"Today is a good day to die."

Sitting on one of the scarred wooden benches in the waiting hall, my head presses against the rough concrete wall as I look up at Titan. "You ugly, fukin bastard. Every time they stick us together in the arena, you always say the same damn thing. Just once I'd like to hear you say something else."

Titan stands eight feet tall, his earth brown skin, covering the cords of muscle on his large frame, badly scarred from decades of fighting. His rough hands grip the rusty iron bars of the long window looking out onto the sand as he turns his bald head my way. "If I said anything different," his voice rumbles as he grins, showing yellowed fangs, "you would worry that something was wrong. I would never get a moment's peace."

I stamp my sandaled feet on the concrete floor. "Next you're going to accuse me of nagging you."

Titan laughs and continues staring out the barred window. Beyond him, a blond haired gladiator wearing an enchanted slave collar like we all wear... well, all of us except for Titan, is fighting a nomad warrior out of the Khitian wastes. The nomad has dark blue skin and four arms, the two at its shoulder human sized and wielding scimitars, while the child sized arms at its hips carry sword catchers. That's strange, the nomad's not wearing a collar either. Flakes of rust fall from a bar as Titan points out at the sands. "If you bet on Albinus to win against the Khitian, you are going to be out a few coppers."

"What?" I leap to my feet and join Titan at the window. Outside our holding cell the arena's round, with ten foot high walls before the stone benches begin, every space filled with an empire citizen, or resident, or slave, yelling as the gladiator in battle harness stumbles. White sand flecked with red sprays as he recovers, slamming his round wooden shield into the nomad's chest and driving it backwards. Albinus raises his iron sword and stalks forward.

He swings, but the Khitian has recovered as well, evading the blow with fluid grace as its slender scimitar digs a chunk out of Albinus' shield. Its sword is stuck... no, don't try pulling back, use your strength and strike... Damn! The nomad jams its spiked shield catcher into Albinus' thigh, and his scream of pain rises above the crowd's roar. His leg gives out and he falls onto the sands.

Even in the wastes, nomads are supposed to have a sense of honor, and this one's no exception, for he's wrenching his blade from the shield and stepping back to give Albinus a chance to rise. Titan reaches over and grasps my hand, his earth brown fingers gently wrapping around my ebony ones. "You always bet on the underdog."

I squeeze the hand that could crush my bones like rotten twigs with my calloused fingers. "Pure self interest. The odds were something like thirty to one, which meant I would've had a fistful of silver for what, the cost of a few coppers?" Albinus rises, clearly favoring the leg streaming blood from its thigh as he raises his shield. I spit between the bars onto the sand. "Though if I'd known he was going to ignore all the advice you gave him, I'd have bet on someone else."

Titan chuckles and pats my hand before letting go to wrap his own around the rusted bar once more. Brushing a few errant flakes of rust off my stained tunic, I return to the others. Io, an olive skinned Greek with curly black hair, nervously taps his sandaled foot as he always does, while Cotus, a reddish haired Gaul with his mustache hanging down over his lip, leans back against the wall with his legs out and eyes closed. The twins, T'ang and Julu, human males from the Khitian city-state on the edge of the wastes, sit together throwing bones to determine the outcome of the match.

Ragnar's new, a flax haired Norseman who ran up such huge gambling debts that he had to sell himself into slavery. He's larger in frame than the other four, though roughly my size, who relies on strength rather than speed to win his fights. As I move to join Io on the bench, he says, "Amazonia, I'd like to ask you a question, but Io tells me that if you're in a bad mood, you'll chop off my manhood and fry it up with yellow lotus petals and onions."

To my right is the door sized gate leading into the bowels of the arena, with a pair of guards we all know and are friendly with. They laugh as does Cotus, Io keeping his face serious as he gives me a wink. The twins stop what they're doing to watch, while Titan's rumbling chuckle tells me he's listening, even as his gaze remains fixed on the arena fight. I stop in front of Ragnar and place my sandaled foot between his legs. "At the moment I'm not very hungry," I tell him as I lean forward, "so how about a wager instead?"

Io's laugh flows like quicksilver as Ragnar licks his lips. "I know I shouldn't... but what kind of wager?"

I motion towards the window where Titan's standing. "Today's match is an Imperial game, which means the emperor's supposed to be in the royal box. However, he's probably not there as it's well known he doesn't like watching them, so odds are that it's his son Arcadia taking his place."

Ragnar looks puzzled. "So?"

"So, when Albinus finally loses the match, the Khitian nomad will ask for the emperor's traditional thumbs up or down. If it's the emperor in the box, Albinus will be spared, but if it's Arcadia, the nomad will tear his heart from Albinus' chest and eat it raw in front of the crowd."

"The heart is the source of all magical energy within mortal creatures," Julu says. "Nomads are a race of magic users, who need that mana to provide the energy for the casting of their spells."

"So here's the wager," Ragnar's eyes focus back on me as I continue. "If Albinus lives, I'll tell you anything you want to know. But if he dies, you shave all the hair from your body and face, which means your beard comes off, and you become my bed-slave for the night."

He rears back. "I'm not doing that."

"You don't know what you're missing," Io says with a hungry smile. "Young men of noble blood have paid our Dominus in gold to have Amazonia do that to them."

When the mood strikes us and Titan wants to sleep alone, Io knows that better than anyone. But we keep the knowledge off our faces as Ragnar's screws up as if he's just bitten deep into a lemon. "This is a decadent place."

"There are far worse ones in the world," Titan's deep bass voice rumbles. "Before you ask, I will make sure both of you keep your sworn word, but if you are going to wager, do it now. Albinus is on his knees with a sword at his throat."

Ragnar puts the heels of his hands over his eyes as he bounces on the bench in time to his words. "Shite... shite... shite... Yes!" He uncovers his face. "I agree to the wager."

We slap our right hands together and make a fist over our hearts, sealing the bet as Titan says, "The nomad is playing up the moment by raising his sword... he raises the other one..." I can tell by Ragnar's expression he knows he should've never taken this bet, but the goddess Fortuna has her fingers deep into his soul. I'm going to make this a night Ragnar never- Wait, Titan's laughing. "Albinus lives."

"What?" Whirling about, I stride up beside him and stare out through the rusty bars. The Khitian is carrying both his scimitars in his left hand while supporting Albinus with his right. I grab the bars with both hands and pretend to bang my head against them as the chamber behind me erupts in laughter.

When I turn around, Ragnar's face drips smugness like water from the ends of his beard. "Heminja's finally turned her face towards me."

"Who's that," I ask as I drag my feet walking towards him. "One of your ice cold bitch goddesses?"

He folds arms larger than mine across his chest. "I believe I get to ask the questions, Ja?"

"Fine, fine," I grumble, hoping for a reprieve as I glance over at the guards. "How long before we need to arm ourselves?"

"A couple hours," one of them calls back, getting more laughter from the others. Bastards. "I can dip you a ladle of watered wine for your throat if you want."

That's something, anyway. Crossing the chamber, I head for the door gate set within more iron bars, the guard dipping a bronze ladle into a barrel, then handing it over through the bars as I reach him. "Sorry, Az," he says as I take the ladle and drink. "I would've told you the emperor's here today if you'd asked."

Of course you would've... though to be fair, I should've thought to ask. I let the last drops dribble out into my mouth and hand it back. "In truth, Dominus likely wouldn't have allowed it anyway."

"Now that's a wager I would've bet silver on."

"Yeah, me too." I turn around and stop in front of Ragnar, leaning against the wall opposite him as I fold my arms underneath my breasts. "Well, ask away."

Ragnar unfolds his arms and leans back as well. "Is it true you were once a man, but got changed by a Daemo sorceress into a woman?"

I can't believe this. "Io, are they still repeating that ridiculous tale?"

Io shrugs. "Afraid so, Az. A lot of men can't wrap their minds around a woman able to defeat a man in gladiatorial combat."

"Everyone in the Ludus does," Cotus says. "Az kicks my arse every time we practice."

Cotus gets the three fingered gesture of honor, touching my fingers to my heart, before I look back at Ragnar. "I was born a girl of the Mauri people, taken as a slave when the Etruscan empire was still intact, and not broken up into West and East."

"Not to mention the Kingdom of the Gauls and Palmyra," Io adds, "which were part of the empire as well."

"Am I telling this tale or you?" Io crosses his hands before his face as if terrified, getting a laugh from the others and my smile as he lowers his hands. I continue. "While I was in the slave pens of Thrace, three other slaves tried to rape me and I beat them to death with a club. I thought for sure I'd be sent to the mines, but the owner of a Ludus thought the crowd would like the novelty of a woman warrior, like an amazon out of the Greek legends. So he bought me and trained me in the ways of the gladiator."

"What about the Daemo sorceress changing you?" Ragnar asks. "Was that a lie as well?"

I shake my head. "I was fighting in a small arena when Dominus bought me from my previous owner and took me to the capitol. He arranged to have Lady Jhadra, a powerful Daemo sorceress of the emperor's court, craft my body into that of a champion."

"You already were a champion," Titan's voice rumbles as he continues watching the next pair of fighters take to the sands. "All she did was craft your body to match your spirit."

Ragnar scratches his beard. "This crafting, did it hurt?"

"Lady Jhadra told me I couldn't have stood it without the wine, made from petals of the black lotus, that she plied me with before hand. It didn't hurt until afterward, but I worked through that." I was also awake during the whole thing, and the memory of my body melting like wax and reforming under her hands still gives me nightmares. But I'm not telling him that unless he asks. "What else?"

"What kind of changes did she make? I mean, besides becoming bigger and more muscled."

I shrug. "Speed, toughness, a limited regeneration from wounds and a strong resistance to disease."

"They say you've got a man's lust."

Men. "Yes," I answer, shaking my head in disgust, "she gave me the same lust you have. Unlike you, I've learned to channel and use it to my advantage, and not let it rule me." My expression slides into a leer. "Guess not having a little head running me around like a bull with a ring through his nose makes a difference."

Cotus hoots at Ragnar as Io laughs, the guards chiming in as well. Even the twins flash me a grin as Ragnar scowls. "It's also said the sorceress ripped out your womb so Dominus wouldn't have to worry about you getting pregnant."

Laughter withers away as my face sets itself into a hard mask. "That's right. No son, no daughter, only a life of fighting until something stronger than I am kills me. Dominus wanted me to have the fire in my belly to win, and Lady Jhadra put it there. But fire burns away whatever isn't needed." And I'll never tell you the price I paid, and continue to pay, to have my womb torn out and thrown away. "As me a question about something else."

Ragnar glances at Titan, then back at me. "It's said that Titan's the only Ogri to ever fight in an arena anywhere, and you're the reason."

Titan's voice rumbles before I can speak. "I dishonored her," his face still turned towards the sands, though his bat-like ears are swiveled towards us. "I will remain by Amazonia's side until she dies or the emperor sets her free, and likely beyond, should that happen." His massive hands tighten on the rust bars. "Any further questions are beyond the bounds of this wager."

"But-"

"Ragnar," I say with a grin, "here's three pieces of advice you better take. Never backtalk a citizen while you're wearing that collar, never trust a Daemo, and never ignore an Ogri when he tells you to shut your mouth. You don't want to see Titan enraged, trust me."

"Unless you stand beside him upon the sands." I'm already dropping to one knee as Dominus has one of the guards open the small gate, the others, including Titan, doing the same as he strides in. Unlike many noblemen his age, Dominus has a wiry strength gained from the mock fighting he does in the Ludus, full contact using the wooden weapons we practice with. No other owner of a Ludus does this, and it not only gives him an edge they lack, but his skill's earned our admiration.

Age takes its toll of everyone, though, the creases in his face now deep lines, and liver spots on the hands motioning for everyone to get up. "Everyone have a seat on the bench," his gaze going to Titan, "or on the floor so I do not have to replace them... again." We exchange a flash of smirks over the incident where Titan accidentally broke one, the Ogri sitting near my feet as Dominus takes his place in front of us. He wears a dark red tunic and quality sandals rising to his knees. He looks us over and takes a deep breath. "As of this morning, I have sold the Ludus."

All of us gasp, except for Titan, who merely raises an eyebrow. "Dominus, have you sold the gladiators as well?"

He shakes his head. "I have received assurances that, before your last arena fight begins, all your slave collars will be shattered upon the order of the emperor himself."

Shock after shock! I raise my hand and Dominus nods, allowing me to speak. "Dominus, this is all so sudden. Why would the emperor decide to free us at all, let alone before a fight and not after?"

"Because Emperor Konstanos has need of warriors not only brave, but smart, who are used to unexpected challenges and not afraid of pain." This isn't sounding good, but if it means losing this collar... Dominus continues. "Titan, I cannot coerce you as I am doing with the rest of your comrades. However, my hope is that you will join this upcoming expedition so everyone has a greater chance of survival."

Titan rumbles, "Dominus, if I knew more about this expedition, I might be able to tell you whether I will join it or not."

Dominus inclines his head. "Fair enough. Our empire broke away from the Etruscans almost three years ago, and while our new empire has settled, Emperor Konstanos has begun reforming the army."

"It is about time."

"I daresay. However, like many organizations, the generals and other officers are stuck in the past, so a shaking up of the ranks has begun. Needless to say, the chaos this is causing is not good for morale, leaving the army in a disordered state. Especially if the Sasnayam empire to our east decides to stir up trouble."

Julu raises his hand and Dominus points at him. "Dominus, T'ang and I served as mercenaries for the Sasnayams before being captured and sold to you, so we know a good deal about their empire. They are bound up in their religion; their human emperor is considered a god-king, yet he seems to be at the mercy of the temples of their different gods, who squabble like fishwives and have influence over different groups in the army. The different god's temples would have to unite under one arch-temple or a major attack would never happen."

Dominus grimaces. "According to what I was told, this has happened. One temple who worships the deity Yun-Kax, has brought all the other temples to heel, making his the 'arch-temple' you just described. Right now the temple of Yun-Kax is consolidating power, but once it feels secure, it may persuade their god-king to launch an attack to retake our eastern provinces they lost during the last war. And should that effort succeed, to keep going, even to the gates of Konstanopolis itself."

I raise my hand and he nods. "Dominus, we are only seven warriors; six, if Titan decides not to come with us. How can we make any impact at all?"

The smile of Dominus grows sly. "The eastern borders of the Sasnayam empire are their satrapies, which their empire is sworn to protect. East of the satrapies are the lands ruled by a federation of tribes known to us as the White Horde. They have no cities of their own, instead living in great sprawling camps which migrate to an area for a time before moving on to another, all the while collecting tribute from the city-states they have conquered. Earlier this year, the Khan of Khans, Khingla, had the horde pitch their tents somewhere east of the satrapy called Bukhara, which he has been using as a base to raid all along the eastern borders."

Julu raises his hand, getting a nod. "Dominus, raids will never be enough to distract the Sasnayams if they decide to retake the provinces. Only if the White Horde began sacking and razing cities and towns would the empire be forced to protect their satrapies."

Dominus snaps his fingers. "Exactly. The Khan of Khans is said to be content with raiding, yet he is an old man and his eldest son, Timur, is hungry for glory. Your quest will be to become Timur's personal guard, and influence him into launching a major attack on the satrapies, giving our empire breathing space to become reorganized."

Is Dominus having a jest with us? T'ang raises his hand and gets a nod. "Dominus, the White Horde is not unknown to us. They actively recruit mercenaries for their armies, but would never allow us to become the personal guard of a noble, let alone a Khan's son."

"Not mercenaries," a familiar female voice says from the shadows beyond the small gate, "but a band of heroes, bound to a captain who wields a Rune sword not seen since the ancient days of lost Babylon."

Old fear grips me as Lady Jhadra glides in through the open door and into the chamber. She's tall as I am but willowy thin, with large, luminous dark eyes and pale skin tinged in purple from the dragon scale set in the middle of her forehead. It glimmers like an amethyst as the light strikes it. Her hair's purple as well, the flowing black robes she wears decorated with the emperor's own eagle design, while her feet are covered with sandals of gold cloth and pearls set in the straps.

Something is new about her, though... the dragon scale, it's huge! "Domina, your forehead-"

Hades' hairy eyeballs, I know better than to speak out of turn like that. Dominus frowns, but Lady Jhadra raises her slender hand. "Paulus, let them speak freely. Yes, Amazonia, the scale is much larger than it was when we parted. My mistress in the Daemo world underwent a rare molting, which happens to dragons when they reach a certain age, which meant all of her scales sloughed off and regrew to twice their size. Even the ones she has embedded into her servants."

Titan climbs to his feet. "Giving you twice as much power."

"Which is the only reason I can make this idea of the emperor's work." Lady Jhadra looks him up and down as her smile grows sardonic. "How far the mighty have fallen."

Titan folds arms large as tree limbs across his chest. "Ogri were originally bred to destroy the Daemo, and I have killed more of your race's monsters in the last two years than in the last two hundred."

Two hundred? Is that a jest? "Titan," Lady Jhadra says as she shakes her head, "who do you think provided the poison the hunters used to stun the monsters long enough to capture them? The war between the gods and the Daemo Princes is long over; your side won, and if the gods are vain enough to squander their victory in petty squabbles for power that tear human civilizations apart, it is not my fault. Right now, I am doing what I can to keep the Empire of the East from being overwhelmed by the Sasnayams."

"Apologies if I do not thank you for it. I still have faith that the... gods, will pull their heads out of their exalted arses and begin seeing the damage they have caused."

Are they having a jest with each other? I'm really in the dark here. A smile quirks at Lady Jhadra's lips. "Next time I see Jupiter, I'll tell him you said that. It should amuse him greatly."

"And you say I have fallen. Jhadra, why are you helping the empire, anyway? Paving the way for the next invasion?"

"Titan, really. With the princes gone, our queen has enough on her plate keeping our lands from degenerating into civil war, and one way to prevent it is maintaining safe places here on Terra for strong willed Daemo to live. As in the welcoming Empire of the East, leading me back to the band of heroes I spoke of a few moments before."

She turns to look straight at me. "Amazonia, I am about to transmute a sword, carved out of Ironwood, into an Artifact weapon as I embed the willing spirit of an honorable man into the blade. Once finished, I shall then use his enchanted blood as ink to create a creature tattoo for each of your human comrades, a creature that will link each person to the sword as it bestows its own power upon them. All of them will be totally loyal to the wielder of the sword... and the wielder of the sword will be you."

I'm staring into her dark eyes, trying to make sense of what she's saying as Titan's voice takes a dangerous edge. "You would turn Az into a Reaver Knight and the rest into Chaldean Wardogs." Glancing towards him, Titan's hands have clenched into fists like twin hammers as he growls, "You would not dare."

Lady Jhadra gives Titan a look cool and composed. "I would have dared a long time ago, had I the power and worthy warriors to bestow this upon. Now I have both."

Titan takes a deep, calming breath, his fists unclenching as he crosses his arms over his chest. "You need seven total, the knight and six Chaldean's, or the enchantment will not work. I count Az plus five."

From the corner of my eye I can see the others exchanging frantic looks as Lady Jhadra smiles. "A shame Ogri are immune to magic, or I would make you the knight and we would have seven. No matter. A mix of human and other races works just fine." She beckons at someone beyond the small gate.

A female dressed in a slave's coarse white tunic steps past the guards and hesitates at the doorway. She's Daemo, with large, innocent looking eyes and skinnier than Lady Jhadra, her skin pale without any purple sheen. She takes a timid step forward into the light. Her forehead's flawless, without any embedded purple scale or mana stone, so she's not a magic user. But her hair's silvery-grey, not milk pale as all Daemo females have if they have no magic. Ordinary Daemo have no hair at all.

There's also a slave collar around her neck the same as ours. That's strange, as Daemo females are supposed to be the nobles of their society, but what do I know? Most Daemo are squat, man-like creatures with yellowish-green skin, who fight with armor and weapons made out of their own secretions. Disgusting. This one isn't by several leagues, though I've never heard of a timid Daemo before. "Mistress Jhadra," she says in a light, almost child-like voice, "is it safe to enter?"

"These are gladiators, not condemned criminals. They will not touch you." The thin Daemo shrinks away from Dominus and the rest of us as she hurries over to Lady Jhadra's side. "This brave soul is Ghost," Lady Jhadra says in a mocking voice, "the only known Daemo Shadow walker in existence."

"Impossible," Titan rumbles. "Daemo cannot give birth or father a child."

Beside me, Ragnar rears his head back. "Then how do they get little Daemo?"

"There are no little Daemo," Titan replies. "Whenever one of them dies, their body dissolves into slime which the earth absorbs, and down in the Underworld an exact copy crawls out of the spawning pits that spew them out like phlegm from your throat."

"The process is far more complex than you could ever understand," Lady Jhadra says, "and where Ghost received the ability to walk the Shadowlands is a mystery to all of us."

"You are telling me she just crawled out that way?"

"With no memory of how she gained the ability, which is not surprising as none of us remember anything about our past life when we are reborn." Titan's expression becomes troubled as Lady Jhadra continues. "I have the knight and her war hounds in place, so all I lack is the spirit of the sword. Antonius," she calls out, glancing towards the small gate, "are you ready?"

I suck in my breath as Antonius of House Zeno walks in. He's a head shorter than I am and slender, a pretty boy with flawless olive skin, dark curly hair, and a gap toothed smile... except right now he's grinning like a fool and his eyes are glassy. Has he been drugged? "My Lord Antonius, are you well?"

Instead of answering, Antonius stops in front of the bench I'm seated on, grabs me by the shoulders and kisses me, open mouthed. Since I don't dare stop him I kiss him back, but it's wildly inappropriate. I can feel the tension coming off Dominus as he finally breaks off. "Amazonia, do you remember the last time we laid together? I swore I would die for you if I could."

Hades' hairy eyeballs, he can't mean this. "My lord, we were both extremely drunk after an... energetic evening."

Antonius giggles. "Truly spoken, but excess wine finally lets me speak what lay hidden in my heart. By Lady Jhadra's hands I will become the soul of the sword, binding you to me and your men to you."

Cotus speaks up. "Meaning what, exactly?"

Lady Jhadra gives us a sly smile. "Rune swords are created to be single minded in their purpose. Reaver Knights possess free will so long as they remain true to the mission; however, should they deviate, or abandon the quest altogether, they will become more and more heartsick until the sword feels they have returned to the right path. Then the Knight will feel happy once more."

"What if Az is asked to do something that goes against her nature?" Io asks. "Does the sword understand-"

"The sword knows nothing of morality," Titan growls, "only that its purpose must be fulfilled. Babylon used Reaver Knights in their struggles against the Assyrians, and I saw good men twisted by their weapons until little remained of the morality they once possessed."

Babylon? Wasn't that an empire a thousand years ago? "That is why it needs to be me," Lord Antonius pipes up. "I will keep her pure of heart."

"So you believe," Titan rumbles. "Dominus-"

"I know, I know, but this is the express will of the emperor." Dominus opens his hands as his expression turns apologetic. "Why do you think I need your help? You understand this enchantment and its effects better than anyone save Lady Jhadra, and what is at stake for our empire." Titan's giving Dominus a dark look... I don't think he's going to do this.

He looks at me and his gaze softens. "Your words have truth, but I warn you," Titan's eyes narrowing as he turns his gaze on Lady Jhadra, "there are lines I will not cross."

"Speaking of lines," Cotus says, "what are these tattoos supposed to do to us? Turn us into dogs for real?"

"Wouldn't be much of a change for you," Io quips.

Io and I flash each other a smile as Cotus frowns, while Lady Jhadra gives us a sly smile of her own. "In ancient Babylon, when noblemen went into battle, they always had six guardian warriors, known as Chaldean Wardogs, to protect them. When one of my sisters introduced Reaver Knights to their empire, the name stuck. What the tattoos will do is grant you powers, depending upon which spirit I call upon to embed itself into the tattoo."

"Spirit?" Cotus shook his head. "Don't like the sound of that-." Io elbows him, and Cotus reddens. "Apologies, Domina."

"No offense taken. Cotus, you will like your Troll tattoo. You will gain toughness and ferocity, plus the ability to regenerate from wounds." Cotus perks up as she looks at Io. "You get a Snake Dancer, an animal so fast and dexterous they use them to kill cobras in Palmyra. You two," Lady Jhadra pointing at the twins, "each get a Nomad, with all their advantages and honor."

I wonder if that means they'll start tearing out hearts and eating them. I hope not. "What about me?" Ragnar asks.

Lady Jhadra's sly smile returns. "I have a special tattoo in mind for you: a Fenris wolf, savage and tough to kill."

Ragnar gives her a big smile as Io asks, "What happens if one of us does die?."

"Once the spirit of the tattoo is certain you cannot be revived, it will leave and seek out another." My comrades trade troubled looks as Lady Jhadra goes on. "Now, let me play Janus and show you my other face, metaphorically speaking. The sword will not bind you as it does Amazonia, and though you should remain loyal, in times past Chaldean Wardogs have decided to abandon the quest and leave. Should that happen, the tattoo will begin to eat you, and will only stop once you take it up once more."

Cotus asks, "Seriously?"

I snap at him, "Lady Jhadra wouldn't say this if she wasn't." Cotus subsides as I turn towards her. "What about Ghost?"

"She gets the Fox spirit, gaining cleverness and the ability to let her body flow like water into any shape of equal size to her own. Amazonia, Ghostfox, as you will soon know her, is not a brave soul... though she occasionally has her moments. You will be tempted to dismiss her as inferior to the others, but I tell you true: when she speaks, you would be wise to listen. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, Domina."

Lady Jhadra chuckles. "After today, that will be your title." What in Hades is she talking about? There's no way under the sun or stars that I want that hated title of dominance. She speaks on. "Now, two more things before we begin. You will always know where the sword is at all times, and will begin to miss it should you both be separated. Should it be stolen, you will know it at once and immediately begin to track it down. Should another try to wield it, he will be struck with such terror that he will try to return it, or give it to another to bring to you."

"I'll keep it with me at all times."

"That would be best. Last of all, the quest: you are specifically tasked to become Prince Timur's personal guard, and inspire him to lead the White Horde in a war against the Sasnayam empire for as long as possible. Now, this will end one of several ways. Should Timur win the war and take the capitol of Tesiphon, the sword will shatter the next time it is struck, releasing everyone. Should Timur die through no one's fault, your quest will shift to the next ruler."

"What if I let him die on purpose?" Cotus asks.

"Your Troll will eat you, then seek out a replacement." Cotus' eyes widen as she continues. "If the sword decides the quest is futile, despite your best efforts, it will shatter, as it eventually will anyway. At heart, a Reaver Sword is still transmuted Ironwood, and in time they all break. Of course, should one or several of you sabotage the quest on purpose..."

She lets the words hang, and Cotus says, "Let me guess: chomp, chomp, chomp."

Dominus' eyes narrow. "Cotus."

"Paulus, I take no offense. Amazonia, being the Reaver Knight, will always have the quest foremost in her mind, so if the quest fails she will not be held to blame. Now, to give you some incentive, should the quest succeed, everyone who survives will be granted noble rank with lands to support you." Everyone on the bench sits up straight as she looks at me. "Amazonia, in addition to lands and nobility, you will be granted the title of Heros Imperii, and adopted into the imperial family.

"Part of..." I'm shaking my head in disbelief. "Lady Jhadra, there's no way that could ever happen. Slaves, or even ex-slaves, don't become part of the Imperial Family."

Dominus barks out a laugh. "Tear the fangs from the Sasnayam winged lion, and the emperor might consider making you his heir instead of Arcadia."

"Paulus jests," Lady Jhadra says, "yet in truth I do believe you would be the better choice."

"Cotus would be a better choice," Dominus mutters.

Lady Jhadra raises a purple eyebrow but doesn't comment. Instead, she places a delicate hand on Antonius' shoulder. "My lord Antonius, are you ready to sacrifice yourself for the good of your empire and the woman you love?"

He stares at her with the glassy eyed look of a child. "Can Amazonia help me?"

"Of course. Amazonia, I need you to remove his tunic, kneel down with him in front of you, and hold Lord Antonius upright as he slides the blade along the channel I created in his chest. The Ironwood sword must pierce his heart and he must be the one to do it."

Everything is going too fast. I feel like I'm on the edge of a dark abyss, and helping Antonius kill himself will be the beginning of a long slide down into darkness. I don't want any part of this, but I haven't got any choice. I hesitate, and a female voice from the shadows beyond the small gate says, "Lord Paulus, shall I use the collar?"

Amko the mage. Amko, the one who holds the rod that activates our collars, and makes us feel pain from a light tap on the wrist to being burned alive. At the sound of her voice, my right hand becomes a fist as Dominus says to her, "Leave be. Az, walk with me away from the others so we may speak in private." Without waiting for me to reply he strides out of the small gate and I follow, Dominus waving off the guards as we walk towards the massive concrete supports and arches holding up the arena. Amko, in her black robes and shaved head shimmering in the torchlight, remains close. Once we're out of earshot, Dominus stops and turns around. "Az," he says as I stop a few feet away, "speak freely. Can you do this?"

I take a deep breath and order my thoughts. "Dominus, Titan's worried, and I'm worried as well. Suicide's wrong, especially in someone like Antonius. He may be considered a man, being sixteen years old now, but at heart he's still a boy. I don't love him," I say softly so the walls won't betray me by echoing. "I'm fond of him, yes, but love? Dominus, my first owner made it clear to me that love is a luxury slaves never get to have."

Dominus sighs. "I never thought you did, either. Tell me, how was he as a bed slave?"

I give him a twisted smile. "Antonius should've been born a submissive girl. With Antonius' looks, his father would've had his pick of marriage proposals to choose from."

"Alas for Antonius he was born a boy, not that his father will let that detail stop him. A while ago, Lord Zeno put out feelers among the Daemo sorceresses to mold Antonius into the form of a female, so Lord Zeno could marry off his newly crafted daughter to the Master of Coin, in exchange for Lord Zeno becoming an official of the Imperial Tax Office."

"Eurax?" Dominus nods, and I barely refrain from spitting. "That pervert?"

"Oh yes. Eurax wants to become part of the nobility, while Lord Zeno wants the money his appointment will bring."

"Dominus, wouldn't it cause a scandal?"

His chuckle is deep and bitter. "Oh yes, a fat, juicy scandal people will talk about for months. For Eurax, it would be just one more to add to his collection of scandals, while Lord Zeno will console himself in his counting house. As for Antonius... excuse me, Antonia, in our culture, who cares about girls?"

"But there would be no children. Lady Jhadra cannot put in what is not already there... though she can certainly take it away," I add, a note of bitterness creeping into my voice.

Dominus sighs again. "Az, tell me true: do you regret what Jhadra did to you?"

Every time I see your wife holding your son and know I'll never have one of my own. But I also learned a long time ago that slaves don't have the luxury of truth telling, either. "I knew what it would take to become a champion, not in any arena but in the Imperial Colosseum, and the price I'd have to pay. Though I admit I'll miss hoisting your son up on my shoulders when I've escorted Lady Paulus to the Grand Bazaar."

He chuckles. "The little tyrant is going to miss you. Going back to Eurax, the newly changed Antonia would not only give him an in with noble society, but give Eurax a unique play toy to practice his perversions on."

"But Lord Zeno-"

"Does not care. Why do you think he was so free with his gold, paying for his son's desire to be your bed slave?"

Is this true? Have I been unknowingly grooming Antonius for his new role as Eurax's plaything? "Dominus, no."

"I fear it is so. Lady Jhadra was one of those Eurax put a feeler out to, and told Antonius in secret what was to happen, so he could make a choice. He chose you, and the sword."

Curse Eurax to the very depths of Hades with no chance of escape! This is wrong, and Dominus knows it. No wonder he's selling the Ludus. "Ragnar was right: Konstanopolis is a very decadent place."

The smile of Dominus turns sardonic. "And her citizens would never have her any other way. Are you ready to face your destiny and shake the dust of this place off your sandals?"

I nod, and we head back towards the others.