Passion and Sand: War of Fire

by Andromeda -

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  Ayanna giggled softly as Kaiser trailed his fingers up her thigh, his lips curved as he breathed softly in her ear. Growling playfully, he gripped her rear and kneaded it in his hands.

  “You are almost good enough to eat…,” he teased.

  “What’s stopping you?” she asked with a smile.

  “True…what is stopping me…?” he thought aloud. Then he grabbed her, flipped her onto her back and tore open her robe. “Nothing…”

  She laughed, willingly opening her legs when the falcon flew into the room from the window and nestled itself on a perch.

  “It’s back?” Kaiser asked in amazement.

  “Aurora must have sent something important,” Ayanna said, as she rose from the bed and walked to the bird.

  Untying the note from its leg, she fed it a strip of meat, then began to read. Her face grew ashen almost immediately as she continued. Kaiser saw it and rose to his feet. Crossing the room, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

  “Bärchen?” he said gently. “Are you alright?”

  “B…Barack…,” she croaked. “He’s…he’s going to die…”

  All the blood drained from his face, and he begged her to read him the letter, which she did. After translating the code, she explained what it meant and then began to pace the room, wringing her hands.

  “We can’t let this happen,” he said. “Barack, we can’t let him die! He’s like a father to me!”

  “We won’t,” he said, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. “I give you my word he is not going to die. But we need to come up with a plan. Does it say where he is going to be fighting?”

  She quickly scanned the letter again. “Not in Rome, thank the gods. He will be fighting in…Capua. According to Aurora, if we all rode hard by horseback, we should be there within four days. He fights within the week.”

  Kaiser frowned, stroking the beard he was letting grow out. “That is a heavy time crunch. We would have to pack up everything now and leave. And even then, we might not make it in time… No doubt, guards will be all over. The emperor will be there, so we have to plan this through, and we have to do it carefully. Can you send a letter back to Aurora and ask her for her help?”

  Ayanna nodded. “Yes, yes, I can do that, but we have to hurry. Kaiser…I cannot think of him dead…he was like a father to me.”

  “He was like a father to us all,” he said comfortingly. “But we must be careful. This is going to be one of the most challenging things we have ever done. So, when we do this, we have to have clear minds. Alright?”

  “Alright,” she said, hugging him close.

  He kissed the top of her head, listening to her quiet sobs of sorrow at the possibility of losing the one man who taught them all to be human again. Even when Rome treated them like animals.

  They were going to bring him back, they had to bring him back. Not only that, but they were going to send a message to Rome to not mess with their own. They needed a plan, and after a while, one quickly formed in his mind.

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  He found Artemus sharpening his sword, and he approached the Greek to tell him of his plan. Artemus listened, but it was clear he was not impressed.

  “That has to be the craziest thing I have ever heard,” he said. “And I have heard a lot of crazy plans.”

  “Please,” Kaiser pleaded. “Just listen. I know it seems like a bit of a stretch…”

  “A long stretch,” Artemus grumbled slightly.

  “But!” Kaiser said. “It’s better than nothing. And besides, we owe it to Barack. The man has taught us all we know. He was a father to us. We cannot let him be put down like some dog. He deserves a longer life than any of us, and I plan to deliver it to him.”

  Artemus looked at him hard, as if to judge if Kaiser truly meant what he spoke. After a moment, however, he sighed and stood up, his arms crossed. “Alright, I am in. What is the full plan? Do not leave out any details.”

  Kaiser grinned and leaned forward, filling his ear with his idea. It was a bit of a stretch, and the gods would have to be on their sides for them to pull it off, but if they did pull it off, then they would send a message to Rome they would never forget.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The crowds in the Capua arena cheered and called out for blood. They were ready for the fights that were to take place today. In fact, they craved it. The emperor had learned a long time ago, that to control Rome, he had to control the mobs. The senators thought they had power, but in reality, it was the mobs who held the most control.

  They could rage and roar like a lion, but at other times, they could be as tame as a kitten. All he had to do was learn how to control them. He learned this, by giving them what they wished: bread and entertainment. If they were well fed and given enough entertainment, they would be distracted from the daily struggles of the empire, and in the process, they were uninterested in politics.

  At his side, Aurora sat nervously, her eyes looking over the crowds as well as the entrances and exits. According to Ayanna’s last letter, they were going to try and rescue Barack, as well as any other gladiators and slaves who were there. Not only that, but they planned on making a big statement to all of Rome, a very bold statement that most likely would get them all killed if they were captured.

  “Anxious for the blood spilling to begin?” Cornelius asked his sister.

  “You could say that,” Aurora answered. “How has married life suited you?”

  He smirked. “It feels good to have something that is mine and mine alone. No longer being under the roof of another.”

  She glanced at their father, but he was busy talking to a senator at his side, so he had not heard them. “You should be careful, Brother,” she said softly. “Freedom sometimes comes with a cost.”

  “I know what I am doing,” he answered before he turned to the master of ceremonies, who rode out in a gilded chariot.

  It was a hot day, and as their slaves fanned them with large, elaborate fans made from luxury ostrich feathers, Aurora listened to the master of ceremonies as he spoke, but her eyes were drawn to something else. In the sand, there were strange, almost what appeared to be lines, in the sand.

  She could not tell in their entirety of what they did or if they said anything, but it struck her as odd. They were dark lines and seemed to be in a pattern that she did not understand, but looking at them, she got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  The gladiators were led into the arena, all of them dressed for battle. Barack stood among them, though the clearly older African stood out heavily among the much younger men. Though he had fought in many duels, and had won, a match like this just might end up ending his life.

  “Emperor!” the men said together. “We, who about to die, salute you!”

  The emperor nodded and signaled for the matches to begin. The men squared off, eyeing their opponents and then, they charged.

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  Barack had made a solemn oath that if he was going to die, he was going to die with honor. He had given the arena his life, and though he did not ever think that as a Doctore he would meet his end at the point of a sword, he did not know, nor could he control the wheel of fortune.

  Swinging his sword around quickly, he used his shield to bash the nose in of the man who fought him. When the man went down, Barack thrust his sword out, fatally stabbing him in the abdomen. He didn’t have time for a break, though, as he felt a sharp pain in his thigh. When he turned around, he saw a man pull back a bloodied knife.

  Barack knew what the man had tried to do: cut a tendon in his leg so he would be able easier to fight. But when Barack had turned around, the man had missed his mark, and thus cut upper on the thigh instead of right behind his knee, as was the target.

  Headbutting the man, Barack quickly cut him down before he turned to another who dared to fight him. He could feel his body slowly becoming lethargic from lack of blood
, as the wound on his thigh was deep, but Barack knew he had to continue fighting. His life depended on it.

  What he did not know, however, was that a plan for his escape was already in motion, a plan that just might bring down one of Rome’s most populated cities as well as shake the empire to its core. Because while Barack fought, and the crowds were chanting and cheering for more and more blood and death, a small band of people had slipped into the city.

  Eight men, disguised as legionnaires, stood in front of the exits, their eyes wide and wary for any signs of the fight not going in Barack’s favor. Meanwhile, underground in the gladiatorial barracks, another small group hastened down the halls, keys in hand courtesy of the guard who now laid on the ground with his throat slit.

  “You go that way,” their leader said as she gave them the keys. “I have to go make sure the others are ready.”

  Her partners nodded and began unlocking the cages while whispering to the gladiators to tie a set of mock-shackles around their arms and legs. Thus, would aid in their escape. The gladiators, who were to fight today evened around twelve dozen, which just might add greatly to their freemen’s plight.

  The woman hurried to where several other of her conspirators were waiting. They had ropes tied to several of the support beams, while also painting them with tar.

  “How are things here?” she asked. “The others in position?”

  “Yes, they are,” her friend said with a nod. “All six groups are ready, as are our members in the stands. You sure this will work?”

  The woman nodded. “It has too, not only that, but we have only one chance at this, so let’s make sure we do it right.”

  The people nodded and went back to work, making sure the ropes were secure and the tar was thickly coated. As she watched them, Ayanna took a deep breath, then went to put on her armor, which had been earlier hidden. They had one chance at this, one shot, and if the smallest thing went wrong, then they would all die in terrible ways either by being killed by the soldiers or burned alive.

  Was all this necessary to save one man? Most likely not.

  Was the one man worth all the trouble they were going through? Absolutely.

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  The fight began to shift from Barack’s favor very quickly as the blood loss began to sap his strength and before long, he was covered from head to toe in deep gashes; crimson flowing freely from them. Yet, in all of this, there were only three men left: himself and two others. The crowd was surprised that he had come this far, yet Barack knew his luck was not going to last much longer. He could not survive a combined attack from both men at once, and so, when they lunged at him, he closed his eyes, opened his arms and welcomed his fate.

  The man froze mere inches from Barack, then he coughed, spraying blood in the African’s face. Barack jumped back in surprise, only to find a hardened chest at his back. When he turned, he found himself looking into a guard, but there was something about this guard that seemed familiar. He had warm blue eyes that also glimmered with an unspoken challenge. Barack knew that look anywhere.

  “Kaiser?” he asked softly.

  “Do not worry, Doctore,” Kaiser said with a smile. “We are going to get you out of here.”

  “Legionnaire!” the emperor shouted from the imperial box. “What are you doing?”

  “It seems, my lord,” Kaiser said as he boldly took off his helmet for all to see his face, “that I am aiding this gladiator in escaping. Would you dare to stop me?”

  Screams and shouts of shock filled the air as people recognized the man. They all knew who the man in the arena was. It was the same man they both worshiped, then greatly feared. It was the same man, who, until quite recently, no one had heard from. Now he stood in the middle of their arena.

  “Guards!” the emperor bellowed. “Seize him!”

  Several guards moved forward, but they were quickly cut down by seven men, also dressed like guards, but it quickly became apparent they were escapees. Surrounding both Kaiser and Barack with their weapons held out, Kaiser looked boldly at the emperor and smirked.

  “Long time has it been, my lord,” he called up to the imperial box.

  “Yes,” the emperor said through gritted teeth. “It has. Trust me, though, Kaiser, you will not escape.”

  Guards poured in from the exits, surrounding the small party who looked around warily. Yet, Kaiser looked unafraid. He held his head and swords high and proud.

  “Surrender, Kaiser,” the emperor said, “and I might spare you. You are worth a lot more alive, than dead.”

  “Strange,” Kaiser said with a smirk. “I cannot say the same thing about you.”

  He nodded, and in the audience, people rushed forward. Standing on the edge, they revealed themselves to all by carrying bows and arrows, all of which were knocked and ready to be let loose. As one, they released them, sending a flood of arrows into the sky, and into the backs of several Roman guards.

  “Attack!” the emperor raged, his face turning red. “Attack! Attack!”

  The Romans rushed forward, but Kaiser and his group held still. From above, a torch was tossed to him, which he caught and held it high in the air for all to see.

  “This is our message to Rome!” he bellowed, then tossed it forward.

  The black lines Aurora had noticed earlier burst into flames, and slowly, they began to spell out a word.

  B.U.R.N.

  Burn.

  That was the signal the people below the stands were waiting for. At the command of their lookout, they lit the tar they had painted on the support beams and pulled the ropes with all their might. At first, nothing happened, but soon, one by one, the beams began to give way and the stands began to collapse. Swiftly, they made their exit via the tunnel that the dead bodies were carried through to several carts that awaited them.

  Ayanna, who was with the archers and was the lookout, had to make sure their plan went smoothly. Kaiser and the other gladiators began to slowly make their way back into one of the exits, and the fire that began to consume this once great arena had made the patrons panic.

  Women screamed. Men yelled. Children wailed.

  All scrambled, however, to escape the flames that were rising higher and higher because of the tar they had placed on the ground the night before. She looked to the imperial box where the emperor and his family all looked around worryingly, looking for ways to escape.

  Aurora locked eyes with her, and Ayanna nodded that there was time for her to escape if she wished. Though Aurora shook her head, now was not the time, she could not afford to leave as of this moment, but the time was getting close. Instead, she and her family hurried as fast as they could down the steps of the imperial box and headed to their awaiting carriages.

  The archers continued to fire down at the guards who tried to follow Kaiser and his group, though they knew they had to escape quickly themselves, else they become captured, as Ayanna could see guards coming their way.

  “It’s time to leave,” she yelled to the archers. “Everyone, you know what we have to do.”

  The archers nodded and turned their arrows upon the guards, as they slowly made their escape. Ropes were in place, and one by one, they quickly scaled the walls and landed in the burning arena. Ayanna felt an almost sense of pride that the place that held so much death for the enjoyment of Rome was being burned to the ground.

  Never again, would slaves be sent here to die.

  Never again, would people, whose only crime was offending Rome, would come here for their execution.

  Never again, would gladiators be sent here to fight for the amusement of the citizens of this empire.

  Never again.

  They all met up with Kaiser and the others, who were disguised again, and climbed into the carts that awaited them and pulled the tarps over their heads. With all the commotion and the frenzy of the burning arena, it wasn’t hard for them to slip out of the city, and be on the road back to the villa they had claimed. Their mission was successful, and in
tow, they brought several new slaves to join their ranks, many of which had high knowledge of combat.

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  Artemus rode alongside Kaiser, his face like stone as he tried to fight against the tears that threatened to spill upon his cheeks. He had seen her, finally, after so long. He had seen Aurora. When he and Kaiser were on the run to get to the carts and horses, he passed a burning hallway, and at the end of that hallway, stood Aurora.

  For a moment, he was still, his heart thudding in his chest, and then he ran as fast as he could. She followed him, neither of them stopping until they reached the gate that was locked. His arms reached out and pulled her close, as his lips pressed to hers, claiming hers in a passionate and deep kiss.

  “I never thought I’d see you again,” he said.

  “Our son?” she asked anxiously after they had pulled away. “How is our son?”

  “Healthy,” he answered with a smile. “Though he misses his mother.”

  “I miss him too,” she said sadly.

  “Come with me,” he said firmly, as he tried to pull the gate open. “Now!”

  “I can’t,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “I can’t, not now. It’s too early. They will hunt you down and kill you all. It’s too risky, I must go back.”

  “No!” he said firmly, grabbing her arm. “I’m not losing you again.”

  “You’re not,” she said with a soft smile, cupping his cheek. “You are not losing me. I swear to you, I am coming back to your arms, to be with our son. But I have to have time.” The sounds of guards in the distance made her pull away. “I have to go, but know that I pray to the gods for you every night.”

  And with that, she was gone.

  He could still feel her hands upon his cheek, smell her perfume from her being pressed close. He knew he had to trust her. He had to believe she knew what she was doing, but it was going to be hard. He wanted to be her saving grace, he wanted to be the one to rescue her, but maybe, just maybe, she was right. They needed to take this slow, and he had to pray to the gods that they meet again in this life. Anything else would most surely kill him.