“So, Benjamin, where were you last night?” My fellow gladiators asked together.
“Sporting.”
“So you are no longer a boy?” Tertulus laughed.
“And she is no longer a girl. I had her moaning by the end.”
“Come to breakfast now. Master Silvus will not count hoaring as an excuse for missing training.” Tertulus swept me out the door. I didn’t care. I coursed with the strength of manhood. After chomping through breakfast, Master teamed me with Tertulus for advanced broadsword work. “So was I right about the slave-girl?”
“Not at first. She fought me, but after a few go rounds, she settled before my manhood.”
“I told you I had seen her eyeing you up, so will you go back for more?”
“I, I don’t know.”
“I see.” I fought Tertulus to a standstill for 10 sessions that morning. “I have nothing more to teach you. I will report that to Master Silvus at midday meal.” As I sat for lunch the activities of the night and morning climbed on my back. I almost fell asleep in my plate. I certainly planned to sleep instead of chasing once I reached my bunk that night. Master Silvus had other plans.
“Master Benjamin, come here. Tertulus tells me that you are a young magician of the broadsword. Your sparring is done for the day. Tonight you will test your growing skill in the ring. Rest yourself this afternoon to be prepared for the contest tonight.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And Benjamin . . .”
“Yes?”
“No sporting with the slave-girls until you have won.”
After a bath and rub down, I headed back to my room to wait. A Roman slave girl met me at the door with a sly smile. “Drucilla, I will see you later, after the fight.”
“You will not ‘fight’ tonight, Benjamin. A fight allows both to come out alive. Call them ‘contests’ or ‘spectacles.’ If you think of tonight as only a fight, you could be carried home in a bag.”
“Where did you come from, Emander?”
“I heard my Father give the order to put you in the ring tonight, so I sought you out.”
“What other cheery words do you have for me?” I asked trying to appear unconcerned, but hungry for any advice.
“You will have the advantage tonight with the crowd. They shout wildly for fellow countrymen. Father is starting you in the early rounds to break you in. The best and toughest matches are saved for the end of the evening, so the vendors may sell more of their stock to the spectators. The shouting of the crowd can lift you too high, so keep your emotions under control, but take your strength from their cheers.”
“What of the other gladiator? Who am I likely to fight? I mean best.”
“These rounds are usually the prowling grounds of old and half broken gladiators or children with lots of strength and little skill. There are also a very few highly trained up and comers like yourself. You understand, Benjamin, that tonight you will only leave the ring if you have killed or been killed?”
“I, yes, I u-understand.”
“Good. You should fear. Any of the opponents I just named could and would kill you if you hesitate too long. Practice on the old gladiators to learn their tricks. Finish off the children without revealing your skill. Take down the up and coming as quickly as you learn how.”
I ate alone. At least I moved my food about alone. My stomach was more nervous than my head and refused food. Master Silvus took me himself. We arrived at the back of the arena in time to send me into the second round of battles. I wore my sword resting easily on my hip and my helmet tight on my head. My feet were totally covered with heavy boots, but the rest of me was lightly clad for maximum speed.
My foe and I stared down each other on the way through the arch and into the ring. His name was Jerome and he looked older than my father. He was covered with scars and looked like he had his left eye sown back crooked. He stood as tall as I, but I had 20 pounds on him. “Watch this one.” Silvus whispered.
We met in the center. Our names were announced to the crowd. Emander was right. As my name echoed around the stone seats, a cheer arose that almost took me off my feet. “Swish” “Clang!” Jerome took advantage of my greenness and almost took my head off. He dropped back into a crippled looking stance and staggered back a couple of steps. I threw a tentative blow at his mid-section. He weakly blocked it. Must be he put all he had into the first swing, hoping to catch me unawares. I throw a more forceful swing at his shoulder. He blocked and ducked, almost falling into a heap. I don’t know why Silvus was worried about this one. I remembered Emander’s advice about sparring with old gladiators to learn their tricks. I exchanged half-hearted blows with Jerome, learning little. The crowd started jeering. They wanted action. I couldn’t let them down. I took a huge roundhouse swing, and he was gone! Off balance, I felt him slice across my back and set it on fire. I fell, tucked and rolled upright, but Jerome was nowhere to be “Whack!” He caught me right at the base of the helmet. I went down like a stone and lay still. I hoped the actor in him would have to play up his big victory over me. He kicked me. I didn’t resist. His next kick lifted me over onto my back. I groaned, but didn’t open my eyes. I heard the crowd gasp and felt the shadow of his sword fall on my face. Now. My sword leapt for his throat and opened it wide. I rolled after the sword stroke and I came up in a defensive crouch. Jerome made one last swing as the life blood left his head. The crowd roared in amazement. Maybe I had learned something from old Jerome after all.
“So, you will have to learn quicker next time. Did I not tell you to watch him?” Silvus chided half serious and half humorous. “Well-done only a few bruises from your first fight. You have more seasoning to do, but you are well on your way to be a gladiator. Off with you before the cheering crowds swell your chest too large.” I turned to leave. “And here . . .” he threw a purse of coins at me. “Don’t forget your take.”
As soon as I passed under the grandstand, I opened the purse. Inside lay 30 silver denarii! It would take a month worth of work to come close to this kind of money. I couldn’t believe it. I counted again. When I was at about 5, Tertullus tapped me on the shoulder. “So, going to stand there and count all night or can we do some spending?”
“Tertullus! Did you see me! That old lion almost got me, until I fooled him with his own trick.”
“That’s why I’m here. Since I taught you, Silvus wanted me to review the match with you. I think we should do that with some food. Are you hungry?”
“Now that you remind me of my stomach, let’s eat!” Tertullus took me to one of his favorite eateries. I paid of course.
“Pretty proud of yourself, are you Benjamin?”
“Yes, he didn’t even get a scratch on me.”
“I observed about 7 different times that he could have put you in the grave.”
“Well, I know I made a few mistakes, but . . .”
“What do you think were your two biggest mistakes?”
“I was fooled by his crippled old gladiator drama.”
“That was almost your worst mistake. What do you suppose was the worst mistake I saw?”
“When he got around behind me?”
“No. Benjamin, you focused hard and long on splitting that stone in two. When you tore into that rock with all your anger and frustration, you accomplished the impossible. I didn’t see any of that focus or energy tonight. Benjamin, if ‘that old lion,’ as you called him had realized that Silvus has been training you, he would have taken you apart in the first 10 seconds.”
“No, no he wouldn’t.”
“You can think what you like, but I watch all the swordsman fight, and this gladiator has taken down more skilled men that you. Now don’t turn so pale. You are alive and eating a huge steak with me and he isn’t. What do you think you did right tonight?”
“Well, when I faked being knocked out. That was a turn I used to my advantage.”
“You almost overdid it. How did you know it would be safe to lay there that long?”
“Since he was such a great actor when playing the cripple, I figured he couldn’t resist playing up my death scene.”
“That was a lucky read, or very smart. Now let’s talk about your technique.” For the next hour Tertullus and I relived the battle blow by blow. I learned more in that hour than I had in the last month and a half sparring. “Are you satisfied that we went over everything?”
“You are a great teacher.”
“Listen to me, Benjamin. This is my last piece of advice. I don’t get friendly with other gladiators like Emander does. I watch out for me first. I went through all this with you, because Silvus wanted me to. It doesn’t mean I am your teacher or friend, it just means I was ordered to.”
“I, I understand.”
“Anytime you need someone to introduce you to all that your money can buy here in the city, I will be glad to help you spend it.” I found out that was true.
