Chapter 2: The Dining Chamber
"And now you will dine with the other whores," said Silerna, as they left the bathing room. The air in the corridor was warm and slightly breezy, making the large blue flowers that lined the wall sway on their dark vines. "By this time, all of you Captives can see properly, and all of you understand our language, and now you will learn about our ways." Silerna turned to face Mira and gently fastened a collar around her neck, attached to a black rope that felt cool when it brushed Mira's arm. Mira realized it was a thick vine, identical to the ones on the wall. Silerna held the vine-leash and led Mira back down the corridor, to where a tall Tiran man stood, staring ahead with an impassive expression. "Guard, here is our last Captive. You will bring her to the dining chamber. You will punish her if she misbehaves." She handed Mira's leash to the guard.
"Yes, madam." The guard spoke without changing expression.
"Little slut, you will speak respectfully to your guard and address him as 'Master,'" said Silerna, running a hand over Mira's head. "You will do as he commands."
Mira wanted to scream, 'Don't leave me!' But she held her tongue and said quietly, "Yes, Mistress."
The guard turned and led Mira down a long, spiral ramp. His brown-yellow body was painted with a smooth black fabric that clung to him so closely Mira could see the bulges of his back muscles shift as he walked. Like the two Tiran women, he stood a full foot taller than Mira. When Mira and the guard reached the bottom of the spiral, the ramp opened out into a large, round room, with a raised platform in the center, surrounded by small, plush red armchairs. In each armchair sat an Earth woman; there were about 75 of them. Their smooth nakedness, in all of the skin tones known on Mira's beloved planet, stood out against the dense, dark nap of the armchairs.
The guard led Mira to an empty chair near the heart of the circle. "You will sit," he told her, and she moved toward the seat, but felt a yanking at her neck as the guard pulled her back. "You will bend over the chair," he told her impassively. Mira bent over, holding onto the back of the chair, and felt the guard's huge hand sear her bottom with a painful slap. She gasped. "You will respond when I give you an order. You will say 'Yes, Master,'" he instructed, in his strange, low voice. He spanked her again, and again.