The Gladiator

by Carla Capshaw

  The announcer began to weave a tale of a mighty gladiator whose prowess caught the eye of Venus. A hush fell over the crowd when they learned the warrior rejected the enamored goddess in favor of a human girl.

  The crowd shrieked and clapped as the platform slowly lifted Pelonia into the arena. Dressed in a gossamer tunic, her black hair unbound and flowing in the breeze, she was tied to a stake, her hands trussed behind her back.

  With dawning horror, Caros realized Spurius had cast him and Pelonia as actual leads in the drama. His feet heavy with fear, he ran toward her, listening keenly to what might unfold next.

  The announcer’s voice boomed across the theatre. “Furious, the goddess disguised herself as a predator and vowed to kill her rival.”

  All at once, the slaves tugged on the sheets covering the wagon. The billowing cloths fell away to reveal a large caged tiger. The cage door opened. The beast roared. Unlike the mob that was too far away, Caros saw the animal had been abused and frothed at the mouth.

  The predator hissed and smacked at the slaves poking him with sharpened sticks. He leaped from his prison, landing between Caros and Pelonia. Straining every one of his sore and tired muscles, Caros picked up speed. The beast’s golden eyes latched on Pelonia and bounded toward her. Terror kicked through Caros. He’d never get to her in time.

  Terrified, Pelonia closed her eyes and gave herself up to prayer. At any moment, she expected the tiger’s attack. Frozen, unable even to scream, she asked the Lord to protect Caros and see him safely from the arena. Animal footsteps galloped closer. She braced herself for pain.

  Anger shot through her. How could she accept death like a coward? She forced her eyes open and…“Cat?”

  The tiger leaped through the air, his roar sounding to her like a plaintive wail. He careened into her, driving the breath from her body in a groan of agony.

  The spectators jumped to their feet, delighted by what at a distance must look like a fatal attack. As he usually did, Cat wallowed against her, rubbing his head and face across her chest.

  Weak with relief, she tugged at her bonds, wanting to hug the dear animal. Seeing someone had abused him, her anger burned against the foul soul. God help him if I ever find out who hurt my pet!

  Within the same heartbeat, Caros’s shadow fell over her. He raised his gladius, intent on a deadly strike. The rage of battle still clouding his intense blue eyes, she could see he’d had no time to realize the animal was his own tiger.

  “Caros, stop!” she cried. “It’s Cat.”

  His facial muscles contorted with confusion, he managed to digest her warning and stop his weapon’s mortal blow just before it sank between Cat’s shoulders.

  Seeing her love as a gladiator for the first time, she watched him grapple for control of the violence raging through him. Smeared with blood, his tunic torn, his fingers white from the tight grip on his weapon, he heaved in great breaths of air.

  “Caros,” she said for his ears only, casting away her fear. “Caros, we’re all right.”

  Seemingly unaware of how close he came to death at the hand of his master, Cat bumped him with his nose.

  Caros buried his fingers in the ruff of fur around Cat’s neck. He opened his eyes and stared at her as though she’d just been raised from the grave. “You live?” he said in wonder. “I saw the tiger leap at you. I thought for certain you were dead.”

  The wild crowd forgotten, she gave him a gentle smile. “I’m well. We all owe thanks to you.”

  With tender care he cut her bonds and swept her into his arms. His quick steps took them to the sidelines, Cat trotting close behind them.

  They crossed the threshold into the staging area. Caros buried his face in the curve of her neck. “Thank God you’re safe.”

  Uncertain if she’d heard him correctly, she tipped her head to look intently into his eyes. “Which God do you thank?”

  “Your God,” he said, his low voice thick with conviction. “The true and living God whom I accepted last night as my own.”

  Overjoyed by the unexpected news, she squealed with delight. “How? Why? What happened to convince you?”

  He carried her into a private alcove she guessed at one time served as an office. He set her on her feet and grabbed a towel from a peg on the wall. “Quintus visited me last night.”

  “I know,” she said, stroking the top of Cat’s head. “The Lord told me to send him.”

  He laughed, amazed by the God whose ways he had yet to fully comprehend. “Quintus explained that your teacher, Paul, was a killer the same as I before he came to believe.”

  “Well, yes,” she said, her forehead puckered in her confusion. “Everyone knows…No, of course, you didn’t know. How could you?”

  He shrugged and used the cloth to wipe the sweat from his face, neck and chest. “I wish I had known. My guilt over killing so many in the past convinced me God would never want me.”

  “Oh, Caros! I’m sorry I didn’t think to tell you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in the damp curls at his nape. “Of course He wants you. He wants everyone.”

  “I believe it now.” He held her tight, breathing in the joy radiating from the depths of her soul. “The question is, do you want me?”

  She reared back, her smile soft and filled with love. “I—”

  “Caros? Master, where are you?”

  Caros groaned at the sound of Alexius’s voice beyond the wall. He lifted his head. “Go on. Just ignore him.”

  “I—”

  “There you are, Caros, Pelonia. By the gods, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

  “Go away, Alexius,” Caros ordered.

  “Is that all the thanks I get for switching out Cat?”

  “Cat!” Pelonia shrieked. “My poor baby, I forgot all about him.” She dropped to her knees in the hay beside the tiger and began to examine the cuts on his face. The tiger recoiled and growled low from the pain, but he allowed her to fuss over his wounds. “Someone abused him. I’d like to know who did this. I’d make them sorry for certain.”

  “I believe it,” Alexius said. “After last night I’ll never doubt you’re a firebrand.”

  Caros raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” Alexius frowned. “She seems like such a mild little bird, but you should have seen her giving orders. If I weren’t four times her size, I think she might have scared me witless. I’m warning you, my friend, she should have been a centurion.”

  “Who should have been a centurion?” Spurius asked, pushing his way around Alexius.

  “Pelonia,” the Greek answered. “She’s got quite a temper.”

  “After today, she has quite a reputation. Do you hear the mob? They love her. They believe she really tamed the beast.”

  Alexius sent Caros a meaningful grin. “She has. Can’t you tell?”

  Caros wasn’t amused. “Spurius, what was she doing out in the arena or anywhere near a tiger.”

  The editor paled. He hemmed and hawed, all the while backing away from Caros’s angry glare.

  “We had a bargain, you worm.”

  “Yes, we did. And here she is, safe and well just as we agreed. Now, if you’ll excuse me I believe I’m needed elsewhere.”

  Alexius chuckled. “That’s one way to get rid of fleas.”

  “What happened today?” Caros asked his champion, a tinge of the blinding fear he’d felt still with him.

  The Greek leaned against the stone wall. “I arrived early this morning to see how you’d fared in the night. On my way to your cell, I overheard Spurius telling the day’s plans to his slaves. I reckoned the situation wouldn’t end if I escaped with the girl, so I simply changed out the tiger.”

  “You’re a genius,” Pelonia said. She stroked Cat’s ear. “But do you know who cut him?”

  “No, but if I find out you’ll be the first to hear.” Alexius tapped his thigh. “Let’s go, boy. It’s time to go home.”

  Cat lumbered past, giving Pelonia a gentle bump th
at sent her toppling into the hay. Caros lifted her to her feet.

  “One last thing,” Alexius said. “Gaius had a chariot delivered to convey you home.”

  As soon as they were alone, Caros pulled her back into his arms. “Before they interrupted, you were saying?”

  “Hmm…Yes, what was I saying?”

  He squeezed her, making her giggle. “I was saying, you dear, wonderful man, that I want you, too. I want you today and every day from here on out.”

  “That’s good.” His chest ached with tenderness. “Because I love you, Pelonia. I love you more than my own life.”

  “I love you, too,” she said, her eyes soft with emotion. “I’ve known since the night we stargazed together. It’s been torture thinking I could never have you.”

  “I want you to be my wife, mea carissima, to share the rest of my days.”

  Happiness brimmed and spilled over into every part of her being. She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and burrowed against him, offering her Heavenly Father a prayer of eternal gratitude. “I’ll marry you, my love. I’d already decided I’d never wed anyone if I couldn’t have you.”

  “I’ll always be yours. I swore you’d admit I owned you, but from the first moment I saw you, you’ve owned my heart.”

  He dipped his head to savor her sweet lips with a kiss.

  Joy overflowed from the depths of her soul and she gave herself over to the happiness of being held by the one man she loved above anyone else.

  “In case you ever doubt it, you are my life, Pelonia. Without you, I’d still be wandering in darkness, ignorant of the Lord’s saving grace, lonely and hungry for peace. Why He chose to shower me with His favor is beyond my ken, but I vow to spend the rest of my days thanking Him for the gift of you.”

  She tried to hide her tears behind a smile. “I wasn’t much of a gift. You did pay three thousand denarii for me.”

  “Money well spent for a woman beyond price. Knowing what I do now, I’d pay a thousand times that amount and consider myself blessed.”

  As Caros swept her into his arms and carried her into the warm afternoon, she glanced toward the sky, certain both her fathers smiled down on her from heaven. The sting of her slavery was gone, replaced by the freedom to love a man worthy of her trust and respect. She sighed with contentment.

  He brushed her temple with his lips. “What are you thinking, mea carissima?”

  Loving his deep blue eyes, she brushed a thick lock of hair behind his ear. “Only that I’m blessed and happy.”

  “Good.” He set her on her feet in the chariot and kissed her softly. “That’s exactly how I want you to be.”

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading my debut novel, The Gladiator. It is my sincerest hope that you enjoyed Caros and Pelonia’s story of love and faith.

  Since this is my first published novel, it’s very near and dear to my heart. Especially since just before I began writing The Gladiator, I was at a low point and reconsidering the wisdom of “wasting” so much time writing if I might never be published. After a lot of prayer, I knew I had to give this novel a shot. As I began to outline the plot in my head, I just knew Romans 8:28 and God’s never-ending ability to “work all things together for our good,” had to be a major theme of the story.

  I think for most of us it’s natural to question God’s will for our lives when we’re slogging through difficult times. Like Pelonia, who suffered multiple tragedies, we feel God has abandoned us when we’re in the midst of heartache. Sometimes, it’s not until long after the fact that we can see how the Lord brought us through a trying situation and worked it to our benefit. I hope that if you’re in a difficult time in your life, The Gladiator has encouraged your faith and helps you to wait on the blessings the Lord has in store for you.

  I love to hear from my readers. Please visit my website, www.carlacapshaw.com, and/or write to me at carla@carlacapshaw.com. Join my newsletter to learn about upcoming releases and contests.

  Be inspired,

  Carla Capshaw

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  After her father is killed, Pelonia finds herself orphaned and feels abandoned by God. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt abandoned? If so, did you question your faith or did you see the situation as a way to strengthen your relationship with the Lord?

  When Pelonia is sold into slavery, she finds herself distanced from other Christians. Over time, she realizes how much she misses interaction with other believers. Do you work or interact in a situation where you are the only Christian? What can you do to keep your faith strong and active?

  In the story, Pelonia’s work in the garden is a metaphor for the seeds of faith she’s planting and cultivating in Caros’s life. What do you do to plant seeds of faith in the people around you?

  Because of her jealousy, Lucia meant to hurt Pelonia. Have you ever been hurt by a friend or acquaintance? Were you able to forgive the person and continue the relationship?

  Pelonia didn’t realize that forgiving Lucia would be the catalyst for winning Caros to Christ. How have your actions (good or bad) affected your Christian witness to the people around you?

  At first, Caros’s friend, Adiona, seems unlikable, but Pelonia soon suspects there’s more to the widow than her outward demeanor. Do you know someone you disliked on first meeting, but who became a friend once you got to know them? What changed your opinion of the person? Did you learn something about their past that made you more compassionate? Or did you realize the change needed to be made in you before the friendship could grow?

  During this time period in Rome, Christians faced extreme persecution. Christians still face persecution around the world today. Have you ever considered what you would do if you were persecuted for your faith?

  After she returns from the arena, Pelonia is at her lowest ebb, but Christian friends are brought into her life that same day. Have you ever noticed that God brought just the right person into your life at the right time to encourage you when you needed help?

  Because of years of violence and guilt, Caros had sworn never to fight again, but once he became a Christian, he realized God could use even the worst parts of his past for a greater good. Is there anything negative in your past that Christ was able to use for His purpose once you gave your life to Him?

  Were you surprised Pelonia considered lying to the magistrate? Do you think her reasons were valid or not? In the same position, would you have acted the same or differently?

  ISBN: 9781408937679

  The Gladiator

  © Carla Hughes 2009

  First Published in Great Britain in 2009

  Harlequin (UK) Limited

  Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

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  All characters in this work have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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