Prisoner
of the Seraglio
A
Cordelia Delacourt Adventure
Chapter
15
Punishment
Cordelia stood in the middle of the harem. Her arms were drawn out to each side by ropes that secured her tightly to a pillar on either side of her. Directly across from her was Liz, bound in the same way, and all around were other members of the harem.
There were no men in the room, of course, save one. Between the two of them stood Menelik XXVII. In his hand was a baton resembling a cricket bat except that it was slightly longer and thinner. Carved from a light wood, it shimmied as he flexed his wrist, showing it to be flexible Cordelia shuddered as she considered was it was no doubt intended for. She and Liz had sinned against their lord. They would have to be punished and Menelik intended that every woman in the harem bear witness to their pain.
Cordelia swallowed. She was trembling in fear, her body stripped for punishment, and exposed for everyone to see. She and Liz had been three days in the harem since their capture by Menelik and his men. The emperor had been so angry that he had personally led the pursuit. She and Liz had been surrounded, arrested, and brought back to the palace linked by a rope about their necks. On their return to the harem they had been given the three days to recover. Menelik wanted to make sure that they were fit for punishment. Now, naked and helpless the two girls awaited the emperor’s pleasure.
Cordelia looked at Liz. “I’m sorry, Liz,” she said. “I should never have drawn you into my plan.”
“I ain’t having none of that,” Liz answered. “I would never let you go without me.”
“Silence,”Menelik ordered. He glared in rage at the two women. “How dare you speak in my presence?”
Menelik spoke Aksumi, but his message needed no translation. Cordelia closed her mouth and waited for her punishment. She was so frightened that she was close to fainting, but her greatest fear was that when the punishment began she would wet herself. The thought of losing control of her bladder in front of every woman in the harem was mortifying.
Menelik was speaking again. For her benefit a very frightened Penha was translating. “These women have committed the gravest act against their master. For their impudence in daring to leave the harem they have been sentenced to twenty lashes each to be administered before their peers. It is only due to the great mercy of the emperor that their punishment is so mild. Let the punishment begin.”
Cordelia raised her head. Penha stood just a few feet away. The girl was struggling not to burst into tears. Other members of the harem looked on solemnly while others appeared terrified. A few stood with barely suppressed smirks on their beautiful faces. As former favourites of the Emperor they had good reason to want to see the two fair-skinned women who had usurped their position punished.
Menelik moved behind the trembling girl he had decided to punish first. He chose a position slightly to one side of the younger girl. He had decided to begin the punishment with her, having marked that she was the leader of the two. In spite of her youth she exuded a certain strength of spirit. However, he would have to be careful. That spirit and strength of character was worth preserving. Such women brought forth strong sons. She must be punished, but not utterly destroyed. The trick was to administer a punishment that was painful and humiliating enough to exact obedience, but not destroy her character.
But there was also another factor at play. No one in memory had even attempted an escape from the harem. These two had not only attempted it, they had succeeded. It was an offense punishable by death by torture and he knew that most members of his court expected just that. However, he had paid a vast sum to the hairy white man to purchase these two women. Not only were they uniquely beautiful, but they were also very expensive; he had no intention of seeing the gold he had spent wasted. And then there was the fact that they were unique. He had no others in the harem like them and was unlikely to ever get another.
The hairy white man had claimed that they came from a land so far away that a man would have to walk for a year to reach it. He had no way of knowing if that was true, but he did know that he had never seen their like before. He intended to preserve his investment, but he also intended that they suffer severely for the insult to his person.
He had to be careful though not to strike too hard. He had no desire to permanently mar her ivory skin. The trick was to cause maximum pain, while inflicting minimum damage. Having considered all of the possibilities he drew back his arm and delivered the first stroke.
The blow struck square on the girl’s left buttock, rocking her body, lifting her onto her toes, and causing her breasts to bounce. Her long hair whipped wildly and a loud gasp burst from her lungs, showing that she had been holding her breath, but surprisingly, she did not scream. He had expected her to, considering the force of the blow
There was a quick intake of breath from the watching harem women. There had been occasion to punish one of them every now and then, but physical punishment was rare and the sight of it shocked even the most callous of them. A few were so unnerved that they actually wept.
He shifted his stance slightly for the next blow, targeting the other moon of her backside. It was important that no one part of her anatomy receive all of the punishment. Such an occurrence would be crippling.
He swung again. This time as the girl’s hair whipped back she whimpered agreeably. He smiled. There were still eighteen blows to deliver. She would be making far more noise than that before he was through.
Cordelia tried to focus through the pain by thinking of something else, but the only thought that would come to her mind was the memory of the caning von Jagermeister had delivered. This beating was not as immediately painful, but it was to go on far longer. She doubted very much that she would still be conscious at the end of it. She clenched her teeth and waited for the third blow.
This time the baton struck where it had struck before. The pain was worse, much worse and tears burst from her eyes. It was only the third stroke and already she was in agony.
She was screaming long before the tenth stroke, her body writhing uncontrollably. She could barely stand and her breath came in harsh gasps, her chest heaving. But perhaps the worst part of the beating was having to look into Liz’s eyes. The girl stood across from her, eyes wide in horror. Her body jerked with every blow that Cordelia received, almost as if she was being beaten by some invisible being.
The tenth blow proved significant, because for some reason Menelik stopped beating her. Instead he carefully wiped the baton with a cotton cloth, and moved toward Liz. Cordelia burst into tears as she realized what was going to happen. She was already suffering excruciating pain, but her punishment was only half finished. Menelik was going to do what von Jagermeister had done. He was going to punish Liz next and then return to her to deliver the remaining ten strokes.
Weeping, she watched Menelik punish Liz. The girl held up well for the first four strokes and then like Cordelia screamed in anguish. It was terrible to watch her friend being savagely beaten, but Cordelia could not tear her eyes away. Liz’s gorgeous body lurched with every blow, her perfect breasts describing a circle, her hair flying up, and her mouth open in a shriek of agony. As Menelik neared the tenth stroke, Cordelia began to tremble uncontrollably, knowing that it would soon be her turn again.
Her backside already hurt abominably. Her gut clenched in fear and she thought she was going to be sick. Only with great effort could she prevent herself from voiding her bowels. Her body was covered with sweat but she was shivering as if she were subjected to freezing cold. As Menelik moved to complete her punishment she broke and begged for mercy.
The fact that Menelik could not understand her did not matter. She pleaded with him to spare her further punishment and would have gone to her knees if she had not been tied between the two pillars. Unfortunately, it was exactly the effect Menelik wanted.
Around her the frightened faces of all members of the harem showed that the lesson the Emperor was administering had reached its target audience. Even the women who had smirked as the punishment began looked on with faces that would have been ghostly white if their skin colour had been lighter.
As Cordelia had feared, the second beating was much worse than the first. Where during the first ten strokes she had merely screamed, the next ten she shrieked so loudly that after the eleventh stroke the Emperor had her gagged to preserve booth her vocal cords and the ears of his harem. With a leather bit forced between her teeth, Cordelia’s shrieks were muffled to an acceptable level.
She fainted after the fifteenth stroke, but Menelik was not deterred in his punishment. He let her hang limply from her wrists while he calmly returned to punishing Liz. When she in turn also fainted he waited patiently until Cordelia revived and then completed her twenty stokes even though she could no longer stand.
Liz was still owed six. And while a weeping Cordelia watched, Liz was revived to complete her punishment. Like Cordelia the girl was gagged, but her intense grunts of agony attested to the effectiveness of the punishment.
Sagging in the arms of several women, Cordelia and Liz were cut down. As they departed the Emperor spoke again. The chilled atmosphere told Cordelia that what he had said was of significance. As she was carried away Penha translated. “When you have been given time to heal you will under go the remainder of your punishment.”
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in and then Cordelia fainted again.
She did not tell Liz what Penha had told her, but the girl guessed something was up from Cordelia’s tight-lipped manner over the next few days.
In too much pain to walk, Cordelia and Liz lay side by side. They had been tended by several members of the harem and were slowly recovering. They had been assured by Penha that although their injuries were painful they had suffered no permanent damage, but that brought Cordelia little comfort. She was obsessed by the knowledge that as soon as she and Liz were sufficiently healed they would be subjected to more torment.
“What is it, Cordelia” Liz asked. “It’s something Penha said ain’t it?”
When Cordelia remained silent, Liz persisted. “Cordelia we’re friends. And friends shouldn’t keep things back from one another. What else is going to happen?”
“Oh Liz,” Cordelia responded. “I’ve made a hideous mess of things. Our punishment isn’t finished. As soon as we’re well enough to walk the Emperor is going to finish it.”
Liz paled. “What else could he possibly do to us?”
Cordelia did not answer. She could think of lots of things Menelik might do, none of them pleasant. Holding her fear inside her she lay her head on her arms and tried to sleep.
Menelik gave them a full week to heal. Cordelia and Liz had recovered enough by the fourth day to walk a short distance without help. By the end of the week their badly bruised buttocks had healed enough that they were almost back to normal. It was then that the Emperor entered the harem once more.
Cordelia’s bowels almost turned to water. She fell to her knees, her legs unable to support her as several members of the harem came for her. She offered no resistance. Neither she not Liz could bring themselves to attack women who were merely carrying out the wishes of their master, and she knew that if they attempted to resist the Emperor would simply call for his male guards.
Menelik stood before them. Cordelia had no problem going to her knees again as one of her escorts placed pressure on her shoulders. Beside her Liz assumed an identical position. Head down, both women waited for their lord to speak.
“I see that you have learned your lesson,” Menelik said. “However, it is my wish that you wear something that will forever remind you and those who see it that I am not to be betrayed.”
He motioned to several women behind him. Cordelia blanched when she saw what they were carrying. It was a charcoal brazier containing an iron bar.
“No, please. Show mercy,” she screamed. It took four women to drag her back to her place between the pillars once again and bind her with her arms stretched out to the side.
Her chest heaved as Menelik exposed her left breast. “Please,” Cordelia continued to beg. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
Menelik ignored her pleas for mercy and those of Liz who was secured identically to the time they had been beaten. The brazier, its coals glowing brightly was set up between them.
“Hold her,” Menelik ordered. He took the glowing iron from the coals.
The cords binding her were tightened until Cordelia’s body was stretched helplessly. In addition, two women gripped her tightly, preventing any sudden movement. Across from her she could see Liz’s pale face and fear-filled eyes. The girl’s chest was heaving as she fought to control the terror gripping her mind.
Menelik placed his fingers beneath her exposed left breast and with cruel deliberation pressed the iron against the silken flesh just above the nipple. Cordelia shrieked in agony as the stench of burning flesh filled the air. As Menelik removed the iron one of the women immediately smeared a clear salve over the wound. It did nothing to soothe the searing pain of the burn, and as the women finished Menelik seized Cordelia’s hair and bent her head down.
“See you the mark of the lion,” he said triumphantly.
Cordelia nearly fainted from the pain, but she was not afforded that mercy. Clearly outlined on her flesh, just above her areola was the paw print of the king of beasts.
“Now you are marked as truly mine,” Menelik remarked. “And so too shall I mark your companion.”
Liz shook in fear and Cordelia watched in horror as Menelik once again took the iron from the hot coals. Liz’s scream was piercing as she too was branded. Menelik placed the iron back in the brazier. “Your punishment is now complete. Tonight you attend me in my chambers.”
Weak-kneed from their ordeal, Cordelia and Liz were helped back to the section of the harem allotted to them. Penha attended them, smearing more ointment on the lion claw brand. The ointment must have had some antiseptic qualities as the pain eased somewhat, becoming a dull throbbing. “You will heal,” Penha said sympathetically, “but you will always bear this mark.”
“Scarred for life,” Cordelia thought. She thought of the daring party dresses she would no longer be able to wear. No man would be attracted to a woman so marked. Then she laughed mirthlessly. What was she thinking of? She would spend the rest of her life trapped in the harem of the Emperor. Sobbing quietly she buried her head in her hands.
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