“Foronce, will you just obey?”
“Foronce?Ihaven't been allowed to do anything else.”Thelaughing face of the manIhad danced with disappeared, and that ice cold demeanor he threw on so well returned.
“Interesting.Iconsider throwing yourself off a cliff very much doing exactly what you want, damning the consequences.”
“So, one taste of freedom and then back in the cage.Afitting punishment indeed.”Helooked more taken aback than whenIhad slapped him.
“Youhave never been a prisoner here,Tori.”Hisuse of my name struck me like a wave in a storm, but it couldn’t stop the flames of rage building inside me.
“Oh,Isuppose the constant guard and locked doors were for my safety, were they?”
“Ofcourse!Youhave no idea how dangerous this world is for you, how it would destroy something as precious as you.”Someof that softness returned to his gaze, butIcouldn’t stand it, soIattacked.
“Theonly thing that’s ever been a danger to me has been you!Youstole me from my home, you dragged me here, you…you let him kill my mother!”
Ithad been too far.Ihad always gone too far.Hisface was blank.
“Abraxas,I—”
Hethrew open the carriage door, and two guards stepped up.Hepushed past them and left me behind.Theyescorted me out.Heturned back to me for one brief look.
“Stayin your room tonight,” was all he said and then he stormed into the castle.
Theguards escorted me to my room, andIformulated a plan.
Chapter34
Tori
Itturns out the elaborate planIhad cooked up to get out of my room was unnecessary.Noguard had been stationed outside my door, just a few who walked by on rotation.Aftera short time of observing them, waiting for their armor to clink by,Ifigured out their pattern and simply snuck out while they patrolled the other end of the wing.
Ihurried down the hallway towards the throne room, but soon found no sound from that direction.Instead,Iheard faded voices and music coming from the direction of the dining hall.Idiverted my course and headed that way.Iducked into a servants’ passage that led into the hall.
Ipulled aside the tapestry and ducked into the hidden corridor.Icould hear the revelry from the far end.Loudmusic heavy on the drumbeats played, filtered with the sound of laughter and shouts.IfIwas not a prisoner, certainlyIcould walk through the main doors to join, but somehow that didn’t seem like it would end well.Maybejust a swift refusal from the guards and sent back to my room.ButIneeded to feel the freedom afforded to me by sneaking around, even if it were only an illusion.
Myslippers moved soundlessly down the corridor; the hem of the night robes so popular in this kingdom kissing my ankles asIstepped.Lightleaked through the crack between the wall and another tapestry asIreached the end of my hidden passage.Ipressed up against the great weaving with my shoulder, slinking into the room.AsIhad assumed, this put me in a very inconspicuous location.Thetorches that flanked this alcove left my hiding spot in the shadows, and a large set of crates had been moved in front of it, likely holding more supplies for the party.
Iknelt down and snuck up behind the crates, carefully popping my head over to observe the party.Ittook all my self-control to not allow my jaw to drop to the floor.
Afterthe festival today,IthoughtIhad understood the rumors surroundingLupercalia.Thecelebrations had been raucous and rakish, butIassumed all the rest of the rumors were just exaggerations.Well, it turns out they were not.Beforeme sprawled a literal cornucopia of debauchery.Inthe center of the hall, a huge tower of crystal glasses had been built, with two large crystal cages inside.Insidethose cages, one naked human and one naked half-fae danced to the beating of the drums.Ashimmering liquidIcould only assume was ambrosia poured down from the top of the tower, over the dancers’ naked bodies, and into more glasses below them, that revealers could take and partake from.
Aroundthis glowing fountain, various tables had been set overflowing with a feast that was beyond what we would partake in on the highest holidays inNiata.Numerousroasted boars sat half carved, with pies and pasties of all sorts stacked into tiers all around.Roastedvegetables staged with cured meats and numerous types of aged cheese filled all the gaps on the table.Jugsof honey and sweet jams sat half spilled and dredged over bread in every form.Variouspartygoers stood or sat around the tables, filling plate after plate, many of whichIsaw littered about half-eaten and forgotten.
ButIcouldn’t feel distressed over this awful waste as my attention was drawn to what was very clearly the heart of this party.Setaway from the food, past the dance floor where partygoers of every race ground against each other, on a small dais raised inside a series of circular couches, was a pornographic spectacle.Alarge orc warrior, nothing but pure muscle and violence, knelt behind a petit human woman with a full round ass, his hands gripping the fronts of her thighs as he pounded into her.Thewoman’s breasts swung obscenely in time with the sound of the orc’s thighs slapping into her ass as he penetrated her.Thewoman’s face was a mess of pleasure and pain, reddened and without shame as she moaned and mewled, the sound reaching me over the music of the hall.
Theorc raised a hand and spanked the woman, sending shock waves through her flesh and a fresh yelp from her lips.Alarge welted red handprint remained when he removed his hand.Shefell to her elbows, face now buried in the blankets that covered the dais. “Thurr,Ineed more, more!” she cried, pulling herself up and looking back at him.
“Givethe lady what she wants!”Myeyes were drawn away from the woman to see that numerous voyeurs around the couple were now engaging.
“Comeon,Thurr, show the human what it means to be with an orc!”Icouldn’t see the faces of those around the dais, the lighting obviously highlighting the stage itself, butIcould see many watching the show with rap attention.Severalwere couples, clearly getting their own shows started.Inthe second row, two fae males were obviously fucking, the fae on top clearly enjoying drawing attention away from the main stage.Oneof the hecklers had a large breasted human woman on his lap, completely topless, with his mouth around her nipple when he wasn’t yelling at the orc on stage.
Adevious smirk crossed the orc’s lips as the woman looked back at him pleading.Heslowly, so slowly, removed his cock from the woman, her lips uttering another whining plea at his removal.NowthatIcould see him on full display, it seems what they said about orcs really was true, and his cock was unreasonably large, tinged a darker green than his skin, and laced with veins.Iwas truly contemplating how such a thing could even feel pleasant when he rubbed himself with a liquid he had grabbed from somewhere on the stage.Hishand traveled up and down his length, milking a small bead of white from his head.Heplaced a hand on the woman’s hip, and a tender look crossed his eyes as she looked back at him, giving him a small nod.
Then, to my shock—although that anything could shock me at this point was unbelievable—he placed the head of his cock at the entrance to a place even less likely to enjoy the size of him, and pushed inside her.Thesound that escaped the woman was obviously laced with more pain than pleasure, but he moved slowly.Shegripped the sheets in her hands, twisting them violently, but as he moved more and more, she relaxed, her breaths coming back in those heady pants.Theaudience was going wild, hooting and hollering and making their own obscene sounds along with the show.
Istepped back from my hiding spot.Heatcoiled deep in my core in a wayIhad not experienced before.Ihad to tear my eyes away from the stage, but whenIdid,Isaw that in the distant parts of the hall there were more of these stages, all with similar performances and audiences.Mymind reeled, asIstepped back again, this time my body smacking into a solid, warm obstacle.
Mymind had been so lost in the scene thatIhadn’t noticed a man step up behind me.AsIjerked away, a firm hand came to cover my mouth, and another gripped me around the waist.
