1000 Lifetimes Ch. 01-06

The two guards left the room and returned dragging a young prisoner, barely out of his teenage years with them. He didn't fight them his spirit was broken and he was half dead. They dragged him to the hole and when he saw it the young man screamed and begged he suddenly was aware of what they would do to him. Gabriel struggled in his bindings begging them as he too realised what they were going to do. The guards ignored their pleas and threw the boy into the hole. Gabriel watched as he fell but did not see him land at the bottom of the hole but instead heard his cry of pain.

Gabriel understood what this barbaric act was for. If he fought against them not only would he be punished but also another prisoner would be thrown into the hole and to a slow drawn out death. The guards left Gabriel hanging above the open hole and for the next three days and nights Gabriel heard the moans and cries of the young man for his mother, for help from God and finally for death. Gabriel too pleaded with God to end the boy's misery and cried for forgiveness for his actions being the cause of his suffering. Eventually the noise stopped and Gabriel knew the young prisoner had died solely because of him. Gabriel could handle the punishment he received but he could not be the cause of another mans death. He determined that he would not speak again or fight the guards but submit to their will. The chief guard had as he had planned broken Gabriel's spirit.

Since he had obviously, by his behavior, agreed to be complicit in the guards' actions Gabriel had remained bound to the ring and pulley system but allowed to stand on his feet on the wooden cover that had re- sealed the hole where the young mans remains stayed and rotted. A constant reminder to Gabriel of what had happened. He was kept naked and each morning after being given water and some food he was taken from the circular dungeon to an adjacent room where he was lashed to a table his arms tied above his head to the table legs, his chest tied down, his legs separated and tied to the other two table legs so he could be sexually violated by any man able to pay the chief guards small fee.

For his part in the acts Gabriel was rewarded with extra food, to bathe or rather have four buckets of cold water thrown over him everyday after his rapists had finished with him. Gabriel grew emotionally lost from the actions of the men who paid to use him. He would stay still and look away to an invisible distant object his eyes dead, sucked of all emotion. Gabriel never spoke and never made any noises or cried out as he was repeatedly violated.

After a while this became unacceptable to those paying for his services they likened it to screwing a dead body. Gabriel was beaten and with a charade like action shown by the chief guard that he had to act out some enjoyment to the act or they would kill someone else. Gabriel found a way to do this and in doing so managed to retain some of his sanity.

He had experienced sex when at home in France. The households maids were fair game to him as the Comte's son, especially as he was so handsome, and one in particular Marion had been his favourite. He regularly had sex with her and now drew on his memory to comply with the chief guard's requirements.

When a man was violating him Gabriel would imagine he was with Marion having sex. The memory was so clear and so liberating that it felt real. Gabriel would move his hips as if he were riding Marion, and in the trance like state he could take himself into, he would be with her and when he reached his climax and came with the imaginary Marion he would come in the real world which made him more desirable to those paying to have sex with him. Word spread throughout Antioch of the infidel sex slave.

Gabriel's plight came to the attention of one of the Anatolian nobles who was staying in Antioch enjoying the delights of his reward for assisting in the defeat of the Crusaders. He visited the dungeon to see the beautiful white sex slave intent on sampling the goods for sale but instead he decided he wanted to own this rare treasure. He demanded Nur ad- Din given him Gabriel as a final payment for his loyalty.

Chapter 6

Gabriel was woken from his sleep the flight attendant told him they were about to land so he needed to put on his safety belt. The flight had taken nearly nine hours and he had fallen asleep just after the mid flight meal. He always needed sleep after he was resurrected and it was now 7.19am but his watch was still on Philadelphia time and he quickly corrected it to 3.19pm. The plane landed and taxied to the terminal. He cleared customs with no problems. Nate Golding's passport passed muster and Gabriel went to collect his luggage from the carousel. He only had a small suitcase his main luggage would have arrived at his hotel, Casa Fuster, two days ago he would stay at the hotel for a few days enjoying the sites of the city then travel 20 minutes south to the house he had bought at Castelldefels-Gava. It had been a long time since Gabriel had been in Barcelona last time he had been here the great architect Gaudi would had just designed the lamppost for Placa Reial and Gabriel wanted to see the man's work.

The hotel was in the centre of Barcelona housed in a renovated modernist building. He had a superior double that was decorated in neutral tones. He arrived, booked in and decided to take a walk around the city. First he showered and changed into clean clothes. He walked around as any tourist would but he had the advantage of knowing the city from centuries before so could compare the city now and then. He found a nice roadside café where he ate and drank a bottle of Rioja. Alone with his thoughts he drifted back to Cathy and their amazing time together and he wondered what she was doing. Then he returned to his next move his house. He had to buy the property via the Internet using his own name it was nice to use it again after so many years. He had paid someone a lot of money to regenerate his identity and once he left the hotel Nate Golding would be too all-intense and purpose a missing person.

Gabriel had purchased his new house by the sea. After so many years living in cities he wanted so sea views and air but needed to be near the city. It was a newly built and ultra modern house. It was a steel, concrete and glass house which cascaded down a hillside, built over three levels and overlooked the marina. It had enough space for him 5 bedrooms included what was termed the service bedroom, just in case he decided to hire a live in maid and a master suite, 3 baths rooms, a audio-visual room, fitness room, library and an interior hydraulic lift. There was a terrace and an infinity pool. There was a garage for four cars and Gabriel had already decided on the Ducati bike and a car perhaps a Ferrari but he had time to think about it. For now he would just enjoy some peace and quiet maybe find a companion for a few nights.

It wasn't hard to find a companion.