4-078, Feeling Terror's Tremors

Her hands were not shaking as badly now, her breathing more relaxed and less shallow.  The night prayers had a calming effect on her.  In the least, they took her mind off the burning agony gripping her belly, but tonight they seemed to be soothing to flesh and soul.  The terror of earlier hours, when Perk had returned, was decreasing, and she was starting to feel the dull pain of the beatings.  Drying blood, mixed with the human filth left over from previous inhabitants, covered her naked body and caked her hair.  The airless chamber had already been chokingly thick with the rank smell of these things, but now the stench of sweat and sexual exhaustion emulsified with the other stink to produce a stomach-wrenching odor.  She heaved up some more bile, but there was nothing else left.

Perk had waited until Treston had retired for the night.  Then he had quietly slipped out the side door of the prison chamber.  At Perk’s departure, Tanner lit a small lamp and paced back and forth in front of the cell door until he returned.  When he came back, four other men accompanied him.  All were filthy and unkempt.  Obviously, these men worked or slaved down in some other part of this hole of a prison.

Perk threw open the door of the girl’s cell and stepped in.  He held the lantern high to look over his prize catch for the night.   “My, my, whut a dainty we ‘av ‘ere.  The gods ‘av luk’d on us t’nite.”  He then cooed, “I ‘ear yu got a nam, an’ quite a fan-see on, too.”  Turning his head back over his shoulder, he grinned.  “Ish-tar.  Can yu baleeve it?  We g’t us a goddess right ‘ere in ar li’le ‘ome.  Ya ev’r see a goddess ‘afore?”

He clumsily reached for her clothes. 

The child threw up her hands to stop him.  Perk lunged forward and drove his fist into the side of her head, sending her spinning into the far wall.  Before she could fall, Perk’s giant paws were around her throat, squeezing the breath out of her.

Tanner wailed. “Stop it Perk! Or yu’l get us all kild!”

“Shut your friggin mouth you!” Perk growled.

Tanner’s cries did have their effect, though.  Perk caught his breath and calmed down.  Easing his iron grip he pulled the girl close, and opening his mouth in a sinister grin, he cautioned, “Well goddess, yu win fer now.  I dn’t want ta spoil th’ goods.  Now be nice, or next time, I’l rip that sluttin’ ‘ed of yur’s right off.”

“Let’s ‘av a see at what a goddess looks like.”  Perk reached down and ripped Ishtar’s tunic off, the force flinging her across the room.

She caught hold of a post in the wall just before falling.  Tanner lifted the lamp high to get a better look at the naked girl.  A hushed gasp rose in chorus from the men looking on.  They stared, transfixed, looking at the most strikingly beautiful form they had ever seen.

Enjoy other posts: 

Prologue,

Destiny's Road 1-001, 1-002, 1-003, 1-004, 1-005, 1-006, 1-007, 1-008, 1-009,

1-010, 1-011, 1-012, 1-013, 1-014, 1-015, 1-016, 1-017, 1-018, 1-019, 1-020,

1-021, 1-022, 1-023, 1-024 & 1-025

Of Councils Great and Small 2-026, 2-027, 2-028, 2-029, 2-030, 2-031,

2-032, 2-033, 2-034, 2-035, 2-036, 2-037, 2-038, 2-039, 2-040, 2-041, 2-042,
2-043, 2-044, 2-045, 2-046, 2-047, 2-048, 2-049 & 2-050

Legend's Heroes 3-051, 3-052, 3-053, 3-054, 3-055, 3-056, 3-057, 3-058,
3-059, 3-060, 3-061, 3-062, 3-063, 3-064, 3-065, 3-066, 3-067, 3-068, 3-069,
3-070, 3-071, 3-072, 3-073, 3-074 & 3-075

Forges of Hell 4-076, 4-077, 4-078, 4-079, 4-080, 4-081, 4-082, 4-083, 4-084,
4-085, 4-086, 4-087, 4-088, 4-089, 4-090, 4-091, 4-092, 4-093, 4-094, 4-095,
4-096, 4-097, 4-098, 4-099 & 4-100

Or find your own book at:

Amazon.com; Smashwords.com;

Diesel-Ebooks.com, BN.com; ebookstore.sony.com