Bound

Chapter 1 – Lieutenant Davoli

The soldiers were traveling through the villages as they searched for certain people, ones their lord demanded they acquire. The number of people with that unique skill to bond completely with another had diminished greatly over the years and this made them extremely valuable. Lord Antonio Gould wanted more bond-slaves and no one dared disobey him.

The large group of soldiers marched into the village of Nebia early on Church Day, so early that the villagers were just beginning to wake up. Fires were re-lit and curtains covering windows were opened to let in the light. The bustling sounds of merchants and farmers gathering what they needed surrounded the soldiers. Then a young boy walked out of his home to go to the cistern, the village’s clean water well. He stopped as he saw the soldiers and dropped his bucket. “Mama! Papa!” he yelled, still staring at the strange men that seemed to fill the village.

The Lieutenant smirked at this common response to their presence. Most of the villagers had never seen the armor or the expansive amount of weapons the soldiers carried. The elder villagers would know of whom the squadron belonged to, simply by their lord’s colors and crest. The Lieutenant nodded towards one of his men and watched as the soldier dutifully grabbed the boy, holding a knife blade to his small neck. Other soldiers stepped in front of them, hiding the boy from sight.

The boy’s shouts had been enough of an alarm for the village though and they all began to step out of their homes. Seeing the soldiers some men even formed their younger children back inside to be with their mother. A few men grabbed pitchforks and the Lieutenant spotted only one man with a sword. That man would be the fight to win because that villager held himself like a warrior. His grip tightened on his sword as he glared at the soldiers, disgust etched in his features.

He was the one who stepped forward, ready to speak for the others in the village. “What is your purpose in this village?”

The Lieutenant smirked. Of course the man would ask that question; they all did. “We are here on behalf of our liege, Lord Gould. If you give us what we are looking for then we will leave peacefully. Resist and you will die as per our orders.”

“Just what is it that your liege wants from us now?”

“We are looking for that which will make the lands of Lord Gould the wealthiest of all the territories.”

The elder villagers gasped as many of the younger ones looked around at each other, trying to figure out what they were talking about. The village spokesman’s face turned a dark red color at the same time his knuckles went white from the grip he had on his sword. “You will not be getting any bond-slaves here. Lord Gould took all we had during his last raid.”

“That was many years ago. More could have developed in that time. We have every legal right to search the village and take all that qualify.”

The spokesman clenched his jaw and raised his sword, causing several soldiers to draw their weapons as well. Still the Lieutenant did not move to draw his sword, knowing he still had the advantage. He nodded towards the soldiers hiding the boy and they stepped out of the way.

A man stepped forward beside the spokesman. “Let the boy go. He…he is not a part of any of this,” he pleaded.

The Lieutenant chuckled. “But he is. As a member of this village he has just as much at stake as the rest of you. Give us what we are looking for and you go free.”

“Except for those that you take. They will have no life or freedom but what their masters give them. Better to die than to be forced into that existence,” the spokesman replied.

“Then you bring this on your village.” The Lieutenant pulled out his sword, an action that caused the rest of the soldiers to do the same. They all stood in the village, armored soldiers against a handful of farmers with little combat experience and practically no weapons.

“No!” cried a female’s voice as a young woman fought through the villagers. The Lieutenant merely smirked and nodded his head. It was the end of the beginning as the soldier swiftly pulled his knife across the boy’s throat. A line of deep burgundy formed and the boy’s eyes glassed over as his limp body fell to the ground. The young woman collapsed to her hands and knees as she gasped for breath with her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

The Lieutenant’s gaze locked on her and he smiled. There was one in the village after all. He moved forward to claim her but found his way blocked by the spokesman. “Move,” the Lieutenant ordered.

The man shook his head. “You will not take her,” he stated.

“By order of Lord Gould you will release her into our care or die for treason.”

“Lord Gould can go to Hell.”

The Lieutenant moved swiftly even while wearing the heavy armor, causing the spokesman to react instinctively, only barely blocking the blow. Feeling the force behind the block the Lieutenant knew the man was fit but had not done sword work in years. He surged ahead, attacking quickly and precisely. For a few moments the spokesman held his own but then he lost his footing, throwing him off balance. The Lieutenant took advantage of it and jabbed his sword into the man’s gut, twisting it for optimum damage.

The young woman had fallen completely to the ground and was staring blankly in the direction of the spokesman. The Lieutenant saw her mouth move though no sound followed. Pulling his sword up he moved it around in a sweeping arc to sever the man’s head from his shoulders. Then he looked around at the startled faces of the remaining villagers. “Would anyone else care to try and stop us?” the Lieutenant asked.

No one moved except to drop their pitchforks. The only sound in the village was the soft sobbing of the young woman on the ground. The Lieutenant looked around. “Good, then we will be on our way.” He glanced at two soldiers. “Take her. We need to move to the next village.”

The soldiers moved over to obey their orders and grabbed her upper arms to pull her up. They had handled her type before so they expected her to be weak, unable to resist them. None of those with the skill of bonding could handle the pain and grief after others around them died but as they started to drag her forward she planted her feet in the ground and tried to wrench her arms from the soldiers’ grasps.

They only just managed to keep a hold on her. “Let go of me!” she cried.

The Lieutenant moved over to her and without hesitation raised his arm and delivered a sharp blow across her face. She returned her gaze to him and glared up into his eyes, her left cheek already starting to bruise. “Bind her hands. There are many villages yet and Lord Gould is already impatient to have his bond-slaves.”

The two soldiers continued to hold the young woman as another came forward with a set of irons, shoving her wrists into them and snapping them shut without even caring about being gentle. They knew the bond-slaves would be given a few days so they would look better for when they went to auction so her minor injuries were nothing. The young woman continued to struggle against them, not willing to give up.

She was a fighter, never one to just accept a fate placed upon her. The words of her father pulsed in her ears telling her to do as much damage as she could to those who tried to use her. If she had been a boy she would have become a warrior. Instead that task was to fall to her younger brother. Her throat closed slightly and she choked back a sob as she thought of him. He had yet to experience life and now he never would. As they shoved her down the path she felt a silent vow build up inside her; she would make Lord Gould pay for this somehow.

* * *

The soldiers marched through four other villages that day before the order was given to set up camp. The chained their group of prisoners to a tree as they erected the tents. In the center of the encampment was the Lieutenant’s tent, easily spotted as it was a larger size than all the others. Once the circle of white tents was established and the fire was lit the Lieutenant walked over to look at the prisoners. In that day they had found ten people with the bonding ability. He looked at each of the four young women there, taking in their features. Most were covered with grime and staring at the ground as they cowered against the tree. Then there was her, the young woman from the first village, the one who had fought them. The Lieutenant’s eyes lit up and he walked nearer to her.

“Take this one to my tent and tie her to the cot,” he ordered one of the soldiers standing guard over the prisoners. The young woman’s eyes widened as she heard that and she moved away from him.

The soldier cleared his throat. “Sir, with all due respect, I do not think that is a good idea. I imagine Lord Gould would want her for his own pleasures.”

“Lord Gould will not find out.”

“I think he will. She is unmarried and in that region a girl’s father would make sure she remained pure for her husband. Lord Gould would see that and know that one of his men defiled her.”

The Lieutenant looked down at the young woman. She wore her hair unbraided and it flowed around her form even with all the knots in it. There was no sign of the marital ring on her left hand. The soldier was right. The Lieutenant growled then looked at the woman next to her. Though not as fine as the young woman he wished to have, this woman’s features were fair enough. “She will do then. Make sure the men stay far away from the girl. Lord Gould will want her unspoiled.”

The soldier nodded. “Yes sir.” Then he turned to look at one of the other younger soldiers there. “You heard Lieutenant Davoli. Take that one to his tent now.”

The younger soldier walked up to the woman and unhooked her from the chain of the others. The Lieutenant walked away. She would be enough to satisfy him for the moment though he could hope for a better selection in the next several days.

The woman did not struggle against the soldier as he pulled her up to stand. Instead she simply glanced over at the young woman, her eyes pleading for the girl to remain silent as this happened. The young woman looked at her sadly. “It will be fine, Aurelia. Do what he asks and you will not be harmed more than he finds necessary,” she said softly.

The woman whimpered but nodded as the soldier dragged her away to Lieutenant Davoli’s tent. Once there the soldier tied her arms and legs to the cot, giving her very little room to move. Stepping out of the tent the soldier nodded to the Lieutenant. “She is ready for you, sir.”

“Good. Return to your post and spread the word that none are to disturb me tonight.” Then Davoli turned and entered the tent, smiling at the sight of the bound woman on his bed. It had been days since he had last had another with him like this. They should feel privileged to be selected but instead the woman’s countenances were usually covered with fear or shame. This woman whimpered and closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see it as Lieutenant Davoli unhooked his belt and let his pants fall to the ground, followed shortly by his cloth underpants.

He walked to the bed and moved over her, straddling her waist as his hands went to the top of her dress and plunged underneath her clothes. She squirmed beneath him which did nothing but excite him even more. He ran his hands over her decently ample bosom, marveling at the smooth skin of this lower class working woman.

Slowly he pulled his hands away before sliding down to grab the bottom of her skirt. He moved it up to her waist before taking hold of her underclothes and ripping the flimsy scrap of material off. She flinched away from him but couldn’t move far because of the bindings trapping her on the bed. Davoli looked down at her, taking in the milky white skin hidden beneath her clothes. Then he ran a hand up her thigh towards where her legs met, smiling at the feeling of heat emanating from that region.

The woman clenched her eyes shut, tensing up with the knowledge of what was going to happen. A few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. He parted the folds of skin and probed the area with a finger, feeling his urges grow with every movement she made. It would not take much from there. He plunged his finger deep inside her and pulled it out slowly, repeating this multiple times to make certain that she was ready for him. The smile on his face grew as she started to move up into his finger, making it delve even deeper into her center. It was an instinctual reaction but it pleased him nevertheless.

After a few moments he pulled his finger out of her and gazed down into her now open yes, reveling in that look he beheld there, the one that told him she wanted it now. He knew that urge well, that need for release but the time for that was not yet there. She whimpered once more, this time it was a sound of longing not fear.

He parted her legs and positioned himself between them. This would not be over for some time. The first was the most difficult as the women resisted but after that it was easy; she would crave more and more until she was too exhausted to continue.

He plunged into her, starting to build a rhythm as he moved in and out of her hot moist center. She reacted to his movements and arched up into him, enabling him to move all the way into her. She screamed out and Davoli quickened his pace, the pressure building up until the moment it couldn’t be held back any longer. Feeling her shudder from her release he allowed himself to revel in his own.

Outside the soldiers blocked out the sounds coming from the Lieutenant’s tent. Allowing this to happen made it easier with the Lieutenant in the morning, which meant less of a chance that Davoli would be angered enough to lash out at them. The mere pleasurable the Lieutenant’s night the better things were for everyone.

The young woman stared in the direction of the Lieutenant’s tent with mixed emotions. She was sorry that Aurelia had to be put through that humiliation but at the same time she was relieved that she had been spared from that fate. Still though she watched the tent through the dark of the night and listened to the sounds of Aurelia’s screams though she did not know if they were from pain or pleasure. It was something she had yet to experience, an event that was to be saved for her marital bed the night of her wedding.

She cringed as another scream came from the large tent in the center of the encampment. A few tears fell and she had to lean her head down to wipe them away. Then she heard nothing more as the night sky turned from black to a dark blue. The silence left her feeling strangely empty.

Curling her knees up to her chest she tried to keep warm as the late night to early morning chill settled in the area. Then her thoughts wandered from the camp to her village as she remembered the warmth of the quilt her mother had made for her. A sob escaped her as she looked back on the day’s events. Her brother, her father…her mother was alone now. The Nebia villagers would help her mother get through this tragedy somehow. They all supported one another. She closed her eyes and thought of home. It did not take long for her to drift off to sleep in the silence of the early morning.

* * *

She awoke to a soldier pulling her to her feet. Looking at the sky she noted it was just after dawn and she also watched as Aurelia was led back to the others. The woman was trying to walk lightly and a pang of sympathy went through the young woman at the sight. “Are you all right?” she asked softly after Aurelia was chained back with the other prisoners.

Aurelia nodded slightly. “I will be fine eventually, Casey,” she replied gently. “Better I went through that than you. That man would have done far worse to a pure girl like you.”

“I’m so sorry for your pain.”

The woman looked at the girl, for she was merely a girl to Aurelia. “I know you are but you need not be. I would do it again to keep you from that fate.”

Casey looked at Aurelia with wide eyes. “But why?” She connected to people and that helped her understand how they felt a lot of the time but this was foreign to her. This woman she barely knew was sacrificing so much for the sake of another. It was strange and she wished to know what the feeling was.

“I have a young daughter and I would do anything for her, no matter what it does to me.” Aurelia looked at the girl beside her. “You remind me of my daughter. If she were ever in a position like this I would hope someone else would do the same for her.”

Maternal protectiveness she did not fully understand but she knew what it felt like now to do everything one could in order to save a loved one from a horrible fate. It was close to what had gone through her mind when she saw that knife against her brother’s neck though she imagined the feeling would be more potent if it was her own flesh and blood child.

Casey looked around to see most of the soldiers taking down the camp. It would not be long before they would be on the move again to a location she did not know. She had heard of Lord Gould’s manor in the city center of Pirac but had never left her village so she only had stories.

“Get the slaves,” ordered Lieutenant Davoli. His mood seemed to be a little lighter but he was still about efficiency and speed. “We leave camp in one minute.”

The soldiers moved to unhook the prisoners from the tree and jerked on the chain causing several people to stumble. Aurelia straightened herself and looked over at Casey taking in the purple bruise on the girl’s cheek. “That looks like it hurts.”

Casey shook her head. “It is not that bad.” She shrugged. “This is what I got for fighting against them yesterday.”

“Do not anger them, Casey. Lieutenant Davoli is a horrid man but he will be nothing compared to Lord Gould. He is not one you want to deal with. I am sure you have heard of the Lord’s wrath. There has never been anything like it in the history of the territories.”

“I have heard, yes, but I have also heard tales of a four headed dragon that can be seen by the light of a full moon. I cannot believe something simply because there are stories about it. The rumor will become truth when I see it for myself.”

Aurelia shook her head. “Then you show your age and your naïveté. Some tales are to protect you from a similar fate. For your sake I hope Lord Gould does not take a liking to you. It would be better that way.”

“I think not. If he does not take me then I will be shipped off into the slave market and sold to the highest bidder. That is no way to live. I hope that I do not meet that fate.”

“Silence!” a soldier barked at them, walking over and staring at the both of them. Casey returned his gaze as if ready to say something to defy his orders. Instead she remained silent and the soldier walked away.

Casey looked around as they marched away from where their camp had stood. In her gut she knew they would travel to more villages and more people would be taken in, captured for use in a slave system she knew next to nothing about.