PANTERA - Sara Reinke

SARA REINKEmouths closed against any protest they might feel, but forsome, coming across a young, hapless, relatively naïve recruitlike Opilio, flaunting his makeshift Roman uniform with pride,might have seen an opportunity well worth the taking.Abdes paused just beyond the mouth of the narrowalley. He could still hear the sounds of feeble struggling andmuffled cries. His heart was racing, his breath drawn still withanxious fright. If Opilio was in trouble, Abdes couldn’t justleave him, no matter his desperate instinct to bolt.Hamilcar wouldn’t run, he told himself, his browsfurrowing. Even from Father—whenever he would take out his lashand come after me, Ham would be right there in his path. He’s not afraidof anything. He wouldn’t run from this.“And neither will I,” Abdes whispered, closing hishands into fists and stepping forward into the alley. It took ashocked moment for what he was seeing to slap him fully, andthen, when realization struck him, he gasped sharply, stunned.It was not Opilio in the alleyway; not Abdes’ barrackmate’s voice he had heard crying out in muffled pain. In fact,he realized to his dismay, it had likely not been Opilio at allwhom he had been following so far from the main marketsquare.He caught a glimpse of red tunics and leatherbreastplates with overlying armor; two men with their backs tohim. He recognized the helmets, each with a distinctive rearneck-guard that protruded outward from the apex of theirshoulders.Roman soldiers, he thought, shying back in bewilderedshock. They are Romans…!One of them was standing while the other was on hisknees, his tunic drawn up, crumpled beneath the bottom edgeof his chest armor. He was leaning forward, and Abdes saw agirl’s legs spread wide to envelop his hips. The man was in theprocess of thrusting himself mightily, deeply into her with ashuddering, pounding rhythm. Abdes could hear the girlcrying, her frightened peals smothered beneath the man’sfirmly clapped hand.10