Chapter 21: Triumph

Isabell was pulled out of her cage. She looked somewhat recovered, which was not surprising given the long break. Although the rooster had just crowed, the morning was already well advanced. Most of the studio guests had already left when I was locked back in my cage; the climax was probably over. On the American continents, however, the last viewers had just tuned in and were probably watching the past few hours on tape.

The upcoming trial was, of course, a farce. The prosecutor, judge, and executioner were the same people. Rebecca presided. Diana and Matej sat as assessors in the chairs that had been brought in. Jelena led the prosecution, while Master P acted as guardian.

The charges were read out, the defendant was found guilty, and the sentence was determined. As a demon’s accomplice, this meant death by burning. Before that, however, she was to be dusted, which meant nothing less than having her breasts torn apart with a steel whip. Then her tongue would be torn out and every bone in her body would be broken on the wheel. The subsequent burning alive could then be considered an act of mercy. I was glad not to have actually lived in such a time. Isabell continued to play her role convincingly, throwing herself at the feet of the court, begging for mercy, and spitting in my direction to make it clear that she renounced me. P had to silence her with the whip. Rebecca broke a wooden stick over Isabell’s head, symbolizing the finality of the verdict. Isabell was lost.

Now the chains were in the way for both of us and had to be removed. An anvil was brought in and first Isabell’s riveted chains were broken. Immediately afterwards, she was put in a pillory and put on display there until her execution. Now it was my turn. They took me out of my cage and dragged me to the anvil. My chains, decorated with magical symbols, did not withstand the blows of the hammer and chisel for too long before the rivets broke and I was free. Unfortunately, however, they had left the gag in my mouth, so I could not take advantage of this.

Then they tied me to a cross and left me hanging by my arms. My feet found support only on a narrow, sloping wooden platform and were tied to the beam with rough ropes.

Jelena smiled as she presented long needles.

“I have ten beautiful long needles here, what could I use them for?”

She held one to my left big toe, under the toenail, and looked into my fear-stricken face.

With obvious pleasure, she pressed the needle under my toenail.

Needle play didn’t scare me in principle. The prick of a needle can hurt quite a lot, but the pain is usually only brief. As soon as the needle is removed or no longer moved, it’s over. Clamps were much nastier because they caused constant, lasting pain. Under the nails, however, it was something different and, for me, something completely new. Who had told me that all subs took cover when Jelena, Diana, and Rebecca got together for a session? Slowly, I was beginning to understand what that meant. My cry of pain was not fake. But strangely enough, the pain also aroused me. Just as an acupuncture point triggers certain nerves, my toe seemed to be connected to my pleasure center. That surprised me.

Jelena didn’t miss the fact that I was getting wet. She wiped my slit with her finger and presented my pleasure secretions.

“What kind of demon is this? She feels pleasure from pain? Can I increase it?”

She applied another needle, this time to my other big toe.

I leaned my head against the beam, closed my eyes, and drew the pain into myself. Heaven and hell at the same time.

Rebecca approached me and looked at me more closely.

“She deceived us; she is more powerful than we all thought. That’s not how a two-tailed kumiho reacts! Come on, stick the other needles in.”

With her skilled fingers, Rebecca massaged my pleasure slit again, while Jelena slowly and as painfully as possible pushed the needles, one by one, under my toenails.

I couldn’t hold back much longer. Either I gave in to the pain or to Rebecca’s efforts. But it was still far too early for the finale. It was supposed to last until evening. I screamed into my gag, ready to talk.

Both of them paused. Rebecca gave a signal, P climbed behind me and removed my gag. I tried to realign my aching jaw with grinding chewing movements.

“We’re listening,” Rebecca said from below. “Say what you have to say.”