The Chariots Slave

by Lynn, R.

  “Congratulate? No, I don’t suppose I have.” Barachius gripped onto Thaddius’s wounded shoulder, his meaty hands squeezing as hard as he could.

  Thaddius tried to hide the pain from his face, but by Barachius’s smile he knew he had not been successful.

  “No, I have come to remind. When a man places a wager, he estimates he will win. But when he knows he has victory before he starts, it is more pleasurable for him to allow his opponent false hope. That way when the opponent finally loses, the loss will hurt all the more. Hope does that to people, it causes more grief than happiness!” As he spoke, he looked on Sellah with disgust.

  “Thaddius will not lose!” Sellah mumbled into the ground.

  “What was that?” Barachius laughed as he turned back upon the hardened face of Thaddius. “How interesting, your whore defends your honor.”

  *

  Sellah held her breath, waiting for Thaddius to rebuke Barachius for his harsh words. But no such defence came.

  Instead, Thaddius stood mute before the horrid man. She swallowed the lump that had lodged in her throat. And just when she felt she would cry, gentle hands reached down to her shoulders and helped her up.

  Simeon pulled her into his embrace and stood ready to protect her before Barachius.

  “I see how matters at your domus stand. She is not only your whore but the whore to your slaves.” Barachius nodded toward Simeon and Sellah.

  * Thaddius stiffened his back as he turned to see Simeon and Sellah. Simeon offered him a look of worry, but no emotion could be seen on Thaddius. He merely looked over the way Sellah fit into Simeon’s arms and turned back to Barachius.

  “It is really too bad you will never be able to know what happens within my domus. For when I win, which I will, I will have you sold at the Graecostadium.”

  Barachius laughed at Thaddius’s confident words. “Now you see, that is the hope I was hoping for.” He squeezed Thaddius’s shoulder once more before turning to leave. “Oh and Thaddius,” he yelled over his shoulder, “tomorrow at the second stage of the Grande Maximus, I do hope you have your other drivers better prepared. Today’s drivers were quite comical.”

  “Tomorrow?” Simeon asked in confusion.

  “I don’t know what he talks of. I will stay with Sellah. Can you go and find a schedule of the tournament?” Thaddius thought over what Barachius could have meant. It was either

  a ploy to confuse Thaddius or somehow he had manipulated the tournament once again.

  Thaddius reached his hand out for Sellah. Her touch would comfort him enough until he knew the answer to the question that burned within him.

  She hesitated to take his extended hand. But as soon as she did and their fingers touched, he felt instant ease. Sellah, however, seemed nervous and uncomfortable. In an effort to alleviate her, he released her hand and placed his on the small of her back as he guided her toward the blue team’s designated stable.

  As soon as she saw Diana at the water trough, she ran from Thaddius and over to her.

  “Diana, you were just marvellous out there today!” Sellah placed her hand on the mare’s neck.

  Diana lifted her head from the water to look at Sellah before turning back to her drink. She was still cooling down, and her rapid breathing caused her whole chest to enlarge and contract.

  * Sellah paused when she felt the racing heartbeat under her touch. “Is she all right?” Sellah asked as she turned to Thaddius.

  “Yes, she will be fine. It will take her a few days to properly recover from the race. She always pushes herself to her limits.” He walked beside his trusted horse and ran his hands over her legs checking each of her hipposandals.

  “You did a good job with her shoes.”

  A blush lightened Sellah’s cheeks, and she lowered her

  head so he could not see as she continued to rub Diana and stare at the ground.

  Her hand brushed over Thaddius’s hand and she froze. Her eyes snapped to his. He did not pull his hand away from hers. Rather, he gave her a look as if to wonder if she would be the one to move. Confused, Sellah remained transfixed by the feelings his touch stirred in her. Their eyes set upon the other’s, studying, searching for any understanding. Did her touch affect him as well?

  “Thaddius, it is worse than we thought,” Simeon called out as he came up behind them. Sellah quickly pulled her hand away from Thaddius’s and couldn’t help but notice the pained look on his face.

  “Each stage of the tournament is to be the day after the other. Our horses will not even properly rest before we require another race from them.”

  “What do you mean?” Thaddius walked around Diana and confronted Simeon.

  “Where once there was a seven-day break between each race of the tournament, there is now only mere hours.”

  “Barachius knows of my bond to Diana. He is condensing the schedule in order to separate us! I have never competed without her.” Thaddius’s shoulders dropped, and the confidence that was normally in him seemed all but gone.

  Sellah did not like seeing him so. With a hesitant touch she laid her hand on his good shoulder. “You can beat him. You do not need Diana,” she offered.

  The shock of seeing her touch her Dominus without invitation was prominently displayed on Simeon’s face. He shot his glare from her touch upon the shoulder to Thaddius’s face.

  “Is there something going on between you two?” Simeon

  demanded, his breath came heavy and his jaw tightened as he

  hissed his question to Thaddius.

  * Thaddius was frustrated over the new race schedule. And to have his friend openly challenge him, especially when he had tried to ignore his feelings and encourage Sellah to be with Simeon, well that just made him mad. Any ounce of restraint he had was forgotten, and he stepped toward Simeon, pressing his chest against his.

  “Between us? Why would I want your leftovers?” His face was only inches away from Simeon’s.

  * Sellah stumbled backwards. Were they actually fighting over her? And what did Thaddius mean by Simeon’s leftovers?

  “Watch yourself Thaddius!” Simeon warned.

  “Or what? Will you continue to disgrace Sellah?” Thaddius could no longer control his breathing, and now his fists were opening and closing.

  “Me? I am not the one who tries forcing her to my bed!” Simeon retorted, not caring how improperly he was addressing his Dominus before the ever-growing crowd of spectators.

  “Apologies,” Sellah said as she tried to gain Thaddius’s attention by placing her hand on his shoulder.

  * With one effortless shove Thaddius pushed Sellah’s arm away. However, he used more force than necessary, and Sellah ended up falling to the ground. He hesitated to go to her but realized the eyes of onlookers were on him, so he stood straight and stared at Simeon.

  Simeon’s eyes filled with rage as he watched her fall and struggle to pick herself up.

  “There Simeon, go to her,” Thaddius growled as he stepped aside to let Simeon pass. Simeon practically dove to Sellah’s side to help her up. And as Thaddius watched their exchange, he couldn’t help but now notice the eyes of the spectators on him. He knew they were waiting for him to punish his slave for being disrespectful and even punish Sellah for touching him without request. If he did not, they would think of him as weak. And right now, he couldn’t allow that to happen.

  With his head held high, he took in a deep breath. “Simeon, Sellah, you will receive punishment for your insolence as soon as we return to the villa!”

  “H ow surprising! You seem to enjoy punishments these

  days.” Simeon glared as he grabbed Sellah by the arm and began walking away from Thaddius.

  “Where are you going?” Thaddius demanded.

  “To the cart.” Simeon did not bother to turn and face Thaddius, and the few who had remained watching the exchange mumbled to themselves over his rudeness.

  “Unless you want to pull it back to the villa, I suggest you walk. The horses need to rest
before we bring them back,” Thaddius yelled after him.

  Simeon paused midstride, yanking Sellah to a stop alongside him. It was an awkward interaction. She did not know if she should be following him or staying with her Dominus and attending to the horses. But with Simeon’s tight grasp on her arm, she really had no choice. Simeon turned to the direction of the road and pulled Sellah after him.

  “We will walk,” he announced.

  * Thaddius watched them work their way through the crowds as they headed toward the road. They had made their choice, and he would deal with it later. For now, he had to ready his team to return home. They had another big day ahead of them, and they needed proper rest and food.

  “Dominus, Dominus!” one of the blue drivers called out. “Did you see me? I didn’t come in last!” he beamed.

  “I did not see, yet that is great news. Perhaps we can call you a charioteer after all. What of the other driver?” Thaddius asked.

  The man hung his head and kicked at a rock on the ground. “He lost his wheel and could not finish. The horses were so badly injured in the crash that they had to be destroyed. After realizing it was he who had cost you such a great loss, a ruined chariot and four dead horses, he ran. No one can find him,” the man confessed.

  Thaddius rubbed his jaw as he listened to the driver. “Running seems to be a popular choice today,” he mumbled under his breath. “Nevertheless, come tell me your name, so I stop calling you the cart driver and treat you as a peer.” Thaddius wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulders and could feel the man straighten his back.

  “Lucius, my Lord,” he said proudly.

  “Well, come along, Lucius,” Thaddius said as he patted the man’s shoulder. “We need to go home, eat, and rest as our next race is tomorrow!”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes, I will explain during the ride to the villa.”

  Thaddius left instructions for the proper care of the two remaining teams, as his other attendants fastened two of the work horses to his cart. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and his shoulder ached. He needed to return home and get some sleep before the next race.

  “Come Lucius,” Thaddius instructed as he stepped up into his cart. “I would ask you to drive but you are no longer a mere cart driver. You are a charioteer!”

  The man beamed from ear to ear. He was pleased with the attention from Thaddius and even more so that he had realized his dream of driving a chariot.

  Thaddius leaned against the back of the cart, pretending to listen to Lucius who felt the need to give him a step by step replay of his race. Once in a while he would smile or nod his head as though he were listening.

  The pair had barely made it to the outskirts of town when they came upon Simeon trudging along with Sellah in tow.

  “Get in the cart!” Thaddius yelled out the window.

  Sellah paused and turned toward Thaddius. Simeon grabbed her arm, once again dragging her away.

  “Please Simeon, it is a long walk,” she pleaded.

  “It will be a longer drive with him,” Simeon hissed.

  “Simeon, stop whining and get in the cart!” Thaddius had to practically bite his lip to keep from laughing. He had been mad, furious even. But seeing Simeon act more stubborn than he, well that was just amusing.

  Simeon looked between Sellah and Thaddius as he tried to decide what to do. With each passing moment his pigheadedness slowly diminished.

  “Fine, we will come. But only because of Sellah!”

  Thaddius pressed his lips together and nodded as his body

  convulsed with silent laughter. Simeon glared as he helped Sellah into the cart. She chose to sit next to Lucius, leaving Simeon and Thaddius to fend for themselves.

  Simeon took his seat and pressed his body as far into the corner as possible to avoid touching Thaddius.

  “You did well today,” Sellah said as she looked at Lucius. “Was it everything you had hoped it would be?”

  “My only wish is to place higher in the next races. But I am proud that I finished, especially against the top competitors in the world. With the exception of the man who crashed his chariot, the entire green team finished after Thaddius. Not one of the whites or reds placed ahead of the greens, and I barely beat one of the reds so I did not come in last. The greens will be a very hard team to beat,” Lucius explained.

  “Not that hard!” Thaddius boasted, meriting him another glare from Simeon.

  T he rest of the drive to the villa continued to have awkward moments. Simeon glared at Thaddius who struggled to keep a straight face. Lucius did not stop talking about how well he did in his first race. And Sellah politely smiled while she only partially listened to his boring retelling.

  The atmosphere among the group was dispirited. Despite Thaddius’s big win, they knew he had another race in the morning. And that meant he would have to use a different lead horse.

  Diana needed more than one night to recover as they didn’t want to risk losing her. It would be Thaddius’s first time competing without Diana, and that made him nervous.

  He watched out the window and wondered which horse he should pick. The only other competent lead he had was a male. And he didn’t trust male horses in lead. They were known to challenge the charioteer for command of the cart and the other horses. And even the slightest hesitance on the horses’ part, when listening to the charioteer, could mean a loss. And a loss was something that Thaddius could not accept. Not now, not when so much was at stake.

  He looked at Sellah and watched her as she sat next to

  Lucius and stared out the opposite window. No doubt Barachius would break her if he won. Thaddius couldn’t allow that. It was no longer about protecting his father’s name and estate. It was his life that had been threatened, his name and his future.

  * As soon as the cart came to a stop on the sands of Thaddius’s trigarium, Simeon practically ran to his quarters. He needed time to cool down and hadn’t even stopped to say goodbye to Sellah. Thaddius also rushed off toward his quarters, stopping only long enough to instruct someone to go to town and get Orla, requesting her services for the week.

  Sellah had been permitted to stay in the women’s quarters. And she ran off in excitement to see Accalia and tell her about the day.

  “Accalia?” Sellah called out as she searched the room. She moved from one cot to another looking for her friend.

  “Over here!” Accalia raised her arm directing Sellah over to her.

  Many of the women shushed her for waking them, but Sellah ignored their hisses and ran to Accalia’s side. She sat next to her on the bed and held her hand. “I have so much to tell you, can you come for a walk with me?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Accalia whispered, being careful not to disturb the girls asleep next to her.

  They quietly left the villa and walked toward the stables. Sellah filled her in on the excitement of the race and then told

  her about Nadria’s death. Despite her dislike for the girl, Accalia wept, feeling the loss of kin, a fellow slave.

  “Why would they kill an innocent woman?”

  “Barachius told me it was because she looked at him the wrong way,” Sellah explained as she watched the light of the moon highlight the tears streaking down Accalia’s face.

  “What were you doing near that foul man?”

  “He saw me in the crowd and forced me into his arms. I was afraid he was going to hurt me, but Thaddius saved me.” There was a twinkle of hope in Sellah’s words.

  “Sellah, put those thoughts far from your mind,” Accalia’s words were filled with worry.

  Sellah wrinkled her face and looked at Accalia, wondering what she was talking about.

  “I know you,” Accalia said as she put her hand on Sellah’s arm. “Thaddius may be an attractive and powerful man, but the only way he sees you is as his slave.”

  “I know that,” she mumbled as she picked at the hem of her stola.

  “Sellah? Accalia?” Simeon ran toward the women.

&nb
sp; Accalia nudged Sellah and looked toward Simeon. “Now there is a man who will treat you well,” she smiled.

  Sellah glared at Accalia and elbowed her playfully in the ribs before turning to greet Simeon.

  “Yes,” Sellah called in response.

  Simeon made it to their side in no time. He offered the girls a broad smile as he and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

  “Sellah, can I talk to you.”

  “Of course.”

  His eyes lifted to catch her gaze and drifted over to

  Accalia. “I do not mean to be rude, but may we have some privacy?”

  “Oh, yes, my apologies.” Accalia gave a conspiratorial wink to Sellah before turning to leave. “I will ready a bed for you near the door, so you do not disturb the other women when you return.”

  Sellah watched Accalia leave before turning to Simeon. Being alone with him was nerve racking. They hadn’t had time to talk about the almost-kiss in the tent, she had hoped to avoid it, but now that was not an option.

  “Sellah, will you walk with me?” She accepted his outstretched hand and offered him a forced smile.

  They walked past the stables and into a portion of the gardens to where a pool of water glimmered in the light of the moon. With a firm hand on her back he directed her over to the pool and took a seat on its ledge.

  Sellah sat next to him, and he removed his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  * “I know we have not known each other for a great deal of time. But Sellah, I have grown to care for you.” He stopped to watched her, watch how the light of the moon sent shimmers of gold through her hair and how it reflected off of her pale skin. She was beautiful, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to her beauty.

  “I am at the age were it is appropriate to start my own family. And I can think of no other match for me than you.” Trying to calm his rising nerves he took in a deep breath