Chapter two

New home

Tagd's new Master Raine and his right hand man Padraic came to the holding pen to pick up the new piece of property. A guard opened the gate and grabbed the boy before he could pull away and led the boy out. Padraic carried a metal collar with him wanting to put it around the boy's neck. But as soon as Padraic aimed to place it, Tagd eluded the attempt with one swift move. Padraic and the guard grabbed the boy by his arms before he escaped any further.

"Oh no you don't.. You're not making this a very good start for yourself there boy!", Padraic said in what sounded like yet another totally different dialect than what the auctioneer, guards and overseers had been speaking.

Locked tight in the grip of the two men, Tagd's struggles were weak, from being forced to stand so long with no water, as he twisted his head to the side hoping to evade the cold metal steel that was inevitably going to be locked around his neck, but with an experienced move and a cold metal clang it was done.

Tagd's shoulders slumped slightly in defeat and he remained passive as the metal shackles were being taken from his raw and bloody wrists. He refused the urge to do anything with his new found freedom of his hands and stood there obediently.

"Now that's better. If you know what's any good of you, you'll behave." Padraic said and this time Tagd recognized the language. Trying not to let on, but with the slightest movement of his head, he perked his ears in attention. Master Raine picked up on it and winked at Padraic.

The two men escorted Tagd to Master's vehicle and placed him into the cargo compartment along with other things they had acquired that day. He was the only one in the compartment, as Master hadn't bought any other slaves during this market's visit.

Throughout the long ride to his new home, he started to feel very alone in this new world. Even though his last home was in the belly of hell, he at least knew the people there, knew what was expected of him, knew his place. Here he would know no one, know nothing.

His stomach was becoming upset as the vehicle twisted and turned going at an undetermined speed for Tagd. He tried to enjoy the space he had, not being pressed up against other sweaty stinking bodies, but the motion sickness came with full vengeance.

The vehicle finally stopped and Padraic went to retrieve their merchandise.

"This doesn't look too good, Raine." Padraic called for his boss to come around to take a look. Tagd was buckled over dry heaving.

"Let's get him out and have Hael get him washed up and taken care of, he smells like shit." Raine ordered.

Hael was an elderly slave who had been in Raine's family for many years. He had become somewhat of a mender and took care of the all the slaves well being, ensuring that the household ran smoothly.

"Oh Dear what in the seven Worlds smell is that?" Hael held up his shirt sleeve to his nose as he came closer.

Padraic laughed, "It's this sorry excuse for a boy.."

"Master paid money for that?" Hael questioned looking at the buckleded over boy clutching his stomach.

"Master Raine saw something in him I didn't. I was hoping for the young tender girl before him on the block". He shook his head still in disbelief that his boss had let such a beautiful thing slip through his fingers.

Master Raine chuckled, "That's all we need is something sweet to distract you from your work Padraic, as if we hadn't enough. Besides, we needed something to actually do work rather than just spread her legs for you. We lost one boy last month and we need a replacement."

Turning away to do his duties Pardraic Mumbled under his breath, "We still could have bought the other one as well…."

"Take him Hael and see what you can do with him," Master Raine said. "Seeing how he's heaving up air, I'm sure they hadn't given him anything the entire time."

"Yes, Sir. I will see what I can do with the boy."

"Oh and Hael, cut his hair. Any longer and Padraic will try to mount the boy!" He laughed at his own joke as he slapped Padraic on the shoulders. Tagd cringed at the thought of that as he was lead away.

Master's household was a large maze of grand courtyards, gardens and buildings, none of which Tagd had any interest in at the moment as his stomach continued to revolt against him. Still half slumped over in pain they went into the kitchen area, his odor preceding him.

"What the HELL is that smell in my kitchen!", Lyna exclaimed as she walked through her kitchen. It was that keen sense of smell and taste that had landed her Master of kitchen. Normally a job for a man, but Lyna out cooked them all.

"Who let the pigs into my kitchen!", she demanded to know.

Tagd lowered his head in shame. Closing his eyes, wishing he could vanish.

"Quit your yelping woman! It's the boy, we've got a new one here and by the looks and stench of him they have not given him food, drink nor done much with him in awhile."

Hael had the boy sit at the farthest corner of the kitchen so his smell wouldn't cause anymore interruptions.

"Here's some water... But drink slowly!" Hael handed the boy a small cauldron of fresh water.

Without hesitation Tagd grabbed the cup and gulped every last drop down. The cool water distinguishing the burning inferno that was in his throat. But, no sooner had it gone down, it came right back up in one swift arch.

"What in God's name do you NOT understand by 'drink it slowly!'" Hael called out as he smacked Tagd upside the head.

"Don't be so harsh on the boy. Look at him he is dehydrated, his lips so dry they are about to become ashes." Lyna looked down at the young man as if he was a helpless puppy. "Besides, you can't expect him to just sip when you give a thirsting boy a whole cauldron!"

Hael was starting to wonder if Master Raine had been right in which language the boy truly understood.

As the two of them continued to argure, Tagds's body started to shake involuntarily. Tears started to roll down his face as his stomach seemed to be braiding itself into knots. Helplessly he looked towards Lyna and pleaded, "P-please..help!"

Lyna rushed over to him and looked him in his face and wanted to comfort him but hesitated, those eyes. The young man had blue-green dreamy eyes women of any age could get lost in. She composed herself "Don't… don't you worry, we will get you back on your feet. Let us start over." With that she gave Tagd bit by bit a sip of water and this time it stayed down.

While sipping on water and nibbling on pieces of bread, Hael proceeded to give Tagd a bath. The water soothing. Tagd was thankful it was an actual bath and not him standing naked outside being hosed down with freezing water as he was accustomed to.

Hael could see Tagd hadn't had it easy with his past Master's, welts and signs of lashings in various stages of healing were spread out over his body. There were even some that had become infected due to lack of attention. Hael tended to those along with Tagd's raw and sore wrists.

"Stop moving around boy, otherwise this will take forever!" Tagd was wiggling and trying to avoid the man, it wasn't just painful, he hated being touched by Hael. Too many nights in his last overseer's bed was reason for that.

"Master Raine was right." Hael thought to himself still struggling. As the dirt and smell washed away, he saw what his Master had seen in the boy. "He's got a good eye, I'll have to leave him that. The boy's of good stock!" He took note of Tagd's wide shoulders and strong bones, not to mention he'd grown to a good height. "Put some meat on you, boy and you'll be a strong one." He mumbled to himself.

As soon as Hael was finished he took the boy out to the back courtyard where Master Raine and Master Padraic waited them, leading the naked boy by his collar. Tagd kept his gaze down and infront of him, but more out of embarrassment being led around like some animal by the metal around his neck, than obedience. Thankfully his hands were free as he attempted to cover himself up.

He was no stranger to being presented, but he was older now and more aware of what was going on. Though Tagd stood as tall as his Master, being naked he felt inferior between the two men. He knew now how the girl must have felt as she was stripped and presented on the block.

"Good job Hael at cleaning him up, he actually looks like a boy now and not some feral animal!" His new Master was very critical about presentation and how his household was run and looked, right down to his slaves.

"Stand up straight and put your hands to your side so we can get a good look at you!" His new Master commanded him.

Tagd felt the flush come over his body once again. He remained as he was not wanting to obey.

"I told you once boy, you're not getting off to a good start that way." Padraic said as he used his cane to slap the boy's hands aside and to motion for him to straighten.

"What's your name?" Padraic asked, but the boy refused to reply.

"Playing stubborn isn't going to get you anywhere." Master Raine spoke, "I'm not wasting anymore time on this!" Master Raine nodded to Padraic.

Padraic forcefully grabbed onto the boy's collar. Tagd instantly started to resist and fight, being grabbed so fast and brutal never meant anything good was coming his way.

"I had a feeling he'd put up a fight!" But Tagd wasn't a match for the two strong men. Padraic had managed to twist Tagd's left arm up and behind his back, using the chain of the collar he wrapped it around the boy's wrist which held that hand painfully in place. The overseer took Tagd over to a portion of the courtyard wall which was only chest height and bent him over it. Master Raine had Tagd's right arm up and pinned the boys own head down with it pressing his face into the cold stone. Then Master Raine took his feet and spread Tagd's out so that the boy wouldn't be able to kick.

"You got him?" Raine asked, and Padraic nodded in response.

Tagd's face was held in the opposite direction of what was to come. There Hael had fetched an iron from one of the burning fires of the courtyard. The brand was glowing red as he moved in place behind the boy. Tagd's breath quickened under the fear of whatever was to come, as he struggled one more time to free himself. He tried in vain to move his head to get a glimpse of what was there.

"Right there." Master Raine pointed to the lower right corner of Tagd's back.

Tagd moaned in pain as the scolding hot iron met its mark and was pressed into his bare skin.

"Keep it on for a moment, I want a good scar!" Master Raine commanded, "and for him to feel it for awhile."

Tagd felt nauseated as the smell of his own burning flesh filled his nose.

The iron was withdrawn. "There, there, that wasn't so bad, now was it." Padraic mocked cruelly as they still held the boy in place. Only after the boy's shaking had calmed down and his breathing had quieted did they release their grip.

The exhaustion, the days of starvation and thirst on the ship, the holding pens, space sickness and now this, the boy was finished. Tagd fell to his knees, arms and face to the floor. All he wanted was to be left alone. That's all he ever wanted.

To be continued...