Legends of Belariath

Zophiel

Under Duress

Chapter One - The Acquisition

"Good night, milord," the female elf whispered quietly to the shadowy silhouette standing just inside the entrance of the secret passage she just exited. Her gaze paused over his form, emerald eyes glimmering wetly. "I love you."

The figure nodded and whispered quietly, "I know. Return to me tomorrow, Noelani. I will have a gift for you." He could see the effect his words had immediately, as the elf before him smiled warmly and stepped out to subject herself to the stormy evening's inclement weather. As usual, the promise of another evening together, coupled with mention of a present of some sort, oftentimes overshadowed the fact that he never reciprocated those three most important words. There were a very few things about which he simply refused to lie. So to compensate, he relied on misdirection. He sighed and turned away, pulling the lever that would close the passage.

Noelani drew her cloak more tightly about her as the heavy droplets of the spring rainstorm pelted down on her. She hardly noticed the precipitation, though, her thoughts filled with her lover's parting words. A gift! He had not yet told her that he loved her, not in words. But she knew he did; otherwise, why lavish a mere servant with such wonderful gifts? She trudged through the driving rain, able to see clearly only to a few yards. It was several hours till dawn, but thankfully, she knew the way well enough. She padded carefully through the maze of alleys, careful to avoid any deep puddles or especially thick patches of mud. There was a spring to her step as she thought on the evening just spent with her clandestine lover. She could feel him inside her still, slowly seeping out as she veritably skipped through the alley.

Unfortunately for her, the distraction caused by her lover's seed proved to be her undoing. She failed to notice a rope suddenly drawn taut across her path, the hemp cords dripping with mud. Her shin hit it, sending Noelani careening to the dirty, muddy, wet ground. He grunted softly, air forced from her by the impact, and struggled to right herself. Just then, she felt large, strong hands gripping her shoulders roughly and pulling her to her feet. She turned her head in an effort to identify her rescuer, but suddenly a bag was pulled over her head, and the ties were drawn taut. She could still breathe, but she was becoming very panicky. Another pair of hands grabbed her wrists even as she began to struggle. The strong, calloused grip around her forearms hurt, and her hands were pulled roughly behind her back. She heard the muffled sound of rattling chains before she felt the iron manacles closed around her slender, delicate wrists. To add to her disorientation, someone else grabbed her ankles and pulled her legs up, leaving her dangling by her shoulders and feet, held by unknown assailants. The rough hemp that wrapped around the slender ankles chaffed her sensitive, tawny skin. She was jostled roughly and carried off. She had no idea where she was being taken, and that only added to her fear. A knot twisted in her belly, and her heart thudded wildly within her breast. She sobbed quietly, warm salty tears streaking her cheeks.

At long last, she was brought indoors from the rain. Noelani calmed a bit; at least she wasn't being dragged to the town square to be burned at the stake. Islasorans were notoriously xenophobic, and she was fortunate to have been kept as a servant rather than killed outright when she was captured in an 'expeditionary force' that raided her island home. Still, she lived in a near-constant state of fear that her owner would tire of her and choose to throw her to the proverbial wolves.

Her captors' booted footsteps echoed against the stone floor, and she heard the grating sound of metal hinges protesting as a door was opened. She was carried through the doorway and deposited roughly on a haphazard pile of hay. She felt those rough hands pawing at her flesh, and someone tore her cloak off, breaking the clasp with one clean jerk of the wrist. Noelani whimpered, fearing the worst, as her gown was torn by the mauling hands. In moments, the garment was little more than useless, damp rags clinging feebly to her arms, shoulders, thighs and belly. The hands were everywhere, mauling her breasts and rubbing hard against the insides of her thighs. Suddenly, she heard another figure enter, and all the hands were withdrawn from her poor, tortured flesh.

"Just what do you sods think you're doing? The Hierophant was very clear in his instructions, was he not? Clear out now, and I'll consider excluding this from my report," a loud, authoritative voice barked at the others. There was a great shuffling of feet as her captors wordlessly shuffled out. The one in charge stepped closer to Noelani, who whimpered and tried to scoot away. He draped something over her, giving back a shred of her ruined dignity.

"You behave yourself, and I won't need to keep you bound." She nodded, causing the bag to jostle about awkwardly. Much to her relief, she felt the bonds around her ankles loosening, and the rough fabric was drawn away from her skin. She felt burning around both ankles, and knew that her flesh had been rubbed raw. The kindly commander then crouched over her, crotch of his breeches pressing against her covered breasts as he reached around and unfastened the manacles. He drew them away slowly, but even despite his gentle handling of the petite woman, she winced and whimpered as she pulled her stiff arms around and rubbed her wrists tenderly. With the guard captain straddling her torso, she was forced to wrap her arms around his waist to caress the tortured skin. He rubbed his groin back and forth, and Noelani felt the man's shaft thickening and growing firmer under his breeches.

She pulled her hands away and reached up to untie the bag around her head. She knew he'd want something from her. Perhaps if she made an offer, he would take her up on it rather than violating her more intimately. She swallowed hard, dreading what was to come. But she was no stranger to the ways of these humans, taking her at their whim, using her to sate their filthy, savage lusts. Oh, they draped their society in all the trappings of culture and civilization, but all their customs and rules applied only to their countrymen. The Islasoran ladies were never treated so brutally. Only her lover had proven to be the exception, showing her tenderness and consideration.

She felt strong hands grab her forearms, and while the grip was unyieldingly firm, she did pause a moment to notice that he pointedly avoided her bruised and chaffed wrists. "I'm afraid the bag can't come off. But, we'll need to feed you sometime, I suppose." She felt him shuffling about atop her, his member throbbing and completely rigid now, rubbing against one of her breasts with his movements. She felt the front of the bag pulled forward, and then there was a rough cutting sound as a horizontal slit was made in the fabric, to allow access to her mouth. Unfortunately, she was unable to see much of anything through that slit. She licked her lips and gasped, grateful to be breathing air less stale than was with her in the bag. She stretched her arms above her head, delicate fingers curling through the dry, fresh hay. It reminded her of the stables and grooming her lord's horses, a chore she always found to be soothing.

Above her, the captain unfastened his breeches and pulled them down just far enough to reach in and tug his manhood free of its confines. He brought the swollen tip to her lips, pushing it through the slit in the bag. She whimpered softly, but hesitated only for a moment as she spread her lips. This man had been kind to her, after all. Ingratitude from a member of the 'lesser races' was sure to be met with anger and punishment. Trembling and feeling tears well up within her, she sniffled quietly as her soft lips slide over the flared head of his arousal. It was soft, and with the bag covering her, it was not all that difficult to imagine this was her lover's flesh her mouth was caressing. Imagining their tryst earlier, she flicked out her tongue probingly, caressing the underside of the length.

The captain rewarded the elf's efforts with a satisfied grunt as he pushed his hips forward even further. One hand reached around behind her to cradle the back of her head and lift it slowly, angling her mouth to better take him. She whimpered and drew her arms down, her hands coming to rest on his hips. Her fingers trembled against his warm skin as she fought the urge to push the human away. He was going too fast! Her lover always let her take him at her own pace when he ordered her to do this for him. She groaned, panicked, briefly trying to pull away as the man's hips just kept rocking, pushing his length further and further into her small mouth. It pushed her tongue down as the muscle writhed to try to expel this invader. She tasted the salt of stale sweat on him, and clenched her eyes tightly. No, this was nothing like being with the man she adored! Her nostrils flared as she fought to breathe, but with each intake came the musky scent of this man's groin. She clenched her eyes tightly and began to sob more noisily as the captain exacted his payment for the kindness he showed her. That was always the way with these humans. Everything came with a price in Islasoros.

Noelani gagged when the thick head pushed at her throat, but her owner had done as much to her in the past. She learned quickly how to accommodate this intrusion, and conditioned response overcame her panic. Her throat relaxed as the captain shoved his hips forward, causing her nose to rub in the wiry mass of pubic curls over his groin. The thick head of this man's cock pushed its way into her throat, stretching it to accommodate him. He moaned deeply and pulled back nearly to the head, her lips rubbing and tongue caressing the thick, veiny cylinder as it withdrew. She thought it nearly over, but to her dismay the shaft rammed forward again, then pulled back, only to drive into her mouth once more as the man fucked her face, his thick shaft distending her lips around its girth. Desperately, jaw sore from being held open so far, Noelani began suckling on the ravaging prick.

The captain, never having had the pleasure of taking a petite elf, was unable to restrain his ecstasy for long. Her mouth was so tight and inviting, and her little whimpers were intoxicatingly musical. When she closed her lips and nursed his cock like the whores at the brothel he frequented, he was finally driven to the brink. He shuddered and grunted lustily, shooting ropy jets of his seed into her little mouth and down her throat. She swallowed it as best she could, not wanting this disgusting human's spunk to taint her flesh.

Wasting no time, he pulled his shaft free and tucked himself away, tying his breeches closed as he stood on shaky legs. "Savor that. Might be your last meal for a while." He turned and walked out, the door slamming shut behind him. A heavy bar was slid into place, the sound ringing with condemnation in Noelani's ears. Was this to be her fate?

Chapter 2 - The Hierophant

Ximen Lukyan, Hierophant of the Celestial Order, cut quite the imposing figure. Tall and barrel-chested, he stood nearly a full head over the tallest men of all the isles. While the members of his order were required to shear their hair short, or shave it altogether in the case of the clergy, his ebon tresses cascaded like a dark mane from his head to spill over his shoulders. He bore the dark eyes characteristic of his people, and they shone with dangerous malice. He cloaked his cruelty and greed in the benevolent propaganda of the

Order, just as he covered his well-muscled body in the thick, midnight blue robes of the head of the official and only accepted religion of Islasoros. Several gold and platinum rings adorned his fingers, as well as several ostentatious necklaces that served as symbols of office. A great, black girdle strapped around his waist held the robe close to his body. His knee-high black boots were always immaculately polished. Everything about him was always perfectly in place, down to the last hair on his tapered goatee. Lingering overlong in his presence inevitably led others to feel insecure and awkward, for surely there was no more dignified or quietly intimidating figure in the entire nation. Even the ruling body, loathe to admit it though the Triumvirate was, dared not refuse this man much at all.

It was precisely this figure that Noelani saw enter her chamber three days after her capture. In that time, she had been fed a single sparse and very bland meal that she found waiting for her by the door when she awoke on the third day of her imprisonment. She removed the ridiculous bag as soon as she had recovered from the captain's use of her mouth, and she had also in the meantime fashioned a crude set of undergarments from the larger tatters of her dress. She was cold, but at least she could remain decent. Of course, under the towering man's penetrating glare, she felt more than naked. She could meet his eyes for only a moment before looking down, flushing shamefaced. His gaze bore straight through to her soul, and she knew that he was judging her, judging and damning her. Elves received the worst treatment of all non-human races in Islasoros. According to their mythology, elves tried to eradicate the nation during its infancy. Noelani had serious reservations regarding the truth of that claim, and her lover had helped to confirm her doubts regarding the truth of the Celestial Order's propaganda juggernaut.

Those eyes. She wasn't even looking at him, couldn't so much as see his feet, and she felt them stabbing into her. The man's very presence filled her with fear, and she couldn't help quaking as she curled up on her pile of hay.

"Follow me." The voice was so calm, so quiet. Though the tone demanded unwavering obedience, she found the sound of the words to be pleasing, and she afforded her self a moment of idle supposition about this man. Could he be the sadistic monster her lover claimed him to be? She rose to her bare feet, toes curling with the stone's coldness. The Hierophant turned and exited. She followed him, arms draped across her breasts and down over her mound. She was clothed, barely, but felt so incredibly naked, passing guards in all their armor. And their stares. They leered openly at her, some licking their lips, or adjusting their codpieces. Pigs, all of them. But those pigs were armored, and armed. Like it or not, she knew she'd have to suffer their gazes. She just hoped that staring was all they did.

The Hierophant stopped suddenly, and she glanced up. After looking over the gold-thread starburst design adorning the massive back of his robe, she realized that this human was nearly twice as tall as her petite five-foot height. She swallowed hard, a knot of fear twisting her stomach as she remembered what the captain alluded to when he found her captors groping her. It occurred to her then that this giant might well have designs on her. She would almost have preferred the clumsy guards and their fumbling attempts. This man, she could tell, knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. And no feeble resistance on her part would withstand his determination. Heavy dread crept into her. She heard a door opening and glanced up in time to notice that the Hierophant was stepping into what looked like a very comfortably-appointed room. Knowing he would brook no hesitation, Noelani followed behind him.

"Close the door. Remove those rags. Sit." The words were precise and clipped. He settled comfortably in an overstuffed armchair behind a large oak desk. Papers were arranged in neat stacks and weighed down with polished stones. Like the desk, the bookshelves behind him, curio cabinet off to the side, and even the curtains covering a portion of the far wall seemed to be precisely in place. The room emanated a feeling of absolute control, all directed by the towering figure. Noelani turned and closed the door, then walked over to stand before the desk. She looked down, biting her bottom lip to choke back tiny sobs, and slowly removed her piecemeal clothing. She then sat in the chair, quickly drawing her arms over her intimate areas. Her vain attempt at modesty elicited an amused chuckle from him. She felt very silly, and crossed her legs tightly, drawing her arms closer. She knew it did little, but she couldn't just drop her arms to her sides. Some small part of her refused to willingly bare herself to her captor.

Ximen stared calmly at her. He recognized that last, tenacious spark of defiance. Even the weakest-willed and most inferior of subjects always offered up some resistance. But his determination had always won in the end. His righteous mission to ferret out the taint of sympathy for those monstrous, aberrant races that plagued the islands would not be halted on account of some pitiful uprising of a captive spirit. He opened a drawer, then meticulously set out an inkpot, feather, and flat piece of parchment. He uncapped the ink and dipped the feather into it. He scrawled some words fluidly across the sheet's surface, utterly ignoring the elf seated before him, tantalizingly nude though she was. He had several notes to take before the interrogation could begin.

The wait was maddening. Though she suppressed it well at first, Noelani was soon squirming in the chair. The leather became warm under her, and clung to her bare backside and the backs of her thighs. She shifted about, filling the room with sounds of flesh rubbing against smooth leather. She furrowed her brow and bit her lip, her discomfort increasing. Finally, she could take it no longer. "What do you want with me?" She blurted out, lifting her eyes finally to gaze directly upon the Hierophant.

He sighed heavily and set the feather down, leveling a withering glare that made Noelani want to be anywhere but where she was. She dropped her gaze immediately, drawing her legs up to her chest and hugging them tightly as she whimpered. This left her bare, hairless slit exposed to his gaze, but neither cared at the moment. "Prisoner, you will speak only when prompted. This is your first and last warning. Failure to comply will meet with immediate discipline." He then picked up the feather and resumed his note-taking, seeming once more to ignore her. In truth, he found it difficult to keep his eyes on his work. But he knew the devilry of her race when it was leveled against him. She was tempting him, to be certain. But he was stronger of will, he was the Hierophant! No, she would be the one to break, this elf servant who lived because a wealthy merchant lord had coin enough to sacrifice in appeasing of the King of the Heavens. Yes, this little temptress had worked her insidious hex upon that soft-spined fool. But she would not succeed with him. This was a matter of the utmost importance, a divinely mandated task to be undertaken somberly. Ready now, at long last, he spoke. He did not lift his head, but rather rolled his eyes up to gaze at her from under his furrowed brow. "What is your name, elf?"

He seemed displeased, his expression suggesting that nothing she said would satisfy him. Timidly she replied, "Noelani." He penned her name. A series of other questions followed, ranging from mundane to truly, embarrassingly personal. Strangely, when she tried to lie, she found the truth pushing itself past her subterfuge. By the end of the questioning, she was staring down at the floor and weeping silently from the shame and humiliation. He put the inkpot and feather away, then set the paper aside and leaned forward. His elbows rested on the desk and hands folded before him.

"You have been abducted because we suspect you are involved with a heretical and subversive movement. We mean to root out the source of this corruptive influence within this nation. The Celestial Order has been charged with keeping the peace of its flock, and no petty blasphemer's lies will stand in the way of that sacred mission. If you confess your involvement and divulge what information you know, we shall grant you clemency. Will you confess?" He spoke carefully, slowly, quietly. His words were clipped and perfectly enunciated. There would be no room for misunderstanding with this one. He was too deliberate, too well-practiced.

Noelani had learned quickly how to deceive these humans of feeble intellect, but this man, she knew deep within, would not be so easily swayed. She dismayed, fearing the worst. To confess fully and save herself, she would have to betray her beloved. To lie, she would subject herself to the most cruel, depraved tortures these people could concoct. And if humans had a great capacity for anything, it was cruelty. She swallowed hard and shook her head, too choked-up for speech.

He sighed, though he hardly seemed surprised by her refusal. He pushed back from the desk and rose, then circled around to pace behind the elf. He paused directly at her back and dropped a hand to her shoulder. "Sit properly." Despite herself, she felt her limbs shifting slowly. She straightened and rested her hands on the arms of the wooden chair in which she sat. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, legs chastely pressed together. Her mind screamed at her body, but the Hierophant had somehow managed to wrest control of her very muscles from her. She had never felt so helpless in all her life, and she trembled with fear. He waved a hand, and her legs spread obscenely, ankles coming to rest against the legs of the chair. She sniffled and tried to stifle a sob, but was unable to hold it in. It made him grin. His other hand delved briefly into a hidden pocket of his robe. He dropped four foot-long sections of rope onto her lap and then snapped his fingers. The ropes snaked their way to her limbs, each taking a different one, and looped around her wrists and ankles. They obediently tied themselves into knots, the strong spidersilk securing her, in a quite vulnerable position, to the chair. "Your refusal to cooperate necessitates thorough interrogation. At any time, you can spare yourself by confessing. Remember, your actions have forced my hand, Noelani. You've called this upon yourself."

She clenched her eyes tightly, trying to will herself out of this bondage. His hands slid down her shoulders, over her firm breasts, and pressed against them. She sobbed out a barely-audible, "Nooo!" His hands opened, revealing two shining, silvery clamps. He opened them and deftly closed them over her nipples to harshly pinch her pert nubs. She gasped, the pain sending white-hot arcs through her body. Her jaw hanged slack, trying in vain to articulate the sudden, great agony searing through her. She had felt the pinch of clamps before, but these... these were different! The pain they elicited stabbed to her very soul. Not the least bit pleasing, as the other clamps she had worn sometimes were, these devices left her wanting nothing more than to be rid of them.

Noelani squirmed against the leather upholstery of the seat, bare flesh rubbing noisily across it as she shifted her hips about, unable to keep still as the pain continued to arc through her. Eyes still closed, she did not realize that the Hierophant's hand was moving toward her nether regions until she felt the press of his warm, large fingers against her. Dry with fear, the sudden and ungentle attention was far from welcome. Her folds were pried apart, and she felt sharp stabbing pressure on one of her inner folds create waves of fiery torment through her sex. Her eyes shot open, and she gasped as she beheld the device responsible for this new pain. It was another clamp, but this comprised of rows of sharp, tiny teeth that dimpled her flesh painfully. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and let out another long, shuddering sob.

"It can all end with a simple utterance. Agree to confess the information you are withholding, and the pain will vanish. It is all so simple, my child." The voice was tender and sympathetic, and for a brief moment, she wanted to tell him. Truly wanted to help him. And then he touched her, lecherous fingers kneading her breasts.

She summoned up the dregs of her resolve and raised her gaze to stare intently into his dark eyes as she replied, "I will never tell you." She lacked the strength of conviction in her voice that she felt in her heart, but she conveyed the message well enough. Betray her beloved? Never! She'd sooner die. And to her refusal, the Hierophant chuckled. That cold, hollow sound snuffed the fires of her indignation quickly, and the pain she had fought so hard to deny rushed back to the forefront of her mind in a numbing wave. Then, the Hierophant brought his lips to her brow, and for an instant, the wrenching agony twisted and warped within her. She felt a great flood of pleasure, near-climactic bliss for just the briefest of instants. Then he pulled his lips back and spoke.

"Ah, so you do have something to tell. My source was correct, then." The words struck Noelani more solidly than any blow her body had yet felt. The tatters of pleasure that remained died quickly, the lack of fulfillment only fueling her torture further. Unwittingly, she had admitted that she had the information this hideous man sought. Her slim hope of escaping this ordeal withered. Her salty tears fell down her exposed body, and so deep was her despair that she did not bother to look up when the door of the chamber was jerked open. She only distantly noted the removal of the torturous clamps and unfastening of her wrists and ankles.

Chapter 3 - The Intrigue

A slim, shadowy, and decidedly feminine figure leaned against an alcove wall, watching from the cover of darkness as two guards passed by her vantage point, a nude and thoroughly dejected-looking elven female in tow. The woman smirked, and then licked her lips as she noticed how roughly the two armor-clad humans treated their captive. Once they retreated sufficiently down the hallway, Yasmina stepped from her hiding place and began to follow them. That elf bitch had seduced the man that was, by rights, to be hers. She had every intention of making her suffer! One hand rose, long tapered nails sliding into her hair as she raked her fingers through the unruly black tresses. Her hazel eyes glinted dangerously as she thought back on the night she caught the two of them, bodies glistening under the moonlight and tangled together as they basked in climactic bliss. She breathed not a word to her betrothed. No, she understood that the man was powerless against the wiles of that infernal monster. Her uncle had taught her much about the evils of the sub-human races. They were truly a disease to be snuffed from the face of all the world, and she meant to send this one to a very slow and painful end. Her betrothed was a few steps removed from inheriting the de la Espada estate, but she had great plans for him. After his older brothers' poor hearts had finally given out, he would be the sole beneficiary. And his father was far from young. Then, finally, Yasmina would rule, however vicariously, a house of her own. She would cuckold her libertine husband, and his feeble will would bend as easily as a rapier's blade. Yes, he would-

"Yasmina! Niece, what are you doing here?" That booming voice could be mistaken for no other. Yasmina pivoted on one heel and smiled warmly at her uncle as she retraced her steps back up the hallway and to him. Ximen beamed radiantly at his niece, his pride and joy. His arms slipped around hers in a tight embrace, and his lips grazed her brow affectionately as she answered him.

"I passed by your study not long ago, but the guard told me you were occupied, Uncle. I was just walking about to pass the time," She lied to him as her arms slid around his massive form and gave a brief squeeze. "Father wished for me to come ask if you would give us the pleasure of your company at supper this evening."

Ximen nodded earnestly and released Yasmina from the embrace to clap her lightly on the back. "It would be my pleasure. Shortly after sunset, yes?" She nodded in reply, then stepped back as he half-turned to leave. He paused and glanced over his shoulder. "We've acquired something that may be of interest to you, Niece. After dinner, you and I will speak on this in greater detail." With that, he strode back along the hallway, leaving her once more in peace. Quietly, she jogged off in the direction in which the captive elf had been taken.

*****

"No more protection for you, elf bitch! Down here, the Captain don't care what happens s'long as we don't rough you up too bad for your interrogation!" One of the guards said as he slapped the leather cuff of the spreader bar to her right ankle. The other guard, kneeling by her left food, closed the cuff around that leg as well. The bar was a yard long, and given her diminutive frame, it was more than enough to keep her legs splayed wide open. Her mound glistened slightly from that brief jolt of pleasure the Hierophant had inflicted upon her, only heightening her shame. Her head hung low as she felt stinging tears welling in her eyes, partly from the pain of being suspended by her wrists, but also by the sheer hopelessness of her situation. The guards fondled her roughly, taunting her and snarling a never-ending stream of curses at her. She could tell they were becoming excited, and shuddered with revulsion at it. How could they take such pleasure in her torment?

Yasmina curled her lips into a cold, hateful smile when she rounded the bottom of the staircase, coming within earshot of the guards. She padded silently and found a sheltered position from which to observe these grunts. She knew well what was about to unfold, and the thrill of anticipation took root in her belly. It was such a chore to remain impassive while her uncle interrogated his prisoners, but she knew he would be greatly incensed to discover that their torment aroused her greatly. Always on those nights, she immediately sought out her betrothed, and she would release her pent-up frustrations on him. Now, though, she could take the time to enjoy herself. So long as she remained silent, all would be well. One hand slipped down to the front of her hunter-green suede breeches. Nimble fingers unlaced the ties, and the hand slipped down beneath the loosened fabric as she crouched low behind a table and settled in to watch.

"P-please, don't... don't do this," she whimpered pitifully, squirming her hips away as best she could as one guard reached a leather-gloved hand out to caress her stomach. Noelani cringed when the rough leather scraped across her smooth flesh, then shuddered and bit her bottom lip, head tossed back to escape the sight of that hand drifting lower. The other guard moved around behind her, heavy boots noisily pacing about. Just when the front guard's glove pressed roughly to her bare sex, she felt a sharp stinging as a riding crop slapped painfully against the round hemispheres of her backside. She cried out from the pain, grinding herself inadvertently against the guard's hand in a vain attempt to escape the agony blazing across her rear. One finger pushed up against her slit, parting it and rubbing the leather against her entrance and across her withdrawn bud. She whimpered and tried to close her legs, but the metal bar between them prevented any such thing from happening.

The hand was pulled from her crotch, only to slap harshly across her face to leave her cheek stinging painfully. The guard chuckled as her eyes flew open wide, fear-stricken. "Please, don't hurt me... I'll do anything." Her brow knit as she squirmed against her shackles, body protesting the rough treatment it was receiving.

"You'll do nothing but take what we give you, wench," snarled the grunt. He sounded angry. Noelani swallowed hard. Raising his ire was precisely what she hoped to avoid. Fear of what was to come settled like a stone in her stomach, and she closed her eyes and turned her head away when she saw the man reach for his breech ties. Behind her, she felt a thick, hard shaft of flesh nestle against her rear, the underside pressed in the cleft. She gasped and lurched her hips forward, only to feel the engorged head of the other guard's cock rub against her slit. She knew without question what they meant to do then. She only hoped her body could accommodate both of them. The one behind her withdrew, and she dared to hope for a moment that she would be spared. The one before her nudged the head of his cock against her damn nether lips, forcing them apart as he grabbed her hips and pushed upward. Her body, unready and unreceptive in her frightened state, ached as this human thrust into her, demanding that her sheath stretch to take him, regardless of its current state.

The reprieve behind her, she soon discovered, was short-lived. A hand parted the cheeks of her backside, and a thick finger, slickened with some sort of oil or cream, pushed hard against her clenched pucker. It twisted and rubbed in little circles, forcing its way past the resistance of her virginal backside. She whimpered and tried to lift her hips away, pushing forward and accepting the invasion of her barely-lubricated pussy over this painful new violation.

The guard in front grunted, hips snapping up in short, stabbing thrusts as he burrows his aching girth deeper into the small elf's frame. Her folds stretched around the shaft, dragging against it when he jerked back and pushed up against her when he drives forward. The finger behind her moves more eagerly now, smearing the cream inside her and withdrawing, only to plunge in again with another dollop of the lubricant. Soon, the wide digit is pumping quickly back and forth within her rear, the pain of the fucking motions hot and tingling around the penetrated hole. Every time she pushed forward to escape the rough probing, she forced herself further onto the shaft invading her sex. This was not so strange a sensation, though, as her owner often demanded this of her. She groaned softly, the attention in her tunnel the most natural pleasure she had known in nearly a week.

Then the finger behind her withdrew, replaced not a moment later by a flared cockhead. She gasped and froze, fear gripping her anew. The cock at her ass pushed forward, stretching the tight pucker faster than she could have been expected to loosen to accommodate it, even if she knew what to do to accomplish that. As such, she felt a very sharp pain, sphincter tearing slightly from the sudden and drastic distention. She howled in agony as the turgid meat shoved its way deeper into her, bare hands reaching around to maul her breasts from behind. Her nipples, very sore from their torture earlier, screamed fresh pain into her mind.

Hips clenched, breasts squeezed, Noelani was jerked from one assailant to the other as their ravaging cocks pounded their way inside her. They fucked her savagely, her feeble cries of protest falling apparently deaf ears. Hidden, Yasmina heard it all and bit her full bottom lip hard to keep from moaning lustily. The elf's cries rang musically in her ears, the plaintive urgings to show her mercy going unheeded. She slides her fingers over her trimmed slit, caressing her wet folds and teasing her swelling nub as she watches the guards have their fun. Unfortunately, it's over all too soon. The men, interested only in their own fun, finish with her quickly. After depositing their seed and grunting with satisfaction, they withdraw from the ravaged prisoner. "Not bad, slut," one of them comments, earning a snicker from his companion. They each tuck their shafts back inside their breeches and exit the room, leaving her dangling with their cum -and her blood, in the case of her rear- seeping from her nether holes.

The guards departed, but not until the door closed behind them did Yasmina move. She stood and fastened her breeches about her once more, then padded over to the elf and circled around to face her. Noelani looked up, sobbing pitifully as she dangled from the chain attached to her wrist cuffs. She sniffled, quelling the stifled crying, and a faint light of hope twinkled in her eyes. "P-please... please help me."

Yasmina found great irony in the elf's hope that she, the one whose lies had brought this servant to the Celestial Order's attention, would offer any salvation. If only this foolish creature realized that Yasmina's words to her uncle, whisperings of an elf servant who was said to have ties with the subversive underground movement that he was having so much trouble with, had resulted quite directly in her capture. Ah, but the monster was ignorant, so utterly and completely unknowing. Yasmina nodded to Noelani, then walked over to the winch and cranked the chain down until Noelani was able to rest her knees on the cold stone floor and bring her hands down to her lap. "Oh, thank you," Noelani sighed, much relieved at the easing of tension in her arms.

Only briefly, Yasmina entertained notions of pulling down her breeches and making this wretched creature finish what her fingers had started, but she quickly discarded the notion. This was an elf, after all! She only sneered down at the elf maid, leaving the captive to cower away and drop her gaze. No, Yasmina would never lower herself to be touched by a sub-human, no matter how great her desire might be at the moment. No, better to lure her betrothed, this wretch's lover, into a little tryst before dinner. If she hurried, she could most assuredly capture his attention for a while. With that, she departed.

Chapter 4 - The Confession

After only a few hours' reprieve, Noelani heard the cell doors open once more. She lay on the cold stone floor, curled as tightly as her chains and the spreader bar would allow, one manacled hand tucked under her head. The irons around her wrist dug into her cheek, but after much feeble shifting about, she found this to be the most comfortable position available to her. Her head lifted slightly as her eyelids lifted enough to let her see who had entered. They closed quickly, brow wrinkling with worry as she spotted those midnight blue robes. It was the Hierophant, doubtlessly come to continue his twisted game with her. Four others filed in behind the imposing human, all of them wearing plain black robes with the cowls drawn over their heads. The door was closed and barred shut, and the robed figures quickly went about making preparations for something or another. The Hierophant stood before the elven female and nudged her form with the toe of his boot. She let out a soft grunt and stared up at him. Just as she felt defiance rising within her, she noticed the chain attached to her wrist cuffs began ascending. Tossing a panicked glance over her shoulder, she whimpered as she noticed one of the robed men operating the winch. Another, not far off, was lighting a row of crimson candles. This only added to her confusion, as the ensconced torches in this chamber lit the room more than the candles could.

"Have you seen the folly of hiding the identity of this dissenter, elf?" The Hierophant asked, voice echoing against the hewn-rock walls of the room. Her eyes darted back to him, glaring at the man even while her hands were raised higher and higher.

"As I said, I will never give you what you seek!" She spat at his feet then, and shifted to settle her weight onto her knees. The Hierophant glanced down to regard the spittle staining the ground before him and smirked. He raised a boot and shoved it between her thighs while she adjusted her position. Noelani gasped with horror as the polished top of the leather boot pressed hard against her mound. She stared down and tried to close her legs, unable to do so with any effectiveness because of the bar that held them apart. She whimpered and changed tactics, scooting back away from the boot. Her arms rose higher, over her head now, as the chain kept pulling her inexorably upward.

There was a shuffling behind her, and before she could turn around, a silk cloth was drawn around her head and tied tightly. The fabric felt nice against her skin, but it covered her eyes completely and hung down just past her nose. It left only her hairline and mouth exposed, blocking out all light. She shook her head and tried to dislodge it, which earned her a shocking jolt to her backside. The little burst of electricity rippled through her nerves, leaving a sharp sting in its wake. Her body, drawn taut by the zap against her lush rear, was unable to slacken again as she realized, to her great dismay, her hips were being lifted higher along with her body. She felt herself becoming increasingly exposed and vulnerable, unable now to press down against the solid protection of the floor.

"Oh, you will give me this blasphemer's name," the Hierophant stated calmly. From the folds of his robe, he produced a different set of clamps. These were golden in color, and were attached by an interconnecting chain. He brushed the cold metal across her tender nipples, causing them to throb to aching attention almost immediately. While Noelani remained momentarily stunned from the abruptness of the sensation, he closed the clamps over the hard little buds. Her breasts quivered as she let out a shuddering groan of pain, her abused nerves lancing stabbing jolts through her.

Strong fingers curled around her ankles just then, and she felt, at long last, the cuffs binding her to that infernal bar were removed. Her legs were lifted as he body was pulled a bit higher. More hands gripped behind her knees as her legs were drawn forward and out wide. She felt a pair of arms wrapping around each thigh, keeping her legs splayed wide open. Her ravished sex was exposed, her folds spreading slowly by the stretch of her legs. A dollop of something with a creamy texture was applied to her nether lips, then smeared over her clit. Almost immediately, she felt a warm tingling spreading from the point of contact, and she became curious, forgetting at that moment the torment of her nipples. And just then, as though to remind her, the chain jumped to life as a fleeting surge of energy shot through the gold links and to the clamps around her nipples. Adding to the pain of the clamps' pressure, the electric jolt through her breasts elicited a long, low groan of pure agony. Where the first lightning touch on her left a tingling sensation after, this ignited the nerves of her breasts in searing pain.

"Aaaaahhh!" she cried out, breath coming in heaving gasps. She writhed in her bonds, tugging her wrists painfully against the manacles and trying in vain to thrash her legs against the iron grip of those that held them. Without warning, a soft kiss was pressed just above her navel, and once again that soul-burning agony reversed itself and shot a rippling wave of mind-numbing ecstasy through her. She felt her sex become warmer as the skin filled with blood, engorging slightly and increasing in sensitivity, her tunnel lubricating to make itself more receptive for a lover's entrance. Then the lips were gone, and yet again what had just been deeply erotic wracked her body with pain. Disoriented and dazed by her suddenly-mercurial body, she panted heavily in her own confusion.

"I can make all this pain go away. I could give you the greatest ecstasy you will ever know. Wouldn't that be better than this pain? One word, one name. That is all I ask. And I offer so much in return." To Noelani's slowly fragmenting consciousness, the Hierophant's words were like a warm honey poured into her ear. She swallows hard, throat raw from her heaving breaths. She drags her dry tongue across drier lips and nearly whispers something. Then somewhere, a small part of her reminds her just who she is about to betray, and she winces away from that realization. Her nipples throb, feeling as though they've been run through. Shakily, she hoarsely whispers, "P-please... I don't know anything."

As though cued by her denial, that warm tingling along her folds and against her now-swollen clit turned quickly into a great heat. She gasped and whimpered, hips bucking and thrusting anew as she tried, with absolutely no success, to dislodge the cream that was now irritating her most sensitive flesh with its prickling heat.

Mercifully, something rubbed against her folds, and the friction of the caress quelled the burning irritant. Then, the smooth cylinder that was pressed to her sex tipped, and she felt several hot spatters of wax hit her belly. Her abdomen tensed as she sucked in a deep breath, the wax cooling quickly but leaving the skin beneath warm and throbbing. The caressing shaft was pulled away, and after but a moment the itching heat returned to her sex. Something else was quickly pushed against her wet entrance, but this object pressed at her hole. She cried out with the realization of what was happening as a thick, blunted tip forced her puffy, irritated pussy lips to stretch around it. She exhaled a pained groan when it pushed in deeper, the distending of her tunnel almost more than she could bear. She felt that, surely, this shaft invading her sought to tear her asunder! Panicked by that, she tried to push herself away from it, but to no avail. In fact, she was rewarded for her efforts by having her legs tugged closer to the massive figure standing between them. As what she had concluded was the Hierophant's cock forced its way deeper, stretching her tight little sheath to fit its needs, her legs were pulled around him and bound after her ankles were crossed over the small of his back. There would be no escaping this assault now.

More wax splattered onto the elf's belly and over her breasts, causing her to writhe violently. Her breasts jiggled, nipples tugged this way and that when the chain was drawn taut. Unwittingly, her undulations worked her overstuffed pussy further down the length of the man's shaft, until she felt the kinked mass of his pubic hairs tickling her inner thighs. She felt more than full, she felt as though she were crammed beyond the capacity of her petite body to hold in. Her walls strained around him, skin drawn painfully taut, and she could feel the head hammering against the furthest reaches of her tunnel.

She clenched her eyes tight and wept bitterly, blindfold capturing her tears. Even if she did manage to escape this evil monster's dungeon, who would take her? She was ruined now, she was sure of it. All Noelani had left to cling to was her determination to keep the secret they sought to draw out of her.

The Hierophant closed his meaty hands around the elf's slim waist and jerked her body onto his raging erection, smirking wickedly as he watched her bald lips slide back and forth against him. Hearing her sobs and seeing her delicate mouth drawn into a tight grimace, he knew she was breaking. He leaned over, thick pole slamming completely into her, and brushed his lips across her breasts. The elf bitch's cunt had him in its iron grip, and he felt it trying to milk his seed from within him, but the oil he had smeared over his cock worked well to numb the sensation. He couldn't fill this undeserving wretch with his ecstasy, lest she use it to entrance him and bind his soul to her service forever. Still, he would not stop until he crushed her will. He must have his answer!

Again, those lips touched her, lingering far longer than before. Her sobs melted away quickly to become lusty moans, and her agonized writhing dissolved to wanton gyrations. She let out a long, low groan and actually thrust herself onto the human's fat prick, dragging her pussy back and forth along its length as her supple thighs gripped around his waist. Her nipples sang with rapture now, rather than crying in agony, and she reveled in the sensations flooding through her. Oh, she felt so alive! Her every nerve tingled, clit throbbing mightily, and for a moment she wanted nothing more than to careen over the precipice of her own desire. But then the lips were gone! Her belly, fluttering with ripples of budding pleasure a moment ago, suddenly knotted up. She felt so dizzy, mind whirring as it tried to comprehend what was happening to her. She sputtered and cried out, not knowing what she needed or wanted, not knowing what her body was telling her. Agony, ecstasy? Was this lovemaking or interrogation? Oh, she was losing herself under the barrage of sensations. Breathing heavily, she forced herself to concentrate.

The massive pole rammed into her harder now, the flood of her juices making its plundering of her depths easier now, and as a result disrupted her attempt to marshal her thoughts. What was she doing? Protecting someone, yes.

"Ooooh, yess!" She moaned past parched lips, feeling the kiss that turned her inside out with pleasure. Those magical, torturous lips grazed across her jaw, and she squeezed her legs tightly around the man's waist in response. She could feel his shaft throbbing within her, and at the height of her ecstasy as she was, she wanted nothing more than to feel his seed splash against her stretched walls. The rising tide of her pleasure crashed against a rocky edifice, and her mind reeled, hovering on the brink of release but inexplicably unable to cross the threshold.

The lips slid up to her ear, still touching her flesh as they moved, that honeyed and commanding voice whispering to her while the cock ground hard against her cervix. "Who? Tell me who. Does this not feel good? Do you not need release? Speak the name, and it shall be yours." She clenched her jaw tightly and shook her head violently, unable at the moment to remember why she was protecting someone, or even who, but distantly remembering its importance. "Very well," he whispered and leaned back. Noelani cried out, her befuddled mind recoiling at the withdrawal of his lips' caress before she could reach the climax her body so desperately needed.

"Noooo!"

*****

After the evening meal, Ximen privately informed Yasmina that her information was correct. Yasmina feigned surprise, though the delight came to her easily enough. After the usual pleasantries, her uncle departed to 'interrogate' the captive. Yasmina waited an hour, perhaps one of the longest and most agonizing of her life thus far, before she snuck out of her family's estate and infiltrated the Celestial Order's compound. Knowing her way and all too familiar with the guards' patterns, she made her way easily enough to the secret passage that would take her down to the dungeon level. She crept along silently, knowing that her footfalls could echo down the rough-hewn passage, alerting any standing near the door to her presence. She bit her bottom lip, ivory teeth denting its fullness. Approaching the door, she snuck closer and pressed her ear to it. Though glaceed to resemble the stone wall on either side, it was in fact crafted of oak. She grinned as she heard the elf's moans, confirming her unflappable belief that all members of that pathetic race were weak-willed decadents.

Noelani cried out pitifully, apparently trying to deny or refute something. Yasmina cursed herself inwardly for arriving so late, but then paid close attention as her uncle spoke.

"Just say the name," he grunted, sounding somewhat out-of-breath. There were garbled, incoherent mutterings from the elf, and then a throaty and lust-filled moan. It was followed immediately by a stifled, sobbing cry of pain and surprise, only to be replaced by a sharp, piercing howl of sheer pleasure.

"Aah! Zz- Zo-phi-aaah!" The elf squealed and moaned, the last part of the name drowned by her rapturous and inarticulate groaning.

Yasmina's eyes bulged and blood ran cold. She felt her heart slam against her breastbone as her breathing increased drastically. How dare that infernal wench accuse her betrothed of leading the heretics! The thrice-damned elf had absolutely no loyalties to her own lover, so easily tossing out his name to appease her torturer. She spun on her heel and hurried back up the passageway.

Epilogue - The Lover

A soft, insistent tapping jarred him to consciousness. The man opened his eyes slowly as he awakened. He rolled over after identifying the source of the sound: the doors leading to his balcony. He grumbled and reached out to grab his silk robe, then stood and pulled it on sleepily. Only one person who knew him had the means to reach his balcony from the outside. Didn't she know better than to disturb him during his after-dinner nap? He had a long night ahead of him, and he needed his sleep badly. Still, this woman was important to his greater goals, and so he jerked open the door and staggered back toward the bed.

"Zophiel! This is no pleasure call!" she hissed quietly through clenched teeth, her hand darting out to strike him across the shoulder. He winced with surprise, and a fleeting urge to backhand her passed through him. He stayed his anger, knowing that to indulge in it would be to throw away several years of intrigues and manipulations. He turned slowly to regard her, one brow cocked.

"What, then? It's early. You know I don't like to be bothered until moonset," he muttered. She sighed and stepped closer, reaching up to caress his cheek. He knew then that something was amiss. She was only affectionate when she wanted something, and in order to keep her easy to read, he did much to encourage it.

"Lover, you're in great danger. Someone has accused you of heresy! My uncle is assembling a patrol to come arrest you!" Her voice was filled with concern, and most of it was indeed sincere. After all, Yasmina stood to lose much if Zophiel were captured. If he buckled under the torture and confessed, her plans for him would be ruined, and his family would fall out of favor with the Triumvirate. If, somehow, he survived the 'interrogation', her uncle would know her for a liar, and that would make her life unimaginably difficult.

"Heresy? Don't be absurd!" He scoffed at the idea. Inwardly, Zophiel's mind whirred with possibilities. Who could have betrayed him? Certainly not his 'betrothed', as he took great pains to keep her ignorant of most of his affairs. One of his comrades, perhaps... but whom? His anger began to rise, and with it came a great thirst for vengeance.

"No time to argue. They're on their way as we speak! Zophiel, please! You must escape to the mainland! I will send word once things have calmed. Trust me, beloved. I'll find my way to the truth of this, and once you are exonerated, you can return to me. But you must survive in the meantime!"

Zophiel just nodded at her words, only half-listening to her. He was already considering which ships would be the most easily bribed, and for how much. No vessel would set sail that night; it would be all too obvious, then. No, he would have to pay the captain for his silence and remain belowdecks until the ship went underway the next morning. Not a pleasant proposition, but it was his best chance at escaping his doom. Of course, it meant that his years of plotting and expanding his criminal empire had all been for naught. He sighed and shook his head, feeling great sorrow for the great plans that he knew would never come to fruition. The Hierophant's niece, the daughter he never had, would slip through his fingers just when he was on the cusp of molding her into his greatest tool.

Misunderstanding his gesture as one of denial, Yasmina stepped in closer and kissed his soft lips. She felt the scratchy stubble on his chin, and it sent a tiny thrill of pleasure through her. Perhaps there was time... but she knew better. After breaking the kiss, she continued her efforts to persuade him. "Zophiel, I will wait for you. It'll only be a season, maybe two, before we get this matter resolved. Trust in me; have I ever let you down?"

He chuckled softly and kissed her brow. "No, no you haven't. Very well, my dear. I shall entrust my fate to your capable hands." He turned then and quickly dressed. Yasmina sniffled behind him, and he rolled his eyes to the ceiling before turning around. Damnation, but this 'love' business she forced him to play at understanding was insufferably tedious. He offered a soft smile and reached out to cup her cheek. "Yasmina, please don't cry. All will be well." He turned again to finish dressing, strapping on the belt that held his coin purse, his stiletto, and the ornamental family rapier. He was well-trained in the blade's use, though the one scabbarded at his hip was, at the moment, mere decoration. He'd have to wait until reaching the mainland to rectify that, though.

Yasmina glared daggers at Zophiel's back. How dare he treat her so... typically! Her teary-eyes ploy had worked on him every time thus far, but now he was so cold. What had overcome him? It must be the shock of it all. Yes, that has to be it. She sighed heavily, feeling genuinely that she shall miss him after all. Good and useful men were difficult to come across.

Ready to depart, Zophiel stepped close to Yasmina and pulled her body tightly against his. He kissed her brow, then stepped back and offered a small, apologetic smile. "I'll miss you." The lie came easily to him. This woman was, after all, merely a plaything to him. The loss of her company would be felt, especially his first few days in the unfamiliar mainland port. But there were plenty of women like her around.

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