Hey guys! It's been months since my last submission, and I sincerely apologize to all the readers who were waiting. I've been so busy, but things have slowed down in recent weeks, so here is the third installment in my story. This chapter is leading into the main adventure of my storyline, and the scenes in the chapters after this are sure to make you whip out the lube so stay posted! Happy reading!
Gladiator: Chapter 3, Him
It was cold, the damp subterranean air choking my breath as I followed Aella into the deep recesses of the gladiatorial dungeons. Our passage was but a whisper among the uproar of sounds surrounding us–some laughing, others weeping, and still others talking to themselves or others...all to reclaim some semblance of the life they once had. The only lights to lead us were small torches, flickering softly at intervals as we descended further into the darkness.
Robbed of daylight, my other senses came alive. The pungent, jaw-clenching odor of unwashed bodies was enough to turn a grown man's stomach twice over. I could taste it in my mouth, a moment when your saliva suddenly becomes alien and assaults the tongue–it took much of my willpower not to spit it out. I had thought to hold onto the walls, but a cold slime greeted my fingers, as if the very stones were soaked in the blood of the fallen. I kept close to my Domina, nervous but silent. Reaching the bottom of the flight of steps, I turned the corner and stopped as Aella raised her hand slightly. Her voice was a soft contralto as she spoke without turning.
"We stand before the Underworld of the Empire. Like the doorway of Avernus, this barrier keeps the most feared of the gladiators from communicating with the others. Such associations could lead to an uprising, for these men were once leaders and wielded power not to be underestimated...or trusted."
"Yes, Domina."
My voice cracked in fear, echoing down the sparsely lit corridor as Aella stepped forward. A large ring of keys suddenly appeared from within the folds of her cloak and taking the largest key in her hand, she pushed it into the keyhole. There was a resounding click followed by a hiss of cool air as I helped her pull open the heavy wooden door. We treaded softly into the new chamber and I turned to pull the door closed.
"Hold!" She placed a hand on my arm, stopping me. "Do not ever presume that we are safe in such a place. We are in the presence of death."
I lifted my hand from the door, leaving it slightly ajar. Turning to the dark space within, I noticed in a sudden moment of shock that the odors that had assaulted us on our journey were greatly diminished. We stood in a large circular area roughly forty paces in diameter and ringed by ten cells. Small torches flickered in between each cell and gave our eyes light enough to see the cleanly swept stones beneath us. I looked up and noticed a small grate above the chamber from which the air was circulated in and out. A curious tension greeted us, something akin to the breath being held in the instant before an expected attack.
Muffled noises drifted from the cell to my immediate right as my Domina walked forward into the center of the chamber. I slipped from her side and crept toward the cell, feeling my insides turn as I expected some horrific sight to sear itself upon my vision. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, shapes and gleams of light began to take shape. They were moving, and I quickly understood that I was witnessing a gladiator having his way with a slave boy. The boy, probably my age, was gagged and moaning softly through the cloth shoved in his mouth. The gladiator, a gleaming heavily muscled man with long dark hair, had the boy in the crook of his left arm holding the boy's left leg up with his left hand, while the fingers of his right hand jack hammered the boy's tight, eager ass. As the boy's sweaty body shivered and twisted on the gladiator's greedy fingers, the long-haired warrior turned his head and in seeing me, grinned. I gasped and backed away from his cell, fearful of my sudden impulse to want those fingers inside of me yet mindful that those same hands had killed countless men.
I turned swiftly and ran over to my Domina. She was standing before the cell directly opposite the door to the chamber, her face immobile as she stared into the darkness beyond the metal grate. A strange shiver crawled up my spine, and the instant it did, I knew the gaze of the Phoenix was upon me. My heart pounded violently within my chest, as my breath suddenly came in labored spouts. What seemed like countless moons had passed since that first encounter in the bathing room where carnal pleasures had taken hold of my young body...and my heart. My thoughts had been consumed with the touch of his skin, the briny scent of his sweat, and those deep pools of emerald green that set my pulse on fire. The taste of his engorged cock still teased my tongue's memory as I licked my lips in anticipation.
Moving slowly into the flickering glow of the torches, the Phoenix approached the rusting bars of his prison. His gleaming eyes held Aella in their sight, his expression mirroring the stone walls of his cell as if he had been carved from the same mold. There were words being said without sound as they stared at one another for a long moment. His deep, rough whisper finally broke the silence as the right edge of his lips curved up into a mocking grin.
"Your loins risked death to have me, and yet you return?" A few voices chuckled in the darkness surrounding us. My Domina smiled sweetly, stepping forward and removing the hood of her cloak.
"Charming as always, gladiator. But my loins are risking more than just death to give you the one thing you want above all else." Her eyes sparkled as she measured his reaction. His left eyebrow tilted upward and his grin widened as his gaze fell between her legs.
"What might that be, Domina?"
"Freedom." She let the word fall into the silence and as it did, the very air seemed to exit the space in which we stood. The Phoenix wiped any trace of humor he had from his face, and regarded Aella with a look that made the hair upon my neck prickle. Aella continued now that she had his full attention. "Of course, there is something that I need from you..."
The Phoenix held his breath and waited.
"Your prowess in the Great Arena is now common knowledge among the citizens of Rome. It is for this reason alone that such an opportunity is being afforded to you, Phoenix. The Emperor Trajan is planning to launch a war against the Parthian empire, and he requires strong and able men to execute this noble task. However, there is a more pressing matter which requires only a small group of men, but the kind of vicious skill that can only show its face in the heat of the arena."
Aella took a deep breath and glanced around before stepping closer to his cell and lowering her seductive contralto to a whisper. "Once the Emperor marches upon Armenia, he will hold their Parthian-appointed king in custody. We need you to make sure his custody is...how shall I put it? Permanent? Once you have done this, I want you and your men to gain access into the Armenian treasury and secure a portion of it for the Lysander household. My husband wishes to increase his power in the Senate, and the fortune you deliver will ensure the success of this...as well as your freedom."
The Phoenix stared at her for a long moment and then suddenly smiled, his teeth gleaming in the torchlight. He laughed, his deep chuckle tickling my spine. "By the gods, you have bigger balls than any man I've ever met, Domina! For the sake of the sky upon my eye and soil beneath my feet, I shall oblige you in this task."
"Wonderful! I promise you will not regr–" Her voice was suddenly cut off as the Phoenix raised his hand to stop her.
"I have but one request in addition to my freedom...a small thing to consider in the wake of what you may yet achieve."
It was now the Domina's turn to raise her eyebrow, hesitant to hear his words but curious nonetheless. She smiled sweetly once again, her voice deceptively calm. "Yes?"
The Phoenix suddenly turned his head and looked at me. It was the first time I had seen his eyes lay upon me since we had entered the chamber. I could not place the emotions that rippled across his normally implacable face, but the nerves of my skin danced and sent shivers all through my body. His gaze was so intense that my Domina turned, perhaps worrying that she would find me dead upon the ground when she did. Her confusion was only exceeded by my surprise as his muscled arm lifted and the index finger of his left hand pointed directly at me. The roughness of his voice, deep and resonant in its continual hold upon me, formed only a single word as to what he wanted.
"Him."