The Mystery of Mohács 5

Tabea was squirming in the straw to wipe her eyes despite her chains when she saw the two keepers were shouting at Jelena, keeping their arms over their eyes. With a sigh, the Gypsy woman reached for the black cloth and tied it over her eyes. The men relaxed, but obviously weren`t satisfied, as one of them told Jelena to get close to the bars and turn her back towards him, allowing him to tighten her blindfold.

Then, each girl was handed a wooden mug, filled with water, and some dry, hard bread. Starving, the two captives slung down their ration and greedily drank.

»Yesterday at that time, I had coffee, buttered toast and a blueberry muffin«, Tabea mumbled between two bites.

»Yesterday at that time, I was chewing on a rubber ball«, Jelena replied with a scoff and Tabea grinned:

»Well, at least, one of us has improved!«

Immediately after their meal, they were taken from their cells. This time, they were brought to the torture chamber where Father Antonius and the young monk were already waiting for them. He said something that made Jelena gasp and when she translated for Tabea, she had difficulties in remaining calm:

»He – he said that he will – alter the procedure. He said that showing us the instruments would be a waste of time, since one of us can`t see and the other can`t understand him!«

The alternative Father Antonius intended was to start interrogating Jelena whilst Tabea would have to watch. On his order, one of the keepers brought a long stick. On its end, it had an iron ring with a hinge and inside the ring were long, vicious-looking thorns. He held it close to Tabea`s head and his colleague closed the ring around her neck.

With horror, Tabea realized that the ring was just wide enough that the thorns didn`t more than just slightly tickle her skin, but they would pierce her if she tried to struggle or even made one false move. Now, the man holding the stick could direct her from the distance and she was helpless.

As if to prove that, the other man now stepped behind her and reached around to knead her breasts. Tabea bit her teeth together to oppress a moan, but she breathed heavily from disgust. The man chuckled and then, he ripped the dress from her, leaving her naked.

Her arms and legs were then freed, but with the spiky ring around her neck, Tabea didn`t dare to resist the keeper as he tied her hands behind her back with another pair of manacles. These were attached to a chain that went over a ceiling hook and he pulled her arms upwards whilst the other man forced her to squat. Finally, she was crouching as if she wanted to pee, with her arms pointing upwards in a 45 degree angle. It was an uncomfortable position, but the men weren`t finished with her.

The man holding the stick now fixed the other end of it to a ring in the wall, so Tabea could neither raise nor lower her body. Meanwhile, his colleague tied a two foot bar to her ankles, forcing her to keep her legs apart. Then, he produced an iron thing Tabea knew from various museums: it was a scold`s bridle.

The dungeon keeper grinned, presenting her his rotten teeth, and wrapped a cloth around the iron plate that would go into her mouth to trap her tongue. It was a favor, since the plate had little spikes in it, but now, the intruding plug had the size of an apple and Tabea could not help retching as he shoved it deep into her mouth. The gag was attached to an iron ring that was now closed at the back of her neck. Moments later, Tabea felt something press against her nape: the bridle had a screw that allowed tightening it. Chuckling, the man turned the screw until the pain forced Tabea to groan.

Now, the second iron ring was fixed. It was similar to the first one and was put over her head. It also had a screw and it pushed against her chin, forcing her to close her jaw the little her gag allowed and to bite down hard on the dirty cloth. Now, Tabea`s protests were reduced to throaty groans and she tried to cope with being gagged that way when one of the men tied another chain dangling from the ceiling to an eyelet at the top of the bridle. He fixed it and now, Tabea could no longer lower her head and was forced to look at Father Antonius and Jelena.

The keeper once again stepped behind her and groped her breasts. He fondled them roughly, enjoying her helplessness. Tabea could not squirm, or otherwise she would get her neck pierced. She could not fight the man, as her arms were pulled upwards in a painful way and her feet were tied together and forced her to keep her crouching position. She knew that soon, her leg muscles would hurt and cramp.

Now, the man began to spank her exposed butt and she had to fight to keep balance and not to stagger. Luckily, Father Antonius now told him to prepare Jelena for the interrogation.

In enforced silence and motionlessness, Tabea watched the procedure that took place now. The monk asked something and Jelena shook her head and said no. Blindfolded, she could not see the man approach from behind and Tabea instinctively wanted to warn her.

The feeling of the spikes made her immediately stop moving and the cruel gag stifled her cry as the man ripped Jelena`s dress away. She tore on her chains, trying to cover her nude body with her arms, and even in the dim light, Tabea could see her cheeks blush. Father Antonius repeated his question and again, Jelena shook her head, her answer now sounding more desperate and panic-driven.

Again, the inquisitor made a sign and now, the two henchmen now brought another stick. They threaded it between Jelena`s elbows and her back. With her hands cuffed in front of her and chained to her ankle ties, she now had to stand with her arms bent and could not resist as they forced her to bend forward, involuntarily raising her butt.

Now, one of the keepers used the stick to keep her in that position whilst the monk repeated his question. With a desperate tone, Jelena again said no and Father Antonius made the other henchman slap her buttocks. He used his bare hand, but he slapped hard and Tabea moaned with compassion as Jelena screamed with pain.

Now, the monk exercised a gruesome version of the little multiplication table. He repeated his question and when Jelena did not answer, the spanks were doubled each time. Her butt was pointing at Tabea who could see her reddened buttocks and had to listen to the clapping sounds, followed by another scream of pain.

Father Antonius went up to 32 slaps until he nodded and told the man to let Jelena go. The stick was pulled from under her arms and she immediately collapsed to the floor, only to cringe and moan as her buttocks touched the stones. Jelena was sobbing and stammering something, obviously insisting on not knowing the answer to the inquisitor`s questions.

Now, a chair was brought and Tabea groaned with horror as she saw it was made of iron and had spikes protruding from the seat, the armrests and the backrest. Then, she saw that they had rounded tops and she relaxed a little as they untied Jelena and then placed her in the chair. She reared up and screamed, but it was just because her buttocks were sore, not because the dull spikes inflicted any real damage.

With leather straps, the girl was fixed to the chair meticulously. Her arms were tied to the armrests at wrists and elbows and her ankles were tied to the front legs. Three straps held her back to the backrest, one around her waist, one just below her ample breasts and the last one over her throat, the latter tied more loosely to allow her breathing. Then, the henchman brought something that looked like a leather pouch and forced it into the girl`s mouth.

Tabea`s eyes widened when he then turned a screw and Jelena`s cheeks began to bulge and she let out terrible groans. It was a choke pear, an iron, pear-shaped device that consisted of four spoon-like parts that could be made to expand, similar to an umbrella, by turning the screw. If the torturer wanted, he could dislodge or even break the victim`s jaw with it. In Jelena`s case, they did not go that far and in addition, the leather coating upholstered the pear a bit, but when the man let her go, her cheeks ballooned and she let out guttural sounds of suffering whilst drool was dropping from her mouth.

Nodding satisfied, the monk now sat down and waited. The minutes passed and the two dungeon keepers started playing a dice game whilst the young monk rummaged through his notes.

Tabea saw how Jelena was shifting in her seat with uneasiness, from time to time moaning or sighing. She now remembered having read about such chairs: the spikes looked terrible, but they were not meant to pierce the skin and had deliberately been left dull. The torture was the growing inconvenience for the one tied to the chair, since he could not shift his position and slowly, but surely, sitting would get from inconvenient over very inconvenient to pure agony. The fact that Jelena was stark naked and that her buttocks were still sensitive from being spanked just added to her discomfort.

Not that she was in any way better off. Forced to squat, her leg muscles though well trained and in excellent shape, were already burning slightly. But with her neck trapped inside the spiked ring, she could not do much to ease her predicament. The thorns were also not that pointy and she would not get pierced from just touching them, but she would regret it if she staggered or tried to get up. In addition, if she fell to the ground, she would dislodge her shoulders.

If she was careful, she could shift her weight from one side to the other; not enough to raise her feet, but to relieve one leg at a time for a short while. Sure, this would not help for very long to prevent her from getting really hurt. Tabea felt sweat all over her body and she let out another deep long groan that caused Father Antonius to look at her, smiling sardonically.

The time passed slowly and suddenly, a muffled sound could be heard. It were church bells and Tabea could hear that it was now 9:00 o clock in the morning. The two monks rose from their seats and after Father Antonius had given the two keepers some whispered orders, they left.

Sure, they wanted to attend service and Tabea gulped. She had no idea how long the holy mess would take, but for them, it would mean another hour of suffering in their torturous bondage. The two guards, however, seemed to enjoy the absence of the two monks as one of them produced a bottle and they started to drink.

Suddenly, Jelena began to squirm with more vehemence and moaned desperately, accompanied by heavy breathing. Obviously, now waves of pain were straying through her body and she cringed in the chair. The taller of the men pointed at her and they both laughed. Then, they went over to Jelena and started to fondle her.

»Uuuuhhmmph! Nnngggg!«

Helplessly, she threw her head from side to side and pleaded through her gruesome gag. Tabea, feeling pity, protested through her stuffed mouth, too. The men interrupted their game, but then, one of them stepped over to her, grinning lewdly.

Again, Tabea was groped and she could feel his manhood pressing against her buttocks. She screamed and bucked, only to be painfully reminded of her tight bondage. The man`s hand now wandered between her legs and she felt his rough fingers rub over her pubic mound.

»Vade retro!«

Father Antonius had entered the room and he shouted angrily at the two guards. Obviously, his orders had not included to have fun with the two helpless captives. The men tried a weak protest, but when the monk raised his hand and added something in Latin, they bowed their heads.

Before they knew what was happening, Jelena and Tabea found themselves back in their respective cells. They were again in their connected wrist and ankle chains and Jelena was still blindfolded and also, they had not been given their clothes back, but they were no longer in the torture chamber. Tabea was lying on her side, trembling and biting down her tears whilst Jelena lay on her belly, silently sobbing into her blindfold she had not even bothered to take off.

»A-are you o-okay?«, Tabea whispered after a while, her voice still hoarse from the cruel gagging. Jelena did not answer, but she slowly moved and, aching faintly, she put one hand through the bars, the palm upwards.

»Wha-what do you m-mean?«, Tabea asked nervously, fearing her friend had lost her mind.

»You owe me – 100 Forint – for that – stupid question!«

Her voice sounded weak and strained, but it made Tabea sigh with relief that Jelena had still some of her weird sense of humor left. To cheer her up, she answered:

»100 Forint, would that be enough for some cooling ointment?«

Jelena`s laugh was more a cough, but now, the tension was broken and after a while, she pulled off her blindfold and wiped her eyes. Then, Tabea asked her what Father Antonius had wanted to know.

»Well, he wanted to know who Ilona`s kidnappers were and where they have their hideout. Two simple questions I could not answer the slightest!«

She squirmed a bit, still lying on her belly, and Tabea looked pitifully at the small dots the spikes had left all over her backside and her still reddened buttocks. Jelena saw what she was looking at and she blushed slightly.

»I am sure tomorrow or so, I will be able to sit on a soft silk pillow again. Anyway, I will not die from that. However, this inquisitor is good in his job! He knows that sooner or later, I would have told him anything he wanted, just to stop the torture. But he did not put any words in my mouth, he wanted me to tell what I know – though I already told him that!«

Tabea shuddered. She felt pity for Jelena – and even more for herself, because despite the language barrier, the inquisitor would now try to get the answers Jelena hadn`t been able to give him from her instead.

She moved her legs and still could feel some strain in her muscles from being forced to squat earlier. It had been terrific how helpless she had been, unable to raise or move, cruelly gagged and stark naked. If Father Antonius had come a few minutes later, the keeper would have abused her – and she could have done nothing against it!

And yet, this had just been the prelude, a minor discomfort compared to what the inquisitor was capable of doing to them. In addition, the torture had been interrupted prematurely, after what could not have been more than one or two hours. Tabea knew that she would break the next day and Jelena, who had suffered worse, would also. However, they simply did not have the answers Father Antonius demanded and so, he would up the ante.

»We have to get out!«, she told Jelena and the other woman nodded slowly. For the next hours, they were left alone, able to find some rest and to relieve themselves unwatched. However, a close examination of their prison just told them that there was no escape. They were chained hand and foot and locked inside the cells. There was nothing to work on the bars with it or to make a makeshift key.

So, the two girls just lay there, trying to collect some strength for what lay ahead of them. When they heard approaching steps, Jelena sighed and reached for her blindfold.

»At least, I don`t have to see their ugly faces«, she said, tying the cloth in front of her eyes.

The two keepers entered, accompanied by Father Antonius. Tabea looked at him with uneasiness. Would he keep the men from molesting them or would he continue the torture. She gasped when their cell doors were opened, but they were just lined up in the corridor, side by side, whilst the two keepers changed the straw in their cells. They did not seem to appreciate this work and they cursed the whole time. Father Antonius just watched and didn`t say a word.

After their cells had been cleaned, the two girls had to get back in. Tabea suddenly staggered and landed on her knees. The man just grunted and wanted to kick her, but the monk stopped him. So, he just closed her cell door and locked it. Then, they were given some water and bread and the inquisitor even handed each of them a blanket, but no clothes. Then, he said something. He spoke slowly and in simple words so Tabea could understand him, too:

»Tomorrow, I am away. The keepers will take care of you! Then, we will continue with the interrogation.«

The three men left, but Tabea could see how the one keeper poked his colleague`s side and grinned, as if he was anticipating being alone with the two captives soon.

She looked at Jelena whose lips were slightly trembling from the latest news. She clumsily freed her eyes and Tabea hissed:

»Jelena! Listen!«

Jelena wanted to protest, but then, she saw what Tabea was holding in her hand: it was a small iron key. She came closer to the bars, looking at it with disbelief.

»The guard must have lost it when he changed the straw. I saw it on the floor when he pushed me inside. That`s why I let myself fall, to cover it with my body.«

They decided to wait until they could be sure their guards were asleep. Both lay down, covering themselves with their blankets. Of course, Tabea already tried if the key would fit the locks of her chains, but it was too big. However, it looked similar to the key the guard had used for locking the cells.

When Tabea thought that the night had come, she slowly sneaked towards the door. Tied as she was, it was a bit bothersome to get the key inside the lock, but finally, she could try to turn it. It wasn`t the right key, but since it had about the right size and the lock was rather primitive, she finally succeeded. Tabea oppressed a triumphant cry when the cell door opened.

Jelena was waiting by her cell door, wrapped in her blanket like Tabea, as the Black came over and managed to open her door, too. They grabbed each other`s hands and exchanged a quick kiss, but then withdrew because it felt a bit awkward when their bare breasts touched.

»Now, we have to get rid of these!«, Tabea hissed. Jelena nodded and sneaking agonizingly slow to avoid any treacherous clinking of their chains, they approached the door to the torture chamber. On the other side, everything was dark and silent, except for a growling sound.

»One of the keepers sleeps there! We must not utter a sound!«

The door was unlocked and they pushed it open, inch for inch, stopping each time the hinges started to screech. Then, they looked through the room that was sparsely lit by some moonlight coming through a barred window near the ceiling.

Indeed, one of the men was lying in a corner, snoring terribly and with one arm around a clay bottle. Obviously, the man was drunk.

»The key ring is still on his belt! We must get it!«

To her surprise, Jelena stepped forward and sneaked closer on tiptoes, taking small steps and gathering the chain connecting her wrist and ankle ties to keep it from making noise. Tabea held her breath as she went closer and closer to the sleeping man and finally, slowly, bent down to him. She nearly had screamed when he made a strange sound in his sleep, but then, she saw Jelena stepping backwards. As she turned towards her, she held the key ring in her hand and was smiling.

»I always knew my ballet lessons would pay off sooner or later!«

They withdrew into the cell corridor and tried the keys. The second one fit and when they had removed their chains, both women hugged and Tabea placed a kiss on Jelena`s cheek.

»And I always considered ballet as a waste of time!«

Another grunt from the guard told them that they were far from being save. However, the man just turned to the other side and soon, he was snoring again.

»Now, do we have to kill him?«

Tabea could hear the fear in Jelena`s voice – and also some anticipation, since the man had molested and tortured them both. However, Tabea shook her head.

»Even if I had a dagger, I am not sure if I could do it, even if I wanted. And if he screams, we are doomed!«

They sneaked into the torture chamber again and headed for the adjacent door. Suddenly, Jelena grabbed Tabea`s arm and pointed to a corner. There was a crumpled bundle that turned out to be their torn dresses. Tabea nodded and they took them with them. Even if they were shredded, they could not be picky in their current situation.

For a moment, Tabea considered taking one of the torture instruments with them, as a makeshift weapon, but she decided against it. In a fight, her karate skills would be more useful than some pincers.

Without waking up the drunken guard, they reached the stairs to the ground floor. Here, everything was quiet, too, and so, the two girls paused and tried to put on their torn dresses. In Jelena´s case, it was ripped from neck to waist, but if she wrapped herself into the blanket, it would go. Tabea`s dress was more damaged, but she finally ripped a strip from it and secured the lower part around her waist, making up something like a skirt. She then slung her blanket over her nude upper body.

The main door was locked, but they found a small side entrance and sneaked outside the building where they found themselves in a narrow gate. Tabea was sure she did not want to know what was lying under their bare soles.

»So, where do we go now?«

They had both been so captured by the sudden chance of escaping that none of them had planned any further. But they were still stranded in the 16th century, in a city at least Tabea didn`t know and without any money or even shoes. In addition, unlike Jelena, she could not hope to vanish in the crowd.

Jelena looked at her, puzzled:

»I thought you had an idea!«

They pressed themselves against the wall when they heard a rustling, but it was just a cat. The city lay silent. Tabea guessed that it was forbidden or at least considered indecent to walk the streets in the midst of the night.

Now, Jelena rushed to the corner and examined the market place that was dominated by a huge church building. Then, she grabbed Tabea`s arm.

»What do you have in mind? Asking for church asylum?«

Jelena didn`t answer, but Tabea followed her friend who took her with her to the churchyard and led her through the park around it. At the wall, she paused, looked around and said:

»I have been here on a few occasions and I recognized the church. It is close to the old city walls! So, behind this wall, the city ends – at least now.«

Tabea frowned. They would not be very much better off if they left Pécs. However, they could at least hide in the woods and try to survive until-

»We somehow have to get through the next four weeks! Then, we can try to get back to the airing and hope that Sandor will use the book to get us back!«

She continued to explain that, according to the book, it was necessary that it was a full moon both here and in 2020 to be able to time travel. And since, by coincidence, the last night had been the last night with a full moon in both years, they would have to wait.

»So, our only chance is to hide in the forests and to live from berries and mushrooms, only to perhaps be rescued by a criminal who threatened to kill our families.«

»Well, if you prefer, we could also get back to our cells and enjoy the hospitality of Father Antonius and his henchmen!«, Jelena snapped. Tabea took her hand and tried to soothe her:

»Sorry, dear, I know it wasn`t your fault. Well, let`s get over this wall!«

It was quite easy to climb at the top, but on the other side, there was just a dark steep slope. It would be a free fall of four or five yards before they would land on God knows what ground.

»We should have thought of some rope.«

Jelena, however, had taken the blanket from her shoulders and began to tear it to strips. Tabea helped her to make an improvised rope, some four yards in length. They tied one end to one of the pinnacles and Tabea pulled on the rope a few times. It seemed quite stable and they would only need it for a few seconds – but would it hold their weight?

»Well, I hate to admit it, but I am the heavier of us two.«

Tabea was 5`8`` and sportive whilst Jelena was four inches smaller and busty, but slender. With an assuring smile, showing a confidence she didn`t quite feel, Tabea took the makeshift rope and stepped over the pinnacles.

The knotted burlap screeched terribly, but it held and after some ten seconds, Tabea could feel rocks under her feet. She let the rope go and waved towards Jelena who followed her. She was just one yard above ground when the rope finally ripped. With a gasp, she landed in Tabea`s arms.

»No more water and bread for you, Nelly!«, Tabea joked. Jelena gathered her torn dress and glanced at her.

»Nelly? Should I call you ›Tabby‹ then?«

»As soon as we are back in 2020 and Sandor`s behind bars, you may call me whatever you like!«

The two girls climbed down the hill, not looking back. So, none of them saw the figure in the black cloak looking after them from the wall.

»So far, they are not disappointing us«, he thought by himself and then, he left to report what he had seen so far.

There were some bushes at the foot of the hill and the two barefoot fugitives had to take careful steps when they fought through them. Then, Tabea suddenly ducked and pointed forward. Jelena came close and also saw the silhouettes of the several carts gathered on a field some 30 yards away.

»What are these? Showmen?«

She knew that in Medieval times, showmen and other travellers had not been allowed to sleep within the city walls. Jelena narrowed their eyes and gave the carts a closer inspection.

»Maybe, they are showmen, but first of all, they are Romany!«

»So, they are your people?«

Jelena turned towards her, putting her hands to her hips.

»Yes, we are all one big clan and we are all related, even over the centuries! Just like you and your brothers and sisters from Haarlem Ghetto!«

Tabea fell silent and in a more conciliatory tone, Jelena said:

»However, our language hasn`t changed much over the centuries and in addition, they might help one of their kin who has had trouble with the authorities. I am just not sure what they will do about you!«

She looked at the carts where now, they could make out a man with a lantern, obviously having an eye on the horses. Jelena walked over and when he looked at her direction, she began to speak in a strange language. Reluctantly, Tabea followed her, ready to run for her life if necessary.

The man and Jelena argued for a short time and then, he went for one of the carts. Jelena went over to Tabea:

»He is asking the clan leader whether we may stay.«

»I hope we don`t have to be – too grateful«, she said, looking at Jelena`s torn burlap dress that showed a lot of her breasts and even her belly button. Jelena raised an eyebrow.

»The clan leader is his grandmother.«

Indeed, after a while, an old woman limped out of the cart, aided by the man. She approached them and again, Tabea could only watch as they were talking. However, it seemed that the old woman was stern, but not unfriendly. Finally, Jelena turned to her and said:

»We may stay. But we will have to hide until they will leave the city.«

They were brought to a small cart and the old woman spoke to the owners who, after some arguing, allowed the two girls to get inside and to lie down on a broad straw sack. Then, they were left alone.

»Friendly people, your clan!«, Tabea admitted. Jelena scoffed:

»Yes, of course, my clan. You wouldn`t believe it, but this is the first time in my life I will sleep in a caravan. And don`t even dare to ask about grilled hedgehog!«

»How about chicken and watermelon?«, she replied and both women laughed. Little later, there was a knock at the door. It was the young man, getting them two wooden mugs with some strong smelling hot liquid in it.

Though Tabea had never smelled such a thing before and Jelena didn`t seem to know that kind of tea either, it wasn`t an unpleasant smell and besides, the hot drink was good after their encounter. So, they each took a sip. It tasted strange, but good and Tabea suddenly clonked her mug against Jelena`s.

»To our escape!«

»And to our book about our adventures!«

They hadn`t emptied the mugs yet when Jelena suddenly yawned heartily. Tabea also felt tired. It was no wonder after the straining day, but somehow, she felt more tired than she should.

»Nelly, what-«

But Jelena did not react to being called by her nickname. Instead, she sank to the side and obviously had passed out. At the same time, Tabea felt dizzy and had difficulties in focusing Jelena who was right in front of her.

»The tea – they must have –«

She tried to get to her feet, but felt too weak to even remain sitting. Her attempt to yell came out as a faint croak and then, everything began to dance in front of her eyes. A few seconds later, Tabea had passed out, too.

So, none of the girls noticed as the cart`s door opened a few minutes later. The old woman worked herself up the ladder and checked that both were unconscious. Then, she made way for her grandson and another man. Had Jelena and Tabea been awake, they would have recognized him as the owner of the cart.

»The others are still sleeping?«, she asked. Her grandson nodded and answered:

»Only us four know about them so far.«

The mentioned number four was the other man`s wife who was waiting outside. The old woman nodded and said:

»That`s enough! Of course, the money will belong to all of us, but the fewer know where it came from, the better! Now, get these two ready for transport!«

***