Chapter 26

An icy frost descended upon them that night covering everything in a thin layer of white crystal and many believed that it was because the gods were sad over Titus's death and angry that his assassin remained free. But Titus's death was not the only news that circulated through Ludus Magnus as Myra had heard stories of gladiators surrendering in the arena but when she tried to find out why no one would tell her. The gladiators were keeping tight lipped though she could guess why. 

It had been only a day since the Emperor was assassinated, but Myra could tell that the gladiators were starting to doubt Krista's innocence.

Many had not known Krista personally but no one needed to be close to her to see the anger that simmered in her eyes.

But Myra would not let herself believe it.

After all, Krista did not strike Myra as the reckless type to throw her life away, not when she saved Myra in the baths.

Keeping her head down, Myra hurried past the guards, their domineering nature scaring her, as she gripped the vase tight against her chest.

Watching the guards as she turned the corner, Myra collided with something in the shadows.

Letting out a small yelp, a hand coiled around her wrist and before Myra knew what was happening she was being pulled along.

Tripping over cracked stone, Myra's arm tightened around the vase as she found herself pressed into a corner.

"Quiet," The stranger hissed as their gaze was set on something in the distance, as if expecting someone to approach.

Myra's heart pounded in her chest as the stranger turned and light from the moon was cast upon them.

She saw the dagger first, clenched in their fist, before she looked up at their face.

"Krista?" Myra gasped in shock, relief spreading across her body as she saw that Krista was alive.

"Myra?" Krista narrowed her eyes, as if seeing her for the first time, "What are you doing? I could have killed you."

Krista glanced quickly over her shoulder, keeping an eye on their surroundings, as she kept the dagger gripped in her palm.

"I could ask you the same question," Myra straightened her back, "The Empress has the entire army out looking for you."

"Not the entire army," Krista sighed at Myra's exaggeration before she turned back to face the young slave, "You need to leave."

"No, wait," Myra grabbed Krista's arm, preventing her from leaving, "Why are you here? Maybe I can help."

"You can't help," Krista pried Myra's frail fingers from her arm, "Go to bed and forget that you ever saw me."

"But-" Myra protested.

"-No, Myra," Krista snapped, the sound of her voice stating that she was not in the mood to debate the decision, whilst her eyes bore into Myra's like fire.

For a second, Myra feared that Krista no longer saw her as a person, but rather as an obstacle that was in her way and needed to be removed.

The dagger in Krista's hand shone in the moonlight, catching Myra's gaze.

"Stay here," Krista pleaded with Myra before she left and hurried down the arcade, slipping under an archway that only led to one place.

Myra momentarily considered running after her, but the thought of creeping up on Krista sent a chill down her spine.

She could not chase after Krista, but as the same time she could not leave her alone.

Still holding the vase, her arms frozen in place and unable to put it down, Myra raced through Ludus Magnus.

Slipping back past the guards and into the male quarters, an idea sprung to life in Myra's mind.

Everyone was asleep as they waited to see what the next day would bring, but the one person that still lingered awake was the very person Myra was racing to find.

Sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze set on the floor, he looked deep in thought as Myra came running towards him.

"Artorius," Myra whispered loudly, not wanting to alert the guards nearby but needing him to hear her.

His scantily clad body leapt from the cot when he saw the look upon her face.

"What is it?" Artorius frowned, racing to her side when she gripped the wall for support, finally able to set the vase down from fear of dropping it.

"It's- It's Krista," Myra gasped, seeing his eyes grow wide, "She's here."

"Here?" Artorius frowned.

Myra nodded her head frantically, "In Ludus Magnus," She clarified.

"You're sure?" Artorius could hardly believe it, mainly because Krista would be risking too much by returning.

Myra remembered Krista's haste, "Yes, but I'm not sure for how much longer."

* * *

Spinning behind the guard, until her front was to his back, Krista kicked the back of his knee.

A grunt escaped his lips, her arm curling around his neck, as his body buckled forward. 

In a hurry, Krista snapped the guard's neck in a matter of seconds before she heard his partner slowly coming around behind her.

Releasing the guard and letting him drop to the floor, Krista flipped the dagger that rested in her palm until she was holding the blade.

When the second guard was a few feet away, Krista turned and threw the dagger at his throat.

The blade found its mark and Krista watched eagerly as blood began to ooze from his flesh.

His sword clattered to the ground as he grappled at his throat, trying to call for help but Krista's aim had been true.

She had cut his vocals chords, making him unable to speak, until the only sound Krista could hear was the sound of him drowning in his own blood.

Taking too long to die, Krista stalked over and curled her fingers around the grip of the blade.

The man's eyes were pleading in fear as she tore the blade from his throat, blood spurting out from the release of the pressure.

She heard the thunk as his body hit the ground but she was more interested in what they were guarding; the armoury for the arena.

Stepping over the dying guard, Krista lifted the torch from its bracket outside the door and stepped inside.

Her lips spread into a smile as she gazed adoringly at the mass of weapons that lined the walls and were now ripe for the picking.

Short swords, long swords, bows and arrows, Thracian swords, nets, spears and others that Krista could not pronounce.

Reaching out, Krista trailed her fingers over the tips of every weapon in the room as she pondered which she would use to kill her enemies.

Would she plunge a sword into their guts? Send a volley of arrows into their bodies? Or would she make their death quick with a dagger to their heart?

Krista was smiling as she thought of the many ways to kill her opponents, when she found her eyes travelling back to look at the dead roman guards and another thought entered her mind.

And this one was better than the rest.

*

At night the bowels of the arena looked ginormous and hollow.

A single row of torches lit the main path beneath the arena whilst the cells were blackened out and only the cries of caged animals in the distance could be heard.

Knelt on the ground, Krista kept looking around her as she fastened the caligae tightly, making sure they were secure before she stood, no longer looking like a gladiator but a guard of the Roman Empire.

The meagre breast plate and pteruges were gone replaced with a burgundy tunic that frayed at the bottom and was tied in place with a cingulium; a simple belt with a few embossed straps that ran down the front between her thighs.

Above the cingulium rested a metal armour jacket that tied at the front and covered her entire upper body from strikes.

The overlapping metal protected her well along with the matching silver helmet that masked her identity from the other guards.

They were looking for a woman gladiator somewhere in the city; no one would be looking at a roman guard inside the palace.

Loosing time, Krista fastened the sheath around her waist, sliding the broad sword into place as she slid a few extra daggers into the belt.

Eager not to waste any more time, Krista gripped the guards by the feet and dragged them into the armoury, along with her clothing, hoping to conceal her arrival that little bit longer.

Krista needed as much time as she could get.

Kicking the dead man's foot out of the way, she yanked the door shut and fastened the lock back in place.

Securing the helmet firmly on her head, bunching her hair beneath her tunic, Krista headed back through the bowels of the arena until she came to a set of stairs.

Taking the first step, Krista finally felt as if she was walking the right path.

The path to revenge.

* * *

 Krista's palms were sweating.

Her heart was beating fast and her eyes were shifty as she walked through the palace, trying to remain inconspicuous as she progressed through the halls.

No one gave her a second glance as she patrolled the corridors, advancing towards her destination.

It had barely been a few minutes since she had left the bowels of the arena, her hunch about the secret passageway correct.

The moon was still high in the sky, nearly one in the morning, as the palace slept thinking themselves protected within their high walls.

They are no more protected in these walls than her family was protected within the walls of their village.

They are no more protected than Lazarus was protected in the high walls of the arena.

Turning onto the final stretch of corridor, Krista's eyes glanced around her and a smile grew on the inside as she realised they were alone.

Stopping outside the door, she made one final check to make sure she was alone, before she took a deep breath and unsheathed her sword.

Remembering her family, Krista slowly turned the handle and slipped inside, quietly shutting the door behind her and taking a moment to get her bearings.

The room was dark with a few torches burning in their brackets on the walls around the room, casting them in a dark yellowish hue of warmth and light but the occupant of this room had not seen light in a long time.

Krista would help her.

Spotting the canopy bed across the marble flooring, Krista made her slow progress towards the bed, passing chaises, tables and a stack of pillows on the floor.

The soft fabric that hung over the edge of the bed blew softly in the wind, coming from the balcony, as Krista stepped up to the side and brushed the curtain aside with the tip of her blade.

What Krista saw made her halt, sword resting in the air, half way through the curtain.

Krista had come to slay the Empress first; with little weapons training, Pompeia was the easy pickings before the big meal; the Commander.

The Commander posed the biggest threat to Krista with his years of training and fighting in wars.

But as Krista gazed upon the bed Pompeia had shared with Artorius, she found that Pompeia also shared it with another man; the Commander.

They lay side by side but inches apart; Pompeia's blond hair spanned out around her as the sheets hung around the Commander's waist, showing off his broad chest and heavy dusting of dark hair.

This threw Krista's plan into turmoil; did she kill Pompeia first and then turn to the Commander?

No, he would surely hear her and kill Krista before she could make a move.

Did she leave and try again? But the idea felt like treachery in her heart and her anger was simmering to boiling point.

She had waited over a decade for this opportunity and now she could kill both her enemies in one swift shot; she could be free of her tormentors in the blink of an eye.

Taking a breath to steady herself, her sword beginning to shake in her hand, Krista took a step forward and went to slice the commander's throat.

Barely a few feet away and the Commander began to stir restlessly.

Whether it was her presence in the room, or the sound of horses outside Krista would never know, but as he started to blink himself awake, it was only a few seconds before he saw her.

His green eyes, groggy from sleep, grew wide and startled when he saw her face in the darkness.

Krista had to change her plan on a whim as he started to move, waking up Pompeia beside him.

"A-ah," Krista pressed the tip of her blade against his throat when he started to part his lips to call for help.

"What is the meaning of this-" Pompeia shouted, thinking her a member of her guard when she realised who it truly was.

"Krista?" Pompeia grasped the sheet against her body, staring at Krista in shock.

Krista pressed her sword against the Commander's skin when he started to move.

A small thrust forward and she could finally kill her tormentor. So why didn't she?

She couldn't risk a fight with the commander of a Roman Legion, so why was she prolonging it?

Why was she giving him more time to escape? What did she want from him?

"Why are you doing this, Krista?" Pompeia looked at Niclaus with fear.

Krista realised that the Commander did not know about her and the Empress.

Keeping up the charade that she did not know Krista past the killing of her brother, Pompeia continued with her tirade, "You have already killed Titus, my brother!"

"Do you believe that I killed the Emperor, Commander?" Krista kept her eyes on Niclaus.

"You were witnessed killing him," the Commander growled, his voice rough as spoke against the blade of a sword.

"The Gods know that many crimes can be laid at my feet," Krista confessed, her anger starting to seep through, "But the assassination of my Emperor? I will not sit idly by while you accuse me of a crime I did not commit."

"But you would kill a defenceless man?" Niclaus narrowed his green eyes up at her, a few days growth of beard prickling across his jaw, "Should we make this a fair fight? My armour is across the room."

Krista gripped her sword tighter as his words struck a chord.

She began to shout, "Was it a fair fight when you slaughtered my family!?"

Krista spat in the commander's face, "Was it a fair fight when your soldiers burnt my village to the ground!? Well, was it!?" Krista stepped closer, her blade cutting his skin.

The Commander became enraged that someone could draw his blood without his consent.

"You got your family killed," Niclaus snapped at Krista, "The moment you killed my guard, you doomed your entire family to death."

"Shut up," Krista growled, her jaw clenching, "You killed my family, and hundreds of others. And you'll pay for each and every one."

"Enough of this," Pompeia hissed at Niclaus, "Kill her."

Krista looked at Pompeia when she heard her words, a small smile on her lips, and that is when the Commander made his move.

Pushing her sword aside, he reached out and gripped her wrist, keeping her sword to the side as he yanked her forward.

Losing her footing, Krista toppled forward into the commander's waiting grasp.

His fingers curled around her throat, squeezing just tightly enough to have an affect but not enough to kill her.

"I do not," the commander got to his feet, still holding her throat in one hand and her wrist in the other, "Take kindly to being threatened."

Krista struggled against his hold as he pushed her back across the room towards where his armour rested on the ground along with his sword.

"And I take less kindly to people coming into my room uninvited," The commander continued.

Krista was breathing heavy, her throat feeling as if it was being crushed beneath his fingers.

"But what I hate the most," The commander threw her down a small set of stairs before she crashed into a chaise, her sword clattering against the ground "is killing a woman."

Krista went to her hands and knees, knocking off her helmet as she reached for her sword once again. 

She looked up at him from under her lashes, "Say that to my mother."

Getting to her feet, Krista watched him dress in a similar outfit to her own with the red tunic, however his breast plate was gold with the insignia of his legion embossed on the front.

"And Lazarus's daughter!" Krista added for good measure.

"I never killed them," Niclaus rotated his shoulders, cracking his neck to the side, "My men killed them."

"On your orders!" Krista spat as the commander ran the pad of his thumb across the small nick she had made against his neck, wiping away the blood.

Krista smiled as she saw the look in his eyes.

"Regardless," Niclaus shrugged a shoulder as he strapped on his boots, before finally picking up his sword, "Are you going to hunt down all of my men and kill them for what they may or may not have done?"

"If I have to," Krista hissed as she watched him walk towards her until they were on even footing, "But I'm going to kill you first."

"I've seen your skill upon the sands," The Commander stopped five feet away from her, his eyes growing deadly, "Show me what you can do when there isn't an audience watching."

"As you wish," Krista urged herself to push all the history she had with this man to the back of her mind, she needed to have a clear head and she couldn't be controlled by anger, "Just remember, that it was you who trained me."

It was hard but she could do it. She had waited a decade to do this for her family and she would not fail now.

Krista will kill the Commander.