Stowaway Slaves (7 page)

Once the slavers were gone, the shadows seemed to return, creeping around the huddled pair like spears of black mist. The
drip
,
drip
,
drip
of a thousand tiny leaks echoed throughout the bilge.

“Did you hear that?” Decimus whispered. “They're going to trade with Drin Hain . . . and there's only a handful of them! Can you believe that?”

“Don't even think about it,” said Olu. “The eight slavers are probably built like Roman fortresses with muscles like granite and the forty slaves are probably all starving skeletons with diseases who lack the will to live. Wait here a second . . . I see something.”

Olu crawled around the perimeter of the bilge and crouched beside the steps. Glancing over his shoulder at Decimus, he put a thin finger to his lips. Then he picked up the wet scroll that lay in a small puddle of bilge water beside the hatch and scampered back to where Decimus was hiding.

“One of the slavers dropped it,” he panted. “It might be orders or something. I can't read it, though. You'll have to tell me what it says.”

Decimus rolled his eyes and began to scan the parchment. Even in the shadows, Olu saw the look of horror slowly consume his friend's tired face. The young slave swallowed a few times, but didn't reply. He looked up at Olu, then down at the scroll once again.

“What IS it? Tell me!” urged Olu.

Decimus stretched the scroll to its full length, and glared at the words that were burning into his eyes as they followed each line of text.

“It's a notice,” he said aloud. “It says:
News on escaped slaves, Decimus Rex and Olu Umbika.
There's a description of us both; pretty accurate, I'd say.”

Olu nodded gloomily. “Doom has a reputation,” he said. “He and Hain will NEVER stop looking for us. They'll track us down until—”

“Listen to this,” said Decimus with a grimace. “
To ensure the full attention of the two slaves, we have arranged a series of four private executions for the night of the 24th at the Suvius Tower in Southern Campania. Those scheduled for execution are the cellmates of Decimus Rex and Olu Umbika. The executions will only be canceled if their friends hand themselves in to us. Should this fail to occur, we can guarantee a night of brutal entertainment for those with money and a taste for violence. Price of entry: one hundred Denarii.
”

Olu remained silent for a long time. It was Decimus who managed to speak first.

“We can't let this happen,” he said. “The 24th is tomorrow night, by my calculation. They're doing this because of us! Gladius, Argon, Ruma, Teo. They're all going to suffer and die because we escaped.”

Olu shook his head. “It's a plan to draw us out! Surely you can see that?”

“It doesn't matter!” Decimus snapped. “Whether it's a plan or not, we both know Doom and his twisted servant will go through with it! They don't CARE about Gladius, or Ruma, or any of them. You don't have to go back, Olu . . . but I must. I wouldn't have gotten through half of those trials if it wasn't for Gladius and the others. I can't let them die for me, Olu. I just can't.”

Olu shook his head sadly. “You really think they would do the same for you if the situation were reversed?”

Decimus shrugged. “That doesn't matter—I can only think for myself, not for others. I was told that a long time ago, and it's true. Whether they could leave me to my death is for them to decide should they ever need to—but right now, the decision is mine.”

Olu nodded and lowered his head. For a long time, Decimus was afraid his exhausted friend might burst into tears or simply curl up and sleep. Eventually, however, the slave raised his head once again, and Decimus spotted the familiar look of deep, determined thought on Olu's weathered face.

“Then we go back in force,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. “The Suvius Tower is on a rock that juts out over the coast. If this ship has been there before, we have the perfect weapon. Hain's slave-traders won't be expecting an attack.”

“An attack?” Decimus repeated, wearing a puzzled expression. He almost didn't recognize the boy now standing in front of him as the same tired figure he'd escaped with.

“A major attack,” Olu confirmed. “We don't go back and just hand ourselves in—we storm the tower. Of course, we'll need to free the other slaves on this ship.” Olu climbed to his feet, using a barrel for support. “To do that, we need a master key to their chains. Then we can take out the slavers and gain control. There were enough swords in the captain's cabin to give everyone on board at least two each.” He turned to Decimus, who was looking surprised and impressed by his friend's sudden determination.

“The big question,” Olu continued, “is whether or not you think we can lead a horde of mutinous slaves to victory? I wouldn't even think about trying it, myself—but after seeing you in those sewer tunnels, Decimus, I believe you can do anything.”

Decimus turned to his friend, but the smile soon drained away from his face. As he peered over Olu's shoulder, a hatch at the other end of the ship was suddenly flung open, and a strangled cry erupted from the deck above . . .

Slavious Doom has a sick sense of humor and is using Decimus and Olu's friends in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Can the boys capture the slave ship they are hiding on and make it back to the Suvius Tower in time to rescue their friends? The odds are stacked against them. Find out if they make it in . . .

Get ready to challenge your friends! Each
Gladiator Boy
book will contain a different trial. Collect them all to run your own Arena of Doom—either at home or on the playground.

 

 

 

 

Decimus and Olu spend most of this book in hiding, but how good are you at concealment? This trial is all about hiding things in clever places where no one would think to look.

You will need three players: one to play the shadow-lord Drin Hain and two to play the escaped slaves, Decimus and Olu.

 

 

Each hider (the one playing Decimus and the one playing Olu) must select a distinctive stone or pebble and show it to the seeker (Drin Hain). The seeker must close his eyes and turn away from the other players. He must then count to one hundred. While he is counting, the hiders must conceal their objects somewhere nearby.

The seeker then goes in search of the objects, scoring one point for finding one and three points for finding both. He has a time limit of twenty minutes, which can be monitored with a watch.

 

 

If the seeker fails to find an item, the player that concealed it receives two points.

 

 

Play then revolves until everyone has been Decimus, Olu, and Drin Hain once.

The game must be played in a safe place. Players who choose hiding places that are high up or dangerous are immediately disqualified and will score no points for their item remaining unfound. The players must hide their stones within sight of the seeker, meaning that if they were to reveal their items they would be seen immediately. If they go beyond sight of the seeker, their items are disqualified.

 

 

The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner!