by Nhys Glover
He nodded, still dumbfounded.
“I am extremely proud of my daughter,” Pater went on, placing an arm around my shoulders as his gladiators approached. “She has the mind of a man. And she has a vested interest in seeing these particular slaves are treated well. They saved her from a terrible fate last year. Ask your lanista to explain more fully. I have the utmost confidence in her judgement.”
“I do not negotiate with woman. Especially not patrician women. It is unseemly, and her reputation will be compromised,” the director finally managed to get out.
“Her reputation will withstand it. And she will be properly attended whenever she comes here to discuss the Wolf Pack’s activities.” He turned to my men who had finally reached us. “What say you? Do you trust your mistress to negotiate for you?”
Though they had been striding with purpose in our direction from the moment they entered the room, people had been getting in their way, congratulating them on their performance or asking questions about their style of fighting. Now they had reached us, they looked as shocked by Pater’s statement as the manager had been.
Orion was quickest to recover. “The mistress is very knowledgeable about all things pertaining to our abilities and training. We have every confidence in her.”
Pater took over. “When she was no more than twelve I went on tour, leaving a new doctores in charge of my boys’ training. Lucullus? You remember him, I assume, as it was you who recommended him.”
Ardemonius paled visibly and dropped his gaze. Oh yes, he clearly did remember him.
“Your choice proved dire, and that madman would have destroyed my whole training program if my young daughter had not sent word to me of her concerns. I acted on them immediately. I trusted her judgement then, and I do so even more now she is a woman grown.”
My pack nodded their agreement, though I could tell they felt constrained by the environment and in awe of the lofty patricians who surrounded them.
The manager nodded reluctantly. “I am sure she will have nothing to concern her in my allocations. It is in my best interest to keep men such as these in fighting order. They barely suffered a scratch today, as I expected.”
I looked closely at my men, this time with the eyes of a physician. They all sported injuries, but from the look of them they were only shallow, requiring nothing more than cleaning or a few neat stitches. Despite the setting, I moved in so I could study the wounds more closely.
First I checked on Typhon, who had a cut to his neck that had not required stitches. “Is this the extent of it?”
He nodded, visibly affected by my closeness. I should have stepped away, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. I met his gaze. “No manly heroics. I need to know if there is any reason why you should not fight again tomorrow.”
“That is the extent of my injuries, Mistress. I can fight again tomorrow,” he answered formally.
I nodded and moved on to Orion. He had a gash on the shoulder that had not been shielded by armour. Three neat stitches had pulled the skin together well enough that no bandage was required.
“And you, Orion? Is this your only injury?” I asked him, meeting his gaze briefly before he dropped his respectfully.
“Aye, that’s it. No more than a scratch. We’re all physically up to another contest tomorrow,” he replied politely.
I moved on to inspect Talos, whose injury was to his thigh and was bandaged. “Do I need to look at that to check you are not underestimating your injury?”
Talos grinned at me, his eyes soft. “It’s nothing. Our physician back at the barracks would’ve declared me fit for combat.”
I grinned at him. “Well, in that case, who am I to disagree?”
I moved on to Asterius. And my heart wrenched painfully in my chest. Memories of what we had done together in Sardinia were never far from my mind. And I ached to have that again with him. Though I now pleasured myself regularly as he had taught me, it was nowhere near as good as when I shared pleasure with this too-handsome man. I missed the closeness we shared, just as I missed the camaraderie I shared with all of them.
“And you, Asterius? Nothing to report?” I asked, finally finding my voice to speak.
He simply shook his head, his gaze never leaving my face. I backed away before I did something that would give us both away.
I turned to Pater and smiled. “It seems they are well enough to fight again.”
Pater nodded and addressed his question to the slaves. “You have been informed of the type of challenge you will face tomorrow? You have worked out a strategy?”
They all nodded, but Orion was the only one who spoke. “Yes, Master. We’re happy with the plan and have strategies in place to deal with the challenge. As we did today.”
I beamed for the first time. “You were all amazing today. I have never seen you climb shields before. Is that a new strategy?”
Asterius spoke up. “When we were told what we were to face we anticipated they would use the Roman technique of barricading shields against us. So we decided to try something new. And luckily it worked. We might otherwise have ended up flat on our backs with a foot on our throats.” He grinned cockily at me, brown eyes gleaming.
“Well, it seems Pater’s lessons in strategy were useful. And will be again tomorrow. I will be there to see you, and it seems I will be at every contest you face until Pater returns.” I smiled contentedly at each of them, drinking them in like it would have to last me an eternity.
They each nodded an obeisance and turned to go so the others could step forward and have time with their master.
We both spoke to the other slaves, and I made much of the two in the same year as my pack, telling them how impressed I was with their skills. They seemed shocked but grateful for the attention I showered on them. They knew me as Cassius but, until this moment, they had probably not known I was the Master’s daughter.
However, like the others who came forward to greet Pater and had known me in that guise, they made no mention of it. I hoped there would be no gossip later concerning me, as it might reach Pater or ruin my reputation. It had been risky coming here tonight, allowing these men to know my secret. But I could not have stayed away. Seeing the Wolf Pack had been all I cared about.
As we took our leave, Pater drew my hand into his to squeeze. “You did well in there. I expected more of a challenge. But you impressed them with your confidence, and the way you checked the men over for injuries. You could have been a man. I think you will do well enough supervising the fighters while I am gone. No, supervising the Wolf Pack. The others are in no danger of being overexposed. But just be aware of what you face. This turn of events shows how easily the power can be wrested from us.
“Most owners, as you know, have little control over the contests their gladiators are involved in. All that is usually left in the hands of the lanista, or here in Rome in the hands of the director appointed by the emperor. But I have a clause in my contracts that says I have the power to veto any challenge my men have to face. I can withdraw them at any time if I feel they might be misused. Not that I have ever had to exercise that right. But I have a feeling that might change. Ardemonius is under pressure to push the boys, for popularity sake. That cannot be allowed to happen. Do you think you can stand up to him in my place?”
I nodded. “I understand, Pater, and I think I can. I will stay in Rome and keep my eye on what is happening. We do not want someone else taking advantage of your absence to damage your reputation.”
Pater gave me another hug. “You understand completely, my darling girl. I truly was blessed to have you as my child. I would have been hard-pressed to have a son who could have been your equal. Maybe that was the reason I was given no son. Because the gods and our Penates wished for you to take my place.”
I nodded and smiled. “One day in the far distant future I will happily take over your role. But by then I will likely be old and grey, and it might be my son who takes over.”
We still stood at our litters,
and Pater looked more closely at me in the torchlight, which struggled to illuminate the gates of the ludus. No one was around except the slaves who carried our litters and our bodyguards.
“Do you want a son to carry on my work? Am I short-sighted to only be looking as far as you replacing me? You must wish for a husband and children of your own. It is what all women dream of.”
I frowned and shook my head. “Unless I can find a man who wishes to help me continue your legacy, I have no desire to wed. And children? Well, mother showed how difficult it can be to have them and survive. I would rather live a long and fulfilling life maintaining your legacy than having children of my own. I do not think I have the same motherly instincts most women exhibit. You said it yourself, I have the mind of a man.” I gave a little unladylike shrug.
He kissed my forehead tenderly. “You are my greatest legacy, sweet girl. Never forget that. I would rather see my breeding and training programs fall away into dust than have you unhappy in your life.”
I smiled. “Believe me, Pater. Your legacy is my life. It makes me happy, as it does you. Although I cannot ever see me touring the frontiers as you do. That part of the process may need adjusting, if and when I take the reins.”
He nodded. “I have considered that. There are already plenty of gladiators I have bred who can go on to father the next generations without inbreeding. I continue to tour largely to keep my name on the tongues of the greater empire, but it is not necessary. Soon I will be too old for it, anyway.”
“Never! You will never be too old.”
Chapter Four
TALOS
I kept going over and over those few moments with Accalia in my head. Others might replay their triumphs repeatedly, and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t done exactly that a few times. After all, it was a heady experience having all of Rome chanting our name. And to have the emperor speak directly to us when we were still so new. Yes, it was intoxicating.
But what kept playing and replaying in my head were those moments when Accalia had looked at my bandaged thigh and asked if I was well. Her eyes had said so much more than her words. They told me she was worried about me and cared about me. And I ate up that look the same way I usually ate up my meals: hungrily.
Gods, those eyes of hers! I could float away in those storm-cloud orbs. And the way her mouth had opened just a little, her lips glistening, with just a glimpse of pink tongue hidden within like a pearl. What I wouldn’t do to claim that mouth and explore that hot, wet cavern. Both caverns, if I was being honest. But the most I could allow myself was the dream of kissing those pink lips. Invading that soft mouth with my tongue.
But it had not been me who had tested her control. That had been Asterius. We had all seen the erotic charge zinging between them. It was amazing everyone in the room hadn’t seen it. Of course, we were sensitive to Accalia’s every move, her every breath, so we saw more than others might.
I wanted that erotic charge directed at me! I wanted her to look at me like she was remembering hot, sweaty nights we’d spent between silken sheets. I wanted to be the one to send her pulse racing and make her legs go weak.
But it hadn’t been me who was sent to Pannonia. So it could never have been me who did those things. I had to be satisfied with the look she gave me that said she loved me with all her heart. And that she was proud of me. I didn’t care if the whole of Rome chanted our names, it was only Accalia’s appreciation that mattered.
I must admit, the idea of fighting again so soon was daunting, though. Only the knowledge Accalia would be there yet again and would be supervising all our contests from now on, made it palatable.
So I would happily fight for her, though my body was exhausted. It may only have taken fifteen minutes to win our contest today but every one of those minutes had been packed with effort. Some might have considered it an easy contest, but during every moment the threat of death was there. If any of us lost our focus for even a fraction of a second we could have literally lost our heads. When you live through that kind of intensity your system is stressed to its limits and requires time to recover.
Which we were not going to be given, because the emperor wanted to see us fight again. So we’d do as he ordered and hope for the best. At least Accalia would be there to cheer us on, and every successful fight meant moving further up the palus or grades.
To be honest, even though we were still just starting out, I felt I had reached the peak of my career today. I couldn’t see how it got any better than this. Unless we were given our freedom and a luxurious villa in compensation for our achievements. I had heard tell of just such a thing happening before. And Nero was known for his adoration of the games and his extravagance.
What would I do with my freedom and a villa? Begin my own business, get married and have children? Possibly. Now I had tasted the glory to be found on my life-path, I didn’t need to experience much more of it. I knew some who might become addicted to fame and the elation that came with victory, but I didn’t think I would ever become one of them. I might enjoy being a doctores in the barracks though.
But no, that daydream only worked if Accalia was there, and I could see her often. If she married and moved away... My heart ached in my chest. No, that life would probably not be for me.
We lay on our cots later that night, having spent time before the lamps had to be extinguished going over our strategy for the next day. Asterius and I were to carry the shields and defend both ourselves and our largely defenceless pack-mates. Typhon and Orion, dressed as dimachaeri and carrying two swords, one in each hand, would use their speed and agility to harry our opponents when they were at their most vulnerable.
The makeshift bridge would be large enough that two men could comfortably fight side by side, a different situation from the usual Pontarius where there was one narrow sloping ramp on one side of a short platform and another on the opposite side. A retarius would usually stand on the platform and hold off secutores coming at him from both sides. He might also have a pile of stones he could lob at his opponents.
We had some interesting moves we might employ, depending on what our adversaries threw at us. I hoped Asterius and I got the chance to roll over our enemies with our rounded rectangular shields. We had no idea if it could work, and we planned to test it out in our training session before we left for the arena. But it was a novel and exciting possibility, and I loved trying out new moves. I expected Asterius would be able to pull it off, as he was more agile than I was, but I was no dogged crupellarius. Given enough run up, I could launch myself into the air without too much difficulty, even carrying a weighty shield on my arm.
“She’ll stay in Rome and make sure they treat us right,” Typhon said into the darkness as we settled in to sleep.
“If they’ll pay her any heed. She’s a woman, after all,” Orion pointed out evenly.
“When has that ever stopped her doing anything she set her mind to?” Asterius said with amusement.
“I wonder where she’ll be staying. Where she’s staying now, I suppose,” I pondered aloud.
“She has an uncle. The Master’s cousin. He has a domus on the lower levels of Palatine Hill,” Asterius informed us.
“How do you know that?” Typhon snapped with obvious jealousy.
I could almost hear Asterius shrugging into the darkness. “When she was on the run from Camellia, she thought to stay with him. But when Marcus went to his father, he found out about a note the bitch had sent out saying her daughter had run away and must legally be returned home if anyone saw her. She and Marcus assumed a similar note would have been sent to the cousin, so she couldn’t go there either.”
There was a pause before Asterius went on again. “We had a lot of time to talk. And we did. It doesn’t mean anything.”
I knew he was trying to sooth ruffled feathers, and it worked. We all envied him their closeness, but it wasn’t mean-spirited. It could have been any of us who had that time with her, it didn’t mean she loved him more than she lov
ed us.
“How close did you get?” Typhon asked in a small voice. I knew what he meant, and it was something I imagine we’d all wondered about.
“I can’t talk about her like that,” Asterius answered stiffly.
“This isn’t like talking about our experiences with whores,” Typhon fired back. “I just think we should know. It seems you know an unfair amount about her. I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I’ll tell you now that I kissed her once. Or tempted her into kissing me. Before I realised who she was. It was the best kiss I’ve ever had, even though neither of us had a clue how it was supposed to be done.”
It jolted me a little to know Typhon had kissed her when he was young. But it didn’t surprise me. I knew there had been something between them. And by keeping it to himself, it was like he’d had a part of her we didn’t. By sharing it now, he was giving up that little private part so Asterius could understand where he was coming from.
Asterius’ knowledge and experience with her separated him from us. It meant they’d shared this whole private world that excluded the rest of the pack. And that didn’t feel right. Not when it could have been any one of us. It wasn’t as if she’d chosen him.
Asterius sighed. “I’m not trying to be selfish, keeping it to myself. It just feels like an invasion of her privacy to talk about it.”
He fell silent for a while, and I thought that was the end of it. But then he went on, grudgingly.
“We shared a bed in Sardinia. But she’d made me promise on the voyage that I’d be strong for her. That she had to keep her virginity for the bastard she’d eventually marry, and if I let her down she’d hate me forever. So, because I knew I was going to have to pleasure myself or go crazy being around her all the time, I explained what I’d be doing. And Accalia being Accalia wanted to know all about it. Rather than explain, it was easier to show her. And other stuff.
