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Chapter 2. Part 1
The Escape
Later that evening, Brutus brought Callaris his food.
“He ‘ad been fightin’ like that for months.” Brutus said as he placed the plate down.
Callaris looked confused.
“Leo, I mean. He ‘ad been fightin’ for Lord Optimus’s bets. They were callin’ it Gladiator fightin’. Though, there was nothing warrior like about it. I over ‘eard Leo started to starve ‘imself, my guess out of grief over the men he killed. He must’ve thought you were a better endin’.”
Callaris’s eyes were still swelling with grief of his own, he knew that was what Leo wanted. He felt it within his thoughts as if they were his own. He tasted it when he sunk his teeth down into Leo’s flesh. He could hear Leo’s failing heartbeat in his ears. Lord Dominicus made Callaris frighten people before, he even used him to threaten someone once. In training, he abused Callaris in many ways. He was cruel. But he never thought he could be so capable. Brutus looked at Callaris and gestured with his eyes at the plate.
“You should eat before it gets cold.” Brutus said as he walked towards the door.
Callaris at first just glared at Brutus, his supposed reward was of no interest to him. Brutus gestured with his eyes once more towards the plate “Try the mashed po-a-oes, there the best part.” he said with wide eyes.
Callaris waited for Brutus to shut the door when he rushed to the plate, parting the potatoes apart finding a key along with a small piece of paper with a word written upon it.
‘Justice’.
Callaris waited until Dawn. He knew his master well and that he would be fast asleep by then and so would any other staff that could stop him. He snuck from his tower cell, quietly stepping down the chilling stone steps. Making his way through the halls when he was surprised to see the main dining table being cleared by two maids and another cleaning the living area. He made his skin blend with the color of the walls, a trick he had learned when he was small trying to hide from his master. Never was very good at covering his whole body. But this day was different. He needed to get away. He took off his clothes, held his breath and successfully fazed into the red and green walls. Only stepping when the maids stepped so they would not hear his footsteps. Just as he got to the door he passed by a maid cleaning a blood stain from the floor. He could see her hands were quaking, she scrubbed with soft whimpers and vigor. Callaris gazed at the stain and thought again of the word on the note. Justice.
He thought of that word as he ran through the outskirts of the castle. He ran continuously for two days. Until he collapsed unconscious.
As he laid there he felt warmth. Soft cotton beneath his body, the smell of fresh crisping food and the sound of a crackling fire. His eyes slowly opened and he found himself in a small wooden cabin room, lying in a strange bed. He began to panic when suddenly a small old human man came charging in the room with a plate full of food in one hand, his other waving
“No need to be frightened, my boy! You are in no danger here!” the old man exclaimed.
“Where am I?” Callaris said with his shoulders around his ears as he looked around the room at many strange paintings and stuffed animal heads. His cut face cleaned, clothes on his once bare body and bandages on his hands and feet.
“You are in my home. I found you just a mile outside this village! Don’t know how long you were out there, but you were beaten pretty badly. You must’ve been going for some time! Your feet were bleeding, you face was cut and you were soaked to the bone. That was a little over two days ago.”
The old man said as he poured water into a clay cup, he handed it to Callaris and continued
“My boy and I were out gathering herbs and what else we needed for the festivities for tonight when we found you.”
The old man looked a little over 60, a long silver beard hung from his boxed chin. He had long hair that hung from his olive-skinned head, tied back with a dark blue worn ribbon. He had a small scar that went through his brow down to his cheekbone.
“Why did you help me?” Callaris asked guzzling the water.
“And why not? I am not about to walk away from someone when they need help! That is just unfriendly!
Now, allow me to ask you a few questions while I give you my hospitalities.” The old man said as he handed Callaris a plate full of mashed potatoes, a roll of fresh bread, a large slab of ham and many different types of greens.
Callaris nodded and took his first bite of food in nearly three days, the salt from the ham danced on his tongue. Food had never tasted so delicious in his entire life.
“Where are you from?” The old man asked
Callaris was hesitant, what if this old man were to sell him right back to his captors?
The old man could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
“Alright, how about this? What is your name?” the old man asked with a kind smile.
Suddenly it became much more real to Callaris, this was the new beginning that Leo used to speak of. He was now on the written path to freedom and the last words Leo spoke rang in his ears. He was no longer Callaris.
“Castus. My name is Castus.” he felt it settle into his heart and became a promise. He was going to be Castus and be free. For Leo.