WARNING - Explicit Sexual Content
The sight of Flagstaff on the horizon was bittersweet. Any attempts to track Hanlon across the wasteland was made impossible by strong winds that blew the sand and dirt, covering his tracks. Investigation of the caravan traders and brutish interrogation of locals came with no success either. The man had disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The Frumentarii didn't like to return to the capital with their tails between their legs but their efforts were futile. They had given the task three days worth of their time but now more pressing matters needed their attention. Now it was the Speclatores mission to scour the wastes for any sign of the man, after all tracking and elimination was their area of expertise.
Aramis walked with her head down, following in the deep footprints of Connor in the dry sand as they entered the main gate.
"Your welcome party," Von grumbled back and Aramis looked up to see the nervous faces of Athos, Reed and Argo. Each one was gaunt and they seemed visibly upset by something. As she approached, Reed and Argo let their eyes fall to the ground and Athos stepped forward to speak to his sibling.
Before Aramis could ask what was the matter Athos spoke.
"Something happened while you were gone," he began. There was no covering up the trembling in his speech. Now his eyes were unable to meet hers and Aramis thought she saw him bite his bottom lip as if trying to collect himself. "Something happened to Zen," he managed to get out.
Aramis felt her stomach flip as every muscle in her body tensed. At that moment she looked beyond Athos to the structure standing erect in the middle of the capital. The largest of wooden stakes dug deep into the sand. It towered over anything else in Flagstaff, standing out for miles on the horizon for those returning from patrol. It was called the Traitors Spike, a name it acquired when Reed was first hung to die before his innocence was proven. It didn't bother him that the name stuck. Aramis had taken little interest in the new body displayed for all when she first entered the camp but now the pole captured her attention in its horrific existence.
She pushed by her brother and ran towards the stake, shoving aside anyone who stood in her way. When she was finally close enough to make out the single body tied brutally to it she burst into hysterics.
Her yell of anguish brought all those around to hear it to attention. She fell to her knees forcing her eyes shut to shield herself from the sight before her. Zen didn't deserve to die this way. He didn't deserve to die.
It was a gruesome sight. Zen's body, twisted around the pole awkwardly, apparent that the human body shouldn't be able to bend in such a manner. His back was pressed against the wood but his arms were pulled around and tied together behind the pole. Whatever bones had kept him straight seemed non-existent as they hung like loose string, swaying in the light breeze. The only thing keeping him attached to the pole was a massive quarter inch thick metal nail driven horrifically through his abdomen to keep him fixed in place. His flesh was badly burnt from the unknown amount of time in the sun but much of the burning displayed strange patterns Aramis knew came from the torture weapons her team possessed. His face was barely distinguishable. His eyes had already been cleaned out from the fat ravens that dined on his flesh. Two of them perched, one on each shoulder squawking at one another as they pecked the dead man's face.
In the next instant Athos was on her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and with all his might tried to pull her to her feet but she refused to budge.
She wanted to scream, but instead forced her eyes shut and pulled her lips tight into her mouth, biting down on them so hard with her teeth that she could taste the metallic tang of blood.
"Not here, Aramis! You can't do this here!" Athos warned and he heaved one last time to get his sister to her feet. He managed to get her on shaking legs and will her to his own shelter where they could discuss what had transpired the night the Frumentarii had been dispatched.
Reed was on her other side pulling her along until they had gotten her into their shelter. Argo closed the door behind them and they sat her down on Athos' bed.
In the sanctity of the shelter Aramis broke down and began to sob into her hands.
"What the fuck!?" she bawled. Athos took a seat beside her.
"It had been Zen who let the captive go," he began.
Aramis looked up with tear filled eyes and a flushed wet face.
"What?" she managed to mumble out.
"Zen did it … He betrayed us," Athos spoke trying to keep his own voice from cracking.
"Zen and the …. Whatever he was…. they devised a plot to escape Flagstaff together," Reed told her as his voice began to quiver too.
Aramis couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"What?! No …. How?! ... Zen had been attacked!" Aramis proclaimed. Zen couldn't have betrayed the Legion. It was all he had known. They were his family.
"That's what he wanted us all to think. Deegan went to bring him some water in the night after you had been dispatched except he found Zen with a pack full of supplies trying to sneak out," Reed began. "Deegan questioned him and realized something wasn't right and that's when Zen attacked Deegan. Zen was subdued and Deegan alerted Brutus … I think that's when their interrogation began," Reed went on but he was having greater difficulty finding his words. He required more pauses so he could get the information out without breaking down himself. "They uncovered that Zen and the prisoner planned to runaway together. To … you know … be together," Reed managed to get out.
It all sounded too implausible at first but the more she let the thought dwell in her mind, the more it seemed perfectly understandable. Zen had never felt like he truly belonged in the Legion. He always seemed to face a hardship shortly after overcoming a previous one.
"So Caesar had him crucified?" Aramis cried out her whisper.
Athos just nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"How long has he been up there?" she asked.
"About two days now. We were formed up in the middle of the camp and ordered to watch as Cerberus performed the execution," Reed informed.
The shelter went silent as each of them took in the thought of Zen's death.
"He didn't deserve to die like that," Aramis broke out.
"We know," Reed agreed and sat on the other side of her on the bed.
"The Scout got away then?" Athos asked.
Aramis nodded solemnly.
"We lost sight of his tracks just a couple miles from Flagstaff. No trader, merchant or tribal had seen any trace of the black ghost. If the desert doesn't get him, surely the Speculatores will," she replied.
"Let's just hope his survival wont bring about the loss of more Legionaries. Zen was already too many," Athos spoke.
The night of Aramis' return had been unseasonably cold but that didn't deter a lone figure from venturing out in nothing but a thin cuirass of woven cotton to avoid making unnecessary noise. Their face covered by a black balaclava so not to be recognized if detected.
The figure took to the shadows, moving with graceful calculation from building to building until they arrived at the center of the camp. Vibrant green eyes glanced upwards at the body tied to the pole. Zen was perfectly still, as if sleeping and the flies had retired from their buzzing for the night. The figure unsheathed two small trench knives and dug each one into the wood, heaving their body up the pole.
The smell coming off Zen's body stung the senses but the figure reached up and cut at the ropes that bound Zen to the pole. His body slumped down over the figure's shoulders and the two made their way down silently.
When the hooded figure reached the bottom they thought the hardest part was over but they weren't the only one out of bed at this hour. The Legate stood in the shadows of a tent with arms crossed watching the hooded perpetrator. When the figure touched ground with Zen's body, the Legate stepped out to cut off the escape.
"I hope it's worth it," his voice called out to the shrouded person who instantly spun around and saw the Malpais Legate standing in their way.
The figure said nothing but stood perfectly still. After a drawn out pause between them a hand reached up and pulled off the hood.
Aramis stood starring at the Legate with a callous stare.
"I'm burying my friend," she spoke plainly and without hesitation she bent down and picked up Zen's body. The smell was nearly incapacitating and something leaked from his rotten orifice down her back, tracing like a finger down her spine yet she never displayed its overwhelming grotesqueness. She balanced him on her shoulder and rose up to stand keeping her eyes locked on the Legate. She didn't move forward, it was his turn to act now and he did by coming towards her.
She stood her ground till he was a mere couple feet away.
"If anyone finds out about this, you'll be placed up on that pole next," he warned.
"Should I be more afraid of everyone else … or is it you I should fear?" she asked bitterly. She owed it to Zen to be strong and stand up for her friend at a time when she could. She had left him once before and in that time he met his end; she wouldn't leave him now no matter what it cost her. "
"Did I not warn you about the consequences of a defiant eye?" The Legate spoke calmly.
"I'm surprised with how much liquor you drank that day you even remember our conversation," Aramis replied with poise.
The Legate sighed and took another step towards her.
"Sometimes young man, you forget who you're talking to," the Legate warned.
Aramis narrowed her gaze at him before her eyes fell on the scars around her wrists. The skin had faded from deep purple to a light pink where the ropes that held her to the spike had cut so deep … the day she had overtly talked back to him.
"I never forget," she muttered under her breath.
"You need to come with me Aramis," the Legate ordered.
At that moment Aramis felt the sudden surge of dread. No amount of bravery to stand up to the man who held her life in his hand would warrant her safety. If she refused and dared to raise a hand against him, he'd subdue her easily. If she made a run for it, he'd shoot her down like fleeing prey.
"Please," she began. "Please I'm not leaving him," she begged as she fell to her knees and held Zen's limp body tightly in her arms. The rotten flesh felt as though it would give way as she squeezed tightly but she refused to ease up her embrace.
"I didn't say leave him, I said come with me," The Legate spoke plainly.
Confused, Aramis got to her feet, hulled Zen back onto her shoulders and followed the Legate in silence. They meandered through the tents until they came to the main gate. The guard on duty halted them but the Legate waved him off, demanding his silence. Like a good dog, the guard retreated back to his post allowing the Legate to pass through, escorting Aramis.
When they were beyond the gate Aramis looked back wondering where the Legate was leading her.
They followed the perimeter wall around until he finally stopped in a place where the earth seemed softer.
"Less sand, more soil. If you dig deep enough, varmints wont be able to smell him or dig him up … but no depth is too deep where the Lord may never find him and judge him," The Legate told her.
Aramis felt warmth unlike any other surge through her body. This was as good as she could feel in a moment such as this. She lay Zen's body down and withdrew a small trowel from her boot.
"You'll be out here all night with that …" The Legate sighed as he pressed his hand into his face, screwing up his expression of frustration and pushing his fingers through his groomed, dark hair. "Wait here."
He turned and left Aramis alone for several long drawn out minutes until she saw him striding towards her carrying two shovels in his hands. He handed her one and without hesitation began to dig at the base of the wall.
Aramis didn't need permission to join him in the digging.
Neither of them spoke until an acceptable hole had been dug and Aramis placed Zen's body into his grave. The Legate outstretched his hand and pulled Aramis from the grave and helped her fill it in. Once the soil had been packed around him he dug his shovel into the earth and let it stand there as he sat on a large rock examining their deed.
Aramis piled one last scoop of dirt before leaning her shovel against the perimeter wall.
"What will you tell Caesar?" she asked.
"Let me worry about that," The Legate spoke assertively.
Aramis was having a hard time reading him at this moment. He had actually helped her bury the body of a man perceived as a defector. Surely this warranted questions of their loyalty to the Son of Mars. The Legate's eyes were locked on the freshly turned earth appearing deep in thought. Aramis wished she knew what he was thinking at this exact moment. She wanted to ask but fear brought upon by years of suffering under the man kept her mouth shut.
The Legate's eyes flashed to the side and were now locked on her. The moment his stare met hers she dropped her gaze but she had been caught.
He thought of that night so many years ago when he first caught Aramis sneaking around only to relive that moment tonight. He was looking at that same child but now he was all grown up. Aramis was a man now; a proven fighter and clever beyond his years. He felt the twitch of a smirk lift the corners of his mouth. It had been ages since he felt a smile on his face.
The smile weaned as his mind played through their moments together and suddenly the happy junctures became very dark and horrific.
Aramis was a finicky young man in the Legate's eye. He seemed to pick and chose where his loyalty lay from what the Legate had observed over the years. Aramis had a knack for speaking out of turn and carrying out his own agendas but one thing the Legate hadn't realized was that despite Aramis' unorthodox behaviour as a Legionary, he was devout to his fellow brothers in arms.
Aramis had always been the bigger man. He stuck up for the weak, defended the innocent, accused the unfaithful and even covered up the Legate's misconducts. Joshua felt his conscience press heavily on what little a soul he thought he had left. Aramis was more a champion of this Legion than he'd ever been. He watched as Aramis took a knee at Zen's gravesite and mumbled inaudible words to the dirt. The words were soft and clearly only intended for dead man's ears so the Legate looked away.
When Aramis was done her words she stood up and looked to her Legate.
He came forward unexpectedly and stood over the grave, looking upon the turned up Earth with silent reverence.
"Dear Heavenly Father. Take this Soul to be yours, judge him accordingly but we ask that by your grace, be merciful. Let we, Your children who remain find comfort from the Holy Spirit that he walks in the eternal light of your creation. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
Aramis lifted her eyes and stared at him for a long while. Never before had she heard the man pray. The words sounded silly yet they had given her an unquestionable feeling of tranquility. He spoke them so elegantly and she wished he had gone on.
"Thank you," she spoke sincerely.
The Legate looked back at Aramis for a moment feeling a connection between them he had long since felt cut.
"You best get back to your bunk," the Legate suggested with an outstretched hand. "Give me your shovel. I'll return them to the QM," he insisted. "Come on."
Aramis handed him the shovel without protest and took her place walking behind him.
"Do you think me a traitor?" she asked with her head lowered.
The Legate eyed her inquisitively as they made their way back towards the main gate.
"No Aramis, I don't believe you to be a traitor," he began. "But I do question where your true loyalty lies."
Aramis stopped mid step, a look of terror frozen on her face. Her eyes were wide, mouth gapping and even as sand kicked up in her face she never blinked.
"I have always been true to Caesar," she defended.
"I believe you think that as well but if that were true, you wouldn't be out here right now, defying his rules. No Aramis, you are not true to Caesar… but you are true to the Legion and I believe people like you are necessary," the Legate spoke calmly. "When you see Caesar, you see what I see. You see a man, a clever and powerful man but a man nonetheless."
"I'm not sure I follow," Aramis admitted.
"Aramis you have unfathomable bond with the men of this Legion. Your whole life had been immersed in this world. Caesar may be our leader but it is the men of this Legion who have gained your trust and worship," he explained.
Aramis had never thought of this before. The more she thought on his words, the more validity they held. She would do just about anything for her brothers, not just Athos. Reed, Seekra, Argo, all the Frumentarii … they were everything to her and she had proven she'd do anything for them. When she thought of devotion and self-sacrifice she had never once thought she was doing to for Caesar, she had been doing it for her kin.
"So, this is a good thing?" she asked.
"It can be so long as you play the role of dutiful and respectful subordinate. Need I remind you what happens when your not?" he asked flashing his eyes down to her wrists.
They walked through the main gate unchallenged by the guard.
The Legate stopped and turned back to Aramis.
"He was a traitor Aramis. He may have been a friend to you but he was a traitor. His death, which you may think it unfair, was necessary. You need to accept that, understood?" he asked.
Aramis thought about this for a couple seconds. Zen may not have led them into an ambush or plotted an assassination but he had defected from his brothers, his true family. By definition he was a traitor.
"Yes," she agreed.
"I am leaving for the New Canaan Outpost tomorrow morning. I'll be gone for a few weeks so I wont be here to keep you out of trouble," he spoke in mild jest.
Aramis smirked.
"I'll behave," she promised.
He gave only one slight nod of the head before turning and leaving her, disappearing in the shadows of the shelters.
Aramis watched him disappear, wavering a few seconds before making her own way towards her shelter. Just when it became easy to hate him, the Legate managed to slip his way back into a place within her she thought long expunged. It was a feeling that brought a smile to her face and she felt selfish for letting herself be so easily distracted with thoughts of happiness in a time that called for only solemnity. She climbed the steps of her shelter, erased the smile from her face and slipped silently inside.
Life went on the next day as though nothing had happened. Those who wished to mourn did so in secret if they had any regard for their personal safety. No one even mentioned the disappearance of Zen's body.
There was no investigation as Aramis thought there might be. It appeared whatever the Legate told Caesar, he believed it and she was in the clear.
As the day went on it became apparent the shock was over and business was to carry on as usual. It was until the sun went down and darkness blanketed the camp did those who wish to grieve feel safe to do so.
Though the sun had set many hours ago, a slave's job lasted long in to the night. Seekra had finished her duties in the midwives tent, tending the nursery where her own Alexus had come of age before Lion acquired him. It was forbidden for her to see her son whom she heard was developing into a sprightly youth of six alongside his adoptive brother, Dead Sea. Once and awhile she would steal a glance at him training down in the Den but she hadn't spoken to her boy in years. That's how things were and she had accepted it long ago.
With arms full of washed dressings she pushed aside the canvas flap of the medical tent and entered the pitch-black hut. The dark never frightened her. She spent nearly ten hours a day in this place and she could navigate her way around with no issue but something felt off.
Some one let out a whimper. The sound was faint but still audible and Seekra moved instantly for the brazier in the corner. Once lit she turned sharply and peered about the tent but saw no one. What she heard was the sound of shuffling and she looked below the level of the gurneys to the shape of a person huddled in the corner across the room. She took two cautious steps around one of the stretcher beds and moved towards the person.
They still wore the Legion attire of the day, fully armoured and ready for training but the day had ended long ago.
When she was in full sight a head looked up.
The flushed red face of Athos was looking back at her, eyes puffy, bloodshot and full of tears.
"Athos …" Seekra spoke with calm, gentle, serenity. She took a knee beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
It pained her to see him like this. He had always been so resilient but Zen's death had affected them all and it was clear none more so than Athos. There was no place in Flagstaff for a man to show feelings other then hate, brutality and rage so it came as no surprise he chose the one place he felt protected from the judgmental eyes of his brothers, here in her medical tent.
"I tried …" he began, his voice cracking as tears welled in his dark eyes that looked as grey as storm clouds. "Years and years of defending him, training him … all so he could be tethered to a stake and picked away at by fucking birds!" he shouted at her though he directed no true hostility at her.
"There was nothing you could have done," Seekra tried. Despite her overwhelming desire to be strong in the situation, seeing Athos in this state was heartbreaking.
"I could have done more. I could have stopped the execution! I just stood there and let them burn him, beat him and …"
"There was nothing," she reiterated.
Athos sniffled and lifted his head to look at her.
Seekra could see so much pain, so much anguish and she knew he carried the full weight of the blame.
She sat down beside him and immediately his head was on her shoulder. She felt her own eyes well up with tears before they became too heavy and cascaded down her face.
Feeling the wetness of her tears on his face Athos lifted her head and looked at her. He raised a hand to her cheek and wiped the tears, feeling her soft warm skin beneath his fingers.
"Athos, we're going to die in this place," Seekra managed to get out.
It was a comment he never expected from her. She was always the stubborn one, never willing to give up.
"No were not," he promised. He suddenly realized that his moment of vulnerability had shaken her faith in their ability to survive a lifetime in this hell.
Seekra nodded quickly as another small tear from down her cheek. Suddenly she leaned in and kissed Athos, just a light peck on his mouth. In the next moment she pulled away, still nodding her head but now with an awkward smile on her face.
Athos was stunned, wide mouthed as his heart beat hard in his chest. It felt as though some one was squeezing all the air from his lungs. She had pulled away but he wished she hadn't. He seized his opportunity and returned his mouth to hers. When she didn't pull away he knew he had her.
The kiss was tender for a moment, long, drawn out and passionate but soon it turned into something more carnal and all Athos could think about was having all of her right now.
He moved around to her front never once breaking their embrace as he pulled at the tattered rags she was forced to live in. She lifted herself to her knees to assist the removal. He was pleased she wasn't resisting him in anyway.
Once she was free of her garment he leaned back and took in the sight of her. She was alarmingly skinny, each rib countable on her bare chest. Her small breasts fit easily in the cup of his hand, the tiny quarter size nipples hard against his palm.
Her tanned, wind burnt body was marked up with countless scratches and scars yet she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His eyes rose from her breasts to her face and he felt the air turn to water in his lungs when he saw the deadened look on her face.
Instantly his blissful smile vanished as concern washed over him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, taking her cheek in his hand.
She forced a weak smile but Athos knew it was all for show. Suddenly she was bending down and rubbing her hand over the fabric of his boxers beneath his cuirass. It was no surprise to either of them that he was hard and the fabric of his boxers wet with pre cum but it was clear she wasn't enjoying any of this.
Athos reached down and grasped her wrist.
"Stop," he told her.
He didn't want her to stop, it was agony just thinking that he had to hold out but if he truly cared for this woman like he was certain he did, then he would endure … for her.
"What? Doesn't it feel good?" she asked in a monotone voice.
"It feels incredible," he said with a wide smile, keeping his teeth together, baring through the torment. "Lie on your back," he then told her.
Her expression never wavered from anything other than indifference as she lay on her back, feeling the cold floor, keeping still with all limbs splayed out.
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
Reluctantly she obeyed but when she felt his fingers on her inner thighs and the force of his urging pushing her legs apart she opened her eyes and glanced downwards. His head was moving between her legs but when he was her eyes were open he stopped and glowered at her.
"Keep em closed!" he barked playfully at her.
"What are you doing?!" she snapped at him in a vicious whisper.
"Closed!" he bit back more heated.
Her head lowered back down to the ground and she forced her eyes closed.
Suddenly she felt something warm between her legs followed by something wet. She couldn't describe the sensation it gave her; it felt strange, uncomfortable and gross but it felt so good and she didn't want him to stop.
Between her legs, Athos' tongue had found her slit. Soft thin hair ticked his chin but he was completely focused on letting her feel something good. It only took a few seconds before her moans were matched with an increasing wetness.
His tongue flicked at the tiny bean that lingered just above her opening. He could tell she loved it because her fingers reached over and dug into the skin of his shoulders.
He pushed her knees up as he plunged his tongue deep inside her, feeling her legs tighten and hips rise to meet him. He sucked on her clit tasting her sweetness in his mouth.
"Oooh Athos," he moaned softly as her mouth hung open. He could see the muscles of her abdomen tighten and her ribs looked as though they'd burst from her chest.
He knew he could get her, just as the other slave had showed him before those many months ago.
He pushed his face deeper into her, his tongue burying deep as he sucked and licked her veraciously.
"Please," she begged. It was a feeling she never felt before, so intense, so new, so known. Out of surprise and fear she tried to pull away from him but he held her far too tightly.
The more she tried to squirm away the more he pushed his tongue inside her. He pulled back for a second, taking her clit in his mouth and sucking on it, then giving the gentlest nips.
She shuddered and dug her nails into his shoulders but he didn't stop.
"Please, no … " she cried out but Athos was determined for her to feel what he knew she could feel.
His tongue plunged inside her cunt once more, lapping upwards, feeling her tighten around him. He reached between her legs, spreading her pussy lips wide to give him full access to her.
His hips bucked and rocked but managed to keep her right where he needed her. His head moved up and down as his tongue took long, slow licks up her entire slit.
Her body quaked and quivered but he didn't allow her a second to adjust. Just when she thought it was as good as it got he would switch up what he was doing and she'd be shown a whole new level of ecstasy.
He pulled his mouth away from her soaked cunt and he gazed up at her as she panted and moaned.
"You taste so good," he whispered softly.
"Aaaah …. Oooooo ….. aaaauuuughhhh!" was all Seekra seemed to be able to exclaim.
"That's it," he groaned, giving his tongue a break as his fingers played with her toughened clit.
He slid a finger into her wanting pussy and she gave a slight yelp.
"Shhhh," he whispered to her. "You're almost there," he promised.
He loved to watch her enjoy it so much. He felt so in control, so commanding in his ability to pleasure her.
His finger pushed in deep and her hip gutted up to offer him more of her. His tongue returned to her clit and she cried out in pure elation.
"Athos!" she screamed just loud enough for him to know she was nearly there.
He sucked on her clit while jamming his finger inside her drenched pussy. He lapped at her clit then flicked it with the tip of his tongue. He felt her legs close in around him but he forced them apart with his immense strength.
"Keep them there," he ordered.
"Ooooooo!" she moaned.
He fucked her pussy with his finger faster and harder.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Her body began to shudder and he tasted warmth on his tongue as her juices mixed with his saliva. She tasted so good and he lingered between her legs, slowly licking her, feeling her shiver with each slow trace of his tongue.
When he pulled out his finger a long trail of warm, wetness followed and he ran his fingers down her thigh seeing her cum glisten in the dim light of the brazier.
She lay very still for a moment, eyes still closed.
"What was that?" she managed to get out.
"That's how it should feel for you," he told her with an ear-to-ear grin, visibly pleased with himself.
She opened her eyes and laughed. It was delightful to hear her laugh. For a moment he was certain she felt like a person again and not the bitter bite of slavery.
He leaned in and kissed her on the mouth, his tongue parting her lips and meeting hers. He felt her tightly against him, feeling her bare skin against him and he wished he were naked with her. His hands stripped away his own armour as his carnal desire took over. She assisted in the removal of it all and accepted his assistance as he laid her back on the ground gently.
He look down at his throbbing cock, engorged and erect wanting to feel her waiting pussy.
She bent her knees and spread her legs allowing him to move so she straddled him. His hand reached down, grasping his cock and gliding the tip around her entrance. She was so wet, even the ground beneath her hips was soaked from her climax.
"Ready?" he asked her.
She nodded slowly, eyes wide, mouth partially parted as if she braced herself for the moment when they shed their childhood friendship.
He plunged himself deep inside her feeling her body accommodate his size with relative ease. She was warm, inviting and so wet. He loved the feeling of being inside her. It brought more then a sexual gratification. The feeling he felt was like the satisfaction and thrill after killing some one who deserved his wrath.
Athos knew the moment he entered her, he wouldn't be able to last very long. He propped himself on his arms as he thrust in and out of her. Each forceful jerk was met by a quiet yelp as she tried her best to allow her deeper entrance into her.
"You all right?" he asked gently.
"Yes," she moaned in his ear.
His girth was larger than anything she had taken inside her yet. It filled her to the point of slight pain but the blissful sensation he had given her just moments ago kept her in a state of ecstasy. His hips pounded into hers and he grunted and moaned feeling himself nearing the point of release.
"Seekra … I…" Athos tried to get out but his brain couldn't focus on words and fucking at the same time at this particular moment.
"It's ok Athos," she moaned in her ear. "It feels so good."
A wide grin etched on his face as a bead of sweat dripped from his chin onto her cheek. He lowered himself onto his elbows, thrusting deeply into her wanting cunt.
His lips found hers and they locked in a long kiss.
"Auuuugh," he broke away feeling himself build up to climax.
"It's ok," she spoke again softly in his ear. "I want you to."
"Fuck…" he groaned. He was so close. "Seekra …. I'm gonna …."
She bucked her own hips to his rhythm of thrusts. The feeling was incredible and he wished he could hover at this point of anticipation longer but he needed to get off. He couldn't withhold any longer.
"I'm coming!" he howled in her ear.
In that moment she felt his hot seed shoot deep inside her, filling her to the point it drizzled out from the force of his final thrusts. The warm, sticky liquid coated his shaft and her legs, mixing with her own cum.
They lay very still for a moment until he leaned down and kissed her once more, soft and gentle with tenderness he never knew he could possess.
He slowly slipped his semi erect cock from her and stood on shaky legs. He reached over to a gurney and grabbed some torn fabrics she used as dressing. He cleaned their juices off his cock and inner thighs before sitting back down beside her and cleaning her off with gentle caresses from the cloth.
Once he had gotten more of it off her he leaned down and kissed her flat stomach, up her chest and taking slight pecks to her neck.
She giggled, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his mouth to hers. They kissed again until he collapsed on her chest, feeling her small breast embrace his head. Her heartbeat was quick and rhythmic, lulling him to relax.
"I wont let anyone have you," he whispered to her.
She forced a weak smile but in the back of her head she knew Athos wasn't in any kind of place to make such promises. She belonged to Caesar's Legion, not one man. She knew he meant his words and he would protect her but he wouldn't always be around to keep her from the cruel desires of the other men.
"I know," she replied kindly but her words were hollow. Still, they gave him the piece of mind he sought and he nuzzled deeper under her chin. They lay like that for what seemed like an eternity and Athos would have been pleased had it been but at the darkness began to lighten softly he knew he had to leave her.
With one last deep kiss, he left her side.
"I'll see you soon," he told her before dressing and showing himself out of the tent.
Seekra continued to lie on the ground feeling her body cool off as the sweat began to dry. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she thought about the electrifying feeling Athos had given her and for the first time in her life, she looked forward to the next time she felt a man's embrace, his embrace.
The next morning Athos stumbled from his quarters with a grumbling stomach but breakfast would have to wait. It was his day to get in a shower to wash the full week of dirt, sweat and blood that caked his skin. The ranks showers were located behind the Fly Trap halfway between the Slaves area and the mess tent.
The water was stored in massive vats, heated by the sun. It was both a brilliant and disastrous idea. In the summer the water was so hot you couldn't shower during daylight hours out of fear you'd be burned with scalding water. Within hours most of the water would evaporate and it could be months before another rainstorm brought more. In the winter they had the opposite problem. The water never froze but nights were so cold that no one wanted to stand under the icy burst. If you missed your timing for shower, that was it and no one argued the times out of fear of severe reprimand. Showers were perhaps the greatest luxury afforded to the Legionaries. It hadn't been something Caesar thought to favor his slaves with but after the suggestion from his echelon, their implementation saw death from diseases reduced dramatically.
The shower units themselves were surprisingly clean and well maintained. Each of the ten total individual units was divided to allow for privacy. The men had built them themselves so they put the care and time into their design. Athos always chuckled when he thought of the day when Aramis asked him why they all cared to have privacy in the shower. Her argument had been that the men eat, sleep, and fuck slaves in front of one another, why can't they shower? Athos had a tough time explaining that no man, regardless of how close you are with your buddies wants to see them jacking it in the shower. Shower time was a man's personal time.
Aramis refused to shower for a month after she heard this. Finally Athos had to say something about her deplorable hygienic state. Even the men of the Frumentarii didn't want to be near her so she had to suck it up and shower like real men shower, was how he put it.
"Athos" came a sharp voice from in front of him as he staggered down the steps of his shelter.
Athos looked up to see Reed coming towards him with a sullen look on his scarred up face. The fabric that covered his missing eye gave him a rather menacing appearance even if he were smiling cheerfully, which was not the case this morning. His walk still looked as though it pained him. There was a slight limp, stepping harder to the left, favouring his right.
The moment Reed was on him his expression changed entirely. He softened his face with raised brows that seemed to portray sympathy. Athos thought perhaps Reed was still struggling over the loss of Zen.
"I need to talk to you in private," Reed spoke gently.
"Of course," Athos said back and followed Reed to where he assumed would be a secluded area where they could have a discreet conversation but Reed led him to the medical tent and stopped just outside the opening.
Athos' heart was pounding. Why were they here?! Had something happened to Seekra?!
When he had left her last night she was fine.
"Is Seekra all right?!" Athos demanded to know.
"What? … Seekra? Yeah, I think she's fine. She's inside …. Athos it's about the slave girl," Reed tried to get out.
A huge surge of relief washed through Athos at the words Seekra was fine but what was Reed talking about now.
"Slave girl?" Athos asked.
"You forgot already? The girl with the young child," Reed informed.
"Oh….yeah," Athos grumbled seeming disinterested, even letting his eyes wander away.
"Athos she's dead," Reed began. "The baby too."
Athos snapped his eyes back to Reed.
"Dead?" he asked sharply. "Both? How could both have…"
"It appears suicide," Reed told him. "Seekra is examining the bodies right now."
Athos began to nod his head quickly as the information processed. He was biting and chewing the dry skin on his upper lip. He couldn't look Reed in his only eye and he folded his arms tightly over his chest.
"Dead," Athos got out.
"Yes," Reed said back.
Without hesitation Athos moved passed Reed and entered the tent. Seekra and another young slave girl were standing beside the long metal gurney in the center of the tent. Laying on its cold metal surface was the lifeless body of a young girl, her eyes open, starring up at the ceiling but out of focus and glazed over. She was dressed in the tattered garments of a slave, stained, soiled and smelling of the filth she was forced to live in. Her arms lay on either side of her, partially open as if clasping a delicate flower. On her stomach, wrapped in white sheets was a small bundle. Athos didn't need to see it to know what was enveloped up tightly in its folds.
Seekra glanced up from her examination when Athos burst into the tent.
"Athos this isn't a good time," she shot over at him but he didn't register her words. He moved towards the girl's body unable to take his eyes off her or the child.
Seekra eyed him with moderate confusion when Reed came in the next moment.
"Both of you need to leave!" she got out but neither of them seemed to care for her orders.
Athos stood over the girl's body. She was so still, so pale … except for the ominous bruises and healed scars over her small framed body. He touched the skin of her arm and shuddered at its coldness. She had been so warm to his touch at one point but he had never appreciated it. His hand moved to the child on her stomach.
"Athos don't touch that!" Seekra tried but Reed had come up and now held Seekra's wrist. Her eyes flashed hotly to Reed. "What's going on?!" she demanded. The other young slave girl backed herself into the corner of the tent. All the blood seemed to leave her face and she looked on mortified. She was too young, perhaps twelve or so for any man to take her yet but old enough to know what happened when a Legionary wanted something only a woman could provide … whether she wanted to or not.
"It's all right, leave him be," Reed spoke to Seekra before he turned his attention to the other terrified girl. "We're not here to hurt anyone," he assured her but that did little to ease the child's mind. She remained in her corner unwavering.
Athos pulled back the soft linen that covered the infant. He swallowed hard when he saw the tiny face nestled within. She looked as though she could be sleeping but her slips were a light blue and her face pale, as if carved from ivory. His eyes moved from her soft, delicate face to her neck. A vibrant red line cut deep into her flesh surrounded by a band deep bluish purple.
Reed watched in silent astonishment until Seekra pulled her arm free from his grasp.
"What's going on?" she whispered harshly in Reed's.
Reed didn't know how to approach the question but he could tell by the way she looked at him that he wouldn't need to. She had already figured it out.
Athos slipped his massive muscled arms beneath the child and lifted her off the dead mother. She was nearly weightless in his arms. He pressed her into his chest but felt no heart beat from her tiny body. He closed his eyes for a moment before resting her back down on her mother. He looked upon the faces of the terrified girl, Reed and finally Seekra.
Without a word he moved across the tent and exited.
Reed looked to Seekra who appeared as though she had just received a blow to the head. Her mouth was gapping and her eyes puffy and red. Reed reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.
"Thank you for …" Reed tried.
"GET OUT!" Seekra shouted.
Reed nearly jumped from her sudden yell. He hadn't expected that.
"I just wanted him to…"
"I SAID OUT!" Seekra snapped and pushed Reed towards the exit, which he nearly fell through.
Athos stood just beyond the tent nearly as white faced as the dead girl inside.
"You alright?" Reed asked, readjusting his armour after Seekra shoved him.
Without warning a fist came hurtling towards his face. Before Reed could react it contacted the side of his jaw and Reed felt it shift as everything went dark for a split second. He stumbled backwards holding his jaw in his hand tugging it to either side to feel for damage but it seemed to still be in place. When he opened his eyes he looked up at Athos who looked positively mortified. The skin on Athos' knuckles were split and bleeding, dripping tiny droplets in the sand.
"I … I'm…." Athos tried to get out.
Reed raised a hand, shaking his head as he stood up straight.
"It's fine," he groaned painfully looking around to see if anyone had witnessed the blow. Fortunately no one was there but the two of them.
"I suppose in hindsight I should have been a bit more tactful. Truth is I wanted it to upset you," Reed spoke up.
"You got through," Athos spoke with a defeated tone as his eyes fell to the state of his bleeding hand.
"How's your face?" he asked.
"I'm fine. How's the hand?" Reed returned.
"I'll be left handed for a bit."
Both men fell silent for a while as they thought about all that had just transpired.
"Is Seekra mad?" Athos finally mustered.
"Seems to be."
"Fuck…." Athos groaned.
"What's that about?" Reed asked letting his curiosity get the better of him.
Athos flashed Reed a guilty look.
"Ah …. I see," Reed muttered dropping the subject.
"I shouldn't have hit you … you're barely …" Athos tried before Reed cut him off.
"I said it's fine," Reed assured.
It was clear Athos was visibly shaken. He couldn't bring himself to look at Reed at the moment.
"That girl … I didn't even know her name. I don't know what she named the baby. I … what the fuck. I never wanted to be this. I have a sister … I love Seekra and yet this is what I did," Athos fessed up.
Reed was pleased with this revelation. It was so easy to fall into the chaos of Legion life and have all sense of morality crushed beneath the weight of a giant figurative bull. It was something Reed refused to be swallowed up in and he thought Athos would have been able to resist the temptation as well. Reed harboured no ill will towards Athos for his actions so long as he appeared remorseful but more importantly, wouldn't regress back to the deviant nature.
"That line around her neck," Athos suddenly voiced.
"She hung herself," Reed informed him grimly. "One of the slaves found her."
"But the baby …" Athos noted.
This was a hard question for Reed to answer. He swallowed the lump in his throat and hesitated.
"It appeared she suffocated the child before she killed herself," Reed told him.
"Fuck…" Athos cringed.
Reed put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"What's done is done. There is nothing you can do. I … just remember this place … it isn't … it isn't right. The things we do here, it's all fucked up. Don't let it suck you in. We are men of the Painted Rock Tribe, Athos. We are accountable for our actions because we chose to protect those who would suffer the worst fate if we ever forgot that." Reed whispered to him defiantly.
Athos nodded solemnly. His eyes lingered back to the medical tent. One innocent girl killed herself because of this place, he would not let the same harm come to his sister or Seekra so long as he drew breath.