Northern China, 1933.

Lady Ariane Fortune had never seen a land as desolate as this. She
shivered as she looked out through her open tent flaps at the rugged
terrain of Shensi Province. Heavy dark gray clouds only enhanced the
dreariness of the view before her, and obscured the sunset that was
less than an hour away.

Anyone who thinks China is a place teeming with people should come
here, Ariane thought, as her green eyes carefully surveyed the
landscape. The darkening skies made it difficult for her to make out
the landmarks she had memorized from the ancient map that had come
into the possession of her employer, the London Museum of
Antiquities, under the luckiest of circumstances some months ago. The
map pointed the way to the legendary tomb of China's first emperor,
and Ariane was determined to prove its existence.

One of the porters brought Ariane a cup of steaming hot tea. "We will
eat soon, Professor Fortune," he said, bowing slightly.

"Xiexie, Yongwen," Ariane thanked him. She sipped gratefully at the
hot liquid. It was strong tea, and it warmed and invigorated her.

There was an even more compelling reason to find the tomb. Legend
held that the emperor had been buried with a jade statue of Tian-che,
and it had been whispered back then that whoever possessed the statue
would be assured both great power and physical immortality. Ariane
didn't believe in the supernatural tales surrounding the idol, but
finding the statue, if it existed, would be a tremendous coup for her
and the museum. She closed her eyes and visualized the details of the
map. As she did so, her thoughts flashed back to her last
conversation with the museum's curator, Sir Herbert Luckinbill.

"My dear Ariane," he had said. "This is a highly dangerous
undertaking you're setting out on. After your experiences in Africa
and Mexico, I should think you might want to exerxcise a bit more
care in choosing the relics you wish to find."

Sir Herbert was referring to a pair of previous encounters with her
nemesis, Hunter von Rijn, whose resentment of Ariane as the only
woman in the field of archaeological recovery was exceeded only by
his ruthless determination to thwart her every effort to acquire
relics for the London Museum. Von Rijn was a vicious and brutal
competitor,devoid of any ethics or morals, at least in Ariane's
experience. Ariane had bested him the last time they had met, but not
before von Rijn had tortured her in an effort to discover the
location of a Mayan idol they were both after.

"You needn't worry about von Rijn, Sir Herbert," Ariane reassured
him. "I've made some inquiries. He's in Africa, searching for some
medallion said to be a key to the location of the King Solomon's
Mines. And our other rivals are busy elsewhere as well. Bellocq is in
Peru, and the American, Jones, the one with the unusual first name I
can never remember, is in Turkey. The O'Connells are in Egypt. No one
else knows about the map, Sir Herbert, or even has an inkling that it
exists. I'll be fine, I assure you."

Sir Herbert sighed. "I admire your confidence, but that part of China
is still perilous. The Nationalist government has no real authority
there, and the region you'll be in is controlled by a warlord of some
sort."

"Chang Xueliang, the Young Marshall," Ariane interjected. "I know."

"Yes," Sir Herbert continued, "but there are reports of Japanese
activity in the region as well. The Young Marshall hates the
Japanese. You and your expedition could easily find yourself in the
middle of something nasty."

"I'll be careful, Sir Herbert, I promise," Ariane had concluded the
discussion, by leaning forward and kissing the old man on the cheek.
She was quite fond of him, and knew he was equally fond of her. He
knew she would be careful, and he understood her determination to
succeed in her chosen field.

That had been six weeks ago. Now she was camped in a valley between
two small mountain ranges, very close to where Shi Huangdi was said
to buried. She was close to success; she could almost feel the
triumph that awaited her.

Her reverie was interrupted by shouts and the sound of heavy engines.
Ariane left her tent to see what the commotion was about. She stared
in shock at the sight of the large truck loaded with Japanese troops
grinding to a halt near the large campfire. Regaining her composure,
Ariane marched up to the Japanese officer who was emerging from the
truck's cab. She noted he wore the insignia of a colonel.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded.

The colonel, who was only an inch or two taller than Ariane's five
foot three, looked at her harshly.

"His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, has ordered me to take
possession of this area. You are here illegally and are under arrest!"

He turned to the troops who were piling out of the truck.

"Sieze her! Seize them all!" he cried.

(to be continued)


 
As the Japanese colonel barked his orders, a second truck pulled up
behind the first and another group of troops piled out of the rear.
Moving swiftly, they joined the first unit in surrounding the
campsite. At that point two of the Chinese laborers Ariane had hired
panicked and ran. Ariane flinched as half a dozen soldiers raised
their rifles and fired them. Both men lurched and stumbled forward
for a few feet as the bullets struck them, then they pitched forward
and lay face down unmoving.

Blinking back tears of rage and guilt, Ariane shouted, "How dare you!
Those men were Chinese nationals! You've murdered them!"

"Quiet!" the colonel ordered. "They, like you, were trespassing on
Japanese soil, and were fleeing their lawful arrest. Any others who
run shall be shot as well." He lowered his voice as his dark eyes
locked on Ariane's. "That goes for you as well, Professor Fortune."

Ariane could not keep the shock from her face. "You know who I am?
Then you know I am a British citizen on a legitimate archaeological
expedition. My government would be most displeased if I were harmed
in any way."

"That is irrelevant," the colonel replied. He opened the door of the
nearest truck cab. "Get inside, please. We'll discuss
your 'expedition' at my headquarters. Then we shall see if you are
what you say you are - or merely a filthy spy!"

Unable to think of a way to avoid getting in the truck, Ariane
complied. As she did so, the colonel turned to the officer who had
arrived in the second truck. Speaking in Japanese, he gave the man
his orders. "Lieutenant, see to it that no one leaves here alive.
Make it look as if bandits attacked and destroyed the camp. But bring
the woman's possessions to me at headquarters. We'll see if she has
brought the map with her. If not, I shall have to 'encourage' her to
share the information it contains with me."

The lieutenant bowed and hurried off to carry out his orders.
Meanwhile, the colonel gestured to half a dozen soldiers to join
him. "Get back in the truck," he said. Then he opened the passenger
side door of the truck cab.

"Get out!" he commanded.

Confused, Ariane slid over on the seat, and stepped out of the truck.

"You shall ride in back," the Colonel informed her. "Where my men can
keep an eye on you." Taking her by the arm, the stocky Japanese
officer led Ariane to the back of the truck. His grip was extremely
strong, and he pulled her roughly toward the rear of the vehicle. A
pair of soldiers reached down and pulled Ariane into the truck.

"You men may enjoy the woman while we return to headquarters. Do as
you wish with her, but do her no serious harm. Understood?"

A wolfish grin was the response to the colonel's order. A quick bow
and a low "Hai!" followed.

As he walked back to the cab, he heard the sound of cloth ripping
followed by Ariane's scream. Smiling to himself, the colonel climbed
into the truck cab and gestured for the driver to start the engine.
The journey back to the old Buddhist monastery where he had
established his headquarters would take about forty-five minutes.
Plenty of time for his men to soften the English bitch up. Then he
would begin her interrogation.

(to be continued)
The ancient monastery had been deserted for more than a century, and
it was in an extreme state of disrepair. For the purposes of the
Japanese raiders, however, it was perfect. Isolated and remote, the
monstery made a perfect headquarters for the small contingent of
soldiers who had been ordered to this desolate area to find Ariane
Fortune and keep her from the Tomb of Huangdi.

Pleased that the first part of his assignment - locating and
apprehending his quarry - had been carried out so easily, Colonel
Sato Ieyasu now considered the next part of his task. Their agent in
London had apprised the Ministry of War of Ariane's planned
expedition to the tomb. Aware of the legends surrounding the jade
idol said to be hidden in the tomb, the Minister of War had conceived
of this daring plot to slip into Shenxi Province, capture Ariane and
learn the whereabouts of the Tomb of Huangdi. Sato had been given the
responsibility of carrying it out successfully.

At his orders, the truck came to a stop just outside the high stone
walls that surrounded the monastery. Sato got out of the vehicle and
ordered his men in back to bring Ariane out. He was not surprised to
see that her left eye was nearly swollen shut, or that the lower lip
of her lush, sensuous mouth had been split. Most of her clothes were
gone. Ariane now wore only her boots and shirt, and that was torn so
badly that it hardly covered her torso at all. Ariane's full, high
breasts were covered with bruises, vivid testimony to the rough
treatment she had received at the hands of his men. Her thick, pink
nipples stood prominently out from her creamy skin, made hard by the
frigid air.

Her legs parted as she was lowered from the truck bed, and Sato noted
the bruising of her inner thighs and the flecks of blood as well. He
found himself becoming aroused at the sight of Ariane's superb figure
which was now exposed for all to see. He had been told that she was
beautiful, but he had been unprepared for just how lovely she truly
was, even in her battered and disheveled state. Strands of golden
blonde hair blew in the harsh wind, having come loose from the
customary French braid Ariane preferred. Sato's eyes strayed to her
sex and lingered on the tight honey-colored curls that formed a
triangular pattern on her pubis. Sato had never seen a blonde woman
before, and the sight of Ariane's nearly nude body excited him
greatly. Sato licked his thin lips as he thought about what he was
going to do to her.

He would have her, that was certain, but not until he had broken her.
All of them would have her before he was done with her, but he would
wait until she had been made to give up the secret of the location of
Huangdi's tomb. The thought of her interrogation was what excited him
most. Sato despised westerners, and he especially hated the English.
He abhorred their attitude of superiority and the way they always
seemed to be looking down at the Asian people. Sato's eyes filled
with hatred as he watched Ariane's legs buckle beneath her when she
touched the ground. He joined in the laughter of his men when she
fell heavily.

Yes, he thought to himself, this is one gaijin who is going to learn
who is truly superior.

He would break her first, then he would have her. When he tired of
her, the men would entertain themselves with her. Then he would give
Professor Fortune a long, lingering and exquisitely painful death.
Sato hoped she was strong. He wanted her to be difficult to break. He
wanted her suffering to last a long time.

"Finish stripping her!" he shouted to the men, "and bring the device.
We'll begin right away!"

It took only a moment to tear away what was left of her shirt and to
pull off her boots. Then Ariane was hauled roughly to her feet and
led to Sato.

Ariane stared defiantly at Sato as the Japanese officer cupped her
right breast and began to fondle it. Sato kept his face impassive as
he stared back into her large green eyes, but he was pleased to see
her behave so courageously.

"You are here to find the legendary Tomb of Huangdi," he said to
her. "We know that much. Clearly you must have a map to the tomb.
Where is it?"

"There is no map," Ariane replied calmly. Despite the coolness of her
tone, she was frightened and humiliated at having been stripped
naked. The colonel had a look about him that she didn't like at all,
an evil, sadistic look that made her knees weak. The way he gazed at
her naked body made her especially nervous. Despite her fear and
humiliation, though, Ariane was determined not to give in to him.

With the speed of a striking cobra, Sato slapped Ariane across her
breasts. A soldier pinned her arms to her sides and held her tightly
as Sato cruelly slapped them again and again, until Ariane was
sobbing in anguish.

"Save yourself a great deal of pain, Professor Fortune," Sato
snarled. He wasn't even breathing hard, Ariane noted, as she fought
to regain her self-control. And the expression on his face! He
enjoyed doing that to me! she thought.

"There is no map," Ariane repeated.

"You're lying," Sato replied. "Let me show you how we treat liars in
Japan."

Ariane stared at the device that was being carried by a pair of
soldiers. It was round, made of wood that was close to two inches
thick and was had to be at least four feet in diameter. A hole had
been drilled in the exact center of the thing. Although it resembled
a solid wagon wheel, that was not what it was. They had one very
similar to it in the museum back in London. As the thing was hauled
closer, Ariane spotted the hinge along the curve of the wheel-like
thing, the line where the device would open and the small lock that
would hold it shut after it had been closed again. She knew exactly
what it was.

"The cangue," Sato smiled. "A most effective disciplinary device as
well as a means of restraining prisoners. Perhaps you're familiar
with it. It is said that Ghengis Khan himself wore one as a boy and a
young man. Let us see how it looks on you."

A pair of soldiers held Ariane still as the cangue was opened, placed
on her shoulders and fastened shut around her long, slender neck. Her
arms were released and Ariane had to grip the edges of the cangue in
order to keep it from tilting, which could cause her to lose her
balance and fall, possibly with fatal results. The weight of it was
enough to cause her knees to buckle a bit, and she staggered slightly
before acquiring her balance.

Sato nodded in satisfaction. "Two of my men will escort you on a tour
of the monastery, Professor Fortune. The wall surrounding it is
especially interesting. You can begin by walking around it a few
times. Oh, and we have something else to make your little stroll
memorable."

Sato gestured and another soldier produced a wooden pole that was
about three feet long. The wood was extremely rough, especially along
the middle part of the pole. At each end of the thing was a small
ring bolt to which a length of rawhide cord was tied. Ariane's legs
were already parted as she struggled to maintain her balance in the
strong, cold wind, so it was a simple matter to place the pole
between her thighs and wedge it tightly between her labia before
tying the other ends of the cords to small ring bolts in the canque.
The soldiers made certain to make the process as painful as possible,
and Ariane could not hold back small whimpers of pain as they secured
the pole in place.

"Off with you then," Sato laughed, giving Ariane a shove that nearly
caused her to fall. "Perhaps you'll wish to dicuss the map after
you've had your walk!"

Escorted by her two guards, tears streaming down her lovely face,
naked and shivering in the cold, Ariane shuffled off in the direction
of the setting sun, Sato's cruel laughter ringing in her ears.

Ariane groaned as consciousness returned. Her body hurt in so many
places that it was difficult to think. Looking around, she saw she
was lying on a table or bench in a small, brightly lit cell. She
closed her eyes and let her mind drift, recalling the events of the
past few hours. In her mind's eye she saw the soldiers shoot down the
two Chinese laborers at the camp, and then she remembered the beating
and gang rape in the back of the truck. The Japanese had violated her
in every way, two or three at a time, while their sadistic sergeant
had urged them on. The rape halted only when he chose to kick her or
use his fists on her, as he worked himself into a fenzy. The
seargeant had been the last to take her, and he had made certain to
do so as viciously and brutally as possible.

As bad as the rape and beating had been, the forced march around the
old monastery had been worse. The weight of the cangue on her
shoulders, her naked body exposed to the frosty air and harsh winds
and the roughness of the ground on her bare feet had produced a
nightmare of agony she had found almost unendurable. The soles of
Ariane's feet had soon been bloodied by the sharp rocks that seemed
to be the dominant feature of this unforgiving terrain, so that each
step Ariane took became more and more painful. The burden of the
cangue, and the constant struggle to balance it as she walked made
every step all the more difficult.

But the real anguish was caused by the rough wooden pole that had
been placed between the lips of her sex. By the time Ariane had
walked and stumbled over a hundred yards of difficult landscape, her
delicate tissues had been chafed nearly raw. She quickly learned that
the best way to minimize the pain was to take small, careful steps.
However, this slowed down the pace of the march, which made the
guards both impatient and angry. They constantly prodded her with
their rifle butts to pick up the pace. Ariane would do so for a few
steps and then slow down again, until she was made to walk faster.

Somehow, Ariane endured. She made it around the circumference of the
wall, which was nearly nine-tenths of a mile around. She had been on
enough expeditions, had trekked through enough rough country so that
she was in excellent physical condition. Ariane also possessed a
level of will power and determination that few could match. She could
be broken, but it would take a great effort to do so.

The second lap had nearly done it. When Ariane and the guards reached
the monastery gate, they found Sato and another soldier waiting. He
gestured for them to halt, and, when they had done so, the colonel
made a great show of looking Ariane over carefully. Her breath was
coming in ragged gasps, she could see only out of one eye as the
result of her earlier beating, the bruises on her inner thighs and
breasts had darkened, and the pole between her legs was spotted with
blood. Ariane's blonde tresses were plastered to her forehead and
cheeks, or hung limply in a loose fan over the top of the cangue. Her
French braid had come almost completely undone by now, and her naked
body, despite the harsh cold, was perspiring freely.

"You look hot, Professor Fortune," Sato taunted her. "You seem to be
sweating from your little walk. We should help you cool off!"

Sato took the leather bucket from the soldier next to him and dashed
its contents - ice cold water - over Ariane. She shrieked in shock
and pain as the water stung her already battered body.

"Take her around again," Sato ordered her escort. One of them gave
her a shove, and Ariane began to trudge forward.

The sun was very low in the sky by now, and the force of the wind
seemed to pick up as it set. Before long, Ariane was shivering
uncontrollably and the lengthening shadows made it more difficult to
see. Twice she stumbled and nearly lost her balance; only the swift
reactions of the guards kept her from falling. Each step left bloody
footprints behind, and every step brought a low moan of distress from
Ariane's throat. She felt herself growing dizzy and her legs seemed
to be getting weak. Her teeth were chattering, and she began to lose
feeling in her extremities.

With a final cry of anguish, Ariane let herself go. Her knees buckled
and she dropped slowly to the ground. The soldiers dropped their
rifles and rushed forward to catch the cangue and ease the nearly
unconscious woman to the ground. Ariane remembered that and then
nothing else.

Now she began to take stock of her situation. She was on her back,
her lower legs folded beneath her, toes pointed, so that her thighs
and buttocks rested on her calves and heels. Heavy rope had been
wound around her legs, binding them tightly in that position. Her
thighs were parted as well, and she understood that the bench or
table was tall enough to allow the soldiers to rape her easily if
they wished to.

Ariane couldn't move her arms. They dangled over the edge of the
table/bench and her wrists were secured by lengths of rope to ring
bolts that were mounted in the floor. All she could do was lift her
head just enough to look around.

What troubled her the most was the fact her back was arched over a
rough log that was four or five feet long and about eight or ten
inches in diameter. Ring bolts were centered in each end of the log,
and attached to each bolt was a length of heavy rope that went up to
a pair of pulleys set in the ceiling, then dangled down to the floor.
Ariane didn't like the looks of that apparatus at all.

Her examination of the room was interrupted by the entry of Sato. The
door wasn't locked, as she didn't hear a key. It was simply flung
open and Sato walked in. He was smoking a cigarette, and the acrid
smell of it made Ariane's stomach turn.

"I trust you are comfortable, Professor Fortune," he said. "and that
you find your accomodations suitable. Your things have arrived from
the camp and I've inspected them. There does indeed seem to be no
map. Clearly you've memorized it. After you've rested and regained
your strength, we'll discuss the location of Huangdi's tomb."

Sato removed the cigarette and pressed the glowing ember against
Ariane's groin. Ariane cried out and writhed helplessly.

"i'm looking forward to our next talk," Sato chuckled.

(to be continued)
Ariane slipped in and out of consciousness for a time. The forced
march had taken its toll, as had the psychological burden of trying
to put up a brave front in the face of Sato's threats and all too
obvious enjoyment of her suffering. She was on the verge of slipping
into the welcome blackness of unconsciousness when the door to the
tiny cell was thrown open. Sato and two other soldiers strutted into
the room. The pair of guards, seeing Ariane for the first time,
smiled at the sight of her tightly trussed, naked body.

"You've had enough time to consider your predicament, Professor
Fortune," Sato snarled. "Do not waste any more of my time. Tell me
where the Tomb of Huangdi is located!"

Forcing herself to concentrate on being strong, Ariane stared back
defiantly at the Japanese colonel. "I have nothing to say to you,
Colonel Sato. You're making a serious mistake in molesting me. I
remind you again that I am a British national and you are in
violation of several laws, both Chinese and international, in your
treatment of me."

Sato's face grew livid with rage. Eyes bulging with anger, he stepped
forward and backhanded Ariane in the face, his knuckles striking her
blackened and swollen eye. Ariane yelped from the pain, and her head
rolled to the side from the force of Sato's blow. Sato reached down,
seized Ariane's breasts, bruised from the earlier beating, and
twisted them cruelly. His thin lips parted in a vicious grin, and he
leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Your laws have no meaning here, my dear woman," he breathed, as
Ariane writhed and whimpered from the pain. "And I despise you
English. Always acting as if you are better than us, exploiting
weaker peoples and using them for your own means. That will soon end,
Professor Fortune. Japan is the rising sun in the east, and before
much longer we will drive you from Asia and make it our own!"

Sato twisted and pulled on Ariane's sensitive bosom until his
helpless prisoner was sobbing from the pain. Straightening suddenly,
Sato stepped away from the table and gestured to the
soldiers. "Remove the bindings from her legs!"

Using a bayonet, one soldier cut the ropes that wrapped Ariane's
legs, while the other unfolded first one, then the other, so that
they dangled loosely on each side of the table. Ariane groaned from
the agony of having her legs moved, as her ligaments and tendons had
stiffened considerably in the time she had lay there bound. And, as
the flow of blood was fully restored to her limbs Ariane's suffering
increased.

"Secure her ankles to the table legs," Sato instructed the duo. "Make
sure they're tied tightly."

The soldiers bowed quickly and then carried out their orders. Each
ankle was pressed against the hard, cool wood of a table leg and
securely bound in place. As they did so, Sato stepped up to the
table, by Ariane's waist. He placed a hand on her golden pubic tuft
and began to play with the tight curls there. His black eyes
glittered as his middle fingers moved over her cleft. Ariane tensed,
knowing what was coming next. When he forced his fingers into her
raw, chafed opening, she managed somehow to keep from making a sound.

"Still tender, I see," Sato said softly. "Perhaps I should take a
moment before we resume our discussion to enjoy you myself. I'm told
you're an excellent ride."

"You filthy bastard," Ariane spat. "There's not a man among you who
could last long enough to know. I doubt you'd last ten seconds inside
me!"

Sato laughed, and ground his fingers deeper into her. Ariane gasped
with the pain. "We'll see soon enough, English slut," he
replied. "But first let's get you into a more comfortable position."

Sato nodded to the pair of soldiers who had stationed themselves next
to the ropes attached to the log beneath Ariane's back. In unison,
they began to pull on the ropes and Ariane felt herself lifted
upward. After a moment she began to feel the pressure build in her
shoulders and knees.

(to be continued)
The two soldiers hoisted Ariane slowly into the air. The rough log
pressed into her back, adding to the pain she was experiencing from
the stretching of her joints and the chafing of her wrists and ankles
by the ropes that bound her to the table. Sato watched carefully as
Ariane's superb body was spreadeagled by the process of being lifted
into the air. The pain in her shoulders, knees and hips increased,
but she closed her eyes and fought to remain in control. She was
determined not to give in to the sadistic Japanese colonel.

"Enough!" Sato barked when Ariane had been stretched to the point
where her shoulders were on the verge of dislocation. "Secure her!"

The soldiers obeyed, passing the ends of the ropes through the ring
bolts in the floor and tying them off. Then they stepped back to
await whatever orders would come next.

"Give me the 'persuader'", Sato ordered. One of the soldiers removed
the device that was tucked in his belt and handed it to the colonel.
This was simply an 18 inch length of rubber hose attached to a wooden
handle.

"Now then, Professor Fortune," Sato chuckled, "since you have proven
to be so stubborn, we'll try a slightly harsher method of convincing
you to talk."

Sato swung the rubber hose over his head and brought it down with as
much force as he could muster on Ariane's exposed sex. There was a
loud "whap" as the thing slammed down onto her cleft and pubis.
Ariane's body jerked convulsively and she howled in anguish from the
pain of the blow and the agony that shot through her joints. Sato
delivered another blow; again Ariane shrieked from the pain.

"Now then, you English bitch," Sato hissed, dropping any pretense of
civility, "are you going to tell me what I want to know or not?" He
brought the rubber hose down between Ariane's legs once again,
grinning with pleasure at the sound of her distress. "Are you?" Sato
hit Ariane between her parted thighs yet again, then stepped back for
a moment. The eyes of the two soldiers were bright with excitement as
they watched their commander torture his beautiful victim.

Gasping for breath, Ariane struggled against the nausea and dizziness
that threatened to overwhelm
her. "I....have....nothing....to....say," she finally managed to
stammer, her voice a hoarse rasp.

The next blow was across her abdomen, driving the wind from her and
causing Ariane to lose control of her bladder. A deep sense of
humiliation filled her mind as Ariane desperately fought to breathe.
Along with the feelings of degradation came an underlying sense of
terror. Ariane knew things would get much worse for her if she
continued to hold out. But she knew Sato, once he had the location of
the tomb, would kill her. And, Ariane was certain, Sato would see to
it that her death was a slow and painful one. Better to die now, she
thought, than to suffer further after revealing the location of
Huangdi's tomb.

Three more blows over her belly left Ariane barely conscious. Sato
realized he was no closer to getting what he wanted than he had been
when he came into the cell. Tossing the rubber hose aside, he told
the soldiers to lower Ariane back onto the table. He had them remove
the log, so that she lay flat on the table.

"Roll her over," Sato commanded as he unfastened his uniform
trousers. Ariane was roughly tossed over onto her stomach, her legs
dangling from the edge. "We'll just see how long I last, Professor
Fortune," Sato said, his voice filled with venom.

Ariane felt his thick fingers part her buttocks, and then the
pressure against her rear entry as he began to force himself into
her. She was in so much pain that she barely noticed his penetration
of her back passage. She lay helplessly, enduring, consciousness
slipping away. She had no idea how long he used her, although she was
dimly aware that he was taking her as viciously as she could.

It no longer mattered. Ariane found herself falling into a deep,
seemingly endless abyss of utter blackness, and she let herself go.
Her last conscious sensation was of Sato ejaculating into her face
before the darkness wrapped itself around her mind and she felt no
more.

(to be continued)

When Ariane regained consciousness she found herself lying on a dirt
floor in an even smaller cell than the one in which she had been
confined and tortured earlier. The fetid air in the enclosure was
bitter cold, and Ariane shivered violently. The movement made her
groan in pain, as her battered, naked body protested against even the
slightest movement. Ariane lay on her left side, legs drawn up toward
her torso. She hurt in so many places. Her face ached miserably,
although she noted that her eye, which had been completely closed
from the swelling, now seemed to be opening a bit.

Her joints were stiff and very sore. Sato's men had been on the verge
of dislocating her shoulders when the colonel had given them the
command to stop hoisting her into the air. Even worse was her belly
and sex, where Sato had beaten her so cruelly. Tremors of pain rolled
through her torso, while her private parts felt as if they were on
fire, both from the blows Sato had delivered and the chafing of the
wooden post that she had endured on her forced march around the
ancient monastery. The cold air only increased her suffering. If she
hadn't been shivering so badly, the frosty air might have numbed her
pain. But shaking from the cold just made it worse.

Ariane decided against trying to sit up completely, but she did lift
her head a bit so she could look around. As she slowly turned her
head, she spied a tattered length of woolen cloth on the ground a bit
more than an arm's length away. Clenching her teeth against the pain,
she shuffled carefully forward until she could grasp the material. It
was moth-eaten and worn, but it was long encough and wide enought to
cover her if she drew her knees closer to her chest. Pulling the the
blanket over herself, Ariane lowered her head so that it rested on
her arm and closed her eyes. Exhausted from her ordeal, she swiftly
fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

A rough nudge from Sato's boot awakened her. Ariane was immediately
alert, and she looked up into the grim face of her tormentor. Two
soldiers, a different pair, stood at attention behind him, their
black eyes glittering as they stared at her. Sato shoved his foot
underneath Ariane and pushed her over, then he bent and jerked the
blanket off her. Ariane made no effort to cover herself, refusing to
give him the satisfaction of seeing her cringe in an effort to keep
his men from seeing what they would soon see anyway. Sato stepped
back.

"Let's go," he said curtly.

Ariane began, painfully, to rise to her feet. Sato planted his boot
between her breasts and pushed her, causing Ariane to fall heavily
on her back, legs folded agonizingly beneath her.

"You can crawl on all fours, English bitch," Sato snarled. He glanced
at his men, who moved simultaneouly toward the open cell door. Doing
her best to keep her feelings of humiliation from her face, Ariane
rolled over, got up on her hands and knees and followed them, Sato
trailing behind.

"You have a superb backside, Professor Fortune," Sato taunted
her. "It offers a marvelous view. And a delightfully tight fit. I
enjoyed - what is the term you English use? Ah yes! Buggering! I
enjoyed buggering you very much. And I think you enjoyed it too,
didn't you?"

"Bugger yourself," Ariane hissed. "What makes you think someone like
you could ever pleasure me?" A moment later, Ariane shrieked as Sato
kicked her hard between her parted thighs. She crashed to the floor
and lay there gasping. Sato kicked her again.

"Get up, you useless whore!" Sato screamed. "You've about exhausted
my patience! Get going!" The toe of his boot connected with Ariane's
ribs, and she instinctively curled into a fetal position. Sato kicked
her twice more, then he stepped back and laughed. "Such a sight! The
beautiful English archaeolgist lying naked at the feet of her
Japanese masters! Soon your entire race will bow before us!"

Grunting an order to his men, Sato stepped over Ariane and proceeded
to a nearby room. The soldiers grabbed Ariane by her slender arms and
dragged her along as they followed their commander. This room was
brightly lit and much larger than the other two Ariane had been in.
Ropes and chains dangled from the ceiling, off to one side was a
short, padded table and, at one end of the table, a pair of makeshift
metal stirrups rested on telescoping metal poles supported by small
tripods at the base of each. To the left of the stirrups was a black
box resting on a wheeled cart. On one side of the box was a hand
crank, and a series of wires dangled from it. Scattered around the
room were switches, lashes and clubs.

Ariane was hardly aware of those things. In front of her was a small
oval metal tub, perhaps a foot to fifteen inches high, and perhaps a
foot across. The tub was filled with water.

Before Ariane could grasp the meaning of this, Sato grabbed her by
the hair, jerked her upright and then shoved her head into the tub.
The two soldiers moved at the same time, each to one side of Ariane,
and grasped her arms and shoulders. Sato held Ariane's head
underwater as the panic-stricken woman struggled futilely against the
powerful hands that grasped her.

Sato counted slowly to twenty before pulling Ariane out of the water.
Eyes wide with fright and shock, Ariane gasped desperately for air.
The colonel waited until her breathing was about normal before
speaking.

"As I said in the hallway, Professor Fortune, my patience is
exhausted." Sato's voice was very soft, and Ariane felt a thrill of
fear at his tone. She knew he intended to break her this time, no
matter how long it took. Ariane was unsure as to how much longer she
could hold out.

"I'll die first," Ariane rasped, "before I'll tell you a bloody
thing."

Sato's hot breath touched her cheek. "You are quite mistaken, my dear
woman. You will die only when I will it. And you will tell me
everything I want to know. After that, I shall make you beg me to do
things to you that you could never imagine doing otherwise. Only
after I have tired of you will you die. And you shall spend a very
long, very painful time pleading for death before I allow you that
final release."

Sato shoved Ariane's head back under water, laughing as he did so.

(to be continued)

Sato plunged Ariane's head back into the water and held her there for
close to thirty seconds. Again she struggled futilely against the two
soldiers who held her tightly as she knelt against her will in front
of the water filled tub. Sato laughed maniacally as he watched Ariane
twist and writhe in helpless panic as he kept her head beneath the
surface of the water. At last he pulled her up and Ariane gasped
desperately for breath. Sato nodded to one of the soldiers. This man
stepped back, allowing his comrade to straddle the kneeling Ariane
and grasp her shoulders, while placing one knee in the small of her
back. The other soldier unbuckled the leather belt that circled his
uniform tunic, removed it and folded it over.

Without warning, Ariane felt Sato push her head forward once more.
The water enveloped her head before she could fully take a breath.
Panic gripped her again, and she instinctively fought against the men
who held her in their grasp. Then a cry of pain erupted from her
throat as a series of sharp blows stung her bare buttocks. Water
filled her mouth and sheer, unbridled terror filled her. She was
certain Sato would drown her this time.

All three men were laughing now as the soldier beat Ariane with his
belt. Sato allowed him to strike her about two dozen times, each blow
delivered with a savage fury that left bright red welts criss-
crossing Ariane's lovely bare backside. Then Sato gestured for the
soldier to step back. Ariane was pulled from the water and thrown
down to the hard, cold dirt floor of the cell. The belt wielding
soldier stepped forward, and before Ariane could cover herself,
delivered another dozen or so sharp blows to her naked breasts.
Ariane tried to cover herself and roll away from him, but Sato and
the second soldier used their feet to kick her back into position so
the beating could continue. Sato's dark eyes were bright with
excitement as he watched, and he felt himself become aroused.

"Enough!" he snapped. "Roll her over and pull her up on all fours."

A moment later, Ariane was in position and Sato was on his knees,
uniform trousers bunched beneath him, sodomizing her as viciously as
he knew how. When he had finished with Ariane, he ordered the
soldiers to take their turns with her. Both men were eager to obey.
Stunned, exhausted and overwhelmed by the ferocity and cruelty of
this latest assault, Ariane did her best to shut down her mind and to
endure until Sato saw fit to question her again. She was going to
have to give him something this time. A plausible lie that would buy
her time to gather her strength, and perhaps even to find some way to
escape.

When the other two were done with her, Ariane felt Sato's fingers
twist themselves into her golden hair. He jerked her face up so that
their eyes met.

"Where is it, bitch?" he snarled. There were no more taunts now. Sato
was clearly bent on getting the information he wanted and would
torture her till he got it. "Are you going to talk, or must we begin
again?"

Ariane didn't have to act. She was truly exhausted, and she was
deathly afraid of what might happen if Sato continued the
interrogation. She sensed he was on the verge of losing control, and
that meant she could be seriously injured before he completed
breaking her. Not that it would take much longer. No, she had to tell
him something that would send him on a wild goose chase that would
last long enough for her to recover somewhat. Ariane understood the
consequences of what she was about to do, but she could think of no
other way to protect the secret of the tomb's location for at least a
bit longer. As long as she could hold out, there was always a chance
that she might somehow get out of this.

"No more, please," the plea in her voice was real. "I can't take any
more of this. I'll tell you what you want to know. Just give me a few
moments to get my strength back."

Sato yanked Ariane's hair, and she squealed in pain. "Tell me now!"

"There...there is a small river about a dozen miles from here. It
begins in an underground cavern at the base of Mount Li," Ariane told
him. "It runs southeast toward the pass between the Xiao foothills.
Those hills are where Huangdi's tomb is hidden. When you reach the
pass, turn toward the hills that lie to the north. The third hill is
marked by two pine trees at its base. Proceed one hundred paces
further north from the second tree. There you will find a scarred
boulder. Behind the boulder is the entrance to the tomb." Ariane
paused. "You will need several men to help you move the boulder. It
weighs several tons."

Sato released Ariane and stepped back, reviewing her story in his
mind. "Get some writing implements," he ordered one of the other
men. "She can repeat her tale for us."

An hour later, Ariane was permitted to crawl back to the cell she had
occupied earlier. Sato had questioned her closely as she repeated the
instructions she had given him, making sure every detail was written
down. When he was finally satisfied, he announced that he would
personally lead the expedition to the site. "It's too dark to leave
now," he decided. "We'll move out at first light."

Outside the cell, a dozen soldiers waited. Predatory looks appeared
on their faces as Ariane crawled toward them. Sato chuckled.

"They have been waiting to enjoy that lovely body of yours for some
time," he gloated. " I fear they are upset that you have made them
wait so long for you. However, I'm sure you'll gladly make it up to
them, won't you, Professor Fortune?" He bent over and added, "Keep in
mind that whatever they do to you will be as nothing compared to what
I will do if you have lied to me."

(to be continued)

A rough nudge by a booted foot jarred Ariane awake. Not again, she
thought, her mind flashing back to the brutal gang rape she had
endured earlier. The dozen soldiers Sato had assigned to violate her
had followed their orders with vicious enthusiasm. Ariane had been
taken repeatedly in every opening, each soldier trying to outdo the
other in raping the beautiful English noblewoman as fiercely as
possible. They had done nothing else to her; Sato had known she was
unlikely to be in much condition to endure another interrogation
session should one be necessary if the soldiers had been given free
rein. So he had given them strict orders not to harm her further.
Even so, Ariane had fainted several times during the assault, only to
be revived so the rape could continue. When they were finally done
with her, she had been thrown back into the cell. There Ariane had
collapsed onto the cold, hard dirt floor where she fell into a
dreamless slumber, far too exhausted and spent to consider what might
happen to her next.

Ariane opened her eyes reluctantly, and looked up at Colonel Sato. A
cruel smile crossed his features. "Are you tired, Professor? You
should be. Entertaining so many men had to be exhausting. I'm told
you enjoyed yourself very much. My men say they've never had someone
climax during rape before." He pressed the toe of his boot against
Ariane's bare torso and nudged her again. "Get up!"

Ariane turned her face away, hiding the emotions that she felt. Rage
and humiliation both filled her mind; anger that Sato should taunt
her and degrade her like this, humiliation that he knew the truth -
her body had indeed betrayed her. More than once, in fact.

"What is it you want?" Ariane asked. Her voice was a dull
monotone. "Have you found the tomb already?"

Sato grinned. "No, Professor Fortune, not yet. But we shall leave
shortly. You shall accompany us to make sure we find the location you
described." Growing impatient, Sato kicked Ariane in the middle of
her right thigh. "Move! Get up on all fours and crawl behind me, you
worthless English cow!"

Blinking back tears of anger, Ariane obeyed Sato's order. Stiff from
lying on the cold ground, Ariane groaned from the pain of
straightening out her joints and slowly got up on her hands and
knees. Dried semen coated her face, breasts and inner thighs as well
as her disheveled golden hair. She wondered if she would at least be
permitted to bathe before they left. Somehow she doubted Sato would
be so kind.

Ariane was correct in her assessment of Sato's cruelty. He made her
crawl naked out to the old monastery's courtyard where two trucks
were parked, engines already running. The first rays of dawn were
begining to illuminate the eastern sky, and the frigid, harsh air
made Ariane's pink nipples thicken and lengthen. Sato ordered her to
stand, and she struggled painfully to her feet. Sato snapped a
command to a nearby soldier and threw lengths of thin rawhide cords
to him as he trotted over to carry out the orders of his commanding
officer. Ariane stood meekly still as her arms were pulled behind her
back so her wrists could be tightly bound. Another cord was tied
around her ankles, hobbling her so that she could walk only in short,
measured strides. Sato inspected the bindings carefully, and when he
was satisfied, he led Ariane to the nearest truck where she was
placed in the cab. Sato climbed in behind her, and Ariane found
herself sitting between Sato and the truck driver. The driver was the
biggest Japanese Ariane had ever seen, short of a sumo wrestler. He
glanced at her appraisingly, then turned his attention to driving as
Sato ordered him to begin their journey.

As the truck slowly pulled out of the courtyard, Ariane looked at
Sato. "Won't you at least give me something with which to cover
myself?" she pleaded. She was very cold, and had begun to shiver.

"The truck will warm up soon," Sato replied. "Besides, it amuses me
to keep you unclothed. But, if you have told me the truth I may
permit you put something on later."

Ariane rested her head on the back of the seat, closed her eyes and
tried to rest. Sato was going to be very angry in a few hours, and
she would need every bit of what strength she had left.

(to be continued)

The ride took over two and a half hours as the trip of a dozen or so
miles was mostly over harsh, rugged terrain where hardly any roads
existed. The vehicle bounced and was jolted time and again, and, for
Ariane, who remained naked and bound during the entire journey, the
ride was especially difficult due to her condition. Every hard jolt
seemed to reawaken muscles or joints that had been tormented earlier,
so that Ariane was in a fair amount of dicsomfort by the time they
had traveled the first few miles.

Sato added to her distress and humiliation by keeping her unclothed,
so that he and the driver could enjoy the sight of her body as the
miles slowly passed. Ariane had tried to keep her thighs pressed
together when she was seated in the truck cab, but Sato had quickly
put an end to that. Ordering her to spread her legs, Sato made Ariane
endure the degradation of having him amuse himself by playing with
her intimately. His rough fingers seemed to find every chafed and raw
part of her, and he made certain to add to Ariane's suffering as they
made their way toward the mountains Ariane had described. More than
once, Ariane squealed or moaned softly from the pain of Sato's
indelicate ministrations. The only saving grace was that Ariane was
not made to service either of them.

The sun peeked out from grey, forbidding clouds as the pair of trucks
arrived at the place Ariane had pinpointed. She kept her face
impassive as the trucks parked and the twenty or so soldiers that had
ridden in the back of each of them disembarked stiffly from the
vehicles. Sato looked around for a moment, then turned and had Ariane
step down from the cab. Ariane obeyed, wincing from the soreness in
so many parts of her body and the feel of the rough, cold, rocky
ground on her bare feet.

So this is where I'm going to die, she thought, as she surveyed the
area.

It was almost exactly as she had described. Sato spotted the large
boulder she had told them about and dispatched about a dozen men to
begin the process of moving it to one side. Satisfied that they were
following his orders precisely, Sato turned his attention to the
trucks. As Ariane stood shivering nearby, closely watched by the
remaining soldiers, the Japanese officer had the truck drivers
realign both vehicles so that they were parked one behind the other.

Once the trucks were lined up as he wanted, Sato had Ariane led
forward to stand between them. Before she fully realized what Sato
had intended for her, she found herself swept off her feet and placed
face down on the hard ground. The ropes restraining her wrists and
ankles were cut, then she was rolled onto her back. Four of the
soldiers seized one arm or leg each and spreadeagled Ariane. Others
looped fresh lengths of rope around her limbs and secured them to the
back bumper of the truck in front of her and the front bumper of the
one behind her. Sato barked an order and Ariane heard the truck
motors start up.

A scream of terror leapt from her throat as she saw the front truck
lurch as its driver threw it into gear, then begin to slowly roll
forward. The slack in the ropes disappeared as the restraints became
taut. Ariane felt the same thing happen behind her. With extreme
care, the two trucks stretched Ariane between them until her body was
suspended above the ground and her joints felt as if they would
separate at any second. Ariane had read tales of persons being
executed by being torn apart by horses; this, she assumed, was simply
a modern version of the same process. Determined to die well, Ariane
did her best to keep from making a sound as she was pulled to within
millimeters of being ripped apart.

But that was not Sato's intention. His drivers were experts, as was
he, and he gauged the moment when Ariane's suffering would be at it's
zenith precisely. With a wave and a shout, he commanded the drivers
to stop, and they did so perfectly. Ariane's beautiful, nude form
hung parallel to the ground, stretched tightly and cruelly under the
grey, forbidding sky. Those who had witnessed the process crowded
around for a better look at the naked Englishwoman who was suspended
helplessly between the pair of trucks. Head dangling, golden hair
trailng to the ground, Ariane could see only the feet and lower legs
of those within her limited range of vision. Then Sato grabbed Ariane
by the hair and jerked her head up so he could look into her pain-
filled eyes.

"You should be comfortable while my men remove the boulder," he
snarled. "We'll soon see if you were telling the truth."

(to be continued)
The pain in Ariane's stretched out body was soon joined by a more
insidious form of discomfort, the ache caused by being left naked in
the cold, harsh wind. And, before very long, Ariane began to shiver,
which only added to her torment. Ariane bore the burden of her
suffering as stoically as she could, for she was certain she had but
a short time to live. Each ragged breath she took, each wave of pain
that went through her tortured body was a reminder that she was still
alive, and that as long as she was still of this earth it was her
duty to preserve the secret she held. Ariane could not gauge the
progress of Sato's men at the boulder as her vision was obscured by
the front of the truck and the fact her head dangled back, so that
everything seemed to be upside down. She knew, though, that it would
not take long for them to discover that everything she had told them
had been a lie. Her best hope was that Sato would become enraged
enough to kill her on the spot. Even if he chose to try and torture
the truth from her, Ariane doubted she would survive for very long.
Either way, she was certain her misery would come to an end rather
soon.

Sato stood nearby, watching the detail struggle to move the boulder
aside. His cold eyes glanced back at Ariane from time to time, and he
delighted in her obvious distress. The sight of her bruised and
battered body, spreadeagled and stretched between the bumpers of the
two trucks, excited him. Ariane's golden hair hung down and was
fanned over the rocky ground. Her thick nipples had become erect as a
result of the cold air. Although it was still fall, the daytime
temperatures rarely rose above the mid-40's. It was cold enough to
make someone who had no clothes on very uncomfortable, but not to the
point of losing consciousness. He watched her shivering, teeth
clenched to keep from crying out in pain. Sato admired the woman's
courage and strength, but he was frustrated and embarassed by his
failure to break her. But he would succeed. It was just a matter of
time. And then he would give her the death she deserved and take
revenge for the way she had tried to best him.

A shout interrupted his thoughts. One of the men was trotting over to
him. Sato watched his approach impatiently. Now they would know the
truth. If the woman had lied, all was in readiness. The hood of the
truck her feet were bound to was open and the cables were in place.
All they had to do was start the engine...

The soldier snapped to attention as he reached Sato and saluted
stiffly. The look of fear on his face told Sato all he needed to
know. His men had learned the hard way that Sato did not receive bad
news well.

"What did you find?" he asked in Japanese.

"Nothing, Sir," the soldier responded immediately, nearly flinching
in anticipation of a blow from his commanding officer. "There is
nothing behind the boulder except a bare rock face. She has lied to
us."

Sato's eyes narrowed and he spun on his heel toward the helpless
woman. Ariane had lifted her head and was watching them intently.
Then, weakened by the effort, she let her head fall back. The
expression on her face was strangely calm, and that enraged Sato.
Growling low in his throat, he strode toward the helpless, naked
woman, his thick fingers curling instinctively around his sword. The
katana was a family heirloom dating back to the time of the Battle of
Sekigahara, when the Sato clan had allied itself with the great
Tokugawa Ieyasu to reunify the country. The blade was an example of
the finest produced by Japanese swordmakers, far superior to those
that were now issued to officers. An expert with the sword, Sato knew
he could easily drive the blade through Ariane's torso and cleave her
in two. He nearly shook with the effort to keep from indulging his
desire, but he finally forced himself to restore his self-control.

Removing his hand from the sword grip, Sato stood over Ariane. "You
have lied to us, you filthy English bitch," he said with a calmness
that he did not feel. "We shall resume your questioning immediately,
and we shall not leave here until you have told me the truth."

He turned to the soldier and said, in Japanese, "Hand me those wires,
and then go start the truck's engine."

The soldier bowed deeply, shouted "Hai!" and rushed off to obey.

Ariane heard the truck engine cough into life and steeled herself for
what was about to happen. But nothing could have prepared her for the
searing pain that ripped through her body as Sato applied the wires,
which were attached to the truck's battery, to her sex. Ariane's eyes
bulged and her body heaved convulsively as Sato pressed the bare
wires to her most sensitive tissues and held them there. The scream
that leaped from her throat echoed through the mountain valley, borne
by the harsh winds that whipped through it.

Sato counted slowly to fifteen, then lifted the wires. He watched
with clinical detachment as Ariane hung there between the two
vehicles, her firm breasts heaving so deliciously as she gasped for
air. The colonel waited until her breathing had returned almost to
normal, then applied the wires again.

Ariane's back arched abruptly as the electricity surged through her
cleft, up into her belly and down her open inner thighs. Then her
body began to quiver as Ariane screeched helplessly, consumed by the
fiery pain that ate at the very fiber of her being.

Sato counted to twenty this time, before removing the wires from
Ariane's pink opening. Small wisps of smoke rose from her exposed
privates, and Sato grinned. Patiently he waited for her breathing to
return to normal, then applied the wires again. Ariane's throat was
already raw from the intensity of her earlier cries, so this scream
was hoarser, but no less tormented than the first two had been. This
time Sato had applied the wires to her clitoris, and he watched with
pleasure as Ariane's stretched out body heaved against its bonds as
the spasms of agony caused her to move uncontrollably. Again he
counted to twenty, having judged that was as far as he could take her
without causing Ariane to suffer a dislocated shoulder or hip that
would render her senseless. He laughed as she lost control of her
bladder, delighting in the beautiful noblewoman's humiliation at his
hands.

At last, he removed the wire tips from Ariane's ravaged pleasure bud.
Leaning close, he grasped her hair and hauled her tear-streaked face
up toward his.

"How long shall we play this game, slut?" Sato hissed. "My patience
is boundless. But I doubt your strength of will is equally so. You
will tell me the truth. Shall it be now? Or shall we continue to play
this game a bit longer?"

"Fuck you, you slant-eyed bastard," Ariane whispered before she spat
in Sato's face.