No Martyrdom For Helen Reddy
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Even with men, Lucius always sensed a frisson when the prisoner was stripped for the lash. That was
the moment at which their vulnerability was revealed, when their defences were removed and they
were left defenceless. With a woman, of course, there was something overtly sexual about it, and on
the rare occasions it was a young, attractive woman, the courtyard behind the fort would be
packed.
But this was something else. Catherine was beautiful and rich and a noble. She was fearsomely
intelligent and carried herself with grace and class. She was also a Christian. Nobody quite knew the
details, but it was said that she?d refused to marry the emperor because she considered herself
already married to her god. Frankly, Lucius wasn?t bothered by the details. All he knew was that two
days ago she?d been arrested and ordered to give up her faith. When she?d refused the emperor had
had her spend a night in the cells.
They?d all clustered around, staring through the grating in the door, unable to believe that this
woman had been delivered to them. He remembered the first time he?d laid eyes on her, around
three months earlier. He?d been providing security at a banquet at which she?d been one of the
guests. He?d heard rumours of her beauty, of course - she?d been the talk of the guardroom for the
week or so since she?d arrived from across the Mediterranean - but seeing her had been something
else.
He remembered the sight as she?d stepped down from her carriage, the image of simple elegance.
He?d actually felt a pain in his chest, had been unable to stop staring as she?d glided up the moonlit
path, tall, serene, her glossy hair the purest black. As she?d gone past him he?d caught her scent ?
sandalwood perhaps, although he was no expert ? and it had made such an impression that every
time he caught a whiff of something similar he was transported back to that moment. She?d turned
slightly towards him as she?d passed, and he?d gawped at her perfect: the quizzically arched
eyebrows, the dark, inquisitive eyes, the full, suggestive lips.
But of course the best thing about her was her figure. That night she?d worn a simple dress of pale
blue with golden rings holding front to back and allowing a glimpse of her smooth shoulders. The
waist was pinched in, giving evidence of her slenderness which highlighting the round swell of the
most magnificent breasts he?d ever contemplated. Every now and again the cloth of her dress was
stretched tight against them, given an enticing suggestion of their fullness.
Everybody had fantasised about her, had thought of taking her in their arms, of feeling those
astonishing breasts, and now here she was in the jail. They didn?t dare act on those desires, of
course, just stared at her as she knelt and prayed. The next day, she?d defied the emperor again and
he?d given her another night in the cells, warning her that if she still refused to recant her faith, he?d
have her flogged. Nobody had quite believed that would happen, but then the order had come: ten
strokes of the cane.
The yard had never been so full. At one end stood the thick column, 12 feet high, that was used as
whipping post. About 20 feet from that was a table behind which sat the centurion and his two
assistants, and lined up to from a rectangle on either side the soldiers were rammed in, lined up 12
deep. They were packed too behind the centurion, all desperate to see the most beautiful woman
any of them had ever seen flogged.
She stood before the centurion now, looking at him calmly as he detailed her punishment. Lucius
couldn?t believe her composure: faced with a beating he?d seen the hardest men break down. But
she was serene, even though everybody there was waiting for one thing ? to see her stripped. The
atmosphere was extraordinary: usually the soldiers would be taunting their victim, but here they
seemed almost deferent, cowed by her beauty and her status.
The order came at last. ?Strip her.?
The lictors stepped forward. Lucius felt a tightness in his chest. Catherine lifted her head, staring at a
point in the middle distance. Lucius followed her gaze and saw, standing on a balcony with his arms
folded, the emperor himself.
Her outer robes fell away, leaving her in a fine white shift. Lucius couldn?t take his eyes from her
chest ? the swell of the cloth hinting at the splendour that lay beneath. The lictors pulled at her shift.
She bent forward, unresisting, her arms loose as they lifted it over her head. And suddenly, there she
was, naked but for a narrow loin cloth. She didn?t attempt to cover herself, but stood, calmly, as
though her nudity was a matter of no consequence.
But for everybody else there, it was of great consequence. She had the purest olive skin and her
breasts, only a fraction paler, were everything Lucius had dreamed they would be. He guessed she
was in her early thirties, but there was no sign of sag. They sat there, pert and round and
magnificent, the dark nipples semi-erect in the sunlight.
The lictors, Marcus and Gellus, led her across the hard-packed earth to the post. There was silence in
the yard, everybody apparently awestruck by the vision before them. Lucius wished he could have
seen her from the front, watched as her breasts wobbled on her chest, but he had to content
himself with a back view, watching the sway of her hips, absorbing the purity of her skin, its golden
smoothness emphasised by the pale strip of cloth that gave just the slightest glimpse of the bottom
of her buttocks.
Usually victims would be slammed into the post to stun them while they were bound, but the
soldiers merely walked her to the post. Everything seemed to be happening more slowly than usual,
as if nobody could quite come to terms with the reality of what was happening. Lucius watched as
Marcus and Gellus fastened her wrists in thick cuffs. She didn?t resist, merely standing, looking at her
arms as they pulled the leather taut and fastened the buckles. He?d never seen anybody so calm as
they awaited a flogging, but she seemed to have neither fear nor anger, simply to be accepting what
they were doing to her.
They tightened the chain behind the post, pulling her arms up and out until she stood on the balls of
her feet, stretched out, embracing the stone. Lucius would have loved to have been that post, to feel
her nakedness pushed against him. From where he was standing he could just see a part of her left
breast squashed out to the side of her ribs. As Marcus and Gellus selected their canes from the
section on the table to the right of the post, another soldier, the tall and notoriously lecherous
Ligarius, swept up her black hair and pushed it over her left shoulder, baring her neck and the top
vertebrae. On another day he may have taken the opportunity to let his hands wander over her
breasts, but today everything was being done absolutely by the book.
There was a moment of stillness, as the two lictors took up their positions on either side of her.
Lucius felt he was living a dream. He drank in her perfect bare back, smooth and tanned in the early
morning sun. He admired the pert buttocks, their shape merely enhanced by the white loin cloth,
and the sumptuous lean legs. And what he lapped up most of all was the fact she was bound,
stretched taut across the pillar, a lictor at either side of her each bearing a long, pale cane.
Usually, they?d have flexed the canes and, whipped them through the air to terrify their victim, but
not here. Her power, her ability to restrict them to what was judicially permissible, was
extraordinary. Lucius wondered if they?d go easy on her- dangerous surely with the emperor
watching - but that idea was soon dispelled.
?Ten lashes,? said the centurion. ?Proceed.?
She straightened, readying herself. Marcus, the right-hander, touched her across the points of her
shoulder-blades and stepped back. Four paces, five. He was a powerful man and he put his body into
the lash, hitting her with the full might of his powerful right arm. There was a whoop as the cane
slashed through the air and a sickening dull whump as it smashed into her back. Her head flicked up
and a shudder seemed to pass through her, but the only sound she gave was a slight gasp as the air
was knocked from her lungs. Lucius could see the look of puzzlement on Marcus?s face, and he
understood why.
The canes were about five feet long, the thickness of a man?s forefinger and so whippy they gave the
impression of curving in the air. They were dreadful implements, designed to cause real pain. Even
soldiers rarely remained silent when beaten with them; for a woman to do so was all but
unprecedented. Lucius thought for a moment that Marcus might somehow have pulled the lash, or
mistimed it, but the deep purple welt that streaked from her right armpit on a shallow diagonal
down across her back showed how hard he had hit her.
?One,? called the centurion.
Gellus waited. Especially when the flogging was brief, they were encouraged to deliver the lashes
slowly, at about one every twenty seconds, to make the victim wait between blows, to anticipate the
lash. Usually between first and second lashes, the victim would be squirming, looking around to
plead for mercy, but Catherine remained perfectly still, staring straight ahead.
Gellus was smaller than Marcus, wiry with close cropped brown hair. Where Marcus?s power came
from his shoulder, his strength was in his wrist. His run-up was slower, shorter, but the cane
swooshed through the air just as quickly. He lashed low, four or five inches above the line of her loin
cloth. She gave a grunt, her head twitched and the muscles of her back flinched, but still, somehow,
she remained calm.
?Two.?
Marcus swept in. The whump reverberated around the yard. Her head flew back, her hair flying, and
she gave a stifled scream. She clenched her fists, but soon regained her composure.
?Three.?
Gellus followed up an inch lower, across the middle of her back. This time her whole body seemed to
flinch, and she was clearly breathing rapidly, but somehow she remained silent.
?Four.?
Lucius was amazed by her fortitude. Marcus looked puzzled. He tore in, striking hard on a diagonal
from her right shoulder down, giving a little leap as he smashed the cane onto her skin. It cut across
his first lash and the third and fourth, blood breaking out at the intersections. It was a savage blow,
delivered with such venom that Marcus?s right foot leapt up as he delivered it, and yet, after the
initial shudder, and a raw exhalation, she took it with equanimity.
Gellus followed it up with a similar blow down from her left shoulder. She shook clearly, her fingers
splayed and tense, but she didn?t scream. Lucius looked up at the emperor. He looked grim, staring
down stony-faced. He couldn?t blame the lictors, though; they were laying on the stripes as hard as
was possible. A glance at her back was enough to reveal that.
The seventh was a little below the middle of her back, the eighth a whippy strike deliberate flicking
across the skin, splitting the skin on the left side of the centre of her back, leaving a wheal perhaps
four inches long and an inch and a half wide. Her body bucked, her hair now arrayed across her
upper back, but again there was barely a grunt.
Marcus struck high, generating seemingly even more force for his final strike.
?Nine. ?
Her left leg kicked up, and her back clearly spasmed, but then she settled again, touching her
forehead to the stone and preparing herself for the final lash. It was another diagonal blow, and a
couple more spots of blood appeared where the purple welts crossed each other.
?Ten,? the centurion called, and Lucius could help but be impressed by her strength. Was this was
her religion gave her? The only prisoners he could remember not screaming after ten strokes had
been unconscious.
The centurion nodded to Marcus and Gellus, who lay their canes back on the table before returning
to their victim. She shivered slightly as they lowered her arms but then resumed her impassive
stillness as they unfastened her wrists. The silence was unnerving. She should have been howling,
the soldiers mocking, but instead she seemed almost indifferent while her tormentors were cowed
by her aura of calm. Lucius looked up at the emperor, but he was gone. He looked back at Catherine,
admiring again her body as she was led to the centurion, watching the roll of her breasts, and
wondering what the emperor would do next. She seemed stiff, moving awkwardly as she pulled her
shift back over her head, the movement clearly hurting her tortured back. Lucius didn?t much care;
he just drank in the final sight of her breasts, flattened slightly as she stretched up to let the linen fall
over her skin.
*
The great hall of the academy was packed, as was the courtyard and the streets beyond that.
Everybody wanted to see this and there was a hum of anticipation. Lucius was desperate to see it as
well, but he was also wary of the crowd, surprised the emperor had ordered this great debate. From
his position to the left side of the hall, he surveyed the audience, glad he was inside, where there
was some shade and some sense of order, rather than trying to hold back the mob outside. On the
stage, the 50 theologians and philosophers the emperor had gathered murmured among
themselves, reserved, quite men for the most part. They, too, Lucius knew, must be tense.
From the back of the stage, Catherine walked in, four soldiers behind her. Since her flogging she?d
spent a week in her cell, praying for the most part, barely seeming to sleep, yet she was still
radiantly beautiful, her dark hair swept back from her smooth forehead and falling in gentle curls
onto her shoulders. She was dressed in the white tunic and red cloak she?d been wearing before
they?d caned her and it showed the dirt of the prison, and yet she still walked like a queen, still
projected an aura of grace and authority. The emperor had decided that if he couldn?t beat her
Christianity out of her, he would convince her of her error, or at least convince the public of her
error, by putting her up against 50 of the finest minds in the country. Given how calm she looked,
Lucius wasn?t sure it was a particularly good plan.
The head of the university, acting as the chair and sitting on a dais in the centre of the stage, called
the hall to silence then invited Catherine to explain the central tenets of her faith. The philosophers
sat to the left of the stage, the emperor and his entourage on a dais behind them as Catherine and
her guards stood to the right. Lucius couldn?t take it all in, if he were honest - it all seemed a bit
unlikely and a bit complicated ? so he contented himself with gazing at her as she strode back and
forth, commanding the audience. She had an astonishing natural authority that went beyond her
beauty, but mostly he was just staring at her lovely face and the proud swell of her chest.
The philosophers were called on to answer and to question her. Lucius barely understood a word of
it, but he could tell that she was at least holding her own. On and on it went, questions from
different bearded men and then her calmly and patiently refuting their arguments. The emperor,
Lucius could see, was becoming increasingly frustrated. He?d clearly thought these academic would
destroy her, but on the contrary, she was destroying them.
It was undeniably impressive and Lucius began to wonder if there might be something in Christianity
after all. He?d always assumed it was a crank religion, like so many of these cults that sprang up, but
the way she presented it, maybe there was a logic. Certainly it seemed inspiring as this beautiful
woman, undeterred by a flogging, argued it out with the finest minds in the country. The emperor?s
face was becoming redder and redder. This couldn?t end well.
Finally, after perhaps an hour of debate, the emperor snapped. Lucius saw him call one of his
advisors to him and murmur something in his ear. The advisor looked stunned but, after a moment?s
pause, he hurried down to the head of the university. The chair asked Catherine to wait and then
turned to the adviser. Lucius saw them have a fevered, hushed conversation. He clearly wasn?t
happy, but eventually, the chair turned back to the audience. His face was grim.
?There are concerns about the format of this debate,? he said, a flat stoniness to his voice. ?There is
a feeling that Lady Catherine may be using some form of witchcraft to make her case.?
He paused, closed his eyes deliberately and then, gathering his composure, went on. ?To ensure she
is not using any sort of amulet or other magical token,? he said, ?she will disrobe before continuing
the debate.?
There was uproar. Some of the audience seemed appalled and there were cries of disapproval.
Others seemed rather to relish the prospect and were just as vocal in calling for her to be stripped.
There were scuffles and punches were thrown, even among the well-heeled citizens who?d taken the
best places in the hall. Outside, Lucius dreaded to think what was going on but he could hear roars
and shouts. He moved from his position by the wall towards the nearest seats and slowly, as the
spectators recognised the approach of the soldiers, the hubbub died down.
On stage, though, the directive had dramatic consequences. One of the theologians stood up and
insisted he would refuse to continue if Catherine was stripped. The director of the academy merely
shrugged and the theologian stormed off. Six others followed him. Only Catherine seemed calm
amid the chaos. As the shouting and the arguments finally died down and silence fell across the hall,
she looked at the director. He nodded, his face ashen. She looked to the emperor, then with an easy
grace, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, slipped off her outer robes to stand in
just her shift.
The silence in the hall was stunning. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the same thing, everybody, it
seemed, holding their breath. Lucius had seen her naked before, but he felt a tightness in his
stomach, desperate to see her breasts again. She gave a slight twitch of the head and her lips moved
in a silent prayer, and then she took hold of her shift by the neck and pulled it up. Time seemed to
move more slowly than usual. First her supple legs were revealed, then the white band of her
loincloth - just a strip of linen stretched across her cunt and then wrapped three times around her
buttocks and waist, then her fine stomach and ribs and then, after an infinitesimal pause, at last the
shift came over her head and her breasts were exposed, as round and full and proud as he
remembered them. Was that pause significant, Lucius wondered? Was that just a flicker of doubt?
She threw down the shift on top of her robes, gave another toss of her head, a gesture that made
her breasts tremble on her chest, and then turned to face the theologians once again. If the
hesitation had indicated shame, it had clearly soon passed.
A ripple passed through the audience. Her beauty was extraordinary, her composure even more so.
She should have been ridiculous, naked but for a loin cloth on a stage in the most serious academic
institution in the country, preparing to carry on an argument with a crowd of white-bearded, white-
robed theologians, but instead it was as though she were the one in control, even though the four
guards, one of them now collecting her clothing, gave clear evidence of her status as a prisoner.
The crowd may have been staring at her chest, but Lucius was stunned by something else: her back.
She?d been caned a week earlier; her back should have been streaked by wheals and bruises yet
from where he was standing it looked smooth, marked by only faint pink lines How could she have
healed so quickly? He thought back to the flogging, to her calmness. The lashing had seemed brutal;
could Marcus and Gellus have faked it? But he?d seen her back afterwards, seen the marks ? they
were real.
She stood bare-breasted before the philosophers, carrying on her line of thought as though nothing
had happened, gesturing with her hands as she always did, apparently unaware that each movement
set her breasts wobbling, sending murmurs of desire through the audience. The debate didn?t go on
long, though. A tall, hollow-cheeked philosopher stood, raising a hand to stop her. ?This is a farce,?
he said. ?A disgrace.? He walked off the stage. Other theologians stood as though to follow him, but
as they did so a tremendous roar sounded from the yard and people began pouring in to the back of
the hall, the news that she?d been stripped having led to a surge.
*
The dust in the yard was stained red. That morning, the 50 theologians had all been beheaded, lined
up and brought forward one by one to lay their head on the block. Some of them, it was said, had
converted to Christianity, but clearly they were being killed for the way Catherine had outwitted
them. They?d made her watch, keeping her kneeling facing each one. For most, she?d have been the
last thing they saw on this earth. Which, Lucius though, wasn?t the worst way to go. She?d seemed
appalled, though. Although she?d clearly tried to remain calm, he?d seen her blinking away tears ?
the first real emotion he?d seen from her. This afternoon, he expected to see more: she?d been
sentenced to 50 lashes ? one for each theologian. And this time they?d been told not to show her the
same respect.
The gate to the cells opened and she was hustled through. Last time she?d been led; this time there
was more hostility. One of the guards behind her gave her a shove and she half fell, only a cuff back
in the other direction keeping her upright. Lucius was one of the eight soldiers bringing her to be
flogged; he had been deputed to lead from the front left with Ligarius to his right. He deliberately
paused and as she was pushed closer, he thrust out his left hand so the heel caught her chest just
above the left breast. Four inches lower and he?d have got a proper feel, but he suspected that
would come. She stumbled back at which the weight of the soldiers behind made her fall forward,
sprawling on the dusty earth. It was much harder for her to maintain her dignity when they were
buffeting her like this.
?Get up, bitch,? Ligarius shouted and she was hauled up by her hair. She gave a shriek and they
threw her down again so she sprawled in front of the centurion?s table. A soldier took each arm and
pulled her to her feet. The centurion looked her up and down, contempt on his face. ?Strip her,? he
said.
Lucius stepped forward. Two soldiers held her and the other six set about her, wrenching off her
outer robes. He sensed fear and there was a flicker of panic in her eyes. Why was this different, he
wondered, but only momentarily, for his hands were on her linen shift, holding it on the left
shoulder. The soldiers holding her tipped her forward and they yanked it over her head. As he pulled
the cloth with his left hand, Lucius made sure her allowed his right to slide over her breast. It was full
and warm and firm and magnificently smooth. They backed off, leaving just one soldier on each arm,
exposing her to the centurion. ?Naked,? he said laconically, and the four of them rushed forwards to
wrench off her loincloth.
She seemed to be breathing oddly, in bursts through her nose as though her jaw were too tense
properly to open. ?Scared are you?? Lucius taunted. ?Worried your god won?t protect you?? And yet
even as he said it, he saw her back, smooth and even but for the faintest pink streaks. That was not
the skin of somebody who?d been flogged eight days earlier. They spun her round to face the post
and then deliberately threw her down again. She fell to her knees. The eight of them were on her
immediately, pulling her up, letting their hands wander then shoving her forward again.
She hit the ground hard, her hands sliding out in front of her so for a moment she just lay, spread
out there naked in the dust. Lucius grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. She yelled, and her
hands went instinctively to her scalp. Ligarius immediately reached round and grabbed her breasts,
squeezing them under the pretext of helping her up. ?You killed 50 men this morning,? he said. ?Are
you proud of that??
They hustled her forward to the post, ramming her against it, knocking the breath out of her so for a
couple of seconds she coughed and wheezed. They used the time ? not that she was resisting - to
fasten the cuffs over her wrists. The chains were tightened, stretching her over the stone until she
was stood on tiptoes, embracing the column. Lucius looked up at the balcony where the emperor
stood impassively, his arms folded.
She was scared, though, and that fascinated him. She wasn?t terrified. She wasn?t kicking and
screaming or promising to blow the whole regiment if they?d go easy on her, but there was a tension
there that hadn?t been there before. This wasn?t the same fearless woman who?d taken her first
flogging with barely a flicker. He remembered that moment of hesitation as she?d stripped at the
academy and wondered why ? what had changed? Was it the humiliation of baring her breasts
before a crowd of citizens rather than soldiers? Was it the memory of 10 lashes and fearing suffering
five times more than that? Or could it be that she was beginning to doubt, beginning to question her
faith in a god who would make her endure this?
Marcus and Gellus stood by the table bearing the whips, taking their time selecting their canes.
They?d been embarrassed by her stoicism last time and were determined to make her suffer this.
They insisted they?d lashed her has hard as they lashed anybody, and yet her tanned back, stretched
out in the sunlight, showed minimal damage. She watched them, and Lucius wondered whether that
were another sign of weakness. Marcus flexed a long white cane in his hands, emphasising its bend,
and then slashed it through the air, laughing as he caught her eye.
Ligarius stepped up, and swept her dark hair from her back, pushing it over her left shoulder. As he
did so, Lucius saw clearly, he ran his hand down over her breast. She gave him a stare, teeth
clenched and he mockingly blew her a kiss. He moved tight behind her, under the pretext of making
sure she was securely fastened and let his hands wander over her smooth buttocks. As she stiffened,
he let his right and move between her legs and ? Lucius was sure ? fingered her cunt. She gave a
slight gasp and skipped. Ligarius patted her and took his place back in the guard.
?The sentence,? the centurion said, ?is 50 lashes. You may end this at any time by agreeing to
sacrifice a chicken in the temple to our gods. If you agree to do this, speak now.?
?I am a Christian,? she said, her voice wavering only slight. ?The Lord is my god.?
The centurion glanced over his shoulder at the emperor. The emperor nodded. ?Proceed,? the
centurion said.
Marcus and Gellus took their positions either side of her. Lucius was in the ideal spot, just to the side
of the post on Marcus?s side. He could see the side of her breast, the curve flattened a little by the
post. He could see her golden skin, the fine curves of her shoulders, back, buttocks and thighs. And
he could see her face as she pushed her forehead against the stone, her full lips fluttering in
prayer.
Marcus flexed the cane again. He took a couple of gentle practice swings, took three paces and
smashed the cane into her back. It was the hardest lash Lucius had ever witnessed. Marcus?s left
foot came up and he pivoted on his right. Catherine?s head flew back. Her eyes widened, her lips
parted, but her teeth were set and she gave little more than a gasp. A purple line appeared
immediately across her back, as though dividing it precisely in half. ?One.?
Gellus whipped deliberately downwards, flicking his cane across her shoulders. It was purposefully
cruel, an attempt to flay the skin. It surprised her, and she gave a startled whimper as a mark
perhaps an inch and a half across opened on the curve of her left shoulder. ?Two.? Marcus streaked
his second down from her right shoulder and her head flew back. Lucius saw her eyes closed with
pain, but she held back a scream. It would come, though; he was sure of that.
Gellus laid the fourth on the soft skin beneath her ribs, the cane whipping round to dig in. There was
blood and she at last gave a semi-scream, a pained exhalation really, as her body lurched to the
right. Her teeth were still set together and she breathed in sharp, shallow gasps that hissed through
them. Marcus went vertical, striking her left shoulder where the skin had been flayed by Gellus?s first
lash. ?Ngnya,? she yelped, managing to check a full scream as her head flew up to the right. There
was a quiver in her breathing as she regained her equilibrium. Gellus cut diagonally across her back
and her head flew back. ?Six.?
Sweat beaded on her brow. Marcus hit her horizontally, a few inches below the first stripe he had
left, grunting with the effort. She arched, her stomach thrusting into the post. Lucius could see the
effort she was making not to scream, but he knew it was coming. This was brutal, two strong men
hitting her as hard as they could. The eighth, delivered to the broadest part of her back, sent a
shudder coursing through her, but still no more than a grunt came from her lips.
And then Marcus targeted her arse. His strike was fearsome again. Lucius saw how deep it went into
the cheeks, the flesh seeming to close in around the cane. Her body tensed, her legs snapping
together as she seemed to push her cunt against the post. Tremors passed through her legs. And
then came an agonised sob: ?Aaah? ? barely more than that, but they knew. Gellus whipped hard
into her thighs. ?Nyah... nyaargghhh... nyaaaaarghhhh!!!? For a moment her knees gave way, but
she gathered herself, stood again and, forehead pressed to post, took rapid breaths through
clenched teeth.
The centurion ordered them to pause, and for a time the yard was silent but for her panting. ?Lady
Catherine,? said the centurion. ?Will you make the sacrifice??
?No,? she said, with surprising force.
?Proceed,? said the centurion with a shrug.
Marcus wound up again, and lashed into her upper thighs. Her buttocks quivered at the impact and
again she pushed her thighs together. Perhaps she was expecting another one down there, but
Gellus was too smart for that. He flayed down the gentle arc where her neck moved into her back,
leaving a hideous welt perhaps two inches broad. And this time she did scream, her head flying back,
her mouth wide. Marcus didn?t even wait for her to finish. With incredible force he whipped across
her shoulder blades, the cane cracking against the taut muscle. ?Fourteen.? A trickle of blood ran
from the right side of Marcus?s blow. It was relentless now. Her buttocks, her thighs, the small of her
back, her shoulders, the centre of her back again. As they paused on twenty, her breath came in only
whimpers, sweat soaking her brow.
?Will you make the sacrifice?? the centurion asked. Lucius looked up at the emperor. As she said no,
he shook his head. ?Proceed,? said the centurion.
Marcus brushed the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist, then flew in again. Lucius,
transfixed by the sight of her breast pressed against the post, was almost shocked by the
suddenness as the cane whistled into her back. She gave an exhausted grunt and began praying
under her breath. Gellus went for her thighs, making her legs twitch, sending shudders through her.
Marcus aimed slightly higher and again Lucius was shocked by just how deep the cane penetrated
into the cheeks. Gellus struck almost the same place and a small trickle of blood began to flow.
?Twenty-four,? came the centurion?s call. A little lower from Marcus, on that sensitive line between
buttock and thigh and her left leg kicked up as she gave a high pitched shriek. Then Gellus gave one
of his flicky lashes, whipping off flesh and sending shudders through her legs again. Each breath now
sounded tortured, her head lolling against her arm, her strength slowly being sapped. Marcus went
low again, just above her knees and her head snapped back. This time, her head hung limp back
from her neck, so she stared at the sky. ?Twenty-seven.?
Her lips were still moving. Gellus aimed deliberately at one of the patches of flayed skin. She
shrieked, spasms passing through her as another rivulet of blood appeared. ?Twenty eight.? Marcus,
leaping almost as he delivered the next one, crashed the cane into her shoulder blades. There was a
tremendous whump, a sharp exhalation of breath, and Lucius realised the cane had broken. Grinning
as Gellus laid another one into her backside, Marcus snapped it completely in two and shoved the
broken ends towards her face. She jerked angrily away and he laughed, throwing the broken halves
down and striding off to the table to select a new implement.
?Will you make the sacrifice?? the centurion asked.
She was breathing with difficulty, sucking the air in through her nose and clenched teeth. ?No,? she
said, but she didn?t sound at all certain. She adjusted her position, standing more naturally, half-
turning to face Marcus so Lucius could just see her nipple. On her face was a mix of fury and pain,
but also defiance. The new cane crashed into her waist. She closed her eyes and winced, but
managed to hold back the scream. ?Thirty-one.? Gellus went for the thighs again. She pressed
herself into the post, her cheek rubbing against the stone, he eyes tight shut. ?Thirty-three... thirty-
four... thirty-five...? It was relentless, but somehow she held it together, hugging the stone, her eyes
closed, her teeth clenched. But then Gellus whipped down on the curve at the top of her left
buttock, stripping off a band of skin. She howled, twitching involuntarily. As her body settled, Lucius
could see her heart pounding, sending tremors through her breasts.
Marcus mercilessly struck the raw stripe, bringing a loud scream and drawing a streak of blood.
?Thirty-seven.? Gellus, cruelly, caned her there again, a few spots of blood flying up as the rod
landed. She shouted in pain. She was shivering now, beads of sweat clear on her brow, her strength
clearly sapped. Marcus struck her just above her knees and her body seemed to give way, twitching
a couple of times and then subsiding so she hung by her wrists, her feet limp against the sand at her
feet. Gellus, expert that he was, lashed her shoulder where the muscle stood tense with the strain.
?Forty.?
She trembled, her head turned to the side, cheek against the stone, seeming to stare at Lucius,
mouth open as she took in air in gulps. Her back, buttocks and thighs were streaked with welts and
bruises, blood running from five or six points. Slowly, gathering her strength, she pushed her toes
into the earth and stood again.
?Will you make the sacrifice?? asked the centurion.
?Never,? she said, her voice determined.
She flicked her head, her hair now spilling onto her back, pressed her forehead against the post and
readied herself for the final ten lashes. Lucius couldn?t help but be impressed by her courage. She
clearly genuinely believed in this Christianity thing. He looked up at the emperor, who stood as
impassive as ever.
Marcus showed no mercy, whipping low across the middle of her back. She grunted but no more.
Gellus smacked the middle of her buttocks, and when Marcus followed that up with a lash that
caught the inside of her left thigh, her legs gave way again. She hung, limp, as Gellus hit her across
the shoulder blades, only a twitch showing she was still conscious. ?Forty-four.?
Shudders shook her body as Marcus crashed the cane down again, both feet leaving the ground as
he drew blood, and her head again lolled so she was looking at Lucius. He saw the dark eyes, racked
with pain and yet there was a warmth to them. She was murmuring to herself, clearly concentrating
hard. Gellus hit her low, at the base of her buttock, making the flesh wobble. She groaned, a low
agonised moan that hadn?t ceased when Marcus slashed across the top of her shoulders. ?Forty-
seven.? She sobbed, tears that racked her body, but it was clear she was going to come through this.
Gellus flicked at her arse again, adding a long welt on the right cheek to go with the one on her left.
For a moment her sobs gained in intensity, but then she sank back into the same low keening as
though her brain couldn?t assimilate more pain. Marcus, though, wasn?t done with her, and his final
lash was aimed precisely on the flayed skin Gellus had just opened. Her body spasmed and came to
rest again, a howl briefly breaking the sobs. ?Forty-nine.?
Gellus waited, as though considering exactly where to lay the final lash. In the end, he went for the
buttocks, crashing the cane deep into the bruised flesh. A sharp moan broke the sobbing, but only
for a moment and she was left hanging, weeping uncontrollably. The centurion left her for a few
moments, allowing everybody to take in the sight. From knees to shoulders she was covered in
bruises and welts, blood running freely in patches. Then he gave the order to take her down. There
was no strength left in her, and when her left wrist was unfastened, she fell to hang by the right.
She fell exhausted to the ground, slumped with her back to the post. From the front, she looked as
perfect as ever, her skin even and golden, the full breasts triumphantly round, the thighs so smooth
Lucius just wanted to lick them and wrap them round his head. But there was no time for such
thoughts. They pulled her to her feet and dragged her limp body to face the centurion, her breasts
dangling, so luscious they seemed almost to shape in at the top before meeting her chest. There was
a skein of mucus linking her nose to her chin, but she seemed too exhausted to do anything about
it.
They held her in front of the centurion, unsure whether they should still be taunting her or whether
her punishment was over. Her head flopped loosely and if they?d let go of her arms she?d have
collapsed. Lucius looked down her beaten back, at the purple-welted buttocks and at her thighs with
the bluish lines. Whatever had happened the first time, there could be no doubt these were genuine
wounds, that she?d been savagely flogged.
?Stand up straight,? the centurion ordered.
She couldn?t. The soldiers shook her and hauled her up. ?Where?s your god now?? one asked. ?Is he
protecting you? Is he giving you strength?? She looked at him with disgust, pity and shame in her
eyes.
?Will you make the sacrifice?? the centurion asked.
She looked exhausted, but took a deep breath. ?I have no god but the Lord my God,? she said, her
voice little more than a whisper. ?I will not make a sacrifice.?
The centurion shrugged. ?The emperor is going away,? he said. ?You are to be imprisoned until his
return. You will be given water but no food until you make the sacrifice.?
He looked at the soldiers. ?Take her away,? he said.
*
Lucius had seen the screens on the podium, had known something was being built behind them but
it was only now that he discovered just what. There?d been rumours that it was some great engine of
torture, something devised to make Catherine suffer and they?d speculated what it could be but
none had come close. It was a huge wooden wheel, maybe 12 feet high, held about six inches off the
ground by an axel. The rim was about three feet across and in one six-foot section of the
circumference the wood had been replaced by metal rollers on each of which were a series of tiny
spiked wheels. Catherine was to be stripped and fastened with her back to that, so her body would
rest on hundreds of tiny spikes. But the clever bit was underneath. Set on springs in the wooden
plinth beneath the wheel were more of the spiked rollers. Every half hour they were to turn the
wheel, pressing her body between the two sets of spikes.
A huge crowd had gathered to watch her execution, which was hardly surprising. Not only was she
famous and beautiful, but events of the past week had added to her notoriety. The emperor had
been away a little over a fortnight, which Catherine, wearing only her shift, had spent largely in
prayer. They hadn?t fed her, and yet she didn?t seem to have got any weaker; if anything, in fact,
she?d staged a remarkable recovery after her flogging. But then the emperor?s wife, an attractive
woman in her early forties, had started to visit her. They?d talked for hours and hours, day after
day.
When the emperor had returned, his wife had demanded he release Catherine, declaring herself a
Christian. The emperor, understandably, had been furious. He?d set his torturers to devise some
special torment for Catherine and had pleaded with his wife to reconsider. She, though, refused to
perform a sacrifice in the temple. So, at dawn three days ago, she?d been brought out into the
punishment yard. Catherine, in her tattered and filthy shift had been there, forced to watch as the
emperor pleaded with his wife for one final time. His wife, though, remained firm, knelt down calmly
and lay her pretty head on the block, pushing her hair to one side to leave her delicate neck bare.
She and Catherine had joined together in a prayer and the Gaius, the executioner, had swept down
his sword and decapitated her.
Even as her body was being cleared away and her blood soaked up with sawdust, the emperor had
approached Catherine. To the astonishment of everyone, he?d taken her hand and stared into her
dark eyes. ?Marry me,? he?d said. She?d stood silent for a moment, half-naked, the blood from her
flogging showing through her shift.
?No,? she?d said calmly. ?I am betrothed to my God and I will not betray Him.?
He?d looked at her with fury. He?d offered her wealth and power, offered even to recognise
Christianity as one of the official religions, but she?d remained steadfast. ?Then you will suffer the
consequences of your stubbornness,? he said.
She?d smiled softly. ?And you will suffer the consequences of yours in the afterlife,? she said.
And that was why Catherine now stood, clad in only her tattered shift, wrists bound behind her
facing the device on which she?d be tortured to death. She seemed calm, but what bothered Lucius
was how unaffected she seemed by what they?d done to her. There was no gauntness in her face,
her breasts still strained against the filthy cloth of her shift, jiggling enticingly as she walked. Nobody
would know they?d starved her. And she walked seemingly without discomfort. Around three weeks
after a flogging that severe, that made no sense.
Lucius watched as they marched her up the steps that led to the platform that stood level with the
top of the wheel. There were thousands in the square. He?d seen them inspecting the wheel,
realising how the spikes would tear into her body, how each movement of the main wheel, each
shift of her weight would turn the small wheels, pressing another spike into her flesh.
Catherine stood on the platform, flanked by four soldiers and the centurion who oversaw
punishments. She seemed calm, surveying the crowds and the wheel with interest rather than
terror. ?One last chance,? the centurion said. ?Will you renounce Christianity and make the
sacrifice??
?Never,? she said.
The centurion nodded and stepped to the edge of the platform so as not to obstruct the view of the
crowd. ?Strip her,? he ordered.
The crowd, who had been talking among themselves, fell quiet. Two of the soldiers stepped forward.
They left the bonds on her wrists and each took hold of her tattered, blood-stained shift by the neck.
In one movement they wrenched at it and it tore. They ripped it away from her body and she was
naked, those fabulous breasts exposed to the gaze of the crowd. Lucius was a little behind her,
though, so stared at her back. It was incredible: the skin was marked, but with nothing like the
savage welts you?d expect from a flogging that had taken place just three weeks ago. There were
pink lines and the odd shadow hinting at bruising, but she had healed with miraculous speed.
The soldiers kicked the backs of her knees, holding her to cushion her fall. Two took her arms and
two her legs. Lucius saw her breasts lolling on her chest and wondered if there would ever be a
moment when the sight of them didn?t make his heart skip a beat. She didn?t resist as they picked
her up and carried her to the wheel. Two soldiers came to the platform on the far side and her right
arm and leg were passed over, so that she was held by four soldiers over the spikes. Slowly, almost
gently, they lowered her.
She kept staring straight up, almost refusing to acknowledge the spikes until they lay her on them.
Lucius watched her eyes close, teeth locked together, the silent grimace as her back and then her
buttocks came into contact with the wheel. They positioned her so her head lay on wood;
presumably so she couldn?t dash her head against the spikes and hasten her death. Her arms were
pulled taut and secured in thick leather cuffs above her head. Soldiers at the base of the wheel
turned it slowly backwards while those on the platform held her legs so she was stretched out.
Her breasts fell back on her chest as her body rolled back. Her eyes were half-closed, her face
twisted in pain as they fastened cuffs around her ankles. The cuffs were affixed to chains that they
pulled tight through eyelets on the rim, then fastened. The wheel turned again until her legs were
once more below the level of her torso. The soldiers pulled again on the chains holding her wrists to
the wheel, tightened them, stretching her. When they were satisfied, they turned the wheel again so
that she faced the crowd. There was a great roar as her nakedness was revealed to them again,
stretched out this time in an elongated X, the curve of the wheel pushing her chest out towards
them.
The centurion ostentatiously overturned a huge hour-glass that stood by the wheel; when the sand
ran through, they?d roll her over the spikes. Until then, Lucius realised, it was as though she were
being crucified, her weight taken by her ankles and wrists and ? a little ? by the spikes that dug into
her back, buttocks and thighs. He edged a little closer, looking with fascination at the way those little
wheels dug into her. Blood was already beginning to drip from her onto the dais. As Lucius got closer
still he could hear how anguished her breathing sounded. Her arms were taut, the muscles standing
out, her head pushed back against the wheel, eyes fixed on the cloudless sky. He watched her
shuffle, taking the weight on her legs, and he saw her grimaces as she shifted on the spikes. He
realised then what a magnificent engine of torture this was. There would be no respite: the pain of
hanging, the pain of the spikes, the humiliation of being stretched naked in public.
At first the crowds seemed awed by the sight, but slowly they began to press forward, first to the
bottom of the steps and then, gradually, closer and closer. Soldiers made sure they didn?t get too
close, but Lucius could see the expressions of wonder on the faces of a group of boys who?d pushed
their way to the front. They could only have been 10 or 11 and pointed at her breasts, laughing and
joking. He wanted to be closer and edged nearer under the pretence of helping keep the crowds
back.
A grey-haired woman came running up. ?You deserve this,? she shrieked. ?You deserve this. Look at
you. You have no shame. You were always displaying yourself. Trying to lure away my man.? Who
her man was there was no clue. Catherine looked down at her, her teeth still clenched in pain.
?Whore!? the woman shouted. ?Whore! No attempt to cover yourself. Exposing your body to every
passing man. Whore!?
There was an embarrassed silence, broken only when boys laughed. ?Whore!? they repeated,
mocking the woman as much as Catherine. Others joined in and the woman ran off. Catherine just
hung. She seemed in some kind of trance, her lips moving as though in prayer, her eyes fixed on a
point in the middle distance. Every now and again she would shuffle, shifting her weight as far as she
could, but this wasn?t like crucifixion; she was stretched too tight to dance as those on the cross
would. All she could do was try to take more weight on her arms or her legs, and even that meant
pulling herself a short distance over the spikes. Lucius would see the bicep flex or the ripple of
muscle in her thigh, but that aside she was remarkably still.
Then one of the priests from the local temple emerged from the crowd, people standing back to let
him through. He stood in front of her, no more than four feet away so she had to look at him.
?Catherine,? he intoned. ?Where is your god now?? She held his gaze impassively. ?Where is this
Lord of whom you preached? Has he abandoned you?? There was laughter from the crowd. ?Where
is he? Is this how he treats his flock? Is this your reward for your devotion? To display yourself naked
in public on a torture engine??
She stared at him, teeth clenched, beads of sweat standing out on her forehead. ?See how she has
no answer?? the priest called. ?See her defeat? Where is her god??
The crowd, pressing closer so the soldiers began to move to hold them back, laughed. Lucius saw the
hatred and mockery on their faces. More shouted, ?Where is he? Where?s your god?? A tall bearded
man pushed to the front. ?Is he on holiday? Away on business? Or does he not exist? Have you been
talking nonsense? ?
?Maybe he is here,? shouted an older man. ?Maybe he?s just having too much fun looking at those
tits to save her.? There were hoots of laughter and jeers.
She looked up, her eyes closed. ?She has no answer,? said the priest and the crowd fell quiet to hear
him. ?Either her god has left her no better than a whore or her fine words were empty. She lied to
you. She deceived you.?
The crowd roared in a mixture of anger and mockery. ?Well,? called the priest. ?Where is he? Is he
coming to save you? Hush everybody, maybe we can hear her lord coming down to release her form
this wheel.?
The crowd fell quiet, shushing each other laughingly until there was silence. Then she spoke. Her
voice was calm and clear, her deep brown eyes burned with passion. She must have been in agony,
but she sounded as in control as she had on stage in the academy. ?What do you know of my Lord??
she asked. ?I humbly obey His will. I may not understand His purpose but if He has deemed I should
be tortured and put to death like this then I shall accept it. He gave His only Son to die on the cross
for our sins; my privilege is to be martyred.?
?This is your god?s plan?? the priest taunted, and he took his staff and lifted her left breast with the
end of it, jabbing her before letting it fall. She winced as she was pushed back onto the spikes.
She turned to him. ?My faith is strong,? she said. ?I could renounce my God now and they would cut
me down from this wheel. But I will endure this for it is His will.?
?She?s mad,? the priest cried. ?She?s a witch.? And with that he spat on her and walked away.
It was as though a dam had broken. Suddenly everybody was spitting. The soldiers held the mob
back as best they could, holding their javelins out to form a barrier, but they could do nothing to
stop them leaning in spitting and shouting. Catherine hung still, spittle dotting her flesh, the only
movement her mouth as she prayed silently. Lucius found himself pitying her. Proud she may have
been, stubborn too, and stupid to turn down the emperor but he wasn?t sure she deserved this,
degraded and tortured before a baying mob. Did they hate her for being a Christian? Or were they
just enjoying the public humiliation of a wealthy and beautiful woman?
On and on it went, people pushing others out of the way to yell ?Witch!? and spit at her. Soon she
was covered, her noble body drenched in spittle and sweat. Only when it was pointed out that the
sand had almost run through the glass did the mob back off, watching the final few grains dribble
through. The soldiers took their positions by the side of the wheel. The brake was released and they
began to turn it.
First she went back, slowly, her body rising until she was lying facing the sky. Lucius could hear her
groans as the blood rushed back into her aching muscles and her weight shifted on the spikes.
Slowly, slowly she went on, back until her breasts fell back and she hung upside down, her teeth
gritted against the pain. On she went until she could see through her tumbling hair to the spikes
under the wheel. She seemed to kick at that and Lucius wondered if that were the first sign of panic
and she neared the rollers. On the wheel went, remorselessly.
Her fingers crept above the rollers into the narrow space between the wheel and the spikes below.
On the wheel went. The spikes started to dig in just beyond her wrists. He heard a noise, half
whimper, half grunt, and watched, fascinated, as the wheel kept going, dozens of spikes now
penetrating her arms. The blood was obvious, springing up from the puncture wounds to dribble
over her arms. Lucius remember holding them before her second flogging, remembered their
smooth softness; they were ruined now.
The wheel stopped with her hanging upside down, her head just short of the spikes. And then they
began to turn it again in the other direction, pulling her arms back between the spikes. Her eyes
were closed, her lips pulled back to revel clenched teeth. Her breathing came in hisses but there was
no scream. The wheel kept turning and slowly her arms were revealed. There was blood everywhere
from the forearm up - thick, deep red blood running from the cuts and dripping onto the dais. And
that was her arms: what would those spikes do to the thicker parts of her body? To her thighs? Her
belly? To her tits?
The wheel turned. The crowd, several thousand strong now, cheered as her feet came into view. On
it went. Her legs. Lucius saw a small group of onlookers, simply clad, maybe a dozen strong, refusing
to join in the general celebratory air. A pretty dark-haired girl wept and was comforted by a grey-
haired man next to her. Her cunt. More cheers. Her torso. Her breasts rolled forwards to their
familiar position, prompting roars. Then the true horror of her arms became visible and there were
gasps as they saw the blood. The dark-haired girl screamed. Were they Christians, Lucius wondered.
On the wheel turned. Her legs went past the vertical. They held her for a couple of moments. The
wheel inched on. Her breasts began to fall away from her chest, swaying magnificently. Her toes got
to the rollers and they applied the brake again.
The centurion walked up to her. He grabbed her hair and twisted so she had to face him. ?Will you
make the sacrifice?? he asked. She was naked, cover in sweat and spittle, blood was running freely
down her arms, but she was magnificent. ?Never,? she said. The centurion shoved her head away
and nodded at the soldiers manning the wheel. The crowd was silent, the only noise was the creak of
the wood. Slowly her shins disappeared. From his vantage point to the side, Lucius could see the
spikes cutting deep into her calves, the little wheels turning as her shins were pricked.
On it went. Her knees and then her thighs, the rollers dropping as she was squeezed through. Blood
was pouring over the springs. Her breathing was becoming moaning. He could see the tension in her
body as she tried to hold herself up, pressing onto the spikes that had already stabbed her. As her
hips passed under and the spikes were pressed deeper into her buttocks, her shins came out of the
other side. They were almost entirely red, blood oozing from the wounds in her calves. Her ribs slid
under and she screamed, one long harrowing howl that only ended when the breath was squeezed
from her body.
Blood ran down her thighs, matting her pubic hair. She was whimpering, short soft bursts of
agonised breath as the wheel crushed her. Lucius pushed through to see her breasts for one last
time. There was terror etched across her face. The wheel edged round and she found the breath to
scream again. He drank in the sight, the breasts hanging out from the chest, swelling in a smooth
curve away from her torso to a majestic roundness, tipped with perfect dark aureolae and nipples
that stood erect in fear. And then, slowly, they disappeared: the best breasts he or anyone else in
the square would ever see pulled onto the rollers. From his side-on position he saw the spikes press
into the soft flesh, saw the breasts squashed against her chest, saw the blood springing up. She was
shrieking now in terror, the wheel stopping just before her head was pulled under. For seconds she
rested, the spikes in her breasts and chest, and then the wheel began to go back again, revealing her
bloodied body to the crowd.
Her hands, face and feet aside, everything was red, covered in blood. She was shaking, a look on her
face like nothing Lucius had ever seen before ? agony and exhaustion, but also something else. Was
that doubt? She was weeping, her head hanging limp. He pushed his way closer, desperate to seem
her breasts. They?d retained their shape, and beneath the blood he could see the small wounds,
arranged in a strange grid a little under an inch apart. A soldier turned over the hour glass and she
hung, bleeding, her lips fluttering every now and again as she prayed.
The crowds seemed a little stunned by the savagery of the torture. For a while they held back, as
though horrified by the sight of the bloodied body. Lucius himself felt a little shocked by how much
damage the spikes had inflicted. Each one looked so small. He tried to calculate. Maybe 16 to 18
spikes across her body at its widest point? And say 4?6? tall if you didn?t count her head? So perhaps
60 or 70 down the length of her body. What was 60 multiplied by 16? 960? Her legs were thinner
than her shoulders but there were also her arms to consider. So maybe 1000 spikes. On her front
and back at the same time. And that was without counting the effect of the roll, of her being pulled
over turning spiked wheels. Little wonder she was drenched in blood.
Gradually the crowds began to push closer again, began to inspect the damage the wheel had done.
She seemed broken, head hanging limp, body still, her chest fluttering as she hauled in agonised
breaths. Then the priest was there again. He prodded her with his staff, as though making sure she
were conscious. ?Still sure you?re right?? he asked. ?Still sure your god will save you??
As his staff jabbed into her breast, she finally looked up. ?This is part of His plan,? she said. ?I will do
as my Lord commands.?
?Silence!? the priest called. ?Silence!? he hushed the crowd theatrically. ?Is that?? Can you hear??
Is that your lord? That clattering of hooves I hear??? But there was only silence and the crowd
roared with laughter.
When they had quietened down she spoke, her eyes aflame as she hissed at the priest, ?What does
your god think of you, playing with the breasts of a bound woman??
The crowd laughed at the priest?s discomfort. ?Is this what your religion teaches?? Catherine went
on. ?That when you have a woman defenceless in front of you that you should molest them because
you can?t get a woman any other way? Does this make you a big man??
He flushed, then lashed her with his staff, hard across her tits. Lucius saw her body driven back onto
the spikes, her head banging back against the wood. ?My god teaches me that witches must be
punished,? he said. ?That whores should be humiliated. And my god seems to be winning.? He spat
on her and the mob took that as its cue. There was a surge forward and suddenly they were all
spitting and jeering, taunting her. Some mocked her religion, most just laughed at her nakedness.
Lucius struggled to believe the hatred she attracted.
Only the small group remain aloof, eventually making their way forward. Lucius saw their sadness
and sympathy, saw the look Catherine gave them, saw her mouth the word, ?Go?. He realised he
wasn?t the only one to see the significance. As they shuffled back through the crowd, the centurion
called over one of the other soldiers and whispered some instructions.
*
Finally the sands ran out again. She hung limp, her breathing laboured, her body covered with spittle
and blood. The centurion seized her hair and forced her to look at him. ?Will you make the
sacrifice?? he said. She hesitated for a moment and Lucius wondered if she were broken. But then
her voice rasped out, ?No.? It was barely more than whisper and yet it carried a sense of great
authority. ?I will stay true to my Lord.?
The centurion shook his head and released her hair. He nodded to the soldiers and the wheel began
to turn back. She gave a great groan as the blood began to flow back into her numb arms and her
body shifted on the spikes. Again Lucius found himself watching her breasts as they lolled back on
her chest and then tumbled towards her face.
Her arms went under and he saw her body stiffen, heard her breathing change as the spikes dug in
and then the wheel turned back, agonisingly slowly, her breasts rolling back down her chest until
they hung free and her feet went over the rollers. Her face was twisted in pain, her white teeth
shining out from her olive face as she was dragged over the spikes. Her knees, her thighs. There
were howls of pain. Blood dripped freely underneath the wheel. On it turned, the stomach and then,
remorselessly, the breasts. She pressed her head back against the wood, eyes closed, neck muscles
tight, teeth clenched in agony. Each breath came as a groan.
The wheel turned back. Her breasts emerged, then the rest of the torso. Her whole body was
covered in blood, thick and dark. She trembled, breasts heaving, blood dripping from her. She let
loose a howl. ?My God!? she shouted, her face contorted with pain. ?My God! Release me from
this!? The crowd laughed and mocked her anguish. Lucius saw the priest grinning and he felt
intensely sorry for Catherine. He had thrilled to see her nudity, of course, but this was horrendous.
That first morning in the yard when she?d stripped and been caned had been one of the most
thrilling days of his life; now he felt a little nauseated by the way they were torturing her and
taunting her as she grappled with her faith.
She growled with pain, fists clenched, the muscles in her arms bunched. Her voice was hoarse but
she kept praying and begging. ?Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Forgive me my weakness, but
please Lord don?t abandon me!? The priest strode forward again, his face smug at her distress. He
stood before her and smiled. ?Where is he?? he asked. ?Where is your Lord??
She glared at him, fury burning in her eyes. ?We?re not having doubts are we? You?re not thinking
that maybe you?ve got this all wrong and that this agony isn?t your pathway to paradise? What if the
next life holds just more torture for you for your heresy? What if you?re turned on a wheel in
eternity??
She stared beyond him. ?Lord, give me strength!? she moaned through clenched teeth. ?Keep my
faith strong.? Lucius couldn?t help but be impressed by her courage.
A shadow fell over the square. Lucius looked up, surprised. Moments earlier the sky had been clear
blue, the sun beating down but now a small cloud had appeared. The priest kept taunting her,
prodding her with his staff. A breeze ruffled his robes and Lucius realised more clouds were on their
way, blown in from the east. He saw then building up on the horizon. The temperature dropped a
little.
A couple of boys, maybe seven or eight years old, ran up. Grinning, they pointed at her breasts, now
covered with thick dark blood. They seemed bewitched by her nakedness, then one shouted,
?Where?s your God?? and ran up to her, touching his hand to her public hair before dashing off
giggling. She jerked back as the mob laughed, jamming her upper back into the spikes. Her breasts
quivered and the crowd?s taunts grew in intensity. Her face racked with pain, she glanced at the
hour-glass. She had another 15 minutes or so before they turned her again. She was moaning
constantly now, her head rocking back and forth. She shouted again, incoherently now, and her head
slumped forwards. Lucius wondered for a moment if that might be it but her chest continued to rise
and fall.
She hung like that for a couple of minutes, then the centurion stepped forwards. He slapped her face
a couple of times, sharply but not hard, and when she barely responded, signalled for water to be
brought. As he did so, the clouds covered the sun, and the square fell into shadow. The breeze was
definitely picking up.
A bucket of water was thrown over her. She yelped, and her head snapped upright. She shivered,
her teeth tightly clenched so the muscles of her jaw stood out. The water washed away some of the
blood, revealing once again her tanned skin, now covered in goosebumps and dotted with small
rents. She trembled, water dripping from her, mixing with the blood. She looked up, high above the
crowd, her face set. ?My God,? she called. ?I am ready.? Her voice was clear, determined.
Lucius felt a splash of rain. He glanced up and saw the blackest sky he had ever seen. The heavens
opened. Rain lashed down, there was an enormous clap of thunder. Lucius pulled his cloak over his
head to try to keep off the worst of the deluge. The crowd scattered but Catherine hung impassive,
the rain sluicing the blood from her body.
There was a great flash and Lucius saw a white streak shoot down to the wheel. He smelled smoke
and then he saw the wheel lurch forwards. It bounced from its stand, tipping to the right and rolling
slowly on its rim towards the edge of the dais. It careered down the steps, spinning away to the
right, cutting through the few people who hadn?t rushed for cover. There were screams and shouts,
terrible screeches and bangs, and sparks flew as the metal parts clattered on the stone. Lucius ran,
chasing the wheel as turned and turned, falling lower and lower until it eventually came to rest on its
side in the centre of the square.
There were bodies strewn around where the wheel had ploughed into them. The rain hammered
down, dispersing puddles of blood. He could hear groans and pleas for help, but he had only one
focus. It was so dark it was difficult to see, but the shape of the wheel, flat to the ground, loomed
ahead of him. As he got there he realised Marcellus, one of his closest friends from the regiment,
was running alongside him.
He was terrified what he might find. He knew the point of the wheel was to torture and execute her,
but he didn?t want to find Catherine mangled or crushed. He and Marcellus, unspeaking, rushed
around to the other side of the wheel. She hung, limp but breathing, seemingly unmarked by the
wheel?s collapse. It must have turned on its side, Lucius realised, spinning on the edge of the rim and
keeping her off the ground. He went to her left ankle and began to unfasten the buckle. Her shins
were scratched and grazed, the wounds in her calf much deeper. His fingers were stiff with the rain
and he had to work hard at the stiff leather. As he did so, Marcellus worked at her right ankle.
As he worked he was struck again by how beautiful she was, how smooth the skin where the spikes
hadn?t gouged her. Her flank, the outside of her thigh, was virtually unmarked. Her leg came free. He
lowered it slowly, and she moaned as her body unpeeled from the spikes. The ones in her buttocks,
he saw, had penetrated an inch or so deep. The rain continued to pour down, but even as it washed
her there was an extraordinary amount of blood.
They moved to her wrists. She was moaning softly, apparently unaware of her surroundings, half-
hanging, half sprawled. The spikes dug into her back at new angles but she seemed not to notice or
to care. They unfastened her and she fell to lie face down on the stone. Her back and buttocks were
ravaged, ripped by hundreds of spikes. Working soundlessly as the rain lashed down Lucius and
Marcellus took an arm each and pulled her to her feet. She was too weak to stand, barely conscious,
her head lolling as they moved her.
Lucius and Marcellus hauled her across the square, her feet dragging through the puddles. Although
he could hear her breathing, Lucius wasn?t sure she would survive but he knew they had to get her
back to the prison, prevent any of the Christian groups rescuing her. As the rain lashed down, he
could barely look up, but he was vaguely aware of carnage all around, bodies and torn clothing and
blood. She even left a trail of blood as they pulled her over the cobbles.
As they reached the base of the podium the centurion saw them. ?Chain her, for fuck?s sake,? he?d
yelled. Two other soldiers emerged from the gloom, one of them bearing a set of manacles. Her
arms were yanked behind her and the heavy cuffs locked over her wrists. It was pointless, Lucius
knew; there was no chance of her escaping or resisting ? she was too exhausted for that. But as they
held her, relieving him for a moment, he couldn?t help himself. He didn?t dare be too blatant, but he
allowed his right hand to brush her left breast. Dotted with puncture wounds it may have been, and
chilled by the rain, but it was still wonderfully firm and round.
With two soldiers in from and two behind, he and Marcellus dragged her back to the fort. They
weren?t sure what to do with her so they took her back to the cell she?d left that morning. She was
so weak that as Marcellus unfastened her chains, two other guards had to hold her upright. This
time Lucius was bolder, taking her fabulous breasts in his hands, weighing them, caressing them.
He?d never known breasts that so combined pertness with size. He?d seen bigger but these were a
full handful and more and still had a springiness, smooth and buoyant despite the torture. He
realised suddenly she was looking at him. He caught her eye and he saw no anger or humiliation but
sadness. ?I forgive you,? she said softly. He dropped his hands almost guiltily and then they left
her.
*
The emperor had summoned her to him. The scene was vaguely ridiculous: him in his robes, the
plush surroundings of the throne room, a dozen soldiers in full uniform and a beautiful woman in
tattered, filthy rags. Two weeks had passed since the day of the storm. She?d spent the first night
lying exhausted and naked on the pallet but then some rags had been found for her and, as she?d
gained in strength, she?d spent most of her time kneeling in prayer. The mystery of why she hadn?t
starved had been solved ? although only with another mystery. Lucius had been giving her water
one day when a dove had flown to the small barred window. He?d seen it was clutching something in
its beak and, when he looked closer, saw that it was bread. It left it for her and flew off. So not only
had lightning saved her on the wheel but birds were feeding her.
Nobody had quite known what to do with Catherine. The wheel had killed nine people, including
three children, as it had careered across the square loose, with a further couple of dozen injured.
There?d been calls to put her to death, to find some other means of executing her, but the truth was
everybody was scared. The wheel had been struck a second time by lightning and had burned, a
charred ring in the square now an embarrassing reminder of their failure to kill her the first time.
They?d arrested the band of Christians who?d approached Catherine in the square but that aside
they?d waited for the emperor. He?d taken advice and now they were to hear his verdict.
Lucius always felt nervous in the emperor?s presence, all the more so now when there was such
tension in the air. Catherine was as calm and as dignified as ever. She terrified Lucius now. She
seemed again to have recovered remarkably quickly. There were marks on her skin ? and there was
plenty of it exposed by her rags - but nothing like as much as he?d expected. Her ability to recover
unnerved him; was this her god at work?
?Remove your clothes,? the emperor said and she obeyed quickly and calmly, shucking off the
tattered tunic to stand naked before them, unembarrassed, gorgeous. The marks of the cane had
faded almost entirely and while there were small nicks and tiny pale scars dotting her body, she was
once again a magnificent sight. The emperor looked her up and down, appraising her.
?Renounce your god and marry me,? he said.
?Never,? she replied, her voice calm and authoritative. ?I am wedded to Christ and will have no
other.?
Lucius feared what the emperor might do, but he remained perfectly calm. ?Then you will die
tomorrow,? he said. She kept looking straight at him. ?Behead her,? he said. ?Let?s keep it simple this
time. No mistakes.?
Lucius almost felt disappointed. Part of him respected and admired her for her strength of character,
and part of him lusted after her and that part wanted to see her naked, wanted even to punish her
for her beauty and see her tortured in some hideous way.
The centurion ordered them to dress her and place her in chains and when they?d done so, the
emperor stepped forward again. He caressed her cheek with his hand. ?Make her suffer,? he said,
not taking his eyes from her face. ?Have your fun with her tonight and scourge her in the
morning.?
Did that mean what he thought it meant? Lucius wasn?t sure. He felt a pang for the thought that he
had only around 18 hours to enjoy being around her, but his overriding emotion was excitement: 18
hours in which to play with her to do, if he understood correctly, what he wanted with her.
*
It was just going dark when they hauled her from her cell. There was no respect for her now; they
dragged her, pushing her on with the soles of their feet, laughing as she stumbled, cuffing her if she
paused. There were probably forty or fifty soldiers in the yard, clustered near a fire that burned at
one edge to keep them warm as the night grew chilly; more would come later when they went off
duty. They clustered around her, forming a loose circle perhaps ten yards across. Her chains were
removed. This was it. This was the start of her death. She stood, as though unconcerned, right arm
loose by her side, left hand holding the opposite elbow.
Ligarius took command. He stepped up to her. ?You?re going to entertain us,? he said, running his
hand along the line of her jaw. She shook her head, as though shaking off a fly. ?Now, we have
plenty of ways to have fun with you and not all of them are pleasant. So if I were you, I?d think of
how I could entertain us, because if we choose the entertainment it?s going to hurt.? She looked
impassively at him. ?So, first of all, strip for us. Maybe a dance. Entertain us.?
She looked at him and, as she had in front of the emperor, slipped out of her rags. She stood,
defiantly, naked in front of him. She?d put on no show, had stripped as matter-of-factly as was
possible. Ligarius smiled at her. ?Silly,? he said and slapped her left breast hard. Lucius found himself
admiring her courage in defying them, but he couldn?t take his eyes from her breasts as they
wobbled back and forth.
?So, you?re married, are you?? Ligarius asked.
?I am married to Christ,? she replied, her voice calm and confident.
?Then we must have a wedding service for you,? Ligarius said, clapping his hands sharply. One of the
jailers approached him and took a whispered order, running off with a grin on his face. Ligarius
stepped up to Catherine and pushed her, hard. She stumbled backwards into a clutch of soldiers who
shoved her back. They gathered in a circle round her, knocking her back and forth, jeering, laughing
as she stumbled, picking her up and throwing her forward again. Her hair flew about her, her breasts
bounced around her chest; she was made to look ridiculous, this elegant, beautiful woman
staggering between them. She clattered into Lucius and he held her for a moment, her soft back
against the cold metal of his breast-plate, his hands squeezing her breasts, then he brought his
hands back and shoved her hard so she went careering across the circle.
For five minutes they buffeted her, fondling and shoving, and then two jailers arrived, hauling
between them a slight dark-haired girl of around eighteen or nineteen. She was dressed in a tattered
dress and had clearly been beaten; Lucius recognised the pretty girl from the square. She carried a
pole perhaps six feet long, topped with a cross on which he could see a model of a man being
crucified. This, he knew, was the god of the Christians.
?So,? said Ligarius. ?You will marry your Christ, escorted by the lovely Miriam.?
He had clearly planned this. He had the soldiers line up to create an aisle down to the fire. The girl,
clutching her cross, was forced to walk between them, Catherine alongside her. Her head was
bowed, but she seemed obedient. The soldiers jeered at them, spitting and slapping. The girl was
crying and Catherine reached up to put a supportive hand on her arm. ?Look how in love they are,?
somebody shouted and there were hoots of laughter.
They reached the front and Ligarius made them face each other, pledge loyalty and their undying
love. Then he made Catherine kiss the figure on the cross. She did so, and Lucius felt a strange pang,
a desire to feel those rich lips on his. Ligarius pulled on a gauntlet and took a pair of tongs, plunging
them into the fire to withdraw something that glowed orange with heat. He held it aloft, and Lucius
saw that it was a piece of wire twisted to make a ring.
?Your wedding ring,? Ligarius said mockingly. ?Hold out your hand.?
Her face showed both disgust and fear. ?If you don?t offer you finger, the ring will go in interesting
parts of your friend?s anatomy. Then we?ll hold you down and force it on you.? Miriam gave a sharp
scream.
Slowly, Catherine held out her left hand, extending her long elegant fingers. The soldiers pressed
closer. Ligarius returned the ring to the flames. She stood, seemingly calm, arm outstretched,
without a tremor. Ligarius withdrew the ring again. He took the tongs in his bare hand and with
them and the gauntleted hand eased the ring over the fourth finger of her left hand. She held the
other fingers away. He dropped the tongs and pushed the ring down. As the metal touched the
knuckle she stiffened, teeth gritted, eyes bulging. He forced it down further, to the base of her finger
and, as he released her, the scream came. It was hideous, a howl from deep inside her. She stared at
her left hand, stretched out from her body, grabbed the forearm with her right hand and turned
wildly to face the mass of the soldiers. The girl sobbed and made for Catherine, but Ligarius stopped
her, cuffing her with the back of his hand. Catherine fell to her knees, using her right hand to hold
her left hand, her mouth wide open, shrieking, breasts heaving, until finally, by some mercy, she fell
unconscious.
*
They?d carried her to her cell, unconscious, and bound her to the corners of the pallet so when she
came round she was stretched out in an X-shape. Miriam was there as well, kneeling terrified,
clutching the cross. Catherine looked up at her left hand. The ring was still there, the finger swollen
an ugly purple. She glanced around at the soldiers packed into the cell and her head fell back. She
clearly knew what was coming.
?So, your wedding night,? Ligarius mocked. He took the cross from the girl and lay it on Catherine so
the long pole rested between her breasts, the figure on her lips. ?Lick him,? he said. Catherine stared
at the ceiling. Ligarius seized the girl by the hair and hauled her up. As her hands went to her hair, he
yanked at her rags, sipping them off so she stood naked. She was thin, with perky, small breasts.
?Shall I have her flogged?? Ligarius said, shoving her towards the door where she fell at the feet of a
crowd of soldiers.
Catherine bit her lip and then licked the metal figure. ?Again,? Ligarius said. ?He?s your husband.
Show him a good time.?
She licked again and again. Ligarius shoved the head into her mouth. ?Fellate him,? he said. ?Make
him feel good.? She took the metal head between her lips. The soldiers laughed, joking about her
technique. Lucius could see the muscles in her jaw tightening. On and on she took the head into her
mouth, pushed it out, ran her tongue around it. Finally, Ligarius pulled the cross away. ?I think he?s
ready to penetrate you now,? he said.
She pushed her head back, arching her neck. Lucius could see defiance in her eyes, but the gesture
served to thrust her breasts up, prompting more laughter. Ligarius looked at Miriam. ?Sit on her
belly and open her flaps,? he said and the girl, terrified, hastened to obey. She skipped over,
mouthed, ?I?m sorry,? and crouched over her, a foot either side of her waist, buttocks just an inch of
two above Catherine?s belly. Ligarius held the cross towards her. Miriam put a hand to each of
Catherine?s lips and pulled them apart. With her left hand she held them open, and with her right
she took the end of the cross and inserted it. ?Heel,? Ligarius snapped and the girl ran to kneel
beside him.
He pushed the cross. Catherine grunted. He thrust and she shouted in pain, her teeth gritted.
Ligarius withdrew a little and thrust again. Her fists clenched and Lucius saw a dribble of blood drip
from her cunt. Was she really a virgin? It seemed she was. What a waste. Ligarius thrust in and out,
the crossbar preventing him shoving too far. The blood became thicker, coating the top of the cross.
She shouted in pain. On and on he fucked her with it, her grunts of anguish becoming increasingly
frequent and increasingly loud. ?Are you ready to climax?? Ligarius asked. ?Orgasm close?? There
was laughter and more taunts until Ligarius finally stopped. He handed the blood-soaked cross to
Miriam. ?Now how about a real man?? he said. ?Your first affair.?
Ligarius hitched up his tunic and settled on top of her. The other soldiers lined up, watching idly as
Ligarius fucked her. She had her eyes tight shut, as though trying to pretend this wasn?t happening.
Ligarius finished quickly and lifted himself. He shuffled over to Miriam. ?Clean it,? he ordered. She
looked startled, then realised with horror what he meant. She obeyed, though, taking his penis in
her mouth and licking off the semen and blood. ?Good girl,? he said. The second solider, pale
buttocks wobbling, was already on top of Catherine.
Lucius was sixth in line. He rarely joined in the rapes but, well, this was different. He knew even then
she was the most beautiful woman he would ever fuck, but it was more than that. For all of them,
this was a once in a lifetime chance to fuck a noble, to find out how soft their skin was, what it was
like to get inside their aristocratic cunts. When the fifth soldier finished, he edged forward, already
erect, but Ligarius stopped him. He grabbed Miriam by the hair and shoved her forward. ?Clean out
her cunt,? he said. The girl looked appalled but she was too terrified to resist. She dropped her head
between Catherine?s legs and licked. When she lifted her face, she was sobbing and her mouth was
surrounded by semen. She retched, the apologised. ?Get her some water,? Ligarius shouted.
Lucius stepped forward. He lay down on Catherine, running his hands over those magnificent tits. He
stroked and kneaded, then kissed her plump red lips. She kept her teeth gritted so he couldn?t push
his tongue in, but even licking her smooth incisors was heaven. ?Come on,? somebody shouted.
?There?s no time for foreplay.? Lucius wanted to take his time, though. This was a dream. He placed
his face between her breasts, feeling their warmth and softness on either side, then he took her
right nipple in his mouth, sucking and teasing, biting it gently. Only then did he enter her, keeping his
hands on her tits as he thrust into her, his fingers digging deep as he came far too quickly. Slowly,
reluctantly, he eased himself off her. Almost immediately, Miriam was there, her rapid small tongue
working over his penis until it was clean. He walked away, feeling oddly deflated.
Lucius left her cell, passing the line of soldiers merrily waiting their turn. He felt a little disgusted.
She was a beautiful woman, a hugely impressive, charismatic, intelligent figure, somebody who
deserved better than that. Torture, perhaps, was fair enough, punishment for her Christianity, but
mass rape was about soldiers taking out on her their frustrations, punishing her for being a rich and
gorgeous woman. Even the beatings and the spiked wheel troubled him, though. Not in themselves
but in her reaction to them. How had she been so calm? How had she recovered so quickly? He
wondered whether there might be something in Christianity after all.
*
It was about an hour and a half later when curiosity forced Lucius back. He?d had a couple of goblets
of wine and tried to clear his head but in the end his desire to fuck her again had got the better of
him. There was no queue when he got back, just a crowd of a couple of dozen soldiers clustered
around the pallet. It was Miriam who was bound there now, though, face grey and traumatised as
Marcellus pounded up and down on top of her. Catherine knelt by Ligarius. Even in the flickering
light of the two brands that lit the room Lucius could see the bruising around her thighs and breasts.
As Marcellus finished, she opened her mouth obediently. Lucius wondered for a moment why she
had given in, but then he saw two ugly welts on Miriam?s ribs. They?d whipped her and Catherine
had given in to protect her.
?Are well all done?? Ligarius asked. When he got no answer he ordered the soldiers to unfasten
Miriam.
?Your turn again,? he said to Catherine. This time, they tied her face down. Lucius saw Miriam had
taken perhaps 10 strokes of the cane across her skinny back.
Ligarius went first, prizing Catherine?s buttocks apart before plunging in. Her distress this time was
clear as she shrieked with each thrust. Then it was Lucius?s turn as Miriam was again forced to lick
Ligarius clean. Her buttocks were full and round, the odd pale scar showing from her floggings. He
slid in, Ligarius?s efforts having made his entry easier, and then slid his hands under her body to cup
her breasts once again. She begged him to stop but once he was inside her there was no way that
was going to happen. She shrieked as he thrust inside her, burying his face in her lustrous hair. He
lasted longer this time, but it was still over too quickly and before he knew it he was being sucked
clean by Miriam as another solider took his place on Catherine.
What had he done? What if she was right? What if Christianity was true? Her capacity to soak up
abuse was astonishing; something was giving her that strength. He left the cell and went and washed
himself.
*
The fort was alive that morning. It was bright and sunny, not overly hot. The guard-room had been
packed. Everybody was there to see the execution, even those who were off-duty. The yard had
been prepared, the sand raked, the scourges unpicked of the dried flesh of previous victims and
oiled for maximum flexibility. The sword with which she?d be beheaded had been sharpened, a new
block installed. Gaius, who was around only rarely, had been prancing about, practising the stroke
with which he?d kill her. There was also, for reasons Lucius didn?t understand, a brazier glowing
about five yards in front of the block, stocked with half a dozen brands. The soldiers stood in neat
rows, the centurion sat at his table. On the balcony high above, the emperor looked down.
A little after dawn, she was brought out. Somebody had found her deep red robe and draped it
around her. It hung loose, so her left leg and right shoulder could be seen as she was led into the
yard. Her wrists had been chained behind her and a soldier held each arm. She looked exhausted as
they shoved her in front of them. Lucius walked behind, part of a party of ten soldiers who escorted
her to face the centurion. Her left leg was almost entirely bare, and he found it hard to tear his eyes
from the base of her left buttock. He could also see the finger, swollen purple around the ring.
She was hustled in front of the centurion, who stared at her from his position behind the table.
There was a moment of silent calm in the yard. ?You have been sentenced to be scourged and
beheaded,? he said. He looked at Lucius. ?Strip her,? he said. Lucius stepped forward. He didn?t know
why he?d been selected for this honour. He strode round in front of her, seeing the flagrums on the
table. He paused and lifted her chin with his right hand. Her dark eyes fixed on him. He saw sadness
but no fear. His hands went to her shoulders. Beneath his left hand he felt her warm smooth skin
and he was transported back to raping her the night before. She nodded slightly at him. ?I forgive
you,? she said. He started and then, his left hand dropping to her chest, yanked at the cloth. It fell
away and she was naked for the final time. He stared at those magnificent breasts, at the bruising
around them, and then at the dark swelling around her cunt. What had they done?
He lay the robe on the table. Marcus stepped up and selected a flagrum. He weighed it in his hand
and then, laughing, dangled it in front of her face. ?Ready for this, my lady?? he asked, then turned
and crashed it down where there robe lay on the table. Lucius flinched as the hooks that tipped each
of the six strands embedded themselves in the table. Marcus, with some difficulty, wrenched the
whip free. He held up the robe. There were six clear holes where the hooks had bitten, but also
dozens of smaller tears where the shards of glass and bone that were dotted along the length of
each strand had ripped through the fine wool.
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SwingerAs the kids grew so did how close they liked to be. They sat next to each other on the bus when they started school, had the same teachers, and even had desks next to each other. This kept on all the way through high school. Then they just started driving together and took turns on who was driver and who wasn’t. Many people joked the two of them actually seemed like a couple and that was one of the deciding factors in what occurred on their eighteenth birthday. The day they became much...
Chapter 1 The sun was shining, a soft breeze was blowing and I was laying in my hammock enjoying myself just relaxing and taking it easy. The lawn was freshly mowed and I was pleasantly tired. I heard steps approaching me and turned my head to the side. My wife walked a few paces closer and stopped. "I'm going to the store to pick up a few things for my trip tomorrow, is there anything you want me to pickup while I'm gone?" she asked. I considered the question for a few seconds. "No, I...
The sun was slipping toward the western horizon by the time we made it to the cottage. Our route had taken us a long way out of the city, along winding country roads, up into the wild hills. From there, we had reached the single-track road which followed the shores of the lake for a further dozen miles, before it turned into an almost-impassable track. Half a mile of thick forest rolled past, until the ancient, wooden cottage came into sight. It's broad, heavy eaves seemed to press the entire...
As the flew back Catherine and Rebecka had their heads together whispering. Whatever Catherin was saying Rebecka kept shaking her head no. He watched as the maid finally gave in with a sigh. Jake wondered what it was about. He landed in the same place as before, and he and the marines assist the women out of the launch. As he was escorting the two up the front steps, Rebecka asked, “So Jake, do you plan on sleeping on the lady or are you going back to your ship?” Jake missed the next step....
My name is Catherine but everyone calls me Cat for short. I grew up in a rich small suburb my entire life. I am a 5'2 brunette with C sized breasts and a great ass. I've never has been regarded as the hottest girl growing up, yet almost everyone wants to fuck me because I have the best looking ass in town. From the moment I leave my house it's constant attention as everyone knows how I am. I often wear lulus so show off my great body and to keep all the boys very horny. It's the start of my...
TeenCatherine was singing as she drove across town, happy to be away from her house. She had just went through a nasty divorce and staying a her sister's beach house was just what she needed. The house was like a resort sitting right on the ocean and had everything you could imagine. Her sister and he husband were going on a month long vacation and she had volunteered to stay at the house and keep watch over there just 18 year old son. Joey was her favorite nephew, he was easy going with quite the...
Introduction: A young lady comes to a established lord with a dilemma. Note: The sex took a lot longer to get to then I planned. Things got a bit… away from me. I had to rewrite this concept a few times to get it to work, but even with the slow start Im pleased with the final product. Constructive criticism is always welcome. ————— This certainly promised to an interesting meeting. I wasnt sure why the young granddaughter of one my chief political allies wished to meet with me, but I...
It is difficult to try to recall how I felt about Catherine, sometimes I would feel ashamed of my feelings, after all she was more than twice my age, yet I guess I looked forward to seeing her for some reason. I had begun to enjoy her company and our times together, as well as liking her for her generous tips when I waited on her. Now we had this date for the pictures, and I admit I was beginning to believe she was queer. As I said I'd had a bad experience that caused me to move from one part...
LesbianSo, I want to tell you all about a woman I met while on a business trip to Chorley. Her name was Catherine, and what a slut she was, well is. I had finished my business meeting and stopped at Costa to finish my paperwork and do a few emails. I was sitting at a table for six people and was fairly spread out. I noticed a woman with her tray and looking for somewhere to sit. I collected my papers and offered a place to her at the other end of the table. She sat down and took her coat off. It was...
I was 19 years old, studying in a college close to my home in Hyderabad. Our principal’s name was Catherine and she was 43 years old. She has a slim body, sexy boobs, and a tight ass. She looks like an angel, but she’s a devil in human form! Our principal used to teach us Biology. Not only the subject was tough, she was very strict. Everyone hated her. She used to punish everyone for the silliest reasons. One day, I smashed a guy’s nose because he tried to kiss a girl from my class forcefully....
Jorea is based on the country of Korea and the hanbok is the traditional dress of Korean women. Please visit ?Tales of the Veils? for images of the outfits in this story. ThanksPart 1To Irene,It happened 3 days into the trip. I always thought Jin’s family was very liberal. I mean I didn’t have to wear the traditional women's hanbok, I didn’t have to bow every time I see a male of the house, and perhaps most importantly I didn’t have to wear the rigid mutemask when I leave the house. However I...
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”Anthea looked up at her mum as she sat down at the dining table. “Nothing is wrong,” Anthea responded watching as her mum hurriedly dried her hands with a tea towel.“Is the baby okay? Are you okay? Is Jack okay?” she asked as her husband came into the room and pulled up a seat at the table.“We’re all fine Mum,” she responded exasperated with her mum’s anxiety. “I have something to tell you.”“Sit down Helen,” her dad snapped. “Give the lass a chance to speak.”Anthea...
Uther By Ellie Dauber (c) 2006 Introduction According to the legends of King Arthur, Merlin changed Uther Pendragon into a double for Duke Gorlois, so he could spend the night with Ygraine, the Duke's wife. Ygraine and Gorlois had three daughters: Elaine, Morgause, and Morgan le Faye. During their time together, Ygraine became pregnant with the child who was to become King Arthur. Uther's men killed Gorlois that same night. This is my TG (of course) version of what...
The the wind howled around the quayside as I stepped onto terra firma for the first time in weeks, the wind threw sharp shards of ice to sting our faces as we looked up at the sails as they were finally furled and stowed as our captain grinned at our discomfiture, "Au revoir!" he joked as if he knew we should soon be recalled. Those such as were left, and we were few enough, I shuddered. My best uniform packed securely in my Valise, awaited me, and just a few more duties before I...
Do you know of the porn site Motherless.com? You should. I’ve reviewed it a few times on my site, The Porn Dude, although it was for different genres every time. This time around, I’m going back to this place and looking at a specific and niche little category many of you are just begging me to cover. We’re looking at vintage porn today. While it doesn’t have the same resolution and quality as the porn you can find today, it’s definitely a genre of porn that has a lot of personality to it and...
Vintage Porn SitesI should have known better. I should have remembered that old saying, "If it looks too good to be true, it is." I was in love. She was damned near all I thought about with the exception of my studies and it didn't make sense to me. I prided myself on my intellect and my ability to think logically, but there wasn't anything logical about the way I felt about Althea. She was beautiful, smart and very popular and I was not. I wasn't a bed looking guy, but I was nothing exceptional. I was...
Motherless. A one-word website title that says everything it needs to say. This is a site where the rules are, more or less, completely thrown out the window, morality means absolutely nothing, and there is nobody to save you from it. Hedonism is God here.The site likely is also called this due to the fact that the girls who end up on motherless.com likely have no positive female influence in their lives to keep them from it. Motherless is the place parents spend their whole lives fearing that...
Porn Pictures SitesI always considered Motherless the “4chan” of porn. Not only because Motherless was somewhat popularized there, but because Motherless also encourages users to share their own content in a very open way. This means minimal bullshit like moderation and censorship, and a strong “anything goes” attitude that leads to free and extreme content. It encourages people to create and upload their own homegrown content, like videos of their girlfriend pissing or spycam videos of their cousin....
Amateur Porn SitesWhat is it about Motherless that makes me fucking cum every time? Maybe it is how raw and amateur the porn on the site comes across as, or the content is just that fucking hot. Perhaps it is the fact that there is an astronomical amount of pornography just waiting for a dumb fuck like you to beat off to! I really don’t know, and frankly, I’m not going to pretend that I do.But what I do know is that if you love BBWs, the Motherless.com homepage will not be of much use! Preferably, head on over...
BBW Porn SitesHave you ever heard about a website called Motherless? Home to all kinds of kinky porn niches, with a side of the mainstream crap? If you are into some questionable fap content, you might want to check this website out. Plus, Motherless is a free porn website, so you can browse as much as you fucking want. Now, I am not really here to talk about the website in general… I am here to tell you about their amazing category, called voyeur porn.The world of voyeur fucking is a rather interesting one....
Voyeur Porn SitesThe Five Kingdoms of Arstoria had been embroiled in the Great Ancient War for centuries. The war came to an end when Kalace, the Wizard King conquered the five lands and brought them under his rule. Kalace, the Wizard King of Arstoria, conquered all of his opponents who were unable to deal with his overpowering magic. When Kalace had united the five kingdoms, he brought peace to the warring kingdoms and was revered and celebrated by his later generation. Kalace, however, had a dark weakness in...
FantasyWoah, did Motherless.com get a facelift? I know I suggested it in my review, so I guess they listened to me! Well, I’m not going to brag too much about it, and instead, I’m going to focus on what I’ve set out to bring you today. We’re looking at an amateur website, and I just know that many of you are begging for amateur creampie content, so that’s what we’re looking at. I know how much you think Motherless can look sickening and pretty gruesome at times, but the creampie content can be quite...
Creampie Porn SitesNo matter what type of porn you may be in the market for, Motherless has an ample supply of it, and cucking is no different. Actually, this might help to explain how you ended up being such a pussy little cuck.The journey that brought you to my website reading cuck porn reviews started in your childhood. A fair portion of my readership is actually motherless. Why, you ask? Your guys' moms chose a life of cucking and riding cock instead of raising you fucks properly.Don't worry, gents. I'm in...
Cuckold Porn SitesI browsed the horror stash at Motherless all morning, and now I don’t know if I should jack off or go hide in the closet until the danger has passed. Then again, hiding out might give me the perfect opportunity to rub one out in the peace and safety of the dark. Who knows who—or what—might be peeping in the windows with nefarious intent if I sit at my desk and shake my dick at the screen. Just like when I masturbate at the local Starbucks, I’ve got to be sure to balance the potential pleasure...
Extreme Porn WebsitesStealing Catherine By Melissa Blake [email protected] Part 1 The room is dimly lit as I stare out the windows into the sunrise. The rays of light cascade through the panes as the morning comes into view. I sit staring; smoking a cigarette in the early dawn of Saturday. My cup of coffee stares at me. I find it harder to get started without it these days. Abby, our dog, lies at my feet, her cold nose nudging against my foot, beckoning me for attention. I slowly get up and...
€The rest of the afternoon passed quickly for Jonathan and his family as they swapped news and family gossip. They had just finished discussing the children's education and the need for a tutor when Cathy saw Charlotte stifling a yawn. "Charlotte you look as though a hot bath would be a welcome idea." Charlotte couldn't stop from smiling at her sister-in-law. "A hot bath sounds like a wonderful idea; long journeys by coach are not the most comfortable method of transport and these...
Incest porn has been a staple of pornography since the very first incel caveman realized that he couldn’t find fresh pussy out and about. He resorted to sniffing a whiff of his mother’s loincloth when she wasn’t looking, and beating his old cave meat into a leather sock.Now personally I’m not into the whole mommy-son dynamic – I’m a classy guy. But it’s no secret people like to get freaky when the lights go out, and if you’ve got a stiffy in your hand and you’re on Motherless, you gotta go...
Incest Porn SitesThanks to my usual cast and crew of Editors and Advance Readers, most of whom prefer to pretend that they don’t know me and wisely wish to take no responsibility for any part of my addled writings... Il n’est rien de réel que le rêve et l’amour - Nothing is real but dreams and love (from Le Coeur innombrable, IV, Chanson du temps opportun by Anna de Noailles) She was my one true mistress and ever faithful lover, my Green Lady and guardian of my dreams and now that I was back home...
When the car with Jake in it became a dot on the horizon, Thea turned to go back in the house. Suddenly Floyd appeared. “Mrs. Thea, how you be?” Smiling, she knew immediately what he wanted. He had that look and a glance at his crotch confirmed it. The imprint of his cock was prominent as it pushed against the material. “Looks like everyone is gone.” Floyd said. His eyes looking out over the farm. “Yes, I am by myself for at least the next few days.” She replied in an...
“Well, hell,” Thea said as she wiped the beads of perspiration from her face. “I guess ‘spring’ is here, huh?” “Yeah. It’s supposed to be cooler at higher elevation,” I replied. We took a few minutes in the shade by the rocks before rejoining our boyfriends. The four of us had driven up into the pass to hike. According to the weather report, the last coolness of a fading winter was supposed to continue through mid-week, but they were wrong. Actually, from our view from Eagle Point, where we’d...
Motherless.com! What an original name for a porn site, don't you think? The title doesn't fuck around: your mother would never allow you to watch the kind of filth they’ve got on tap. They pride themselves on being a moral-free zone for sick fucks, where you can find damn near anything. I’m talking about desperate chicks fucking anything that resembles a dick and crazy bitches literally eating shit. When you’re done fapping to the weird vids, you can even find "normal" porno to pass the time....
Free Porn Tube SitesAh, motherless, here we are again. A site known for offering such a variety, that no matter how fucked up your needs are, there is a high chance that you will fulfill them here. However, I am not here to blab about the site in general; I am here to talk about one particular category, interracial. As for those who want to know more about the site, there is a whole different review on my website instead.As for those who came here to learn more about that interracial lovemaking, I got your back....
Interracial Porn SitesTheo had been changing into the squirrel too much, he knew that now... as a pulse of heat raced through his body from his groin. He realized that he shouldn't have come to the office.He had been spending most of his days at the squirrel in his home deep in the countryside. Teleworking most of the time, as the squirrel he felt no need for clothes, his heavy furred balls resting between his thighs as his paws raced over the keyboard. The sharp claws on his paws clattering loudly as he typed,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiIt’s time to go to the land of chocolate fountains and golden showers. That’s right. Scat, piss, shit, and every fluid in between. Ever fuck a chick in her ass and freak out when you see that little bit of shit on your dick? Then I’m sorry to say that scat isn’t for you buddy. Were you the only one of your friends that saw two girls one cup and didn’t get grossed out? If so, it’s time to celebrate it! Don’t get pissed off, get pissed on! Scat porn has the craziest, kinkiest chicks and dudes...
Scat Porn SitesI’m not saying anything controversial when I say men love seeing women naked. It’s a fact of life as fundamental as gravity. It’s a force of nature that cannot be stopped by beast, man, or God. It’s an eternal truth and a divine mandate. As sure as the sun will rise, men will attempt to view as many women naked as they possibly can. Any man not doing so is either a sad or a gay one.This means that any woman a man sees regularly is mentally stripped down during every interaction. If any women...
The Fappening‘To me it’s not really a green. When I think green, I think of grass. That’s more like lemonade color.’ Erica’s nose was far too close to the glasses for my taste. Pouring the nearly clear absinthe over the rough-cut, cane-sugar cubes I favor, I tapped my spoon for a second to get her to back up. I wished I had my full setup here like I have at home, my Absinthe fountains water drippers are missed when I began to try and slowly pour water over the sugar cube. ‘Don’t you light it on fire?’ she...
Have you ever heard about a wonderful site called “Motherless”? I have a feeling that was a dumb question, of course, you fucking have. Well, I am here to talk about Motherless, but I shall also pay special attention to their Arab category. If you think Arabian sluts are hot, well you are in for a tasty treat, believe me.First, I should probably warn you that the name of this place comes from the fact that their content might be a bit too hardcore or questionable for some of you. Back in the...
Arab Porn SitesFuck yeah, life’s a bitch! So here I am, awake at 3:45 AM, after dreaming I was fucking this freaking hot MILF neighbor with heavy boobs, a flat tummy, a nice bubble butt, and sexy long legs. It was all hot and steamy, up until when she was sucking me off and just as I was about to obliterate her cute face with hot cum canon, my dream cut right off and I woke up with a tent on my pajamas.That dream ain’t coming back, but damn it! I sure gotta cum, so I boot up my laptop and type “cum facial” in...
Facial Cumshot Porn SitesUnd draußen schallte wieder Punkmusik aus dem Ghettoblaster – von der Eisenbahnunterführung bis zu seinem Haus! Punks und Skater hingen da ab. Das war diese Art von Jugendlichen, die ihren Eltern das Leben schwer macht , die von Arbeit nichts hielten, sich an keine Regeln hielten, ständig auf Party machten. Die soffen viel zu viel und kotzten dann in irgendeine Ecke. Denen bedeutete doch nichts und niemand etwas. Wahrscheinlich nahmen sie auch Drogen und trieben weiß-Gott-was mit...
BDSMMotherless is the mother of all porn sites. Motherless has no conscience or moral guide. Motherless will show you the stuff that all other porn sites are afraid to put up. Motherless will do this for free. This is seriously one of the nastiest and raunchiest sites out there and Motherless/Fetish is perhaps one of the dirtiest places on the web that are well within reach. Sure you can scan the dark web and find something even more naughty or puzzlingly gross, but why do that when you’ve got...
Fetish Porn SitesAbsinthe 2: The Absinthe of Malice By Morpheus The flight from Seattle to Boston had been extremely long and uncomfortable, even with the two hour delay in Chicago where I got to stretch my legs and change flights. My book had given me something to do during the countless hours in the air, though admittedly, Collin had been my largest savior from boredom. The two of us had ended up talking for over half the flight, and by the time we finally landed, I was even starting to consider...
After tea on the Friday evening Thelma stopped me as I was going into upstairs to my room. Her eyes looked wild and her breathing was heavy. “I’m going to a party,” She said in a low voice, “do you want to watch me getting undressed?” I nodded like a puppet. “Wait in my room…I’ll be up in five minutes.” I skipped up the stairs two at a time! I nervously let myself into my sister’s bedroom. I’d been in many times before – borrowing her dirty knickers and stuff to use...
Harry and Rob sat in the local pub in their usual spot in the corner by themselves. They were having a discussion about what to do with Ethel. Rob has been adamant that he wants to hang Ethel by her ankles and butcher her. Harry strongly disagrees with him. Harry is convinced that if he talks to Ethel he can persuade her not to go to the authorities and they will be able to use her the same way the other men. Rob agrees to try Harry's way first but he says" if she wants to argue I'm going to...
kEthel sat with her tits nailed to the work table. Her tits were swollen to twice their normal size from the beating they had received from Harry and Rob and the axe handle. Ethel sobbed both from the pain and the feeling of despair and hopelessness. She knew she would not be able to sweet talk the men into letting her go without anymore abuse. Harry and Rob arrived and again Ethel begged and pleaded with them to let her go. The men laughed and told her they still had a few more things they...
Note : This story is completely fictional!In nineteen forty six Thelma Lou Anderson was married with three kids. Linda was the oldest. She was sixteen. Guy and George was ten and Guy seven. Thelma owned a beauty shop in Kansas City. She suspected her husband Lawerance was cheating on her again. She followed him one day when he thought she was at work and saw him go into a house. A woman opened the door and he went in. That was all the proof she needed. She went home and packed her suitcase and...
IncestThelma was 22 and like all of the young women at that time was still living at home with me and our parents in rural Kent; even though she had a good job in local Department Store. I was 15 and had just left school. The summer of 1965 was particularly fine so it wasn’t uncommon for me to sit around our secluded garden reading a Detective novel when my parents were at work. The difference today was that Thelma was on the first day of her annual holidays and had joined me wearing a very...
Ethel hung by her wrists while Harry and Rob left to get some rest. She nodded off from time to time but the fog of her mind cleared she realized that other than when they punched her she actually enjoyed the way they that fucked her so hard and so brutally. She enjoyed the helpless feeling as they ravaged her body. She believed that she could talk to the two men and they would release her without too much more abuse. She was wrong.As Harry and Rob drove back out to the warehouse they talked...
Ethel hated her name. She was born during the tenure of I Love Lucy. The beloved Ethel Mertz from the television show was the bane of the real life Ethel's existence. There were the jokes about her having to marry Fred. There was only one Fred in her high school class. He wasn't her type; not even if he was the last man on earth. Ethel was every bit the epitome of her name. At five feet even her looks, dress and vocabulary mimicked the character she despised. Although she fought to break the...
Ethel's Pa was telling a story. "A man comes into the garage wanting a new horn for his Dodge. The old bulb was torn. Well, we have horns; but they don't fit his brackets..." "What did he want with a horn?" Ma asked. "Dodge cars don't need them. They have 'Dodge, Brothers' written clearly on the front." "Oh, Nellie," Pa said, but -- at least -- he dropped the story. Ethel couldn't decide which was worse, Ma's jokes or Pa's stories. Pa was fascinated by anything mechanical,...