The Maze (5 page)

He was h
andsome, Lina admitted, and she knew that he wore a cage under his canvas cloth. Strong Man or not, he was still a male.  She considered her options: he would not be too awful a mate to be stuck with, even though he had welted her bottom like… like a child!
She had a plan.  She was not as strong as Suri, or as smart as Keeria, but she was clever and very talented in the art of manipulation.  Traisk was the ultimate test of her abilities. She would find a way to seduce him, right before ripping his throat out.

They traveled silently through the passage, noting the air was getting warmer.  Doors lined both sides of the d
ark hallway, some locked with others opening to either empty rooms or stone walls.
A breeze from under one of the doors touched Traisk’s bare leg and he stopped, halting Lina’s steps. He held her at arm’s length as he slowly jimmied open the wooden access using her sword.

The heavy door groaned
as it slowly swung
open to reveal a fully furnished suite, complete with luxuries Traisk could only imagine.  His companion must have felt the same, for she stared wordlessly around her. “We could LIVE here,” she fin
ally
whispered, hungrily eyeing the food piled on the table, the Grecian style pool, and the large platform bed upon which pillows were piled.

“I might allow YOU to stay here for a while, but this is a trick.  It’s a decoy to get us off purpose and keep us from exploring the maze properly so that we can reach the exit when it opens.  Keep in mind that I want a mate of my choice and YOU are not her. I also want my freedom.  No amount of bribery from the elders is going to distract me,” Traisk said firmly, pushing Lina into a chair.  He piled some food on a plate in front of her with a shallow bowl of water and ordered her to eat.

“My hands are tied!”

“No ‘Thank you, sir’?  My, my, your manners really are terrible, even after being spanked over my lap on your bare bottom. Is that a blush I’m seeing? Good, then there is some humility in that stubborn little head. Find a way, Trained One. Be grateful I did not put this bowl on the floor and have you eat there. On second thought, since you forgot to thank me, I think I will.”

With that, he placed the bowls on the floor and then lifted her with one arm off the chair and lowered her to her knees. She glared at him before leaning forward to eat from the platter like an animal.  She was so humiliated and so hungry.  He would pay dearly for this insult.  Not just for making her eat like a dog out of a bowl, but for rejecting her.  What was that old earth saying? Oh, yes… Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. This Strong Man would know what fury looked like, and felt like, when she was done with him.

Traisk eyed her carefully as she ate, wondering what kind of mischief she was plotting.  He munched on a piece of fruit as he looked around the room. Yes, that would do. “Do you need to eliminate?” His question was harsh, pronounced and without emotion. 

Lina reddened. “Are you going to let me go so I can take care of my personal business?”

“No, I will not. You can either use the outpot here or I will simply swaddle you like a baby.  Make your choice.” He grinned, feeling a little sadistic and very inventive.  If he could not find that golden haired one, he would have this one ready to submit one way or another.

The crowd rumbled with eagerness, wondering what she would do.

Lina sneered. “I will not be diapered like an infant.  I am a Trained One! I’ve been taught to hold my needs for days,” she boasted.

“Really? Very well then, you made your choice.  I hope you’re comfortable with it, especially after all the water you drank.” He sounded amused as he relieved himself, noticing she turned her head away so she would not see him.  He then scooped her into his arms and deposited her on the soft platform bed.  She cursed at him as he untied her ankles and wrists, and then expertly bound her, spread eagle, to four of the eight posts that surrounded the round padded frame.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she screamed, struggling wildly.  He leaned forward and whispered something in her ear, silencing her. No, he couldn’t mean what he said! His words left her silent.  He wrapped a gag around her mouth to prevent her from calling out for help, just in case one of the others was about.  Tapping her nose with his finger, Traisk leaned over her, his hot breath again in her ear.

“Stay here like a good girl and you might find a special reward.  Try to escape and you will be punished very severely.  Remember, your trainers were once Strong Men.  The techniques they’ve used on you are only a portion of what we know how to do.” With that subtle threat, he left.  Lina felt tears in her eyes, her resolve slowly melting away when she realized she was, indeed, a captive.

Lina’s short sword in hand, Traisk marked the doorway with a gouge that could not ‘accidentally’ be erased.  He suspected the elders played games to confuse and confound them even more.  He marked his path carefully as he ventured down to the end of the dark hall, listening cautiously for every sound.

His exploration took him up another level, and he stood in a well-lit passage that ended in yet another door.  He was tired and getting bored with playing hide-and-go-seek now for at least six hours with the Trained Ones.  He also suspected that they were even less thrilled than he was.  It angered him, this stupid game.  The elders, all men who were once like himself, sat back fat and happy watching these women suffering under the brutal treatment of sadistic males trained for that purpose.  Why would society keep these people in power? Maybe because society was as sick as they were, he concluded. Many of the Free Citizens had money and power, gleaned off the populace for their own profit. If they enjoyed the Maze, they would keep it going as it was.

He had never viewed the televised program—Strong Men were not permitted any insight into the specific things which took place in the Maze—but he had heard rumors of the torturous treatment the women usually underwent before finally submitting as Conquered Ones.  More questions raced through his mind.  Was this planet really as overpopulated as the Elders claimed?  He also considered another point; if these Trained Ones were the cream of the crop, why force them to endure such a horrible process to gain a mate as strong and as intelligent as they were?  And the offspring? What happened to the ones who did not fit into the elders’ molds of perfection?  Were they spayed and neutered like house pets? None of this made sense to him.  Unless, of course, it was only for the money.  The Maze, just like the arena matches, brought in tremendous revenue to the show’s Free Citizen producers and the High Council, which meant significant tax breaks to the less wealthy.  This alone ensured the incumbent Elders being chosen to lead the civilization for another term.

Traisk paused to ponder his situation.  He made a promise to himself that if he survived this ordeal and gained his freedom, he would find a way to end this senseless violence once and for all.

Chapter Three

Keeria hid behind a tree, watching as a strange animal drank from the stream.  She studied it, unsure of its purpose.  She had been trained that everything that existed had a purpose, but this thing was an enigma to her.  It was roughly the size of a loaf of bread, with a pointed nose, short legs and long, thick, sharp looking strands of hair that lay back against its body.  The creature froze, lifting its coat and putting on a display of lethal quills that extended to a short, flat tail.

It bristled as it stared back at the girl, who sat on the ground across from it, calmly and quietly.  Not detecting a threat from her, it resumed drinking. Keeria watched it carefully, wondering how effective its fur would be if it were somehow made into a weapon.  She waited patiently and, sure enough, the animal’s curiosity led it to her.  She did not move as it sniffed her body and her outstretched hand.  It bristled a tiny bit as she drew her hand over its back, amazed by the hardness of its fur. It climbed into her lap, enjoying the tentative stroking.  Keeria smiled, lifting it carefully into her arms.  She had found a friend.  And a formidable weapon.

* * *

Traisk climbed up yet
another
ladder, following his instincts as he explored the Maze looking for the golden haired Trained One.  The announcer had commented that a new level had been made, but was it above or below the existing ones? He listened carefully, studied his surroundings
and looked for clues.
He continued to explore, searching for his beautiful target. He climbed up a r
amp
and entered another corridor with a single doorway.  Upon opening it, he inhaled sharply.

A torture chamber.

Bile rose in his throat.  He was a Strong Man.  He had no need to subject the weaker Trained Ones to torture!  He recalled being teased as a boy for his concern about the treatment of the camp whores and his refusal to subject them to some of the ‘play’ his comrades enjoyed.  His rebuffs had landed him in endless, bloody fights and gotten him severe lashings with the Master’s strop. The experience had earned him a reputation, but not a very positive one.  He was at first considered weak because he would instinctively protect a female.  He, however, believed himself stronger than the others, because he did not succumb to their pressure. His arrogance, size, determination, and convictions led him here. This was truly a fight for his existence.

A shelf of devices caught his eye and he approached it with curiosity.  Some were definitely intended to bring pain.  Yet, there were some that could produce pleasure as well. A closer look at the furnishings brought a smile to his face.  There was also a second room, housing a tiled bath in the center and various other types of interesting equipment. Food units were present as well.  Yes, this is where he would bring his selected Trained One to conquer her.  He marked the door as he left, before going back down the g
radient
and seeking another passage.

After two more hours of turns and twists, Traisk found himself in a small, round room that was lit from above.  The light seemed natural, as though it was filtered through a tube in the ceiling.  There were no doors or windows, and only one way in and out.  Yet, he clearly heard scrapping against the plaster.

Running his hand along the wall, he tapped, listening for weakness in the structure.  There.  With a mighty heave of his broad shoulder, he slammed his body against the panel, catching himself as it crumbled into pieces and opened into another enclosed room.

The Trained One, Suri, stood before him, sword out and ready to fight.

“Don’t they teach you girls anything?  Let’s get you out of here.  You look hungry.”

“Die, you barbarian bastard!” Suri shouted, lunging at him.

“Ow! Hey, you can stop that right now, young lady. Don’t make me hurt you,” Traisk commanded, dodging her lethal blade as the tip nicked his jaw. Suri was deaf to him, seeing him as her means to be granted her freedom. This one was strong, fast, and better skilled at defending herself.  Traisk had to admire the grace with which the taller woman attempted to slice him into lunchmeat.  She caught him twice more before he decided fun-time was over. His hand clapped the flat blade of her cinquedea, knocking it from her hands, and he kicked her legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Suri, bladeless, scrambled to her feet, holding her shoulder as she regained her fighting stance.  She knew she had no chance to beat him with strength and he had blocked the exit.  He noticed that she eyed Lina’s sword, which was still tucked into his waistband.  He grinned before jamming it high into the wall above her reach.

“You son of a bitch,” she hissed, crouching. 

Traisk grinned, remaining relaxed as he watched her moves. “Could be.  I never knew my mother.  Let me know when you are ready to calm down and talk. I’m tired and am seriously ready for a nap.”

“I am not talking to you,” Suri growled before leaping between his legs and forcing him to crack a knee on the hard stone.

“Ok, now that hurt.  I’m bored and have more important things to do than mess with you. Hear me?” he demanded, c
atching her hand before it broke his nose and
twisting her right arm painfully behind her back.  He pushed his finger into a pressure point of her neck, paralyzing her. She spit in his face.

“PUT ME DOWN!” Suri ordered, struggling to escape his grip
as he carried her upside down by her feet and reached for the long dagger buried in the ceiling
.  Her teeth sunk deep into his leg and Traisk growled.

“That was NOT very nice.  First you spit on me, which is very unl
a
dylike,
and then you bite me?
” Tsking, Traisk found himself sitting for the second time that day, and pulling another Trained One across his trunk like thighs.

“You don’t need these right now, young lady.”  He tore her leather leggings from her body, leaving her bare from the waist down.  She was too thin for his tastes; he liked curvier, womanly shapes.  But, a bottom was still a bottom.  And this one was going to be quite red and sore in a very short time. “I promise that, once I’m done, you will show more decorum to the one who holds your life in his hands!”

“LET ME GO!!”

The crowd hailed the Strong Man as Traisk’s hand fell loudly and repeatedly across the woman’s firm, slender bottom.

Traisk suspected that spanking was not a usual event witnessed in the Maze, which made it more enjoyable for the spectators.  He had a plan—a devious and conniving one at that—but then, that was how he was taught.  He prayed that it would work against those who trained him to be this way.