Seduced by the Gladiator (24 page)

“Christus. What if we were the last two standing in the games?” I scrabbled to my knees and sat back on my heels, looking down at him excitedly.

He cocked his head and looked up at me, puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

“If we were the last two alive. They cannot make one of us kill the other.” I was overwhelmed by the possibility. Perhaps all that we needed to do the next day was to keep each other alive.

“Lilia, my love.” Catching my hand and tugging gently, he pulled me down into his arms, holding me tightly. “I wish that it was so easy. But if we do not kill each other, they could simply do it themselves.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, not willing to face the possibility of losing him, now that I had found the piece that made my life worth living. I knew, though, that the words he spoke were true.

“We can try.” I needed him to give me his word. Somehow, I was certain that Gaius would not have me killed, if I made it that far. And if he tried to kill Christus, he would have me to go through first. Perhaps I was dreaming, but it was the best chance that we had.

“We will try.” Christus’ words were troubled. I knew that he did not like being unable to ensure my well-being. “Now come. Let us try to rest awhile. We will find our way back to the party after.” He smoothed a hand over my hair, trying to soothe my agitation. “Now rest.”

T
his was going to be a bloodbath.

I felt the soft Lilia that my time with Christus had teased out in me retreating, hiding deep inside. In her place was the Lilia that had embraced life as a gladiator. Though I was ashamed to admit it even in my own mind, my blood heated as I stood still in the spot to which I had been dragged by the soldiers, my every muscle tensed.

Beside me, Christus seemed to sense the change in me, for he, too, stiffened. The time spent together in the cavern seemed as if it had happened to two different people.

The stands of the great arena were full. People from all over the Empire had come to attend the games that were hosted by Gaius, and the excitement that they felt at being there was frenetic.

This was why Gaius was holding the games in the first place, or so he said—to gain favor from the populace. He still had not revealed his reason for wanting this favor—surely the brother of an emperor did not intend to run for office.

No matter how secret his motivations, he clearly had his reasons. So did any who sponsored munera.

This was why I was a gladiator, not a house slave.

“People of the Empire!”

I spared a quick glance up at the balcony as the words boomed out, quieting the crowd. Gaius stood at the marble railing, his hands outstretched, an expression of benevolence on his face.

Instead of looking at the people whom he was hoping to impress, his eyes were fastened on me.

“I will kill you.” I spoke the words low, to myself, before I looked away from Gaius. I heard, as if from a great distance, as he began to speak, addressing the crowds.

I did not care what he said. All I knew, in that moment, was that I had to survive, and I had to protect Christus.

The crowd roared at something that had been said; I did not spare them a glance, focusing instead on scanning the arena. There would be women baring their breasts at their favorite gladiators; there would be people selling meat pies. Men would collect money for bets placed, and children barely off the teat would be calling for blood.

“Lilia! Lilia!” People screamed my name, desperate for even a glance from me. Anyone who followed arena games knew of me, for as a woman, I had always stood out. But as I stood there, waiting for the slaughter to begin, I realized something that had never occurred to me before. Famous to them or not, these people cared nothing for me. I was not a person to them—I was simply entertainment. My bloody death might sadden them briefly, might give them a moment’s pause, but they would find a replacement in a heartbeat.

“Let these great games begin!”

I knew, somehow, that Gaius was looking at me—I could feel his eyes pulling at my skin. I ignored their tug, and turned to look at Christus instead. He met my stare, and though we were not permitted to touch now that we were in the arena, I felt as if he clasped my hand all the same.

“I love you.” He mouthed the words to me, and I felt my heart contract, even as the gong signaling the start of the game sounded. It was nearly drowned out by the roar of the crowd, and I knew that I had to turn away or die.

I also knew that I had to protect him. We had to be the final two standing, or we did not have a chance.

“Lilia!” I heard the whistle of the sword coming for my neck before I saw it. Christus’ shout warned me, and I leapt out of the way, whirling at the same time, my own blade out. With the strength of my arms behind it, my blade bit into the flesh of another’s abdomen easily. He looked at me, eyes wide, as blood began to pour from his throat.

Once I would have ignored the grief that washed over me as best as I could, knowing that it had had to be one of us. Christus, however, had woken feelings in me that I had not known existed, and with them came the realization that all of these men in the arena here—even Bavarius—were people who were about to die.

I closed my eyes as the man fell to his knees in front of me, his blood staining the sand crimson.

I had no choice if I wanted to live.

“Aah!” From the corner of my eye I saw another blade coming. It was wielded by a man whom I had met in the arena before, one who was twice my size. He charged toward me with unbelievable speed, his blade lifted to part my head from my body. I let him get close, then feinted to the side, whirling back around to slice through the flesh of his back.

Two down, and my lungs burned. There had been thirty of us in the arena to begin with. How were we to last?

Slicing my way through two more men, and swallowing the bile that rose as I did, I scanned the massive expanse of sand for Christus. The arena had been littered with items that I knew could not possibly be random—Gaius never did anything without a purpose. Still, the great cage, the wreck of a ship, the large clusters of trees—they made it hard to tell who was who, and how many still stood.

Retreating to the edge of the sand, I gulped greedily at the scorching hot air and tried to get my bearings.

Mere moments had passed since the gong had rung out, setting the people of the Empire into a frenzy, and yet by my quick count, nearly half of the gladiators already lay on the sand, some still and lifeless, and some bleeding beyond repair. My heart jumped, lodging in my throat, as I ran my eyes over every one.

I did not see the shock of inky hair that was now as familiar to me as my own hand, nor did I see the expanse of golden flesh that I knew so well. I could not see Christus, but I was certain that he still stood.

“Lilia . . . lovely Lilia . . .” There was a copse of trees directly to my right, and the sound came from within their verdant green. I had but a moment to wonder where Gaius had found such dense foliage in the heat of high summer before I spotted Bavarius, perched high in the branches of one. He grinned down at me, seemingly unconcerned about the goings-on beneath him.

“I am surprised you have the strength to climb, after the festivities last evening.” The smile slid from Bavarius’ face, as I had meant it to, and I felt a small stab of triumph. I knew firsthand how it felt to be taken against your will, and if it had been anyone but this man, I would have felt pity.

This same man, however, had taken me that way again and again. This, I decided, was the justice of the gods.

“You will die today, you worthless cunt.” His hissed words dripped with venom, and I felt some small stirring of pity for him in spite of myself.

“And you think you will be safe, hiding in a tree?” I shook my head, then turned away. When it came time, be it in a few minutes or a few hours, I would best Bavarius. Until then, I had to focus on keeping Christus and myself alive.

The game had been on for nearly an hour when I finally found Christus. A large gash through the flesh of his chest made me wince, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him from harm’s way and kiss it better.

I
could not. Since the game had started, I had slain six men myself, and the look on Christus’ battered face told me that he was equally weary. An hour was not a long time for an entire set of games, but a game was usually comprised of many matches, many different fights between different men. I did know what Gaius had expected by placing so many of the most skilled gladiators together at once, telling them to fight for their lives. From the glimpses of his angry face up in his velvet-draped balcony, I gathered that it was going far faster than he had anticipated, and he was not pleased.

Grimly, I pulled satisfaction from the fact. The day could not end soon enough for my taste, whether it ended in my death or my victory. At least then I would know the fate of myself and my love.

“How do you fare?” With me there to watch over him for a moment, Christus paused to pant in and out, clutching a hand to his side. Once he had caught his breath, he looked up into my face, and I saw the thunder of the gods roll over his features.

“Who has dared to touch you?” It was not a question that required an answer—I was a gladiator. I fought, and he knew this. But his words were a way of expressing his rage that someone had laid their hands on me, and had marked my skin.

I thrilled to the fierce protectiveness, and drew strength from it, strength that I sorely needed at the moment.

“How many are left here?” My voice was a whisper as I surveyed the area around me. The arena was littered with fallen bodies, enough senseless deaths to make me feel sick. The crowd had gone silent, and my skin prickled as realization hit me. “We are nearing the end, are we not?”

Christus nodded, then stood, placing his back against my own, so that we could watch more of the eerily empty space. “A single man is left here. I have not seen him since you arrived.”

“There is but one that I know of, as well. Bavarius.” Christus gnashed his teeth at the mention of the man’s name, and I knew that nothing would satisfy him but seeing the man’s head parted from his body. “He has hid the entire time. He will be refreshed, where we are not.”

“He will die.” A great roar rent the air then, causing us both to jump. The people in the crowd were looking to the far end of the arena, away from Christus and me. We whirled as one, just in time to see Bavarius leap from his tree and break into a run.

The giant of a man that he was running from did not follow him. He stood and watched as Bavarius charged toward Christus and me, his intent clear.

He meant to eliminate the two of us, to perhaps intimidate the giant of a gladiator who seemed content to wait until this scene had played out.

I braced myself for the onslaught. I was stronger and more skilled than Bavarius, as was Christus, but the foolish man was fighting for his life.

It made him stupid. There was no other reason that I could think of for him to charge the two of us. This realization seemed to hit him as he neared us, slowing his pace, altering his expression to display the cunning that I had seen there so many times before.

“Come!” Gesticulating wildly, as if he had meant nothing more than to rally us all along, he shouted with excitement . . . and with fear, “Let us take out the giant together!”

I did not look at Christus—I did not have to. I knew that the disgust that I felt would be as clearly displayed on his face as it must have been on mine.

“No.” It felt liberating to say this word to Bavarius, and to see, for once, fear on his face as I spoke. “No. It is your turn.” And with these words I charged at him.

He was surprised at my sudden attack and, never the most disciplined, found himself on his knees at the end of my sword within moments. My chest heaved with exertion, and also with emotion.

I had dreamt of this moment for years.

Stealing a quick look at Christus, who was tensed, alternating his attention between the giant who now skirted the arena, and me, to make certain that I was okay.

He nodded solemnly. “He is yours to kill.”

The words hit deep. Staring into the eyes of my tormentor, I raised my sword, preparing to plunge it deeply into his chest.

I found that I could not. My hand shook as I stood suspended. I could hear the roar of the crowd, as if from a distance, urging me to do it, to kill.

I raised my head, looked at my lover. “I cannot. He does not deserve even the kindness of death, not from me.”

Christus’ eyes questioned me, and I nodded at the unspoken question. Striding forward, he lifted his own sword, and in answer I dropped my own.

“It is him or us, Lilia.”

His sword slashed through the air, a streak of silver. I shuddered but did not turn away, watching the blade slice through flesh. When the sword had struck home, Christus looked up at me, and I saw my own feelings again reflected there.

There was no joy in killing—there was no longer even the rush of victory. There was simply survival.

“I will choose you every time.” Wrenching his arm back, Christus pulled the sword from Bavarius’ body. The dead man slumped to the sand, a massive wound gaping open in his chest.

I swallowed as my tormentor hit the sand, great clouds of dust rising around him. Once my greatest wish had been to see him dead.

Instead I felt nothing. I had no feelings for him at all, neither good nor bad. As I looked at Christus, at the eye that was swelling shut, I knew that all of my emotion had been claimed elsewhere.

“That leaves just the one.” Christus’ voice was grim. The large gladiator had disappeared into the wreck of the ship, an area that I had not yet had chance to set foot on. Nerves began to twang in my body.

We were so close to being the final two. So close to making our stand by refusing to kill each other.

“We should rest for a moment, while he is far away.” Placing my hands on my knees and trying to will strength back into my fatigued muscles, I glanced up at the balcony where Gaius, his women, his slaves, and his soldiers had been watching the games.