I don’t look at him. I don’t want to see him. Titus, my false hope.

Before he can get another word in, I hear the stomping of metal against stone across the courtyard, and I see Titus spin around immediately.

I look up and and see the two armored guards from the throne room stepping into the courtyard. Their metal boots rumble as they walk, and behind them stands the magistros.

“I’ve changed my mind,” the magistros shouts, as if making a great announcement.

I see Titus’ body tighten, his muscles flexing. He looks around at the eunuch and the women, and then he spares a glance toward me before turning back toward the magistros.

The magistros is wearing armored legs, but he’s naked above the waist save for a purple cloak wrapped around his shoulders and joined by a golden chain across his chest. He’s holding a large spear in his hand, and when he sees me looking at him, he smiles.

I look away at once, and I hear him laughing.

“She’s shy!” he says, cackling.

The metal boots of the magistros and his guards stomp toward us, stopping only a few footsteps from us. Even though I don’t trust Titus anymore, I still feel relief when I realize he’s standing between the Magistros and me.

“What are his excellency’s new plan?” the eunuch asks.

“Ah, yes!” the magistros says. “We’re going hunting. I want to show my new prize that I can do more than sit on a throne. Besides, nothing hardens my spear like killing a myrmilidon.”

“Hunting?” Titus asks. “In the capital?”

“Of course not,” the magistros says. “In the imperial forest.”

* * *

The “flying machine” we are loaded into has no wings, though it does have a curved nose and a sleek shape that implies it can somehow fly. Titus and I are shoved in first, along with three other horned men in loincloths wearing masks like Titus. The armored guards order us all the way through, and we pass luxurious seats and couches covered in what looks like silk and soft furs. There are no windows that I can see, and as we near the back of the craft, we reach a row of individual seats–sized to sit big teal aliens rather than humans.

“Sit,” a guard grunts.

When I go to sit, he grabs my arm. “Not you.”

He shoves Titus and the other men in loincloths forward, and they seat themselves.

Titus tries to get my attention, and I do meet his eyes this time. He widens his strange violet eyes at me, and his expression seems to be full of meaning...but I can’t read it.

I shake my head at him to tell him I don’t understand, and just as he starts to mouth words silently, the guard pulls me away.

“The Magistros wants to show you something,” he grunts as he pulls me back toward the fur-covered seats.

The Magistros has sat down on a large couch covered in plush furs. The guard pulls me toward it, implying heavily that I should sit down.

I do not.

“Sit,” the Magistros says, his voice and smile friendly as can be.

“I’m fine,” I say.

“Indeed you are,” the Magistros says, “Now sit.”

He grabs me and pulls me down beside him. I’m still several inches from him, but I fear he’s going to just grab me and pull me into him. My heart pounds as I wait for him to grab or grope me, and even when he doesn’t, my fear doesn’t die down.

“Look,” he says, and he waves a hand.

The entire wall in front of us, and floor below us, disappears. At first I think we’re going to fall and die, because I can see a huge city thousands of feet below us. Then I realize it’s some kind of window, just perfectly clear. We’re not moving, just floating in air.

“I didn’t feel us take off,” I say, panting and terrified.

“You can’t feel it with this ship,” he says. “It’s one of the best.”

I glance toward the back of the cabin, toward Titus.

“Eyes on me,” the Magistros hisses.

I look toward him again, not that I want to, but because I fear what he might do to me if I don’t look at him.

“Now look at the capital,” he says, holding out his hand.

I do look, mostly just glad to have permission to look away from him.

The city below us is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Some of the buildings are so tall that they reach halfway up toward us. There are no clouds, but if there were, thee buildings would pierce through them.

There are almost no other flying machines anywhere–no flying cars or anything like that. We’re high in the air, but still low enough that I can make out the details of many of the buildings. Some of them look like ancient buildings from Earth: Babylonian ziggurats, Egyptian pyramids, or Byzantine cathedrals. Others look like buildings that could never have been built on Earth...at least not yet.

“Ah,” the Magistros says. “I see you are impressed.”

He waves his hand again, and my view is taken away as the floor and wall becomes opaque again. I’m forced to look back up at him, because I know if I don’t, he might get angry.

“You might be wondering why I haven’t taken you yet,” he says.

He smiles, but I tremble inside.

“I’m wearing this armor so I won’t be tempted,” he says, pointing to his armored legs. “Only my honor guard can remove the armor, and I’ve ordered them to swear on their honor to only remove it after I’ve killed a myrmilidon.”

I don’t want to hear him. I don’t want to be here. I wish the wall would disappear again, and that I could simply jump out to get away from him. I feel my skin crawling. I no longer feel comforted that Titus is here. I’m alone, and this horrible man is going to “take me” after he kills whatever the hell a myrmilidon is.

He leans in toward me and sniffs. I lean back away from him as much as I dare.

“Your smell is truly intoxicating. I assure you that my spear is harder than the armor which covers it. My seed will explode like it never has before, all over you.

I start shaking uncontrollably.

“Or perhaps inside you,” he whispers. “I’ve heard you have a hole which self-lubricates–”

I jump off the couch and scream.

One of the armored guards grabs me and slams me so hard against the wall that my ears ring.

I see, from the corner of my vision, Titus jumping up from his seat, but my vision goes black when the guard slams me into the wall even harder.