Bound by Consent by Dalia Craig Page A

valuable time. If you know something, anything, you must tell me.”
    “In the basement dungeon there’s a secret door. A casual observer wouldn’t even know it was there; it doesn’t lead anywhere except a disused storeroom but, rumor has it, there also used to be a tunnel out to the Heath.”
    “Come on.” I took off at speed leaving Sasha to follow. Back in the basement dungeon, I found things hotting up with quite a few more people either using the equipment or just watching. I masqueraded as a casual observer while I got my breath back and scanned the walls frustrated by the lack of any door. The red spotlights, arranged to play upon the equipment, also cast deep shadows and changed perceptions of space. Sasha eventually reached my side and steered me toward a dimly lit area next to the wheel. Not until I was right up to the wall did I see a faint crack between the stones. I pushed hard but nothing happened. I turned to Sasha and growled angrily, “How does it open?”
    Sasha reached around me and pressed a small stone some eight inches from the crack. The door opened inward with barely a sound, to reveal a large space cluttered with broken equipment and discarded furniture. She pushed me inside and flicked a light switch. “Go and search for her,” she whispered. “Good luck. I have to return to work now. I’ll try to come back for you later.”
    The door closed and I was on my own. I took my time, moving things, making sure I didn’t miss her and I was glad that I did. Bryana was in the far corner, hidden behind a long velvet curtain, both blindfolded and gagged with all four limbs tied to a discarded cross.
    “Oh, Bryana, honey. You’re safe now.” I quickly tore the gag from her mouth and then removed the blindfold. Tears overflowed from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue but clearly couldn’t speak, yet. Then I concentrated on the bindings at her wrists and ankles. It pained me to see how the rough packing twine was cutting into her flesh but I couldn’t hurry the process as the knots were really tight and complicated – not the quick release twist knots I used in rope play. Whoever had tied Bryana up didn’t mean her to escape. Once Bryana was free, I picked her up, carried her to a long couch and held her tight. “Who did this to you?” I already had a pretty good idea.
    Bryana shook her head. “I’m not sure. I didn’t actually see them.” She shuddered and snuggled closer. “It was over before I had time to blink. One minute, I was standing talking with you and Sasha then the next I was whisked away…there were two of them, both female, I think. The blindfold and gag were simultaneous. Then they dragged me in here and...” Her hand went to her neck. “They took my collar.” Her voice broke.
    “It doesn’t matter, we can get another one made up.” I soothed her sobs and cursed the bitches.
    “But it won’t be the same.”
    She had a point. The significance of her acceptance had been lost. However, I wasn’t going to agree with her. “Yes it will. The new one will be identical. We will have a little collaring ceremony and make it special.”
    “I’d like that.” Bryana gave a ragged sigh then glanced at the jumbled mess surrounding us. “Where are we?”
    “In a storeroom just off the dungeon. Sasha helped me to get in here through a secret door. She put herself on the line helping me to find you but she had to get back to work before she was missed.”
    “Sasha is a good friend.” Bryana’s lips twitched in a weak smile. “I want to go home.”
    I stroked her hair. “And so you shall, my sweet, as soon as I can get us both safely out of here.”
    “What do you mean?” Bryana jerked away from me, her question uttered as a shrill squeak of alarm.
    I took a deep breath before committing myself. “I’m not sure how the door opens from this side. Sasha did say she’d come back for us later, when she could, but I have