Final preparations

Back at the slavers' compound, the excited sounds of the gathering crowd were getting louder and louder. Eilwy pretended to watch the sun slowly descend in the sky, feigning despair, whilst keeping her sharp eye out for any opportunity of escape. But as time slowly ran out her heart sank lower and lower.

The shadows had grown long when Slith re-appeared from the shadows, rubbing his bony hands together with glee. "Showtime!" he said. "And what a crowd there is waiting to see you, Black Reaver! Friends, enemies, family, royalty, all there to see how pretty you are..." he grinned mischeviously, "...and of course whose lap you're going to be spanked over this evening!"

Eilwy paled, her last lingering hope starting to dwindle. She maintained her careful watch, feigning lethargy but poised to strike at any moment, but couldn't keep her hatred of this Slith from her eyes.

"I have the Magetamer," said the fat slaver nervously, holding a small black collar embedded with an imbued diamond. "Shall I fix it on her?"

"No, I think not!" grinned Slith. "Have I taught you nothing? This is a question of theatre! To get people to part with their gold, this has to be a show! She will look far fiercer and more appealing stood there with the wooden gag in her mouth, fire in her eyes, than she would do neutered by that collar! We'll place two guards on the platform as well, as if we are scared she might escape." Slith turned to the guards. "You'll need to look nervous and on edge to maintain the effect - can you do that? We want bidders to think they're getting their hands on something sexy and dangerous that needs taming, not a broken ****."

The guards nodded nervously, and Slith smiled. Over the last hour, the guards had heard a lot of tales about the Black Reaver and her terrible vengeance, and they now looked genuinely scared - there would be no need for them to act on stage!

"Excellent!" said Slith. "And now you, girl, come here..." Eilwy was dragged before him, eyes flashing with fury. Slith looked her up and down like a serpent appraising a mouse. Her dark hair had been combed and cleaned, and her tight-fitting black robe had been dusted down and tied around her slim waist with a fresh leather belt. He robe clung appealingly to her small curves and hung nicely down her legs. Her wrists and ankles were both bound with metal chains, vastly limiting her movement, and the thick wooden stick from Fanndorm Forest still gagged her mouth, tied around her head firmly.

"Nice, nice..." he said. He turned to the slaver. "Do we have a medallion or something that looks magical? Just costume jewelry, nothing special... yes, that's great, put that on her! No shoes, thank you, barefoot is fine. And let's have one last look... yes, that's perfect dear. You look lovely, my dear." Slith gave Eilwy a friendly pat on her ass, enjoying both the feel and the look of anger in her eyes.

The babble from the growing crowd was now nearly deafening. Eilwy couldn't see them through the platform, but it sounded like two hundred or more people had gathered to see her humiliated!

"Now, get her on stage," Slith ordered. "We have 30 minutes of daylight, and I want to make sure people get to see this!"

The two guards stepped behind Eilwy and prodded her with their spears. Eilwy's muffled yelps of protest caused a bout of nervous laughter amongst the guards, and they pushed her more firmly, enjoying her plight as she tottered up the steps towards the open platform and a night of embarrassment.