Chapter 22: The Boys

Gadhi had decided to keep Anisah, who was the only one of the patrol's captives from Tirfil who had seemed enthusiastic in bed. He had decided her two small boys were of no interest or use to him, so he had arranged for them to be sold. Anisah was distraught when she discovered this, and she seemed unusually quiet that afternoon in his bed.

"Come on," he said, "You usually enjoy me fucking you. Are you ill?"

"No, Master," she replied and then with considerable trepidation she added, "I keep thinking of my little boys, going to some stranger who will probably abuse them terribly."

"Nonsense, they will probably become eunuchs somewhere and have a good career in the harem of a good master who will let his wives pet them and spoil them."

"Master, may I ask something?"

"Ask away," replied Gadhi, anticipating what she would ask.

"Could you not keep them, as eunuchs if you must, but here in your harem, with me?"

"Hmm. I suppose I might," he replied, "But not if I only have a subdued concubine. Such women get no favours from me."

"Oh, Master," she gushed, "I'll do anything to keep them. You can beat me every day if you want."

Deciding to test this offer he said, "Even the bastinado? Every day?"

Anisah paled at the thought of what was reputed to be the most painful of punishments, then turning to the attendant eunuch, she said, "The Master needs the bastinado frame in here and a rattan cane."

The eunuch did not move, but looked at his Master for orders. Gadhi nodded, and the eunuch left. Ten minutes later Anisah was on her back on the floor with her legs firmly fixed vertically in the frame and the soles of her feet in the perfect position for him to cane them.

"Master, I will not be able to stop myself screaming," she said quietly as Gadhi flexed the wicked looking cane and swished it through the air experimentally.

"Good," he said, "I like to hear that punishment is working."

He laid the cane gently across the soles of her feet and moved so that he was in exactly the right position to hit her perfectly on the heels. He had no wish to prevent her walking, but a day or two on her toes would be fine.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"If I can keep my boys, I am sure, Master," she replied.

As he raised the cane over his head she closed her eyes and held her breath.

CRACK!

The cane came down perfectly where he had aimed, across both heels. Gadhi thought her scream could be heard three streets away; it actually made his eardrums hurt. For Anisah the pain was something she had never even imagined in her worst nightmares, worse even than when she had scalded her arm.

He waited until she had subsided to a blubbering twitching wretch and then asked again, "Are you sure? You said every day and I plan to give you three of those."

Anisah could not answer, but she managed to nod her agreement.

CRACK!

The second blow, close to the first made her pass out. The eunuch applied a bucket of cold water and as she came round he placed a sal volatile soaked rag on her nostrils for a moment. This reawakened her fully and the continuous pain was almost more than she could bear.