Page 30 of Degradation

I scramble to obey, my torn dress barely covering my modesty. I can feel their eyes on me, and it makes the bile in my mouth threaten to overspill everywhere.

I am nothing more than a piece of meat to them, I know it, I can feel it. I’m an object to be used and discarded.

“I see your wife has given you a new lease of life, Chapter Lord.” Aldric muses as he watches me.

Gunther laughs back. “Her cunt certainly has.” He agrees.

Somehow, I make it to the door, my legs shaking from how I’ve been held down for so long.

“Get some rest, whore.” Gunther calls after me. “I plan to spend the entire night with my cock buried in you.”

I know he’s playing to the audience. I know he’s being a boastful piece of shit. But that doesn’t stop the whimper, and I pick up pace, fleeing the room, as they both laugh more.

Devin

The room is stuffy, even with as few people as there are in it.

I think our Chapter Lord seems to like it that way, likes the very air to feel oppressive.

I shift in my boots, trying to ignore the way the sweat seems to be building between my toes.

Gunther is waffling on, more muttering than actually speaking, but every so often I catch a word, a snatch of the conversation.

The Senate are sat around, though enough of them are absent to make me wonder if they too grow bored of these meetings. The only thing of note is that he brought her; the wife.

She’s stood behind him, like a silent sentry, a guard, just like the rest of us, only she’s not nearly as good at standing still as we are. I can see the way she moves, the way she almost jumps from one foot to the other as if she’s too weak to stand properly.

She looks like shit. She has big bags under her eyes, there’s a mark on her cheek that I’d put money on coming from being hit, and her neck is still showing the lingering evidence of what her husband did to her on her wedding day.

But her hair is pretty. Her makeup is all done, and she’s wearing a sexy little dress that hugs her body, showing to us all that she has very little to no underwear on under the fabric.

“Why has it not been done?” Gunther snaps, slamming his hand down onto the table.

Enough of the people around him jump. His wife practically shits herself.

All ten of us guards spread around the room don’t move a muscle.

“With respect, Chapter Lord, your order is somewhat controversial.” The Leader of the Senate says. “Child brides are not something the Brethren in general will ignore, and we cannot go against the greater teachings of our Grand Master.”

“They’re not child brides.” Gunther retorts. “If they’re old enough to bleed, they’re old enough to breed.”

The Senate exchanges a look that says what we’re all thinking.

Gunther grabs his wife, dragging her forward. “This girl would have given me a dozen sons if I’d be allowed to marry her at twelve.”

“It’s not healthy.” One of the older members states. “Girls having children that young. It doesn’t produce good offspring, and it certainly shortens the mother’s lifespan.”

“Who gives a fuck about the mothers when we’re concerned with sons?” Gunther sneers, shoving her back and out of the way and she nearly slams into the wall from the force of it.

“Chapter Lord.” A different man says. “With respect, the families of the girls would feel differently. And it would lead to a shortage, many would hold their daughters back and then that would cause friction between those who don’t and those who do.”

“Do I care if they have a pissing contest?” Gunther remarks.

“You will if they turn on you.” The Leader of the Senate replies. He’s the only one bold enough to dare to make such a comment.

“Fine. We can add to the ruling then; we can amend it. We can allow Lords to take more than one wife and that will fix that issue of families feeling left behind.”

“Excuse me?” Someone splutters.