Highland Warriors of the Glade_William

by Charity McColl

  William could not believe it and he roared in anger as he faced the spectators. "You Romans are playing a horrible game. To hell with your foul kingdom."

  But, obviously, the onlookers did not understand a word of what he was saying and started to chant. Some of them were waving a piece of cloth, while others were gesturing with their hands as they were holding their thumbs down. They all shouted in unison, "Iugula! Iugula!"

  William scratched his head. He had no idea what it meant, but when he saw the movements many of the onlookers were making it dawned on him they wanted him to kill that gladiator boy. He spat on the ground again. No way, you fools. I am not going to kill a mere kid that doesn't know how to defend himself. He kept holding on to the sword, and stumbled in the direction of the gate through which he had entered the arena. The crowd was most displeased and shouted more unknown curses. Then, the gate opened and William stopped. What, or who, was coming out?

  It was a woman.

  A woman? For a moment William's heart skipped a beat. Would it be Caitlin?

  Then he saw. It wasn't Caitlin, but it was the very next best thing to Caitlin. It was Cantilia. Some soldiers pushed her out into the arena. When she saw William, she ran up to him and cast her arms around him.

  "William, thank God… You are still alive." Her voice wavered. "Oh, William… This was only the beginning. They want you to kill that gladiator."

  But William ignored her statement. "How's Caitlin?"

  "She's… well… she's all right… for now." She stopped and looked into William's eyes. "They sent me in here to translate and of course, to have more fun, with all of us…"

  "Translate? I refuse to have anything to do with their horrible games. They can all go to hell," William said through gritted teeth. "There's nothing to translate." Then he raised his eyebrows. "Well… what's that word mean that they are all screaming; Iugulaah or something like that?"

  Cantilia lowered her eyes, and then softly spoke, "Slice his throat."

  William stared at her while his eyes widened.

  "They want you to kill the gladiator…"

  "I can't… I won't. It's Pollius."

  Cantilia gasped. "Pollius?"

  William nodded. William knew of Pollius' betrayal. Cantilia had told him about it in prison. Still, there was not a single shortened hair on his head that considered killing the young slave.

  "The Emperor himself wants you to do it," Cantilia continued. She pointed with her head to a figure sitting in a covered seat in the middle of the bleachers.

  "The Emperor? So, that's the Emperor… Now, we get to meet the real culprit." William looked into the direction of the ruler who was staring intently at the Scottish warrior, and cast him an angry glance. Then he shook his fist and spat once more in the sand. A wave of shocked disapproval went through the crowd.

  "Don't antagonize him needlessly," Cantilia said.

  "Look at him," William scoffed. "He's a coward. He's probably never even been in a battle. He looks weak and bloated. If antagonizing that devil is the last thing I get to do here on earth, it is well worth the effort."

  “Sometimes, if you win in the arena,” Cantilia said, “the Emperor extends mercy and lets you live.”

  William shook his head. “I don’t want to live without Caitlin. If she is dead, my life has no value.” He looked at Pollius who had scrambled to his feet and stood with drooping shoulders in the middle of the arena. "What's going to happen to him? And why is he here? I thought he had denied the faith."

  Cantilia lowered her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "You don't know the Romans as I do. They can be very cruel. Maybe they forced Pollius into the arena as a test of his loyalty. But they will surely kill him too."

  Even though he lost heart and denied the faith, William wished him no harm. "Tell him, I won't kill him…" he asked Cantilia, "If we die as martyrs, he may die with us… "

  Cantilia called out to him, but Pollius shook his head, and remained standing where he was.

  Now, the Emperor demanded their attention. He had risen from his seat, clapped his hands and motioned for them to come closer. William was surprised at how small the man looked and that wasn’t because he was sitting so far away. This man was most certainly no warrior and he figured he was probably born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He really disliked this pompous fellow. The Emperor was dressed in the traditional starchy-white Roman toga, although this one had several purple stripes embroidered on it, which gave him a respectable look. William snickered. Any man that needed clothes to help him look important was not fit to be a ruler. As he and Cantilia approached, Decius leaned back on his wooden seat that was richly decorated with woodcarvings and he tapped impatiently with his fingers on one of his armrests that resembled a fierce lion. An official looking man sat next to him and glared at them with piercing, dark eyes.

  “That’s Tilenius,” Cantilia whispered. As they faced each other it grew still in the arena. At last the Emperor spoke.

  “From where do you come, you miserable barbarian and why are you here?” He leaned forward and the laurel wreath on his balding head moved a bit to the side. "And why don’t you want to kill your opponent?”

  William looked at Cantilia and raised his eyebrows.

  “He wants to know why you are here, and why you do not want to kill Pollius.”

  William answered. “I am from far away, from a place you have never been to, and hopefully will never see. I came to rescue my wife, the one who was sold as a slave to the man sitting next to you…" His muscles quivered as he looked at Tilenius. "…and I do not like to kill men if I don’t have to. I am not the cruel barbarian that you think I am.”

  Cantilia translated the words and as the Emperor heard the words spoken by William, the veins in his neck began to pulse and he gritted his teeth.

  “The woman, the slave you call your wife, is a Christian,” the Emperor stated. “She ran away from her master and as such, she deserves punishment. She belongs to the State and certainly not to you." As he spoke William could see the man was fuming. The Emperor sat down again and then said, "I suspect you do not like to kill because you too are a Christian. Are you?” the Emperor's voice was cold and calculated.

  Cantilia translated and a confused look slid over William’s face. He did not know how to answer that last question. Am I a believer? For a moment he stared at Cantilia. “I-I don’t know if I believe,” he whispered to her.

  “Tell him you are not,” Cantilia pleaded. “You don’t lie if you say you are not. You simply don’t know yet, and by denying your involvement with the Christian faith you may spare your life.”

  William pressed his lips together in a grimace. “I told you, Cantilia, my life is worth nothing if I live and Caitlin dies.”

  “Well,” the Emperor said as he was growing restless. “Answer me, man. What are you?”

  "Tell him you are not a Christian," Cantilia urged him again.

  William did not understand why this question disturbed him so much. Surely he believed in God, but God did not mean much to him. At least… not until recently, but he certainly did not believe as Cantilia did, so pure and honest. Caitlin however, believed in God as well. He looked up at the Emperor… and squinted his eyes as he beheld the man before him.

  Huh? What was that?

  William rubbed his eyes and stared. What he saw was no man. William blinked his eyes several more times, and his chest caved in as he clutched his stomach. What in the world was that? The whole scene before his eyes changed, almost as if a curtain was opened, and he was given another look at the world… and what he saw scared him. The Emperor had changed. He no longer looked human, but more like a tormented demon sitting on a throne. The Emperor's eyes were now a glaring red and they stared at him with hatred so deep that it was almost tangible. He somehow had changed into a grotesque, obese creature with rolls and rolls of blubber that fell down in layers around his body. Somehow, he had become so fat that he barely fit into his seat. No longer was he wearing his
kingly garment, but now he was almost naked and just wore a tiny loincloth that barely covered his private parts. He was drooling as he spoke in a cackling voice: "You are a Christian aren't you?"

  William gasped as he beheld the vision. Tilenius, too, was transformed. His eyes were equally dark, but he had turned into a weak, slimy lizard-like varmint that nervously jumped up and down and seemed to agree to everything the Emperor was saying.

  As William stared with his mouth wide open he heard a voice. He could not tell whether it was just in his mind or if it was an actual voice that everyone heard. It was firm and calm and yet gentle and reassuring.

  "Choose you this day whom you will serve. I am the Lord your God. Today is the day of salvation."

  "W-what?" William turned to Cantilia. "Did you hear that?"

  "Hear what?"

  "That voice…"

  "What voice?"

  William looked up again. The vision had passed. The Emperor looked again like the Emperor. He was waving a speck of dust away from his white toga and spoke something to Tilenius, who also looked again like his normal self.

  The Emperor turned his attention back to William. "Answer me, man. I am losing my patience. Are you a Christian too?"

  Cantilia translated again.

  William nodded as his face broke out into a smile. "Yes, I am," he answered. "I am… A thousand times, YES." He almost yelled it out and joy was unmistakably radiating from his face. He looked the Emperor squarely in the face. "You have opened my eyes to the truth. As from this day forward, I will serve the only, true God."

  There was no need for Cantilia to translate as the answer was clear from his jubilant answer. Great peace engulfed William. He did not understand where it came from as he had never felt this way before. "I believe, Cantilia… I really believe."

  Cantilia's eyes grew wide and she too smiled as she looked into William's shining eyes.

  Even more strange was the feeling of pity and compassion William felt for the Roman oppressor. Where did that come from? Only minutes earlier his heart had been full of hatred and anger. He turned again to the Emperor and almost shouted out the words, "Just repent from your evil, Emperor. It's the only way you may escape from the wrath to come."

  For just a moment, Cantilia shook her head in amazement and hesitated, but then boldly translated the words William had spoken.

  As the message slowly registered in the Emperor's mind, William could see how the ruler's muscles tensed once more. The man was about to explode like a volcano and it was easy to imagine steam coming out of his ears and nostrils. Then he jumped up from his seat and waved his fists wildly in the air as he yelled out in anger, "You dirty swine… How dare you insult me? I am the Emperor of the greatest kingdom this earth will ever see." Tilenius made himself as small as he could and moved away as far as he could from the Emperor. Nobody dared to make another move.

  "Bring out the lions…" The Emperor yelled. "The hungriest ones… and bring out that supposed wife of his as well."

  A ripple of excitement went through the crowd. The Emperor had ordered the lions out. It would become an entertaining spectacle after all. The bloodthirsty crowd would still get the fun it was hoping for.

  Servants and slaves ran about to prepare for the next phase of the party. These lions would rip those stupid Christians apart. Good riddance of bad rubbish.

  The Emperor had calmed down some, although he was still fuming. "It's your own fault, you Christian sewer-rats," he spat out. "You'll be dead within minutes."

  William looked at Cantilia and whispered, "That didn't go over too well. What did he say?"

  Cantilia shook her head. "The end is coming, William… There's no use in translating any longer."

  11

  Lions!

  William's heart skipped a beat when the gate opened again and the soldiers stepped inside the arena. They were dragging a woman out… Caitlin.

  William let out a cry and limped into her direction. As the soldiers saw William coming, they pushed Caitlin to the ground, turned around and left. They seemed afraid William would still be able to knock them out, even though the giant could hardly walk. Caitlin fell over and landed in the sand, but she smiled when she saw William coming.

  "William," she yelled, "Oh, William."

  In spite of his pain, William knelt beside her and took her head in his hands. He gently pulled her up and kissed her. For a moment it seemed time stood still. Tears were streaming down William's face as he looked into Caitlin's eyes. "As long as

  I behold your face, and I am with you, I don't mind dying," he stammered.

  Caitlin stroked his beard and nodded. "I feel that way too, William. I feel the same way."

  William's face took on a more serious look as he helped her up. "You know, Caitlin… I became a Christian. I too believe. I do not understand it very well, but I know now that God is my Father."

  Caitlin's face lit up as she squeezed William's hand. "Oh, William… Soon we will be together forever in Heaven." She wanted to say more but the loud sound of a trumpet interrupted them. The crowd began to cheer. William looked up and what he saw distressed him. There, on the opposite side of the arena, a wooden hatch opened in the wall. At first, nothing happened and William just stared into the black darkness of the opened hatch. But what he saw next made his skin tingle. Lions...

  The first one was a ferocious looking beast. The animal let out a deafening growl as he stepped into the arena and looked around with narrow, piercing eyes. Pollius let out a scream as the lion seemed to take a special interest in him and took a few steps in his direction. The crowd roared. Pollius ran to William and screamed in panic. It distracted the lion and he turned his attention to Cantilia. He let out another growl and began to walk in her direction. The second lion appeared out of the darkness of the cage in the wall. This one did not look any better. In fact, he looked even fiercer, as the claws on his enormous paws seemed bigger and sharper than those of the first lion. As he shook his scraggly mane he let out a blood-curdling roar and his yellow fangs flickered. He stared at the humans for an instant and then stealthily and athletically followed the first lion. His muscles rippled as he walked.

  The third lion was smaller than the other two, but certainly no less fierce. The beast licked his lips, and restlessly moved back and forth, as if to decide who he should prey on first. He finally prowled in the direction of Pollius, Cantilia and William.

  Now, the crowd was happy. This was the type of entertainment they had been waiting for. Some were pointing in excitement to the lions while others were covering their mouths with their hands.

  "Let's hold each other," Cantilia called out. "At least we die together." As they reached each other, she looked pale. "Fear not," she spoke, "Our suffering will be swift. Let us pray." As she grabbed hold of William and Caitlin's hands she started to pray and poured out her heart to the Lord. "Dear God… Help our suffering to be quick. Please take us into Your arms. We commit our spirits into Your hands."

  Pollius was now crying and disturbed their prayer with his loud wailing.

  "Trust in the Christ, Pollius," Cantilia rebuked him. "You know the way, you prayed before."

  But the slave did not hear her and kept on calling out in his grief. "I don't want to die. I am too young."

  Cantilia did not want to give the slave any more attention and lifted up her voice and began to sing.

  March on, march on to victory,

  March on, march on to victory;

  Beneath the banner of the Lord

  March on to victory, march on.

  The conflict may be hard and long,

  But triumph is assured,

  And Heaven holds a rich reward

  For trials endured.

  The two women closed their eyes as William tried to shield them. He could see from the corner of his eyes how the lions approached. It would be only a matter of seconds before they would attack. The beasts flicked with their tails, hungry and excited.

  "I love you, Cai
tlin…" William stammered as he squeezed her hand. "And thank you, Cantilia, for pointing me to the Christ… "

  The first lion was so close now that William could smell his breath. A foul, putrid scent of rotting meat. William considered jumping up and beating the lion, but he knew he didn’t stand a chance. He was severely wounded and even if he did manage to scare off one of the lions, there would be two more. It was no use. It was best to yield and pray for a quick and merciful passing.

  The lions now circled the three Christians and their nostrils flared…but they did not attack.

  Why weren't they?

  William looked up. He was eye to eye with the biggest lion of the three… there were only two feet between them. The lion stared at him and growled once more. William's muscles tensed… his heart skipped not one, but many beats and then… the lion yawned, cast him another uninterested stare and lay down in the sand. The other lions followed his example and crouched down as well.

  "T-They… do not attack us…" William stammered.

  Cantilia looked up. "What?"

  It was true. The three lions were now peacefully basking in the sunlight and showed not the least interest in attacking the prisoners.

  "Oh, God…" Cantilia whispered, "You are great."

  The crowd was displeased. They yelled and screamed their disapproval. This was not what they had come to see. They wanted blood and murder. The Emperor did not understand and was staring with dark eyes at the scene before him. He barked out orders to some servants. "You idiots… You must have sent in the wrong lions."

  But Tilenius leaned over to Decius and whispered, "Not so, your highness. These lions have not eaten in days. The Christians must have bewitched the beasts."

  The Emperor had barely recovered from the insults that William had thrown at him, but again his dark emotions got the better of him. He began ranting and raving like a spoiled child who had not been given his way. "Do something…Idiots… Kill these Christians… Now!"