The Centurion: Book II

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This article is part of The Centurion Cycle series.

Book II: Domus

This is the second book of the series.

Chapter 01 - The Circle

While Domus had a society built around war, it protects its children from
that reality until they reach the age of 21. Domus, with its massive
Home Guard to police and protect it, it was a place of innocence compared
to the outside world.

Those customs also applied to sex. As custom dictated, enforced by the
harshest of punishments, no Centurion adult was allowed to initiate
intimate contact with an uncircumcised male. Since a young man does not
undergo the ceremony until his twenty-first year, that became the age of
consent. That did not mean that men younger than twenty-one reached that
age with their virginity intact. Centurion youths were notorious for
their sexual adventurism when they began their training at one of the
Empire's many military schools and even at the Academy where future
Centurion officers and Legatio youths are schooled.

A Study of Law and Customs in Domus... by Melkior, first High Ambassador.

Chapter 02 - Anima

My Legatio I give my years to thee
For the preciousness of your love
For the touch of your skin
To bond with you and make myself yours.
My Centurion. I accept my living after you are gone.
My one and only bond I hand to you
May you protect me from all harm
May our love sustain me past the years after you depart

A Centurion love poem to a Legatio.

Chapter 03 - The First Lesson

"But I want to be like you. Why can't I be a warrior?"

A dialogue between Jason and Philip.

Chapter 04 - The Legatio

100 by 100 squares Mark the senate floor,
100 by 100 years Have stood its ceiling and floors,
100 by 100 laws Have made Domus strong,
100 by 100 Peoples brought into empire's sun,
100 by 100 Senators Buried under, its tomb hard and cold,
10 by 100 by 100 by 10 Legatio have served us well
And will since then 

The reading said at each opening of the Senate.

Chapter 05 - The Field Marshals

"Where it takes the Centurion's three Field Marshals and 400,000 armed men
to rule over Domus, we Legatio require only our voice to change the
direction of the Empire."

Senator Perils addressing the Domus Senate.

Chapter 06 - A New Home

While the Legatio lived in the grandest of mansions
The Famulus lived in what housing they could afford or find
The Centurions lived either in the barracks outside the city
or in their own quarter off the capital.

There, men, based on their rank, lived in houses that were like miniature
fortresses, with thick walls, food to last a year's siege, and a cache of
weapons to fight with. Living in such an environment ensured that the
Centurions would never forget the ever present danger of war and the need
for discipline.

A study of Domus architecture.

Chapter 07 - Alex

"No... you are already sixteen...  You cannot live here a day longer.  Why
do you think I sent your brothers away when they became fourteen?  Do you
think you are a Legatio!  You are too old to be living with me...  Now go!"

Alex's father Helios, sending Alex away on his 16th birthday.

Chapter 08 - Conspiracies Revealed

  Perils did not want to be friends with the Centurions. He wanted to
enslave them. Jason had been a part of that plan, but it now was clear
that he was going to have to be an unwilling partner in it.

Chapter 09 - The Rage of Revenge

"I see... you are in a good mood this morning."

A dialogue between Philip and Jason.

Chapter 10 - Bread from the Rooftops

"I feel so cold...have I died? Did my mother kill me and all I have
experienced was heaven? But now that they know I am a bad person, maybe
they sent me to hell. I want Melissa... Melissa would tell me what to do...
Why has not Philip come back for me? Does he love me? Do I love him?
Do I love me?"

Jason: an internal debate while in the dark void of his prison cell.

Chapter 11 - The Trial

The power of the Legatio Senate derives from the fact that all laws are
written by that esteemed body. That power is restricted, however, by the
ability of the Field Marshals to pass laws by decree. Only when the three
are divided among themselves can the Senate use its influence and act to
bring about a resolution...

An excerpt from "The Legatio's Sword", written by Senator Perils.

Chapter 12 - The Famulus

"Bed-warmer?" Jason asked, having never heard the term.
"A prostitute." Alex smirked.

Chapter 13 - The Legatio and the Famulus

"He called us his family."  Philip grinned, trying to hold back his tears.

Chapter 14 - The Weapon Smith

While the law bans the use of weapons by Famulus, nothing prevents them
from forging them. In fact, some of the finest weapons are not made by
Centurions, but by their servants. So is the balance of power maintained.

Melkior: First High Ambassador.

Chapter 15 - The Commandant

  "So because I ask questions and want to learn how to fight, the
Centurions think I want to become their lovers."
  "That is the custom," Kristen sighed.
  Now beet-red with embarrassment Jason asked Kirsten for advice.
"What should I do?"

Chapter 16 - A Departure

"Just follow my lead?"  Alex grinned, his tanned body aglow under the
white moon's light moonlight.