It`s a Long Way 4

Tabea stared at Janika`s backside. She knew that she had to hit her – hit her or refuse to do so and suffer from even worse consequences. However, she still stood motionless as she felt that three of the men had started washing her body. They didn`t bother to make much use of the sponges and so, the girl felt hands all over her body whilst she still could not do what she had been told.

She looked over at Jelena and could see that two or three men had started to wash and rub her nude body, too. There was quite a hustle, as others were busy with Janika`s backside. Through the grid, Tabea could see that the two men standing under the blonde were touching and groping her, causing her to squirm in her tight bonds.

»Uuuhhmmm!«

It had been Jelena, as one man had now stepped behind her and was soaping her boobs, squeezing and fondling them. Tabea could see how he enjoyed what he did – well, what man wouldn`t? – and she shuddered from the thought what he and his comrades would do to Jelena if she did not make her cum. So, Tabea bit down on the ball in her mouth, raised her arms and hit Jelena`s right buttock with the fly swatter.

Since there had been two men busy with washing and soaping her body, she had not been able to put much effort into her slap and so, Janika hardly twitched. Of course, she was quite distracted by the four or five men touching her and so, one more slap just wasn`t a thing. Janika grunted with hatred and from the humiliation, but it obviously wasn`t enough to make Jelena react to it.

Two or three times, Tabea slapped her again, but she could tell from the skin on Janika`s buttocks that didn`t even have reddened a bit that she was just giving her some harmless spanking. Again, she looked at Jelena and now, she could see that the girl was staring at her with eyes like saucers.

»I can`t do it, Nelly! I just can`t do it!«

Tabea`s eyes filled with tears at the dilemma she was facing: if she refused to beat Janika, she would condemn Jelena to being raped by the pirates – but she could not inflict such cruelty upon the blonde either. Some spanking would have been okay, but Janika was strong: to make her wail and scream, she would have to whip her seriously. Tabea shuddered and the fly swatter fell from her hand.

»So, you have already lost interest in the game?«, the Captain asked mockingly. Jelena let out a moan and as on command, the pirates stopped in motion, looking at Tabea. The Captain tapped on the hourglass that still was filled to some three quarters, leaving her more than 20 minutes to do something.

But what? Of course, she could pick up the swatter again; she could also get to Janika`s feet and tickle her soles, risking to choke her. Or-

»All right, desperate situations acquire desperate measures!«

Tabea went on her knees and reached for the swatter, but turned it around. The handle was round and wrapped with a braided leather band, so it was good to hold. She gathered some soap from her body and greased the handle; then, she bent forward and approached Janika`s intimate area.

She could now see that the man standing right under the blonde had started to massage her pubic area again whilst two others were busy with her boobs. Tabea now put her hands on Janika`s buttocks and began to knead them.

Since the men who had tormented her were now watching quietly, she could hear the blonde moan as she and the man assaulting her from the front began to adjust to each other. The fact that the girl was dripping wet from soap and water also helped and after a while, Tabea could see that the man had pushed two fingers inside Janika.

»All right, close your eyes and think of Hungary!«

With the fingers of one hand, she spread Janika`s buttocks; with the other, she placed the handle at her anus and pushed. Janika bucked and screamed through her gag, but though she wasn`t brutal, Tabea managed to get the stick that had the diameter of a man`s thumb a few inches inside her rear entrance.

»Mhhrrmmm!«

Janika squirmed and moaned, but Tabea now could push the stick back and forth, gentle, but also with some impetus, so the uneven surface of the handle would give Janika`s back door a more than irritating massage. With her free hand, Tabea reached under Janika, caressing her outer labia whilst the man was thrusting his fingers into Janika. He also made use of both his hands: whilst he pushed into her with some strength, two fingers of his left hand massaged Janika`s clit with surprising gentleness.

»Uuuhhmmm! Mmhhmmmm! Mph!«

Now, Tabea and the pirate again adjusted to each other. Each time the man pushed his fingers into Janika, Tabea answered by getting the stick slightly deeper and then, both slowly withdrew. Janika now literally howled through her gag, but they were merciless. Soon, she was writhing less vigorously and her moans had become that of pleasure and lust.

Tabea glanced at Jelena and could see that her plan worked. Each time she and the man pushed into Janika`s both entrances, the blonde was forced deeper into Jelena`s lap, moaning deeply and loud. Jelena also wriggled her hips now, answering to the pushing head between her legs. Her eyes were closed and though two men were kneading Jelena`s boobs, Tabea could see that her nipples were hard and erect.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on moving the stick faster, in the rhythm of the man, but without hurting Janika. She could smell the blonde`s arousal, feel her vibrations – and suddenly the spasms of her strong orgasm. Some hot fluid dripped on her hand that had been between the girl`s legs and when Janika stopped squirming, Tabea slowly withdrew the stick from her. She was so exhausted from the effort and the humiliation that she just sank on her back and waited for things to come.

After some moments of silence, the pirates applauded and Tabea slowly raised her head. She could see Jelena, covered with sweat and panting. Obviously, she had succeeded in making her cum, too. Now, Tabea slightly trembled from the mixture of relief and shame.

Janika was lying almost motionless, except from some heavy breathing.

»Luckily, I don`t have to look at her now!«, Tabea thought.

Now, Jelena`s legs were freed and two men helped her to stand on wobbly legs as another carefully dabbed her middle with a silk cloth. Then, she was leashed again and the Captain ordered to bring her to Hatice.

»I guess she has learned her lesson about obedience!«

He then turned towards Tabea and smiled. Tabea felt her cheeks burn, but she managed not to look away.

»Your performance was quite – entertaining! So, I think, that you and Blondie have earned some reward! Let`s prove we also know a few things about entertaining our guests!«

***

Tabea watched helplessly as Janika was freed from the grid and then led to the railing where she could pee. The blonde still was staggering and offered no resistance as someone also dabbed her middle with a cloth, and she avoided to look at Tabea.

Both girls now were made to stand back to back, so close their buttocks touched. Then, Tabea had to hook her left arm to Janika`s right and vice versa, before their wrists were tied in front of their bellies. Anxiously, Tabea looked at the long ends of cord that dangled down from that tie.

However, the pirates seemed to think that they needed a break and so, they were assisted in sitting down before their gags were removed. They were given water and some food and the two men helping them with their meal only occasionally touched their bare boobs when doing so. Then, however, the Captain said:

»Hatice`s future husband will soon arrive. So, we will make sure that you will greet him with respect and no false shyness!«

He padded the handle of a small whip he had pushed into his belt and ordered Tabea and Janika to stand up. Tied back to back, this wasn`t that easy: not only did they have to lean their backs to each other, but also, they had to push from the floor with their legs. No sportive challenge, but humiliating, for they had to spread their legs slightly to keep balance and the shaking of their bodies made their boobs bob and swing.

Some more embarrassment followed, as the two girls then had to walk a few yards until they were standing on the grid Janika had been tied to. Tabea saw that a long chain was dangling right above their heads.

This chain, one of the men now grabbed and pushed it down between the girls` backsides. Tabea and Janika shifted their bodies with uneasiness as they felt the iron links rub against their spines. When the chain`s end was at the height of their knees, the two captives were ordered to spread their legs. Then, the Captain approached, holding something that looked like a small wooden anchor.

»As you have just proven, Blondie likes it when she is – well, entered from the backside! And sure, you only did so because you have some – experience!«

Tabea`s eyes widened as the man now tied the wooden anchor to the chain. The ends of it were different from a normal anchor; they were smooth and rounded and ended in a knob. Each end had the size of a man`s thumb.

Her concerns were confirmed as now, four men grabbed each of their legs and held them still whilst he poured some olive oil over the anchor before he gave order to pull the chain upwards. The girls shifted, squirmed and fumed, but they were helpless as he placed the ends between their buttocks. Then, slowly, but mercilessly, the chain was pulled upwards and, helped by both gravity and the slippery oil, the two knobs found their way into Tabea`s and Janika`s butts. Once they were literally impaled, the chain was tied off. The Captain grinned at Tabea who was trying to cope with the intruder inside her backside. Then, he ordered them to spread their legs.

Since none of the girls moved, the men holding their legs made them do so. Their feet were tied off to the grid with some yard between them, forcing them to stand with their thighs open. In addition, they were now sitting on the knobs even harder and felt the unwanted intruders even more. The knobs did not hurt, but now, each move sent small shivers through their backsides.

Now, two men took the dangling ends of Tabea`s wrist ties and brought them upwards behind her back. The girl steeled herself for the expected crotch rope, but things came a little different: the cords were pulled between her legs, but they took care that the ropes did not run between her labia, but rather framed her pussy as her hands were pulled down. She felt that the ends were tied off to something and she pulled. The answer was an aching from Janika.

Tabea soon got the answer what had been done to the blonde as suddenly, two ropes were brought over her shoulders from behind and tied off over her throat. Now, she understood: her own wrists were connected to Janika`s neck and vice versa. Again, this arrangement was not tied too tight and still allowed them to breathe, but it would keep them from struggling and also meant another inconvenience.

»Now, for one last thing!«

The Captain grabbed Tabea`s hair and forced her head back, so it rested on Janika`s shoulder. A groan and the touch of hair told her that Janika was treated the same way. Then, she felt that something was pushed against her lips and forced into her mouth. A specific fragrance reached her nose and her tongue tasted something slightly bitter. She knew that earlier, the men had dabbed the moist pubic areas of both Janika and Jelena and that now, one of these cloths was forced into her mouth. She retched and tried to fight, but the Captain just increased his grip on her scalp and continued stuffing the mass of cloth into her throat and cheeks. Only when her mouth was stuffed to the bursting, he began wrapping a silky bandage between her lips and around her head, dozens of times, before this was knotted off. He then let her go, but only to further secure her gag with a piece of rope he tightly knotted at her nape.

Janika was obviously gagged the same way and as a finishing touch, the dangling ends of the ropes were tied together. This still allowed the two captives to move their head, but would prevent them from bending forward as exhaustion would overcome them sooner or later.

»Now, all we have to do is wait!«

It had become evening and when Tabea looked upwards, she could see a red lantern had been lit at the top of the mast. Obviously, this was meant to tell the ominous future husband where they were.

The next few hours were a mixture of tedium, anticipation and agony. Their position changed from inconvenient to very inconvenient and Tabea knew she would soon suffer in earnest. Having to stand permanently was straining and the only relief was to sit down on the plug in her butt. She did not dare to move her arms much, as this would chaff Janika`s throat. The gag was choking her and from time to time, Tabea had had to swallow the disgusting mélange of saliva and Janika`s sweat and other juices. At least, she guessed that it were Janika`s, as this would mean that the Blonde had to chew on Jelena`s rather than her own.

»Uuuhhhmmmm!«

It was a cry of sheer frustration. Janika answered with a moan.

Then, Tabea could see a light in the night. It was a ship`s lantern, too, only that in this case, it was green. The ship approached and she could see the shadow of another two-master about the size of the pirate ship they were on. She heard the shouting of commands and the sounds of men working on the sails and some hour later, the two ships were tied side by side.

Now, a walking board was brought and Tabea could see that the Captain had changed into what seemed to be his best clothes. There were also some lanterns and so, she could see the group of people now stepping on the ship.

The first one was a tall man in Turkish clothes, but when he and the Captain exchanged greeting words, Tabea noticed that the stranger spoke Italian, though with a strong accent. And yet, she was sure that she had heard that voice before.

Her heart stopped for a beat when the man stepped from the plank and the lantern enlightened his face fully. Though he was dressed like a Turkish official, this was no one other than General Imre Hunyadi!

»Mhm?«

The General had been more or less the reason why she and Jelena were stuck in the past. Ilona, the General`s daughter, had been abducted by some crazy magician named Bela. This Bela had found a way to send people through time and so, Ilona had landed in Tabea`s time. Then, some criminals led by Sandor had sent them and Jelena back to the year 1525 where, after some more adventures, they had been able to reunite the General and his daughter – only to find out that Imre Hunyadi was playing a false game and was secretly collaborating with the Ottomans. He and Ilona had fled Hungary, kidnapping Tabea and Jelena on the occasion and taking them with them. Now, their ways were meant to meet again.

Of course, Tabea would have wanted to see the treacherous General once again – but definitely not under these circumstances. Not with her being naked, bound and gagged and no rescuer within miles!

Now, she could hear a curse in Hungarian and then, Hunyadi stepped closer towards her; obviously, he had seen her, too. For some seconds, he just let his eyes wander over her naked forms, his face showing a mixture of astonishment, anger and glee. Then, he smiled sardonically.

»Well, that`s a nice surprise! After all, I have talked about you from time to time when I was speaking to a new – acquaintance of mine!«

Over his shoulder, he waved towards his entourage and now, a rather short man dressed in black came closer. Tabea`s eyes widened as did his: though he was now sporting a beard, this could not hide that this man was hardly more than a boy. A boy that knew magic tricks, however. It was Bela the magician.

His face was a mask of fear and hatred. Instead of the General, Bela knew at least a bit about Tabea being from another time – and he had at least once tried to get rid of her. With the help of Androsch, Tabea had survived Bela`s death trap and even managed to save Jelena from his clutches. She had considered him on the run, but he had obviously found some support by the General now.

»Is it the one you told me about?«

Hunyadi`s question was superfluous, as he knew her, too, and in addition, there weren`t many black women around that could be mistaken for her. Bela seemed upset and started to whisper at the General, but he harshly grabbed his shoulder and hissed:

»Shut up, I will handle that!«

Then, the General smiled at the pirates who had become curious at the little scene. Bela lowered his head and withdrew and Hunyadi continued to speak to the Captain, pretending he was eager to see his future wife and thus luring him away from the two captives.

Tabea tried to calm down and to cope with the new situation. So, Hunyadi intended to marry Hatice, the kidnapped wife of Ibrahim Pasha whom Tabea had considered to be his ally or even his friend. In addition, being someone with valuable military information to sell to the Ottomans, Hunyadi would have been able to get a decent wife without having to break the law.

Then, she began to understand: Hatice was the younger sister of Sultan Süleyman, making her Hatice Sultan. By marrying her, Hunyadi would be related to the Sultan, too, giving him quite some reputation and influence within the Ottoman Empire. Perhaps, after the Turks had conquered Hungary, he could even become the new King.

Of course, Hatice was Ibrahim Pasha`s wife, and Ibrahim was one of the Sultan`s closest friends. However, Tabea was sure that the General had considered this before he had arranged Hatice`s kidnapping. Perhaps, Ibrahim, who was power-hungry, too, even played a part in this intrigue.

Tabea distorted her neck to look at the door where Hunyadi and the Captain had vanished below deck. Janika sensed her excitement and mmphed, but she ignored the Blonde and just stared at the door until it opened again.

Out stepped the Captain, followed by Hunyadi. The General had offered his arm to Hatice who had her hand rest on his and was following him willingly. She had put on expensive clothing, but was wearing no veil. Hatice looked at her, but then turned her face and continued to follow Hunyadi who escorted her aboard his own ship. The two were followed by one man who led Jelena on a leash. She was chained hand and foot and still gagged with some cloth keeping a copious amount of stuffing in her mouth, and she was stark naked except for her bonds. Jelena tried to communicate with Tabea, but her captor forced her to stumble over the plank and follow her Mistress below deck. The same time, two of Hunyadi`s men heaved a heavy box aboard the pirate ship; obviously, the payment for the Princess.

Tabea could see the window of Hunyadi`s cabin; the curtains had been closed, but she could see the silhouettes of both the General and Hatice who were talking to each other. She could not hear a word, but obviously, they had a quiet conversation. Then, she could see the two kissing.

»There is only some sweet music missing!«, Tabea thought sarcastically. She shifted slightly and felt the wooden hook in her butt: not painfully, but making her aware of its presence and thus her helplessness. She looked down at her bound wrists, but with the ends of the rope tied in front of Janika`s throat, she had no chance of working on her bonds.

The Blonde gulped, followed by some retching. Tabea first thought that she had pulled on the rope too hard, but then, she understood. They had both been gagged with cloths that had soaked their body fluids and obviously, Janika had just swallowed some saliva mixed with the sweat and other juices of herself, Tabea and Jelena. Tabea, who had experienced such humiliating gagging before, also shuddered when some bitter and salty tasting liquid ran down her throat. However, there would be worse to come.

Still, there was no sign of Jelena, but after some time, Hunyadi left the cabin – alone. He was still fully dressed, but the look on his face seemed satisfied. Now, he ordered for some wine and sat down near the railing. Soon, Bela came close and Hunyadi invited him to sit beside him and share a glass with him.

The two men were whispering and in addition, they both spoke Latin: obviously, they didn`t want the ship`s crew to overhear their conversation. However, Bela was a bit upset and from time to time, Tabea could understand single words: words like »nigra« – »black« or »striga« – »witch«. She could easily conclude that Bela considered her to be a real danger.

Bela knew that she and Jelena had come from the future, as he was the one who had enabled them to do so. But that of course did not mean he would send them back. In addition, she and Jelena had hindered his plans.

His plans!

Now, Tabea bent forward the little her bonds allowed, ignoring the presence of the butt plug and Janika`s muffled protests. Bela had kidnapped Ilona, General Hunyadi`s daughter, not only because he had wanted her for himself, but also because he had been part of a group of conspirators trying to blackmail Hunyadi. So, why were he and the General now playing in the same team?

As on keyword, the two men rose and slowly came over to the pirate`s ship. There, Hunyadi made one man lead him to the Captain whilst Bela was stepping closer to the two bound and gagged women. He stopped when his face was some foot away from Tabea`s; actually, he was a bit smaller than the Black, but the fact she had to stand with spread legs caused that their eyes were on the same level.

With a grin, Bela placed one hand on Tabea`s left breast, the other cupped her pubic mound. His grip was not too gentle, but she forced herself to keep looking into his eyes and to utter no sound.

For a while, he kneaded her breast and massaged her private parts, but Tabea could see that even though he sure was gleeful, his body could not manage an erection. This was no real relief, however, for now, he could perhaps think of other cruelties just out of frustration.

He slowly took his hands off her and then, he spoke, slowly and seemingly a bit sad:

»You know, Ilona is married to some Ottoman nobleman now!«

Of course, when Hunyadi had betrayed Hungary and fled for the Turks, marrying his daughter to someone with influence had been part of the game.

»I know because I followed her tracks! My magic powers may be limited, but I could sense her aura and follow her up to Belgrade. I just came right to witness her marriage!«

Tabea now moaned questioningly. Was Bela trying to get his revenge on Hunyadi or would he just make her suffer for what he seemed to be unjustified? The young man smiled and now, he caressed Tabea`s chin. Somehow, it made her shiver more than when he had touched her between her legs.

»Maybe, I had been wrong about her all the time! Perhaps, I have just been a foolish boy, dreaming about true love!«

Had she not been gagged, Tabea would perhaps have told him that kidnapping Ilona and sending her through time had not been the best approach in showing her his true love. But then, she felt Bela take her earlobe between two fingers, as gentle as one could be.

»Maybe, you could help me in finding true love?«

What followed was a chain reaction: Tabea gasped and so, some saliva ran down her throat, causing her to retch and cough. So, she squirmed and shivered and thus, Janika also was pulled around and groaned with anger. Bela still looked at her, showing that despite his beard and his magic skills, he in fact still was an insecure boy of some 19 years.

Tabea managed to fight her gag reflex and just stared at Bela. He stepped back one step, but then, he said:

»Don`t even think about it! Everybody knows that your witchcraft won`t work as long as we are on open water! And this also means your Evil Eye will have no effect on me!«

Tabea groaned. He still thought that she was a witch! Well, from his point of view, Bela was right: Tabea had taken Ilona to the year 2020 and then travelled back through time, albeit involuntarily. In addition, she was a Black. Exotic and strange enough to add to him considering her a witch.

»Well, as a witch, you sure know everything about – love potions and such things?«

This time, Janika let out a strange sound, a muffled mixture of laughter and a comment to the absurdity of the situation. Tabea, however, began to understand: Bela obviously suffered from not having been able to get Ilona not only in his heart, but also – further below. In other words, he was impotent, at least for now.

»So, what do you say?«

It was a ridiculous question, given the fact she couldn`t say much more than »Mph!«, but Tabea suddenly had an idea – or rather, some vague hope of getting out of her current predicament. So, she looked at Bela and nodded slowly.

For a moment, she had considered to persuade Bela to send her back into her own time, where she could indeed get some Viagra for him. However, since his problems were almost certain of psychological origin, this would not work for sure.

But perhaps, she could make him believe that she needed some herbs or something like that for her potion. Maybe, she would be set free or could at least buy some time. It would all be better than having to stand stark naked and spread aboard a ship full of pirates, bound, gagged and with a hook in her rear!

Bela now grinned again, but then, he bent forward and whispered:

»Of course, I don`t want anyone know about our little secret – and in addition, I have to make sure that you don`t try anything foolish!«

Again, he caressed Tabea`s chin and she shuddered. The look in Bela`s eyes had been – hopeful. Obviously, he really believed that she knew some spell or potion to help his heart – or maybe his dick as well.

Janika mmphed questioningly, but Tabea ignored her, trying to see what Bela was doing. He seemed to be talking to Hunyadi again, but they soon withdrew below deck, forcing her to remain waiting, helpless and trembling with curiosity and fear.

»What has he got in mind? And what will they do to Jelena? Or Janika?«

Though they had met just shortly before, Tabea now also cared for the Blonde who perhaps even had an idea of how to get back to the 21st century, too. However, all she could see was that Hunyadi or maybe Bela as well were inside the cabin the General shared with Hatice again. From time to time, Hatice seemed to raise her voice, causing Hunyadi to soothe her, but Tabea could not understand words.

»Mhhmm? Mph!«

Again, Janika tried to communicate with her and even tried to Morse code through her gag, but Tabea just shrugged. In enforced silence, the two girls waited. Their legs grew tired and they carefully tried to lower their bodies, impaling themselves even more on the butt hooks. They finally found a tolerable position by leaning their sweaty backs against each other and adjusting to the slight swaying of the ship. This made the hooks move inside them, too, but it wasn`t painful, just irritating. In fact, it sent some shivers through her rear that somehow caused a tingle in her loins. Tabea sighed and when a cool breeze touched her body, she hoped it was only that that made her nipples grow hard and erect.

They had been distracted and also been quite dizzy and so, the two captives hadn`t taken too much notice of what was going on around them. As it was now the midst of the night, most of the men had withdrawn except for one pirate watching them. The man was quite fascinated by Tabea`s nude body glistering from sweat in the pale moonlight, by her huge boobs heaving whenever she breathed. So, he did not care about the rest of the ship and when the club hit his head, he was knocked out without even a grunt.

Tabea only got aware that something had happened when she saw the man sink to the planks. Within a second, a figure dressed in black had sneaked close to her.

»Mhmm?«

The man was rather small, but also his face was hidden behind a black mask. He reached forward and grabbed Tabea`s scalp. For a moment, he caressed her hair, but then, his grip tightened. At the same moment, he pressed a rag over her face with his other hand.

»Uuuhhmm! Hhrrrrrrrrmmm! Mmmph!«

Tabea squirmed as her breathing was blocked and she felt some sweet stench in her nostrils. With her mouth stuffed, it took the narcotic some time to get into her lungs, but despite her struggles, she more and more weakened and lost her consciousness. Her eyes widened, then, they twisted and finally, Tabea collapsed in her bonds, feeling a last push of the butt hook before she dove into darkness.

The man held the cloth over her face for another minute, exchanging a look with his companion who had been busy narcotizing Janika. A third man, Bela, was standing close, watching carefully if anybody aboard had noticed their attack. But there had only been the guard and he would not regain consciousness before another hour had passed.

Once both girls had passed out, the two men quickly cut them loose, removed the hook from their rears and carried them over to Hunyadi`s ship. On deck, everything was quiet now, too, for Hunyadi had ordered his two most trusted men to do watch – the two men who had just kidnapped the girls. Hunyadi himself was leaning by the mast and nodded silently as they carried the two unconscious women to the other side of the ship. There, towed close to a rope ladder, a small boat was waiting. In it, there were a few sacks and boxes – and a motionless bundle of an unconscious girl, still gagged and barely covered by some burlap sack.

One of the men climbed down the ladder and took hold of Janika his comrade lowered down to him. Once he had placed her on the planks, Tabea was next. Bela nodded towards him and the second man also went down into the boat. With a nod, Bela then turned towards Hunyadi.

»You are doing the right thing, General! These women are witches and they would have cursed your marriage sooner or later. But I will take care of them, once and for all.«

Hunyadi just nodded silently. He had of course also recognized Tabea and Jelena, but in his eyes, these had just been some enemies to be dealt with. However, Bela had persuaded him that they were indeed witches. And he believed the man who sure had magic powers, too. This was the main reason he was working together with him, despite the fact Bela had tried to kidnap Ilona, his daughter. But Ilona`s story seemed to prove that at least the Black and the Gypsy had magic powers and so, he was quite glad to get rid of them. It would cost him some money to get his future wife some new maids, but at least, Bela had not demanded anything but the three witches for himself. In addition, he had given Hunyadi a magic horoscope that told him that he would be rich and successful and live another 53 years.

»Maybe, that`s all nothing but superstition!«, he thought by himself.

However, deep inside, Hunyadi was superstitious and he was glad to get rid not only of the three witches, but also of the uncanny Bela. So, he handed him a small sack of gold and wished him well. A while later, the two men appeared on deck again.

»All right, they are packed as you ordered!«

Bela thanked them and without further ado, he climbed down the ladder. When Hunyadi looked over the railing a minute later, he could see the boat already was some 30 yards away, vanishing in the darkness.

»Good luck, witch master – or rather, may God have mercy on your soul!«

***