Passions of New Pompeii (2 page)

“Not everyone who visits New Pompeii chooses
to undergo the language infusion,” Laetif argued. “The guards have
a bad habit of speaking Fedoros to each other. I suspect a good
many of our gladiators speak Fedoros better than they let on.”

Elaina shook her head. The thought of meeting
Theos, perhaps being alone with him, had her insides tense and
tumbling. Why had she suggested it in the first place? “I said I’d
watch one of the matches and I did. Now I’d like to go home.”

“You saw what gladiators do,” Mikko mused,
moving closer to his wife. “I think Laetif is right. You still
don’t understand who they are or how they feel about this life.
I’ve decided to allow it.”

Laetif grinned, clearly pleased with herself.
Elaina’s belly was so tense she felt nauseous. “This isn’t
necessary. I told you I’d soften my reports and stop giving
interviews.” She’d orchestrated the media blitz to keep her mind
off her husband’s betrayal and subsequent death. But her informal
posts had been picked up for global syndication, making her a minor
celebrity overnight. She nodded toward the packed arena. “It
doesn’t appear that my efforts had much impact on your bottom line
anyway.”

“You’re my sister and I love you. I don’t
expect you to become a proud supporter of our enterprise, but I’d
like for you to admit that we don’t mistreat these people.”

Elaina recognized the stubborn set of his jaw
and the determination in his eyes. He wasn’t going to relent. And
she had no one to blame but herself!

“We can have him brought to you in chains if
that will make you feel more secure,” Laetif suggested.

“No!” Thinking of anyone bound in chains was
abhorrent to Elaina.

“I will give Theos very specific
instructions,” Mikko promised with an enigmatic smile. “You have
nothing to fear.”

Theos rolled his shoulders and raised his
arms, testing the neat row of stitches the
medicus
had just
sewn into his chest. With the crowd’s cheers still echoing in his
mind, he’d been escorted through the underground passage and
returned to
Ludus
Xyellus. House Xyell was the largest and
most profitable gladiator brotherhood in New Pompeii, so the
complex had been built adjacent to the arena. He’d scrubbed his
body clean of blood, sand and sweat before entering the
hospes
to have his wounds tended.

“Is it true? Did you defeat Dario?”

He turned his head and found Patricius
Maximus standing in the doorway, his expression inscrutable. Dark
brown hair flowed away from his face and brushed his broad
shoulders. Though counterproductive to his ferocious appearance,
his light blue eyes saw everything.

“Dario is a fierce opponent. Venus simply
smiled on me today.” Dario belonged to a rival house now, but Max
had been his
doctore
for over a year before the games grew
popular enough to support more than one
ludus
.

“Do not minimize your achievement. I knew the
day would come. It was inevitable.” A smile curved the corners of
Max’s mouth. “I did not realize it would come so soon.”

“So soon? We have passed two winters in this
strange place. How long did you expect it to take?”

The hint of a smile vanished as quickly as it
had formed. “Our location is irrelevant. I have fought all over the
civilized world and the games remain the same. We fight for honor
and for the adulation of the crowd. Don’t allow Venus’ gift to
cloud your mind.”

Scooting off the end of the treatment table,
Theos stood and faced his trainer. “Nothing clouds my mind. I am a
gladiator. I understand my role.”

“You have a new role now, Theos.” They were
joined by Mikko, Master of House Xyell. “You are Champion of New
Pompeii.”

Theos glanced at Max, hoping to gauge the
doctore’s
reaction to the development. As usual, Max’s
features gave nothing away.

Rather than dwell on the enigmatic trainer,
Theos turned to Mikko and said, “I am pleased to bring honor to
House Xyell.”

“Walk with me.” Mikko motioned toward the
garden beyond one of the grilled archways that separated the
gladiator barracks from the adjoining villa. Fedoros guards snapped
to attention and moved aside so Mikko could open the gate. A bright
yellow beam swept the length of Mikko’s body, causing the gate to
hiss and swing inward with a subtle scraping sound. There were so
many small marvels on Fedoros. Theos couldn’t help wondering what
lay beyond the energy barrier surrounding New Pompeii. “I have an
unusual task for you,” Mikko told him.

“I am, as always, your servant.”

Mikko didn’t respond until they were deep in
the verdant garden, far away from curious ears. “This is beyond the
scope of your duties, so I will ask for your cooperation rather
than command your obedience.”

Theos tensed. The only time Mikko asked for
his assistance was when some wealthy matron wished to experience
the savage pleasure of a gladiator’s
mentula
thrusting deep
into her
cunnus
. “What would you have me do?”

Mikko chuckled. “Do not look so distressed.
This task is different than any other I have put before you. It is
more challenging and more important.”

“Who do you want me to kill?” Mikko’s sharp
burst of laughter reinforced Theos’ original conclusion. This
wasn’t about killing, it was about
fututiones
.

“I need to access your other skills.” Mikko
stressed the concept with a sly smile. “Forego the pretense that
you do not know what I am talking about. You refuse to pleasure
Fedoran females, but the few slaves you have…mounted have begged
for more.”

“Who do you want me to ‘mount’?” He clenched
his hands into fists and tore his gaze away from his master’s face.
The lush serenity of the garden only heightened Theos’ anxiety. His
body might belong to his master, but he chose when and with whom to
couple!

“There are powerful forces in Fedoros, as
there were in Rome. Your former masters were obligated to garner
the support of highly placed Romans, and it is basically the same
for me. This house cannot operate without the protection of
powerful allies.”

“But you are an agent of Venus. There is no
ally more powerful than a goddess.”

Mikko’s gaze took on a calculating sheen at
the mention of their patroness. “Actually Venus suggested this
course of action to me. I was not entirely sure I wanted to pursue
it, but Venus was insistent.”

“What does our goddess require of me?” If
Venus were behind this request, why had Mikko only brought it up
after he mentioned her name?

“My sister Elaina was present for your
triumph. Did you happen to notice her standing beside me?”

He’d seen a tall blonde woman who seemed
vaguely familiar. He’d dismissed her after only a glance. The
nobility were no concern of his. “The sun was in my eyes.” Actually
the thrill of victory had driven all other thoughts from his mind,
but the excuse was more diplomatic.

“Well, Elaina has connections with many of
the powerful people I mentioned earlier. They value her opinion and
follow her advice. Even though she is my sister, she is my greatest
critic. This must change or the games could be in danger.”

“What is the basis for her criticism?”

“She fears the inhabitants of New Pompeii are
being abused by their Fedoran masters.”

This was unexpected and odd. “What sparked
her fear? Has she witnessed this abuse for herself?” Mikko was the
third master Theos had served, and he was by far the most
reasonable and benevolent.

“Elaina does not understand the way things
are done in New Pompeii. She judges your situation by the standards
of Fedoros. I think if she could spend some time with you, hear
about your life both before the relocation and now, she might come
to understand that different is not necessarily wrong.”

“If you have been unable to explain these
things to your own sister, why do you believe I can make her
understand?” He was being unusually bold, but this task was odd in
the extreme.

“It is not that she does not understand. She
refuses to believe that you are content in this life.”

“Does she understand why we were brought
here, that our lives would have been forfeit had Venus not
protected us from Vulcan?”

Mikko reached for a crimson flower on the
bush in front of him, his gaze carefully averted. “Elaina does not
believe in the gods.”

Dumfounded by the easy admission, Theos could
think of nothing to say. How could this woman doubt the gods’
existence when her brother interacted with one on a regular basis?
“Venus has not revealed herself to your sister?”

“This is where things get complicated.”
Releasing the flower, Mikko faced him again. “Elaina was married to
a man she loved deeply. She expected to enjoy a long and happy life
at his side. But short months after their union, she found him in
bed with another woman. Her heart was broken and she refuses to
believe that a compassionate goddess would allow her to feel such
pain.”

“I will not give pleasure to a married woman,
even if she is unhappy with her mate.”

“She is a widow in desperate need of a new
beginning.”

“But she has turned her back on the
gods?”

“It is easier for her to deny their existence
than to try and understand what might be learned from his hurtful
betrayal.”

“It is a common reaction.” Theos felt sorry
for this woman he’d yet to meet, but disregarding faith entirely
was not the answer. “Many turn to the gods when all hope is lost
and others blame them when nothing else makes sense.”

Mikko nodded, the calculative glint returning
to his eyes. “Elaina has taken her bitterness one step further. She
is determined to disparage New Pompeii in general and the gladiator
games in particular.”

“Why? How does discrediting our way of life
ease her pain?”

“Her husband was my business partner. His
betrayal was so painful she has reverted to her maiden name. She
would like to pretend the marriage never happened, but New Pompeii
is an ever-present reminder of all she lost. Besides, harming New
Pompeii harms Venus and Elaina needs someone to lash out
against.”

“She blames Venus for the actions of her
faithless husband.” Theos rubbed his chin as he absorbed all the
fragments of information.

Mikko meandered through the garden, hands
clasped behind his back. “Venus understands Elaina’s true
motivation and that is why she proposed an intervention of sorts.
If Elaina can let go of her bitterness, Venus is confident she will
no longer wish to destroy New Pompeii.”

“Venus honestly believes spending time with
me will be enough to mend Elaina’s broken heart?”

“It will take more than conversation.” Mikko
stared at him for a moment, expectation clear in his bright green
eyes. “Elaina needs to understand that all is not lost. She must
see that she is still capable of feeling emotions, that she could
find love again.”

Understanding unfurled within Theos. It
wasn’t hard to fill in what little Mikko had left unsaid. Still, he
wanted no misunderstanding between his master and him, especially
when a family member was involved. “You want me to seduce your
sister, to reignite the fire in her heart?”

“Yes. And it will not be easy. She will
resist you, insist she wants nothing to do with you. But you must
not believe her. I saw the longing in her eyes as she watched you
fight. She is attracted to you.”

“I will not take her by force.”

“I was not suggesting you should. Despite her
frustrating actions of late, she is my sister. If you harm her, you
die.”

He was to seduce a reluctant female who
wanted nothing so much as to abolish his reason for existence. And
if he failed or harmed her in the process, his master would end his
life. The irrational need to laugh threatened his composure. This
morning he’d thought life in the arena was challenging.

“If I refuse?”

Mikko shrugged. “Then you will never fight
again.”

Anger twisted through Theos, drying his mouth
and clenching his fists. “I do not respond well to ultimatums.”

Guiding him back the way they’d come, Mikko
said, “I did not mean it as a threat.”

Theos barely suppressed a disbelieving snort.
A slave had no real option but to please his master and Mikko knew
it.

“I told you I wanted your willing
cooperation,” Mikko reminded. “If Elaina has her way, there will be
no more gladiators and no more games. No matter what she says, or
how stubbornly she resists you, it is in your best interest to help
her see the error of her thinking.”

A warm, fragrant breeze brushed across
Elaina’s face as she gazed out over the red tiled roofs of New
Pompeii. The arena perched atop one of the city’s many hills like a
crown effortlessly dominating the elegant villas and temples
surrounding it. Only the Imperial Palace commanded a higher
position than
Ludus
Xyellus, her brother’s domain.

It was all very impressive, but none of it
was real!

She’d always been curious about New Pompeii.
Her husband Vito treated the
ludus
as an investment and
refused to let her go near it. But Vito was dead, and her brother
approached the endeavor from an entirely different angle. Mikko
lived in the villa adjacent to the
ludus
and personally
oversaw every aspect of his investment.

Pushing away from the wooden railing, she
walked back into the cozy bedroom that had been prepared for her
use. Laetif had insisted the room was the best place for her
interview with Theos. This way no one would know what transpired
between them. If they did no more than talk, that was up to Elaina.
But if passions flared and Elaina wanted more, she could indulge
her fantasies with no one the wiser.