Chapter 8

Artorius's words echoed in Krista's mind. Never let your guard down. It was something Lazarus always told her as well but Krista had never let her guard down. Not once in all of her years as a slave and a warrior. Who did Artorius presume he was to tell her that? Did he think her simple minded?
Even now as she vented her anger out on the training post for the second day in a row Krista couldn't help but yearn for the games. She had been caged up in Ludus Magnus for nearly four days with nothing but wooden weapons at her disposal. It looked like a haven at Ludus Magnus with its expensive training equipment and rich food but the high walls and centurions on duty reminded her that it was nothing less than a prison.
At least under Commander Niclaus's rule they had been allowed to train on each other. A trainer was always close by to break up any fight that grew too intense but the threat was as real as the steel in their hands had been but here they were given shields, spears and swords made from wood or nothing at all.

The frustration was too much as Krista slammed another low swing into the post, her grunts mixing in the air with nearly a hundred other gladiators around her. Sweat beaded on her skin as stepped back and watched the wooden trunk wobble slightly from the force of her blow. Perhaps she had been imagining Artorius's head where the post had been she wondered, but whatever she had been thinking of, it soon dispersed from her mind when she felt the air shift.

Lifting her head curiously, Krista watched as every gladiator in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and turned to look towards the arches on their left which separated the wide stone walkway from the training arena. Following their gaze Krista saw the Senator; an older yet youthful looking man with dark hair, a swollen abdomen which indicated he did not want for anything, and a gold jewellery adorning his wrists and neck. However Krista and everyone else's attention was drawn to the pair he led down the corridor behind him.  From the rich silks that draped over their shoulders and the laurel wreaths resting atop their heads like a crown Krista did not need to think long to guess that this man and woman were the most important people in the entire Roman Empire. The stench of wealth and lineage seemed to come off them in waves until it hit them all in the face causing their noses to crinkle in disgust but they kept their tongues either out of fear or allegiance and bowed their heads as they passed for this was the man that had the power to grant them either life or death in the arena. Titus Flavius Vespasian.

A thick mass of curly black hair rested on his head beneath the golden laurel which sharply contrasted with the pure white silks that hung over his arm and the gold sash across his chest. But whilst he commanded everyone's attention Krista was drawn to the woman beside him. From so far away, she could not see the intricate details of their faces but Krista could tell she was beautiful. Thick strands of blonde hair fell in perfect ringlets to the base of her spine, held in place by her gold laurel wreath and a matching brooch. Her skin was fair and underneath her lilac silk she had an envious figure which had been emphasised with the use of a golden rope tied tautly around her small waist. She was walking beside the emperor who was speaking to the senator but she did not seem to be listening as her eyes seemed glued to the gladiators instead. Krista got the eerie sense that she was making mental notes as she passed them, every so often hidden by the pillars of the arcade until they reached the end and disappeared inside a doorway out of view completely. 

Every gladiator looked at each other, a few sharing their comments with another, before they were instructed to get back to training. As Krista turned back towards the post however she saw Artorius watching her from across the way. The hair on her arms stood on end when she saw the way he was looking at her before someone moved the distance behind him and she automatically turned towards the movement. That was when she saw that it was Rheia, the entire one hundred and twenty pounds of her Middle Eastern figure stepping out from the baths half nude when she caught Krista watching her.  
The last time Krista had seen Rheia she had won their training match but Rheia did not strike Krista as someone to let such a defeat go unavenged and so Krista had slept with one eye open ever since but nothing had happened. She could just be waiting for their time in the arena, like any gladiator would, but Rheia wasn't like the others. Her light brown skin was glistening from the water that still dripped off her body as she rested against the side of a pillar seductively, letting one leg rub up against the other. Krista narrowed her eyes as Rheia gave her a small smirk before she turned her gaze towards something else. As Krista followed where she was looking she saw that it wasn't something but rather someone; Artorius. 

Krista felt something stir deep inside her gut as she narrowed her eyes at the bone-thin woman whose tongue had just darted out to lick her lips whilst she played with a strand of her hair. Artorius seemed completely unaware of the gazes upon his body but something told Krista that he felt every single one of them . . . and enjoyed it. His arrogance, once again, annoyed Krista.

Spotting that Lazarus had just dispatched his latest victim Krista seized the opportunity to fight with her old friend and to remind Rheia that she had won their fight. Half of the men here laughed at the women, assuming them nothing more than a pre-show to get the audience riled up for the real games. But Lazarus knew from experience not to hold back with Krista, because she would not hold back with him.

Gripping her sword tight in her hand, she jogged across the soft grass that had quickly become trampled, and snatched the rectangular wooden shield from the floor that had been left by a previous gladiator.

Krista received a few glares from the men waiting to fight Lazarus but none said a word as Krista settled the shield onto her left arm and took up her position opposite Lazarus.

"Krista," Lazarus arched an eyebrow of curiosity, his eyes looking over her shoulder at the training post where she had been stationed, but said nothing as he let her adjust her armour.

They were just one pair of fighters amongst a field of a hundred more, training for the chance to win their freedom.

The dull thud of wood against wood filled the air along with the occasional sharp crack as woodened sheilds broke in half but Krista was more interested in their location.

Only one pair of fighters stood between them and Artorius.

Krista looked over her shoulder at Rheia, making sure she saw Krista amongst the men, before she smirked and turned back to Lazarus.

"Making enemies already?" Lazarus didn't miss the look Krista had sent Rheia. He never missed anything.

Krista shrugged her shoulder but the shield was heavy against her arm; she wasn't used to being constricted by such a large plank of wood.

It was nearly three feet long, scraping the bottom half of her shin and yet barely covering her shoulder. A metal stud had been attached to the middle of the shield for decoration.

"It won't bode well for you in the arena." Lazarus took his stance, with a spear in his right hand and a circular shield in his left.

"I didn't come to you for a philosophical lesson." Krista snapped as she made the first move, sending a sword swing into his shield before retreating the few steps she had advanced as Lazarus returned the strike.

"Then why did you come?" Lazarus chuckled, barely out of breath, as Krista used her shield to fend off the strikes of his spear, their fight growing heated.

It was a few moments before Krista could answer, her eyes darting across to Artorius who was busy with his own fight to notice her.

"To fight." Krista gritted her teeth as she lunged on the wrong foot, her balance growing unsteady.

Lazarus seized the opportunity as he barrelled his shield into her side, sending her completely off balance.

Quickly recovering and spinning around to send her sword towards his neck, she foolishly left her back exposed and he slammed the length of his spear straight across the bare skin of her shoulders.

Krista hissed as pain flashed down her back, her skin stinging from the strike and Krista knew that it was going to leave a mark.

"You're going to pay for that." Krista spun around until they once again had a metre of distance between them.

A smile spread onto Lazarus's lips as the rest of the world fell away and it felt like old times; just Lazarus and Krista alone in his hut, learning with wooden swords once again.

"You're thinking too much." Lazarus pointed the tip of his spear towards her head, "Stop getting distracted and just act."

I wonder why I'm distracted, Krista thought stubbornly.

Krista tried to wipe everything but the fight from her mind, but all she could think about was the feel of Artorius's fingers resting against her arm and the way Rheia was looking at him.

* * *

Along with rooms of baths, Ludus Magnus offered the gladiators slaves, to massage their tired limbs and treat their wounds.

Krista did not like the idea of being treated on by another slave, it made her feel like she was somehow higher than them when in fact they were all in the same boat, but if she was to win her freedom then she needed all of her muscles in working order.

So she took the opportunity that evening after supper to slip onto a bench and get her shoulders massaged with warm oil imported from some distant land Krista had never heard of.

The fight with Lazarus had made Krista feel like she was eight years old again.

They had been training for so long together they knew each oher's steps too well for either to get a strike in.

But it didn't mean it was impossible. Krista's footing wasn't quite right and every time she landed a hit against him, he struck her back with two of his own.

She got in a few good blows that caught the attention of the other gladiators but losing at the end had quickly wiped away any of the hope they had that someone might beat Lazarus.

Even Artorius hadn't managed it.

That knowledge alone made Krista smile because at least she could stand out against Lazarus for longer than any other man had been able to.

But as a young slave with bright red hair and a thick shackle around her neck, started to massage warm oil into her muscles, Krista let her eyes trail around the room.

There were three, twenty foot baths in the room in total and thick steam filled the air until it was almost impossible to see two feet in front of you.

Her eyelids were becoming heavier and her breathing was slowing when Krista heard an ear piercing scream jolt her awake.

For a moment, Krista had thought her nightmares had returned when her eyes quickly spotted a young naked slave girl darting straight past her and out of the baths.

Lifting her head up as a sense of foreboding hit Krista like a wave, she looked around the baths and followed the sounds of hoarse male laughter and womens screams.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bench, Krista wrapped herself back up in her tunic, clasping the material at her shoulders, as she hurriee across the room.

The screaming grew louder and Krista's vision grew clearer until she saw men groping at the female slaves, trying to take something from them that they weren't willing to give.

Krista's blood boiled as she saw one girl was already being raped whilst two men held her down on the mosaic floor, eagerly awaiting their turn.

Running over to them, Krista brought her fist squarely down onto the rapist's jaw, stunning him.

He was packed with muscles and pent up energy. A thick beard along his jaw made him look like a Gaul.

Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pulled him off the slave girl. Heaving his entire body to the left, his feet lifting off the floor, Krista hurled him into the bath, water spilling over the sides as its occupants shouted at the intrusion.

Krista turned to see the two men, that had been holding her down, now stood and circling her.

They did not appreciate somebody stepping in and taking their toy away from them.

"Go!" Krista screamed at the girl who was just lying on the floor staring up at her with fear, sprawled out like a used rag.

"We've not finished with her." The man spoke in a thick Gallia accent.

Krista bristled at their barbarity and they had a nerve to call themselves gladiators.

"You will never touch her again." Krista stepped forward, blocking him from attacking the girl as she scrambled to safety.

Krista knew the exact moment he was going to attack from the way his face grimaced and his body leaned back.

Ducking the first punch to her face, Krista gripped his shoulders and sent her knee straight into the place where his thighs met.

Low tactics, Krista knew, but they were the lowest of the low. They deserved everything they got.

The Gaul bent over at the waist, growling as he tried to overcome the wave of pain she had just inflicted on him.

Krista caught his friend attacking her from behind from the corner of her eye.

But she had no desire to prolong this match. The guards would soon arrive to see what was happening and she had no wish of being caught in the middle.

Spinning around, Krista sent a hard punch towards his jaw but they were not gladiators for nothing and he simply gripped her fist and spun her arm behind her, pulling her against him until her back was to his chest.

As her other arm was free she flew her elbow up into his jaw causing him to stumble backwards and release her.

With a final kick to his abdomen she sent him teetering on the edge of the bath before one final push had him falling into the water along with his friend.

Krista had thought it was over when the Gaul behind her hadn't taken the hint and let out a fierce guttural cry.

Krista spun to see him heading straight for her like a bull, when a figure suddenly stepped out of the mist and punched the man in the head.

The Gaul fell to the floor in a heap.

Krista frowned as she looked from the Gaul's unconscious body up to the man who had stepped in; Artorius.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for!?" Krista shouted at Artorius; she had been ready to take him.

Artorius's thick brows pulled together in annoyance, "You're gratitude is overwhelming."

Krista and Artorius remained glaring at each other as neither would back down.

Crowds began to gather around them when the sound of metal steel on ground reached Krista's ears. The guards were coming.

Waiting for Artorius to look away, Krista slipped into the crowds and avoided the guards as they shoved past her.

Krista never looked back as she exited the baths and away from Artorius.