The Rescue Of The Queen (The Adventures Of Pervikar Book 2) Read online

  The three of them hurried to the four rooms were at the end of the hallway. Per listened at each door and heard sounds of passion coming from inside. Pulling out his sandbag, he grasped the doorknob to room twenty two.

  Before he could open the door, Nyrandurril put her hand over his. "Wait," she whispered.

  Nyrandurril undid her braid and fluffed out her cascading hair. She took Per's dagger and slit her dress on both sides from the hip down to the hem. She then split the front of her dress from her bellybutton up to her neck and spread the halves apart. She bit her lips to redden them and pinched her cheeks for color. The transformation only took a couple of seconds, but the result was startling. Where Nyrandurril was absolutely beautiful before, she was now breathtakingly gorgeous. Motioning Per to step to one side, she opened the door.

  By peering between the crack of the door and the jamb, Per could see what was going on inside. A man with a short beard was kneeling behind a girl, who was down on all fours on the bed. He was facing the now opened door and staring at Nyrandurril. Per realized that he would have never gotten past the door before the man yelled for help.

  "Who be ye?" growled the man.

  "Dareen thought you might like to have another girl," said Nyrandurril sweetly as she smiled at him.

  Per watched as the man's angry scowl was replaced by a look of wonderment as he became mesmerized by Nyrandurril's face. He had seen this happen numerous times. Her face was so lovely that Per swore the sun stopped in its track just to shine down on her.

  Nyrandurril motioned with her head for the man to come over to her without breaking eye contact with him. The man got up, pulling his hard dick out of the other girl, and walked towards her. The girl on the bed look confused, but did not say anything. Nyrandurril grasped him by the shoulders and turned him around so his back was to the door. She began to walk backwards towards the bed as she reached up and hooked her thumbs under her shoulder straps.

  Per stepped in quietly behind the man and rapped him sharply behind the ear with his sandbag. There was a muffled thump and Per barely caught the unconscious man before he could crash to the floor. The girl on the bed took in a large breath as if to scream, but let it out slowly when Nyrandurril spun around with her finger to her lips. Per lowered the man to the floor to tie and gag him. Melinar quickly came into the room and closed the door.

  "What's going on, Melinar?" asked the girl on the bed, seemingly unconcerned about her nudity.

  "This man and two others in nineteen and twenty were the ones that injured Thal," said Melinar. "We think they are the guards for someone who'll show up in a little while for room twenty one. All we have to do now is get the other two. I guess we can use Nyrandurril again."

  "A little dicey," commented the girl. "I almost screamed. Leave it to me."

  She leaned over to the nightstand and opened the drawer. She pulled out a black five-inch long cylinder and climbed out of the bed.

  "What are you going to do?" asked Per, blocking her way.

  "Watch and learn, Wen," said the girl with a smile.

  The girl went next door to room twenty with Per following behind. She quietly opened the door and sneaked up to the bed. Per looked through the crack of the door again and saw another girl on her back as a man plowed his cock into her pussy. The first girl came up behind him and pressed something on the cylinder. A blade shot out of the black handle and the girl snapped it forward to press the sharpened steel against the man's balls. He instantly froze.

  "One move, one sound, and it comes off!" hissed the girl with the knife. "Let her up and then lie flat."

  The other girl squirmed out from underneath and the man, sweating profusely, laid down flat on the bed. Per came into the room and quickly tied and gagged the man.

  "Watch him, Cheryl," said the first girl to the second. "One to go."

  The first girl and Per moved back out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. Melinar and Nyrandurril were already there and standing off to one side. The girl retracted the blade and then opened the door to room nineteen.

  A man with gray temples was sitting in a chair pulling on his boots. He was only wearing his pants with his shirt and gear draped over the back of the chair. The bed was rumpled and a blonde woman was standing beside it, pulling on a robe. All three froze at the sight of one another. The man recovered first and looked questioningly at the girl in the doorway as he stood up.

  "We have a special tonight, if you would like to try two girls at the same time, sir," said the girl in the door as she walked towards him. "You've paid for two hours. Why not try us both?"

  "Love to, lass, but I've no time. Maybe late..."

  The man's left hand shot downward to block the knife coming up. His right fist slugged the girl on the jaw, knocking her halfway across the room. The knife skittered out of her hand and clattered on the floor. The man looked at the doorway just in time to catch Per's thrown sandbag full in the face. He reeled backwards and tripped over the chair he had been sitting on. The chair broke into splinters as the man crashed heavily onto the floor.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it, and attempted to get up. He stopped when he felt cold steel touch his throat. Looking up, he saw Per looming over him. "Roll over slowly."

  Melinar and Nyrandurril came in as the man complied. They tied up his hands and legs while Per held his dagger on him.

  "If you're going to rob me, you'll be disappointed," said the man. "I was just hired this morning and haven't been paid yet."

  "Then how did you plan to pay for this little romp?" asked Melinar sarcastically.

  "The lord who hired me told me he would settle the account when he arrived. Inute and Halk said not to worry about it."

  "Are they the other two men you came in with?" asked Per.

  "Yes," answered the man calmly. "I have to tell you, if you rob or injure the lord, I will come back to hunt each and every one of you down."

  Nyrandurril sat down on the bed as Melinar shooed the two women out of the room. "You seem honorable and since you were hired this morning, you may not know this," she began. "The lord and his two men were here last night. The lord was rough with the girl he had hired. Her bruises should fade in a couple of weeks. Our bouncer went to her aid and was injured by the other two men. We attacked you to prevent a repeat of last night."

  The man looked skeptically at all three of them.

  "If you want, I can let you talk to the girl and our bouncer," said Melinar. "They are both recovering here at this house."

  The man's face took on a look of uncertainty.

  "What were your orders for tonight?' asked Per. "What's your name?"

  "My name is Vail," answered the man. "We were supposed to protect the lord and prevent anyone from disturbing him. The three of us came here early to acquire the rooms and have some fun before the lord arrived. Inute and Halk seemed to treat this as a big secret. They were laughing and joking about all the way here. If what you say is true, then you're going to have problems. The lord is Lord Letlow, the magistrate for this district of the city."

  "Lord Letlow!" cried out Melinar. "He's the most sadistic bastard around. He hurts women just for the pleasure of it. His enemies usually end up in jail and then on to the gallows."

  "When is he due to arrive?" asked Per.

  "In about an hour," replied Vail.

  The four of them stared at each other in silence. They all envisioned a dark chasm opening up before them. Finally, Nyrandurril shook off her despair. "We have to stop him. It's either that or run."

  "I need to talk to Inute and Halk," said Vail. "If you cut me free, I promise not to interfere with your plans."

  Per looked quickly at Nyrandurril and Melinar. They both shrugged, indicating that Vail's freedom could not put them in more danger than they were already in. Per cut his bonds and Vail walked out of the room without putting on his shirt or picking up his weapons. Per heard him enter the room across the hallway. He listened for several minutes, but did not hear an
ything amiss.

  "We can't do anything to Lord Letlow here," said Melinar. "That would be painting a bull's-eye for retribution on us if something goes wrong. What can we do?"

  "We have to wait until he leaves," said Per.

  "We can't," replied Nyrandurril. "We have attacked his men. For a man as domineering and controlling as Lord Letlow, he will not allow that insult to pass. He will see it as a weakness if he does not do something to us. We have to get him away from here without his men and without him knowing his men were attacked."

  "Is that all?" said Melinar exasperatedly. "Might as well ask for the moon!"

  "I might have a way to do it," said Vail from the doorway. "It'll be dangerous. I talked with Halk and have decided to work with you."

  Vail chuckled, before continuing. "You know that girl with Halk has him terrified. She's slowly ripping a sausage apart with a dull knife and she's managed to convince him that his manhood is next. Halk told me of last night and of Letlow's other perversions. According to Halk, Letlow is supposed to have a torture chamber at his villa and uses it to break women to his will."

  "How do we get him out of here without alerting him about his men?" asked Melinar.

  "Since Letlow's appetite leans towards dominance, if he meets a strong-willed woman, he may just take her home to his villa. Your giant and I can rescue her and deal with Letlow away from here. It will be dangerous for the woman who goes with him."

  "I'll do it," said Melinar firmly.

  "No!" cried Nyrandurril. "It's too dangerous!"

  "It's either that or risk ruin and death," replied Melinar. "How do we explain the absence of Inute and Halk?"

  "When he gets rough with your girl, we'll create the sounds of a fight in the hall," said Vail. "You'll burst into the room and confront him. Tell him that Inute and Halk are dragging your new bouncer outside. You have to be firm and in control. Hopefully, he'll see it as a challenge and take you to his villa. Once there, I'll let your man in through the back door. From what I saw today, there is only Letlow's valet there tonight."

  Melinar went downstairs to let Dareen know what was happening. Vail told Per and Nyrandurril where Letlow's villa was located, and the three of them went to a shadowed alcove overlooking the grand entrance. Gentlemen in fine attire and a couple of noblewomen came in and went off with their companion for the evening.

  "Busy place," commented Vail.

  After a short while, Vail signaled Per and Nyrandurril to look down. A tall, elegantly dressed man in his mid-forties had just entered and was talking to Dareen. "That's Lord Letlow," he whispered.

  They waited and watched as Dareen paraded several girls in front of Lord Letlow. The magistrate was polite and urbane as he dismissed several of the girls with a smile. Per, however, felt his manners were too polite. They were too well polished and rehearsed. One word sprang to his mind to describe Lord Letlow – greasy.

  Finally Lord Letlow made his choice. She was a perky blonde with up-thrust breasts, whose natural exuberance caught his eye. He and the girl ascended the stairs, followed moments later by the four conspirators.

  Peeking around the corner, Per saw Lord Letlow and the girl enter room twenty one. The four of them then moved quietly down the hall after they heard the door close. Per heard the murmur of voices in the room, but could not understand the words through the door. Suddenly, he heard two loud slaps. A short silence ensued followed by another slap, and then a loud scream split the air.

  Melinar and Nyrandurril banged the doors open for rooms nineteen and twenty. Per stamped his feet in the hall as if he was running and then crashed into the wall as if someone had tackled him. He and Vail yelled and made sounds of fighting as Nyrandurril tipped over furniture to add to the din. Melinar nodded, then flung open the door to room twenty one and ran inside with Vail hard on her heels. Per and Nyrandurril quickly hid in room nineteen.

  "What is the meaning of this?" screamed Melinar, trying to shake off Vail as he grabbed her by the arms.

  "Who are you?" asked Lord Letlow in a chill voice.

  "I own this place," answered Melinar. "And I do not allow my girls to be beaten by customers. Fyrnal, go see Dareen. Go!"

  Per saw the girl dart out of the room and race down the hallway. Both of her cheeks were bright red with handprints.

  "Well, I suppose you will call the guard now," Per heard Lord Letlow say.

  "No, Lord Letlow, I will not," answered Melinar.

  "Ah, I see you know who I am. What else do you know?"

  "Enough to know that calling the guard would be bad for business," said Melinar. "Tell your man to let me go. I know better than to attack you, milord."

  "A woman with spirit," commented Lord Letlow. "Let her go. Where are Inute and Halk?"

  "Things got rough," said Vail. "They're dragging the bouncer away from here, milord."

  Letlow turned back to face Melinar. "Your girl offered me insult and needed to be punished."

  "If the girl insulted you, I apologize, milord," said Melinar firmly. "I do not allow the clients to hit the girls. They may mar their beauty which is an asset in this business. If punishment is required or desired, I will administer it myself."

  "Oh, and what do you use to administer punishment?" asked Lord Letlow with interest in his voice.

  "I find a hickory switch most satisfying. That is to say, effective," said Melinar with a breathless catch in her voice.

  "You interest me," said Lord Letlow with a smile. "I would like to discuss your... disciplinary methods further."

  "Of course, milord, as soon as you have paid for last night's entertainment as well as tonight's."

  "Shall we retire to my villa?" asked Lord Letlow. "I have some servants who have been lax as of late. I'm sure that meeting someone of your temperament will do wonders for their work ethics."

  "I'd be delighted," panted Melinar in anticipation.

  As Melinar and Vail left the room, Lord Letlow stepped into the hallway and paused to pull on a glove. His face has contorted into a hideous rage as he stared at Melinar's back. Shaking, he fought to control his anger. After mastering himself, he put on his public face and followed after them.

  Chapter 3: The Magistrate's Dungeon

  Per and Nyrandurril hurried down the stairs to the waiting Dareen.

  "They walked right out and got into his carriage," she said, visibly upset. "Lord Letlow tossed me a bag of gold as they walked out. You'll have to hurry to catch up with them."

  "Follow me," said Nyrandurril as she sped out the doorway.

  Per ran after her as she led him through alleys and backyards towards Lord Letlow's villa. The streets were mostly empty and they were able to move quickly. They soon reached the villa, a large two-story mansion that was enclosed by a nine-foot high wall.

  Per glanced around quickly to see if anyone was watching them. He then cupped his hands together. Nyrandurril put her foot in his hands and Per lifted her up. She dropped noiselessly to the other side as Per took a running jump and grabbed the top of the wall. He clawed his way over it and leaped down on the far side to land beside Nyrandurril. They carefully began to make their way towards the rear of the villa.

  The inside was was brightly lit with candles and light globes, but appeared to be empty. As Per crept closer, he could not discern any movement anywhere. The villa and the grounds appeared to be deserted. They made their way around to the back door and found it open. Per and Nyrandurril entered the kitchen and closed the door behind them. No sounds emanated from within the villa as they began to search through the huge mansion.

  "Over here!" hissed Nyrandurril.

  Joining her, he found Vail lying on the floor. Nyrandurril knelt down beside him. "He's unconscious," she said. "There's a knot on the back of his head where he was hit. Someone attacked him."

  "Who? And, more importantly, where are they?" asked Per.

  They looked quickly around. Bookcases lined the walls and there were two large stuffed chairs in the middle of the room. Something
caught Per's eye and he looked a little closer at one of the bookcases. It was the one Vail had been facing and appeared a little out of kilter with the rest of the wall. Stepping closer, he saw that the right side of the bookcase was sticking out an inch or so from the wall.

  Per grabbed the edge of the bookcase and pulled. It refused to budge. Bracing his foot against the wall, Per strained mightily against it. A loud snap and crack sounded within the wall and the bookcase swung away, revealing a stone stairwell descending downward.

  "Stay here," he said to Nyrandurril.

  The steps kept going down some distance. Per guessed he was at least one hundred feet underground when he came upon a stout wooden door. He grasped the door handle and opened it into a thirty foot, stone chamber.

  Across the room from him was a dwarf who had just entered the room from the opposite door. Startled, they both stared at each other. Suddenly, the dwarf rushed across the room with surprising swiftness and enveloped Per in a bear hug with a strength that equaled his own.

  Per's head crashed into the door beam as the dwarf lifted him upwards suddenly. Bright spots exploded before his eyes. His helmet had saved his skull but had also cut down into his brow. Blood flowed down into Per's eyes as the dwarf let him go. He crashed onto the stone floor and passed out.

  As consciousness return, Per felt the cold stone on his cheek. His head ached and he felt nauseous as he blinked his eyes open. The room swirled and moved around him. Staring at the floor to try to maintain some equilibrium, Per rolled up onto his hands and knees. He stared unthinkingly at the blood on the floor. Some of was congealed, but it gave him something to focus on. He pushed himself up and leaned against a wall as his stomach flopped over. He gritted his teeth in an effort to keep from vomiting. He saw the door on the opposite wall and staggered over to it.

  "You had better go and take care of the two men," he heard Lord Letlow say from the other side of the door. "Call the watch and have them arrested. I'll convict them in the morning for burglary."

  "Yes, master," came the reply.