Playing the Game

Chapter 17: Topic of Interest

I could hear the chanting throughout the colosseum and streets as the people of Romallia regaled their friends with the story of my success and the connections to Augustus, whether they had witnessed it themselves or not. Even the guards were impressed by my antics, but less so as night fell and they had to shoo away the people who were crowding Tiberius' cell from the streets.

I hadn't left my cell for hours, refusing to follow my friends to dinner. I wasn't hungry; the pit in my stomach made sure of that.

Tiberius decided to pay me a visit before the others returned for bed. He flourished his arms in a ridiculous manner as the people outside my cell pushed through the guards to praise Tiberius for his impossible achievement. I had never seen him smile so widely, especially for something that didn't result in the death, injury, or humiliation of another. This air of pure delight and exuberance was solely attributed to his pride; much like a father for his child when they accomplished something. He continued to encourage the people to flatter him. He even took a bow!

"Thank you! Thank you, my fellow Romallians! I have worked very hard to make this boy a champion, and I'm glad it has paid off! The Emperor and I are very excited to see him in tomorrow's event. But for now, I just came to congratulate my warrior for a job well done!"

I had to stifle a laugh, knowing that he was only there to feed his ego.

After another stretch of lengthy praise and exaggerated speeches, Tiberius finally pulled up a stool and sat down in front of me. I had my back to the people, so he was happy to face his seat in their direction so he could occasionally smile and wave over my shoulder at their kind words.

He dropped his voice to keep our conversation private. "While I'm here, I might as well tell you that the Emperor has been asking a lot of questions about you."

"You mean you're not here to congratulate me?!" I drew back in mock bewilderment, "That really hurts..."

He kept his face pleasant to fool the onlookers, but his harsh tone gave away his provocation. "Don't test me, boy. We had a deal, you and I. I kept my end of the bargain, and now you're keeping yours. You don't need me fawning over you when you've got the whole of Romallia doing that already. Just keep it up, and the two of us won't have a problem."

I couldn't take his threat lightly, even if I was planning on escaping after I saved my brother. All I could do was nod in agreement.

"Good. Now I need you to answer a few questions. The Emperor is growing impatient with me as I continuously come up short during interrogation."

I swallowed hard. "What does he want to know?"

"I already told him everything that happened since the moment you came to me in the pits. Well, not everything..."

"Your wife?"

The frown that he was trying to hide told me that I was supposed to leave it unsaid, but he continued without reprimand, "I left out personal details. He knows about the pits, your training, your ability to scale the cliff after I tossed you over for disobedience, and how you slaughtered Lucius."

I nodded. "So just the basics that pertain to me as a gladiator. What else is there to say?"

"He wants to know your name."

"You didn't tell him?"

"Your full name."

"Marcus is all I've got." I said with as much conviction as I could fake.

He shook his head. "He wants to know who your parents are."

"I'm an orphan."

"Where you came from?"