The Mares of Gashran

The mares trotted steadily, their hooves kicking up dust on the hard-packed road. As always, Akrah rode Dana, while Mur lounged atop Karana. Both goblins sat relaxed in their saddles—experienced mares knew the way better than they did. "Two mares a year," Akrah mused, stretching in his saddle. "Harg promised the first in three days." Mur spat onto the road. "Dreaming of your own herd? We need a tamer. We’re not trainers—we can’t break them." Akrah shrugged. "Linya says Torg is a professional tamer and trainer." "Expensive," Mur grumbled, adjusting Karana’s bridle. "Better buy trained ones from Rokh." "I want to learn," Akrah said. "Train under Torg. You should too. If we can break even one, we’ll take more, rent them to jockeys, or sell them. I bought Dana for five thousand five hundred gold—and she’s already considered old. Soon she’ll lose her speed. That’s why I bred her. If the gods favor us, her foal could sell for five or six thousand in five years. By then, everyone will know the value of ‘wild mares.’ And Dana’s won races under different riders. I’ve got a pile of victory tokens from her. She’ll win more." The crooked wooden tavern came into view, its lopsided sign creaking in the wind. Akrah dismounted Dana with a thud, and Mur followed suit. "Alright, let’s talk to Trikh," Akrah said, slapping Dana’s rump. "Find out where we can rent a wagon and driver." He turned to the mares. "Stand still!" Mur nodded. "And you two—stall and sleep." *** Dana and Karana stood in adjacent stalls, their hands bound behind their backs, their ankles shackled with leg irons—the standard nighttime precaution. Karana’s restraint mittens were linked by a short chain, as always in the stall, preventing even the slightest movement to scratch an itch. Despite the exhaustion and the day’s ordeals, neither could sleep. They whispered to each other, gazing through the barred window at the tavern courtyard. "Do you remember him?" Karana whispered, nodding toward the door where the groom had just passed. "Sever?" Dana sighed. "He was my first lover... on the Base. And the last human I ever slept with. Until today." "Did he sell you?" "I don’t know. But he saw what they did to me. And he didn’t stop it." They fell silent. But after a few minutes, Dana whispered again: "What if we try to—" The stall door burst open with a crash. The groom entered, whip in hand. "Why am I hearing voices from this stall?" he snarled. "Mares are forbidden to talk!" Karana tried to pull away, but he grabbed the chain attached to her collar and yanked her back. She cried out through clenched teeth. "Did you think I wouldn’t hear you?" He lashed the whip across her thighs. Dana whimpered, trying to shuffle her feet farther from the goblin, but he pointed at the thin straw mattress and barked, "Lie down!" Dana obeyed instantly, pressing her stomach into the mattress. The groom struck her back twice with the whip. She whined, and he kicked her in the stomach. "Shut up, bitch!" He hung the whip on his belt and pulled two gags from his pocket. First, he stuffed one into Karana’s mouth, then Dana’s—who, anticipating more punishment, had already lain down on the neighboring mattress. Then he ordered each of them to roll onto their sides and secured their leg irons to their bound hands with a prepared strap. Their bodies arched uncomfortably. "Better," he muttered as he left. "Sleep." The two mares were left in the darkness, unable to move. Karana whimpered softly through her gag. Dana closed her eyes, feeling the taut chain bite into her ankles even through her boots. *** An hour after the groom left, the stall door creaked open again. Akrah and Mur stood in the doorway, their silhouettes dimly lit by a lantern. Akrah held the device the Base goblin had given them. "Alright, show me how this works," Akrah said, stepping closer. He eyed the bound mares, snorting in surprise. "Who tied them up like this?" "The groom, probably overdid it," Mur replied. "Fine, let’s see how this thing works. I’ve used one like it at your father’s villa." He pulled the rope on the wall that rang the bell in the grooms’ rest room. Then, taking the device from Akrah, he approached Dana, who lay helpless on her side, bound and immobilized. He crouched beside her and clipped the device’s clamp onto her clitoris. "Watch this," he said to Akrah, pressing the button. Dana jerked violently, her body arching at the sudden pulse. She tried to scream through the gag, but only a muffled moan escaped her throat. Akrah observed her reaction with cold curiosity. "How long does it need to run?" Akrah mused. "What if we add to the experience?" He grabbed the whip from the wall and struck Dana across the chest several times. She thrashed, her body trembling from the mix of pleasure and pain. Mur increased the device’s intensity, and Dana felt her consciousness slipping. She teetered on the edge of subspace, her body shaking as her mind tried to escape the forced ecstasy and agony. "Do you want to turn her into another Ana?" Mur asked, watching her reaction. "Think it’ll help?" "I don’t know," Akrah replied, landing another strike. "But she twitches nicely. She must like it." Just then, the groom who had bound the mares entered the stall. He surveyed the tied mares, noticed Dana’s trembling body, and snorted in response to the goblins’ unspoken question: "They were talking. I punished them as I should. That one—" he jabbed a finger at Karana, "—I barely touched, maybe one lash. The other, I hit a couple times on the ass. If they weren’t supposed to be whipped, you should’ve told the groom who took them in." Akrah nodded, but Dana lost consciousness at that moment. Her body went limp, still twitching from the device’s final pulses. "Hm. Alright, that’s enough," Akrah said, turning off the device. He whipped her body a few more times, bringing her back to her senses. "Maybe we’ll test it on Karana? You said she definitely comes from it, right?" "She does, but I think she’s had enough excitement for today," Mur drawled, more interested in sleep than playing with the mares. "Fine, we’ll test the device on her tomorrow—nothing else to do anyway." He turned to the groom: "Replace their gags with sleep gags. And remove the leg straps. Let them sleep properly." Without waiting for a reply, Akrah and Mur left to sleep. The groom grumbled but obeyed. He undid the straps binding the mares’ legs to their hands, allowing them to stretch out. Then he swapped the gags for sleep gags, carelessly tightening the headstall straps. "Sleep," he muttered on his way out, but kicked Karana in the stomach as he passed, hissing, "That’s for distracting me." Karana whimpered softly through the sleep gag. The groom smirked and slammed the door shut. The two mares were left in the darkness. Dana lay gasping, her body still jerking from the procedure. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. This will never end. *** At Lady Linya’s villa that day. The pavilion near the stalls. Afternoon sun. Torg dismounted Ana, handing the lead to a groom with instructions to feed the mare after training, then made his way to the pavilion where Linya sat poring over a manuscript. She looked up and set aside her scroll. "You look troubled," she observed as he settled across from her. "Problems with the mare?" she asked. "Yeah," Torg grunted, waving a hand toward the stalls. "She... acts strange. We’ve talked about it. She’s always on edge, like something’s constantly arousing her." Linya raised an eyebrow and set down her quill. "Interesting. Tell me more." "I train her for endurance—she’s wet. I punish her—she’s wet. Even when she’s just kneeling and waiting—she’s aroused. Like she was trained this way." Linya paused in thought, then shook her head. "I remember—she’s from the same stable as Rokh’s as my other mare and my brother’s. A trader bought her for his son, who dreamed of being a rider. But the son was... odd. He didn’t just ride her. He... petted her. Touched her in ways goblins don’t usually touch mares." Torg scoffed. "Goblins don’t pet mares. They ride them." "Well, there’s more to them than riding, but that’s beside the point," Linya said with a nod. "This one was different. He tried to arouse her. Ordered her to come. When she couldn’t, he beat her. Then he hired a healer to tighten her, so he could use her himself. Invented some ritual—made her assume the whipping position, then whipped her during... well, you understand." Torg grimaced. "That’s sick. Why would he do that?" "I’ve no idea. He was young. And foolish. Maybe he thought if she came with him, she’d be more obedient, more responsive. Eventually, he started feeding her the fruit we reward mares with after victories—before, you know. The fruit excites them but makes them addicted. She got hooked. Started coming at the slightest touch. He trained her to climax on command. Mur finds it amusing and is teaching the others the same trick." "And now?" Torg asked, glancing toward the stalls where Ana stood tethered to the feed trough. "Nothing. She was sold," Linya shrugged. "The trader found out what his son was doing and got rid of her. I needed a promising mare for Mur, so I bought her." Torg smirked. "So she was conditioned for this." "Yes. And now she can’t stop. We don’t give her the fruit anymore, the apathy’s passed, but her body remembers." Torg shifted in his seat, stealing another glance at the stalls. "Maybe it’s for the best. A mare like that can be trained deeper. If you use her... special traits correctly." Linya smirked. "Just don’t get carried away. She’s still a mare. Not a toy. I won’t tolerate depravity on my villa." Torg said nothing. He was already thinking about how to use this in breaking fresh mares. Without depravity, of course. *** The groom’s rough hands jolted Dana and Karana awake as he removed their sleep gags. Their bodies ached from the night before—especially between their legs, where the skin was raw and chafed. Muttering under his breath, the groom applied healing ointment: "Your cunts are like sandpaper. Someone went too hard with the toys last night. If I’d noticed sooner, you’d be fine today. Now I’ll have to put compresses on you—your masters won’t like this." Dana clenched her teeth as the ointment burned across her inflamed skin. Karana whimpered but didn’t resist—she knew complaining would only make things worse, and that the old goblin was trying to help. After they were given time to recover, equipped, and fed a quick breakfast, they were led into the courtyard where Akrah and Mur already waited. The goblins inspected the mares, checking their readiness for the road. "What’s with the rags you stuffed under their belts?" Akrah snapped, flicking his whip at Dana’s rump. "Kneel!" Dana dropped to her knees in the dust without hesitation. "Wait," Mur stopped him, frowning. "Remember what happened yesterday." "Ah, young masters," the old groom said slowly. "They were used too roughly last night. Both are chafed inside. Did you fist them with sticks? I’ve put healing compresses on them—if you don’t push too hard, they won’t collapse. And don’t shove anything else in there for now. Let them heal." Akrah scoffed but lowered the whip. "Fine. But we can still ride them?" "Slowly, and not far," the stablehand replied sensibly. "Then let’s go," Akrah turned to Mur. "We’ll test the device tonight. Doesn’t need to go inside, anyway." The mares knelt in silence, ready for the journey, feeling the ointment slowly soothe the burning—but not the deeper pain. *** Dana led the way, and Akrah, bored, occasionally leaned forward on her back to flick her nipple bells, amused by their jingling. Mur, riding Karana, lost in thought, idly played with her mane. "It’s odd how slow they’re moving," Akrah grumbled, frowning. "Maybe they really were overworked yesterday." "The old groom said their cunts are chafed," Mur replied, stroking Karana’s shoulders. "Yesterday was rough. Clearly, the fruit isn’t keeping them wet enough. Next time, we should lube them up. And maybe not let so many males breed them at once." "Yeah, experience comes with time," Akrah agreed. "We’ll check the racing mares at the farm. Maybe we’ll find new ones." *** As they approached, their attention was drawn to a training session in the large corral. Five mares ran in circles without riders, their bodies glistening with sweat, while a trainer urged them on with a long training mare crop. Akrah and Mur stopped to watch. "Look," Akrah said, pointing to two shorter mares who were clearly outpacing the others with ease. "Those are off-worlders. And I don’t think they’re the most expensive—you can tell by how they run. They got unlucky with trainers." Mur nodded, his gaze lingering on their compact, muscular builds. "True," he agreed. "But they’ve got potential. If trained right, they could be fast. Wonder why Rokh didn’t prepare them?" "Height," Akrah explained, more knowledgeable about the economics of mare breeding. "They’re too similar to the traditional wild mares. But their muscles are clearly different—it’s just not as obvious. The rich prefer mares like Karana or Dana—tall, powerful. You look impressive riding them. Professional jockeys usually don’t have that kind of money." Karana snorted at the goblins’ conversation. Akrah considered this for a moment, then made up his mind. "Change of plans," he declared. "We won’t rent a wagon with mares. We’ll buy a smaller one and take these two. That’ll leave enough for an untrained mare from the Base. It’ll be cheaper overall, and we’ll have Dana and Ana for racing, two mid-tier elite racing mares to sell or keep as backups if Dana gets pregnant, and the one from the Base to train from scratch as Dana’s replacement—or to sell." Mur smirked. They dismounted Dana and Karana, leaving them waiting at the entrance, and headed into the farm office. An hour later, the deal was sealed: 1,200 coins each for the mares, 600 for the wagon, and the two off-worlder runners now belonged to them. A small wagon stood ready for the journey. "Now we just have to wait for the untrained mare from the Base," Akrah said, pleased with the purchase. "Then we can head home." Mur nodded, eyeing the new mares being led toward the wagon. The goblin manager looked at them expectantly. "Why aren’t they hitching the mares?" Akrah asked, surprised. "You must perform the claiming ritual," the manager announced solemnly. "Otherwise, the mares won’t truly be yours." The goblin manager nodded to Akrah and Mur, then turned to the two new mares. They had already been stripped naked, their harnesses removed, leaving only their braided collars and the standard short chains on their wrists and ankles. They knelt with their heads bowed, their bodies trembling with fear—no one had told them about the sale. "Claiming ritual," the manager declared solemnly. "Without it, the mare won’t be yours." "Just a ploy to sell us new tack and boots," Akrah muttered to Mur under his breath. "And we’ll have to buy them." Akrah approached the first mare—a short, dark-haired off-worlder. He took her by the chin and forced her to lift her head. "You’re mine now," he said in the common tongue. "Acknowledge it. You know what to do." The mare hesitated but, after a brief pause, slowly bowed and kissed his boot. "Good," Akrah approved. He took the whip and delivered three symbolic strikes to her back. The mare flinched but didn’t cry out. Then Akrah extended his hand, and she kissed it, accepting his authority. "Now you’re mine," Akrah repeated, stroking her head. The same was repeated with the second mare, whom he accepted next. She kissed his boot without hesitation, received three strikes of the whip, and kissed his hand. The ritual was complete. "They are yours now," the manager announced, stepping aside. "Do you have harnesses and boots with you?" Akrah and Mur exchanged knowing glances. The deeds confirming ownership of the mares were handed over. The new mares, now fitted with new harnesses and boots, officially belonged to them. "Then let’s head back. Load Karana into the wagon, Mur—you know how to drive it, right?" "Of course I do," the young goblin replied. "I’ve been handling work mares since I was six." "Excellent, Dana!" Hearing her name, the mare knew what was expected and dropped to her knees, legs spread wide, presenting herself. Using her thigh as a step, Akrah swung into the saddle and immediately dug his heels into her sides, commanding her to rise. "Tonight, we’ll test how our old mares perform after their rest," he said, glancing at Dana and Karana, who stood with their heads bowed. "Especially with the device." Dana felt a wave of heat rush through her lower belly. "You’re turning into a whore, friend," she told herself. "Already getting wet at the promise of a vibrator on your clit." The mare crop cracked across her buttocks, wiping all thoughts from her mind. She surged forward into a run. *** Upon returning to the tavern, the local workers unharnessed the newly purchased mares, and Akrah led them to the smithy for branding. Karana climbed out of the wagon and found herself unexpectedly alone with Mur. She gestured for permission to speak and, mumbling through her bit gag, asked if she could talk to the local workers—requesting they not gag them or bind their arms behind their backs like a "swallow." When Mur gave her a surprised look, she decided to play her trump card: "You want me to ask if there are more mares like us around, don’t you?" "I’d wait until we get home for questions like that. We don’t have more money anyway," the goblin chuckled, seeing through her maneuver. She made a pleading face and leaned closer to him, her head near his. He patronizingly patted her cheek. "Fine, I’ll think about what I can do." Karana tried to smile through the bit gag. Then the same groom who had treated them that morning approached. He led the mares to the washing area, where four younger goblins joined him. They secured the mares in the washing frames, carefully removing their harnesses, headstalls, boots, and mittens. Their legs were spread wide as the goblins washed them methodically from head to toe, including their fingernails and toenails, with leg epilation and pubic trimming. The water in the tub was warm, almost hot. The old groom thoroughly cleaned their intimate areas, his rough fingers checking how their irritations were healing. Dana clenched her teeth as his fingers entered her again but didn’t make a sound. Karana only sighed in relief when the goblins finished and re-fitted their harnesses. Finally, he inserted fresh cream-soaked compresses between their legs. "Feel better?" the groom asked, tightening Dana’s leg strap. "Yes," Karana muttered. The old goblin jumped back in surprise—he clearly hadn’t expected a slave to answer. "I ought to whip you, but there’s not a spot left on you that isn’t bruised," he grumbled. He led them to the stall and chained them but didn’t reinsert the gags. So Mur had spoken to him after all. *** Half an hour later, the door creaked open again—the groom led in the two new mares. They were freshly washed, but their eyes were red from tears, and green herbal poultices covered the fresh brands on their buttocks. He chained them up, checked the compresses on Dana and Karana one last time, and left, bolting the barred door behind him. "Don’t cry," Dana said as the two girls collapsed onto the straw. "We’ve all been through this. And those aren’t your first brands, anyway." Karana shifted closer. "What are your names?" "Kazana," whispered the taller one with dark hair. "Tana," the redhead pressed her shoulder against Karana’s. "I’m Dana. This is Karana," Dana introduced them. "Oh—just realized… All our names end in ‘ana’." Karana snorted. "In Goblin, it means ‘that which is ridden’." "So… Ana just means ‘mare’?" Dana clarified. "Yes," Karana nodded. "Whoever named her wasn’t feeling creative." Kazana sniffled quietly. "We… we had different names. Before we were sent to the farm." "We know," Karana said gently. "But here, you’re called something else. Get used to it. How long have you been here?" Tana closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. "Six months." "You’ll get used to it," Dana repeated. "And you’ll learn to survive." "But how?" Kazana sobbed, unable to even cover her face with her bound hands. "I don’t know," Dana admitted. "My rule is simple: ‘Life is easier when I obey, no matter how humiliating or painful the order… Maybe things will get better later.’ And I’ve lasted longer than all of you. So it must be the right strategy." Silence settled over the stall, broken only by the rustle of straw and the clink of chains. The women said nothing. The new mares were probably turning over Dana’s words in their minds, while Karana just stared at the wall. *** The silence didn’t last long. The stall door slid open again, and Akrah and Mur entered. Karana and Dana immediately dropped to their knees; the new mares followed their lead. Akrah wasted no time. "On your back!" he ordered Dana. She instantly rolled onto her stomach, arms crossed behind her back, and spread her knees, arching to present herself. Akrah leaned over her, loosened the strap between her legs, and clipped the familiar device onto her clitoris. "Let’s see how much you enjoy this today," he said, pressing the button. The device hummed to life, sending pulses through her. Almost at once, the mare began writhing in rhythm with the shocks. Meanwhile, Mur approached Karana and spoke to her in Goblin: "Well? Did you find out if there are more slaves like you?" "No, of course not—they only arrived ten minutes ago. When would I have had the chance?" "Interesting. And what did you manage to learn?" "Their names are Tana and Kazana. From what I gather, they weren’t at Rokh’s farm. Clearly, he doesn’t take everyone the Base offers." "And yet you think you’re the cleverest?" Mur’s voice turned cold. "I’ve whipped you dozens of times. I ride you. I could torture you to death right now if I wanted. What makes you think you can speak to me as an equal? That you’re even allowed to speak?" The mare paled and pressed her forehead to the goblin’s boots. "Forgive me, Master! How can I atone? Please don’t kill your poor slave—I’ll do anything!" She covered his boots in desperate kisses. Mur glanced at Dana, who had just finished with a moan, then at the wide-eyed new slaves, barely comprehending what was happening. "You have time until morning to find out how they ended up at this farm without going through Rokh. Now, I need to remind you of your place. Assume the position for breast punishment." Karana, daring not to speak again, lifted her torso until her nipples were level with the goblin’s chest. "Do you understand why you’re being punished? You may speak." "Yes, Master." "Say it. Why?" "My Master thinks his slave forgot her place." "And did she?" "Master knows best. A slave’s place is at her Master’s feet." "Good answer. But you still need to be punished." He began lashing her chest and shoulders without care for where the strikes landed. She endured it silently, only gasping when the whip found particularly sensitive spots. After a few minutes, he stopped. Breathing heavily, she kept her eyes fixed on him. He raised his hand, and she, understanding the punishment was over, kissed it gratefully. "Do you understand the lesson?" Too afraid to speak, she nodded. "We got a note from the Base. Tomorrow by noon, if all goes well, they’ll bring a fresh mare, and we can head home. Sleep—tomorrow will be a long day." Without another word, the goblins left the stall. *** "What was that about?" Tana, the redhead, asked after what felt like a ten-minute silence. Karana didn’t answer, still kneeling, staring at the wall. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "My master was gifted a smuggled clitoral vibrator yesterday," Dana explained. "I couldn’t come yesterday, so they came to test it today. Why Master Mur whipped Karana’s chest, I don’t know—I don’t understand Goblin that well. Plus, I was busy." The girls’ gazes shifted to Karana. After a long pause, she finally spoke: "I’m a traitor. First, I agreed to take the goblins to the Base so they could negotiate buying women. Now Mur is demanding I find out from you if you know of any farms holding women sold from the Base." "Where’s the betrayal in that?" Dana asked, surprised. "Who are you betraying? The woman they’re bringing tomorrow was already meant for sale. Akrah’s just buying her at a higher price. From what I understand, Rokh doesn’t take everyone offered to him. Ana ended up with him through some farmer, and these girls weren’t with Rokh either. Akrah bought them after they were already enslaved. Life at Lady Linya’s villa will probably be easier than at the training farms. So really, you’re saving them from something worse." "I’m afraid you’ll get beaten again," Kazana said. "We were guards at the Base. Two months after we arrived, our superior, Lieutenant Sever, offered us a deep-cover assignment in a ‘scientific experiment.’ We were supposed to pretend to be wild mares captured in the mountains. We were meant to be ‘rescued’ after a couple of months. As you can see, no one rescued us. They just turned us into mares. That’s it. Neither Tana nor I have ever left the farm for more than half a day. We don’t know any other mares except the ones we lived with in the stall. By our count, six months have passed. And even if we did know, what’s wrong with buying out one of our friends? From what I understand, many women from the Base end up on nearby farms anyway."