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The guard was dragging Jevka out by her hair. She was screaming and trying to scratch the man, but even though he was a human, he was unimpressed. “You fucking bastard,” she yelled. “Don’t you fucking dare to trust me. You asshole.” She managed to get her feet underneath herself once more, kicking the man in the knee – and for a moment it almost seemed as if she would get away. But then he grabbed her by the shoulder. The punch that followed left a rather ominous sound echoing over the yard.
The rest of them were standing by the walls, watching. Evalyn wanted nothing more but to get away. He envied this girl. Because other than him, she had the courage to try it. To try and flee from this place. Even though it got her here again and again.
Jevka tried to push herself up, as the guard threw her down in front of the tree. “You will regret this,” she hissed. “One day, y’all gonna fucking regret this.”
The Misses crouched down in front of her, grabbing Jevka by the hair. “In all my years of running this place, I never came across quite such a nuisance as you.”
Jevka spat at her, not caring about the slap that followed. She was a half-elf – like the Misses – and probably just a bit older than Tav. Sixteen, maybe. Once more she was scratching and kicking, as the guard took her arm, binding the rope around it. In the end it took a second guard to properly tie her up, as she was hissing and cussing at them.
It didn’t save her, though. In the end she ended in the same place as the last three times. Her arms bound to the lowest branched of the tree as the guards ripped her shirt from her body.
“Go to the hells!” she yelled.
The one guard chuckled just a bit. “You know, girly. The likes of you are the most fun to break.”
She tried to turn her head, tried to spit at him, but she didn’t manage.
Only when she was naked, the Misses took the whip. Then she turned to the rest of them. “Keep in mind,” she said, “that I will not allow such disobedience in this house. But you all know that, don’t you?”
There was mumbling, nodding. Evalyn did neither, just staring at the girl’s naked back.
“For those of you, who have already defied me, keep in mind. There will always be a worse punishment than whatever you have experienced before.”
Swallowing hard Evalyn looked at the whip. It was an actual leather whip, rather than the belt used most of the times. The belt would not cut the skin, but Evalyn knew quite well that this would. He wanted to look away, but he also knew that he would not be allowed to do so.
“You bloody old hag,” Jevka cursed, turning her head to the Misses. “May you die with pustules all over your fucking body.”
All the cussing did not save her, though. A moment later, the whip hissed through the air, meeting the girl’s back with a loud crack. Jevka was howling in pain, as a bit of blood dripped down from the wound on her back.
“Even you will learn one day how to properly serve,” the Misses said, letting the whip hiss again. It met Jevka’s shoulder, as Jevka yelped.
Evalyn was trembling as she watched this.
“You are fucking coward,” Jevka now yelled. “A coward. Going after fucking kids. After…” Her anger was cut short with another crack of the whip. Evalyn could see the tears glistening in girl’s eyes. “A coward,” she still insisted. “You bloody coward!”
Again and again the whip cracked over Jevka’s back, leaving it raw and bloodied, as the girl’s legs were trembling.
“Did you count, girl?” the Misses said.
“One day I will kill you,” the girl whimpered. “I will kill you dead!”
“It was ten, girl. Just ten.” The Misses ran the leather through her hands. “And given your attitude, I think there will be at least fifty in store for you.” She looked at one of the guards. “Heal her.”
Of course they would heal her. Because no matter how dire the punishment was, the Misses would not allow them to have any scars. It lessened their value, she would say. Wounds healed quickly with magic would not leave scars.
By now Jevka was trembling. Yet, she still found the energy to yell: “You are all just mindless zombies, doing her fucking bidding. You are all just as bad, just with less fucking honor. Not that there is much honor to begin with.”
“I am getting tired of this,” the Misses said. “Someone… Gag her.”
It was the rule of the house. Nobody, not even the guards, would ever defy the Misses. And soon enough someone found a shawl to push into the half-elf’s mouth.
“Theobald.” The Misses nodded at one of the guards. “You do me the honor, I am getting bored.”
Theobald was a human man. A burly human man. He nodded, taking the whip.
“And you all…” The Misses looked at her charges. “You will keep watching till the end.” With that she left the inner yard of the building, left the rest of them, the tree and Javka behind.
Again the whip hissed through the air, leaving Jevka scream against her gag. Theobald did not hold back, the whip ripping open the skin as Jevka was squirming, trying to escape the ropes holding her. But she couldn’t. He screams were muffled now, as she was standing there. Standing, because the rope would not allow her to kneel down.
Ten more times the whip hissed, before the wounds were once more healed.
Some of the others – especially the younger ones – were crying now. But Evalyn knew, this was far from over. Yet, weirdly enough he knew that no matter what they did. Jevka would try again.