Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

((Sorry about the delay but my muse did a runner. However chapter nine is here at last. And I'd like to thank all my reviewers once again, I luff you all. xD ))

Chapter Nine. Warnings - None

The sharp sound completely ruined the moment the two boys were having and their heads immediately whipped around to face the door. Who was disturbing them? And for what reason? Hadrian had made it pretty clear that he didn’t want anything to do with the two slaves after the brief encounter with Luca. Had he already changed his mind? Or had something else come up?

The smaller slave scrambled off Rafael and grabbed one of their flimsy sheets to wrap around his waist before their door slowly opened and a grubby little face peered around the door. Leon recognised the face almost immediately, it was one of the slaves form down in the cells. The brunette boy was one of the quietest there; Leon had never heard him speak before but there he was, dulled emerald eyes darting between the two pleasure slaves as he slipped noiselessly into the room.

He was still as dirty as ever, and the stench he gave off was repulsive, which meant that either he’d been chosen to come up and he’d escaped his guards before he had been bathed, or he’d not been chosen and had somehow managed to escape the cells themselves. It was a daunting concept, but then, why had the boy come to them? And how did he know where to find them?

“What happened? Why are you here?” The older slave asked, brushing his jet-black tresses from where they’d fallen over his eyes as he stood beside the blonde boy, also pulling the covers with him so that he was not on display. Their ‘guest’ glanced at him and there was a slight change in the boy’s pallor as he blushed beneath the layer of dirt that liberally covered him. Apparently he realised he’d walked in on them having a ‘moment’

“My apologies, had I known that you would be together in such a manner then perhaps I would have been more considerate with my entrance.” He mumbled, gaze lowered to the floor in embarrassment. “I came here as soon as I could. We have managed to escape the cells. A guard was careless with his keys and one of our number managed to sneak the ring from the man’s belt and unlock the shackles that bound us. When the man came to check on us, it turned out that he couldn’t take twelve freed slaves on at the same time.”

The boy chuckled, though his voice was hoarse with lack of fluids. “We persuaded him to tell us where you were being held, but I realise now that it isn’t so much ‘being held’ as getting comfortable. I came on behalf of the others who are waiting in the cells, will you come with us? We mean to escape and flee the island by stowing away on two of the merchants’ ships. It is a risky escape but it is our only option, and the best opportunity to flee this place we’ve had.” The youth continued, emerald eyes pleading with the pair to join the other slaves.

Leon’s eyes lit up with joy at the prospect of being free, but then a familiar shadow fell over them once more and the boy shook his head sadly. “If I leave then how will Luca know where to find me? He said he’d come back for me, I can’t risk leaving and then him getting hurt when he finds I’m not here. I won’t risk him like that.” Leon whispered, features creased in anguish as he tried to decide where his loyalties lie. On one hand, he could help his fellow slaves escape and make his own way back to Luca, or on the other, he could stay where he was and wait for Luca.

“I’m staying.” The blonde slave said, determination strong in his voice. “But I will help you escape. If you need any help getting out, I’ll do what I can.” He declared stubbornly.

Raf stared at him in disbelief. Was Leon really staying there, with Hadrian? If the boy was caught helping the others escape then he’d most likely be severely punished. “Are you sure Leon? That’s pretty risky if you plan on staying. What if you get caught? What if you don’t get out? You will have missed your chance.” The oldest male murmered worriedly, grey eyes laden with concern for his young lover. “I don’t want to leave you behind.” He confessed, slowly wrapping his arms around the small slave. “Come with us… please?”

The other occupant of the room looked on as Leon shook his head and whispered something in the older slave’s ear before stepping back and away to get some clothes on. The grubby little slave watched as Rafael sighed deeply and mimicked the blonde pleasure slave’s actions of getting some clothes on. When the pair were clothed in their robes, they nodded to their guest and crept from the room.

The hallways were curiously deserted, but then again there was supposedly no need for guards at that time. All the slaves were allegedly locked up in their respective holding cells, so there was no need for extensive numbers of guards to be patrolling. It was beginning to seem ridiculously easy now that the slaves were free, to move about the mansion, and soon enough both Raf and Leon were huddled back down in the slave cells, trying to organise some sort of order so that they could escape without detection.

After a further fifteen minutes, a plan was devised and then put into action. They would skirt the main hallways in case there were any stray guards and all forty or so of the slaves would make their way to the scullery where the servants received the deliveries of food. From there, the slaves would creep out through the small door that was used only to transfer goods, but was big enough to fit a person, and then, under the cover of darkness, they’d make a stealthy dash across the grounds to where the road was. They’d follow the road the short distance to the docks and sneak aboard the waiting merchant ships.

It had a lot of flaws and they would need a lot of luck, but it was their best shot, and if all went well, they’d be free, that was worth the risks involved. Leon would help them through the mansion and across the grounds to the road, but from then on, they were to go without him and he would return to the mansion alone. It was daunting for the blonde boy, but it was what he wanted.

So with everything planned and everybody ready, Leon went ahead to make sure the coast was clear, if the worst came to the worst then he would give himself up as a distraction to allow the others to escape, whatever it took for them to be free. He gazed across the small sea of gaunt and grubby faces and then to Rafael who was refusing to look at him. Before they were parted, Leon wanted to clear the air between them and so he approached his older companion. “What’s wrong, why aren’t you excited to be free?”

Rafael looked at him and his eyes were actually shining with tears, causing him to look away at the floor as one such tear slid down his cheek. “I want you to come with us. I don’t want to go without you.” He whispered, grey eyes refusing to settle on the boy before him.

Leon shook his head and sighed softly. “I want to go with you, I don’t want to leave you either, but Luca means everything to me. Why won’t you stay? Then Luca can take you back with me?” He pleaded quietly, tears beginning to well up behind his own eyes. He didn’t need this, he wanted them to go before they were caught and before he broke down into tears at losing the only friend he had.

“I’m going to help these guys and I’m going with them, this is the best opportunity to leave. How long will we have to stay being beaten by Hadrian if we stay? Luca might not come for months, I can’t wait that long, not when escape is right here, right now.” He mumbled sadly. “Come with us! Please! I need you, please-“ His begging was cut off mid-sentence as Leon’s lips pressed against his own and they shared a deep kiss in the gloom of the slave cells.

“I’m not going with you.” The youth said sternly when they broke apart, and before Rafael could bring up another protest, Leon dashed off to the front of the group of slaves and proceeded to lead them out and away from the cramped conditions of the cells.

Things went well, Leon making sure the coast was clear as he ushered the collection of slaves through to the kitchen areas. It was incredibly hard to get all the slaves through the kitchens though, especially when there were servants preparing meals all the while. It was time consuming and dangerous as the crowd had to go through one by one to avoid being seen and then huddle in the shadow of a low hedge that ran nearby as night fell around them. They were all tense, one wrong move, one sound could mean the difference between freedom and slavery once again, but perhaps because of this tension, they were as silent as ghosts and remained undetected.

It was almost pitch black by the time they were all gathered outside, crouched and huddled together in the chilly night air. Their way was illuminated only by what light filtered out from the windows so once again, the going was slow, but it was slightly safer at least. They could move around easier, creep from shadow to shadow without having to worry so much about being found.

Silence reigned over them as they crept ever closer to the edges of the property, they could almost taste freedom on their tongues and it was sweet, so very sweet. A long line of slaves then began to filter over to the perimeter fence and that was where they stopped for a moment to survey their options. They couldn’t walk out the front entrance, obviously, and they would draw too much attention if they tried to climb the eight foot barrier that stood between them and the road, besides which, Leon doubted that half of the slaves would have the strength to make it over anyway.

So there was only one option left. They couldn’t go over it, they couldn’t go through it, and so they could only go under it. Once more, Leon leapt into action, using only his blunt fingernails to dig into the hard earth. He was quickly joined by another slave who helped him dig and before long; all the slaves were digging a few holes beneath the perimeter boundary.

It took well over an hour for the slaves to dig underneath and all the while, a few slaves took it in turns to stand watch in case a guard happened by or something. Everything was going without a hitch; it was better than they could have hoped and soon enough, after painstakingly slowly digging under the fencing, the space was big enough for the slaves to fit through.

Leon oversaw everything, ushering the slaves through the three holes that had been made. They scrambled through as quickly as they could and once they were all through, they stood and watched for a moment, Rafael hadn’t come through with them.

The blonde slave wasn’t going to put them in danger by holding them up though and so he pulled Raf down for another long and passionate kiss before stepping back. “Go. Go before someone catches you.” He urged and turned away from his companion so that he wouldn’t have to see the sadness in his friend’s eyes. He didn’t wait for a response from Raf; he just started jogging off, back to the mansion.

The oldest male there stood and watched Leon’s retreating back until he disappeared into the night, at which point Rafael had no choice but to squeeze beneath the barrier and join the other slaves waiting anxiously for Raf to join them. A couple were even sniffling and wiping their eyes at the sad parting of the two, but Raf ignored them, he couldn’t afford to get emotional, he was expected to lead to them to the docks so they could escape.

Leon was crying. It wasn’t fair that he had to choose between his new friend and his old lover, he wanted both of them, no, he needed both of them. Without Raf back in the mansion Leon was worried about how he would cope on his own. He was scared and he missed Raf already, so much so that he almost turned and went with them just so that he and Rafael could stay together. He’d grown so attached to Raf that it was almost unreal.

Leon made it all the way back to his room before something went wrong.

He pushed open the door to the room he was staying in and suddenly someone had him by the throat. He was lifted off his feet, choking for air as he was slammed against a wall, his dirty hands trying in vain to pry the fingers from his throat.

“Where have you been and where is your friend?” A deceptively calm voice asked him, and Leon opened his eyes enough to see the oddly coloured jade eyes, the flecks of turquoise barely noticeable in the gloom of the darkened room. The boy couldn’t find enough breath to speak, but the fingers only tightened around his throat until he managed a choked reply.

“I… I won’t tell… you… anything…” He croaked out, and then suddenly found himself on the floor as Hadrian dropped him. Anger radiated off the master in almost visible waves and the blonde slave cringed as he coughed and gasped for oxygen. He huddled into a tight ball against the wall as Hadrian loomed over him and then he closed his eyes and lowered his head as he felt the master’s glare burn into him.

“I will find him, and I will find out what you’ve been planning and then you will both be punished!” He all but yelled and then turned and stormed from the room, barking orders at the guards that had assembled beyond the door. There was a short click and Leon was locked inside the room once again. Alone this time, and fearful for the others slaves. Raf especially.

Rafael and the others had made it to the docks and were just about to make their move onto the ships when a voice called out. And when Rafael looked around them, they were surrounded by at least twenty men, all armed with longbows. Hands went up in surrender. They stood no chance against the armed men and Rafael wasn’t going to risk their lives mounting an attack they probably wouldn’t win. Besides, escape on the ships was impossible now.

The group of slaves were rounded up and then shepherded back along the road. Their spirits were crushed. It was their best chance to escape and they’d been caught. Most of them thought Leon had betrayed them, gone back, sat on Hadrian’s lap, and told him where they were so that he could be pampered, but Rafael knew better. Leon wouldn’t have given them away; Leon would have died before he betrayed them.

All forty or so of the slaves were marched back in single file back to the mansion, paraded through the main entrance and taken back to the cells where they were to be incarcerated once again, this time with even less food than before. Rafael though was terrified. They’d been caught and now Hadrian would have his way with him.

He was kicked back into the room he shared with Leon and told that the master would no doubt want them brought before him in the very near future. He was suddenly squashed by a little shaking body that curled against him and sobbed into his robe and he was compelled to wrap his arms around the boy to hug him close.

“I’m sorry!” The boy all but wailed, clinging tightly to the older male. “I didn’t tell him where you were. I thought he would have killed you. I was so scared. I’m so sorry you didn’t make it out.” He whimpered, his voice a little hoarse after his earlier strangulation. He was held close though and began to calm down a little as Rafael lifted him and settled them both on the bed.

Not five minutes after Raf had been returned to him, they were summoned to Hadrian’s quarters to face their punishment.

(( Right. Just so you know, there's only five or six chapters of this left and I already know what's happening at the end, so it's just a case of getting to that chapter. I have plans for a couple of chapters in between now and then though, so look forward to a couple of frequent updates in the future. As always I adore reviews!))