Read Online Hour of Judgement by Susan R. Matthews - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan R. Matthews
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have any idea who I am?”
Oh, yes. She knew exactly who he was. He was a bully who beat up women, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. Influential patrons were left more or less to do as they pleased, as long as the house got its money.
Still, his musical entertainment would be coming, she could get away from him when the musicians came. And the establishment husbanded its livestock responsibly. They would not let her suffer too much pain after an undeserved beating.
“His Excellency is the First Lieutenant of the Ragnarok , Command Branch — ”
He dragged her away from the sideboard and hit her yet again, keeping a good grip on her arm so that she couldn’t put any distance between them. “Wrong. Dear me. The little whore thinks I’m an Excellency. Is that what you think, little whore? Do you think that I’m an Excellency?”
He wouldn’t stop hitting her face, and her thoughts rattled against each other into incoherence with each blow. The inside of her cheek was cut against her teeth. It was difficult to speak distinctly.
“The officer is Command Branch, surely.”
“But not an Excellency. Maybe it’s Koscuisko you have in mind. He spent a lot of time getting to know you Nurail, remember? At the Domitt Prison?”
She kept on trying to get away. She knew he hadn’t cleared this with the housemaster, and she couldn’t help but try to escape pain. She tried, but his grip was like iron, and it only seemed to make him angrier.
“Everyone knows about Black Andrej. And the Domitt Prison.” Keeping her voice low on instinct, Megh kept testing for the right approach to appease him, to get him to stop for long enough for her to get away. Once she could get away she would be safe, the house staff would surely intervene to protect her. She couldn’t be beaten for not singing her weave, even had her governor permitted it. It was a killing offense to sing any weave, let alone a war-weave like the Narrow Pass.
“Oh, well, perhaps you’re disappointed, then. You’d sing the weave for him, soon enough, but not for me, is that it?”
He shook her and let her go, but she couldn’t get to the door, because her legs came out from underneath her as soon as he released her upper arm. And he was still talking. It was important to pay attention to what he was saying; she had to find a way to placate him.
“I’ll tell you something, though. I’ve seen him work. There’s really nothing very complicated to it. Anything he can do, I can do, and better.”
It was his boot this time, and not a fist at all. A boot sudden and brutal put to her stomach, making her cry out loud of it. And yet another boot, to take the wind out of her belly, so that she rolled her arms around her middle and curled onto her side, trying to find her breath.
“There’s his tapes, you know? I watch them sometimes, with the Captain. And if Koscuisko was here I know just what he’d do. Here, we’ll pretend I’m your precious ‘Black Andrej,’ shall we? And when we’re done you can sing me your weave like an obedient little slut. Whether you want to or not.”
Stooping down to her on the floor he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her flat at length on the carpet. She tried to smooth her breathing out, to be ready for the next blow. It helped sometimes to try to guess the course of a beating, to concentrate on whatever one could use to create an illusion of control.
“And if Koscuisko were here he’d probably start with . . . well. He’d use the butt end of his driver to fuck you wide open, he does amazing things with that whip. Haven’t got a whip. This’ll do, though, just as well. I’m sure.”
He seemed minded to rape her with his boots, never minding the other ugly things he said. There didn’t seem to be anywhere that she could get to, to hide from him. He drove her across the carpet to the far wall with his blows; and when she could flee no further he stuffed her shawl deep down into her throat and raped her
Oh, yes. She knew exactly who he was. He was a bully who beat up women, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. Influential patrons were left more or less to do as they pleased, as long as the house got its money.
Still, his musical entertainment would be coming, she could get away from him when the musicians came. And the establishment husbanded its livestock responsibly. They would not let her suffer too much pain after an undeserved beating.
“His Excellency is the First Lieutenant of the Ragnarok , Command Branch — ”
He dragged her away from the sideboard and hit her yet again, keeping a good grip on her arm so that she couldn’t put any distance between them. “Wrong. Dear me. The little whore thinks I’m an Excellency. Is that what you think, little whore? Do you think that I’m an Excellency?”
He wouldn’t stop hitting her face, and her thoughts rattled against each other into incoherence with each blow. The inside of her cheek was cut against her teeth. It was difficult to speak distinctly.
“The officer is Command Branch, surely.”
“But not an Excellency. Maybe it’s Koscuisko you have in mind. He spent a lot of time getting to know you Nurail, remember? At the Domitt Prison?”
She kept on trying to get away. She knew he hadn’t cleared this with the housemaster, and she couldn’t help but try to escape pain. She tried, but his grip was like iron, and it only seemed to make him angrier.
“Everyone knows about Black Andrej. And the Domitt Prison.” Keeping her voice low on instinct, Megh kept testing for the right approach to appease him, to get him to stop for long enough for her to get away. Once she could get away she would be safe, the house staff would surely intervene to protect her. She couldn’t be beaten for not singing her weave, even had her governor permitted it. It was a killing offense to sing any weave, let alone a war-weave like the Narrow Pass.
“Oh, well, perhaps you’re disappointed, then. You’d sing the weave for him, soon enough, but not for me, is that it?”
He shook her and let her go, but she couldn’t get to the door, because her legs came out from underneath her as soon as he released her upper arm. And he was still talking. It was important to pay attention to what he was saying; she had to find a way to placate him.
“I’ll tell you something, though. I’ve seen him work. There’s really nothing very complicated to it. Anything he can do, I can do, and better.”
It was his boot this time, and not a fist at all. A boot sudden and brutal put to her stomach, making her cry out loud of it. And yet another boot, to take the wind out of her belly, so that she rolled her arms around her middle and curled onto her side, trying to find her breath.
“There’s his tapes, you know? I watch them sometimes, with the Captain. And if Koscuisko was here I know just what he’d do. Here, we’ll pretend I’m your precious ‘Black Andrej,’ shall we? And when we’re done you can sing me your weave like an obedient little slut. Whether you want to or not.”
Stooping down to her on the floor he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her flat at length on the carpet. She tried to smooth her breathing out, to be ready for the next blow. It helped sometimes to try to guess the course of a beating, to concentrate on whatever one could use to create an illusion of control.
“And if Koscuisko were here he’d probably start with . . . well. He’d use the butt end of his driver to fuck you wide open, he does amazing things with that whip. Haven’t got a whip. This’ll do, though, just as well. I’m sure.”
He seemed minded to rape her with his boots, never minding the other ugly things he said. There didn’t seem to be anywhere that she could get to, to hide from him. He drove her across the carpet to the far wall with his blows; and when she could flee no further he stuffed her shawl deep down into her throat and raped her
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