To Kill A Gladiator

Chapter Nine: Felix

"Another round!" Marcus calls loudly to the innkeeper, we all cheer loudly and bang the table with our fists.

Marcus stands up onto his stool, shakily and holds his newly refilled mug above his head.

"We are not slaves to be beaten! We are people to! But they treat us wi... With no more respect then a lowly k, kitchen slave!" As he makes his slurred speech we all listen spellbound. I enjoy nights like this, the food the drink the speeches. It feels like I belong somewhere, like I'm doing something.

Marcus almost falls off his stool and we all laugh loudly, its late but we are still going strong, as long as the wine keeps flowing.

Suddenly I find myself standing up, mug raised.

"To Marcus! Our glorious leader who I will follow through anything!" I shout drunkenly, but meaning every word...

I wake up with the sun beating down and with a cracking headache.

I prop myself up on one elbow and look around to see where I ended up this morning. I'm lying with my back to the harbour walls of my village. All the boats in the jetty are alive with fishermen hurrying around, getting ready to set out for the day. Young boys peer out to the ocean looking for the tell tale sign of seagulls which means that there is a shoal out.

I peer out to, but only to try and focus my hazy eyes. Last night must have been long night... I think to myself, as I stand up on shaking legs. I put one hand against the harbour wall as I stand, to steady myself.

Now to get home...

Home is a rented room on the second floor of an insulae, a group of rooms at three storeys high grouped around a central courtyard. I share the room with two other men, both sailors on a merchant ship. At the moment they are away on a voyage leaving me on my own. When I get in I grab a bucket and go fill it from the well in the courtyard. To get rid of the cobwebs from the night before I simply pour the bucket of water over my head.

The water is cool and refreshing and brings me back to the moment. Breathing in deeply I set out to find some food.

***

Marcus looks up as I walk into his apartment. We have meetings every seven or so days but this is the first time that Marcus himself has hosted. I look around curious; the apartment is above Marcus' workshop where he makes armour and weaponry for the army. The room itself is neat and tidy, Marcus' wife died a couple of years ago so it is probably kept clean by a slave.

The rest of the group is gathered around a table in the centre of the room and Marcus beckons me over.

"Felix so glad you could join us." He sounds different, determined and hard. I walk over to the table and push my way through so I can see what everyone's looking at. 

"We were just discussing our first move against the nobility." Says Marcus excitedly. I lean in, eager to hear what Marcus had in store for us. I still remember my speech from the last meeting, and I still mean it. I look around at the faces of the other men, some look keen but most of them look uneasy, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, not making eye contact.

"As you all know, Praetor Augustus has lived in luxury these past years. Hosting feasts and celebrations, a source inside his house tells me that they eat huge quantities of pork, deer and beef, whilst families in our town starve!"

There is a murmur of agreement from around the table but some are still acting shifty. 

"My friends, I think it is time we stopped talking and started to take action!"