<strong>Balthazar</strong><br/><br/>The look in his eyes as he circled promised that she would see neither.  From one of the shelves he took a large square board, set with countless sharp metal nails on one side.  "Lift your feet," he ordered her and as she did he set the cruel board below her, "Now the game begins.  You're going to hold yourself up while I play with you.  And when you loose your grip, you will fall onto these spikes.  But perhaps, you might move me to take this board away before that happens.  I won't say how, or even if there is something I want from you that will make that happen."<br/><br/>As he spoke, he leaned close and ran his hands slowly over her helpless body, stroking her thighs and up to her sides, then cupping those delightful breasts and rubbing his thumbs over her firm nipples.<br/><br/><strong>Darius</strong><br/><br/>He rose, and stepped after her.  No matter how much his instinct told him to flee this dark place, he could no abandon her to it.  Even without the power that bond him to her, he would not have done such a thing.  He moved into the Black Chamber and stood at her side, his eyes sweeping over the dusty and unused room.<br/><br/>Slowly, a realization came upon him, this could only be one place.  He'd thought it a story to frighten children or an exaggeration of long distant truths.  But now he saw it was everything the tales whispered of and more.<br/><br/>"My princess..." he whispered in fear and awe, "This is... The Black Chamber..."