are you taking me?" She twisted and kicked frantically to
get a way.
Duke DeMumart led them through a secret passage way hidden in
the wall of her room. Pulling a torch from the sconce he used to open
the doorway, he took them down a steep staircase. It wound around
twice until they reached the lower bowels of the castle.
Elise recognized the horrid stench of rotting flesh. It was dark,
damp and cold. The clanking of metal and stone told Elise exactly
where DeMumart was taking her.
"No, no! Please I've done nothing! No!"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The two big men dragged her into the
cell and hoisted her up. DeMumart came up behind her and clamped
45
on two wrist shackles that left her dangling in the middle of the cell.
He grabbed a flogger that was hanging on the wall behind him.
He put the handle under her chin and lifted her face, forcing her to
stare him in the eyes.
"I know you possess no magic, bitch. So tell me how you were
able to perform these tasks I gave you?"
Elise flinched. She tried to turn her face away from his hideous
expression.
"I-I have no idea what you are talking about!" her voice shook as
the words spilled from her lips.
DeMumart growled low, reminding her of the rabid dogs, she had
seen in the village square. He yanked her head back with a fist full of
hair. "Liar!"
He walked behind her and swished his flogger through the air.
Elise braced herself for the first strike.
Thwack!
She arched her back and cried out. It stung. She knew he had
drawn blood, for she felt the wetness seep from the welt DeMumart
had surely caused.
"Tell me!" His voice echoed inside the tiny cell. He waited.
Elise bit her lip to keep from crying out for mercy.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
This time she screamed. Her body tensed with the pain throbbing
in her back. Elise could barely get enough air in her lungs. Each time
she inhaled it made her back burn as if someone had thrown salt in an
open wound.
She gasped short ragged breaths. Her body shook. DeMumart
moved to her front again. He grabbed a fist full of hair again and
jerked her head back so that her face was an inch away from his.
"Tell me!" His voice was almost whispered, yet the tone remained
deadly.
Elise trembled. Her mouth went dry. The burning in her back
slowly diminished into a dull pulsing ache.
"M-my Lord, I ... I sw ... swear I have n ... no idea what it is you
ask."
46
DeMumart snarled. "Don't you now!" He came around, glaring at
her face. Roughly, he yanked her head back with a fist full of hair
once again. His breath wafted over her cheek. He smelt of death.
Elise tried to cringe away from him. "Little bitch! Do you think to
fool me! Have you any idea who I am?"
She shook her head, trembling with terror.
DeMumart smiled evilly. He ran his hand down the front of her
dress, over her heaving breasts. Just below her waist, he grabbed a
fistful of satiny material and tore it from her body.
Elise hung with her lower body completely exposed and vulnerable
to whatever DeMumart would do.
He forced her to face his penetrating stare. Purposely he stood
there eye to eye with her, knowing it tortured her to anticipate his next
move. A depraved smile stretched across his face.
Without a word, he slowly brought up his hand. Long bony fingers,
grew longer and unnaturally twisted together until it formed a long
thick rope of flesh. Thorns about an inch long, sprouted from the
perverse appendage from tip to base, where his knuckles would have
started.
Elise winced.
He turned from her and walked behind her. She tried to turn her
head to see where he had gone. However, the way her arms were
hung over her head, prevented her from looking over her shoulder.
She whimpered with trepidation.
Her gut twisted when she heard something being dragged across the
stone floor. An instant later, DeMumart returned with a coil of rope.
He grabbed one of her legs roughly, startling her. She tried to squirm
out of his
get a way.
Duke DeMumart led them through a secret passage way hidden in
the wall of her room. Pulling a torch from the sconce he used to open
the doorway, he took them down a steep staircase. It wound around
twice until they reached the lower bowels of the castle.
Elise recognized the horrid stench of rotting flesh. It was dark,
damp and cold. The clanking of metal and stone told Elise exactly
where DeMumart was taking her.
"No, no! Please I've done nothing! No!"
Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The two big men dragged her into the
cell and hoisted her up. DeMumart came up behind her and clamped
45
on two wrist shackles that left her dangling in the middle of the cell.
He grabbed a flogger that was hanging on the wall behind him.
He put the handle under her chin and lifted her face, forcing her to
stare him in the eyes.
"I know you possess no magic, bitch. So tell me how you were
able to perform these tasks I gave you?"
Elise flinched. She tried to turn her face away from his hideous
expression.
"I-I have no idea what you are talking about!" her voice shook as
the words spilled from her lips.
DeMumart growled low, reminding her of the rabid dogs, she had
seen in the village square. He yanked her head back with a fist full of
hair. "Liar!"
He walked behind her and swished his flogger through the air.
Elise braced herself for the first strike.
Thwack!
She arched her back and cried out. It stung. She knew he had
drawn blood, for she felt the wetness seep from the welt DeMumart
had surely caused.
"Tell me!" His voice echoed inside the tiny cell. He waited.
Elise bit her lip to keep from crying out for mercy.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
This time she screamed. Her body tensed with the pain throbbing
in her back. Elise could barely get enough air in her lungs. Each time
she inhaled it made her back burn as if someone had thrown salt in an
open wound.
She gasped short ragged breaths. Her body shook. DeMumart
moved to her front again. He grabbed a fist full of hair again and
jerked her head back so that her face was an inch away from his.
"Tell me!" His voice was almost whispered, yet the tone remained
deadly.
Elise trembled. Her mouth went dry. The burning in her back
slowly diminished into a dull pulsing ache.
"M-my Lord, I ... I sw ... swear I have n ... no idea what it is you
ask."
46
DeMumart snarled. "Don't you now!" He came around, glaring at
her face. Roughly, he yanked her head back with a fist full of hair
once again. His breath wafted over her cheek. He smelt of death.
Elise tried to cringe away from him. "Little bitch! Do you think to
fool me! Have you any idea who I am?"
She shook her head, trembling with terror.
DeMumart smiled evilly. He ran his hand down the front of her
dress, over her heaving breasts. Just below her waist, he grabbed a
fistful of satiny material and tore it from her body.
Elise hung with her lower body completely exposed and vulnerable
to whatever DeMumart would do.
He forced her to face his penetrating stare. Purposely he stood
there eye to eye with her, knowing it tortured her to anticipate his next
move. A depraved smile stretched across his face.
Without a word, he slowly brought up his hand. Long bony fingers,
grew longer and unnaturally twisted together until it formed a long
thick rope of flesh. Thorns about an inch long, sprouted from the
perverse appendage from tip to base, where his knuckles would have
started.
Elise winced.
He turned from her and walked behind her. She tried to turn her
head to see where he had gone. However, the way her arms were
hung over her head, prevented her from looking over her shoulder.
She whimpered with trepidation.
Her gut twisted when she heard something being dragged across the
stone floor. An instant later, DeMumart returned with a coil of rope.
He grabbed one of her legs roughly, startling her. She tried to squirm
out of his
Similar Books
