The Gladiator s-1

by Ben Kane

  Not being an organised munus, there was none of the usual pomp of the public spectacle. No group of trumpeters to march around the arena, playing for all they were worth. No slave-carried platforms with painted statues of the gods being honoured that day. No procession of the prizes on offer to the victors: palm branches and leather purses full of cash borne aloft on silver platters. When Spartacus and his opponent made their way, fully armed, to stand before Batiatus and the others, a solitary trumpet sounded.

  In Carbo’s mind, this made the contest more ordinary, but far more chilling.

  It was now that Batiatus came into his own. He waxed lyrical, describing the black-haired Thracian in glowing terms. He paid particular attention to his victories thus far. At a sign from Phortis, the Thracian raised his arms and turned a circle, so that Albinus and Crassus could admire his muscular physique. The lanista did the same for Spartacus.

  The gladiators whistled and cheered for both men at the tops of their voices. The noise mingled in an ear-shredding crescendo that filled the ludus.

  Watching from their cell, Ariadne’s breath caught in her chest. Despite herself, she admired Spartacus’ body, but this was the last situation she’d have chosen to see it exhibited. Would you prefer him in your bed then? She shoved away the disquieting thought.

  With the preliminaries over, Phortis moved out on to the sand. He would act as the summa rudis, the referee for the bout. He ordered the two fighters to stand fifteen paces apart before looking to Batiatus. The lanista nodded and Phortis signalled to the trumpeter. A short series of notes rang out, and the Capuan stepped out of the way.

  Spartacus didn’t barrel forward as he had in his fight against Carbo. Instead, he shuffled towards the warrior, his bare feet silent upon the sand. Moving with the grace of a dancer, his opponent did the same. Spartacus wasn’t prepared at all for the warrior’s speed and skill. When he was no more than half a dozen steps away, he suddenly broke into a sprint. Darting forward like a wolf closing in on a deer, he thrust his sica straight at Spartacus’ face. Spartacus had no time to raise his scutum. Desperately, he wrenched his head to the side. The warrior’s blade whistled past, missing his left cheek by a whisker length.

  Spartacus roared with anger, but his opponent was already gone, using his momentum to deftly spin off, out of harm’s way. The movement brought the warrior around behind him. Spartacus turned to meet the next attack, another wicked stab at his face, which he managed to parry with his scutum. His riposte, a lunge that would have spitted the warrior through and through, met only thin air. Panting, they separated from each other.

  Crassus leaned over and whispered in Albinus’s ear. When he’d finished, the portly politician gave Batiatus a pleased nod. ‘An impressive start.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ gushed the lanista.

  Out on the sand, and oblivious to their audience, Spartacus and the warrior circled warily around one another.

  Without warning, Spartacus launched a savage attack on his opponent. Using a one-two technique of punching forward with his shield boss followed by a brutal thrust of his gladius, he drove the warrior backwards across the arena. His opponent had no option but to retreat. No one could stand against such an overwhelming assault. Spartacus’ tactic worked. Before long, one of the warrior’s feet slipped, and he stumbled backwards, falling on his backside.

  Spartacus yelled in triumph. Drawing back his gladius, he prepared to run the defenceless warrior through. He gave no thought to Batiatus or Crassus, and whether they wanted him to kill the other so fast. He’d gone into battle mode, when all that mattered was finishing one’s opponent as quickly as possible.

  But the fight wasn’t over.

  In desperation, the warrior raised his left arm. Swinging his shield around like a discus, he smashed its metal-rimmed edge into Spartacus’ right knee.

  The impact made Spartacus stagger. Roaring in pain, he dropped the point of his sword, giving his opponent a chance. The warrior rolled away and scrambled to his feet, swiftly launching a counter-attack of his own, a relentless flurry of slashes aimed at Spartacus’ unprotected face. It was all Spartacus could do to lift his scutum and deflect the other’s blows. And then the warrior changed his tactic. Spinning with the grace of a maenad in ecstatic frenzy, he swung around to Spartacus’ rear again. With consummate skill, he brought his sica down in a flashing arc, across the back of Spartacus’ shield arm. Blood sprayed into the air. Spartacus’ answering bellow was a combination of shock, pain and rage.

  Albinus and Crassus called out in appreciation.

  ‘ Iugula! Iugula! ’ shouted many of the gladiators.

  Ariadne closed her eyes, but the bloodthirsty cry still echoed in her ears. Steeling herself, she stared out at the arena again. Dionysus, do not give up on him.

  Gods above, it can’t end like this, Carbo thought, offering up desperate prayers.

  A feral smile twisted the black-haired warrior’s face as he closed in again. Spartacus snarled back, letting him know that he was far from finished. His opponent began a new attack, probing forward with his sica as a child might poke a stick at a crab. He met Spartacus’ weakened ripostes easily with his shield.

  Clever bastard, thought Spartacus. He’s seeing how much strength I have left in my bad arm. Twisting it so he could see, he assessed the long, shallow wound. It didn’t look to have severed any muscles or tendons, but he was already struggling against the weight of his scutum.

  Even as Spartacus looked up, the warrior’s blade hissed in. He jerked away, but still received a nasty cut on his right cheek. An involuntary hiss of pain left his lips. Rider, help me! I could easily lose this.

  The warrior clearly thought so too. A little smile flickered across his lips. All he had to do was stay out of reach, and keep chipping away.

  Spartacus cursed silently. His opponent was shrewd. Thanks to the wound on his arm, wearing him down wouldn’t take long. But he wasn’t finished yet. Not with his life at stake. Not with Ariadne to look after.

  Letting out a shrieking war cry, Spartacus threw himself forward. With supreme effort, he kept his scutum high. Over and over he thrust his gladius at the warrior, who desperately defended himself with his small shield. It was a risky plan, but Spartacus didn’t have long before his strength really began to fail.

  As his sword struck the warrior’s shield for the seventh or eighth time, the blade drove through the leather covering. It splintered the wood beneath to emerge on the other side. The warrior goggled, amazed that he hadn’t been gutted. He fell back a step, and Spartacus saw a golden opportunity. Ripping his weapon free, he shoved it into the other’s shield again. And again. Within a few heartbeats, it had cracked apart, and the warrior was forced to discard it. Looking scared now, he retreated further.

  Spartacus had to pause to catch his breath. The pain from his arm was coming in waves, lancing up into his shoulder and beyond. He was no longer able to keep his scutum high enough to protect his throat. Nonetheless, he couldn’t let up his assault. Clenching his jaw, he went at the warrior like a wild beast. His gladius’ thrusts were so savage that his opponent had no chance to strike at his neck. It took every scrap of skill that the warrior possessed just to avoid Spartacus’ long iron blade.

  Fortunately, the warrior’s good fortune ran out before Spartacus’ own strength failed. His sword sliced into the side of the black-haired fighter’s belly, through the taut muscles there, to emerge red-tipped on the other side. There was a wet, soughing sound as Spartacus ripped the gladius free, and the warrior shrieked with the agony of it. With blood pouring from his wound, he staggered away, his sica dangling from his slack fingers. When Spartacus followed, there was little resistance. Two massive overhand blows, and the warrior had dropped his weapon. Spartacus ploughed on, pushing the other away from the curved sword, and any chance of redemption.

  The warrior was unarmed now, and the manica on his right arm was his only defence. Of the two, his wound was far more serious. He was therefore desperate to
retrieve his sica. Spartacus met every attempt with unbridled fury, however, and with each moment that passed, the warrior grew weaker. Spartacus didn’t delay. Toying with an opponent might please some, but it was not in his nature. The fight had gone on long enough. He needed to get his arm seen to. It was time to end it.

  Shoving his shield boss at the other’s chest, Spartacus stabbed him in the left thigh. As the blade slid free, the moaning warrior collapsed to the sand. He made no attempt to get up.

  A loud roar rose from most of the cells as the gladiators showed their approval.

  Ariadne closed her eyes, and sagged with relief against the bars of the window.

  Thank all the gods, thought Carbo.

  Looking down at his opponent, defenceless and bleeding, Spartacus felt cold to the marrow of his bones. The warrior was one of his own, and he was about to kill him — at the behest of those he hated. Romans. At this moment, this is the way it has to be, he told himself fiercely. He glanced at Batiatus, who turned with a questioning look to Albinus and Crassus. ‘Do you still wish this to be a mortal bout?’

  ‘Have I said otherwise?’ asked Crassus in an acid tone.

  Batiatus coloured. ‘No.’

  ‘Then the loser must die.’

  ‘It is as my revered guest says,’ said Albinus pompously. ‘It’s also what I paid you a fortune for,’ he added in an undertone.

  ‘Of course, sir.’ Batiatus swiftly regained his poise. ‘It would be my honour to ask Crassus if he wishes to make the gesture.’

  Crassus’ tongue flickered over his lips, like that of a snake. ‘Very well.’ Looking at Spartacus, he jabbed the thumb of his right hand at his own throat. ‘ Iugula! ’ he ordered.

  At once the cry was repeated by the incarcerated gladiators. Feet hammered on the floor of the cells. Spoons clattered off the window bars. The din was incredible. Spartacus wasn’t surprised that the ludus’ inmates approved of his victory. Their bloodlust had been roused by the fight’s intensity and now the black-haired warrior had to pay the price. As he would have if the situation had been reversed. ‘Get up,’ he ordered.

  Groaning, the black-haired fighter managed to sit up. Fiddling with the knot, he undid his chinstrap and tugged off his helmet. It fell unnoticed to the ground. Another effort brought him on to his knees. Spartacus inclined his head in respect. ‘You fought well. It was a close contest. But the Rider chose to help me, not you.’

  ‘He did,’ replied the warrior, grunting with pain. He lifted his head up, exposing his throat. ‘Make it swift.’

  ‘I will,’ Spartacus promised. He looked up at the sky. ‘I offer this man’s life to you, Great Rider.’

  Without delay, he took aim and thrust his gladius down into the hollow at the base of the warrior’s neck. The man’s eyes opened wide with shock as the sharp iron slid through his skin and the soft tissues beneath. An instant later, he was dead. Driven with immense force, the blade had sliced apart the major vessels around the base of his heart. With a smooth movement, Spartacus pulled out the gladius. A thick, graceful arc of blood sprayed through the air as the warrior’s corpse fell limply to one side. It pumped out for a short time, creating a large red stain around the motionless corpse.

  Crassus began to clap slowly in appreciation. Batiatus, Phortis and the rest of those watching joined in. So did the gladiators, roaring and shouting their pleasure from their cell windows.

  Unmoved for once by the ovation, Spartacus stared down at the body, and the scarlet colouring the sand. That could so easily have been me, he thought. And then the Roman bastards would have been applauding him, while I lay dead before them. Fuck them all.

  Feeling the weight of someone’s stare, he looked up.

  ‘Come here!’ Crassus beckoned.

  His mere tone made Spartacus’ knuckles whiten on the hilt of his gladius. ‘Me?’

  ‘I’m hardly talking to him, am I?’ Crassus indicated the dead warrior. He glanced at Albinus and Batiatus, who both tittered dutifully.

  Arrogant bastard. Spartacus took a step forward.

  Go on, thought Carbo. Kill the whoreson!

  ‘Archers!’ bellowed Phortis.

  Spartacus froze. Without even turning his head, he could see four bows levelled at him from the balcony. There’d be at least another six to ten outside his range of vision. If Phortis said the word, they’d turn him into a practice target. The Capuan wanted him to keep walking, but Spartacus did not move. His had been a tiny act of rebellion, but it was over.

  ‘Drop the sword!’ ordered Phortis.

  ‘What, this?’ Spartacus raised the weapon. He was pleased to see Batiatus flinch slightly. Neither the Capuan nor Crassus reacted. He was surprised by the politician’s calm.

  ‘Just do it,’ snarled Phortis. ‘Unless you want to choke to death on a dozen barbed arrowheads!’

  Spartacus opened his fingers and let the bloodied gladius fall to the sand. ‘Happy now?’

  Phortis’ nostrils pinched. He glanced at Batiatus, who jerked his head meaningfully. The Capuan swallowed his rage. ‘Approach!’

  Spartacus obeyed.

  ‘That’s close enough!’ shouted Phortis when he was ten steps away.

  Gods damn them all! I’m being treated like a wild beast. Now Spartacus couldn’t stop himself from glowering at Phortis, who smirked.

  ‘You fight well,’ said Crassus. ‘For a savage.’

  ‘Savage?’ retorted Spartacus.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Where I come from, we do not force men to slay each other for the amusement of…’ He laid special emphasis on the last words. ‘… important visitors.’

  Batiatus leaped up from his seat. ‘How dare you?’ He waved his arm in furious summons. ‘Guards! I want this man tied to the palus and given fifty lashes.’

  ‘Stay your hand,’ said Crassus.

  Shocked, Batiatus glanced at his guest. ‘Sir?’

  ‘You heard what I said. Let it go. The slave has a point, after all.’

  With a confused look, Batiatus sat down again.

  ‘While Thracians may not stage gladiator fights, they are nonetheless barbarians. They are called brigands even by other brigands,’ declared Crassus smugly. ‘I’ve heard how every five years, the Getai nobility pick one of their number to serve as messenger to the gods. He’s sent on his way by tossing him in the air to land on his comrade’s spears.’ As Batiatus and Albinus tutted in horror, Crassus smiled. ‘And the Triballi regard it as normal for sons to sacrifice their fathers to the gods. Scarcely the acts of civilised people, eh?’

  Spartacus scowled.

  ‘Am I not right?’

  ‘You are,’ Spartacus admitted reluctantly.

  ‘You’re surprised by how much I know of your race.’

  He nodded.

  ‘You are a proud man,’ observed Crassus.

  Spartacus did not answer.

  ‘It galls you to be a slave? A gladiator?’

  ‘Yes.’ He’d said it before he could stop himself. ‘Of course it does.’

  Spartacus threw Phortis a filthy stare. The Capuan’s lip curled in response. ‘I shouldn’t be here.’

  ‘That’s what every man says,’ interjected Batiatus.

  Albinus and Phortis laughed.

  Whoresons, thought Spartacus.

  Crassus smiled politely at the joke, but his attention remained on Spartacus. ‘How did it happen?’

  Spartacus blinked in surprise that the other should ask. ‘I returned to my village after fighting with the legions-’

  ‘You fought for Rome?’

  ‘Yes. For eight years. Upon reaching home, I discovered that the rightful heir to the throne had been murdered by the man who now calls himself King of the Maedi. So had my father. I immediately made plans to overthrow the usurper, but I was betrayed.’

  ‘By whom?’

  ‘A friend.’

  ‘It’s no surprise that you are bitter. And what would you have done if you had achieved your aim?’

  Spar
tacus hesitated, holding Crassus’ gaze, and wondering if he should keep silent. But he was too angry to stop. ‘After putting Kotys and his henchmen to death, I would have made plans to lead my tribe against Rome again.’

  Crassus arched an eyebrow. ‘And what would have been your aim?’

  ‘To drive the legions off our lands. Forever.’

  ‘Forever?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You must know little of Rome and its history,’ said Crassus with an amused look. ‘Even if you had succeeded, our armies would have returned in vengeance. They always do.’

  ‘You have led legionaries into war?’ demanded Spartacus.

  For the first time, Crassus’ self-assurance faltered. ‘Not abroad.’

  ‘Where then?’

  ‘Against my own people, in a civil war.’

  It’s no surprise you did that, thought Carbo savagely. You have no mercy.

  ‘And I thought that I was the savage?’ asked Spartacus.

  ‘This is too much,’ protested Batiatus.

  ‘Be silent! I am still talking to this…’ Crassus hesitated. ‘… gladiator.’ He added in a hiss, ‘At least he doesn’t see the need to lick my arse.’

  Batiatus flushed and looked away. Beside him, Albinus harrumphed in quiet indignation.

  Encouraged by this tiny victory, Spartacus quickly continued, ‘I would have unified the tribes. What would Rome have made of that?’ He was pleased by the trace of fear in Albinus’ and Batiatus’ eyes. Phortis bristled, but did not dare speak while Crassus, his better, held the floor. A man who showed no apprehension at Spartacus’ words at all. No career soldier then, but he’s not short of courage. I wonder if he could lead an army, as I could.

  ‘You risk much by revealing this. A single word from me, and you’ll be a dead man,’ said Crassus, ignoring Batiatus’ alarm.

  Spartacus cursed himself silently for having let his anger speak first. He looked down at the sand. Great Rider, I ask for your help once more.

  ‘I won’t give the order, however.’ Crassus inclined his head at the lanista, who beamed in gratitude. ‘Why? Because there’s more chance of the heavens falling than you leading an army against Rome. Look at you! Reduced to fighting for our amusement.’ He smiled maliciously. ‘You’re little more than a performing animal, damned to perform the same primitive dance whenever we demand it.’