At the Meeting Hall

Astric led the girls into the Meeting Hall. Elm had never been inside the building before, but she had an idea of what went on there. Most of the men of the village would gather there most mornings. Slave women would sometimes be taken in by their masters as well. It was well enough known that many were taken in for punishment.

Astric was wearing just his shorts with one of his whips hanging from his belt. Some men were wearing tunics, and some long trousers. But most of the 80 or so men in the hall were dressed much the same as Astric. There were very few slave women, maybe a dozen.

Elm looked around the interior with curiosity. It was the biggest building in the Heruli village but she had never been inside it before. It had a raised stage surrounded by chairs, a lot more than would be needed to seat everyone that day. Astric sat down with the two girls on either side of him. He seemed pleased by that. But then only 4 or 5 other men had more than one slave.

On stage the village leader called order and everyone else sat down.

'The matter we need to deal with today is the business of Brunhill.'

There was a murmour of agreement. Elm knew Brunhill well and didn't like her much. She was always complaining and doing people down. And she even criticised her Master and other Masters.

'Once again Brunhill has been heard criticising and complaining about men. I propose 20. Do I have your leave?'

Brunhill was led onto the stage naked apart from the ankle and wrist cuffs that all Heruli women wore at all times. She was in her mid forties with a few flecks of grey in her black hair. She was well built but shapely. The two men who led her out tied first her wrists then her ankles to a wooden frame.

Then the two men, both stripped to the waist and looking tall and strong took out their whips and started the flogging. They alternated strokes between them, so Brunhill got stripes from both sides and at two different angles. She was soon screaming, her cries echoing around the hall. But the men showed no mercy, they were like emotionless machines mechanically laying the leather across her naked skin with a pause of about a minute between.

Elm already realised from her first whipping the night before that they were leaving long enough for every blow to sink in and work its maximum amount of pain. She was glad that Brunhill was getting punished. She knew she deserved it. And what is life without a sense of justice? Elm resolved that she would be a good slave and never deserve this kind of treatment.

She also noticed the bulge in Astric's shorts. It looked like he was really aroused by justice as well. That was another source of satisfaction to her. Astric was going to be strict but fair, like a real man should.

Elm's musings meant she lost count, but it must have been about 50 lashes before Brunhill was released. She heard Astric murmuring to one of the other masters. 'The trouble is, she never learns. She'll be back this time next month.'