by Jaye Shields
A foreign gladiator ran toward her barred window and briefly blocked her view of Ares. At the roar of a lion, Camilla scooted deeper into the cell. Eirana flinched as the beautiful beast mauled the man to the ground, the muscular leg of the gladiator nothing more than a chew toy. The lion dragged him away as it gnawed skin down to bone leaving a trail of blood. The gladiator retrieved a dagger and stabbed the lion. The cat roared and released him long enough for the slave soldier to limp to safety from the reach of the lion’s chains.
Ares was there at the same moment and blocked a blow from the bleeding fighter. The gladiator lashed out as he fell back, drawing Ares’ blood. Eirana gasped but the wound didn’t look deep. From afar, she couldn’t make out any blood.
When the gladiator hit the ground, the helmet rolled away. The head of auburn hair that lulled back framed the darkest of green eyes.
“Drustan!”
Eirana watched in horror as her brother lay beneath the downward swing of Ares’ sword. The world moved in slow motion as a scream tore through her throat. The haunting sound was never-ending as time halted for her, or at least she thought it had. Instead, she realized that Ares had heard her cry and halted his deathblow to look her way.
The crowd roared thinking that Ares’ paused his final blow to wait for their approval. Eirana called out once more, unsure if he’d be able to make out the words over the blaring coliseum. “My brother!”
Recognition flashed across Ares’ gaze but in his distraction, her brother lurched off the ground with a dagger. This time when she screamed, it was for her lover. Ares’ eyes remained looking to her as the blade punctured deep into his skin.
If there was pain, he didn’t show it. Tears streamed down Eirana’s cheeks while Ares held her gaze. He didn’t retaliate against her brother but she noticed his fist tighten around his sword. Eirana looked to her brother leaning against the ground, his wounds severe enough to keep him there. Watching one brother die had been enough pain to shatter a million lifetimes…
Ares swung. Eirana’s heart stopped as her lover drove his blade into the gullet of a gladiator who came from behind. She hadn’t noticed during the distraction, but the rest of the Roman gladiators had reached Ares and her brother. She watched Drustan try in vain to get off the ground to defend himself. A large sword barely missed his head, landing in the sand only inches away. Ares spun once more leaving the opponent at his back and swung forward to behead her brother’s attacker. The head flew through the air and landed on the ground, spinning a trail of red as it rolled. A gruesome sight had never been so welcome to Eirana’s heart. Ares had saved her brother.
But Ares wasn’t invincible. The gladiator he’d turned on had run a sword clean through his back. Eirana’s fingers gripped the rusted bars of her cell until tiny droplets of blood formed on her skin. Ares still held his own sword by his side but reached with his other hand to pull free his opponent’s blade. She screamed as another gladiator came from behind for her brother. In a flash of movement, Ares swung out with both swords and drove them deep into the thick bodies on each side of him. The gladiators fell to the ground in heavy heaps, one of them blocking the sight of her brother on the ground.
“Tempo di andare.”A rough voice echoed through her dark cell. “Time to go.”
The shuffling of feet and the dragging of chains across the cold floor meant they’d come for the slaves. Eirana held tight against the bars, watching the horrific scene unfold. Ares’ midsection was bleeding freely but he danced with his swords as if the pain was nothing. As strong arms yanked her from the window, she clung to the desperate hopeful image of him slaying every gladiator that approached.
Only a God could survive such odds. Her heart depended on it.
****
The pain in Ares’ abdomen exploded in conflicting waves of hot and cold. Heat as blood flooded past his skin and chill as it emptied from his body. That agony could not compare to the desperation he’d seen in Eirana’s eyes when he realized the Gaulish soldier was indeed her brother. Now he would die to save her brother, even if it meant sacrificing his glory. It was beginning to seem more and more likely that he might not survive this flood of oncoming foes. If it were just him, the God of War would have had no problem cutting through the soldiers like their bodies were made to be sliced like fruit. Yet there was no mobility in protecting the fallen.
But Ares was no longer just the God of War, he was a man in love, and he would sacrifice everything for that.
Out of the corner of his eye, Eirana’s young brother tried to escape from under the body of the fallen gladiator. “Stay there,” Ares commanded in Gaulish. The young man’s angry glare meant obvious distrust, but Ares knew he’d be safer under the thick body of the dead Roman.
Ares used both swords to deflect more blows thrown his way. He kicked out with one leg to send one of the gladiators to the ground, and used the momentum to swing out with his free sword to cut deep into his opponent’s flesh. The Roman fell and Ares wasted no time before finishing him off only to greet his second opponent who still lay on the coliseum floor.
As steel clashed, Ares heard the grunting of Eirana’s brother and realized he’d gotten free of his confinement. The damn imbecile had caused his wounds to open even farther, and now the wound in his leg exposed bone jutting out like a chew toy for the lions still chained within the coliseum. A gladiator ran toward the young man so Ares launched one of his swords. The blade catapulted toward the gladiator and lodged perfectly in the Roman’s chest. As the gladiator fell next to the young Gaul, Eirana’s brother pulled free the sword to defend himself. As if he could.
The human’s lack of ability angered Ares but he realized it was more than that. He was petrified of the possibility of Eirana losing her brother. Finishing off his opponent with a kick to the groin and a swift decapitation with his sharp blade, the hot spray of the gladiator’s blood hit his cheeks before he turned to her brother’s side.
Standing over him, Ares yanked the sword from the Gaul’s hands and flipped the blades in a violent circle to cut flesh from the approaching Romans. Three gladiators surrounded them but using speedy acrobatics with the sharps blades, Ares cut pieces out of the Romans, one by one. Just as the last gladiator in their midst fell, the gates opened across the coliseum.
On that side of the arena, Roman and Gaulish gladiator slaves still battled between the reaches of the chained lions but it was the sight of the slave gates opening that made his heart stop. The organ weighed heavy in his chest when he saw Eirana, Camilla, and the other female slaves thrust into the center of the chaos.
Her brother’s voice reached toward him in a pained rasp. “I need another sword.”
Ares didn’t have time for this. The young man needed more than another sword. Reaching down, Ares yanked a tall blade from one of the slaughtered Romans and handed it to the young Gaul so he had two swords. “I’ll protect her.” Ares made the vow in Gaulish before taking off in Eirana’s direction without a backward glance at her fallen brother.
As he tore across the gigantic coliseum floor, he spied Eirana picking up a heavy weapon and clutching it to her chest as she tried to lead Camilla to a safer part of chaos. A gladiator came up behind Eirana. Ares’ heart raged within his chest. Before he could scream her name, she turned and swung the spiked hammer into the Roman’s face. The soldier sunk to his knees but Eirana no longer had a weapon.
Ares reached her just as another gladiator spied her and Camilla. Leaping through the air, Ares landed on the gladiator’s back. He caught the brute’s head within his hands and snapped hard until the sound of bone breaking meant the spinal cord had severed.
Eirana ran into his arms. Ares breathed in the scent of her skin and let his body relax into hers. He closed his eyes and the world fell away. The subtle impact of a young girl’s soft body made Ares open his eyes, and he realized Camilla had joined them in a group hug. He smiled down at her briefly before Eirana’s lips found his in a needy kiss.
He groaned a
gainst the ecstasy and agony as he devoured her, every ounce of his worry and need coming together in an epic rush. His pain and concern fell away as her passion rendered him into a state of bliss.
Camilla’s scream cracked through the air along with the roar of a lion. Ares turned to see the massive beast launching through the air toward the young girl. Ares leapt in front of her. He held his hands out toward the beast and screamed in an ancient language. The lion immediately landed on the ground and heeled. The cat’s golden eyes met his own in recognition and the lion laid on the ground in perfect obedience.
A gladiator approached but before Ares could react the lion had pounced, and ravaged the Roman to the ground. Ares grasped for Camilla and placed a hand over her eyes before pushing her toward Eirana, who buried the young girl’s face into her dress so the bloody image would be out of sight. Camilla’s tiny hands went to her ears in a futile attempt to drown out the screams of the man as the lion tore him to pieces.
“Ares, I love you.” Eirana spoke the words he would cherish for the rest of his life and yet, her tormented tone stung him like a barb. Her hand pressed against his wound as if she could stop the bleeding. She thought he could die.
“If I die, I die loving you, protecting you. I can never return to Olympus if I don’t know that you are happy and safe. I love you more than everything this world and beyond could ever offer me.”
As more gladiators approached them, Ares gave them no heed letting the lions be his protectors for the moment. “The lions recognize me.”
“As a God?”
Ares nodded.
“What God? Can you be healed just as you healed me?” Her voice trembled as if she was afraid to hope.
For once, Ares was glad that her people did not worship the Olympians, for he was unsure how the woman he loved would react to knowing he was the God of War. “Just know me as Ares.” Before she could reply, he ran his hand through her hair and pulled her to his lips. If this would be his last kiss, he would make it count. Her body melted against his and he swore her warmth cured all the pain of his wounds.
The coliseum thundered in response, a mix of cheers and disapproving boos for the affection of the slave girl and the gladiator. The people had come for death, not love. Ares cared not.
Eirana’s tongue swept away the pain of his wounds as it moved inside his mouth convincing him of her need for him, her love for him. Her hands caressed his body in worship and his body thrummed with revival. Grudgingly, he pulled away.
“Stay here with the lions, they will protect you.”
Her eyes washed over him with concern, their color a deep enough green to rival the Aegean during a storm. She didn’t protest though. Despite her fear, she trusted him. Ares took her and Camilla’s hand and walked them deeper into the chained area of the lions. The giant beasts didn’t pay them any heed but instead, continued to pace at the length of their chains waiting for a gladiator to come within reach.
The crowd gave a collective gasp of surprise when the massive cats failed to tear the woman and child to bits. Squeezing their hands once more before departing, Ares handed both of his swords to them. “I am proud of my courageous women.”
Camilla smiled in response, her brown eyes glittering with pride for the first time. Eirana took the sword. “Bring back my brother. And yourself.” It was a command he would do his best to obey.
Ares left the safety of the lion’s realm and strode back into the fight. No more than ten gladiators still stood among the piles of dead bodies, some mauled by lions, some killed by the slave fighters on the other side of the coliseum.
Two gladiators confronted Ares at once. Without a weapon, he ducked and let their blades meet one another. Ares bashed their heads together as the gladiators’ momentum left them falling forward over his quick avoidance. Ares stole one of their swords and drove it into the nearest flesh. Pulling it free of the heavy body, Ares turned to meet another oncoming gladiator.
His human body began failing him. The muscles in his once-hard abdomen now seemed useless due to the gaping, bloody hole. Against the powerful onslaught of the Romans, Ares realized his own strength was waning. Being a human had its drawbacks.
Ares used all the strength he had left to drive his sword forward. He sliced through thick flesh quick enough to try to sweep backward at the foe approaching from behind. He wasn’t fast enough. Before he could free his sword from the body, another blade cut into him from behind. The already gaping wound in his stomach widened from the deep puncture through his back.
He spun through the agony to decapitate the foe. With the blade still lodged in his back, Ares’ world began to blur.
A familiar voice crept into his mind, an unwelcome guest. Eris, the Goddess of Chaos whispered eerily through the hysteria. “You won’t win this game, Ares. Can’t you see you’ve already lost?”
The chilling sound of the goddess’ voice was like steel grinding against granite. Slowly, Eris’ face manifested before him. Her plum lips peeled back into a devious smile. “Do you know, Ares, that she will carry your child? As the referee of this little game, I call that cheating.”
The knowledge slammed into him with enough force to bring him to his knees. Happiness and tragedy twisted his stomach into a knot. Ares curled down until his forehead met the bloodied sand of the arena floor. A hot tear fought free and trailed down his cheek. The thought of leaving Eirana behind with his child was too much. So much joy, and yet he would never possess it. Forced to leave it all behind was unthinkable.
For the first time, Ares experienced the human-destroying emotion known as tragedy.
Another realization brought Ares to his feet, the pain in his abdomen forgotten. She carried his child and all the while, she’d been in danger. Still was. He clutched the sword at his side with a renewed fervor to fight for his love, and the baby growing inside her.
“It won’t be that easy, Ares.”
A sudden whirlwind swept dirt up from the coliseum floor. A collective gasp spread through the crowd as the tornado swelled high up into the air. As sand churned rapidly, dirt began piecing together to form the image of Eris’ face. Chaos parted her lips and laughed, her dreadlocks swaying within the sandstorm as she threw her head back mischievously. The startling image caused the Romans filling the coliseum to scream in response.
The hiss of the swirling wind tunnel growled as Chaos began to address the Romans. “Begin to believe in the power of Olympus once more, or experience our wrath. You have already met Ares, the God of War. Witness his greatness again lest you still not believe.”
The Goddess of Chaos’ face disappeared just as each of the chains holding the lions severed. Ares grit his teeth at Eris’ deeds. The lions sprang into action hunting down every gladiator. With the giant cats free, there would be no protection for Eirana and Camilla…and his unborn child. The crowd continued to roar with disbelief and awe of the violence unleashed by the mystical force.
Ares ran forward with a speed to rival Mercury. Cutting through gladiators along the way, he never stopped to ensure they were dead. Ares cut a bloody path toward Eirana, determined to be at her side before any Roman came within fifty feet of her.
The crowd thundered with excitement, probably from the fact that he was a dead man walking. Make that running. In an instant, he was successfully between Eirana and all remaining Romans. The lions had cut the gladiators down to four.
Ares heard someone in the crowd yell, “Use the girl for lion bait!”
Finding a spear protruding from one of the fallen, Ares hurled it through the air. It whistled as it flew over twenty feet and lodged into the jugular of the approaching Roman. That should dissuade him.
A flash of metal caught Ares’ eye from the slave gate, and he turned just in time to see a familiar scarred face. The guard he’d argued with earlier. The Roman readied his stance to launch a long spear toward Eirana.
No lance to be had, there was no choice but to catapult his sword in the direction of the guard. But he kne
w a spear would be much faster. His eyes found Eirana and the world stopped.
The crowd clamored as the scarred guard stepped into the arena and hurled a spear of his own.
Out of the madness, Eirana’s brother threw himself in front of the sharp point. The tall sword he’d been leaning on as a crutch fell to the ground. Eirana’s scream tore through the coliseum, loud enough to be heard even over the roar of the crowd.
Ares glanced toward the guard and found him on the ground with Ares’ sword in his gut. Time for it to be done. Yanking two swords from nearby corpses, Ares sprang forward, hunting down the remaining Romans. When they spied him, they fled in the direction of the lions. The beasts roared back, cutting off the escape of the petrified gladiators. Ares tapped into the God of War, which had gone into hiding after making love to Eirana. He smelled the fear coming off the Romans in waves. He counted on it.
Catching up to the nearest gladiator, he kicked forward and sent the fighter to the ground. Ares plunged down with his sword and the blade separated the head from the body. Yanking the sword back, he sent the axe in his other hand flying. The next gladiator fell to the ground only to have a lion leap upon the heavy corpse and begin tearing flesh from the bones.
Screams erupted from the crowd in sickening amusement. Ares grit his teeth as he ran down the next gladiator. “Turn and face me,” he roared, but the gladiator chose to take his chances with the lions instead of face him. Ares didn’t bother to watch the sick massacre of the cats feasting on the Roman’s body. Instead, he turned and ran toward Eirana where she curled over her brother’s body.
The emperor stood to address the audience, but Ares didn’t listen. The crowd quieted as they sat on the edge of their seats. They knew what fate awaited Ares. No one but the emperor could determine the outcome of the fight, and Ares had taken matters into his own hands.
“Eirana.” He arrived at her side and took in the sight of her tear-drenched cheeks.
Her brother held an arm out to Ares. “I was already done for. You must continue to care for her in this mad place.”
