Romulus picked up the heavy load beside the door and paused. Taking a deep breath, he entered.
'Still soft, boy!'
'Too used to the good life!'
Romulus flushed. There was some truth to the jibes. Life in the
'Wait till winter comes,' sneered Lentulus. 'Then you'll really know how miserable that corner is!'
Romulus disliked the stocky young Goth, who was always looking for ways to bait him. Angered by the constant comments, Romulus suddenly took a stand. 'I might take your bed instead.'
Gaius opened both eyes warily.
'How are you going to do that?' Lentulus laughed. 'Stick me with that excuse for a sword?'
The
Romulus took hold of his dagger. 'I'll teach you a lesson,' he said slowly.
The Goth stiffened, hand reaching for something on the floor. Iron grated off the stone as he slid out a
And when he had more than a knife or a wooden sword to fight with. His own real one was locked up with all the others in the armoury. Thirty paces and a lifetime away. Maybe it had been a mistake to answer back.
Lentulus began to sit up, pulling the
'Peace, Lentulus,' said a familiar voice. 'We are all tired and hungry.'
Romulus looked gratefully at Sextus.
The little Spaniard was one of the
Not confident enough to antagonise Sextus, Lentulus fell silent. But it was only a matter of time before things with the malevolent Goth got physical.
And the
The dinner gong clanged loudly.
Sextus smiled and got to his feet. 'Time to eat.'
Lentulus made a stabbing motion that was not lost on Romulus.
They glared at each other, both refusing to drop their gaze.
'Time for food,' repeated the
'Keep rubbing!'
The
Brennus lay naked on a bare wooden table, luxuriating in the massage.
Memor took care of his top gladiators, allowing them favours others only dreamt of. After the
'You killed the
'They are fickle,' snapped the
The Gaul's habit of dispatching men fast was something that had irritated Memor for years. But despite Brennus' unorthodox
, the people had come to love him, which annoyed the
'Pay attention, damn you!'
The Gaul closed his eyes. 'I heard.'
Memor flushed at the disrespect. 'You are still my slave!' He prodded the brand on Brennus' left calf. 'Remember that!'
Brennus looked up. 'Next time I will kill slowly. Happy?'
Nervous, the
'Did I say stop?'
Hastily he continued rubbing.
'Just make sure you do.' Memor wasn't going to punish his most skilled fighter severely. The Gaul was worth far too much money. But long years of managing gladiators had made the
The
Five years before there had been no chance to defend his wife. The same would not happen again.
The
'You piece of Roman shit!' Brennus' face was an inch away. 'Touch a hair on Astoria's head and you'll eat your own balls. Before I cut out your heart.'
Memor did not flinch. 'You and your friends can't watch Astoria all the time.' He shrugged apologetically. 'She might have a nasty accident. Terribly easy, you know. Wagon out of control on the street. Thief might slip a blade in her down an alleyway.'
Brennus ground his teeth in rage, all too aware that the beautiful Nubian could not be under his constant protection. 'Very well, Master.' The words nearly choked him. 'I will fight better next time. More slowly.'
Memor smiled. 'Where is the purse from Caesar?'
Brennus indicated the pile of clothes by the table. Quickly the
'Plenty left – for a
lanista
That left no reason to live.
Initially, Brennus had made countless attempts to seek out death, but it had always evaded him. Nobody could beat the Gaul in combat and dozens of opponents had died beneath his blade. He 'd grown rich on the rewards lavished by the
But money and men's lives were not what Brennus wanted. He could have fled the
At length a friendly
Feeling bored, the Gaul had gone along with the charade. The augur had smiled initially as Brennus had sat down before him. He reached into the basket alongside, produced a hen and quickly slashed its neck. Then, uncharacteristically silent, the old man had stared long and hard at the entrails. The Gaul had waited, surprised that he was not being promised victory over an entire troop of gladiators.