"Your brother owes a fairly large debt, Serrin."
"I know, sir."
"It's not something I can just wave away on a whim, you understand?"
Serrin blinked, feeling concern mar her features. She swallowed and stepped closer to him, leaning in as she slipped open another button hook down her front. "But, I meant to find a way -"
"I can't help you here," he told her, more apologetically than she expected. He groaned as she rubbed her hips forward into his and his hands caught her sharply, shoving her back. "You understand? It's beyond me."
The debt must have been far larger than Ekko had led her to believe. If even the Magistrate wouldn't be bribed into making it go away? They were far more than a few months behind.
"Some turns on the Mound may do," the older man told her, though he obviously found the idea distasteful. "It's up to you."
The Mound, as it was called, was one of their more barbaric ways of paying their debts, one that had held over simply because it was so popular with the masses. Traditionally it was a mound of dirt and soil built up with four spiked pylons at the corners. The debtor, male or female, would be laid out naked over the mound, arched and easily accessible, all their limbs tied to the pylons. They were left spread eagle and naked for two or three turns, though routinely guarded by soldiers.
Violence was not acceptable on the Mound, nor was any sort of defecation. Debtors were simply laid open and bare for passers by to take advantage of, to be groped, molested, or fucked. Any combination of the three.
It was the only way of freeing Ekko so that they could both work and, hopefully, get ahead. It was the only way of keeping themselves and their sister from being indentured.
"And all debts disappear?"
The Magistrate dipped his head forward, "Three turns. You'll be given water, broth, the day before and while tied down. No solid foods. You may ask your guards to release you at any time. Any attempt to escape or injure any citizen will automatically indenture your family."
"I understand."
His eyes softened apologetically as he sent a longing look down the front of her, "Such a shame. I wish you owed less."
*
"Hey, Kano, we got a pretty little bitch this time."
She bit back against the tears that pricked in her eyes, stretching her back out and trying to find a way to relax her spine as one of the Magistrate's men tied her wrists down. Another was working at her feet and she was utterly ashamed to be so bare open near a strange man. Nausea swept up her and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut against the swayed feeling.
"If you're gonna puke, turn your head or you'll choke."
"I'm fine," she hissed back defensively, feeling a hand already touching her blonde hair, tugging on it.
"Open your mouth."
She didn't realize it would start so soon.
She didn't know the soldiers were allowed to -
"Now."
Serrin opened her mouth and quickly felt it filled by cock, the smell and taste of it filling her face so quickly that she choked back on it. She kept her eyes shut as he laughed at her, trying to relax her throat as he started pumping between her lips.
"Get off her, Jenkins!" Another voice shot over them and she squirmed, grunting as fingers jabbed between her thighs from above, searching out her hole.
"We're allowed!"
"Not while on duty. She's not even tied down yet ya fuckin' heathen."
The cock came loose from her mouth and she coughed out at the loss, taking a deep gasp of breath as the fingers disappeared from between her thighs as well.
"I'm Kano," a quiet voice came from her side and she exhaled, opening her eyes to find a pair of boots near her right hand. "Jenkins is a piece of shit but we'll make sure nobody really hurts you. We're your day crew. At any time just ask and we're bound to release you but your debts remain unpaid until the Magistrate orders you free."
