Last Man Standing

Chapter 36: Blood, Pain and Steel Cages

"Help! Please, someone get this boy off of me! PLEASE, HELP!"

Shailene was hardly convincing at playing the victim. I could see the discrete glances passing between the guards as they sized up the situation. It was obvious that this was not the first time any of them had come across Shailene being unfaithful; only an idiot would be blind to her infidelity.

So of course, Tiberius would never question her claim. She had him wrapped around her little finger, believing her every cry for rescue as a call to arms.

Shailene thrashed around beneath me in attempts to free herself. I was too flabbergasted to move.

"REMOVE THE BOY FROM MY WIFE THIS INSTANT!"

Two guards were startled out of their daze by Tiberius' fearsome demand. They moved around their comrades' spears to gain access to the bed. They grabbed my forearms and yanked me off Shailene to stand before Tiberius. I looked one of them in the eyes and saw nothing but pity.

Sextus stood just outside the threshold of the room in my line of sight, waving his fingers in farewell to mock me.

"What is the meaning of this, boy?! I come home early to find you taking advantage of my wife! She has been nothing but generous in rewarding the lot of you with Sextus' girls, and yet you go after your Domina!? MY WIFE!? THE NERVE! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT-... NO, THE BALLS TO ATTACK MY WIFE!?"

As if to solidify his own innocence to the whole scheme, Sextus came slithering into the room with false concern for Shailene. He held out a hand to help her up off the bed. "My dear lady, are you alright?! Your husband and I came running as soon as we heard your raised voice. We couldn't quite make it out, but it sounded desperate."

He was right about one thing: she was eagerly encouraging me to have sex with her... sounded desperate to me.

"Has the boy hurt you?"

She rearranged her clothes for affect, ashamed of her current state as she searched her body for cuts and bruises. She completed her inspection at her wrists. I was glad I restrained myself enough to not leave a single mark, but she was still clever enough to find fault with herself.

"Not physically, but emotionally..." She broke down, sobbing into Sextus' shoulder like an infant. He patted the back of her head and soothed her, elucidating the desired effect from her husband.

Our Dominus turned to me with fiery vengeance. "HOLD THE BOY STILL!"

The two guards held me even tighter, prompting me to stand tall for my punishment. The rest of the guards kept their spears on me in case I tried to run.

Tiberius moved swiftly. Without warning, he delivered a shattering blow across my jaw. I grunted at the pain as blood began to pool in my mouth.

He spoke to me between blows, as if we were just two men having a casual conversation despite the circumstances.

"You know something, Marcus? When I was young, I had every intention of becoming a gladiator myself."

His fist collided with my gut. I tried to double over in pain, but the guards kept me firmly upright.

"I went to all of the tournaments that Emperor Faustus held in honour of his royal guests, his sons, his wife, and even to pay tribute to his own narcissistic, fat ass."

Another blow across the face. I spat out some blood and a piece of a chipped tooth before he continued.

"Yes, those were the good old days before this ridiculous war. For as soon as that idiotic Emperor named his younger son his successor, he ruined everything. Mind you, having my father promoted to a Lord wasn't all that bad. And let's face it, I was never meant for the life of a gladiator... that's what slaves are for..."