He couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath though when he saw Marius’ bloodied body, his hands and feet in shackles, a large iron collar on his neck. The shackles were bound by chains, but he could not see how long they were. Marius curled up into a fetal position, knocked out cold, his lips parted, blood seeping out of his mouth on the cage’s dark wooden floor. His body was full of dark bruises, his ribs slowly rising. They had left his pants on, but that was all the clothing he had, and Kyle shivered, the chilly air getting at him despite being fully clothed. His hands went to the cold iron grate of the cage, testing the bolts. It was strong, and they hadn’t left him a key, of course. He sighed, going into the small hut to put his stuff down, and then he went to gather some firewood.
He lit a good fire in front of the hut, close to the cage, hoping that some warmth might seep up to it, and he proceeded to cook oatmeal, a large pot, waiting for Marius to regain his senses.
Kyle had to wait until night fell. The air chilled, and he stoked the fire up when Marius stirred, moaning. Kyle was on his feet in an instant, going to the cage, looking around to make sure that there was nobody near.
Marius sat up, his blurred vision slowly clearing, an agonizing pain coursing through his body. He tried to move his hands, but they felt heavy, a sudden chill running down his skin as he realized he had been shackled, his hand painfully rising to his throat, feeling the cold iron collar against his skin. He looked up, the cage’s ceiling too close, and a vague panicked seized him when he realized he could not get up fully, not with his height... if he could even get up, every move a torture, his bruises stabs.Broken ribs... probably more than one... His lips cut, his stomach so painful he felt like throwing up whatever was in there, the metallic taste of blood rich in his mouth. He moaned, bathing in pain, the chill of the night biting his bare skin.
Marius caught a movement out of the corner of his vision and moved his head to the side, his eyes locking with Kyle’s, those grey pools silent. Marius’ blood warmed, a slow anger rising in him, and he watched Kyle’s lips part, just to shut again when Lothar stepped up near the cage.
“Awake? Good... we don’t want you to die... yet!” He laughed, putting his arm around Kyle’s shoulders. “Must feel real good seeing this beast all tied down and locked up?”
Kyle’s eyes bore into Marius’. “Yes, things got really rough for him...” A slight spark lit up Marius’ blue eyes at his words, and Kyle’s heart raced.Please, love, please understand...
Lothar patted his back. “I’ll leave you to it. Make sure he feels like shit.”
Marius watched him leave, his eyes drifting back to Kyle, silent, but the hate was gone from them, his handsome face streaked with dark bruises, and Kyle stepped closer to the cage, his lips very close to the cold bars, his voice a mere whisper. “We are being watched...” Marius blinked slowly once, and Kyle got it, smiling slightly. “I’ll get you some food and water.”
He went back to the fire, and Marius hugged his knees to his chest, the cold chains lacing around him. He shut his eyes against the pain, the bitter cold, his mind racing.Can I trust him? Should I? But his words...his words made him cling to the only hope he had, that he loved him more than freedom, the possibility of a new life. Marius watched him come back and push a bowl of oatmeal in, the soft mush gently fuming in the cold air. Marius reached for it, unsure if he could eat anything at all, his stomach a block of pain, but he forced it down anyway with trembling hands, the hot paste feeling divine in the cold.
He leant back; the bowl sliding from his hand, tumbling towards the grates where Kyle pulled it out.
“Drink.” He pushed in a water pouch and watched as Marius drank, the water spilling from the corner of his mouth, carving a path in the dried blood on his muscled neck.
Kyle swallowed, steeling himself to hide his emotions, when Marius went back to hugging his knees, his forehead resting on them. The collar bit into his throat and he had to shift his head upwards, realizing maybe for the very first time what slaves had to endure when they were captured. He swallowed, the food and water somersaulting in his bloodied stomach.
His hand went to the collar, trying to loosen it obviously to no avail, and Kyle spoke to him, gently. “Don’t give in to panic, just accept it... if you tug at it, it will chaff your skin raw and make you lose your mind...”
Marius looked at him, his eyes wide, but he let go of the collar, slowly exhaling.
“Good... I can’t keep talking to you... they might hear it... just play the part, act like I’m driving you crazy...”
Marius nodded, his eyes closed, and Kyle left him, shivering, knowing he could not give him anything warm for now. He stoked up the fire, and some warmth drifted into the cage, making Marius sigh. Kyle watched as his large body slid to the side and collapsed in utter exhaustion on the floor of the cage.
The day rose, bleak, the air filled with moisture and the promise of winter. Kyle had cooked oatmeal again, but he had also secretly put honey in it, watching Marius gobble it down. Marius pulled a face, though, to make sure that onlookers thought it tasted foul. Kyle then quickly washed the bowl out, getting rid of the evidence. He was also busy packing, Adelbrand having decided to leave earlier, fearing that the weather would turn before they could reach the mountain passes and roads.
Lothar walked up to the cage. “How is our beast doing?”
Kyle pulled a face. “Being his usual Roman self... even caged up, he thinks he’s the king of the world.”
Lothar took his sword out, poking Marius in his side, making him scramble back into the cage, yelping at the sharp pain. A small drop of blood appeared where the sword had broken flesh. “See? Just poke him with your knife when he’s being an asshole.”
He laughed, and Kyle grinned at him, playing the part when he was dying inside. Marius pushed his hand on the wound, grinding his teeth, his eyes shut tight.
“Get ready to leave in a couple of hours. Your cart can will be in the middle of the convoy. We don’t want our precious cargo unguarded. The road is long and treacherous, but just follow the riders. They know the paths well. In a couple of days, we’ll be walled up into the mountains, partying.” He winked at Kyle. “There are some girls who are dying to get to know you... And this one here…”, he gestured at Marius ”… can rot in a nice cozy cave we have carved in the rock... a bit cold, but not enough to kill him.” He laughed and left, swinging his sword.
Kyle breathed deep, his eyes going to Marius, those blue eyes burning into Lothar’s back. He went to pack the cart, stashing it on the right on the driver’s bench. Two sturdy horses were led to him by a young boy and he helped Kyle hook them to the cart, the large draft animals peaceably waiting.
Lothar rode up to him. “Let’s go.”
Kyle got on the cart, his back wedged against the cage, and followed Lothar’s horse, driving the cart into the flow of horses, pedestrians, carts leaving the village towards the distant mountains. His heart was heavy and his mind busy...What to do now?They were effectively trapped...
They stopped at night to camp and Kyle raised a small tent to sleep next to the cart, busy then with cooking, but Lothar walked up to him. “Come, eat with us.”
Kyle glanced at Marius, sitting, quietly shivering, his eyes lost in the distance. “I need to feed him first.”
Lothar laughed. “You don’t have to feed him every day... Were you always fed?” Kyle shook his head, an icy feeling inside of him. “So, the fuck do you care?”
He looked up at Lothar, an evil grin on his face. “You’re right... let’s go.”
