The Gladiator Prince (3 page)

Fortunately, the Iberian had a solid constitution and was recovering in the medico’s
barracks. He would have to be flogged, of course, but Thane hoped it would not go beyond that. There was no reason for Abella to hear of the incident, though he doubted the
Lanista
would care one way or the other.

Abella seemed to have very little regard for his children, especially his son. If Thane had not approached him about Bahar’s training three years ago, the boy would have no more discipline than a wild beast. Pity he could not have done the same for the haughty sister. The thought of Phaedra pinned under his scutum pleading for mercy sparked way below his irritation. The sudden lust surprised him.

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bahar as he rounded the gate, practicing his lunges and blocks as he came. Thane had to smile. The youngster was bursting with piss and guile, quick, bright and always alert. There was no doubt about it; the boy was skilled. It was obvious his training had not lacked in Rome at Lucius’ house. However, he had put on little weight and was still as slight as a twig.

Thane threw the
rudi
to the teen who caught it, moved into ready stance in a flash then parried Thane’s thrust with a spin and volley that dazzled the eye. The boy had grown in speed if not girth.

“Very pretty,” Thane growled, swinging the sword to the right then suddenly to the left smashing it painfully against Bahar’s exposed flank. The boy grunted and bit back the cry, but could not keep tears from forming in his dark eyes. The long lashes flattened when he wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, but could not stop the angry glare that followed. Thane had calculated the blow for just that reason. Bahar had returned from Rome prideful. He needed to remember his origins.

Bahar jumped back from a second pass and bared his teeth, gleaming bright behind his dark lips. Thane had missed that smile.

“Is the brat quelled?” Thane called to the boy.

The smile dissolved into a line. “You should not call her that. Phaedra means well… and I did invite her, so it was mostly my fault anyway.”

“A grieving widow does not belong on the
ludus
, Bahar,” Thane admonished, watching for an opening. “You should know better.”

Bahar lifted his chin and a mischievous smirk curled the right side of his mouth. “She only came here to see
you
.”

The gladiator stopped and lowered his sword, scowling at him. “That I doubt. I do not believe your sister likes me.” He shrugged and repositioned his stance. “As is proper, young pup. I am a slave, and she is a free woman.”

Bahar dodged a quick swipe of Thane’s weapon and caught the blade before it could hit him in the rear again. He jumped back out of the way of another swing. “The fact that you are a slave does not preclude you from the desires of women, Your Highness. I have seen the lines to your chambers.”

Thane snorted and twisted his lips. “You exaggerate. Besides, it is not by my choosing… your father likes his purse full, and the women pay well for me. I wonder if that is a proper subject for a boy of your age.”

“I am fifteen… sixteen this summer. Phaedra was promised in marriage by that age.”

“That is your custom, yes? Brits marry when they fall in love, young sprout; you Romans seem to think if a girl is old enough to breed, it is her duty to marry.”

The boy raised both eyebrows. “I am only half Roman, remember; my father is Syrian.”

“Well, the analogy is the same. We think it is shameful to sell young children for breeding.”

“As if Phaedra ever did any breeding,” Bahar mumbled then jerked up his head. From the sudden terror on his face, it was obvious those words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I mean… that is…”

Thane narrowed his gaze and thrust the sword under his arm to grab a handful of sand to rub into his palms.

“I am sorry… I should not have… It is nothing.” Kicking the sand Bahar furrowed his brow.

“You need not tell me your secrets, boy…” Thane said smiling, “unless you wish to. They will always be safe with me.”

Something strange came over the young face, and he finally looked up. “Is that the truth, gladiator?”

“It is,” Thane replied with conviction and meant it.

Bahar glanced from side to side and pulled in close. “Then I will tell you something that must not reach Abella’s ears. Indeed, anyone else’s either.” He pushed his tongue against the inside of his upper lip and pulled air into his lungs. “Lucius…” he started, but then tightened his hands into fists. “When we arrived in Rome two years ago, I thought Lucius and Phaedra well matched. Both of them seemed very pleased at their wedding.”

He handed the
rudi
to Thane and motioned to a bench a little further from the other combating gladiators.

“Were they not happy?” Thane asked.

“No, it was not that.” They sat on the bench, and Bahar lowered his voice. “About a week after the marriage, I caught Phaedra crying in the garden. Naturally, I was concerned and asked her what was wrong. It took her a long time to answer, but she told me they had not…” He stopped, and his lips bunched up. “They had not consummated their marriage,” he whispered.

Thane sat back and chuckled down at Bahar. “That is not so unusual. As I recall, Lucius was no more than a boy himself, eighteen years.” Bahar nodded. “Then it is not so surprising. Many couples take time to become intimate with each other, sometimes weeks or even months. Sooner or later, nature would guide them.”

Bahar nodded again and grimaced. “I know that,
Doctores
. In this case they… never… did.”

Thane lifted a brow. “What do you mean, they never did?”

Bahar bit his upper lip and turned away from the gladiator. “Never mind,” he stammered. “I should not have said anything.” He stopped and rubbed his nose with his wrist.

“Then we will forget what you have said. Your sister’s secrets should not be shared with… well, with a slave.”

Bahar glanced at him quickly. “I do not see you that way,
Doctores
.”

Thane looked at his palm. “It does not matter how you see me, boy, it is who I am. There is no shame in being a slave or a gladiator… or a student,” he added hitting Bahar’s shoulder.

“You will never be a slave to me.”

Bahar placed his hands on either side of his legs, but did not rise. Serious thoughts netted his brow, and he appeared to make a decision. His deep brown eyes lifted to Thane and blinked three times. “Lucius preferred men,” he murmured, glancing at the other fighters. “He had a lover outside the house, and Lucius was… the passive, sir. In Rome, passives are considered…”

“I know how they are considered, boy.”

Bahar rubbed the back of his neck. “It was a secret, but Phaedra got him to tell her. She thinks he needed a friend, someone he could talk to. You see, his father is a senator, a much-respected senator. If it had got out that his son was…”

“I see,” was all Thane could manage.

It was not unheard of in Briton society for two men or even two women to form sexual allegiances, from time to time. Thane knew Rome had strange and complicated attitudes about sex. To have a partner of the same sex was nothing new, though marriage and procreation were encouraged in all families. However, the passive, that is the penetrated, whether man or woman, was looked on as weak and subservient, no better than a woman, or a slave. He found that amusing since Brits had few complications when it came to sex. But this… He knew Lucius was the senator’s only son, so if it had gotten out that he was a passive, they would have been humiliated.

“So your sister never…”

“No.”

“Then she is still a…”

“Yes,
Doctores
.”

Thane ran a hand over his forehead and placed his elbows on his knees. “That explains much,” he whispered.

“Please,” Bahar pleaded. “I beg you. Do not tell her I have told you this. She would strangle me in my sleep.”

Thane slapped the boy on the back and stood up. “You may trust me in that, my friend. I will not share it with anyone.”

Bahar blew out a breath and lifted the corners of his mouth. “Thank you.”

Thane looked up at the evening sky. “It is time for my own training. We will meet again tomorrow.” As Bahar turned to leave, Thane added, “By the way, you handled yourself very well with the Iberian.”

Bahar beamed back at him. “Thank you, sir!”

Thane waved him away, and the boy disappeared through the gate.

Two of the older gladiators approached him with greaves and helmet as Thane watched after the boy and brushed off his loincloth, but he was not thinking of Bahar.

He had no patience for worthless people, which Phaedra had always been, as far as he was concerned. She was spoiled, willful and a nuisance most of the time. At least she had been in the past. Perhaps her time in Rome had matured her. He had hoped so for Bahar’s sake. The boy was the opposite of his arrogant sister: intelligent, skilled, polite and very clever. Thane would never understand Bahar’s attachment to Phaedra, even moving to Rome with her when he should have stayed in Britannia to complete his training.

The thought of the youngsters reminded him sharply of his own two children, tucked away in a
Corieltauvi
village, safe from the wrath of Rome. What few reports he received of his daughters were encouraging; they were happy, bright and growing close to their new family.

His throat tightened; he would never again hold them in his arms, would never teach them of their heritage and ancestors, never kiss their golden heads or wipe away a crystal tear from their faces. As far as Rome was concerned, he was the last royal of the
Trinovantes
tribe. He would give his life to protect that secret.

Chapter III

Phaedra furiously paced the garden, ignoring the ivy crowding every wall and pillar and the thick scent of thyme and mint mingling among the budding roses. Twilight was usually her favorite time in the garden, but her growing anger occluded every other emotion. Folding her arms hard against her chest, she glared at the innocent cement bench in front of her.

“How dare he speak to me like that?” Her voice bounced dully against the tiled enclosure. “I will have him whipped then sold,” she mumbled, turning her face to the opening above the
hortus
. “If I were a man, I would…”

A face suddenly popped over the edge of the open ceiling, and she loosened her arms but then turned and sat down when she recognized Bahar. “What do you want?” she said to the dirt at her feet.

In one quick twist, Bahar hung from his hands for a moment then released to land on his feet in front of her. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Nothing much,” he drawled, examining the back of his hands and folding one arm on top of the other. “I just thought you would like to know that Hasani and his party have arrived.”

A sudden surge of terror launched Phaedra to her feet, and she grabbed Bahar by both shoulders to shake him. “What? Now? They should not be here until the day after tomorrow!” Bahar opened his mouth to answer, but Phaedra would not let him. “What does he look like? Who is with him? Is he old? Is he young?” She released his shoulders and picked up the sides of her tunic. “Look at me!” she cried and touched her cheeks. “I am a mess, covered with
ludus
mud! I do not have anything to wear. Where is he? In the house?”

“Sister, stop!” Bahar shouted above her din. “You are not to be presented to him until tomorrow. At least that is what one of his slaves told me.”

With a deep sigh, Phaedra glanced up. “Thank the gods!”

Bahar circled her, one hand stroking his chin while the other he tucked beneath his arm. “Now you mention it…” The words chimed with judgment. “You could use a trip to the baths.” Fanning his face, he took a step away from her. “And perhaps some perfumes as well, I…”

Phaedra swung and missed her brother by a hair’s breadth. He had always been faster and stronger than her, but she decided to ignore his teasing. The excitement of meeting Hasani for the first time was too much. She squealed gleefully at the air and twirled, stopping only to take Bahar’s face in her hands and stare at him earnestly.

“Is he handsome?” she breathed.

Bahar puckered his lips and raised one eyebrow. “Maybe.”

She shook him hard this time. “By the gods, stop playing with me, or I will have the slaves whip you!”

Bahar stuck out his tongue but then gave her a delighted smile. “Yes, he is very handsome.”

Whirling him around with a high-pitched squeal, she pulled him into her arms, kissed him on the cheek then grabbed his arm. “Where is he?”

“In the south garden with father, but I would not…”

Phaedra did not listen. She just had to see him. Pulling a protesting Bahar behind her, they raced to the back of the house.

The sun was now gone, and the night had clouded over, so there was no moon or stars to light their way. They crossed carefully over the paved walk that separated the two gardens.