Gladiator Clash (Time Hunters, Book 1)

by Chris Blake

  Isis drew her bow and aimed her arrow at Hilarus’s grimacing face. He stood with his legs apart, bashing the hilt of his sword against his shield. Now he wasn’t laughing – he was growling! The crowd was going wild, shouting for their hero to charge at the child on the horse.

  “Think you can scare me?” Isis shouted to Hilarus. “I’ve seen worse than you!”

  With her bow and arrow still trained on the golden gladiator, Isis galloped towards Hilarus.

  “Go on, Isis! You can do it!” cheered Tom.

  Hilarus barely had time to swing his sword at Isis. She yanked on her horse’s reins, pulling it hard to Hilarus’s left – the side of his shield arm. Just beyond his sword’s reach, Isis leaned out of the saddle of her cantering horse. She gripped her arrow like a dagger and thrust it towards the amulet. Edging the sharp tip underneath the gem, Isis pushed with all her might and… FLIP!

  “Got it!” she cried.

  Tom watched as the amulet leaped free of its setting and hurtled through the air. The whole crowd gasped as the glittering, precious jewel flew across the arena.

  It landed in the sand, right in front of the barrier that bordered the seating.

  “It’s mine!” Isis shouted. “We did it, Tom!”

  But as Isis galloped over to the jewel, a girl sitting in the front row bent over the barrier and snatched up the amulet.

  “No!” Tom shouted.

  “Come back here so I can crush you!” Hilarus roared, sprinting after Isis.

  Tom’s heart was pounding again. He was unarmed. But Isis, who was arguing with the girl, had her back turned. And an angry Hilarus was closing the gap with his sword drawn.

  I’ve got to distract him, Tom thought. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing wolf whistle. “Oi! Hilarious Hilary!” Tom cried. “Your leather skirt is tucked into your loincloth.”

  Hilarus stopped dead in his tracks and swung round to face Tom. “What did you say?” he said.

  “Everyone can see your bum,” Tom shouted. “Ha ha ha!”

  The gladiator’s face had turned an alarming shade of beetroot. Despite being called Hilarus, it didn’t seem like the gladiator could take a joke. Tom was almost paralysed with fear, but he knew he had to keep taunting Hilarus. For Isis’s sake!

  “They all think you’re an idiot now!” Tom yelled. “Big bum!”

  Half of the crowd started to shout, “Don’t listen to him, Hilarus!” The other half burst out laughing.

  Hilarus tugged self-consciously at his leather skirt. “Are you making a mockery of me, boy?” He narrowed his eyes and started to stomp towards Tom. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

  Suddenly, the girl who had taken the amulet cried out, “Hilarus! Help me!”

  Hilarus, only feet away from Tom, swung round.

  The girl was waving the amulet in the air.Isis had dismounted and leaped over the barrier. Her arrow was trained straight on the girl’s heart.

  The whole crowd gasped and fell silent.

  “Get the amulet, Isis! You can do it!” Tom shouted.

  “That’s mine. Give it back!” Isis demanded, pulling the arrow back, ready to shoot.

  The girl clutched the jewel close to her chest. “I will not,” she said in a shaky voice. “This belongs to Hilarus and I’m his biggest fan.”

  Hilarus was charging like an angry bull back towards Isis now. The crowd were hurling insults at her and booing loudly.

  Above the mayhem, Atillius’s voice boomed, “Guards! Stop the games! Seize those children!”

  Tom felt the colour drain from his face as a swarm of spear-wielding stewards streamed down the tiers of seating towards him. There was no time to lose.

  Spying his two swords lying abandoned in the dust, Tom ran over and grabbed the hilts. Great. At least I’m armed again, he thought. Then, sprinting towards Isis so fast that he was sure his lungs would explode, Tom called out, “Get the amulet! It’s time to go!”

  The stewards were closing in, spears at the ready. Tom could feel their shadows bearing down on him.

  “What are you waiting for?” Atillius barked. “Clap those children in chains! I’ll feed them to the lions myself.”

  The stewards lowered their spears so they were pointing right at Tom and Isis’s bellies.

  A voice boomed out, “No, Atillius! These two are mine!”

  Hilarus pushed the stewards aside and treated the girl who was his biggest fan to a dazzling grin. With a short, sharp blow from his sword, he knocked the bow and arrow clean out of Isis’s hands.

  “Now, Isis!” Tom hissed through gritted teeth.

  Isis reached out and swiped the amulet from the girl’s hand. The girl was so distracted by her idol standing close to her that she didn’t even seem to notice her trophy had gone.

  Isis flashed the orange amulet at Tom and gave him a nod. Together, they started to race towards the exit.

  “It was nice knowing you all,” Isis called to Hilarus and the stewards, “but we’re very busy people and it’s time to go.”

  Tom was just about to join hands with Isis when he froze in horror.

  “Er, Isis,” he said. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Isis looked blank for a moment, and then despair spread across her face. “Cleo!” she wailed. “We can’t leave without my fluffpot!”

  Tom knew they had missed their chance. It was no use. The guards had caught up with them and they were surrounded on all sides by tall stewards with mean-looking faces and glinting spears. How would they get to Cleo now?

  Tom noticed that the stewards’ togas were dazzling white and draped in careful folds, and the men wore beaded sandals on their feet.

  “Great sandals, guys,” Tom said, trying to say anything that might distract the stewards long enough for him take a swipe at them.

  A couple of the stewards actually looked down at their feet and smiled, but it wasn’t enough to make them drop their spears.

  “Nice try, prison scum!” one of the stewards said, shaking his spear. “Throw down your weapons or I’ll skewer you like a kebab.”

  “We need to get past them,” Isis cried. “I’ve got to get to Cleo!”

  The men were closing in on them.

  Tom looked about him. Guards were everywhere. He held out his two swords even though his tired arms were shaking with the weight.

  “Just try to push them back towards the prisoners’ quarters,” Tom said to Isis.

  “How? They took my bow and arrows, remember?” she said.

  Tom racked his brains for a solution.

  “Kick sand at them,” he shouted.

  Isis grinned and nodded. Together they started to kick sand at the stewards. Clouds of dust billowed round, making them cough.

  “I can’t see!” a steward gasped.

  Tom slashed at the stewards with his left sword. There was a clash of metal as he tried to force their spears aside.

  “Take that!” he yelled. He swung his sword low, chopping the long wooden shafts of five spears clean in half.

  Isis aimed a few brutal kicks at the shins of several of the stewards and they buckled over, groaning and clutching their legs.

  “Sounds like that hurt!” Isis cried, grinning mischievously.

  Then she grabbed handfuls of dust and flung them in the men’s faces. She snatched up one of the spear heads from the ground and slashed at the brooches that held the men’s togas together. The stewards were soon tangled up in their own clothing, cowering with embarrassment before the guffawing spectators.

  Tom saw their chance. “Run!” he shouted to Isis.

  They made good progress back towards the entrance to the prisoners’ quarters, but more stewards appeared from the rows of seats and chased after them.

  Tom and Isis sprinted down the stone stairs and pelted down the corridors that led to the animals’ enclosure, hurdling anything that stood in their way.

  “Did we lose them?” Isis gasped.

  Tom look
ed behind him. “No! Faster!”

  The men were gaining on them.

  Ahead, Tom spotted Josephus fetching a bucket of water.

  “Help us!” he shouted.

  Josephus looked round, startled. He nodded as Tom and Isis skidded to a halt by the heavy wooden door.

  “This thing weighs a tonne. Push together,” Josephus said.

  They all wedged their shoulders up against the door and put their full weight behind it until it began to inch inwards.

  “Quick! They’re coming!” Tom wailed.

  “There they are!” the stewards bellowed.

  Five men bowled along the corridor towards Tom and Isis. There was a whizz! as a spear shot through the air towards them.

  “Duck!” Josephus barked.

  Bedoinnng! went the spear as it impaled itself into the wood of the door. It was a near miss but they had the door open now.

  “Take us straight to Cleo!” Isis commanded Josephus.

  They sped past the alligator and a cage full of tigers to Cleo’s special spot. She was sound asleep, curled up on a cozy bed of hay at the back of the lion’s cage. The lions were huddled in a far corner, whimpering.

  “Fluffpot!” Isis cried. Cleo woke up and stretched lazily. The men were almost upon them now. Josephus threw a bale of hay in their path to slow them down.

  “It’s no use,” Tom said in frustration. “They’re going to capture us! There’s nowhere left to run!” His heart was beating so wildly, he could hardly hear himself think. Next to him, Isis was trembling like jelly. Tom searched his mind for a last-ditch escape route.

  “Hang on!” he said to Isis. “Aren’t the wild animals terrified of Cleo?”

  Isis nodded frantically. “Yes! Yes!” she said. “Somehow they know she’s a ghost!”

  “I’ve got it,” Tom said. He turned to Josephus. “Release the animals!”

  Josephus was wide-eyed. His forehead glistened with sweat. “Are you mad?” he cried. “They’ll eat you alive.”

  A spear landed with a rattle at their feet.

  “We’ve got no other choice, Josephus,” Tom said. “As long as we’ve got Cleo on our side, we should be safe. It’s the only way we can escape the stewards!”

  Josephus still didn’t look convinced. The alligator started snapping its enormous jaws. It thrashed its tail from side to side. The tigers paced in their cage, growling. The lions started to roar and fling themselves against the bars of their enclosures.

  The men were almost upon them with spears and swords.

  “Give me the key!” Isis shouted, wrestling it out of Josephus’s hands.

  Isis held up the key and taunted the guards. “Time for walkies!” she cried, unlocking the cages.

  The animals bolted out of their cages. Cleo trotted out after them, her tail held proudly in the air. But instead of attacking, the alligator and the lions backed away nervously from Cleo. The little cat hissed at them, then the animals fled down the corridor leading to the arena – trying to get as far away from Cleo as they could. Terrified, the stewards screamed and ran the other way.

  Josephus shook his head in amazement. “I’ve seen some strange things in my time, but this is the strangest yet.”

  “Will you be OK?” Tom asked him.

  “Hilarus will deal with the animals,” Josephus said. He held up a bucket of meat. “And if you give them some of this, they’re tame as kittens.”

  Cleo jumped into Isis’s arms and nuzzled her mistress. She pawed at Isis’s tightly closed fist. Isis unfurled her fingers to reveal the orange amulet she still held in the palm of her hot, sweaty hand.

  “What should we do now?” she asked, fixing Tom with wide, puzzled eyes.

  Tom reached out and touched the amulet. It began to glow bright orange.

  Wind started to whip around the animals’ quarters. The gust furled around his ankles, quickly turning into a tornado that twisted around Tom, Isis and Cleo. There was a sucking sensation and Tom just had time to say, “Thank you and goodbye,” to a bewildered-looking Josephus before he felt himself being whisked into a tunnel. Then the wind blew so hard that Tom was forced to squeeze his eyes shut as he flew through space and time…

  When Tom opened his eyes again, all traces of the animals’ quarters and the Roman Coliseum were gone. He was back in his bedroom. He looked over at Isis and Cleo. They’d made it back safely as well, but they were in their mummy’s bandages again.

  Isis examined her wrappings. “It’s nice not to be in chains any more,” she said, sighing. “But I’m not happy to see these grotty things again.”

  Cleo jumped stiffly on to her lap and pawed at a piece of Isis’s loose fabric.

  “It’s such a shame we only get to have our proper bodies back when we’re on a quest!” Isis moaned.

  Tom looked around the silent room. He ran his finger over the books on his bookshelf, his fossil collection and his knight figurines. He touched the monitor of his computer, which was still open on his search on Ancient Egypt.

  “Feels weird to be back, doesn’t it?” he said, glancing at his clock. “Anubis was right about the time though. Look!” he pointed to the glowing digital display. “Same time as when we left.”

  Isis held up the amulet to the light and watched the magical jewel sparkle, scattering orange patterns on to the bedroom wall.

  “It’s so pretty,” she cooed, “And it would look so lovely in a necklace—”

  “Don’t even think about it!” said Tom.

  Suddenly the floor shook, the light flickered, thunder rumbled and a strong wind sent Tom’s curtains flapping.

  “Oh, brilliant! Here we go again!” Tom muttered.

  The door of Tom’s wardrobe burst open. The huge figure of Anubis pushed Tom’s school uniform aside and loomed from the gloom, his red eyes flashing and his arms crossed.

  “Still haven’t learned your lesson, Princess Isis?” the god growled.

  Anubis flicked his tongue over his muzzle and eyed the glittering amulet greedily.

  Tom watched as the god of the Underworld advanced out of the shadows. He was so tall that he could barely fit in Tom’s room. Tom felt certain he was on a collision course with his lampshade.

  “Mind out,” Tom said, pointing.

  Anubis took two steps forward and – kwang! – he hit his head. “OW!” he said, rubbing his pointy ears. The jackal-headed god slapped the light angrily. “What is this sorcery?” he asked crossly.

  Isis giggled. “It’s not sorcery, its electricity,” she said smugly.

  “You think you’re clever, do you?” Anubis roared, blasting them with his meaty doggy breath.

  “Yes, actually, we do,” Isis said.

  “Well, a clever little girl would hand over that amulet right now – before I blast her straight back to Ancient Rome!” the furious god bellowed.

  “Go on, Isis,” urged Tom.

  “All right, all right,” said Isis, sulkily dropping the glowing amulet into the god’s hand. “But I still think it would look much better on me.”

  “ENOUGH!” raged Anubis. He circled the two children menacingly, as if deciding whether or not to tear their heads off. It made Tom feel almost homesick for the lions and alligator in the Roman animal enclosure. At least they were scared of Cleo, but now the terrified cat was hiding under Tom’s bed, her bandaged paws covering her eyes.

  Anubis leaned in towards Tom and Isis and growled, “You have found and recovered the first amulet. But your next challenge will be much, much harder. Your adventures in Ancient Rome will seem like a mere game.” He threw back his head and laughed wildly, showing his sharp teeth.

  Then the ground shook and the god of the Underworld disappeared with a small explosion that left a corner of Tom’s new carpet with a burned patch.

  “My mum is really not going to be pleased about that,” said Tom gloomily, sniffing the acrid air and kicking at the mark.

  Isis stiffly leaned back on Tom’s bed. Her joints made a horrible cracking noise. A p
iece of her little finger fell off, landing on the carpet.

  “Or that,” said Tom, handing Isis her finger and brushing away the pile of dust it left behind.

  Isis jammed the finger back on her hand hastily. “I’m soooo tired,” she said, lying down flat on her back with her hands crossed over her chest. Cleo curled up beside her. Within moments, both cat and princess were snoring so loudly that Tom wondered for a moment if Anubis had conjured up a small earthquake in the room.

  “I guess that’s what you call sleeping like the dead,” Tom said. “That’s fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just try to get some rest on my burned carpet, shall I?”

  Tom shuffled on the floor. He was struggling to get comfortable.

  Come on, Tom, he told himself. You slept on a stone floor for days, with another slave’s toes practically stuffed up your nostrils! This is like a palace by comparison.

  In the quiet and comforting dark of his room, Tom thought about his Roman adventure. He had trained to fight as a gladiator! How exciting was that?

  He remembered the heavy feel of the swords in his hands and the roar of the crowd. For a moment there, I almost had Hilarus.

  Tom smiled at the moon that shone through a chink in his curtains. As sleep started to take him, he thought of the gladiator’s boring breakfast of dried fruit and porridge. Wrinkling his nose, he imagined eggs, bacon and baked beans instead.

  Five more amulets to find, he pondered. I wonder where our next adventure will be? Maybe they would go to Ancient Greece or Ancient Egypt, or even back to medieval times…

  He opened one eye and peered through the gloom at the sleeping forms of Isis and Cleo. Tom knew one thing for sure – with the undead mummies of an Egyptian princess and her cat around, life certainly wasn’t going to be boring!

  WHO WERE THE MIGHTIEST GLADIATORS?

  Hilarus was actually a real gladiator! Find out more about him and other fearsome fighters.

  HILARUS was a slave who belonged to a troupe of gladiators owned by the Emperor Nero. He won 13 wreathes for his victories, making him one of Ancient Rome’s most successful fighters. He was eventually defeated by a novice gladiator named Marcus Attilius. However, Hilarus fought so bravely in their fight that he was spared death and given his freedom.