The Pompeiian Horse

16. QUIRK

JUNE

The escape attempt had been a foolish idea. Ehren should have never agreed to go with the Syrians. Men had lost their lives because of him. Even if he had been convicted of killing a man, he had never truly spilled blood since his arrival at The Zoo. Now, after he was officially a free man, blood was again in his hands; no matter if it had been indirectly.

The screams of the two Syrians brought to jail with him were not long. Apparently, they spilled their confession rather quickly if no soldiers came to interrogate Ehren too. Or perhaps they did not care to question him since he was already destined for Death. What would be the point to maim him before the spectacle?

Only one thing had changed from Ehren's previous state; they had moved him to a different place. More cage than cell, his new accommodation was all bars without walls. It did not matter; he had nothing to hide.

Well, there was something else, but it was more of a surprise than a change. Lamb and Dormouse were on the other side of the bars grinning at him. "A short visit," said the guard flatly. He opened the cage door, and both boys ran to embrace Ehren.

They squeezed Ehren, their bodies trembling as if they were sobbing, but he could not hear a thing. He hugged back and then patted their heads. "How did you get in here?"

Dormouse dislodged from the three-way embrace, composed himself (with a hard swallow), and grinned playfully this time. "Never underestimate the power of a whore's mouth."

"You didn't!" Ehren was shocked— but also amused.

"We kind of did." Lamb's grin was shy in high contrast to Dormouse's. "We were dying to see you." His eyes opened widely in horror. "Oh, I shouldn't have said that."

Ehren shook Lamb by the shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it." He narrowed his eyes at both. "What I wonder now is how did you get past Scando to come here?"

"That was easy," Dormouse put his chin up, "the Smalls told Scando we'll start biting customers' cocks if he didn't let at least two of us come to see you.

Ehren never expected such a show of loyalty from the Smalls at large. "Even Parrot?"

"He didn't have another option." Lamb's expression was something Ehren had never seen before on the cub's face. He also smacked one closed fist over his open palm, in a gesture implying brute force to make Parrot comply.

Dormouse nodded. "We've been hard on him. That little shit betrayed you, and he won't be easily forgiven."

"What do you mean?"

"We're almost certain he had something to do with Lion's death. Nobody knows where he was when Elia started screaming," Lamb said.

"Or afterwards. He just appeared out of thin air when we were all together," Dormouse added. "He said he was taking a crap, but I don't believe him."

As Elephant had said, it was unlikely that a skinny kid like Parrot could subjugate Lion. Still, there could always be poison or other things involved. "It doesn't matter, guys." Ehren caressed one boy's cheek with each hand. "My destiny is sealed. Even if your suspicions were true, there is no time to prove them." He smiled. "Just let it go."

"Fine," said Dormouse, almost physically shaking the darkness that had settled around them. "We didn't come to be brooding. We brought you a present! Courtesy of the kitchen slaves." He removed the makeshift sack he had crossing his lean torso from right shoulder to left hip. Once spread over the pallet, the large piece of cloth contained carefully wrapped sweets, cuts of roasted meats, and fruits.

"This is amazing." Ehren's astonishment was quickly followed by this stomach's loud approval. Gruel was not the best thing to eat during your last days alive. "You're going to share this with me, right?"