Harri Unbound

By Rebecca York

When the ruthless magician Madrin dies, opportunists seek revenge for his cruelty. They kidnap his daughters, meaning to sell them into sexual slavery at a brutal club for sadistic, wealthy men. Lady Harri Madrin manages to escape before the doors close behind them and vows to rescue her sister, Morgan.

Gareth Lamb, the handsome son of a local merchant, finds Harri and hides her from her furious pursuers. When she begs him to help rescue her sister, he agrees. They decide to pretend she is his concubine so they can gain entry to the club to search for Morgan.

The master-slave charade forces them into sizzling erotic encounters. Soon, they fall in love, but Gareth knows he could never aspire to marriage with the high-born Lady Harri.

Though Harri’s magical abilities give them an edge, they’re badly outnumbered by the slavers. Even if they manage to rescue Morgan, will Gareth’s disapproving father disown him if they declare their love and attempt to marry?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changeling Press
• Release date: May 19, 2022

Book preview

Chapter One

Harri Madrin woke in her narrow bed in the dark hours of the night. For a moment she thought she might be dreaming -- until she realized there was some sort of disturbance in the convent, something she had never heard in this place of tranquility.

With moonlight streaming through the narrow window, she slipped across the stone floor of the small chamber to where her sister still slumbered. Morgan, wake up. Something bad is happening.

Her younger sister’s eyes blinked open as the sound of rough male voices came closer. Men in the convent? Never, unless there was some task that the vestals could not accomplish on their own. And never at night.

Sister Matilda rushed into the room. Hurry, you must hide! They are after you. She had always been kind to them, and now her wrinkled face was full of fear.

Who? Why?

For revenge. Your father is dead.

Harri felt nothing for her sire besides a flood of relief. In all her eighteen years, she had feared her father, the magician, Madrin. Now he would no longer rail at her for being born the wrong sex -- and for not inheriting any of his powers. Or so he thought. He was incorrect about the latter, but she had kept that knowledge from him, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of her talent. It was the same for her sister, Morgan.

You must hide before they find you. Sister Matilda urged.

But where?

Come with me, she pleaded.

We must dress, Morgan protested.

No time. The elderly vestal ushered them out of their room. The stone floor was cold on their bare feet as they followed the sister to a small chapel. She led them up the aisle to the front of the room, then removed two candlesticks and opened the top of the altar where they saw a deep cavity under the horizontal surface.

In with you.

The girls climbed into the box, curling on their sides and scrunching down to fit into the space.

I will come back for you when it’s safe, Sister Matilda promised before lowering the lid. The sound of metal hitting wood told Harri she had replaced the candlesticks.

Harri moved in the cramped space, trying to get comfortable. She froze when a rough male voice demanded, What have you done with them?

Nothing.

You’re lying, you old bitch.

You dare such sacrilege?

You are no better than Madrin, sheltering his demon’s spawn.

The words were followed by the sound of a hand slapping against flesh. Sister Matilda cried out in pain.

Where are they?

There was no answer, but Harri heard something hitting the floor. She crammed her fist against her mouth as she struggled not to scream.

Outside in the chapel, a whirlwind of destruction erupted -- heavy pews being tossed about, glass breaking. And then silence.

Harri trembled in their hiding place, and she could feel her sister’s similar vibrations.

Footsteps approached the altar, and she struggled to keep her teeth from chattering. A sweeping noise sent the candlesticks clattering to the stones. The top creaked up, and Harri cringed away.

And what have we here? A beam of moonlight came through a side window, and she saw a smirking face staring down at them. It belonged to a roughly dressed man with a thick red beard and dirty hair. A farmer or a workman.

Harri struggled to find her voice. Why are you after us? We have done nothing.

Perhaps not, but your father made our lives a misery for years.

He made our lives a misery, too.

The man laughed. Do you expect me to believe that? You lived in that big castle with guards and servants to do your bidding and had everything you wanted.

We lived in this convent more than we lived there.

So you say. But it doesn’t matter. He bled the fiefdom of Glencarn dry for years. Now he’s dead and we can’t reach him. You are still alive -- and you will fetch a handful of gold coin.

He reached in and pulled her from the hiding place. Another similarly dressed man pulled Morgan out. His head and face were clean shaven so that he resembled one of the bowling balls players used on the green outside the convent. The two girls stood barefoot and shivering on the cold floor.

The men inspected their captives.

They are pretty, Red Beard observed. With delicate features and nicely shaped duckies. For emphasis, he prodded one of Harri’s breasts before running his dirty fingers through her long blond hair. Morgan was similarly examined.

In their nighties, Red Beard added. We can fuck them right here in the chapel.

Sacrilege, Baldy muttered. And they will fetch a better price if they are virgins.

Red Beard reconsidered. True.

The cart is waiting.

The men hustled them toward the back of the chapel where Sister Matilda lay groaning on the floor. She wasn’t dead, thank the gods.

Let me attend her, Harri pleaded.

Someone else will do it later, Red Beard growled as he herded her out of the chapel and through the halls. None of the sisters were in sight, and Harri knew they were too fearful to put up a protest.

They reached the convent gates, where a man with a waited. He had a bushy brown beard, and when Harri saw he was smoking a pipe, her heart leaped. Could she use her power and set the pipe on fire? They could use the distraction to escape… But he stopped and banged out the tobacco when they arrived.

With the pipe in his pocket, he reached into the cart and pulled out four lengths of rope. The men tied the girls’ hands and feet before hoisting them into the straw-filled cart and setting off. Red Beard joined the driver. Baldy mounted a horse that was tied to the cart.

Where are you taking us? Harri choked out.

Quiet, if you don’t want a gag in your pretty little mouth. He gave the reins a snap, and the horse started off.

* * *

The cart jounced along through countryside Harri did not recognize. She guessed they were not going back to Glencarn.

Harri moved her face close to Morgan’s ear. What do you think they will do with us?

Nothing good, Morgan whispered.

I told you to keep quiet, Red Beard spat out.

Harri pressed her lips together and rested her head on Morgan’s shoulder. Silently she prayed that there was some way to escape from whatever fate awaited them.

Dawn found them still in open country. But soon they began seeing houses in the fields, then buildings along the road. The dirt track gave way to cobblestone streets.

Harri raised her head, looking around. This was no small town like the one in Glencarn, her father’s fiefdom. This was a city, bigger than anything she had ever imagined.

They turned off the cobbled street into a packed dirt alley. A large stone building lay beyond. The driver climbed down and stretched his legs, then walked over to a stone wall, turned his back to the cart, and pissed. Harri had never seen such behavior and goggled.

Returning to the cart, he said to his friend, We should untie their legs so they can walk.

The men unknotted the ropes from around their ankles but left their hands tied.

Go in and tell the slave master we’ve brought the merchandise.

Slave master? Gods, no. Harri cringed.

Brown Beard kept his eye on them as he leaned against a nearby tree and took out his pipe.

Harri glanced at Morgan. Be ready, she whispered. Her sister knew what she was about and tensed.

Harri focused on Brown Beard, praying that he would light the pipe. When he tipped tobacco into it from a leather pouch, her heart leaped. Then she waited for endless ages for him to strike flint against iron.

Help me, Aeron, she whispered in her mind to the fire god. I have never needed you more. Help me now.

Finally, her captor lit the pipe, and she focused on the spark. It landed in the tobacco in the bowl of the pipe and began to smolder. The man drew on the pipe, increasing the little fire.

Harri helped him, summoning the powerful god who had first come to her when she was a toddler. Now he did her bidding.

Suddenly the tobacco flared up, a huge tongue of flame reaching out to the man’s beard and catching it on fire. He screamed, dropped the pipe, and began batting out the flames with his hands.

Harri leaped out of the cart and darted down the alley, Morgan right behind her. But then, so was Baldy. He reached out and grabbed the first girl he could reach.

Morgan screamed. Harri wanted to turn and help, but she knew that would be a mistake. If she stopped, they’d both be caught. She could only keep running and pray she could get away. Free, she could rescue her sister.

Behind them, Brown Beard roared as his beard flamed.

Harri came to an open gate and ducked into a large courtyard with a privy at one side and laundry hanging on lines at the other side. Hearing feet pounding up the alley, she knew she had to hide. There was a hedge along the back wall of the house. She dived behind it and lay trembling in the dirt.

In the next moment, a sharp voice called out, Hey, you. What are you doing on this property?

Harri was about to answer when she realized the questioner was not talking to her.

We was chasin’ an escaped slave, Guv'nah, a voice answered. Do you mind if we have a look ’round?

I certainly do. Be off with you.

But --

Get off this property!

Harri heard the shuffling of feet and then silence. Still trembling, she lay where she was.

You can come out now, the voice said, the sharp tone gone.

* * *

Herbert, the chief of staff at Castle Glencarn, hesitated outside Prince Gawain’s door. He knew the prince was trying