Ubara of Gor Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: Cassandra

I suddenly knew what it felt like to have all my Christmases come at once, for there she stood in her fine gowns and sequinned slippers with all those haughty airs I remembered only too well: the bitch queen herself, Brinn's little shit of a sister.

“If you are in command of the pirate vessel then you should be informed that I am the Lady Cassandra Assante, of the house of Brinn Assante, daughter of Stannis and Livinnia Assante, belonging to the caste of the merchants, but family associated to my father and brother’s caste, the warriors.” She rattled off the series of names in a voice that was remarkably confident, bearing in mind she was helpless and at our mercy. “My brother is the most renowned warrior on Gor, and if ransom is required he will pay you my weight in gold provided I am returned unharmed with my dignity intact. But touch one hair on my head and I promise you that Brinn Assante will move mountains to avenge me.”

As she spoke she regarded the semi-naked figure of Yishana with a degree of understandable surprise. The fact Yishana loosely held a bloodied panga blade in her right hand added further confusion in Cassandra's eyes.

She hadn't noticed me it seemed, or if she had she was doing a very good job of pretending otherwise. But then Cassandra always did have that knack of acting as if slave-girls were beneath her contempt and practically invisible unless they did something to warrant discipline. Oh, Cassandra, you don't know how happy I am that you're here and about to be taken as plunder, I thought to myself.

You stole my children.

You tortured me.

And now here you are.

“I do not know you, Lady, and I do not know your brother,” said Yishana as she took a few steps into the cabin. “His name means nothing to me, as do your ill-advised threats.” She regarded Cassandra, seeing yet another haughty free woman who thought she was in a position to make demands on the crew of the Larl of the Thassa. Behind her, Tijani and two of the grim faced Askaris squeezed through the doorway and crowded this side of the cabin to capacity. I skulked between Yishana and Tijani, eager to see what was going to unfold in the next few minutes. Cassandra was veiled, but I saw her eyes flash in alarm at the sight of the men. Her confidence was of course a sham. She was a woman, alone on a slowly sinking ship that was now the prize of ruthless pirates. She wasn't naïve – she obviously knew the likely fate of free women caught by pirates on the high seas.

“Let's see what we have here,” said Tijani as he sheathed his sword. “Remove your veil, Lady.”

“How dare you,” said Cassandra in an icy voice of warning. “Did you not hear me? I am the sister of Brinn Assante. I will not unveil myself before outlaws.” She practically spat the word.

“We don't particularly care if you're the Free Companion of Marlenus of Ar,” said Tijani with a smirk. “We experience no shortage of threats out here on the Thassa, yet none of them ever seem to amount to much. Your veil, Lady, or I will come over there and remove it myself. Along with other garments, perhaps...”

To my surprise Cassandra's right hand dipped inside her gowns and she quickly withdrew a stiletto knife that she brandished as protection. It was a foolish thing to do, I think, as it would simply anger the men, any one of whom might simply choose to sever her knife hand from its wrist with a sweep of a blade.

“Put that thing away, Lady,” said Tijani. His eyes narrowed in irritation. “You are trying my patience.”

“Do it, Mistress. They will kill you otherwise. A woman does not draw steel against a warrior without accepting the consequences. You know that,” I said to Cassandra, making it impossible for her to continue to pretend I wasn't there. I grinned as I spoke. Yeah, look at me, bitch. I'm on the winning side today.

“Your slave girl is insolent,” said Cassandra without looking at me, though the slight narrowing of her eyes told me what I had already guessed – she had been watching me nervously out of the corner of her eyes, knowing my presence here didn't bode well for her. “She should be whipped.”

Tijani laughed and I think our exchange had served to ease the tension a little. “You're probably right, Lady. Emma sometimes forgets her status onboard the Larl.” He suddenly slapped my ass hard with the flat of his hand, making me jump and squeal. “You addressed a free woman without permission, Emma,” he said as I tried to gather my composure. “Come to me tonight and ask me for ten lashes of the slave crop.”

I shivered, knowing he meant it. I would be whipped tonight, despite the fact Tijani cared nothing for Cassandra. Discipline had to be maintained at all times between masters, mistresses and slaves. “Please Master, I know this free woman. She knows me. We have history.”

“Oh?” Now Yishana seemed interested. She regarded me and and then Cassandra and then me again. “How so?”

“She once belonged to me,” said Cassandra before I might say anything. “She was a poor slave, hardly worth the cost of her gruel. I sold her. I would like to see her whipped for daring to speak to me.”

Yishana nodded as she paced across the floor to stand directly in front of Cassandra. She took hold of the woman's wrist and moved her knife hand down and out of the way. As I watched, Yishana gently disarmed Cassandra without resistance and handed the stiletto blade to one of the Askaris for safe keeping. “You are my captive, Lady. If you ever draw steel again on board my vessel I will have you stripped naked and dropped into the sea at the end of a rope as shark bait. Do you understand?”

Cassandra nodded nervously. “I am worth...” she began to say, but Yishana plainly wasn't interested.

“I am not interested in your ransom. Remove your veil as my man told you to do.”

“I am the sister of...” Cassandra broke off into a sudden scream as Yishana simply raised her right hand and tore the veil from its silver hook fastenings. Cassandra was suddenly face stripped before the black Askaris and understandably she raised her hands to cover her lower face. Yishana was having none of this and pulled the woman's hands away by force.

“My men fought hard,” said Yishana, “they have the right to gaze upon any plunder we take.”

“I am a free woman of the Sardar! I am not plunder!” screamed Cassandra in dismay.

“I say you are.” Yishana took hold of Cassandra's chin and turned her face to the left and then the right so that all in the cabin could clearly make out her beauty. “You once owned Emma?”

“Yes.” Cassandra squeezed her hands into small fists as she faced the self-proclaimed Ubara of the Black Coast.

“Then it will amuse me to place you in her safe keeping. Emma...” now Yishana turned to regard me, “you will have discipline rights over this woman on board the Larl. See that she behaves.”

Oh... my... God! I burst out laughing and clapped my hands together with absolute joy. It was worth getting a whipping tonight in exchange for this turn of events! I would have whip rights over Cassandra! Could this day get any better?

“Do I have to call her Mistress?” I quickly asked. Cassandra was of course still free, at least for the moment.

“No,” said Yishana. “She remains free until I decide her fate, but you are not required to call her Mistress in the meantime.” She turned to regard Cassandra again, who seemed surprisingly stoic in spite of this. “You should not have drawn steel in this cabin. It was a brave move I suppose, but it comes with consequences – in this case the humiliation of being under your former slave's tender mercies.”

“You will still whip her of course?” said Cassandra, surprising everyone. I knew she would be terrified now, but there was no denying the bitch was good at maintaining her dignity regardless.

“That is down to Tijani. Do you still wish it, knowing that Emma will have discipline rights over you after the whipping?”

“She is an insolent slave. Yes, I still wish her whipped. Ensure it is done, Sir,” said Cassandra to a surprised Tijani.

He nodded, as stunned as the rest of us were. He knew only too well the indignities I'd subject Cassandra to once I was free of the whipping ring. “As you wish, Lady, ten strokes of the crop for Emma. Will you wish to watch?”

“Yes, thank you.” And still Cassandra talked as if I wasn't there – flatly refusing to look at me.

I was giddy with excitement as I rushed past Tijani to face Brinn's bitch of a sister. I'd take the whipping, knowing I'd torment Cassandra a hundred fold after the event. Now my face was practically in hers as I laid down what she might expect from me. “You’re going to really regret everything you did to me, Cassandra. You’re going to spend the voyage in a slave’s garment, scrubbing the deck with me standing over you with the lash, and if you disobey even the slightest command I will whip you the way you whipped me. You’ll be caged in the evening and you’ll learn to take your food with your teeth like a slave does. You may be free but I’m going to teach you slave positions and you’ll learn them or else you’ll feel my whip. Do you understand?”

“You dare to speak to me like that?” Cassandra looked furious. And then she slapped me hard across the face with the flat of her hand. Okay, I hadn't expected that, and yes she took me by surprise, but as soon as I recovered from the stinging and demeaning blow, I launched myself at her, screaming various swear words in English. Slap me in the face, would she? She was about to regret that!

But then I suddenly found myself on the floor of the cabin, doubled up, my nose bloody, gasping for breath from two sudden blows that had struck my solar plexus and then, on my way down to the floor, my face. I lay there stunned, incapable of working out what had happened, though the reality was clear enough to the men who had seen my clumsy attack swiftly blocked and countered with two well aimed punches from Cassandra. I felt her hand grip my hair and smack my stunned face twice into the wooden planking until I began crying and twisting in her grip. I felt the weight of her body settle down onto my back, pressing me down against the boards as she then gripped my neck in the crook of her left arm in a choke hold and expertly cut off air to my wind pipe. I cried, tears rolling down my cheeks as I began to choke. I tried to break free and received a jab with stiff fingers to the back of my kidneys that took all the fight out of me. I was dying! I couldn't breathe! I was choking and couldn't get free. I cried and whimpered and as I thrashed my legs hysterically, I heard Tijani's voice say, “enough.” I felt Cassandra relax her grip and now I cried vocally as well as through my tears of pain.

“Submit, slave,” said Cassandra as she pulled my head back as far as it might go without my neck snapping.

“Do as she says, Emma,” said Tijani.

“I submit!” I cried again.

“I confess I'm beginning to have a measure of admiration for this free woman of the Sardar...” said Tijani with a grin as he saw me squealing and begging for mercy under Cassandra's dominance.

“Binding fibre,” she said as she held out one hand. Tijani nodded and one of the Askaris gave a length of capture fibre to Cassandra. Swiftly she drew my wrists behind my back and tied me helplessly on the cabin floor. 

“Slave crop,” she then said, and after a further nod from Tijani she was given one. She then proceeded to switch me across my ass, delivering sharp stinging slashes that soon had me crying out in pain again. She only stopped when Tijani said “enough” for the second time. Then, cool as can be, Cassandra straightened herself up, handed the crop back to one of the Askaris and smoothed down the flow of her silken gowns. I lay there at her feet, beaten and crushed, both physically and emotionally.

“You fight quite well,” said Yishana.

“As I said, I was raised by warriors. My father and my brother taught me to defend myself.”

“Try any of that with me and I'll feed you your own liver,” said Yishana as she pushed her own face into Cassandra's and snapped her teeth at her face.

“I submit to your capture of me, Ubara,” said Cassandra in reply as she meekly held her wrists forward for binding. “I will not resist you. I accept that you are my captor.”

Yishana herself took those wrists and, looking Cassandra in the eye, locked slave bracelets in place. “You demonstrate some level of bravery, woman,” said Yishana. “More so than most. You humiliated Emma.”

“Emma humiliates herself,” said Cassandra. “It offends me that she shares my sex.”

Yishana smiled at that. “There are different kinds of women in this world. I see three different varieties in this cabin alone.”

“Perhaps,” said Cassandra. “Will I be treated as an honourable captive? I petition you that you do not give me to your men. I will no longer be of any value to you if you do that.”

“I already told you, Lady, that I am not interested in your ransom.”

“But you should be,” said Simon as he stepped forward. “You're making the mistake, Ubara, of thinking of ransom purely in terms of coin.”

“Oh?” Yishana regarded Simon with an expression that suggested she still thought of him as her cabin slave, despite his new found freedom on board the Larl.

“Her brother is Brinn of the Sardar, as she explained. Brinn has a sizeable force of banner-men that follow him into battle. You could use those warriors as allies when you make a decisive move against your Cosian foe. Think of the value in preserving Cassandra's dignity and trading her for a promise from Brinn to lend his men to your cause. Battle proven warriors who are renowned throughout Gor. That would be her ransom. But only if you preserve her dignity.”

Cassandra looked at Simon with growing hope and, dare I say it, admiration as he petitioned Yishana on her behalf.

“Simon speaks wisely,” said Cassandra as she held her bound wrists before Yishana. “My brother would pay that price for me. You would have his swords, spears and shields by your side in whatever battle you chose to wage. He would do that.”

It was a tempting proposition for I knew that Yishana had lofty ambitions that seemed to involve the Lady Saffia Luna Josefina Alejandra of Telnus and her documented relationship to Captain Matias Thiago Alejandra of Telnus, Third Sword to the city and Sea Admiral of the Second Fleet of Cos. Yishana had made so many passing references to Captain Matias that I knew she hated him with a fervent passion.

I remained helpless on the wooden floor through all of this, my wrists securely tied behind my back. Cassandra knew how to tie efficient capture knots and she had proven herself to be a more capable fighter than I was. I raged helplessly, knowing that the men would now laugh at me for this. I had been given an opportunity for revenge and I had lost it due to overconfidence. Now I felt the opportunity for revenge slipping through my fingers.

“Simon's words offer up intriguing possibilities,” said Yishana at length. “I must think on this over the next few days and nights. And so for the time being, Lady Cassandra, you will be assigned the rights and privileges of an honourable capture. My men will not use you for their pleasure. It seems you have Simon to thank for that.” Yishana left the cabin and began giving instructions to her Askaris up on the main deck. I could feel the ship listing slightly and was beginning to feel anxious that we got back to the Larl as soon as possible. Tijani helped me to my feet and pointed me towards the cabin's doorway.

“Go up on deck, Emma, find Naomi and tell her to get you on board the Larl.”

“My wrists, Master?” I turned my body so that my bound wrists faced him. “I can be more useful with my hands free.”

“Very well.” He sliced the binding fibre with his knife and threw the ruined strands to the floor. “You can help with carrying the loot.”

And this I did, lifting sacks of grain from the hold and carrying them up the wooden steps to the deck where Askaris had formed a line to pass the sacks to the starboard rail and then on to our vessel. There was other loot too, but I was simply entrusted with the sacks of grain that the ship had been carrying as part of it is cargo.

Within the hour the merchant vessel had taken on enough water that its starboard side was almost submerged. We watched the death throes of the vessel from the safety of the Larl where our port-side rail was lined by Askaris and slave-girls observing as the Cosian ship gradually disappeared beneath the waves. Cassandra had been secured to the mast with a chain that looped around her stomach pressing her back to the rough splintered wood. Her wrists remained braceleted before her, and a chain in turn linked her bracelets to the chain around her waist. Nevertheless she had been permitted her gowns and robes though no one had seen fit to replace her veils. Curious Askaris would rise and walk to where she stood, gazing at her features and appraising her in their tribal tongue. To give Cassandra some credit she endured this inspection with a stoicism that would do any free women proud. She endured the attention of these men and only cried out if one of the men reached out to touch her robed breast. Then, and only then would Tijani rise from his seat and tell them to desist.

“You said I would be a captive kept honourably,” said Cassandra, her voice shaking as Tijani pushed back two of the Askaris.

“My apologies, Lady. They may look but they may not touch.” He turned to face the curious Askaris and repeated those words. “No one is touch this woman. That is by order of Yishana – She who must be obeyed.”

That it seems was enough for the Askaris to leave Cassandra well alone. Yishana was practically a living Goddess to them and on the Larl her word was the law. 

That night I lay on the soft divan in Yishana's cabin as she adorned my body with strings of jewels taken from the merchant ship. I lay there, my head propped on one elbow as she lay next to me, dressing my other wrist with some fabulous precious stones. I said nothing as she threaded a piece of jade on a thong and considered where to tie it on my body.

Yishana was naked, slave naked as the saying goes. She drank rich spiced wine from a golden goblet and turned salacious eyes on my body as she worked. Each jewel was given rapt consideration before it was tied to a wrist or an ankle or looped around my throat. I must have been worth a small fortune now, a fortune that could pay for large bands of professional soldiers, but the wealth meant little to Yishana.

“You hate the free woman,” said Yishana as she kissed a blood red ruby and caressed my nipples with it. “you hate her with every fibre of your being.”

“I do, Mistress.”

“Why is that?”

“She stole my children.”

Yishana knew about my children. I had mentioned them in the past during these nocturnes. I watched as Yishana lay back in a pile of soft cushions and slid her left leg along the divan to stroke my belly with her toes. Her right hand reached and found the heavy carved goblet of gold and lifted the wine to her lips again.

“She may prove useful. I could benefit from her brother's aid. He was your Master, yes?'

“He was, Mistress.”

“Can I trust him?”

“In what, Mistress? He has a code of honour according to his caste codes, though he can be flexible in their interpretation. He will be angry that you have his sister. He will come for her when he finds out.”

“He will not find me unless I permit him to. The Thassa is vast and the Larl is swift and nimble.”

“That is true, Mistress. But you are considering allowing him to find you?”

“If I believe we can strike a deal. His spearmen in exchange for his sister. Will he agree to that?”

“Perhaps. If he feels his other options are less reliable. He is a man, Mistress, he will resent having to deal with you on equal terms.”

“Oh? And how would he prefer to deal with me?”

“With you on your knees, stripped naked and helpless.”

“He is that sort of man?” said Yishana with a smile. She enjoyed me saying things like this to her in the privacy of her cabin and in fact often encouraged me by steering the conversation in these directions. Often after several goblets of scented rich wine she would taunt me into describing how men treat women that they capture.

“He is uncompromising with women, Mistress.”

“But I am not simply a woman, Emma. I am the divine avatar of Nakeisha wind-rider.” She reclined further on the mound of cushions and sipped her wine. “Men may desire me but they can never have me. I am forever beyond their simple lusts.”

As long as she was protected by her Askaris on board a swift sailing ship that was undeniably true.

I smiled. I smile a lot as a slave girl. To be honest, it's expected of me. I would smile pleasantly if I talked to you for example. But I smiled this time because for all her so called divinity Yishana was expressing the same degree of interest in matters of men and their attitudes towards slaves that many free women had. I remember those months when I had been free myself and some of the conversations I'd had with Rachel in the public baths when we reclined in the warm scented bathing pools, far away from the prying ears of men, and our discussions between ourselves and with other ladies present could sometimes stray onto similar subjects and similar speculation. Of course in my defence I was simply learning more about Gor, a planet to which I had been forcibly kidnapped.

I had to keep reminding myself that Yishana was actually still a virgin. Kerim Shah was to thank for that as I believe he feared what sex with a dominant man might do to Yishana's state of mind. After all she walked a very precarious path as captain of a pirate ram ship, and it wouldn't take much to shatter the illusion of divinity that protected her.

“I will send word to this Brinn. He can know that I have his sister. Whether I will allow him to find me is another matter that I shall reflect upon in due course. It might be interesting to finally meet him.”

“He will come looking for you, Mistress, regardless.”

“Of course. It will amuse me to play with him, to let him grow frustrated and then when he has the chance at last to meet with me on my terms, he will be desperate to do so.”

The days and nights passed as the Larl of the Thassa sailed on through the equatorial waters of Gor. From time to time we spied other sails on the horizon and whenever we did Yishana would instruct one of her men to climb to the crow's nest and use a spying glass of the Builders to determine the ship's port of origin according to its flags and its type of design. We saw many ships flying the flags of the port of Schendi, and in some cases specifically the flags of the League of Black Slavers who operated out of and controlled that port. Those flags were considered neutral according to Yishana and she would not prey upon them.

“Schendi is a safe port for the Larl,” she explained one day as she gazed at the far horizon. “We are permitted anchorage in Schendi and so we leave their shipping alone.”

During the night Cassandra slept on the deck beside the mast. A chain was now permanently locked to her left ankle and fixed in turn to a ring set at the base of the mast. A small tarpaulin was set up to protect her from the heat of the sun and the tropical rain which fell frequently in these waters. Cassandra looked miserable in the rain for the wind tended to blow the rain under her makeshift shelter. Many was the time I came up from the hold to find her wet and sullen, huddled up with her back to the mast, her knees tucked to her chest, the steel chain gathered in loops about her feet.

I confess I was always happy to see her like that.

She ate two meals a day at morning and night and was permitted to call for water as and when she needed it. More than anything though her captivity was boring. Men walked past her now without the curiosity they had shown for her on the first day. Slaves were afraid to talk to her or even catch her eye because she was still free and therefore a threat to them. She had nothing to do but sit by the mast and stare out onto the far horizon.

On the fifth day of her lonely captivity, Cassandra spoke to me as I knelt several yards away on the deck stitching some sacks together.

“You haven't enquired about Brinn's children, Emma.”

I looked round and saw her kneeling in tower beside the mast. Her face was tanned now, and her gowns were looking grubby. She had slept in them for five nights without anything else to change into.

“I will never forgive you for what you did,” I said. “They are my children too.”

“They are well. They are loved. They are cared for. That is all you need to know.”

I rose to my feet and approached Cassandra, gazing down at her as she knelt in the ankle chain.

“I have considered killing you, you know. One night, just coming up from below and killing you with a knife. It wouldn't be hard, Cassandra.”

“But you haven't, Emma, and you never will, because you are too scared. You are scared what would happen to you afterwards. You are such a slave.”

I clenched my right hand into a fist and Cassandra hissed her next words at me. “Touch me, you slut, and I will kill you. I will take you down and I will break your neck before any man here can stop me. Now go back to your chores, slave girl. You are dismissed.”

She was right and I hated to admit it to myself, but I would be too scared to actually kill her. The consequences for me, a slave, harming a free woman, would be horrific. I would ultimately beg for death myself but it would be a long time coming.

Simon visited Cassandra repeatedly enquiring on her welfare, but his time was limited for there was always work to do on the Larl now that he was part of the crew. Cassandra looked forward to these brief visits when Simon would sit beside her and talk. At first he was embarrassed on her behalf that she wasn't veiled. Cassandra was actually tearful that she was face stripped before him, and during the first visit she actually held her hands in front of her lower face to mask her lips with her interlaced fingers. It was a rare example of Cassandra actually showing uncontrolled emotions. Simon apologised to her that circumstances meant he would look on her features with impunity.

“I would veil you if I could, Lady,” he said kindly.

Cassandra looked up at him with moist eyes.

“You must think me a shameful harlot,” she said, hardly daring to meet his gaze.

“No, no, of course not. The shame is mine, sweet Cassandra, that I am unable to grant you the veil that you so rightly deserve. I should not even look upon you. I should perhaps go so as not to embarrass you further...”

“Please stay, Simon. Your presence is a comfort in this dark time. I... I cannot even imagine what might have happened to me if...”

“Nothing will happen to you, Lady Cassandra, not while I draw breath on this ship,” said Simon with genuine conviction. “Everyone on board the ship knows I will meet them with steel if they try and touch you. I swear an oath that I will protect you. I not only owe it to you, gracious Lady, but to Brinn as well.”

And so on. I think the sight of Cassandra as a Lady of virtue in distress and peril fired up all the old feelings Simon had before he went down a more Gorean path. He was of course a hypocrite, speaking of all this sacred courtly love with a chaste free woman while fucking me and the other slaves in the piles of sail cloth each night. But tactfully he always ensured he did so well away from the main mast where Cassandra was secured. It was bad enough that Cassandra had to lie there at night listening to the sounds of slaves in heat being taken by the Askaris mere yards from her position, but to see or hear Simon doing so as well...

Simon began to use me on a semi-regular basis now that he was free, but he used many of the other girls as well, with the exception of the First Girl, Naomi. It was clear to me that I would be beaten to within an inch of my life if I ever let slip to Cassandra that Simon was fucking me, so discretion was something I had to practise as well, which was annoying. It felt like I was having an affair with a married man. Simon was getting pretty good at sex now that he was having plenty of practice. Gone was the nervous fumbling and desire to please. Now he just took what he wanted and, well, because he took what he wanted, and took it roughly, I began to actually enjoy my irregular tumbles with him. It is what it is, and I have a high sex drive and being with Simon was better than being chained on my own.

Please don't think harshly of me. I am just being honest.

I think Simon recognised this gradual change after a while.

“You're hard wired for slavery, Emma,” he said quietly to me one night for the sleeping form of Cassandra was maybe eight yards away. He had heard my screams of pleasure as I hit an absolutely blissful orgasm and he had made no attempt to silence me. He stroked my skin as I came down from that glorious high and he actually looked pleased that I had enjoyed it. “I think I've learned a lot about women from being with you.”

“Really?” I was shaking between my thighs and felt like I just wanted to be held tightly now.

“Yes, really. Women are marvellous. You're incredible creatures. So desirable. I should have listened to Brinn all those years ago.”

“Uh-huh.” I moved my body close to his as I always do post orgasm. I need to be touched, to be held after coming. It feels like nails down a blackboard otherwise.

“Did you ever have orgasms like that when you were a man on Earth?” he asked.

I winced, and felt myself withdraw as I always did when I was reminded of my past like that. I felt a nauseous chill at being reminded I once had a penis. Why did he have to say that? I think he sensed something was wrong.

“I wonder what I would have thought of you if I had met you back then? Would we have been friends I wonder? Would we have met for drinks and told one another crude jokes?”

“Please, Master, I don't like to be reminded.”

He laughed. “I'm sorry. I didn't realise it's a sensitive subject.”

“Well it is.”

“Okay.” And then he held me tightly, but it was no good, the moment was gone and all I felt was nails down a blackboard.

By the morning of day six of her captivity, queen bitch Cassandra finally begged for something from her captors.

“I have to wash,” she said.

“So wash,” said Yishana as she stopped to hear Cassandra’s plea. “I shall have soap and water brought to you.”

“I need to wash… completely…” Cassandra had by now given up trying to conceal her lower face with her fingers when people approached her. Chained to the mast of a ship it was only a matter of time before she had to resign herself to being appraised and looked upon. “I… I smell…” Cassandra was incredibly ashamed of this fact.

“I wondered what that smell was,” joked Tijani. “I was worried it might be me. But surely not a fine Lady of a great house?”

“Don’t tease her,” said Simon angrily. “She is to be kept with honour, remember?” He looked genuinely angry at Tijani’s words.

“I meant no offence to you, Simon. It’s just in my nature to jest.” He clapped Simon on the shoulder to reassure him that all was well.

“She needs to wash in private,” said Simon. “You cannot expect a free woman to do so on the deck in full view of men.”

“My garments need to be washed too,” said Yishana. “I can’t stand this any longer.”

Yeah, because of all the indignities and horrors you inflicted on me, dirty clothes are an even worse ordeal.

In the end Simon took it upon himself to construct a simple wooden frame on the main deck over which he draped and secured some of our spare sail cloth to create an enclosed bathing area. He instructed the slaves to fill a wide tub of water that occupied the small space. There was just about enough room for Cassandra to disrobe inside and then step into the tub of cold sea water without being seen. I imagined her discomfort in doing so as her experience in the past would have been warm scented bath chambers in sunlit marble rooms and the presence of demure bathing slaves to assist her in disrobing.

But again I saw Cassandra’s stoicism. Her complaints were minimal as she agreed to use the makeshift bathing space. She thanked Simon personally and for a brief moment touched his hands with her own.

A number of the slaves gathered to watch as Cassandra was unchained from the mast and led by Simon to the canvas sail cover.

“Lady, once you are inside, disrobe and pass your garments through the canvas. I will see that they are washed and dried while you bathe.”

Cassandra nodded and tried not to look nervous as she stepped inside and drew the canvas covering back in place. Simon stood outside the opening staring at us all as we gathered in small groups on the deck to listen to the sound of Cassandra disrobing inside. A small hand emerged with a bundle of dirty robes that Simon quickly took from her. Then we heard the splashing as she stepped into the tub and lowered herself into the eighteen inches of cold sea water. She had been given a rough bar of soap that we used to wash clothes on a scrubbing board.

Naomi instructed a couple of the girls to wash Cassandra’s gowns while she cleaned herself behind the covering. In the hot equatorial sun they would dry quickly. Until then of course Cassandra would be forced to remain in the tub of soapy water. I was pleased to see that the rich gowns looked wrinkled and lifeless when they were passed back to Cassandra. The rich fabrics obviously required careful washing and ironing flat but here on the Larl the best Cassandra could hope for was that they were basically clean. The canvas drapes wobbled as Cassandra fumbled with the garments in the narrow enclosed space that wasn’t taken up by the wooden wash tub. I rather hoped the entire contraption would collapse if she backed into it by accident, but Simon’s basic construction remained sturdy throughout. She emerged with wet hair that she had combed back with her fingers and she looked nervous as she took several paces back onto the deck.

“Do you feel better for that, Lady?” asked Simon kindly.

“Yes, thank you.” Cassandra walked back to her place by the mast where she sat down with her back to the timber once more. With a sigh of long term suffering she extended her left ankle from beneath the long skirt and permitted Simon to fasten the steel anklet in place.

“I regret doing this, Lady,” he said. “Truly I do.”

“I am a captive,” said Cassandra. “It is the fate of captives aboard vessel such as this. And I would rather it was you that touched my ankle with steel than any of these brutish men.” She drew her ankle back with a small clink of chain and smoothed her gown over the sight of the manacle. “Thank you, Simon. I mean that.”

“Can I get you some fresh rain water to drink?” asked Simon. Cassandra nodded.

I left them to it, pondering once again the romantic hold that Cassandra seemed to have over Simon.

The further south we sailed the more inhabited islands we came across. While some of these islands such as Anango are well documented on the common place maps of Gor, many are too small to warrant inclusion on anything other than navigation charts. Asperiche was a small island enclave of several ports and harbours of varying size tucked away on the equator and home to a thriving, bustling community that served as an ideal location for shore leave. Yishana called in to one of the smaller harbours of Asperiche maybe three times a year on account of the fact it turned a blind eye to pirate flags. Her crew knew the taverns, sink holes and brothels well by now and had built up favourite venues over the years.

“A hive of scum and villainy,” said Simon with a smile as he gazed at the busy wharves with their fishing vessels unloading the daily catch into barrels of salt.

“I certainly hope so,” said Tijani. His travels had never taken him to Asperiche though he had heard of its reputation for offering every entertainment a man with a coin purse might hope to find. “Care to join me in exploring the paga taverns?” he suggested.

“Perhaps.” Simon looked pleased that Tijani assumed he naturally shared common Gorean values. “Variety is the spice of life after all.”

I found Yishana on the main deck handing shore leave passes in turn to the Askaris. They would be permitted to enter the town in groups so that the Larl would not be left unattended. Those who had fought the hardest in our last engagement received the first of the shore passes.

“Enjoy the harbour,” said Yishana as she praised certain of her warriors for their bravery. She looked regal in her gowns and all of the men appreciated her blessings.

This port in Asperiche was a small town and by normal Gorean standards barely qualified as a town as it probably housed a population of one and a half thousand people, most of whom seemed to make a living catering for the requirements of sailors on shore leave. There was a token nod to trade but really the harbour existed as a place to pick up supplies, drink paga and fur slaves. It was understandably popular with sailors then and it is often said that you risk open mutiny if you sail in equatorial waters and refuse to put in to Asperiche at last once during your voyage. The itinerant population from the docked ships lining the harbour front probably added three to four thousand men at peak times, which bearing in mind the common Gorean attitude towards strangers makes Asperiche remarkable.

A wonderful aroma of smoked fish wafted across the harbour to where we stood on deck. Fishing is the sole industry outside of hospitality in this harbour town and there are numerous stone buildings along the quay sides in which fish are smoked for long term storage. I’m rather partial to a nice smoked fish and I felt my stomach rumbling pretty quickly.

Yishana had been drinking more at night now that Simon was free. She seemed restless now that she no longer had a man chained to her couch in her cabin. While she had never actually permitted Simon to penetrate her (and in fairness there was no way he could have done that while his manhood was restrained the way it had been) she did enjoy the soft ministrations of his tongue. She also enjoyed having such a strong physical specimen to hand and confident in her safety she often teased him to tell her what he might do to her if he was free. These tests of his strength had continued in an over familiar and playful manner, though Simon had been sensible enough never to use his full strength on her. Yishana enjoyed allowing Simon at times to hold her wrists firmly. It gave her a dangerous thrill, but it was always a thrill tempered by the knowledge that she could order him to stop and he would do so.

Simon had been a reasonably safe way for Yishana to experiment with male company of course. While it was true he had taken on many Gorean attitudes since coming to Gor, he was still essentially an earth-man who strived to be Gorean. He accepted his captivity in a way that Brinn never would have done and he obeyed Yishana out of a natural fear for his own well being. But I could sometimes see in his eyes when Yishana’s flirtatious behaviour got his blood going. I could see what he dearly wanted to do if he wasn’t her captive, if he didn’t have his manhood so cruelly secured. She would part her thighs and tell him to please her with his tongue, but I would see that he wanted to take her in a far more savage manner. Simon was cowed but never tame. Women often fail to grasp that concept.

But with Simon gone there seemed to be something primal missing from Yishana's evenings with me. Whereas before I had been pleasing in my turn, now she was never satisfied. She missed having a semi-docile man chained to a slave ring in her cabin. She missed having the power to command him or in turn the power to give him a modicum of free will to do as she saw fit.

There was one night only six days before Simon was freed when Yishana had been in a very provocative mood. She had lain on the great divan that was her sleeping couch and she had playfully tied a long red ribbon around Simon’s balls, letting it trail like a leash. He had looked furious then, his eyes raging and Yishana had been amused to see that.

“You do not like my pretty ribbon, slave?” she had asked him with a mocking laugh.

“I would like it more if I could make better use of it,” he said in a rather daring reproach. This seemed to interest Yishana and she told him to make use of it as he saw fit. I could feel her breath quicken as he sat there on the soft divan, never taking his eyes from Yishana as he slowly untied it. He held the ribbon in both hands and said quietly, “may I act the way I wish?”

Yishana nodded, and I could see from the rising and falling of her breasts how aroused she now was. Simon had climbed above her prone body and taking one of her wrists in his hands tied it to the other of her wrists. It was just ribbon, but even so Yishana looked startled and deeply aroused.

“That is what you wish to do?” she said arrogantly, although her voice had a deepness to it that spoke volumes.

“Yes,” said Simon. Now Yishana’s eyes were furious, as she pulled at the bindings. To her delight I think she found that she couldn’t free herself. It was only ribbon, but looped several times it was secure enough for a while at least. “You go too far...” she said, her eyes blazing.

“Does Mistress command me to free her?” Simon asked.

“Touch me,” she said quietly, not issuing a command to be freed. And so Simon did, touching her in all manner of places, watching her writhe slowly and sensuously as her arousal built itself close to orgasm. But the orgasm didn’t come. She seemed frustrated and sullen as she couldn’t quite get there by touch alone.

Her body was still deeply flushed with arousal, but she needed more than just Simon’s hands caressing her while she was bound. And the knowledge of this frustrated her deeply. She knew that were she to go that one step further, the rewards would be delightful.

In the end she ordered Simon to untie her, which of course he did. She was angry then and she barely understood why. A sexually frustrated woman can be savage if crossed.

The Larl would be docked for three days all told, during which time some minor ship repairs would take place and stores of food and water would be replenished. Asperiche also differed from most ports along the Gorean mainland that it offered Yishana the opportunity to make some money from her shipboard slaves. With thousands of itinerant men at any one time there was a high demand for ripe slave flesh and this was not catered for exclusively by the native population. In fact the brothels and paga taverns were mainly supplied by ship board slaves who would be pressed into service for coin during a vessel’s stay in the town. Ships' captains would be encouraged to effectively rent out their girls to various establishments during their stay. This benefited Asperiche from not having to maintain large numbers of slaves in what was a small town population and it provided a lot of variety as the girls you encountered this week would be different from the girls available the following week. Most of the paga taverns had their own permanent rosta of girls, and the same applied to the brothels, but along the harbour fronts and back streets in the area known as the chain wharfs there were a number of semi-vacant premises that could be filled with shipboard girls. Depending on how many girls you had you could either rent space in a large building with other owners or if you had a lot of girls, as Yishana had, you could fill your own building exclusively. What nearly all the buildings had in common was they they had open fronts with kennels lining the back. Girls could be placed in kennels (actually small rooms maybe six feet by ten feet) offering a certain degree of privacy for a customer (though the front of the kennels were iron bars, so the privacy wasn’t absolute), or girls could be secured to slave rings in the open fronted main area where they could be had for much cheaper prices. The downside being you would be taking your pleasure in the straw with a chained girl while some burly sailor was doing likewise just a few feet from you.

That morning Yishana made the usual arrangements with the harbour master to book a medium size building in the streets just behind the quayside where the girls of the Larl would serve for the time the Larl was in port. The money made would go towards the berthing fees and various licenses required to maintain a pirate vessel in Asperiche’s waters.

I was nervous about this for I don’t like being chained in place and made available to just anyone who happened to have a few copper coins in his pocket. It is a natural fear of slaves everywhere. Ideally we all want a single Master and the safety and security that comes with that.

I was surprised when Yishana announced that this time around she intended on inspecting the wharf space personally before renting it.

“I can send a couple of the men to ensure it is adequate and clean,” suggested Tijani. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time, Ubara.”

Yishana gazed over the starboard rail at the line of buildings that faced her. The quay side was busy and virtually every building front was either a smoke house, a warehouse, a paga tavern or a chain house. “I will finalise the arrangements myself,” said Yishana without elaborating any further.

“As you wish,” said Tijani with a shrug. “I’m sure the men will prefer to search out paga taverns instead.”

Yishana arranged an escort consisting of two Askaris. For some reason she also decided to take me. Yishana was the centre of much attention as she walked down the gang plank and onto the harbour side. She was dressed in flowing gowns befitting a free woman but she refused to veil her features which elicited the sort of attention you might expect. However the presence of two enormous Askaris, both clearly warriors, and the fact that her name was well known here meant no one troubled us. When a man did stare at Yishana’s bare face she simply stared back, challenging him to continue looking at her. If more than a few seconds ticked by one of the Askaris tended to step forward with a menacing snarl. The man inevitably looked away and hurried on minding his own business. Everyone here knew that if you fought an Askari then the other one hundred and twenty would be on the scene from neighbouring paga taverns within minutes. Yishana’s men fought together for they were essentially skilled warriors whereas other crews were pirates and the life of a pirate is definitely not a case of one for all and all for one.

A man called Malvolo unlocked the padlocks to the kennels in the back of the brick building and motioned for us to take a look around. The front area was uniform with the others in this street – a wide open space maybe fourteen feet deep and thirty feet wide, with a hard baked earthen floor covered in straw. Yishana kicked the straw with her foot several times to see if any creatures came scuttling out, but none did.

“Fresh straw, freshly laid this morning,” said the man with pride. He had something of a paunch over which his merchant colours stretched slightly. “I keep a clean house. Your girls will not catch any diseases here. Only the finest straw bedding!”

“Water?” enquired Yishana and the man pointed to a stone trough on the left hand side of the room .

“I can have it filled with fresh rain water for a nominal price,” he offered. “Fresh and clean. Good for drinking.”

Yishana nodded. There were also three wooden buckets with more brackish water that would suffice for washing hands.

We counted nine display rings set around the interior three walls with enough room on the floor to comfortably secure twice that in girls. There were four private kennels and a door that led to the first floor above.

The slave rings bolted to the walls looked secure but Yishana tested them herself. Most of them had chains attached and taking one of them in her hands Yishana gave the arrangement a sharp tug. It held of course. She tugged again and seemed satisfied.

“A man couldn’t tear those rings from the wall,” said the merchant with a smile, “let alone a woman. Your girls will be quite secure. Those chains will hold women securely enough. As you yourself can see.”

Yishana nodded again. Each chain was approximately six feet in length, long enough to permit some movement but not long enough that a girl could venture out onto the street.

“Some places require you to bring your own slave chains,” said Malvolo, hoping to make his place sound superior. “Here we do not scrimp on such minor details. All will be in readiness when you arrive with your coffle. A few satisfactory key clicks and your girls will be lying on the straw ready to make you money.”

Yishana nodded again. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling for any irregularities of stone.

“It is a firm building, mistress,” he said. “I know what you are thinking – loose stones can be chipped out and girls removed. That will not happen here. Your beauties will be quite secure.”

“Does the upstairs come with the rental price?” asked Yishana.

“No. We use that for storing old boxes.”

“I want to rent it.”

“Well, for another ten copper tarsks, but there isn’t really room to put more girls up there.”

“I won’t need it for that,” said Yishana. “May I see it?”

Malvolo produced a ring of keys and used one of them to unlock the inner door. He swung it open to reveal a narrow stair case and a musty smell from above.

“It isn’t used much, just full of boxes. You’ll find it cramped if you intend using it as an office.”

Yishana brushed past him and climbed the steps. The timbers were old and creaked each time she took a step. Upstairs was pretty much as we’d been told – a pair of rooms to the left and right of the narrow landing and bare brick walls and dirty floorboards interspersed with a few narrow windows almost opaque with grime. There were old sea crates stacked up in both rooms but there was still enough room to move around. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a large grey urt – a Gorean rat – slink away into the shadows. Part of the ceiling had fallen away exposing the upper beams and criss crossing lattice work that probably led to a narrow crawl space beneath the slate roof. The rooms smelled of neglect and decay.

“Is there any other way in to this floor?” asked Yishana, gazing up at the ceiling.

“Have no fear on that score. This house does not share roof space with the other buildings. It is completely sealed. The roof tiles are intact. All you see is some plaster work that gave way. The rooms need some work, but they are secure, mistress.” Malvolo tapped his fingers on his paunch as he spoke.

“It will do. Pay the man, M'tumu.”

The Askari nodded and handed some coins to the fat merchant who seemed very pleased with the transaction. With just a few more pleasantries spoken he bid us all farewell.

“M'tumu, Kanadi, wait outside,” instructed Yishana. The men nodded and left us in the derelict rooms on the first floor. I wondered why Yishana had bothered to come personally to check the building out, since any of her men could have handled this routine transaction on her behalf. I sensed Yishana was in a strange mood now. I watched as she paced to one of the narrow windows and wiped away the grime to peer outside onto the street. From here you could see similar establishments that already had girls chained in the display positions. It was early evening and business was picking up. Coins were being exchanged for sex. Something was playing on her mind and frankly it was not like her to be so indecisive. Yishana always knew what she wanted to do in any situation and hesitation wasn't really part of her psyche.

“Is something wrong, Mistress?”

“Emma, can I trust you?” Yishana continued to stare out of the window.

“I'm your slave, Mistress. You own me.”

“Yes I do. But can I trust you?”

This was a bizarre question and I didn't quite know how to respond. “Well, I sleep in your bed most nights, Mistress. If I wanted to harm you I could have done it a long time ago.”

“That's not what I mean.” Yishana began to pace about the room. “Would you say your life in my collar is better than many other slaveries you might face?”

“Yes.” It was true enough. She was a good mistress to me. I could do a lot worse.

“And so it is in your own interests for me to continue to own you?”

“Well, yes. I'm not going to lie, Mistress. I would rather I was home with my children in the Sardar, but I can't see that happening. But there are a lot worse Masters and Mistresses than you. So, yes, your collar is preferable.”

“I think I can trust you, but I don't know for sure.” She seemed wracked with indecision.

“Perhaps if you tell me what this is all about I might be able to set your mind straight, Mistress. I really have no idea what you mean.”

“I have thought long and hard about this, Emma. I know I am taking a risk, but I can't help myself.” She looked directly at me now. “I wish, for one night only, to know what it is to be with a man.”

“Mistress...” I looked shocked. More than shocked in fact. I thought back to all that teasing of Simon and of course now there was no more Simon chained to her soft divan. Her cravings had obviously grown since then.

“I wish to know what it feels like to be with a man on his terms. Wholly on his terms. A man who is not scared that he will be killed if he treats me as a woman. And I'm going to ask you to help me in this. So the question is, can I trust you, Emma?”

Oh fuck...