“Forget it,” Bastiannius smirked.
Touchstone walked coolly to Bastiannius’ oldest son and shot him twice in the face. The son fell dead. Bastiannius screamed, but not as loud as his wife did. She tried to go to him, but she was punched in the stomach by one of the Guard.
This time, Touchstone smirked. Death and killing never amuse him, but he had no problem using it when necessary.
“You were saying.”
Bastiannius staggered to his feet on the bad knee.
“Let’s try this again,” Touchstone said. “Go to the desk and write some names.”
“What names?”
“The names of all the people you work with who have plotted against the king and his family. Don’t leave one name out.”
“Do you think you’re going to get away with this?” Bastiannius said defiantly.
Without looking, Touchstone shot another one of his sons, his second oldest, dead. Bastiannius tried to attack him, but tripped and fell to the floor once again on the bad knee. Touchstone grabbed him by the arm and took him to the desk. He helped Bastiannius to the seat and placed pen and paper in front of him.
“Start writing,” Touchstone said. "Or the next time, it’s going to be the rest of your children. And don’t think for one second that it can’t be done. I have my men and plenty of bullets.”
Bastiannius knew that Touchstone found his weakness. His family was in trouble and they were counting on him to do the right thing. He saw his wife crying frantically. He saw that one of his children, Cheron, stood stoic.
Grabbing the pen with shaky hands, he started writing names as quickly as he could. Every name he remembered or could remember, he wrote down. It did not matter if it made sense.
By the time he finished, he had hundreds of names on three pieces of paper. Touchstone took them and stared at them carefully.
“This is impressive,” he said. “How hard was that?” He looked at some of the children. “Alright, the three girls and the little boy. Take them outside, please.”
This confused Bastiannius. Still, soldiers escorted them out of the house. Touchstone saw who was left. “Alright, as for the rest of them. Kill them all.”
The wife yelled again, but a soldier covered her mouth. Then, one of the soldiers aimed at the son. Before he could shoot, Bastiannius threw an object at the soldier. He punched Touchstone cleaned in the cheek. Then, he went after the rest of them like a bull. It was as if suddenly, speed had crept into his body and had taken a mind of its own. He punched one soldier and snapped the neck of another.
Suddenly, just when Bastiannius was getting the upper hand, someone went through his chest. He saw it slowly as he put his head down and blood came from his mouth. It was a blade, coming from Touchstone. The speed had left his body, possibly forever.
Touchstone grinned again with excitement. He took the blade away and blood squirted from out of nowhere from Priam’s back. Bastiannius fell flat on the floor. The other soldiers still standing, went back to the guns and shot the other sons without another thought. Bastiannius tried to get up to go for them, but before he could even raise his head, Touchstone gored it.
Bastiannius Priam was dead and gone as far as Touchstone knew. But there was one person left.
Mrs. Priam tried to escape, but it was no use. One of the soldiers threw her to the ground. Touchstone jumped in front of her and with his sword, stabbed her right through her stomach with a downward thrust. He let out a blood cry and released the sword from his hands. Then, being a cool killer, he wiped some of the blood off his face and hands and reached for the papers with the conspirators’ names on the floor. He put them through his pants and went from the door.
“Burn the place,” he said. “Leave nothing around.”
Outside, he saw that the soldiers were watching the remaining Priam children: Cassandra, Rosaline, Imogen, and Cheron.
Touchstone observed their worried face. Only the boy remained motionless. The rest of the girls were crying. Their family was dead and their home was gone. There was nothing left for them.
Then, Touchstone said to the children, “You’re going back to Crystal Metropolis. You’re Timon’s property now.”
He saw the other slaves tending to the Priam land, wondering what had just happened, and yelled, “This land is yours now! Do with it what you want! Enjoy!”
As he walked, he glared the boy Cheron Priam. He did not know why, but there was something strange in his eyes. Touchstone rubbed his head roughly as they walked onto their vehicles, ignoring the furious fire burning from what was left of the Priam homestead.
****
When he reached Crystal Metropolis after a few days, Touchstone went straight to Timon’s floating palace on the Sabine River with the names. It seemed as if Timon decided to keep himself there away from everyone, including his nagging mother, who continued to bother him to no end about one conspiracy after another.
“This is a lot of names,” Timon said as he poured himself some wine in his kitchen.
“He was specific,” Touchstone said. “What now? From the looks of it, it’s half of the damn planet.”
“I see that most of these names are strators. Even Ventilicus’ name is on it.”
Timon paused for a few seconds. “Alright, this is what we’ll do. We’re going to gather them up and take them to the Strator Circle and there, I’m going to make my voice heard. And I want every single Democrat Guard with me.”
Touchstone sensed another bloodbath was going to take place. He needed his Guard to face strators. Touchstone grinned from ear to ear. This was what he lived for...
THREE: SANTOS CHILDREN WARS
Timon invited all of the strators and lators to the Strator Circle days after getting the names from Touchstone. All of them were together, each one confused about why they were there. Then, some of the lators entered the stadium and it got more confusing. Everyone asked Belarius what was going on, but he had no clue as well.
It was not until Timon came with an army of Democrat Guards led by Touchstone that the room got quiet. All waited for an explanation for all this.
Timon only said one thing when he got to the front and was seeing everyone he wanted to see.
"When your name is called, please stand.”
Then, Touchstone came out with a list of names and started saying them one by one. The names that were called were reluctant to stand up, but did as they were told. They knew that an explanation was coming afterwards. It was surprising that the last name on the list was Ventilicus, but Belarius was not mentioned. Belarius thought that he saw Ventilicus giving him some kind of questionable gesture with his face.
Then, Timon took the floor again. “I want all of you still in your seats to look at the ones standing,” he said. He granted a smile to the strators and lators. “Because an hour from now, at the Theater of the Starstriker, it would be the last time you ever see them. Because they will all be…executed.”
Everyone was shocked. Ventilicus bellowed. He went to Belarius and asked him what was going on. Belarius just shook his head.
Timon continued. “As for the gentlemen sitting, you’re in for a treat. Because as a gift for your loyalty, you’re going to get front-row seats in seeing your former friends executed.”
The entire Strator Circle erupted into complete pandemonium.
“Today is a brand new day,” he said. “Timon Boardwalk Santos runs new policy in Crystal Metropolis! No longer will the strators held any sway over what happens here. Understand? Because I will."
With that, the Democrat Guards went into action, taking the men standing out of the Circle. There was so much pushing and shoving that some of them were being carried out. There was nothing more to do or say. Some strators were still asking Timon why, but at this point, Timon was sick of hearing them.
Then, two hours later as promised by the king, at the Theater of the Starstriker, another large stadium like the Strator Circle, in a private “ceremony” as it was called, the hundred
or so strators and lators convicted as conspirators were brought to the square circle.
Each strator and lator with the exception of Ventilicus was on their knees with a soldier standing in back of them with a gun pointed to their head. Then with an act that no Santos King had ever done before, Timon walked out on the stadium and stood in front of the strators bending to his will.
“You’re here today because a traitor named you in the conspiracy against the Santos kingdom and the murder of my son Dromio.”
The strators and lators began speaking in unison.
“SILENCE! Anyone speaking again without my permission will be executed instantly.”
Silence filled the room and Timon continued his speech. It was hard for Timon to keep his composure. Hours before he had taken a double dose of Jove and was going mad. The look in Timon’s eyes was of rage mingled with sorrow.
“Understand this is hard for me to believe that you would conspire against me, since many of you I have called friends. One thing I've learned is that a traitor cannot be trusted. But a traitor can be redeemed and his spirit does not have to travel to the stars with the stigma of their treachery. So as an act of mercy, I’ll pardon anyone who calls out to the gods to return my precious son Dromio to life.”
When those words were spoken, two soldiers brought out the body of the deceased Dromio Boardwalk in his coffin.
“If you return him to life, you’ll live! If not, his name will be the last name on your lips.”
Immediately, all of the convicted strators and lators began to scream out Dromio’s name to the top of their lungs, each appealing to their particular belief. Timon turned his back on the men and walked toward his son. When he caressed Dromio’s face and saw that life had not returned, he took a pause, kissed his forehead, and raised his hand.
Each soldier fired their gun. The strators and lators stood in complete silence and awe at the ruthlessness of Timon. At this moment, no Santos King had been more fearful than Timon.
Timon walked over to Ventilicus and ordered him on his knees. Ventilicus refused until a Democrat Guard hit him on his back with a rifle. Immediately, Ventilicus dropped to his knees.
“You are the worst type of traitor," said Timon.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Ventilicus bravely.
Timon grinned. “Tell me Ventilicus! Do you know how it feels to lose a child?”
The thought of his wife and kids entered Ventilicus’ mind but then, he quickly renounced it. But as soon as the soldiers escorted Ventilicus’ family into the stadium, he knew all bets were off. Ventilicus looked up at Timon with so much trepidation in his eyes that he had to fight to hold back the tears.
“MY LORD PLEASE, I BEG YOU!" pleaded Ventilicus with tears coming from his eyes. “MY LORD, THERE’S ANOTHER CONSPIRA--"
“SILENCE!”
Before Timon stood Ventilicus’ wife, his nineteen-year old daughter, his fifteen-year-old son, his father, mother and sister. As Ventilicus looked at his family powerless to do anything, tears streamed down his face.
“Strator Ventilicus!” said Timon. “You’re guilty of the murder of Dromio and conspiring against the Santos rule. You tried to wipe my kingdom from the face of Crystal Metropolis. Now I’ll wipe your lineage from the face of the universe.”
Timon goes to Ventilicus’ son. “What’s your name boy?”
“Alexander sir.”
“Alexander, do you love your family?”
“Yes sir,” said Alexander.
“Do you love your empire?”
“Yes sir!”
“And you've heard the charges brought against your father, correct?”
Alexander looked his father in the eyes and nodded.
“I’ll give you a chance to save your family if you assassinate your father,” Timon said. “You have a choice! Your father or you and your family? Which one will it be?”
Once again, Alexander looked at his father. Ventilicus nodded and closed his eyes.
“My father,” Alexander answered.
Timon grinned. “Wise choice.”
Timon handed Alexander the gun and said, “Hear are the rules, Ventilicus. I want you to look your son in the eyes as he pulls the trigger. If you look away at any time, all bets are off and rest assured, I’ll sentence your family to the same fate as you. When I say fire, Alexander, kill him. Understood?”
Alexander nodded his head. Ventilicus raised his head and looked up at his son and his family.
“Ready! Aim! Fire!”
Alexander quickly pointed the gun at Timon and pulled the trigger.
Click, click, click!
Timon did not even blink. He just stood there with an emotionless look on his face, pulled out another gun and shot Alexander in the stomach.
Ventilicus screamed. The strators in attendance remained quiet out of fear. Never before had such a sound been heard coming from a male.
Timon smirked. “Never trust a traitor or the son of a traitor. They have the same traitorous blood.”
As Alexander squirmed on the floor screaming in agony, Timon looked at Ventilicus and said, “He’ll suffer in excruciating pain for the next several hours and you’ll witness it. You’ll witness him suffer and die. After that, you’ll die. As for your wife, she's the property of my Guard. She, along with your father and sister, will have the daunting task of satisfying sexually all of my Guards and any soldier away at war. As far as your mother, I’ll make her regret the day she ever gave birth to a traitor such as yourself. Your daughter?” He licked his lips. “Well, I’m going to have some great fun ravaging and deflowering her. Enjoy the rest of your short, miserable life.”
Timon grabbed Xandria, Ventilicus’ daughter, by the arm and walked off.
Ventilicus screamed out, “BELARIUS CONSPIRED WITH ME!!!”
His cries went unheard, muffled under the sound of his son screaming in agony.
****
55 B.E.
Right away, after the death of Timon's conspirators, new strators replaced the deceased. Some of them had no idea how to make laws, making the others still around wonder what kind of age they were living in presently. Was this really about a conspiracy or was it about complete cleansing of the Strator Circle? Was the problem more personal? Or was it just another drug trip?
Going into Timon's ninth year as Santos king, the Strator Circle was not the only change he made in Crystal Metropolis. More temples and monuments were being made in honor of Timon and the Santos clan. He saw himself as a living god, which shamed the name of Nero Santos, who never wanted people to see him or call him as such.
In one accord, he bettered all of Crystal Metropolis, making it more majestic. On the other hand, there were questions about who or what he was doing it for. After witnessing the fate of the strators and lators who opposed him, they were afraid to say anything to him.
For a while, however, things were getting back to normal. There were no more attacks against the Santos family. Timon pointed his attention back to the battlefield of space. He wanted to make his presence known on every single planet in the name of the Santos clan.
He focused his attention to Troyuvant, who once again was making noise due to the drug trade. This time, however, Timon did not join the fighting. Old age and his drug addiction were the main reasons. He appointed some of his greatest soldiers and appointed them as generals of his armies. One of them was a fellow cousin, the new general of the Crystal Metropolis Land Forces, Ajax Santos, a skilled bully in the battlefield who thrilled nothing else but victory.
There was another matter: the remaining children of Bastiannius Priam.
Touchstone brought them to him to show that Bastiannius Priam was dead. Timon did not want them there. As far as he was concerned, since Bastiannius was a traitor, his family was considered traitors, but Timon had an answer for that.
“Since you brought them here,” Timon said, “they’re your responsibility. Whatever happens to them, it’s your responsibility, not mine.”
<
br /> Touchstone had become the official guardian of Priam’s children; something he dreaded, but took it because it was what Timon wanted. Cassandra and Rosaline were made servants for the royal court while Cheron and Imogen, being the youngest, were asked to get a sort of education from the best tutors in the ATM.
Somehow, the children started growing on Timon. For some reason, Cheron reminded him of his deceased son, Dromio. So he issued a decree that Cheron and his three sisters were officially his adopted children.
Meanwhile, while Timon dealt with his rule, his mother Luciana suffered from her own pain.
Her main maid and best friend, Gintina, was dying in the start of 55 B.E. It was as if a part of her was dying. At the same time, Gintina was the only person that knew all of Luciana’s secrets. But there was something she hid from Luciana. With the life she had left, she was going to finally said it.
INIQUITOUS DOMINION: The Galactic Classic Page 6