Tales of Thuria 1: Red Sonja in Chains - Chapter 4 - Part 2

Chapter 4: Subjugated - Part 2

Dawn found her still following the water's edge. So far as she could determine there had been no pursuit, nor did she really expect any. With Zul dead there would be considerable jockeying for the position of the next pirate leader. That would probably keep the pirates busy for a day or so. In the meantime she needed shelter, and a place with water. Food was also a problem, but with any luck the thick forest fringing the beach might provide something she could eat. If not she could probably spear fish in the shallows or use her sword to dig up clams.

She headed toward the forest and was almost there when a flash of light caught her eye. The sun was rising behind her and was reflecting off some shiny object just beyond the trees. Curious, and with no better direction to go she headed toward it, but moved cautiously, threading her way through the trees and keeping her eyes and ears open for any danger.

She encountered none, instead the trees thinned just ahead of her and moving even more cautiously she came to the edge of a large clearing. Another fortress, she thought. Or perhaps ruined palace might be a better word. It was heavily overgrown with vegetation, but rising above everything else was a slender tower of polished stone. She realized that it was this tower that had reflected the light.

Interesting. Two ruined palaces on the same island and barely a half day's walk from one another. What secrets did this one hold?

She edged forward, and detecting no danger and no sounds other than that of the birds and insects of the forest she reached the stonework. Up close it was revealed as much larger than she had supposed with steep windowless walls rising high above her. She walked along the base of the wall until she came to a place where a large tree had forced its way into the stonework, leaving a large opening in the wall. Her senses tingling, she moved into it and passed into large vegetation-choked courtyard with the rest of the palace lying beyond. Just off to one side was a broad flight of stairs and she climbed them until she reached a wide terrace. It was relatively free of vegetation and had numerous windows and doors allowing access to the inside, but she ignored them for the moment, following the terrace to properly scout the building.

The wall of the palace curved and so did the terrace and she continued to follow it, coming at last to another flight of stairs even wider than the first steps she had climbed. They led to an impressive columned portico that seemed to be the palace proper. She hesitated, wondering what lay beyond the huge columns and then she heard a noise behind her.

She whirled, sword at the ready and found herself facing several dozen small hairy creatures. They were man-like, but no larger than a child with long simian arms and almost human faces. They seemed to be animals judging from the thick dark hair that covered their bodies, but the way that they regarded her and the fact that they had spread out to prevent her from darting past them showed intelligence of a sort.

"Get out of my way," Sonja warned, raising her sword, "or I will cut my way through you."

One of the creatures shuffled forward and stood up on its bowed legs. "You come with us," it growled, its mouth forming the words with seeming difficulty.

A talking monkey was not unusual, given what Sonja had encountered in her travels, but for a heartbeat she stared at it in astonishment before answering. "I decide where I will go." She brandished her sword, "And I have been dragged about enough the last few days."

"Then we take you," the bandy-legged creature replied. At that moment the shuffling of hundreds of feet alerted Sonja to the fact that more creatures had joined the party. She spun in a complete circle and in doing so noted that the stairs behind her were now crowded with monkey creatures leaving her completely surrounded.

"Very well," she said, moving quickly to place her back to the wall at the bottom of the stairs, "but it will cost you."

The talking ape did not answer. Instead it motioned with its paw and a horde of black and brown creatures surged forward.

The first few that reached her suffered a brutal fate. Sonja's sword swept the air, each swing taking out two or more of the creatures and her backswing taking out an equal number. The apes howled with anger, but they did not stop coming and soon the area in front of Sonja was thick with their bodies. However, a couple got past her blade and grabbed the short chain around her neck. Their weight was not nearly as great as the stone, but they weighed her down nevertheless and allowed more apes to reach her. They clung to her legs and ankles and tried to seize the chain connecting her wrists, but Sonja kept on swinging, taking down adversary after adversary and keeping her arms free. And then several apes dropped from above her, landing on her head and shoulders. The impact almost knocked to her knees. She swept her sword upward, but the others surged forward, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. They swarmed over her, and by sheer weight of numbers bore her to the ground.

She continued to fight, but each of her legs was seized by three of more of the creatures. Others grabbed her hair and still more latched onto the chain connecting her wrists. They pulled her arms over her head, stretching her out and then from somewhere they brought a straight tree branch and a number of vines. In short order they rendered her helpless, binding her arms to branch and then doing the same with her ankles, and finally looping lengths of vine about her calves, thighs and torso leaving her completely trussed.

Utterly helpless once again, Sonja stopped fighting and waited to see what was going to happen next. For some reason the ape-like creatures wanted her alive, and further struggles would simply completely exhaust her, and so she remained quiescent as the creatures lifted the branch and carried her up the steps toward the grand portico.

Hanging face down she did not see much of where she was being carried; only that she was carried up the stairs, swept between the pillars of the portico, and finally deposited between two stone plinths so that she hung two feet from the stone floor.

"So you finally did as you were asked." The voice came from behind Sonja so she could not see who it was at first, but that was quickly remedied. "Turn her over so that I can see if she is suitable."

Sonja found herself being rotated upward. A dozen paws held her in place as she looked into the face of the one who had spoken. He was a tall man dressed in what seemed to be priestly robes. On his head was a tall hat chased with gold and he held a staff topped with what appeared to be a demon-like figure. But priest or not, he stared down at her with a gaze that Sonja had seen before on the face of too many men; especially lately. "Oh yes," he said. "She will do. She will do very well. Take her to the spire and place her on the altar."

Once again Sonja was hurried through the temple. She was carried across the marble floor, to another flight of stairs, this one spiraling around the outer wall and she guessed that she was being taken to the top of the high tower she had seen previously. It wound up several hundred steps in almost complete darkness, but the ape-like creatures carried her unerringly, finally reaching the highest level. Here light flooded into a large chamber.

"Place her on the altar and secure her arms and legs," came the voice of the priest and Sonja realized that he had followed her up the stairs and into the chamber.

Still bound to the branch she was placed on a large slab of stone. It was cut from the red onyx, its blood red colour glowing ominously in the sunlight and its top had been smoothed to provide a flat surface. Four metal rings projected from each corner and as Sonja was untied from the branch her arms were pulled over her head and her wrists bound to two of the rings. At the same time her ankles were tied to the other two rings leaving her spread-eagled on the stone. As the apes finished tying her the priest came to stand over her.

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Sonja asked. "Release me at once."

"Ah, still full of fight," the priest replied. "That is excellent. You will prove pleasing to Morgus." He loomed over her and Sonja saw that he was probably in his sixth or seventh decade of life. "As to who I am," he continued, "my name is Valtar, the last priest of Morgus the Bringer of Light, and I have been waiting for someone like you for a long time."

Sonja tested the bindings that held her. As expected they did not yield, leaving her in what seemed to be her usual helpless position.

"It is useless to struggle," Valtar intoned. "Even if you could escape my magic would easily put you back where you are and in spite of the fact that you killed many of them, my minions are here to serve me."

The ape-like creatures now lined the circumference of the chamber reinforcing Valtar's statement. Sonja stopped her efforts to escape and waited for what was to come, but she had not given up. "You have not answered my other question," she said. "What do you want of me?"

"I will answer," Valtar said. "The ceremony will not occur until moonrise. Your arrival seems preordained as tonight is the rising of the full moon. Tonight Ibis will call forth the demons of Hel and give me eternal life."

Noting Sonja's fleeting look of consternation and anger, Valtar continued. "I have determined from your atrocious accent that you are Hyrkanian so I will explain further. He swept his arm, taking in the chamber and the ruins of the city around him. "Once this island was the centre of a mighty kingdom. It ruled the Vilayet and much of the adjacent mainland. But its very prosperity and strength proved its downfall as it attracted the attention of your savage Hyrkanian kinsmen and a wave of barbarians assaulted its shores. Despite a valiant defence its soldiers and its people were overwhelmed and slaughtered right down to the last infant."

"No Hyrkanian warriors would do such a thing," Sonja retorted.

"It seems that all men and all races are capable of great evil," Valtar replied. "And it happened long before your time, but despite your lack of learning, you surely have heard of Zongora."

"I have heard of it," Sonja replied. "But the city is a myth lost in the strands of time."

"No myth," Valtar replied. "I was priest-king of that city and witnessed its fall. Despite the fact that I was a powerful practitioner of magic the Hyrkanians had brought their own sorcerers and they overwhelmed the city, killing all in their path until only I remained in this high spire. It was then that in desperation I cast one mighty spell; one I had not dared to use before. It turned the barbarian horde into beasts; in fact the very beasts that captured you."

"Those were Hyrkanians?" Sonja gasped. "But how can they be the ones who destroyed Zongora?"

"The spell is passed through generations," Valtar answered. "What were once men and women now breed as animals. I have allowed just one in each generation to have the power of speech in order to serve me better. As for me the same spell that destroyed the Hyrkanians has preserved me as I am and I have waited centuries for the chance to strike back at my enemies. But that time has not been wasted. I have perfected my magic, growing in power until at long last I am able to take the ultimate vengeance; the complete destruction of Hyrkania. I have needed only a single ingredient to trigger that even; the arrival of a suitable sacrifice and you will fit into that role perfectly."

His long wait has made him mad, Sonja thought, if he was not mad already. "But the people who now live there are not those who attacked you," Sonja pointed out.

"It matters not," Valtar replied. "I will destroy and enslave them all and create a new and glorious Zongora that will be even greater than before. And now I must prepare. The full Moon rises early tonight and I have only a short time to complete the preparations."

He moved away from her to a large chest and began to take out various objects and place them next to the altar. One of them was a large crystal sphere and another a tripod stand. Then he took out what Sonja guessed were some sort of astronomical instruments which he used to sight through one of the openings in the ceiling. "The Moon," Valtar explained, "will shine through that opening and its light will be focused by the prism to strike the altar so that its magic will be concentrated exactly on your heart. At that moment your body will serve the gods."

Valtar was now moving about the room, inscribing a series of arcane symbols around the altar. With each completion of a magical rune the air in the room crackled with mystic power until the altar and the two individual within it were encircled by a quivering barrier of energy.

While Valtar had been speaking and engaged in his preparations Sonja had been working at her bonds. To her frustration her attempts to escape simply seemed to make them tighter and so she could only watch in growing apprehension as Valtar continued his preparations. Through the various apertures she could keep track of the sun. It was near sundown and moonrise could not be far behind. Turning her head to once again watch Valtar she saw him throw open a large book and run his finger down the page. "The position must be just right," he explained, noting her gaze. "It has been a long time since I worked this particular form of magic and everything must be exact." He made an adjustment to the height of the tripod and then nodded in satisfaction. "The time is almost here and I must ready you for the most important part of the ritual."

He opened a small box and took out a sealed glass vial. "I have saved this for centuries in preparation for this time. I prepared it myself and expect that it had lost none of its potency." He twisted the top of vial, breaking the seal and held it to his nose. "Yes, it is as I expected. If anything the elixir has become even stronger."

He crossed over to Sonja. "This is a most potent aphrodisiac. It should serve to raise you to the highest level of sexual excitement at which time I will complete the ritual." He turned and picked out a curved dagger from another box. "And this will complete the spell, transferring your life force to mine and giving me the powers of a god. Zongora will live again." He looked toward Sonja's breasts. "Do not worry; it will be quick."

"I will not drink that," Sonja said as Valtar raised the vial.

"You will have no choice," he smiled. He reached out and pinched Sonja's nose, at the same time lifting the vial to her lips. Pushing it between her teeth he held it there until she was forced to swallow.

"There," Valtar said with satisfaction. "And now begins the most pleasurable part of the ceremony." Taking a second vial he swallowed its contents. Then he removed his hat and then untied the sash allowing his robe to fall to the floor. For a man physically in his sixth decade he was remarkably fit, especially in one area of his anatomy.

But Sonja hardly noticed. She gasped as her body responded to the potion Valtar had forced down her throat. She was suddenly more aroused than she had ever been, her nipples hardening to twin peaks of desire, and the folds of her vulva swelling in expectation. At the apex of her womanhood her clitoris throbbed and her vaginal juices flowed.

Fully aroused, she had to grit her teeth and bite her lip to keep from crying out, but surprisingly Valtar did not take her. "Patience," he said as he squeezed her breasts, "the Moon is not quite risen."

Sonja moaned at his touch, but he did nothing other than fondle her body. "It is a long time since I had a woman," he said, his fingers finding their way to her vulva, "and it is worth drawing out the event, especially as it will soon be cut short."

While Sonja's body quivered helplessly he continued to stroke and fondle her until she was almost mad with desire. At every touch she wanted to scream at him to take her, but her warrior's discipline and her stubborn pride held back her cries, until finally Valtar was ready.

"Now is the time," he said. Climbing onto the altar he positioned himself between Sonja's thighs and thrust into her. The potion he had drunk had given him an impressive erection, but Sonja was so aroused that he entered her easily, her tight crevice welcoming him. As he penetrated her fully her body moved quickly toward climax, but then she remembered what Valtar had said. If she responded as she should he would take her life and he already had the knife in his hand even as he rode her, waiting for the perfect moment.

"Come my little barbarian." He urged. "Let your body find its natural release. Receive me fully and let the spell be complete."

Their bodies were now fully bathed in the concentrated moonlight focused through the lens. An electric charge filled the air.

"I… will…not…serve…you," Sonja gasped. Her body was dripping sweat, her breathing harsh, and her body so aroused that she was almost whimpering with the effort of holding back an orgasm. But she was fighting a losing battle. Valtar sucked on her taut nipples and continued to ride her, forcing her inexorably toward a sexual climax.

"You cannot fight it, Hyrkanian," Valtar said. "Soon your body will betray you and then I will kill you and all the rest of your race." He thrust even deeper into her an action that would have proved painful had she not been so aroused. Instead it brought forth what Valtar had been waiting for. The most intense organism she had ever experienced ripped through her body. As she arched her back in uncontrolled ecstasy Valtar raised his knife.

"Now I have you," he exulted. His arm swept down with the blade aimed squarely at the space between Sonja's quivering breasts. And then a horrific scream split the air.

Continued in Chapter 5

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