Chapter 23
Mandy Cook was chained in the dark basement of a deserted house. The man who had bought her on the auction block had fled upon hearing Sid's army was in the area. The overseers had stayed a few hours after the owner fled. It wasn't that they felt any loyalty to the owner; it took them that long to take everything of value left in the house. The slaves had run off in the hopes of joining Sid's army.
Two days had gone by without food or water and she was starting to feel delirious. Naked, cold, and alone in the basement, she kept imagining she was hearing footsteps on the floor above. She heard voices and realized that the footsteps hadn't been in her imagination. She was afraid of yelling out to attract attention and terrified of dying there. It was a hard choice, should she risk another rape or a long slow death. She made her choice and yelled in what was more of a croak than a shout, "Help!"
The door opened and a man shouted, "Is there anyone down there?"
"Yes," Mandy Cook answered staring up at the white rectangle that outlined the form of a very strong looking man. The light hurt her eyes. She couldn't make out any of his features. She could feel her heart beating hard in terror of what the man might do to her.
She listened as the man said, "Someone get me a lamp. It is pitch black down there."
Another man entered the rectangle of light. He was carrying a lamp which he then handed to the first man. The first man went down the stairs into the basement. She moved to put her arms around her knees in an attempt to protect herself. The rattle of chains filled the small room. When he reached the bottom of the stairs she could see his face in the light of the oil lamp. A frown crossed his face when he caught a whiff of the stench inside the room. Shaking his head, he said, "I'll be over there in a minute."
The slow approach of light allowed her eyes to adjust to the light after days spent in the dark. The circle of light finally fell upon her. The man knelt down and examined her terrified face. In a soft voice, he said, "It's nice to find you, Mandy Cook of Cassandra."
Unable to believe her ears, she looked up the man and asked, "You are a Hero from Earth?"
"Yes. I'm Sid Jones," he answered taking in her naked body. Although the sight of a naked Damsel should have excited him, the abused condition of the woman denied him all chance of a physical reaction. The look of relief that spread over her face was reward enough.
Mandy burst into tears in relief at being rescued. With a gentle touch, he examined her to assess her injuries. The right side of her face was slightly swollen and one eye showed bruising; the result of a backhanded slap had been incredibly painful. Her wrists were raw from the manacles. Her pubic area was red and raw from her rape. She was filthy from almost a week spent in the basement. The past two days spent manacled to the wall and alone in the dark had not allowed her to avoid soiling herself. Looking up at him through tear filled eyes, she said, "Don't look at me. I look horrible."
"You look fine, Mandy. If I ever catch the man who did this, I'll make him pay for it," Sid said attempting to reassure her. He frowned upon coming across additional bruises on her body. Whoever had purchased her had been brutally rough in his treatment of her.
"My vagina burns," Mandy said sobbing and putting her hands between her legs. The rules of Chaos held that Damsels and Heroes could not have sex with the locals. There was a reason behind the rule. The fluids of sex between individuals of Chaos and individuals from Earth or Cassandra were highly irritating. Few men of Chaos could ignore the burning sensation enough to have sex with a Damsel more than once. The effect on the Damsel was even worse. She could not get rid of any fluids that found their way into her and the burning sensation could last for days. She cried out, "He took me twice."
"We'll clean you up," Sid said tenderly. He looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Fred, get me something that I can use to remove some manacles. I also need something for her to wear and a way to bathe her. We'll also need some food."
"Yes, Sid," Fred called back. Turning to the others in the room with him, Fred ordered them to clear out of the house after sending people on errands to take care of Sid's requests. One man went off to fetch a washtub. Another went to get the blacksmith. One of the women was sent off to find some clothes. A man went after some food.
Fred stood in the living room to assure that the Damsel would have her privacy. He didn't know what the situation was, but Sid's requests suggested that it wasn't good. Knowing that Sid would make sure that the Damsel was properly taken care of made him feel good to be part of a rescue like this. He smiled at the thought that his service was so personally rewarding.
In the poorly lit basement, Sid examined how the manacles were held to the wall. The copper chain was attached to the wall in a place well out of reach of Mandy. He went over and fiddled with the chain trying to get it unhooked thinking that it was hung over a simple hook. After a couple of attempts, he realized that the chain was being held in place by a ring that was cut and pushed closed. He would have to bend the ring to get the chain free.
"I've got to find something to open the ring holding your chain," Sid said.
"He used something over in that area when he put me down here," Mandy said pointing to one side of the basement.
Sid looked around the indicated part of the basement and found a nice piece of hardwood that could be used to twist the ring. He returned to the wall and used it to pry open the metal ring. Only then was he able to get the chain free. Looking at the setup, Sid knew that there was no way that Mandy could have freed herself. If they hadn't found her, she would have died of thirst.
While Sid had been working, Fred called down, "A tub has arrived and I'm preparing the water for a bath. We found a dress and a little food. The house is clear, so bring her up here when you can."
"Thanks," Sid called back while he bent down to lift Mandy from the floor.
She put out a hand to stop him and said, "Don't touch me. I'm..."
Sid put a finger over her mouth to silence her objection. In a tender voice, he said, "Hush, my Damsel in Distress. Didn't you know that being in distress means that the Damsel can't look her best?"
"No," Mandy answered suddenly feeling like a little girl.
Lifting her from the floor, Sid said, "Well, it does. So revel in being a Damsel and enjoy your rescue from distress."
"But..."
"I shall remove your chains, bathe you, and dress you. I have a few details to take care of here that will require a week or two. Then together, we shall travel north to where the other Damsels await your arrival," Sid said. He carried her to the stairs and started to climb.
"Other Damsels?" Mandy asked swallowing heavily. She knew the rules and wondered what the presence of other Damsels would mean to her.
While taking her up the stairs, Sid explained about the other Damsels. Mandy, like the other Damsels, was afraid that she wouldn't get to bestow her reward upon him. It took a little effort to reassure her, but by the time Sid finished his explanation she accepted the need for him to rescue as many Damsels as possible.
Once upstairs, Sid put Mandy down and looked around the room. He could see Fred, facing away from the house, standing outside to guard the door. No one would bother them. He called out, "Fred. What about the tools to remove the manacles?"
Without looking back, Fred answered, "They are on the table in the dining room. I put a couple of pots of water over the fire to boil in the kitchen. They should be ready in a few minutes. The tub is in the kitchen with a gown on the chair."
"Is there anything to eat or drink?"
"Yes, there's a pitcher of watered wine and some cheese on the table," Fred called back. He had expected that they would wait until after she was clean and dressed before eating and drinking.
Sid led Mandy to the dining room and looked at the food with a frown. He filled a quarter of the glass with watered wine and handed it to Mandy. He said, "Sip a little of this."
"Thanks," Mandy said grabbing the glass with trembling hands. She drained the glass in one long swallow before Sid had a chance to remind her to just sip it. A few seconds later she grimaced when the wine threatened to return on her. Watered wine was not the best fluid to give to a dehydrated person, but it was all they had. It wasn't a good idea to drink it all in one swallow and that had been the reason he had given her only a quarter of a glass.
After slicing off a small piece of cheese, Sid offered it to her. He said, "Here's some cheese. I wish we had soup or fresh fruit for you instead of cheese. Cheese isn't exactly the best food with which to end a fast."
Mandy chewed the small piece of cheese with her eyes closed. She was enjoying the act of eating as much as the flavor of what she was eating. A low moan of pleasure filled the air. The sound of her chains rattling reminded Sid that he had other business that required his attention.
After a minute of searching, Sid found the tools needed to remove the manacles. They were wrapped in a small piece of cloth. It took far more time and effort to remove the manacles than Sid had expected. After working on the copper pin with the chisel for three minutes, the left cuff was finally removed. Sid looked up at Mandy and shrugged apologetically. He said, "It's not as easy as it looks."
"It doesn't look that easy," Mandy said rubbing the wrist that had just been freed.
Starting to work on the other cuff, Sid said, "I'm sure that a blacksmith could remove it with one little love tap. I'm stuck trying to use brute force."
"I forgive you," Mandy said. Sid hit the pin holding the manacle together just right and it fell into two parts. The manacles fell to the floor at Mandy's feet. She sighed as she rubbed her newly freed wrist and said, "It feels so good to be free of them."
"I'm sure it does," Sid said thinking that she should have a chance to talk with Gregor when he returned from his mission to rescue Sebeson. Smiling at her, he said, "Let's get you washed."
While the idea of a bath was almost overwhelming, Mandy was too hungry and thirsty to give in to that temptation. She moved over to refill the glass with watered wine. Sid grabbed her hand and said, "Hold on a little bit. You need to let your stomach settle. You'll get sick if you eat or drink more right now."
Disappointed, Mandy followed Sid into the kitchen where there was a large fireplace with a couple of copper pots suspended over the fire. He removed the pots from over the fire and poured the hot water into a partially filled wooden tub. The tub was just large enough for Mandy to sit in. She got into the tub with a satisfied sigh. The warm water felt good on her abused skin and relaxed muscles that had been tense for too long.
Sid carried the empty pots to the door. Handing them to Fred, he said, "Send someone to refill these."
Fred nodded his head and shouted, "I need two people here."
Four people came running. Sid shook his head in wonder and returned to the house. It was well known that men didn't volunteer in the army. The fact that one call could get the four closest people running to help was phenomenal. He stopped by the table to refill the glass with watered wine. As before, he did not fill the glass, but left it half empty. He sliced off another small piece of cheese from the hunk on the plate. Taking the food and wine with him, he returned to Mandy.
Mandy had used the time to wash her private area in an attempt to relieve the burning. Her attempt was only partially successful. The little bit of relief that she felt was enough to satisfy her. At least the irritation would be bearable.
Sid went over to Mandy and knelt down. He held out the piece of cheese in front of her mouth and said, "Open up."
She opened her mouth and he dropped the cheese in it. She closed her mouth and chewed. Once again a low moan of pleasure was emitted by the woman despite the fact that her stomach wasn't accepting the food without expressing its displeasure at the fare. He held out the glass of watered wine for her to take. Taking it from him, she said, "Thank you."
Sid moved around so that he was behind her. Large bruises that were in the process of turning yellow covered her back. At least eight days had passed since the blows that had produced them had been struck. He wondered if they corresponded to her first rape. In a soft voice, he said, "Let me help you wash your back."
"Thank you," Mandy said. A shiver of pleasure went through her body when his hands brushed across her back. "That feels so good. You can do that all day."
"I'm glad you like it," Sid replied with a smile. He was already preparing himself for her to turn into a sexual predator like the other Damsels did when he had rescued them. Her subdued behavior told him far more about her condition than the bruises on her body. It had to be pretty bad to keep her from turning even more predatory.
"How about you rub my front? I think my breasts need lots of attention," Mandy said turning her head to look at him.
"I'm sure they do, but I'll have to decline," Sid said with obvious regret in his voice. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and curvaceous figure reminded him of a cheerleader that he had known in high school. Resisting Mandy required all of his willpower.
"Why?" she asked with a pout.
"I wouldn't be able to control myself," Sid answered with a grin. Less than thirty minutes after being freed she was flirting with him. Even battered, bruised, thirsty, hungry, and undoubtedly tired, the sex drive of a woman from Cassandra wouldn't be denied. Her flirting reassured Sid that she was recovering.
"I won't tell," she said with a giggle.
From the front of the house, Fred called, "The water is here."
"Saved by the bell," Sid said rising from his kneeling position by the bath tub.
It took almost half an hour for Mandy to finish bathing. By the time she stepped out of the tub, she was feeling like a million dollars. She had performed a primitive douche that had cleaned out the majority of the irritating body fluids. The residual pain would disappear when she healed.
After helping her out of the tub, Sid dried her with a cloth that he had found. She sighed and said, "I feel so much better."
"I'm glad. We've got a dress here for you," Sid said gesturing over to the chair where a gown was draped.
"It's not very pretty," Mandy said after glancing over at the dress. She took a sexy pose designed to show off her well shaped rear while looking over her shoulder at him. Her eyes drifted down to his crotch to see if her posing had any effect. She licked her lips upon seeing the bulge in his pants.
"All the better," Sid replied with a forced grin. His cock was swelling in pants that were too tight. It was on the verge of being painful.
"Why?"
"How else am I to resist your obvious charms?" Sid answered. He winked at her when she ran her hands over her breasts in an attempt to showcase what she obvious thought were the best of her charms. Groaning, Sid asked, "Will I have to turn around?"
"No," she answered pouting at the idea that he would want to resist her charms, Mandy went over to the chair. The dress was little more than a sack with arms cut into it. She looked at it with a frown and said, "This is really bad."
"The camp women will find you some other clothes to wear. You won't have to wear those for long," Sid said. He watched with relief as she put on the dress.
Mandy looked down at herself with a frown. Shaking her head in disgust, she said, "The women of Cassandra would make fun of me if they ever saw me in this outfit."
Gesturing to the table, Sid said, "Have some more cheese and watered wine. We have to leave soon."
Mandy sat down and proceeded to eat the rest of the cheese. In the process she drank enough of the wine to feel a little tipsy. Before drinking the last sip of wine in her glass, she asked, "Is it true what they say about men from Earth?"
"What do they say?"
"That they can fuck a woman into unconsciousness," she answered looking at him with desire.
"It has happened on occasion, particularly with women from Cassandra," Sid answered.
Mandy stared at Sid for a full minute before she drank down her wine. A shudder went through her body and then she said, "I hope you do that to me."
Seeing that she was finished with her meal, he said, "Come. We have to go."
Stepping outside the house, Mandy froze on seeing the army waiting in the field in front of the house. There were two hundred riders standing beside their horses waiting for the order to mount their steeds. She couldn't imagine so many people being involved in her rescue.
A man who was obviously a newly freed slave was standing at the door beside Fred. He asked, "Is she the one you were looking for?"
After fishing out a shell from his coin purse, Sid tossed the coin to the man and said, "Yes, she is."
The man looked at the shell and then tossed it back to Sid. When Sid caught the coin, the man said, "I'd rather join your army, General."
"You can have the coin and join my army," Sid said tossing the coin back to the man. The man nodded his head and the coin disappeared from sight.
"General?" Mandy asked looking at Sid.
"Yes?" Sid replied turning to look at Mandy. The look on her face was priceless.
"You're a General?"
"I know," Sid said with a grin.
Fred burst out into laughter at the exchange. He said, "Quit playing with her. I've got a horse here for her and another for this fellow here."
"Jackson, go with Fred and he'll get you mounted up. We'll be riding for two hours," Sid said gesturing to the man who he had given the coin.
Surprised that Sid had remembered the man's name when he had forgotten it, Fred said, "Yes, your horse is tied up over there."
"I don't know how to ride," Jackson said eyeing the huge horse with unease.
"Don't worry, we won't be riding hard. All you'll have to do is stay on it," Sid said with a smile. Looking at Mandy, he said, "Same for you. We'll take a break if you need it."
"Thank you. I'm not sure that I can stand riding for long," Mandy said. The idea of riding brought a twinge of discomfort from her irritated private parts.
It took them five minutes to get mounted. Mandy was sore and Sid had to lift her into the saddle. Jackson was totally hopeless and kept jumping off the horse whenever it moved. Riding the big animal was more than he could handle. He finally gave up and declared that he would run the distance.
The group moved out at a sedate pace that wasn't much faster than a walk. Jackson kept up well, walking for the most part and then breaking into a jog when he fell behind. Mandy asked, "Where are we going?"
"We are going to a fortification," Sid answered.
"Ah, it will be nice to rest in a safe place," she said.
"I doubt it will be all that restful," Sid said looking over at her.
"Why?"
"The enemy is inside the fortification," Sid answered with a grin.
Riding into a battle didn't seem like much of a rescue to Mandy. The whole idea of being rescued was to be taken away from danger. Puzzled, she said, "Shouldn't we be avoiding a fight?"
"Normally, yes, but this is a war. If we don't engage the enemy, then they will take more Damsels," Sid answered.
Fred rode up and said, "A rider is coming."
Sid raised his arm and the group came to a halt. The rider approached Sid and stopped about ten feet away. He raised a hand in greeting and said, "I've come from Gregor. He's freed Sebeson and is on his way here rather than Jameson Citadel. Word is that Jameson has convinced the slaver army to head in this direction."
"Is that good news?" Mandy asked. The idea of an army headed towards them wasn't very reassuring.
"Very good news," Sid answered with a smile. He turned to the rider and asked, "When can we expect them?"
"In about a week," the man answered.
"Gregor is following them?" Sid asked.
"Yes."
"I'd say that puts the enemy between two of our forces. I'm sure that Sebeson has a plan," Sid said.
"Yes, General. That's what Gregor said," the rider answered.
"Ride with us and rest. I'll discuss the matter with you tomorrow. We have a fortification to capture today," Sid said.
The man nodded his agreement and rode off to join the rest of the troops. He took a position at the back of the line. After riding past mounted men, he was surprised to come across a single man on foot. He looked down at Jackson and asked, "Where's your horse?"
"I hate the animals," Jackson said with a snarl.
"You've got nerve," the rider said shaking his head.
"Why?"
"You've just told a member of the Rider Clan that you hate horses," the rider said with a grin.
"I mean no disrespect to your Clan, but I don't see how that has any effect on how I feel about horses," Jackson said.
The rider burst out in an honest laughter. After recovering, he said, "Well said. I'm Siegfried."
"I'm Jackson."
"I think we're going to get along well," Siegfried said. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a knife. Handing it over to Jackson, he said, "You need a weapon if we're headed towards battle."
"Thanks," Jackson said accepting the knife and slipping it in his
belt. He broke out into an easy jog to catch up with the rest of the
men. Siegfried, on his horse, trotted beside him.