Liar

Enough playing, she'll understand that you don't challenge Captain Steamfolk. Take her away and tie her to the mainmast. I'll take care of her.

He left Min Mei on the desk, completely knocked out by what was literally a ****, but I didn't have time to recover; the sailor picked me up and grabbed me, pushing me out of the cabin to tie me to the mainmast.

The captain had taken a long whip that Alicia had handed him. He tested it two or three times on the floor before aiming at me. Each crack terrified me. My body trembled, but my fantasy was coming true just as I had imagined. I could feel my sex getting moist.

The whip ripped through the air for the first time, and a flash of burning pain streaked across my shoulder blades. I braced myself against the ropes that bound me to the mast, each fiber of the hemp digging into my flesh.

The sailors huddled around the mast, betting on how many blows it would take for me to break and finally speak.

The whip whistled again, and this time the pain exploded in a line of fire that radiated to my ribs. A hoarse moan escaped my lips—I felt a drop of salty sweat trickle down my bruised back, disappearing into the valley between my quivering buttocks.

"Three to five blows before she cries!" a sailor sneered, his fetid breath brushing the back of my neck as he leaned down to observe my reaction.

The fourth blow cut through the air with a sharp hiss, and I thought I heard my own skin tear before the pain even reached me. A hoarse cry ripped from my throat as the leather bit into my hip, leaving a raw burn that radiated to the inside of my thighs.

The fifth blow landed diagonally, crossing the already burning welts on my back. A strangled sob burst through gritted teeth as my legs wobbled, my knees hitting the deck hard. The rough rope sawed at my wrists, each spasm of pain tightening the knots.

"She's holding on, the bitch!" another sailor snarled, spitting on the ground. He grabbed a bucket of seawater and threw it at my wounds; the sea salt was like applying a firebrand to each one.

I screamed like a madwoman, my ravaged voice breaking against the gusts of salty wind. Captain Steamfolk raised his whip again, his icy eyes shining with calculated cruelty. The leather hissed a sixth time, striking squarely across my lower back.

After 10 strokes, I saw the world spinning around me; I was losing consciousness.

My eyelids fluttered, fighting the darkness that threatened to engulf me. The taste of blood and salt burned my tongue, each breath sharp as broken glass. The sailors' laughter mingled with the roar of the waves, their voices distant and distorted, as if I were already half-drowned.

A new bucket of water brought me back to consciousness.

So are you going to talk, or should I give it another ten? asked the captain, pulling my hair to make me look him in the eyes.

No, no, please, I've spent it all. I was supposed to marry the Duke of Halleim to pay off my debts.

Alicia slapped me.

No, no, it's not possible, you swore to me, they'll make us pay for all this betrayal.

Ravaged by guilt, I murmured.

• I lied, Alicia.