"Ah, fuck." "Two weeks and the mark's still raw as a whore's cunt." "Argh, I bear the same mark, brother." "Without pissing about it." "Ha, ha, ha, ha." "You lower your guard after each assault." "I shall see it raised then." "Your head is mine." "How shall I mount it?" "You move well today." "You do not." "What distracts you?" "I had Ashur send a letter to Aurelia." "A week past now, and no reply." "You expect different?" "A woman seldom rushes back to the husband who calls her whore." "I said no such thing." "Not in words." "The letter was contrite." "I admitted I reacted poorly to the news of her being with child." "And now she makes you wait." "The way women punish us for being fools." "Strike it from your mind." "Or find your brains upon the sand." "These are exquisite." "Yes, they've been in the family for generations." "So this sort of arrangement happens often?" " No." " Um." "But when such a request is made, one must be prepared to offer only the finest quality." "The House of Batiatus does not fall short in that regard." "This one, I think." "Ah, Diana, the goddess of the hunt." "A fine choice." "Do you think she would approve?" "When actaeon saw her bathing, she turned the poor bastard into a stag and set his own dogs upon him." "Oh, how fitting then, that you should have a stag of your own to play with." "Have you decided?" "There is only one man I would invite such peril to know." "I will have Spartacus." "The champion, of course." "Is that a problem?" "If more coin is required." "No, no, no, no, no." "No the cousin to Marcus Crassus deserves the Slayer of Theokoles himself, at fair price." "Oh, it is not the price that concerns." "Psssh." "If ever my husband were to hear of this." "The gods themselves would have to whisper it in his ear." "We take the utmost care with the delicate nature of these arrangements." "The mask ensures anonymity, but you must also do your part." "Tell no one." "Arrive exactly at the appointed time, unencumbered." "Absent slaves or attendants?" "Who would hold your husband's loyalty truer to value." "I would err, avoid complications, for you and this ludus." "Ilithyia." "Oh." "Apologies." "Am I early?" "For what purpose?" "You invited me to midday meal." "Did you?" "Yes." "For tomorrow." "Oh, was it?" "I pray I have not interrupted important proceedings." "Oh, no, on the contrary." "We were only just speaking about you and your gladiator." "What was his name?" "The celt..." "Segovax." "Yes, Segovax." "Pity." "Perhaps you should buy several next time." "Until you get the hang of it." "It's a difficult process." "Very few make it to the final test, still few the arena." "My husband demands only the finest." "As do we all." "Forgive my haste, but my own husband expects me." "I look forward to our next encounter." "She favors you." "And I her." "It warms the heart, to know my hands are responsible." "Then let me take them in gratitude." "You should be more careful." "With Licinia." "She's of a strata above your station, and will not hesitate to remind you of it the minute her mood shifts." "And it shifts frequently." "I am well versed in dealing with such people." "Of course you are." "So, am I to be invited?" "Invited?" "To what?" "To the masquerade." "You think I did not notice the mask she was attempting to conceal?" "You're mistaken." "There is no masquerade." "She merely wanted to borrow the visage of Diana." "To avoid "complications"?" "A wealthy woman of status visiting a ludus." "Concealing masks and whispering of complications." "If I did not know better," "I would suspect intent" " to fuck one of your gladiators." " Ilithyia." "She is, isn't she?" "Oh, that little whore!" "How positively depraved!" "I promised discretion, you must not breathe a word of this to anyone." "I would never think it." "You have been a most valued friend." "And this will be our little secret." "I can control her." "Ilithyia?" "Like you did with her and Segovax?" "She had her own man make attempt on Spartacus, under our very roof." "And you yet speak of control." "Spartacus inflames her beyond reason." "Licinia is a different matter." "Even Ilithyia has sense enough to fear reprisal from the cousin of Marcus Crassus." "Humph, as she should." "That man shits gold!" "To have the favor of such an ally in Rome could pave my way to a seat in the curia..." "There is one small obstacle." "Licinia favors the touch of our champion." "Ha, Spartacus?" "That will not be difficult." "Oh, he's always difficult." "In a past that no longer exists." "I shall command..." "And it shall be done." "Argh." "The Champion of Capua arrives!" "A man who so terrifies Jupiter the clouds burst and the heavens weep!" "My glory is but a reflection of my Dominus." "You flatter!" "I return in kind." "And the gods take notice." "Just when I thought we'd accrued every accolade, yet another falls in our laps from the heavens." "Fair Licinia, cousin to Marcus Crassus himself, has personally requested you." "Crassus?" "Richest man in the Republic." "A great honor." "Who's to be my opponent?" "Opponent?" "!" "Licinia has no interest in watching you fight." "Her desires are of a more..." "Intimate nature." "I am to lie with her?" "And shame all men who follow." "Such things are asked of a champion?" "They are." "You have concern?" "No." "I am the Champion of Capua." "I shall perform all duties required of me." "Bring her to satisfaction." "And see our fortunes rise along with your cock." "Is there discomfort?" "None." "When can I return to training?" "The fact that you yet walk among the living is a marvel in itself." "How long?" "A week." "Maybe two..." "Tomorrow." "No." "It is much too soon." "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow, then." "A glorious day, long in coming!" "Crixus!" "Risen from the dead!" "And Ashur, finally freed of his shackles, to take up sword again!" "You would resume training?" "As a gladiator?" "I yet bear the mark." "And long to stand with my brothers, once more upon the sands of the arena." "Perhaps this time you will have the sense to stay out of my way." "Take this fucking thing off me." "Now." "He gave you no pause?" "None." "Our dog..." "Is finally house broken..." "You were wise..." "To put down his bitch..." "Ohhh, oh, uh." "Leave... and send in some wine." "Everything comes to plan." "We shall have Licinia's wet gratitude, and with it the ear of Marcus Crassus." "If Spartacus performs as promised." "Every breath he takes is in service to the glory of this house." "I know he's willing." "But its been many months since he last lay with a woman." "After such a time, his passion might be..." "All too brief." "Well, that would prove unfortunate." "Yet easily avoidable, if Spartacus is presented opportunity to hone his skills beforehand..." "You have wandered to the wrong cell." "Are you not Spartacus?" "Bringer of rain?" "I am Mira." "I have been sent to please you." "To what end?" "Is your pleasure not an end to itself?" "I do not care for games." "Give your true purpose." "Find your tongue!" "Domina fears that you've been too long without a women." "That you will be unable to withhold your seed long enough to please the roman woman." "The notion offends me." "As does your presence." "You do not desire me?" "I desire only sleep." "And the absence of dreams." "The gods grant me strength to rip these fucking bars from their moorings." "We were fools to think they favor us." "We yet share a roof." "It would not have happened if Dominus had sold me." "Is that not proof that our union is favored?" "To have you, but not have you." "It is a wound beyond healing." "All wounds heal." "Even the deepest." "Would that they had never been inflicted." "You would wish never to have known my heart?" "The Undefeated Gaul returns." "Perhaps it is time he chose a new name." "Crixus." "My spirit soars to see you again upon the sands." "The underworld would not have me." "Take note!" "A true champion rejoins the brotherhood!" "Champion of ass and balls." "Has there ever been such a man as Crixus?" "No, Domina." "There has not." "Praise the gods for his return." "May they guide him to many more victories." "And our purse filled by such." "Yes." "Filled to bursting." "You will spar with Duro." "The german?" "He has yet to step in the arena." "And you have been long absent." "Prove yourself against the man and see advancement." "And who shall face Ashur?" "Choose carefully, for I long for blood." " You train?" " I do." "By whose word?" "The Dominus himself promised that I would rejoin the brotherhood once I was freed from that fucking brace..." "Ashur." "A word." "The master calls his dog." "What of my victory over Hasdrubal?" "How the crowd roared when I cloved his head in two?" "A minor victory, long forgotten." "Kleitos, then!" " Or... or Lysimachos..." " All long ago." "Your days as a gladiator are past." "Dominus." "I beg of you." "Let me prove myself yet worthy." "You already have." "Outside of the arena." "Your cunning is sharper than any gladiator's sword." "I would not risk it on errands of foolish pride." "We in agreement?" "Your will, Dominus." "To business, then." "I have had thoughts toward Solonius." "I would discuss on the way to market." "Did you note any signs of discomfort as Crixus took the sand?" " No, Domina." " Uh." "He's anxious to regain his place." "But I would not see him overreach, nor hide pain from his recovery." "If you notice Crixus attempting to conceal anything from me, you tell me immediately." "Yes, Domina." "The opposite sex has no sense whatever when it comes to their limits." "They must be constantly watched, least they harm themselves in the simple act of being men." "Wait." "Domina." "How did you fare with Spartacus last night?" "Was his cock of impressive size when engorged?" "How many times did he have you?" "Huh?" "Speak." "He would not have me." "He would not?" "No, Domina." "And yet you wait until now to tell me?" "I was afraid you would be displeased." "Take your dress off." "Tits, ass and cunt." "All appear to be without disease or deformity." "Which tells me the fault is not in the flesh, but in the bitch." "Apologies, Domina." "Return to his cell tonight and I expect his cock in you." "Or you'll find a sword in its place." "Ahhh." "This isn't the arena." "The world is my arena, pup." "Send me a man." "Stand down!" "Agron!" "Duro!" "Enough." "Half rations for the remainder of the week." "Test my patience again and I'll see you both to the mines!" "Crixus continues making friends." "Yet no word from your wife?" "None forthcoming, and no more coin to pay Ashur for the service of letters." "You will dishonor us, if your mind is not on the games." "Tell the jackal I will cover the cost." "I will repay you." "Quickly." "Before he departs." "Ashur." "Your man has run afoot." "Perhaps you'd care for a real opponent." "Are you so eager to return to the Medicus?" "Crixus." "You are summoned." "Soon." "Uhh, get off..." "Ahhh, tarry a while." "Your masters yet at market, and" "Ilithyia's not expected for several hours." "Uh, is my skin not soft?" "Yes, Domina." "I had the slaves draw a milk bath, recalling a time when it pleased you that we could afford such things..." "Oh, does it yet cause you pain?" "No, Domina." "I wish I could say the same." "It was torture to see such perfection marred by Theokoles." "When you fell to your knees..." "And the giant was at your back..." "My heart seized in my chest, then you looked up to the pulvinus." "To me." "What was of your mind, in that frozen moment between life and death?" "That I welcomed the afterlife, having know the love of a goddess." "You will always be mine, Crixus." "Mine alone." "Five sacks, for the price of ten." "And see to it they are dryer this time, shit whore." "The last ones stank of mold." "Do not churn, good Solonius." "The thief will suffer when prices plummet with the next harvest." "I pray his cock follows the decline." "You are left off leash?" "My master is at his villa." "I yet have business to attend." "And words, searching for receptive ears." "My situation has shifted." "And with it, your loyalties?" "Batiatus proves himself unworthy, as you had divined." "Such base character seldom weighs the true worth of a man." "I take it your scales are more in balance." "I hold valuable news." "Beyond the meager recompense you offered when last we spoke." "I am surrounded by jackals..." "It concerns your life." "If that is no cause for you to loosen your purse... um." "Wait." "You have picked my bones clean." "Speak, before I reclaim the meat." "You fuck the whore Despoina on this night every week, do you not?" "You voice what is already well known to me." "Um." "Send another cock in your place." "Or see it removed along with your head." "Batiatus moves against me?" "I am to pay his agent, and see the order given." "You've been warned." "I really cannot believe the difference." "When I first visited your home," "I felt great sorrow for the woman forced to live in such conditions." "Now look at you." "Surrounded by opulence rivaling families of proper heritage." "Trinkets merely, not nearly so valuable as your friendship." "You have many new friends of late." "You and Licinia seem quite at ease with one another." "Gratitude for the introduction." "Would you care for some wine or..." "Wine will not still my thoughts." "I prattle on with pleasantries, but I cannot pretend indifference to what you revealed about Licinia." "I revealed nothing." "You jumped to conclusions." "And landed on proper footing." "Ever since, I can think of nothing else." "With respect," "Licinia's passions are her own concern." "My mind falls not to Licinia." "It is filled with baser thoughts." "The vision of brutish hands being laid upon me." "In a manner quite lacking in my husband's touch." "I should not speak of such things." "I dishonor myself." "Your desires should not shame you." "You are a woman." "Our needs are vast." "I must put my mind from it." "To the purpose of distraction?" "Preferred to discovery." "Such a thing would ruin my husband, and taint my father's name." "Such concerns are voiced by all those who sample our wares." "Can you name any, save Licinia?" "I have heard of none." "No." "You have not." "Shall I make the arrangements?" "Yes!" "You will not be disappointed." "May I suggest Varro?" "Varro?" "Uh, far too common." "The man must equal the risk." "A fact well known by your own desires." "Ones that I admittedly share..." "Domina.." "Get out you filthy slave!" "Argh!" "My ears suggest a tempest, but eyes reveal a wife gone fucking mad!" "Yes, well look to Ilithyia as the cause." "What new slights have prompted this costly eruption?" "Her cunt overflows at the thought of Licinia bedding a gladiator." "She demands equal treatment, so she set her lust on Crixus!" "And her choice droves you into rage?" "It's not her choice, it is her manner that offends." "Honey drips from her tongue, to conceal the bite of piss that she showers upon us." "The acrid taste is well familiar, but we must learn swallow it, along with our pride until we have secured her husband's patronage." "What need have we of Glaber," "Licinia delivers us Marcus Crassus?" "Crassus' wealth is undeniable, yet he but holds the rank of senator." "Glaber outweighs with that of Legatus." "The favor of both coin and title would speed our ambitions." "To rise you would have me kneel?" "One day soon we will give Ilithyia a lesson in manners." "But for now, necessity dictates we give her Crixus." "Make the arrangements." "Fucking gaul..." "Turn your thoughts." "I'll have at him soon enough." "You wish your brother dead?" "Who speaks such a thing?" "Your actions." "I only wish to protect him." "And who will do so in the arena, where every man must stand alone?" "You do him no favors." "You lie!" "Varro." "Varro." "Hey." "Tell him you lie!" "I did what you paid me to do." "I sought out his wife, but she was not there." "The boy?" "I found no one." "But there were traces of blood on the floor and..." "Gain your senses!" "Kill him." "Come on." "Guards!" "They will not break." "I have tried." "Speak to Batiatus." "Towards what purpose?" "You have his ear." "If he would let me leave these walls for but a day or two." "He would not allow it." "You will not even make attempt?" "You are fortunate only to be chained." "To petition Dominus with such insanity would only provoke further punishment." "How would that help your cause?" "My cause is lost." "Ashur found only blood." "No bodies." "Which means your wife and child may yet be living." "The gods punish me, for failing them." "The gods rarely take note of fools." "Now, pull head from ass and use it for once!" "Where would your wife and boy flee, if set upon?" "Think." "Naevia?" "The hour is late." "You should be in your cell." "I could not sleep." "My mind is full of thoughts of the arena." "Embrace the sands of time." "As they flow, I harbor no doubt you will again be a champion." "Capua already has its champion." "Spartacus bears the title, but I look towards a man of honor to regain it." "If you value your life..." "Never awaken a gladiator." "Please..." "Domina sent me..." "Return the way you came." "Why do you refuse me?" "Am I not pleasing..." "I have no desire to lie with a woman who has been commanded to do so." "And what do you think will happen if I fail such a command?" "Stay then." "On the floor." "Is there nothing I can do for the Champion of Capua?" "There is one desire I would have serviced." "If you are able..." "Spartacus breathes fire this morning." "I wonder to the cause." "Mira." "How did your evening pass with our champion?" "He made..." "Many demands of me." "Many demands, eh?" "Our thracian is ready to stud." "I shall make arrangements for this very night." "And when the sun rises, we will have road to Marcus Crassus." "What of Ilithyia, and her desire for Crixus?" "I've already set plans in motion." "The pup bares his teeth." "Sleep did not come?" "Nor is it deserved." "Embrace dreams when the sun falls." "I have news." "Aurelia..." "Not yet." "But I have dispatched Mira, one of the house slaves, to look for her." "And your son." "How do you manage such a thing?" "She was sent by Domina." "To prepare me for certain..." "Duties required of a champion." "So the gods throw women at you, now!" "Ahh!" "Ahh!" "Your form returns." "Pair with Hamilcar." "It appears Duro has lost his brother." "Better that than his head." "It's done?" "The whore Despoina fucks no more." "Nor the man inside her when I slit her throat." "It was not Solonius." "Phew." "Whose face do I look upon?" "Kastor." "One of Solonius' men." "Send it to Solonius." "Let him savor the relief of escaping death." "For the moment." "You will be bedding a proper roman woman." "One far above your station." "Heed my words, that you not offend her." "Yes, Domina." "Speak not a word, nor make a sound, save one of pleasure." "Follow her lead, anticipate her desires then fulfill them." "Vigorously." "Yes, Domina." "In the arena, you are Champion of Capua." "But tonight, you a common slave." "To do as commanded." "Are we clear?" "We are clear, Domina." "They will prepare you for the festivities." "Wait until summoned." "Fetch the best wine." "I want our guest well plied when she arrives." "Domina." "Where were you last night?" "I waited almost to the point of detection." "I could not break away." "I was tending to Domina." "Domina?" "Or maybe that guard I saw you with today." "You are mistaken..." "I am not blind." "You were touching his arm and laughing and the way he gazed at you..." "If you are not blind, then you surely see that Hector gazes at all women in the same fashion." "I give no shit about other women." "You shame me." "You shame yourself, with thoughts of imaginary slights." "I know what I saw." "No." "You do not!" "And nor did Hector." "His key?" "The purpose of my smile and touch." "The only one he received." "I have but a moment before I must return with Domina's wine." "Use it to apologize for ever thinking..." "You are my heart..." "I will never doubt the beating of it again." "Oh, apologies, Licinia." "We appear to have arrived before Ilithyia's finished with Spartacus." "No!" "Guards!" "Oh, would this not set every tongue in Rome wagging." "The wife of Legatus Claudius Glaber!" "Fucking Spartacus, the man that nearly ruined him!" "It is a scandal, is it not?" "The most splendid I have ever heard." "Stop laughing!" "Stop laughing!" "Stop laughing!" "Ilithyia!" "What were you thinking?" "She slights me at every turn." "I wished only to teach her a lesson." "By pairing her with Spartacus?" "If my husband will not defend my honor," "I am forced to do so myself." "Honor?" "Is that why the cousin to Marcus Crassus lays dead in our fucking house?" "Was not my intent." "Your intent matters for nothing." "Oh fuck!" "We are undone!" "No." "Licinia came alone." "She told no one of her purpose." "No one?" "Not even her slaves." "There is nothing to connect her with the House of Batiatus..." "Once the body is disposed of." "What of Ilithyia?" "Oh, I'll take care of her." "Apologies, it was an unfortunate mistake, coupling you with Glaber's wife." "Know that it was not my intent, nor of my knowledge." "It is I that owes apology." "For a moment my hands were not my own, but those of a man who no longer exists." "Let us not speak of this night again." "Spartacus." "Your loyalty." "It honors this ludus." "I did not mean..." "No, course you didn't." "The way she laughed at me...." "You said I was to lie with Crixus." "Why did you give me Spartacus?" "Why would you do such a thing?" "You ask what you already know answer to." "My husband will see me dead for this..." "You have killed me..." "No." "I have brought us closer." "No one will ever know what happened here tonight." "Licinia's body will never be found." "You're protected." "No." "They will know." "They will see the deed in my eyes." "Then you'll stay here with me." "Until your eyes are clear." "We've had our differences, however veiled." "But I've come to see what a valuable friend you are." "This will be our little secret."