The Gladiator's Victory Read online

  “Not bad,” the man nodded. “Not bad at all.”

  “Then we’ll make sure the gang let him go, sir?”

  Before the man could reply there was a cheer from the gang as Festus lunged for the club he had thrown to the floor and charged at Arthur once more, swinging wildly.

  “Hey!” Finn shouted. “Leave him alone!”

  A few of the gang members turned on Finn and shoved him backwards, knocking him into the older man.

  “The boy’s right,” shouted the man. “The lamb won fair and square. Let him go.”

  “No chance!” Festus yelled.

  “Are you going to let them talk to you like that?” asked Finn.

  “No,” snarled the man as he started pushing forwards to get through the gang to Festus. He was joined by several of the other men. The gang’s circle disintegrated and a brawl broke out as fists and boots and knees and heads connected with each other. Finn dodged his way through the blows as well as he could, desperate to reach Arthur, who he could see was struggling to avoid Festus’ club now that so many other bodies were filling the space.

  “I said leave him alone!” Finn shouted, darting forward and leaping onto Festus’ back. Festus staggered backwards and then fell forward to the floor yet again. Arthur rushed forwards and stamped on Festus’ arm. He dropped the club and roared in pain.

  “To me, boys!” Festus called, thrashing his elbows around to shake Finn off and jumping to his feet. But as he did so Finn just grinned at him.

  “It’s over Mr Wolf,” Finn mocked. “Your friends have had enough.” They were surrounded now by a ring of the older men as the last of the gang members scurried and limped away into the alleys. Festus’ shoulders slumped.

  “Get out of here!” ordered the man Finn had been talking to. Festus needed no second bidding and darted away towards one of the alleys.

  Arthur and Finn looked around at the circle of men.

  “Thanks!” they both said at once. It was only then that Finn noticed that the giant who had been watching from the shadows earlier had joined the circle of men. The huge brute stepped forward and the others, also noticing him for the first time, began to sidle away.

  “You two!” he boomed. “The games begin next week and I’m looking for fighters. We need to talk.”

  LIVING IN ROME

  HOUSING

  The population of ancient Rome was around 800,000, making it by far the largest city in the world at that time. These people would have led very different lives from those living elsewhere.

  Most people lived in apartments and many of the streets were lined with apartment blocks that were up to eight stories high. They were made of wood and bricks, or an early form of concrete, and had tiled roofs. But many of them were built cheaply by money-grabbing landlords, and people often died when the buildings collapsed.

  SHOPS

  In busy streets and market squares, the rooms at the bottom of each block of apartments were shops and bars, just like you see in cities today.

  WATER

  The Romans built raised canals called aqueducts to pipe fresh water down into the city from clean rivers in the hills. The clean water fed the public drinking fountains and the public baths.

  BATHS

  Unless you were very rich, or very poor, you would have used the public baths in Rome. These had steam rooms, swimming pools, and areas for wrestling and games – like leisure centres today, but made of marble. Oh, and everyone walked around naked at the baths!

  TOILETS

  Most people also used public toilets. There were no cubicles, so they really were public! Sewage sloshed away through underground sewers and out into the river Tiber.

  CHAPTER 3

  Arthur yawned and rubbed his shoulder. It was three days since Gaius had told them he wanted a new training partner for one of the young gladiators at the school. Gaius, who as lanista ruled the gladiators and oversaw their training, had been impressed by what he saw when Arthur fought Festus. He had also spotted Finn talking to the men to make sure that Arthur got out alive after winning his fight, and he had asked both boys to come with him to the gladiator school.

  Finn had stared around in awe as Gaius led them from Festus’ ‘arena’, through the streets of Rome to the gladiator school. No number of history lessons on Rome could have prepared him for the sheer scale of the city. They passed domed, marble temples, huge victory arches, and statues perched atop soaring stone columns. Clean, oiled men in togas emerged from public baths, shopkeepers shouted at slaves, small groups congregated in the heat beside beautiful public drinking fountains. Again Finn had found himself marvelling at how modern it all felt.

  Quite what Gaius had in mind for Finn remained a mystery, but when they arrived at the compound of the gladiator school, Arthur had been set to work immediately, sparring with Gaius and with other trainers, and as soon as he entered the cell he slumped down onto his mattress. Gaius had been putting his new recruit through his paces and Arthur felt more bruised and broken than at any time in his life. Finn smiled across at him.

  “Hard day?”

  “It’s alright for you!” said Arthur bitterly. “You haven’t had to do anything!”

  “Yeah,” Finn snorted, “Look at all this luxury. I can do whatever I want!” The tiny cell they were in was more of a prison cell than anything else. The two thin mattresses on the floor were the only things in the room.

  “At least the stone walls keep us cool I suppose,” Finn went on, trying to find something positive to say about their situation. “Anyway, I can’t help it if I’m the brains and you’re the brawn. It’s going well. We’re inside the gladiator school and it’s only a matter of time before we meet Marcus. Then all we have to do is persuade him to fight for his freedom so he dies happy!”

  “And when we do finally meet Marcus,” said Arthur with a yawn as he stretched out on the mattress. “What are we going to say to him?”

  Finn paused and frowned, “I’ve been thinking about that. It looks like it will probably be you who meets Marcus, and when it happens, you may not have much time to talk to him.”

  “That’s if he’ll even talk to me at all.” There was a short silence as the boys pondered the difficulties they would face in persuading a gladiator who saw them as total strangers to plan an escape and fight for his principles. “How will I even make him listen to anything I’ve got to say?”

  “You need to try and establish a connection straight away,” said Finn. “Persuade him you’re not really a total stranger after all. Either that or just get him thinking about his brother – that’s what this is all about. Marcus died regretting that he didn’t fight for his freedom like his brother. It must have played on his mind his whole life. Try and leave Marcus with thoughts of his brother and Spartacus.”

  “Then what?” said Arthur, looking unconvinced.

  “Then we’ll have to give him something to fight for, obviously!”

  A loud thump on the door of the boys’ cell prevented them talking further, and Gaius ducked through the doorway.

  “How are the muscles?” he flashed Arthur a quick smile. Arthur puffed out his cheeks and Gaius laughed. “You’d better get used to it. Tomorrow you begin sparring with Ajax.”

  Gaius had already explained to Arthur that Ajax was his top young gladiator. Little more than a boy himself at fifteen, Ajax was scheduled to fight another teenager from the same gladiator school in the public arena the following week.

  “I never asked, who was he sparring with before you found me?”

  “There was an accident,” came Gaius’ unblinking reply. “We needed someone new, and Ajax needs to learn some control.” Arthur’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

  “Finn,” Gaius went on before Arthur could reply. “Come with me. Your work starts tonight.”

  Casting a nervous glance back at Arthur, Finn got to his feet and followed the huge lanista out of the cell and across the open space of the training arena to a gate in the walls of the compound
. Gaius paused at the gate.

  “Put this on,” he commanded, throwing a cloak at Finn. “And keep the hood up.”

  “But I’m not cold,” Finn protested.

  “It’s not to keep you warm boy, it’s to keep you hidden. Come, I’ll tell you as much as I know on the way.”

  “On the way where?” Finn asked nervously, wrapping the cloak around his shoulders and pulling the hood up.

  “Stop asking questions!” Gaius snapped. “I said I’ll explain on the way. Now follow me.” Gaius looked at Finn’s hood, grunted with approval and opened the gate of the gladiator school, stepping through it and out onto the dark street outside. He set off briskly, with Finn almost running to keep up and doing his best to memorise their route as they cut through fetid, muddy alleyways, across squares and eventually out onto a busier, paved road that was seething with activity. Carts and chariots rumbled along the road. Whips cracked. Crowds jostled. Beggars cried out, and Finn could think of nothing beyond staying close to Gaius.

  After what seemed like an eternity they left the main road and the crowd thinned out. Gaius suddenly said, “We’re going to see Lucius. Listen and remember. Lucius is a senator. He owns the gladiator school, which means he owns you. Lucius has many rivals in the senate but there is one man who is a particular threat to him. His name is Titus and he owns another gladiator school. Lucius believes that Titus plans to have him assassinated. He needs someone loyal to infiltrate Titus’ household.”

  “To do what?” Finn enquired.

  “I don’t know boy, that’s what we’re going to find out. It was not just a sparring partner for Ajax that I was looking for when I found you and your brother. It was someone smart. Someone whose face would not be recognised. Someone who could be a spy.”

  Finn swallowed dryly. All this was taking him further and further away from Arthur and Marcus and into seriously dangerous territory. In any case, with no knowledge of Rome, Finn couldn’t see how he would be any use as a spy.

  Finn’s nerves finally got the better of him and without knowing what he was doing he blurted out, “Wait! There’s something you need to know.” Gaius stopped and stared at him steadily. “I’m not from Rome. Arthur and I only just got here. I don’t know the streets or the people or the customs.”

  “You think I hadn’t noticed that boy?” Gaius snorted. “But you’re smart. Can you remember the way back to the gladiator school?” Finn thought for a moment and then began to describe the way back. Gaius nodded. “And you were smart enough to get a bunch of drunk soldiers on your side to look out for your brother the other day.”

  “Yes, but…”

  “But nothing!” Gaius snapped. “Lucius needs someone with no connections. He needs someone whose face has never been seen before. He needs someone who will arouse no suspicions. You say you don’t know Rome? Well know this, Rome is a city of thieves and liars, and the greater the rank the greater the lies. Deep down every senator fears he will one day be assassinated by a rival, and probably one who claimed to be a friend. If you were from Rome, Lucius couldn’t trust you.”

  “But he’s never even met me. How can he trust me in any case?”

  “Well I suppose that’s why he wants to meet you tonight,” said Gaius. “And of course he knows that you care about your brother…”

  There was no threat in Gaius’ tone, but Finn couldn’t ignore the implied warning, and as Gaius set off along the road once more Finn shivered and followed silently. As they walked an intriguing question began to form in Finn’s mind. What happens to Lucius’ gladiators if he is assassinated? Finn had no idea, and he wasn’t about to ask, but it seemed to him that the sudden death of Lucius might be the perfect catalyst for an escape attempt by some of his gladiators, or even just one…

  “This is the back of the house.” Gaius’ voice cut in. They were standing by a simple door in a high wall, flanked by a pair of sullen-looking guards. “Don’t ask questions. Don’t look at Lucius unless he’s talking to you. And don’t even think about suggesting you’re not up to the job. Is that understood?”

  Finn nodded and Gaius muttered something to the guards, who rapped on the door, and, when it swung inwards, waved them through.

  The contrast between the grubby street and the oasis they entered took Finn’s breath away. They were standing in a covered stone walkway that ran around the perimeter of a beautiful, sweet-smelling garden; at one end of which stood the most stunning house Finn had ever seen. Through the arches of the walkway Finn could make out elegant statues, lush plants and a magnificent fountain. Finn had almost forgotten why he was there and it was a few moments before he noticed that a male slave in a simple tunic stood waiting for them.

  “Is your master ready for us?” asked Gaius. The slave nodded, and led the way silently towards the house. They entered, stopping outside an intricately carved door and Finn gazed around at a cool, clean world of marble as the slave made a guttural coughing sound.

  “Enter!” came a thin, high reply.

  At that moment Finn was suddenly very aware of the many dangers he and Arthur faced in their quest to free Marcus. Not only did they have to find Marcus and persuade him to escape with two boys he had never met before, but Arthur also had to survive brutal combat as a gladiator’s sparring partner and Finn was about to meet one of the most powerful men in Rome – the man who owned them all. Finn swallowed hard as Gaius pushed him towards the door.

  LIFE AS A GLADIATOR

  Gladiators were trained and housed in schools by a lanista, who was a bit like a brutal sergeant major. The lanista had to know that the gladiators would put on a good show and fight bravely. They needed finely tuned fighting skills, but they also needed to be tough enough to fight on bravely even if they were losing, or injured. The lanista also had to know that if they were instructed to do so, they would kill their enemy after defeating him. So the training, as you can imagine, was extremely tough!

  CELEBRITY

  Sometimes the gladiators from a particular owner would be hired out for shows in other cities, so the best gladiators became famous all over the empire. They were portrayed in art and literature, and you can still see some of their names carved into walls around Rome. Add to that the fact that they performed in huge stadiums before fans screaming their names, and you can see why they were the sporting celebrities of their day.

  SLAVES

  However despite their fame, most were slaves and so had very low social status, although they might earn their freedom after years of glorious battle, and they could retire wealthy as they were often allowed to keep much of the prize money they won.

  CHAPTER 4

  The meeting was brief but supremely unsettling. Lucius, a bony, middle-aged man with a cruel mouth, stood in the centre of the room, the white cloth of his toga brushing the floor. He studied Finn in silence as Finn stared at the man’s sandals.

  “Let me see your face,” Lucius instructed, and something in the man’s tone made Finn’s stomach turn as he pulled back his hood.

  “He’s very young,” the senator commented, walking forward and putting a soft, moist hand under Finn’s chin. “Look at me boy.” Finn did so, trying hard to resist the urge to brush the repellent man’s hand aside.

  “Do you wish any harm to befall your brother?” he asked quietly, never taking his eyes from Finn’s. Finn swallowed and shook his head. “Of course not,” Lucius went on. “Then do not fail me.”

  Finn nodded, speechless.

  “Those who fail me are punished, do you understand boy?” He gestured towards the slave who had shown Finn in as he said this. The slave grimaced and opened his mouth. Finn’s eyes widened. He couldn’t be certain, but it seemed that the slave was missing his tongue. Finn blinked and looked back at Lucius, nodding quickly.

  “Good. You may go. Gaius will instruct you presently. Wait for him in the garden.”

  Finn stumbled back out of the house, his hands over his mouth, and sat down heavily on a stone bench as his thoughts and fears wh
irled. He and Arthur had no plan for an escape attempt with Marcus – they had not even met him yet – and now Marcus’ owner was effectively holding Arthur hostage. And what a sinister man. Finn shivered with loathing at the all too fresh memory of Lucius’ terrible, soft voice in his ear and the thought of the slave’s injury. When a hand touched his shoulder he jumped off the bench with a hoarse cry, flinging an elbow back as he did so.

  He spun round, fists clenched, only to find himself eye-to-eye with a startled-looking girl.

  “I’m sorry,” they both said at once, and then laughed as a little of the tension evaporated.

  “I am Lucilla,” said the girl. “My apologies, I shouldn’t have surprised you.”

  “Not your fault,” Finn replied. “I’m just a bit distracted at the moment. I’m Finn.”

  The girl walked around to the front of the bench and sat down, motioning to Finn to do the same.

  “Most people are nervous after meeting my uncle. He has that effect on people.”

  “Your uncle?” Finn gulped, instantly back on guard as Lucilla nodded forlornly.

  “I wish he were not. He is not a good man – but I think you might know that already. You are the boy who will spy on Titus?” Finn froze, not sure how to respond. “I’m not supposed to know, but I make it my business to find out what my uncle is planning when it comes to Titus. I hear that you are not from Rome, so perhaps I can trust you.” Lucilla paused and her face clouded over as she muttered, “I am to marry Titus.”

  “What? How old are you?” Finn blurted, confused. “And isn’t Titus your uncle’s enemy?”

  “I am twelve years old, and yes, Titus and my uncle are rivals. I am a peace offering, I think.” Even in the middle of all his own troubles, Finn found himself feeling quite sorry for Lucilla.

  Casting a furtive glance over her shoulder, Lucilla continued briskly, “Listen, we don’t have long. I am just asking that if you discover anything that puts my marriage to Titus in doubt you will get word to me. Marrying Titus will get me away from my uncle and I have to escape this house one way or another.”