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Chapter 65 – Lottery
(December 291 A.D. – 3 months until Anthonius’ nullification [?]) The frightened Anthonius was brought by his priestly escorts to a wide side stairwell down which they descended before proceeding along another passageway, also adorned with Priapic phallic symbols of both the artificial and real kind. A door was eventually reached upon which one of the priests knocked. The entrance was opened and Anthonius immediately appreciated that beyond was what appeared to be a small shrine. The Highpriest, dressed similarly to the priests although his black robe displayed an even larger red insignia, was sat on a wooden throne, with Priapic carvings, flanked by two acolytes and in front of a high free-standing phallus. Behind the large edifice, a downpour of sacred Nile water ran from a hole in the ceiling into a circular low-walled bath, from which the liquid emptied rapidly through small drainage apertures. It was a form of primitive constantly running shower. There were also the usual carvings and bowls containing young genitalia in cubby-holes on the walls. The quaking Anthonius was brought before the Highpriest. The boy knew, from his lessons in ritual from the youthful eunuch, whom he would not see anymore, what he had to do. After his arms were released by the priests, the lad bowed and awaited instruction, now also being conversant with the rudimentaries of the local language. He would not have to prostrate himself before any of the liturgy unless he became a Priapic penalslave, officially remaining a Roman Imperial boy companion in the interim. The escorting priests departed leaving Anthonius alone with the Highpriest and his pair of 15 years old acolytes. The latter were not, unlike the Priapic priesthood, permanent fixtures in the temple. Boys who met the usual physical stipulations could be nominated by their families to serve Priapus for two years in such a capacity. Each priest was allocated a pair to assist them with their duties, which never included sexual favours as this was regarded as sacrilegious and, anyway, there were plenty of Priapic male prostitutes to satisfy such needs. Acceptance for and service in the role was considered a great honour, and former acolytes were granted privileges within wider Nubian society not granted to others, securing for many much better livelihoods than could otherwise be expected. “I shall inspect you!” announced the smiling Highpriest and Anthonius, having practised the ritual whilst at sea, placed his hands on his head, causing his short tunic to rise so that the bottom of his loincloth flaps became visible. He counted silently to ten before turning to his right, hands still on head. He recounted the same number before again turning to the right so that the Highpriest could view his rear. Two more rightward movements and counts of ten brought the boy back facing the liturgical threesome. Anthonius then removed his tunic, throwing it to one side, and repeated the exercise, covered by just his skimpy loincloth. The boy’s hidden cock embarrassingly expanded further as he followed the procedure, which, once completed, was again replicated but without the benefit of his detachable loincloth flaps. He saw the smirks on the faces of the two acolytes as they perceived the clear outline of aroused 15 years old genitalia under the remaining sparse undercloth. Anthonius blushed from head to toe as he finally removed his last cover to begin to complete the inspection routine, nude and exhibiting a throbbing erection. As previously instructed, when his back was turned to the Highpriest, the boy bent over and used his hands to spread his bumcheeks so that the man could check the still remarkably tight and pink, but far from virgin, sphincter. He also advanced towards his examiner one he had resumed a face-forward position. The Highpriest picked up a metal spatula-like implement, which he used to inspect Anthonius’ excited genitals very intimately, lifting up the cock to look at the underneath and weighing the balls inside the delicious curves of the nicely hanging and clearly defined orbs of the boy’s scrotum. Despite now being 15 years old, the smooth hairlessness of the lad’s body and sexual organs had been carefully maintained by both Diocletian’s and Ebana’s nullified black eunuchs through daily application of appropriate very effective herbal creams, whose formulas have been sadly lost over time. After the conclusion of the genital examination, Anthonius finished the inspection ritual by stepping backwards and bowing again. “You may receive purification!” declared the Highpriest and the two grinning acolytes, delighted at the delicious sight of the first white they had ever seen, a beautiful specimen adorned with erotic gold rings and brandmarks, now took control of matters and moved towards the naked boy. Each held one of the lad’s arms and guided him to the purification area. Anthonius had been trained in this rite as well and, arms released, bowed before the downpour before stepping underneath it. His body immediately developed goosepimples and shivered because the water, despite the high temperatures outside, was cool. The boy counted silently to thirty before turning to his right. Another ninety seconds and three further rightward movements saw him able to step out of the sacred water but not to be dried by artificial means. It was sacrosanct that his chilled nude body had to dry naturally, although one of the acolytes did restore his golden silky but very damp hair to some form of order with a comb. Anthonius was now subjected to further ritualistic inspections in front of the Highpriest, first still nude, second with his full loincloth, but not his tunic, restored, before his hands and elbows were tied together behind him. The bondage was not to prevent escape but to deter masturbation as the offering was to be kept celibate. After bowing again to the man, the boy was led by the acolytes out of the shrine to a nearby empty cell, clean but devoid of amenities. The sturdy wooden door, with a tiny window, was opened and the lad pushed inside. He heard the door locked behind him. Anthonius sat in a corner of the dark room, the only illumination coming through the door window from the oil lamps and torches in the corridor outside. The boy moved his legs up against his body for warmth and began to cry. His feeling of foreboding being added to by his sense of lonely despairing desolation. Anthonius would be subjected to the inspection and purification rites every day that he remained in the temple. For the next six days, these were supplemented by subsequent brief ritualistic dancing, unaccompanied by music, so that the Highpriest could check the boy’s proficiency, as such activity would be a key integral part of later public ceremonial. The man was very surprised at the lad’s ability as he had never seen anyone better. Anthonius was also taken the following evening to see that day’s genital sacrifice ceremony through a small open window next to the entrance through which the ceremonial participants arrived in the huge roofed amphitheatre. It was a viewing location not visible from the crowded spectator terraces, full of feasting black faces. Anthonius saw several young temple male prostitutes, attired in black loincloths with red Priapic motif, perform quite a decent, albeit lengthy, erotic dancing routine to accompanying percussion music. The pretty sacrificial offering, about 14 years old and dressed in an obverse coloured loincloth, was then unbound from two stakes, situated several paces in front of the altar, to which the boy had been attached spreadeagled facing the entertainment. Two acolytes led the clearly terrified lad before the genital guillotine, itself just in front of a monumental black stone altar phallus. The youngster was presented with the red cloth bag with Priapic emblem that contained 64 balls, one of which would decide his destiny. His shaking right hand reached inside and he slowly pulled out a sphere. To everyone’s disappointment, except his own and the watching white boy’s, the object was painted black. Anthonius therefore had to be returned the next day to observe but again a black ball was retrieved. However, the 13 years old on the former Prince’s third viewing was not so lucky. The young, now uselessly struggling, naked offering was fixed immovably to the genital guillotine, his lovely smooth sexual organs displayed nicely through the tight-fitting chopping hole. The triggering mechanism was attached to the end of his erection, boosted by many days of forced celibacy and infusion of strong aphrodisiacs, and the little bag of excited bees was suspended from the rigid penis. An acolyte placed a small red bowl with Priapic emblem in front of the cockhead to gather the inevitable semen, another similar dish having already been situated on the ground underneath to collect the inevitable severed genitalia. Anthonius could see from the sacrificial victim’s facial contortions that he was desperately trying to fight off orgasm but his cock was still expanding as a result of the vibrations being felt throughout its throbbing length. The boy suddenly screamed as he came and, despite the wild shouting from many of the thousands of excited watchers, he heard the trigger release the emasculating blade. The lad fainted just after the razor-sharp implement had swiftly completed its work for the day. The Highpriest advanced to collect the bowl from the ground to walk around the ceremonial area, with the dish held high so that everyone could view the neatly severed organs. Meanwhile, priests attended to the unconscious victim to ensure that another young black nullified eunuch was available for auction. The secret of their success in regularly managing this feat, which had defied the Romans, was quick and efficient cauterisation followed by frequent subsequent cleaning of the terrible injury using herbal salves. The Nubians had realised the importance of such careful attention at a time when bloody wounds were generally treated more cursorily and unhygienically. The shocked Anthonius, observing the scene from his window, realised that what he had just seen would happen to him, but with more trimmings, in 3 months unless his own lottery draw proved more favourable. However, he also knew that the odds were very much against him. Anthonius was not required to watch the next two days’ ceremonies but was again a guest at that taking place on the winter solstice when the one current penalslave, awaiting the sacred ruling regarding his own unmanning, was to discover his fate. The former Prince saw the pretty black 14 years old dance before making his own draw. The ball was red but the boy did not struggle as he was stripped of his loincloth and tied spreadeagled to the two stakes, this time facing the altar, seemingly having accepted his fate long ago as he too had faced odds of 63:1. Leather guards were attached to the penalslave’s shoulders and the trained sacred cheetah, massive member already rampant in anticipation, was brought in to resounding cheering. Screaming was the prominent sound after the animal rose on its hind legs to mount the boy, although mercifully not for long as the recipient of the creature’s sexual attentions fainted. The priests were not able to revive the lad fully until the creature had finished and withdrawn, leaving a vast amount of sperm both inside the victim and running down the insides of his legs. However, once the 14 years old had regained full consciousness and the cheetah had departed to more enhanced shouting, some priests began the genital torture that would precede the genital sacrifice. Anthonius closed his eyes as he could not watch any more. He somehow knew that he would suffer the same ordeal at the vernal equinox, having spent an almost equally discomforting interim three months. Tears flowed down the white boy’s cheeks. Anthonius himself, as he knew, was to be the centre of ritual in the sacred amphitheatre on the following day. For the occasion, he was dressed as a Lycian Prince above the loincloths of a Roman Imperial boy companion. He had last worn the royal attire to stripdance from at one of Diocletian’s banquets, deliberately arranged by Casperius and Lysus to emphasise the boy’s loss of status and degradation. It was now worn here to stress the unprecedented importance of the offering to Priapus. Anthonius had to go through the inspection and purification rituals before being attired and escorted by the Highpriest and acolytes to the packed expectant sacred amphitheatre. The sound inside was already extremely loud before the quartet arrived. As the double entrance doors from the bowels of the temple to the ceremonial area were swung open and the small party advanced through, the sound reached a crescendo, with even Ebana, in the royal box, cheering loudly. Anthonius was eventually left alone in the middle of the ceremonial area, the huge black altar phallus and bloody genital guillotine in front of him, the royal box behind, above the entrance doors, and many thousands of raucous Nubians all around. The crude percussion music began and the boy started his long erotic ritualistic stripdance, well-executed, whilst the spectators were partially quietened by the arrival of the first of their many feast courses. Anthonius’ face became redder and redder, and not from exertion, as he gradually disrobed before the massive tumultuous throng until he was left wearing only his skimpy loincloth. It was be the first time that most of the spectators had seen the boy’s uncovered body and many wondered loudly if all whites were so delicious and adorned with such jewellery and brands. The boy’s intense discomfort was compounded by observing the many severed black sexual organs displayed all around the ceremonial area in dishes of preservative. The music finally finished to announce Anthonius’ first fateful moment in this terrible place. The tremulous boy was presented with the bag of 63 red balls and single white sphere. The choice of one of the former would mean penal servitude for life in this terrible place, with another similar draw in three months, after much harsh treatment in between, to determine whether he kept his genitals. Selection of the white orb would entail a return to Diocletian. The boy prayed to his gods as he placed his right hand in the bag. To cheering that seemed to cause the huge building to vibrate, the withdrawn ball was then seen to be red. Chapter 66 – Cratinus (February 292 A.D. – 1 month until Anthonius’ nullification [?]) Cratinus and the sole surviving member of his gang of urchins had been terrified to learn that men, including soldiers, had been enquiring about and apparently searching for them. They had therefore tried their best to avoid discovery, not knowing what they could have done to elicit such interest. Their thieving had not been different to that conducted by the many street waifs in similar awful situations. No violence had occurred and nothing of tremendous value secured. The duo were betrayed for some money by the leader of a gang that slept in a riverbank cave next to their own. The terrified boys were wakened to find four men with torches peering over them, two being Praetorians. All knew that it was common practice for soldiers to cull regularly the city’s itinerant population. Cratinus and his friend thought that their lives were now forfeit. However, this was far from the case. It had taken Sebastian’s secret Christian friends six months to fulfil Anthonius’ penultimate request to his mother, conveyed verbally by the Praetorian intermediary, the ultimate wish, the rescue of Sura from Diocletian’s clutches, having already been achieved. The filthy duo quickly realised that the men were not concerned with their deaths but rather their welfare and they allowed themselves to be led from their dirty smelly hovel to a completely new life. The two rancid boys were despatched south to Neapolis in a horse-drawn wagon. They reached the city late the following afternoon to be greeted by Queen Irene and Sura in the sanctuary of the home of Sebastian’s rich mercantile friend. Anthonius’ mother, with the help of her handmaidens and the young eunuch, quickly supervised the duo’s bathing and grooming, overcoming the embarrassed lads’ resistance to having their rags removed. The end result was two immaculately clean but blushing pretty boys, sweetly perfumed and redressed in expensive well-tailored tunics, undergarments and sandals. Sura had been especially amused by the proceedings. The rich merchant had been particularly attracted by Cratinus’ 15 years old features, now fully revealed in all their glory. Meanwhile, the kind Arab had just discovered that Anthonius’ mother and sister had escaped Diocletian’s clutches in Rome and that the boy’s departure to Nubia and his destiny had been unnecessary. The man traded with Nubia for many of his spices and had a vessel sailing there to obtain more. The journey normally took at least a month and a half. The kind Arab offered the ship’s captain and crew huge bonuses if they could transport him to Ebania by the vernal equinox. Queen Irene, Princess Anthonia and Sura were later to leave the rich merchant’s protection to visit the secret Christian communities throughout the Empire and to try to propagate their faith. They did not force their beliefs on anyone and Cratinus remained a lifelong atheist, not believing that there could be a god, given the human misery that he had seen and endured. He and his companion remained with the merchant, both happy to enjoy his loving attentions in return for lives now of privilege not suffering. Cratinus and his companion eventually inherited their patron’s great wealth and, whilst the latter concentrated on successfully continuing and developing the lucrative business, the former decided to do something with his inheritance and on-going share of profits to alleviate the plight of the street children of the Empire. Starting small with soup kitchens in both Neapolis and Rome, he eventually established a network of orphanages, becoming one of the great humanist benefactors of his time, aided by donations from many of his late patron’s Christian friends and their acquaintances. However, before he embarked upon this activity at the age of twenty, he felt that there was a debt of gratitude that he had to pay the person who had been responsible for his own salvation. In 297 A.D., whilst walking alone to the ‘House of Ganymede’ for an evening of pleasurable entertainment, Casperius had his throat cut whilst traversing a quiet middle-class thoroughfare. The perpetrator of the murder was never found. (To be continued in chapter 67 – ‘Penalslavery’)
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