Carnage
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Chapter 8
The ropes dug into her skin and burned each time she wiggled. She could barely breathe; a large cloth had been shoved into her mouth. Arie felt the man tightened the last knot. His muscles cricked as he stood up. The pointed end of his sandal nudged her until she toppled over. She tried making a sound but ended up chocking on the cloth. Tears swimming in her eyes, Arie tried to make out the man's position. The wooden screen slid opened and she hoped it was as loud as it sounded. His sandal moved silently, though only she could hear them slapping the wooden tiles.
Damn it, Nadu wake up! Arie began swaying using her legs as an anchor. There was a short length of rope that connected her legs and hands so that she could not get to her feet in a way. She gained enough momentum to force herself to roll but ended up going on the opposite direction, away from the screen but closer to the side entrance. This isn't going to work. Slowly, she began pumping her feet back on forth straining her arm. Her sweaty skin rubbed against the floor creating a screech. She tried pushing out the cloth using her tongue but ended up accidently triggering her gagging reflex. A moment later and she could taste the acidic vomit as it rose and doused some of the cloth. The more she moved her tongue, the more she hurled. Arie opened her mouth as far she could and used the floor to remove the now wet material.
"Nadu!" It was not a scream like she had hoped but a rasp. A faint sound of something moving close to her reached a few seconds before she felt something pressing against the throat. The shoes lifted. In a wild panic, Arie threw back her head, exposing it.
"Nadu!" she shrieked before her head was engulfed in pain and she became insensible. The floor felt like it was ascending. Saliva dribbled from her mouth and her eyes twinged before she shut them tightly. "Nadu, run..."
When she opened her eyes, there a small glow from a flickering candle coming towards her.
"Don't make a sound,"
The voice was muted like there was something in her ear. A cold sharp metal cut into her skin. Arie could feel her lungs expanding in a gasp that whistled out. It happened again and again until her arms were free and her legs straightened. She pushed herself upwards. Vertigo and a pair of hands forced her back down.
"Arie, he has Nadu. Do you hear me?"
"I tried," she breathed, chocking as she cried. A sharp hit to her face brought her a new onset of dizziness. "You're making it worse." she moaned as she tried to get a brain working again. "The Carthaginians. Get them,"
Then she was alone, not knowing when the person left. She heard many pairs of bare feet coming towards her and she realised she blacked out again. A drawn out scream paused everyone. Nadu. Arie would know it anywhere. She rolled on her stomach and pushed herself upright, swaying before managing to stand still.
"What is going on?" Abdosir said.
"Mercenary," Arie told him. "Stop him but do not let him hurt the mistress. Please,"
"We have no weapons,"
Another scream, barely perceptible, interrupted any reply she had. Arie moved forward. The others went faster than her were now standing outside of Nadu's bedroom.
"Come any closer and I kill her!"
"What do you want?" Arie asked as she pulled the Carthaginians away from the entrance. She lowered her voice until only they could hear and whispered, "Wait outside of each door until he comes. Kanmi stay with me."
To mask the sound of their footsteps, she raised her voice as she continued, "Let her go, she has done nothing to you. I'll pay you gold if that's what you want. Release her-"
"Let us through," came the rough reply.
"What do you want?" she repeated again just as someone bumped into the marble fountain.
"I'll kill her. I'll slit her throat if you don't,"
"Fine," Arie said loudly. "We will give you way. Do not harm her. She is important, even you know that."
She stop and listened hard, titling her head so that good ear could hear. There was no movement.
"We're moving," she called out. Kanmi took her hand and guided her across the garden. Drapes covering Nadu's room were pulled away roughly. Nadu began screaming but her mouth was covered. There was a low sound like skin slapping on skin and she became quiet. The pair went away with Nadu giving up on resisting. Arie wanted to press forward after them but Kanmi held her back.
"Let it be. He is going nowhere,"
She stood in tense anticipation until Nadu called out to her. Wrenching her hand away, Arie blindly followed the sound of her voice rather than relying on her memory. She found Nadu curled on the floor of the vestibule, the corridor leading to the main door.
"You're safe now," she said getting on her knees and pulling the girl towards her. To the Carthaginians who were milling around them, she asked, "Is he alive?"
"No," Celerina answered. "Shame too since we could have known what he wanted."
"We have to dispose of the body. Where is Junius?"
"Gone,"
"What? Where?"
"I don't know,"
Was he the one who untied her? Where did he go and why?
"Nadu, are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"I'm fine," she replied pulling away. "We have to get rid of the body. This isn't-we have to get rid of it."
"I'll take care of that." Arie said. She then had the side entrance bolted and Abdosir and Celerina guarding Nadu's room.
"Quick before the rest wake up." Yaroah slung the corpse over his shoulder and together they went down the apartment blocks until they found an alleyway. Arie searched his pockets and found nothing besides a stiletto. She fought a headache the entire time and the fear of falling into the puddles filled with raw sewage. As inconspicuous as she could, she held on to Yaroah until they were back at the house. He made no sign of noticing and for that she was more than grateful.
Arie had the entire house lighted especially around the tablinum where the entire household had gathered.
"From now on, every door will be locked during the day and the night. If you notice you're being followed, come back to the domus and tell either me or Nadu. What happened today will not happen again." Her voice trembled with authority. Arie knew that stemmed from fear. It was very close, very painfully close. The slaves dispersed back to their shared rooms except Carthaginians and Epitadas. From their expressions, they wanted an explanation and they knew they would get one.
"Her name is Nadu daughter of Phraates 1V. Orodes III wants her as his sister-wife," she stated forgoing long winded speech when all she wanted to do was sleep.
"You're not too keen on that, are you?"
"We need you to keep her safe,"
"We don't know who those men are but they sound important and rich," Kanmi said. Arie's heart stop as she imagined him excepting gold in exchange for Nadu. "Why doesn't she accept? Better than living in fear,"
Arie took in a deep breath and rubbed her face. She did not know what was more annoying, her headache or trying to explain how different things were on the banks of the river Tigris.
"Look, this isn't a discussion on what would be rosier-"
"Then, what is this?"
"Tell me how to make her safer." Arie implored looking into each of their eyes including those whose name she did not know.
They began talking in a language she did not understand which only served to deepen her fear. So many variables. I'll go mad at this rate. She was putting her trust into complete strangers who have admitted to changing sides without difficulty. Almost as if they were warning her. They went to Albania, at the very edge of the world. Men like them do not sit around and wait for orders. They follow their own whims. Arie hated unpredictability and she despised it more right now since the odds have never looked dimmer.
~~~~~~~~
Jahal looked pleased to her. Arie felt the same way. The past few weeks have been hectic and the amount of work she has been doing was almost back breaking.
"You look good," she commented. A dark expression passed over his before he concealed it with a smile. "I have been given food. Good food."
Her lips curled into a semblanced of a grin. In some ways, he reminded her of one of her brothers. It has been so long that their faces have faded from her memory. Every one of them so for now she will remain content with the knowledge that they existed.
"You don't look too good," the boy stated, eyeing her critically. Arie could not remember when the last time she had any sleep was. Her body ached as she moved it to the bed. She passed the sisal bag she brought with her to Jahal.
"Marius tells me you draw. Amuse yourself," she said as she lied down on the bed facing the stony wall. There was an elated shout from behind that got cut off almost immediately it started. After that, the soft sounds of charcoal being dragged on parchment lulled her to sleep.
When the sun set, she woke up on her back and wiped the drool off. Jahal laid his head on her stomach. She moved him gently off the floor on the bed. He weighed so little and felt bony on certain places where he shouldn't. Arie then went out of the room. She did not descend but instead went to the floor above. While almost of the doors were visible from any point, there was one room that had a wall erected to separate it. Arie walked down, aware she was veering close to the edge and that it was a long way down but she was filled with a lot of joy. In the end it only made her laugh.
She pushed open the door to the room and leaned against its post watching as a red face Junius changed from surprised to morbid and finally to revolt.
"What are you doing here?" he yelled moving away from the prostitute he was servicing moments before.
"You and I have much to talk about." He was where she wanted him to be
Author's Note:
Yay uploads are more frequent. I'm satisfied. I also drew a nice plot that went further than the last one and I think I might stick to that one.