by Andromeda -
Now, Aurora would prefer the latter as she never liked Aurelia, to begin with, but she knew people would get suspicious if Aurelia just dropped dead. So, she had to be careful and plot this right, but she knew one thing: Aurelia was going to die. She just had to figure out a way.
Aurora returned to her chambers and was going to write another letter, but then remembered she had already sent the falcon off. She was going to have to wait for it to return for her to send another letter.
The days that followed were painful for her, as her father wished for Aurelia and Cornelius to be married quickly. Before Aurora even knew it, she stood witness to her brother swearing to love and cherish Aurelia all their days, while Aurelia swore to honor and respect her husband. Both of which were lies, on both sides, and Aurora knew it.
Cornelius did not love anything in this world, everyone knew that.
He lusted after people, after women, but he never loved them. He never lusted after Aurelia, which Aurora knew secretly annoyed the young woman to no end. She thought herself to be the most desirable woman in the empire and was not afraid to try and get her point across. However, the thought that Cornelius never lusted after her was surely enraging her, as instead, he lusted after the very slave who, rumor had it, was one of the leaders of the runaway slaves: Ayanna.
Aurelia did not know what he saw in the woman, but she knew she was not one to become second place against a slave for a man’s affections. It surely wasn’t natural in the world. It made no sense, and of course, she told him this, as they were alone in their bedchamber after their wedding feast.
“You do not have to worry about me loving you,” Cornelius said, heavily drunk with the wedding ale. “All you have to do is lay back and open your legs. Give me an heir or two, then you are free to pursue your own pleasures as shall I. Do we have a deal?”
The whole deal was a complete insult to Aurelia and her bloodline, but she knew that no other man would give her such a thing. So, she smirked and nodded. “It is a deal.”
Chapter Eight
The one person who did not talk much during these times was Cornelius. The young Roman was quiet for the most part, as he had nothing to say. Inwardly, he was a jumbled mess, not wanting to talk or see anyone. He became almost as dependent as a newborn babe was to its mother.
Most people thought he was like this because of the horrors he must have seen when the slaves had slaughtered all his friends, but Cornelius was silent for another reason, though he refused to tell why.
He did, however, look forward to his wedding, as he would finally have a woman to call his own. He knew Aurelia was far from the pure bride his father thought she was, however, the idea that he would finally have a woman tied to him for life, appealed to him.
A man who believed a woman had two purposes—to bear children and to give pleasure to her husband—he was glad he would finally have a wife. Not only that, but he knew what others said about him. He knew that people viewed him as weak, but this was going to change all this.
Aurelia came from a powerful and wealthy family. She would bring money and soldiers under his control; money and soldiers that were not his father’s. The knowledge that he would have something his father had no control over excited him, and when the day of the wedding came, all he wanted to do was gloat.
He finally had something that was all his own, and he wasn’t going to let anyone take it from him. He cared not a fig about Aurelia. In fact, he couldn’t stand the nagging woman, but being married to her had its advantages, and he’d be damned if he let them go.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Ayanna glanced to Kaiser, as their small party moved down the roads. Her lover had turned mute, almost, since the death of his friend, hardly talking to anyone else he deemed it fit.
He didn’t touch her.
He didn’t look at her.
He didn’t smile at her.
It was driving a wedge between them, she could feel it. Ayanna could feel his sadness and sorrow, yet while she wished to comfort him, he didn’t want it. He refused to have any dealings with her, and she wondered deep down if he was maybe blaming her for the crime that had befallen his friend.
She liked Aleron. She thought him as a friend to her as well, but she did not know him the way Kaiser did. Yet, they had come too far, done too many things, for this to drive them apart. She refused for that to happen.
“We are nearing the villa Aurora suggested to us,” she said gently, trying to strike a conversation.
Kaiser did not turn away from looking straight ahead. “That’s good,” he said, almost in a monotone.
Ayanna frowned. “Should I tell the others to sit back, so we can scout the area?”
“I don’t care,” he said.
She pulled her horse to a stop, fed up with him at this moment. “Kaiser,” she snapped. “How long are you going to be like this?”
“Until I feel otherwise,” he answered.
“Kaiser…we need a leader,” she said. “And if you won’t lead us, then I will. We need to claim this villa as our own. According to Aurora, it was abandoned, but we don’t know that all the way. We need someone to go out and scout.”
“Then do it,” he said coldly. “I am not in the mood for this.”
She glared at him, her face hard. “This escape was your idea, remember?” she snapped back with equal coldness. “We left Rome, we left that palace because we were following you. Maybe we were wrong.”
Kicking her horse, she galloped to where a couple of the gladiators were riding and ordered five of them to come with her to go scout the area. A couple of them asked what Kaiser thought of what she was doing, to which she replied with a snappy comeback, then turned her horse around to do as she wished.
While she understood Kaiser was not feeling well and was in mourning, he had to wake up and lead them, else his lack of leadership would lead them to their downfall.
Chapter Nine
Ayanna, with her daggers in hand, slowly circled the villa, the gladiators behind her. Though the building looked abandoned, they could not be more careful. They could not afford for there to be a slip-up, as it might cost them their lives. She looked into the distance, where Kaiser sat on top of his horse, an annoyed frown wrinkled her brow.
He should have been the one leading this mission.
He should have been the one on the front lines.
He should have been the one showing all why they risked their lives to leave the Imperial Palace.
But no. She understood why he was mourning, but he needed to get control of himself, or else they could all die.
“Spread out,” she said to the gladiators. “We have to cover all the exits, and entrances, then we can go inside.”
They obeyed her commands without question, and though it took them a couple of hours, they scouted everything out. Then, they carefully went inside. The villa was quite large, and Ayanna figured the previous owner must have been quite wealthy. It had a large courtyard, at least twelve large bedchambers, three bathing pools, barracks, slave’s quarters, a large kitchen, stables and more.
“According to my friend,” she said, “this has been abandoned for a while, as sickness killed the resident family. No one knows about it.”
“Do you think it is wise,” one of the gladiators asked her, “for us to be here?”
Ayanna pointed her dagger out. “It has a high vantage point, which will help us if we are attacked. Later, after we are settled, we can further scout out the land and find a village, or maybe even a town. Tell everyone to begin unpacking.”
The men nodded and gave her a brief salute, which both confused and amazed her. “We shall see it done.”
“That was interesting,” Artemus remarked as he approached her. “They seem to respect you.”
“I didn’t think they would,” she said as she slid her daggers back into their holders. “I am nobody.”
“They see strength and respect it,” he explained. “Gladiators are like dogs, always looking
for the Alpha.”
“And here I thought the Alpha was Kaiser,” she said sadly. “I know…he is hurting since Aleron’s funeral, but…”
Artemus put his hand on her shoulder. “I mourn him as well, though I did not know him well. However, I know that I cannot let it hold me back. I have a son to look after, and I figured…I can’t look to my future, while constantly glancing at my past. Kaiser is yet to understand this.”
“I hope he understands it quickly,” she remarked. “We need to learn our next move. Aurora can only give us so much information. It is up to us to learn what to do with it.”
Artemus’ face fell slightly and he swallowed. “How…is she? Do they…treat her well?”
“From what she’s told me, they do not suspect her,” she told him. “And she is working on a way to maybe slip away, though she is not all the way sure as of late. Not only that, but she had told me that Cornelius has married.”
“He has?” he asked with a tilt of his head. “To whom?”
“That whore of a woman,” she said through gritted teeth, meaning Aurelia.
Artemus nodded and rubbed her shoulder. “Do not worry. She will get what’s coming to her soon. Everything is in the gods’ hands.”
“Sometimes I wish they would move faster,” she sighed. “But thank you, for talking to me. I will go and find a chamber for Kaiser and I. May I see Eryx later?”
“Of course,” he said with a smile. “He adores you.”
Hugging her tightly to his chest, he let her go, before going back to tend to his own matters.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
It wasn’t hard for her to find the best one, and Ayanna began unpacking her gear while she waited for Kaiser to come. She wanted everything to be perfect and went through great pains to do so. It was a bit dusty, and after finding a broom, she could clean it up. She even pulled back the heavy curtains that blocked the windows to make some of the natural light come in. When he finally did show, she was waiting with great excitement to see his reaction.
He did nothing.
He did not say a single word to her.
All he did was look around the chamber, take off his pack, tossed it into a corner, then tried to leave.
“K…Kaiser?” she said gently.
“What?” he asked. “What do you want?”
Her heart began to fall. “Did you…like what I did…to the chamber?”
“I don’t really care,” he answered. “It’s just a place to sleep.”
“B…but…,” she stammered, then she sighed and walked to him, putting a tender hand on his shoulder. “My love…please talk to me. I hate it when you block me out… You said you loved me. If you did…you wouldn’t block me out like this. I know you are mourning, I understand that, but I cannot read your mind. You have to talk to me.”
He stiffened, then turned to look at her. “You wish to talk?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “Please. Talk to me about anything. It pains me to see you like this.”
“Alright then,” he said. “What were you talking to Artemus about?”
She blinked. “What?”
“You two seemed kind of cozy, talking together so easily,” he said. “You lying with him?”
For a moment, all was still. Not a sound was heard. Then, Ayanna pulled her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. The sound echoed in the seemingly empty chamber, as she struggled to keep her temper under control.
She did not know if she could feel more offended at what he had said. The thought that he thought she was laying with Artemus…hurt her. And then it infuriated her!
“Guess I just got my answer,” he said gruffly, rubbing his cheek.
“Get the hell out,” she said through gritted teeth. “And don’t come back until you can think straight.”
He grabbed his pack and slung it on his back, storming from the room. The moment he left, however, she crumbled to the ground, unable to stop herself from crying.
Chapter Ten
Kaiser watched as Ayanna tossed Eryx in the air, smiling at the young boy before she blew air bubbles on the little boy’s chest. He felt nothing but envy. He felt nothing but pain. He felt nothing but suffering. He felt nothing but sorrow.
That should be their son.
He should be smiling at the small human they had made together.
He should be holding both Ayanna and their child in his arms.
But he was robbed of that chance.
Just like Aleron was robbed of his life.
Once again, that strong hatred of Romans poured into Kaiser’s blood, and once again, he wanted to do nothing more than kill. However, he had to be smart. Aleron had told him to not hold a grudge, to let go of his anger then attack Rome, but Kaiser could not help it.
All he could feel was anger within him.
When he saw Artemus approach the couple, a jealousy rose within him as the Greek gently placed his hand upon Ayanna’s shoulder.
They had not spoken for almost a week, and it was all his fault, though he cared to not admit it. He did not know what came over him. He did not know why he accused her of laying with Artemus, but ever since he spoke the words, he wished to high heaven to take them back. Unfortunately, he felt the damage was done, and he could not take it back.
After a moment, however, Artemus jogged over to him and his face looked grim. “We have to talk. And it’s about something serious.”
“You may speak,” Kaiser said.
“Our numbers are low,” Artemus explained. “I was talking to Ayanna, and she told me of another villa that is not far from here. There are several slaves that might add to our numbers.”
Kaiser frowned, stroking his chin. He hadn’t shaved in a while and felt fresh stubble upon his face. Maybe I’ll grow out a beard…Ayanna should like that, he thought to himself, though aloud, he looked to Artemus and said, “What do you suggest?”
“I say we send one of the palace slaves, who could easily infiltrate the manor and send us information,” Artemus suggested. “Then, when the time is right, open the gates for us, and we attack.”
Kaiser nodded. “I approve of the plan. Can you talk to Ayanna, and ask her to talk to some of the palace slaves?”
Artemus arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t you do it? She’s your…partner.”
Kaiser frowned. “We aren’t exactly on speaking terms as of late. She’s been busy, it seems.”
“With what?” Artemus asked.
“Your son,” Kaiser answered, though he tried to not sound too venomous.
Again, Artemus arched an eyebrow. “You make that sound as if that is a bad thing.”
Kaiser refused to answer. Instead, he looked away, though Artemus clearly was not having any of it.
“Look,” he said. “I don’t know what is going on between you two, but I only think of Ayanna as a friend. If you have done something, and most likely have, then you should man up and talk to her. Stop acting as stubborn as a bull.”
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Ayanna was able to find the right slave, who she figured would be able to blend in with the slaves of the villa. She told the woman, as she figured a woman would have the easiest ability for this task, and gave her her instructions. The woman had three days to find a way for them to get into the villa and was encouraged to use her ‘feminine charms’ to do so.
Task in mind, the woman set off.
The villa in question was a couple hours’ ride from the one they had taken over, and when they approached it, they saw that most of the slaves were field hands. That would make the mission so much easier in their minds.
It wasn’t as big as the one they had, though from what they could tell, it was well stocked with grain, meats, wine, fabric and more. It looked to be in the hands of a wealthy Roman, who, from what they could see, did not treat his slaves with complete kindness. Instead, from what they could see, he constantly had a whip in hand, something he used, it seemed, quite frequently.
Th
e villa sat at the bottom of a hill, which in their opinion, made this a lot easier as it gave them a chance to be on watch for any attack that might come from behind, while also weighing their options of attacking from above.
They circled the villa widely, before finding a good spot to deposit the slave, then ride back up the hill. Artemus and Kaiser stood on watch, as the female slave approached the field-hands and got into line, as she did not seem much different from them. A couple looked at her with an arched eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Do you think they suspect her?” Artemus whispered to Kaiser as the slaves walked back into the villa, the one they had sent to them.
“Maybe,” Kaiser answered with a sigh. “But we must wait and see the outcomes.”
And wait they did.
Every now and then, one of them rode back to their villa for supplies, while the other kept watch. Neither of them talked much, as there was an unspoken tension between them, one that should not be there. Yet, it was there because of Kaiser’s own doing. The German regretted what he had said and done, yet his pride prevented him from saying those three simple words: I am sorry.
When the female slave’s three days were up, when Artemus left for supplies, he returned with most of their gladiators. They had less than six men among them now, with Kaiser and Artemus himself excluded; together they had eight. Both men remembered when they had almost two dozen, but the constant fighting and errors on Kaiser’s side made them lose their comrades.
“You have brought weapons?” Kaiser asked.
The men nodded, showing the swords and make-shift shields they held. Kaiser looked at them with distaste as they were almost out of weapons. He hoped this villa, since it seemed had guards, held weapons somewhere to replenish their dwindling supplies.
“We are ready,” Artemus said. “All we must wait for now is the signal.”