Chapter 120 Sacred Bonds
Engulfed by fatigue, Qieu soon drifted into another troubled sleep. She
dreamt that she was locked in a dark, airless cell not much larger than a
closet, whose only illumination was provided by the glowing red coals in a
brazier which stood against the wall that she faced. A single wraith-like
figure, his face shrouded in a black cowl, had bound her nude body to a
stout-timbered bondage frame so that her buttocks were perched on a waist-high
upright post whose girth was not quite large enough to accommodate their
roundness. That short post was connected to a taller and sturdier wooden post
which stood about a yard behind her, by an inclined board some four inches wide
and six inches thick. The upper end of the inclined board was joined to the
tall post with sturdy iron rivets, and its lower end provided a rough-edged
back-rest for her naked back. A horizontal cross-piece the thickness of a table
leg had been affixed across the slanted bench, forcing the small of her back to
arch painfully upward from the inclined board against which her neck and
shoulders rested. Her arms were lashed at the elbows to the back-bowing
cross-member, and at the wrists to the post on which she sat.
The alluring arc of her body on the slanted bench proved most entertaining
to her cloaked tormentor. He stood on her left, motionless, smiling mirthlessly
as he watched her struggle against her bonds, as she struggled desperately to
lift her bottom off its perch. Because the weight of her body had forced her
delicate anus down onto a well-greased, wooden phallus that protruded upward
from the top of the short post.
The phantom in the cloak seized a trim ankle and lifted it high and wide,
before shackling her pretty foot to a rusty manacle which hung on the side wall
of the tiny cell. Then he repeated the process, lifting her other foot higher
than her head before fastening it to fetters on the opposing wall. Only when
her bare legs were properly spread-eagled, did her cloaked tormentor stand
directly before her, staring at her glistening, gaping love-nook and her
dildo-stretched rosette with evident pleasure, while Qieu wriggled desperately
in a hopeless attempt to free herself from her chains.
After a moment or two, the shadowy figure turned toward the only light
source in the cell - the glowing brazier. Through a smoky haze, Qieu could see
that there was a gleaming object nestled among the red-hot coals, but could not
make out its size and shape.
The man in the cloak poked the glowing coals, causing bright sparks to fly
through the air, one of the embers lighting painfully on Qieu's bare stomach.
Then he turned toward her once again and ducked under her upraised left leg so
that he could stand at her side. He bent slowly downward toward Qieu's left
breast as her attempts to escape the relentless wooden knob caused her chains to
jangle tremulously.
But the cloaked figure's touch, when it came, was gentle. His lips touched
her breast, just to the left of her nipple, and tasted her flesh for a brief
instant before moving lower, kissing his way all around the tip of her yearning
breast without ever quite touching the bud in its center.
The thick wooden crossbar in the small of her back gave Qieu's body an
alluring arch and the cloaked figure extended his cowled arm across her body,
while his lips continued to worship her breast. She felt the soft grayish-black
cloth touch her belly flesh caressingly, and then pale fingers emerged from the
hollow sleeve and caressed the bare flesh that her bondage had drawn tight
across her ribcage. The hand moved lower as he tongued his way around her
sensitive aureole, stimulating the tumescent bud which rose from its center and
reached for his questing mouth like a sunflower reaches toward the sun.
The sleeved hand reached her wispy pubic hair just as the very tip of his
tongue found the apex of her yearning breast-nugget. Qieu moaned softly as the
phantom's hand moved lower still, to the juncture of her legs, where his fingers
played with the folds of her flesh like a virtuoso musician.
At last the loving lips closed on her nipple, drawing it deep into his warm
mouth while gentle but insistent fingers slipped inside her, causing her to gasp
with pleasure.
The silent figure christened the tip of her breast with his saliva,
anointing it with moisture, before using his lips to draw it even further away
from the quivering roundness of her breast. His exploring teeth found the base
of her taut nipple, and fastened on it for a long, loving second, relishing its
al dente firmness before releasing it, and letting the delicious nubbin slowly
slip through his gently scraping teeth.
Qieu was pushing her tingling breast toward the waiting mouth now, as much
as her stringent bondage would permit. She writhed in pleasure as his fingers,
moist with her girl-juices, teased her clitoris until her pelvis oscillated in
the throes of dark desire.
"Please ... please ..." she whimpered closing her eyes and surrendering to
the needs of her body. She had never seen her distended nipple so stirred by
passion.
"Are you ready now, my love?" She felt the hot breath of passion on her
breast. The faceless voice was gentle, but with a hint of steely resolve.
"Y-yes ... now ...please," Qieu moaned, her hips rotating in sensuous
circles as her bottom-cheeks danced on the carved phallus.
"Very well."
Ducking under her extended left leg once again, so that he could take a
position between her widespread thighs, the man in the cowl slipped his right
hand inside his cloak and removed a tiny pair of golden pincers. Qieu drew in a
fearful breath as she saw them, wondering if he would use them to pinch her
delicate flesh.
Seeing the fear in her eyes, the man whispered, "You wrong me, my dear; I
use these only to seal our love." Then the man in the dark cloak turned his
back on Qieu for a moment, toward the brazier she had almost forgotten. She
watched breathlessly, her hips writhing seductively, while the hand holding the
pincers reached toward the smoking coals.
After a moment the ghostly figure spun slowly back toward her, his right
hand held aloft, his left hand fiddling with the belt of his robe.
Qieu glanced up at the hand holding the pincers as it slowly descended
through the ashy haze.
And then she saw it - the ring! The pincers held a tiny golden ring, too
small for even the slenderest finger, that had been lying among the red-hot
coals for many minutes. Her mind raced wildly as the seemingly disembodied hand
continued its slow descent. The man in the cloak was closer now; she could feel
the soft fabric of his cloak again her tautly-stretched thighs.
The hand slowly reached toward her and then with a horrifying flash of
insight Qieu understood everything. The mouth, the lips, the tongue, the teeth
that had paid loving homage to her breast, had done so only to prepare it for
this golden circlet. The man in the cloak used his left had to hold her breast
securely while he slipped the smoking ring over her tender nipple bud. Although
her body surged in agony against the scalding metal, the man in the cloak held
the nipple-searing hoop firmly in place, knowing that the ropes and chains he
had used to bind her would hold her fast.
"With this ring, I thee wed," whispered the phantom, and then he pulled the
hood back from his face and thrust his lust-hardened erection into Qieu's gaping
love-nook. Qieu gasped at the shock of this second penetration, and her
thoughts spun madly as she endured the torments of ring and rape.
For the face of the phantom was that of Luk Yee, who had finally
consummated his marriage with his lovely bride.
********
Qieu woke from her ghastly nightmare with a start of horror, her body
bathed in feverish perspiration. She felt soft hands on her face and forehead.
"Poor thing! How long have you been lying here?"
Qieu opened her eyes to find herself still huddled in her niche. Passers-by
continued to hurry past her, a few glancing contemptuously at the destitute
figure swathed in red, but most never even noticing her. Qieu blinked her eyes
to confirm the fact that it was the pretty young Chinese in western attire who
was bending over her. But it was no longer morning, judging from the position
of the declining orb in the brilliant western sky.
"I ... I'm not sure," Qieu croaked through desiccated lips. How long, she
wondered, had it been since she had had a sip of water? For that matter how
long had she been lying in this filthy corner? She had not noticed or cared in
the middle of the night, but now that she had pulled herself up to a seated
position, she noticed that she had been lying amidst refuse and debris. "Please
... I am sorry to trouble you ... but ... but is there somewhere nearby where I
might get a cup of water?"
"Can you stand, do you think, and walk? If you can, I will take you to my
home. It is not far -- and you shall have all the water, or tea, that you
like."
Qieu smiled at the kind-hearted woman. "Do you know me? Forgive me, I ...
I have not been well."
"Don't worry," smiled the young woman, "you will feel better after you have
had some tea and a bath." Her eyes were bright with concern. "How long have
you been here? Do you think you can walk?"
"I think so," Qieu said as she tried to rise. "Ooooohh," she groaned, as
the movement jarred her many cuts and bruises.
"Slowly ... take your time... Here, take my hand."
Clutching the helping hand tightly, and bracing herself against her
companion's body, Qieu clambered to her feet with some difficulty. "Thank you
... thank you," she breathed as she reached behind her to make sure that the
pins holding her dress together afforded her at least a semblance of modesty
For a moment Qieu hesitated, wondering whether she would be bringing her
benefactor into peril by accompanying her. But, she reasoned, if she were still
being watched after all these hours, a spy could surely see that she and the
woman who was helping her were strangers. "Thank you," she whispered through
parched lips. "You are very kind."
"It is no trouble," said the pretty young woman, forcing a smile.
"Besides, I am feeling a bit lonely," she smiled sadly, "for I lost my only
friend today."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Qieu said sympathetically. "Had she been ill long?"
"No, no, she has not died." The young woman turned toward the east and
looked off into the horizon. "But she might as well be in another world, I
fear," she added in a crestfallen voice. Then she brightened. "But she will be
happier in another place; nowadays Shanghai is a City of Sighs, is it not?"
Qieu could only nod her head dejectedly in agreement as she thought how her
own world had been turned upside-down in the space of only twenty-four hours.
"Come with me to my house, miss," said the petite young woman in the white
blouse and black skirt, as she took Qieu's hand in her own and smiled at her
warmly. "It is very simple, but it is better than lying in the streets."
They began to walk slowly, arm-in-arm, Qieu leaning against her new-found
friend, trying not to show the pain that each step caused her. "I - I wish I
knew how I could thank you."
The tiny creature next to her squeezed her hand affectionately. "You might
begin by telling me your name. I am called Ju Hua."
