Chapter 57. The Games

AURELIA

As the hot summer breeze blew dust into my nostrils and eyes, I struggled to maintain my focus. It was absolutely difficult The sun blazed overhead, filling the Colosseum with a searing heat that clung to my skin. The noise was relentless—a fevered roar of voices from every tier, bouncing off the stone walls and reverberating through my bones.

The air was thick, heavy with the scent of sweat, dust, and the iron tang of blood that seemed to linger, as if the very stones of the Colosseum had absorbed centuries of death and violence. My heart pounded as I scanned the arena, my gaze darting from one entrance to another.

I had to see if the rumors were true. Claudius…couldn’t he be here. Alive.

The gladiators began to emerge, each one stepping into the glaring sunlight, their armor glinting, helmets hiding their faces. The crowd’s roar rose in a wave, thunderous, deafening and almost annoying.

I squinted against the glare and the swirling dust that t