As they fell silent, Julius looked down at Octavian, the only one at the table bound to him by blood. Seeing the hero-worship in the young man was painful when Julius thought of all the grey years that would follow his failure and banishment. Would Octavian look back on the campaign with bitterness then?
‘We have come so very far,’ he said to them. ‘Some of you have been with me almost from the beginning. I can’t even remember a time when Renius wasn’t there, or Cabera. My father would be proud to see his boy with such friends.’
‘Will he mention me, do you think?’ Brutus said to Alexandria.
Julius smiled gently. He had been going to raise a simple toast to those who had entered the sword tournament, but the executions that morning had stayed with him through the day, casting a grey spell over his mood.
‘I wish there were others at this table,’ Julius said. ‘Marius for one. When I look back, the good memories are lost in the rest, but I have known great men.’ He felt his heart thumping in his chest as the words came.
‘I have never known a straight path in my life. I stood at Marius’ side as we rode through Rome throwing coins to the crowds. The air was full of petals and cheering and I heard the slave whose task it was whisper in his ear, “Remember you are mortal.”’ Julius sighed as he saw again the colours and excitement of that day.
‘I have been so close to death that even Cabera gave me up. I’ve lost friends and lost hope and I’ve seen kings fall and Cato cut his own throat in the forum. I have been so drenched in death I thought I would never laugh or care for anyone again.’
They stared at him over the dishes that littered the long table, but his gaze was far away and he did not see the effect of his words.
‘I saw Tubruk die and Cornelia’s body so white she did not look real until I touched her.’ His voice faded to a whisper and Brutus glanced at his mother. She had paled, pressing a hand against her mouth as Julius spoke.
‘I tell you, I would not wish what I have seen on anyone,’ Julius murmured. He seemed to come back to them, aware of the chill in the room.
‘I am here, though, still. I honour the dead, but I will use my time. Rome has only seen the beginning of my struggle. I have known despair and it holds no fear for me now. This is my city, my summer. I have given my youth to her and I would throw the years at her again if I had the chance.’
He raised his cup to the stunned table.
‘When I look at you all, I cannot imagine a force in the world that can stop us,’ he said. ‘Drink to friendship and love, for the rest is just tin.’
They stood slowly, raised their cups and drank the blood-red wine.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The sight of twenty thousand citizens of Rome standing in their seats was a memory to cherish, Julius thought, his gaze sweeping over them. Every place had been filled for each day of the sword tournament and the clay tokens that gave entrance to the Thirty-twos were still changing hands for larger and larger sums each morning. Julius had been surprised at first to see callers on the four gates of the circus ring, offering to buy the tokens from the crowd as they streamed in. There were few takers once the early rounds were over.
The consular box was cool in the shade from a cream linen awning suspended between slender columns. It commanded the best view of the ring and not one of the men Julius had invited had refused the offer. All the candidates had arrived with their families and Julius had been amused to see the conflict in Suetonius and his father as they accepted his generosity.
The heat had built all morning and by noon the sand would be baked enough to sting bare flesh. Many of the crowd had brought water and wine with them, but still Julius thought he would have a fair return on the drinks and food his clients were selling for him. Cushions cost only a few coppers to hire for the day and the stocks vanished quickly.
Pompey had responded to the invitation with grace and as he and Crassus took their seats the crowd had stood out of respect until the blaring horns announced the first bouts.
Renius too was there and Julius had posted runners near him in case there was trouble at the barracks. He didn’t have it in him to deny the old gladiator his place, but with Brutus still in the last Thirty-two with Octavian and Domitius, he hoped his mercenary recruits would behave themselves. With that in mind, he had been forced to deny most of the Tenth the chance to see the combats, though he changed the guards three times a day to share the experience among as many as possible. As an exercise of his new authority, Brutus had added ten of the most promising of the new men to the muster of guards. Julius thought it was too early, but he had not imposed his will, knowing how important it was for them to see their general excel. Though the men looked uncomfortable in their legionary kit, they seemed docile enough.
The betting was as fierce as always. His people loved to gamble and Julius guessed fortunes would be won and lost before the final bouts were played out. Even Crassus had placed a handful of silver on Brutus at Julius’ word. As far as Julius knew, Brutus himself had bet everything he owned on winning the final. If he won, he would be less dependent on Julius and creditors for supplies. His friend had reached the Thirty-twos without upset, but the standard was high and bad luck could spoil the best chance.
Below the consular box, the last fighters stepped from their barracks onto the roasting sand. The silver armour glowed almost white and the crowd gasped at the sight of them, already cheering for their favourites. Alexandria had excelled herself with the high sheen of the metal they wore. Julius was sure the quality of the finalists was in part due to the promise that they would be allowed to keep the armour after the bouts were over. In sheer weight, each set would buy a man a small farm if he sold it and with the fame of the contest spread far, they could bring more than that. Julius tried not to think how much they had cost him. The whole of Rome had talked about his generosity and they did look fine in the sun.
A few of the fighters showed bruises from the early rounds. It had been a civilised few days, with only four men dead and those from accidental strikes in the heat of a contest. First blood ended each bout, with no other limit except exhaustion. The longest before the finals had lasted the best part of an hour and both men had barely been able to stand when it was settled with a clumsy cut across the back of a leg. The crowd had cheered the loser as loudly as the man who went on to the finals.
The first rounds had been a riot of skill and strength, with more than a hundred pairs on the sand at the same time. In its way, seeing so many swords flashing was as exciting as the individual bouts of the last Thirty-two, though the true connoisseurs preferred the single contests, where they could concentrate on styles and skill.
The range was staggering and Julius had made notes on a number of men to recruit for the new legion at the barracks. Already he had bought the services of three good swordsmen. Of necessity, he had been forced to hire those who fought in the Roman style, but it pained him to overlook some of the others. The call for fighters had spread much further than his messengers and there were men there from all over Roman lands and even further. Africans mixed with men the colour of mahogany from India and Egypt. One man, Sung, had the slanted eyes of races so far to the east they were almost mythical. Julius had been forced to assign guards to stop the crowds trying to touch him in the streets. The gods alone knew what he was doing so far from his home, but the long sword Sung carried was wielded with a skill that had brought him into the last rounds with the shortest bouts of all the men there. Julius watched him as he saluted the consuls with the others and determined to make the man an offer if he reached the Eights, Roman style or not.
At this late stage, the names of the men on the sand were announced to the crowd, each stepping forward to be cheered by the people of Rome. Brutus and Octavian stood together with Domitius, their armour glowing in the sun. Julius smiled at the pleasure he saw in their expressions. No matter who won the victor’s sword, they would never forget the experience.
The three Romans raised th
eir blades to the crowd and then to the consuls. The crowd roared, a wall of sound that was astonishing, almost painful. The day had begun. The announcer stepped up to the brass tubes that magnified his voice and bellowed the names of the first bout.
Domitius was to face a northerner who had travelled home with his legion commander’s permission to attend the tournament. He was a big man with powerful forearms and a narrow, supple waist. As the others left the sand, he eyed Domitius warily, watching as Domitius began his stretching exercises. Even from a distance, Julius could see no sign of tension on Domitius’ face. He felt his heart beat faster with growing excitement and the others in the box sensed it too. Pompey stood and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
‘Should I bet on your man, Julius? Will he make the Sixteens?’
Julius turned and saw the glint in the consul’s eyes. A line of shining perspiration had appeared on Pompey’s forehead and his eyes were bright with anticipation. Julius nodded.
‘Domitius is the second best swordsman I have ever seen. Summon the betting slaves and we will throw a fortune on him,’ he said. They grinned like boys together and it was difficult to remember this man was not a friend.
The slave came in at their call, ready for them. Pompey raised his eyes in exasperation as Crassus counted out three silver coins to hand to the boy.
‘Just once, Crassus. Just once, I would like to see you bet enough for it to hurt you. There is no joy in small coins. It must sting a little.’
Crassus frowned, glancing at Julius. A dark flush spread into his cheeks as he put his coins away.
‘Very well. Boy, give me your betting slate.’
The slave produced a wooden square covered in a thin skin of wax and Crassus pressed his ring into it, writing his name and figures without showing them to the others. As he passed it back, Pompey reached out and twitched it away, whistling softly to himself. The slave waited patiently.
‘A fortune indeed, Crassus. You amaze me. One gold piece is more than I have ever seen you bet on anything.’
Crassus snorted and looked away at the two fighters, watching them walk to their positions and wait for the horn to be blown.
‘I’ll put a hundred on your man, Julius. Will you match me?’ Pompey asked.
‘A thousand for me. I know my man,’ Julius replied.
Pompey’s face hardened at the challenge. ‘Then I shall match you, Julius.’
The two men wrote the sums and their names on the wax square.
Renius cleared his throat. ‘Five gold on Domitius for me,’ he said gruffly.
Of all of them, he was the only one to actually produce the coins, holding them out stiffly until the slave took them from his hands. The old gladiator watched until the gleam disappeared into a cloth bag, then sat back, sweating. Suetonius had been about to hand over his own bet, but returned to his father for funds after seeing that. Ten gold pieces were produced from them and the slate was passed around one more time, with even Bibilus risking a few silvers from his purse.
The slave scurried back to his master and Julius stood to signal the cornicens. The crowd became quiet as they saw him stand and he wondered how many of them would remember his name at the elections. He savoured the stillness for an instant, then brought his hand chopping down. The sharp wail of the horns rang out over the sand.
Domitius had watched as many of the early bouts as he could when he was not fighting himself. He had made notes on those he thought would win through to the later rounds, and of the last thirty-two only half of them were truly dangerous. The northerner he faced was skilled enough to have reached this stage, but he panicked when he was crowded and Domitius intended to crowd him from the very first moment.
He felt the man’s eyes on him as Domitius stretched his back and legs and kept his face as peaceful and unhurried as he possibly could. He had fought in enough tournaments to know that many bouts were won not with the sword but in the moments before it. His old trainer had had a habit of sitting with his legs split and flat on the ground in utter stillness before his opponents. While they lunged and jumped to loosen their muscles, that man had been like a rock and nothing unnerved them as much as that. When finally he had risen like smoke to face them, the battle was already half won. Domitius had understood the lesson and he allowed none of his tiredness to show in his movements. In truth, his right knee felt stiff and painful where it had been jolted in an earlier bout, but he did not wince, moving slowly and fluidly through his exercises, mesmerising in their smoothness. He felt a great calm descend on him and offered up a silent prayer for his old teacher.
Holding his sword low and away from his body, Domitius came to his mark and stood motionless. His opponent rolled his shoulders in a nervous action, flicking his head from side to side. When their eyes met, the northerner glared at him, unwilling to be the first to look away. Domitius stood like a statue, the sharply defined muscles of his shoulders shining with sweat. The silver armour protected the chests of the fighters, but Domitius could shave a lock of hair from a man running past him and he felt strong.
The horns snapped him out of his stillness and he lunged before the sound had fully registered with the other man. The northerner’s footwork had brought him to the finals and before the blade could cut, he had shifted out of range. Domitius could hear his breathing and focused on it as the man counterattacked. The northerner used his breath to increase the force of the blow, grunting with each strike. Domitius let him relax into a rhythm, backing up a dozen steps against the rush, watching for further weaknesses.
On the last step, Domitius felt a spike of pain as his weight came on his right leg, as if a needle had been jammed into his kneecap. It buckled, destroying his balance and he was hard-pressed as the northerner sensed the weakness. Domitius tried to put it out of his mind, but dared not trust the leg. He pressed forward in shuffling steps until their sweat mingled as it spattered. The northerner backed away and then further as he tried to gain space, but Domitius stayed with him, breaking the rhythm of blows with a short punch as their blades locked.
The northerner swayed away from the blow and they broke apart, beginning to circle each other. Domitius listened to his breath and waited for the tiny sip of air that came before each attack. He dared not look at his knee, but every step brought a fresh protest.
The northerner tried to wear him down with a flurry of strikes but Domitius blocked them, reading his man’s breath and waiting for the right moment. The sun was high above them and the sweat poured into their eyes, stinging. The northerner drew in a gasp and Domitius lunged. Even before the touch, he knew the stroke was perfect, slicing open a flap of skin on the man’s skull. A sliver of ear fell to the ground as blood poured out and the northerner roared, cutting wildly back as Domitius tried to pull away.
Domitius’ knee buckled, shooting agony up into his groin. The northerner hesitated, his eyes clearing as he felt the growing pain of his wound. Blood poured from him. Domitius watched him closely, trying to ignore the pain in his knee.
The northerner touched the hot wetness on his neck, staring at his bloody fingers. Grim resignation came into his face then and he nodded to Domitius, both men walking back to their marks.
‘You should bind that knee of yours, my friend. The others will have noted it,’ the northerner said softly, gesturing to where the rest of the finalists watched from the shadowed awnings of their enclosure. Domitius shrugged. He tested the joint and winced, stifling a cry.
Understanding, the northerner shook his head as they saluted the crowd and the consuls. Domitius tried not to show the sudden fear that had come to him. The joint felt strange and he prayed it was only a sprain or a partial dislocation that could be shoved back into place. The alternative was unbearable for a man who had nothing else in his life but his sword and the Tenth. As the two men walked back across the baking sand, Domitius struggled not to limp, gritting his teeth against the pain. Another pair in silver armour came out into the sun for the next bout and Domitius could feel t
heir confidence as they looked at him and smiled.
Julius watched his friend disappear into the shade and winced in sympathy.
‘Excuse me, gentlemen. I would like to go down and see their wounds are well treated,’ he said.
Pompey clapped him on the back in response, too hoarse from shouting to reply. Crassus called for cooling drinks for all of them and the mood was infectiously light as they settled back in their seats for the next contest. Food would be brought to them in their seats as they watched and each man there felt the thrill of blood and talent. Suetonius was demonstrating a feint to his father and the older man smiled with him, joining in the excitement.
Renius stood as Julius reached his seat at the edge of the box. He fell in behind without a word and they walked from the heat into the cool of the path under the seating without exchanging a word.
It was a different world below the crowds, the roaring muted and somehow distant. The sunlight came through chinks in the great timbers and lay on the ground in mottled bars, shifting as people moved above. The ground there was the soft earth of the Campus Martius, without the layer of sand that had been brought from the coast.
‘Will he fight again?’ Julius asked.
Renius shrugged. ‘Cabera will help him. The old man has power.’
Julius did not reply, remembering how Cabera had touched his hands to Tubruk as he lay, his body pierced over and over in the attack on the estate that had killed Cornelia. Cabera refused to talk about his healing, but Julius remembered that he had once told him it was a matter of paths. If the path was ended, there was nothing he could do, but with some, like Renius, he had stolen back a little time.
The Emperor Series: Books 1-5 Page 103