by LJ Maas
“Aye, Lord Conqueror,” the boy answered and I bit my cheek to keep from smiling.
“Make it so then, Atrius.” I commanded. My Captain bowed slightly and turned, Petra imitating his actions, following close on the Captain’s heels.
They were some distance away when Petra came racing back to me. “Did you forget something, boy?”
“This, Lord Conqueror.” Petra replied. He handed me the apple Gabrielle gave him, placing it in my open palm.
“Please, Lord Conqueror. Tell your Queen thank you.”
The boy ran off just as quickly and left me staring at the piece of fruit lying in my hand. My thoughts were really on his words, however. My Queen, he said of Gabrielle. I wondered if it would destroy his illusions if he were to know she was merely my slave. Just my slave! It was not to be long at all until I discovered how completely ludicrous that thought was.
Sagoris finally walked back to me, shaking his head. I had the funny feeling this wasn’t going to be good news.
“Lord Conqueror, these structures are not only unsafe, but, by the Gods, I can’t believe humans are living in them! The conditions are appalling. There is only one way to handle this, but I fear you will not like my answer.” The old man told me.
“We need to tear them down and start over.” I answered, hands on my hips, looking around me.
Sagoris stared at me, I could see the surprise in his face from the corner of my eye, and then I heard the disbelief in his voice.
“Y-Yes, Lord Conqueror, that is correct.”
“Who was responsible for the monies out of the treasury when these buildings were first erected?” I asked, fairly certain of the answer.
“It’s been almost ten seasons ago, Lord Conqueror... I believe, yes, it would be your man, Demetri.”
Another nail in your coffin, Demetri.
“Sagoris, what do you foresee as a problem in rebuilding here?” I asked the builder.
“Well, the people would have to be housed elsewhere. I suppose for the five or six moons it would take to accomplish the task, they could live in tents on the practice fields. There are plenty of young men willing to earn some dinars by working at construction, so I do not believe the task will be insurmountable in any way.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Sagoris. We need to tear this abomination down and rebuild. I don’t want it rebuilt with the same shoddy materials and I want each home to have two rooms. I will reward you with one hundred talantons of silver upon its completion.” I said to the surprised man.
“Thank you, Lord Conqueror,” the man answered enthusiastically.
“One other thing, Sagoris.” I called out to the gray haired man. “Have Captain Atrius house the soldiers in the tents. The barracks can be cleaned and used by the villagers. I don’t want women and children living in tents. Besides, my soldiers get paid to rough it.” I said with a smirk and the old man and I shared a small chuckle. I surprised him today. I was beginning to get a wry feeling of satisfaction from being able to do that to people.
Just then, both Kuros and Gabrielle walked from the small house and Kuros quickly explained that, while the woman was not deathly ill, the conditions here would only prevent her from growing stronger. I told him I wished her to be moved to the palace and left my healer in charge of arranging some rooms. I asked him to have Delia assist with anything else.
The small man moved off to make the necessary arrangements and Gabrielle stood silently at my side. “I was told to give this to you.” I placed the apple within her small hand. “Gabrielle,” I began hesitantly, “I want you to know that I am very pleased with you. The way you acted today tells me there is more to you, my little one, than meets the eye. I like that.” I praised the young woman.
Gabrielle lowered her head, but not before I saw a hint of that quirky smile again. Suddenly, I remembered what I was going to do when the day began; only now, I suspected that my Fleet Commander might not be in his little scheme alone. To find that out, I would have to become the old Conqueror. I would need to act as if I was still a woman whose sexual appetites were filled with violence and lustful perversions. I had no desire for Gabrielle to see me that way. I could tell her it was a ruse and I’m sure she would understand, but something deep inside me, a small tiny voice, begged me not to have the girl see that in me. Acting that way, with my Gabrielle so near; so available, let’s just say I wasn’t that redeemed just yet, and that’s what frightened me the most.
“Gabrielle, I’m going to continue on to the docks alone. I don’t think it would be safe for you to be with me. I have to deal with someone and, well, there might be trouble.”
At the word trouble, Gabrielle’s head snapped up and her brow furrowed in concern. “Will you be safe, My Lord?”
That small question shocked me into silence. Gabrielle has certainly shown me any number of kindnesses since she entered my service. They were the small things that were rare for a slave to be thoughtful about, but this display of worry and concern seemed spontaneous and absolutely genuine.
“Worried, about me, little one?” I teased the young woman.
“I--I just... My Lord, It’s... ” Gabrielle lowered her head and stammered.
This was uncharacteristic of my slave’s customary responses. Gabrielle usually had an answer for everything, a patient, thoughtful, and, sometimes, profound response. Now she blushed, not like the seasoned body slave she was, but rather a virginal schoolgirl. I couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up.
When she looked up again, her expression was one of relief, I assume brought on by my laughter. I leaned close to her, towering over her slight frame.
“Gabrielle, do you honestly believe that I might not be able to take care of myself?” I whispered to her.
“No. Of course not, My Lord.” She answered immediately.
I chuckled again and thought I was doing a lot of that lately. “Where would you like to go, Gabrielle?” I motioned to one of the guards, the one who fetched the supplies Gabrielle needed earlier. “You may go anywhere you desire, but the guard stays with you. Understand?”
“Yes, My Lord. I think... I think I would like to go to the stables and give Tenorio a treat.” She said, holding the apple up to me, that lopsided, semi-smile returning.
I grinned right back at her and I’m sure my guard thought I looked like an idiot. Of course, wishing all of his limbs to remain firmly fastened to his body, he said nothing.
I quickly plucked the ripe apple from the surprised girl’s hand and tossed it in the air a couple of times. Gabrielle then did something that halted my actions, if not my very thought process. She laughed. It wasn’t very long or very loud, but it was like music to my ears and a balm laid across my soul. It was the most refreshing thing I ever heard and we both stopped and looked at one another. Well, I looked at Gabrielle and she responded with that nervous behavior where she tries, but she can’t exactly look me square in the eye. We both knew, in some small way, we crossed lines drawn in the sand today. Actually, it felt more like we rubbed them out and drew new ones.
Gabrielle bowed her head again and by the strange look in her eye, I think that perhaps she was wondering why she was feeling this way herself. I gave instructions to the guard who would go with Gabrielle and he turned and stepped a few paces away. Smart boy, I thought, because it looked as though he was purposefully giving us our privacy. I placed the apple back into my slave’s hands and leaned closer to her, lowering my voice for only her to hear.
“Tenorio will enjoy the treat. He has the same affinities as his master.” I said.
Gabrielle answered in what could only be described as a coquettish manner. Gods, if I didn’t know better, I would say that my young slave was flirting with me!
“And, those would be, My Lord?”
She tilted her head to one side and I took care to whisper my response into her ear. “Ripe apples... and small blondes.”
She lowered her head even further, but not before I saw the smile, she was try
ing to hide.
“Another smile for me, Gabrielle?” I asked as I began to walk away from her. “I am indeed a fortunate Conqueror.”
CHAPTER 9
THEY THAT TAKE THE BRIBE, SHALL PERISH BY THE BRIBE
“WHERE IS THE captain of my fleet?” I asked the young sailor at the watch.
“He is billeted on the Hybris, Lord Conqueror. Shall I send for him?”
“No, I’ll make my way there.” I answered.
Before I made my way to the far end of the wharf where the largest ship in the fleet, The Hybris, was tied, I called one of the palace guards to my side. It was Nicos, and I was glad. Not only was he an intelligent man, but loyal to me as well. With what I was about to do, that fact became imperative.
Nicos had only one arm, but he used a short sword in that one remaining hand better than most. It took quite a long period for him to recover, not from losing the arm, but when we returned from war, for him to realize he was going to live. A soldier with only one arm, well, he drank himself into a stupor to forget for a full season before I had him dragged into the palace before me. I hate the waste of talent and life that drink brings to so many lives, and especially so to this man, who fought with cunning and valor on the field of battle. He has been with the palace guard ever since.
“Find Atrius or his lieutenant and tell them to quietly bring two squads of men to the docks. Understand?”
“Aye, Lord Conqueror.” Nicos was off in a flash and that made me smile. He wasn’t a young man any more, but I’m sure my words told him we might see a little action today. Being the soldier he was, I’m certain he didn’t want to miss a thing.
I made my way aboard the Hybris and stood on the deck briefly, feeling the breeze and practically tasting the salt in the air. I miss sailing, but I realize, as I grow older, there are many things I have begun saying that about. I have taken for granted so much over the years; it’s been easy to forget the things that brought me real pleasure. I took one last deep breath and as the air escaped my lungs, I allowed myself to become a woman I abhor. I became the arrogant, smug Xena who was used to beating men at their own game, for the simple fact that I believed that I was better... smarter. I tossed the dark hair away from my face and moved toward the Captain’s cabin.
* * *
“Who in Hades is pounding on my door like that?” I heard the man’s bellowing rage from the other side of the heavy wooden door. I continued the pounding with the handle of my dagger.
“By the God’s! Who’s trying to get themselves killed, making that kind of racket on my ship!” He was shouting as he opened the door and froze in place at the sight of me, filling the doorway.
“Don’t you mean my ship, Callius?” I drawled.
There was a certain satisfaction flowing through me as I looked at the surprised expression on the Captain’s face. I strode into the large quarters and settled myself into a large wooden chair, leaning back and casually draping one leg over the chair’s arm. It was obviously the Captain’s chair, which is why it gave me a great deal of pleasure taking possession of it. It wasn’t until I scanned the room that I saw the girl. When I looked up again and saw the untidy state the Captain’s trousers were in, I guessed at what I interrupted.
The girl was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen summers. She had no scars on her, but she did sport a blackened eye, the bruises seeming rather fresh. Her hands were tied behind her back with a thin strip of worn leather and her naked body kneeled on the wooden flooring.
“Did I interrupt?” I leered.
I listened as he blustered for a moment, but the young woman on her knees, her wrists bound together in a completely submissive pose, held my attention. For a fleeting moment, I pictured Gabrielle serving me that way and I had to breathe deeply to dispel the sudden desire that overwhelmed me. Gods, I knew it would be hard to play this part, but I had no idea how easy it could be to slip back, to want to combine those feelings of control and power with sex.
“She’s worth it, Lord Conqueror. Perhaps... ” he paused, as if judging if he should continue or not. “Perhaps, you would care to try her out.”
“She’s that good?” I let my legs part a little further and I wondered if I slipped into this role any deeper, if I would be able to stop.
“She can do things with that tongue that can make a grown man cry.” He answered.
He was drawing nearer to where I sat and I could smell the combination of alcohol and stale sweat that clung to him. I could tell that he wanted a good view should I decide to let her pleasure me. In seasons past, public displays of sex never bothered me; in fact, it aroused me all the more to have an audience. I glared up at him and he backed away a few steps without me saying a word.
I lowered my foot to the floor. “Come here, girl.” I commanded, realizing this performance was coming dangerously close to becoming reality.
She crawled as best she could toward me and I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her in closer until she knelt between my parted legs. Almost... I was so close to ripping open my trousers and pulling her to me that it frightened me. In an instant, one small heartbeat, I saw Gabrielle’s face in this girl. Only, this time I envisioned, not my young slave about to be seduced by me, but Gabrielle, beaten and abused, about to be raped by someone like I used to be. Used to be... my hands went cold and I could feel my lips pulling back into a thin line. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Callius watching. He would think it odd if I didn’t go through with it now. I reached out and grabbed the girl’s hair, jerking her head back until I could see her face. I made the rough treatment look worse than it felt for the girl.
I leaned down closer to her. “Did you suck him before I got here?” I demanded to know.
The girl’s face turned scarlet all the way down to the roots of her hair. She could only nod her head and anger ran through me in waves as I felt the young girl’s humiliation. I pushed her away.
“Then the last place I want your tongue is in me.” I responded gruffly. “Turn around.” I ordered.
She turned with some difficulty until her back was facing me. I pulled my dagger once again from my belt. “Bend over.” I drawled.
I bit the inside of my lip until I tasted blood in my mouth to still the call of the beast inside me. It was roaming loose, just underneath the surface, and I barely had enough will of my own left to contain it. Callius licked his lips and watched, preparing, I was sure, to see a good show. I caught his leering gaze and I swore that if he touched himself, I would hurl the dagger into his chest right now.
I leaned down until my lips were practically pressed to the young woman’s ear. “If you want to live through today and get away from this scum you had best do exactly as I say, when I say. If you run, I swear I’ll kill you myself. Nod your head if you understand.” I whispered.
The terrified girl nodded her head up and down and I swiftly brought my dagger down, slicing smoothly through the leather bindings.
I pulled her up roughly and tossed her into a chair. She huddled there, wrapping her arms around herself. I rose and grabbed a blanket, tossing it her way. Turning back toward Callius, I winked.
“Much too distracting when she’s naked.” I grinned.
Callius grinned back, a tad nervously.
“Yes, I think she’ll do nicely, Callius.”
“Lord Conqueror?” he answered in complete confusion.
“Do for me. I was in the market for a young girl and I heard you were the man to see. I want one that hasn’t been a slave before, but I do hate when they have too much fight left in them.” I said, looking the girl up and down.
“But... I--” Callius stammered, unable to think of a reason to deny me, which wouldn’t get him killed. “But... she’s already broken in.” he whined at last.
“Perfect, although I wanted a virgin, and one a bit younger. I must have heard wrong, I was told by Demetri that you could provide me with such a thing. You know... not a slave... perhaps... a nobleman’s daughter.” I hemmed,
pretending to be inquiring about something highly illegal, even in my land.
“So, I guess I’ll just take her,” I made a move to rise from my seat.
“Wait!” He was thinking hard and this is just the spot I wanted him in. It was only good fortune that this girl was here, just waiting to be part of my plan. Callius was weighing the option of giving up a valuable, broken in body slave, against admitting his illegal slavery antics. He went with the odds and put his money on my libido.
“How young?” he asked.
I smiled as carnal a smile as I could muster up. “Young enough to get me arrested... if I didn’t own the whole country.” I added.
“In the plank house, on the dock. I’ve got just what you desire, Lord Conqueror.”
His smile and his overconfident manner sickened me and I was torn between gutting him right now or throwing up all over his clean floor. I rose quickly, desperately needing some fresh air.
“This way, Lord Conqueror.” He moved out of the way to let me walk in front of him, but I motioned him ahead. Callius was the last person I wanted at my unprotected back. I made sure my dagger was within easy grasp, tucked into my belt, and when I turned to close the door, I held a finger up to my lips in the girl’s direction and she nodded her head.
* * *
Most of the girls displayed the after effects of being beaten, but some still had enough strength to cry. When one golden haired girl looked up at me, in a combination of innocence and fear, Gabrielle’s face was again before me.
“This lot is all virgins, Lord Conqueror, untouched by a man... or a woman.” He quickly added. “Although it takes quite a few extra dinars to the guards, to see they stay that way till I sell ‘em.”
He went up close to the girl with the long golden hair. She trembled and silent tears ran down her face. I guessed her to be all of ten summers. This was Gabrielle once, ten summers old and sold on the block to serve in someone’s bedchamber. I could feel my morning’s meal rising insistently from my belly.
