The sun blazed down, baking the sand of the arena to a scaldingtemperature. Valerius could feel it burning even through the iron studded souls of his leather sandals. He grasped the hilt of his gladius tighter and gazed through the narrow slit of his helmet at the man, a heavy set Germanian, who faced him across the fiery sand. The heat of the day did nothing to deter the crowd, who writhed likeants in the seats around the arena. He could make out the shaded royal box, the Emperor gazing expectantly at the two combatants. He was stuffing grapes into his mouth and being fanned by a young boy in a white toga. Suddenly the Germanian roared, raising his weapons, a spear and a net, in the air. The crowd roared its blood-lust and the Germanian charged. He was more lightly armoured than Valerius, with only a shoulder guard offering him any sort of protection but this just made him quicker. With a savage thrust the trident plunged towards Valerius’ armoured chest. At the last second Valerius sidestepped and cross-blocked the spear with his shield. He stabbed his gladius at his opponent’s throat but the Germanian had expected it and dodged easily. The big man trotted back, unexpectedly light on his feet. With a quick jerk of his arm he sent the net flying towards Valerius and took his spear in a two handed grip. The quick throw caught Valerius off guard. On reflex he dived to theground and tried to roll forward. The weight of his armour and helmet encumbered him and the move was all but graceful. He ended up on his back, feeling like he was lying on the surface of the sun itself. The bright orb in the sky beamed into his eyes, blinding him. suddenly it was eclipsed by a massive shadow. The Germanian raised his spear above his head in both hands, poised toimpale Valerius to the scalding yellow sea. Without a second thought Valerius wrapped his arm around the other gladiator’s calves and rolled into him, sending the Germanian toppling and relieving the heat from his own burned back. The big man landed hard and Valerius scrambled to his feet. His musclesached and sweat dripped down his body. He felt it stinging his eyes. He stamped down onto the Germanian’s throat and heard a crack. The big gladiator’s breathing came in gasps and wheezes as his hands came up to clutch at his shattered windpipe. Valerius undid the strap on his helmet with one hand and dropped it to the ground, revealing a clean shaven face of a man in his late twenties, below a crown of short cropped black hair.. He grasped his gladius and looked to the royal box, awaiting the Emperor’s verdict as to whether he should kill his opponent or spare his life. He hoped he would give the thumbs down signal so that he could give the other man a quick death, rather than allowing him to choke slowly. It all depended on how generous he was feeling. Training gladiators was a costly business and their lives weren’t thrown away lightly. He saw the Emperor in his purple robes stand. The overlord of the RomanEmpire glance around the arena, weighing the minds of the bloodthirsty crowd. “Death! Death! Death!” they shouted. He looked down at Valerius, a cold, malevolent look crossing his hawkish features and raised his hand in the air. His thumb was down. Valerius gazed at his fallen opponent. “You fought well today. Now I set you free.” He told him and with one massive downward swing decapitated the prone gladiator. As the head rolled away and arterial blood sprayed across the sand, hissing when it hit, Valerius raised his hand in salutation to the crowd. He lived for this. Victory. It excited him more than anything. With a final bow to the Emperor he exited the arena and went to the cool recesses of the Gladiator’s waiting room, two slaves running past him to drag the body of the Germanian away. Later that night Valerius lay in his cell, his wounds already havingbeen tended by the apothecary. His master, Lucretius, stood outside, accompanied by a guard. “You were lucky today, Valerius,” he said through the bars. “That big germanian nearly had you. Would have too if he hadn’t been too involved in working up the crowd.” Valerius sat up and faced his master. “I won,” he said. “Victory is ALL that matters.”… Read the rest of To the Victor the Spoils
Author: Lazenby
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