Raiders of the Middle Sea
a World of Kedra Story
Meanwhile Kayden and his new friends have their own interesting night…
Raiders of the Middle Sea Part 8
The gladiators ride through a city that has slaves on every block, Kayden contemplates his fate grimly while the brutish Rulaf assures him that they are indeed blessed men.
How will this night of revelry conclude?
Part 9
Their first stop in the marble mansion ended up being the baths. A series of baths in fact.
“Can’t be all stinky for the feast now eh? Rulaf washes the death off his hands before drink and women!” The giant had laughed as two servant maids undressed him, stripping off his dirty clothes.
Kayden and Shadi were also helped out of their clothes, each by a single lady. All of them were light skinned, dark haired and were demure but deft at their movements. They wore white silk robes that were loose on the body and kept the arms free. Three of the women cornered the Jhakarti when the creature offered resistance. One of the three women wore other colours on her robes and was older, her dark hair streaked in grey. She spoke the Jhakarti tongue and hissed out a couple of words, the creature subsided and grunted a short word to the woman.
Most of the women turned to leave while two stayed at the door of the bath house. The elder maid walked past Rulaf and bowed her head to him. “Hero Rulaf. His name is Torassh.”
The giant grinned and stabbed a finger at the Jhakarti. “Torassh!” He boomed. The creature cocked its head at the big man. The giant pressed a finger to his bare chest that was muscled and covered in scars, some new and some older. “Rulaf… shoshakka!” The giant seemed pleased to have remembered the word.
“Shoshakku?” The creature asked.
“Aye! Whatever!” Rulaf bumped the creature a little and the Jhakarti toppled into the first bath. It sat up and spluttered. “Now you wash!” The giant stepped into the next bath and water spilled over the sides. Kayden and Shadi followed suit and climbed into two other baths.
The water was clean and refreshing, slightly warmer than what room temperature would be. Women entered offering to soap the men. The Jhakarti declined and hissed at the touch of the soap. Rulaf stood and Kayden looked away as he saw the giant’s manhood stand up at the women’s ministrations. Shadi laughed at Kayden who was busy getting his shoulders rubbed by one of the maids. Kayden felt deft little hands start on his back, rubbing and applying soap. He decided not to complain at all.
When they got out of the baths, they were given clean, soft cloths that Kayden had no idea how to wear. Two of the women came over and wrapped the cloth around his waist and with a series of folds, tucked it in. Surprisingly it did not feel like it would fall off.
Rulaf seemed content to let the women do everything for him. The maids had difficulty wrapping him up and a third had to push his manhood down to wrap him up. Rulaf only grinned away like an idiot. Not embarrassed in the slightest. The others accepted the cloths and proceeded to wrap themselves up. Kayden was surprised to see that the Jhakarti, whose name he supposed was Torassh, was quite adept in donning the garment.
Kayden followed the big man out of the baths. They entered a room that was open on two sides, white marble columns holding up the roof and offering an unobstructed view of the sunset. In the centre of the table was a feast of roasted meats, beef and pork, chicken on platters. There were bowls containing fruits and salads.
Kayden shook his head. “It’s like we’ve become nobles all of a sudden.”
“This would feed my village for a month.” Shadi sai, awestruck.
Rulaf punched the top of a wooden casket and shattered the wood. He took up mug and dipped it into the dark liquid that was inside. The giant took a deep draught and hummed happily, then spat out several small pieces of wood. “Ale!” He strode to the table and sat down before the honey glazed carcass of a small bull, the horns adorned with skewered fruit. “Come sit friends! Eat! Drink! Sing! Dance!”
Kayden sat on the others side of the table from the giant and Shadi beside him. The Jhakarti chose to sit at the end corner, the furthest from the others. He looked angry and unsure of himself, the creature glanced over the table as if unbelieving of the feast that was arrayed there.
“Girls come play music!” Rulaf roared and downed the rest of his drink. “Bring more ale!”
Women did indeed arrive bearing stringed musical instruments. One of them had a hand drum and they arrayed themselves on the one side of the room. The melody they began to play was cheerful and up tempo. More women had arrived and one took Rulaf’s mug and filled it, more carefully, without the splinters of wood. Three other women also filled additional mugs and one of them was set before Kayden. He took it up and took a sip. The liquid was sweet and tangy and sent a small trickle of fire down his throat.
He took a cut of beef before him while the giant cut into the bull carcass before him, sometimes breaking off pieces with his bare hands. Soon the other two were eating as well and for a while they were all silent. Kayden couldn’t believe this. One moment a basic sailor, then a slave… now he was dining like a king. How does life work? Is he going to die tomorrow?
After they had their full, though Rulaf didn’t seem to have a ‘full’ they sat and drank on the sweet ale. Shadi was grinning stupidly and burst out in fits of laughter.
“Ah!” Rulaf raised a mug towards the dark man. “You laugh, you live! It is good!” He drained his mug and handed it to the attending servant girl.
Torassh was still reserved but didn’t look away from them anymore when they looked at him. He sat and listened to the humans speaking at the table.
“You!” Rulaf pointed at Kayden. “Tell Rulaf what you want do in this land?”
Kayden looked at the big man. “What do you mean?”
“What you want?”
“My freedom.”
“What freedom?” The giant blinked at him.
“I never intended to be here, a slave. I was a sailor.”
“You want to be sailor?”
“No… but that was my job.”
“Ah…” Rulaf nodded sagely. “Job… to make money… what you do with money?”
Kayden thought a little before answering. “I bought drinks for me and my mates. Ate food. Bought things… I never settled down though.”
Rulaf laughed. “So you are free man! You sit here and drink and eat the best food with Rulaf and mates!” Shadi giggled at this.
“I suppose that is not so bad.” Kayden admitted. “For today at least.”
“Yeah, who knows how Shi’Uzdu will treat us!” Shadi chipped in. “Might be drinking piss and eating bugs tomorrow… if we get there…” The dark man seemed a bit crestfallen at the thought.
“Aye!” Rulaf agreed. “Who knows what happens? Tomorrow we fight bear in the arena! Some could die!”
“What?!” Kayden felt the blood drain from his face. “Bear?”
“Aye! Big black bear, they been keeping him in the iron cage for a week now. Fed it a week ago… they poke it with sticks…Going to be an angry bear!” Rulaf roared with laughter.
“What’s a bear?” Shadi asked.
“You don’t know?” Kayden asked him and the other shook his head. “It’s a large meat eating beast! Teeth and claws.” The brown man shrugged and downed his drink.
“Aye, and Rulaf a large meat eating beast!” The men laughed around the table, the Jhakarti looked around puzzled. “So if Kayden lives past the bear… we kill it, break its paws, split its skull… then you want drink and food?”
“Sure… but I would rather not fight a bear in the first place.”
“Ag, its like job. Tomorrow job is to fight with bear with friends… is like hunting… but with lots of people coming to watch!” The giant grinned. He raised his mug. “To the bear! Poor nasty bear!”
Kayden and Shadi raised their mugs and Kayden was glad that it was not full. The Jhakarti took up its own mug and copied them. They drank deep then Rulaf stood.
“Now I dance!”
Shadi giggled and Kayden groaned. It was going to be a long night.
To Be Continued
Next time on Raiders…
How will Kayden fair against the bear in the arena? Will he survive or will he become a meal?
Meantime… what happens in the morning when Leland joins Nich on the deadly island? Where is the rest of Dieter?