The iron edge, p.9
The Iron Edge, page 9
The symposium required extensive planning and prep work for Cesare, Thora, and Glauce. They worked from sunup to sundown to ready for the symposium, which would commence in a few days' time in the evening. Thora had to minimize her lessons with Vitus so she could manage the extra workload. The temporary kitchen in the supply room caused additional trouble with its tighter space, older equipment, and small oven, which was meant for firing clay pieces rather than cooking.
The night of the political party, Glauce, Cesare, and Thora were exhausted, but they pushed through it. Glauce and Thora were permitted to enter the male side of the villa under Euclid's instruction so that they could serve his guests. She and Glauce pretended it was new to them, even though they went into the master's suite when Halcyon was home. Thora was surprised at how many people were in attendance at the symposium. Most of the guests were males, both Alphas and Betas. There were a few female Omegas and Betas, but they were entertainers of different sorts. Musicians and a bard also arrived to entertain Euclid's guests. In the center of the room, two large hand-painted metal pots were filled with wine. They were drained several times by the guests.
Thora slipped out of the room with two large empty bowls that needed to be filled with more cheeses. She disappeared into the supply room to retrieve the precut cheese cubes and place them in the linen cloth. Once organized, she hurried out but slowed upon seeing Euclid in the quiet courtyard. In silence, Thora went past him and ensured a certain amount of space between them. From his scent, he was drunk and aggressive, which ruffled Thora's Alpha.
Euclid turned in place, then snared Thora's shoulder. "You ignore me, slave."
Thora ground her teeth and held the bowls tighter to keep them from falling out of her hands. She turned around to face him, breaking their physical contact. The redness around his eyes confirmed what her nose already knew. With gritted teeth, she kept her attention to the side in hopes the submissive posture would satisfy his Alpha. Over the past three years of her captivity, she had submitted one too many times, but she had promised Cesare and Vitus that she would keep the peace.
Euclid was shorter than Thora, but he was much bulkier, and advanced on her. "I was told you set the fire in the kitchen."
Thora clenched her jaw harder and kept her eyes off him. However, she held her position rather than shrink back like he expected her to do. She refrained from using her pheromones, even with his growing scent crashing into her.
"Answer me." Euclid yanked her closer.
With strained wrinkles across her brow, Thora held his cold stare and willed him to release her before it was too late. For some silly reason, Euclid seemed to be under the impression that she could speak Greek well, even though he'd heard her practicing with Vitus.
Euclid narrowed his eyes at Thora. "I know you understand me." He tightened his grip further, sending a mild pain through her arm. "Vitus teaches you day and night. I have heard you speak my tongue." He then growled and showed off his canines. "Did you set my kitchen on fire?"
Thora inhaled a deep breath and narrowed her gaze at him. "Yes, start fire." She would protect Glauce and stand against their master for Glauce's sake.
Euclid smirked in triumph. "I knew you understood me." Then his features slipped toward darkness, and he shoved Thora backward. "You have cost me a lot of coin!" He cut his eyes to the bowl that had shattered on the floor.
Ignoring the clay shards and scattered cheese, Thora placed the other bowl on the bench next to the pool. She fisted her hands, ready to defend herself against Euclid, who was the master of the villa but not of her. Like a snake uncoiling, Thora's Alpha awoke and prepared to strike back.
"You may not have the coin to pay me, but you do have something else."
Thora missed most of his words, yet she caught the intent in his pheromones and read the hunger on his face. With her teeth now bare, she dared him to attack her. If he was used to Beta and Omega slaves falling to him, then he would learn how different an Alpha slave was.
Euclid launched at Thora, and with his bulky weight he took them both down. He attempted to grab her hands, but she landed a punch to his side. "Be still!" With a hand around her throat, he tried to choke her into submission.
Thora snarled, unfazed by the actions of a typical male Alpha. In the distance, a chorus of laughter echoed into the empty courtyard around them.
"Let us see if you have what I have," Euclid breathed into her face, then hiked up her chiton and reached between her lower thighs. His sexual remark freed the heat of Thora's Alpha, which caused her to release a dangerous blanket of pheromones. Euclid stiffened and went still, seeming to take in Thora's brief warning.
Thora seized Euclid by his hair, yanking his head back. She rammed her knee into his side, which forced him to loosen his grip on her throat. With a deep growl, she rolled them until she was on top and then batted his hand from her throat. His shocked expression was a small victory, but Thora wasn't foolish to think she'd won anything. He was a male Alpha and a trained warrior. Her main advantage at the moment was that he was drunk, making him weaker and uncoordinated.
Euclid's features hardened, then his pheromones strengthened to match his power. Thora challenged him back and unfurled her own scent. He went for her throat again, but she grappled with him and increased her pheromones. Euclid should have beaten her, except her suppressed will was greater than his. She was from a long line of successful warriors and had trained herself to battle anyone who wanted to dominate her. Euclid jerked underneath her, then his pupils started to constrict as Thora's heavy pheromones weighed on him.
Thora sensed his fight start to wane, and his pheromones withdrew. She growled at him and continued to force her superiority over him. On the outside, she appeared to be a slave, but she was an Alpha, and she would battle any unworthy Alpha. Slavery did nothing to halt the natural order among Alphas.
After a soft curse, Euclid dropped his hand away from Thora's face, then released her hip. He became slack underneath her yet continued to emit a slight growl that softened to a dejected rumble. Thora had defeated him on an equal battleground that only Alphas met on. Satisfied with his surrender, she climbed off him and took a step back.
Panting hard, Euclid struggled to get to his feet. He glared at Thora but also kept a certain amount of space between them. Their new understanding of each other was enough to keep him back. Thora would respect his orders as the master if he respected her in turn. But their attention jerked toward a newcomer.
Vitus stood on the other side of the water fountain's pool. He appeared calm, but his scent drifted on the breeze and caught Thora's nose. Vitus was leery of Euclid. With a tilt of his head, he studied Euclid's tense and hunched posture, then said, "A dead or pregnant slave is a worthless slave."
Euclid groused before glaring at Thora, seeming to weigh Vitus's suggestion.
Thora returned Euclid's glower and better understood what drove him—she was just another piece of property to him.
Euclid huffed, then pointed at the broken bowl and ordered, "Clean this mess and continue your duties." He went around the pool and met Vitus.
Vitus tore his attention from Thora and met Euclid's murderous features.
"You speak to me again, and I will run you through." Euclid left the courtyard and returned to his guests.
Thora contained a heated snarl after Euclid's vicious promise to Vitus, who had found a place in Thora's heart. Once Euclid was gone, she released a shaky breath and rubbed her brow.
Vitus approached her and touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?" His fingers curled against her and cooled her Alpha. His warm scent cleared her mind.
"Yes." Thora rubbed her brow and worked the knots from her temple. "Halcyon be anger." She had defied Euclid, and so had Vitus.
Vitus was quiet for a moment, then shrugged and asked, "Can you still work?"
"I must," Thora replied. She cleared her throat, hearing the roughness in her own voice. Like any Alpha, she rumbled often and growled on occasion, but it had been years since she last clashed against another Alpha.
"I will find Cesare or Glauce to clean this." Vitus pointed toward the gathering. "They need the cheese."
Thora nodded and went to the supply room first, hoping there was another bowl she could use for the cheese. Vitus had retrieved Glauce, who handled the mess in the courtyard. Thora thanked her on her way to the symposium. Glauce seemed prepared to ask what had happened, but Thora shook her head and continued to the party. Slipping into the large room, Thora placed the two bowls of cheese in their spots and checked that the wine containers were full.
Cesare was off to one side, watching everything from his quiet spot. A bard was telling a dramatic story about the gods. Cesare's attention was disrupted when Thora joined his side. Thora stayed close to him. He tilted his head toward her, and she sensed his rise of concern, but she shook her head.
"Thora," Cesare said in haste, eyes big.
"It fine," Thora assured and waved him off. She indicated the bard, hoping his tale would distract them both. Now that she understood Greek better, she enjoyed the story and could perhaps learn more about the Greeks and their religion.
Cesare let out a low but frustrated sigh and stared at her for another beat. After a grumble, he turned his attention toward the bard but shifted closer to Thora, as if he could protect her better than she had already protected herself. Still, she found she loved him for it.
Chapter 8
Halcyon
After a full month of training at the barracks, Halcyon was ready to return to her regular duty as King Leonidas's guard. The training was necessary and kept Halcyon at her best, but she lived to protect her ruler. Coming to her villa's stable, she halted Cheimon and dismounted beside the familiar stable, her armor clanking when her sandals hit the dirt. She wiped the sweat from her brow, but her body was boiling from the inside out. The hot weather over the past few days was tiresome. Once she had the reins, she guided Cheimon into the stable to a clean stall and enjoyed untacking and brushing her horse. Sunset was in a couple of hours, giving her enough time to settle back into her home.
The brief time alone with Cheimon gave her a chance to reflect on the past two fortnights at the barracks with her comrades. She was always torn between her two lives as a hoplite and as a guard for the king. With a heavy sigh, she shifted her mindset to her duties at home and her pending visit with Euclid before he returned to the barracks tomorrow. Near the end of her care, she smiled at the approaching and familiar footfall.
"Good afternoon, Cesare."
Bowing his head, Cesare had a smile and offered, "Welcome back, mistress." He admired Halcyon in her hoplite armor.
"You sound as if you missed me," Halcyon said with good nature.
Cesare chuckled and put his hands behind his back, which made his soft brown chiton sway. "We've been busy. The master is still here and waits for you."
"I'm unsurprised," Halcyon said. "And busy with what?" She stilled the brush over Cheimon's rump and glanced at Cesare. "I see work began on the kitchen as I instructed."
"Yes, mistress. They work every day. I believe they will finish soon." Cesare paused. "The master had a symposium last night while you were gone."
Halcyon's lips thinned at the news. "Strange, considering we have no kitchen."
Cesare bit his lower lip, then replied, "It didn't deter him."
"I see." After setting the brush in the wall rack, Halcyon patted the horse, then pointed at the saddlebags. Her hoplite helmet was lashed to one side of it. Cesare would take care of polishing it and her armor.
Cesare stepped forward and plucked the saddlebags from off the stall door. He took extra care with the helmet that was tied to the side.
"Did the symposium fare well?" Halcyon asked. It was uncommon for her mate to hold a political party, especially without her name behind it. Many in Sparta were well aware of Halcyon's wealth and prestige. Much of her fortunes were handed down to her from her sire, who was once an Athenian. He had moved his daughter, his ailing mate, and his fortunes to Sparta. In his late life, he taught Halcyon how to train slaves, run a house, and operate a business.
"We managed."
Halcyon nodded, then stepped out of the stall with the rest of the horse tack. She went to the end of the stable and hung up the tack, which would be cleaned later. She stood by the doorway. "How does Vitus fare?"
"He is well, mistress. He's currently at the market." Cesare followed her out of the stable. He carried the saddlebags, then took them to the master bedroom once in the villa.
Halcyon gazed about the courtyard after passing the open gate, finding everything much the same. However, she avoided the male's side of the house since Euclid was home and instead wandered toward the kitchen that was no longer a darkened, ashen mess but well on its way to being rebuilt. She toured the inside and was pleased by the progress the workers had made during her absence.
Halcyon's head snapped to the left after something was dropped on the other side of the villa. As she crossed the courtyard, she heard low curses in another tongue. She entered the supply room, which had been adjusted for a temporary kitchen. Little to her surprise, Thora was dealing with a broken clay jug.
"Let us not start another fire, shall we?"
Thora had her back to the supply room's entrance but whirled around with shards of clay in her hand. Thora's perturbed features were broken by a smile once she focused on Halcyon, who was still in full hoplite uniform.
"Welcome home, mistress."
Halcyon hesitated and studied her slave for a beat. "Thank you." She cleared her throat and pointed at the broken jug. "Are there any left?" She didn't expect to receive an answer.
Thora glanced at the clay fragments on the floor, holding up a large piece in her hand. "Six or eight."
Halcyon sighed. Her two female slaves, Thora and Glauce, could be clumsy at times. Glauce was far worse than Thora. "We will need to make more soon." Cesare was decent at making clay cups, and the oven in the supply room was designed for firing and hardening clay objects for the villa. But she was unsure whether Thora or Glauce were skilled with clay.
"Once kitchen done." Thora spoke as if she held the authority over the villa. Halcyon would have reminded a slave of their standing in life, but she felt no desire to do so with Thora. After setting the shards on the table, Thora indicated the bronze armor. "Your training good?" Even though her Greek had improved, she had developed a distinct accent.
"Yes." Halcyon was having a regular conversation with Thora for the first time thanks to Vitus's teachings. She was more impressed with Thora's Greek tongue than the kitchen's near completeness. "Have you been busy?" Halcyon moved closer to her slave, drawn in by their normal conversation.
"Yes." Thora leaned against the table, her hip on the edge.
"Cesare mentioned my mate had a symposium." Halcyon rested her hand on the sword's hilt. She always admired the blue of Thora's eyes and the gold of her hair. Many times at the barracks, Halcyon had looked at the sun in the clear sky and thought of Thora.
"Yes, went well."
"Did you manage without the kitchen?" Halcyon expected Thora to become confused by her words. However, Thora's Greek tongue was much stronger. The coin she was spending on Vitus's teaching was well worth it.
"Yes. It took more time."
Halcyon nodded, but she hesitated to ask more when the faint marks on Thora's neck caught her attention. She stepped into Thora's space and removed her hand from the hilt. Halcyon smelled Thora's tension, but she allowed Halcyon to look over her. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the marks came from something being around her neck, such as a rope or fingers. The idea that someone could manage to put anything around Thora's neck seemed impossible. Thora may be a slave, but she was an Alpha first.
"What is this?"
Thora rumbled and narrowed her fiery blue eyes at Halcyon. "It is nothing."
"Ares's balls," Halcyon snapped, then took a step back. "You will tell me who touched you." The sudden stiffness in Thora's posture set off alarms in Halcyon's head. She was determined to find out the truth about what happened to Thora. With each passing beat, her Omega rallied harder in her chest. The idea that her Alpha slave was harmed incited her Omega. On a hunch, she reached and pushed the chiton off Thora's shoulders. Once the chiton pooled on the floor, she was able to see the bruising over Thora's now bare side.
Thora clenched her hands, keeping her eyes straight forward. Her pheromones grew stronger, taunting Halcyon, who struggled to remain in control of herself. It was the first time that Halcyon had seen Thora without any clothes. Halcyon started to withdraw, but her gaze dropped and caught a brief glimpse of the patch of blond between Thora's thighs, which left Halcyon with a slight flush. She turned her back on her slave, giving Thora unspoken permission to dress. The humid air became thicker, causing Halcyon to sweat more.
"Tell me now why my mate touched you." Halcyon neared the temporary kitchen table and took stock of the prepped food. She peered over her shoulder toward her slave and warned, "Before he tells me."
Thora adjusted the sleeves of her attire. "He fought me about fire."
Halcyon gripped the edge of the table and growled low. "It was not your fault." She spun on her boots and returned a hand to her sword.
"He believe different." Thora hesitated and bit her bottom lip. "I want him attack me. Not Glauce." She brushed the front of her clothes, as if attempting to hide the slight arousal they were both aware of.
Halcyon narrowed her eyes and gripped the hilt harder. The kitchen fire was old business, and none of the slaves required punishment, especially Thora, who had saved Cesare. Glauce had caused the fire, by accident. Even though Halcyon had been blinded by her initial rage, she conceded to Thora rather than send Glauce back to Telamon. Unbeknownst to her, Telamon was more than a slave trader; he was a rapist too. It wasn't unheard of for slave owners to abuse their property, but to rape them was another matter. Many considered a pregnant slave useless. In Halcyon's opinion, Telamon deserved to be sent to Tartarus alongside all rapists.
