unlike the other men, he wore only a leather skirt, revealing much of his impressive body. As if clipped with the tip of a sword, he had a scar crossing from one pec to the other. As she stared at him, his piercing gray eyes suddenly stopped on her. She stiffened, but she didn’t turn away. His eyes looked like an ominous storm, and peering into them made her shiver. “He scares me, father.” She whispered.
“No worries, darling. He’s been tortured and beat so many times by now that they’re submissive.” The cruelty wasn’t comforting to hear at all. Her father spoke of it so easily—to easily. “And he’ll be taught his place long before you’re introduced.”
MONTHS LATER, THE SLAVE her father acquired was a forgotten memory, and she hadn’t seen the Huntsman since. She took to walking by the fields around the time of the first harvest, when the wheat was ready for reaping, when she saw the farmer’s slaves gathering and gleaning for their rations. Among the slaves was her Huntsman, picking stalk as if he belonged to the wealthy farmer. As soon as Katja spotted the man, he looked up, and stopped when he noticed her. The sight of him was so unexpected, and his gaze so intense, she froze where she was, not yards from the man.
“Don’t look at her!” Torsten, one of the farmer’s sons, canned his back, while he sat on a high horse. Katja jolted at the sound of the loud crack of rattan when it whipped him. In the blink of an eye, Torsten hit the slave again, and on the third strike, he doubled over before falling onto his knees. That was when she saw the many fresh slashes on his back, which was black from countless thrashings.
“Torsten!” Katja yelped, as her own tolerance of pain weakened at the sight of the slave being brutally beat for a fourth time. Torsten stopped flogging him, as he snapped his attention over to her with confusion. “Don’t touch my slave. In fact give him to me now.”
Torsten pulled the rains on his horse to turn the beautiful beast toward her. “ Your slave? Your father sold him to us when he couldn’t torture him into submission. We bought him, we broke him, and therefore he’s ours.”
“I don’t believe you!” Her father wouldn’t give up on his idea of displaying his great status that easily. “Give him to me, Torsten.”
“You can’t take him, or our families will feud, Katja. We spend a lot of money on slaves, as you can see, and we don’t give them away.”
Katja huffed, but removed her necklace and threw it at the hooves of Torsten’s horse, and then she demanded for her slave one more time with the added threat she’d send her father to their plantation that night if he didn’t comply. “Surely your farm owes taxes, Torsten.”
“He’s worth more than that.” Torsten said, ignoring her threat. But he understood her full meaning, because he was consenting, even if he was still trying to swindle more money out of her.
“If you feel you deserve more, then come to my father tonight.”
Torsten smiled, and then waved at her slave to leave the field. “If he’s too much for you to handle, I can always buy him back at half price.”
Her slave dropped his wheat and strode with long steps toward her. Katja anxiously stiffened, as his giant body approached; she didn’t want him near her. He still frightened her as much as the day she first saw him. She turned around and headed for home before he could get close, and didn’t bother to look back to see if he was following her.
They walked a half mile before she suddenly decided to stop. They were by thick woods of immensely tall trees. The dirt road was not four feet from the shade of the wide limbs. The forest got her thinking that maybe she should let her slave go. They were close to many roads that would lead to his freedom. She certainly didn’t like him following her so closely, and she had no plans for him. “Look,” she said to her slave.
He stopped in front of her and peered into
“No worries, darling. He’s been tortured and beat so many times by now that they’re submissive.” The cruelty wasn’t comforting to hear at all. Her father spoke of it so easily—to easily. “And he’ll be taught his place long before you’re introduced.”
MONTHS LATER, THE SLAVE her father acquired was a forgotten memory, and she hadn’t seen the Huntsman since. She took to walking by the fields around the time of the first harvest, when the wheat was ready for reaping, when she saw the farmer’s slaves gathering and gleaning for their rations. Among the slaves was her Huntsman, picking stalk as if he belonged to the wealthy farmer. As soon as Katja spotted the man, he looked up, and stopped when he noticed her. The sight of him was so unexpected, and his gaze so intense, she froze where she was, not yards from the man.
“Don’t look at her!” Torsten, one of the farmer’s sons, canned his back, while he sat on a high horse. Katja jolted at the sound of the loud crack of rattan when it whipped him. In the blink of an eye, Torsten hit the slave again, and on the third strike, he doubled over before falling onto his knees. That was when she saw the many fresh slashes on his back, which was black from countless thrashings.
“Torsten!” Katja yelped, as her own tolerance of pain weakened at the sight of the slave being brutally beat for a fourth time. Torsten stopped flogging him, as he snapped his attention over to her with confusion. “Don’t touch my slave. In fact give him to me now.”
Torsten pulled the rains on his horse to turn the beautiful beast toward her. “ Your slave? Your father sold him to us when he couldn’t torture him into submission. We bought him, we broke him, and therefore he’s ours.”
“I don’t believe you!” Her father wouldn’t give up on his idea of displaying his great status that easily. “Give him to me, Torsten.”
“You can’t take him, or our families will feud, Katja. We spend a lot of money on slaves, as you can see, and we don’t give them away.”
Katja huffed, but removed her necklace and threw it at the hooves of Torsten’s horse, and then she demanded for her slave one more time with the added threat she’d send her father to their plantation that night if he didn’t comply. “Surely your farm owes taxes, Torsten.”
“He’s worth more than that.” Torsten said, ignoring her threat. But he understood her full meaning, because he was consenting, even if he was still trying to swindle more money out of her.
“If you feel you deserve more, then come to my father tonight.”
Torsten smiled, and then waved at her slave to leave the field. “If he’s too much for you to handle, I can always buy him back at half price.”
Her slave dropped his wheat and strode with long steps toward her. Katja anxiously stiffened, as his giant body approached; she didn’t want him near her. He still frightened her as much as the day she first saw him. She turned around and headed for home before he could get close, and didn’t bother to look back to see if he was following her.
They walked a half mile before she suddenly decided to stop. They were by thick woods of immensely tall trees. The dirt road was not four feet from the shade of the wide limbs. The forest got her thinking that maybe she should let her slave go. They were close to many roads that would lead to his freedom. She certainly didn’t like him following her so closely, and she had no plans for him. “Look,” she said to her slave.
He stopped in front of her and peered into
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