grasses into place, and creating sandbars, then filling the low points with water. It spooked some of the other men to see the arena turned into such a foreign setting, but the mines were always creepy, and Caesar’s cave worst of all. Compared to that, a fake jungle was nothing.
As we worked above ground, other slaves continued their efforts in the hypogeum below. By the time I got down there, it was so thick with caged animals that there was barely room to move, and nothing but stale, foul air to breathe.
“All of these are intended for the venatio?” I asked one man, who only grunted his way past me. At this rate, I wondered how long until the world ran out of animals, all for Rome’s entertainment. It disgusted me.
Dawn rose faster than we were ready for it, and I’d had no chance to get near Caela’s cage, much less figure out a way to break the lock. I wasn’t even sure she’d agree to leave. She seemed perfectly content with the gold they had given her.
We had barely ended our preparations when Felix sent around orders to allow us each a drink and a bit of food. Nothing was to be given to the animals. The venatio was the first event of the day, and Felix wanted them eager to kill.
I skipped the food and surveyed the various routes Caela and I might take to escape. The obvious choice was the ramp leading to the ground level of the amphitheater, especially since it was the closest to Caela’s cage. But Roman soldiers were positioned at the top of the ramp to keep onlookers from coming down, so I doubted we’d get very far. There were other exits too, including some of the larger lifts that went directly into the arena, but unless I stayed behind, there was nobody to raise it. Besides, the exits weren’t the biggest problem. It felt like every slave in Rome had been brought here to assist with the games. Even if I got Caela out of her cage, there were too many men for us to fight them all.
Maybe Aurelia was wrong about my death. After all, the emperor needed me alive in order to operate the bulla. Additionally, nobody seemed to be treating me differently than any other slave. Felix had his eye on me a lot, but he still wasn’t shy about barking out orders. As had been the case back at the mines, I worked hard, and obeyed every command that made sense. There were good reasons to keep me alive.
And an even better one for the emperor to kill me. The bulla was heavier than ever. The magic in it was growing stronger. I had to get out of this place, and take Caela with me.
I could tell from the noises above that the amphitheater was filling with people. Time was running out. I began looking for anyone who might have keys to Caela’s cage. If I got a set and then coaxed her out, maybe I could convince the others that I was moving her into place for the hunt.
But nobody would believe such an obvious lie. Felix himself had said that Caela was intended for the middle show. Besides that, the keys were on ropes hung around the supervisors’ necks. How exactly was I supposed to steal them from there?
Once the games got under way, the tunnels beneath the amphitheater flew into action. It was still morning and yet with so many of us, the humid air rose to boiling temperatures. Further dampening my hopes to escape, I was assigned to work on the upper level of a two-story lift to send the animals onto the arena floor. We were to push the bars around a rotating capstan that would gradually raise the animal’s cage. Once we got the animal to the right level, another group of slaves pulled the cage door open. The animal would instinctively walk the narrow plank toward the light, with no idea it was heading into a battle arena.
At first I refused to help. It wouldn’t stop the venatio, but at least it would allow my conscience to sleep at night. Then I heard a snap and instantly felt a sharp sting on the back of my leg. I collapsed to one knee and turned to see a supervisor below us with a long whip in his
As we worked above ground, other slaves continued their efforts in the hypogeum below. By the time I got down there, it was so thick with caged animals that there was barely room to move, and nothing but stale, foul air to breathe.
“All of these are intended for the venatio?” I asked one man, who only grunted his way past me. At this rate, I wondered how long until the world ran out of animals, all for Rome’s entertainment. It disgusted me.
Dawn rose faster than we were ready for it, and I’d had no chance to get near Caela’s cage, much less figure out a way to break the lock. I wasn’t even sure she’d agree to leave. She seemed perfectly content with the gold they had given her.
We had barely ended our preparations when Felix sent around orders to allow us each a drink and a bit of food. Nothing was to be given to the animals. The venatio was the first event of the day, and Felix wanted them eager to kill.
I skipped the food and surveyed the various routes Caela and I might take to escape. The obvious choice was the ramp leading to the ground level of the amphitheater, especially since it was the closest to Caela’s cage. But Roman soldiers were positioned at the top of the ramp to keep onlookers from coming down, so I doubted we’d get very far. There were other exits too, including some of the larger lifts that went directly into the arena, but unless I stayed behind, there was nobody to raise it. Besides, the exits weren’t the biggest problem. It felt like every slave in Rome had been brought here to assist with the games. Even if I got Caela out of her cage, there were too many men for us to fight them all.
Maybe Aurelia was wrong about my death. After all, the emperor needed me alive in order to operate the bulla. Additionally, nobody seemed to be treating me differently than any other slave. Felix had his eye on me a lot, but he still wasn’t shy about barking out orders. As had been the case back at the mines, I worked hard, and obeyed every command that made sense. There were good reasons to keep me alive.
And an even better one for the emperor to kill me. The bulla was heavier than ever. The magic in it was growing stronger. I had to get out of this place, and take Caela with me.
I could tell from the noises above that the amphitheater was filling with people. Time was running out. I began looking for anyone who might have keys to Caela’s cage. If I got a set and then coaxed her out, maybe I could convince the others that I was moving her into place for the hunt.
But nobody would believe such an obvious lie. Felix himself had said that Caela was intended for the middle show. Besides that, the keys were on ropes hung around the supervisors’ necks. How exactly was I supposed to steal them from there?
Once the games got under way, the tunnels beneath the amphitheater flew into action. It was still morning and yet with so many of us, the humid air rose to boiling temperatures. Further dampening my hopes to escape, I was assigned to work on the upper level of a two-story lift to send the animals onto the arena floor. We were to push the bars around a rotating capstan that would gradually raise the animal’s cage. Once we got the animal to the right level, another group of slaves pulled the cage door open. The animal would instinctively walk the narrow plank toward the light, with no idea it was heading into a battle arena.
At first I refused to help. It wouldn’t stop the venatio, but at least it would allow my conscience to sleep at night. Then I heard a snap and instantly felt a sharp sting on the back of my leg. I collapsed to one knee and turned to see a supervisor below us with a long whip in his
Similar Books
