered, but not if they wanted to walk around, let alone trying to free Bahira. In addition, they found a sack with some silver – quite a sum, but useless unless they had found back into civilization –, some flints, cookware and a felt hat. With a grimace, Jelena put on the hat whilst she tried to drape the blanket around her nude forms.

»At least, you have your panties and the boots!«

»Yeah, I began to feel a little overdressed in your company! Next time, you try to seduce someone with some extra wardrobe!«

Before Jelena could say something, the two girls could hear the sound of hooves. They looked at the direction they had come from, but the sound approached from the other side. A moment later, a rider appeared, some 100 yards away from the two girls.

»Damned!«

Tabea grabbed the reins of the horse and jumped into the saddle the very moment the rider yelled something and pointed at her. Jelena, who had been busy with the blanket, took a few seconds more – and when she tried to get to Tabea, she got entangled in the blanket and slipped.

Now, the others had reached the scenery and were approaching quickly. Tabea knew that her only chance was to leave Jelena behind and to ride as fast as she could, but she hesitated to leave her friend behind. Then, she saw that one of the men had a small crossbow in his hand and was aiming at her. Tabea, who knew only too well that this thug was a good shooter, cursed and raised her hands.

»S-Sorry, Tabby!«, Jelena stammered. She had come to her feet and, in a helpless gesture, was trying to cover herself with her arms. Tabea jumped from the saddle and embraced her friend as the four men encircled them.

»At least, we are together!«

Five minutes later, both girls were tied up identically. Whilst one man had taken the saddle from Goran`s horse and one had kept his crossbow pointed at them, the two others had tied their wrists and ankles, their hands in front of their bodies. Then, they had quite unceremoniously loaded both girls on the horse`s back, tying their bound hands and feet together under the animal`s back, pulling the ropes tight.

Roughly, one of the men now grabbed Jelena`s scalp and when she opened her mouth to let out a scream, he stuffed a huge rag into it. This, he secured by another cloth he tied tightly between the girl`s lips, but the man wasn`t finished. he pulled a sack over Jelena`s head and then took a piece of rope. This was wound over her mouth twice before he knotted it off, keeping the hood in place and further securing her gag.

Tabea knew that she would be next, but obviously, the men wanted to treat her a bit more harshly. Whilst one of them was pulling on her hair and forced an even bigger wad into her mouth, two of the others had stepped on the other side of the horse and started spanking Tabea`s buttocks. She managed not to squeal, but when the man had finally crammed her mouth so full her jaw felt strained, she had tears in her eyes and was panting heavily.

Now, she was cleave-gagged, too, before another sack was pulled over her head. Tabea felt them tie a rope tightly over her mouth and between her lips. Then, her head was pulled backwards in a painful way.

»Mph!«

Tabea moaned when suddenly her panties were pulled deeply into her cleft and pussy. Then, she felt someone fumble around at the small of her back and when they let her go, Tabea understood the perfidy arrangement: they had tied her head to her panties so, whenever she tried to lower her head, she would wedge the cloth even deeper between her buttocks.

She heard a laugh and then, another hard slap hit her butt. It was still sore and the man had caught her off-guard and this time, Tabea could not help moaning. The man`s hand now clawed into her buttock whilst another one`s fingers were fondling her breasts.  Then, however, one of them yelled that they had to hurry.

»Later, we have fun!«

Once more, the hand grabbed her butt whilst the other thug pinched one of Tabea`s nipples, causing her to squeal once again. She hated herself for that, but she knew that she would scream and sob anyway before the day was over. A high pitched mew told her that they had molested Jelena the same way, but this was hardly a consolation.

When the horse they were lying upon was beginning to walk, Tabea could hear one of the men shout something that included the name »Goran«. Obviously, three of their captors were trying to get their former leader whilst the fourth would get them to some place where they intended to have some »fun« with them later.

Tabea had to fight down the urge to sob. During the last 24 hours, she had managed to escape capture twice, only to now find herself in an even worse predicament. These bastards had not only her in her clutches, but also Jelena and Bahira! She had not only herself once again fallen into the hands of some thugs, but not even managed to help their friends escape. In addition, there was another question haunting her mind:

What would they do to them after they had had their way with them?

***