Ebony and Ivory 11

The Baron went to the entry hall, where he gave a short summary of the castle’s history before he excused himself and sat down on an upholstered chair. Louise took over and when they visited the rooms, she was always friendly and remained in the background, but it was clear that her main job was to have an eye on the visitors.

Not that the castle’s room contained real valuables. Neither Hilmar nor Marlene were historians, but even they could see that the focus was on infotainment, not on historical accuracy. There was an armoury with all kinds of armours, swords and other weapons – much to the children’s delight, even more as they were allowed to put on helmets and take pictures as they posed with some of the weapons. The torture chamber was even worse, as there were paper mâché figures to illustrate the torture devices, and in the background, some generic horror music was playing, mixed with occasional aching and screaming.

»If Marcus had to see this, he’d take one of his history books and use it to beat the shit out of the Baron, for disrespecting history!«, Hilmar whispered, and Marlene had to agree. Her pupils sure would have liked the castle, but the educational value was that of a western movie from the 1950ies.

Nevertheless, they took lots of photos, though they could find no evidence that the castle was something else than a tourist trap. Of course, there were some locked rooms, leading to the area where the Baron and maybe Louise were living, but more and more, they feared that they were following a dead lead.

Quite disappointed, they left the castle and walked down the hill. At the van, they saw Marcus sitting in the shadows. He had explored the ravine under the castle, only to come to the conclusion that only a trained alpinist would be able to get up the rock.

»I would risk breaking my neck for Silvie, but I’d prefer not doing so if she’s not even there! Let’s have a look at your photos – or hope that Annika and Nabia found something!«

***

The trip of Nabia and Annika had started unspectacular enough, with them following the signs to a »Panorama Path«. Indeed, after some mile, they had been able to look at the castle from a neighbouring hill, and it had been a nice view, but not what they had come for. Annika took a sip from her water bottle and looked at Nabia.

»Come on, you are a soldier! Don’t you have some tracking skills?«

»What do you expect me to do? Pick up Abina’s scent?«, the Black replied. Then, however, she left the path, approaching the rocks and bushes. At first, Annika thought she just needed to pee, but then, the Black made a gesture, and she carefully followed her.

»There! That rock over there! It’s so close to the castle that one might almost be able to jump over to it! Let’s get there!«

They climbed down the rock and up the other, minding each step, as none of them was equipped for such a journey. At least, their sneakers were okay for uneven ground, but Annika soon realized that an ankle-length wrap skirt and thorny bushes didn’t match well.

»Keep all comments to yourself!«, she told Nabia as she took off the skirt and knotted it around her waist. The Black chuckled:

»Come on, you are too pale, and your leg muscles could be better trained, but at least, your ass is quite crisp for a white chick!«

Annika would have loved to give some witty remark, but she had to remember how Nabia had clawed her fingers into her buttocks, and so, she lowered her head to hide she was blushing slightly. However, as they continued their trip and Nabia was behind her, she knew that she was looking at her butt, and the thought wasn’t unpleasant.

After a while, they reached another path, narrow and obviously not used very often. It led directly to the rock Nabia had mentioned, and it was indeed so close they could have counted the dandelions at the foot of the wall.

»Okay, you were right!«, Annika admitted, and Nabia smiled.

»About the rock or about your ass?«

»Both, of course!«, Annika purred and poked the other’s flank, so she cringed and let out an oppressed, high-pitched squeal. Then, Nabia grabbed Annika’s hair, slung a few tresses around her fingers and pulled her close. She wasn’t too gentle, and Annika gasped, but not just from pain.

»Preying on my only weakness, hm?«, Nabia whispered. Annika felt her strong grip on her scalp, and she breathed:

»Who are you to judge?«

Her hand was on Nabia’s side, the tips of her fingers moving over the cloth of her T-Shirt. She could feel how the Black stiffened, and at the same time, her grip on the redhead’s hair tightened. Both’s breaths had accelerated. However, Nabia loosened her grip and just said in a hoarse voice:

»Once this is over, I will do what your parents missed to do – put you over my knees and give you a well-deserved spanking!«

Annika suddenly had to think of the reason they were here, and she became serious again.

»Let’s get this over first!«

They followed the path till they were at the ravine between their rock and that the castle was built upon. It led to a hanging bridge that looked as if it would break if a bird landed on it. The rusty sign on a chain blocking it, warning of the danger and forbidding trespassing, almost seemed superfluous.

»After you, Skinny!«, Nabia said. The Black was far from being chubby, but she was five inches taller than Annika, and she had an athletic figure. However, Annika also wasn’t keen on testing how rotten the bridge’s ropes were, or if the planks could carry her weight. She undid the wrap skirt still slung around her hips, shook it out, and then put it back on. Nabia chuckled.

»I don’t think anyone is looking right now!«

Indeed, there was only one tower at that side of the wall, and it looked as if it was as rotten as the bridge. In addition, they didn’t look suspicious, just like two tourists who were a bit improperly dressed for hiking, and who had explored a side way. The only thing that might have raised suspicion was the gun in Annika’s bag.

Nabia reached for Annika’s hand, and she was wondering hat she had in mind. However, the Black just wanted some support as she bent over the edge of the cliff to have a better look. The gap between their position and the other side was just some 20 yards, but the rocks were almost horizontal, and she guessed that it was some 50 yards to the bottom of the ravine.

»What the-«

Annika leaned back with all her weight as Nabia suddenly reached forward, as if she was trying to feel the rock. She stretched and bent, accompanied by some aching. Then, with the help of Annika, she returned to firm ground. In her hand, she held a single sock.

Annika took it. It looked new and quite clean, though it had been worn before. She guessed that the wearer had about her shoe size. However, there were some harmless explanations for the sock being there: a hiker had changed his socks and lost it, or it had fallen from someone’s backpack, or it had been stolen and later dropped by a bird. She told Nabia, but the Black just held it closer to her face.

»Eww! That’s definitely none of my fetishes!«

»I thought you were a Policewoman«, Nabia replied, and Annika now looked closer at the sock. Then, she noticed what Nabia was referring to: shortly before their arrival the night before, there had been a short rain, but this sock was dry. So, it hadn’t been there, hanging from a bush beside the bridge, for more than a few hours.

She examined the area, searching for more evidence. There were no footprints, and she decided to step onto the bridge, albeit only for a few steps. Now, she took Nabia’s hand before she climbed over the chain carrying the sign. Carefully, she put her foot on the first plank of the bridge. Then, she leaned forward and tried to look down the ravine.

»There! There’s a shoooo-«

Annika let out an oppressed scream as Nabia suddenly let her hand go and she lost her balance. Reflexively, she grabbed one of the rope railings and struggled not to fall to her death. After a few seconds, she had regained her balance, and she prepared to shout at Nabia. The Black put one finger to her lips, and with her other hand, she pointed at Annika’s foot.

Barely able to oppress her rage, Annika looked down – and gasped. For a second, she thought that her right foot was hovering. Then, she noticed that she was standing on something that was transparent, but nevertheless firm. She examined the bridge, and now, she realized that though the planks were rotten, there were additional planks made of acrylic glass between them, and beside the old hemp ropes were some made of strong, transparent Nylon.

»This bridge is as save as the path I am standing upon!«, Nabia said. Annika, whose legs still felt a bit wobbly, stared at her companion, and with a grin, Nabia added:

»I just noticed it!«

Annika let out a breath. Then, she asked:

»Couldn’t you just have, you know, told me? You scared me to death!«

»Come on, don’t be like that!«

Nabia stepped over the chain, brushed through Annika’s hair and placed a quick kiss on her lips. With a smile, she whispered:

»You look pretty when you are pretending to be angry!«

Before Annika could respond, she became serious again and asked:

»Now, what do you say? Shall we get back to the others, or have a look?«

Annika pondered.

»Hm, Marcus could get too overzealous in his urge to find his girlfriend, Hilmar’s also a less trained fighter than you and me, and Marlene-«

Nabia nodded, and Annika suddenly had to remember what it had been when they had overpowered the Black; when she had been between Marlene’s legs with her face, and had-

»You go first!«, she ordered and made Nabia step onto the bridge whilst she rummaged through her bag, producing the gun. Nabia seemed a bit puzzled.

»You are using me as a human shield?«

»Partially«, Annika replied. Then, showing a glimpse of a smile, she added, fumbling on the ribbon of her skirt:

»In addition, I will take off my skirt again, for movability reasons, and if I am behind you, there’s a chance you will concentrate on what lies ahead of us instead of my butt!«

Nabia watched Annika take off her skirt in a way that made the Policewoman blush slightly, but at the same time, she liked to be watched that way. She placed the folded skirt beside her bag.

»Let’s go!«

It felt strange to step on the gaps between the planks, but after a few yards, they had gotten adjusted to it, and the bridge proved to be quite stable. Annika now could again see the shoe, an ordinary rambling boot that also looked new. Then, she looked forward. Since the bridge didn’t go straight, but slightly sagged, she could see its end despite Nabia walking in front of her.

The bridgehead was a small natural plateau, just big enough for the two of them to stand. There was a tunnel starting right there, but it was covered by a grid door that looked old, but though rusty, the steel bars seemed solid. The hinge was secured by an old-fashioned padlock. Nabia tested the door, but it was too solid even for her strength.

»We have to get back and get a saw!«

Annika looked at her watch. It was 10:30, meaning that the castle had opened for visitors, among them Hilmar and Marlene.

»Right now, they are distracted, because of the tourists!«

She then looked at Nabia. The difference in sizes meant that she was more or less staring at the Black’s ample boobs. She suddenly had an idea, and in a voice both authoritarian and matter-of-factly, she ordered:

»Take of your T-Shirt!«

»Uuhh, Officer, are you strip-searching me?«, Nabia replied as she obeyed. She then took her shoulders back, emphasizing her ample cleavage. Annika let her eyes wander over the bra that was fitting quite well. Nabia was a 36D, whilst Marlene, from whom she had borrowed the white bra, was a 38D. She let out a fluttering breath when Annika put her hands on her hips and slowly let them wander up whilst she looked at Nabia’s heaving boobs.

»Just what I hoped to find!«

Nabia let out a strange sound and then sighed when Annika’s fingers had reached the base of her breasts. Then, with a swift gesture, she reached into her bra and removed the supporting wire from them. Grinning, she said:

»Exactly what I need to work on the lock!«

Nabia silently put her T-Shirt back on, swallowing any replies. Annika meanwhile reached through the bars and grabbed the lock with her left whilst trying to work on it with the wire. She had bent forward, and suddenly, she asked:

»Nabia, is that your hand on my butt?«

»The door opens to the outside, and I don’t want you to fall when it suddenly opens!«

»And of course, you are only kneading my buttocks because you want to warm up your fingers, in case we get into a fight!«

After a few minutes, the padlock opened, and the two women could open the grid door and sneak into the tunnel. Annika raised her gun whilst Nabia grabbed an iron bar leaning beside the door as a makeshift club. Now, the time for bantering was over, and they were two professionals on a difficult, maybe dangerous mission.

***

»Did you know that in the Early Modern Age, torture followed strict rules? The torturer had to slowly escalate the pain he inflicted, it was almost like a ritual?«

Valentina spoke calmly, but she sounded a bit sad, as if she was longing to have lived in these times. Both Abina and Silvana had heard about that before, but there was a difference if such information were given by a guide at a museum – or by a woman who held them captive and could easily change to »show, don’t tell«, whilst they were unable to defend themselves, or even to scream for help.

Valentina went for a table and returned with what looked like huge pincers. She let them snap a few times.

»The torturer usually started by showing the delinquent the instruments. Well, these pincers, I am sure you can guess what they are meant for. Did you notice the long handles? They are meant for still allowing me to use the pincers when the top is made red hot!«

Though the touch wasn’t worse than that of a finger, Abina whimpered through her gag when Valentina opened the pincers and placed them at one of her breasts. The pinching was just a slight mockery, but nevertheless, the Black’s chest heaved when Valentina withdrew, returning with what looked like a club about one foot in length.

»You may know choking pears, but this little fellow is longer and thinner, allowing it to be inserted into – other openings!«

She pushed the tip between Silvana’s legs, as if she hadn’t understood which »openings« she had been referring to. Then, she turned the screw, showing the girl how the club that consisted of four parts had opened a bit.

»If I use this to the fullest extent, you may thank me at your first birth – and if I use it on your back door, you will never suffer from constipation again!«

She giggled, and Silvana moaned, though she knew that Valentina was just playing to make her feel scared. At least, that was what she was hoping!

She went back for the table and now returned with another stick. It too was about one foot long, and on its end, it had like a tassel made of thin leather ribbons.

»If you are a bit into kinky stuff, you may know what a Martinet is. Instead of the pincers or the spreader stick, it can be used very tender, too!«

She brushed over Silvana’s breasts, belly and sides, obviously trying to find out whether she was ticklish. She then repeated the game with Abina, but though she cringed a little, it was just from the humiliation and her sheer helplessness.

»Well, originally, Martinets were designed to remove dust from clothes! So, one usually uses them with a little more impetus!«

Valentina seemed to have played tennis before, for with a quick change between forehand and backhand, she slapped each girl’s breasts once. Both screamed into the panties filling their mouths, though the lashes hadn’t been harder than an ordinary slap.

She raised her hand to continue the whipping when suddenly, a faint beep came from her watch. Valentina frowned and checked it. Then, she quickly left the room.

Neither Annika nor Nabia had noticed the small alert device beside the grid door, but the system had now alerted Valentina who headed towards a computer on whose screen she could now see to persons stand at the grid. It were two women, and to Valentina’s surprise, one of them, a tall Black, had taken off her T-Shirt whilst the other one, with her back towards the camera, was touching her breasts.

»Cute!«, Valentina then thought when she noticed the smaller girl had taken the wire from the other’s bra to work on the padlock. Then, she frowned as she could see the redhead’s face. It wasn’t the first time she saw it.

Neither she nor Louise had been allowed to interfere with the Erzherzog’s decisions about which girl to choose from the collection the guy from Germany was offering via dark web, but they had been with the old man, and he had showed them the »stars of his next project«. He had decided for Silvana and Abina, but Valentina could remember there had also been a redhead – a redhead that strongly resembled the woman who was just working on the door. She watched until she had opened the padlock; then, as the two entered the tunnel, she noticed two more details: the redhead wore no pants – and she was carrying a gun.

»Well, the more, the merrier!«, she thought, grabbing her gun and a few other items. Then, she sent a message to Louise before she went to the place where the tunnel ended.

***

They had uploaded all the photos to Marcus’ laptop, and now, all three were looking at the images of the castle, trying to find any sign of the missing girls, or at least any hint leading to them.

»Well, I could tell you a few dozen historical inaccuracies, not mentioning the ghost train torture chamber, but so far, I can’t see anything that helps us!«

Hilmar, noticing Marcus’ growing frustration, slammed his fist against the car’s door.

»I will go to the hospital, get into the intensive care, and strangle Karl with his own catheter tube! Are you sure he really said ›Erzherzog‹?«

Marcus scoffed.

»It was the only word he said, and he spoke quite clearly! There might be a tiny chance that he just used some Arabic slur that sounds the same, but on the other hand, there were his eyes!«

Marcus didn’t know how gravely Karl had been wounded, but the expression in his eyes had looked as if he wanted to make peace with those he had done injustice to, rather than playing one last prank with him. The word had to mean something!

Once again, he searched for hints by combining the words »Erzherzog« and »Alois von Bergenau«. He repeated the search by leaving out the »von«, getting him a few hints on the Baron, all referring to him as the owner of Adelfels Castle. He changed for picture search only, but there were only a few images of the castle, plus one of the Baron.

»Where are Annika and Nabia? They just should look for a side entrance, not go on a full day hiking trip in the mountains!«

»Archduke Alois«, Marlene murmured, looking at the image of the Baron that looked so harmless and yet a bit creepy. Earlier, Nabia, whose German was very intermediate, had asked what an Erzherzog was, and Marcus had translated the title to her. Marlene had to think of it, and Marcus, for no particular reason, typed »Archduke Alois«.

Only one picture appeared, and it definitely didn’t show any castles or old men. Instead, it showed a naked woman, chained up and doing a blowjob to an equally nude man. It was the cover of an old porn video, and Marcus wanted to click it away when Marlene suddenly gasped and reached over his shoulder to click on the photo, enlarging it.

»There! Look!«

In bright pink letters, the title was written on top of the picture, telling them that the scene belonged to a film with the subtle title »Shackled Sucking Sluts«. However, Marlene was referring to the logo underneath: a painted crown, and beside it stood: »Alois Archduke’s Adulteries«.

»So, the Baron once was young and needed the money!«, Hilmar chuckled, but Marcus somehow was sure that this was some kind of sign. He searched for the company’s name, and though the information was sparse, he soon knew that »Alois Archduke’s Adulteries« was indeed a porn producer that had existed from 1975 to 2003. According to the internet, they had specialised in »costume set pieces«, and they had gone bankrupt due to the concurrence in the www.

»Costume set pieces? I couldn’t see much of a costume!«

Marcus clicked back to the cover photo and looked closer. Now, not focussing on the girl’s voluptuous forms, he could see that the man was wearing a red hood with eye holes, and in the background, he could see some whips and more chains.

»Seems like the Baron had been interested in portraying the Middle Ages in a special way before – only now, he has turned kids friendly!«

Marcus, however, couldn’t laugh.

»Maybe, this is just a strange coincidence. However, Silvie had fallen into the clutches of a White Slaver, and this Baron has at least portrayed White Slavery in his flicks! So, I think we should consider a second visit to the castle once the girls are back!«

***

After some ten yards, the tunnel ended at a T-junction; the left corridor seemed to lead where the castle’s main building was located. However, there was also the possibility that the captives were kept at the more remote parts of the cellar.

»In other words, we have to split up!«

»In every horror film I saw, this has turned out to be a bad idea!«, Annika replied. However, she could also not think of another possibility to check two directions at the same time.

»All right, we will meet here again in ten minutes! If nobody finds anything, we get back to the others – and if one of us does, she calls the other for help, and we will kick some kidnappers’ asses!«

Nabia nodded, but when Annika had turned around, she cleared her throat, and Annika spun back around to her.

»What?«

»Take care of yourself!«

»You too!«

They exchanged a slightly clumsy hug, and only when she was on her way along the corridor, Annika realized that their lips had just met, albeit just for the fraction of a second.

Nabia followed the right corridor, her iron bar in her hand. She was listening closely for any suspicious sounds, but despite lacking a firearm, she wasn’t scared. She was a soldier, and she had dealt with secret explorations before.

After a while, the corridor had become pitch black, but when Nabia looked closer, she could see a light at the end of the corridor. It was dim, and as she approached, she realized it came from behind an ajar door.

Nabia pressed herself close to the wall as she slowly sneaked closer. Now, she could hear the faint humming of a generator, and she also noticed that the light was blueish, like it came from a TV screen or a monitor.

The iron bar ready to punch, she brought her head closer to the gap and peeped inside the lit room. With his back to her, someone was sitting in a chair, obviously staring at some monitors in front of him. It seemed to be a surveillance camera – and then, Nabia had to oppress a gasp: on one of the screens, lit in the greenish light of a night vision camera, she could see a figure slowly move along a corridor – Annika!

Nabia made a decision. She slipped through the door, carefully to not make any sound. Then, she grabbed the bar with two hands and raised it whilst getting behind the guy in the chair. He hadn’t noticed her yet, and in a second, he would see nothing but stars. Nabia swung the bar and hit him hard at the back of his head.

He went down without a sound, but Nabia recognized immediately that something wasn’t as it should be. Instead of collapsing, he landed on the floor in his sitting position, and then, she saw that his head had come off.

Nabia bent over her victim, and now, even in the dim light from the screens, she could see that this had been a paper mâché dummy. She wanted to laugh, but then, it died in her throat. The combination of the working surveillance system and the dummy spelled one word: trap!

She spun around as she heard a clatter behind her, but all she could see was that the iron door fell shut. There was a hissing, and then, she spotted the thick clouds coming from a can that still was rolling over the floor.

»Tear gas!«, Nabia thought and jumped to the door, grabbing the handle. The door only moved a little; obviously, it wasn’t locked, but held by someone outside. Nabia put one foot at the wall and pulled with all her strength. The door opened a bit more, but now, the clouds had reached her head. Reflexively, Nabia closed her eyes, but whatever it was, it wasn’t tear gas. The smoke that reached her nose and mouth didn’t burn, it even tasted a bit sweet. The smell was that of-

»Narcotic«, she croaked, staggering. The door fell shut again, for she had loosened her grip. Again, she pulled on the handle, only to find out, that now, she was too weak to really stand a chance to her opponent. Nabia opened her mouth, forcing herself to concentrate. She had to scream, had to warn Annika-

Only a croak came out, and when she breathed in to yell again, Nabia realized too late that this had been a bad idea. She coughed and then, she had to sink to the floor. In front of her eyes, the monitors blurred and then, everything went black.

***

»Mmhrrrmmmm!«

Silvana whimpered with sheer frustration. Once Valentina had left, she had tried to work on her bonds. The shackles were too tight and could not be removed without the keys, but she had tried to at least remove her gag.

However, no matter how she stretched her body and tried to bring down her hands, there was no chance. Even when she went on her tiptoes and pulled on her shackles that it hurt, she could just brush over the edge of the tape with her fingertips.

Opposite to her, Abina was little better off. Her bondage allowed her to rub her mouth and chin against her upper arm, but whilst this would have worked if just a piece of tape had been plastered over her lips, with several rounds of tape keeping the panties in her mouth, she also stood no chance of ungagging herself.

»It has looked as if she has been alerted somehow! Maybe, someone is inside the building! Someone has found us!«

In front of her inner eye, she saw Marcus enter the door, a bruise on his forehead and his shirt in rags, but he was smiling and approaching her, ready to free her, kiss her and then, after he had freed her, he would carry her out of this damned dungeon and into the sunset.

»Uuhhmmm! Mmhhmmph!«

Abina’s muffled screams distracted her from her daydream. There had been steps, and now, someone was approaching them. Silvana stared at the newcomer, expecting it to be Valentina, Louise, or maybe the creepy old man. However, it was a woman, holding a gun and wearing an oversized sweater, but obviously no pants. When she could see who it was, Silvana’s eyes widened, and she mewed through her gag. It was Annika!

»Silvie? Abina! Are you okay?«

It was a rather inappropriate question, given the fact that both were naked, gagged and tied to torture devices. Annika quickly checked the room and then wanted to approach Silvana when there was a sound coming from where she had entered. Annika raised her gun and yelled:

»Hands up! Don’t try anything!«

There was a gasp, and then, the sound of heels on the stone floor. Louise stepped forward, staring at Annika with disbelief. Slowly, she raised her arms, and though she opened her mouth, she didn’t make a sound.

Annika told the blonde woman to get to her knees and to fold her hands behind her back. Then, not taking her eyes from Louise, she asked:

»Are there more than this one?«

Both Abina and Silvana nodded and mmphed. Annika looked around and said:

»I am here with a comrade! So, once I have restrained Blondie here, I will call her, and then, we will either arrest the other thugs, too, or we can at least escape via the back door!«

Silvana sniffled, and tears of relief ran down her cheeks. Soon, this whole ordeal would be over! She wondered where Marcus was, but this question, she would ask once Annika had allowed her to spit out the wad of panties stuffing her mouth.

There was a crackle, and Annika twitched and aimed at Louise. However, it seemed to have come from a microphone, for now, a female voice that sounded a bit metal said:

»Annika? Can you hear me?«

Abina and Silvana fell silent with sheer horror. Even though it was a bit warped, they recognized it as the voice of Valentina. Annika, obviously confused by the other person knowing her name, still aimed at Louise when Valentina continued:

»Annika, I am sure you don’t want your friend you came with to get hurt! If so, you should better listen very carefully!«

***