by LL
Using all her skills, acquired over almost a century, carefully avoiding contact with her teeth, putting lips and tongue to full use, Triss managed to get the captain to come abundantly in her mouth within the five minutes limit. At least, she was reasonably sure she did it. The bastard of course first checked she had swallowed everything, then claimed she had exceeded the five minute limit by a few seconds. He thus ordered his men to strike Ciri five times across the breasts with a cat o' nine tails. The strokes barely got a reaction out of the young woman, exhausted as she was after her night of punishment.
Then travel resumed. To further impress the lesson upon Triss, he ordered to put her backwards on the mobile wooden horse, and tie her tightly to Ciri, so that Triss was constantly reminded of how badly the overnight treatment had hurt her friend. She tried not to press too tightly against Ciri's chest, the stripes of the five lashes a clear reminder of how painful every contact there had to be. But the rope around their waist allowed for no distance.
Many times during that day, a particularly hot one for the end of summer, Triss had tried talking to Ciri, sometimes begging for forgiveness, sometimes trying to encourage. Was the brave, foolish girl still ashamed of her breakdown and confession under the atrocious tortures she had suffered in Emhyr's dungeon, she wondered? Was she angry at her, instead? Ciri gave no indication of being actually aware of her surroundings. Triss then tried to take some of Ciri's weight on her shoulders, turning their forced embrace to some advantage. The increased moaning on Ciri's side however soon made her realize that by lifting Ciri slightly all she obtained was increasing the blood flow to the teenager's nether regions, ultimately raising rather than lowering her pain. In the end Triss realized there was nothing she could do. Except keeping her temper in check for the rest of the long voyage.
Meanwhile Philippa seemed asleep, while Yen, on the front place and unable to comunicate with her friends, was drifting in and out of consciousness.
"The landscape... I could swear we were in a forest moments ago, and now it seems we're in a desert? And what is that? A carriage like ours, with women being taken TOWARDS Nilfgaard? That makes no sense... My mind must be playing tricks on me. Or did they drug me, maybe?"
The day crept on. Guards and prisoners, all awaiting what the evening would bring, albeit with quite different moods.