Enslaved to Zion

Chapter 8

Two identical black cars pull up behind the one I'm still sitting in, and more men in black suits get out of them. Like ducks in a row, they stop in front of my master and bow. This time, I recognize one of the faces. The one who had carried me over his shoulder appears at my door. I let out a yelp as he grabs me by the hips, pulling me so hard that I fall onto my back. With my legs bent at the knees, my feet drop and slam to the ground. What is he doing now? This can't be good!

I gasp in shock when I see him start to pull out a folding knife, and I dig my nails into the leather of the seat when he whips it open. Do I scream? Am I about to lose my clothing again? Anything but that, not in front of al these people! I'll just drop dead of shame if every one of them bears witness to my humiliation. Suddenly, I feel a warm touch above my right knee. My master bends down to meet my gaze.

"Are you going to be good?", he asks me.

Nodding my head vigorously, I reply, "Yes Master!"

This causes him to grin and step forward, taking the place of the black suited man, who withdraws without prompting. He takes possession of the knife and pats his thigh with his free hand. Thigh tapping? I'm not an animal. Is he calling me to him? I don't understand what he wants from me. I look at his leg where he's tapping and then back at him, which unfortunately coaxes him to threaten me.

"Would you rather be carried in?", he asks.

As soon as I realize that he's going to free my ankles, I immediately pull my feet up and lay them on his thigh, being careful not to push on him too hard. I don't know why, but for a moment, I feel sorry for getting his pants dirty with the dust on my feet. What a terribly silly thing to feel. It's not like I asked to be put in this position! He cuts the binding on my ankles in one smooth motion, and I instinctively make a move to lower my feet back to the ground. In an instant, he puts his hands behind my knees and leans into the car. He's hovering over me and I can feel his knee putting pressure between my legs.

"What do we say when Master does something nice, Euroah?"

"Th-thank you, Master...".

I'm so flustered that the sound of my voice is hardly able to be pushed out in a whisper. Thankfully, he seems to be satisfied by my reply and with that, he lowers his leg. Chilly air now hits me where his warm knee had been. I pour my energy into flexing my abdominal muscles in a feeble attempt to keep myself from getting shivers, but my hair stands on end up my spine.

"Stay.", he says.

Stay? For the love of Symphonia, I'm not a dog! As he gets up and backs out of the car, I try to close my legs. He grabs my left knee and forces it back to where it had been when he was there, right between my thighs. The black suit hands him a coat and he covers me with it before speaking in a low, stiff voice.

"I never learned to share my toys. You belong to me, and from this point on, no other man will get the chance to see what I see. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now you can get up.", he permits, as he starts walking toward the house.

I hesitantly pull myself out of the car and up to a standing position. The coat starts to fall and the black suit catches it, wrapping it around my shoulders and holding the front closed. It covers me all the way to my knees, and I finally feel like I'm no longer naked. He tugs the coat and starts walking, leading me toward the house, following my master's footsteps.

Taking in my surroundings, every one of my senses is overwhelmed. The sight of all the breathtaking exotic flowers in the darkness makes me feel like I'm in an underground garden. Some of them glow and glitter in the moonlight. The breeze caressing my knees and tickling the hair on the back of my neck reminds me of a spring night by the fishing pond at home. A delicious aroma of nectar and pollen swirls together to fill my breath with soothing sweetness, and I can't help but inhale a little deeper to take it all in.

In front of me, the doors open up to reveal a grand staircase with a shining gold banister. It leads up into who even knows how many rooms! I appear to have arrived at what seems to be the entry to the heavens. How could there even be so much beauty in a single room, in one home, one city, in one kingdom? The nagging pain I've felt for a while in the center of my head begins to worsen, but I'm so amazed that I just keep absorbing everything around me.

"Clean her up before Akida looks her over.", Master says to nobody in particular, and three women in blue dresses come to stand at my side.

"Yes, sir.", the women all say, nobody daring to look at his face.

After taking a book from another black suit, he starts walking away, but stops in his tracks, as though he's remembered something important. I meet his gaze through the pain behind my own tired eyes once more. Before he makes his way up the magnificent staircase, disappearing from view, he makes one last remark to all within reach of his voice. His voice bellows out into the hallways for all to hear.

"Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I've bought a slave. I trust that there will be no rumor of a possible secret lover in the news tomorrow morning."

Is he determined to embarrass the life out of me? As soon as he's out of sight, both the remaining men in black suits and the three women in blue dresses all look at each other and then back at me. Nobody utters a word but their stares say a million words. Aren't they also slaves? Why is my arrival such a shock to them? The women at my side gesture for me to follow them and the black suit releases the coat. With my hands still bound, I struggle to hold it closed around me, but I do my best and I reluctantly begin to follow the women.

They lead me toward a hallway on the right of the staircase. Looking to my left, I can see that behind it lies a massive open room with beautifully upholstered sofas strewn about. Any one of them looks more comfortable than a bed and I wish with all my might that I could just curl up and sleep off this headache. Paintings and tapestries cover the walls of the room, but interestingly, there are no pictures. Why are there no photos of Master's mother and father? In fact, there are no family photographs at all. Does he not have any brothers or sisters?

On one side, a large rounded box with a tufted stool stands by a stone fireplace. I can see that there are very large windows, but the darkness outside prevents me from seeing what secrets lie just outside them. I look forward again and the shifting of my head causes a sharp jolt of pain to shock me between my eyes. For a moment, I have to stop and regain my composure. I'm sure I must just be tired. Today has been eventful after all. I just need to get some rest and I'll be alright.

The women look at me, and I nod, continuing to follow them. I feel a cold drip of sweat come down my forehead, but I try to pay it no mind. I'm determined to get to wherever we are going, and get away from the hallway, where my new master could return to taunt me. I hope with all my heart that, surrounded by all these beautiful looking slaves, he will forget about my existence altogether. Despite my determination though, the breathtaking scenery around me starts to contort and blur, and no matter how hard I try to keep my mind straight, a dark haze moves in and floods my vision.

I stumble one, two steps, a third, and then I fall. My tired body goes crashing to the cold, marble floor.