36 Part 02

She was shaking all over and stood for a long while after he had passed before daring to venture out and then she ran as fast as she could. Home to the big house. Her palms sweaty and her heart like a hammer in her chest and head.

Rushing through the gate, she almost toppled Lady Charlotta over.

"Hey, hey..you!"

"Ops! Sorry Lady Charlotta!"

"Where are you going in such a rush! And do be careful and look where you are going!"

The Lady appeared thin and frail as usual. 36 realized she could have toppled her over like ton of bricks, had she been just that little faster.

The Lady composed herself and adjusted her clothing.

Then said that it was good they had 'run into each other' literally! She did not know if she should smile or what, so she kept her face.

In a few sentences, The Lady expressed her gratitude for 36's efforts in saving her child, but it was obvious that she was talking down to a servant or slave much below her station. She answered as polite and neutral as best she could and none of them tried to elaborate on anything or expand the conversation.

When The Lady waved her off indicating that the conversation had ended, she happily turned and walked -- this time in a more controlled manner -- back to her cellar.

The rest of the day was busy for her. She did not spend time checking her girls in detail as they worked. She was not going to watch closely over them like Sophia had done, but she did discretely walk the hallways and checked that a floor was clean or a room and bed had been done properly after one of her girls had been there. She thought that she would make these little random checks in the beginning to ensure that they did not slack on quality, but kept up the good work. Even though they would not be whipped for mistakes or sloppiness anymore.

Fortunately, everything was shining, clean and perfect. She was happy that the girls seemed to work hard and probably enjoyed their new freedom and took pride in their work.

Everything was sparkling clean and checked. 36 wondered how it now seemed that the girls worked even harder than they had done before, and apparently made sure that their work was beyond reproach. She concluded that the most diligent controller of one's own work was: Oneself.

Her girls seemed eager to prove that they deserved to manage things themselves.

She ended the afternoon by having another meeting with The Chef -- just an improvised one -- about an upcoming event.

In the evening she was tired. Very tired, but there was still one last thing she needed to do that day.

After dinner had been served and cleared upstairs, she assembled the girls in the upstairs apartment, which were now their joint resting room.

36 gave a short speech where she thanked them all for their perfect behaviour during the day. Then ended with a small ceremony, where they burned Mistress Sophia's whips, crops and floggers in the big fireplace.

They all descended on the large bed and very soon began their old, familiar game of fondling a little here and there.

Much later they ended up in a sweaty bundle of arms, bodies and legs in the middle of the large bed.

- And it was very late before they sneaked silently back to their sleeping quarters in the cellar.

36 -- Part two

by o_girl ©

Chapter twenty-eight

The Council...

Once a month the regular Council gathered in the big hall. Not that The Council only met at these occasions. If there were pressing matters it could be called at short notice, or as short as it took for everybody to come to the city.

Soon, the first Council meeting where 36 was in charge of the service took place.

She had been working at these meetings so many times that she did not feel the slightest nervousness, although she was on her toes from early morning to be quite sure that her and her girls' part of the arrangement would run smoothly.

It was definitely a working meeting. The setup very simple and no decorations or anything fancy were required. The girls had to clear the room of almost all furniture except the big table, which was placed in the middle of the room with chairs around it for the participants.

If the tapestries hung on the walls from a previous or coming event, they just stayed there. If they were not up the view was just of the naked walls.

The big house was one of the few that had electric lights. A random collection of solar panels had been rigged on the roof and they provided a not very stable supply of electricity to the lamps in the big hall and a few other central locations around the house.

Otherwise the rest of the house had oil lamps, candles and open fireplaces to give a dim and reddish-orange glow to everything and everybody as soon as the sun went down behind the horizon.

The meetings always started with a light meal including a limited serving of wine with it.

The Council arranged and settled small and trivial matters and exchanged gossip while eating.

36 and her girls floated silently around the table. Serving and making sure everybody had what they needed.

The Council had a representative from each important group of the society.

At the end of the table, Sir Robert presided of course.

On his right was Francois de la Castille. Representing The Judges. He was an elderly, skinny, serious looking person. Always dressed discretely in a grey or brown attire. Underlining his status as an important man with a great responsibility.

On Sir Robert's left sat Gysbert Detlevus. He was one of the wealthiest men in town and represented the traders and the Market. He had several ships in the harbour and a large warehouse. He also had one of the most pompous houses just on the other side of the market square from Sir Robert's big house.

He dressed with discrete elegance. Showing off his wealth. Usually silks and lace in pastel colours. He was slightly overweight and had a face like a melancholic bulldog. Displaying a not quite healthy-looking red colour on the fat cheeks. The white in his eyes had a thin web of red lines.

Next in row on the right was Arnold Miller, who represented the shopkeepers and market people. He was quite skinny but had a jolly looking face also with quite red cheeks. He was always wore solid, but unpretentious clothing.

Opposite him sat Gregorius -- also called 'Hedgehog', but never to his face. The name on account of his stiff and untamed back-stroked hair. As he represented the slave traders he was usually in travelling gear: Boots, solid trousers, heavy sweater and jacket and a woollen scarf wound several times round his neck. The nature of his business did not allow him to gain weight, so he was a big, muscular man. Hard eyes and never smiling.

Next one down was Eirik Gudmundsson, who represented the farmers. He looked the part in all respects, from his weather-beaten face and big hands to his rough clothing.

Opposite him was a familiar face: The innkeeper Septimus, whom she had met just before she let herself be taken into custody by Sir Robert. He always acknowledged her presence by looking up and smiling at her.

A warm smile that she returned gladly. Remembering the kind way he had treated her.

Everything was round on him: From his potbelly to his face and he often had a discrete lace woven into his shirt, but he definitely looked like the hard-working man he was.

Finally -- at the end of the table -- sat Willem de la Pere. The head of the house guards and the representative of the town's defence forces.

A tall man, with a few disfiguring scars on his face. He wore the standard leather west, trousers and boots of the guards. He came to the meeting unarmed, or rather he seemed to be unarmed as he left his automatic rifle just inside the door. 36 was sure that he had one or two other weapons somewhere in the folds of his dress, but she never found out. She and the girls kept their distance to the murderous instrument resting at the side of the door, when they came and went.

She had run into de la Pere a few times after she had been elevated to her new position. He had greeted her and talked to her in the same way, he had done before her promotion. Her impression was that he was always very polite and diplomatic to her and all others. Except for his personnel, which he managed with an iron fist in a soft glove.

The meal ended. Sir Robert nodded discretely to 36 and they cleared the plates and utensils, replacing them with a ceramic container of wine and mugs in front of each. Fruit and sweets in big bowls were placed strategically here and there on the middle of the table.

Then they retired to their usual position: Standing along the wall in silence and keeping an eye out for anybody needing anything.

After having gone through a number of easily resolved small matters, they got into an extensive discussion regarding the South Wall. Most of the town had a perfect and very long view over the plains surrounding it, but on the South side the terrain was full of small hills and had more trees and bushes. Therefore, Sir Robert had had a defence wall erected along this side of town. This was the only place where an enemy would be able to get close to the city without being discovered well in advance.

Everybody was taxed, and the taxes went to the upkeep of the harbour, the roads, the market stalls, the repair and building of new houses and every practical thing needed to make the society work. All taxes had an extra -- but extremely small fee -- that went to Sir Robert to use as he pleased. Usually he sponsored activities and buildings The Council did not see fit to pay for with the common funds, but which he personally thought would be good for the town. 36 had a suspicion that a lot of the donations were instigated by Lady Hannah, but of course no one knew for sure.

The discussion seemed stuck. The actual repair and maintenance of the wall went slow and it was hard to find people willing to work on it. It was very costly in materials and manpower. The Council disagreed on how much would be set aside to repair and keep the wall in good condition. Some, like the Slave hunters did not really care. They went in and out all the time and would probably just find another market for their depressing business should the town be attacked and run over.

The merchants and traders on the other hand had a profound interest in protecting their assets.

She listened carefully as she always did, but of course had no right to speak or interfere with the discussion.

At one point she slipped outside, got her notebook out from the pocket under her cowl, ripped a piece of paper off and wrote a note saying:

"Why not offer people a tax exemption instead of paying them directly for working on the wall? That would mean a slightly lower tax income, but it would not have to be taken from the funds generated by the taxes.

Would it not be cheaper and more appealing than paying them with money from the funds?"

She sneaked in again, and while changing Sir Robert's wine container, managed to slip the note under the small plate he had in front of him. Silently she went back to her station at the wall.

A few minutes later Sir Robert looked up and his eyes found her by the wall -- then he smiled....

Unfortunately, she had to return to the kitchen before hearing the end of the discussion. She had to leave her girls to do the serving and miss out on the result of the matter.

The reason being that she had a meeting with The Chef. The whole Council were staying overnight, and was invited to a banquet later that evening. Something that occasionally happened. Either by invitation or if the meeting dragged on till sunset.

As The Council members were to stay overnight rooms had to be prepared for them. 36 and her girls were busy and she divided her time between the different rooms. Making sure that everything was alright and that none of The Council members would lack anything. Most of them had an assistant or two, so it had been quite a puzzle to get each of them placed in rooms with their assistant or assistants in the adjoining rooms.

There were still a few hours between the ending of The Council meeting and the evening's dinner, 36's crew had small breaks now and then. Resting with a lemonade or cup of broth in their cellar.

As it was her first major arrangement she checked on everything and indeed found everything running smoothly and in order.

One of the jobs, she had taken on herself, was delivering fruit baskets for all rooms.

She pushed her small trolley down the hallways and stopped at each door. Knocked and waited a minute before entering.

Most did not even acknowledge her presence, but were busy studying the papers from the meeting.

Some alone, some with their assistant or assistants present.

In the middle of her round she entered Gregorius' room.

He was sitting at a low table with his assistant. He was very much a typical slave hunter. The kind, she knew all too well: Dressed for the road and weather-beaten face and hands,

They got up when she entered, which she did not really notice or think anything about. She should have!

Having leaned over and placed the bowl in the middle of the low table and standing up again, the assistant grabbed both her arms by the elbows and pressed them together on her back.

"What...! Let go!"

She tried kicking back, but only hit the empty air as the assistant cleverly stood to the side of her.

He pressed her back down on the table and she could smell the fresh fruits close to her head.

"Stop that....let me go..you..."

She felt a leather strap go around her wrists and a few minutes later her elbows were touching each other as another strap was pulled tight.

The assistant changed his grip and was now holding her down by her shoulders. Gregorius stuck his fingers into her hair. Getting a firm and hurting grip. Her head were pulled back and her mouth opened automatically by this position.

It enabled him to press an ill-tasting rag in her mouth. Using his fingers he pushed it in and then filled each side of her cheeks. Stuffing her mouth completely.

A minute later, a scarf was tied hard around her head, pushing the rag even further in and almost making her gag.

Gregorious released her head and slipped a rope noose down and around her neck. Tightening it till she had red spots before her eyes.

He went around the table and pulled the rope from the noose over the edge and tied it to one of the legs of the table.

Then they let go of her, still kicking in the emptiness behind her.

She could smell Gregorius' bad breath as he leaned over her and spoke close to her ear: "Well 36. You seem to be acting much above your station? You're nothing but a simple slave, but you move around like you own this place. You need a lesson. To make you show some respect and realize your true position in this society!"

She felt a cold shiver go through her body, but as even the smallest movement tightened the noose around her neck and made her feel dizzy and choking, she remained still.

Gregorius grabbed her head by the hair again and wrung it back. The noose tightening hard.

She saw through the red haze that he dangled a large piece of jewellery in front of her face.

"See this? I have liberated it from Lady Charlotta's chambers. Not that she has discovered it missing yet. I will keep this in my care and if I hear you have been making any -- even the smallest noise - about today, I will pretend I have found you in possession of it.

As opposed to the unfortunate history with Mistress Sophia, I will make sure my story stick, witnesses and all. This one you will not be able to wriggle your way out of. You little slave slut!"

He let go of her head and it bumped back down on the table.

Then he moved behind her and lifted her cowl up. She sensed the cool air against her naked buttocks and the back of her legs. A few seconds later, she felt his finger press into her anus with a lubricant.

The assistant made himself useful by pulling her tied arms up and out of the way.

She tried to relax, but her sphincter contracted involuntarily, which made him push another finger into her -- joining the first one -- and she heard him laugh and make a rude comment of how fine her opening was.

The fingers went away, and then she felt as if she was being split in half from her anus. His stiff manhood forced its way into her opening. He used his hand as support until the main part of his cock was inside her, but then let go and took a firm grip around her hips.

She screamed under the gag, but it came out as incomprehensible, small noises.

He pushed hard until she felt the weight of his body against hers. Then she felt a stinging pain just above the crack in her buttocks. The sound of the crop seemed to come after the pain.

She realized that the assistant was striking her -- rhythmically - with a leather crop over the low of her back. He used one hand to keep her arms painfully up into the air, and the other to swing the crop. This apparently excited Gregorius even more. She could feel him grow inside her in small jerks.

She felt it went on for ever, but when she later inspected the marks on her back she realized it must have been quite fast.

She could hear by his grunting and panting noises that he was getting close to climax, so when a minute later she felt his stiff rod dance around inside her, accompanied by the warm feeling of semen, she knew that it was almost over.

The whipping stopped when Gregorious emitted the loud grunts signalling that he was ejaculating.

She was half choked by the noose and very dizzy when they released her, got her into upright position and pushed her out of the door.

The last thing, she heard was Gregorious whispering in her ear that she had better keep quiet about this or suffer the consequences. She should 'keep her dirty, slave mouth shut."

She staggered back to the cellar. Happy that she had the trolley to support her.

There she lowered her sore butt carefully on a chair. Fortunately her girls were all out working so she had the place to herself.

She spent a while composing herself, checking the fresh stripes on the top of her buttocks, washing her back opening and fixing her hair. She hoped no one would notice.

The slightly pink coloured towel she had used to dry her back opening went into the bottom of the big wicker basket for laundry by the door.

Using all her willpower, she went back and finished distributing the bowls of fruit to the last of The Council.

Later, she managed to join serving the 4-course evening meal, but carefully avoided to get anywhere near Gregorious and his assistant. They both seemed to ignore her, but she had a hard time keeping her eyes away from them.

She was happy when the whole thing was over and they had cleared the big hall.

Returning to the cellar, she was unusually quiet and drank her tea in silence, while the girls chatted as they always did.

Just as the evening was winding down and she was speculating how to conceal her 'marked' bottom to her friends, one of the guards peeped in and told her that Sir Robert wanted a quick word with her.

She was very, very nervous: Had something been wrong in handling the days and evenings service? Had the missing jewellery been discovered? Had Gregorious accused her of stealing? Was everything ok?

She had no reason to worry. Sir Robert just wanted to thank her for her suggestion regarding the wall repair.

They were alone in the small front room he used as second office, when he did not want to go into the big hall.

He told her that her suggestions would always be welcome. Especially if they were as good as this one. The whole Council had immediately found it a good idea and it had been decided as a solution to the wall repair without much discussion.