It`s a Long Way 6

The matron now went to her knees and folded her hands. Tabea expected the other nuns to do so as well, but though she could only see those standing beside her arms, she could see that they remained standing.

»Strange!«, Tabea thought. A matron usually was a superior next to God and the Pope and so, the nuns should not be standing whilst their matron knelt. Then, she saw the two nuns pull their hands out of their sleeves and a rustling told her that those she couldn`t see did the same. Each now held a leather belt in her hand. A dreadful foreboding rose in Tabea.

Now, for the first time, the matron spoke. She began to recite some psalms or other prayers in Latin. Tabea, however, could not concentrate on her words, as at the same time, the other twelve nuns had started to use the belts on her.

They hit her all over her body. Two concentrated on her naked soles, whilst the next two hit the backs of her knees that lay bare between two strands of rope tying her legs. Number five and six aimed at her buttocks whilst seven and eight hit her sides and lower back. Nuns number nine and ten whipped her back and shoulders whilst the last two did her arms.

The leather belts were broad and would not cause permanent marks and in addition, none of the nuns hit her with her full strength. Each hit alone would not have been more than a little inconvenience. But there was a dozen each time. The nuns did not beat her at exactly the same moment, but in a way that Tabea was always hit somewhere. This gave each hit the chance to stray little waves of pain. The pauses between two strokes were just long enough to allow that, but before the pain had abated, the next beat followed and so, twelve tsunamis of pain were growing on Tabea`s body. Wider and wider, the waves of pain strayed and began to meet, entangle with each other and even to multiply.

»Mmhrrrrrrrrrmmmm! Uuhhmmmmmm! Hrrrrrrrr!«

For the first few blows, Tabea had bitten down on the giant leather plug in her mouth, determined not to scream. But after a while, all dams broke. Her self-control was washed away by the sheer pain and she wailed and whimpered, writhing in her bonds and pulling on the ropes that bound her so stringently. Her inner strength, now an enemy rather than a friend, prevented her from fainting, but when the nuns finally stopped, Tabea sobbed like a little girl.

Surprisingly gentle, the matron now took Tabea`s head between her hands and placed a small kiss on her forehead. One by one, the others did the same, before they all left, leaving Tabea alone again.

After some time, the girl managed to stop crying and sniffled her nose free. Her body still was aflame and despite the cool air, the pain only ceased very slowly. Tabea ached, but she was exhausted from having screamed so much and so, she hung in her bonds in silent agony, barely noticing that the candle went out, leaving her in total darkness and silence.

So, she got startled and mewed with alarm when the door opened again. This time, it were only two nuns. One of them replaced the candle and lit it by the lamp she had brought with her. Then, she and her colleague quickly, but thoroughly washed Tabea with rough cloths and cold water from a bucket. The touch hurt her still sore skin and she moaned, but the icy water was also refreshing and had a lenient effect on her skin.

It turned out that the Andreas` Cross was placed on a post in the center plus four smaller ones at the ends. When the nuns removed the lower posts, the whole lot could be tilted until Tabea`s feet were near the ground and her head was at the height of the nuns` chest.

Now, one of them held Tabea`s head still whilst the other took something that looked like a large metal syringe. The tip of it was inserted into a small hole in the middle of Tabea`s gag and when the nun pushed the syringe, she felt something run down her throat. It wasn`t easy to drink that way, but the nun at least was careful and adjusted her speed so Tabea could swallow the soup she was given without choking. It was a thin soup, but it provided her with liquid and sure was better than nothing. However, her feeding made clear one thing: she would not be ungagged in the near future.

After the meal, the nun quickly wiped Tabea`s face whilst her colleague placed a bucket under her middle. Then, they left her alone again.

With her thirst quenched and at least a little refreshed, Tabea decided to pull herself together and to concentrate on her rescue. At least, there was some hope left.

First, there was Jelena and Janika. She still had no idea what had happened to them, but it had seemed that the fishermen had considered the two as kidnapping victims and had released them. So, they could move around more or less freely and in addition, they knew where Tabea had been brought. Sooner or later, they would find a way inside!

Then, there was Pater Michele. If he really wanted her to be a part in his more or less philanthropic campaign, he would need her well and alive and sure did not want her to rot in a living hell.

The only problem was that both her friends and the priests could need some days to get to her. Days on which she was helplessly bound and gagged and punished by these wicked nuns. Tabea fought down her upcoming panic and instead tried to concentrate on a way to get free on her own accord.

She could reach her wrist ties, but the knots were out of reach. All she could do was pick on the fibers and so, she did, ignoring the fact that she would rather break a nail than get free and also pushing away that, even if she succeeded, she would still be tied to the posts from her lower arms to her shoulders. But Tabea persisted. At least, it was a way to pass time.

»Maybe, if I can free my wrist, I can move my arm just enough to cause some slack in the other ties! And if only one arm is free, I can get loose completely!«

So, Tabea continued picking, not even really noticing that the light went out again. Progress was slow, but she could feel some more loose fibers now and when she moved her wrists the little she could, it seemed that she could already move them a little more.

Then, the door opened again.

This time, it was the tall nun; the one Tabea had kicked the day before. When she had lit the light, she began, much to Tabea`s dismay, to carefully inspect her bonds. She of course noticed the partially ripped wrist ties and slowly shook her head. Then, she left, only to come back with two colleagues, each of them carrying a bucket and other things Tabea could not recognize.

They removed her wrist ropes, but only to replace them with leather straps. Tabea could see that these were not only braided, but the nuns also carefully moistened the ends before tying the knots. If the leather dried, these knots would be rock solid and the leather would not get damaged, no matter how hard she picked on it. Tabea whimpered with sheer frustration, but the nuns weren`t finished with her. Obviously, trying to escape was another serious offence.

First, Tabea thought that she would be beaten again when she felt a hand on her still sore buttocks, but the nun just splayed them so she could grease her butt with copious amounts of some oil. Tabea moaned and tried to look over her shoulder, only to see the other nun fill a large syringe, even bigger than the one they had used to feed her, from one of the buckets.

»Uuuhhmmmm!«

Tabea clenched her sphincter, but the tip of the syringe was pushed inside her anus. Then, some half a gallon of water was pumped into her. Luckily, it was at least luke warm and according to the smell, it was mixed with some soap. So, the enema did not hurt, but it was very humiliating and irritating.

Things got worse as the enema worked and Tabea trembled, feeling groggy and abused when the nuns quickly washed her rear and one of them removed the bucket and replaced it by a fresh one. As they left, one of them padded Tabea`s shoulder, as if she wanted to say:

»That should keep you from even thinking of escape!«

And indeed, when they left her alone, Tabea felt even more helpless than before. Her tiny success, the partial freeing of her wrist, had been detected and now, with her new leather ties, it would be impossible to even do that again. In addition, she felt weakened from the enema. It had not hurt and Tabea knew that these could not cause damage, at least not if someone skilled gave them. But they were slightly tiring and in her weakened state, this just added to her feeling helpless.

»Hrrrrrrmmmmmm! Uuuuuhhmmmmm!«

Her cries were not to alert someone, they were just expression of her deep frustration and fear.

***

Above the ground, and a few hundred yards away, Jelena and Janika were indeed worrying about Tabea, but currently, they couldn`t do much about it. The fishermen and their families had believed the background story the two had made up: that they were the maids of a Hungarian noblewoman and that their ship had been captured by Ottoman pirates who had wanted to sell them into slavery. Then, during the night, they had managed to get into a boat, tied and gagged as they were, and then had been driven to the shore by the tide. The story had more plot holes than one of the fishermen’s clothes, but for the moment, they seemed convinced.

First, Jelena wanted to ask for Tabea`s whereabouts, but Janika had stopped her.

»Remember, if they consider us to be too close with her, we could end up like her, too!«

So, they had pretended that Tabea had just been chained together with them by the pirates and that they had no clue who the Black was. Of course, they had asked some questions and now, they at least knew about Tabea`s public baptism, though they hadn`t witnessed it, and that she was currently in the custody of the nuns of Santa Eulalia.

»Well, maybe, she will have to eat water and bread and has to sleep on a wooden bunk, but it could be worse for her«, Janika stated. Even when one of the fishermen`s wives told them it was an Order of silence, this did not ring any alarm bells.

»Let`s just make the best out of our situation and when we have a chance of doing more than just knock at the monastery`s door and ask if we may visit her, we will do so.«

Reluctantly, Jelena had agreed. At least, she and Janika were much better off than the day before. They had a small chamber for themselves, though it only offered a heap of straw for comfort, they had each been given some clothes – in Janika`s case, the 6` woman had to put on the shirt and trouser of one of the men – and they could share the meals of the fisherman`s family. Jelena just hoped that the nuns were also that kind.

They had been allowed to sleep the entire night, but since the morning, the curious people repeatedly asked them about the pirates, the Ottomans and the far away country they had come from. Since Janika spoke a little Italian and Jelena could improvise with her Latin, they could more or less communicate and soon, they even enjoyed being the center of interest a bit. Some cheap wine was offered to them and soon, their stories included dragons, sea snakes and two-headed pirates. Jelena had no idea whether the people believed them or just felt entertained, but it was just fun and relaxation. Feeling a little guilty, she soothed her conscience by telling herself that they would be able to help Tabea better if they made some friends.

»At least, I have more privacy than Janika. I am not sure whether I should be jealous or grateful!«

Jelena was pretty, but Janika was more than that: she was exotic, almost as much as Tabea. She was taller than most of the men, she had just shoulder-length blonde hair and, though this was just a coincidence, she was even dressed like a man. Fired by the wine, Janika told the amazed crowd that she had been raised as a man by her father and even served as a knight on the crusades where an Ottoman Princess had fallen in love with her.

»You are lying!«, Nino, one of the fishermen close to her, yelled. »Pietro has told me about your rescue and he swears to God you are all woman!«

Jelena blushed slightly from being reminded that they had been found stark naked, but Janika didn`t seem to bother.

»Well, what woman ever did that to you?«

She came to her feet and now, she towered above Nino about three inches. She roughly grabbed him, arched him backwards and kissed him, just like a sailor would have done with his girl. When she let him go, Nino fell down, panting and staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and joy. The men around hooted and applauded.

Had Jelena looked over her shoulder that moment, she would have seen a young woman that definitely wasn`t laughing. However, now Alessandro, another of the young men, took her hand and pulled her with him.

»Jelena! What have you done so far? Fight the Ottomans with a battle axe?«

The men laughed and looked at her with interest. Jelena breathed deeply. She looked at Janika who was sitting leaned against a post. Nino obviously had accepted his role for the moment and was sitting on her lap. He had slung an arm around her and Janika seemed to accept it, even as he began to explore her cleavage.

Well, if she wanted support in rescuing Tabea from these people, she would have to pay. Jelena could not act like Janika, but she could do something else.

»Get some music!«, she ordered.

Immediately, some of the men took their instruments and began to play a fast melody. And Jelena, who had always loved to dance and reel, began to move. She had always been a good dancer, though she had sometimes hidden it, to avoid falling into Gypsy clichés. But here, she did not look different than the audience and besides, these were not too demanding.

Jelena danced and since she was busty, even the slower dances looked quite sensual. The musicians tried to play what they considered Turkish music and Jelena improvised a belly dance, shaking her boobs and swaying her hips. Then, she reeled, letting her skirts whirl and showing a lot of her legs.

The audience applauded and when the exhausted girl stopped, Alessandro pushed away some rivals before he pulled her on his lap. He was at least young and handsome and Jelena knew that what he did was considered just normal flirting in this century. So, she cuddled in his arms, allowed him to touch her breasts and only stopped him when his other hand that had wandered under her skirts was getting up her thighs too much.

The woman who had glanced at Janika when she had kissed Nino now was talking to an equally angry girl. These two were Chiara and Gabriella, two cousins and, though the two had not officially proposed yet, the fiancées of Nino and Alessandro. They knew that the two young men were a bit flirtatious, but this was going too far.

»These two bitches should have stayed on the open sea – or with the pirates!«, Chiara hissed. Gabriella nodded.

»At least, we should not just stand here, but do something about them!«

***

The next day was a Sunday, one of the reasons the hard working fishermen had been able to celebrate a bit. Live started a bit later and less work was to be done. Of course, this did not include the daily routine of the monastery of Santa Eulalia.

The morning mass was at dawn, though Tabea had not been able to hear the church bells. The last evening, two nuns had spent her a last visit. Again, none of them had spoken a word, but they had neither beaten nor humiliated Tabea. They had changed her bucket, given her some more soup through her gag and, one by one, had even untied her legs, allowing her to shake and move them a bit before they retied them as tight as before. Her arms remained untouched, however. They had then brought the Andreas` Cross back into a horizontal position and placed a stool under Tabea`s chin so her head would not have to hang down all the time. It was the only comfort the helpless girl was given for sleep.

She had, however, slept from sheer exhaustion. In the morning, her limbs had ached and she was freezing in the cool air, but she could have done nothing about it. She had no idea how late it was and the candle had burnt out long ago. So, Tabea waited in total darkness and silence until once more the door opened.

Again, all nuns streamed inside and gathered round her. Tabea groaned. Would they beat her again? Then, she saw that a fourteenth person had entered: it was Pater Michele.

If the priest was disgusted or perplexed by seeing her naked. bound and gagged, he hid it very well, for he just stood in the background as the matron again went on her knees in front of Tabea. This time, she took out a rosary and prayed whilst the others again used the leather belts to whip Tabea`s naked flesh. Her prayers didn`t last long and so, the spanking was shorter than the day before, but Tabea was still sore from the previous treatment and so, in the end, she wailed and writhed, though this time, she at least managed not to sob.

Once it was done, the nuns all left and Pater Michele knelt in front of Tabea, gently taking her head in his hands. Again, he did not smile, but his voice was calm and friendly. Besides, he was the only one speaking to her since she had been brought to the dreadful monastery.

»Innocentia.«

Tabea moaned weakly. Pater Michele carefully let her head down to the stool and then, he said:

»Mother Agatha told me that you have caused problems?«

»Mhhmmmph!«

She raised her head a bit, staring at the priest with disbelief. He could at least see that she already had been punished more than severely!

»I am the confessor of this monastery and also, Mother Agatha hands me a written report on what has happened during the week whenever I come here. So, I know that you not only broke the rules, but also attacked one of the Sisters.«

Tabea didn`t utter a sound. From his point of view, he was right.

»Well, I am sure you like to hear that your suffering will soon be over. Then, you will be allowed to live with the other nuns – as long as you are obedient.«

»Mhmm?«

Tabea would have sworn to be obedient to Satan himself if this had brought her out of her current predicament. Now, the priest even showed the glimpse of a smile.

»Patience, Innocentia! Attacking a nun is a severe sin, but you will be punished mildly. Both your beating and your solitary confinement are according to Mosaic law – though the nuns had to customize it a bit.«

Again, there was this fine smile. Tabea had no idea about the Mosaic law, except for things like »an eye for an eye«, but hopefully, they would leave her eyes intact. Pater Michele noticed her confusion and explained:

»It means that you will be kept here for 40 days minus one and will receive each day 40 lashes minus one. You will be-«

Though the giant gag allowed only the faintest of sounds, Tabea`s scream of horror was so loud Pater Michele interrupted his speech. 39 days! How could he expect her to stay her fore even another 39 minutes? She tore on her bonds, but the priest just rose and continued:

»You will be fed and kept clean and in good health. And after these 39 days, you may confess your sins. If you are showing true repentance, you will be released. But if you are still refusing to bow, we will make you. But now, I have to take care of the other sheep in my parish. I will see you on next Sunday!«

Ignoring her moans, Pater Michele left and instead, three of the nuns entered. They wanted to give her some soup, but Tabea wildly shook her head. She raged, though her stringent ties prevented her from doing anything. In addition, she yelled into her gag until exhaustion stopped her.

Panting, Tabea then looked up at the three nuns who had just waited for her to calm down. She now regretted her outburst, for it had brought her to nothing. In addition, she now would have liked some soup. However, the tall nun just sent one of the others outside and though she didn`t say a word, her eyes signaled:

»If you refuse to bow, we will make you!«

Tabea`s eyes widened when she saw that the third nun came back with the enema syringe. Now, the tall nun showed a sardonic smile.

***

For the working people of Pescara, Sunday didn`t mean that there was no work to be done. The fishermen remained in the harbor, but after the mass, some were repairing fishnets or took care of their boats. Some, however, managed to get away even from that work.

Nino had persuaded Janika to show him her skills in sword fighting. Of course, they used sticks, but since the blonde was a skilled martial artist, she was able to stand her woman. It seemed, however, that Nino was more fascinated by the way the sweat made her shirt cling to her ample breasts.

Jelena was with Alessandro who had asked whether she would like to hear him play on his Mandolin. She had agreed, for it meant she would be more or less alone with the young man and could ask some questions about Tabea.

They had walked to a silent place at the beach where they could rest on some rocks. Alessandro was lying to her feet and from the way his fingers sometimes trembled when he played and from his somehow unsteady looks, Jelena knew that he was trying to look under her skirts.

She blushed slightly. Jelena was wearing no panties and in addition, she was a coy woman, though her latest adventures had made a mockery out of that. However, she needed this man and so, whenever she shifted her legs, she did it in a way that allowed him at least a glimpse.

After a while, she bent forward, gathering her hair so he had a good view on her cleavage, and asked:

»I wonder what this black woman is doing. You know, we were partners in suffering, so to say, though we didn`t actually know each other.«

Alessandro scratched his head whilst he tried to look at Jelena`s eyes and boobs at the same time. Then, he suddenly smiled and asked:

»What will you give me if I find out?«

Jelena could see she had him where she wanted him. The only question was if he really could do something for her.

»Well, your reward depends on what you can tell me!«

She once again shifted her legs and this time, she also gathered her skirts so Alessandro could see her bare knees.

»My«, he had to clear his throat, »my aunt is working at the monastery`s kitchen. And she has not vowed to remain silent. In fact, since she can hardly talk at work, she does all the more once she is outside the monastery`s walls!«

That meant she would at least be able to tell them where Tabea was and perhaps even help them to get inside! Jelena stretched out her hands. Alessandro rose and grabbed them, pulling her close. She leaned forward, so her breasts touched his chest, and whispered:

»How about a kiss if you can introduce me to your aunt?«

»Just a kiss?«

Alessandro seemed disappointed. After all, she had already allowed him a few liberties the evening before. Jelena, who not only did it for Tabea, but also felt flattered by the young man`s interest, looked at him, her lips moist and slightly opened. he bent forward and when he kissed her, she kissed him back, letting their tongues play and closing her eyes. She allowed him to feel her body, but when he was about to lower her to the ground, she withdrew from him. Alessandro was panting, his face reddened, and he looked at her with an open mouth.

»Just a kiss – and maybe, a little more!«

It took Alessandro some seconds until he could close his jaw. But then, he suddenly became very hasty, running a way and promising to look for his aunt right now.

Jelena sat down, still smiling. She could still taste his kiss and licked her lips. This young man, hardly more than a boy, would perhaps even run through the monastery`s walls with his head if she asked him to do so.

»Who would have thought that I finally end up as an evil girl playing with a man`s feelings? It only took a time travel to achieve that!«

Jelena looked at the sea and could not help feeling relaxed and good. She just thought if she should go and look for Alessandro when suddenly, she heard a sound behind her back.

Before she could turn around, something was pulled over her head and a hand clamped her mouth shut, muffling her surprised cry.

***

Tabea groaned through her gag. Actually, there was little more she could have done.

The enema had only been the beginning of her punishment. Once the bucket had been replaced and she had been washed, the tall nun showed her a wooden hook. When she began to grease it with oil, Tabea knew what would come and she whimpered pleadingly, shaking her head no. The hook was smooth and had no pointy end, but it had the size of a small banana.

However, since she was helplessly bound and the nun had more oil, it was no match for her to shove the hook into Tabea`s rear. She was careful not to hurt her, but Tabea`s eyes widened and she mewed at the intrusion. Playfully, the nun moved the hook a bit whilst her colleague brought a long leather band. Number three grabbed Tabea`s hair and forced her head back.

The band was slung around her forehead and then, the ends were threaded through the hook`s eyelet. The nuns then adjusted the band until Tabea had no other choice than to either arch her head back painfully or to impale herself even more. Then, they tied the band off.

When they let her go, Tabea immediately found out that moving her head in any direction had consequences on her backdoor. She groaned from fear and humiliation. They sure could not leave her like that till the evening!

The two other nuns left, but the tall one bent down to Tabea. Like Mother Agatha had done the previous day, she kissed Tabea´s forehead. Then, she smiled again and moistened her thumb and index finger with her tongue. Tabea stared at her, panting and aching, but the nun just used her wet fingers to put out the only candle before she left the cell.

***

»Phew, I need a break!«

Being a fisherman, Nino was strong and physically in good shape, but he had been no real match for Janika. However, she had taken herself back so he could think that he was almost as good as her and when she had seen that Nino was getting more and more exhausted, she had decided to ask for a break, so he could tell himself that he at least had the greater stamina.

Janika went for the well where a bucket half filled with water was waiting and poured it over her head. She knew that this would make her ragged shirt all the more transparent and that was exactly what she intended. Yesterday, she had allowed Nino to touch her breasts, but not to see him; today, it would be vice versa.

Nino had taken off his shirt. He had indeed an appealing body, but the way he stared sheepishly at Janika`s nipples that had grown hard in the cold water ruined the effect of him as a strong man.

During their training, she had also mentioned Tabea and found out that the monastery`s garden was adjacent to one of his brothers` warehouse. So, this would offer them a way to get inside without being seen.

»After we have Tabea out, it`s just the bagatelle of getting out of this town, find Bela, make him send us back in our time and then cope with Sandor and his henchmen. Piece of cake!«

However, they would need money and though Nino sure would do anything for her, he was poor and so were his kin. Janika got distracted when Nino slung her arms around her from behind, trying to grope her breasts. Using her fighting skills, she threw him over her shoulder. He landed on his back, laughing, and Janika was just thinking whether she should get a bit further when suddenly a girl appeared, talking to Nino very fast.

Janika couldn`t understand all of it, but Nino told her that there was something with his boat he had to take care about. She pretended to be disappointed, but in reality, she was glad about the little break and wanted to sit down beside the well when a young woman she vaguely remembered from the last evening appeared.

»Please, your friend! She`s in the warehouse!«

Having said so, the girl ran away, making a sign to Janika that she should follow her. So, the blonde ran after the girl that led her to the beach where some old huts were standing, together with damaged boats. The girl always waited when Janika fell back, but also did not wait for her to get close.

Finally, Janika found herself on a dirty ground between two old warehouses. She looked around for the girl, but there was no sign of her. However, on the sandy ground, she could see footsteps lead inside one of the huts.

»Nelly? Jelena?«

Slowly, Janika entered the dark building that was lit only by the sunlight coming through many holes and gaps in the planks. The hut was stuffed with garbage and here, she could see the girl, standing by the opposite wall.

»Hey, if this is a joke, I-«

However, the girl just raised her arm and made an attracting gesture with her finger. Angry, Janika stepped closer to her.

SWISH!

The strange sound came from above and before Janika could react, something large and heavy landed upon her, forcing her to her knees. When she grabbed it, she found it was an old fishnet. She tried to shake it off when a second net was thrown over her.

Then, there were attackers; too many even for her to fight them off, and in the abandoned warehouse, nobody could hear her.

***