Gladiator of Rome (#1 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 

Artorius woke from his slumber on his own accord rather than to the orders of his masters, and that was true freedom.

Stretching out between the animal skins that were laid upon the floor, he reached out his arm only to find an empty space where Krista should be.

His eyes flew open as his fingers sunk into the fur and he looked around him in alarm but Krista was nowhere to be seen.

Artorius tried to persuade himself that she had simply woken earlier than usual and had gone for food but there was a knotting of unease in his stomach that would not go away.

Getting to his feet with the warmth of a new sun on his back, Artorius reached out and grabbed his sheathed sword when the sound of heavy and fast footprints reached his ears.

Turning to towards the sound, Artorius saw Cato sprinting through the forest and the look of terror in his eyes did not head the sick feeling in Artorius’s stomach.

“Cato?” Artorius reached out a hand to steady the man as he almost hurtled into him, his skin damp with sweat, “What is it?”

“They’re gone,” Cato looked at Artorius as he bent at the waist, gulping at the air.

“What do you mean they’re gone?” Artorius’s voice grew hard as he tried not to overreact but his throat was already starting to close with worry.

“I went to see Leonidas but he was not there,” Cato panicked, “So I went to look for him and found that Frieda and Krista have also disappeared.”

Artorius’s jaw clenched in anger as he looked around him, as if he would see her simply a few feet away and Cato had been mistaken.

But he didn't see her.

Turning to look at the tree branches above him, Artorius wondered if she had climbed up there for some privacy but they held only their secrets.

What business did Krista, Frieda and Leonidas have by going off together?

For a fleeting moment Artorius feared that they had abandoned them.Artorius knew that Krista hated so many people following her and Frieda was much like Krista in that she appreciated her privacy.

But one look at Cato and he knew that Leonidas would never leave his side unless it was for a good reason and, if he thought about it more, Artorius would like to believe that Krista felt the same about him.

“That’s not all,” Cato took in a deep breath as he straightened his back and stared at Artorius, “Romans have been spotted near the boundaries.”

“Did they see us?” Artorius asked, his mind switching back to protecting the people. He hated not knowing where Krista was but he knew he could not go after her.

“I don’t think they needed to." Cato replied cryptically.

“What do you mean?” Artorius focused only on the tremble in Cato’s voice as he seemed unable to utter the words, “Cato, what is it?”

“I followed one of the Roman’s scouting parties to see where they came from and I . . .” Cato let out a sigh of disbelief as he looked at the ground.

“Cato?” Artorius whispered.

“There’s an army of two hundred soldiers waiting to attack us.”

Artorius’s heart suddenly dropped into his stomach when Cato’s words fully began to sink in.

Everything around him grew blurry as the weight of over a hundred lives suddenly fell on his shoulders.