Queen of the Underworld

Chapter 10: Buried Truths

RIP Andy Whitfield

"I see that your absence from training has not slowed you down in the least," Spartacus said to his sparring partner as he barely ducked beneath her wooden sword.

"I feel better than ever," Proserpina replied with a smile, stepping back into position. A week of recovery had done her body good, though she began to feel restless the last couple of days. The medicus was far from an enjoyable companion, but Spartacus and Varro visited her often and their company was well received. Still, she longed to get back to training and hold the champion to his promise.

The girl attacked Spartacus once more, but he quickly blocked the blow with his sword, and slammed his shield hard into her breast. She stumbled back, struggling to keep her balance. Proserpina could be swifter than any man, but she was no match against brute strength.

"You use your body well," the gladiator told Proserpina as he approached her with his weapons lowered. "But with your sword, I know your every move." He put the hilt of his weapon underneath her chin so that she looked up at him. He took in her face for a moment. "Your eyes confess everything."

Not everything, I pray.

But Spartacus's eyes were not entirely without their own declaration as he looked at her, though Proserpina could not uncover the hidden secrets behind them. There was something unyielding in the blue depths that the girl longed to discover; concealed facets of the beautiful sapphires that had since gone unnoticed until now. She stared curiously at the silent man, waiting for him to speak again.

He can see into my soul. That is his secret.

He knew her every move, her every lunge and parry. He knew every quick pounding beat of her heart, every breath, every thought. The Amazon looked away less he unearth any other buried truths about her.

"Mind their movements, not your own," Spartacus told her, unaware of the girl's introspection. "Watch your opponent closely," he said and circled slowly around her. "Watch, not where you will strike, but how he moves. The twitch of a muscle before he lunges, the bend of an elbow before he thrusts. I watch and I know, and that is how I best you." The gladiator stood again before Proserpina. "Attack my left flank," he commanded.

The girl sprung, but did not do as she was told. She thrust her sword towards his right side, but he blocked it without hesitation. "Good attempt, but mind your eyes!" Spartacus said with a smile.

Proserpina sighed and looked up at the descending sun. The last of the men were beginning to leave the training yard, but she knew Spartacus would keep her there until she got her lesson right.

"Strike me once," her mentor said, "and we will be finished for the day."

-X-x-X-

"Your eyes are as daggers when you study the girl," spoke Ilythia to her companion. The two women stood on the second story balcony, overlooking the almost deserted training field.

"She is most irksome," Lucretia replied. The younger woman watched as her friend's grip on the terrace banister tightened, turning her already pale knuckles white. Ilythia covered her companion's hand softly with one of her own. Her other found its way onto the woman's back.

"The girl is but a slave. What could she have possibly done?"

The mistress of the house groaned and turned to her confidant. "Truly, it is not her doing," she said as she took hold of both of the younger's hands and leaned in closer to her. "I trust we can speak in confidence."

Ilythia kissed the woman's cheeks and nodded her head eagerly. "Of course. You are my dearest friend."

Lucretia gave one more glance to the sparring pair. "Quintus wishes to use her to breed gladiators," she explained. "First with Spartacus, then Crixus, and only the gods know who else!"

The blonde's eyes lit up in excitement. Her grip tightened on her companion's hands. "How fascinating! But, tell me Lucretia, why does that trouble you?"

The woman cleared her throat. "Well," she started and paused, then continued after she gathered her thoughts, "it will take years to see outcome! And it is a waste of coin! Rather her fight and die in the arena then us follow a fleeting idea."

"Oh, nonsense!" Ilythia exclaimed as she quickly walked back over to the banister. The girl was now helping Spartacus off the ground after a hard earned victory. "This has the capacity to be most rewarding! Have you told them?"

"No, but soon," Lucretia said as she, too, watched the fighters' retreating forms. "Let us not rush too strong into this wreck."