then?"
Haru sunk into a twine-bound chair beside Danella. His long ears drooped. "Think of what they'll do to me if you don't go."
"Not my fault." Tanys clicked her dagger back into its scabbard. "Anyway, nothing's keeping you here either."
"It's my home. I like it here. I'm in charge here. People aren't trying to drain all my blood for dark magic rituals here."
"You're not in charge of shit here!" Tanys said. "Was it all right with you what they did to Danella?"
Haru's eyes went to Danella's broken lip, and then fell in shame. "I'm sorry about that. I really am. It's just... you don't challenge the Prime Houses."
"You lick their boots and eat their scraps!"
"Silly Tanys," Jorva said, "Goat people not wear boots."
Tanys groaned, hefting the bag to her shoulder. "We're getting out of here tonight, and we're taking Danella with us. You'll come too Haru, if you have any goddamned sense."
"But you can win!" Haru said, "The Malchesse don't know that you can fight. You can fight! And you can beat whomever that accursed devil throws into the pit with you!"
"That wasn't what you said about Baran," Tanys said, turning her back on the desperate faun.
"It won't be Baran this time!"
Tanys paused. "What do you mean?"
"The Prince only watches women fight... He has very specific tastes." Haru smiled.
Tanys sighed, "So who would I be fighting?"
"I don't know, some unlucky bitch from the Malchesse kennels. It doesn't matter whom. You'll kill her!"
Tanys ran her hand over her face, wincing. Jorva let his pack drop to the floor and crawled into his bunk.
Haru'Luk grinned in triumph.
****
"No!" Tanys stared at the golden ring in disbelief. The thing was huge.
Tanys, Haru, and Danella faced each other in the sunlit courtyard behind the mill that the group had procured for a sparring ground as well as a makeshift hospital when necessary.
"All slaves in the Holy City wear rings," Haru said.
"Baran wasn't wearing one!" Tanys countered.
"Yes he was," Haru said.
"I didn't see one on him."
"The boys don't wear 'em up here," Danella said, squeezing her own breasts for emphasis.
Tanys started to ask what she meant, then thought better of it.
"Look," Haru said, "it really doesn't hurt... much. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little pin prick."
"You first!" Tanys turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Danella called out, "What if I can do it so it doesn't hurt at all? At least so you don't mind it."
"How?" Tanys asked.
"I have my own way of doin' it," Danella's dusky face shone with the brightness of her broad smile, "I swear you won't complain a bit."
Tanys' eyes narrowed. "What do I have to do?"
"Just trust me."
A few minutes later, Tanys lay back on Danella's work table, anxiously watching the healer as she prepared her tools, foremost what appeared to be a pair of tongs whose steel jaws met in two tiny needle points. Danella caught the look of trepidation in Tanys' eyes. "Don't worry," she said, "You're not gonna notice when I do it."
Danella set the tongs aside, quietly singing to herself as she took up a warm rag and washed Tanys' naked breasts. Afterward she dabbed a cloth over the wet mammaries, drying them gently. Next she took up a strip of white linen, and, after calming Tanys' protests, bound it as a blindfold over the raven girl's eyes.
Tanys lay on the table, unable to see what the Danella was doing. Her breath came faster. She expected at any moment to feel her nipple punctured between the jaws of those steely tongs. Instead she felt Danella's strong fingers folding around her own hands, lifting her arms above her head.
"What are..."
"Trust me, Tanys."
"Hey!" Tanys shouted, feeling leather cuffs slipped over her wrists.
"Trust me, Tanys," Danella's voice soothed, "It's for my own protection. I don't want you knockin' my teeth out if you start to get scared."
Tanys relented at last, allowing the girl to bind her wrists securely above her head. A tingling sense of foreboding washed over her, and Tanys began to
Haru sunk into a twine-bound chair beside Danella. His long ears drooped. "Think of what they'll do to me if you don't go."
"Not my fault." Tanys clicked her dagger back into its scabbard. "Anyway, nothing's keeping you here either."
"It's my home. I like it here. I'm in charge here. People aren't trying to drain all my blood for dark magic rituals here."
"You're not in charge of shit here!" Tanys said. "Was it all right with you what they did to Danella?"
Haru's eyes went to Danella's broken lip, and then fell in shame. "I'm sorry about that. I really am. It's just... you don't challenge the Prime Houses."
"You lick their boots and eat their scraps!"
"Silly Tanys," Jorva said, "Goat people not wear boots."
Tanys groaned, hefting the bag to her shoulder. "We're getting out of here tonight, and we're taking Danella with us. You'll come too Haru, if you have any goddamned sense."
"But you can win!" Haru said, "The Malchesse don't know that you can fight. You can fight! And you can beat whomever that accursed devil throws into the pit with you!"
"That wasn't what you said about Baran," Tanys said, turning her back on the desperate faun.
"It won't be Baran this time!"
Tanys paused. "What do you mean?"
"The Prince only watches women fight... He has very specific tastes." Haru smiled.
Tanys sighed, "So who would I be fighting?"
"I don't know, some unlucky bitch from the Malchesse kennels. It doesn't matter whom. You'll kill her!"
Tanys ran her hand over her face, wincing. Jorva let his pack drop to the floor and crawled into his bunk.
Haru'Luk grinned in triumph.
****
"No!" Tanys stared at the golden ring in disbelief. The thing was huge.
Tanys, Haru, and Danella faced each other in the sunlit courtyard behind the mill that the group had procured for a sparring ground as well as a makeshift hospital when necessary.
"All slaves in the Holy City wear rings," Haru said.
"Baran wasn't wearing one!" Tanys countered.
"Yes he was," Haru said.
"I didn't see one on him."
"The boys don't wear 'em up here," Danella said, squeezing her own breasts for emphasis.
Tanys started to ask what she meant, then thought better of it.
"Look," Haru said, "it really doesn't hurt... much. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little pin prick."
"You first!" Tanys turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Danella called out, "What if I can do it so it doesn't hurt at all? At least so you don't mind it."
"How?" Tanys asked.
"I have my own way of doin' it," Danella's dusky face shone with the brightness of her broad smile, "I swear you won't complain a bit."
Tanys' eyes narrowed. "What do I have to do?"
"Just trust me."
A few minutes later, Tanys lay back on Danella's work table, anxiously watching the healer as she prepared her tools, foremost what appeared to be a pair of tongs whose steel jaws met in two tiny needle points. Danella caught the look of trepidation in Tanys' eyes. "Don't worry," she said, "You're not gonna notice when I do it."
Danella set the tongs aside, quietly singing to herself as she took up a warm rag and washed Tanys' naked breasts. Afterward she dabbed a cloth over the wet mammaries, drying them gently. Next she took up a strip of white linen, and, after calming Tanys' protests, bound it as a blindfold over the raven girl's eyes.
Tanys lay on the table, unable to see what the Danella was doing. Her breath came faster. She expected at any moment to feel her nipple punctured between the jaws of those steely tongs. Instead she felt Danella's strong fingers folding around her own hands, lifting her arms above her head.
"What are..."
"Trust me, Tanys."
"Hey!" Tanys shouted, feeling leather cuffs slipped over her wrists.
"Trust me, Tanys," Danella's voice soothed, "It's for my own protection. I don't want you knockin' my teeth out if you start to get scared."
Tanys relented at last, allowing the girl to bind her wrists securely above her head. A tingling sense of foreboding washed over her, and Tanys began to