The Chariots Slave (21 page)

Thaddius was frustrated over the new race schedule. And
to have his friend openly challenge him, especially when he
had tried to ignore his feelings and encourage Sellah to be
with Simeon, well that just made him mad. Any ounce of
restraint he had was forgotten, and he stepped toward
Simeon, pressing his chest against his.

Sellah stumbled backwards. Were they actually fighting
over her? And what did Thaddius mean by Simeon’s
leftovers?

“Watch yourself Thaddius!” Simeon warned.
“Or what? Will you continue to disgrace Sellah?”
Thaddius could no longer control his breathing, and now his
fists were opening and closing.
“Me? I am not the one who tries forcing her to my bed!”
Simeon retorted, not caring how improperly he was
addressing his Dominus before the ever-growing crowd of
spectators.
“Apologies,” Sellah said as she tried to gain Thaddius’s
attention by placing her hand on his shoulder.

With one effortless shove Thaddius pushed Sellah’s arm
away. However, he used more force than necessary, and
Sellah ended up falling to the ground. He hesitated to go to
her but realized the eyes of onlookers were on him, so he
stood straight and stared at Simeon.

Simeon’s eyes filled with rage as he watched her fall and
struggle to pick herself up.
“There Simeon, go to her,” Thaddius growled as he
stepped aside to let Simeon pass. Simeon practically dove to
Sellah’s side to help her up. And as Thaddius watched their
exchange, he couldn’t help but now notice the eyes of the
spectators on him. He knew they were waiting for him to
punish his slave for being disrespectful and even punish
Sellah for touching him without request. If he did not, they
would think of him as weak. And right now, he couldn’t
allow that to happen.
With his head held high, he took in a deep breath.
“Simeon, Sellah, you will receive punishment for your
insolence as soon as we return to the villa!”

days.” Simeon glared as he grabbed Sellah by the arm and
began walking away from Thaddius.
“Where are you going?” Thaddius demanded.
“To the cart.” Simeon did not bother to turn and face
Thaddius, and the few who had remained watching the
exchange mumbled to themselves over his rudeness.
“Unless you want to pull it back to the villa, I suggest you
walk. The horses need to rest before we bring them back,”
Thaddius yelled after him.
Simeon paused midstride, yanking Sellah to a stop
alongside him. It was an awkward interaction. She did not
know if she should be following him or staying with her
Dominus and attending to the horses. But with Simeon’s tight
grasp on her arm, she really had no choice. Simeon turned to
the direction of the road and pulled Sellah after him.
“We will walk,” he announced.

Thaddius watched them work their way through the
crowds as they headed toward the road. They had made their
choice, and he would deal with it later. For now, he had to
ready his team to return home. They had another big day
ahead of them, and they needed proper rest and food.

“Dominus, Dominus!” one of the blue drivers called out.
“Did you see me? I didn’t come in last!” he beamed.
“I did not see, yet that is great news. Perhaps we can call
you a charioteer after all. What of the other driver?” Thaddius
asked.
The man hung his head and kicked at a rock on the
ground. “He lost his wheel and could not finish. The horses
were so badly injured in the crash that they had to be
destroyed. After realizing it was he who had cost you such a
great loss, a ruined chariot and four dead horses, he ran. No
one can find him,” the man confessed.
Thaddius rubbed his jaw as he listened to the driver.
“Running seems to be a popular choice today,” he mumbled
under his breath. “Nevertheless, come tell me your name, so I
stop calling you the cart driver and treat you as a peer.”
Thaddius wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulders and
could feel the man straighten his back.
“Lucius, my Lord,” he said proudly.
“Well, come along, Lucius,” Thaddius said as he patted
the man’s shoulder. “We need to go home, eat, and rest as our
next race is tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, I will explain during the ride to the villa.”

Thaddius left instructions for the proper care of the two
remaining teams, as his other attendants fastened two of the
work horses to his cart. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and
his shoulder ached. He needed to return home and get some
sleep before the next race.

“Come Lucius,” Thaddius instructed as he stepped up into
his cart. “I would ask you to drive but you are no longer a
mere cart driver. You are a charioteer!”

The man beamed from ear to ear. He was pleased with the
attention from Thaddius and even more so that he had
realized his dream of driving a chariot.

Thaddius leaned against the back of the cart, pretending to
listen to Lucius who felt the need to give him a step by step
replay of his race. Once in a while he would smile or nod his
head as though he were listening.

The pair had barely made it to the outskirts of town when
they came upon Simeon trudging along with Sellah in tow.
“Get in the cart!” Thaddius yelled out the window.
Sellah paused and turned toward Thaddius. Simeon
grabbed her arm, once again dragging her away.
“Please Simeon, it is a long walk,” she pleaded.
“It will be a longer drive with him,” Simeon hissed.
“Simeon, stop whining and get in the cart!” Thaddius had
to practically bite his lip to keep from laughing. He had been
mad, furious even. But seeing Simeon act more stubborn than
he, well that was just amusing.
Simeon looked between Sellah and Thaddius as he tried to
decide what to do. With each passing moment his pigheadedness slowly diminished.
“Fine, we will come. But only because of Sellah!”
Thaddius pressed his lips together and nodded as his body



convulsed with silent laughter. Simeon glared as he helped
Sellah into the cart. She chose to sit next to Lucius, leaving
Simeon and Thaddius to fend for themselves.

Simeon took his seat and pressed his body as far into the
corner as possible to avoid touching Thaddius.
“You did well today,” Sellah said as she looked at Lucius.
“Was it everything you had hoped it would be?”
“My only wish is to place higher in the next races. But I
am proud that I finished, especially against the top
competitors in the world. With the exception of the man who
crashed his chariot, the entire green team finished after
Thaddius. Not one of the whites or reds placed ahead of the
greens, and I barely beat one of the reds so I did not come in
last. The greens will be a very hard team to beat,” Lucius
explained.
“Not that hard!” Thaddius boasted, meriting him another
glare from Simeon.

awkward moments. Simeon glared at Thaddius who struggled
to keep a straight face. Lucius did not stop talking about how
well he did in his first race. And Sellah politely smiled while
she only partially listened to his boring retelling.

The atmosphere among the group was dispirited. Despite
Thaddius’s big win, they knew he had another race in the
morning. And that meant he would have to use a different
lead horse.

Diana needed more than one night to recover as they
didn’t want to risk losing her. It would be Thaddius’s first
time competing without Diana, and that made him nervous.

He watched out the window and wondered which horse he
should pick. The only other competent lead he had was a
male. And he didn’t trust male horses in lead. They were
known to challenge the charioteer for command of the cart
and the other horses. And even the slightest hesitance on the
horses’ part, when listening to the charioteer, could mean a
loss. And a loss was something that Thaddius could not
accept. Not now, not when so much was at stake.



Lucius and stared out the opposite window. No doubt
Barachius would break her if he won. Thaddius couldn’t
allow that. It was no longer about protecting his father’s
name and estate. It was his life that had been threatened, his
name and his future.

As soon as the cart came to a stop on the sands of
Thaddius’s trigarium, Simeon practically ran to his quarters.
He needed time to cool down and hadn’t even stopped to say
goodbye to Sellah. Thaddius also rushed off toward his
quarters, stopping only long enough to instruct someone to go
to town and get Orla, requesting her services for the week.

Sellah had been permitted to stay in the women’s quarters.
And she ran off in excitement to see Accalia and tell her
about the day.

“Accalia?” Sellah called out as she searched the room. She
moved from one cot to another looking for her friend.
“Over here!” Accalia raised her arm directing Sellah over
to her.
Many of the women shushed her for waking them, but
Sellah ignored their hisses and ran to Accalia’s side.
She sat next to her on the bed and held her hand. “I have so
much to tell you, can you come for a walk with me?” she
asked.
“Of course,” Accalia whispered, being careful not to
disturb the girls asleep next to her.
They quietly left the villa and walked toward the stables.
Sellah filled her in on the excitement of the race and then told



her about Nadria’s death. Despite her dislike for the girl,
Accalia wept, feeling the loss of kin, a fellow slave.

“Why would they kill an innocent woman?”
“Barachius told me it was because she looked at him the
wrong way,” Sellah explained as she watched the light of the
moon highlight the tears streaking down Accalia’s face.
“What were you doing near that foul man?”
“He saw me in the crowd and forced me into his arms. I
was afraid he was going to hurt me, but Thaddius saved me.”
There was a twinkle of hope in Sellah’s words.
“Sellah, put those thoughts far from your mind,” Accalia’s
words were filled with worry.
Sellah wrinkled her face and looked at Accalia, wondering
what she was talking about.
“I know you,” Accalia said as she put her hand on Sellah’s
arm. “Thaddius may be an attractive and powerful man, but
the only way he sees you is as his slave.”
“I know that,” she mumbled as she picked at the hem of
her stola.
“Sellah? Accalia?” Simeon ran toward the women.
Accalia nudged Sellah and looked toward Simeon. “Now
there is a man who will treat you well,” she smiled.
Sellah glared at Accalia and elbowed her playfully in the
ribs before turning to greet Simeon.
“Yes,” Sellah called in response.
Simeon made it to their side in no time. He offered the
girls a broad smile as he and placed his hands on his knees to
catch his breath.
“Sellah, can I talk to you.”
“Of course.”
His eyes lifted to catch her gaze and drifted over to