Chapter 2

A few days later, the three boys were handed an ideal chance to test their newfound soildarity when they were ordered to fight together against an experienced adult gladiator from another ludus, Crixus, whom the people had dubbed Champion of Capua thanks to his recent successes.

The crowd’s roar echoed through the arena, a relentless wave of sound that pounded in the ears of Kaelus, Tarin and Lykos as they stood side by side. Dust swirled around their feet, and the harsh sun beat down on their skin.

Kaelus stood in the centre, his muscular frame glistening with sweat, his chest rising and falling steadily. Despite the danger of the fight ahead, he wore no armour above his waist as usual. Kaelus not only valued this as his signature look, he also preferred the freedom of movement and the self-confidence that his hardened physique gave him.

Tarin, on Kaelus’s left, was smaller and less imposing, but his sharp eyes were full of focus. He moved with the agility of a fox, light on his feet, ready to dart in and out of danger. Lykos stood on Kaelus’s right. His posture was steady, his eyes calm and calculating.

Crixus circled them with obvious confidence. He wore more armour than any of the three boys, and his face was hidden behind a helmet, making him seem even more imposing. His weapon – a heavy, iron-spiked mace – swung menacingly in his hand.

‘Remember,’ Kaelus whispered to the others, his voice steady despite the tension, ‘we fight as one.’

Tarin nodded, his mind already working through the strategy they had devised. He darted forward, launching a flurry of feints and strikes that Crixus easily blocked, but not without being forced to turn and reposition. Crixus swung his mace at Tarin, but Tarin was too fast, slipping just out of reach. Each missed strike drew Crixus further away from the centre of the arena, and away from solid footing.

As Tarin kept Crixus occupied, Lykos moved in from the side, his approach silent and measured. He aimed low, striking at Crixus’s legs with quick jabs of his gladius, forcing the older gladiator to shift his stance repeatedly. Lykos was not yet as strong as Kaelus, but his strikes were precise, meant to weaken rather than overpower.

Crixus growled in frustration, his movements becoming more aggressive, but also more erratic. He swung his mace in a wide arc, forcing both Tarin and Lykos to leap back to avoid the deadly blow. This was the moment Kaelus had been waiting for. He charged at Crixus, his focus entirely on the opening that Lykos and Tarin had created.

Crixus barely had time to register the sudden attack before Kaelus was upon him, using his full strength to drive his gladius towards Crixus’s exposed side. The impact was brutal; the force of Kaelus’s strike pushed Crixus back. Kaelus did not hesitate, pressing the attack with bestial ferocity. He was relentless, his muscular arms a blur as he struck again and again, overwhelming the older gladiator with sheer tenacity.

Tarin and Lykos moved to flank Crixus, ready to intervene if needed, but Kaelus had found his rhythm. Crixus tried to bring his mace down on Kaelus’s head, but the boy was too fast, dodging the blow and thrusting his gladius towards Crixus’s side once more. The crowd’s roar became deafening as Crixus staggered, his weapon slipping from his grasp. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Kaelus stood over the fallen gladiator, his chest heaving with the effort, the gladius still gripped tightly in his hand. His eyes were hard, his expression triumphant. Tarin and Lykos approached, both breathing heavily as well, their eyes locked on their friend. Kaelus looked at them, the tension easing slightly from his shoulders. He knew that without Tarin’s speed and Lykos’s precision, the outcome might have been different.

Kaelus placed the point of his gladius against Crixus’s throat and shot him a questioning look. Angrily and with bad grace, Crixus raised two fingers in a gesture of surrender. In unison, the three boys stepped back and lowered their weapons. The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

Crixus pulled himself to his feet, removed his helmet and glared at the three boys, but his expression changed to one of surprise and relief when the crowd cheered for him as well. Despite his defeat – against three opponents whom he had vastly underestimated – his status as Champion of Capua was still safe for the moment.

As Kaelus was preparing to begin his day’s training the next morning, the doctore of the ludus took him aside and told him that as a reward for his leading role in defeating Crixus, he had been granted the favour of receiving a visitor that day. Kaelus was confused and a little suspicious, but he accepted the announcement with a curt nod.

It was almost noon when the doctore informed Kaelus that two guards were in the process of escorting his visitor to the ludus. Kaelus stood in a corner of the training area, his body glistening with sweat, his eyes searching the vicinity for any sign of the guards and their mystery charge.

Kaelus’s gaze softened as he caught sight of his brother Aulus stepping into the harsh environment of the ludus. Flanked by the two guards, the small boy’s eyes were wide with apprehension as he took in the brutal surroundings. His simple, worn clothes seemed strikingly out of place in the world of gladiatorial combat.

When Aulus’s eyes met Kaelus’s, time seemed to stand still for both boys. For a moment, Kaelus’s breath caught in his throat, and his hardened exterior faltered.