The Ergastulum
Part 7: Fini
From the shade of an arbor, Gylo looked over the 38 tanned backs as they
stooped to tend to the grapes. A slave from Gaul rubbed his feet after having
washed them of the dust accumulated during the cool morning. The tall Celt was
handy for reaching the upper fruit and worked quickly. He was never far from
the three Greek sisters. Although conversations during work were forbidden,
Gylo ignored the occasional whispers among the four friends and lovers; it
didn't seem to slow their labors. Simban worked far away from the others yet
close to Gylo so he could ensure she knew her place this week. It was nearing
mid-day and Gylo was about to alert his charges of the meal and rest period. He
kicked at the slave before him, stood and barked for the break to begin. In
unison the slaves all stood erect and walked in orderly formation to the shade
near Gylo. Several slaves broke away to tend to their toilet while 10 chosen
earlier began to distribute water, bread, cheese and cold mutton. Simban
returned from defecating in a nearby hedgerow. She took some food and drink and
sat away from the others who eagerly gossiped. The Celt was dropping a skin of
wine in groups of three and four slaves. When but one skin remained, he
positioned himself next to Simban and offered her the first drink. Wordlessly,
she took the skin and took a long drink. Before she had finished, Keres knocked
the skin from her grasp.
"Why do you share your wine with this African Richard?" Kerses asked in
slow Gaelic. "Have you forgotten the sting of her lash, her constant tortures
in the arena? Have you forgotten that she nearly killed me?"
"She has paid fully for her actions young one," Richard answered. She
sits among us and shall be treated as I would be treated-indeed as I would treat
you."
"Rubbish," Kerses replied. She will be again our overseer within a few
days I have no doubt. My wounds have yet to heal and soon she will be adding to
my pain and your misery as well. I owe the African and by Zeus, she will pay."
With that Keres spit on the seated Simban and returned to her siblings.
"I don't need your charity slave," Simban said in Latin to the Celt. Go
with your kind. The Greek wench is correct; I will soon be reinstated as your
trainer. Your mock concern will garner you no favors."
"I seek not favors," Richard answered in heavily accented Latin, "I
spoke true, you will be treated as I would wish to be treated." Leaving the
wine, the Celt reached down and patted Simban's shoulder before walking toward
the Greek sister's.
His return was met by icy silence from Keres but an enthusiastic hug by
Andara. The two lovers collapsed in the shady grass and held each other close
for the duration of the rest period.
As most slaves napped, Gylo called for two men to assist in binding
Simban to the whipping post. Simban accepted her flogging without protest but
with considerable pain. When her 20 lashes to her back ended, the same two
slaves released her and placed her in a prone position to apply soothing salve.
"Six days to endure yet," Simban said quietly to nobody, "Six more days..."
The remaining 10 hours of fieldwork was uneventful but the heat of the
day sapped the energy of everyone. Even the Celt had difficulty returning to
the ergastulum without stumbling from exhaustion. Andara moved just as slowly
at his side. Keres walked alone toward the back of the line and near Simban.
She noticed a fist-sized stone at the side of the path and quickly scooped it
up. Palming it at her side, she glanced around to see if any guards were
watching. Seeing they too were depleted from the heat, she spun around and
threw the stone with all her strength toward Simban. The rock clipped Simban in
the shoulder and elicited a loud squeal of surprise and pain. As if
orchestrated, both women launched themselves toward each other crashing in
mid-air. Simban was the first to find purchase and her strong fingers dug into
Kerses' throat as they rolled on the ground. Keres fists smashed repeatedly
into Simban's face breaking her nose and her grip on the Greek's throat. Both
women peppered quick, closed fists into their opponents face. Keres bit into
Simban's shattered nose. A blow from her knee into Keres's crotch saved
Simban's nose from being removed. The women locked into what would have been a
mutual death hold eventually but Gylo and three assistants pulled them apart.
Rapid slaps to both their faces quickly got the women distracted from each
other.
"Today's work obviously left you both with too much energy-tonight
you'll be racked-without food or rest perhaps you'll be able to focus on your
work," Gylo instructed.
The two enemies glared at each other while catching their breath. In
spite of her sentence, Keres smiled at Simban, "Another two minutes and you'd be
dead witch." A vicious blow to her mouth sent Keres reeling-"Rack them both and
apply the pincers," ordered Gylo before beating Keres unconscious.
Keres's was brought to her senses by icy water poured onto her battered
face. She was affixed to a vertical rack in the ergastulum's punishment
chamber. Directly across from her no more than five yards was Simban bellowing
in agony as a slave increased the racks tension. Keres's screams soon joined
Simban's as both women's limbs were stretched to their limit. The torture
engines' ratchets were locked. Popping joints and limited sharp breaths
signified that the pincers could now be applied with maximum impact. The heated
iron tongs sizzled repeatedly as they bit into black and white taut skin.
Female shrieks of agony were soon unrecognizable as human. The searing
implements immediately cauterized the wounds they created. The pincers were
freely applied. Bladders and bowels emptied as all-encompassing pain left the
women oblivious to anything other than their torment. When the pincers began to
lose their heat, they were returned to the brazier's glowing coals to take on
more energy for another session.
Neither woman had ever been subject to such terrible agony. Keres's
trembling body felt the pincers five times on her breasts and belly. Simban
endured equally as harsh abuse. Their intense wails had settled into anguished
sobs as the pincers reheated. Kaeso entered the chamber and ordered the women
gagged. When their voices were reduced to muffled moans, he paced to and fro
between them. "Bright bitches you both are, I'd have thought that you would
have reasoned that your actions could only result in your current situation.
This will not continue-a permanent solution must be implemented." Kaeso stopped
his pacing at the brazier that by now had the iron pincers heated white-hot.
Both women watched with torment-induced wild-eyes as best they could.
"I believe the solution is for you two to become good friends." Kaeso
turned to addresses his victims. "That sounds ludicrous doesn't it? I think
that if you were both dependent of each other and always together, you'd become
the best of associates." Picking up the pincers, Kaeso moved toward Simban.
"Perhaps losing your sight will speed the process."
Simban squirmed against the tautness of the rack as Kaeso brought the
smoking pincers toward her eyes. "Kaeso chuckled again, "Easy Simban, I will
not blind you...I will however use these pincers to attach and seal the bronze
masks that you'll both wear to the end of your days." Kaeso bid the artisans to
begin their work. While the women remained racked in agony, the artists
inserted hallow reeds into nostrils and poured warm paraffin upon the contours
of both screaming faces. When the wax adequately conformed and cooled, the
molds for bronze masks were lifted free and hurried away by the effeminate
artisans. Kaeso ordered, "Give the racks an additional turn then and whip them
until the smiths have made their masks." As ordered, the torture was carried
out until half an hour later, a burly smith entered the chamber carrying two
gleaming bronze masks in a gloved hand. The women had passed out from the pain
but the floggings continued leaving them both covered in blood. "Loosen the
tension," directed Kaeso, "then deliverer a blow to their face to awaken them."
As the women stirred, the smith snipped a small opening in each mask to serve as
a feeding and watering opening hole. No other openings were made in the bronze.
Keres was first to have a mask affixed. The metal had not completely cooled and
her shriek as it made contact with her face became muffled as the metal
enveloped the mouth.
"Please Kaeso...don't do this to me," begged Simban. "That Greek bitch
started all this! She was disobedient and tried to kill me-please Kaeso-no!"
"It's too late Simban," Kaeso responded. You'll not see light again and
be dependent on each other to survive." Simban's further protests halted as the
hot mask was sealed around her head. When the smith nodded to Kaeso, the
ergastularius applied the metal pincers to the metal at base of each woman's
skull to seal them the masks in place.
"Fasten them together face to face by their nipple rings, bind their
wrists behind them and put them in a cell with hot mutton and wine," Kaeso
ordered. His directions were quickly carried out and the women awoke to the
smell of hot meat and the sensation of terrible pain. The rack and flogging had
done their job well. Unable to see, Keres tried to assess her situation. She
attempted to speak but the small opening punched in her mask was ringed with
sharp metal that intruded into her mouth and prevented her from forming words
clearly. She could feel dead weight at her breasts as she tried to inch toward
the smell of the roasted meat. The African must still be unconscious she
thought. She attempted several shouts to stir Simban but to no avail.
Frustrated in attempts to move and communicate, she relaxed in an attempt to
alleviate the pain throughout her body. Realizing that to drink or eat, a
cooperative attempt with Simban would be necessary. Keres sighed in utter
desperation and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.
Simban's muffled moans brought Keres awake and she shouted to Simban to
be still, "Shtop Akrican!" Simban became still and Keres added, "Insh to d
schnell." Like a common garden worn, the bound, connected women awkwardly moved
slowly on their sides toward the smell of the cooling lamb. Until they could
discover a symbiotic rhythm, the pull at their breasts restricted their travel.
When the bowl finally rattled, they realized they were at their goal. The hard
realization also hit that with their hands lashed behind them, there was no way
they would be able to maneuver the food through the tiny holes in their
oppressive bronze masks. Simban sagged into Keres and shook with sobs Keres
soon joined her and their masks became soaked with tears offering an additional
discomfort and their only liquid. After an untold period, Simban heard their
cell door open and felt the bindings at her wrists being loosened. Keres was
then freed but they remained united at their chests. Kaeso's voice interrupted
their brief respite.
"You are to remain locked together at the teats women. You will
rely on each other for feeding and cleansing. My intention was that the masks
would remain on you until you learned to work together quickly. Simban began to
protest but heard that Kaeso cut her off. "It was my intention I said Simban.
However, I think it would punish you both even more if you could see each other
as you went about your chores. Gylo, remove the masks."
Soon the bronze was pulled free and the cell door slammed leaving the
women staring at each other less than 6 inches apart. Taking stock of her
situation, Keres quickly reached for the wine and quaffed deeply. Simban
reached out to the bowl of mutton and began to work torn pieces into her mouth.
Wordlessly, the women exchanged wine and food until all was consumed. Wiping
their own mouths, the collapsed in each other's arms into the sleep of the dead.
For the next six months, the two women worked the fields and serviced
Kaeso as pleasure slaves-always connected at the teats. They learned a rhythm
that allowed them to conduct themselves with minimum discomfort. From fetching
water, to hauling stones, to satisfying Kaeso they positioned themselves to keep
their breasts together. Tending to toilet and bath allowed them to converse and
plan their movements for various tasks. The other slaves and especially her
sisters welcomed Kerses back to the general population. Both Andara and Eris
were growing fat with child from Andara's Celt. Their teats were swollen and
with the Celt and Xua attending to them, their milk production had become
copious. The sister's had become strong and competent at each task given them
and were well fed and rested. They had accepted their lot as Roman slaves and
had made the best of it.
Simban had figured to adapt a submissive demeanor in order to eventually
reestablish her position as head trainer. It seemed to be working as the night
before, as Kaeso withdrew his penis from her mouth, he whispered she was doing
well. As the women settled into their cell for the evening, Keres placed both
hands on Simban's hips and nuzzled close. "I have a key to the cell door
African. I palmed it while you pleased Kaeso and I laid below you." Swiftly
moving her hands, Keres wrapped them around Simban's throat and choked her with
all the strength the Greek athlete could muster. The work in the fields had
paid off and in a matter of minutes, Simban was limp within Keres's grip. The
determined Greek kept up the pressure until she felt the black woman's throat
collapse. Simban died with her eyes wide open so she did not react as Keres
ripped the rings from her nipples. Now free from her former tormentor, Keres
used her key to free herself and all the others held in the ergastulum.
They managed to run and walk several leagues from their prison that
night. Initially they stayed together until the Celt advised dispersing to
avoid them all being recaptured. A few hours after sunup, the Romans had
rounded up most. Of the 38 escaped slaves, 25 were caught. En route back to
the ergastulum, the procession was punctuated by floggings, beatings,
crucifixions and impalements. Only 10 returned to the prison alive. Keres was
the last to be crucified. She was affixed to the standard cross in the arena
with adequate support to ensure she would not die from suffocation. Her breasts
still were affixed with the chain that bound her to Simban. From the chain hung
Simban's nipple rings tainted with bits of Simban's tissue. To the chain was
added incredible weights that eventually caused Keres's nipple adornments to rip
free. As Keres hung on the cross for four days, larger hooks would be inserted
into her breast tissue and weighted until they too pulled free. Various
implement were inserted into her orifices and expanded to keep her continually
screaming. Her pregnant sisters were mounted with rope on crosses opposite her
so that all could witness their siblings' deaths. The Celt was pulled to death
before them on a huge horizontal rack with four men at the wenches. Molten lead
was dripped on him through perforated ladles during his execution. He bellowed
encouragement to the Greek sisters as long as he was able to speak until agony
overcame him when lead was poured into his nostrils and eyes.
Eris was the next to die, as her now dead fetus was drug from her
through a long slit in her belly. Andara called out to Eris before she
succumbed, "Quick death loved sister!" A quite response from Eris, "and to you
beloved Andara."
Keres languished cognizant long enough to see new slaves being run in
the arena. Their exhausted faces were directed toward her as a lesson to be
learned. Her pain racked, battered body indeed was a fine example. Kaeso
applied his lance to her vagina and with three progressively deeper thrusts,
ended her suffering. Her body remained affixed to the cross in the arena for
three years. It stayed remarkably well preserved. A Scottish physician, now a
slave, hypothesized that the chemical mix that powered her fabled rage imbued
the corpse with preservative powers.
Eventually, when a long stretch of bad weather caused the grapes to fail
and the master died, Kaeso sold Keres's body to a rich merchant who used it as a
macabre decoration in his garden. Several years later, it was smuggled out one
evening by a band of renegade Christians who had heard it was the body of Mary
Magdalene. This notion continued and the legend grew until it was believed
true. In 1168 A.D., returning from a Crusade, England's Richard the Lionheart
liberated Keres's now dried and shriveled form from it's hiding place and
entombed it in a French cathedral as indeed Mary Magdalene. To this day it is
where the earthly shell of the spirited Greek Keres rests. Both Mary and Keres
would be proud no doubt to be mistaken for each other.
