Rachael & Sultan's Daughters Pt. 02

"One hundred and twenty for Esme," bids Tabib.

It doesn't surprise me that Esme attracts the first offer. If I was being dispassionate, I would regard Esme as the pick of the trio. Since I only paid thirty for her dirty and untrained self six weeks ago, it's a very profitable offer. But I think I can get more.

"I couldn't let her go for less than one-fifty," I counter.

"One hundred and thirty," offers Yasir. I shake my head in refusal.

"Hmm. I could be tempted to meet your price," muses Tabib.

"I believe the former owner of the Halls used to offer you a bonus if you purchased a slave," I whisper in his ear while Yasir and Jona are busy giving Damla and Seda a closer inspection. "I'm sure I can agree to something along those lines."

We shake hands to seal the deal. Although I receive offers from the buyers for Damla and Seda, they are well below an acceptable amount. I am confident I will get more for them at tomorrow's auction. I dismiss Damla and Seda, and a few moments later Yasir and Jona leave.

"Go and say farewell to the others," I say to Esme. "You will be leaving here with Master Tabib."

Esme promptly does as I instruct. Meanwhile Tabib produces the required sum of money and I sign the bill of sale for Esme. She is now Tabib's property. As soon as Esme returns, I remove her collar, and Tabib replaces it with one of his own.

"May I return tonight for my bonus?" asks Tabib.

"Yes, shall we say nine o'clock."

"Do I know the woman or are you intending to surprise me?"

"Yes on both counts," I reply.

After saying farewell to Tabib and Esme, I promptly go and talk with Damla and Seda. They are clearly disappointed at not attracting a private purchase. I have repeatedly emphasized that they will command a high enough price to make it highly unlikely they will end up in a cheap brothel or working in sweatshop. Slaves don't need training to work at those jobs. I have yet to have a slave trained at the Halls of Valhalla end up in such a place. Of course, I can't guarantee they will end up with a good owner. Even among the wealthy there are those who maltreat their slaves.

I complete my evening discussion with each slave by eight o'clock. Zoe doesn't approve of my proposed plan to satisfy the arrangement with Tabib, but she wisely keeps her opinion confined to the two of us.

"I'm not going to allow Tabib to deflower a virgin slave and reduce her value," I say to Zoe.

"Then what about Isa or Beyza?" asks Zoe. "They aren't virgins. It would be more appropriate for you to offer him one of them. Or I could service him."

"Well, if he objects to my proposal, then I will take you up on that suggestion."

Tabib arrives at nine o'clock and I escort him to the room that Zoe and I share. Zoe is naked and kneeling on the floor in the standard submission pose. Before he can do more than admire Zoe's well-proportioned tits, I remove my tunic and kneel next to Zoe in an identical position.

"The Halls of Valhalla offer you a choice, sir," I say. "Either or both of us are at your disposal."

Tabib can't believe his luck. As I anticipated, his own ego won't let him accept less than both of us. Zoe and I begin a routine that we used to use before my manumission. Once we were adults, our respective fathers discovered an urge to fuck their slave nieces before a business meeting. After satisfying our uncles, Zoe and I would be left to amuse ourselves. It's how my cousin Zoe and I became lovers.

Chapter 12

I've enjoyed the benefits of Tabib's well-endowed cock several times in the past, although not since my manumission. Fortunately for me, he isn't too bothered whether the woman he fucks is a slave or a freewoman. Zoe is equally anxious to once again sample a man's cock reaming her innards. Tabib proves himself to be a worthy stud. His obvious experience triggers all the right responses from our bodies with only minimal effort from the two of us.

While Zoe is a wonderful lover who can bring me to an orgasm time after time, I still enjoy the feeling of a vigorous man's cock thrusting deep inside me. I suspect Zoe feels the same since she certainly ensures she gets her fair share of Tabib's cock.

Tabib doesn't outstay his welcome, although I suspect exhaustion is a factor in the timing of his departure. Zoe and I have certainly milked him dry, and he can't raise more than a limp rod despite our skilful ministrations.

We clean ourselves up before attending to the nightly lock-up routine. Mahmud and Hanna have been supervising the older slaves, while Isa has been checking on the younger ones, who are fast asleep by now. The slaves all look at us in awe. They couldn't fail to understand what Tabib, Zoe and I have been doing. We didn't make any effort to be quiet or discreet.

I don't owe any of them explanations or justification for Tabib's visit. None of them openly ask any questions, but I'm pleased that at least two of them show signs of arousal. If they can become sexually excited in the proximity of people having sex, then they are likely to cope with whatever sexual situation they encounter in future.

I make one change to the cell allocation now that Esme has left. I don't want Hafsat left on her own, so I move Nazli into her cell. She is similar in looks and build to Hafsat, and I'm hoping her presence might encourage Hafsat to try harder to be an appealing slave. I've never had to sell a slave who is only suitable to be a manual labourer. Unfortunately, unless Hafsat improves her demeanour, she is in danger of being the first.

The following morning is hectic. Mahmut and I escort the two slaves to be sold today to the assembly area in the public market. By tradition, Damla and Seda are manacled, and a leash is attached to their collars. I don't anticipate any trouble from them, but being sold in a public market is a frightening experience. Even the most docile of slaves can become troublesome in that situation. I give Damla and Seda words of encouragement and remind them to display themselves as they've been taught if they want to attract the best buyers. Having delivered them to the market overseers and received a receipt, the fate of the two women is out of my hands.

The auction isn't for a few hours, so I don't wait for the outcome. Only if either woman remains unsold will I see more than their Halls of Valhalla collars again. I do my best not to become emotionally attached to the women who pass through the Halls, but I'm not so heartless as to never feel a sense of loss. In many respects my business is sordid and cruel, but none of the women who pass through the Halls were enslaved by me. By training them I can improve their chances of a more comfortable life. Most slaves suffer a harsh and cruel fate, but the type of services my trained slaves can deliver will often attract them to owners who can offer them a kinder life.

I receive word later in the afternoon that both Damla and Seda were sold for a good price. Damla was purchased by Yasir on behalf of one of his clients. I'm glad that I turned down his offer yesterday as he ended up paying an extra forty solidi for her today. I don't recognise the name of the buyer for Seda, but he paid nearly as much as Yasir did for Damla. It's far more than is paid for female slaves for brothels and the like, so she has hopefully gone to an owner who will value her skills.

With Beyza and Nazli nearly ready for sale, I must look at acquiring new stock. I mustn't let the crowded appearance of the Halls that Amina and her sisters' presence creates to lose sight of the need to maintain a steady turnover of slaves. Once winter arrives, the supply of suitable female slaves from afar will reduce, so I need to ensure my cells are full of slaves under training before then.

The mood in the Halls that evening is subdued. The absence of Esme, Damla and Seda has made the others realise that their stay here is only temporary, and that before long they too could be sent to the market. Even Isa is quieter than usual. She probably realises that had it not been for the arrival of Amina and her sisters, she would have joined the three slaves I've just sold.

Amina is also becoming restless. I've received no information from my father that helps me predict the girls' fate. Amina has so far refused to use the semi-precious stones as a dowry for a prospective husband. The longer she delays, the more likely it seems that she will choose the selfless option of using the stones to pay me to keep her youngest sisters here for longer. I won't push her for an answer until the end of the two weeks limit I agreed with my father. Despite the healthy profit I've made yesterday and today, I can't afford to be any more generous than that.

Despite the six-year age gap between Farai and Tawnya, I've encouraged Tawnya and Lewana to associate with their older sisters rather than remain with the three youngest children. They help in the various chores I set the older sisters. The only concession to their age I allow, is an earlier bedtime free from the confines of the cells.

The following morning, I receive a message from my father suggesting that I visit him today.

Chapter 13

I arrive at Wadi Halaf early the next morning. My father didn't indicate whether his message meant he had news affecting Amina and her sisters, or whether there are new slaves I might be interested in buying. There is a small caravan in the main yard which is preparing to leave after an overnight stop at Wadi Halaf. It's a common enough event at this time of year, and one which prompted my early arrival. If slaves are on offer, the caravan master will want to conduct business as quickly as possible to avoid delaying the caravan's departure.

I locate my father in his study and wait for him to conclude whatever he is doing. He escorts me into one of the larger meeting rooms and introduces me to the caravan master and a merchant travelling with him. Both men are wearing robes that identify them as westerners.

"We understand you both seek information about Sultan Iniko and his family," says Rafa, the merchant. "I have just travelled from the west. There are plenty of rumours but only a few definite facts. What seems certain is that Sultan Iniko has been assassinated and his concubines slaughtered. Last week there was a public execution of his children. Rumour has it that a few of the Sultan's children escaped, but nobody knows for sure. Everything is in chaos. The whole region is in turmoil and people are fleeing in all directions."

"Thank you, Rafa," says my father. "Your news supports what we have previously heard but couldn't believe was true. You mentioned that you have some slaves you wish to sell. Rachael may be willing to make an offer for them."

"Yes. Before I set out for here, I received many approaches from desperate citizens wanting me to convey their sisters and daughters to safety. Few could pay for the women's journey, so most of the women had to surrender themselves into slavery. I have conveyed seventeen newly enslaved females ranging in age from eighteen to thirty-six. All are fit and healthy and some are well educated. I am offering to sell all of them to you as a single lot."

I don't normally buy slaves in bulk. I prefer to hand pick the ones I think are worth training and then selling them for a good price. While western women usually attract a high price at the local slave auctions, so many being sold at once will depress the market. More so if I intend to sell Amina and her older sisters as well.

I accept Rafa's offer to inspect his slaves. They are weary and terrified after all they have gone through. But as Rafa says, they all seem fit and healthy. Two appear to be pregnant. He has taken the precaution of keeping them chained in a coffle to prevent any of them trying to escape. Rafa hasn't bothered having a slave-mark tattooed on their shoulders, although that isn't uncommon. Instead, he has used a dark dye to mark each woman's arm with an identifying number. It's a little used western practise I've only seen used a few times. In their ancient tradition a newly enslaved woman is no longer referred to by her name. Instead, she is given a number or letter identifier. Its purpose is to ensure the slave understands her transition into slavery. These days the practise is rare, and our local custom is for an owner to allocate a new name to a numbered slave once she has been purchased.

From a brief initial assessment, I think about half of them are attractive and young enough for me to train and sell to the likes of Tabib, Yasir and Jona. Of course, a lot depends on the slave's attitude. A slave who resists the training I give her will only regret her truculence when she ends up servicing ten men a day in a brothel. The two pregnant women are attractive enough to train, but I'm unsure what price they will command when it comes time to sell them. As for the three oldest women, I cannot see any value in training them in something they either already know or will be too set in their ways to learn.

"Two hundred solidi for the lot," I offer, deciding a ridiculously low offer might make it worth my while processing the whole group.

"Lady! You rob me!" wails Rafa. "It cost me nearly that to get them here."

An unlikely tale. Unlike Amina's brothers, Rafa wouldn't be gullible enough to pay an exorbitant fee to the caravan master. His only other overhead would be the cost of feeding the slaves during the journey. From the look of them, he hasn't done more than keep them on minimum rations. Since he probably acquired the women for nothing, I suspect his outlay has not exceeded one hundred and twenty solidi.

"Then you will still make a profit," I reply. "The next local slave auction is not for another week, so you are welcome to hang on to them and sell them then. Prices are low at the moment, and all you have are seventeen newly enslaved women. I think two hundred is a fair price."

Rafa doesn't call my bluff about the current state of the market. He grumbles and whines some more, but in the end we shake hands on the deal. Now I've got a lot of work on my hands. Fortunately I have brought two hundred solidi with me since I anticipated I might get the opportunity to purchase a few slaves. Normally I need to pay between thirty and fifty solidi for a slave, so getting seventeen of them for around twelve solidi apiece is a good bargain. Rafa and I complete the paperwork and I am now the owner of seventeen more slaves.

The caravan departs Wadi Halaf a short while later. Despite his earlier complaints, Rafa seems pleased to be rid of his burden. I arrange for my new slaves to be fed and watered, and word sent to Zoe to prepare the Halls of Valhalla for the arrival of seventeen fresh slaves.