Tales of Erogenia: Book 3 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5:  Urtts

Seven days after their defeat of the slavers, a leisurely march across the plains brought Zenaria and her new companions to the place where the slavers had captured them. It was an idyllic setting and by chance one that Sulia regarded as her favourite place in the great wilderness of the plains. They took their time, making up for the forced march the slavers had taken them on.

Zenaria was content with the slow pace. It gave her and Varden time to get to know Sulia and the other members of the Urulana. She enjoyed learning the names of the various animals and plants that populated the plains. As she had surmised, she and Varden had walked right past dozens of edible and medicinal plants. Sulia proved an apt teacher, such that even Varden took an interest. In spite of his somewhat narrow religious views, he was interested in all aspects of healing and paid attention when Sulia described various medicinal plants and their applications.

And then there was the hunt. The Urulana hunted with spears rather than bows. In fact, none of them carried a bow, and they found Zenaria's use of the weapon extremely interesting. They were even more impressed when she brought down a massive buffalo with just three well-placed arrows. The animal was extremely dangerous to hunt, and the fact that she brought it down from a distance of over fifty yards, drew admiring glances.

The huge animal provided them with enough meat to feed all of them for several days. By degrees, they eventually reached a beautiful pool and waterfall. Sulia announced that they would stay there for several days, simply because of its natural beauty. With plenty of food and abundant water, it was a natural resting spot welcomed by everyone. And it gave them all a chance to clean the grime from their bodies in the refreshing waters of the deep pool.

By this time Varden had overcome his unnatural aversion to nudity and joined in. For the first time since Zenaria had known the knight, he seemed oblivious to the naked bodies around him, in spite of the fact that almost half of them were females.

It was fortunate that his attitude had changed, as he was now an object of desire by most of the young bare-breasted Urulana women. As Zenaria had cause to know, Varden's healing skills had the sometimes annoying side-effect of restoring virginity. There had been a little consternation among the women when they had made this discovery, and several of them seemed determined to have Varden personally restore them to their original state.

Varden found all of this attention quite embarrassing. Zenaria found it amusing. Rather than igniting the fires of jealousy, it focused her attention in an entirely different direction. Toward that of the Urulana Princess.

The attitude of the Urulana toward sex was surprisingly similar to that of most Erogenians, with one major exception. Since the leadership of the tribe passed through the female line, Sulia was expected to maintain her virginity until her consort was chosen to insure that the line of succession remained unchallenged. However, it was not expected that the next in line to the throne satisfy herself with only cold baths. She was allowed unlimited sexual release provided it was with members of the same sex.

For Zenaria, it was a new experience. In spite of the fact that there were no restrictions on same sex relationships in her culture, she had never taken a female lover; even though there had been a few moments when she had been strongly tempted. But Sulia was undeniably special. Taller than Zenaria by almost a hand, she moved with the grace of a gazelle. Her long smooth muscles rippled under her dark brown skin. Her breasts were firm, barely swaying as she moved and topped with nipples the colour of obsidian. Her black hair was divided into three long braids that joined in the middle of her back before falling just above the curve of her buttocks. It swayed most provocatively as she moved, drawing the eye to the erotic movement of her slender hips and narrow waist. Nude from the waist up, her lower body was covered only by a thin skirt of leopard skin. Her feet were bare and her ankles decorated with several small gold chains. She wore similar ornamentation about her neck in addition to gold bands on each of her arms. A single gold band circled her brow indicating her status.

Her features were strong, with full lips, a wide nose, and high cheekbones; giving her a rather arrogant appearance that Zenaria found intriguing. And when she looked at Zenaria, the invitation was undeniable.

Zenaria, however, held back. She was not yet ready to commit to a new relationship until she understood the customs of the Urulana a bit better. She had no wish to find herself entangled in a liaison from which it might be difficult extricate herself. And then there was Varden. She and the knight had been lovers only a very brief time, and she had no wish to strain their relationship. So, although she made no effort to distance herself from Sulia, she did nothing to encourage her either.

The situation remained unchanged during their stay at the waterfall. She and Varden however, stayed apart; partly due to the knight's reluctance to make love when surrounded by so many strangers, and partly due to the fact that both Zenaria and Varden seemed to feel that their relationship was changing.

The knight's reluctance to perform in the presence of others was not shared by the Urulana. Eventually most of the Urulana women gave up on Varden, giving in to their normal instincts - which they had no trouble displaying in full sight of everyone else. To Varden it was a shocking display of immorality and made him even more reluctant to engage in such activity. Eventually only one of the Urulana women maintained her interest in the knight. Her name was Kindra and coincidently she was the first victim the slavers had chosen to satisfy their lust. Perhaps because Varden had healed her of all evidence of the rape, she remained determined to draw him into her bedroll. Eventually the Urulana men gave up on her and left her to pursue the knight.

---

Three days after reaching the waterfall, they broke camp and headed toward the Mountain of Fire. The mountain now filled half the horizon and most of the walking was uphill. The vegetation began to change, becoming more lush and green and they began to encounter small streams that flowed out toward the plain. Here and there they came across deep canyons that had been carved out of the landscape. Zenaria wondered a bit about a few of these as they seemed much too large to have been created by the small streams currently wandering through them. However, none of the Urulana including Sulia could shed any light on the matter.

"They've always been that way," Sulia answered. "I have never thought about it. It is the way things have always been. The way Rahlu made them."

Rahlu was the name of the primary Urulanan god; one who not surprisingly, resided in the Mountain of Fire. After what Zenaria had seen she was not one to discount others' deities and so she merely accepted what Sulia had told her.

One question she had not asked was answered four days after they had left the waterfall. They had just made camp and were sitting around the campfire enjoying the smell of their latest hunting success; a large eland Zenaria's arrows had brought down. There was a sudden shift in the ground beneath them flowed by a low rumble from the direction of the Mountain of Fire.

Sulia got to her feet along with everyone else. Looking toward the mountain, she crossed her arms over her breasts, an action that Zenaria had come to recognize as paying tribute to her god. "Rahlu speaks," the dark-skinned princess said.

Zenaria looked toward the mountain, her eyes widening in surprise. The top of the mountain, stood stark against the purple of twilight, a strange orange glow emanating from its summit. Even as she watched, the glow erupted into a fiery splash against the sky. The display was followed by a rumble that was even louder this time.

Zenaria felt a chill run up her spine. She had never seen or expected such a sight. "What is it?" she asked even as an even larger explosion occurred, throwing glowing fragments high above the top of the mountain.

"Rahlu is angry," Sulia replied. "Probably because I failed in my leadership. He seeks atonement for my failure."

"I don't understand," Zenaria replied. "What failure?"

"I led my people into a trap that a novice could have avoided. We were captured and humiliated, and Kindra was raped. Rahlu is displeased and I must atone."

Zenaria understood. "It is like the Cha," she said. "You must restore balance."

"I do not understand this ‘cha,' Sulia replied. "But yes. I must restore the balance, or Rahlu will remain angry."

Zenaria did not ask Sulia how she was to restore the balance, but she kept it in mind as the great mountain continued to roar. The incredible display went on all night, increasing in intensity and making it impossible to sleep. Each eruption was followed by a thunderous roar and the shaking of the ground.

---

In the morning, Sulia decided they might as well have an early breakfast and then break camp. With the ground continually shaking, they made no attempt to cook anything, but ate cold meat left over from the previous night, and tubers and greens they had gathered the day before. By the time they had finished eating it was light enough to set off.

They continued their upward journey ignoring the fact that each step took them closer to the roaring mountain, but Sulia mentioned that such activity from the Mountain of Fire was not unusual, even though she had never seen it this intense. By mid-morning the mountain had added another element to its activity. It appeared that glowing liquid was escaping from its top and flowing down the side of the mountain.

Reaching one of the deep chasms that seemed to radiate from the mountain, the party halted. At the bottom was the usual small stream. Sulia looked upstream, an expression of uncertainty on her regal features.

"What is it?" Zenaria asked.

"I'm not sure," Sulia answered. "We must cross here or trek for four days to go around it, but I have a feeling that something is not quite right."

Taciturn as always, Zenaria waited for Sulia to continue. Finally the Urulana Princess spoke. "I will go down alone and make sure that it is safe. Then the rest can follow."

Zenaria shook her head. "I am going as well. And do not try to stop me. No one faces danger for me - be it known or unknown."

Sulia frowned, but nodded. "We go then."

Wait, princess," Varden said, stepping forward. "You go nowhere without me."

"In all fairness, Sir Knight," Zenaria replied. "I have seen how you climb. It is better that you wait here and let those who are more nimble go first. And say nothing about letting a woman go first. Besides the danger Sulia senses may come from this direction and your fighting ability may be needed to safeguard us as we make the climb."

The last statement seemed to mollify the knight. He nodded and stepped back while Sulia and Zenaria prepared.

Zenaria took her sword and knife, leaving behind her bow and quiver for the climb. It would have been a most difficult climb if the ground had kept shaking, but for the moment it seemed to have stopped. Even so the rock was sheer, dropping several dozen body lengths to the bottom of the canyon.

Each of the climbers was secured by a grass rope. Even so, Zenaria climbed carefully, wary of the fact that the ground might start shaking at any moment. She had no wish to endure the rope burns that would be inflicted if she lost her hold and had to be caught by the rope.

Side by side they descended into the canyon, wary of the danger that Sulia had sensed. They were halfway down when something strange occurred. The small stream below them suddenly began to swell, increasing in just a few heartbeats from a trickle to a full forced flow and then increased even more, growing rapidly to a raging torrent.

Perched high above the stream, Zenaria watched, wondering if this was the danger the Urulana Princess had sensed. By now the stream had risen almost two body lengths from its original level and was moving with such power that it was now impossible to cross. It seemed that the party would have to make the four day detour after all.

Zenaria began to climb back toward the rim when a low rumbling sound distracted her. Looking upstream she saw a sight that had her scrambling higher as quickly as she could safely move. Roaring down the canyon was a wall of water that filled it almost to the rim, and it was moving faster that a galloping horse.

Zenaria grabbed the rope just before the water caught her and clung desperately as the water pulled her away from the canyon wall and out into the raging torrent. She was vaguely aware of Sulia being swept out with her and then she was fighting for her life as the water attempted to rip her away from her lifeline.

As she gripped the rope, the powerful current pulled lifted her from her feet, her head facing into the current. As the water surged past and over, she was temporarily submerged and forced to hold her breath. Each time this happened she somehow managed to kick and pull her way back to the surface and catch her breath only to have the water pull her under again. Tree branches and rocks, swept up by the current, smashed into her, almost breaking her grip, but she held on with all her strength, knowing that to lose her grip was almost certain death.

The raging water swirled in circles, spinning her like a top as she gripped the rope. Then something unbelievably heavy slammed into her. The blow knocked the breath from her body and tore her grip on the rope, but it hardly mattered. An instant later the rope snapped, but not before wrenching her body violently as the rope around her waist cut into her and then she was pulled into the current. Flailing desperately, her hands caught hold of the object that had slammed into her, the branches of a large tree. Wrapping her arms around a branch she clung with all of her strength as the tree was hurled down the canyon, twisting and turning in the churning waters.

Zenaria fought for her life as the tree spun in the writhing currents, sometimes swirling her above the surface of the water and sometimes ducking her under. Each time she surfaced, she gasped for air before being plunged beneath the surface. As she came up she tried to look for Sulia, but the Urulana Princess was nowhere to be seen, leaving Zenaria with a hollow feeling in her stomach.

It seemed the wild river ride lasted forever, even though it could not have been more than a few hundred heartbeats. During one of her brief emergences from the wild water Zenaria caught sight of the canyon walls and realized the canyon was narrowing. The effect was to increase the velocity of the already rapidly moving torrent. And then Zenaria heard a sound that reverberated even above the sound of the already roaring stream. It was a familiar enough sound; that of water pouring over a ledge. Glancing ahead she saw that the river suddenly seemed to end, but helpless she could do nothing as she was swept toward the edge of the waterfall.

When the tree trunk suddenly jarred to a halt she almost lost her grip. But even though the water tore at her body she clung to the tree with the tenacity of a wolverine. The tree had wedged itself across the canyon, perched just on the edge of the falls as the water roared over the drop before disappearing in a cloud of spray.

As she hung on she caught sight of a slight movement. Just five yards away a dark brown arm clung to a slender branch. The rest of Sulia was hidden by the trunk of the tree, but it was apparent that she was barely hanging on. In spite of her weariness Zenaria moved without thinking, forcing herself to move in the flow of the water and scramble along the horizontal trunk until the Urulana Princess was within reach. Her hand reached out and clamped down on Sulia's wrist. Pulling with all of her remaining strength she managed to drag the princess toward her until Sulia could grab hold by herself. Only then did Zenaria pull herself into a safer position on top of the trunk.

Wet and exhausted, the two women sat side by side attempting to regain their strength for the coming test. They had somehow survived the flood, but not without some damage. The longer they sat, the more Zenaria realized that her body was covered with bruises and not a few cuts. Sulia was in similar condition, although her darker complexion hid much of the bruising. The test in question was escape from their precarious perch.

The tree that had swept them down the canyon had jammed itself just above the waterfall. It rocked unsteadily in the flow of water, threatening to break loose and follow the water over the falls. Almost certainly Zenaria and Sulia could not count on their luck to survive the plunge over the falls. Their gods had been with them so far, but they could not hope that is would continue forever. Their only escape was to climb the canyon walls and only one wall promised any chance of success.

Given a choice, Zenaria would have chosen to go the other way and climb the cliff that would put them on the same side of the canyon as their companions, but that was not an option. The cliff on that side was sheer, and jutted out toward the top, making a climb almost impossible. The other side was also steep, but offered enough possible hand and footholds to make the climb possible.

The roar of the river made speech impossible, but Zenaria pointed to the cliff and Sulia nodded. Slowly they edged their way down the partially submerged trunk of the tree until they reached the cliff. As Sulia was ahead of her, Zenaria waited until she had started the climb before following.

The climb took much longer than it should have, but both Zenaria and Sulia were battered and exhausted. They had to stop several times and rest before continuing, and once Zenaria had to help Sulia when she slipped. But slowly they made their way to the top until finally Sulia pulled herself over the ledge. Zenaria followed just heartbeats later and flopped down beside her.

---

Zenaria was almost too exhausted to move, but she wanted to know how Sulia was, so she struggled into a sitting position. It was then that she saw the vegetation lining the top of the canyon shake and then part to reveal a creature that was more than vaguely familiar.

"Urtts!" She somehow made it to her feet just as a greenish yellow horde burst through the vegetation. Her sword was in her hand even as she gained her feet and although off balance, the blade took off the head of the Urtt nearest her, but that was the only blow she got in before she was tackled by two other attackers.

The impetus of the Urtts almost knocked her back into the canyon, for an instant she teetered on the edge and then several more grabbed hold of her and dragged her away from the edge, at the same time trying to wrestle the sword from her grasp. She fought ferociously, somehow finding strength she didn't know she had, but her ordeal in the flood waters was against her. By sheer weight of numbers her attackers bore her down, wrestled her sword from her grasp and then forced her arms behind her back. She struggled even more fiercely as she felt ropes being looped around her wrists, but it was all in vain. She lay gasping like a fish out of water as her first her wrists and then her ankles were bound. A yard away she could hear Sulia cry out in frustration as she too was overwhelmed.

Still struggling feebly, Zenaria was hauled to her feet and supported by an Urtt on either side of her. She was dragged forward and held in front of a large Urtt wearing a gold chain about his neck and metal-studded leather cuffs on his wrists. A dagger was stuck into a leather sheath that hung from a chain-link belt around his waist and he held an iron mace in his right hand.

He looked like most other Urtts Zenaria had seen, but for two differences. First, he was much taller, coming close to her height; and second, like the other Urtts around her, his skin was not the dark green of the Urtts with which she was familiar, but a pea soup yellow-green. Other than that, they had the blunt lizard-like features typical of any other Urtt she had ever seen.

"Ssso, what have we here?" the chief Urtt hissed. "I've never ssseen anything like you before. Ssso pale." As he spoke he ran his fingers over her face and then let them drift down to just above her breasts.

Zenaria heaved her body in a fruitless attempt to break free. The sensation of the Urtt's fingers on her body disgusted and enraged her. "You don't like that? Well, you better get usssed to it. You look like fine breeding ssstock."

"What do you think, Krachjar? Ssshould we have a better look at it?" He took out his knife as he spoke and placed it again the sleeve of Zenaria's hide top.

Krachjar nodded. Although all Urtts appeared pretty much the same to Zenaria, Krachjar was distinguished by having just one eye - the other being covered by a patch. "It looksss to be a bountiful producer of milk, Frhang. But it wouldn't hurt to be sssure."

Frhang's knife sliced through the antelope skin hide. With a few quick cuts, the garment fell from her body, exposing her to the waist. But the Urtt didn't stop there. Several swift slashes cut away her makeshift breeches, leaving her stripped bare. Somewhere in the struggles against the water, she had lost both her boots, so he didn't have to bother with them.

Even though exhausted, Zenaria quivered with rage. She strained against her bonds, but she had been tied at the wrists and elbows and just above her ankles. She could do nothing as Frhang ran his fingers over her body. "A bit of a fighter," he said. "Did you sssee the way it took off Brack's head? But it can be broken. When it whelpsss the pupsss should fetch a good price."

"Urtt scum," Zenaria gasped. "You'll never break me."

Both Urtts looked at her in surprise. "It ssspeaksss. Who would have thought the cow capable of ssspeech?"

It hadn't registered on Zenaria that the Urtts were speaking in their language. Once again the spell that the sorcerer Alzid had cast on her was at work enabling her to speak and understand languages that should have been a mystery to her.

"Can you underssstand me, cow?" Frhang asked, his hands travelling over Zenaria's breasts. "Do you know what I am going to do to you?"

Zenaria spat in his face, her skin crawling as he touched her.

"Filthy human cow," Frhang hissed. He wiped the spittle from his face and then drove his fist into Zenaria's belly.

It was a blow Zenaria had expected, and the punch bounced off her tensed muscles. Frhang shook his hand, his fangs barred in anger. "Bitch," he roared. Bringing up his other hand he struck her face, splitting her lower lip. Then he struck again, catching her high on her right cheek, just below her eye. A third blow struck her between her breasts. "It will be pleasssurable breaking you. And you will be broken, cow. It ssstartsss tonight."

"Why not enjoy it and the dark-ssskinned cow now?" Krachjar asked. "There isss time before we make camp."

"A tempting sssuggessstion," Frhang answered. "But we are deep in human territory. I think it better to return to camp firssst. We will have plenty of time tonight."

Krachjar shrugged, but he did not object. Instead he motioned to several Urtt-like creatures stationed behind him. Zenaria had not noticed them before but now she took a good look. They appeared to be Urtts but something was not quite right about them. Then she realized what they were. Half-Urtts. Presumably offspring of Urtts and Human slaves. She had heard of captured human females being bred by their Urtt masters, and now she saw the result.

Physically they were about the same size as Urtts, and their skin was a darker shade of yellow-green. They seemed equally divided between males and females, the latter having obvious mammalian characteristics. However, their demeanour spoke of their slave existence. Heads bowed, they approached the captives, not looking up until they reached Sulia and Zenaria. While the two warriors waited helplessly, the Urtt slaves dragged forward two long saplings that had been trimmed of their leaves and branches. Sulia and Zenaria were laid flat on the ground and the poles centred along the lengths of their bodies. They were tied to them at the ankles, knees, waist, and just below and above their breasts, and then they were hoisted off the ground and carried by two slaves at each end like so much baggage.

Zenaria swung helplessly as she was carried. Exhausted from her ordeal in the river and her climb from the canyon; not to mention her efforts to escape the Urtts, it was a dizzying ride. Her lip was cut and her cheek so swollen from where Frhang had hit her, that one eye was almost closed. She hung face down, her swaying breasts obvious targets for the Urtts walking alongside.

"Yesss; this one will do nicccely," Krachjar said as he fondled her. "Its milk glandsss are marvellously developed; even more ssso than most of its kind." He stopped for a heartbeat to let Sulia catch up with him. "Although thisss one comesss clossse," he hissed as he squeezed Sulia's breasts.

"Hyena dung," the Urulana Princess gasped. "You will pay for that."

"Neither one knowsss when it'sss beaten," Krachjar grinned, displaying a mouthful of sharp teeth. "It will take a lot to break them, but the tasssk will be pleasssant."

The touching and fondling continued for most of the dreary march. But it was nothing compared to the apprehension both women felt about what was going to happen when it ended. The Urtts delighted in describing in detail the so-called breeding process, even though only Zenaria could understand anything they said. Almost certainly, however, Sulia knew what her fate was going to be. How could she not when the Half-Urtts that carried her were clear evidence of what their captors intended?

Even being carried, the trek was arduous. Their humiliating and painfully bound position drained their strength with every step. But Zenaria refused to give up hope. Somehow she would find a way to escape. She always had. The Urtts could not break her. But whether she would be able to escape before they had had their brutal way with her was another matter. She was utterly exhausted. Even if the opportunity presented itself would she be able to take advantage of it

---

Noon came and went. The Urtts stopped to eat, but made no effort to feed their prisoners. Instead they spent most of their time tormenting and taunting their helpless captives. Fortunately, the break was short. They were hoisted to the shoulders of the slaves and once again the trek continued.

Mid-afternoon came and with it a sudden shout from the head of the column. It was answered by another shout and Zenaria realized that the Urtts had reached their safe haven. They had been travelling through an area of mixed forest and grasslands, moving parallel to the Mountain of Fire. The mountain was now quiescent after its fiery exhibition, Rahlu having seemingly exhausted his anger. The area they were entering was broken by large outcrops of black rock and it was toward one of these outcrops that the procession now moved.

Zenaria's heart sank as a number of Urtts emerged from the rocks. It appeared that their captors were part of a much larger group of Urtts. If escape had been difficult before, now it would be doubly so. There was considerable chatter as they entered the Urtt encampment, the welcoming Urtts swarming around the helpless captives. "What have you here, Frhang. A human cow with pale ssskin. Where did you get it?"

Frhang laughed. "It'sss a real find. Would you believe I found it and the black one climbing out of a canyon? They were sssoaked to the ssskin. A strange find, but a lucky one. I have never found better breeding ssstock. What of you, Deg. Did you find anything worthwhile?"

"Just a few ssstragglersss. All male. The mountain ssshook the ground ssso much I thought it bessst to come back here."

"Well, we can have thessse two tonight. They promissse to be mossst enjoyable."

Deg laughed. "I sssupposse you get to go firssst."

"Of course. I'm the biggessst and I'm the one that found them."

"And I'm sssecond," Krachjar added. "Unlessss you want to fight me for them."

"I'll sssettle for third," Deg conceded. "They look to be worth the wait."

By now the Urtts and their captives had entered the rocks. They wound among them for a short while and then came to the mouth of a deep cave. It was so well hidden among the twists and turns of the rocks that it would have been almost impossible to find by chance. It was almost perfectly circular, as if it had been created intentionally. However, Zenaria was more interested in the fact that it was inhabited by several dozen Urtts and an equal number of slaves. Her skin tingled in fear as she realized that she and Sulia were now so heavily outnumbered that escape was going to be near impossible. And what had been promised them was the proverbial fate worse than death.

Although such a concept was alien to Zenaria's culture, she now understood what it meant. The thought of being ravished by over thirty Urtts had her sweating in fear, but she gave no sign of her apprehension. She would die before showing fear before an Urtt and she would never give up hope. But she prepared herself for a horrible ordeal, knowing that she did not have long to wait.

As she and Sulia were carried deeper into the cave, she became aware of a strong odour. But it was not the usual reptilian stench associated with a large number of Urtts, but something else instead. It was more like the smell of rotten eggs, but she didn't clearly identify it until she and Sulia were dumped onto the floor of the cave. Just a few feet away, a large pool bubbled, giving off both the foul smell and considerable heat.

"You want a hot bath, human cowsss?" Frhang jeered. "Maybe if you don't work out we'll dump you in the boiling pond." He turned to the half-Urtt slaves. "Untie them from the polesss and throw them in the cagesss. We'll deal with them after we've eaten."

The slaves did as they were told, removing the ropes that bound them to the poles but not untying their arms or legs. They then dumped them into a crude wicker cage. Too exhausted to struggle with their bonds, the two captives lay at the bottom of the cages while the slaves hoisted them off the floor. To add to their discomfort, the cages were swung through the air until they stopped directly over the bubbling pool.

The Urtts left them to bake over the pool, leaving a couple of slaves to watch them. But stripped of their clothing and weapons, neither captive was going anywhere. They lay exhausted, sweat streaming from their bodies while the Urtts gathered around a large campfire for their evening meal.

From where Zenaria could see, the meal seemed to consist mostly of meat, and large amounts of it. The smell permeated the cave, mingling with that of the sulphurous stench rising from the pool below her. But Zenaria and Sulia had no appetite; robbed of the desire to eat by the exhaustion and the stink surrounding them.

The Urtt's feast was a noisy and boisterous affair with a considerable amount of drinking. Exactly what they were drinking was hard to determine from Zenaria's vantage point, but from the volume of sound it appeared that they had managed to brew up some sort of intoxicating beverage. Eventually, however, the feast ended and with it Zenaria's and Sulia's brief reprieve.

The Urtts came for them, many of them swaying drunkenly, but more than enough to handle two beaten and bound women. The cages were swung away from the bubbling pool and the doors thrown open. Then the two captives were dragged toward the fires.

Zenaria was almost too weak to fight, as was Sulia, but as their ankles were unbound and their legs spread, both women fought desperately.

Frhang and Krachjar stood in front of them surveying their prizes. Both Urtts appeared more than a little drunk, but not enough to eliminate their intention to commit rape. "You ssstill want the pale cow firssst?" Krachjar asked.

"Never had one like her before," the Urtt leader answered. "And I'm looking forward to finding out what ssshe's like."

"Then let's get ssstarted," Krachjar answered. He tossed aside his brief loin covering, revealing that the drink had in no way impaired his ability to achieve an erection.

Frhang laughed, and emulated his lieutenant. With a good deal of pushing and shoving, the other Urtts gathered to watch their leaders and wait their turn. The Urtts holding Zenaria's ankles pulled her legs a little father apart. From somewhere she found the strength to fight, but her efforts were feeble and with her arms still bound at the wrists and elbows there was nothing she could do as Frhang moved between her thighs.

"And now, cow," Frhang leered. "You are mine." He grabbed her breasts with his scaly hands as he moved his hips forward.

The earth moved; literally. Frhang cursed as he was thrown completely over Zenaria's head, landing on his back. Farther back in the cave by the boiling pool, there was a sudden eruption and a geyser of steam and boiling water exploded toward the roof. It was followed by an even greater eruption and a blast of heat that roared through the cave in a searing wave.

The shrieks of scalded Urtts and their slaves filled the air. Fortunately for Zenaria and Sulia, their position on the floor allowed them to escape the worst of the burning steam overhead. Even so, they were scalded in several places and would have been burned even worse had not Frhang and Krachjar inadvertently protected them from the burring vapour.

The ground shook again, and parts of the cave roof crashed to the floor. Ominously, the water in the boiling pool was suddenly sucked away as if by some creature underground. From the hole that remained came a low hissing as if an enormous snake was hiding underground.

Zenaria got wearily to her feet. She was almost completely spent, and her wrists and arms were still bound. Those Urtts that were still able were fleeing the cave, and she looked around for Sulia. She found the Urulana Princess still lying where Krachjar had been about to rape her. Zenaria's mouth dry from lack of water she called out. "Sulia, we must escape. Get up."

Sulia rolled to her knees, her movements agonizingly slow. Zenaria longed to rush over and help her, provided the proud warrior would have accepted her help, but she was helpless to do so. All she could do was watch as her companion slowly staggered to her feet. "Come," she urged. "We haven't much time."

Sulia nodded her agreement. Awkwardly, as if drunk she lurched toward the entrance, her bound wrists and arms making her movements doubly difficult.

Zenaria found it equally awkward, but forged toward the entrance in spite of the continual shuddering of the ground and the rock falling from the cave ceiling. Stepping over the bodies of several scalded Urtts and manoeuvring around others that lay moaning on the floor, she made her way to the cave entrance and out into the night air. She took in several long breaths of clean air and then headed away from the entrance as fast as she could, Sulia following. It was well that she did. Barely had she made it out of the line of sight of the cave entrance when there was another immense roar and a huge cloud of heated vapour burst out of the cave entrance.

There were no more screams, and Zenaria knew that nothing could have survived the terrible heat. She stood breathing heavily. Somehow she had to find a way out of her bonds. Did she dare go back into the cave where her sword and knife were? She doubted that she could struggle out of her bonds without cutting them, the Urtts had simply tied her too well, and she didn't have the energy. However, that matter was taken out of her hands just a heartbeat later.

"You cowsss didn't think you would essscape me ssso easssily, did you?" The voice hissed from just behind Zenaria, and she turned to see Frhang standing there. It was apparent that he had suffered in the steam explosion. The skin on his head and shoulders was blistered and although his back was hidden, Zenaria was sure that he was burned there as well. Whatever his injuries, however, he appeared healthy enough to defeat two exhausted and bound warriors.

Zenaria took a step back and then lunged toward him. "Run Sulia," she cried. "Save yourself."

She might as well have been shouting to the wind. The Urulana Princess moved to her side and glared at the Urtt captain. "How noble," Frhang sneered. "But two cowsss are no match for an Urtt warrior."

"Untie me and you will see just how well I fight. Or are your words those of a coward."

"I do not anssswer to a human cow," Frhang answered. Before Zenaria could move he stepped forward and slammed his fist into her face.

She staggered back, her nose streaming blood and her eyes filling with tears. Barely able to see, she could not avoid the next blow or the next.

He beat her to her knees and then turned on Sulia. Barely conscious, Zenaria could hear the sound of the blows as Frhang beat Sulia into submission. Then he turned back to Zenaria and delivered several kicks to her ribs. "Never forget that I am your massster, human cow. I can and will do with you asss I wisssh and you will obey me in all thingsss."

From somewhere he produced a length of rope that he quickly looped about each of their necks. Jerking on the rope, he forced Zenaria to her feet and then moved off into the darkness. Zenaria was forced to follow, dragging Sulia with her. Barely able to stand, both women stumbled along behind trying to avoid falling over obstacles in the dark.

They didn't go far. It didn't make sense to brave the animal-filled landscape at night, and the ground trembled continuously, making walking difficult. Frhang led them to a sheltered spot in the rocks. Removing the rope from their necks he bound their ankles and moving a short distance away he lay down to rest. Zenaria noted that he lay face down, attesting to the pain he must be feeling in his scalded back. "Don't try to essscape," he warned. "I will hear you and if you wake me I'll remove the ssskin from the bottom of you feet."

In the distance the Mountain of Fire rumbled again as if to give emphasis to his words. Beaten but not broken, Zenaria was too weary to offer resistance. Overcome by exhaustion she closed her eyes and slept.

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She awoke near dawn, her limbs incredibly cramped. She could no longer feel her hands, the fingers of which were swollen to double their normal size and her body throbbed with pain, partly from the beating Frhang had administered and partly from the partial scalding she had received in the cave. Her mouth was dry and she was weak from hunger. She had no idea what Frhang intended to do to her, but she knew she wouldn't last much longer without food.

Frhang was already awake, no doubt the pain of his burns made it difficult to sleep, but he was as tough as he looked. As Zenaria opened her eyes he strode over to her. "There'sss no point in ssstaying here, cow. Today we march."

"I march nowhere without food or water," Zenaria replied. "You can beat me all you want, but neither of us will be of any use to you if you don't give us what we need to stay alive."

Frhang seemed to consider her words. "You've the mouthiesssst human cow I've ever captured," he said, "but what you sssay makesss senssse. I'll give you food and water and then we leave."

Zenaria expected that it would be too much to ask to have her ands untied, but she worried about that even more than the lack of food and drink. If she stayed tied much longer she might be too crippled to ever use her fingers properly.

Frhang managed to scrounge up some leftover meat. Evidently he had gone back into the cave to get it, as he reappeared carrying Zenaria's sword and dagger and was once again wearing a loincloth. He set the meat on the ground and began to cut it with her dagger.

"We could eat better if you untied our hands," Zenaria suggested.

"I'm not that ssstupid," Frhang replied. "You ssstay tied."

"I've been tied up so long I'm no threat to you," Zenaria countered. "If you watch us and keep our ankles tied we can finish faster and be on our way."

Frhang seemed to consider her words. Finally he nodded. "Alright. But any tricksss and I'll cut off your toesss. You don't need toesss for me to breed you."

He moved behind her and removed her bonds and then did the same with Sulia. Zenaria almost cried out in agony as the blood pounded back into her fingers. As she had asserted, she could hardly hold the chunks of meat or pick up the waterskin he tossed her. Nevertheless, she managed to get enough food and water into her stomach to revive her somewhat. However, much sooner than she would have liked, Frhang pulled her arms behind her back again. This time he did not tie her wrists, but he tied her tightly at the elbows and then after tying Sulia identically, he removed the bonds from their feet ordered them to get up.

Wearily both warriors did as they were told. Both of them needed more rest than they had been allowed, but they knew they were not going to get any. Frhang had tethered them again and he took the lead parading his captives after him. Zenaria had no idea where she was being taken and since she could not speak to Sulia without fear of punishment she simply guessed that they were being taken back to Urtt territory. Wherever they were going, they headed steadily away from the Mountain of Fire.

The huge mountain was awake again, spewing fountains of fire into the sky and Zenaria realized with a flash of inspiration where all the water had come from in the flood that had swept through the canyon. The top of the mountain was covered with snow and almost certainly the heat generated by the exploding mountain must have melted some of it. She wondered if more floodwaters might be heading their way. It was something she kept in mind as she trekked behind Frhang, wondering if she might possibly turn it to her advantage.

She kept her eyes on Frhang as he moved in front of her. She was deeply angered that he was wearing her sword, but at the same time glad that it was not yet lost to her. It had belonged to her father and had great sentimental value. Something will happen, she thought. Somehow I will get it back.

She and Sulia trudged along behind Frhang. The food and water he had given them helped to renew their strength, but they were no closer to escaping than they had been when they had been hung in the wicker cages in the cave. Already Zenaria could feel the numbness returning to her hands, but the way she was tied made it almost impossible to loosen the ropes. Straining at the ropes that pulled her elbows together simply made the knots tighter. Resignedly she gave up trying. Frhang couldn't keep her tied up forever. Unfortunately he might keep her captive long enough to get her where he wanted.

On this gloomy note, Zenaria trudged on. Behind her the Mountain of Fire thundered and shook the ground. Before her the trees parted once again revealing the grassy plain with its herds of animals and scattered trees. Every step took her closer to permanent captivity.

Continued in Chapter 6

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