***
***
She looked out over the crowd, all of them there for the slave auction.
Pigs to a man.
Brothel keepers and whoremongers the lot of them.
The slaver rattled off his starting bids and then haggled until each slave was sold.
Except one.
Her.
Again.
She couldn’t help but smile, though she hid it well, not wanting to piss off the man with the whip.
She knew her exotic looks and dark beauty had grabbed the attention of almost every man in Rome, but her reputation as a Seer had kept all of them at bay. She enjoyed playing up on it too. It made them turn away and run home to their wives and mothers like good little boys, for rumour had it that she would hex them if they tried to buy her.
And she had absolutely no intention of disproving such a thing.
Except there was one young soldier who showed up every week, always standing in the same place, never saying a word.
She did not yet speak their language very well, but had overheard enough to understand that he was a man of high birth, and an Officer of the Roman Army. He was well respected. And he was admired.
His name, when she learned tell of it, fascinated her the most, for even she had heard stories of the famous Gladiator who once defeated an Emperor.
It was a name that somehow managed to live on, despite orders for its destruction and removal from history.
Meridius.
She just wondered why he kept watching her…
***
***
Loving these past lives posts.
It’s been a challenge to pull off the imagery 🙂
That was my thought too. You did a bang up job.
Very well done.