Mistress Collette's Lair

 



 

Beneath

Part 2

The Waiting

              

           “Wake up, my slave,” Alexander whispered in a mocking tone.  “It is time for you to serve me.”

           Collette stirred and shook her head weakly. She was lying in a cage, the floor covered with a thick straw that scratched at her skin, leaving it red and irritated. She was struggling for breath, the air hard to pull into her diminished lungs.  She felt sluggish and tired and as she sat up she looked at her captor. 

           Alexander Nicholai was a tall man with broad shoulders. He had dark black hair, like the color of coal that was shining brilliantly in the brightly lit room. His face was chiseled and he had a red scar that bridged his nose, running from beneath his left eye to the top of his lip on his right cheek.  It looked angry and gave him a hard look that was scarcely concealed by his otherwise handsome features.  His voice, when he spoke, was callous and harsh, “get up.”  He unlocked her cage and waited for her to stand and emerge from her new home.

           Collette struggled to her feet, using the wooden bars of her cage for support.  Strong vines bound the cage and it did not even budge as Collette lost her footing and slammed painfully into the wooden posts of the cage. She gasped as a sharp pain raced through her shoulder and she struggled to stand again.  She was panting at the exertion, straining to gain her footing in the loose straw.

           Alexander watched with a bemused smile and chuckled at her discomfort, “if you find that difficult, you will not have an easy time here,” he said to her.  Then, smiling cruelly, he said, “Which is good. I do not want you to have an easy time.  Do you know how much fun I am going to have breaking you?”

           Standing now Collette looked at him and with a shallow breath she gasped, “you won’t break me.”  She leaned against the cage for support and continued, “in fact, I will be rescued.”

           Alexander laughed, a deeply resonant chuckle of bemused delight, “no,” he said, shaking his head in merriment, “you won’t. Your people do not even know you have been captured and my second in command has already dispatched a message saying that you died of asphyxiation.  That has happened with you Offlanders, hasn’t it? I have heard that more than one of your kind,” he spit the last word, “died after just hours on land. No, you shall not be rescued. There will not be a rescue attempt for a corpse.”

           Collette knew that his words were incorrect having sent the message that it was a trap, but she knew she needed to play along. She wiped her face, looking shocked and slowly sank to her knees onto the coarse straw. “No,” she said faintly, shaking her head in disbelief.  She buried her face in her hands and slowly drew shallow breaths. “No,” she said again.

           Alex smiled at her, “So you see, there will not be a rescue attempt. And now, you will be my slave. How do you feel about that, queeny? From the leader of your damnable Offlanders to my slave.  And you will serve me well. Do you know why?”

           She lifted her head from her palms and shook her head, still feigning disbelief at his words.  “No.”

           Alex turned and grabbed a wooden stick that had been formed into the shape of a paddle.  He hit his thigh with it, the smack echoing loudly in the room, “because,” he said, “disobedience will be punished harshly.  Understood?”

           Collette struggled to her feet once again and said in a feigned weak voice, “I understand.”

           Alex smiled, “you will call me Master.”

           And biting back hatred Collette said, “yes, master.” 

           Alex’s eyes lit up in anger as he heard the contempt in her tone. He stepped to her and slapped her face with the back of his hand. Collette spun and fell to the ground. Her hand went to her face, holding her cheek with her palms. She gasped as her face exploded in pain and white-hot stars appeared and danced before her vision like drunken pixies. She looked up at him, her eyes dark points of anger. She said nothing.  She sat there waiting his command, knowing that a rescue attempt would be made for her.  She needed to bide her time until she was rescued and realized it was unwise to anger this man.  She had already seen the hostility in him.

           She struggled for breath and when Alex commanded her to rise to her feet, she did.

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

 

           I met with Collette’s military advisor and informed him of Collette’s abduction.  He was a small man, with thin arms and blond hair.  His face was soft with blue eyes that barely hinted at the underlying intelligence he possessed.  Darin Hollander was an extremely intelligent man with a knack for tactics. He was not a soldier; never had he seen a field of battle.  He was, however, a tactician without peer and as such served admirably as Collette’s advisor in all affairs concerning confrontation.

           “I will take care of it,” he said to me after I informed him of Collette’s abduction.  He turned from me and immediately two soldiers appeared. He spoke to them in fish speak and they replied in kind. Turning to me he said, “She will be home tomorrow.” 

           Was it that easy?  Could it be that she would be rescued in such a short amount of time. I did not ask what his plan was; that knowledge would not do me any good, assuming I even understood it. I had seen Darin overcome battles with opportunistic Onlanders countless times before, and knew he would win. I thanked him and returned to our home to await Collette’s return.

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

           Collette walked behind Alex.  He had clipped a leash to the collar he had secured around her throat and was currently pulling her behind him, chuckling delightfully as she staggered along trying to ease the discomfort around her throat. Her hands were bound behind her back by thick vines, leaving her helpless to defend herself.  He led her through his home and down a flight of stairs. The light grew dim with candles barely illuminating the stairway. Below her Collette could hear the sound of screams and the sharp crack of paddles striking flesh. 

           Alex continued to pull his newest slave behind him. He could sense her displeasure and it excited him. She would break and he would enjoy being there when she did. He knew she was headstrong and that it would take a long time for her to finally bend to his will; but when she did he would revel in that supplication.  He was looking forward to breaking her, slowly driving her closer to the destiny he had picked for her.  She was his slave, now he just had to wait for her to realize it. 

           He tugged on her leash, pulling her forward ungracefully. She staggered behind him and he laughed at her. He led her deeper underground and finally the small hallway opened up into an underground chamber.  A dozen men brandishing whips and paddles, each of them tormenting a bound Offlander, occupied the room.  The sounds were louder now as Alex beamed to Collette, “if you don’t obey me, you will be spending a lot of time in this room.”

           He continued pulling he along and sympathetically Collette spoke to all of the captive and bound and tormented Offlanders with fish speak, don’t worry, she told them, I will have you out of here by weeks end.  Her face was pale as she looked at the broken and bruised skin of her people.  The torment bestowed upon them at the order of Alexander Nicholai would not go unpunished.  She would see to it that he suffered as he had made her kin people suffer. 

           Nobody noticed how the Offlanders suddenly became less concerned by their fate, more stoic. 

           Alex pulled Collette through the chamber and out another stone hallway.  The hallway climbed higher and soon Collette and Alex found themselves standing in the sunlight.  Collette looked around.  The small town was behind them and from her left the ocean sang its song of greeting to her, lapping noisily again the shore. She longed to run and jump in the ocean, to breathe deep in its water and savor the caress of its touch. She looked at the water and Alex taunted her, “wouldn’t it feel good in there?”

           He looked at her face and continued his teasing words, “yes, I bet it would.  You want to go home, don’t you queeny?  Too bad that ain’t gonna happen.  You will never again feel the ocean on your skin.”

           She looked at him and said nothing. 

           He tugged her leash and started to lead her towards the town. 

 

 

* * * * *

 

           “We are ready to begin,” Darin informed me. 

           I nodded. 

           Darin turned from me and left our home. The walls seemed more barren, the light provided by the swimming fish less warm.  Collette’s presence was absent and our home seemed less comfortable because of it.  Darin was ready to begin whatever rescue he had plColletted. I knew I did not have to ask what it entailed; the safety of Collette would be his primary concern. 

           I crossed the room, the warm water of the ocean feeling oppressive without Collette’s presence.  I walked into the bedroom and finding the bed empty I spun around to sleep on the couch.  Tomorrow, I pleaded to myself, let her be here tomorrow.

           I shut my eyes and tried to sleep.

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

           The town cheered and whistled and Collette’s cheeks burned.  She was being led through town, as she had been the day before.  Alex informed her that as the town’s trophy, she would be displayed to them, naked and helpless, daily.  She would be the town’s morale, her exhibition that would help break her and bring cheers and happiness to the people of the small town. 

Charles Linton, Alexander Nicholai’s second in command approached him as he slowly pulled the naked form of Collette through the town. He spun and began to walk beside his superior. Speaking slowly he asked, “What are we going to do when they ask for her body?”

Alex laughed heartily, “Why, we buried it, of course. As per our custom.”  He glanced at Charles and said, “You really do worry too much.  I like that about you.”

Charles said nothing.  He exhaled heavily, a sound of doubt sneaking past his open mouth. He felt that Alex was being too simplistic, that the Offlander’s would come and demand the return of their leaders body. Alex’s handling of the situation was too lax and he wondered briefly what preparations he could make for the upcoming confrontation that he was certain was coming.

He said, “by your leave,” and left Alex to continued leading Collette on her humiliating display through the town.

  

* * * * *

 

               “Sir?” a young man said inquisitively to Charles as he sat in his office pondering upcoming events.

               Charles looked up and asked, “What is it, Marty?”

               Marty, an elderly gentleman with graying hair and an unkempt beard said, “It’s my wife, sir.  She is missing.”

               “Missing?”

                “Yes, sir. I have not been able to find her all afternoon. I have looked everywhere and asked just about everyone we know. Nobody has seen her since this morning.”

                Charles looked at the concern on Marty’s face and said sympathetically, “I’ll send some people out to find her, Marty. Don’t worry.  We’ll find her.”

                 Marty’s face lit up, “oh, thank you, sir. Thank you.”  He seemed genuinely relieved and as he left Charles’ office, feeling confident that his wife would be found he did not hear Charles say, “so, it has begun.”             

 

 

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