Weeping for mercy, Wof was hoisted by his wrists and armpits until he was suspended off the ground. Then more chains were added until he was stretched as taut as ship rigging and completely unable to move in any direction.
“Please,” he whimpered. “Oh please…”
Smoking a green cigar, Lieutenant Brandon walked to the prisoner and ground out the red glowing end in his right eye. Wof shrieked pitifully.
“Gag this fool,” the sec chief ordered.
Grim-faced guards forced a thick wad of leather into Wof’s mouth and wrapped lengths of leather straps around his head to keep it in place.
Sucking air through his nose, Wof tried to speak, to plead for clemency, but the leather wad blocked any attempt to make noise.
“I must thank you for reporting this crime,” Brandon said to the local baron.
“Anything for my great friend, Lord Baron Kinnison,” Somers said, trying to make the words sound sincere.
The crowd waited, hanging on every word spoken by the sec man, their lives hanging in the balance of the casual conversation. In the crowd, a baby began to cry and was forcibly hushed.
“I can see the loyalty in your face,” Brandon lied, “so I have decided there will be no punishment on this ville for the acts of one man.”
Women began to cry with relief and men allowed themselves to breathe once more. They would be allowed to live.
“However, for a crime this great,” Brandon continued, lifting a pair of pliers from a table, “I feel it only proper that the punishment should be done by your own people.”
“Of course,” Somers replied, unable to meet the pleading eyes of his cousin lashed to the stone column. “My idea exactly. Sergeant, strip the prisoner.”
Wof raged against the chains, but could hardly move as the burly sec man cut away every item of clothing until the man was nude.
“Castrate him,” Brandon said, licking his lips, a tremor of excitement in his voice.
The sergeant cupped the prisoner’s genitals and lowered the knife. “I’ll do it quick, my friend,” he whispered.
Thanking the man in his heart, even while cursing his name, Wof closed his eyes and braced for the coming torments. Maybe he would go insane. Yes! He’d seen it happen before. Prisoners singing songs and laughing while they were being taken apart like a blaster for cleaning.
The knife began to cut, white-hot pain shooting through his groin, when unexpectedly Brandon called a halt to the gory proceedings.
“Trying to escape again, eh?” the lieutenant commented, lifting a curved blade in the lantern light.
“We need to remove the eyelids so he can see everything that happens.”
Some of his men walked to a table into the clearing, carried it forward and placed it before Brandon. It was filled with little knives and a mound of leather pouches.
“But work like that is no job for a sec man,” the officer continued, “so we shall pay the reward of one full ounce of black powder for an act of torture.”
The people in the crowd whispered among themselves in shock, and even the baron was perplexed. Why such a high price for a simple chilling? It made no sense.
Clumsily an old man stomped forward, a chunk of intricately carved wood strapped to the stump of his left leg. He paused before the table, then dared to look at the tall officer. Brandon gave a nod, and the old man chose a knife. Going to the column, he grabbed Wof’s right eyelid with a thumb and forefinger, then began to cut away the tender flesh.
Rivulets of crimson trickled down Wof’s anguished face as he thrashed against the bounds, his face twisted feral from the pain. It was over in a moment, and the old man placed the tiny piece of flesh between the knives and mound of pouches.
“Clean job, well done,” Brandon complimented him, passing over a leather sack.
Suspiciously the one-legged man opened the pouch to check inside, then flashed a toothless grin. This would keep him warm and fed for a month!
“Can I do another?” he asked hopefully, hugging the precious ammo.
Brandon stared at the wizened oldster, then burst into laughter. “What a greedy little bastard! Stand aside and let others show their loyalty. If none steps forward, you may do so again. Often as you like.”