Samuel.

Omar stood outside the cell watching Samuel rage. They had been back in Rabat for a week. Nothing had changed. Piss and shit from the chamber pot had been thrown through the bars and out onto the floor. His knuckles were bleeding from punching the stone walls. The cot shattered; the bedding torn. Blood coursed through his veins. Every muscle tense, his fists clenched, his breathing hard.

"I don't know what you can do?" General Dehbi shook his head and looked at his Lieutenant.

Omar sucked in his lips and nodded. He needed to try a different approach. As yet there had only been small breakthroughs, the occasional taking of food with no aggression, and one day of complete silence. Omar looked around. Perhaps it was the cell. The prison environment would replicate where most of his torture had taken place. However, he was too violent to house somewhere else.

"If he can't be tamed," Dehbi said. "He'll have to be put down."

"Tamed?" Omar peered at the general in disgust. "He's not a mongrel dog, Dehbi." Holding his hand out towards Samuel, he added, "The man has been tortured for years. His mind is fractured. One half owned by the devil, and the other half is dead. How would you behave if you were in his place?"

Dehbi let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, but what can be done with him? If you can't tam... ah, train him to, ah..." The general waved his hand at the state of the cell, and the man inside, before saying, "Behave differently. We can't let him out like this. He'll kill someone, and we can't keep him like this either. The sultan will eventually hear about our failure, and will probably have him executed, and us with him." He pointed at Samuel again. "He is an animal, Omar, in the body of a man."

"He's in there, Dehbi." Omar thumped on his own chest. "I can tell his essence is fighting to break free of what he has become. Small links appear." Omar brought his palms together as if in prayer as he said, "To bring his broken halves together we must heal his soul. I think trust is the wall that prevents his consciousness from igniting." Omar paused in thought. "I can't hold this against him, after the life he has had, with that despicable Pasha Akbar, and his Lieutenant. How to teach him trust after that, is the problem."

"Yes," Dehbi agreed. "You have had success with others, I know this, but time is running out."

"Let me think." Omar paced, and then focused on the man in the cell. "Samuel," he said, and then crouched down just out of reach of the bars. "I don't know what you want. You must speak. Tell me."

The chamber pot hit the barrier and bounced back onto the floor to land near the broken cot. Dehbi jerked backwards as the pot flew in his direction. Omar watched Samuel grip the sides of his head, lift his face to the ceiling and thunder, the sound deafening, reverberated off the stone walls. He took hold of the bars of the cell door and shook.

Looking up at Samuel from his crouched position, Omar thought the man was, at this moment, definitely more animal than human. Blood dripped from his hands. His member engorged. Saliva ran down his chest. Pain etched on his face.

Standing in contemplation, Omar's face lit up. He smiled at Dehbi. "I have an idea. Come, I will tell you." He turned to the guards. "Clean him, and his cell, as best you can. I'll be back soon."

Omar hurried along the stonewalled corridor with Dehbi close on his heels. He took the steps two at a time until he reached the upper floor of the dungeon.

"Where are we going?" Dehbi panted behind him.

"To the harem. We need one of the slave girls."

"What?" Dehbi stopped in his tracks. "Omar! Stop!" he yelled. When Omar turned to face him, he said, "Are you mad? Do you want to be executed? Our sultan will not allow this."

Omar grinned, "Not one of the sultan's personal favourites, a lessor concubine. One he has grown tired of, a servant girl. He sends them to the bath house for the use of his Imperial Council."

"Ah..." Dehbi smiled. "I also have use of those girls." He flapped his hand at Omar as he sucked in a lungful of air. "Go. Go now. I will wait here."

When Omar entered the female slave quarters, all eyes turned on him. Some of the girls smiled, and let the fabric that covered their bodies, slip off their shoulders to exposure their breasts. Others covered up.

Knowing exactly which girl he wanted, Omar searched the room before saying, "Where is Farah?"

"I am here, Master Omar." A dark-haired beauty stepped from behind the column to the left of him. "Shall we go to my sarir?"

A broad grin crossed Omar's face. "I would love to go to your bed, Farah, but not today. Cover up. I need you to come with me. You are going to save a man's life."

Whatever Omar has planned, I hope it works.

Top picture taken from Barbary Barbarity

Middle picture taken from OpenArt.