Istanza

"Alright. So you think you can do it?"

"Yes. It won't be too hard."

"Good. You'll need to get hold of a portable computer with a net connection. Be sure it has a full battery because we can't charge it here. You can't promise any money until after we've got the computer, because I need to make sure I still have access to my account. And make sure it's not an obsolete model because we might need to get the battery swapped."

"It's alright, I know computers. What do I use for currency around here?"

"Whatever you want." Leeann said flatly. She knew that there was no currency until they had a computer, and potentially none even after that – which could prove problematic. And the only currency with which Silra could pay was the currency that Leeann wanted to keep all for herself. She couldn't bring herself to look at Silra, and found herself edging away down the bench.

"It's alright. I'll think of something."

"I'm sorry to have to put you through this."

"I said it's alright. I'll be OK. What do we do after we've got the computer?"

"I'll think of that when we get there." Leeann said. She had the basics of a plan formulated, but she didn't want to share them just yet. She wasn't even sure the plan could go ahead at all until she knew she still had her money. "Come on, let's go back inside. It's cold out here."

"I'm sure I can find a way to warm you up once we're inside."

"Good girl."

* * *

Leeann curled up tightly in the big, empty bed. She was supposed to be sleeping, but her mind would not rest. Silra had gone out into the palace alone, to make her way to the service tunnels of the palace, where she would hide until the food delivery was carted into the palace in the morning. Then she would have to find someone that she could bribe – someone that she could buy with her feminine charms.

Leeann gripped the silk tightly in her bunched fist and thumped the bed with her other hand. She shouldn't be so uptight about it. She shouldn't be so worried, or angry. She had done the same, in order to get hold of a computer the last time. She had bent over in a quiet pantry and allowed herself to be taken by a gruff, middle-aged man who had claimed to have contacts outside of the Outer Court. He had been surprisingly gentle with her, gentler than she had expected, and then had left quietly, leaving behind a small case containing a computer and a single battery.

She had taken it with her when she fled the palace, and had not brought it back when she returned. They would have to get another, and they would have to use the same methods to get one. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Come morning, some man might have his hands all over her beautiful Silra. Some man might take her into that same pantry, bend her over and remove the black silk robe she had worn (to help her stay out of sight in the dark, she had said). He might defile her, he might hurt her, he might do all sorts of things to her that only Leeann should be allowed to do. Silra might even enjoy it.

She thumped the bed again, made an angry grunt, rolled under the covers. Silra had already been gone two hours, was probably secreted away somewhere in the tunnels right now. Waiting and anticipating her tryst with whatever man she might happen to...

Her thoughts were cut short by a quiet tapping at the door. "Leeann!" Came an urgent hiss. "Leeann, it's me!"

Leeann picked herself up, heart suddenly racing. Tingles ran up and down her spine; she was sure she was only moments from sleep. Who could it be at this hour?

She unlocked the door and pulled it open a fraction. A face was visible in the dim light from the high window, obscured by her shoulder. She squinted, angled herself so that the light shone over her shoulder and into the eyes of the face outside.

It was Silra.

"What are you doing back?"

"Let me in, quick, I've got a computer." Silra hissed.

Leeann let the door fall open, tugged Silra through, then shut it again carefully so as not to make any noise. Silra staggered to the bed, carefully placed a bag onto the floor, stripped out of her silken garments and slipped between the bed covers.

"Where did you get that?"

"I took it."

"Where from?"

"Never mind, I'll tell you in the morning. Come on, get into bed and warm me up, it's freezing outside."

Leeann glanced at the bag, stepped around it, slid into the bed. She tried to push aside the sensation of annoyance in her head as she scooted up next to Silra's body and embraced her. She intended it as an embrace only in name, her arms and legs rigid as they wrapped around Silra's, but Silra's body was as cold as a stone and just as stiff.

"You're stone cold!" Leeann hissed. "Have you been hanging around outside? It must be below zero tonight!"

"I went into the Outer Court." Silra said.

"You did what?"

"I figured it was easier than trying to bribe someone to help us. They've got all sorts of stuff in there."

"But how did you get in? All the doors are locked at this time of night!"

"Locks have never been a problem for me. Letting some random guy fuck me in exchange for goods has. Would you rather I'd done that?"

"No, of course not." Leeann cooed, rubbing Silra's cold arm vigorously to drive some heat into it. "I'm just surprised, is all. I wasn't expecting you back."

"Would you rather I went back outside?"

"Sweetie, don't say that. You know I wouldn't. I just wish you'd told me that you were going to break into the Outer Court. There could have been all kinds of problems if you were caught. I could have lost you forever."

"Would you have let me go if I'd told you?"

Leeann sucked her lip. "Probably not."

"Well there you go. Now help me warm up."

"Your toes are like ice-cubes. Roll over, give me a cuddle, that'll warm you up."

"It sure will."

Leeann let her hand wander down Silra's cold belly until she found the little patch of hair between her legs. Her fingers ran through its curls and began to rub her tender flesh beneath. "I think you need to get your heart pumping."

"Well, that will sure do the trick." Silra sighed. She obligingly opened her legs to allow Leeann's probing fingers access between then. Leeann smiled as her fingers slid over slightly-moistened flesh and were rewarded with a little wet heat. She spread it deftly over Silra's clit and began to massage it slowly, drawing her face into her neck with her other arm. Silra gave an appreciative moan and planted a little kiss onto her neck.

"Don't get too settled, my girl – I'm only doing this to warm you up."

"I'm getting pretty hot already." Silra laughed.

"Perhaps I should stop, then."

"Not yet, Mistress. Still a little chilled at the extremities."

Leeann smiled to herself, sped up the pace of her delicate massage, listened to Silra's appreciative sighs. She felt Silra's heat at the tips of her fingers, let them slide into her wet sex for a second to draw more heat out of her, spread it over her clit, slid her fingers over it rapidly.

Silra's embracing arms squeezed tighter as a long moan left her lips. "You know what gets me going, don't you?" She sighed into Leeann's neck. "Just like that. Right there. Yeah, just like that... Mmm, not too fast, you're gonna make me... Gonna make me... Oh, I'm gonna come..."

"No you're not, my girl." Leeann sneered with a grin, stopped her motion, dragged Silra's moist heat up into her curls and wiped her fingers there. "You should be warm enough now."

"But Mistress, I was just about to come!" Silra mewed quietly. "Please, just a little more?"

"Time for sleep now, I think."

"Please, Mistress, you've made me horny!"

"Then that will keep you warm until morning. Be quiet, girl."

"I'll return the favour."

Leeann grinned wider, rolled over and pulled the silk blankets over her.

"Please?"

Leeann put a hand behind her, found Silra's thigh, awkwardly traced around to the hot moist patch between her legs, grabbed her curls delicately and massaged the puffy flesh through them. Silra immediately opened her legs again, thrust Leeann's hand deeper between them, and with her hand forced Leeann's fingers inside her.

"Fuck me, Mistress!" She growled. "Fuck me right now!"

The smile splitting Leeann's face widened still further as she rolled over, propped herself over Silra's flushed face and began to frig her roughly. She considered as she did so, and not for the first time, that when it came down to it, although Silra called her Mistress, she was still Silra's slave.

"Oh, yeah! Harder! Hurt me with your fingers!"

Silra was making too much noise for such an early hour, even though Leeann's room was in an empty part of the palace and the ancient stone walls were thick as mountains. It was the principle that mattered. She took her weight on her knees, placed her spare hand over Silra's mouth and pressed down, stifling her while she penetrated her as brutally as she dared with her fingers. Silra's eyes widened, her hands grabbed Leeann's where it covered her mouth, her nasal breaths became frantic, but Leeann had the weight advantage and Silra could not shift her. She kept up her brutal assault until her hands became tired and Silra mewed like a kitten, then withdrew, found Silra's clit, massaged it rapidly until Silra became rigid underneath her, the muscles of her bare belly taught and outlined against her lean skin.

She convulsed, grunting her held breath out through her nose, her body bucking against Leeann's slowing fingers. Carefully Leeann released her hand, allowed Silra a deep breath.

"Thank you, Mistress." Silra whispered, her breath shuddering, her body spasming once more as orgasmic aftershocks continued to tickle her. "Thank you."

Leeann rolled onto her back and opened her legs wordlessly. "You know what to do, girl." She said.

"Yes, Mistress." Leeann obeyed, sliding down under the silk and manoeuvring herself into position. Leeann closed her eyes as she felt Silra's skilled tongue trail up her thigh, nuzzle aside her curls and settle over her clit. Those soft lips closed around it, kissed it, tongued it, teased it until it throbbed, and then sucked upon it gently, drawing her blood into it.

"Good girl." She sighed, pulled a pillow down under her neck and stretched. Silra was so very good at this. She was so lost among the growing bolts of lightning that shot down her spine and earthed between her legs that she had almost forgotten about the computer sat on the floor at the foot of the bed.

* * *

Leeann turned in her sleep, felt Silra wriggle underneath her and mumble something. She opened her gummed eyes, wiped them clean, looked around. It was late.

"Shit. Shit!" She shouted as she threw back the silk, jumped out and dived into the shower.

Silra sat up on the bed and mumbled something.

"Not now, sweetie, it's late. I shouldn't have stayed up last night, I've overslept."

"I'm sorry, Mistress." Silra mumbled.

"It wasn't your fault." Leeann replied, lowering her voice, then forced a smile. "You know I can't resist you."

She showered as quickly as she could, threw on a clean change of clothes and darted out of the room to the upper canteen, where she hastily grabbed a lean breakfast for two and hurried it back to her room. They ate in silence as Leeann rushed through her breakfast, then left for work.

The portable computer sat on the floor in the middle of her bedroom like a cancerous growth on an otherwise healthy body. She was hoping to have some time to look at it before work, but their lovemaking in the early hours of the morning, on top of a night lying awake fretting, had ruined that plan. It would have to stay there until the evening, after her work was done.

She ran to the dungeons, the crack of her heels echoing loudly off the walls with each stride. She only slowed as she neared the last bend, took a deep breath, and rounded the corner into the long vault into which all of her cells emptied. There was a reception waiting for her.

The Koda stood in a long line, facing the side of the vault, with a guard at each end keeping them in line. They had been disrobed, and shivered in the cold, their skin pale and ribbed with goose bumps. At the far end of the vault, near the rack of whips and torture implements, stood the priest Julian, a nameless driver, and the highest priest in the palace, Elliot.

"Aah, so you choose to join us, Istanza." Elliot said loudly and firmly so that his deep voice boomed along the vault. "Your Koda have been kept waiting."

"What's the meaning of this?" Leeann shouted, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady despite her racing breaths. Her heart pounded in her skull from her run, and her skin was hot and sticky underneath her leather clothes. She continued down the line, kept her eyes on Julian, ignored the pale backs and scarred buttocks that she passed.

"High Priest Elliot wishes a demonstration of your skills, Leeann." Julian replied. "A little inspection, if you will?"

Elliot reached behind him and withdrew a whip from the rack, a metre and a half long and thinner than a data wire. He flexed it a little, grasped its rubber handle and gave it a few experimental swishes to a score of tearing air, then thrust it at Leeann, handle first. "Please, show us how this is used?"

Leeann took the whip and lowered it to her side. "This is most unusual, your grace. This is not in the Book." She had been beaten with a whip very much like this one, when she was Koda. It was highly flexible, but very light – its length amplified the speed at which it was drawn, and it was so thin at the tip that it cut like a knife. It hurt like hell and left raised welts for days afterwards. She had been unable to sit down for two days after it had been let loose on her buttocks.

"I write the book, Istanza." Elliot snapped. "Demonstrate."

"Very well." She hissed through gritted teeth, turning to the Koda. "Which one would you like me to demonstrate on?"

"They are all Koda. Beat them all."

"Very well." She said again, stepped forward to the first Koda in the line. She saw her shoulders rise and sink rapidly with her frightened breaths, saw her rock unsteadily on her feet. Leeann would not have favoured this whip for this purpose; it was too long, and required more space to get a good swing. However all of her Koda were young and had pert, readily exposed buttocks, which made matters slightly easier.

She stood back, swallowed her disgust, gave two quick cross-wise swings with the whip, drawing symmetrical diagonal lines of flame red on the girl's pale buttocks. She squeaked at the first and hissed loudly at the second, but held her position. Leeann moved along to the second, repeated the motion, again leaving diagonal red lines on her buttocks to the snap of the whip and a hiss of barely-repressed pain. She moved long to the third.

This one shook visibly on her feet, her buttocks clenched so hard against the impending whiplash that they quivered. There was a time when this display would have had Leeann's sex aflame and her heart racing in her chest, but now it disgusted her. She should not be torturing these women so, she should not be so cruel. They should not be imprisoned and enslaved and sentenced to die for their make-believe sins. She should leave the palace and put an end to it, and she could – but to do that, she must maintain the illusion that she was a willing Istanza, and she must carry out whatever duties her masters demanded.

She took a double-swing across the girl's buttocks, ignored the yelps and the ensuing tears, carried on swiftly down the line, barely pausing between each pace to doubly strike the Koda before moving to the next. She reached the end of the line, lashed the last pair of buttocks, turned briskly and faced Elliot, the whip grasped firmly at her side. From down the line came a rack of sobs; it was the third Koda she had struck, the one who had quivered in anticipation. She had been one of the weaker Koda from the start, and spent a lot of time crying. Leeann had done that to her. Leeann had turned her into a wreck, maybe so far that she might never recover, even if the authorities did land on Krakus and rescue all the Koda. Some scars ran far too deep to heal.

"Very good, Istanza." Julian smiled. "However I see one of your Koda is failing to maintain the mandatory silence in front of her superiors. What are you going to do about that?"

Leeann stalked across to the crying Koda without a word, raised her whip and gave two sharp strikes to her back. "Silence!" She shouted, as the girl's juddering yelps died away. The girl shivered, her knees buckling like cardboard, and she collapsed to the floor.

"Get up!" Leeann hissed as gruffly as she could, but knew that her heart wasn't in it. It was just an act. It took great effort to reach down, grab her under the shoulder and haul her to her feet. The part of her that was still Istanza was seething with arousal, but she had overpowered it – she just had to think of Silra, and all need to dominate was gone. Domination and punishment of this sort should be an act of fun and consent between two adults, not something dished out to unwilling slaves at the command of a bizarre religious cult.

The girl remained on her feet once Leeann had put her there, and she allowed the Istanza inside her to control her motions for a brief second, so that she could dish out a half-dozen genuine hard lashes to the girl's buttocks for her disobedience, then regained control of herself. She looked at her handiwork, disgusted at herself as she felt her sex buzz when she saw the bleeding welts on the girl's buttocks and thighs. Her hands had done that, her hands controlled by the part of her that needed to dominate and to hurt. But she had mastered it, she had overcome it. She did not need it.

She turned to face Julian and Elliot, who watched impassively. "Do you require further demonstration?"

"Your Koda is still making a noise, Istanza." Elliot said flatly.

"What do you want me to do? I could beat her harder, but she would only cry louder. Would you like to cut her tongue out? That is beyond my skill or protocol."

"Very well. Set them to work." Elliot intoned, his voice downturned as if he was disappointed.

"Driver, what is their task today?" Leeann asked the driver who stood next to Julian.

"The soil heap, Istanza. It needs turning."

"This one must remain inside." She said, prodding the crying Koda in the back, her gaze flitting between the driver and the high priests. "These open welts will become infected if she works on the soil heap."

Elliot raised his eyebrows, glanced at Julian, who nodded back patiently and gestured subtly with his hands. "It is practice, your grace." He said quietly.

"Very well, very well." Elliot sighed, rolling his eyes and stepping briskly down the vault to the exit. "Your skills are good, Istanza." He boomed as he walked towards the bend in the corridor, his voice reverberating around the walls and causing the crying Koda to judder as she stood, "But not absolute. No more infractions."

Julian followed a second later, stopping next to Leeann to briskly say: "All of my drivers are busy. She is your responsibility today. Have her do something useful. And heal those welts before tomorrow, or we will use her outdoors regardless."

Leeann watched his retreating back until he was gone, biting her tongue to refrain from shouting something in reply. The guards followed, with the Koda and the driver in tow behind. She reached out, placed a hand on the shoulder of the weeping Koda, whose sobs had diminished in the interlude, held her back as she was about to move with her fellow slaves. "You shall stay with me today." She said softly, as the rest of the Koda disappeared around the bend in the corridor. The Koda visibly stiffened under her touch, and Leeann felt her heart sink as she realised there was nothing she could say to calm her. To her, Leeann must be the monster that she feared the most. From Leeann's own hands had come the worst of her pain and torture. "Wait in your cell." She said, directing the girl back behind the door and locking it.