Abducted Ch. 09

Emma gasped. She tried to remember. Five? Didn't that mean the marks would last for a month? That had to hurt. She looked at Hans, silently appealing. He smiled at her and motioned for her to resume her kneeling position next to him. Relieved, she nodded at the Inquisitors, and knelt. Her Master was not going to take advantage of her increased Punishment Level.

Hans was worried. He could conceive of no circumstance with a new and inexperienced trainee slave in which he would need a Punishment Level as high as Five. Why had the Grand Inquisitor considered this necessary? The old man was well-known as a Sadist, and allegedly had a particular liking for petite blondes. Was he plotting something? He tried to hide his concern from his slave, and stroked her head.

"Madam Yasmin!" called the Grand Inquisitor. Yasmin stood, her head erect, looking proud.

"You have exceeded your authority," he began, angrily. "You had no authority to give this Slave to Guards Boris and Clyde for punishment. You knew that the Guards had not been properly trained in punishment procedures, and we hold you responsible for the fact that the Slave was excessively punished. We believe your actions were influenced by your sexual desire for one of the Guards."

Yasmin's head dropped; a worried frown crossed her face. The words she dreaded were pronounced. "TAKE HER AWAY AND PREPARE HER FOR SENTENCE!"

Two armed officials appeared from the back of the Chamber. Each took hold of one of Yasmin's arms, and escorted her out of sight. She made no attempt to struggle.

The Grand Inquisitor's voice boomed again. "Guard Boris and Guard Clyde!" he pronounced. The two Guards rose and stood to attention. "First there is the question of the excessive punishment administered by you to this Slave, which is proved by the marks still being noticeable on her body. You have been in trouble before, and initially we thought that an amputation, or even castration, would be appropriate. We were influenced, however, by the remarks made by the Slave herself, and agree to a more lenient punishment. Since you are copains, it is not necessary to try to decide which of you is more culpable; you will both have the same sentence. You will be dismissed from the Palace Guard forthwith, and returned to service with the Desert Infantry. In addition, for a period of three months, your Punishment Levels are increased to Four!"

The two Guards shuffled uneasily, looking slightly relieved.

"Secondly, however," continued the Grand Inquisitor, "there is the much more serious offence of selling this Slave's body to your companions. You had no authority for this, and the motive was purely personal greed. This demands severe punishment. TAKE THEM AWAY AND PREPARE THEM FOR SENTENCE!"

Four more armed officials appeared, as if fore-warned, took the arms of Boris and Clyde, and led them away. A buzz of conversation ran around the Chamber. "This will take about five minutes," whispered Hans. "They will soon be brought back."

"What is happening, Master?" asked Emma. "How are they prepared?"

"You forget yourself, Girl," he replied, with a stern expression. "You don't ask questions without permission. You will soon see."

A few minutes later, a noise was heard at the back of the Chamber. Emma turned, to see a naked woman being drawn in by an official, pulling on a noose around her neck. The woman walked awkwardly with bent knees, her long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Emma recognised Yasmin, and gasped in surprise. She looked more closely. To Yasmin's ankles was attached a heavy chain, about fifty centimetres long. This necessitated small steps, and the chain clanked on the floor as she moved. She moved awkwardly, obviously in pain and discomfort. As Yasmin approached the front of the Chamber, Emma saw that her wrists were tightly bound behind her back, as were her elbows, pulled so close together that they almost touched. Then she realised why Yasmin's knees were bent. Each of Yasmin's nipples was pierced and bore a small gold ring. A fine cord ran from each nipple ring to her ankle, the short length of the cord requiring her to bend her knees to avoid pulling excessively on her breasts. At last, the official leading Yasmin came to a halt, and she sank to her knees in front of the Inquisitors, leaning forward to relieve the tension on her nipples. From her position behind Yasmin, Emma admired the older woman's slim body, as she tried to comport herself with as much dignity as possible. Yasmin's long ponytail fell awkwardly across her face; haughtily, she shook her head to make it lie down her back.

Hans whispered. "It's all very traditional, and symbolic, of course. Mere men and women are naked, in pain and in fear, in front of the Majesty of the Law. Only the Law can release them from their plight, and through punishment they may find redemption. Something like that, anyway!"

"Oh!" said Emma. "I see."

She turned in response to further noise from the back of the Chamber. Boris and Clyde were being led into the Chamber. Like Yasmin, both were naked, their hands and elbows were tied behind their backs, and their knees were bent uncomfortably. The officials pulled on the ropes around their necks, trying to speed up their progress, and chains between their ankles clanked as they moved. Emma craned her neck, and finally saw that each man was forced into the uncomfortable semi-kneeling position because a cord was tied tightly around his genitals, with the ends attached to his ankles. Finally, they reached the front of the Chamber, and the two men sank to their knees next to Yasmin.

The Grand Inquisitor studied the three prisoners for what seemed to them an age. Eventually he spoke. "Madam Yasmin! You are in need of a lesson in humility. You will be taken from here, and to-morrow, from eight o'clock in the morning, you will be successively displayed in the five corners."

There were a few gasps from the audience, followed by a ripple of applause. Emma had no idea what the sentence meant, but it seemed to meet the approval of the people.

The Grand Inquisitor continued. "Following that, you will be sold to the highest bidder for twelve hours. The bidding will cease at eight o'clock in the morning on the day after to-morrow, and the successful bidder will decide on the twelve hours, so long as they are taken up within one week of the end of the auction. One half of the amount raised will be given to the Chief Executioner towards his costs; the other half will be credited to the Slave Leila. May you learn from the leniency of this judgement!"

Another ripple of applause greeted the second half of the sentence, and there were a few murmurs of approval. Yasmin's head bowed, and her shoulders drooped.

The Grand Inquisitor turned towards the two naked men. "Soldiers Boris and Clyde!" he began. "You subjected this Slave to unwarranted pain and shame! You will suffer accordingly! To-morrow morning, at seven o'clock, you will be taken to the Execution Ground. There you will first be ritually Sodomised!"

There were several loud cheers from the audience, and cries of, "Yes!"

'Obviously this is popular with the people,' thought Emma.

"Silence!" called the Grand Inquisitor. "Following that ritual humiliation, you will each receive thirty-six strokes of the lash, to be administered by His Highness' Executioners on your naked bodies. Your Punishment Levels are increased to Six, for the next twenty-four hours. Following the flogging, your bleeding bodies will be left on display for six hours."

The Grand Inquisitor paused for effect, turned over his paper, and continued, "Furthermore, the total of two hundred and seventy-five dollars you extracted from your eleven comrades is forfeited and will be credited to the Chief Executioner towards his costs. Two hundred and seventy-five dollars equates to approximately 2373 karhuts. This is rounded up to 2500 karhuts and you are each fined this amount, the total sum of 5000 karhuts to be credited to the Slave Leila. May you learn from the leniency of this judgement! Remove the prisoners!"

Three officials moved forwards to grasp the ends of the halters around the three prisoners' necks, and urged them to move as quickly as possible towards a door at the back. The abject figures hobbled painfully, their knees bent uncomfortably. The Grand Inquisitor announced, "This Inquest is ended. May all learn from the leniency of our judgements!"

The Clerk called, "All stand!" and the audience complied. The Inquisitors processed out of the Chamber, preceded by their hawks, and the audience began filing out, chatting animatedly.

"They seem to approve of the sentences," remarked Hans as he and Emma made for the door. He re-attached the leash to her collar, and instructed her to replace her niqab.

"May I ask, Master?" began Emma, "I don't understand all the sentences?"

Hans thought momentarily. "It will be easier to wait until to-morrow; you will then see for yourself, and I will answer your questions. It will be confusing if I try to explain now. But a karhut is the local unit of currency. Most business is carried out in US Dollars, but fines are pronounced in the traditional money. There are 60 sheks in a karhut, and the current rate of exchange is about 8.63 karhuts to one dollar."

Suddenly, an official appeared at Hans' side and passed him a sealed envelope. Hans opened it and read silently.

'The Grand Inquisitor presents his compliments to Master Hans. Be advised that the Grand Inquisitor will attend Master Hans' apartment at midnight to-night, to assure himself that the Slave Leila has been properly punished.'

Hans frowned, his lips pursed. He looked at his watch, and saw that it was nearly eleven o'clock. "Come," he announced quickly, "we need to hurry!" He pulled on Emma's leash and she almost stumbled, forgetting momentarily about the chain attached to her ankles.

As they hurried back to Hans' rooms, she enquired breathlessly, "Please, Master, may I ask if there is a problem?"

"Yes," he replied crossly, "I'll explain when we get back."