Page 5 of Dominion
Mateo felt degradation for the first time in his life when he had to expose his genitalia for all to see. He could hear the people talking amongst themselves, judging them, and he wanted to cry. It took every ounce of pride in him to not let one single tear fall. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. He didn’t want them to break him, and his chest tightened with his resolve.
After bending over, they were instructed to turn back around and face the crowd as the bidding began. Most of the males went relatively quickly for cheap. Only a handful stood out from the rest according to the seller, Mateo being one of them. Two brothel owners were bidding for him. The seller went back and forth, raising the price until another party joined, raising the price even more.
Mateo looked at the man who happened to be wearing fine clothing like the seller. He looked to be with a bodyguard as there was a tall, muscular, black man standing at his side, looking quite menacing in a tan toga. With the man’s final bid, the other two opted out and Mateo was sold just like that. Two more men were purchased along with him, and they looked even more broken down than Mateo. Their skin was marred with fresh wounds, some were scabbing over, and Mateo could tell they’d been beaten. With that final purchase, that was the end of the auction.
The chains were linked around Mateo’s neck and the two men he was sold with, and they were led off the stage to their new owner. Now that Mateo was standing before the man, he got a good look at him. He looked to be in his mid-forties with a bit of a pudge around the waist. Black hair, graying at the sides, a beard and mustache and sharply arched eyebrows that hooded over deep blue eyes. His jawline was chiseled and set as he looked over the men he’d just purchased.
“This stock not so bad, dominus,” the guard said to his master.
The man’s lips turned up in a sneer. “Eh, I’ve had better. This lot will do. Cervantes has his work cut out for him, if they pass the test,” the man said as his eyes roamed over his new purchases. “Bring them.” With that command, he turned and walked towards a beautiful black steed, climbing onto the animal’s back.
The black guard led the slaves behind their new master by their connected chain. Mateo’s feet ached as he walked over sharp pebbles and hard gravel while they traveled for miles towards their new home. He knew his feet were bleeding, could see his bloody footprints as they trekked. Of course, the other men’s feet were bleeding as well, but no one said anything, knowing their words would fall on deaf ears.
He looked up at his new owner, the man was riding comfortably on his black horse, looking as lofty as so many of the people here did. These were the people his mother had told him stories about. Those clamoring for the favor of the gods. Many had sacrificed much to gain such attention for the four celestial beings who now controlled the entire world. The gods didn’t pay these people any attention, his mother had told him. All the gods wanted was to be worshipped, and as long as the people worshipped them, they allowed the people to live.
These people looked down on the people of the badlands as heretics deserving of whatever fate they were given. Mateo knew he’d find no mercy. He’d find no compassion at the hands of his new owner and he only hoped that his mother and sister were safe.
The man before him collapsed, which dragged him and the other man to the ground. As expected, their new owner had no sympathy for the three men who’d been kidnapped from their land, starved, beaten in some cases, and now sold. He didn’t care for their weary, aching muscles, sore feet and overall exhaustion.
“Get them up!” he barked.
“Yes, dominus,” the black servant replied, then he reached for the whip attached to his belt and the sound of the whip cracking shook Mateo to his core before he felt its biting sting. He cried out, back arching in pain. “Rise, now!” the servant yelled, right before he whipped the other two men in quick succession, giving each one blow. The men cried out in pain just as Mateo had done, and it was enough for them to struggle to their bleeding feet once more.
Once all were standing, they continued on their journey. Mateo had long since lost track of the time. He only knew that the trip seemed endless and he actually thanked a god when they finally arrived. It was one of the biggest dwellings he’d ever seen. Huge compared to the thin wood hut he and his family had lived in.
The badlands wasn’t a place where people had roomy homes. Wood or straw huts or tents were the norm. Seeing the two-story brick structure was a definite step up. He looked up at the balcony where two people, who were obviously servants based on their lack of clothing, looked down on them. They looked to be wearing only short tunics pinned at their shoulders and leather belts at their waists. He couldn’t see their feet, but he figured they might be wearing sandals.
“Get them ready for introductions,” their owner commanded.
“Yes, dominus,” the servant obediently replied, then his gaze shifted to the new prisoners. “Stand straight, present yourself to your new dominus!”
Mateo didn’t know what he meant by presenting himself, but he managed to straighten his spine, which was aching from all he had already endured. The other two men stood as straight as they could, considering how exhausted and hurt they were. The new wound from the whip on Mateo’s back burned as the wind, sweat, and more dirt got into it. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, a part of him was thinking that he was cursed as punishment for living in the badlands. For refusing to worship the gods.
The man who purchased them stood quietly as his servant gave orders to other servants. Mateo watched their actions, as well as took in his new surroundings. They were in a courtyard surrounded by four very tall brick walls, but no roof. There was one entrance and exit, which they had entered through. That gate was now locked and guarded by a man with a metal chest plate, leather pants, and a sword at his hip. The other wall featured two cells with barred doors. The third wall had three windows that were also barred, and the forth wall had two doors, one that led into the main house and the other that led to a one-story addition to the main house that was connected by a short hallway.
Escape would be difficult, if not impossible. Mateo continued his inspection, there was a crest engraved in the wall over the balcony with the letter “R” in the intricate design. Mateo couldn’t tell how big the main house truly was from the courtyard, not without going inside, but two stories said a lot. He looked at the adjacent section of the house and wondered what that led to.
All of a sudden, the door to the one-story dwelling opened and more men began to enter the courtyard. The men were led by a hulking man dressed in modest clothing of leather pants, a linen pullover shirt, and sandals. The man looked to be in his sixties and at least six-four. His head was bald, but he had a gray beard and mustache. His steel gray eyes peered at the new men his master had just acquired, but his expression remained unreadable. He lined the other men up to be presented to their dominus as instructed.
Mateo looked at them as they all filled the area, standing opposite him in a straight line. These men looked well fed, their robust bodies were rippling with muscles that were very impressive. Their skin had a healthy glow under the oil that was now glistening on their flesh in the moonlight. By the position that one guy took, the one who had led the men into the courtyard, Mateo could tell he held rank among them.
Another thing that was interesting to Mateo was how the men were dressed. Some of them wore loincloths of different colors and styles, such as leather straps hanging down or satin. Others were wearing tunics or leather shorts. All had sandals to protect their feet, some with short straps and others with longer ones that crisscrossed up their legs. Mateo wondered why they didn’t all dress the same.
Their new owner stepped up then, waving his hand at the muscular men standing silently behind him. Their gazes bored into Mateo and the other two men as if they were unworthy to be in the same room. Mateo stared back, refusing to let them make him feel shame. He never asked to be there in the first place… whatever this place was.
The men’s gazes were extremely intimidating, but Mateo kept his stance even though he did feel fear as they looked at him. It made him wonder just what kind of slaves they were to be so menacing. The men’s bodies all carried scars and some had tattoos. All were taller than Mateo was; as a matter of fact, Mateo was the shortest of all the men present, including the slaves he was chained to. That alone was impressive, because Mateo stood six-feet tall, which meant these other men were goliaths.
That begged the question again… where was he?
CHAPTER THREE
“These men are what you need to strive to be,” their owner said in his deep baritone. “They are the pride of my house… the House of Rama!”
“All hail Rama!” the men shouted in unison in a boisterous chorus and they thrust their fists in the air.
The roar coming from them surprised Mateo, since he wasn’t expecting it. Some of the men laughed at him when they saw him and the other men jump in response to their devotion to their master. If nothing else could be gathered from this moment, at least Mateo now knew the name of the man who’d purchased him like he was a pair of shoes: Rama.
Rama walked over to them, standing before Mateo. “You are soft on the eyes and the only reason I purchased you, that and your youth. The gods will like that. Your body…” he reached out, poking Mateo’s biceps and abs, “needs buffering and bulking. Not too much, I don’t think. Your size is nice.” He wrinkled up his nose and frowned. “You all need bathing, but not till you prove yourselves worthy of the god’s water.”
