Slave Trade- The Price of Loyalty

Story by comidacomida on SoFurry

, , , , , , ,


Slave Trade

The Price of Loyalty

copyright 2012 comidacomida

The tiger remained where he was with his back against the stable wall and his tail curled around his naked hips. The only movement from Choel was from his legs; they had been crossed at the ankles, but he casually spread them as Sidney continued to stare. The muted chuckle from the grinning slave finally brought the fox enough focus to speak.

"This... uh... is MY stall... um... Choel..." the slave master noted quietly.

Choel's grin widened and he spoke in a likewise muted voice, "I know..." and one glimmering feline eye closed in a wink, "Like I said, Slave Master... I was waiting for you." and the tiger's paw patted at the hay on the ground beside where he sat, "Like you said... this is your stall... no need to stand there in the doorway."

Sidney stepped past the entryway, the distinct scent of arousal even more evident. "I--" the fox began, but his voice faltered when Choel began to slowly stroke his rock-hard feline flesh in clear view of the Slave Master.

"You're not really all that good at talking..." the tiger winked anew, "but, then again, I guess they expect sex slaves to do other things with muzzles... don't they?"

"What are--?" Sidney attempted to summon up a sense of indignation, but the squeak to his voice ruined it beyond any sense of salvage. Choel continued as if the fox hadn't even attempted to communicate.

"Been a few years since any put you to service, hasn't it?" Choel questioned bluntly, "Still think you know your way around a cock?"

"I don't know what--" Sidney attempted to get a word in edgewise, but it was obvious to the fox that they both knew that he wouldn't.

"You're not that great of a slave master, Sid-- I'm pretty sure we both agree on that." the comment was as blunt as anything else he said, and it stung.

"I'm still learning." the fox announced, "I won't let Lord Hector down." the final comment to his rebuttal was the first thing he was able to say with any degree of conviction, "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes, huh?" Choel's grin looked so wide as to be almost painful, but the renewal of movement from the tiger's paw on his flesh was more attention-grabbing, "Like what you see?" the tiger purred.

"What..." Sidney began, then swallowed the tightness in his throat, "What are you getting at, Choel?"

"A trade." the tiger crooned, the words combined with the strongest purr the fox had ever recalled hearing.

Sidney was not stupid, and all of the signs of the proposal were staring him in the face, but he was still off-balance enough that he let the "What?" slip loose before he realized he had even said it.

"What I'm offering..." Choel spoke, leaning forward so he could get to his feet, "...is me behaving better than a pit-bred house slave..." he placed his precum-slickened paw on Sidney's shoulder, "and... in exchange... all you have to do is show me how good they trained you as a sex slave."

Sidney had spent most of his life as a plaything of Lord Bulhue, which meant that the prospect of such a trade seemed far-too-easy. At the same time, however, a nagging doubt in the back of his mind questioned if that path was the right one for a Slave Master. Another thought reminded him that Lord Hector told him to develop his own methods. "I just have to satisfy you?" the fox questioned.

The tiger chuckled, "Yea..." the single word came from deep in Choel's chest, vibrating powerfully with the accompanying purr, "That's the PERFECT way to put it..." he patted Sidney on the shoulder; the fox didn't miss the fact that the action smeared the tiger's scent into his fur. "It's about time I get something other than my paw to satisfy me..." Choel licked his muzzle, "I think I'm gonna--" the tiger's voice stopped the moment Sidney's muzzle engulfed the slave's obviously eager-member.

The fox pressed his muzzle forward, having had enough experience pleasing Lord Bulhue orally. Choel was not as thick around as the hippo, but Sidney could tell the difference in the tiger's length, which was decidedly longer; even after several years of inactivity, Sidney realized that he'd had enough practice that the extra inches wouldn't be a problem... the simple fact that Choel's scent was far less repulsive than Lord Bulhue's made it that much easier.

"Oh... Lash me..." the tiger gasped, "you ARE a skilled little cock-worker, aren't you?" Sidney felt Choel's fingers slide through the fur on his head, guiding him at a faster pace, "I don't sell loyalty cheap so I hope you're not thinking I'm-- NNGHH!" Sidney smiled around the slave's flesh as a tongue trick he'd learned as part of his training quieted Choel in short-order. Unable to do little more than wheeze, the tiger gripped the fox's ear tightly as he began emptying himself into Sidney's waiting muzzle.

The Slave Master remained on his knees, holding his muzzle in place as Choel's whole body shivered, releasing pulse after pulse of tiger seed into him. He didn't stand up until Choel pulled his member back from the fox's tongue and leaned against the wooden wall of the stall, taking several steadying breaths. "Good?" Sidney asked.

Choel let out a final, deep breath and looked back at the fox, "A good start, yea." he grinned wide.

"A... start?" Sidney questioned, his ears raising as he wiped an errant strand of fluid from his lips, "But... you're... done!" Despite saying the words, the fox realized that his comment was hardly true; he didn't miss the fact that the tiger's member was still rock-hard, "...aren't you?"

Choel laughed in response,"I guess you're just too used to dealing with fat, over-sexed lords." the tiger announced as he sat down with his back against the wall, "Now commere." he motioned directly to his still hard shaft. Sidney could tell that Choel was more-than-ready; the fox could clearly count the slave's heartbeats by the throbbing of his member, "We're just getting started... now get over here... Slave Master." the tiger crooned his title, obviously taking great joy at being in charge.

Sidney was caught somewhere between indignation and embarrassment. It wasn't that he was servicing the needs of another male; he had done that nearly his entire life. What affected the fox so greatly was the fact that Choel seemed to think that he couldn't handle the challenge. Despite how unsure Sidney was about so many areas in life, there was one thing that he knew well... and if Lord Hector wanted him to be more confident then he couldn't certainly back down on a professional challenge.

The tiger was obviously not ready to have the fox collapse in front of him, vulpine muzzle falling toward his groin. Choel jumped in surprise from his place on the ground but Sidney's paws pressed down against his thighs and the fox continued forward until his nose hit the tiger's pelvic bone, member completely engulfed by his muzzle, "Oh... send me to the pit." Choel cursed with a purr, "THAT'S what I was looking for!" and he spread his legs wider as Sidney wasted no time wading into his work.

The fox felt Choel squirm slightly in place, far more responsive to his methods than Lord Bulhue had been in the last years of his service. The twitch of a thigh-muscle, the pulse of precum escaping from the tiger's shaft, the half-gasp/half-groan from the slave, the needy paws on either of his ears pulling him forward with each movement-- Sidney needed no other clues to tell that Choel was unexpectedly surprised, and the thought made the fox smile around the flesh in his muzzle. A split second later he was forced to wrap his lips more firmly around Choel's member as the tiger unloaded for a second time.

The tiger growled through his ejaculation, paws gripping almost painfully down around Sidney's ears. Despite Choel's shoulder injuries he still had a good amount of strength and the fox had no doubt that he wouldn't have been able to withdraw off of the tiger's shaft even if he had wanted to. Swirling his tongue up against the flesh in his muzzle instead, the action was awarded with the sound of Choel's toes popping as they curled and clenched. When the slave's paws finally released his ears, Sidney finally pulled back, drawing his tongue along the underside of the tiger's member as he did so. "Better?" Sidney hazarded a self-sure grin after licking his muzzle.

"Better..." Choel grinned with a goofy smile, but his eyes came quickly back into focus on the fox, "...but not done." he chuckled softly with a faint growl as his upper lip curled softly, "You're good with your muzzle, Slave Master... but that's not all I plan on trying tonight." he reached out and took hold of Sidney's tail and gave it a slight yank.

The fox had long-since been used to having his tail pulled every which way and, while it was uncomfortable, he didn't react adversely to it; the last time he had, Lord Bulhue had given him a black eye for his response. Sidney did, however, reach down and grab Choel's wrist, "You just came twice." he assessed.

"Like I said..." the tiger growled softly, grabbing Sidney's wrist with his other paw, "we're just getting started." and he bodily pulled the fox into his lap, "You're asking for a lot from me if you want me to be on my best behavior... and that's not gonna be cheap."

Sidney let out a sigh, as much for theatrics as to try and convince himself to stop enjoying the attention. Despite his initial displeasure at the slave trying to bargain for his compliance, the fox couldn't avoid admitting that he felt a little giddy at the closeness. Choel's reactions to his every move was almost intoxicating; the tiger had admitted to having never experienced a sex slave and his body's responses proved that to be the case. Despite Choel taking the lead, Sidney couldn't help but feel that he held a great amount of power in the interaction... one of many reasons that he was rock-hard himself.

The fox settled into the tiger's grip, about-facing so that his tail slapped Choel's muzzle from one side as it swung across at head-height to the sitting slave. "Oh, you little bitch..." Choel chuckled, and pulled the fox down into his lap; Sidney felt the length of the tiger's member slide up the small of his back.

"Female foxes are vixens." Sidney clarified, reaching down to undo the knot of his loin cloth, suddenly eager to give his shaft freedom from the confining cloth; Choel's paw caught both of his however, locking them together by the wrist.

"Nu-uh." the tiger announced, "You just sit there and look sexy..." he purred, "I get to unwrap you myself." and, as if to accentuate the claim, one of the tiger's hooked claws slid its way across Sidney's thigh and, with a quick flick of the digit, the string holding his loin cloth on was neatly cut. "NOW you can do your thing." Choel laid back again, tugging Sidney's clothing off of him and tossing it off to the side. The fox could hear the slave chuckling mutedly to himself as the fox settled his weight down onto the tiger's thighs.

One of the first rules Sidney had learned about serving a master was that he was to give his owner exactly what he wanted... but not always what he asked for. A sex slave, he recalled, was often called upon to tease, coerce, and toy with his master, even going to the point of seemingly doing the opposite of his will, all for the thrill of finally succumbing to the demands, but always making it seem as though it simply might not happen. It was to this training that Sidney looked, and he started with nothing more than a flick of his tail.

Behind him, Choel grit his teeth as the luscious, flowing fur of Sidney's tail dragged across his erection. The tip of the fox's tail brushed underneath the tiger's muzzle, and Sidney could feel Choel tense up to respond to it, but he forestalled any movement by backing up an inch on the slave's lap, trapping the tip of the tiger's flesh up beneath the base of his tail.

The tiger's hips rose up in anticipation but Sidney quickly tensed his legs and pressed off the ground, raising his own body an equal amount to keep Choel from entering him. At the end of the tiger's tentative thrust, Sidney lowered down just enough so that his opening gave the tip of Choel's member a faint 'kiss', receiving a smear of his precum in return, "How am I supposed to show you what I can do if you keep trying to do it yourself?" he used the tiger's own logic against him, and was rewarded with Choel going slack beneath him... but not for long.

Releasing a steadying breath, Sidney slowly lowered himself down. The tiger's eager flesh was already in perfect place so the fox was able to let gravity do the rest for him, impaling himself inch after inch as the slave beneath him complied, not moving as much as a hair's width. He felt Choel's chest against his back as the tiger took in a deep breath.

On either side of him he saw Choel grab furtively at the hay on the ground, as if by not admitting his excitement the tiger could somehow deny that Sidney knew what he was doing... and the fox DID know what he was doing. The slave master smiled to himself as he felt his weight settle down completely in Choel's lap; he was fully mounted.

Gaining the mock surety instilled into him by his training, Sidney looked over his shoulder, brushing his nose against the tiger's panting muzzle seductively, "Tell me if you can't take what I'm giving." he crooned softly, expertly passing off a wince at the pain from being out of practice as a haughty huff.

"I can take anything you--" but the tiger's words were cut short; Sidney had begun his 'performance'.

The fox started off simply, arching and then relaxing his back, doing little with his hips other than the minor inch-or-two movement that resulted from his torso's flexing. After only a few repetitions he added a slight pivot at the end, pulling his hips forward, and causing another two inches of movement as he first pulled away from Choel's groin, and then slid seamlessly back into it.

The tiger's purring intensified as the fox began to gently undulate his whole body, making use of a dance he had learned during his years as a sex slave; it would be mesmerising to watch, but its movements' true value was not to be performed alone. The hallmark of a high quality 'personal slave', Sidney knew, was that a well trained one could choose any number of ways to bring their master to climax, and that the simple up-and-down method did not suitably showcase the kinds of talents that he had been trained to perform.

Behind him, Choel let out a blast of hot breath against the nape of his neck. The tiger's arms wrapped around his chest, but not restrictively so. Having acclimated to 'the craft' once again, Sidney had no qualms about intensifying his ministrations, rolling his hips in a circular motion against the slave's groin, flexing and relaxing his back so as to work the tiger in several directions at once. Choel quivered as Sidney's tail wrapped half way around abdomen, and, as the tiger's already-firm member began to harden even more, the fox could tell that the slave was close for the third time that night.

Despite the numerous times that he had serviced Lord Bulhue, unless the hippo was particularly noisy or, more often, uttered the words "Get off me, I'm done.", Sidney was never able to clearly identify his master's orgasm's start and finish-- he had no such trouble with Choel. The tiger's teeth gripped the fur on the back of the fox's neck and, as a fresh blast of breath hit him, Sidney could feel the pulsing from the tiger's flesh lodged within him. while Lord Bulhue had leaked semen, Choel's ejaculation was much more energetic, and the fox felt each jet as it was blasted into him.

Quivering atop the tiger, Sidney felt his own precum dribble down the length of his shaft as the tiger continued to quiver, his orgasm drawn out for several seconds until the final two or three throbs of his flesh were accompanied by weaker splashes of fluid. Only once Choel let go of his chest did Sidney finally relent his movements, slowly leaning forward so the tiger's member could slip free. The fox clamped down with the muscles of his tail the moment Choel's shaft escaped him.

He crawled forward, keeping his thighs close together so he could move without his by prematurely voiding the deposited fluid all over. It was a common mistake for the untrained, but all personal slaves knew how to avoid such a mishap. Sidney had all intention of seeing Choel off, and then relieving himself at his own leisure... but apparently the tiger had other ideas. The slave's claws poked lightly through the fur on either side of the fox's rump, "Where you goin'?" Choel rumbled at him.

"Aren't you--" Sidney began, but Choel didn't provide him a chance to finish the comment as the fox was hauled to his feet, his body leaned forward against the stall door.

"I'll tell you when I'm done." the tiger offered, and the slave master felt the slave's firm flesh slide up beneath his tail again, "This time, it's at my pace..."

Sidney gasped, gritting his teeth as his blunt claws dug into the wood of the stall door. His toes created grooves in the dirt on the stable floor as Choel's thick flesh forced his tail to the side, penetrating him less than gently. He heard the tiger chuckle softly from behind him, and the Slave Master finally understood what the tiger meant by not selling his loyalty cheap.

Once Choel took control he came inside the slave master two more times before he pushed the fox over the edge, and Sidney finally orgasmed hard from the abuse, spraying his fluid all over the hay on the floor. Only then, it turned out, did the tiger decide he had had enough. There were few words exchanged between them as the slave departed, leaving Sidney to move sorely to his hay pile.

The fox would have been more than content enough to pass out at that point, but a deep voice spoke to him through the wooden wall, "Real men like whimpering."

"Huh?!?" Sidney started so violently that he winced doubly; his tail hole ached, but not quite as much as his head, which he had just struck against the wall from surprise.

"You heard me." Tharis announced bluntly, "Whimper next time."

"I was trained not to." the fox responded, feeling his entire face flush as he realized the bull had probably missed nothing of the night's events.

There was no forthcoming response from Tharis and, as such, Sidney laid his head back down, slowly drifting off into an uneasy sleep. Before finally surrendering to slumber, however, the fox was unable to get the thought out of his mind that he was CERTAIN he could clearly smell a copious amount of bull seed.

* * * * * * *

Despite the abuse put to his body, Sidney was up as early as usual. His first several minutes were devoted to tenderly stretching his aching body, relieving himself, and stretching again, albeit, with fewer hisses and gasps. Only once he was sure that he was ready to start the day did the fox leave his stall, taking care to keep his stance as neutral as possible; he moved a little slower as a result.

"Mornin', Slave Masta." As the only slave facing him, Uraou was first to make the announcement from the cauldron. Choel glanced over his shoulder to glance at Sidney, "Good morning, Slave Master." and the tiger winked, "Slept well?"

"Just fine." the fox responded, placing his paws against the base of his spine as he stretched backward, "Is everyone up?"

"Aye, sir." Dorias acknowledged, "Tharis an' Maern are outside workin' on th'circle."

"The circle?" Sidney questioned, taking a seat at the cauldron.

Dorias offered him a bowl of porridge, "Aye... Finneas came by early an' let me know that Lord 'ector wants ye t'make sure everyone's familiar with arena fights." the yak then started scooping out servings for everyone else, adding chunks of meat to the slaves' servings.

"What are arena fights?" the fox asked blankly.

"Fighting in an arena, Slave Master." Choel spoke up quickly, "Instead of a twenty foot circle, gladiators have fifty feet of fighting space."

Sidney had heard of arena fighting before, but everything he'd heard about it were stories of horror and meyhem. The realization that he was being asked to ready gladiators for the arena did not do anything to improve his confidence. Dorias' next words helped even less, "An' Finneas said Lord 'ector'll be by later t'day."

After taking a moment to stop choking on his poridge, Sidney excused himself and made his way out of the stables to check on the horse and the bull. Since Tharis was a bull of few words, the fact that two shared no language caused little trouble for them, and they were working together quite efficiently. The fox didn't know how long they had been at work, but the small ring he and Maern had created yesterday had been enlarged quite significantly.

The two slaves were moving a large boulder easily Sidney's side when they noticed him and, in unison, they lowered the stone. Tharis leaned against the enormous rock while Maern trotted over, looking no more winded than if he had been washing dishes, "Good Mor-ning, Sid-ney." the stallion greeted him, and followed it up with a slight nod of his head.

"Go eat." the fox announced, motioning toward the stable, "Food." The horse nodded again, understanding the simple words. Maern obediently went to the stable, leaving Sidney and Tharis alone in the yard. "You too." the fox added, and sat down next to the edge of the enlarged circle, staring at it without bothering to look at the bull. If he had expected Tharis to comment, he would have been disappointed;. The bull passed by him, golden lead wrapped around his arm, eyes focused on the door to the stables. Several footsteps later and Sidney was alone with his thoughts.

The fox knew that he had a limited time to ready the slaves to be gladiators. Even with Maern guiding them through whatever the stallion felt was needed, the fact that they had gone an entire day without so much as touching weapons had Sidney concerned. It wasn't that the fox doubted the stallion's fighting abilities-- from what he'd seen that was one thing he DIDN'T doubt... but would Maern be able to teach everyone else in time? If Sidney was lucky, perhaps Lord Hector would only ask him to have one presentable for the exhibition.

"Good morning, Sidney." the fox's thoughts stopped immediately at the sound of his Master's beautifully perfect voice.

"Lord Hector!" Sidney jumped immediately to his feet and turned to face the stag's chest.

"I see you're up and about before your slaves." Lord Hector noted, a bemused expression on his muzzle, "They're eating, I assume?"

"Yes, Master." the fox bowed his head.

"Good..." acknowledged the stag, "I was hoping to have a few minutes where I could have you all to myself." and Lord Hector took a seat on one of the larger rocks that had been moved to mark the outskirts of the fighting circle, "I like what you've done with the field." he patted the stone next to himself, "Come... sit."

"You may have me whenever you want, Master." Sidney announced, and blushed inwardly when he realized the accidental double-meaning of what he had said; he hoped it went unnoticed by Lord Hector. He obediently joined the stag on the stone, sitting beside him and looking dilligantly forward toward the newly-made fighting ring, "Maern and Tharis expanded the circle today." he explained to his Master, hoping to brush his earlier comment away.

Lord Hector's ears went up immediately, "You have Tharis doing manual labor?"

"Yes, Master." For a moment the blood in Sidney's veins turned to ice when he questioned the intelligence of his decision. "It--" the fox faltered, "he--" the words refused to leave his muzzle, "I thought that--"

"And he is taking well to it?" the stag continued, ignoring the stuttering starts that Sidney could not force his tongue to continue.

"Yes, Master." he answered the direct question simply, halting his failed attempts at trying to explain himself.

"Finneas said he heard Tharis whistling." Lord Hector commented casually. Sidney did not bother responding to the comment, as it was not a question. He began to consider all of the ways that his master might punish him for overstepping his bounds with the breeding slave. The fox was considering the number of lashes he might receive with a Snap Flay when the stag added, "Good work, Sidney."

The comment surprised the slave master enough that he couldn't help but ask, "Master?"

Lord Hector reached out and patted Sidney on his head, "Tharis has been through a lot, Sidney, and whistling is not something he's done while under the care of either of the two Slave Masters to which he had been assigned."

"Yes, Master." Sidney acknowledged, though he couldn't help but feel confused at the stag's explanation.

"That is a good thing." his kindly owner elaborated, and that was enough to finally get the fox's tail moving in a giddy left-right swish.

"I am pleased that you approve, Master." Sidney bowed his head.

"I approve with the way you're handling Tharis, yes." the stag nodded, "But I am quite at-odds regarding your interactions with Choel last night."

"My--?" Sidney's voice failed to work when his master uttered the words. Lord Hector had announced his displeasure with all the neutrality of a pair of lords commenting on the weather, but to him, he may as well have been hit by Maern. A number of thoughts ran through the fox's head. Did Lord Hector mean what he thought he meant? How did his Master know? What would be done? Was he in trouble? For the briefest of moments, Sidney actually considered lying, but the idea passed as quickly as it had arrived-- he would not and could not lie to Lord Hector.

"In the history of my estate, I cannot recall a time where a Slave Master felt compelled to bribe a slave for his loyalty." Lord Hector examined the fingers on one of his hands, flicking an errant speck of dirt off of a finger."

"I am sorry, Master." Sidney lowered his head, but successfully fought back the urge to throw him to the ground, and at his Master's mercy.

"No, Sidney," Lord Hector reached down and tucked a finger under the fox's muzzle, raising him to his feet again with little more than a faint bit of upward pressure, "I told you that you were to do with your slaves as you see fit, and that is precisely what you have done."

"But I have displeased you, Master." Sidney insisted, hoping strongly that his master would be willing to overlook his faults, and willing to press the issue enough that Lord Hector would give him another chance."

"I am disappointed, Sidney... not displeased." and, with that, the stag stood up, turning his back to the fox, "If anything, you have followed my directions beyond all expectation."

"I did not mean to disappoint you, Master..." Sidney bowed his head, feeling the sting Lord Hector's words as sharply as any Snap Flay, "I will do better."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Lord Hector acknowledged, "This is the very reason I know you will not let me down."

Despite being on-edge at his Master's disappointment, a small spark of hope cut through the fox's darkness, "Yes, Master." he nodded vigorously.

"But we will have to discuss punishment..." the stag added.

For a moment, Sidney felt all the blood drain from his ears, face, and shoulders, but he nodded resolutely, ready to prove his devotion by accepting it with good grace, "I will accept any punishment you deem necessary for me, Master."

"For you?" Lord Hector paused, turning back to regard him with ears raised, "Why do you feel YOU need to be punished?"

Sidney started, confused at his master's response, "For what I've done with Choel, Master." he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I have displeased you."

"No, Sidney." Lord Hector announced, "As we've already acknowledged, you were doing what I asked in choosing your own way to handle your position." the edge of the stag's muzzle quirked ever-so-faintly in a bemused smirk, "I am pleased with you... it is CHOEL who displeases me."

Without really understanding why, Sidney was unable to keep the next words inside, "Master-- he was just--"

The stag's gaze became suddenly critical as he leveled it on the fox, "Do you wish to defend his actions, Sidney?"

The sudden challenge left the slave master feeling weak in the knees. "I would never question your--"

"But you were about to say something in Choel's defense?" the severe stare from the stag lessened, "Tell me, Sidney... should Choel NOT be punished?"

Sidney's will left him at that point, "You know best, Master." and he bowed his head.

"It's settled then." Lord Hector nodded with finality, "The two of you had an agreement, and, as such, I will take that into consideration."

"Yes, Master." the fox acknowledged.

"Sidney, I want you to bring Choel and Tharis to the work shed tonight." the stag ordered.

Sidney's fur stood on end at the command but he answered in the only way possible, "Yes Master."

Slave Trade - Gladiators?

Slave Trade Gladiators? copyright 2012 comidacomida Sidney surprised himself by awakening refreshed. Despite the stress that was placed on him by his new position and suddenly being responsible for five slaves, he had somehow managed to sleep the...

, , , , , , , , ,

Ch 4: Showtime!

A First For Everything Ch 4: It's Showtime! copyright 2012, comidacomida Despite the auspicious occasion, that morning started much the same as any other-- except for the fact that I was up at 4am thanks to the excitement. I was out of the shower...

, , , , , ,

Slave Trade - Stalling Tactics

Slave Trade Stalling Tactics copyright 2012 comidacomida Sidney awoke just as the first golden rays of the morning inched their way across his face. They shined down on him from a small hole in the wall just above head-height on the opposite side...

, , , , , , , , , ,