The Chariots Slave

by Lynn, R.

  She watched him for a few moments before heading off to see to his request. Find Vettius and Simeon. But where could they be?

  After wandering aimlessly for far too long, she finally came upon a familiar face.

  “Accalia!” she yelled as she ran toward her friend.

  “Sellah?” Accalia turned to the familiar voice as she saw a streak of red rush toward her.

  Accalia dropped the bucket of water she was carrying and threw her arms around her friend nearly soaking Sellah in the process. The girls laughed at the awkward exchange as they pulled back from their embrace.

  When Accalia’s eyes came upon the fading bruises that still covered Sellah’s arms and legs, a frown made its way to her face. “You are better are you not?” she asked.

  “I feel much better, do not worry about me. Listen, I need your help. Do you know where Vettius and Simeon are?”

  * “Why have you returned so soon?” Despite the smile on Sellah’s face, Accalia began to piece together that something was not right.

  “I will explain everything this evening, I promise. But I must find Vettius and Simeon. Please, do you know where they are?”

  “Simeon is still in the medicos tent. I am sure Vettius will be near to him. Sellah, what is going on?”

  “I must go. I will explain later.” She took off in a sprint toward the medicos.

  Accalia stood frozen in confusion with her bucket dangling limply at her side. She had not even registered Sellah’s goodbye. Instead, she wondered what on earth was happening. She couldn’t help but feeling that something was

  very wrong. And the ferocity with which Sellah ran toward Vettius and Simeon only acted to confirm her fears.

  * When Sellah made it to the top of the hill, she saw Vettius exiting the tent.

  “Vettius, Oh Vettius thank the gods I found you!” She put her hands on her knees and waited to regain her breath.

  “Sellah? What are you doing back? I checked on you yesterday, and Orla said you still had another week’s worth of recovery.”

  “There is trouble afoot, and Dominus has requested that you and Simeon meet him in his quarters. All will be explained.”

  His eyes worked over her face and searched for understanding.

  “All right, I will get Simeon and meet you there. Please do not push yourself; you are still not fully recovered.”

  She smiled at him before turning and heading toward the main domus. Even though she had only been there once before, she had no trouble finding Thaddius’s chamber.

  Her sweaty hands smoothed out her stola, and she adjusted the satchel that she still carried before reaching up and knocking on his door.

  “Enter,” a low voice commanded.

  Sellah pushed open the door and entered his room. It was exactly how she had remembered it, yet this time was it was lacking all the empty wine vessels.

  “Vettius, Simeon?” he asked, when he saw her enter alone.

  “They are on their way,” she said as she took a seat across

  from him. She brushed her hair out of her face and found the

  courage to look up into Thaddius’s eyes. They were filled

  with pain and fear. She wished she could do something to

  comfort him.

  His eyes met hers and instantly she looked away. Warmth

  spread to her cheeks and tinted them with a rosy hue,

  betraying her feeling of embarrassment.

  * Thaddius couldn’t help smiling at the change in her state. He opened his mouth to tease her about it but was interrupted with a knock at the door.

  “Enter,” he responded with a sigh. Vettius bowed his head in respect as he came into the room. Once through, he closed the door and turned to Thaddius.

  “Where is Simeon?” Thaddius asked.

  Vettius lowered his eyes. “He refuses to come.” Thaddius clenched his jaw, grit his teeth, and nodded his

  head in understanding. Although he was frustrated with Simeon, it still hurt that they had fallen out of good graces with each other. He could use a friend right now.

  Thaddius pointed to the empty space next to Sellah. He was afraid to speak, afraid of his voice cracking or the wrong words escaping, not having Simeon beside him had hurt more than he had anticipated.

  Vettius took the cue and made his way to Sellah’s side. Shortly after, the door opened and in walked Acestes. Snapping his attention to Sellah, Thaddius watched as her

  fists tightened. She straightened her back awkwardly. Of course, how foolish of him. He should have known she would be uncomfortable in the same room as the man who had beaten her. He was surprised she could stand being around her Dominus as he was the one who had permitted it.

  Maybe Simeon was right; maybe he had taken matters too far. As soon as they were done here, he was going to go apologize to Simeon and then to Sellah.

  “Sellah, you may be excused,” Thaddius offered. The relief that washed over her was evident, and it brought a smile to Thaddius. He would do right by her, one little thing at a time. He would.

  Sellah stood and lowered her head. She was

  procrastinating leaving the room, and Thaddius wondered why.

  He could tell by the extra time she took in each of her movements and by the way she shifted her weight on her feet.

  He looked to Vettius for understanding and was met with a slight head tilt in the direction of Acestes, who was standing in the doorway, blocking her exit.

  “Acestes please take a seat.” Thaddius motioned to the end of the bed. Acestes did as instructed, and his absence in the doorway allowed Sellah to leave without having to pass by the man she feared.

  “What is all this about?” Vettius asked, no longer able to contain his curiosity.

  Thaddius rubbed his head and paced back and forth in front of the men. After a few awkward moments he stopped and turned to them. “I have it on good authority that Barachius has rigged our wager.”

  “Whose authority?” Acestes demanded as he rose to his

  feet.

  “That is not of importance. What is, however, is that we

  need to think of something and quickly or we all stand to

  lose.” Thaddius continued his pacing, not even bothering to

  note the reaction the men were having to his news. “What are we up against?” Vettius asked, calming the

  other two men by redirecting their focus to the problem. “Barachius has hired ten of the world’s best drivers to

  compete in the Grande Maximus. That is ten against our one

  incompetent driver. Unless.…”

  “No, I know what you are thinking,” Acestes interrupted.

  “It is not an option. Your father’s dying request was that you

  give up your foolish fantasy of charioteering.” His nostrils

  flared and spit flew out of his mouth as he scolded Thaddius.

  “You must focus on being the Paterfamilias and Dominus to

  this domus. It has only been four months, and you already fill

  your head with the notion of racing. Do you wish to say you

  will deny your father his dying wish? Do you wish to put end

  to the Gracchus name?” Acestes stood as he scolded

  Thaddius. With each of his words he took a step forward,

  driving Thaddius back.

  “Enough!” Vettius commanded as he stepped between

  them. “We must work together and find another option.” “We will have to purchase and train new drivers. There is

  no other option.” Acestes spoke with confidence.

  Thaddius and Vettius looked at each other, surprised that it

  was Acestes who had had proposed a possible solution. “Yes, tomorrow you and Vettius will go to town and buy

  as many drivers as we can afford. We have one month before

  the tournament, and we must begin training now! Acestes,

  see to it that my driver understands what will now be required of him. Have him do a few
more laps tonight and see if he can increase his record. He is not to eat or sleep until he does so. And Vettius, I want you to find Sellah and tell her to come to me. For now we sleep. Come tomorrow, we cannot afford such a luxury!”

  A fter Sellah took her leave from Thaddius, she made her way to the medicos’ tent. Simeon had not been present at their meeting, and she wanted to check in on him. His health had been on her mind many times over the last few days. She had had a hard time relaxing in the salt bath as her mind often dwelt on his injuries.

  “Simeon?” she whispered as she pulled back the cloth door.

  The tent was musty and dark except for a single candle burning on a wooden box next to the cot. Simeon turned from his seat on the cot. He squinted his eyes as he focused on the figure at the door.

  “Sellah, is that you?” Traces of pain could still be heard in the effort it took him to speak. But other than that he sounded better.

  “Yes. Can I come in?”

  “Of course, please take a seat.” He patted the spot next to

  him on the bed. “I didn’t expect to see you for a few more days. My father said you would be staying at the baths.” His eyes lit up as he looked her over.

  “You were asking after me?” she teased as she offered him a good natured grin.

  “I uh, well, yes I guess I was.”

  The honesty and awkwardness of Simeon’s response made Sellah chuckle to herself. In sympathy to his embarrassment, Sellah decided to change the topic of discussion.

  “Turn, let me see your back.”

  It took him a few moments to bring his back to her. Each move he took was painfully slow. And when she saw his back, she understood. While it was not as red or swollen as it had been, most of the lashings were still open and they still bled.

  “Oh Simeon, I had hoped by now it would be better than this.”

  “It isn’t as bad as it looks. It only hurts now when I move.” He was making an effort to be brave.

  Sellah reached into her satchel and pulled out the things Orla had given her, taking extra care to lay them out on the bed next to him. She took one of the poultices, and dipped it in the bowl of water at his bedside.

  “This will feel good,” she said before she placed it on the worst part of his back. He tensed at her touch, but within seconds the healing poultice soothed him.

  “I told you it would feel better!” She tied a long strip of cloth around him to fasten the poultice in place. When she was finished she picked up the small pouches of herbs and handed them to him. “When you feel pain, chew on one of these. They should help.”

  It took him a moment to turn back around, but he did so far quicker than the first time. He stared at Sellah, taking her in. When he noticed the amulet pinned to her stola, he reached out and stroked its glittering metal surface.

  “Do you miss your sister?” Sellah asked as she watched him become lost in a personal moment.

  Her words brought him from his thoughts and he returned his eyes to Sellah’s face, she couldn’t help but wonder what he thought. His features usually held a softness about them, yet this time they seemed to harden at some distant memory.

  “Every day. I miss her every day,” he confessed as he held her gaze.

  Sellah didn’t say anything. She allowed silence to comfort him. And truthfully she did not know what to say.

  The door to the tent opened and Vettius walked in. It was a welcome distraction for Sellah. “Sellah, I was hoping I would find you here. When you are done, Thaddius has requested your presence in his quarters.”

  He smiled at Simeon and received an awkward look, then turned and left.

  “You are a lot like her Sellah,” Simeon said, returning to thoughts of his sister. He reached up and brushed a stray hair from her face. His work-hardened hand scratched her as it lingered on her soft cheek.

  Instantly, she felt the closeness of their bodies and couldn’t help but worry about the dangers that could bring.

  “Esther died protecting another servant. I was just a young boy and I couldn’t help her.” He stumbled over his words, and Sellah could tell that he was unable to explain in more detail about what happened. The pain was still too deep.

  “When I saw you stand up for Accalia at the auction, you

  reminded me so much of her. It was as if her soul returned to me, but in you. And I knew it was my chance, my chance to stick up for my sister. Sellah, I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to be able to do something. And then to see her amulet on you, well, it feels right. I can think of no better person for it.”

  Not knowing what to say, she smiled and lowered her eyes from his penetrating stare.

  ***

  Thaddius paced back and forth, wondering what was taking Sellah so long. Finally, he decided he would look for her and on the way stop by Simeon to apologize for what had happened. He knew this would not restore their relationship completely, but it would be a start.

  He left from the back of the villa to avoid any of the women at the gate noticing him and causing a scene. There had been enough of that over the last week. Word had gotten out that he had not taken anyone to his bed in a while. Now they fought to be the first to break his celibate fast.

  The sun was setting and a cool breeze danced over the hill. It was refreshing and helped clear his head so that he could focus on what to say to Simeon. He rehearsed the words over and over as he walked to the medicos’ tent.

  Just as he was about to push open the flap and enter, he thought he heard Simeon speak. Curious about who was with him, Thaddius quietly opened the flap and peeked in. He was

  taken aback when he saw Sellah and Simeon sitting so close together.

  The breeze from the door pushed some of Sellah’s hair across her face. Thaddius thought for sure it gave his presence away. When neither of them turned toward him, he was puzzled.

  “Your hair keeps falling in your face,” Simeon said as he reached up to push it back.

  Thaddius watched, waiting for Sellah to pull away. When she didn’t move, anger threatened to override his resolve. However, he remained at the door and watched undetected as Simeon left his hand at the back of Sellah’s neck with his fingers tangled in her hair.

  Seeing them together made Thaddius ill. The apology he had been rehearsing was no longer in his mind.

  Simeon, leaned forward. Thaddius felt his breath catch in his throat. Sellah stayed motionless

  * Interpreting her lack of movement as fear, Simeon reflexively pulled her closer to him. Moments seemed to freeze in time as the pair came ever closer to meeting lips. Electricity of anticipation burned within Simeon’s chest.

  * Anger burned within Thaddius as he watched the scene unfold. He could not stand seeing Simeon and Sellah kiss. If they did, he knew he would do something he would regret. So instead, he turned and he ran.

  Blind rage fueled his steps, and they led him straight to

  Acestes. “Get me four jugs of spiced wine and two of

  honeyed. I want them in my room now!” he demanded as he

  stormed on by.

  Acestes watched him leave, not sure what had happened. “Where are you headed?”

  “I am going to the gate. I need a distraction!” Thaddius

  yelled over his shoulder.

  “The gate? But you have not had wine or whore for a

  week.”

  “Damn you, Acestes! Do you not remember your station

  here?” Thaddius stopped midstride and turned around to

  finish. “It is odd you forget as you constantly remind me of

  my title. I am Dominus. Now ready my wine!”

  “L adies of pleasure, allow me to speak!” Thaddius

  projected his voice over the screaming women who continued nonetheless. “If you do not listen to me, I will leave!” He turned and took a few teasing steps away from them.

  “Stop it, let him speak!” one of the girls hissed to the others.

  He flashed them a toothy smile. They had taken h
is bait.

  “Now listen,” he said as he turned back to the anxiously silent girls. “Tonight, I will be in need of a distraction, a really good distraction.”

  “I can help!” one of the girls at the front cooed as she twirled her loose hair in her fingers.

  “Like hell you will. I am more to his taste!” another interrupted.

  Soon every girl began shouting pleas for Thaddius to choose her. They were a ruthless bunch, and some even fought the others, pulling at their hair and scratching their faces. Thaddius threw his hands up in defeat and turned to leave.

  “He’s leaving!” someone cried.

  The fighting and shouting slowly dwindled as the girls

  stopped what they were doing to watch Thaddius leave. “Please come back,” a familiar voice begged from the

  gate.

  He had had enough of their annoying ways, but he was

  curious as to who spoke, and why she sounded vaguely

  familiar. He took another step away, then suddenly turned

  around.

  “You, why do I recognize you?” he asked.

  “I am Calista, my lord. You saved me from falling a few

  days past.” She batted her eye lashes seductively as she

  pushed her way forward.

  Thaddius remembered the event. It was at the auction and

  she had conveniently tripped into his arms with her bosom

  practically exposed.

  “You, a women of status and good breading, wait at the

  gate among these women?”

  “I came here to thank you again my Lord, but your guards

  would not let me pass. I was about to leave when you came.” The guard laughed under his breath at her statement and

  Thaddius could only assume it was a lie. But he pretended

  not to notice his response and turned back to the girl. “And your friend? The one with you at the auction. Where

  is she?” he asked.

  “Guya, she is here.” Calista pointed over her shoulder to a