Nicole had come to notice the suâtle changes in the relationship between Mistress and whore about three weeks after she had moved in with them. However, during the past ten days or so, it had become obvious that something major was going on. The rules in Mistress' house were clear and very simple: the slaves were to be constantly naked, no matter who was in the house, and they were to do whatever Mistress ordered of them. For whore, there was also the rule of her being totally shorn of all of her hair, head to foot, as a sign of Mistress' ownership of her. But now, new rules had been applied to whore. For one, she now always had pump-up dildos in her ass and cunt, which were inflated a bit more each day. These invaders were only removed for toilet needs, and the one in her ass had a long tail made of horse hair. Mistress also required that whore remain on her knees at all times, even walking was forbidden. So whore had to crawl about the house and take her meals from the floor, lapping at her food like a dog. At least three times each day, whore was viscously beaten with a bullwhip, even if the poor slave had not had an infraction. whore was only allowed to bathe with the water from the dungeon toilet, which had been altered to prohibit flushing. She was filthy and covered by the cuts from the frequent whippings. Nicole had become very distressed by the harsh treatment that whore was being made to endure, and she feared that something was happening in the house between Mistress and her cunt slave.

One evening, after the three of them had dined, Mistress bound whore's breasts with a heavy rope and hung her from a hook that they normally used to hang a slave by the wrists. She then ordered Nicole to her bed chamber, and they left whore whimpering in her suspension. After Nicole had serviced her Mistress' divine pussy, she got up the nerve to speak: "Mistress," Nicole queried sheepishly, "may I ask You a questions"?

"Yes, slave, what is it?"

"I do not wish to show You any disrespect, nor do I question Your place as my Mistress, but I have seen a tremendous change in Your treatment of whore, and I fear that something is wrong between You and her."

"Well," came the haughty reply, " I was wondering how long it would take for you to work up the courage to speak to Me." Nicole made sure that her eyes were lowered to Mistress' feet, as she did not dare raise them. "Before I do you the favor of an answer to your rude and insubordinate question, I should tell you that after I grant your answer, you will take whore's place on the hook as punishment for daring to ask.

"What is taking place now is in preparation for whore's ultimate statement as a slave. Three weeks ago, whore came to Me complaining of abdominal pain. When I inquired as to the length of time she had the pain, she informed Me that she had been living with it for about eight months, but that recently it had gotten bad. I took her to My physician and she diagnosed whore with ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, it is both inoperable and terminal. Whore has about six weeks to live."

Nicole gasped out loud as the reality of the news cut into her like the bite of a lash. "Oh my God," she shuddered, as she unwittingly raised her eyes to seek comfort in Mistress Ilsa's face, "this can't be!"

"I wish that I could say that it wasn't true. But, I'm afraid, it is."

"Isn't there anything that can be done," Nicole pressed?"

"Well, in terms of the cancer, nothing, but in terms of her slavery, something wonderful."

"Please forgive me, Mistress," Nicole responded, "but I'm confused."

"Whore is going to die, slave Nicole, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent that. But, the time, place and cause of death is something that can be controlled, and since slavery is about relinquishing control, this will prove to be whore's ultimate gift to her Mistress."

"W.w.what do You mean, Mistress?"

"whore's ultimate and final gift to her Owner is to be her death on a Roman Tau cross for Me. she is to be crucified! I am preparing the details for the event and sending out invitations. It is scheduled to take place two weeks from Friday at My country estate. It will be a small gathering of My closest friends. The entire event will be scripted to make it as authentic as possible. As best as I can tell, if we begin around noon on Friday, it should be over by sometime Saturday night. The three of us will be leaving here for My estate this Friday so that we can make all of the necessary preparations."

Nicole was too shocked by all of this information to even respond. She sat hunched over Ilsa's feet, sobbing softly. Ilsa gently stroked her hair and lifted Nicole's chin so that their eyes met. "I know that all of this is quite difficult to absorb, but whore is definite about having this rare opportunity to prove her dedication and devotion to Me by undertaking the most severe ordeal a human can face. she is being mentally prepared now, that is why she is constantly being degraded, abused and beaten. You see, Nicole, in Roman times, only the lowliest of slaves were crucified. So, whore must be debased to a level where she can completely accept her fate, as she hangs from the cross. A broken slave, as testimony to My power and dominance. All of the proscribed rituals of ancient Rome will be adhered to. This includes a gang rape, scourging, and a procession with whore carrying the patebellum to her place of execution. she will have it no other way, as she knows that this is to be her finest hour. She will endure the most humiliating and painful death for her Mistress!

"Now, go and remove whore from her bonds. Then you will lick her body clean. I will be along shortly to place you on the hook in her stead."