Gladiator of Rome (#1 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27 

The clanging of their swords echoed across the room like claps of thunder.

The noise cut through their grunts as Krista blocked another attack, feeling the strike reverberate up her arm.

The commander attacked with precision and strength as he drove her back across the room, her sandals slipping on the marble floor as sweat dripped from her skin.

"Aaar!" Krista grunted as she raised her sword and blocked an attack towards her neck.

Pushing forward on her blade, Krista forced the commander back.

But he barely flinched as he deflected a strike to his knee before continuing with his own assault.

Sensing a strategy in the commander's thoughts, Krista tried to outmanoeuvre him when her blade slipped and the commander slashed the skin open on the back of her thigh.

With first blood spilt, the commander sensed victory in the air.

Shifting the weight off her injured leg, Krista hobbled away from his ferocious attacks.

Her sword grew heavy in her palm as her arm ached with exertion.

Her attacks were futile as Niclaus easily defended himself, before running the edge of his blade across the inside of her arm.

Hissing in pain, Krista pulled her arm back, leaving her side open to a fierce jab beneath her armour.

Her stomach churned as her shoulders hunched forward to protect her body, her chest feeling as if it was on fire and her limbs as if they were weighted down with rocks.

Looking up through her lashes, Krista saw the spit dribbling from the commander's mouth, his lips pulled back to bare his teeth in anger. 

Rage overcame Niclaus's good reason and instead of reaching for the kill, he held her sword away from her body and left her exposed to his fist. 

Her lips parted in shock, as she felt his fist ram into her soft abdomen, knocking the air from her lungs. 

Krista's heart was hammering inside of her chest as Niclaus sent a hurtling amount of pain into her body, her mouth filling with blood.

She could not believe she could withstand much more as Niclaus hurtled a punch into her jaw, knocking her head to the side as she collapsed to her knees.

The commander released her, throwing her to the ground with disgust.

Krista remained there, knelt on the ground with her sword out to the side of her, as a wave of defeat racked through body.

For the first time since she could remember, Krista was overcome with guilt and shame.

She had thoguht herself ready to face the commander, but as she looked up and saw him approaching once more, she knew she had been fatually wrong in her decision.

The sound of his flesh pounding against hers resumed before eventually sizzling into silence, her thoughts transcending from her body and thinking of death instead. 

She would feel no more pain, Krista told herself, she could see her family again.

She could see Lazarus and her pain would be over.

Making her decision, Krista closed her eyes and dropped her sword, allowing the numbness to descend across her body. 

Krista welcomed the darkness that began to creep over her eyes when, from a distant corner of her mind, she heard Lazarus's voice calling to her.