The doors swung open, and I stood before her, flanked by two of her zombie underlings. Even though I took this to be her personal bedroom, the stench of death and decay was unmistakable and unavoidable. The thought of who I might see on the other side of that door bothered me more than the two shambling corpses who had escorted me here. She was a Necromancer, it was assumed she'd have undead servants. They don't need to breath, don't need to eat, and don't complain if they are ordered to work for days on end without a rest. Perfect little slaves. Just like me...
The sight wasn't anything like what I was prepared for. I had been expecting an adult, but this girl before me was only twenty if she was a day. Her blonde hair, streaked here and there with lines of red, flowed loose around her shoulders. Dark black eyes looked into mine, groping my inner thoughts with just her gaze. My mind started to fog, and I surrendered to her allure.
"Funny," She remarked to her servants, "I don't remember her being among the prisoners. I was expecting another man, like last time, butβ¦" She looked at me, eyes roaming up and down, lips pursed in thought. "I suppose you will do for tonight. Won't you?"
"Yes, Mistress," I heard myself answer.
"Wonderful. Leave us."
The two shambling husks of former humans grunted in unison, released their grips on my arms, and lurched back down the hall into the shadows. I watched one of them go, the infected, maggot-infested sword wound on its back completely ignored. Why wouldn't you use something a bit cleaner as a slave, I wondered. Something less grotesque, at least?
She led me by the elbow, and I followed without hesitation. The first step my bare foot took on the floor of her room, I shivered. The flagstone was soβ¦cold. I looked at her naked legs, her bootless feet, and wondered how she tolerated it.
She brought me further into the room, then stopped, gazing into my eyes again, as if to make certain the spell had taken hold. Cold ran up my spine, but I did my best not to shiver again. Finally satisfied that she had me right where she wanted me, she turned away and shrugged off her cloak.
I looked around the room. It was tremendous for just a single occupant, easily sixty by sixty, if not more. Candles flickered in the corners, stuck to the tops of skulls (human and otherwise) with clotted wax. From somewhere that I could not immediately identify, a scent of incense floated into my nostrils. Cheap aroma, yes, but anything masking the smell of death was better than nothing, I supposed.
Suddenly she was in front of me again with a movement so subtle that it caught me by surprise. I stepped back involuntarily, but she only smiled. "I want you to ball up your fist, and hit me. Right now. With all your strength."
God knows I wanted to, I knew what she was, but my hand stayed firmly rooted at my side. I clenched my fingers, pulled at my muscles, screamed at them to obey me just this one. But they refused.
She laughed. "Excellent. You cannot. I assure you, this is a good thing. Please, come this way."
I followed her to the massive bed that dominated the center of the room. A four-poster canopy affair, it looked large enough to sleep six man-sized humanoids comfortably, much less her small body and mine.
She stepped behind me, and I felt the straps on my tunic being loosened. I had tied the knots well, and she got frustrated quickly. Once again, she was in front of me. I watched her lick the small fingernail of her right hand, then she drew it across the shoulders of my shirt. The fabric parted for her as though it were smoke, and the garment dropped to the floor. Again, a chill seized my body, but I stood still.
Taking my face in her hands, she pressed her lips to mine and held the kiss for a moment before stepping back. The smile still had not left her face; it was the smile of one who was completely in control, and knew it. "Tell me, girl, what is your name?"
"Jasmine," I replied.
"As the spice. Magnificent. Do you know why you are here?"
"I do, Mistress."
"Good..." At her gesture, the ties holding her shirt to her skin unbound themselves. She wore no bra, instead her pale breasts with their small, pink nipples perked up at once from the direct exposure to the cold. Her stomach was flat as well, like that of one who got enough exercise to keep fat away, but not enough to bulk her up like a man. "You are still over-dressed to be in my chambers. As my guest, I insist you remedy this at once."
"Of course, Mistress." The small leather skirt I was wearing which barely hid my modesty found itself on the floor beside her top.
"Mine too."
Silently, I nodded, knelt on the floor and pulled the short pants she was wearing down to the stones. One leg at a time, she stepped out of them, and bade me rise. Her hand went to my back, and I felt the nail part the strap of my brassiere as she had done to my shirt before. The fabric slowly peeled away from my skin, but I did not move to cover myself.
Then both hands were at my hips, and the last vestige of my clothing gave way to her fingers, slit up both legs to the waistband. It fell to the ground, joining the rest of the accumulated garments there. All that remained was a slender strap of fabric which circled my left thigh.
"Now then, see to my underwear."