Chapter Eleven

Conditioned for Revenge

 by Trystl

1

Mikki ducked, rolling sharply to her right to avoid the hard rubber ball that Brido threw at her. The next ball was already coming at her face as she came to her feet; and she was forced to fall on her back to avoid being hit. She heard more than saw the next ball, and rolled to her left, barely escaping being hit again. She stopped rolling and arched her back to avoid the fourth ball, then sprang into a one arm handstand just as the next one whizzed past her feet. Leaping forward with a mighty spin, her foot meet the painted face on the top of the sandbag with a satisfying crack. Smiling, she dropped lightly to her feet; and turned to get Brido�s response to her final move.

A rubber ball caught her squarely in the chest.

�It isn�t finished just because you hit the bag once,� Brido said with a sneer. �You have to be able to avoid your enemy before and after your attack. The object is to avoid being killed, not to score a hit on your opponent.�

�Does that mean I do it again?� Mikki panted, in her deep breathy voice.

�Of course,� Brido said. �Gathering up the balls will give you more than enough time to rest�but be quick about it, we don�t have all day to waste on this!�

Mikki sighed and began picking up the scattered balls, tossing them to Brido who dropped them into his large basket.

Brido studied his new student as she picked up the hard rubber balls. She fascinated him, for she was totally unlike any other woman he had ever meet. She was attractive enough to serve in a sex merchants caravan, but she was not weak as he had come to expect women to be. She was stronger than many of the men he had trained; and he suspected that she had more drive than any of them.

He wondered also about the smaller woman who always came to the practice sessions with her. They claimed to be sisters, but sometimes he doubted it. They were so very different. He never spoke to the small, quiet one. In fact he had never even heard her speak. She was content just to watch from her corner, her hands tucked into the folds of her dress so that she could thumb Mikki�s tasp without it being obvious; but Brido knew what she was doing. He knew enough about conditioning, that even if he hadn�t been told, he would know what they were doing. This woman had received some very competent training in the art. He could see the effects of it on Mikki�s face, working hand in hand with her own desperate purpose.

And desperate purpose it was!

He remembered getting a taste of it the first time they meet. Geot had mentioned that he knew someone who needed a teacher, and Brido had agreed to meet them.

Of course Geot failed to mentioned that this someone was a woman. He smiled thinking about it now; but at the time he was furious when he saw that it was two woman Geot had brought to meet him.

�I will not teach women!� Brido roared with savage indignation. �I�m a retired member of the Zanadian Tactical Infiltration Division, the military group that serves Lospodas; and when I retired from that, I trained their more experienced recruits: made them even better. The only reason I agreed to meet with you at all was because I owe you a favor, Geot. And you bring me women?�

�She asked me to introduce her to the best trainer I knew.� Geot gave an apologetic shrug. �I told her you wouldn�t train her, but she wouldn�t listen to me.�

�Well, you were right. I won�t train her!� Brido said. �Nor will I waste my time seeing her. I have never even trained a novice, let alone a woman; and I certainly don�t intend to start now. You can just send them back home.�

�That�s not fair,� the larger of the two women said, stepping forward. Her face�framed by short dark hair�burned with a cold anger. �You haven�t even seen what I can do.�

�Your a woman,� Brido said, heading towards the door. �I know what you can do.�

She stepped in front of him. �Do you hate women? Is that it? Geot told me that you had a falling out with Lospodas several years ago. Was he wrong?�

�I don�t have to explain myself to you.�

She smiled. �You do if you want to leave.�

He looked at her in disbelief�almost laughed.

�I know I can�t make you train me,� she went on, �but you will give me a fair chance to show you what I can do.�

�Then show me,� he said, planting his foot in her stomach without warning. She doubled over, gasping for breath. �Now I�ve seen,� he said. He started for the door again, having put her out of his mind almost before his foot struck. So it was a surprise to hear her charging him from behind. He spun smartly around, planting his foot against the side of her head. She blocked him with her arm, but the force of his kick threw her off balance, destroying the aim of her charge. Still she managed somehow to grab his legs and wrestled him to the ground. Her strength and speed surprised him. She ignored the pain he knew she felt as his blows connected and soon she was sitting on his chest. With her weight, she was easily capable of pinning him to the floor.

It was a stupid move on her part. His legs were the most dangerous part of his body and she was virtually ignoring them. With his legs, he reached up and caught her around the neck. He had more trouble getting a hold of her than he expected. She seemed to sense the move and hunched down a little, and even as he was toppling her over backwards she clung to him, preventing him form breaking away clean and making a decisive strike. Instead, he took her arm in a pressure hold. He hoped to subdue her, but she resisted. He twisted harder. She gasped with the pain; but was able to ignore it, spinning her body around to grab his fingers and pry them free. He knew the move hurt her badly. He could see the pain on her face, and later he treated her arm when the tendon become swollen. Yet she ignored the pain long enough to get out of the hold! He wondered how many of the men he had trained could have done the same.

�All right, all right!� he said, backing away from her with a new respect. From the grim expression of determination on her face, he knew that at least one of them would end up getting seriously hurt if they keep fighting. �All right,� he said again, coming to a sudden decision. �I�ll train you�only you though. Not the other.� He nodded towards the smaller, blonde woman who had stood by while they fought, watching with little more than a passive interest.

Suddenly the hate disappeared from the face of the larger woman and her joyous smile seemed to transform her into a young woman. Much younger than Brido would have thought. Her size, the square cut of her jaws, and the chiseled appearance of her face, all made her seem older... until she smiled and her eyes sparkled with youthful enthusiasm.

�That�s my sister,� the girl said. �She�ll come to the training sessions, but she doesn�t need training herself.�

Brido shook his head. �I don�t allow anyone to sit in on my training sessions,� he said.

The girl tapped her head. �I have a tasp. She knows how to use it to my advantage... so she sits in on the sessions. It�ll make you a better teacher, and me a better student.�

Brido frowned. He didn�t like the fact that she had a tasp in her head, or that her sister knew how to train her using it; and he didn�t like being forced to change his mind. He had already done so once, and it was beginning to gall him. Still, he understood the difference a tasp could make.

�All right,� he growled at last. �But the first time she says a word I�m through with the both of you. Understand?�

Mikki nodded. �She won�t say a word.�

�I�ll give you two weeks, then,� Brido said. �If she can stay out of my way, and you show me you can learn. Well... we�ll see. So far you haven�t shown me a whole lot, except for determination and stupidity!�

�I�m a fast learner,� Mikki said.

He smiled. �I won�t go easy on you, just because you�re a woman; and I won�t keep wasting my time if you fail to live up to my expectations.�

�I wouldn�t want you if I thought you would,� she said. �My ultimate goal is to fight better than any man.�

�You�ll never reach it,� he said with a sneer.

She shrugged. �Then I�ll get as close as I possibly can.�

�And she had definitely learned!

Maybe it was the other one using the tasp, or maybe it was because she had so much farther to go; but she learned faster than any man he had ever taught. She absorbed his training like a camel drinking water after a long, dry journey. She was the one doing the work, and yet he was the one who was exhausted at the end of a session, while she seemed weary but eager for more. It had been less than six months and already he knew that if he let up or made the tiniest mistake she was capable of beating him in a serious contest with bare hands. Even on that first day, he suspected he would have had to kill her to win; and now she had learned enough that her raw strength and speed were beginning to make up for his superior knowledge and experience.

In his robust youth he could have handled her with relative ease, but with advancing age he had become a trifle weaker, a smidgen frailer. His once blazing speed, while not greatly diminished from his youth, was slow enough that it was not that much of an advantage over her. She was quick enough, both physically and mentally, and made up for the rest with her amazing knack for fighting. She was particularly good with her hands and smaller hand held weapons; while her legs already had the strength and flexibility of a dancer. With her size to give her kick momentum, if felt like getting hit by a mule.

Her most important gift, however, was still her savage determination. Brido had never encountered the likes of it before. It was not just the tasp. The tasp was merely a method of harnessing it. The determination was something much stronger and more formidable�

...She tossed him the last ball, but he did not drop it into the bucket. He threw it back at her, and she dodged it easily. �Begin!� he said with a smile, as he scooped up another ball.

�You can�t win by cheating,� she said.

�I wasn�t cheating,� Brido said. �I was testing. The enemy won�t play by your rules. You must always be ready for the unexpected.�

�I will be,� she said�that deceptively sweet smile on her sweet red lips.

2

Mikki was about thirty feet behind Marsan as he entered the small tavern. She didn�t follow him right in, waiting for several minutes. Then she pushed through the door and stood for a moment, looking around at the sparse crowd inside. When she saw the Lospodas guard by the bar she walked over and sat down with a chair between them.

�Ho Deblick,� Mikki called to the bartender in a flawlessly masculine voice. After the first few times she had gone disguised as a man, she had decided to undergo an operation that subtly changed the shape of her throat. It had taken a good deal of time and effort to convince the Amorian healers to cut her and then use their HealStones to mend her throat�especially since as they suspected it took more than one try to get it right�but now her natural voice was deeper and rougher than other women. When she went out in male disguise, she could speak in her normal voice, but she usually deepened it on purpose for added effect.

The bartender smiled at her. She had become an irregular regular... making a habit of coming in for two or three consecutive nights every few months.

�The usual?�

�Sure,� Mikki said, using the accent and intonation she had spent several months working to perfect. She had read everything she could find on training the voice, and had spend hours watching videotapes of men and women, studying the way they moved and comparing it to tapes of herself. It took a great deal of practice and effort, with Loreena giving her constant feedback with the tasp, but slowly Mikki learned to speak and move in a totally convincing and masculine way. Just by the way she raised her glass to her mouth, she projected a sense of maleness that Marsan would find hard to reject upon all but the very closest examination. And men rarely looked at one another that closely unless their sexual preference was for other men. Even under such a close examination, Mikki could probably pass as a handsome, if still rather young man.

At Lospodas she had learned the finer points of makeup during her months at the salon; and although such skills were intended to let her create several specialized looks for the customers she served as escort for, she had learned to use the same basic techniques for emphasizing the aspects of her face that suggested maleness. It had taken some experimentation, but her body had begun to change in response to the hormone drugs she was taking, and the intense physical workouts. Her body and her face were beginning to look more and more like a man�s, even without makeup. Her breasts had become smaller; her hips appeared narrower (in part because of the operation she�d had to remove excess fat). She�d always had broad shoulders, but now her chest and arms were thicker than most men; even her stomach was beginning to ripple and her legs were almost as large as her waist. With nothing more than the right hair cut and loose fitting male clothes it was unlikely anyone who didn�t know her would think to question Mikki�s gender.

She had already stalked other guards, looking for an opportunity to meeting them and becoming their friends�so she was reasonably confident in her disguise. But Marsan was different. They had known each other personally when she was at Lospodas, had spent several intimate nights together. In fact, for a short while, Mikki had thought she might be in love with him, and she still had strange and not altogether certain feelings about him. But she also knew him better than any of the other guards. If he didn�t recognize her, she was quite certain she could use her knowledge against him in subtle and not so subtle ways.

The bartender brought her drink and she took a long swallow, wondering how she should start a conversation with him. The biggest drawback to her new look was that she found it harder to approach a man as another man than she had when she was younger, as a woman. She�d never been as good at it as her sister had been, but she could usually find an excuse to flirt with the man she wanted to get to know and that would break the ice. Now, most men weren�t as eager to look at her, and she didn�t like to advertise her built by wearing the kind of clothes that would draw their attention. Usually, when she needed a female disguise, she made herself up as a matron.

Even though she�and the Amorian healers�had managed to change her appearance considerably Mikki still didn�t completely trust herself with Marsan. Not only had they become rather close, but he was used to seeing her with various looks.

Suddenly she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Marsan was looking at her. She forced herself to take the next breath, as she carefully moved her hand towards the knife that was concealed under her shirt. Ready to use it if he recognized her and she had to flee suddenly. After all, not only was it illegal for a woman to impersonate a man, but she was a fugitive by Zanadia�s legal standards.

�You look a little familiar,� Marsan said.

She gripped the knife even tighter, wishing now that she had worn the beard too. �You don�t,� she said with a casual shrug.

�My name�s Marsan Armalis,� he said. �I work at the Lospodas mansion. Maybe I�ve seen you there.�

�I�ve never been there,� Mikki said, relaxing just a little. �I�ve heard of it, of course.�

�You must not be from around here, then.�

�No,� Mikki said. �I come into town occasionally on business.�

�Well,� Marsan said with a shrug, seeming to dismiss the subject of Mikki�s familiarity. �You should think about visiting the mansion while you�re in town. They have a little something for every kind of taste.�

�Maybe I will.�

�Ask for me when you come, I�ll make sure they treat you right�set you up with anything you want.�

�I�ll bet you could,� Mikki said, feigning eager enthusiasm. It wasn�t hard. She was very, very pleased that Marsan had given her such a perfect opening. �I�ve read a number of Lospodas� publications. Very interesting work... Yes, I think perhaps I will come.�

�Great,� Marsan said as he tipped his glass to his lips, downing the rest of his drink in one sip and then slamming his glass on the counter. �Give me another drink,� he called to the bartender.

�Let me get that,� Mikki said when Deblick brought over a bottle to fill Marsan�s drink. �In fact, why don�t you leave the bottle and we�ll help ourselves.� She took the bottle from Deblick�s hand and slapped more than enough money down on the counter.

�Thanks,� Marsan said. �What�d you say your name was again?�

�Jon Dali,� Mikki said as she filled Marsan�s glass to the rim.

3

Loreena sat beside Mikki in one of the two adjoining rooms that had effectively become her prison cell. Both of them were naked, as they usually were in the privacy of their own rooms. Mikki had developed a fondness for nudity at Lospodas; and she never allowed Loreena to have on more clothing than she did, not even when they were alone.

Loreena had ceased her feeble protests a long time ago, although she still wasn�t entirely used to it. At least it was better than the leather and rope bindings Mikki still frequently forced on her when they went out. Except when she went with Mikki to Brido�s, Loreena preferred to stay here in the confines of her rooms: where there was no one to look at her. Mikki rarely ordered her around in private anymore; and people usually left the two of them alone to work on the project that keep Loreena alive: what Mikki called the �Lospodas Notebook.�

Sometimes Loreena would talk about the details of a room while she was drawing a preliminary sketch of it on a scrap of paper. Later, one of the sisters who had volunteered as helpers would take notes from the Zanadian voice recording device, called a vorecord. Like the visual image capturing equipment, it had been quite expensive, but Mikki was getting better at funding her needs all the time and the equipment allowed them to work much more quickly. When the volunteer was finished transcribing the notes, she and Loreena would go over them together, filling in as many details as they could remember. Together they had compiled a list of questions to be answered about each room. Mikki would go down the list prompting Loreena with questions like: Where are the light switches? What is the room used for? Are there any window? Where are the air ducts?

They worked on the most strategically important rooms first, since Loreena was bound to forget small details over time.

Much later, when every room that Loreena could remember had been done in this way, they would begin to assemble the information into a polished whole, piecing together the individual rooms into a comprehensive map. Finally they would start work on the finished product: redrawing the artwork for the book, and setting the type for the words.

Now that enough material was compiled to begin organizing it into groups and categories, Mikki had more she could do to help. Still, most of her time was spent working out: either physically working her body or working her mind as she was doing now�reading a technical book on advanced stage make-up.

The two of them spent much of their time together. Usually they were separated by a barrier of silence and space, but it had become comfortable a long time ago; interruptions were infrequent enough to be unexpected...

So the knock on the door was something of a surprise.

The sisters looked at one another questioningly. Then Mikki shrugged and got up to answer the door.

It was BOOTZ NOar.

She smelled crisp and clean, with her hair done up, and her face carefully painted. She wore the formal Slarn courting dress: silky, and sheer enough that Mikki could see every curve of her body. Mikki couldn�t help looking down at the nipples of her large breasts, poking against the fabric�and further down, to the semi-turgid, and very male looking organ between her legs. It was smaller than Mikki remembered, but she still found that it made her smile with amusement and anticipation.

�You look... very nice.� Mikki leaned forward to give BOOTZ a formal kiss in greeting.

�Mikki?� She said uncertainly.

�It�s me.�

�I hardly recognize you. It�s been so long.�

�It has been a long time,� Mikki admitted. �We�ve both changed a great deal.�

BOOTZ wrapped Mikki in her arms then and she returned the hug with a fierceness that she hadn�t expected.  

�I�m really glad you�ve come,� Mikki whispered in her ear. �I�ve missed you. I think maybe I didn�t realize how much, until just now.�

�Mother told me you came to see me, but she didn�t want us to meet until after...�

�I know,� Mikki nodded. �She told me. But I still should have come to see you. I would have too, but... things have been really... weird.�

�I heard about the guns you were able to buy... and I�ve heard rumors that you�re trying to organizing and train a small group of special sisters?�

Mikki smiled, nodding towards the hallway. �Want to go for a walk? I�ll tell you all about it, if you�re interested.�

�Sure.�

�Give me a second.� Mikki ducked back into the room, and told Loreena that she would be gone for a while; then she pulled the door shut behind her and locked it.

BOOTZ looked at her questioningly. �You don�t give her much slack, do you?�

Mikki shrugged. �I try to be hard enough on her that even those who wanted her dead have to feel some pity for her.�

BOOTZ nodded her understanding and reached out to take Mikki�s hand as they walked.

4

A young, feminine looking, Amorian beta�wearing only a thin robe that she had obviously just thrown on�opened the door and looked at Mikki questioningly.

�I need to speak with aNEE ZAHmit,� Mikki said.

The Amorian nodded and disappeared back into the room.

�Hello, Mother ZAHmit,� Mikki said when aNEE appeared. She leaned forward, and kissed her in a stiff, formal greeting. �I need to speak with you alone if I may.�

ANEE glanced back through the door into her room. Obviously not wanting to leave her sexy little beta friend.

�It won�t take long,� Mikki said.

ANEE shrugged. �Give me a moment.� She ducked back inside the room, said a few muffled words and reappeared at the door, closing it behind her. �I take it this is not a social call.�

�No,� Mikki said.

�Shall we take a walk?�

Mikki shrugged. �I don�t want to keep you,� she said. �So I�ll get right to the point. I�m going to need your support again at the leader�s council.�

�How much this time?�

�Twenty-five thousand marks.�

�That�s a lot of money. Have you found more guns?�

�No,� Mikki said. �This is better... I�ve made friends with a guard from Lospodas named Marsan Armalis. He has a unique opportunity to start what he thinks will be a very profitable business. I want to give him the twenty-five thousand marks he says he�ll need to do it.�

�Excuse me,� aNEE said, her eyes going wide in disbelief. �I can�t believe I heard you right. You want to loan a Lospodas guard twenty-five thousand marks to start a business?�

Mikki nodded. �It�s not as crazy as it sounds, Mother ZAHmit. You see, I intend to make sure his venture fails.�

�Forgive me, but I fail to see how that makes it a sound investment.�

�Are you aware that Zanadian legal forms routinely use slavery as a form of collateral? Usually men try to use a woman for this purpose, but I�ve had a very carefully worded legal document drawn up. It will give me the option of becoming Marsan�s new master should he not be able to fulfill his end of our agreement... which as I�ve said, he won�t.�

�I still don�t see the point.�

�You can be certain that he won�t want to be a slave... and as his friend I won�t want to enforce the letter of the contract, so instead I�ll ask him for small favors from time to time. Like keeping his eyes and ears open and reporting to me about what goes on at Lospodas. It might be useful to have a friend inside Lospodas, don�t you think? Someone to do us a little favor now and then.�

ANEE frowned. �I see,� she said. �You intend to use him, much the way they use us whenever they can.�

�It�s been a very effective tactic for them, as you well know.�

�Yes. I just don�t like stooping to the same depths that they�re willing to use.�

�That�s why I�m here, isn�t it?� Mikki said, �So that you don�t have to.�

ANEE was silent for a long time. �Very well,� she said at last. �I�ll support you, once again.�

5

The extended Borshurin family had gathered at the main house for their annual harvest feast. This year the festive mood was particularly lively, for the harvest had been among the clan�s most successful ever. There would be plenty of money for his whole family during the coming winter and beyond.

In celebration, the tables were heavily laden with the men�s favorite foods, and all the women were decked out in their finest jewelry and clothes. The room was a din of laughter and scattered conversations. The women brought new dishes from the kitchen then hovered around the table waiting to serve their men, speaking to each other in subdued tones that were drowned out by the louder voices around them. Even the children, who sat at their own smaller tables, were louder than the women.

Lasser Borshurin, sitting at the head of the table, looked around the room at his sons; his uncle, and the various nephews and cousins who had come from their various homes to help celebrate the harvest. There was barely enough room around the table for all the men as it was, and little Joman and Holford had both helped with the men�s tasks this year. They deserved a seat at the big table soon.

Yes, it was time for a bigger table Lasser thought. He smiled with just pride, as he looked at his sons. It was a fine thing to be the patriarch of such a large and prosperous clan.

Just having so many well-bred sons increased Lasser�s stature among other men; and being a shrewd man, he was quick to see the advantages of forming ties with some of the more influential families in town. It was natural that men without heirs would come to him to discuss adopting his sons, as indeed several already had.

Lasser had always taken an immense pride in fathering so many potential heirs. It wasn�t something that ran in his legal father�s family... for Lasser�s father only had one brother, and had been forced to adopt Lasser as his heir. And it certainly wasn�t something that ran in the Zanadian community... Indeed, while most men had as many as half a dozen daughters for every son, Lasser had nearly as many son�s as daughters. And while many men were forced to adopt male heirs, two of Lasser�s first three children were boys. His good luck had continued even after his first wife had died giving birth to his twin daughters. His eldest, and favorite daughter, Venita, had already born three more strong and healthy sons for him.

Yes, life was good.

Lasser had every reason to be proud. He had enough sons that he only had to hire a few seasonal employees to work the fields and; daughters pretty enough to bring a fair price from the slave merchants during the few lean years when he had to sell them to continue the clans accustomed level of prosperity.

�A toast,� Lasser said, leaning forward in his chair. He began tapping his spoon against the side of his glass. Slowly the chinking sound quieted the room. The men stopped their individual conversations. In the kitchen, women hushed each other and crowded towards the doorway, trying to get the best possible view. Even the children�s table fell quiet as the older kids hushed the younger ones.

Everyone was looking at Lasser expectantly.

�It was a good harvest,� he said quietly. There was a burst of laughter and a hardy round of agreement; then everyone quieted down again. �Joman and Holford... the two of you did men�s work today; you can come with the men tonight. You�ve earned yourself a night on the town.�

Not all the men joined Lasser�s little excursion into town�Varon, his father�s younger brother, was old enough that about the only time he left his own house was to attend the harvest feasts�but everyone else came.

It took two vehicles, with all the younger boys piled in the back of the truck, to hold everyone; and when they got into town they parked in a public parking lot. There were too many of them for one bar to easily handle them all, so Lasser gave each of them some money and let them go their own ways.

Lenny chose to stay with the largest group, the one that formed around his father. This wasn�t the first time he had been allowed to join the men when they went into town, but he hadn�t been one of them so long that he had forgotten how much he hated being left behind with the children either... Following the others, Lenny tried to stay in the thick of things so he wouldn�t miss any of the conversation, but he was too timid to join in with the bantering of the older boys. He wondered where Lasser would take them first, but he wasn�t surprised when they headed towards the pillories at Punishment square.

6

Merisal placed the last of the food in Salinda�s mouth, then took the stopper from the water bag and carefully raised it to Salinda�s lips, tipping it back so her lover could drink. She took several thirsty gulps, and then turned her head the few inches that the pillory allowed to signal that she�d had enough. This particular pillory was designed with a low adjustable metal frame. The wooden clasp about the head and wrists swiveled up or down, allowing the prisoner to rest on her knees or to stand bent over at the waist.

�Thank you,� Salinda said, licking her lips and shifting her weight from one knee to the other. She tried to brush some of her hair out of her face, but the stocks wouldn�t allow her to reach the offending tendril, so Merisal brushed it away for her; then she leaned over and kissed Salinda on the cheek.

Standing up straight, Merisal removed her blanket from around Salinda�s shoulders. Then she began to rummage in her small knapsack for the HealStone she had brought. It was carefully wrapped in a supple piece of leather. She unwrapped it, and held the stone up by the strong cotton string that was threaded through a hole in one end. It pulsed with energy in her hand. Even under the glow of the overhead night light, it seemed to shine with energy.

As Merisal placed the stone against the tender welts on her back, Salinda flinched against the sting of the stone�s healing magic. Tiny blue sparks told Merisal when the HealStone came into contact with one of the more serious welts that striped Salinda�s back.

�These last two days have been the longest of my life,� Salinda said, shivering under the cool air and the healing sting.

�Stand up,� Merisal said.

�I�m too tired to stand,� Salinda complained. But she forced herself to get to her feet. �I�ve hardly slept at all since they put me in this damned thing.�

Merisal began rubbing slowly up and down her legs. �After tonight you�ve only got one more day in this horrible place.�

�It�s so humiliating: everyone looking at me, knowing they can do anything to me they want.�

Merisal rubbed the stone between Salinda�s legs, then slipped it inside of her. Salinda gasped, a little squeal of shocked pleasure escaping her lips as the stone worked its magic on her ravaged insides.

�If I had a gun I�d shoot every one of them!�

�And you�d get worse than this.�

Merisal pulled the stone out of Salinda. It was nicely wet from her lover�s juices, so she pressed it against her lover�s other hole, slipping it inside her asshole.

�Oh,� Salinda moaned; her voice a mixture of pain and pleasure.

�If it weren�t for that damned sentry guard,� Merisal said. �I�d try to get you out of here myself.�

�Don�t do anything foolish,� Salinda said. �You�ve been more than generous. We both know it isn�t safe for you to be here with...� Salinda lowered her voice to a whisper. �The stone.�

�I know. But I still wish I could stay with you all the time. I feel guilty for neglecting you!�

�They overlook you bringing me food and the blanket, but if they caught you with that...�

�Shsssh,� Merisal said, hiding the stone and stooping to place the blanket around Salinda�s shoulders again. �I think there�s someone coming.�

�Don�t waste your blanket,� Salinda said. �They�ll just pull it off as soon as you leave. Besides, it�s not really all that cold.�

�Don�t tell me that,� Merisal said. �I felt how cold your skin was when I first got here: you were shivering. And I think it�s getting colder. It�ll be a wonder if you�re not sick before this is over.�

�I hear them Merisal. Hurry and go before they see you.�

Merisal sighed and tucked the blanket around Salinda�s shoulders. Then, with a reluctant nod, she slipped away into the darkness.

7

�Looky here,� Horance said. �Someone must really like this cute little bitch. They brought her a blanket.�

�Take it off,� Lasser said. �Let�s have a good look at her.�

Horance walked around to the back of the pillory and pulled the blanket away from the girl�s shoulders, smiling in appreciation as he looked at her shapely back. It was striped with a number of welts, most of which were already starting to heal.

�Very nice,� Lasser said.

Coming forward, he pinched one of the nipples on the girl�s small but well shaped breasts�until he forced a loud cry of protest from her lips.

�She�s a screamer,� Lasser said, as he rubbed the tortured nipple a little. �Lenny.�

The boy jumped forward, eager to do his father�s bidding.

�Go back to the car,� Lasser said. �And get that travel pack I keep in the truck. It looks like were going to have to put something in her mouth to keep her quiet. After all, we don�t want to wake up the whole town.�

Lenny�s head bobbed excitedly,

Lasser moved his hand to the girl�s other breast. He could feel her trembling, now; and he didn�t think it was from the cold. He gave her unmolested nipple a threatening nip and ordered her to stand. Quickly she obeyed and he began loosening his pants. Slowly he walked around the pillory. He placed his hand on her back, and traced over the slight welts on her bare skin.

�Just what I like,� he said, tracing over her rounded buttocks, �A really tight ass.�

He slipped his fingers between her legs, and she squirmed beneath his insistent touch, raising one leg and pressing it against the other; but it seemed little more than a token protest.

�Please,� the girl said. �I�ll do whatever you ask me to... you don�t have to be so rough.�

�Of course you�ll do what I tell you to, �Lasser said with a laugh. �You have no choice, do you?� He pulled his pants down and pressed his swollen cock against her, teasing with the slightest pressure as he reached around and slipped his fingers into her front hole. She wasn�t as dry as he would have expected, but her muscles tensed as he pressed against her.

�How many times have you been fucked in the ass already today,� Lasser asked. In her embarrassment, the girl hesitated, just a little, before answer. Lasser slapped her hard on the cheek of her ass.

�Five times,� she said. �And three times yesterday.�

�You ought to be really sore by now then hadn�t you.�

�Yes,� she admitted reluctantly.

�Good. That�s what I like.� He pressed a little harder against her orifice, and her ass muscles clenched even tighter. Then Lasser saw Lenny coming back with the pack of supplies, and he pulled back, running his hands over the firm cheeks of the girl�s ass.

Lenny set the pack down and began rummaging around until he found a large dildo gag. He held it up with a smile, and Lasser�s nod of approval turned it into a foolish grin.

�Please,� the girl said when she saw it. �You don�t have to put that on me... I�ll be very good I promise. I�ll do whatever you want me to.�

Lasser pulled his belt free of his pants and used it to slap her hard across the length of her back.

She flinched and cried out; then sank to her knees.

�I told you to stand on your feet,� Lasser said, and his tone of voice implied that he had just caught her in a lie. He nodded to Horance, who began to remove his belt too.

The girl quickly tried to stand again, but Lasser put his shoe in the small of her back and pushed her down. Lenny came forward with the gag in hand. �Open up,� Lasser said. �Don�t make us force it on you. Believe me we�ll get it on, but you won�t like how we do it.�

Reluctantly she opened her mouth, and Lenny put the gag on her. Then a moment later Horance�s belt struck her across the breasts.

She screamed into her gag and jerked against the pillory�tried to raise herself up and got pushed down to her knees again by Lasser. The other men were taking off their belts too; and they joined in on the fun, striking her numerous times across the breasts and stomach and the front of her legs. Tears came to her eyes as she moaned and tried to get away; but Lasser keep his foot against her back, and except for its ability to pivot, the pillory didn�t give her much freedom to move. After several moments of this treatment, Lasser removed his foot and the beating stopped.

�Are you going to stand now,� he asked.

The girl responded by getting to her feet.

�Good.� Lasser pinched her ass. �Here�s what�s going to happen. I�m going to whip your ass until its bright red and then I�m going to fuck it.� He struck her on the back of the legs with his belt and they nearly buckled beneath her, but at the last moment she seemed to remember what happened the last time and managed to stay on her feet.

�That�s much better,� Lasser said in approval. �Now, as long as you can stay on your feet, those others won�t have to work on your front. Pretty simple isn�t it?�

He struck her again, a little higher this time; and again she just barely managed to remain standing.

�Pa,� Lenny said, as Lasser struck again.

�What is it,� Lasser said, as he rubbed his hand over the girl�s hot ass, and slide his finger between her legs.

�I think someone�s coming, pa.�

Lasser looked in the direction Lenny had pointed and saw two people heading purposefully towards the row of pillories. One was obviously a man, and the other looked like a boy or perhaps a woman. As they came closer, Lasser could see that the male was a sentry guard and the smaller one was indeed a small and very pretty female.

�I think you men better leave this girl alone,� the sentry said.

�What�s she to you?� Lasser asked. �We�ve never had trouble with you sentries before.�

�She�s a Zanadian citizen,� he said. �It�s my duty to make sure that she isn�t treated with excessive cruelty, beyond what her punishment calls for and her master is willing to allow. In this case, I deem that your actions are a little too excessive and must ask you to leave her alone.�

Lasser smiled. �I don�t think a magistrate would agree with you.�

�If you want to test that assumption you can take your case to one of them. But for now, I�m within my jurisdiction to ask you to leave her alone.�

�That�s interesting...� Lasser said. �I assume it must have been your little friend there who brought you to stop us. And I�d bet that she was the one who put this blanket around your prisoner, too.�

�And what if I am,� the girl said. �It�s done all the time.�

�By men perhaps,� Lasser said, looking questioningly at the guard.

�I wouldn�t know,� the guard said, shuffling his feet nervously. �I had to take a piss. I can�t keep an eye on every prisoner all the time. I have my rounds to make. Other duties that keep me occupied.�

�You weren�t here when we came, either. If you had been, I�ll bet you would have seen this woman giving succor to her friend. And I�ll bet they�re both from Leskral, which means that you were letting a Leskral woman give succor to another duly convicted woman. I don�t think your superiors would look too kindly on that.�

�I�m a Zanadian citizen,� Merisal said. �I have a right to be here. I have a right to give Salinda succor.�

�Only a fieflord has the right to give succor to his fief.�

�I�m a duly appointed representative of Leskral,� Merisal said. �And Leskral is our legal fieflord.�

Lasser frowned. �Perhaps,� he said abandoning that line of attack. �But it�s after dark; and women are not allowed on the streets at night unless they�re being escorted by a man.� He turned away from the girl and looked hard at the sentry. �But I�ll bet you were willing to overlook that fact because your little friend here gave you a bribe to turn the other way for a while. What do you suppose your supervisor would think about that?�

�There�s no way you can prove it,� the girl said, �because it isn�t true.�

�Shut her up, will you,� Lasser said, and his sons moved quickly towards the girl. Horance was the first to grab her, and he twisted her arm behind her back, and began to whisper threats in her ear.

�Leave me alone,� she cried; in obvious pain as Horance savagely twisted her arm behind her back and Trifon clamped his hand over her mouth. Lasser glanced at the guard and knew that he was on the verge of siding with the girl if he didn�t do something.

So he laughed and said, �Easy boys.� Then he turned back to the guard and said, �Don�t worry. My boys won�t really hurt her. But she needs to learn a little respect for her betters, don�t you think. It isn�t polite for a woman to be interrupting a man while he�s trying to speak. Those Leskral women just don�t know their place, but as long as she keeps quiet, my boys won�t really hurt her. You see the wisdom in that, don�t you?�

The guard shrugged sheepishly.

�Good,� Lasser said with a wolfish grin. �Now, as for being able to prove that you took a bribe, like the girl said. Perhaps I can�t actually prove it� but you don�t strike me as a very good liar, son. I don�t think you could convince a magistrate�s truthsayer that you were telling the truth, even if you were. And we both know it�s not exactly legal for a fieflord to provide succor for his fief unless he�s the one who put her in there, or their lives are threatened�and I know Leskral didn�t suddenly decide to start punishing their own. Now, I know it�s common practice for a sentry to look the other way when a man comes to give his woman some comfort. It�s done all the time, even thought it isn�t exactly legal, for them or for you. Same as us wanting to have a little fun and getting a little too rough isn�t exactly legal. But people are usually willing to over look little things like that... problem is, if you press charges against us, the magistrate will be forced to consider our return charges against you. And taking a bribe from a duly appointed representative of Leskral is a little more serious charge than inadvertently getting a little too rough with one of the girls at the pillories, isn�t it, son.�

�Ow, the damn bitch bite me,� Horance said as he pulled his hand away from the girl�s mouth.

�Don�t listen to him Havwel,� Merisal said; her voice rising in pain as Horance savagely twisted her arm behind her back. �He can�t prove anything against you but I ca�� The threat in her voice was obvious, despite the hand Horance clamped over her mouth that had cut off her words.

The sentry looked at Lasser and then back at her, even more nervous now than he was before.

�Well now. Havwel, is it? A magistrate might wonder how the girl knew that; and more importantly, exactly what it is that she�s threatening you with. I�ll wager she�s not just bribing you with her body?� Lasser placed his arm on the sentry�s shoulder and pulled him slightly to the side. �It looks to me like you�ve got a bit of a problem, son.�

�Don�t you dare listen to him,� the girl threatened.

�Didn�t I tell you to shut her up,� Lasser said angrily over his shoulder. And he watched just long enough to see that his boys were stuffing a rag into the girl�s mouth; then he turned back to the sentry.

�So, Havwel, if I told my boys to search you, would they find a bag of money from your little bitch friend? Or would they find telling stains on your underwear from where you fucked her? It wouldn�t look good when the magistrate started questioning you, would it. On the other hand, you�ve got her making equally dangerous threats, I�m sure. Of course, there is a way out of this.�

�How?� the guard asked.

�Isn�t it a crime for a woman to try to bribe a sentry guard?�

The sentry nodded slowly.

�So if you were to apprehend your little friend for attempted bribery and blackmail, she would be the one who was in a lot of trouble, not you. Heck, you�d be a hero.�

�What about what she knows?�

�If it�s that serious, then we�ll just have to make sure that she doesn�t have a chance to tell anyone about it, won�t we?�

�How do we do that?�

�It just so happens that I have a magistrate friend who�s helped me out of little situations like this before. I�m sure I could convince him to do so again, given the right incentives. �

�What about his truthsayer?�

�Who needs a truthsayer when you have half a dozen witnesses?� Lasser gestured around at his boys. �Besides, she did give you money, didn�t she?�

Havwel nodded.

�So there�s no lie for a truthsayer to find.�

�If they question her, she�ll talk.�

�So we give the magistrate a little extra money to make sure that he doesn�t ask too many questions,� Lasser said. �And even if she does manage to say something, isn�t it obvious that she�s so desperate she�d say anything? You tell a truthsayer that and they�ll see the truth. It�ll be enough to clear your name.�

The guard looked over at Merisal and frowned. �If I arrest her for attempted bribery, they�ll take the money she gave me,� the sentry said. �My superiors will confiscate it for sure.�

�True,� Lasser said, �but that doesn�t mean you can�t still profit from her.�

�How do you mean?�

�When a woman is found guilty of a crime this serious, it�s up to the discretion of the presiding magistrate whether or not she should be stripped of her citizenship. Usually, that depends on how much her fieflord is willing to pay the magistrate to get her back, and whether or not the magistrate feels that the fieflord is likely to dish out a suitable punishment. In this case, your little friend is a member of Leskral, which means they aren�t likely to deal with her harshly. In such a case, the magistrate has every right to take charge of the punishment himself, or to assign such rights to a proxy. A typically punishment might be to give the girl to an auction house�or to Lospodas, since they�re so close�although in this case I think it might be wiser to sell her to the slave auctions, and specify that she�s only to be sold to a non-local. That way she won�t be around to cause either of us any trouble in the future.

Lasser turned the sentry around to look at the girl as she struggled. She tried to shake her head to free her mouth, but Horance held her head firm, while Trifon held her arms pinned neatly behind her back and Delovar had his arms wrapped around her legs so that she couldn�t kick out at them.

�I bet she�ll bring a right fat price when we sell her,� Lasser said. �Of course, we�ll have to split it three ways. The magistrate gets his share too... but then, nothing says we have to turn her in to the auction house right away. No reason we can�t all have a little fun with her first, eh?�

�You�re sure this magistrate will do it?�

�Of course he�ll do it,� Lasser said. �This isn�t the first time I�ve done a little shady business with him.�

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