Chasing Blue- The Final Saga (Book 4)

Chapter 18: Glory Pangs

I crouched down on bended knee on my one-man wicker chariot. The four horses shifted from side as they stalled behind the spring gates underneath the stone arch. I felt so small in a place so massive. My eyes scoured the track, which was wider than any road I ever treaded. Rows and rows of benches enclosed it. It was the largest hippodrome I had ever laid eyes on. The place could practically fit all of Aegea in its open seating! Yet an eerie calmness settled in the empty stadium. No boisterous crowds or the sounds of trumpets...just the sound of hooves kicking up dirt.

"Are you ready?" Caetus asked, his voice filling the arena. I nodded as I stared out at the sun through the opening of the battered helmet that pressed against my face. It was Caetus' old helmet. I had worn it the couple of times we practiced having two horses hitched to the chariot. During my practice I tried to tune out the loud neighing and the dust that billowed into my nostrils to listen to his voice. Each word came flying out in sharp, short succession.

"On your stations," Clitus called out by the edge of the gates. I studied the winding track that carved around the spina at the very center of the track, which was decked with statutes and a tall obelisk that soared above the highest row of seats. Caetus had told me to make it my aim to stay close to the spina. As I motioned for my horses to move closer to the gates, I caught him glaring in my direction before fixing his gaze forward.

"Ready!" came the second call. I swallowed. I hunched over the edge of the chariot, reins in hand.

"Go!" Clitus shouted. A thunder of hooves pounded the dusty tracks as I watched my opponent take off ahead leaving me in a trail of dust.

"Wait!" I hissed. "Tell him my horses are not ready!"

Clitus cupped his hands over his mouth. "Caetus! Stop!" Caetus ignored Clitus cry. You need to shout louder!

His team of horses continued to forge ahead without me. "Go already!" I snapped at the horses. With my wrists raised, I tugged at the reins against their backs. The two center horses rose on their hind legs. The chariot tilted back sending me flailing backwards. With no back to the chariot, my feet teetered towards the edge. The only thing keeping me from completely flying off was the set of reins tied around my waist.

"Caetus!" A panicked cry escaped my lips. He cannot hear you. Clitus stood back, waving his arms in sweeping gestures.

I was not sure what he was trying to do. All I knew was one thing: do not lose your balance. I pulled myself forward in an attempt to stabilize the axle. The wheels slammed onto the packed earth followed by a burst of motion out the gates.

I tried to stop the horses but they continued gaining speed. Clitus continued to wave the red rag in the air as he ran along the sidelines to catch a better sight of the frenzy. The horses were galloping side by side, each attached abreast by a metal brace to hold them in place. As I neared the first corner, the middle horse began picking up speed. Their nimble legs began galloping closer to the median. The other horses followed suit. I retracted the reins, hoping to slow their speeds as they began to swing their bodies over to make the curve. I held on tighter as twelve legs clamored down the track. It is too close!

I yanked the reins over to the right. The horse to the right began to veer outward, dragging the other horses in a sweeping turn around the median.

"Oh Mother of Zeus!—" I was thrown against the side of the chariot as it skidded around the track. The force of the impact loosened my grip. The reins slid through my fingers before I locked the reins in my fist. As we neared the end of the track, I was growing weary but there were still two more laps to go!

"Can you keep up?" Caetus shouted up ahead. He raced past the starting point marking the end of lap one. By the time I reached the starting point he was already half-way down the track. For the rest of the race, I was playing catch up to Caetus who whipped his horses as they galloped down the track. As we reached the third lap I was getting closer to catching up to Caetus.