The Leopard Vanguard (Leopard King Saga Book 1) Page 12

  She was almost upon him.

  Celestra passed through the first metal ring unscathed and Tullus sighed a breath of relief. He swiveled around and watched as she landed on her haunches before turning and running at him again. Tullus positioned the second metal ring before she launched herself at him again. This time a breath of fire licked her spotted fur but once again she emerged unscathed. The few people that witnessed the act applauded loudly as Tullus handed the flaming metal rings back to Masego. Celestra padded up to Tullus before he bowed at the remaining spectators.

  “Next,” Paullus called out again, “the magnificent Leopard King will demonstrate his impressive Leopard strength.” Paullus stepped away from the center ring before Celestra stretched open her mouth. Tullus approached her and inserted his hand into her mouth which she swallowed. The crowd muttered excitedly as Tullus struggled to free his hand–but it was all part of the act. Moments later he pried Celestra’s mouth open with his other hand. The applause quickly followed.

  Next, Celestra’s mouth opened wide and he inserted his head into her mouth. Her breath was hot and damp. Celestra feigned a growl as Tullus struggled to keep her mouth open before extracting his head. The crowd applauded again and Tullus bowed.

  “Now,” Paullus said excitedly after the applause died down, “the magnificent Leopard King will attempt to tame the mighty Leopardess Celestra.”

  The next act commenced with Tullus and Celestra wrestling. The crowd watched intently as both Man and Leopardess struggled to assume a superior position. When it appeared Tullus had lost the bout he squirmed out of Celestra’s powerful grip and latched on to her back. He felt her body pulsating with vigor under him as the spell she cast increased her strength. She’s casting Fortitudo, Tullus thought as Celestra ran around in circles–while he held on for dear life. The excited spectators had no clue Celestra was using Elemence. How could they? Magic had been banned throughout the Roman Empire. Soon Tullus felt Celestra casting the Fortitudo spell on him. He smiled as the vigor coursed through his muscles, and for a few moments he felt lightheaded as the spell took hold of his body.

  Masego appeared with a larger metal ring as Celestra’s speed quickened. Tullus focused on his breath as Celestra prepared to make her leap. While his fingers dug deep into Celestra’s fur his cape fluttered behind him like a flag as Celestra continued to pick up speed. Before him Masego and the scarlet flames emanating from the ring grew closer and larger.

  Celestra leapt.

  They passed through the blazing ring like an incendiary arrow. Celestra let out a growl when they landed before Tullus rolled off her back and, with one swift motion, lifted her over his head. The audience’s roar became deafening; how that was possible without a capacity crowd was anybody’s guess, but, Tullus savored the moment. A flower thrown by an audience member landed at his feet.

  Looks like I won the wager.

  The next few weeks passed like a blur before Tullus’ eyes as the Troupe’s performances took them to the farthest reaches of Italian shores. After each Leopard King performance a second show was added, but even that wasn’t enough to keep the rabid crowds happy. Tullus’ fame as the Leopard King grew: from the grand streets of the largest cities to the smallest Roman village. Adults and children alike packed the pavilion to witness the mysterious man and his fearsome Leopardess who defied their eyes with displays of strength and courage. Soon his show eclipsed Anna’s in popularity, and each city he and Celestra performed in presented Tullus with a golden phalera: a Roman medallion inscribed with the Latin name and crest of each city. Soon the front of Tullus’ leather harness was decorated with various gold, silver and bronze phalerae. Much to Anna’s credit she accepted her defeat graciously and after one of Tullus’ sold out shows she approached him, her eyes gleaming.

  “So, it appears you’ve won our little wager.”

  Tullus smiled. “Well it took you long enough to acknowledge my victory,” he said. “I believe you owe me and Celestra a month’s worth of baths.”

  “Come to my tent this evening.”

  That evening Tullus and Celestra walked toward Anna’s tent. Tullus called out to her at the entrance but no answer came. He slipped inside with Celestra at his heels. Once inside the tent, Tullus found himself surrounded by various acrobatic costumes that hung from racks.

  “Anna?” Tullus called out again.

  After a few moments of silence Anna appeared from behind a privacy screen.

  “You’re late,” she said. Tullus noticed that she wasn’t wearing her usual creature skins, instead she wore leather breeches and a sleeveless boiled leather shirt.

  “I wasn’t aware that we were,” Tullus replied.

  Anna led them out of the tent and around the back where a large metal tub filled with water awaited. “The Leopardess gets the first wash.”

  Tullus and Celestra’s eyes met and he nodded at Celestra. “Go ahead girl.” Celestra growled and climbed into the tub before Anna started scrubbing her with a large brush. Thick suds of soapy water spilled over the sides of the tub while Tullus settled down to watch.

  “Make sure you wash her good between her claws, she gets a lot of dirt in there.”

  Anna grumbled under her breath. After Celestra’s bath was finished, she climbed out of the tub and shook herself–spraying drops of water around her–before Anna dried her off with a large towel.

  “There you are m’ lady, all clean,” Anna said. “Now, it’s Tullus’ turn.”

  “Go on back to our tent girl, I’ll be along shortly.”

  Celestra growled at him unhappily before she plodded off, leaving Tullus alone with Anna. “Well I guess I better undress,” Tullus said.

  “Not here,” Anna said before taking Tullus’ hand. She led him back inside her tent and behind a dressing screen. There, another tub awaited Tullus, this one was more ornate than the one Anna had used for Celestra. The exterior of the tub was inlaid with bronze decorations of men and women engaged in various sexual positions. Tullus smiled and looked at Anna.

  “I feel special,” he said as he removed his tunic and unwrapped the loincloth around his groin. Tullus climbed into the tub as the warm water greeted his skin. Leaning back in the tub he stretched out his arms while Anna removed her clothes, the candlelight reflecting off of her athletic body.

  “What are you doing?” Tullus asked. Anna climbed into the tub, brush in hand.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” She lathered his chest with soap and scrubbed it with the brush. Her braided hair was draped over her shoulders, partially concealing firm, wet breasts. Tullus remained silent while she washed him but his manhood grew stiff between his legs. He hadn’t lain with a woman since Eliana, and, for a brief moment, Tullus felt he was back in Rome with his former lover.

  “What is it?”

  “You look like someone I once knew,” Tullus said, wondering why he was opening up to her.

  “One of your past conquests?” Anna said. She smiled as he offered her his arm to scrub.

  “No. Only a woman I once…loved.”

  “Is that regret I hear?”

  “I regret many things.”

  “We all have regrets, Tullus. But it’s important to learn from them and not let them hold us back. Think of each regret as a lesson and move forward.”

  Anna motioned for Tullus to turn around. He felt her nimble fingers glide across the small of his back as the bar of soap rubbed against his skin before Anna went to work with the brush.

  “So tell me about your woman,” Anna said. She poured warm water over Tullus’ head with a bronze ladle. The calm water trickled down his neck and helped Tullus relax.

  “She was kind, of noble birth, with a face like Diana and a body like Venus.”

  Tullus heard Anna giggle behind him. “Like Venus, ehh?” she said. “This woman must’ve been special. So why did you leave her?”

  For a moment he relived the bitter memory of Eliana’s rebuke then he remembered what Anna had said about regret.
He swallowed hard and proceeded with the story.

  “I asked her to leave Rome with me one day, but she turned me down.”

  “The mighty Leopard King,” Anna said, while pouring another ladle of water over Tullus’ head, “victim of a broken heart.” Tullus ignored her remark and instead reflected on his new life with the Troupe.

  “We’re done,” Anna said. It took Tullus a few moments to remember where he was. He turned around and noticed Anna looking at him. Her blue eyes sparkled alluringly as she sat in front of him, her nude, wet body close to his. He stared at her arms and breasts, wet with suds, before he reached out to stroke her cheek. Anna didn’t resist his advances and soon, their lips met. Tullus explored her mouth with the tip of his tongue and felt her hot breath mingle with his, then, as if he willed it himself, she allowed his tongue to probe even deeper inside her mouth. The feeling made his head fill with lust, much like the blood lust he felt during battle, only more arousing. When their lips parted Anna lifted herself from her spot and arched her back, giving Tullus full view of her breasts. Tullus gently bit down on each nipple, causing Anna to emit moans of pleasure. “I want you inside me,” she said, and when Tullus looked into her eyes he knew she meant it. She lifted herself on top of his lap as he guided his manhood into her sex under the warm water before she dug her nails into his back and wailed like a vixen in heat as his strokes increased in intensity until he felt his seed explode. They both collapsed and Anna giggled before nibbling on Tullus’ ear. “So this is what it feels like to make love to a King.”

  {VI}

  During the next few weeks Tullus’ fame as the Leopard King continued to spread and the Troupe’s wealth increased which resulted in Masego and his apprentices building more benches inside the pavilion for Tullus and Celestra’s performances. Rumors spread of Paullus taking the show beyond Italian shores before something unexpected happened. One night, two drunken men from a nearby village camping out for tickets accidentally set fire to a clearing next to where the Troupe had set up camp for the night. The dry summer months only made the flames spread faster as they slowly made their way toward the Troupe’s tents. Tullus was asleep next to Anna when Celestra’s growls awoke them.

  “What is it girl?” Tullus said. Anna awoke from her sleep. Moments later they heard people yelling outside the tent and ran to the entrance. Outside, workers and freedmen were roving around in a frenzy carrying buckets filled with water. Smoke drifted past Tullus’ nostrils and he feared the worst. They dressed and ran toward the main pavilion. Above them large scarlet flames ate the surface of the Leopard pavilion while heavy sacks of smoke billowed around them; dozens of bucket chains were combating the flames. As the flames threatened to engulf the entire pavilion, Tullus could see the large figure of Masego leading one of the bucket chains. “Form another bucket chain,” Tullus told Anna. She rounded up five freedmen. Soon their chain stretched out like a centipede as each man and woman fed a bucket to the person in front of them.

  “We have to stop these flames before they reach the other pavilions.” Tullus heard Paullus’ voice as he valiantly led his chain amidst the smoke and dust that threatened to engulf them.

  The heat soon became unbearable as the flames grew higher and higher. Tullus wiped his brow between intervals of handing off buckets to his compatriots while Celestra found stragglers and brought them pails of water gripped within her jaw. The battle to contain the flames stretched on as the night sky slowly became dawn. Much to the credit of the dozen bucket chains the worst was behind them. The flames that once threatened to destroy all the Troupe had worked for were in retreat. Finally, after the last of the flames were extinguished, exhausted men and women collapsed to the ground, collecting their bearings, while Paullus examined the extent of the damage. The smell inside the camp reminded Tullus of damp, charred wood.

  “We’re lucky that no one was killed tonight,” Paullus said. Everyone surveyed the damage done by the flames. The Pavilion was pockmarked with black soot and large gaping holes where the flames had done most of their damage. “But we’ll need new fabrics to construct a new pavilion.”

  “What caused the fire?” Tullus asked.

  “Two villagers: camping outside the pavilion for tickets to your show. They probably forgot to douse their campfire and in this dry season the underbrush around them caught fire. It appears your popularity almost led to our demise,” Paullus said jokingly.

  “How can you be so carefree at a time like this?”

  “Because all of this,” Paullus said with outstretched hands, “can be replaced, unlike human lives.” He looked resolute. “We will build an even greater pavilion, one worthy of the Leopard King.”

  “Don’t forget the rest of the Troupe,” Anna added.

  Paullus smiled. “Yes, of course my dear.”

  “I want to help rebuild,” Tullus said. Paullus placed his hand on Tullus’ shoulder.

  “You will dear boy, but I must make plans to go to Rome to secure the necessary materials.”

  “Let me come with you,” Tullus said. Paullus shook his head.

  “Nonsense, you stay here and practice your act; and continue your Elemence studies. I must go alone.”

  Even without the Periculum spell to warn him, Tullus didn’t like Paullus’ idea.

  Six/Sex

  Despite the festive atmosphere around him Norbanus grew weary.

  It was another public spectacle ordered by Caligula to commemorate his new rule and entertain the masses. Norbanus watched as gladiators spilled blood in the Forum’s arena while the people in the wooden benches cheered.

  “Our new Emperor is quite frivolous,” Senator Remus said.

  “First the mass creature sacrifices to the Gods and now this. One thing is certain, he loves pampering the people.”

  Remus cleared his throat. “Too extravagant, if I may say so. He is the complete opposite of the miserly Tiberius, who would’ve gone off on a rampage if he had lived to see this.”

  “It’s true that our previous Emperor was not a spendthrift,” Norbanus said, “but let the people enjoy this moment… they need it.”

  The two men turned away from the blood-soaked sands of the Forum’s arena and walked away from the deafening crowds. “I hear you recently lost one of your most trusted Guardsmen?”

  Norbanus cast a perturbed glance at the Senator. “Yes, Tullus Acilius Ulixes. One of the finest Centurions in the Empire. It is indeed a terrible loss.”

  Remus appeared indifferent. “If it is such a loss then why didn’t you take the necessary precautions to retain his services?”

  “I owed him a favor: a life debt he secured during the Parthian uprising last year.”

  “I see,” Remus said. “Of course you know he was seeing my daughter Eliana.”

  “So I heard.”

  “She was quite taken with him but I had concerns about his lineage: it appears the dear boy’s parents were humble winemakers.”

  Norbanus nodded.

  “Despite the calamity your family experienced at the hands of Tacfarinas, you are of noble birth, Norbanus.”

  “I am of the Forticus stock so I should think so,” Norbanus replied airily, “but rest assured that stain will soon be washed away. I assure you Senator, Scorpio will find the culprit.”

  “Excellent,” Remus said as he laced his fingers. “In that case, I would like you to get better acquainted with my Eliana.”

  Norbanus grinned. “I would like that very much Senator.”

  {II}

  Eliana’s heart beat a melancholy chord in her chest while her hands trembled whenever she thought about Tullus.

  She pushed away the silver plate at her bedside filled with fresh fruits and warm bread and curled up inside her bed like a frightened child. Her lover was gone, possibly forever, and she could do nothing to change it.

  Eliana unsheathed the dagger tied to her ankle and stared at its blade. Her own woebegone reflection stared back at her, and, she realized this weapon was all she had lef
t of Tullus. She heard one of the slaves running past her bedroom and voices soon followed. After re-sheathing her dagger, Eliana lifted her head up and thought she heard her father’s voice. After listening for a few moments she confirmed that it was him. Tired of feeling sorry for herself she rolled out of bed and walked over toward her mirror to brush her hair. After dabbing a bit of perfume on her neck and wrists she left her bedroom and found her father in the atrium entertaining a guest. As she approached her father she noticed his guest was Tribune Norbanus and the Tribune’s presence felt like a knife in her bosom.

  “There’s my beauty,” Remus said before he kissed his daughter on the cheek.

  Norbanus nodded his head respectfully at Eliana but all she noticed was his oily glances, which made her skin prickle.

  “Hello father.” Eliana turned toward Norbanus. “Tribune.”

  “Lady Eliana, a pleasure to see you again,” Norbanus said. Eliana nodded politely at him.

  “How ironic, you were the topic of our discussion my dear,” Remus said.

  “Really? I wonder what state secrets you two were discussing,” she said. Both Remus and Norbanus laughed.

  “Your father and I were also discussing this beautiful villa and how he had it specially built for the family’s needs,” Norbanus said.

  Eliana doubted that was the topic they were discussing. She loved her father, but he was after all, a politician, and politicians were known to stretch the truth to their advantage. A slave brought food and Norbanus took an oyster from the tray while Eliana and Remus declined.