The Lycian Prince 17-18

Anthonius spent the next hour or so sitting alone in the hut. His mouth had enticed Zeni to feed him three separate and delicious quantities of boy sperm but he had been given nothing else and was now very hungry, especially as any other sustenance his body might otherwise have retained had been expelled overnight. Then the old man entered carrying a thin leather cord. He grabbed Anthonius’ hair and pulled the boy into a standing position, before kneeling to tie the cord very tightly round the lad’s ball sac whilst avoiding the soft penis. Tears appeared again in Anthonius’ eyes as the old man left and the next half an hour was very uncomfortable for the boy as his balls started to ache and turn red.

Anthonius heard noises outside and peered through the little hole to see what was happening. He saw that the old man was dragging a heavy table out of his hut, with difficulty but apparent eventual success as he brought it to rest in the middle of the yard outside. Anthonius could see that the table had four leather restraints at each corner and was heavily bloodstained but did not put the accumulating evidence together until he saw the old man return to his hut and re-emerge with a small bowl with a knife resting on top. The boy looked down at his hurting balls, becoming an even deeper red, and realised that the chieftain did not want to return to his homeland with a young white boy but with a young white eunuch.

Anthonius was on the verge of panic. He knew that he had to escape but how? The hut was windowless and the locked door was the only exit. He peered again through the hole and saw the black chieftain and his entourage approaching the yard from their camp, presumably to watch the castration performed. Anthonius now did panic. He threw himself hard against the door in an effort to open it but just rebounded onto the floor. He scrambled back to his feet and was about to attack the door again when it suddenly opened. Anthonius recoiled in terror, expecting the old man to be there to collect him. However, it was Zeni’s face that appeared. The black boy grabbed Anthonius by an arm and tried to lead him towards the door. Anthonius resisted until he saw the imploring look in Zeni’s eyes and realised.

The two boys ran quickly out and headed for the rocky escarpment behind the hut. They heard shouts from behind but did not at first look back as they scrambled up the slope, Zeni still holding Anthonius’ arm to help the bound white boy to retain his balance. However, both looked back when they heard the sound of a dog barking. The terrified pair did not see a mere dog running towards them but a huge black hound, jaws agape, drooling spittle and revealing malevolently sharp teeth, and leaving the chasing group of men and boys well behind. Anthonius and Zeni had almost reached the top of the incline when they discovered that the quicker hound was almost upon them. Zeni turned to face the monster, producing a small knife from under his tunic. The hound jumped at him and boy and creature fought each other viciously on the ground, with the bound Anthonius standing by helplessly. Hwever, the fight was short as Zeni managed to cut through the hound’s neck arteries.

The black boy struggled to stand up. He was covered in blood and much of it was his own for he had been severely mauled. It was obvious that he could hardly walk let alone run and the chasers were approaching fast. Zeni looked at Anthonius and, recognising that he was now an impediment to escape, shouted his version of the white boy’s name and plunged the knife into his own belly. Anthonius had not seen it for a long time but instantly recognised the look in the dying lad’s eyes as he continued his stare whilst falling to the ground. It was one not of anguish but of love. Anthonius’ initial instinct was to rush to his friend but the chasers were now very close and he realised that to do so would be to desecrate his sacrifice. Anthonius therefore turned on his heels and ran over the brow of the escarpment, tears flowing liberally down his cheeks.

Chapter 18 – North (Hist, CBT)

Anthonius ran and ran, in a rough northerly direction, and his natural speed and stamina eventually made him disappear from his chaser’s view amidst the large rocks and scrub of the surrounding land, despite his bondage and the torment in his groin. After about three-quarters of an hour, he came to the edge of a narrow valley along the middle of which ran a dusty road. A lone Arab was riding a camel, and pulling another, north along the road. Anthonius’ balls had now turned purple and the pain was intense. The boy knew that he had no choice but to seek help and prayed to his gods that this man would be of different character to his previous Arab rescuer. The Arab himself was very surprised to observe a naked white boy run down the valley side towards him, and even more surprised to perceive his state as he neared.

Anthonius knelt before the Arab’s now stationary camel and pleaded in both Latin and Greek “Please help me!” The Arab paused, taking in the sight before him, before tapping his camel with his whip. The animal sat down to let the man dismount. The Arab withdrew a knife from a scabbard attached to his belt and approached the kneeling boy. Anthonius scrambled to his feet intending to flee but something in the man’s eyes stopped him. The man came up and aimed his knife at the boy’s almost black genitals. Anthonius closed his eyes before screaming and falling to the ground in acute agony.

The Arab stood over the howling and doubled-up boy but knew that he could do nothing until the blood had fully returned to the lad’s scrotum. When the boy eventually quietened, the man gently encouraged him into a standing position and knelt to inspect the damage. “You’re lucky,” he said pleasantly in good Greek, “it looks as if we cut the tie off just in time to save your balls. Lack of blood would soon have killed them.” He stood again, looked at the boy’s shackles and said “I can’t do anything about the metal collar or wrist manacles but I can cut the chains that link them. Go over to that rock and lie on it face up.” Anthonius complied whilst the Arab collected a large curved sword from a scabbard on his camel and used it to slice the chains. The relief in the boy’s arms as he gingerly brought his hands down and round to his front was profound.

The Arab led Anthonius to his camel, gave him some water and advised “You can have more with some food when we’re on the move as we mustn’t remain here long.” The man collected a plain tunic from a bag attached to the second camel and continued “I bought it for my son who’s about your size. Put it on.” Anthonius was glad of the covering as he would never lose the shame of being unwillingly naked in front of others. The Arab brought the second camel to its knees and helped the boy to mount, before fulfilling his promise of more water and food. They then set off towards the north.

When dusk came, the Arab made camp helped by the recovered boy. They ate a plain but filling meal before a large fire because the night was cold, and it was soon time for sleep. However, the Arab explained “Alas, I only have enough blankets to keep one warm overnight so you’ll have to snuggle up with me.” He saw the concern on the boy’s face and dispelled it by saying “I have to admit that if you had girl’s equipment between your legs, you might not be safe next to me. However, my nature is such that, despite your beauty, the equipment that you do possess means that you’ll be unharmed.” Both laughed and Anthonius was quickly asleep under the blanket, curled up in the warmth of the man’s body.

They arrived in the port of Oea three days later to discover that Diocletian and his army was still in the province but at Leptis Magna to the east. However, Oea’s Roman governor was aware that the Emperor had sent men to search the whole coastline for signs of his boy favourite and was happy to provide a ship so that the two could be reunited. He knew that he could expect a significant dividend in return. The Arab also received a large reward, some of which he used to provide his son with a much better education than would otherwise have been possible. Anthonius was never to discover that his chance encounter with the man was ultimately to produce one of the greatest of pre-Muslim Arab thinkers, responsible for many worthy philosophies and inventions that have passed down to the modern age.

(To be continued in Chapter 19 – ‘Sura’)