CIRES CRUCIFIXION OUT OF DENAS EYE VIEW
"Take the crossbeams off of their backs" a guard shouted.
The ropes that held the hands of the two criminals tied to their crossbeams were taken away, both logs carelessly dropped to the ground by the henchmen. Dena felt the exitement rising, anticipation of the inevitable choking her.
The Centurion in command charged: "Let's take the man first".
It became really busy at the execution site. One of the guards kept holding Andrea at the arm, while two other men took her crossbeam and started to assemble that cross on the ground. Cires crossbeam though, was moved a bit in front of the leftover dug in upright, opposite to Denas position.
All the guards, soldiers and executioners were obviously in a very good mood, as Cires clothes got torn off. Immediately he covered his sex with his hands, and was pushed forward towards the crossbeam. Two man grabbed and spread his arms violently, laid him down onto the wood with his shoulders, and held his wrists firmly in their final position. The dust of the ground sticked to wounds and glistening skin of the victim, creating an obscure, abstract artwork. The centurion then took his spear, and marked a spot on each wrist, where he wanted the nails to be placed.
"Crucify, crucify, crucify" chanted the mob. Dena recognized that Andrea was able to watch very close, what was done to her partner in crime. While he was laying helplessly on the ground, his eyes followed the centurion. All the people on Denas side, the already crucified, some guards and Andrea could spot his dangling penis and testicles. These folks, as lots of people in the crowd, were laughing and chanting. Just Andrea was standing there in silence, it seemed.
A third guard sat down on Cires knees, hence all that the condemned was able to move, was his head. He raised it to catch a glance, the shoulder-length black hair sticking to his sweaty, bloodstained, dirty face. Eyes widened with fear, his whole body trembling, as the executioner kneeled down in front of his left wrist to place the nail into the mark.
The executioner spoke to the guard who was sitting on Cires knees: "Watch out, I hope you guys haven't been giving the condemned too much to drink prior to the crucifixion."
The guard laughing: "A good aspect, let me move back a little, even though these criminals didn't get that much to drink yet."
Spectators that were able to follow this conversation, cheered with pleasure. Daniela who was hanging on her cross to Denas right, did the same. The two male slaves though watched, like the waiting Andrea, with horror.
The executioner reassured himself once again, glanced over to Cire, then focused the nailhead and drove the nail, with a few good blows of the hammer, through the wrist into the wood. While Cire was still gasping for air, the executioner stepped over to the right side, placed the second nail, drove it in without giving the grunting, screaming condemned any time to wonder.
"Haven't I told you" the guard in charge of the legs said laughing, "he leaked just a little bit, actually nothing to mention".
Then directed to Cire:
"We will lift you up now. As soon as the crossbeam is attached, I will put your feet on the footrest. You can then stand straight, and I will tell you how we'll proceed with your execution. Is that understood?"
Cire on the ground aswering heavily breathing:
"I think I know what you are talking about."
At this state of the execution every word of the guards and the executioner could be heard by Dena. There was total silence at the scene, but the heavy breathing of Cire and some statements from Daniela.
Three men liftet the criminal up, one on each side of the crossbeam, one by the legs, and attached the crossbeam with the helpless, naked condemned to the upright and fixed a footrest. Like explained, the man responsible for the legs landed Cires feet on it.
From behind the cross the centurion approached, to hold the victims head. Thus Cire couldn't bang his head to the wood and eventually faint.
Dena moved over some for a better view, well able to see that Cire was now standing on the footrest with locked knees to release his wrists. The feet a few unspectacular inches off the ground.
The guard who took care of the legs spoke amused to Cire:
"We'll place your right foot on top of your left, press your bottom heel against the stipes, and then nail your feet. Keeping you in place is still much easier for all of us, when you don't resist. Not bad if you'd watch what we do. We appreciate every hand. By the way, don't goof around, otherwise we will crucify you". That comment alone caused hilarious laughter at the site.
One from behind, one from the right side, the guards fiercely rested Cires right foot on his left, while the executioner kneeled down for his work, pulling out an awkwardly looking spike. He placed it on the ankle underneath the shin of the top foot. Dena realized that he wanted the spike to come out of the heels, thus to go from the bottom one into the stipes. She thought it was a great idea, knowing that the criminal was going to look more than stupid at the end. She had to admit that she was admiring the craftsmanship of the executioner.
"What are they doing?" the crucified female slave Daniela asked Dena.
"They want to fix his feet with just one long spike. The idea is to drive it from the top diagonal through his ankles. It is supposed to come out of the heels. He will have to push himself up with one foot on the footrest, kinda what you do. Shall he need more support, he can choose to step onto the nail with the top foot, too. He is given the option where the pain will be building up." Dena replied.
Daniela again:
"I see what you mean. I try to stand on my heel, too. Then I'm able to breath and talk. I can push myself up only for a short time. After a while my heel is hurting so bad, that I have to let myself sink down again. There is nothing I can do. But as soon as I'm hanging down, it seems that I can't get enough air, the ropes dig in deeper into my flesh and my upper body hurts cruelly. Looking at my body, my tits go up and down, though I still lack air. Another question, the criminal, can't he free himself from the nail?"
Dena answered laughing:
"That is not possible, the spike is very long. He might be able to move the top foot up a bit, but there is no way to get it over the nailhead. He will be glad to have his feet as far down as possible to push up. You will see. Even when he is moving a lot, which I think he will, he can't free himself. Thanks to the body movement the nails will enlargen the holes to provide a little play, but the ankles and wrists are strong enough to hold it. Concerning your execution girl, you will only have the energy to push up for a certain time. When you hang down you can't breathe properly." Daniela turned her head away from Dena, outstretched her body anew, to keep up with what was going on in front of her.
By the first moderate blow the nail went in some, two more and the nail was hitting the wood of the stipes above the footrest. The executioner gave the nail a few more stronger blows, until it was secured well in the wood. He left the nail sticking out a couple of inches of the top foot. Unlike the firm nailing of the wrists, the delinquents feet appeared to be sort of "pinned". During the nailing of his feet, the "executed" let out a horrifying scream, even shocking and thrilling insensitive spectators. The execution team was used to it, Dena being aware that she'd be soon part of such an orgy of violence as well. The crucified Daniela still bitched with dedication.
Since the crossbeam was attached, the centurion was holding Cires head away from the wood. Did the condemned open his eyes, he saw the men working on his body. Dena felt that she wanted to know what it's like to hang there. It came to her mind, that the perspective of the victim must be unrivaled. She shuddered as she tried to imagine, what she'd feel, if she'd be treated like that condemned.
There was a peg mounted beneath the crotch of the criminal, the guards and the centurion released the screaming man. He used his newly gained freedom, to let himself sink down with caution onto the peg. It stood out some, and looked like a second penis to the smiling Dena.......
Super manips of Phlebas for the issue. Phlebas and M. S. are right there with these perfect illustrations.
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