Kane pulled back and looked down at her, grinding his groin onto hers and grinning. “The Count says goodbye, bitch.” Without warning he smacked her hard around the head, and the flat taste of her own blood filled her mouth. “Yeah, I can smack you around too, Princess. Not used to that, hey? Well, here’s a message from the Count. Before I kill you.”
He thrust hard at her, grunting in pleasure as she felt the hard, hot bar rake across her skin, skidding upwards. “Your daddy won’t be upset for too long, when you don’t come home. ‘Cos we’re going to kill the bastard too, sweetheart.” Another hard thrust, this time catching at her fold with a painful jerk before sliding upwards.
Something cold went through her at the mention of her father, and she was thinking rationally.
‘Girl,’
she thought to herself,
‘if you are going to get through this and sort this man, you’re going to have to be an actress. Never mind your sweet virginity, worry about that later.’
Deliberately, she collected all her feelings of horror and revulsion, mentally put a big canvas sack over them and slowly lashed it down. She felt the horror recede as she lashed it tighter and started to think.
She let a little moan out, relaxed her legs and moved her hips against him in experimentation. He chuckled, relaxed his left hand and moved it up onto her right breast, holding it firmly. His hips moved and thrust at her again, the hard thing pushing up from her thighs right onto her stomach, catching on her sensitive parts again, and he growled in frustration.
She moaned in her throat and worked at the cotton, trying to get it out. Feeling the revulsion bulge up, she lashed it tighter, and blanked her mind, remembering listening into a lecture on how to survive torture. His chest was pushed into her face now, as he gathered himself. One hand went to her crutch, and her eyes widened in pain, shock and revulsion as the grubby fingers groped and parted her flesh. She groaned again and thought her head would burst as she struggled to blank it all out.
“In a minute, bitch, when I’m ready” he said in great satisfaction, misunderstanding the groan. “Well, well, well, little miss royalty really does like it rough.”
He adjusted his hips, the thing went down and she felt it press against her, warm and now throbbing. His hand guided it into place and she could feel the heat against her as she tried to move her hips backwards. With an effort, she spat out the cotton just as he thrust, her eyes bulging as she felt the thing slither inside and push impossibly far into her, the friction tearing and hurting deep inside. His hands were still on her breasts, but his head was above her and her mouth was against his chest, and she moaned in agony, the pain igniting a white hot, calculating rage inside her.
“Ohhhh,” she moaned, thrashing in virulent pain and he laughed again, still mistaking her noise but finally releasing her breast and bracing himself on his elbows, retracting and thrusting in again with studied deliberation.
“Ah,” he said in deep satisfaction. “That feels good, doesn’t it girly? Well, enjoy it while you can, because I’m gonna kill you after, Count’s orders.” He paused, watching her face to see how she took it while continuing to thrust into her. Seeing the disbelief, he continued. “I’ve set up a bale, see, right heavy one it is. When we’ve had our fun, I’ll break your fucking neck.” His words paused with each thrust. “Then you go under the bale, and I’ll push it down. Thump on yer head.” He grinned, with a particularly virulent thrust.
Sara steeled herself and concentrated on her immediate goal of gaining trust, ignoring her body rocking in a sea of pain. She raised her legs and locked them around him, moving her hips instinctively like a piston and speeding him up, ignoring the pain, blanking out feelings, intent with her purpose. She strained up towards him, raising her head.
“Oh, God, kiss me. Kiss me now,” she cried, staring intently at his mouth.
Kane was pleased. He was loving this. This wasn’t the first high born lady he had raped, but it was the youngest. Pity it would only be the once, so time to revel in it while it lasts. Awkwardly he ducked his head down to her mouth and she grabbed it with hers, sucking his tongue in past her teeth. With a feeling of intense satisfaction, she felt his tongue deep in her mouth, sucked in a lot of lower lip and crunched down hard, gratification flooding through her as she felt the hot blood spurt into her mouth. She bit harder and as he pulled his head back she went with him then yanked back with her head hard and fast, feeling the flesh tear. Blood flooded over her as Kane reared up and let out a garbled scream of pain and horror, his hands releasing her and coming up to his face. He slithered out of her, becoming limp. She spat out half his tongue and a lump of lip, finding her arms coming free as her jacket slipped away.
Sara’s left fist came flying up from the bed and landed on the hand over the wound, smashing it into his revealed teeth, her strength finally released. As he went over on his side she slammed her knee into his groin and knocked him over the side of the bales into the crack between them. Getting ready to hit him again, she heard running feet, and grabbed her trousers, arching her back to get them on and give herself some semblance of modesty. She barely finished before Pat appeared, took one incredulous look at her still bared breasts and then the moaning Kane. He grabbed his feet and started dragging Kane back down the narrow way, while he thrashed feebly.
There were voices behind him which exclaimed as he pulled Kane out.
“What the hell happened to him? Look at the blood.”
“He tried to rape Sara,” said Pat grimly. He hauled Kane to his feet, turned him while twisting his arm behind him. Applying pressure, he started Kane towards the door. Seeing Katie, he snapped to her: “Go in and help her. Somebody get Suzanne. I’ll sort this scum.”
Word passed quickly, the nightwatch was up as he brought Kane to the deck. Suzanne passed him on the way, running down the companionway with barely a glance. The nightwatch stared as Kane came out, groaning, with his remaining lip flapping like a bird’s wing, showing teeth that grinned white in the lamplight, rimmed with the black blood which still ran down his mouth, neck and chest in gouts. The stump of his tongue waggled visibly, still pulsing blood and he croaked when he tried to speak.
“Nils!” Pat shouted in an absolute fury. “Get a rope, tie it to the main spar and chuck me the end.” He glared at the crew around him. “He tried to rape Sara.”
“On it, Pat.” Nils shinned up the mast in a moment and ran a rope from the spar so it would hang over the ocean. He threw the end to the waiting Pat, who started to fashion a noose, his movement precise and expert. Without a large knot.
Brian came up beside Pat and took his arm. “Wait, Pat. I understand how you feel, but on ship you cannot do this without the Captain making the decision.” He looked at him. “Will you wait while I get the Captain?”
Pat looked at him, and Brian was inwardly taken aback. ‘
This is not a boy anymore,’
he thought to himself.
“I’ll wait,” said Pat flatly. He gave a twist to Kane’s arm and threw him to the deck, kicking him as he landed. Brian turned to go for the Captain, wishing he had not heard the arm break, Kane’s sobs in his ears, when Sergeant Russell arrived like an avenging fury.
“You fucking BASTARD,” he cried, slamming a hardened fist into Kane’s gut. “Where is she?” he screamed, as Brian wrapped his arms around Russell. “Where’s my little girl?” Tears were pouring down his face as he tried to hit Kane again. Captain Mactravis arrived, to Brian’s short lived relief.
“Is it true?” Mactravis asked, white faced and dagger in his hand. “Did this man rape Sara?”
“Never mind that,” said Brian with some heat, “help me with your bloody soldier.” Russell might be a small man compared to Husk, but he easily threw Brian around as he ignored the arms around him and continued to hit Kane.
“No,” said Pat, watching Kane flinch to the punches and feeling the bone in the arm grate where he held it. “But he tried.”
“You swine,” said Mactravis at Kane, whose bloodshot eyes peered up at him in pain and terror. “Leave off, Sergeant, I want him still. Kane, I’m going to skin you alive.” Mactravis’ voice dropped to a hiss, and the dagger shot forward, slicing into the skin beside the eye and flensing it away back to the ear.
“Lieutenant Mactravis! Where is your discipline?” Brian shouted. “Get hold of yourself, man! BOSUN! Come and help restore order.”
The Bosun arrived with her mates and eased the soldiers off Kane, although Pat refused to relinquish the arm. A flustered Brian went to find the Captain while Mactravis and Russell set off for the hold.
Sara sat on the bales with her arms crossed around her breasts, staring at the floor. Katie had her arm round her and was talking about her life back in Praesidium where she had worked as a serving girl in a tavern. Suzanne pushed in, having ordered all the men back.
“Katie, can you go and get a tea from the galley for her, please. I have asked the guys to keep a guard and not let anyone through. Thanks.”
She watched her go, then turned to Sara, wrapping her in her arms.
“Oh, my darling. It’s all right now, sweetheart, mama’s here.”
Sara broke, crying into Suzanne’s neck.
She sobbed out her story, while Suzanne rocked her.
“All right, darling,” said Suzanne, her thoughts racing as she rocked. “Did you tell Katie?”
“No”
“What did anyone see? What did Pat see?”
“I, I managed to get my trousers on before he got here. I don’t think he saw anything, just my breasts and he’s seen those when I am swimming.”
“It’s not the same, darling, but don’t worry. OK, nobody knows it was anything but attempted. We’ll keep it that way. It was an assassination attempt. They will buy that and they will understand you are shocked. Now, if you are up to it, I will take you to my cabin.”
“But Suzanne, it was horrible. OK, I hid what I really felt and blanked it all out, but he took my virginity,” she wailed. “I, I, I wanted the first time to be special!”
“No he didn’t, sweetheart, you lose it when you make love for the first time. This was something else, an attack, an animal. That man has done this many times before. You would never have got away if you weren’t so clever and brave and I am proud of you.” She hugged her again and could feel the doubt. “Honestly, darling, you only saved yourself because you were so good at acting, and you did it the right way, blanking it all out. When you bit him you took a risk, a big risk. Rapists often break girls’ jaws to stop the biting. And as he was going to kill you anyway, you are lucky he didn’t.”
Sara calmed, and Suzanne helped her up and along the gap just as Mactravis and Russell arrived. She looked at the guys, and spoke softly. “I’m taking her to my cabin. Swain, please check the area for evidence and bring it to the captain. Be careful. He said he had a bale ready to drop on her. It doesn’t look like this is the first time he has used this place either, proper little trap he has in there.”
The Boatswain’s mate nodded and went down the gap, but Mactravis and Russell were riveted by Sara. Russell fell to his knees at her feet.
He started to speak, choking out his words, tears streaming down his cheeks while Suzanne’s eyes narrowed and the sailors nearby looked on in astonishment
“I’ve failed you, ma’am. I wasn’t there to protect you, Pr..”
“Sergeant Russell,” broke in Suzanne, wise in the way of men’s emotions. “If you can keep your apologies for an appropriate time, we shall be able to escort SARA to my cabin.”
Russell started, jumped to his feet and swept her off her feet. “Of course, so sorry, I’ll carry her.”
Sara twisted in his arms, burying her face in his neck. “Not your fault, Andy, I was silly, let my guard down” she whispered, only audible to Mactravis and Suzanne, who raised an eyebrow.
Suzanne took them to her room, comforted her, left her with Katie and Russell while she went to the Captain’s cabin, taking Mactravis with her. On the way, she spoke to the Bosun. Captain Larroche sat at his desk with Brian. She sat down at his nod.
“Captain, the man has a proper little bed laid out amongst the cargo. I expect you will find he stacked those bales himself - if he had an assistant, then we have another rapist.” She nodded. “Yes, it was rape, very, very nearly, a much practised one too, although the primary attempt was assassination.” She told them what had happened and how Sara had broken free, leaving out the penetration.
Captain Larroche looked puzzled. “What I don’t understand,” he said, “is why the Count is making such an effort when she clearly wants nothing to do with him. And how did he manage to get somebody on my ship?”
Brian started to shrug, until he noticed Suzanne and Mactravis looking at the Captain, puzzlement written on their faces.
“She’s not the daughter of Duke Hardenwall, is she?” he asked, looking at their faces.
They both shook their heads.
Captain Larroche closed his eyes. “I’m not going to like this am I? All right, tell me, who is she?”
Mactravis and Suzanne looked at each other for a moment. He shrugged, while the Captain began to fume.
Forestalling his anger, Suzanne spoke. “She is Princess Asmara.”
Brian sagged back in his chair, while the Captain looked stunned. There was silence for a moment; the Captain pulled himself together.