Pain's Pleasure

Chapter Two
sidenote: Tehal(s): another word for human(s).
Meira: a slave that serves as both a concubine and household servant.

The ride took about an hour. Osalie stayed alert the whole time, ready to dash to safety as soon as the situation called for it. Awhile ago the slick pavement turned to dirt roadside and the houses of the ton were exchanged for trees and greenery. The carriage made a sharp turn and the trees gave way to a seafront. Osslie cursed. She had forgotten that father’s business called for complete secrecy. The harbor was to busy, bustling with people even at this late hour. There was no inn, no civilization at all.
What am I to do? Osalie bit her thumb in contemplation. When the carriage stopped, her stomach twisted in knots. She was going to get caught and her father would beat her then force her into marriage with someone Osalie knew she wasn’t going to like. She had no time, with one glance around to make sure no one was near the rear of the coach she jumped down, holding her bag close, she crawled into the bushes. Her heart pounded as she peaked out to assess the situation. The men were busy loading supplies for the journey. Everything looked normal, from the sailors’ whistles to her father’s pleased smile. Osalie lowered her head as her father surveyed the ship and materials. He approached the captain and gave him an envelope, whispering, he also gave the man a wade of pound notes. The captain nodded went back to his duties. With a last look Lord Hennington went back into the carriage and drove off. Osalie let out a breath, she wasn’t in the clear yet but at least her father was gone. He would have made things decidedly worst. She had come to terms with her faulty planning, but now she had to think of a way to solve this. She could see the men were boarding the ship, soon they would depart. Now all she had to do was wait until they ship was well on its way, then she could walk to town and, for lack of a better word, be scott free. She sifted a bit, uncomfortable in her froglike position. They were taking longer than she expected. It was making her nervous all over again.
Osalie suddenly stood very still. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on ends. Something wasn’t right, she was about to turn when a hand shot out and covered her gasping mouth. It was too late, she was caught and they would send her back to her father, her nervousness changed to trepidation. Her father would not be please, and when her father wasn’t please outright hell ensued. The mystery assailant hauled her to her feet.
“Well look what we ‘ave here!” he boomed nearly dragging her in his excitement. “One of the goods tried to escape guess we have to teach ‘er a good lesson!” Osalie could hear the anticipation in his voice and groaned. Her luck seemed to worsen as the night wore on. A younger sailor approached the man behind her, looking at her in confusion.
“Don’t look like no slave to me, Jim. Why, she looks like a lady to me.” The man name Jim stood back and turned Osalie around to get a good look at her. His eyes widen and his agitation grew.
“What would a lady be doing way out hear in the middle of the night boy? Why she must be one of them strumpets who think they too good to be dressed up in rags.” Osalie stood stock still glaring ice at the sailor. Jim stared back, eyes hot and angry.
“Good Sir I’m am not nor have I ever been a lady of the night. I am simply a passerby on my way to my cousins when I tripped and my belongings feel out of my bag. I was just finishing gathering my things when you so rudely accosted me. I demand you let me go.” Her voice never rose above a whisper but its calm and strict tone commanded authority. Jim looked at her more closely unsure of how to proceed. The men who gathered were quiet, equally uncertain. It was this scene that greeted the captain who saw and heard the confrontation from his ship. The captain cursed and briskly walked over to his men.
“What is all the commotion?” The men stepped backed so the captain could see. A woman and his first mate were staring daggers at each other. His newest sailor quickly went to his side.
“Captain, Jim found this woman here behind the brush. He claims she’s a slave but she don’t look like one Sir, and she said that she was passing by but Captain…” the boy leaned closer and lowered his voice. “She might have seen everything, not the slaves perhaps but she saw Lord H and all the talk Sir must get her thinkin’.” The captain nodded intently looking at the girl. He approached the woman, eyes assessing. Osalie eyed him coolly. Her insides jumbled with anxiety but she’d be damned if she was going to show it. It wasn’t too hard, after all, practice does make perfect. The captain suddenly smiled.
“You know men, this is a very pretty bit here. In fact I’d say she’s the exact type Meira slave, which means...” he let the rest sink in and the men picked up quickly, cheering.
Jim looked smug. “It means a bonus for us and extra for some free time. How much you think she’d fetch?”
“Don’t know really, those demons are a peculiar lot. Get Lenhan over here, he could give a good estimate.” The captain said stroking his chin. One of the sailors rushed back to the ship, returning shortly with the demon guide.
The guide gazed straight at the captain ready to be of assistance when his nose pick up a unique sent. Once the Demon’s black eyes caught Osalie’s they widened. His nose flared and his hand shot almost touching her cheek, his hand recoiled and he settled for staring.
“Well, Lenhan. How much will the women fetch in the slave market.” The captain took the woman by the arm and held her in front of Lenhan. The guide took a step closer than shook his head as if to clear it, stepping back. “You don’t understand the gift all of you have gotten tehals. Her scent! It’s intoxicating. She’s pure that’s for sure but something else, what is it?” What makes me near crazed! He took another step back. Lenhan was a demon hardly rattled, but this woman and her scent made it difficult to control his usually controllable person. She was pretty, that was obvious, her eyes large, bright and colorless in the dark night. Her skin was smooth and her lips bow shaped, maybe a bit too full but attractive nonetheless. Her hair was an unremarkable brown and her body was slim, not very full in figure. She was pretty but nothing above average, but her scent was alluring, too much so. Human senses were weak, as a demon his were heightened and he knew men would physically fight for her, maybe not just for their slave, what ever the case would be, they would pay. He smiled wide. Oh yes, they would pay a great deal.
“Tehals we’ve struck gold” the men cheered again. Osalie’s heart plummeted straight to her stomach. She was finally granted what she wanted but at a very high price. She had escaped one prison for another, free from her family only to be a captive once again, only this time it would be much worst. It seemed as if someone was playing a cruel joke with a lousy pun. Luck had really and truly abandoned her. Though her fate was unclear one thing was certain, her future looked bleaker than the past she left behind.

~~~~
The room was dark. Osalie couldn’t hear much of anything as well. The ship had cramped individual cells, and all she could hear was the cries of the hopeless, the sighs of the resigned.
Osalie swallowed hard, she tried to ebb her growing panic. Pound pound…her heartbeat sounded louder and louder with each pulse. Her captors had taken her possessions, leaving her with nothing more than what she wore. She hugged her arms tightly, fighting the drafty air. Though these conditions left her exceedingly uncomfortable, she considered this heaven compared to the situation she was in a few maybe hours before. The men lifting her shirts and prodded her, even in her most intimate of places! She had closed her eyes and imagined she was in another place, a nice cabin by the sea where she was sketching by the shore. They held her mouth as one of the crew men forced a finger in her, her muffled cries lost to a large hand. She shivered again and thought of her family estates. Blank. Nothing no feeling of regret for leaving, she then contemplated her future situation. It was a weird sort of irony that she was to be one of the slaves who kept the family bank notes full. She decided, in the dark cellar, to make the best out of her situation. Osalie hoped for manual labor, she would scrub floors for the rest of days if it meant no man would touch her again. She closed her eyes, rubbed the chill from her bones and prayed.