It was very early morning, the sun was not yet peeking over the mountains to the east.
Rhesus shot up from his overnight sleeping place with a deep husky growl. He could feel something very warm and growing beginning to twirl about in the back of his throat. The intensity was swelling, and it felt like something that demanded release. His anger. It was causing the intense sensation.
He turned to the stranger sleeping on the other side of the campfire, now a smoldering pile of charred wood and ashes with a few red glowing ambers still visible. Seeing the man caused his anger to intensify. He continued to feel the ball of energy and heat growing in his windpipe, and it was beginning to tickle and tingle, feeling like he had to cough.
Just then, the man drowsily stirred from his sleep. He opened his eyes and as soon as he saw Rhesus he let out a scream of terror. The man stiffened with fear.
Rhesus could see his reflection in the man's eyes. His throat was glowing with a fiery radiance and rings of smoke were originating from his nostrils and mouth, spiraling down his chest. His teeth were a brilliant white and dangerously elongated and curved. His eyes were now a luminescent turquoise with a ruby, blood-red, rage-filled, blazing center.
As soon as he saw his reflection the blow of it changed his rage to shock and the irritation and pressure in his throat immediately vanished. He grabbed his throat with his hand and stumbled backward a few steps, with windy suspiration.
The man sat up, with harrowing eyes, "What are you?"
Rhesus didn't answer, still breathing heavily. He walked toward the campfire and the man began to scurry backward.
"I'm not going to hurt you … yet." he snapped, glowering at the man.
"Wh-What have I done to upset you?" he rebounded, holding his hands in a pleading manner in front of him as he looked up at Rhesus. "I-I'm just an old man. You can have the money I made at the market yesterday."
Rhesus took another step towards the frightened old man, "Where is Sete?"
"Who? Who is Sete? I don't know what you want from me?" the man pleaded.
"My sister, Sete. You bought her at the auction!" he roared, raising a hand to slap the man.
"You are her brother? I didn't know she had a brother. She is my daughter, now 15 years. I'm so sorry I didn't know. We would have taken you too if we had known. My wife and I, we love her as our own. I promise you. We have loved her since the day we brought her home. We could have adopted a child another way, but we wanted to take a child from the auction who would have otherwise been a slave." he sobbed. "I promise you. I promise we love our daughter. Mintha is loved."
"Sete!" Rhesus screamed in the man's face as he picked him up from the ground by the front of his shirt and raised his hand higher to slap the man across the face, then thinking twice, he loosened his grip and put the man on his wobbly feet.
"Where is she now?" he said, softening his harsh tone.
"She is with my wife Calliope and the market in Rome." he offered, "My name is Jove."
"I want you to take me to my sister," he demanded.
Jove pondered how to respond. "As you are a slave, I can only assume that you ran off?" trying to change the topic.
Rhesus sighed and opened a cask of wine the old man brought with him to the campsite. "I did more than that. I was part of a slave revolt. Everyone in my master's villa, slaughtered."
Jove did not seem surprised. "Are you not afraid you will be discovered by Roman soldiers if you venture in the direction of the city? Surely they are looking for you. You have the mark of a slave. You risk discovery."
Without saying a word, Rhesus picked up a lump of large hot coal from the fire and put it to his own flesh, searing away the mark. He let out a grunt, and spittle escaped through clenched teeth as it burned his skin. When he was satisfied that the mark would be gone, he threw the hot coal back into the fire pit.
Jove now concerned, "If I take you to your sister. I'm putting her at risk. Perhaps it would be best if you come with me to my farm, where you will not be seen." he paused "It is not in the city."
Rhesus nodded.
"Do you intend to take Mintha from us?" Jove asked with sorrow in his voice? "he would not be safe on the run with an escaped slave." he added.
"I want to see her and know she is safe." Rhesus declared.
Hesitantly, the man responded, "Then you shall see it with your own eyes."
Rhesus decided to catch more fish to cook before they mounted their horses and headed south. As he was cooking the fish on spits, the sun breached the eastern mountain and entered the sky.
Rhesus felt another sensation. This one was as if he were being tethered. It felt like he was at the end of a rope, and someone or something was pulling the rope towards itself. It was like a fly being trapped in a spider's web. He swung his arms around wildly, trying to break the connection, but no matter how hard he tried, it only seemed to tangle him up worse. He started to convulse in panic and he fell to the ground, cradling his head in his hands. He passed out for a moment.
When he came to, Jove was squatting next to him, putting a cold wet rag to his forehead. He still felt tethered, but this time he was able to stop panic from setting in. He sat up, took a drink of cool water, looked at Jove, and said, "I have to find a witch."