A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 9: The Price of Power - Part 3

He eyed Dominus to make sure he was doing it right. It was Dominus after all, who had told him to pick it up in such a manner, and lift it as high as he had. It wasn't ordinarily how he'd go about handling stones. Dominus motioned with his hand for Beam to continue, as he himself set a battered black kettle on the now recovering fire.

Beam made to move on to the next stone, as he had the previous day.

"Ah," Dominus said, motioning for him to go back.

Beam frowned. That was a habit of Dominus' – to go ahead and let Beam do the wrong thing, only to correct him afterwards, and make him spend twice the energy.

Of course, Beam did not know that this was intentional on Dominus' behalf, as the old knight continually tried to test the limits of the boy's mental fortitude.

"Lift that one twenty times. You can count to twenty, can't you lad?" Dominus said.

"Of course I can count to twenty," Beam bristled, thinking he was getting insulted. He was lucky enough to learn his numbers from his mother before she passed, and he could safely count all the way up to a hundred, which was more than most people in the village.

"I was only asking," Dominus said, as though oblivious.

Beam sighed again, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and he knelt down to pick up the stone for a second time. And then a third. And a fourth. By the fifth, he was out of breath and his muscles were aching. He had a fair amount of endurance built up from digging holes all day as part of his job, but with this being a different movement, it exhausted him.

At fifteen repetitions, his legs were shaking, and he was sure he couldn't lift it again. But he caught the way Dominus was looking at him. Hungrily, with interest. He'd noticed that look more than once over the last couple of days, though he pretended he hadn't. Dominus, for his part, quickly wiped that look off his face, and replaced it with one of disinterest, that looked like it could quickly descend into mocking should Beam fail yet another task.

"Damn it!" Beam muttered, unwilling to give up yet, despite his fatigue. He felt his anger rise and reignite his limbs. Those next five repetitions almost killed him, but he made sure he finished them anyway.

"Good," Dominus stood up and handed Beam a drink of warm tea.

Now that he'd exhausted himself from lifting the stone well past his limit, Beam's body was far from cold, but he accepted the warm drink gratefully, even more satisfied with the comment. For the first time in two days, he'd received something that could solidly be construed as something positive, without a hint of mockery. He could even swear he might have seen a hint of respect in the old man's eyes. But he must have imagined it, for Dominus was straight back to egging him on.

"Well, now that you can comfortably lift what most women can do, how about we get onto the next stone?" he said.

Beam clenched his fist so hard that it was a wonder the clay cup that he was drinking from didn't shatter. "Damn it," he said again under his breath, setting his drink aside and gritting his teeth, prepared to show that old man just what he could really do.

"Mm, for this one, let's say fifteen," Dominus said innocently.

Beam blanched at the comment and whirled on the old man, expecting him to relent, and concede that he was only joking. But from the look on his face, he was deadly serious. "But it's near twice the weight! I struggled to lift it for one only a couple of days ago," Beam protested.

Dominus merely shrugged. "And now you can struggle to lift it for fifteen," he said. "Begin."

And so Beam began. Before his heart even had a chance to calm down from the previous task, he attempted to lift this stone that he had struggled with before… And, it was even heavier than he expected. Just getting it to sit on top of his knees for the first time nearly took everything he had, and then rising up with it in his chest was just as hard.

"One," Dominus said.

"Grr," with such exhaustion, such anger, such indignance, Beam could only express his emotions with a growl as he stepped towards the dropped stone for another lift.

"Hup!" It was easier this time, though only barely. He got it to his knees faster than last time and to his chest faster still.

He looked towards Dominus and Dominus nodded.

A third lift. It was almost equal to the last rep in ease, though maybe slightly easier. But by now his breath was beginning to grow quick, as was his heartbeat. He could barely feel his legs at this point. Rather than his strength, it was his endurance that was beginning to hold him back.

"Lift," Dominus demanded when he took too long resting.

And so he stepped forth again. A fourth lift, then a fifth, but the fifth rep was barely there. The veins in his neck bulged from the effort, and he dropped it down a little too quickly – almost hitting his foot.

"Ah, you dropped that one early," Dominus said, "mm, that one doesn't count. You still have eleven more."

Beam was so tired that he couldn't even summon the fury to direct at his overbearing commander. He could only step forth and put it all on the line for another lift.

He got it this time. And he held it for longer still, making eye contact with Dominus, who nodded, confirming that he could drop it.

The more he lifted, the more tired he got, and the quieter his mind grew. He knew nothing, only that he did not want to stop before he reached his goal.

"Go on, get on with it," Dominus said, purposely provoking him.