Dynasty Prisoners

                                                                   By: Sorceress

 

            “Late again Shu’ten?” Anubis laughed.

            “Yes, lucky for you Master Arago hasn’t arrived yet,” Naaza mocked him.

“Even you are not excused for making him wait,” Rajura added spitefully.

            Shu’ten refused to answer them. He continued to stare straight ahead, baring his teeth against the other Masho’s tauntings. How could Master Arago order me to return just as I was about to destroy Rekka no Riyo and Tenku no Touma? He wondered furiously, the insulting comments by the Masho were only adding to his anger.

            Christen and Billie said nothing. They stood arm in arm waiting for what was to come. One was confused and feverishly trying to sort things out and make the pieces fit. The other had mentally calmed and was coming to accept the reality of where they were and what had happened. Yet, the one thing foremost in both their minds was how to escape, and if it was even still possible.

            Christen took a few quiet calming breaths, as she had learned in Yoga, and dared to hush a whisper to her friend. “It is amazing, they are just like the dark warlords, even the way they are all picking on the one who looks like Anubis.” Whether the Masho didn’t hear her comment, or decided to ignore it, she didn’t know. Both girls prayed that they were being quiet enough so that even if the Masho heard them, they at least wouldn’t know what the two were saying.

            Billie nodded knowingly, and replied with, “Because they are the warlords, in every way that counts.” She closed her mouth and looked toward where she knew Arago would appear. Billie said nothing more and Christen sized up her friend. What did she mean by that? Could it be possible? She is hiding something, that much I know. I can tell by her body language. By George, I think she does know!

Christen discreetly tugged on Billie’s shirtsleeve trying to regain her attention. Christen then noticed that Billie had somehow lost her favorite jacket. Billie glanced at her as if to say “What?” but remained quiet. Christen’s features were set in her usual determined look. The same look she had whenever she wanted a straight answer from someone, not to be strung along with riddles or kidding around. Billie remained expressionless. Inwardly she knew that Christen was going to ask her a question. A question that would be not in her, or their, best interest to answer, at least not yet. So Billie kept a blank face and braced herself for the coming question.

And it came. It came stern and frostily soft. “Billie, you know don’t you? You know what happened. You know where we are.” Christen stared straight into her eyes, and Billie stared back, but only momentarily before looking away. In that one look Christen knew she was right, but she also knew that Billie was not anxious to share the information. Christen frowned. Why won’t she tell me? What is her problem? I have a right to know!

As Billie watched the flickering shadows from the strange blue-flamed candles dance on the floor she debated on whether to tell Christen or not. I should tell her… she is my friend and she needs to know where we are. It is kind of important in our present situation… But if the Masho and the Dynasty find out we are from an alternate dimension… who knows what they will do! They might find a way to invade our home! Oh gods! I cannot let that happen… no matter what… I am sorry Christen, but I can’t tell you what has happened to us, not yet. Later when we are alone I will tell you, but not now, not here in front of these… demons!

            Christen was about to demand that Billie tell her everything when she felt a twinge go up her back. Billie felt it too. They stiffened as the aura of evil around them began to increase and concentrate. Billie swallowed a lump in her throat; Arago was coming. Yet she kept finding herself keeping track of the concentrating smell of evil; it made her think of gas concentrations, and gas laws from chemistry. She mentally groaned at the thought of chemistry. How she hated that course.

            The giant amorphous head appeared, Lord Arago of the Netherworld. The two ladies found it difficult to breathe; seeing this apparition in a cartoon show was one thing, but to be face to face with it was a completely different story. Dread swept over them both and escape was becoming steadily less and less tangible to the captives.

The four Masho simultaneously clamped their fists to their chests, in a salute to their master. One loud clap of metal against metal caused Billie to jump and Christen to start. After the devoted servants of evil had bowed to Arago one of them began to speak. It was Naaza. “Master Arago, I present to you a prisoner of the mortal realm.”

            “As do I, Master,” Rajura was quick to make his achievement known as well. He wasn’t going to let Naaza get all the credit for half the work, again. In the past, Rajura had learned that if he didn’t speak on his own, the other Masho, especially Naaza and Shu’ten, the greediest of them all, were quick to assume credit for his work. They were all in a rivalry of the greatest intensity for the Lord of the Netherworld’s favor.

            “Sire, I suspect that the prisoners know more than they should of our Dynasty. I request permission to interrogate them until the details of their knowledge are clear.”

            “No Rajura, what little they know is of no use to the Evil Dynasty.” Arago turned his attention to the prisoners.

            “Welcome to the realm of evil. From here there will be no escape. You will remain here until I find it necessary to execute you both.” The indifference through which he spoke of their lives was more terrifying than the thought of actually being killed. The tension and seriousness were really starting to take their toll on Christen, she had to say something. “Well, at least I won’t have to sit through Biodiversity anymore…”

Billie turned sharply to her friend. She could not believe what her ears had just heard. “How can you make jokes at a time like this?” she scolded her friend, and for a moment both forgot about the other occupants of Arago’s throne room.

“Come on Billie. Can you honestly tell me you are going to miss the world of chemistry lab reports and exams, papers, deadlines, stress? No. Of course you aren’t.” Chris smirked.

Billie blinked. “You know… You have a point,” she mused, thinking over the possible benefits to being stuck in an alternate dimension. They were on the verge of laughter when Shu’ten jolted them back to the world around them.

“Silence! You will have respect for Master Arago!” He growled at them. Christen and Billie immediately became quiet, not because he had ordered them to, but because they had seen the stain on his subarmor as he had turned to them in the candlelight. They saw the blood, and it sent a cold shock through both of them. Our friends!

In that one sight, both knew that against armored and armed warriors none of them had ever had the slightest chance of fighting them off, or escaping. From the blood on Shu’ten the fears they had been repressing since their arrival without Joanna and Katherine were now shooting forth to the surface. Their friends hadn’t made it. Even though they had not seen the blood on the last Masho, Anubis, he was dressed in red and could have easily been covered in it.

My god! Joanna! Katherine! NO! They are dead… dead… No! These thoughts invaded the minds of the young ladies and refused to leave. Now there was no escape, nor rescue, nor future. Billie and Christen would be prisoners of the Dynasty forever, unknown to the rest of the world. Just a like clip on late night TV’s Unsolved Mysteries, no escape could be made, and no one would rescue them. Their futures suddenly became a black abominable abyss of despair. Lord Arago was only about to make their future all the more hellish.

“Naaza. Rajura.” The two bowed low at the sound of their names and answered with “Sire!” Arago laughed diabolically and Billie gave Chris a worried look. “You have shown your loyalty to me by capturing these two mortals. I am pleased. You may have them to do with as you wish!” more evil laughter.

Both women went instantly pale. The Masho looked up, surprised. “Thank you Master!” Sadistic smiles slowly crawled across the faces of Rajura and Naaza as they eyed the girls. Billie fumed. “Excuse me??? ‘You may have them’??? What are we? PEZ!!!! How dare you treat us like possessions!” Her arm shot straight up in the air. “You bastards!” She lowered her arm and clenched her fists. “Why I got a good mind to…”

“Billie!” Christen stopped her. “I’m offended too, but I would appreciate it if you would kindly refrain from getting us killed!” she glared at her friend who had a shocked blinking look on her face.

“What? Me?”

“Yes you! Don’t make the situation any worse than it already is!” she commanded. The four Masho were watching the unfolding melodrama with amused expressions.

Billie calmed. “Chris, please explain to me how the situation could get any worse”

This stumped Christen for a moment. She thought about it, they were kidnapped, about to be tortured, being treated as possessions, their friends were dead, and they were in an alternate dimension with no way home. “Um… Well, you could have strep throat like my roommate!” she declared at last.

The answer took Billie by surprise and she had to admit being sick would make things worse. “Okay so that would be worse…”

Lord Arago and the Masho laughed at them. It was not a laugh as if they thought it a funny joke, but a mean, cruel laughter that foreshadowed pain and despair. Billie and Christen found themselves seized from behind by Rajura and Naaza. Still laughing, they teleported the girls away, as they screamed and tried to hold onto each other. Billie thought as she watched Christen disappear with the Poison Demon General, I’ll never see her again… My gods, I never even told her what had happened and where we are…I guess now I’ll never get the chance. I am sorry Chris… Please forgive me.

 

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Greenish light filled the room, casting an eerie glow on all it touched. The large room was horrific to her as Christen’s brown eyes adjusted to the odd light. Naaza still held her about the waist. Shit! Not this…anything but this… she thought as soon as she saw the furniture. She was in his bedroom.

Through a cracked doorway she saw another room. It appeared to be some sort of sitting room, although it was strangely arranged. From what she saw there were carpets, sitting cushions on the floor, sword racks, and suits of samurai armor from various periods in history. In the room she was in she saw chests, wardrobes, one broken mirror, a dresser, and a large four poster bed. The wooden posts were carved with snakes, scales, vials of poison, and falling leaves. The bedspread was wrinkled and unmade. It depicted a dying forest in the autumn. Christen found the sight unnerving. On the center of that intimidating bedspread was a large python sleeping soundly as if he owned the place.

Naaza scowled behind Christen. “Sekhmet! Get off the bed you pesky python!” he hissed at his pet. Sekhmet’s eyes lifted open and locked on his master. The giant snake raised its head and flicked his tongue out at them both. Christen remembered from her courses in biology that it was the sense of smell that caused the snake’s flicking tongue. Naaza seemed irritated by it.

“Yes it is me! Now off!” he ordered. If the snake could smirk it seemed as if it would. It was almost comical the way the reptile lingered and then slowly made its way off the bed and into the next room. Naaza roughly threw Chris against one of the bedposts and went to close and lock the door.

Christen instinctively leapt off the post and backed away from the bed. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat as her stomach twisted in knots. Naaza slowly turned away from the door to look at her. He smiled again and Christen took a deep breath telling herself silently to remain calm. He advanced slowly, menacingly. “Mine. You are mine to do with I wish. And do you know what it is I wish Christen?”

“No, but I am sure that I won’t like it…” she whispered to herself as he approached. Damn it Billie… what the hell has happened to us? Why didn’t you tell me?

 

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The world slowly began to focus around her. Billie’s head buzzed for a moment, she couldn’t get used to all this teleporting. She blinked at her new surroundings. When they registered in her mind, a cold panic shot through her body. She was suddenly cold, wide-eyed, and terrified.

She was in a darkly lit bedchamber. The room was large. Various items were illuminated amongst the shadows. The bed was near the center of the longer wall; it was neatly made; the dark, almost black, maroon bedspread was designed with dark clouds and smoke shadowing a silver threaded web. The tall headboard seemed to be reaching for the ceiling with its drapes of dark maroon cloth sweeping against the wall and framing the head of the bed.

Beside the bed was a nightstand, and at the foot of the bed was a large chest. Along the walls were wardrobes, several mirrors, a dresser, and other such furniture. There was also a closed door on the far wall. Billie knew not where it led, but only that it was away from here. The room chilled her soul with fear. She had to get out.

She looked around without movement. Only her dark blue eyes dared to challenge the stillness of the room. She didn’t see him, didn’t see Rajura. When his form failed to invade her eyesight, she began to move. The door! I have to get out! Billie started for the door. After only one step a familiar voice caused her to freeze in her tracks.

“Where are you going? You aren’t going anywhere. You belong to me. Master Arago gave you to me. You are staying right here.” Rajura’s voice was low and dark; it made shivers run up her spine. He was right behind her. Billie took a deep breath and turned around. He stood smiling amusedly at her. “You are thinking about escaping aren’t you? Well just forget it… no I have a better idea” he had a thoughtful look on his face that could only spell trouble. “Let’s play a game”

“Let’s not and say we did” she said dryly. Rajura tilted his head back and laughed. It irritated her at how lightly he was treating this. He stepped forward and seized her chin; Billie gasped.

He spoke through a smile as he looked down at her. “Oh yes, you are going to bring me much amusement. Oh yes.” His voice was getting steadily softer and more alarming. She jerked back out of his grip. Rajura dropped his hand and inhaled loudly. Then he smiled again, thinking once more of his game. “Ready?”

Billie scowled. “I don’t want to play any games with you! I know sure as I am standing here that whenever you say that, you are going to cheat. Nine times out of ten you cheat by illusions!” she folded her arms tightly refusing to play into his trap.

Now it was Rajura’s turn to scowl. “How do you know that?” he demanded. “How do you know so much about me?” His sharp glare got Billie ready to bail once more.

Okay, time for me to get out of here before he gets really mad. She thought and broke to run for the door, but Rajura caught her by her arm. “No you don’t!” He yelled. He pulled her hard against him and kissed her forcefully. Billie tried to worm her way free, but he held her tight. He pulled back as abruptly as he had started. Billie sucked in a sweet breath of air. She tried to pull away again but he refused to let her move one-inch away from his body.

Rajura sneered at her. “So, which will it be? I can play rough right now, or we can play a game. Which is it Billie?”

Billie didn’t like the way Rajura said her name. She swallowed hard in her dry throat. “Alright, what’s the game?” she asked weakly while her heart pounded furiously in her chest. He smiled triumphantly.

He turned her toward the door and held her back to his chest. “See that door? If you can get to it before I get to you, you may go. I’ll even give you a head start.”

This sounds fishy… What is the catch I wonder? Billie looked at the door steadily as Rajura withdrew his arms from around her. “Go!” He shouted behind her like a race gun. She started for the door with lightning speed unsure of when her ‘head start’ was going to end.

She cried out in joy as she slammed into the door. “I made it!” she shouted and embraced her savior of wood. Faintly through her internal parade she heard laughing. Puzzled, she turned to look at Rajura. He seemed to be having the time of his life. Flicking a thumb over his shoulder a dead bolted door, gigantic in size and mass, appeared on the wall behind him. Billie spun in panic as the door she clutched faded into only a tapestry of a summer night against the stone wall.

“No!” she screamed and clutched the sides of her head. “You tricked me! You bastard!” she turned on him in fury, and he only watched her with calm amusement.

“All’s fair in love and war,” he remarked smugly. He walked up to the girl, whom was practically shaking in terror and rage. He slipped his strong, unmoving arms around her, she didn’t protest verbally, but she gave him looks to kill. “I have you. Now, there will be no more games, and you will be mine. Forever.” The words echoed over and over in Billie’s mind, as she was coldly becoming aware of their truth.

 

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Christen instinctively knew what was coming. The alarm so instinctively planted in every woman was screeching horribly in her ears. She mentally quieted the alarm and told herself over and over as Naaza seized her wrists tightly: It is best not to fight; it will only make things worse. I can make it… I can handle this, it will be alright.

Once he had a hold of her wrists, his brown subarmor began to shimmer and glow. In an instant he was no longer in armor at all. He was wearing a light green kimono, covered in embroidered snake scales. Gripping her wrists firmly, Naaza pulled them to his chest. Christen tried to keep as much distance between their bodies as she could. He leered at her and shifted both of her wrists into one of his iron fists. Christen watched his hand stalk toward her face with wide eyes.

His fingers rotated and with their backs, he caressed her soft cheek. Christen wanted to flinch, to run, but instead she stood still, calm, and submissive. Naaza fingers ran down, then up the cheek and just under her bangs; he traced his index finger down her nose and to her red lips. Naaza watched his own finger rub back and forth along her mouth. His own lips parted slightly as he lowered his mouth down to hers.

Using one hand to pull her chin up to his, and the other snaking around her back to press her close to him, he kissed her. He kissed her full and long, savoring the first taste of conquest. Christen tasted what she had tasted before, the poison and smell of reptiles. It was the kiss of imprisonment and with it her captor sucked away all hope of happiness and joy in her life.

Naaza continued to kiss her, pressing their mouths together. He held her tightly against him. Indulging himself fully, his acidic tongue invaded Christen’s mouth. Her eyes snapped wide in shock and repulsion. Before her a pair of gleaming beady eyes stared back at her. She repeated her speech in her head, telling herself to remain calm at the presence of this foreign muscle in her mouth. All she could think of was getting it out, but she controlled her desire with strong will power. Chris stayed calm.

Christen kept her own tongue curled at the back of her mouth, as far from his as she could get. For now, Naaza seemed satisfied with his caressing the walls and interior of her mouth. He sucked on her lower lip, withdrawing his appendage. Christen let him kiss her; she refrained from all form of protest, unwilling to provoke the situation to worsen.

As Naaza held her lower lip, staring intently into her brown eyes, he didn’t see what he was looking for. His expression suddenly became angry. His eyes flared and narrowed. Christen’s heart slammed into her throat, oh shit! Naaza angered by the lack of response in his victim, bit hard onto her lip. Christen cried out in pain, and red blood poured into both of their mouths.

Naaza released her and she staggered back holding her wound. What in the Hell? Why did he… Ahh!!! Before the rest of her thoughts could form she hit the floor, her cheek searing in fiery pain. Naaza smiled, delighted by her second outcry. He wanted more, to hear her scream, louder and louder.

He rushed her, yanking her off the floor by her hair. “On your feet!” he screamed at her. Christen stumbled shakily up, only to be struck again. Blood from her mouth sprayed her cheeks and the floor at the force of the impact. She would have fell back to the floor, but Naaza held her upright with her short black hair. The next thing she knew she was flying through the air. Chris held her eyes closed, bracing herself for the impending impact with hard stone. However, instead she landed with a hard bounce on Naaza’s four poster bed.

Christen spun around to see Naaza coming toward her again. Without thinking she found herself scooting across the large bed away from him. Instinct was telling her to get away. Naaza was not about to let that happen. He seized her by the ankles and dragged her back toward him. As he reached down to her he smiled victoriously. He finally saw what he had been looking for, the fear, the intense fear in her eyes as he laid his hands on her.

 

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Billie stared at the wall, her arms vainly trying to conceal the exposed flesh of her shoulders, chest, and torso. She tried not to tremble, and pride would not let her cry. She tried not to see Rajura in the mirror set in the stone wall before her, but no matter where her eyes turned he was all around her.

Rajura was behind her, his black and green subarmor was now replaced with a maroon kimono. In his hands he proudly examined the first item he liberated from his prisoner. His blue eye traced his own image on her white shirt. Neatly he folded it and dropped it on top of the black fabric in his chest. Rajura closed the chest and turned his eye back to Billie.

Her bare back gleamed in the blue candlelight, the smooth pale skin interrupted only by the strap of her white brazier. “A nice shirt. We must be sure it is kept for you to wear later,” he commented as he drew up to her and smoothed his hands across her back, feeling the texture of her skin with pleasure.

She pulled away from him towards the wall. Her response was given without looking at him. “I will never wear that again,” her voice seemed too quiet to her. Billie scolded herself mentally for not being more forceful and she expected to hear him laughing at her again.

Rajura only smiled and slipped his hands around to her stomach pulling her back to him. Turning her to face him, Billie’s forearms tried to push him off, but it was useless. “You will do what I say,” he told her. Billie was about to tell him to go to hell, but he kissed her. Billie jerked her head back. “Let go of me!”

The man laughed. “No,” and proceeded to kiss whatever skin he could lay his greedy lips upon. Billie struggled in vain, kicking and pushing against him. Once more she only succeeded in amusing her assailant.

Rajura grinned evilly as he picked up the kicking and screaming girl. He laid her on his bed and forced her wrists tightly down above her head. “Now,” he eyed her youthful figure, pleased. “You won’t be needing these, will you?” he smirked at her as he reached for her remaining articles of clothing. Billie screamed.

 

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Anubis stared angrily through the darkness of his workshop. This was the place he always sought out when he needed to calm down and think. Had there been light enough to see, one would have marveled at the elegant tapestries lining the great stone walls of the room. The tapestries depicted beautiful snow capped mountains graced by winter moonlight. Snowfall and darkness enhanced each of the tapestries.

Adorning the walls, along with the tapestries, sat his completed works on obsidian pedestals. Despite the cold temperatures of his workshop, Anubis felt flames flaring around the sides of his head. He stormed around, pacing like an angry beast. Heatedly, he grabbed the half-finished ice sculpture of a snarling wolf at his workstation and slammed it against the far wall, shattering it into a thousand sparkling ice shards.

Anubis could not decide whom it was he was most angry with, Joanna, Seiji, or Naaza and Rajura. His sworn enemy, Seiji, had interrupted his hunt; Joanna, the fair and mysterious, young girl had fought back and made him look like a fool before the Samurai Troopers; then Naaza and Rajura went and shadowed him in failure before Master Arago by succeeding where he had not. After replaying his thoughts and the events of the day over and over in his enraged mind, Anubis decided that Seiji was the primary one to blame. Hate scorched through his body. For Seiji was the start of all his misfortunes.

“Korin no Seiji, I will hunt you down and rip you apart like the frightened deer you are! You will die! Then I will take the spirited Joanna, and she will tremble beneath my savagery!” he laughed, wild with the passion of revenge. “Then I will be the one in Master Arago’s favor! Hahahaha!”