Chapter 30. A taste of Karlos

Latarra and I didn't talk a lot over the next few days, although she did make arrangements for me to travel with her to a remote mountain villa, ostensibly for a quiet getaway with just a dozen or so guards.  From there,  we figured I could relatively easily cross the Eural mountains without any real pursuit.  My tolerance for the cold and altitude was proven, and if not, realistically, I figured I could handle a dozen of even the best of the Kargellians, as long as Latarra wasn't one of them. 



In a last attempt to salvage our decaying sex life, Latarra asked me to get rough with her, and while she seemed to really like it, I didn't.  Men who've seen me in battle sometimes assume I like hurting and killing, but the truth is, it's not like that for me.  I've got plenty of anger, and it certainly makes fighting easier for me emotionally, but I'm not a cruel person and, particularly at that young age, even playfully dominating a lover physically made me feel awkward and freakish, rather than good about myself.  Looking back on it, I may just have been too young and immature for that kind of kink, or maybe at that point, I didn't want it to work.



Two days before our trip, Kurt found me and offered to let me visit with Pongo.  He told me this story about how weaning Pongo off the Polonaise was his idea, and how Pongo and he were actually close than ever now.  And he was right about the latter part anyway.  Pongo was still confined, but he wasn't chained, and while I could tell he was still drugged, it wasn't nearly as bad as before.  With Kurt in the room, we couldn't really talk, but between the lines, I do think Pongo was happy.  Broken, for sure, but happy nonetheless.


Needless to say, I wasn't at all happy about Pongo, but at the time, I was pretty focused on extricating myself from Latarra, and while I certainly wasn't happy about leaving him behind, if I wanted my freedom, I really thought I needed to get out of Kargel and Latarra's plan seemed like the best.


Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong with the very best of plans, and that's precisely what happened.  When I got back from visiting Pongo, Latarra was in a rush to take care of some estate business, but she assured me, even if our trip had be delayed a few days, we'd do it.

That night, with Latarra out again, I had dinner in her chambers alone and went to bed with an odd sense of foreboding, wondering if I was doing the right thing with Pongo and Latarra.  I really didn't even think that there might be some other problem entirely.  I was wrong.




I knew immediately when I woke up that something was wrong when I opened my eyes and everything was blurry.  Then, I realized  I was bound, stark naked against a wall.

"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty" said a male voice with a Kargellian accent I didn't recognize.  I turned my head, blinked, and saw Kurt with a beard.  I blinked again, and realized Kurt had grown up.

"What?..." I said, "who  ...are ...you?"

"My name is Karlos of Thundertarr, my dear Fiona, " he said as he stepped forward and slipped his hand between my legs.

My whole body tensed as I tried to break free but whatever held my hands was more than adequate to hold me in my drugged state.  Even drugger,  some part of me was strong enough that Karlo pulled his fingers back, swearing as if he'd been bitten or something.

"Get your hands.. off me..." I stammered.

Karlos smiled and went back to what he was doing, although this time, he was careful not to try to actually put anything inside me.  Instead, he expertly found a piece of me a little more accessible and toyed with it.  My senses dulled the sensations quite a bit, but not enough, and before long, I was writhing under his touch. Karlos knew his way around drugged women and  my size, shape and even my strength seemed to inspire him.  I eventually passed out again, and, despite the drugs running through my brain, I dreamed of Karlos.


I've no idea how long it was before I woke, but when I did,  I was still tied up, and hungry to boot.  It was hard to get my wits around what had happened, but I was sure, if I didn't do something soon, Karlos would be back and this time, what he did to me might be far worse.  Karlos had rambled while playing with me and I only recalled some of what he'd said, but apparently branding and then breeding me was on his agenda, at least as soon as he could get the drugs right to make that feasible.


  From my perspective, I'd been totally helpless, but apparently not helpless enough for him to do what he wanted.  I'd no idea who long he would be gone, but working on the assumption that he'd probably come back with more drugs, and maybe sturdier bonds as well, I figured I shouldn't wait around.    A good solid tug got one hand free, followed by the other.  But just as I got my legs free, the door opened and in stepped a guard.


As soon as he saw I was untied, he tried to make a quick exit, but, my shoulder made kindling out of the oak door, just as my weight brought him down.  I took his sword and staggered out into the hall. 


 Still groggy, I made a mess out of things, but managed to dispatch the mere three other men I ran into on my way out of the little wooden building.  If I'd had my wits about me, I'd probably have grabbed some clothing, but all I could think of was getting away before Karlos came back.  So, stark naked, I trudged out in the snow, making my way into the woods.



I nearly froze to death that night, but the next day, I  found a trapper who lent me some of his furs, and, after he objected, eventually forfeited some his provisions as well.  I still wasn't myself, but a naked half frozen woman my size can be pretty persuasive.


Lucas was an interesting man, and one im glad i ran across.  A native Kargellian with a brand on his neck to prove it, he'd been wounded in a battle years before and had chosen to live outside of Kargellian society, making his living trapping and hunting in the mountains.  


We got off to a shaky start, thanks to my still slurred speech and admittedly rather rough treatment of him at the start, but instead of holding it against me, Lucas, no doubt accustomed to brutality from Karga masters in the past, accepted it, and then before long, was sharing his provisions, as well as his skills at surviving off the land.  


Before long, I was helping the old man with his trapping.  Although I was in pretty bad shape, I could still help with the heavy lifting and was thrilled to learn to hunt, which he had difficulty with by himself.


I spent nearly a month with Lucas in the mountains, regaining my strength and oddly enough, my faith in humanity.  But when we descended to sell his furs at a town on the Northwestern side of the mountains well outside of Kargellian control, we parted ways and I set forth for Alcatian lands.