Chapter 2

janet awoke the next day with a stinking headache, laying on something hard and unyielding After taking in her surroundings (which were dreary, damp and gloomy) she closed her eyes again while she struggled to recall just where she was and how she'd got there. Frowning with concentration, it still took her a moment or two to even remember the start of events of the previous night, let alone the end. Opening her eyes for the second time and hoping for an improvement in what she would see, she peered into the gloom trying to figure out just where she was. To the best of her ability, she thought that she appeared to be in a cell - but not like any cell she'd ever been incarcerated in before for this was more like a dungeon, almost medieval in design, made of stone with a metal door, illuminated only by two flickering candles. All that was missing was the skeleton hanging in chains from the wall. The bed she was laying on was a simple wooden cot with a rubber mattress laid on it; a thin blanket had been draped over her and even that had several holes and rips in it. janet was cold and, as she already half suspected, when she peeked under her thin cover, she was not surprised to discover that she was stark naked for someone had removed all her clothing! Wrapping the blanket around herself, she gingerly lowered her bare feet to the cold floor and crossed to the door which was, unsurprisingly, locked. She peered through the small grating set in the door but could see nothing apart from a deserted stone clad, windowless corridor, illuminated with yet more candles, while a few doors almost identical to the one she was looking through were scattered up and down its length. Her shouted calls brought no response and so she quickly retreated back to the cot where she could, at least, lift her feet from the cold floor. With no watch and no window, janet hadn't got a clue what time it was but given that she'd fallen asleep the previous night at about three in the morning, she reckoned that it most be about noon now. Just to the side of the cot was a small, three legged wooden stool and resting on this was a pitcher of water, some bread and cheese along with a rather tired looking apple. Grateful for anything to fill her empty, complaining belly, janet wolfed the lot down rapidly. Apart from the cot and the stool, the only other item of 'furniture' in the cell was a slop bucket laying in the far corner. After using this primitive facility, janet returned to the cot and ran her fingers round what felt suspiciously like a collar that encircled her neck. She couldn't see this, of course, but it felt as if it were made entirely of metal and had no obvious catch that she could discover. With nothing better to do now, janet lay back on the bed, wrapped herself tightly into the blanket and fell into a shallow doze...

The drawing of a heavy bolt and the creaking of door hinges woke janet and her eyes snapped open. With her headache now gone, she was almost instantly alert. Standing in the doorway was a man in his late thirties with a shaved head who was as naked as she, but without the collar around his bull neck. "Come with me," he ordered her, clearly without thought to the possibility that she might refuse.

"Why?" she responded which seemed to flummox him momentarily. Regaining his composure, he informed her that The Council wanted to see her. "The Council?" she queried.

"The Council! The Council!" he repeated, clearly agitated. "And it wouldn't be wise to keep them waiting - either for you or for me! Please hurry!"

Shrugging her shoulders, janet stood and started to move towards the door, holding the blanket tightly around her. "No, drop that and leave it behind," the man insisted.

"But i've nothing on underneath!" she protested shrilly.

"Which is irrelevant. Come with me now and leave the blanket behind before you bring a punishment down on the both of us!"

Seeing that the man was genuinely scared, janet thought that it might be wise to obey so, tossing the thin woollen blanket back onto the cot, she set off down the corridor after the odd man.

Candle lit corridor followed candle lit staircase as the pair moved forwards and upwards. Every now and then, they passed someone else wandering the passageways of the creepy, gothic-like mansion; almost without exception, the other inhabitants of the place seemed to be middle-aged, slightly unfit men and all had a look of fear about them - a fear that ranged from decidedly scared to absolutely terrified. At one point, janet recognised the hall where 'Prince' Jeff had given her some wine, but they passed quickly through this area before continuing ever onwards. Eventually they arrived at a closed door, larger and more ornate than any other that they had passed thus far. Balling his fist, the naked man knocked politely on the wood, his cock swaying in counter-point to his rapping, before he stood and waited. After a few moments, an impossibly beautiful female voice with bell-like qualities called that they should enter. As the voice faded, the man muttered a single word, "Goddess!" which caused janet to glance at him perplexed and a little worried for the state of his mental health. Pushing the door open, the man entered the room and instantly dropped to his knees. janet followed and found herself in a large, cathedral like chamber with arches and stained glass windows much in evidence, while several candelabra supplied a low, flickering level of illumination. Seated before her on a raised dais were five figures, four women and one man. The demonic appearing male with the spiky hair janet instantly recognised as Jeff whom she'd met the previous night; the women were all impossibly beautifully, pale and elegantly attired though they did vary in age from late teens to almost forty. From beside her, janet heard the man hissing at her to kneel.

"Don't be so stupid," she hissed back. "I don't kneel for anyone!"

"Kneel before The Council!" roared the male figured seated at the far end of the dais.

Her nerves tingling, janet nevertheless held her ground. "Shan't!" she pouted.

The brunette seated on the far left of the podium smiled down at janet in a rather nasty manner before stabbing a finger down on a control button mounted in the arm of her chair. Instantly, but almost imperceptibly at first, janet felt the collar around her neck start to tighten. Panicking, she tried to slip her fingers between her skin and the metal and to pull it back, but to no avail; whatever was driving the mechanism of the collar was stronger than she was. Gasping for breath, janet continued her losing battle with the collar as the five seated figures watched her with amused smiles on their faces. Realising that she could not win this particular battle, janet capitulated and sank to her knees, keeping her legs together, ever modestly mindful of her state of undress.