To Kill A Gladiator

Chapter One: Felix

The blood of my opponent covers my hands; I hadn't bothered to learn his name, I never do, better to distance myself from my adversaries to ward off the guilt. I look down at his body, my net is tangled around his legs and the handle of my dagger protrudes from his chest. I carefully retrieve my dagger and my net and walk away from the howling crowd towards the gates. As usual she's standing there with her brush, looking disappointed, probably because I am still alive. As I pass her I grin at her, the grin I reserve for annoying people. She sighs and stalks off, I shake my head, I still don't know what her problem is, she's been like that ever since I came, two months earlier, glaring at me and looking disappointed whenever I breathe. I finally decide to find out why, I walk over to where the other Gladiators eat, talk and gamble. They look up when I approach, I mostly keep myself to myself so no wonder they look surprised... And scared.

I point over to the girl who was sweeping angrily by the far wall; she is wearing a faded blue tunic tied with a strip of leather, "What's her problem?" I ask. They look relieved at the simple question. One of them pipes up, "Well you did kill her brother." I think about this for the moment then ask, "What's her name and who was her brother?" A different man answered, "Her names Camilla, her brother was Lucius the one you killed in your first fight."  I look at Camilla again, she's pretty enough, blonde hair, small but her most startling feature... "We stay away from her, I mean, have you seen her eyes? She must have been cursed," Says an older fighter whilst rubbing the back of his neck. I nodded it was hard not to notice her eyes, one blue the other brown, poor girl.

I leave the men to their gambling and went to wash my hands that were still covered in gore, as I scrub in the scummy water the girl, Camilla, stops sweeping to stroke a large dog. I take my chance, "What's he called?" I call whilst I stroll over; she looks up, glares and carries on stroking the frankly enormous dog. "You do glare a lot don't you?" She looks up and smiles tightly, her face is illuminated in the torch light defining her high cheek bones and making her cursed eyes gleam, "The dog is called Caesar," she answers, "And whether I glare or not is none of your business." I put my hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry about your brother," I give out a peace offering, "But what can I say, I wish I had let him kill me?" But I quickly forget the peace idea, why should I apologise?! "I did what I had to do to survive and you know what I'm glad because if I had died I now wouldn't be enjoying the pleasure of your company." I look at her face; she doesn't know what to say; good. Suddenly she slaps me, hard. Quick as a flash I grab her wrist, the dog growls threateningly but before I can do or say anything I hear a shout, "Thought you could get away did you?" I look up standing about twenty yards away is a man I would rather see without his smirking head. He strolls over, "Well, well, well Felix, got yourself a pretty girl there." He smirks, Camilla spits in his face, surprised he reals back, "I am not his," she snarls and snatches her arm away, "I'll leave you two to sort your differences." And off she goes with the dog back to her brushing. 

"So this is where you ended up Felix," He says. "Marcus," I reply leaning against the wall, "I thought I killed you." He grins; oh you tried Felix my friend." Marcus pulls up the sleeve of his tunic to show a long puckered scar running across his arm, "Good thing I'm a light sleeper, isn't it?" All of a sudden Marcus has slammed me against the wall with his hand tightly at my throat. He unsheathes his dagger and puts it against my throat, he also puts his face in mine. The firey brown eyes seem to see into my thoughts and the lips, marred by a scar curl up in disgust. I feel the cold steel pressed against my windpipe and I look around wildly for Camilla, anyone, but me and Marcus are alone.

"You should have killed me Felix my boy," Marcus, "It would have said me the trouble of killing yo..." Abruptly he collapsed and standing behind Marcus' fallen body was Camilla holding a heavy brass candelabra.

"Where in the Gods name did you get that?" I asked nodding towards the candelabra.

"Well if that's how you're going to be..." She says turning away and beginning to walk off. Sighing I grab her arm, "Wait," She stops, "Thanks I thought I was in for it there." Camilla turns to look at me, "Don't make me regret it." I looked into her oddly coloured eyes, a minute ago she hates me and now she's just saved my life, I don't get it.

All of a sudden for the second time today our conversation is interrupted by a shout. Two burley men have turned up, Marcus' henchmen Cato a rather dim  heavyweight and Magnus tall thin but cunning and sly. Seeing Marcus' body they run forward. I grab Camilla's hand, "Run, c'mon!" And we're running, we race through the maze of tunnels underneath the Coliseum. Camilla snatcges her hand away as we pass the rows and rows of cages where the wild animals are kept. Tigers and lions pace backwards and forwards snarling at us when we pass. Groups of people mill around an elephant which is stamping and trumpeting alarmingly, amid the confusion and people we try to blend in. I look behind me, I can just about see Cato trying to make his way through the throng of hurrying people, cleaners, animal keepers and gladiators.

"Through here!" Camilla points towards a small door which is slightly ajar. We dive in shutting the door behind us. Looking through the grill I can see Magnus stop a flustered looking keeper who just shakes his head and pushes past him. I turn to Camilla who was standing with her back to the wall breathing heavily. "Where does this tunnel lead?" I ask pointing down the dark tunnel that lies before us.

"It's how they get the bodies out of the complex." Camilla explains, she looks sad then I realise, her brother had been taken down here two months earlier but I don't say anything.

"So it goes outside of the city?"

She looks at me as if I've just said that stupidest thing ever.

"Have you ever been to Rome before?" She asks.

I shake my head slowly, "Why?"

"Rome is vast, a tunnel out would be miles long, this one leads to just outside the amphitheatre walls. Anyway, enough about the tunnel what on earth just happened there?" She says her voice rising in pitch towards the end of the last question.

"That man you just knocked out," I say, "Is the leader of a gang I was once a member of, they planned to do something I didn't agree with but they wouldn't let me leave..."

"So you tried to kill him, failed and now he wants revenge." Camilla finishes the sentence, "Right, now I'm involved in your little dispute."

I nodd, "Those two men are his henchmen, Cato and Magnus, it won't be long untill they come and find us, so we'd better be going."

She sighes, nodds and we set off down the pitch black tunnel.

So what do you think of Marcus?

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