Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:41:47 -0600
From: caninkor@sasktel.net
Subject: Three Pieces of Gold, Part 2

This story is set in the Roman Empire, and therefore, obviously it is not
true.  If you're not meant nor allowed to be here - and you know who you
are - skedaddle!

I started out to write a stroke story, and somewhere along the line
discovered I liked creative writing.  Therefore, what started out as a
stroke story with scant plot, became a short story with some - but not a
lot - of sex in it.  If you're looking to get off by page 2, probably this
story's not for you.  If you tend to the less-explicit-but-more-erotic
side, then this story might just be for you.

THREE PIECES OF GOLD
~ a short story by
R. Cameron Reece
Part 2

chapter five

The second day at Agda's was a continuation of the first.  Gio worked on
mentha oil extraction. By dinnertime he was more-or-less proficient.  Just
when Agda declared him a success, and they were cleaning up their day's
work, Aelius appeared, and they ate dinner together.

Lying on their mats again that night, Aelius continued his story.  "I spent
the first night, after the soldiers took me away, in the cell under the
barracks.  The building was so close to the seashore that water seeped
through the walls, and puddles were strewn about the floor. It was cold,
dark and dank.  Not nearly so much so as my spirits, however.  I was
overcome with despair.  Not only was I still grieving over the death of my
father, and seething with fury at the man who caused it, I now felt I was a
let-down to my family who would have to bear the shame of seeing one of
theirs hanging on a cross.  Never had I felt so hopeless, or so alone,
there, with only the rats to keep me company.  Strangely, the thought of my
imminent death was left in the dust of these events, careening like a
chariot out of control.

"I suppose I slept; I must have dozed fitfully, at least.  Then the sun
came up at last, not that I could see it down there in the bowels of the
earth.  Rather, I sensed a lessening of darkness around me, if that makes
any sense.  I was hungry and thirsty; I had not eaten since early the night
before.  I prayed to Virtus to help me endure the trials the last few days
my life would bring me.

"Shortly thereafter, I heard the clump, clump of descending foot falls on
the stairs, and the clink of a sword bump-bump-bumping against the narrow
stairwell that signaled a soldier's arrival.  My heart sank even lower, if
that were possible, when he came into view.  I was hoping for some wine and
bread, which he did not have.  Instead, he spoke to me in a gruff accented
voice.  It was evident he was not from Ravenna, or anywhere nearby.  "Come
with me," he barked.  "The governor wishes to see you."

"So soon", I thought.  "The beginning of the end is coming so soon."  You
know what crucifixion is, Gio, but have you actually seen a man die that
way?  The horror stretches on into the next day, sometimes.  Finally, when
he has no strength to push his body up so he can steal a breath, no
strength to fight against the agony of putting all his weight on nailed,
torn feet, he chokes to death."  Aelius was quiet for a moment.

"It occurred to me to wonder how they assembled the witnesses for my
audience with the governor so soon the next day.

"Three soldiers escorted me to the residence of the governor, hands bound
behind my back, and feet shackled so that I could take only short steps.
Suddenly, I was thankful that it was but daybreak.  The cocks had only
started their daily proclamations and there were few witnesses to my
humiliating journey through town.

"At the governor's residence, I was herded into his public receiving
chambers.  The soldiers stood guard at the door.  After several minutes,
Commodus, the governor entered.  He was not alone, however.  Behind him was
Lucanus, a local slave trader.  I recognized him, as just the year before,
he had come to my boatyard and had commissioned a boat.  Trading and
transporting slaves is apparently a very lucrative business; Lucanus was
very well off.  I had only a second to question the implications of the
second man's presence before Commodus spoke.

" "It appears someone has an interest in you, Boat Builder," he said.
"More specifically, an interest in you alive.  It is very fortunate for you
that a fisherman came forward last night, with a story of things he saw out
on the waters concerning a man named Hadrienus.  And since some stroke of
misfortune leaves poor Hadrienus unable to refute his story, I'm inclined
to believe him."  Even in my despair, his sense of irony and humour were
not lost on me.  Lucanus guffawed at this remark until a sharp look from
Commodus silenced him.

" "Still, you did kill a man, and as such, you cannot go unpunished.
Lucanus has offered Roma three pieces of gold for you.  That, along with
saving the executioner's fee is very appealing to me.  You are now his
property."

"With that, he turned on his heal and strode from the room.  My knees
buckled, and I found that the room was spinning.  My mind, too, was reeling
with this sudden turn of events.  In the space of several heartbeats, I had
gone from a man doomed to crucifixion to a man given a second chance at
life.

"I regarded my saviour with mixed emotions.  Yes, I had been snatched from
a fate of cruel suffering and humiliation climaxing in death, but to what
end?  It is one thing to be a poor, illiterate expatrius, in a foreign
land, with no means of support save a master's generosity, it was quite
another to be an educated, successful, free man, and have the mantle of
slavery thrust upon me!  Was it worse to be in a chariot careening out of
control, or to abandon it, only to find myself in the pathway of the horse
behind me?

"Time for philosophising was short, however, as Lucanus addressed me.  "You
are lucky the gods of chance saw me at port, Boat Builder."  He paused,
clearly expecting me to verbalize my gratitude.  I gave an obligatory
grunt.  If Lucanus was aware of its lack of sincerity, he didn't let on.
He continued, "I have a plan in mind for you.  You are destined to make you
debut in Roma."

"What could Lucanus mean, debut in Roma?  Criminals and troublesome slaves
only did one thing in the public eye, and that was mortal combat on the
arena'd, sandy floor of an amphitheatre.  A knife of cold stabbed me in the
chest.  What did I, a gentle ship builder, know of the ways of a gladiator?
Had I been rescued from the teeth of a lion only to be fed to a tiger?"

It took Giovanni a second to remember what a lion was.  Then it came to
him.  Those were the ferocious beasts with coats the colour of tanned
leather, that were more often than not, responsible for the demise of many
a gladiator.  But what was this other ... tager? ... tiger?  He guessed it
must be a similar animal, but it was unknown to him.  Of course, Lee, being
the successful combatant that he was, probably had opportunity to see many
a ferocious beast beyond the realm of Gio's imagination.

Giovanni started from his daydreaming.  Aelius had not stopped talking, and
now he had missed some of the story!

" " ... Roma, however," Lucanus said to me.  "I have a contract that will
take me to Mesopotamia, first.  You can cut your fighter's teeth in some of
the circii there.  The quality of warriors is less there; you'll have a
better chance of surviving while you hone your skills."

" "I ... I'm ... I'm no fighter," I mumbled.

"Lucanus gave another of those big, belly laughs.  "And I suppose old
Hadrienus died from a chicken bone, stuck in his throat."  I found his
sense of humour crude.  Clearly, he had been a witness to so much violence
and death in his life, they no longer had an impact on him.

" "I've got a feeling about you, Boat Builder.  You'll do fine.  You'd
better, at least.  A man of your strength and stature can make me a lot of
money.  Who knows?  If you're really good, and survive enough contests, you
may even earn your freedom back," Lucanus said.

"I did not have a lot of hope of that last bit ever coming true.  Indeed, I
was not so much a fool as to not recognize a carrot dangling in front of a
stubborn ass to bribe it's compliance when I saw it.  Still, 'choice' was a
word for me that could now only be used in my memories.  "It will be as you
wish master," I acquiesced; the final word bitter on my tongue like some
medicinal drink."

Giovanni found it hard to imagine Aelius, his epitome of strength, bowing
in subservience to any man.  He had wanted to ask Lee questions several
times throughout he master's narrative, but held back for fear of breaking
the seemingly magic spell Lee's story-telling had woven, a reverie that
continued to exist even once Aelius had been silent for some moments.

"Ahh, but that's enough for tonight.  I have a difficult day of training
tomorrow, and you, lots of learning."

Giovanni wanted to disagree, but could not.  He never imagined using his
brain could be so tiring.  Many a night, after working long hours of
physically difficult labour in his father's shop, he'd lie awake at night,
still filled with energy. Not so this night, after the fierce concentration
at Agda's shop all day.  The thought of a repeat of last night's
explorations was exciting, and made his member swell slightly.  However,
the desire for rest was yet more powerful, and his eyes closed in sleep.

chapter six

Inside Agda's quarters the fire glowed in the pit.  Sweat beaded on
Giovanni's forehead, trickled down the bridge of his nose and hung there,
suspended halfway between being stuck there and falling.  With an impatient
swipe of the back of his hand, he flicked it off; his forehead furrowed in
concentration.

Today he was making a tea; boiling pine needles, olive tree leaves, and
nettles - or trying to, that is.  This was his fourth attempt.  It was a
long, slow process, and his first three tires ended in dismal failure.
Each ingredient of the tincture had to be present in precise amounts and
there just seemed to be no pleasing Agda this day.

"You're goal is a tea that will relieve pain and body aches, not one that
will induce diarrhea, Gio," she stated sharply.

"Pay attention to how much nettle you're using!" she said after the second
attempt.

"You boil that any more, you'll have a good pot of glue on your hands," she
criticised after the third attempt.

"You're distracted, today, boy."

Giovanni hated it when Agda called him boy.  She had a way of making him
feel like a child when she thought he was not measuring up to his
potential.  But she was right.  He was distracted today.  The weather had
grown steadily hotter every day this week, until even outside in the shade,
it was unbearable.  Why they had to be doing something that only added to
the heat was beyond Gio.  This work was too much like his former days in
his father's bakery for his liking.  However, his lot was not to question
"why", so with a huge sigh of resignation, he tossed the contents of the
pot into the pit, the fire hissing its objections.  He started his fourth
attempt, his irritability added to his determination.  It was nearly time
for dinner and for Lee to arrive.  He would get it right this time; he
would not have his entire day be counted as failure!

As if thinking of Aelius, alone, was power enough to summon the man, at
that very moment he walked through the doorway. Gio acknowledged him with a
mumble, but did not make eye contact.  Not even Lee's arrival was going to
jeopardize the tea this time.  The alarm in Agda's voice, however, was
cause for him to look up from his work.

"Aelius, amicus!" she cried.  By the power of Jupiter, what happened to
you?"

Gio could see now the cause of her concern.  Lee was in a lot of pain; his
movements slow and stiff.  The way he clutched his right side with his left
arm pointed to the source of his discomfort.

"I will be OK," Lee protested feebly.  "I just took a blow on my side from
a mace swung by a man who was faster than me.  I just need some of one of
your miracle teas to dull the pain."  Each word he spoke seemed to require
great effort.  Gio wondered how he made it to Agda's in his state, even
thought the distance was short.

"Felicitas be praised.  That's just what Gio is making today.  Gio!" she
turned to the boy.  "Is that batch not ready yet?!  And did you do
everything right this time?"  She did not wait for Giovanni's answer.
Instead, she strode over to the fire, dipped a wooden ladle into the
simmering pot, and dished up the ladle full.  She wafted some of the
steaming contents under her nose and declared, "It'll do."  She poured some
of the dark murky liquid into a cup, and added a chunk of bees' honeycomb.

"Drink this slowly, Aelius," she ordered.  "It won't take long before
you'll notice its effects.  My young apprentice here, seems to have
produced a remarkably potent batch.  It may be hard on an empty stomach
though, so don't drink more than half that cup before we sup. Why you put
yourself through all this donkey dung the gods only know," she scolded him.
One look at her face, however, showed genuine fondness and concern for her
patient.

"You will have your work cut out for you tonight, Gio," she turned her
attention to the teen.  "I will be sending some salve with you.  You will
need to rub it into every place on his body this crazy fool has abused.  I
hate to imagine all the colours he's apt to be tomorrow.

"When are you going to give this nonsense up, anyway?!" she scolded, her
attention once again on Aelius.  "I bet you didn't get yourself busted up
on a regular basis building boats.  You know, you can only press your luck
with Felicitas so far.  Goddesses are fickle like that."  Even as she was
scolding him, her hands were busy preparing the salve.  "Crazy fool, jus'
crazy," she muttered under breath.  "Gonna get himself killed one of these
days.  Now get up to this table, both of you; dinner is ready."

They ate dinner more-or-less in silence.  Aelius seemed not to have the
energy for conversation, though whether it was from pain, or an effect of
the tea, Giovanni did not know.  Giovanni, himself, was silent, worrying
about his master.  Further, he did not know Agda well enough yet, to decide
if her outburst was borne out of anger or out of concern for Lee's health.
Whatever the source, he thought it prudent to do as little as possible that
might cause her to focus her attention on him.  Today's work hadn't been
exactly a glowing success, after all.

Later, Aelius was lying on his back as Giovanni carefully massaged the
soothing salve into his ribs.  "I won't break, you know," Aelius encouraged
the boy.  "Rub it in thoroughly.  It may hurt a little now, but I'll be
thankful for it tomorrow."

Gio continued his ministrations, doing his utmost to inflict as little pain
as possible.  Yesterday, he would have jumped at the chance to rub his
hands all over his master's body.  It had not occurred to him, however,
that it might happen under these conditions.  His concern for his master's
comfort nearly drove thoughts of a baser nature from his mind.

Nearly, but not quite.

It was then that he noticed in the flickering light of the lantern - Lee
had lit one tonight for Gio to better see to work - a nasty welt, running
along Lee's pelvis, red and angry in appearance.  He dipped his hand in the
pot of salve and started to work on this area.  Aelius winced in pain, but
insisted Gio continue.

"No, no.  Keep on," he said.  "It just stings some, at first, where the
skin's broken."

Giovanni started to massage again.  Concerned or not, he could not help but
notice the proximity of his hands to his master's pisello.  It appeared to
Gio that the effect of his touch was not lost on Aelius either.  He could
not be sure, but his master's manhood looked a little more swollen than it
had only a few moments before.  Gio wondered if his eyes might not be
playing tricks on him.  Even as he pondered this, it was evident that
indeed, Lee's organ was getting hard.  Gio could feel his mouth getting
dry.

While the sight excited him to no end, he was unsure of what to do.  It was
a completely different thing to steal a touch while his master slept, than
when he was awake, fully aware of what was going on.  The compulsion that
drove him on two nights ago wholly deserted him now.

"Ahh, meby-MAYbe you should roll over now, and I-I'll do your back," he
stammered.

Aelius regarded the form kneeling next to him intently, without speaking.
It was only for several heartbeats, but Gio began to squirm.  What was
going through his master's mind?  Finally Lee spoke.

"I wasn't exactly sleeping the night before last, you know," he said
quietly.  I know what went on under the covers."

Giovanni froze.  His heart skipped a beat.  His hands were suddenly clammy
with a cold sweat; a sharp contrast to his face which burned with an
intensity even the lantern could not rival.  What was Lee going to do with
him?  Why hadn't he stopped him that night, if he truly was awake?  Why
hadn't he stopped himself?  Why did Lee wait 'til now to say anything?  His
fear showed on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Master, Aelius, sir, I was wrong, I got carried way, I don't
know what came over me, I wasn't thinking, it was stupid of me, sir, like a
child."  Gio's words tumbled out one over the other.  A big tear rolled
down his cheek making a shiny trail, glistening in the lamplight of the
lantern.

"Relax Gio," Aelius reassured him.  "I'm not angry.  And where did this
'sir', and 'master', and 'Aelius' come from?  I thought we put those to
rest days ago."

Giovanni's head was bowed.  He felt too ashamed to make eye contact.  Maybe
his father was right - those times he'd called Gio worthless, when he'd
failed to meet his pater's expectations.

Lee spoke softly, "Gio?"  Gio did not move, his eyes rooted on the mat.
Again, this time more persistent, "Gio.  Look at me."  Almost
imperceptibly, Gio inclined his head and glanced from under his brow at his
master's face.  "You know I told you that my choosing you was no accident,
or not something done without any reasoning.  I knew from the moment I
first laid eyes on you in the dim light of your father's shop that you were
special.  My heart could barely stand to wait until the agreed-upon day of
my return to get you again.  But I didn't want a slave, or someone to
pleasure me out of a sense of obligation or duty.  I needed to be
absolutely certain that your actions were coming from a place in your
heart, not from my power over you.  Do you see?"  Aelius's voice was
earnest.  "My heart was bursting with joy after the other night.  My loins
certainly didn't object to your treatments, either," he said, winking at
Gio.  Gio blushed.

"I have never been so distracted by the idea of anybody before.  That man
today was not more skillful than I am, nor was he likely any faster.  I was
just too busy thinking about the best thing that's happened to me in a long
time; I was thinking about you!"

Aelius reached up his hand and caressed Giovanni's cheek.  The teen
suddenly felt flushed, and this time, not from shame nor embarrassment.
"Come here, my little amicus," said Aelius, gently pulling him toward him.

A starburst of light danced in Giovanni's mind as their lips made contact.
The pleasures he had experienced two nights prior, paled in comparison.
His heart fluttered.  Adrenaline coursed through his veins, making his
heart beat wildly.  His manhood engorged with blood until his erection was
almost painful.  This was the phoenix of sensations.  Aelius's tongue came
out and gently but firmly, parted Gio's lips, darting in and out against
the teen's own tongue.

The superlative of his pleasurable sensations redefined itself yet again.
Gio caught his breath in a sharp intake of air, millions of tiny points of
light spangling his eyes, and came, ejaculating his hot boy seed all over
Lee's chest.  Completely spent, he collapsed on his mentor's chest, his
arms curled around Lee possessively.

"Uh, Gio?"  Aelius winced at the boys added weight on his abused body.

"Yes? Oh, OH! I'm sorry, Lee!" Gio cried out, and scrambled off Aelius's
chest when realization hit him.

"It's OK, Gio.  I'm just a little tender that's all.  Once you finish
rubbing that salve, and I drink some more of Agda's tea, I'll be fine.
Mind you, it appears that now there are two kinds of cream to be massaged
into my chest," he said, mischievous smile back on his face.  Gio blushed
again at his teasing.  With love and tenderness in each stroke, Giovanni
dutifully finished tending to Aelius's sore, battered body.

As good as his word, after another mug of the bitter analgesic tea, by the
skill of his mouth alone, Aelius took Gio to paradise again.  His second
orgasm was even more powerful than the first a short while before.
Satisfied, with a contentment he had never known before, Gio spooned in his
lover's arms.

Aelius started the thread of his past again, unbidden.  "To someone whose
home had been, for the most of his life, in a village of 700 people, Roma
was overwhelming.  The sights, the sounds; people shouting to one another,
vendors hawking their wares, each one trying to outdo the competition next
to him, the bleats and lows of animals.  The crowds.  Even in my time in
Mesopotamia, there was nothing to rival this place.  You think nothing of
it, having been born to it.  To me, it was something out of a fantastical
dream - nay - nightmare.

"We arrived in the heat of the summer.  Roma is definitely hotter than my
coastal homeland.  Here, not a whisper of a breeze attempts to move the
heavy, sticky air.  Further, I had spent many a day at sea to get here,
with omnipresent ocean winds to cool us.  The total effect was to make me
feel ill.

"Lucanus anchored his ship at the mouth of the Travere.  It was still
seaworthy without needing a single day's repair throughout our journeys."
There was pride in Aelius's voice.  "He gave his sailors shore-leave for
three months, and he and I made for the area around Palatino.

"The days of Ludi Apollinares would soon arrive, and Lucanus was counting
on there being endless celebrations around and nearby the Circo Maximo, the
Colloseo, and the Forum Romanum.  With two week's practice, he figured I
ought to be in shape, and familiar enough with the Colloseo to take on
anything it had to offer.

"I had become more confident after my battles in Mesopotamia.  Still,
entering into combat, knowing full well that death is possible - even
probable - eats a certain hole in one's stomach.  Further, the
amphitheatres in Mesopotamia, while grand on their own terms, were nothing
compared to the scale of things in Roma.

"During Ludi Apollinares that year, there were gladiator battles every day,
sometimes even more than one a day.  I managed to get through the first
three days with my life intact.  As if that weren't miraculous enough
itself, I also managed to do it nearly unscathed.  Had I been badly
injured, I would not have been able to return as I did, day after day.  By
the fourth day, the gamers were doing a brisk business, placing odds on my
life.  It seems I had established a reputation for myself as unbeatable.
Lucanus made a considerable sum of gold from my skill and luck.

"It was the final day of the festival, and all the celebrations were coming
to a raucous finale.  It was rumoured that the Emperor Domiziano was
sponsoring this battle at the Flavian, and that no expense would be spared.
All the people of any importance would be there to witness the spectacle.
The word on the street was that the warriors could be expected to meet some
of those savage beasts that came from afar.  Up to that point, I had never
seen a lion.  I was scared to the point of retching, that morning.

"Lucanus reassured me of his faith in me.  Since our arrival in Roma, and
my success in the circle, he had been treating me like some salt mine
sultan, which I suppose in one way, I was.  However, beneath the thin
veneer of his kindness was greed, pure and simple.  So long as I was
winning contests and filling his purse with gold, nothing ranked more
important.

"We were making our way to the amphitheatre, following the path of the
fifth aqueduct.  I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings; I was
too preoccupied, preparing myself mentally for what I was convinced would
be my last morning before death.  It was different, yet strangely the same
as that night long ago in Ravenna.  We were approaching a busy crossroads,
and I was snapped out of my reverie by a terrible fracas just ahead.  There
were sounds of marketers' stalls being smashed, copper pots banging and
clanging as they were knocked from their display, shouts and screams, both
of anger from the shopkeepers and of fear from others.

"I dashed to the intersection to see what the cause of all the commotion
was.  There, bearing down on my path, careening wildly out of control, was
a chariot.  Something had spooked the horses and now all four, crazed and
wide-eyed with fear, were stampeding amok.

"Lions I didn't know, horses I did.  I started running ahead of, but in the
same direction, as them.  Just as the lead horse on the right overtook me,
its head level with me, I reached over and grabbed its harness, and pulled
down with all my might, careful myself, not to stop, lest I be trampled.
Even a panicked animal will not run itself into the ground.  Several
strides later, they slowed and came to a halt.  Everything that had been so
cacophonous only moments before, suddenly was silent.  The only sounds
audible came from the animals; the heaving breaths of the horses, and the
squawking of indignant foul whose cages had been overturned in the fray.

"I turned my head to see if the occupants of the chariot were unharmed.  It
didn't appear that there was anyone in it.  Then I noticed fingers, locked
in a death grip over the edge of the chariot.  I made my way around the
four horses - fine pure white horses, I noticed, with pearls braided into
their tails - to the back to the chariot to see the owner of the fingers.

"The sight that met my eyes was one that I would have never imagined in a
thousand years.  The chariot was occupied by a beautiful, young woman, not
much older than you are now.  Her raiment was of a very fine quality, and
was snowy white, except for a big swath of dirt that was obviously a result
of the impromptu race.  More dust flecked her cute, upturned nose.  She was
in so much shock that when I helped her up, I had to pry her fingers loose
from the chariot.

"In all the excitement, I guess I didn't stop to consider what the scene
before me implied.  A woman alone in a chariot - well, it turns out that
she hadn't been alone after all.  Her aid was knocked off when the horses
went berserk - and that chariot of the finest quality, pulled by four
matching white horses, and said lady in fine white garments.

"I glanced over at Lucanus, who by now had arrived in the intersection.  If
possible, he was even paler than the poor damsel.  Evidently, he saw the
scene for what it was and it did not bode well for him.

" "Are you injured, miss?" I asked her.

"She stared at me blankly for a full second, and then seemed to give
herself a little shake.  "No, I'm fine, though I fear for Mira," she said
finally.  Her voice was like music, the first bird's song after a long
storm.  It was my turn to now look puzzled. "Oh," she continued.  "You
wouldn't know Mira; of course not.  She is my aide, and I'm afraid she is
lying hurt somewhere, a few blocks back.  She was knocked off the chariot
when the horses spooked."

"By this time order had started to descend once again on the area, and
someone was dispatched to find Mira.  The young lass looked directly at me
and said, "My name is Tryphaena, from the Temple of Vesta."

"My heart faltered in its rhythm.  To touch a Vestal Virgin uninvited was
sure death.  I immediately fell down on one knee.  "My lady, please forgive
me for being so impertinent.  I - I didn't realize ..." I stammered.

"I was treated to her laughter.  "You hardly have any cause for apology,
sir. If it weren't for you, I'd still be careening through the streets of
Roma, leaving disgruntled chickens in my wake.  Please, stand up.  You've
more than earned the right to forego ceremony.  What is the name of my
gallant saviour, if I may ask?" she said to me.

" "I'm - My name is Aelius, my lady, originally of Ravenna, but now I
belong to this man."  I gestured toward Lucanus, a few steps away, his
countenance clouded with a heavy scowl.

" "Well, not anymore, you don't," she said to me brightly.

" "I beg your pardon," I said to her.  Maybe it was the shock of her recent
escapade.  She was clearly mistaken if she thought Lucanus would give up
such a gold mine as me, just because I'd acted in a heroic manner.

" "It is within my power to set any man free, from any enslavement," she
said.  "And you, Aelius of Ravenna, have certainly earned your freedom
today."  She turned to address Lucanus.  "Give me his papers, please. I
assume you are in possession of them?  And tell me the price you paid for
this fine, brave man, and you will be reimbursed."  I could hear the subtle
change in her voice, haughtiness matching her station.

"Lucanus protested, "This is highly irregular, ma'am."

" "Highly irregular maybe, but not unheard of," she countered.  "And you
will address me with the proper respect, slaver," her voice was still
musical, but suddenly took on a tone that brooked no argument.  "It's
either that, or I send for the temple soldiers to cart someone off who had
the gall to protest my privileges," the music was now ominous.

" "That w-won't be necessary, my lady," said Lucanus, now on one knee.  "It
will be exactly as you suggested," he said, as he fumbled in his purse for
my papers, handing them to her with head bowed in subservience.

" "Thank you, good sir," she said.  I couldn't believe I was actually
seeing what happened next.  She gave the papers a quick perusal to verify
their authenticity, and then tore them up before my very eyes!  It was my
turn to steady myself on the chariot.  Just like that, I was free!  "Come
by the temple tomorrow for your gold, sir," she said and then turned her
back on Lucanus.  "You", she said, looking at me with a twinkle in her eye,
"climb on here and drive me back to find Mira, and then you can have your
freedom."  She laughed merrily.

"We found Mira, who, by the way, had nothing more than a bad bump on her
head.  Tryphaena introduced her aide and me.  We helped Mira back into the
chariot.  Tryphaena turned to me and asked, "Where were you going, or what
were your plans before Fortuna made our paths to cross, Aelius?"

" "We were making our way to the Colloseum, my lady," I answered her.
"There is to be a grand gladiatorial spectacle there today."

" "Yes, I know.  What a coincidence.  That is where we, too, are headed.
You must accompany us then," she said.  "And call me Tryphaena; I insist."

" "But I -"

" "No buts.  There will be plenty of room to sit with us.  Besides," her
eyes lit up with mischief, "when else will you ever get to see a gladiator
contest from the second row?  Why, any closer than that, and you might as
well be in the fight itself."

"The second row, Gio!  Can you believe it?!  When would I get the chance,
indeed?!"  Aelius snorted.

""Well, there is that," I conceded.  "But I wasn't exactly going to be a
spectator, today."

"A shrewd frown creased her youthful face.  "'Exactly then, what were you
going for?" she asked me.

"I am due to fight, today.  Lucanus makes - made - his money from my
fighting prowess," I told her.

" "Goodness," she exclaimed.  "We can't have you gain your freedom, and
then perchance be killed all in the same day.  Why, there's even going to
be lions, today.  Nequaquam.  Absolutely no fighting for you, today.
Today, you are my guest."

"And so it was.  On that one day long ago in Ravenna, my freedom had been
taken away in less time than it takes to bake a foccacia.  And on the day I
met Tryphaena, my liberty was born again at the same accelerated pace.

The fans expecting to see me fight that day were disappointed, especially
those who had paid the gamers gold to wager on me.  Lucanus was furious.
For him, it was like watching a salt-laden vessel sink to the bottom of the
sea, without him being able to do anything about it.  I, however, was
ecstatic.  There was not going to be any lions tasting my blood that day!

"That seems as good a place as any to stop, Gio.  Besides, we both have had
long days.  Sleep well, my friend," Aelius murmured in his ear.  The
regular rhythm of Gio's chest, rising and falling, told him that he already
was.

More to come yet!  Your comments and constructive criticisms are welcome at
caninkor@sasktel.net, the address listed above.