Skulls, Bones and Flowers 3

Alceste bent over Nesrin and, groping her still tingling butt in the progress, loosened the sash around her waist.

»I am not sure about what they say about lunatics having the Evil Eye, but we better make sure that nothing bad happens!«

He blindfolded Nesrin; then, she was lifted up from the floor and the man cradled her in his arms. Reflexively, Nesrin flailed her legs, but he just carried her up the stairs and then, she was placed upon an upholstered chair. The rope around her arms was loosened, but he left her wrists tied as he bent her arms over the backrest and then tied her to it. Nesrin mewed, as the upper edge of the backrest dug into her armpits. Alceste took two short pieces of rope and tied her ankles to the rear legs of the chair, so she couldn’t close her thighs. Then, she felt him push her skirt up her knees.

»Uuhhmm! Mhhmmm! Nnngg!«

»Really strange!«, he murmured, brushing over the crotch part of her panties. Nesrin cringed, but at least, he didn’t go further. However, his hands then cupped her breasts. After some groping, she felt him pause, and then, he pushed his hands into the cleavage of her dress. Nesrin protested, but he continued exploring the first bra he had ever seen in his life. Obviously satisfied that there was a pair of boobs underneath the cups, he finally let her go when someone called him from downstairs. Nesrin explored her bonds, but the man had tied the knots well out of her reach, and each of them was pulled very tight.

So, all the blindfolded, bound and gagged girl could do was let out a muffled cry of sheer fear and frustration.

***

Some 100 yards away, Daisy and Lilly had watched the evening routine in the female slaves’ quarters. The women who had been involved in the housework had returned, and after the children had been brought to bed, the women had withdrawn, too. Tarra had brought them a worn out blanket, but they had not been invited into one of the huts; it seemed that the others were a bit afraid of them, for they were involved in Sayana’s witchcraft.

So, they had withdrawn into a corner where they could at least talk in private and had a good look at their prison. Obviously, the slaves had to live after an early schedule, for they all seemed to sleep already. The only light came from a small shed of some four square yards: Sayana had this little hut for her own, and so far, none of the other women had entered it.

»A real witch! I mean, I wouldn’t mind her doing loopings on her broomstick, but why does she need to have the magic to do time travel?«

The two girls had cuddled to each other, not to avoid a non-existing cold, but to give each other a little solace. Both knew that their seemingly calm conversation only was a thin veil over their panic to be doomed to stay in that period of time.

They tried to work out a stratagem that sounded clear in theory: get out of their prison, find and free Nesrin, escape from the plantation and get back to their time.

»Seems that even the first topic will become difficult! This palisade looks quite stable, and we only have our bare hands to dig!«

Daisy suddenly brushed through her hair; then, she felt for Lilly’s hand and she could sense something small and light.

»One of my hairclips«, the Black explained, »Perhaps, it may be useful to work on these old-fashioned padlocks!«

Indeed, the door had been closed with a padlocked chain after the last women had returned. Lilly felt the small clip that perhaps was a key to freedom, and she thought where to hide it. Both girls only had their bras and panties, and they feared that these last garments would perhaps been taken from them, too. So, she hid it in her hair.

»Okay, let’s say we make it through the door unseen, what then? Nesrin is somewhere in the Mansion, but we know nothing about her whereabouts!«

Daisy sighed and added:

»And even if we find her, even if we then manage to run away and hide from the search party – what then?«

Lilly could sense Daisy’s returning desperation, and she strengthened her grip around her friend. Then, she pointed at Sayana’s hut.

»If there’s a way back to her time, she’s the only one who knows! So, we better make friends with her!«

Daisy swallowed her upcoming tears and shifted her position, so she could look at the hut in which the light now had gone out. Though they felt the urge to storm over to Sayana and beg her to bring them home, they decided to wait for the next morning; if they knew what fate was expecting them, and where Nesrin was held captive, they could perhaps figure out how to persuade this witch Sayana to help them.

»Not the brightest spark of hope, I know!«, Lilly admitted. Daisy let out a sound that sounded like a sob, but turned out to be a scoff.

»Last night, I was bound, gagged and alone! So, I have already improved!«

Now, it was on Lilly to oppress her tears.

***

Bound, gagged and blindfolded, Nesrin had little choice than to wait for things to come. She had once more tried to work on her bonds, but to no avail, and she had screamed through her gag, also to no effect than showing her how helpless she was. So, Nesrin forced herself to wait for the appearance of Marguerite; whatever the spoiled girl had in mind, it would perhaps allow her to  escape if she feigned being obedient.

A shudder ran down her spine when she remembered that she had sometimes wished to spend some time in the past. This wish had been granted, though not in the way the girl had dreamed of. And maybe, Lilly and Daisy were suffering even worse.

She heard the sound of steps, and she mewed when the door was opened. There was some rustling, and then, a soft voice said:

»Mademoiselle will come soon! I am not allowed to free you!«

The voice showed some accent, and Nesrin figured out it belonged to Fleur, Marguerite’s Lady’s maid. At least, it wasn’t Alceste again! Nesrin still shuddered from the way he had groped her; it wasn’t that he had hurt her physically, but it had been his »just because I can«-attitude that had made her feel even more helpless.

There was more rustling, as Fleur was obviously preparing the bed for her Mistress, and now, Nesrin could also smell something delicious. Despite her fear, Nesrin felt hungry, and to her embarrassment, her stomach grumbled the very moment Fleur had finished her tasks and could hear it.

»Mademoiselle also told me to feed you, if you promise not to scream. And Alceste warned me not to take off your blindfold, for you have the Evil Eye!«

Nesrin had to oppress a laugh when she heard that the slave girl obviously really believed in such superstition. However, she had just travelled through time, and Fleur had witnessed at least that something weird had happened. So, when the girl asked her whether she promise to stay quiet, she nodded, and Fleur loosened the tight knot at her nape, removing the cleave gag, and plucked the rag from her mouth.

»Thank you!«, she breathed, and Fleur now held something to her mouth. It smelled delicious, and when she carefully took a bite, it turned out to be some roasted chicken, with a spicy, yet lovely mushroom sauce.

»A specialty of our cook!«, Fleur explained, sounding a bit indistinct; obviously, she was taking the opportunity to snack some chicken, too. However, she also managed to feed Nesrin quite fast. Not forcefully, but whenever she had finished a bite, the next piece was gently pushed between her lips. It was as if Fleur wanted to prevent her from talking, and since Nesrin grew even more hungry from eating, she allowed the girl to stuff her with chicken and bread dipped in the delicious sauce. From time to time, Fleur held a glass to her lips; it wasn’t water, but some strong, sweet wine. Nesrin tried to protest, but being gagged had parched her throat, and the spicy food made things worse, and so, she drank, knowing that she soon would feel tipsy.

»Phew, no more, or I will burst!«, she finally protested, and Fleur giggled, just as if they were two friends having snacks whilst watching TV. Nesrin was given a little more wine, and then, Fleur dabbed her lips with a napkin, reminding Nesrin that now, she would be gagged again. Hoping to delay that moment, she asked, forcing herself to be calm:

»May I ask a few questions, Fleur? I promise not to scream, and I will also not try to put any spell on you!«

»To do so, you’d need eye contact, some of my hair, or a potion!«, Fleur explained in the tone of conviction. Nesrin gulped; then, she asked:

»Why are we here? And how did you make us travel through time?«

Fleur seemed to ponder before she answered:

»Sayana worked her magic, on the order of Monsieur. That’s all I know!«

»Fleur, you must let us go! Lilly, Désirée and I, we have to go back to our own time, we-Uuhhmmmph!«

Fleur clamped Nesrin’s mouth shut, not fiercely, but with some strength nevertheless. Obviously, she was fearing that she was getting herself into trouble if she listened to Nesrin’s words. And from her point of view, she was right: being rebellious wasn’t something a slave girl could dare to do. So, when Fleur asked her if she would stop with that topic, she nodded, and the girl withdrew her hand.

»May – may I ask what plans your – Mademoiselle has with me?«

»Not in the slightest!«

This answer came a bit hasty, and Nesrin remembered that Marguerite had implied that she had sometimes used the belt on her, too. She felt fear grow inside her, but she didn’t want to risk Fleur’s kindness by asking her too much about her Mistress. So, she oppressed her urge to ask all these questions. Instead, she said:

»There – there’s something else you could help me with!«

»As long as it won’t put me in trouble!«

Nesrin took a deep breath. She felt embarrassed by what she had to ask, but she could no longer avoid it:

»I have to go to-«, she began, but interrupted herself. This girl didn’t know what a bathroom was, and in her time, the word »toilet« also meant something different.

»I have to pee!«, she whispered, her cheeks reddening.

Fleur seemed a bit surprised that someone pretending to be from the future had physical needs, but she insisted:

»I can’t loosen your bonds! Maybe, I could call Alceste-«

»No!«

The mere thought of this man assisting her made Nesrin cringe with disgust. However, nature was calling. She had no witch’s aura, even if she hadn’t been blindfolded, but she hoped that there was some mutual understanding between girls.

»Please, Fleur, I really have to go!«

Perhaps, Fleur really felt compassion; perhaps, she just felt flattered that, maybe for the first time, a white girl had said »please« to her. After a few moments, she sighed:

»I will leave your wrists tied – and the blindfold stays on, too!«

Nesrin nodded, and Fleur untied her left ankle. When the tight rope came off, Nesrin gasped, and Fleur brushed tenderly over her ankle. Obviously, she had a good heart, but didn’t dare to act against her Masters’ will.

She freed Nesrin’s other leg and untied her from the chair, but left her hands tied behind her back. Then, she helped Nesrin in getting up and placed something to her feet. With her toe, Nesrin felt something cold and smooth, obviously a chamber pot.

»Oh, you will need help!«

As if it was all natural, Fleur pushed Nesrin’s skirt up her thighs and put it into her numb fingers, so she could prevent it from sliding down again. Then, she seemed to wait. Blushing all over, Nesrin croaked:

»I – I need some more help!«

The girl didn’t understand, and under her blindfold, Nesrin rolled her eyes in frustration before she explained:

»With my panties!«

Again, there was silence, but then, Fleur seemed to finally understand what Nesrin’s problem was:

»Oh, you mean this funny thing with the stripes?«

Nesrin nodded, blushing even deeper. Fleur reached under her skirt, and Nesrin held her breath as she then peeled down her panties. After a few moments of hesitating, Nesrin crouched and relieved herself. Then, she stood there, and Fleur asked:

»You want these – panties – pulled up again?«

»Yes, please!«, Nesrin breathed, knowing that if Fleur had now touched her cheeks, she would have burnt her fingers. The girl did what she should, giggling.

»These – panties seem pretty inconvenient to me! Why are you wearing them at all?«

Nesrin still felt embarrassed, but now, she had to chuckle, too.

»In my time, you would be considered inappropriate if you wore none!«

Fleur led her back to the chair and tied her to it, though she didn’t pull the ropes as tight as Alceste had done. Then, she grabbed the damp rag. When she felt it touch her lips, Nesrin opened her mouth.

»Fleur-«

»Hm?«

»Thank you! You were the only one who was kind to me since I came here!«

There was a fluttering breath, and Nesrin could feel that the hand holding the rag trembled for a moment. Then, she gently shoved the gag back into her mouth and tied the other cloth between her lips.

»I better put the tray away, Mademoiselle will arrive any moment now!«

***

»Fuck this, we are seamen, not foot soldiers!«

»Shut up! Or there will be more foot soldiers than you’d like!«, the man they had chosen as their Captain hissed, and the man fell silent again as they continued their walk through the bushes, only lit by the pale crescent moon. The bay where they had left their sloop was remote, but it meant that they had to do a three hours walk to reach the mansion of Comte Auguste d’Rey.

The Captain had chosen five men for the trip, and he led the group himself, for he knew that part of the island from an earlier occasion. They were only armed with clubs and daggers, for silence was important for their success.

He guessed that it was one or two hours to midnight – quite early, but on a plantation, people worked after an early schedule. The plantation slaves, after ten or twelve hours of back-breaking work, would have fallen asleep after their evening meal, and the house slaves, who would have to get up when the rooster crowed, would also have gone to bed if there wasn’t a party at the mansion.

He guessed that the Comte had a few guards out here, but they would sit by a campfire and perhaps, they would share a bottle or gamble to pass the time. There was no ship at the coast, and if there was no slave uprising, nobody expected an attack from the land side.

»And that’s why we took this way!«, he thought as they reached a peak from which they could look down at the mansion. It lay dark, and the Captain smiled: so, there was no party, and the Comte and his daughter would have gone to bed already, too.

He reached for his pocket and unfolded the piece of parchment that had cost him 20 Pieces of Eight. The fugitive slave that had drawn it for him couldn’t read or write, but he had a good memory – and, more important, he had been a house slave at the Comte’s mansion. Like the drawing said, the mansion had two floors, and the upper had a flight of bedrooms, all sharing a long balcony that went over the whole side of the building.

If his informant had told the truth, there were no free running dogs on the ground, but the Captain and his men carefully listened for any sounds around them as they now sneaked closer to the building. It was just some 150 yards from the end of the bushes to the house, but if one person saw them and yelled alarm, their plan would have failed.

At the corner there was some ivy, allowing them to reach the balcony without problems. Two men stayed behind, guarding their retreat, whilst the Captain and three men now climbed up the ivy.

***

Nesrin didn’t have to wait long for Marguerite’s appearance. After what seemed to be some 20 minutes, the door flew open.

»Phew, Papá was in a terrible mood! I was glad he didn’t force me to listen to his stories about Maman again!«

Nesrin felt a hand on her shoulder, and the girl continued:

»Soon, I will have time for you!«

Some prolonged rustling followed, accompanied by occasional orders from Marguerite and the obedient answers from Fleur: obviously, her Lady’s maid helped Marguerite out of her dress and into her nightgown. Nesrin shuddered from the implication why this girl insisted on getting into her nightgown before she turned towards her bound and gagged »guest«.

»Fleur, it’s a lovely night! Get onto the balcony and see how many stars you can count! I will call if I need you!«

The girl curtseyed and obeyed, and Marguerite stepped behind Nesrin, putting her hands on her shoulders. In one hand, she held something that felt cold and somehow threatening against Nesrin’s throat.

»The poor thing is afraid that you have the Evil Eye – but I am sure if you had, you would have used it if you had the opportunity!«

She removed the blindfold, and Nesrin could see that the blonde indeed had her hair loosened and was wearing nothing but a white silk nightgown with frills. In her right, she loosely held a small, but vicious-looking dagger.

»So, you are saying that you come from the future?«

Marguerite made no efforts to remove her gag, and so, Nesrin nodded. She had no idea what the girl was up to, and she would stay with the truth as long as she wasn’t sure a lie would help her more.

»So, you can tell me about my future, too?«

Now, Nesrin stared at her, thinking what she should answer. She was from the future, but she had never heard about the Comte or his daughter before. Of course, she could tell her that she would soon meet her Prince Charming, have seven healthy children with him and even live at Versailles one day. But that was something any fortune teller at the market would tell her for a few Sou.

It seemed that she had hesitated too long, for Marguerite now cut the first button of Nesrin’s dress. The button line went from her neck down to her waist, and so far, nothing was revealed, but of course, Nesrin didn’t like someone with a knife so close to her chest, and so, she didn’t utter a protest.

»You say nothing? Does that mean you don’t know my future at all?«

Nesrin shook her head, sure that any answer would be wrong. The second button got cut off, and now, a bit of her cleavage was visible. Marguerite let her eyes wander over her heaving chest; then, she cut the third button. The dress gaped open, revealing the edges of Nesrin’s bra cups. Marguerite frowned.

»I thought you weren’t wearing a chemise?«

She felt for the bra straps and then the cups. Then, she impatiently ripped the dress open, so the remaining buttons landed all over the floor. Nesrin mewed, but Marguerite seemed to be fascinated by the concept of her white bra, a modest one with three quarter cups and a thin lace trimming.

»It shapes your breasts, but it isn’t as inconvenient as a corset! Maybe, you are indeed coming from the future!«

She put the dagger away, but Nesrin didn’t feel relief, for now, she was tracing the edge of the bra cups with her index fingers.

»Do all women in the future wear these?«, she asked with a hoarse voice. Nesrin mewed and tried to shy back, but the chair was heavy, and now, Marguerite cupped her breasts. And kneaded them

»A stiff material, it feels firm – or is it you?«

»Nnngggg! Mmhhrrmmm!«

Nesrin protested and shook her head as now, Marguerite pushed her fingers into the cups, feeling how soft her boobs were. The blonde’s cheeks had reddened, and her lips looked moist. Her own nipples had grown hard under her flimsy nightgown, as Nesrin could see whilst she desperately hoped that Marguerite would stop.

Her wish was granted abruptly, as suddenly, Marguerite was pulled backwards, uttering a muffled gasp. Nesrin also gasped, then, her eyes widened and she screamed through her gag. The door to the balcony stood open, and the reason Marguerite had let her go was that now, a man had grabbed her from behind, trapping her arms whilst he had his other arm slung over the lower half of her face, both silencing her and discouraging her from too much struggling. In the background stood a second man holding Fleur in the same way, and now, two more entered, looking at her with an expression of confusion.

»What now, Captain?«, One of them whispered. The addressed sent the one not holding a girl to the door and check if they had been noticed so far. Then, he gave the whispered order:

»We’ll take all three!«

In helpless panic, Nesrin now watched as the men quickly and efficiently bound their captives. Whilst the two still held them trapped, the Captain and the fourth man used leather thongs to tie both Marguerite’s and Fleur’s legs at the knees. Then, both got their mouths crammed full with some rags before another cloth with a big knot in it was forced between their lips and tied off at their napes. Their wrist were tied next, then, they were wrapped in blankets and two men hoisted them over their shoulders. Nesrin whimpered with fear as she watched their flailing legs, and the men’s hands on their butts, forcing them to lie still.

Now, the Captain looked down at Nesrin’s bra-clad breasts as she panted, a wolfish grin on his face.

»I wonder what you were doing here!«

Nesrin moaned, and he checked her gag, loosening the knots and tightening it considerably before tying it off again. Obviously still not satisfied, he took the sash that had blindfolded her and tied that over her mouth and nose. She was then cut loose from the chair, tied at wrists and knees and wrapped into the silk bed sheet. Nesrin screamed into her gag as she was put over a man’s shoulder, too. Then, the whole gang left. The whole assault hadn’t lasted for more than some five minutes.

The mewing and squirming girls, all desperately flailing their unbound lower legs, were carried to the corner of the balcony and lowered down to the two men waiting. Once the other men had climbed down the ivy, they were put over shoulders again and carried away as quick as a silent withdrawal allowed.

After a few minutes, when he was sure that nobody had recognized the kidnapping so far, the Captain halted his posse, and the girls were lowered to the ground. Nesrin felt someone tie her ankles with another leather thong, and the blanket was removed. Beside her, Marguerite and Fleur were lying, now also with their feet tied.

The men quickly cut three sticks, each some three yards in length. A rope was then slung around each girl’s upper body and pulled upwards, so the rope ran under their breasts and through their armpits. The ends of these ropes were tied to the sticks, as were their bound ankles. Like that, two men could carry one girl that was dangling between them, hanging from her feet and the rope around her chest. Even the Captain now had to carry his load, but like this, they could get on faster.

With a little bit of luck, they would reach the bay and get a few miles between themselves and Martinique before the abduction even was detected.

***

Some time before dawn, the women in the slave quarters were woken up by some slamming at a metal bar. Both Lilly and daisy had managed to doze off, but were awake immediately as now, the camp came to life. A few women lit a fire and prepared a simple porridge in a large clay pot, and soon, the others, accompanied by the children who were no toddlers, formed a line with their bowls. Lilly also lined up, and she was given something that looked as appalling as it tasted, but she and daisy shared their bowl whilst some of the women left to do their work at the mansion, or to prepare breakfast for the male slaves, whilst others took care of the children. Nobody seemed to want Lilly and daisy to do any chores, and so, they just stood aside and watched.

Sayana left her little hut; she was wearing Lilly’s green dress, but she looked as if she had had a rough night. She staggered, didn’t show interest in the bowl of food one of her co-slaves offered her, and she stared at the mansion as if it hadn’t been there the day before. Her lips formed silent words, and she seemed to be waiting for something.

There was the neighing of horses, and the occasional crack of a whip, as the male slaves were led to their work on the plantation. Once the group had left, Sayana stood in the now open door of the slave quarters, and it seemed she was waiting for something – or someone.

»I hope Nesrin’s okay!«, Lilly whispered, and Daisy just took her hand and pressed it. The girls watched as after a while, the Comte approached, followed by his white henchman and two black overseers, one of them Toussaint. The Comte showed a grin, and when now, Sayana approached him, it remained on his face for the first few seconds; then, however, his expression became rather angry.

»I give a damn on your nightmares, witch! Now, get out of my way!«

Sayana, standing straight despite her small height, said something Lilly couldn’t understand over the distance, and Daisy whispered:

»Perhaps, she wants a raise, for she brought him three girls instead of just one!«

The quarrel went on, and finally, the Comte sent one of the Blacks to the mansion, »just to stuff your mouth once and for all!«. Lilly, who didn’t have her glasses, could only see schemes, but Daisy told her that now, the Black was returning rather fast.

»Whatever Sayana told them, it isn’t good news!«

The Black reported something that made the Comte’s jaw drop. He shouted at the man, Sayana tried to join the quarrel, but was held back by the white man. Finally, the Comte hastily marched towards the mansion. Sayana suddenly freed her arm and ran after him, holding him by his sleeve.

»What about Nyala?«, the girls heard her cry. The Comte angrily freed his arm, but the Black once again tried to stop him, repeating her question. She seemed seriously upset, but the Comte now angrily barked an order, and Toussaint and his comrade grabbed her arms, whilst the White took off his vest, approached from behind and slung it over Sayana’s face.

»The mill!«, the Comte shouted before he turned around and ran to the mansion, where now a group of house slaves was waiting in considerable commotion. Lilly exchanged an anxious look with Daisy.

»What has happened? And who is Nyala?«

»I don’t have the slightest idea«, Daisy replied, »but I haven’t seen Nesrin, and I doubt that whatever has happened is good news!«

***