The Greek Princess

Chapter XX

Chapter XX

Lycus

The Master was officially ill. He was bed bound till who knows when. It was still busy around the house, but there was also a stillness. Master's wife had summoned a doctor, and he'd said that Master's chances were slim, and I was getting concerned.

If Master died, I would likely be auctioned off to new master. One that might not be as nice as my current one.

Then, one day, it happened. Master called his daughters and his wife to his room, said his goodbyes, and passed away. After that, everything went downhill. I had a faint hope that I would stay with the estate, since I'd done most of the managing for over five years, but not so. I, with most of the other slaves, was to be sent to Rome and auctioned off there to a new master.

I'd only been to Rome twice before, and both times something bad had happened, so I didn't exactly have a good annotation with the city. The journey was less than pleasant, an echo of my previous visits, and when we finally arrived, things still weren't looking up. The auction... well, it went well I guess, but the surly character who bought me was another story.
He looked to be over middle aged, and was rather bent. Words to describe him were gruff, terse as a Spartan, and churlish. The first words I heard him say weren't pleasant either.
"Well now, what's your name?"

The words themselves weren't unpleasant, it was the manner in which they were spoken. Gruff, terse, and churlish.

"Lycus," I answered simply. I figured it wouldn't be wise to try and be smart with this one.

"Well now, Lycus, what did your previous master have you do?" He asked.

"I was the manager of his estate," I kept my words few.

"Hmm," Was his only response. "So you're smart."

I wasn't really sure if it was a question to be answered, or a statement to be acknowledged, and I wasn't sure if not answering a question, or speaking out of turn would displease him more. I decided to try my luck with speaking out of turn. "My previous master thought me so."

His brows rose. I wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad sign. The man was pretty much unreadable.

"Hmm," he murmured again. "Well, Lycus, you needn't tell me much about yourself, for I'm not the one who will be owning you," he said and started walking.

I walked with him, surprised at how fast his pace was. His words confused me. Was I to be a gift to someone? Is that what he meant by him not owning me? A thought entered my head, did he buy me to make a gladiator out of me? No, if that was so, he'd still own me. So I decided that he'd give me to a friend or relative of his.

I was right.

We walked for about a mile, and I was surprised that he didn't tire, but finally he stopped in front of a grand villa. He walked right up to the door, and I followed close behind. The door opened and he stepped right in.

When I hesitated, he said, "Come on in, boy." So I stepped through the door with him.
He told his name to the slave who answered the door, and gave his errand as well. Delivering a gift. Just as I'd thought.
The slave went to announce his arrival, and
soon returned with invitation to come to the bibliotheca. I followed the man down the hall, curious to see what sort of people I'd now be serving.

So sorry for taking so long to update, all you wonderful readers!!! June has been a crazy week for me :/

Lycus - GadSul