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It was done. Agony throbbed through his shoulder, and his whole body quivered. He damn near would have cut off his pinky if he could have Jagger for a few seconds to tell him it would be all right. Instead, he was stuck with uncaring people or those more concerned over their own pain. It had been much easier when his Master did it and distracted him with an orgasm.
At least he wasn't the only one that screamed. Bread broke down entirely and went limp on the post as he cried. Zaz somehow stayed entirely silent, and Luke turned his head to the post again, not wanting to watch or hear anymore.
Once the brands were done, everyone was left there for a good twenty minutes until they were cut loose. Luke still couldn’t stop his shaking, and he wished he could go see Jagger now, but they were hurried past the posts. Luke grabbed Bread’s arm and practically had to drag him. Guards lashed at who they felt like, and one criminal collapsed with a shriek.
“You fucking hit it!” he screamed.
That earned him more lashes. Luke, suddenly afraid he’d feel the sting of braided leather lick across his new mark, hurried Bread along.
When they reached the part where the inner wall was made of iron bars, he finally saw the compound ahead, but he didn’t get a good look. The guards didn’t waste time getting them locked into the pillories that were lined up.
Their asses faced the fence, and Luke had certainly noticed all of the criminals beyond in their dingy clothes. Perhaps they got a holiday to watch the new guys get shamed. Voices drew closer, and jeers were tossed out as each hinged top half of the pillory came down.
Luke was locked into his, and he took a deep breath. He’d bent over for a long time, and it wasn’t even dinner yet. Not that they’d be getting anything to eat.
The prisoners seemed to like the sight of a bunch of bare asses pointed at them, and Luke flushed when he heard them laughing and tossing out lewd remarks. There must have been about a hundred, and he’d never been exposed in front of so many others.
Leather licked across his bare ass, and the tip wrapped around his hip which made him swear. “Fuck!”
Jagger had never caught his hip with anything.
“I’ll give you something to cry about, bitch!”
A few prisoners jeered as the guard started whipping Luke’s bare bottom. He remembered Jagger’s advice to watch how guards acted when punishing others. Some liked tears or begging, and others preferred silence. If the guard said he’d give Luke something to cry about, maybe noise or swearing pissed him off.
He bit his tongue as welts were made on his ass, and when the whip wrapped around his waist, he nearly screamed. Instead, he bit down and tasted blood.
The guard seemed to lose interest after that, so Luke must have been right. He trembled as he heard a few other whips cracking across bare asses.
The guards must have grown bored, and some shouted to clear off. The voices of the prisoners grew fainter, and one of the guards said to sleep well. Luke stared at the stone wall ahead and told himself to just deal with it. He had no other option.
The sky darkened as some sniffled or complained about their sore asses and burns. The guards had left them unattended since they were trapped. They heard more rude comments as some prisoners returned to check them out. Two argued over someone’s ass and who’d get it first. Luke had no idea who they were talking about, and it was hard to tell if they were serious or just saying stuff to make them uncomfortable. Thank Elira he had a special collar.
The prisoners left, and eventually, they heard a bell ring nine times. The compound went silent, so maybe that meant it was bedtime.
The night wore on, and some complained about being stuck there. Bread cried by midnight, and everyone must have been quite stiff from being bent over. Luke’s back hurt as his exhaustion grew, and the throbbing in his brand didn’t help, but he told himself to suck it up. Jagger’s punishment of being up all night, the violin, and the bar had been intended as punishment, but maybe Jagger had another thing in mind too and decided to do it since his slave had been defiant.
It had toughened him up a little. He’d be miserable, but he coulddoit, and it wouldn’t kill him.
He was still grateful to be released before dawn when a bunch of guards came and made them line up along the stone wall. The had to put their hands flat on it, spread their feet, look down, and wait. The whip cracked a few times as some of the criminal’s positions were adjusted the harsh way, and once everyone was in place, the guards walked around a bit with lanterns as they talked.
Nobody could sleep in this position, and he figured this was something to make sure they could follow basic instructions. He watched the light dance along the stonework and told himself once more to suck it up and take it. His back ached, his feet needed a rest ten hours ago, and his brand made him want to curse, but he set his jaw.
They were only allowed to sit at dawn when bread and water was brought. Bread looked like he could barely get his down, and Beardy had to keep poking him to eat. Bread finished and tried to lay on the ground, but a guard snapped at him and raised his whip. One of the other criminals grabbed his arm.
“I can’t,” mumbled Bread.
“Sit up or else.”
A senior guard in a bright blue coat came out and toyed with the whip coiled on his belt as he gazed at them. His blonde hair was tied back, and something about his eyes made Luke glad that wasn’t his owner.
“If anyone collapses today and truly can’t move, you’ll get to rest.” The senior guard smiled, but it wasn’t comforting in the least. “But that equals a punishment whipping tomorrow morning. Think carefully about that if you decide to pretend you can't go on. If you truly can’t, too bad for you, so I suggest you get on with the day. You’ll all be hauling rocks and learning what it means to be truly tired and worn out. Any back talk or complaints will be handled by the guards. I suggest you keep your mouths shut and do what you’re told. You've all been sentenced for a reason.”
Chapter Seven
Jagger couldn’t have fully prepared him for the day.
They were brought inside the main guards and to the entrance of the mine. A sloped hall hewn in the rock led in and down. Other halls went elsewhere, and the system of shafts was quite expansive from what Jagger had said. Their job was to shovel rocks and rubble into handcarts and take them out.
