Skaia (16 page)

Skaia was looking at his hands lying on his thighs. He tried to blink away the tears that had risen to his eyes, but could not, and they slid down his face. As bad as he thought things had been, he knew they were becoming even worse. There seemed to be no way to appease Thaddeus’ anger.

Standing, Thaddeus walked to the furthest corner of the room. “This is where you will stay. Any time I am here, this is where I expect to find you. You will be quiet and not move. I want you to be invisible.” When Skaia did not respond, Thaddeus’ voice rose. “Get your ass over here, now.”

Skaia rose and walked quickly to him, kneeling at his side. Thaddeus walked away, and took his seat again. “Castor will take you to the kitchen twice a day, the same as he’s doing now. You can eat and take care of your needs on those trips. You are not to speak to Castor, or anyone else, while you are away. If you disobey me, Castor will report it and I will punish you.” Skaia stayed absolutely still and said nothing. “If you have any questions, ask them now.”

“
Have I any duties, Master?” Skaia enquired softly.

“
Of course. You will keep my rooms clean. When Castor fetches you in the morning, you will change my chamber pot and bring me hot water. Nothing else, unless I give you a direct command.” Thaddeus let a few moments pass. “Any other questions?”

“
No, Master.”

“
Good. After this, I do not expect to hear your voice again.”

“
Yes, Master.”

“
Hands against the wall!” Thaddeus almost bellowed. Skaia looked up in horrified confusion. Thaddeus laughed at his expression, and answered the unasked question. “You spoke without permission.”

Skaia was trembling as he stood. He removed his tunic, folding it and laying it on the floor. Then he leaned up against the closest wall as Castor had taught him so long ago.

Thaddeus picked up a strap, similar to Castor’s, that he’d brought to his rooms for this express purpose and walked behind the boy. “Count.” Drawing back his arm, he struck Skaia’s back.

“
One.”

And again. “Two.” After the fourth blow, Skaia gasped and had to catch his breath before he could voice the count. By the tenth strike, his voice was ragged. “Ten.”

“
Very good.” Thaddeus drew his nails over Skaia’s burning back, and the boy groaned with the fresh wave of pain. “Resume your position.”

It took a moment for Skaia to realize the meaning of the words. But when he did, he picked up his tunic, pulled it over his head, and went to kneel in his corner. He could feel the fabric sticking to the raw spots on his back. And thought of Castor’s anger that his bloodied back had messed the garment.

Thaddeus did not speak to him again. And Skaia did not move in any way. Though he glanced up briefly when Thaddeus rose to go to bed, he said nothing, and still did not move. When Thaddeus was in bed, he gave his last order of the day. “Put out the lamps and candles, and then you can go to your pallet. I expect you to resume your position when I get up in the morning.”

Skaia did as he was told, dousing the lamps in the bedroom before bowing to Thaddeus and retreating to his pallet. His knees ached, as they did on the days he was forced to scrub floors.
And I only had to kneel for a few hours.
Once he sunk on the pallet, he shoved part of his blanket into his mouth like he had done as a child, and wept quietly. He wondered if he could live like this.

But he had to. Just a little over a year. He could survive anything for a year. For Glaucus.

The next day, Thaddeus gave Skaia a pillow to kneel on. “I don’t want to cripple you so you can’t work.” Skaia was immensely grateful, but dared not thank him. And as the days passed, he sank deeper into despair as his body ached from the forced inactivity, and his heart pained from the forced solitude.

Sometime later—Skaia had lost track of days—there was another change. Thaddeus wanted to bathe before he went to bed, and he sent Skaia to Castor to order hot water. Skaia felt ridiculous for his surge of joy—simply because he would be able to
talk.

Castor, however, squelched his elation almost immediately. After Skaia had told what Thaddeus wanted, he’d started to comment on the coolness in the air, and Castor rounded on him angrily. “Stop it, Skaia. If you say another word, I’ll have to report it. Go back to Thaddeus. Now.”

Skaia felt as if he had been kicked in the gut. He had not expected Castor to embrace Thaddeus’ rules so easily, but he turned away, and did as he was told.

Thaddeus looked up as the boy entered the room, and Skaia briefly met his eyes before going quickly to his pillow in the corner and kneeling. At his desk, Thaddeus smiled, pleased at the look of desolation on the slave’s face. He thought things were going very well, indeed. Skaia was being totally compliant, and gave not the slightest hint of rebellion. His next stage of breaking the boy could begin.

When Gotus approached from the hallway that led to Thaddeus’ private bath chamber, he glanced at Skaia, but knew he couldn’t speak to him. He shifted his attention to Thaddeus, who was busy shuffling through papers. “Your bath is prepared, Master. Do you wish anything else of me, sir?”

“
No. You may leave now.” Thaddeus put the papers aside on his desk and called Skaia to follow him. In the bathing chamber, Thaddeus noticed that Skaia’s eyes were drawn to the window that overlooked the peristylium garden. But the boy lowered his head quickly and was not obvious in his desire to look outside. He stood quietly, his hands clasped behind his back.

“
Help me undress.” Skaia did exactly as he was told, neither offering anything that was not asked for, nor speaking. Thaddeus sent him for the sponges and oil, and patted the ledge of the pool for him to place them. The next command caused a flutter of Skaia’s eyes and Thaddeus almost laughed. “Undress, and join me.”

Though it was clearly an order, Thaddeus’ voice had not been harsh. Hesitantly, Skaia undressed, and stepped into the bathing pool next to him. He looked at Thaddeus, trying to understand what was being asked of him. “Kneel between my legs. I want to see your back.”

As soon as Skaia was situated, he felt Thaddeus’ hands. Not causing pain. Just easy touches along each lash mark. Thaddeus sat back and admired the boy’s looks. The ribs he could see beneath the skin. The slender hips and rounded buttocks. “Does your back still hurt?” he asked.

“
Only a little, Master.”

“
And this?” Thaddeus scraped his nail over a recently healed cut, opening it again.

Skaia whimpered involuntarily, and flinched. “Yes, Master. That hurts.”

“
Did Glaucus ever hurt you?”

Hesitating, Skaia wondered what Thaddeus wanted to hear.
That Glaucus was usually very considerate? That he sometimes lost his temper?
Whatever he wanted, Skaia had waited too long. There was another scratch with a nail, and Skaia groaned.

“
Did he hurt you?” Thaddeus repeated.

“
Sometimes, Master,” the boy said desperately. “But not like this.”

“
No? Then how?”  Still Skaia hesitated, wishing he’d not said anything. “Turn around, Skaia. Wash me while you explain.”

Skaia turned and picked up the sponge, adding some oil, and dripping water over Thaddeus’ broad shoulders and chest. “He whipped me when he thought I disobeyed him, sir. But he never hurt me… just to be hurting me.” Skaia wiped the sponge across Thaddeus’ body, his face flushed in embarrassment.

“
Is that what you think I’m doing, hurting you just because I want to?”

Skaia’s hands shook, and he was terrified to answer. “Yes, sir,” he barely whispered.

“
How very discerning of you,” Thaddeus laughed. “And do you think that’s unfair?”

Meeting the man’s eyes, Skaia answered, almost defiantly, “Yes, sir, I do. I am trying very hard to please you, Master.”

Thaddeus slapped Skaia’s face, and the boy fell backwards, splashing the water. “Perhaps I don’t think you’re trying hard enough.”

Righting himself, Skaia started to rub the sponge on Thaddeus’ arms.
Just agree with him. No matter what he says, just agree with him.
He kept his voice calm. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry sir.”

Thaddeus shifted and held his feet out to either side of Skaia’s body. “Much better. Now, clean my legs and my crotch.”

Skaia sat back when he thought he was finished, but Thaddeus brought both of the slave’s hands back to his cock. “Handle me.”

Tentatively Skaia obeyed, stroking Thaddeus’ length and touching the head of his shaft with trembling fingers until Thaddeus stopped him. “No more with your hands. Do you know how to do this with your mouth?”

With my mouth?
Skaia froze. Glaucus had told him that to touch another, like that, was an abomination. Something no decent Roman would do. He looked up at Thaddeus, his fear apparent. “No, sir.”
Glaucus would never…

“
No?” Thaddeus smiled “I would have thought Glaucus would surely use your mouth, even if he didn’t fuck your ass.”

Skaia blushed deeply. “No, sir.” Never would his young master shame him so. “Master Glaucus said only whores and prostitutes would do something so repugnant.”

“
Did he now?” Thaddeus sneered. “Yet I’m sure he enjoyed such pleasures when he could command them at the brothels.” Thaddeus’ mouth widened into an insolent, insulting smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you. I’m sure my son will appreciate your new skills when he gets home.”

Teach me?
Skaia panicked, understanding now that Thaddeus meant to debase him—to make him totally despicable to Glaucus.

Thaddeus was strangely thrilled at the fear he saw on the boy’s face, the surety that Skaia would be humiliated. When he stood, his cock almost brushed Skaia’s nose. He smiled broadly and sent the slave for towels as he stepped from the pool. But his anger returned when he thought Skaia too slow fetching them and he cuffed the boy several times when he thought he was handled too roughly.

Skaia was in tears when Thaddeus started toward his bedroom. He picked up one of the master’s discarded towels to dry himself. And then stopped—as he thought he could not face the man again.
I can’t do what he wants. I just can’t…

He knew he had already taken too long to follow Thaddeus. At the very least he would whipped again for his slowness… And then forced to do what Thaddeus demanded anyway.
Oh, Belenus.

In panic, he looked back to the pool.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
But he stepped into the water anyway. Dropped quickly to his knees and lowered his face beneath the surface. It was easy to inhale the first time. But then his body fought back. He had to force himself to inhale the water a second time. And then he couldn’t control himself. His head jerked above the surface against his will and the urge to cough was unstoppable.