Indifferently the admiral waved his troops in to seize the other three pirates. ‘Arrest them all. It is for the governor to sort out.’
‘What of the wench, sir?’
Tesra squirmed as a grinning Talassian lifted her by the waist off the ground.
‘She is not to be touched. By order of the emperor himself.’ There was grumbling among the men, who seemed intent on her despoilment. ‘There will be plenty of time for that later, lads,’ said he, ominously to the marines.
Tesra stood with the pirate company, awaiting audience with the governor of the province in which they had been captured. The hall was enormous, the ceilings vaulted as high as the sky, the marble columns as thick as the great trees she had seen in visions of the man-forests of the north. The whole of the chamber was painted in various bold colors, trimmed in gold. To the nymph it seemed as if she’d died and gone to the hall of the gods, and yet she had been given to understand that this palace was the seat of only one small district of the Talassian empire, and not a very important one at that. What then would the emperor’s palace look like?
Tesra had attempted to stay close to Marcellus as they were transported here, first by boat and then over land in a horse-drawn cart. The man had shunned her, not deigning either to touch her or speak so much as a word to her. It was as if she had died to him the moment the ring had been spirited away.
Rodrigo, on the other hand, had been quite vocal, much to the irritation of their captors. As a result he’d earned a gag in his mouth, a leather slave bridle sized for a male. All five of their party was nude, having been immediately stripped, and they also bore shackles. Tesra assumed this was standard treatment for Talassian prisoners.
The governor’s audience hall was a beehive of activity at the moment, the center of which was the throne, a golden chair set high on a dais on which sat a balding, jowled man with a paunch wearing a purple and green robe, layered and trimmed in gold. He had small eyes and a hawkish nose. Round him several other richly dressed men, their dandyish appearance reminding him of the princess’ courtiers, were bobbing their heads up and down, whispering things here and their into the man’s ears. But he seemed bored.
There were a number of cases to be presented, and lots of onlookers, curious to see Talassian justice in action. The men and women visitors stood to the sides of the throne, leaving a wide pathway for the petitioners. Their clothes were quite elegant, the females donning garments similar to, though not as elaborate as the one Ameliadora was wearing the day of her capture. They smiled readily, chattering softly back and forth. The men, by contrast, were stoical, scabbarded swords at their belts, their heads covered in velvet feathered hats, their legs in stockings and breeches gathered tightly below the knee.
There were also slaves, male and female both, identified by their nude or near nude bodies as well as by the collars on their throats, in polished gold and silver. Many of them, wearing leashes, knelt beside masters, while others served the governor. A pair of them, young auburn beauties with proud breasts, stood behind him, waving his portly body continuously with fans. Tesra wondered what else the pretty slaves were required to do for the man.
‘Your excellency,’ called a man in a long blue robe, bearded with a silver medallion around his neck. ‘If you please, a case of domestic discord presented for your wisdom and settlement.’
‘How many more of these are there?’ the governor wanted to know, snapping his finger for a slave bearing a tray of delicacies. ‘Isn’t it lunch yet?’
‘Nearly, excellency,’ bowed the man. ‘Just these two matters,’ he indicated the young couple before him and, to the right, the naked company of pirates, ‘and we shall have done the emperor’s business for the morning.’
Tesra thought there was in the bearded man’s words a subtle reminder that they both answered to a higher, and no doubt more brutal authority.
‘Very well,’ he sighed as the naked, kneeling slave offered him the tray of tiny pastries and wrapped meats. ‘But I warn you, I am cranky now and my decisions will reflect that.’
The young couple was brought forward. The man wore a brocaded tunic in pale orange, boots and breeches. The girl was very pretty, with long dark hair combed over her delicate shoulders. The green gown she wore revealed an ample bosom tapering to a trim waist. Tesra thought her to be around her own age, though the worry on her finely shaped face made her seem possessing of additional years.
The blond man, by contrast, seemed supremely confident, anxious even to get on with things. It was he who pushed the girl forward, hand at the small of her back, into the presence of the boisterously chewing governor.
‘Well?’ the governor spit through an overfull mouth. ‘Has either of you a tongue or not?’
The young man looked at the bearded magistrate, who nodded significantly, indicating he should speak first. ‘Excellency,’ the young man began, his voice reflecting the polish of a public speaker, ‘I am Mintalar, of the merchants, apprentice to Vasiliar for three years now. And this,’ he pointed with ill-disguised contempt at the lovely female, ‘is the whore of a slut who used to be my wife.’
The governor snapped his fingers. A new girl, slender as a child, ran to him and knelt, head bowed. ‘I gather,’ the governor proceeded to wipe his greasy hands on her long, silky blonde hair, ‘that you are seeking a divorce. If so, you must have grounds.’
‘The whore cheated on me, excellency. She spread her slut legs for other men.’
‘And you witnessed this?’ He pushed the soiled girl down to his golden-sandaled feet where she set about licking reverently.
The question seemed to throw him. ‘Witness, sir? Well not literally, though it’s plain enough, ask anyone around. She screws them left and right. I am away, you see, sir, buying merchandise, and that is when she desecrates our marriage. I even hear tell she lies with them in my own bed. Can you imagine, sir?’
The governor snatched the silver food tray from the first slave and tossed it over his shoulder, barely missing the head of one of his guards. ‘So she is left alone for long periods of time,’ he observed. ‘How then do you fulfill your marriage responsibilities?’
‘Excellency?’
‘Her cunt,’ he retorted sharply. ‘When do you satisfy your wife’s cunt?’
‘I - I - well, it’s often enough, sir,’ he sputtered.
The governor maneuvered the head of the serving slave to the opening in his robe, conveniently placed at his crotch, and Tesra could see now why he did not want her holding the tray any longer.
‘Really, merchant?’ he chortled, settling back to enjoy the twin sets of lips, one on his sandaled toes and one on his stubby cock. ‘And how often do you suppose that is?’
The merchant stared dumbfounded.
‘You,’ he addressed the wife. ‘What is your name?’
‘I am Serena, excellency.’
The girl’s voice was soft and shy, precisely as one would expect.
‘Serena,’ he nodded approvingly. ‘Very well, Serena, tell the court how often you require sexual relief.’
Her head was lowered, her hands crossed in front of her. ‘Daily,’ she whispered.
Tesra marveled at her honesty, the clear, pink blush on her face.
‘You see!’ the young merchant cried in triumph. ‘She is a slut, just as I said!’
‘Merchant,’ said the governor, shifting in his seat, ‘if you again speak out of turn I shall have your balls fed to my hunting dogs.’
The blood drained from the young man’s face.
‘Serena,’ the governor continued, ‘how do you obtain sexual relief?’
‘I touch myself,’ said she, again amazing Tesra with her forthright display. At first she’d thought the woman foolish, or simple, but as she considered the matter it could be she was quite brilliant. Clearly in a court such as this it did li
ttle good to hide anything - especially as a woman.
‘How often?’
‘Three, sometimes four times a day.’
‘And what do you imagine when you do this?’
‘My husband,’ said she softly. ‘Inside me, mastering me.’
‘Have you given your body to any others since your marriage?’
‘No, excellency.’
The young merchant held his tongue.
‘How then do you explain your husband’s suspicions and the rumors he claims to have heard?’
‘If it please your excellency,’ she offered, her eyes still focused on her dainty feet, ‘I have been told there are women who are jealous of me, and they spread lies.’
‘Jealous, why?’
‘Men find me pleasing to behold,’ said she without a trace of vanity.
‘You, merchant.’ The governor’s tone was darker, far less patient as he shifted back his attentions. ‘Why did you marry this woman?’
“W-why?’ He swallowed. Clearly events were not unfolding at all how he had imagined. ‘Because I loved her?’ It came out as a question.
‘Because you wanted to make others jealous,’ the governor supplied, playfully stroking the head of the subservient girl at his loins. ‘You enjoy beautiful things, but you don’t know how to take care of them. A woman is a bit more complex a possession than a vase, young fellow, or even a horse, no?’
The merchant was silent.
‘You have no grounds for divorce,’ said the governor to him. ‘She, however, has them against you.’
‘Excellency?’
‘You have not satisfied her. You are husband in name only. Serena, if you wish to be free of this man I shall grant it, along with compensation of three quarters of his wealth, including all that he will earn for the rest of his days.’
‘Excellency,’ the man pleaded, falling to his knees, ‘have mercy!’
‘Get up,’ the governor snarled. ‘You are a pathetic example of manhood. Serena, what is your wish?’
‘I do not wish to divorce my husband.’ She was looking him in the eye for the first time. ‘I love him, your excellency.’
The young man drew a sharp breath as though this were news to him.
‘In that case there is to be no divorce. Merchant, you shall remain this woman’s husband and serve her every need, or I shall see to it that you are dealt with most unpleasantly.’
‘B-but, sir, you do not know what she might ask of me. How can you give a woman such power?’
Now it was Serena’s turn to fall to her knees. ‘Husband, I ask nothing but to serve you. Keep me, my lord, as your own.’
He did not appear to comprehend.
‘Be my master,’ she clarified, lowering herself with exquisite grace to kiss his feet, ‘and make me your slave.’
‘Merchant,’ the governor said throatily, his interest in justice overcome with other needs, ‘order your slave to strip for the court.’
‘Excellency,’ he protested, ‘she is my wife.’
‘She has declared herself to be in bondage in front of witnesses. You must now treat her accordingly.’
‘Serena,’ he begged, ‘don’t do this.’
‘I am yours,’ she repeated, ‘master.’
‘I am waiting,’ said the governor.
‘T-take off your clothes, Serena,’ the young man said weakly.
The raven-haired woman began unlacing her dress from behind. A moment later it slipped from her shoulders, revealing delightfully peaked breasts beneath a thin chemise. Stepping from the dress and slippers she stood before her husband now in only the diaphanous silk, so little to cover her modesty.
‘Tear the garment from her body,’ the governor commanded.
The young man’s fingers trembled as he clutched at the neckline. Serena beheld him with joy, drawing a tiny breath as the material gave way in his hands.
‘Strike her. Knock her to the floor.’
‘Excellency, please!’
Swords were placed at the merchant’s throat, and half-heartedly he slapped her. She licked her lips, clearly wanting more.
‘Harder!’
He delivered another smack, the adrenaline kicking in. ‘Kneel,’ ordered he between clenched teeth.
‘Yes,’ said Serena, ‘master.’
‘Whip her,’ the governor commanded.
The leather device was handed the merchant by one of the guards. Serena, meanwhile, was put in position, head to marble floor.
‘You will make her scream, merchant, or I shall have it done to you in her place.’
The merchant’s blow was stiff, awkward, but the smack on the girl’s buttocks was still sufficient to raise a welt.
‘I have struck you,’ he said in astonishment. ‘I have whipped my own wife.’
‘Not your wife,’ she corrected. ‘Your slave, master.’
Serena received a second lash, greater than the first. For a pair of novices they seemed to learn quickly so that by the time he threw down the whip, exhausted, they were both sweating and breathing heavily, the merchant, clothed, standing and relishing his power, the former free woman Serena on her belly, her naked body in anguish, her will and spirit deliciously broken.
‘Tell me,’ the governor wanted to know, ‘how did that feel, my fine young fellow?’
‘Oh, sir,’ he crooned, ‘it was indescribable. I never dreamed such a feeling could exist. I promise you, sir, I will never forget what I have learned, nor will I ever neglect my duty as a slave owner, or - should I choose to have a new wife in addition - as a husband.’
‘Another satisfied customer,’ said the governor blandly.
‘A hundred thanks to you, sir.’ The man bowed obsequiously.
‘Not necessary.’ He shook his head, a bit too pleasantly to be believed. The governor waited till he had lifted the slave and taken her into his arms to let drop the other shoe. ‘There is the matter of the fee, however.’
The merchant, already facing the double bronze doors, tall as a cedar, stopped dead in his tracks. ‘A fee, excellency?’ He whirled on his heels.
‘For my services.’ He pretended to study the tips of his wine-stained nails. ‘You owe me one slave girl. That is my standard fee for dispensation of wisdom in cases such as this.’
His shoulders drooped near as much as his countenance. ‘But, sir,’ he wailed, his heart broken yet again, ‘please no, I beg you!’
The soldiers took the girl, who offered no resistance.
‘I did warn you,’ the governor reminded, ‘that you would not like my decision.’
‘Be gone, imbecile,’ snarled the guard captain, ‘and be thankful you haven’t lost your head. What kind of idiot brings his woman troubles to the palace?’
The merchant blubbered as he stumbled, spears at his back. The great bronze doors opened and closed and the man was gone.
Serena, kneeling at the feet of her new master, to her great credit, remained nonplussed.
‘You have said you require frequent sexual relief.’
‘Yes, excellency,’ she replied.
‘Then you shall have it... serving my guards. You may thank me for my generosity.’
‘Thank you, master,’ said the slave Serena, her whip-lashed body tremoring very slightly. ‘You are kind to a slave.’
‘Abuse her well,’ said the governor to the captain as he led her away, though Tesra suspected the young woman would be found by the governor’s men to be both warm and willing... even as she herself was warm and willing after witnessing the scene.
‘Bring forth the next case,’ called the bearded man, wasting no time. ‘The last of the day.’
Marcellus alone seemed to be without trepidation. With measured steps, oblivious to the prodding spears, he
took up his place in the line up. Tesra managed to stay beside him, trying as much as possible to melt into his tower-like strength.
‘Remove the gags and manacles,’ ordered the governor.
‘Excellency,’ yammered Rodrigo as soon as he was free to speak, ‘I am not with these others. It is I who informed the admiralty of the whereabouts of the brigand, the wanted and dangerous Marcellus, here.’
The governor appraised him, as if determining if the man could really be this stupid. ‘And what, pray tell, is your own occupation which has led you to perform such an outstanding public service to his imperial majesty?’
Rodrigo’s face tensed, his mind no doubt looking for a way out of the trap the fat man had sprung so effortlessly. ‘I am... or rather I was a pirate, excellency, however I have turned over a new leaf and - ’
‘Enough.’ The governor raised a pudgy, jewel-encrusted hand. ‘You, girl,’ he addressed the woman still slavering at his dick, ‘go and please that man over there, the public servant.’
Never had a man, least of all the predatory Rodrigo, seemed less anxious to receive fellatio. ‘His excellency is very generous,’ he said nervously.
‘Not at all.’ He put the other slave to his glistening, saliva-coated cock. ‘It is not for nothing I am considered a saint among my people.’ The new girl did not miss a beat, offering the back of her throat as readily as had her dispatched sister in chains. ‘Incidentally,’ remarked the governor, ‘you have not been granted permission to ejaculate. If you should come into the slave’s mouth, thereby soiling my property, I shall follow through on my promise to that last cretin and feed your testicles to my dogs.’
Rodrigo’s face paled, the fullness of his dilemma upon him. If this slave slut were any good at all at serving masters, which she almost certainly was, it would be next to impossible for him to restrain himself. Helpless and terrified he had no choice but to let the slave draw his pulsing organ deep to the back of her throat.
‘You,’ the governor pointed to Marcellus, ‘what is your story?’
Dream Captive Page 18
