Chapter 46. Two Against Two

JULIAN

The air reeked of dust, sweat, and old blood in the cell where we were kept. I had been in this Ludus before—the school where gladiators were housed and trained. Decades ago, in my boyhood, I used to frequent those gates, peeping through the holes in the fens to see those huge muscular monsters-of-men training, drawing blood from each other. Each time, I was daydreaming, wishing for glory, and waiting for the day I would be man enough to stand tall in the arena like them.

In truth, on rare occasions, people were allowed to become gladiators of their free will. It was the easiest road to fame and glory, and I was willing to take it. Until tragedy struck, war broke out and I had to join the army and fulfil my duty to my country and lineage.

I must admit, I had missed the Ludus, but not from the inside. I never thought its interiors would be like that. No—not the smell that lingered on the stone walls, nor the dim lighting provided by the narrow openings