pleasure; they were just moving them to the
middle of the boat. Tying them together between the masts. As the
girls moved, men stepped into their places, slotted their oars
through the side of the boat.
A yellow toothed beast with furs that smelled
like smoke stepped behind her. He grabbed a handful of her rump and
gave it a squeeze. Eliza grit her teeth, tried not to give him any
response. Anything to avoid being chosen. He untied her hands then
dragged her half by her arm and half by her hair to the middle of
the boat before looping a rope around her wrists and moving on to
the next girl.
Eliza huddled against Cordith, her bottom and
her scalp both smarting from the mistreatment.
Behind her, one of the crew members rumbled
something in the guttural Viking tongue. Aldith screamed as he
pawed her chest.
“Don’t look, child,” Cordith said, bowing her
head.
“What?” Eliza turned back, watched Aldith
being dragged upright. The yellow toothed man sliced the ropes from
her ankles and hauled her toward the bow. “What’s he doing?”
“Oh, don’t watch it. They’re going to take
their pleasure with poor Aldith.” Cordith shuddered.
Eliza couldn’t look away. She had never been
good friends with the other girl, but they still knew each other.
Yellow Tooth ripped her shift away, revealing the pale skin
beneath.
Aldith’s breasts bounced as she struggled,
her cries going from fear to outright panic. Another Viking came
over, a thick rope in his hands. He waited for Yellow Tooth to push
her against the mast, then snaked the rope around her arms and up
around her neck. He pulled it tight, cutting off her screams.
Aldith’s eyes bulged as the rope bit into her
neck. She kicked her bare legs, but it only made the Vikings laugh.
The second man relaxed the rope, letting her suck in a breath, then
he smashed his lips to hers, a kiss of conquest. He fumbled at his
waist, untying his leather breeches. Yellow Tooth pulled Aldith’s
ankle aside, and the other Viking stepped up between her legs.
“Oh God,” Eliza whispered. She stared at her
bound hands, unable to watch any longer. Aldith’s screams
redoubled, then rose to a piercing shriek. Eliza collapsed forward,
her back shuddering. That could have been me. It could still be
me. The screaming cut off abruptly, but she was too afraid to
look to see how.
The Viking’s grunting mixed with the slap of
the oars and the creak of the timbers. The longship pulled slowly
down the river, taking Eliza deeper and deeper into hell.
Chapter Three
Helpless
Over the coming days, each one of the other
girls was taken to the mast, even Cordith. For some reason she
couldn’t understand, Eliza wasn’t chosen. Aldith even had to go
back a second time. Whatever their reasons for skipping her, Eliza
thanked the Gods that she’d been left alone.
When Cordith returned after her bout of
pleasuring the crew, she collapsed on the deck, her body shaking.
“Your turn will come, child.”
Eliza couldn’t meet her eyes.
“It’ll be all the worse for the waiting. When
they come for you, take your mind away. Imagine you’re in the
village cleaning fish. Picture yourself by the river mending nets.
Don’t focus on what they do.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“It’s for my benefit as much as yours.”
Cordith rubbed her chest, wincing.
“Are you well?”
“No, I’m not well. I just lay with a dozen
men. I ache, inside and out.”
“I’m sorry,” Eliza whispered.
“Aren’t we all.”
The crew’s conversations took on a different
tenor the morning of the eighth day. The weather had turned cooler,
and they’d provided the captive women fur blankets to keep them
from freezing in their thin dresses.
Eliza spent her time trying to work out their
language. To piece together a few words she might be able to use to
communicate. It was precious little, but enough to have a vague
idea what a few objects were. References to the captain picked up
that eighth way, and
middle of the boat. Tying them together between the masts. As the
girls moved, men stepped into their places, slotted their oars
through the side of the boat.
A yellow toothed beast with furs that smelled
like smoke stepped behind her. He grabbed a handful of her rump and
gave it a squeeze. Eliza grit her teeth, tried not to give him any
response. Anything to avoid being chosen. He untied her hands then
dragged her half by her arm and half by her hair to the middle of
the boat before looping a rope around her wrists and moving on to
the next girl.
Eliza huddled against Cordith, her bottom and
her scalp both smarting from the mistreatment.
Behind her, one of the crew members rumbled
something in the guttural Viking tongue. Aldith screamed as he
pawed her chest.
“Don’t look, child,” Cordith said, bowing her
head.
“What?” Eliza turned back, watched Aldith
being dragged upright. The yellow toothed man sliced the ropes from
her ankles and hauled her toward the bow. “What’s he doing?”
“Oh, don’t watch it. They’re going to take
their pleasure with poor Aldith.” Cordith shuddered.
Eliza couldn’t look away. She had never been
good friends with the other girl, but they still knew each other.
Yellow Tooth ripped her shift away, revealing the pale skin
beneath.
Aldith’s breasts bounced as she struggled,
her cries going from fear to outright panic. Another Viking came
over, a thick rope in his hands. He waited for Yellow Tooth to push
her against the mast, then snaked the rope around her arms and up
around her neck. He pulled it tight, cutting off her screams.
Aldith’s eyes bulged as the rope bit into her
neck. She kicked her bare legs, but it only made the Vikings laugh.
The second man relaxed the rope, letting her suck in a breath, then
he smashed his lips to hers, a kiss of conquest. He fumbled at his
waist, untying his leather breeches. Yellow Tooth pulled Aldith’s
ankle aside, and the other Viking stepped up between her legs.
“Oh God,” Eliza whispered. She stared at her
bound hands, unable to watch any longer. Aldith’s screams
redoubled, then rose to a piercing shriek. Eliza collapsed forward,
her back shuddering. That could have been me. It could still be
me. The screaming cut off abruptly, but she was too afraid to
look to see how.
The Viking’s grunting mixed with the slap of
the oars and the creak of the timbers. The longship pulled slowly
down the river, taking Eliza deeper and deeper into hell.
Chapter Three
Helpless
Over the coming days, each one of the other
girls was taken to the mast, even Cordith. For some reason she
couldn’t understand, Eliza wasn’t chosen. Aldith even had to go
back a second time. Whatever their reasons for skipping her, Eliza
thanked the Gods that she’d been left alone.
When Cordith returned after her bout of
pleasuring the crew, she collapsed on the deck, her body shaking.
“Your turn will come, child.”
Eliza couldn’t meet her eyes.
“It’ll be all the worse for the waiting. When
they come for you, take your mind away. Imagine you’re in the
village cleaning fish. Picture yourself by the river mending nets.
Don’t focus on what they do.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“It’s for my benefit as much as yours.”
Cordith rubbed her chest, wincing.
“Are you well?”
“No, I’m not well. I just lay with a dozen
men. I ache, inside and out.”
“I’m sorry,” Eliza whispered.
“Aren’t we all.”
The crew’s conversations took on a different
tenor the morning of the eighth day. The weather had turned cooler,
and they’d provided the captive women fur blankets to keep them
from freezing in their thin dresses.
Eliza spent her time trying to work out their
language. To piece together a few words she might be able to use to
communicate. It was precious little, but enough to have a vague
idea what a few objects were. References to the captain picked up
that eighth way, and
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