Bound And Chained

CHAPTER 2

The young man that answered the knock at the Men's Quarters door was surprised to see Kaj standing there. "Mistress." He dropped to his knees.

"Get up Tam. I am not here to intrude upon your space. I only want to see the murderer of my son pay."

Caytin pull away from the wooden rack that they had pulled out to hang the man on. It was a cruel tool. It held anyone that was forced into it, immobile, but slightly bent, to completely leave the prisoner open. Legs were parted to add more vulnerability. "We have our place here, because of you Mistress. Please, if you wish to watch as we see to it that this thing pays, even if it is only a token, for what he has taken from us, then please, this is your home, all in it belong to you."

This was not the time to mourn with him. So again she put the weeping off for now. "You missed your calling Cay, you should have been a poet." She took Tam's hand helping the boy to stand. "What is this I see, fear? Tam, I know that you have not been here long, and I have yet to welcome you to my bed, but really, ask any here, I am not going to eat you alive, or if I do, you will survive the meal."

A youthful laugh filled the room. "I told you Tam. Caytin has told you, my mother isn't like those that you have been having nightmares about." The young man, who looked so much like Caytin, that there was no, doubt who his father was. "Tam's only been here a couple of weeks starting with the planting season, mother. You have something of a reputation for not tolerating any nonsense from your men. But it is really Cay that should get that reputation and not you."

"He'll learn our ways soon enough Tallin. But for now, I am more interested in what is happening with my son's murderer." She moved to take a seat in the large chair that sat before the bound, naked, and bleeding man. "I see you didn't waste anytime on him. He didn't look like that when I sent him here." She held out a hand to Tam. "Come here, little one. As long as I have something to do with my hands, I can resist the urge to cut his throat, just to see the color of his blood."

"You just missed your sister, the Lady Healer Trinna. She had come down to see to it that he would be awake for all that is done to him. That he would feel and know, up until the moment of his death."

"And knowing my sister, she is even as we speak, scrubbing off the feel of him. So tell me, Caytin. If you are now, just, beginning to see to him. How did he come to be in the shape he is in? And why the gag? I had thought, you would want to hear him scream for what he did."

"He refused to strip when ordered. I had to see that he obeyed. As for the gag, yes I want to hear him scream, but in pain as he begs for his life. I found his continual babble weary. He has called me everything he could think of, Catamite being the kindest of them."

"So what have you planned for him?" Kaj sat in the chair, holding the younger man close, "ssshh, Tam. I am your Mistress. You will help me to see that the thing knows how little we think of him, won't you?"

Tam looked at her curious. "Yes, Mistress. But how can I help you?"

"By leaning back against me, little one, and letting that thing know that he means nothing to me. That I can seek to amuse myself before him, and not care that he sees me." Her fingers pulled free the tie at the standard issue pants for all the slaves in her house. "You can do that for me, can't you, Tam?"

Tam closed his eyes, briefly, trying to win over the feeling of helpless humiliation at the thought of being toyed with here, infront of this animal. He was honored that his mistress and lady thought him worthy of her notice. But like this?

In the end, after struggling for a moment or two, while Kaj patiently waited for his answer, her hand paused at the waist of his pants. "Yes Mistress." He closed his eyes, leaning back into her arms, hips rising slightly as he felt a warm, strong, hand slip into his pant's to toy with his rapidly hardening erection.

"What do you have planned first Cay?" Kaj continued to toy with the boy carefully, going to tease him, but not cause him real pain.

"I haven't decided. I can't decide if I should whip him bloody, or sodomize him with the iron rod heating in the fire. He killed my son Mistress. I want him to suffer long for it."

"Then whip him first. Once you burn him, it will take much more than a whipping to get his attention."

Caytin bowed his head. "Your command is mine to obey." He went to the other room to get the whip that he would use on this thing. A whip cord thin band of some flexible material, near three foot long, wrapped and braided, with loving care, into a black whip. The end of the leather hung from the tip. "I haven't had an opportunity to really use this in a couple of season's. All the true submissives in my Men's Quarter's, have taken up with one or the other of my men, or are a particular favorite of one of the mistress's that live here." He worked with his arm and carefully aimed lashes in the air. "It still feels as good as it felt when I first made it." He lay the whip across the man's back, trailing the tip over his shoulder blades. "The only draw back of this tool is that to date, I have had to do my best, not, to draw blood. I wonder how hard and often I have to hit you to see you bleed? You can't pass out on me. The blessedness of the abyss is denied you. So while I see to answering my question. You are to watch your mistress as she toys with one of the men of her home. You do not even rate taking her away from her amusements." And he leaned in even closer. "And dog, best you pray that she brings Tam to his ending soon. I will cut the skin from your back until he has cum." He removed the gag from the man.

Tam trembled as he felt Kaj's hands pushing down at the waist of his pants baring him for hip to knee. He had always thought, he was fey, what with him being nothing more than a bedwarmer, that he was destined to be one of the Consort's toys. If he was lucky, and ignored all together if he wasn't. He had never dreamed that his mistress would actually deem to touch him, but here, like this, she was, and he tried to close out everything but the feel of her. He could hear the murderer's screams in the back ground as Caytin began to render him down to nothing but a wavering mass of shredded skin and blood. But it didn't register where he was in him mind.

The man screamed at the whip came down again, slicing into his back from his right shoulder to his left buttock, then whirling it quickly to meet the flesh again on a backhanded cut. The pain was now an all-consuming fire that burned his back, buttock's and thighs. A pain that was crushing as it wracked his body

*How are you holding up, love? * Kaj's thoughts touched Caytin as the blood he was drawing began to splatter back a little as the whip rose and fell.

* Take all the time you wish, Mistress. I have scored him, well, so now I can just see to it that he knows what pain is. *

"Well, dear. It would seem that we have plenty of time. I can't believe that Caytin hasn't tried to bring you around at least once."

He moaned. Thrusting up into her hand as it cupped his balls gently. "It, 'Ah'," he gasped as she squeezed playfully. "It's planting season Mistress. I am only a bedwarmer. I work the day through, and I," trying to think and talk with what his mistress was doing to him, was not easy. "Master Caytin has only welcomed me once into his bed. That was the first night I came here, with the first day of planting season." 'Please, merciful Mother, don't let her ask any more questions.' He prayed as the less then gentle, but still not causing pain, hand continued to pull on his senses.

It was only a matter of an hour, perhaps less. Before Kaj touched Caytin's mind, checking on how he was doing. *I have Tam to the point, if I give the slightest consent, he will surrender to me. Have you tired yourself for now? You can always return to this later. Pace, yourself or he will be dead long before he has even started to pay for what he did. *

* Yes Mistress. If the boy is frantic, I will take pity on him. *

Kaj reached for Tam's chin, lifting his head to meet hers as she increased her pull on his need. "'Surrender to me'." And her mouth came down upon his. Smothering a cry with her kiss.

The man was beyond simple sobbing as Caytin lowered his arm. The sound of Tam's stifled cry signaling the end of the whipping.

Tam shuddered against her, feeding her his pleasure filled cries as he did his tongue. It no longer mattered where he was, the thought of someone else seeing him like he was didn't matter. If anything, it made the pleasure that much more complete.

Kaj broke their kiss. "I am very impressed with you Tam. You showed truly remarkable control to be as young as you are."

Tam lay against her, breathing hard. "I am afraid to say, Mistress, that had you not asked for my surrender when you did, I would have failed you."

Kaj tisked at him, "Tam, I toyed with your body for almost an hour, and you still held to your reflexes. A bedwarmer you might be, but I promise you, I will have Caytin bring you to visit with us on occasion." She let him lift her hand, to lick away all traces of his release on her.

*This love fest that the boy is having with you, it is very sweet Mistress, but do you really think this is the place for such things? This will mean more to Tam than he will ever be able to tell you. It is not often that, a, 'bedwarmer' is singled out by the mistress of an entire house. Forgive me for my impudence. But Tam doesn't need what is going on with what we are doing here, to sully the moment for him. *

She nodded at him, smiling softly. "But enough for now. But I promise you, little one. It might not be until after I see to what is happening with our people, but soon. I meant what I said. I want to spend time with you." She kissed him one more time. "Now gather your pants to yourself, and run on with you. I give you leave to run do a little bragging. It isn't often that one not fertile gains my interest."

Tam almost fell from her lap. "Yes Mistress." He yelped at the firm smack on his bottom as he hurried to do as he was told.

*I must say Mistress. You haven't been that playful with anyone in a very long time. *

*My son is dead. I am a woman, how else would you expect me to be with my men. I am a mother. I naturally seek to return the balance that Remmy's death, disturbed. Do not try to tell me, that you don't feel it too. We each mourn in our own way. So let it rest. * There was no arguing with her tone. She had to continue to put off their sharing of their loss with each other. So she would see to it that she dealt with hers as best she could until they had a chance to be alone.

Caytin moved to the fire. Checking the iron rod that had been heading within the flames. It was white hot. *Yes, Mistress. Forgive me. * It had been many cycles since last she had had call to take that tone with him. But with all that had happened thus far that night, was it any wonder that she needed to reaffirm her command of all in her keep?

"Here, Mistress. I might have called Man's Justice on my son's murderer, but you, as not only the Chieftess of our people and Lady of your house. You were Remmy's mother, it is your right to see that he receives something from you." He held out the white hot rod.

"You want to allow me vengeance? Let me take a burning branch to what hangs between his legs. Zaid's eat half-cooked meat as readily as they do raw. The acid in their saliva will see to it he doesn't bleed to death. And without him being able to pass out, he will feel it all. That is what I want to share of my pain with him.

A soft but firm voice from the side. "Mistress?"

Kaj looked to the man that had drawn her attention. One of the eleven fertile men in her home. "You have anything to add Tag?"

Other than Tallin, he was the youngest fertile man in the Men's Quarter's. Not even qualifying as one of the father's in their house yet. "I don't want to take anything from the pain that he is due. But I heard one of the guards commenting that it was a shame, of all those that had come with him. Why couldn't he be one of the two bedwarmers? He is fertile Mistress. I might not know much of what I will need to as the cycles go forward. But even I, as young as I am, understand what him being fertile means."

Kaj was up and across the room to strike him down in under a heart beat. "He killed my son, Tag. He owes me more than he can ever pay. The only thing he has that I want, is his life. How dare you?" She raised her fist to strike him again, as he held his arms up, cowering on the floor, awaiting another blow.

"Stop, Kaj." A firm hand, on her wrist as an old man stepped before her. "Forgive me Mistress. But Tag is right. Kill him, yes, he owes you, us, that much. But think milady. How many of your own women, the other mistresses that do, not, seek one of us for their pleasure? How many of them would willing take what he no longer has any right to, and bear children?

"Warrel, You know the law as well as I do. Any man that takes the life of another, particularly a child, loses all rights to be a father." She didn't have time for this.

"The law was also written in a time when we had more fertile men so that we could enforce that law, Mistress. We can't anymore. Oh, kill him by all means. But can't we send him to the Temple, and see to it that his seed is ripped from him again and again. Not quite the satisfaction of killing him yourself, but he will still be dead all the same. And his death will not be an easy one."

Kaj spun, swearing to herself. Warrel was near a hundred and thirty, and her grandfather to boot. He was too old for her to punish. And he knew it. "You don't know how lucky you are Warrel. Almost any one else that had said that to me the way you did, I would see whipped. But you're right, and you are too old for me to dare risk your life by whipping you." She stopped infront of the wretched form that had once been a man. "Cay, I need to get out of here. The longer I stand here, the more I want to forget duty and responsibility, and cut his throat. Warrel is right. He might just be worth more than just his death to me. Have Trinna come and see to it that he won't die on you, before you continue his punishment. I will have the Temple come for him after my son's funeral. By that time, you should have had more than enough time to see to it that he is more than just ready to go."

"Yes Mistress." Caytin was a little disheartened by the knowledge that it wasn't going to be his hand that took the murderer of his son's life. But his mistress was right when she agreed with Warrel.

* * *

The two men that had been freed, were given medical attention, fed and placed on new mounts. They both were waiting for their world to come to a crashing halt as they were escorted to the boundaries of the Dane's lands. But nothing happened. They were free. So it was with the continued desire to see to it that they remain so, they took off, kicking their horses into a full gallop. The message the Dane Chieftess had given them, and the fear of failing to obey her, made it even that much more important to make it into their lands, to see their King.

* * *

The guards that had been left to deal with the three new slaves had done just that, seen that they were brought to the Healer Trinna, who was serving her time as the house healer. Then collared, bathed, denuded, dressed, and fed. They were then turned over to Caytin, who was head consort and master of the men in his home.

Caytin had been too busy with seeing to dealing with the murderer of his son to give them more than a nod and a bed in one of the many rooms off of the main part of the quarters.

So for the most part they had been ignored.

That first night, none of them had gotten much sleep. All three trying to come to terms with what their lives had become. The following morning, there was no change. They were fed, and made to understand where the facilities were if they ever had a need.

The house was deep into the duties that they owed to their own. There was an almost shroud of grief and pain that enveloped everything.

It was evening, with the three men sitting in Jerrick's room when a knock on the door, alerted them, that they had 'finally' been remembered.

The guardswoman motioned for them without a word, to follow her.

"Attention, soldier." Jerrick whispered into Fain's ear as they moved to follow the guard.

Fain had spent the past day, coming to terms with what his life was now going to be. He had been a slave once already, and the knowledge that so far, they had not behaved anything, like, his old masters. It gave him a little solidity to hole his fear back that he hadn't had before. "Yes, Sir." He whispered back, but with a tone of certainty to it.

Ern just walked beside them silent, his, thoughts his own.

Kaj looked up at the knock. "Come in." Her voice was mellow and friendly.

The door opened. "You had asked that they be brought to you, Chieftess." The guard ushered the three men into the room.

"Thank you, Kari. You can leave them here with me."

The guard looked at her, concerned. "Are you sure Chieftess? I don't think they could win over you, in the condition they are in. But you might have to hurt one of them in controlling them if they tried."

A smile of amusement, "Kari, Caytin saw to it that they were given rooms. Nothing more, I tested them, counting on the state my home was in, and their own good judgement to see that they behaved. There is no threat out of them. Go on, they are safe with me." The guard nodded and stepped back closing the door behind her.

"Come in. I'm sure you have many questions." She walked across the room to sit on a small couch. To, patiently, wait for them to follow her.

"If you were totally ignorant of what it means to follow orders, I would be more patient with you. I told you to come here. Do not make me tell you again." Even though none of them had killed any of her children, the one that had was still living. She was, not, completely above the feeling of resentment.

Jerrick felt the bite of fingers in his arm as Fain fought to maintain the balance he had acquired so far. "Sorry, Ma'am."

"Jerrick, correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Who am I?"

He didn't understand what she was looking for. "The Chieftess of the Dane's, Head of your home, and my owner."

She sighed. "Ern, who am I?"

The large blond man looked at Jerrick in confusion. "Uh, what he said Ma'am."

She shook her head. "Fain, maybe you can tell me. Who am I?"

The cycles melted away, and again he was nothing more than a slave. He dropped to his knees before her, his fingers locking, behind his neck. "My Mistress."

Kaj sat up, reaching to lay a hand on Fain's arm. "Correct response, little one. I am your mistress." She looked up to the other two men who still stood there watching her. "I am now, your mistress. I am nothing less than to one that holds your continued life in my hands. The past is just that. Jerrick, you are a slave now. Ern, you as well. No longer a Commander of men, or a soldier. You both are slaves. Your fertility has bought your continued lives. Do not make me regret my choice to allow you to live." She watched the battle for control that played over then three men's faces.

"Yes Mistress." Fain's voice was just a breath above a whisper as Jerrick and Ern knelt at her feet.

"Yes Mistress." Ern muttered, Jerrick echoing him.

She looked at all three. "I have decided, that you," she cupped Fain's chin. "I will keep with Caytin and I. You still have a lot to relearn about what slavery really means." She looked to the other two. "For now, I have nothing that is pressing for you to do. Take this time. Learn what it means to be one of the men of my home. Do what my head consort orders, and stay out of trouble. If you have a question about anything you do. Don't hesitate to ask who ever is instructing you."

There was a soft but rapid knock at her door. "Come in." 'Now who'?

A young woman, whose hair was almost the same deep shade of the sun's setting red, as Kaj's, her face near a perfect, if younger, version of the older woman's. "Oh, here they are."

"What do you need one of them for, Trin? I'm in the middle of explaining their new lives to them."

"I was thinking that maybe, what with them being new and all, and if you thought they could deal with it, my fertility cycle is just right. It's about time I added to the nursery."

Kaj looked at the three that knelt before her. "Well, Fain is going to be staying here with Cay and I. But the other two, I think maybe they would be well enough behaved. They know the foolishness of hurting a Healer. They are men of war. Healers are automatically safe from, all, harm. Even if they are now a member of their 'mistress'' family."

Jerrick and Ern looked at each other. Already, one of them would have to submit to one of the women's pleasure. Jerrick nodded his head, curtly, once. Ern was still too young, too much a wild card. "Ma'am," he looked to Kaj. "If the little mistress will have me, I will submit to her." Healers immunity or no, he wasn't going to take a chance that Ern might, not, control himself.

Trinna laughed. "Well, it looks like I got a candidate for fatherhood." She held out her hand. "Come on, the sooner I get this over with, the less of a chance I will have to really think about it." He was one of the new slaves, recently captured. She knew all too well what he could try. But the chance at renewing their tired gene pool with new life was just too vitally important for the Healer in her.

"Trin, before you take him and run off. I am going to need some of the oil used on the new slaves to help me with Fain. I seem to be out of it. Could you go tract me down some. I would just as soon get him past his fears, without a struggle."

"Okay, not a problem, just make sure no one else decides to snatch him for the night. My time is just right, and I want to make sure that I come away from this night a mother in eleven or so moon's."

"Promise, love, though really, you shouldn't worry. I think that the rest of the women here, are still waiting to see how I deal with them before they sample them." She waited for the door to close. "Jerrick, I don't have to tell you what will happen to you if you hurt her, do I?"

Jerrick came up at once. "Now see here. Why do you think, it was 'I' who offered myself to her? Ern is still reeling from his new station as a slave here. I know I won't hurt her, I can't say the same for him. I don't make war on children, and I don't 'rape half grown girls'."

She just chuckled at him. "What a child the two of you are going to make. You, with your refreshing bravado, and her with her gifts. I retract my warning. I now believe she is safe from risk."

Another soft knock as Caytin slipped in. "I have sent him with the priestesses, Mistress." He moved, to fall at her feel, head buried in her lap. "I miss him." He began to sob. "His ashes aren't even cold yet, and already I miss him so much."

"Ssshh, love, I know. Don't you think I wept as I put the torch to his pyre? Forget what you are, other than my Consort, love, Mate and his father." She stroked his hair. "Kaylin told me that she reached him, he went peacefully. His only worry was that we would be mad at him for being bad. He knew how much we loved him."

He looked up, grasping her hands. "Let me give you another, Kaj. I know that we need to make use of the new blood that is offered. But please, Mistress, if my son meant anything at all to you. Let me give you another child."

Tisking softly. "Caytin, you are the one that is ever quick to remind me what you are to me. Yes, I am your mistress. Your Consort and Souls-Match. I love you. True, after Kally, I had thought my childbearing cycles were over, but now, I want another child. If you are willing to fill this void in my heart that the loss of Remmy has left. Of course I want it. You could parade all the pretty boys before me, all guaranteed to be fertile. But none of them are you. You are mine, and I will never let you forget that fact."

"Kaj," Trinna didn't even bother knocking this time. "Some one is going to have to send off to the temple for some. Don't ask me how or why, but there isn't a drop to be found anywhere."

Caytin looked from one to the other. "Send off for some what Trinna?"

"She sent me to dig up some of the oil that is used on virgins. But either we don't have any, or someone is hiding it."

Caytin looked at Kaj closely. "We're not out of that oil Mistress." He spoke very carefully. "Donnel just made a new batch. It is in the chest in the Men's Quarter's. But I filled your container just a little over a week ago."

Trinna glared at Kaj. "I get it. You send me off chasing flights of fancy while you sit around here and threaten him."

She laughed. "Guilty as charged, little sister. But humor me a little. You are one of the few Healers who are willing to serve her time as a Journeyman outside the Temple. You are also my sister."

"What is going on here Mistress? Why would you send Trinna out on a fools errand?"

"She has taken it into her head, that now, with the existence of new donor's, that she wanted to become a mother. And yes, I did send you off so that I could make sure than Jerrick understood what would happen to him if he tried to hurt you in anyway."

"Know this, outsider. It was me who helped make her a woman. And to date, I am the only man to touch her. Anything happens to Mistress Trinna, and I will make you wish you had been allowed to die." Caytin was protective of all the ladies in his house, but the young Healer more than most. More in some ways than he worried about his own mistress.

Jerrick looked down. Fighting to remember whom this man was in his life now. "How many times, Mistress. Am I going to have to have my word questioned?" He was a slave. There was no altering that fact. But, if he understood what the rules were, he had the same rights as a slave here, as he did in his own lands. "I gave my word that I would never try to harm her." He looked up at Caytin. "She is a Healer for gods sake."

"Let it go Cay. I've already spoken to him, and he has made his feelings on the subject very clear. I have been assured, in something of a huff, that he does not wage war on children, and does not rape half-grown girls. He knows the price if he breaks his bond with me in anyway. Trinna might be young, but I helped to see to it that she trained along with all the other children to protect herself. Our eldest daughter and myself are the only two that can beat her, hand to hand. And she is a Healer, I am sure that she has all sorts of ways of stopping him should he lose his reason with her."

"So, now that you've gone out of your way to scare him, can I be excused."

"Go on, Trin. See you tomorrow, and good luck."

After she led Jerrick from the room, Kaj just laughed with amusement. "I went out of my way to scare him, indeed. That is one slave that I am going to have my hands full with. It won't be easy to bend to my rule, without breaking him completely. He still sees himself as his men's commanding officer."

"Don't worry too much Mistress. After he learns his place in the greater scheme of things here, he should quiet down nicely. It could be worse. You did end up with trained soldiers, and not civilian's."

"Thank the Goddess for small favors."

He looked to the other two that, knelt, on their knees, silent, "And what are your plans for these two Mistress?"

"Fain, here, he stays with us, for now. He is the one that has gotten a twisted idea of the bond between slave and mistress. I am hoping that given a little time, he will learn that what he knows and what the truth is, are far from the same thing. Ern there, I had planned on sending him with Jerrick and letting you deal with them until such time one of my women had a need for them. But now, it looks like you only have Ern to contend with. If I know my little sister, and that man she just led from this room is more than just stud material, she will have him hanging on to her shirt hem by the morning."

Caytin nodded, looking at Ern, who was still trying to work his way through all that had happened. "Should I take him out of here for now?"

"Yes, but just see to it he is put to bed, alone for now, sooner or later, I am sure you will make some time for him, and I don't think he is in any great hurry to be noticed by you. I may need your help to walk this one through his first time with us. I might toy with the boys we keep around but that is what is expected, and even wanted from most of them. He doesn't understand what his place here is yet. I parted him from his Lover. The very least I can do, is show what pity I can and help him to hold up in his loneliness."

"Yes, Mistress." He came to his feet. "Come with me Ern." He stopped. "Will you walk freely at my side, or would it be better if I used a leash, to remove all temptation?" Bright blue eyes, so full of concern and compassion, met Ern's brown ones.

"Uh, no, that's okay. I'll walk." 'A leash' he thought in horror. The man had offered to leash him like an animal, and had thought the offer kind. The full truth of his continued life finally sank into his mind and heart. He was a slave, a pet, property to be owned, nothing more than a glorified dog.

"Don't do it." Caytin stepped closer, breaking Ern's moment of panic. "I have no reason to see you hurt right now. Do me a favor, don't give me one." He hooked the leash to the loop in Ern's collar "I will see you sleep alone for now. There's not a man in this city that would dare touch you before I do. So you have nothing to fear on that score. Your mistresses, may call on you at any time, they please. But I will be the first of your new brethren to touch you, understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good, now come on," he looked to Kaj. "Begging your pardon, Mistress. May I take Ern and see he is put down for the night?"

It surprised Kaj a little. It had been a long time since Caytin had been this formal with her or anyone in her house. Then she remembered that he as the first consort in her home, and head of all the men in her lands. Would be expected to keep things under an even finer control than she would expect. "See to it that your men, understand he is to be left untouched. And hurry back. We still have one more to welcome into our house."

"Yes Mistress."