Passions of New Pompeii Read online

  Laetif fidgeted, growing more anxious the deeper they delved. “Mikko won’t let me near the customer files, which is suspicious in itself. I hacked in a couple of days ago, but I only managed to copy a couple of vids before he detected my probe and modulated the encryption.”

  “What was on the vids?”

  “One was a man being disciplined by his mistress.”

  Elaina paused. Was Laetif overreacting? “I wouldn’t consider that outrageous. Even with Fedoran morality codes, sexual discipline isn’t a crime.”

  “I understand that.” Laetif sighed. “I’m not upset because my husband opened a sex club. This is far more twisted than sex. The things the mistress did to that man were horrible, truly abusive.”

  “If the man wanted to be—”

  “That’s just it! I think the mistress was the customer. It took me awhile to understand what I was seeing, but the man was a victim—or the best damn actor I’ve ever seen.”

  Tension gathered in Elaina’s stomach, yet her mind rushed on ahead. She wanted to believe her brother wasn’t capable of intentionally harming others, but Laetif was his wife. She would lose everything if Mikko went to jail. “What was on the other vid?”

  “That scene was even more disturbing. Three ‘customers’ watched as a young couple pleasured each other. Except for the fact that the couple was really young, there didn’t appear to be anything illegal. If I hadn’t been suspicious because of the first vid, I might not have kept watching.”

  “But you did?”

  She nodded, obviously upset by the memory. “While the male performer had his face buried between the girl’s thighs, one of the customers jumped him. The other two held him in place, face muffled by the girl’s pussy, and their friend ass-fucked him. Again he was either a phenomenal actor or it was unwanted attention. Judging from his age and his reaction to the act, my bet is on unwelcome initiation.” Her face paled and she looked away, tears gathering in her eyes.

  “Is that where it ended?”

  Laetif shook her head and whispered, “When he finished with the boy, they tag-teamed the girl. I couldn’t watch it all.”

  Elaina pressed her hand over her thudding heart, sickened and infuriated. “My brother is allowing his customers to rape…” Bile rose to the back of her throat and she covered her mouth with her hand. She swallowed hard, dragging air in through her nose. “Give me the files and I’ll show them to Naloni. She can have her father round up anyone associated with the House of Morpheus. Emperor Olla has never really been a fan of New Pompeii. He’s only allowed it because it makes him so much money. But there is no way he’ll sanction something like this.”

  “Mikko deleted the files and locked me out of every access terminal in the city. We can’t take this to Emperor Olla until we have proof. No one is going to take action with nothing more than the testimony of a disgruntled wife.”

  “But you’re in the best position to get proof.”

  “Not anymore. I can’t go anywhere or talk to anyone without Mikko knowing about it. He has me on an incredibly short leash right now. I had to drug his wine just so I could talk to you.”

  “Do you have a specific plan of action, or do you want me to take it from here?”

  Laetif finally smiled. “You know more about investigating crimes than I do. I’ll happily leave it in your capable hands.”

  * * * * *

  The barracks seemed particularly stark and dismal after the pristine elegance of the villa. Theos hurried down the stone corridor, longing only for the relative comfort of his cot. He could not rid his mind of Elaina’s image and her taste still lingered on his tongue. He had spilled his seed deep inside her body, but only in his mind did he dare use her name. Regardless of her twisted game, she was a noble lady.

  And he was a slave.

  “Did dominus arrange for a private reward for your performance today?” Max leaned against the archway leading to his tiny room. Privacy was one of the privileges allowed him as doctore. “The crowd prevented you from spilling blood, so Mikko made sure you spilled your seed?”

  Ignoring the mild provocation, Theos asked, “Do you know of anyone who has been beyond the barrier and survived?”

  Max looked up and down the corridor, his expression suddenly grim. “What turned your mind to thoughts of the barrier?”

  Theos lowered his voice and moved closer. Max knew something. Every instinct Theos possessed pointed him toward the trainer. “You have been here longer than all the rest. Were you even part of the evacuation?”

  Max motioned Theos into the room with a sharp nod. There was no door or privacy curtain, but it was far removed from the guards. “What inspired all of these questions? Where have you been for the past few hours? I know you do not pleasure Fedorans for coin.” He sat on the narrow cot, leaving the low stool for Theos.

  “I was summoned by our master’s sister. She claims that the barrier is there to keep us from contemplating freedom, not to protect us from Vulcan’s wrath.”

  For a long moment Max just stared at him, secrets flickering in his pale blue eyes. “Did her words ring true?”

  “She believes what she told me. I sensed no deception in what she said. But to accept her explanation is to abandon the gods. I will not… Yet both cannot be true. How do I determine what is right and what is deception?”

  “Are those the only options? Right and wrong? Truth or deception?” His brow arched and challenge spread across his expression. “In my experience, life is filled with shades of gray.”

  “Philosopher and trainer? I had no idea our doctore was so talented.” Theos pushed to his feet, too anxious to remain still. “Which shade of gray accommodates both perspectives?”

  “I believe in a benevolent maker, in a spiritual force who guides everything that is or will ever be. I believe in universal balance, light to dark, good to evil. However, I no longer believe in a literal pantheon of deities who have specific responsibilities and direct influence over our lives. I think the gods are metaphors for the various elements of our world. I believe we are presented with choices and opportunities and the choices we make determine the shape of the life we lead.”

  Theos pressed his lips together, shaking with impotent rage. Why did the gods allow such blasphemy? He could understand it from a privileged Fedoran, but Max had come from Rome! He would defend them with his fists, but striking a doctore was a punishable offense. “This concept is not new. I have heard such talk before. Hebrew slaves are always bragging about their ‘One True God’.”

  “I am not asking you to abandon your faith. I am telling you what I believe.” Max stood as well, his expression frustratingly playful. “For the sake of argument, let us say the Fedorans built these skyships and brought you to this new world because they detected vibrations deep in the earth that warned the volcano would erupt.”

  “Only the gods can foretell the future. Are you saying the Fedorans are gods?”

  “No.” Max positioned himself in the doorway so he could glance in either direction or hear anyone approach. “They are a civilization that has existed far longer than ours. They have learned things we do not understand and they can build machines that do things we find amazing.”

  Possibilities expanded within Theos’ mind. He stopped fighting the fragments of memory and let them flow together. “Like the beam of light that opens their locks?”

  “Exactly.”

  Theos paused. He knew Max and trusted him. Unlike Elaina, Max was one of… Then a thought occurred to him and his heart plummeted all over again. “Are you one of them? Do you come from beyond the barrier?”

  “I am human just like you.” Max paused for a smile before he added, “But I have also been beyond the barrier and lived to tell the tale.”

  “You passed through the barrier and survived?”

  He held out his arms, the smile broadening. “Do I look like a spirit to you?”

  “I do not understand.” Theos sank back onto the stool and shook his head. “Why w
ould dominus lie to us? What was gained by the deception?”

  “Your cooperation. Gladiators have been known to challenge their masters, but few are foolish enough to defy the gods.”

  Which was almost exactly what Elaina said. You’ve never seriously considered doing more than dreaming because this life is Venus’ will. He’d thought she was mocking the gods last night, but he could remember the sadness in her eyes now, the compassion—and the pity!

  “She was telling the truth,” he muttered. “We are held hostage by our beliefs?”

  “Yes and no.” Max chuckled. “The founders used your beliefs to manipulate you, but the barrier is there for your protection. Fedoros is like nothing you have ever seen. It is strange and dangerous in ways you cannot imagine. I have seen these wonders for myself, yet I chose to come back here.”

  Theos rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying valiantly to ignore the pounding in his temples. Staring death in the face was nothing compared to reassessing his fundamental beliefs. “If you were not part of the evacuation, how long have you been here?”

  “Seven years.”

  “You passed five winters in this place before the rest of us were brought here?” Max only nodded, so Theos went on. “If Venus did not instruct the founders to bring us… No, go back farther. When and why were you brought to Fedoros?”

  “Are you sure you want to know? The events you ask me to share are what led me to believe the gods are not real.”

  Theos doubted anything Max had to say could shake his beliefs any more than they were already shaken. He had been a true and faithful servant of the gods all his life and look where it had taken him. He was a prisoner on a strange world and the miracles he’d attributed to their names had proven to be the work of greedy men.

  “I will not live a lie. Tell me your story.”

  Max accepted his decision with a nod and began. “I was fighting in Rome many years before you joined the brotherhood. I had defeated several well-known opponents, but I had not yet earned a primus. My master introduced me to Mikko Xyell and Vito Olla.”

  “Who is Vito Olla? Is he some relation to Prince Tarhee?”

  “They are both sons of Emperor Sineth Olla. Prince Vito was one of the original founders, though he took a less active role. Vito was Prince Tarhee’s older brother. They also have a sister named Naloni. Vito is no longer alive.”

  Accepting the information with a nod, Theos said, “Go on. I had not realized the founders visited our world before the evacuation.” Theos rested his forearms on his knees and leaned forward, fascinated by the implications.

  “They told me they were visiting from a faraway land.” He smiled and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “I had no idea just how far away. They explained that they were intrigued by the games and wanted to introduce them in their homeland. You see there is no violence on Fedoros. Punishment for such acts is… How do I explain this? They reorder a person’s mind so they are incapable of violence, which had become abhorrent to them.”

  Theos stood so suddenly the stool toppled. “That is not possible.”

  “It is on Fedoros.”

  Two anxious steps took Theos from one side of the room to the other. “If violence is abhorrent to Fedorans, why is New Pompeii so popular?”

  Max chuckled, unaffected by his agitation. “You are jumping ahead. Let me tell my story.”

  “I apologize. What was the founders’ proposition?”

  “They wanted to create live-action gladiator games the Fedorans could watch and wager upon. Because violence is forbidden here, they have a flourishing underground where people can watch or experience simulations of violent situations.”

  “What is a simulation?”

  “Something you would have to see to understand.” Max sighed. “We are always drawn to forbidden things, so the founders knew the brutality of gladiator games would appeal to their people and they asked for my assistance.”

  “Your master sold you to them?”

  “He did and we toured every ludus in the civilized world. We collected the strongest and most adventurous gladiators, as well as new arrivals who we could train.”

  “When did you realize you would not be staying in Italy?”

  “When I stepped aboard the skyship. The founders put most of the men in a sort of trance, but I was one of three they took into their confidence. According to Mikko, people from Fedoros have been visiting our world for generations. He claims that we are descended from people who were ‘seeded’ on our planet many thousands of years ago.”

  “Seeded. Seeded! Are we crops to the Fedorans? They scatter us across the sky and gather us up for their amusement? I will not be treated like a crop!” Max’s mouth was twitching and his eyes glimmered suspiciously. It took Theos a moment to realize his friend was trying not to laugh. “I do not find this funny.”

  “You are being a bit melodramatic. I was a willing participant and you were part of a large-scale evacuation that rescued thousands from certain death. How does that compare with harvesting a field?”

  “How was the city constructed so quickly if the Fedorans are no more than clever men?”

  “When the gladiator games began, Fedorans were not allowed in the arena. You see, they are able to create detailed images that show exactly what is taking place in the arena. Other Fedorans would watch these images and wager on the outcome.”

  Theos stared at him, eyebrows drawn together. “How are these images created?”

  “Like a simulation, it is something you have to see to understand. I cannot explain how it works, but I assure you people far and wide are able to view events as they are taking place in the arena.”

  “When did it become acceptable for Fedorans to interact with us?”

  Max shrugged. “When they became bored with only watching. The profits from the early games were so great that the founders decided to build a city and allow Fedorans to experience our world firsthand. They intended to bring people here in small groups as they had done before. The city was nearly complete when they detected the vibrations.”

  “They realized Pompeii was about to be destroyed by a fire-spewing mountain.”

  “They saw an opportunity to save thousands of people while they populated their new city. They knew it would be easier for everyone to adjust to their new surroundings if they weren’t expected to abandon everything they believed.”

  “They lied to us because they care about us?” Theos scoffed. “Elaina is right. The founders used us, are using us still.”

  “That is one way to look at it. Another is they preserved our world and are allowing us to live out our lives as we would have had the volcano not exploded.”

  “Shades of gray?”

  Max smiled. “Exactly.”

  With a frustrated sigh, Theos pushed to his feet. “I must think this through. I had convinced myself Elaina was just being spiteful. Now I am not sure what she was trying to do.”

  “Enlighten you most likely. She feels it is wrong for any person to own another. Slavery is against the law on all of Fedoros, except in New Pompeii.”

  “She told me that as well.” As if in a trance, Theos moved out into the corridor.

  “I would say sleep well, but I suspect I would be wasting my breath.”

  “I suspect you are right.”

  * * * * *

  “We need someone on the inside,” Princess Naloni Olla pronounced. “Someone who knows New Pompeii and can circumvent their security.”

  Elaina glanced around to see if anyone had been following their conversation. Naloni frequently met her at this obscure café so Elaina could avoid the rigors of palace security. Elaina’d had her fill of life under a microscope during her marriage to Vito, Naloni’s older brother and heir to the Fedoran throne.

  Two of Naloni’s personal guards were seated at a table near the door. The other two were patrolling the restaurant’s perimeter. The rest of the tables were empty, so Elaina allowed herself to relax.

  “Laetif is the
obvious choice, but Mikko is suspicious of her already.” Elaina picked up her dorchi tea and inhaled the spicy fragrance. “Do you know anyone ‘on the inside’?”

  “Just Tarhee.” Naloni grimaced. “My brother will deny any wrongdoing. He has never taken responsibility for anything he’s done. Laetif is right. We have to catch them in the act and the more witnesses the better.”

  Nostalgia swirled through Elaina’s mind. Tarhee’s irresponsibility had been featured in many of Vito’s rants. Their father had all but given up on young Tarhee, but Vito was stubborn, unwilling to abandon any member of the Olla family. And Vito’s fierce family loyalty had only made his betrayal that much more hurtful in the end.

  “Hello.” Naloni lightly drummed the tabletop with her immaculately manicured nails. “Where’d you go?”

  “Nowhere.” Her friendship with Naloni was one of the few remnants of royal life that Elaina still enjoyed. “What were you saying?”

  “What about this gladiator? You rushed through that part of the story, but I saw the guilty sparkle in your eyes. Can he be of any use to us?”

  Carefully setting down her cup, Elaina considered the possibility. Even if Theos was still angry with her, he lived by a strict code of honor. He had sold himself into slavery to protect his family. There was no way he’d turn a blind eye while innocent people suffered. “He’s never allowed beyond the ludus without an escort.”

  “So volunteer to escort him.” Naloni shrugged her elegant shoulder and tucked her sleek black hair behind her ear. Even dressed casually as she was today, Naloni’s bearing proclaimed her royal blood. “He gives you a reason to be in the city. If he can offer information as well, that’s even better. But we have to start somewhere.”

  “I agree.”

  “If you snoop around inside New Pompeii, I’ll see what I can find out here. There has to be a money trail of some sort. Knowing Tarhee, they’re charging ridiculous prices for their services. I’ll be careful, and you have to convince Mikko your only interest is this hunky gladiator. They cannot realize we’re on to them until we spring our trap.”