The Life of the Nomad (a story of the Spartans)
This book, "The life of the nomad," is the third using the same mythos originally created for the series "Spartan" and used later in "Sons of Sparta". In order to fully appreciate the details behind this story it would be advisable for readers to have some familiarity with both earlier works, which can be found in the gay/scifi section on Nifty. The mythos was originally created by the author CF.
Note that this story series is based in Western and Central Europe at around the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire and the start of what is colloquially known as the 'dark ages'. However I beg any experts out there not to point out my failings or deficiencies in my knowledge of the period - I am not a historian and make no claims whatsoever to authenticity.
Part 6
Character list (ages are as at the start of part 6):
Gaia's family: 1. Gaia Melonson, 97, oldest in family 2. Elis Gaiason, 71, son of Gaia 3. Tito Teleklosson, partner of Elis, 65 4. Hyacinth Gaiason, Elis's younger brother, 65, son of Gaia 5. Marcus Elisson, 41, son of Elis and Tito, brother to Clio 6. Philip (HUMAN), partner of Marcus, 32 7. Maia Marcusson, 2, son of Marcus and Philip 8. Socra Marcusson, 8, son of Marcus and Philip 9. Audo (HUMAN), 9, partner of Socra 10. Clio Titoson, 37, son of Elis and Tito, brother to Marcus 11. Aeson Elipson, partner of Clio, 32 12. Demaratos Aesonson, 10, son of Clio and Aeson 13. Konon Clioson, 5, son of Clio and Aeson 14. Jason Hyacinthson, son of Hyacinth and Alexander 33 15. Simon Apolloson (formerly human, now Spartan), 32, partner of Jason 16. Thor Jasonson, 2 months old, son of Jason and Simon 17. Cleopas Hyacinthson, son of Hyacinth and Alexander 26 18. Red (HUMAN), 15, partner of Cleopas 19. Alexander Cleopasson, 1 summer, son of Red and Cleopas 20. Nabis Platoson, son of Plato Melonson, 82 21. Jocasta Kirkeson, partner of Nabis, 84 22. Leander Rheason, son of Demeter and Rhea, 32, father of Evander 23. Joseph (HUMAN), partner of Leander, 31, father of Evander 24. Evander Leanderson, 6, son of Leander and Joseph 25. Acantha Demeterson, son of Demeter and Rhea, father of Xanthe 25 26. Charon Pallasson partner of Acantha, sire of Xanthe, 26 27. Xanthe Acanthason, 3, son of Acantha and Charon
The Amazons (Note none of the Amazons have ages given as at the time this story is based they did not keep track of the years or summers of their lives, marking their age in terms of cycles): 1. Makeda, co-leader of quest, mate of Hannah, siring mother to Faiza 2. Sabea, co-leader of quest, mate of Bilkis 3. Bilkis, mate of Sabea 4. Hannah (HUMAN), 33, mate of Makeda, birth mother to Faiza 5. Faiza, daughter of Makeda and Hannah 6. Tisha, younger sister of Sabea, mate of Martha 7. Kali, mate of Sophia 8. Martha, (HUMAN), 13, mate of Tisha 9. Sophia, (HUMAN), 10, mate of Kali
Judoc's family: 1. Judoc Claisason, 86 2. Orhain Judocson, 46, son of Judoc, father of Awhain 3. Petros (HUMAN) partner of Orhain, 43, sire of Awhain 4. Awhain Orhainson, 26, partner of Carme 5. Demeter Nabisson, 52, only surviving son of Nabis and Jocasta 6. Rhea Larisason, 55 partner of Demeter 7. Kalliope Demeterson, son of Demeter and Rhea, father of Ajax and Carme, 40 8. Lykurgos Rheason, son of Demeter and Rhea, brother of Kalliope, 14 9. Mark (HUMAN), partner of Kalliope, sire to and Ajax and Carme, 40 10. Ajax Kalliopeson, 13, son of Kalliope and Mark and brother of Carme 11. Carme Kalliopeson, 17, son of Mark and Kalliope, partner of Awhain 12. Nabis Carmeson, 1 month old, son of Carme and Awhain 13. Claisa Thomasson, 40, nephew of Judoc 14. Paul (HUMAN), 32 partner of Claisa 15. Mirakos Michaelson, 18, son of Michael and grandson of Ali 16. Hardwin (HUMAN), 15, partner of Mirakos
From part 5 . . .
Kali turned and asked Makeda something and via the various translators, Red said, "Sophia, Kali would like to kiss you."
"Oh!" Sophia gasped, blushing furiously. She turned to the young woman who held her so tenderly and without so much as a second thought their lips met.
"I think they will manage just fine without a translator now" Makeda observed to Gaia as Martha likewise kissed Tisha.
"Indeed" Gaia smiled.
. . .
The Spartans set their campsite up, built a fire and cooked supper, all the while watching the two girls who'd been placed in their care with affectionate amusement. Both Sophia and Martha sat contentedly in the arms of the Amazon adolescents who'd come to meet them, occasionally exchanging kisses or tickling and caressing each other gently. The Spartan children laughed, joked and messed about, stretching legs and running to burn the excess energy they always seemed to have.
Alexander wriggled away from his parent's sides, put his fruit bread down and ran away, chasing after Xanthe. Red and Cleopas chuckled and exchanged a kiss, a kiss that neither of the human women noticed, both so wrapped up in embracing their lovers-to-be.
Leander and Charon had exited the wagon, helped by their own mates, Joseph and Acantha. Acantha kissed Charon passionately, to try and make it up for his mate having to hide in the wagon and not ride side by side as they usually did, and Joseph did likewise for Leander. Aside from some curious stares from Hannah, Makeda's human mate, not one of the women showed any sign of surprise at the sight of the Spartan's receptive reproductive organ or of the affection shown between couples.
It was later on, when food was ready, that Simon called the two girls. "Sophia, Martha, would you like to eat something?" he asked gently. Jason was sat near to the cook fire and Simon and was feeding their baby son, Thor, though the boy was still very small and the motions and sounds subtle so his nursing was easily missed.
Gaia started to serve the venison casserole that had been prepared by Simon, ladling portions into dishes. Jason took a dish with his free hand and as he did so Thor became more visible. Leander came over for his own supper at the same time.
Meanwhile, Martha nodded and made to get up, sighing audibly at having to leave Tisha's arms. Sophia likewise nodded and turned to the Spartan's fireside. Only then did the younger sister notice Leander's womb. Martha was likewise shocked at the sight of Thor obviously feeding from Jason and both sisters nudged each other.
"What, how...." they mumbled, sitting down again heavily at the sight of things they could not begin to comprehend or understand.
"Gaia told you that we were not human, yes?" Jason called over to them, answering the question with a question. The young girl gulped and nodded.
"And you were also told, quite bluntly or so I recall, that none of the men here present would ever desire marital relations with a woman?" Leander asked. This time Sophia blushed furiously. "Well this is my womb. I'm carrying a child, we call the process gestation" Leander finished.
"I am gestating too" Charon said, coming to join the conversation, "and Jason is nursing. The child, named Thor was born of Jason and sired by Simon."
"But that's impossible, you're all men!" Martha exclaimed.
A ripple of soft laughter ran around the camp. "Martha, my dear girl, I would never have any sort of sexual relation with a man and have never been pregnant" Makeda smiled. "Yet Faiza is my daughter."
Gaia translated Makeda's words and Martha started to stutter. "But.... but.... but...." Sophia looked flustered, bordering on panic, and clung to her older sister's hand.
"Shh, calm, please? Come and eat something, sit down by the fire and we will explain" Charon offered. The human girls stared openly at his womb but said nothing more, getting to their feet again, walking towards the fireside and sitting nervously together on the offered deerskin. Thor chose that moment to stop nursing and Jason calmly handed the baby to Simon to be winded whilst he took a scrap of rag and wiped the drips of milk from his pectoral.
Sophia and Martha stared openly until Charon cleared his throat. The younger man grinned at the girl's blushes and nodded to Hyacinth who with a smile and a subtle roll of his eyes agreed to be the evening's storyteller.
"I don't know if our Amazon companions have heard this story" he began, "and I know that it will be new for our smallest boys as well as for you two" he addressed the girls. "I am going to tell you of the beginnings of the men of Sparta, for such are we and thus we identify our species as being Spartan rather than human."
As he spoke, using pure Greek, Makeda translated his words for the other Amazons and Red translated them for Martha and Sophia.
"We originated almost a thousand years ago" Hyacinth explained, "in a city that is now part of the lands of the Greeks, a city called Sparta. But our prosperity and prodigious skills left many of our neighbours jealous and for many years warfare dominated our borders.
"Growing tired of the constant attacks our princes decided to launch a pre-emptive strike at our enemies and we carried out a series of what were apparently successful raids and sieges, reducing the capacity of our enemies' armies and supposedly ensuring peace on our borders once more."
Hyacinth paused slightly, met Martha's and Sophia's eyes and continued in a soft voice, "have you heard of genocide? Where an entire race of people is wiped out so thoroughly that they are effectively erased from history?"
"No" Martha whispered.
"The men of the army of Sparta returned home, somewhat fewer in number than had set out but nevertheless confident of our victory. That was until we stepped foot onto Spartan soil."
He looked at the two small girls. "Our enemies had outflanked us and attacked Sparta in the absence of her army" he whispered. "Every single man, woman and child left in our land was slaughtered, from elderly men to babes in arms. Our army returned home to find that they, a few hundred weary soldiers, were the only people of Sparta left alive."
Tears filled Sophia's eyes and Martha looked horrified. "Even girls? Even children?" she gasped.
"Especially girls" Hyacinth said grimly. "They wanted to ensure our extinction. If they'd left any females alive at all then slowly we could have reproduced and become a people once more."
He paused and let his words sink in. Slowly Sophia's horror turned to puzzlement and she said, "but, you are descendents of this ancient city, yes?" she asked.
Hyacinth nodded.
"But all your women were killed. So how....?" she mumbled.
"By the intervention of our God, Apollo, we were transformed from ordinary human men into the men we are today. He made us into men who, without the aid of women, can have sons, sons we bear and nurse ourselves. Leander and Charon are evidence of our childbearing, both are sporting a womb. And Jason is obviously still nursing as you have seen."
"But I don't get it, what does this have to do with us?" Martha asked.
This time it was Makeda's turn to speak. "Our history is very different to that of the Spartans but the result was similar" she began, using the same Greek tongue as Hyacinth had used. Bilkis translated for the remaining Amazons and Gaia for Martha and Sophia.
"Many years ago, a thousand years earlier than the beginning of the Spartans, there was by the side of a great river a village. Two women lived there who had been the best of friends since their birth and they were called Nephilia and Heranipus. When they were thirteen years of age, their families married them off to two men from the village. Heranipus' husband was a distant man who showed almost no interest in his wife. She was well cared for but there was no love between them. Nephilia, however, faired far worse. Her husband was cruel and abusive and beat her regularly."
Gaia shook his head at the injustice and in the process lost the track of his translation. But suddenly it seemed as if he didn't need it for the girls were hanging on Makeda's every word... even though, or so it seemed to Gaia, her words were no longer even Greek but a tongue he'd never learned. Yet still he understood and listened raptly...
"One day, Nephilia was beaten so severely that she became bedridden and Heranipus was permitted to care for her friend" Makeda explained in her native tongue, a rich, colourful language, "and Nephilia told Heranipus that she wished that her husband had killed her, so that she would finally be free of his cruelty. Heranipus wept at the plight of her friend and made plans to escape with her and start a new life elsewhere. She obtained some nightshade and the pair drugged their husbands into unconsciousness, then fled from their homes, vowing never to return.
"They journeyed across the desert, fleeing for their lives, and for good reason. For once the men had recovered Nephilia's husband became enraged, forced Heranipus' husband to join him and they set off in pursuit. For many months the men pursued the women, until they finally found them. Fearing for their lives, Heranipus prayed to her goddess for protection. The goddess granted Heranipus great strength and skill and the woman slew the murderous husband of her friend. Heranipus' own husband begged for his life and she spared him and told him to leave, making him promise never to speak to anyone about what had occurred that day and never to return. He agreed, made both promises and left.
"And so they were free. 'But what of other women?' They asked. 'What about other women who were still trapped?' They wept at the cruel fates of their fellow women and the goddess was moved to feel great pity and reached into the minds of such women and through dreams and gentle, silent urgings, encouraged unloved wives to seek out Heranipus and Nephilia. Over time, the pair obtained a small following and together they began a pilgrimage across the desert and into the forests beyond the last of the sands. There, they made a new home for themselves.
"But over time, the women became sad, for in shunning men they had denied themselves the chance to have children. Their grief at being denied motherhood grew, so they prayed for aid that they could find a way to bear children, yet remain free of the dominance of men. The goddess used her great powers to make the women new, to create a breed of women whom she named Amazon, possessing the ability to make another woman pregnant and also possessing superior strength and stamina that they could defend themselves from attack should any men ever find them. She then taught us how to use our transformed bodies to give each other children and we soon discovered that we each could become emergent with only one specific other of our kind and we made a life of happiness with our mates... All but one, that is. One lone Amazon had no mate of her own and lived in sadness. Our goddess saw her warrior's loneliness and reached out across the desert to find a mate for her. The woman she found felt the call and made the journey across the sands to find her beloved. Once she arrived, the pair feel madly in love and in time had children.
"Our small encampment became over many years a great city and our numbers became strong. Our goddess nurtures and guides to this day through the words of those of us who are privileged to be part of her priestesshood, and She brings us to those who need us and who are destined to become part of our family. She brought us to find you both, leading me to the right location, teaching me the language of the Spartans, because you are destined to be mates to Tisha and Kali. And because of your youth and vulnerability she brought us to you, as your guides, rather than forcing you to take a dangerous journey alone and unprepared."
Silence fell as everyone absorbed the story, the Spartans being first time listeners just as much as the two human girls.
"Can I ask something?" Hyacinth said shortly. Makeda nodded. "You've mentioned your goddess but didn't name her, yet some of your words suggest you know her quite? intimately. May I ask the name of your goddess and may I also enquire as to whether you are her priestess?"
Makeda smiled. "I am a priestess of our goddess, yes, so marked with the golden circ." She fingered a strange piece of gold jewelry at her neck before continuing, "and Her name is one we normally keep to ourselves but I sense she would be happy with you knowing, as long as it is not recorded. She is Hathor" Makeda smiled.
"Thank you for trusting us" Hyacinth replied. "And as a measure of our thanks let it be known that all of us here who carry twin swords are or will be priests of Apollo."
"The twin blades are the mark of your rank as the circ is for mine?" Makeda confirmed and Hyacinth nodded.
Sophia and Martha had been quiet for a while now and Marcus turned to them. "Girls, do you have anything you'd like to ask, anything you'd like to know?" he asked softly.
"Does this mean?" Martha started to say, then took a deep breath, steeling herself to say something that was obviously either embarrassing or frightening. "Does this mean we will not have to have husbands, we really don't have to ?." she stopped talking as her blushes exploded over her face.
"No, you do not need and will not have husbands, you already have your mates in Tisha and Kali, they are all you need" Red replied.
"So we don't have to?." Sophia mumbled and gestured vaguely to her crotch, "with you, I mean?"
Jason smiled and shook his head. "No, and truth be told most of us would not be able to. Your virtue and your virginity is just that, yours. Not ours."
Martha frowned. "But mother told us it was a girls' duty to submit to a man. Did she lie?"
"Child" Bilkis said, "she told you the truth as she understood it. But her life will not be your life. You will have more choice and independence and freedom than ever your mother could imagine."
"So we really don't have to be your wives, then?" Sophia asked again.
"No" Gaia replied, gently but firmly.
The sisters looked at each other with varying degrees of shock and surprise and confusion and slowly they began to grin. "Wow" Sophia breathed to her sister.
Martha started giggling. "We got it, we really got it, Soph!" she replied.
"Got what?" Simon asked curiously.
"Our freedom from men and men's rules" Martha explained. "From as far back as I can remember it's all I've ever wanted and when Sophia was big enough to understand things she has always said she wanted the same thing." She turned back to her sister and hugged her tightly. "We're free, Soph" she whispered.
Makeda laughed. "Oh, yes, child, you are free, I promise" she replied.
It was several minutes later when Cleopas realized something curious. "Say, Makeda?" he called.
"Yes?"
"What language did you tell your story in?" he asked.
"Our native tongue, why?" she asked, then said, "oh, my... you all understood it" she said. It was a statement, not a question
Cleopas nodded. "I wonder if Apollo and Hathor have had a hand in helping us communicate?"
Of course we have Apollo suddenly spoke into the minds of his priests, Hyacinth, Clio, Marcus, Simon and the acolyte, Konon.
"Thank, you, Lord" Marcus said, bowing his head briefly.
"Hathor has just confirmed the same is true for us" Makeda offered.
"I am right?" Cleopas asked and Marcus and Simon both nodded.
Everyone chuckled and Kali turned to Sophia. "I am glad I can speak with you and tell you in my own voice, I love you, Sophia."
"And Martha, I love you" Tisha said.
Both human girls gasped "I love you" back and they continued to embrace and kiss tenderly, overwhelmed with the depth of emotion as well as the wealth of information to take in.
Tito and the others watched the girls for a few moments and then the older man looked up at the starry sky, for it had gotten dark whilst the pair of stories were being told. "We need to sleep, we have to rise before dawn to meditate" he said to Makeda.
"Meditation? Hmm, a different way of dealing with the problem" she said cryptically. "We will take exercise at sunrise, running, sparring and the like, to work off our tensions and shed our excess energy."
"You do that every day?"
"Yes" Makeda confirmed, "otherwise we have too much energy and our stress levels spike too high and we could be in danger of revealing ourselves to be other than human."
"Well, goodnight, we will break our fast together after our morning rituals are complete" Elis smiled and the rest of the Spartans nodded in invitation.
"Would you like us to take our sparring a little ways off so that we don't distract you?" Makeda asked. "Only we can get rather... noisy."
"We meditate before dawn and I presume for safety's sake you won't be able to run very far until you can see where you are going, so there shouldn't be any concern for you distracting us" Gaia replied.
"Very well. I bid you goodnight" she smiled and the Amazons went to one side of the large clearing to sleep and the Spartans to the other, tucking the boys into the wagon before bedding down. Thor of course slept between his fathers, Socra and Audo cuddled together, kissing and giggling a little and since it seemed like it would be a clear, mild night, the two gestating Spartans also slept outside with their lovers.
The Spartans rose early as was their custom, whilst they female companions were still sound asleep. They had meditated for nearly three quarters of an hour before they heard the Amazons stirring but their morning quickly returned to silence as each Amazon began to run on swift feet, rustling the bushes as they left but otherwise remaining silent.
Dawn broke and they finished their meditation just as the Amazons returned from their run. They looked to see that Martha, Sophia and Hannah were dozing by a freshly stirred fire and only the women who were fully Amazon had engaged in the exercise. As Hyacinth and Acantha began preparing bread for breakfast, Makeda, Sabea, Bilkis, Faiza, Tisha and Kali paired off and began sparring, each clearly pulling their punches but nevertheless giving each other a good workout.
Makeda stopped briefly to grab a beaker of water and as she did, Gaia shouted her. "You've said you have more than human strength" he smiled. "You ever tested it against a Spartan?"
"No, I cannot say that I have" Makeda smiled back. "Is that a challenge old man?"
"You know" Gaia said, getting to his feet, "I think it is." He grinned and stepped away from the fire. "Bare hands only, winner is the first to knock the other off their feet" he suggested.
"Sounds fair to me" Makeda grinned the same smile, loving the sudden competition.
The other Amazons stopped their sparring and came over to join the Spartans and watch the fight. Makeda and Gaia circled each other a few times and then with a lightning fast lunge Makeda grabbed at Gaia and hooked one leg behind his, straining to make him topple over. He in turn grabbed at her arm and shoulders, ensuring that if he went down, she would too.
They changed their grip, danced around each other, fought well and were clearly enjoying themselves though after a few minutes it became clear, to the Spartan's astonishment, that Makeda had the upper hand. With a final leg hook and a push at the shoulders Gaia fell backwards to the floor.
"By Apollo, you're strong!" Gaia gasped when he finally got his breath.
"You are also a worthy opponent" Makeda replied, "but not quite worthy enough" she laughed. She looked at the Spartans. "Anyone else?" she invited.
Marcus stepped forwards. "Let's see what you've got" he grinned. Likewise several of the Spartans challenged the other Amazons to spar under the same rules, the winner was the first to knock the other off their feet.
The winners were equally spaced among the species, with Marcus, Jocasta and Cleopas winning against Makeda, Bilkis and Tisha and Acantha and Simon losing against Sabea and Kali.
"I never would have guessed you had such strength!" Simon said to Kali in astonishment as he got to his feet and dusted himself down. He looked at the young woman and tried to estimate her age. "You can't be more than, what, fifteen summers?" he asked.
Kali frowned. "Summers? I'm not sure I understand" she replied.
"We mark our age by the number of summers we have lived through. Do you not do likewise?"
"No, we don't" Kali replied. She looked at Makeda who explained, "we generally mark our lives in terms of ages. Our city is in the tropics and we don't have seasons such as those here in the north. Our lives begin in the age of exploration, which Faiza is still in but is nearing the end of. She will soon enter the age of education. Following that is the age of sexual awareness, and Tisha and Kali are still in that age but are almost mature. Finally comes the age of maturity which lasts the rest of our lives."
"Tell me" Nabis asked, "do you know, in terms we might understand, how long each of the stages you refer last?"
Makeda looked distant, then smiled. "Hathor advises me that our first three ages, those of exploration, education and sexual awareness each take between seven and nine of your years to complete. We are mentally mature by the end of the second age but do not reach physical maturity until the end of the third age. Our life expectancy is longer than humans, more or less identical to your own."
Nabis looked at Kali, doing some quick mental arithmetic. "So, you're somewhere in your late teens or twenties. By human measures at least, you don't look older than sixteen summers at the very oldest." He chuckled and continued, "and by Spartan standards I'd say you were about eleven or twelve summers old."
Makeda looked sharply at Nabis. "You age faster?"
"We reach full physical maturity before our fifteenth summer. Some people take a little longer to mature mentally but physically we have the stature of full adult males by the end of our fourteenth year, and generally by our twelfth or thirteenth summer we formally take on the responsibility of an adult, to acknowledge both our increased strength and ability and the way in which humans would view us" Nabis explained.
She looked at Demaratos. "I would have guessed you to be entering the age of sexual awareness, possibly," she paused as she worked it out, "fifteen of your years?"
Demaratos grinned. "I'm ten summers. This will be my eleventh" he explained.
Meanwhile the two human girls, Sophia and Martha, were half listening to the conversation and half hankering to eat breakfast. Charon noticed and laughed. "Come, don't stand on ceremony, tuck in!" he offered and they and everyone else tucked in with obvious hunger, enjoying the hot bread cakes, cheese and fruit.
"Your ages are really that much different to ours?" Martha said to no one in particular as she ate.
Leander nodded. "It is one of the ways our species' differ from humans" he replied.
Martha nodded thoughtfully. "Do not worry about it, please?" Tisha asked her young human mate. "The length of time we live means nothing to us and shouldn't to you either. Please don't worry" she begged.
"I won't" Martha assured Tisha, sealing her promise with a kiss.
Together the group stayed in the clearing for four nights, educating the girls in their new lives, helping them get used to the new customs and everyone to assimilate their new languages. Even though the gods had had a hand in enabling everyone to understand each other, all those present, Spartan, Amazon and human alike, still had to learn to translate from each of the languages they spoke and swap confidently and consciously between each tongue.
Finally they were ready to depart, Martha and Sophia full of smiles and confidence, and not a few blushes after the intimate nights they'd spent with their Amazon mates. They rode in pairs on the sturdy horses the Amazons were using, both human girls held on to the large saddle by the arms of their lovers.
Chatter and laughter filled the air as they rode in a long caravan, the only ones sitting in the wagons being Charon and Leander, both having to conceal their wombs. Jason carried Thor in a nursing sling, which made the tiny youngster almost invisible, and Nabis and Hyacinth steered the wagons. Hannah rode a horse behind which an open cart stored the Amazon's possessions.
"Where is your ship going to meet you?" Gaia asked Makeda as they rode.
"In truth I do not know" Makeda replied. "Hathor will guide us together."
"You have active communication with Her?" Clio asked.
Makeda nodded. "Of course" she said, surprised at the question.
Clio smiled and explained, "only, we've had several conversations with those who follow the human god, the god of the Way, known as Christ, and apparently He doesn't actively talk to His followers, rather He speaks in signs and silence, or something." He looked at Simon who grinned and nodded.
"How odd" Makeda replied.
"Indeed" Clio agreed.
They travelled at a slow walk, moving steadily westwards, to the point where they would meet the north-south highway that would take them to their midsummer rendezvous with the other Spartan families. Each afternoon they sought a secluded glade for a campsite, each morning they would head to one or more of the farmsteads in the area to purchase milk, cheese and other foodstuffs, and would ride at most a couple of dozen miles a day.
Martha and Sophia were all of a sudden confident, loud, laughing girls who could see a bright future ahead of them. They had, with Hannah's and Red's assistance, obtained small, easy to draw hunting bows and Red had given them a dozen fletched arrows both to practise with and to copy when making their own, so as well as confidence they were also learning some self defence and hunting skills. They were also given smart knives to carry on their belts, to use both for eating and for other practical purposes.
Alexander, meanwhile, rode confidently between Red and Cleopas, enjoying the freedom of having his own pony. The other boys laughed and played, the Amazons listened to and learned of the Spartan's culture and stories and in turn shared their own. The spring days slowly lengthened and warmed and on one fine morning, when they had reached a small crossroads where a cart track crossed the main highway, Makeda said, "I think we should stop here for the night."
"We've only travelled ten miles this morning, why do we stop?" Hyacinth asked her.
"Because you are heading that way" she said, pointing west, "and Hathor tells me we need to head south" she pointed down the cart track.
"We are only two nights from the main highway, why choose such a rutted old cart track to travel on?" Tito asked.
"I do not choose the route. Hathor does" Makeda said, straightening her back and looking suddenly fierce.
"I meant no offence, I am sorry" Tito apologised.
"Apology accepted" Makeda replied shortly. She smiled. "In truth it wouldn't be my first choice of route either. But it will take us to the coast in just a week and our ship apparently will rendezvous with us in..." she paused and closed her eyes briefly, then looked back at Tito, "...two weeks. So this can be the girls' goodbye and we can celebrate together for a few nights before travelling our separate ways."
"Sounds good to me" Tito smiled.
They set up camp and built a good fire pit. The spring sunshine was warm and comforting and the young boys were all keen to run and mess around, playing chase and other such games. Demaratos was, as most adolescent Spartans, torn between acting adult and acting child-like. Red, too, despite being a father, was only in his sixteenth summer and sometimes felt the urge to run around and play with his small son so a thoroughly enjoyable game of tag was begun. Sophia, Martha and Faiza also joined in and burned plenty of energy with their game.
"That was fun!" Faiza giggled as they all finally collapsed, breathless and sweating, in a heap.
"It was!" Audo agreed, "but you run really fast!"
Alexander launched himself into Red's arms and yawned widely. Red chuckled. "Do you want a drink, Alexander?" he asked softly. The small boy nodded in answer to his daddy Red's question and Red took him to Cleopas to find a beaker of water.
"You enjoy yourself then?" Cleopas asked, amused.
Red nodded. "You should have joined in too" he grinned. "I could see you were itching to."
"It was fun watching, I'm fine" Cleopas replied, smiling. He'd already collected a large carafe of water from the stream a few yards distant and began dipping cups for everyone, first serving Alexander and Red and then giving all the other youngsters a drink as well.
"Thanks" Martha smiled as she was handed hers. She and her sister were no longer as shy as they had been at first. Instead they had an easy confidence and were definitely not the scared little girls that had been given away by their father.
Red, meanwhile, was stringing his bow and putting a handful of arrows in a quiver and Acantha and Hannah were doing likewise. He turned to the young human girls. "Martha, Sophia, do you want to try your hand hunting with us this afternoon? I thought some goat or venison would make a nice meal for this evening."
"Oh, yes, I'd love to" Sophia grinned and Martha nodded too. They went to get their bows, strung them with Kali's assistance and the five left the camp and began following a game trail, taking a pack animal along with them to carry their quarry home.
It only took an hour to come across a small herd of deer and Red paired off with Martha as Hannah took Sophia. "We're going to aim for the stag" Red whispered, both to Hannah and Martha. Hannah nodded and Martha took an arrow and fitted it into the bow as her companions did the same. Acantha aimed for one of the does, as did Hannah and Sophia.
"After three" Red commanded, drawing his arrow back. "One, two, three!"
Five arrows flew towards their targets, four arrows found them, only Sophia's falling slightly short. The stag and two does staggered and fell and the group ran up. Red took hold of the struggling stag and looked at Martha. "Draw your knife and cut its throat. It'll stop struggling once you do."
She drew the blade but looked green and was obviously very hesitant. "Would you prefer I did it?" Red asked. She nodded. "Sorry, I'll get there eventually but..." she said.
"No worries, it took me a while to be a proficient hunter" Red admitted. He drew his own pocket knife and dispatched the stag, then with clean, efficient movements began to butcher the beast. They took their kill back to the camp and all three were spitted for roasting. The Spartans kept the pelts and since Tisha expressed a desire to keep the stag's antlers, they were given to her.
"There's a lot of meat there" Nabis observed.
"There's a lot of us" Hannah replied, and though we certainly won't eat it all it'll be good to try!"
Bread was baked, a barrel of beer broached, laughter and conversation abounded and the atmosphere was definitely one of a party mood. As darkness fell most of the couples chose to find privacy and enjoy each other's bodies. Red and Cleopas were no exception and after Alexander was safely asleep in the wagon they undressed and laid down together, kissing gently.
Cleopas had, true to his word at the beginning of the winter, prepared Red for anal sex. But he'd been convinced that his mate was still far too small and they hadn't crossed the final line, not yet. They were embracing, kissing passionately, Cleopas fingering Red and Red reciprocating, since they'd long since agreed that what one did the other would also. "Red, would you make love to me tonight?" Cleopas asked as they broke from their kiss to get some air.
"We agreed, my love, I would not pierce you until you could do the same for me" Red whispered back.
Cleopas wiggled his fingers and Red gasped at the pressure on his prostate. "Guess how many fingers that is?" Cleopas asked, his voice laced with quiet amusement.
"More than two if you're asking me to guess" Red managed to say after a few moments.
Cleopas leaned closer and kissed Red's ear before whispering, "it's three, and you didn't flinch on the third so I reckon you might be ready, as long as you agree of course."
Red grinned. "I've reckoned I've been ready for a couple of months at least, it's you being too cautious, my love. I may be smaller than you but I won't break, I promise."
"I still want you to make love to me first" Cleopas whispered.
Red smiled in the darkness and though his voice held a little hesitation it was plain that he was very aroused. "How shall we do this?" he asked.
"I want to feel you embracing me as you enter me, so spooning from behind please" Cleopas replied.
They kissed some more, withdrew fingers and Red took some oil and greased his organ, now at a respectable human-average size, before spooning Cleopas, cuddling up to him from behind. He wrapped his arms around his larger, older lover's torso and planted gentle kisses between his shoulder blades and Cleopas bent and raised his uppermost leg, to give Red access. With slow, careful movements Red eased himself inside. "Oh, oh, oh!" he gasped, orgasming almost immediately as he felt the pressure of Cleopas' sphincter muscle on his prong. "Oh, god, I'm sorry" he whispered, mortified that he'd climaxed so quickly.
Cleopas rolled back, letting Red slip out and embraced the embarrassed teenager. "Shh, don't be embarrassed. You were overheated and the pressure was too much." He whispered. "Why don't I do it to you now? You might be ready to go again soon."
Red relaxed in his lover's arms and started to chuckle. He wiggled closer and pressed his erection into Cleopas' tummy. "I'm in my sixteenth summer, I don't need time to recharge like older humans do" he whispered in an amused voice. "But I still want you to do me first before I try again."
He turned and Cleopas spooned him and cuddled him close from behind. They'd often slept cuddled up together and Red loved the feel of Cleopas' strong, muscular chest at his back. But this night they were to do something else besides sleeping.
"Lift your top leg up and bend your knee" Cleopas whispered the instructions and Red complied.
"Okay, I'm slowly going to start penetrating you and as soon as you feel any discomfort at all let me know."
"I will, I promise," Red whispered back.
Cleopas began his entry and Red was so used to being fingered already that it didn't hurt at all at first. When a few inches were inside and were hitting a deeper spot than Cleopas could possibly reach with his fingers, then Red noticed a certain discomforting pressure, not pain precisely but rather an odd fullness. He tried not to let it show but Cleopas must have heard it on his breath or felt it in his muscles for he said, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I just feel... full" Red replied back, "that's all, and it feels a little odd, truth be told. But not uncomfortable."
"Okay, I won't go any deeper then, not yet anyway" Cleopas responded. He began pulling out and then pushed back in, then pulled out and pushed in again, picking up speed as he found a rhythm. He caught Reds prostate and the young man moaned. "Oohhh, you've found my... mmm" he managed to gasp.
He felt Cleopas' soft laughter. "Can't you talk now?" he asked.
"Oh, mmm, ah!" Red managed to reply. Cleopas smiled and kissed his young lover's neck and ear and embraced him lovingly as he continued to make love to him, taking his virginity and crossing that final barrier for the first time. They both came, almost simultaneously, then Cleopas withdrew and the pair rolled so that they could kiss passionately once more.
"You're soft" Cleopas noticed after a few minutes' kissing.
"I'm also tired, can we try me making love to you tomorrow?" Red whispered sleepily.
"Of course" Cleopas replied. The two embraced closely and between one breath and the next had fallen fast asleep.
The joined families spent three days at their campsite at the corner. Red did manage to make love to Cleopas two nights after their first attempt and thereafter neither had any difficulties with overexcitement.
It was a lovely early summer's day when the Amazons and the Spartans finally parted company. "The gods willing we will meet again" Makeda said to the Spartans.
"Indeed. Now, no tears, your new life will be all you could possibly dream of or desire" Marcus said, hugging Martha and Sophia tightly.
"I know" Sophia sniffed, "and I love Kali so much, it's just..." she left the thought hanging.
"You're setting off for a huge adventure, bigger even than I did when I met Cleopas in my twelfth summer" Red said to her. "And I've never regretted a single thing. Kali truly loves you too, Sophia. Never doubt that, never be afraid. Now..." he took her gently into his arms. "...Go, live your life and enjoy it."
"Thank you Red" she whispered softly.
The Spartans watched, waving, as the Amazons and their human mates left and travelled into the distance. "And I think we have some virgin forest to explore and a rendezvous to make in a few weeks time" Clio said once the women had left. "Teaching the girls and learning about the Amazons has taken up far more time than we anticipated, it's only about a month until midsummer." They packed up their gear, and rolled onwards, finding the main highway and then locating a good campsite away from the road itself, buried in the forest. All the while Alexander rode and gained confidence with his speech, the boys, particularly Demaratos, grew, and Thor became a happy and well fed, if slightly small, babe of a few months old, sitting up by himself, laughing and gurgling.
They reached the burned out old fortress a few days shy of midsummer, riding up the road on a fine, bright morning. The walls had collapsed at some point since they'd last seen the site and it was just an uninhabited, uninhabitable pile of rubble. They pulled up on the road nearby and were about to hunt out a campsite when a loud voice hailed them, or more specifically called Nabis and Jocasta. "Hail! Father Nabis! Father Jocasta!" It was Demeter.
"Hail! You got here before us I see?" Jocasta called, laughing and dismounting to hug his son.
Demeter returned the hug and nodded. "But only two days ago, we haven't been here long. Come, join us, we're camped the other side of the rubble."
They followed Demeter to the camp that Judoc's family had already set up and found a good fire with a boar roasting over the coals and a comfortable, well-appointed campsite. They were greeted jovially by all, some coming up to offer and exchange hugs, others waving. Carme was one that had waved, as he was sat by the fire cradling a very small, precious bundle.
"Grandfather Nabis, come over here!" he called enthusiastically but quietly.
"Hey, Carme! So your gestation was successful then?" he cheered, coming to meet the new baby, who was somewhat younger than Thor.
Carme moved the baby, who had fallen to sleep whilst feeding, and showed him to the old man who was his own great-grandfather. "I'd like you to meet Nabis Carmeson" he said softly.
Nabis' eyes went moist. "You've named him after..." he whispered, stunned.
"After you, yes" Carme replied. "Awhain agreed it was a very suitable name."
Nabis leaned over and kissed the baby's pale, smooth forehead gently. "Welcome to the family" he whispered.
They set their camp up, congratulations were exchanged on Leander's and Charon's gestations and bread and fruit were prepared to add to the pork for supper. The boys, led by Hardwin, found a wonderfully cold stream to bathe in, that had a slightly wider, deeper section just a few dozen yards from the camp and they all ran off to bathe together, joined by Red. As they left, Hyacinth came and sat down with the new father and his son, together with Mirakos, Ajax, Simon, Jason, Marcus and Clio. Jason held Thor and Carme held baby Nabis as Hyacinth looked around at the assembled group.
"So, now we are together, Simon needs to complete his ordination, Carme needs to complete his and we have two new sons to present to the gods" he began in a soft voice.
Mirakos and the others nodded and the Moorish man spoke, "yes, I have found what I think should be a good prayer site, about half a day's walk east of here, a sunken cave formation in the heart of the forest. We were going to present Nabis junior sooner, except that we wanted to wait for you all to be here."
"Perhaps we should wait for your grandfather Ali too?" Simon suggested, "after all, he's been a priest for longer than most of us have been alive."
Mirakos chuckled. "Indeed. It'd be nice to see him again, anyway. But I think we can worship anyway, tonight perhaps, and save the ordinations and confirmations until Ali's family and maybe even Clavin's family all get here, I'm sure their priests, Anthrosos and Thomas, would also appreciate worshipping with us."
They agreed to hold a simple worship service over the next few days or so, whenever a sacrifice became available, and the other services once all the priests of the joined families were together. Following their discussions they turned to the fireside and as evening fell they shared food and drink and laughed and talked together, sharing news and stories.
"Early? By Apollo, that must have hurt!" Carme exclaimed when Jason told him of Thor's early arrival amidst the flood and thunderstorm.
Jason winced as he remembered. "Yeah, you could say that" he replied with a pained grin.
"So you and Mirakos are happy then?" Red asked his fellow human adolescent, Hardwin. Hardwin grinned. "More than I would have ever imagined was possible" he replied. He blushed and leaned into Red. "Cleopas shown you where your prostate is yet?" he whispered.
Red chuckled and nodded. "Talk about an explosion!" he replied. "How long did it take you to be able to walk afterwards?"
Hardwin joined in the laughter. "Hours" he confided.
Gaia and Marcus were sat with Claisa and Paul. "So you're both happy?" Marcus asked the Spartan. Claisa nodded. "We are. Paul's become such a wonderful mate. And yes, he's happy too. He says he's learned to love this life and has no regrets at all, except perhaps that he didn't leave the church and his human life and join me on the road years ago."
"And you're doing leatherwork, too, Paul? Have you found it very difficult to learn, being blind and all?"
"No, he hasn't" Claisa translated his mute mate's thoughts for the others. "I'm still a little wary about using the knives or punches but sewing and braiding are easy to do. Claisa and I make a good team, actually." Marcus found it a little disconcerting to hear Claisa talk about himself in the third party but since it was clear the couple had learned how to cope with Paul's divinely-imposed handicaps and were happy with the solutions they'd devised, the younger man didn't pass comment.
Over the following week they ranged through the forest, hunting and gathering, some made trips both south and north to the nearest farms to purchase supplies, others began to build a forge to make some more blades and first Clavin's family, then finally, Ali's family, arrived.
Ali greeted his grandson and his grandson's mate exuberantly, the old priest's face a picture of happiness. He thanked Hyacinth and Mirakos for postponing the ordinations and presentations, saying, "I dearly hoped to be present, thank you both, thank you all."
There were in the end several ordinations and presentations conducted, two babies from Clavin's family were confirmed alongside Thor and Nabis junior and one baby from Ali's family. To be ordained were Mirakos' younger brother, Clavin's grandson and Carme, and Simon was to complete his ordination by sacrificing again and performing the second sacrifice, making love to Jason with their God as witness.
It was one evening, appropriately the full moon, that they had the required five animals, one to consecrate the site anew and one for each of the new priests. "The full moon reminds us of the night we first became what we now are" Ali remembered softly, speaking of the time when the human army of Sparta prayed until the moon rose and Apollo appeared in its silvery light and transformed them. "This is a good time to worship" he smiled.
They headed to the site Mirakos had found and Ali took the honour of making the first of the five sacrifices and consecrating the place to Apollo's worship. As the stag died, the flames leapt high, each of the five babes were confirmed and presented in turn and Apollo's wise face stared down at them from the cliff face where he had appeared as if carved in stone. Nabis junior and Thor, the same as the other three babies, were fretful and obviously in pain afterwards but they were confirmed as true Spartans and welcomed by the joined families.
As the night stretched, each new priest performed his sacrifice, Simon first, killing his goat with practised ease. Once the killing, the bathing and the fire ritual were complete he and Jason retreated to a shadowy alcove at the back of the cave, Thor held gently by his grandfather Hyacinth as his parents made love in sight of Apollo, finally completing what Simon had begun months previously when the babe was still in the womb.
Carme and Awhain followed suit, baby Nabis being minded by his elder namesake, then Clavin's grandson and his partner. Mirakos' younger brother was unpartnered so only had the one sacrifice to make. It was nearly dawn when the final ceremony was completed and the group, bloodied and tired, bathed and cleaned themselves in a stream before taking the butchered animals back to camp ready to be cooked over the next few days.
They stayed together for several weeks, eating well, celebrating, making new friendships, agreeing to travel to different places and try new routes and forging new and improved weapons. Several people made themselves shields in the style that Ali's family used, others constructed bows as Red demonstrated and of course there were plenty of swords and daggers made and sharpened. They tanned leather, travelled several days in each direction to gather and purchase food and spent their money freely.
Stories, histories and experiences were shared and collected. Many, especially those in Clavin's family, were fascinated by Claisa and Paul's story and gave thanks for Apollo's wisdom and judgement in what was undoubtedly such a difficult and heart rending situation. They had their own stories to tell of the peoples of the far north and the distant east, whom they'd met on various journeys, learned from and travelled alongside.
"I'd like to head east one day" Hardwin smiled to Mirakos as they listened to the tales.
"How far east?" Mirakos asked.
"As far as you can go!" Hardwin laughed. "But not yet, I'd still like to visit my family, for the next few years at least."
Mirakos kissed him gently. "Of course, dear heart, of course."
Ali shared what he knew of the Amazons, his family having encountered the women before when travelling across the desert. He was fascinated to learn of the quest to collect the two girls who had been put in Gaia's family's care. "They said their goddess had guided them" Hyacinth explained. "They have active communication with her just as we do with Apollo."
"I never learned Her name but I knew they communicated with her, I met a group of her priestesses who instructed me in as much of their lore as an outsider was permitted to know" Ali replied.
"We were privileged to learn Her name from the priestess who travelled with the group" Hyacinth told the older priest, "but we swore not to share it or record it."
"I was never told Her name" Ali explained, "they keep their secrets well. And even though in my youth I travelled through the forests to the south of the great desert I never once came across so much as a footpath to their city. But I guess that is as it should be, our god and their goddess in Their wisdom chose different paths for their children and different ways of protecting us" he said philosophically.
Towards the end of the summer they separated and travelled on, vowing to meet again in the same place five years hence. The gap would give them chance to explore and see places they hadn't been to for several years, would give the local humans chance to forget about the strange tribe of men that lived in the forest that summer and would give the forest itself, bare from the foraging they'd done, chance to recover. As they parted there were many comments and wishes and goodbyes but Simon said it last and said it best.
"You know, when I first learned that you lived the life of a nomad I thought it was sad that you had no home of your own. But I now know that I was wrong. We have the whole world as our home. Why should we limit ourselves to four walls and a roof when we have every inch of the world to explore?"
Both he and Jason were astride their horses, the day's outriders, with the road stretching to the horizon in front of them. "Well, love" Jason smiled, gesturing to the road, "shall we explore?"
"I'd love to" Simon smiled as he spurred his horse onwards.
The end... almost
EPILOGUE
Most of the family members travelled throughout their lives, never putting down roots, never staying in one place for very long. The primary exception to this were Cleopas and Red, who, when their three sons were ten, twelve and fifteen years old respectively, took over the operation of a small tavern near a crossroads. Red taught the family what he remembered of brewing and as ever his prodigious memory made the task of recalling the things he'd learned as a small, abused slave boy easy and their beer became a very good quality brew. Their sons left to join uncles and cousins on the road but made a point of returning to spend winters by the hearth with their parents.
. . .
Sophia and Martha travelled first by sea and then camel train to the mysterious city of the Amazons in central Africa and after only momentary homesickness they settled happily into their new lives. Both had two daughters, and the girls were given the names Gaya, Elas, Cleo and Simone in honour of the Spartans.
. . .
Marcus' youngest son, Maia, bonded with another Spartan and they had four sons between them. Maia's eldest birth-son was named Myron Maiason. Their family was a stable one and almost a millennia and a half after Maia lived in and travelled through Western and Central Europe, his descendent Matthew Mikeson, father of Daniel Matthewson and father-in-law to Sam Apolloson was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, in the April of 1946. Matthew always bemoaned what he termed the 'curse of the M's' that seemed to doom all members of the family to have a name beginning with the same letter, however he never realised quite how far back into his family history the tradition extended . . .
. . .
Hardwin and Mirakos spent several years travelling around Europe and visiting Hardwin's parents each summer. With the death of Hardwin's father they finally chose to leave Europe and followed Mirakos' kin across the sea to the land of the Moors and Arabia. Later in their lives they and their family became respected Silk Route traders and made the long journey to China many times. Their two sons both bonded with humans of Chinese extraction.
. . .
Paul and Claisa only had one son, named Paul Claisason to honour both his parents. The couple were together for a little over twenty years until Paul died of old age in his fifties. He did not regain his sight or speech but still lived contentedly, never once regretting his choice, most often to be seen with a placid, happy expression as he skilfully manipulated whatever leatherwork he was doing with an ease that even sighted craftsmen would envy. After prayers to Apollo, Paul junior was granted the ability to hear his siring father's thoughts in his fourth summer. After that he often would go to sleep in Paul senior's arms as the mute man sang gentle lullabies through his child's mind.
. . .
Ajax and Lykurgos, when they were both in their twenties, met and travelled together with two human brothers who were their partners and despite the more normal Spartan instinct to be totally loyal to one's life partner, the pair were still intimate with each other their entire lives. However no lies were told or secrets kept and their human mates often joined in, or at the very least observed, the pleasures that were exchanged. Each couple had one son who, although they could not help but be aware of the special relationship their four fathers shared, entered more standard, monogamous relationships when they reached adulthood.
. . .
Simon and Jason, well, they were special. Not that they themselves ever realised it during their lifetimes. They had three living sons, two borne by Jason and one by Simon. It was Simon's borne-son, Peter, who made the decision later in his life to travel with his own partner, children and grandchildren across the English Channel and set up home in the British Isles. They moved around the fledgling nations that fought for control of the islands on the western edge of continental Europe and by the nineteenth century had established a firm family base in the north of England. In 1954 in Burnley, Lancashire, England one of their descendents by the name of James Phillipson was born, thus fulfilling Apollo's prophecy...
Jason, at the beginning of his relationship with a human-Simon, had been told by Apollo that if Simon made the right choice it would ensure the future of the Spartan race. The birth of James Phillipson, a child descended from Simon and Jason as his ultimate grandparents, was the man that Apollo had waited for throughout many long centuries. James was unique among Spartans, having the ability to undertake that most gruesome of tasks - he was the only man alive at the point of Apollo's near-demise who had the courage and faith to sacrifice a man, and his own life partner besides, to his God.
Apollo had, millennia earlier, foreseen the exposure of the Spartan people and his own decline into oblivion. He knew when Jason first prayed for his human partner that the couple would be key to providing the instrument by which Apollo would save both himself and his people. It often seemed ironic to the God that His own life and the safe, secure future of the men of Sparta had once been solely dependent on the last-gasped word of a human, formerly-Christian, monk.
. . .
Check back in the future for the upcoming Sons of Sparta, A Story of the Spartans - Book 4 (which is still in progress, but the going is slow due to events in my personal life, so please be patient), as well as two more Spartan-themed stories that are still in the works.
We, the writters, want to thank all of you for your fanmail and readership and look forward to providing you with the further adventures of the Spartans in the months to come.