Chapter 2

The next morning, a cold, dim light filtered through the small window high in the cell, casting a faint glow on the rough stone walls. Kaelus stirred from a restless sleep, his body aching from the previous day’s punishment. Aulus lay curled up beside him, his small form shivering from the cold. The night had been a fitful one, filled with the echoes of their pain and the raw emotions of the day before.

Kaelus gently brushed a hand over Aulus’s hair, trying to offer some comfort even as his own heart remained heavy with despondency. Aulus slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the faint light.

‘Kaelus,’ he whispered. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’

‘How did you end up here, Aulus?’ Kaelus asked softly. ‘You were supposed to be safe, away from all this.’

Aulus’s expression showed a mix of shame and sadness. ‘It’s our parents,’ he breathed, his voice barely audible. ‘They owed money again, Kaelus – a lot of money. I don’t know all the details but ... but they couldn’t pay.’

Kaelus felt a surge of anger and despair well up inside him, but he fought to keep it in check for Aulus’s sake. He silently cursed his parents for getting into debt again, then he felt a pang of sympathy for them, knowing the decision they had been forced to make.

‘I’m so sorry, Aulus,’ Kaelus said. ‘You’d have been better off if I’d let you be sold to look after some rich woman’s lap dogs three years ago. This is all my fault.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ Aulus said simply, reaching out to grasp his hand. ‘None of this is your fault, Kaelus. We just ... we have to stick together now, right?’

Kaelus squeezed his brother’s hand, a fierce determination hardening his resolve. ‘Yes. We’ll protect each other, no matter what. But I’m going to be stuck in this cell for the next week. Find Tarin and Lykos in the ludus, and tell them you’re my brother. They’ll look after you ... and you can look after them too.’

‘I will,’ said Aulus. ‘Kaelus, what did the master mean last night when he was talking about putting me up on stage? I thought I was going to be a gladiator, not a clown.’

Kaelus sighed deeply. ‘Sometimes the master makes his boy gladiators ... perform.’

‘Perform?’ Aulus asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

‘To entertain his guests, when he has them,’ Kaelus elaborated. ‘He was trying to break my spirit by telling me that he was going to make you do it too. But I don’t think he really meant it ... he can’t have really meant it ... can he?’

‘He probably did,’ Aulus predicted. ‘After all, I am one of his boy gladiators now.’

‘No, no, no,’ Kaelus wept, placing his head in his hands. ‘He can’t ... he just can’t.’

‘We’re not talking about telling jokes or singing songs here, are we?’ said Aulus.

‘No,’ said Kaelus.

‘What does he make you do?’

‘It’s better that you don’t know, Aulus.’

‘Even if it might happen to me?’

With a sickening jolt, Kaelus realised that his brother was right. He had kept the truth from his two friends and then they had been thrown in at the deep end, completely unprepared for what was to come.

‘The master makes us perform ... sexually,’ said Kaelus. ‘Do you understand what I mean by that?’

‘Yes,’ said Aulus, ‘I think so. Oh, Kaelus... ‘

The brothers huddled together again, trying desperately to bring each other as much comfort as they could in their hopeless situation. The sound of approaching footsteps broke the moment, and Kaelus’s heart sank as the cell door creaked open. Two guards entered, their expressions stern and detached. They moved towards Aulus.

‘It’s time for him to go,’ one of the guards said to Kaelus, his tone devoid of sympathy.

Kaelus’s grip on Aulus tightened briefly before he forced himself to release it.

‘Stay strong,’ he whispered to his brother. ‘I’ll see you soon, I promise.’

Aulus nodded, his eyes wide with fear, but also with a newfound determination. As the guards led him away, he looked back at Kaelus one last time, his expression a mixture of hope and dread. Kaelus watched as the door closed behind Aulus, leaving him alone in the cold, empty cell.

As the week passed in the oppressive darkness of the cell, each day felt like an eternity to Kaelus. The only human contact he had during this time was with the medicus, who came to treat his wounds on several occasions. Despite many years of dedicated service to the profession, the severity of Kaelus’s injuries made even his experienced stomach turn.

One evening, Tarin and Lykos heard the medicus remark to one of the guards that it was a miracle Kaelus had not died from his wounds, particularly considering the evidence pointing to some form of internal organ damage that he had noticed during the first two days, but which had now abated. The boys were relieved yet horrified to hear this news.

By the time of his release, Kaelus’s body had healed somewhat, but the pain of what Aulus had endured was a constant torment to his mind. Every moment of solitude had only intensified his resolve, and the thought of his brother suffering – both now and indefinitely – had been the final straw. He knew what had to be done.

When the cell door finally inched its way open, Kaelus was ready. The guards led him out, their expressions indifferent as they returned him to the main quarters of the ludus. The light stung his eyes after days in near-darkness, but Kaelus barely noticed. His thoughts were singularly focused on finding Tarin and Lykos.

He spotted them training together in the practice arena, their bodies moving with the practised ease of seasoned fighters. Tarin noticed Kaelus first, his eyes widening in surprise. Lykos turned as well, dropping the wooden sword he had been practising with.