We herded our captives to the ground floor, through the lobby, onto the porch, down the steps and across the lawn. Some were moaning softly, some giggling, a few muttering. Most were silent. Many had wads stuffed in their mouths, and there was a pattern to this. They came in clusters, and it was obvious that some of my fellow Knights were keener to apply the gag than others; and some, to my disgust, had trophies tucked into their belts -- plundered lingerie. The girls' state of dress or undress also varied, from fully clothed to almost naked, so I didn't feel too badly about my three in just their bras and panties. But it was a cool morning and those who had been standing in the yard the longest were stamping their feet on the damp grass to get warm.
Although it was not actually freezing, as they filed out of the building the girls recoiled as if hitting an invisible wall of ice. Because they were bunched up, this loss of momentum travelled as a wave backwards along the line, causing the ones behind to bump up against each other. Some of the accompanying Knights barked orders to "Slow down!" while others shouted "Speed up!" This merely added to the confusion and congestion.
Out on the lawn, meanwhile, the Captain was barking his own orders. "Move it along, get into line, we don't have all night!" The arriving captives glared at him as they were hustled into their rows. They were starting to shiver, teeth were beginning to chatter, bodies were beginning to shudder. Their faces were flushed, their skin was sweaty, and aroused nipples poked little bumps in flimsy tops. They were reacting as much from the excitement as from the cold.
When everyone from the house had been assembled, we freed their hands and rebound them, replacing the cable ties with thicker, softer, more pliable nylon cord. The gags were removed. Then we arranged them in a single column, in marching formation, and made them close up so that their bodies were touching. The Captain moved swiftly down one line and back along the other, every so often testing a girl's bonds by seizing her wrists to tug downwards and sideways. Only one protested, a curvaceous beauty with fiery red hair in a camisole and French knickers. The Captain was checking the bonds of the girl in front, and they were all huddled together so close that his movements were vigorously massaging the redhead's most intimate region. As soon as she'd complained, she looked fearfully at him, expecting to be gagged again for her impudence... but he just smiled and moved on.
My three prisoners from the first floor were in the middle of the column. Being piled up snugly was not a problem for them. In fact, I saw many a girl taking advantage of the situation to wiggle her bosom against the back of the girl in front, and to use her bound hands to fondle the girl behind in the only place her fingers could reach. Pressing their bodies together and stomping their feet for warmth primed them even more. There were a few more giggles and moans. I had to admire how well they were handling their predicament. And this is when it really started to sink in, to me at least, that the Maidens were taking their captivity much less seriously than their captors. For many of them, it seemed, this was not the first time they'd been abducted from the Maidenhall. I couldn't escape the feeling, bizarre though it was, that we Knights were the real pawns in this game.
One of the last of the Maidens extracted from the building was half-clad in a lavender-coloured pyjama top and a pair of panties which appeared a little odd, until I realized that they had been hastily pulled on backwards. My gaze lingered there for long enough that I realized it appeared that I was leering; so I raised my eyes. The young woman gave me a reproving look. She didn't say anything. She straightened her body in a show of dignity; but her arms were trussed tightly behind her back, which pushed out her chest; and this and her posture of pride strained the buttons on her shirt until they were close to popping. Despite the chill her cheeks sparkled with droplets of perspiration. I could not have imagined Alice more exposed, more helpless, more gorgeous. She was shoved brusquely into the middle of the line.
The Captain, having completed his inspection of the ranks, gave instructions to have our prisoners joined together with a rope that was specially prepared with large loops about an arm's length apart. These went over the girls' necks but were only loosely secured. The tether was designed simply to prevent anyone trying to make a break for freedom from the column. If they all broke away,
en bloc
, once they were inside the forest the trees would provide an impenetrable barrier to escape. So with their harness in place, our captive Maidens had no choice but to comply.
On the Captain's order, a group of my comrades promptly disappeared back into the building. He then summoned me to his side.
"Commander, are you ready to lead?" he demanded stentoriously.
"Of course," I replied, in as sanguine a tone as I could muster.
"Pick three men to escort the prisoners."
Those of my fellow Knights within hearing distance turned to me with hopeful, beseeching looks. I shrugged apologetically. Ben had gone back inside, so my first ever command decision was easy enough.
"Rick to the front, Tom and Mike on the flanks, I will bring up the rear."
"Good luck," one of our disappointed comrades called out.
"If we don't hear from you..."
"We'll send out a search party..."
"Give us a week," Mike laughed as the Captain marshalled the rest of his men to secure the Maidenhall.
At the front of the single line of prisoners was Annabel, and at the rear Olivia. Both looked dazed, apathetic, numbed by their ordeal. Again I felt sorry for them -- for all our captives -- but I had a job to do. I flicked Annabel on the thigh with one of my leftover zip-ties. It must have stung, which I hadn't intended. She jerked but stifled a yelp. I resisted the urge to say "Sorry" and instead pointed in the direction of the trees. The line which had snaked across the restricted frontage of the lawn uncoiled as its first members entered the woods.
Beyond the trees, a feeble orange glow suddenly lit up in a pearly white dome. Things were happening back at the Temple.
***
Within just a few days of my arrival I was well into the swing of things with regard to both my academic affairs and the ways of the Order. Life in the Temple was turning out to be nothing like what I had anticipated -- no bizarre or extravagant initiation rites, no mystical or secret sacraments, no passwords or covert handshakes, not a lot of pomp and circumstance, not even an official induction ceremony. Nor was there anything remarkable about the Knights. Most of my fellow novices came across as either unworldly naïfs like me or supercilious frat-boys like Ben. In my opinion, he and his buddies spent too much time hitting the pubs and hitting on the ladies and not enough hitting the books; but their activities did not interfere with mine. In fact, it worked to my advantage that the roommate was so often absent.
Meanwhile, in those first weeks we had only fleeting and superficial contact with the senior Knights, who occupied the upper storeys of the Temple. This was mainly at dinner. Like any organization of its kind, the Order did have its routines and rituals, and these were generally associated with meals. Since time immemorial, in every culture, the preparation and serving of food has provided occasions and opportunities for fraternal bonding and reinforcement of institutional beliefs and values. It also defines status, demarcating duty and entitlement, setting the boundaries between those who serve and those who are served. Of course, in the Temple, while seniority counted amongst the Knights, the vital delineation was by sex. That was something I was still coming to terms with.
It was not mandatory nor even an expectation that we attend the dinners in the Temple, although it was a courtesy that notice be given if one had other arrangements. All evening meals and lunch on the weekend were prepared in the Annexe, by the girls who lived there. They were rostered for duty on a rotation of eight days (so they weren't scheduled on the same day of the week every time). Breakfast was self-service, although this also was made and set out by the females. Only if he wanted lunch on a weekday did a Knight have to do it himself, which was the reason for the small ancillary kitchen. It was certainly pleasant to have such matters taken care of, freeing us to devote our time and energy to more important things... provided we didn't think too deeply about the provenance of our privilege.
So, by the first Saturday I was beginning to find my way about the university with confidence and starting to settle comfortably into my new life in the Temple. Nevertheless, the Order had its secrets, which were only by degrees revealed to me.
That morning, Kate and I were going home to see our parents and pick up the rest of my belongings. For an early getaway we had arranged to meet at seven o'clock. I waited in front of the Annexe for a few minutes, then phoned.
"I'm outside," I told her impatiently. "You're late."
"I am woman. It's what I do. Why don't you just come on up?"
"Is that allowed?"
"Why not?"
Since my induction I had not seen any females above the ground floor of my own building (which was where the communal facilities were located). So I had assumed they were barred, and that, likewise, males were forbidden to enter the women's quarters. But the Temple was not a monastery. (Of course it occurred to me that Kate had delivered my belongings to my room on my second day. My defence is that she could have had some of the lads take the boxes upstairs. Ben hadn't really specified.)
"Okay," I said, feeling rather foolish. I strode up the steps of the Annexe, still half-expecting to be challenged. The girls who passed me on the way out just smiled a cordial greeting and kept walking.
The lobby was small and plain, in contrast to the grand entrance of the Temple. The reception desk was tended by a young lady in the now familiar little white dress.
"May I help you?" Her manner was polite but businesslike.
I told her that I was here to visit my sister. I gave her Kate's details and she looked them up in the register.
"Here we are," she said. Reaching for the intercom, she asked to see my ID.
