As Taurus pulled Kallie from the terrace, she glanced back at Lady Virga, who watched them passively. Not knowing if Virga held enmity toward her halted any possible overture to friendship. She respected Virga and sought to avoid making an enemy. But how could they be friends when Taurus blocked every opportunity? Kallie itched to remind him of his manners, but she dared not take liberties, not even to voice a mild protest as the governor handed her off to his capable steward. She must not jeopardize their riding plans.
Kallie donned her riding clothes and rushed to the stable, where Taurus waited, mounted on a superior horse, and she beamed at the equally spectacular mount waiting for her.
“I call this horse after Hannibal,” Taurus said. “He tried to defeat the Romans, and I will finish the job.”
Kallie needed no further explanation. “And the name of my horse?”
“Pilum. He rides true and straight, like a spear.”
They rode together, with a party of eight men riding well back. Kallie, dressed in her boyish clothes, secretly enjoyed the fact that Taurus knew every curve hidden under her disguise.
He avidly watched her handle the horse even though she had a less challenging mount; it allowed her to concentrate on the magnificent views ahead. They slowed to a trot after racing out over the flat plain toward the mountain. Kallie thrilled at the sheer joy of freedom from the enclosed walls of the fortress.
“This is wonderful!” she yelled above the noise of the horses. “What is the name of this mountain?”
“Black Mountain,” he answered. “Dark, and mysterious, and unforgiving. Men who tangle with her may lose their lives or their souls.” Taurus stared at Kallie as he spoke. Was he referring to the mountain?
She shrugged. “If you are afraid, Governor, I will go alone and report the mysteries waiting beyond.”
Taurus laughed loudly. “I have conquered her many times, Kallie. She holds no fear for me.”
“Indeed,” she mused, “the Monster of Panua is afraid of nothing.” She thought of Lidia. “Except for an old woman who calls herself your grandmother. Now there is a forbidding mistress.”
“I am her master.” Taurus balked. She had found his weakness. It irked him that Lidia tried to rule through him.
“You are master because she allows it. If you crossed Lidia, you would soon find out the truth of it.”
Taurus reached out and grabbed the reins of her horse. “Lidia is an old woman who lives in the past. Soon she will be dead, and Panua will remain in my grip. I hold the power, not Lidia.”
“Hmm.” She was unconvinced Lidia posed no threat. Kallie knew from experience that spies were everywhere. Lidia had at one time controlled a network that led from Panua to the door of Primus Gregorian.
“’Tis strange to think I could have been her granddaughter, if my mother had married Paulinus.” She laughed, and Taurus joined in.
“Strange indeed to think we could have met under different circumstances,” he mused.
Closer to the mountain Taurus signaled to the men. They broke into a gallop and reached their general. “Make a camp here and wait for our return. Let no one pass unless I give the order.”
They took the path leading into the mountain. She turned often to gaze at the view. “It is beautiful from here,” she sighed. “I knew it would be.”
Taurus followed her gaze to the distant fortress. Towering walls and magnificent architecture loomed over the valley. The city below was a jumble of rooftops dotting the expanse, with roadways crisscrossing through tightly packed buildings.
“This mountain is much like the place I grew up, near the town of Actinium, remote and wild.”
The breeze stirred her hair as she dismounted and tied the reins to a tree. Taurus joined her. It felt good to stretch their legs after the long ride. He sat on a large rock and watched as she climbed a tree, lightly teasing her on her agility and the height she climbed before pausing to look down.
“I can see your men at the base of the mountain from up here. They are behaving well.” She scooted down with even more speed, jumping the last few cubits to the ground, and screeched with laughter as she tumbled head over heels, clumsily breaking her fall.
Taurus laughed at her antics. Free of duty and responsibility, he watched with interest to see what she would do next.
“My father always made a fire-ring in the wild before we hunted game and searched for water.” Kallie gathered a pile of rocks. “Point in the direction of home often, and you will not forget the way, he always said.” She formed the stones into an arrow shape, its point aimed at the fortress. Throwing the extra stones into the centre of the ring, she rubbed the dirt off her hands. Taurus quietly watched as she climbed onto the rock with him and took the water-skin to quench her thirst. “Did you bring rations?”
He reached into a pouch, withdrew a small ration, and held it with a firm grip as she tried to wrestle it free. Fierce as she was in her attempt to uncurl his fingers, he held tight the more she struggled. He withdrew his hand. “I will give it to you for a kiss,” he teased.
“Only a kiss?” Kallie considered his request easily fulfilled. “I agree. Give me the ration, and I will kiss you.”
“No, kiss me first, and then I will give you the ration.”
Kallie leaned in to kiss him. She hovered over him, her breath caressing his face. She touched his lips with the hint of a kiss.
“That was hardly a kiss,” he complained.
“You did not specify the exact nature of the kiss,” Kallie teased. “I will give you a better kiss for two rations.”
Taurus chuckled at the game. “What will you give for the lot?”
She jumped off the rock. “Follow me and find out.”
Under the cover of the trees she turned to face him and raised her arms. He caught her in his embrace, lifting her to meet his lips. Her fingers twisted into his tangle of tawny hair, taming its waves. Clothes dissolved as they kissed, and they stood naked in the forest, sighing with pleasure. Kallie nibbled his ear as they dropped to the ground. He handed her the rations. She popped one into her mouth, and relaxed as his eyes roved across her naked body. She reached for him, guiding him to her, as the warm breeze rustled through the surrounding leaves.
“Wait.” Taurus said, coming out of his haze of desire.
Kallie paused, “What’s wrong?”
Taurus eyed her for a moment. “The Greeks have a word.”
“What word?” Kallie asked, confused.
Taurus whispered in her ear. “Orgasmos.”
“What does it mean?” She had Greek blood through her mother, but this strange word meant nothing.
“Better if I show you the meaning.” Taurus dropped his head and showered her body with kisses.
“Oh, I see,” Kallie murmured, as he took her on a journey she would never forget. She sailed on a river of ecstasy provided by the governor. Slow and deliberate, his concentration stayed solely on pleasing her. She lay in his arms, limp and exhausted. “Gods! Now I know why lovers do this with eagerness,” she moaned, drunk with satisfaction.
“Not all women have such a moving experience, but if the woman is eager the man may try a little harder.”
She noted his smug attitude at her newly discovered rapture. “How often do a man and woman do such a thing?”
Taurus laughed at her inquisitive nature. “Each coupling is different, but the choice is for the man to make.”
“Oh.” Kallie bit back a scalding reply. This was not the time or the place to disagree. She had a brief vision of Taurus and Virga together, but a passionate encounter between an ice-cold beauty with good graces and flawless manners and the vigorous governor eluded her fertile imagination.
“Come,” Taurus commanded. “We must return or the men will search for us soon.”
Dressed and ready to leave, Kallie took one last look at the fortress in the distance before turning her horse to the path down the mountain. She inspected Taurus from under narrowed eyes. His tawny hair hung lo
ose around his face, and his hazel eyes shimmered in the daylight. A magnificent example of a man, but he knew it. She smiled as they began their descent. A trip to the mountain proved to be exactly what she needed, but not for the reasons he thought.
Chapter Six
Taurus glanced back once as the mountain receded into the distance. He shook off an uneasy sensation and kept close to his charge. For a long time he rode without speaking, lost in his thoughts. His encounters with women normally centered solely on his pleasure alone; most women were mere vessels to fill and refill at his convenience. But this one was different. Even though she had no prior experience with men she pulsed with a vibrant carnal energy that fired his sexual awareness. He recognized the urge to dominate a woman, but the unfamiliar desire to please one infuriated his sense of good judgment.
Taurus focused on the road, scanning the way home from side to side. He signaled his men with a gesture of his arm. They adjusted the speed of their horses to keep him and Kallie ahead by twenty cubits at all times. More than two-thirds of the way to the city, Taurus glanced at her. As a skilled rider, she had no trouble keeping up, but her constant twisting in her saddle to look back annoyed him. At first he thought she checked the men, but the more she repeated the move, the more suspicious Taurus became. He cut across her path, forcing her horse to come to a halt. The look of smug triumph on her face told him something was dreadfully wrong.
The men approached with trepidation as he grabbed Kallie’s arm and yanked her over to his mount. She did not protest. The knowledge dawned on him as she waited and watched.
“Four of you return to the mountain. Go up the track to the first lookout and find an arrow on the ground made of stones. Destroy it! Leave no clue as to what was there. Understood?” Taurus yelled at the man chosen to head up the task. The man nodded in response.
“Go then!” Taurus raged. He watched as the men galloped away at top speed.
Kallie spoke calmly. “It’s too late.”
“Why?” Taurus asked, contorting with anger. “What in damnation does the rock formation mean? Tell me the truth!”
“I must communicate or Atticus will rescue me, and I am not ready to leave.” Kallie scanned his face, her gaze lingering on his lips. “My brother must concede my betrothal is over, and that I no longer play a part in his schemes, before I move on to Greece.”
“You seriously believe you can walk in and out of Panua as you please?”
Kallie nodded. “I can and I will, Governor. It is easier than you think.”
He shook his head. “Do not believe for one heartbeat you can leave without my consent.”
“Caius will send a message soon,” she mused. “Ben Alim will report to Rome, and Caius will adjust his plans. You have given me a small win over the emperor, but you have been well rewarded.”
He struggled with anger at her, but also had the satisfaction that Caius Gregorian was inconvenienced. “You assume I will agree to your exile, but unfortunately you may not see Greece for a long time.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the fortress. Taurus delivered her in person to Kristokus. His eyes flashed a warning—no surprises.
“Be sure she is ready at sunset. We are expected at the Villa Verragius tonight.” Taurus left without another word.
****
Kallie settled into her suite to rest before the evening’s event. She called to the steward as he reached the door, ready to exit. “They say the men in Greece are handsome and proud.” She looked him straight in the eye.
“Indeed, Lady.” Kristokus answered stiffly, averting his eyes.
“I need a wise woman or a physician. I have a headache and need their service,” she complained. “Can you arrange it?”
“As you wish.” He bowed and left the room.
Kallie undressed and meandered into the adjacent room, where a body servant waited with scented oils to bathe her and comb out her hair. Kallie rested on a cool slab, draped with the finest linens, while the girl pressed strong fingers into her tired muscles. After the girl clipped and buffed Kallie’s fingernails and toenails to a shine, rich linens were draped over her clean, smooth body. Afterward, Kallie slid into bed to nap until the time came for her evening with the governor. She lay wondering who Verragius was, and why Taurus was taking her when everyone here hated her presence, until an old woman entered the room and stood by the door. Kallie beckoned her to come closer. “You are the wise woman?”
She shuffled forward. “Yes,” the woman croaked.
Kallie took in her appearance. Wrinkled and gray-haired, with few teeth left, she smelled of odious herbs and powders. This woman could help.
“I have no money for you, wise woman, but there are those who will pay well for your work today.”
“Who, my dear?” the crone rasped.
“Lady Lidia or Lady Virga will offer you much more than I ever could.” Kallie had the woman’s interest, judging by the way she licked her lips when coins were mentioned.
“I need powders that prevent a woman from…you know…having a child.”
The woman nodded sagely. “They cost much for a noblewoman. The herbs must be of good quality, not the poor homegrown nonsense the local wenches use.”
Kallie smiled. “Lady Lidia will not want a Gregorian to bear the governor’s child. She will owe you a great debt and will pay well.” An unbidden thought that Lidia might take the opportunity to poison her popped into her head. “The governor will be upset if he loses his Roman prize, so choose the powder well and use the best.”
The old woman inclined her head. She held out her hand. The mottled skin and veins stood out against papery skin. “It will be as you wish, Mistress.”
“Quickly,” she urged, as the woman retreated out the door. Kallie rolled over in the bed, pressed against the soft pillow, and slid into a deep sleep.
****
Lidia and Barca faced Taurus in his office. He simmered with annoyance, but they were incidental to his thoughts. While they argued over Kallie and the notion she should not attend the Verragius party, Taurus took a moment to rethink the day. The girl had used an opportunity to communicate with the giant. She was resourceful and clever, and she impressed him, even though he hated to admit such a thing was possible. He recalled the muscles in her arms and legs as she climbed the tree, and her sinuous body as it moved gracefully through the forest. She had completely duped him while playing with rocks and recalling stories of her childhood.
Taurus’ jaw clenched at his incredible stupidity. She’d distracted his concentration and he had fallen for her female charms, her ploy to render him incapable of interfering with a message intended for Atticus.
Atticus! Taurus seethed with hatred at the name. He needn’t bother telling Lidia or Barca the details only to have them rail further against the girl. Taurus had had enough of their opinions.
“Are you even listening to our advice?” Lidia carped.
He forced a congenial smile and placed a light kiss on her forehead.
“She will join us, and that’s the end of it. General Verragius will be disappointed if we forget the latest sensation in all of Panua.”
Lidia protested. “Get rid of her before she casts her spell over you. Shame her first, then throw her in the dungeons to rot.”
“You forget she is the sister of Rome. As long as I hold her in my grip, the emperor must negotiate with Panua. I fully intend to exploit our advantage.”
Barca remained exceptionally quiet, and Taurus attempted to heal the rift between them. They usually shared everything, including women, but Taurus did not intend to apply that rule to Kallie. She remained his exclusive property for as long as she pleased him.
He backslapped his friend. “Bring a woman tonight as your guest. How about the little redhead, Rufia? The one who makes eyes at you when she thinks no one notices.” He rarely gave advice on women or social engagements, especially when Lidia was in the room.
Barca eyed him carefully. “I will arrange it
and meet you at the villa.” He left after a polite nod.
Lidia stayed silent for a moment as she weighed her words. He grew strong-willed, and she lost ground every day. In his youth she had ruled with a firm hand, but her hold on him slipped as he matured.
“Verragius’ daughter will be her best tonight. Give her your attention while in her father’s house,” Lidia cajoled.
“What is her name?” Taurus asked, deliberately obtuse. Only one woman’s name sprang readily to his lips.
“Flavia!” Lidia snapped, visibly grappling with fury. “I know she is forgettable, and I understand your lack of interest, but marry and get a son on her and make Panua’s future secure.”
Taurus remained at his desk, sipping watered wine, long after Lidia left. The general’s daughter forgotten, his mind wandered through the memory of his afternoon with Kallie. He recalled her flawless face, her dark, wavy hair, stormy, gray eyes suffused with light, and a small dimple on each cheek when she smiled. Taurus remained lost in thought until he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye and gave the signal to approach.
Kristokus accompanied an old crone.
“What did she want of you?” Taurus wasted no time in niceties.
The crone’s lip curled in a lewd smile. “The same as all women engaged in licentious behavior,” she tittered.
Taurus shot her a look of disdain. “I am in no mood for games. Speak plainly, woman.”
“To avoid a child from your rutting,” the woman said crudely.
“And did you promise her success with your potions, beldame?”
“I can do it,” she replied, “for a price. And it’s a high price for the best quality.”
“Hmm,” Taurus muttered. “Attend to the lady’s need, and I will take care of the cost.” He lifted a pouch of coins from his desk. “The finest herbs and powders for the lady…but not to inhibit a child. I want to encourage a child to grow between us.” Taurus tossed the small bag at the woman. “No mistakes, beldame. Your life and wealth rest on her success at giving me a son to grow strong and healthy. I will challenge Rome for its highest office.”
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