Stowaway Slaves

by David Grimstone

  He looked across at the others, but they all seemed equally pained and exhausted. Teo was picking some dirt from his toenails, Ruma was scratching at one of the walls with a tiny shard of splintered wood, and Gladius was slumped in a corner, scratching his belly and moaning about Decimus and Olu betraying them all.

  “Oh shut up, will you?” Argon snapped, struggling to his feet and stomping over to the room’s heavily barred window. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about it. They’ve escaped, okay? Good for them. It’s not their fault Slavious Doom’s bloodhound has a sick sense of humor—I mean, how could they possibly know he’d do something like this? Besides, you’re always changing your mind about Decimus—one minute he’s your best friend and the next he’s stabbed us all in the back. Make up your mind, will you?”

  “Do you really think Hain will execute us?” said Ruma. The Etrurian had been silent for most of the morning, so his words drew immediate glances from Gladius and Teo.

  “Of course he will,” Argon confirmed. “The man’s a monster or a lunatic or worse.”

  “Yeah,” said Gladius, sulkily. “Some of the stories about his brutality have to be made up, though. Surely no one can be THAT bad?”

  “You’re willing to bet your life, are you?” Argon muttered. “What’s left of it, anyway . . .”

  Teo stopped picking at his feet and cast a doubtful expression at the Gaul.

  “What’s wrong with him?” said Argon.

  Gladius shrugged. “He probably doesn’t understand what’s happening.”

  “Yeah,” Argon agreed. “Well, that will change when Hain marches in here and runs us all through with his sword.”

  Teo suddenly scrambled to his feet and crossed the room in two long strides. Argon stepped back instinctively, but Teo hurried past him and moved to stand beside the window.

  “. . . Where . . .” he said, pronouncing the word as if it was the most complicated thing he’d ever had to say, “. . . are . . . we . . . ?”

  Argon, Ruma, and Gladius all shared glances in the stunned silence. Apart from his name, these were the first words Teo had ever spoken to them.

  It was Gladius who answered.

  “We’re in a place called the Suvius Tower,” he said. “It’s about five miles from the coast of Campania. They brought us here last night, in the cart with all the chains. Do you remember? Do—”

  “Of course he does,” Ruma interrupted. “He’s foreign; he’s not stupid. How do you know where we are, anyway?”

  Gladius heaved himself off the dusty floor and padded over to the window. The view was mostly flat land, punctuated in places by the odd town or the outline of a distant city.

  “I heard the guards talking when we were in the cart,” he continued. “YOU all fell asleep.”

  “I’ve heard of the Suvius Tower,” said Ruma, a dark expression on his face. “It’s a place for . . . big events. People come from miles around to watch.”

  “By big events you mean executions, right?” Argon spat. “C’mon—at least have the guts to say it.”

  Ruma glared at him.

  “FINE. I was just trying not to dwell on the bad stuff, okay?”

  “Whatever,” said Gladius, with a dismissive shrug. “We’re all doomed, anyway.”

  The door flew open at that moment, causing all of the gathered slaves to step back very warily.

  Three guards entered the room, making way for a short and gaunt-looking jailer who marched in wearing the sort of spiteful expression the boys had come to recognize in many of Doom’s servants.

  “I have news for you,” he said, his words dripping with poisonous undertones. “The great Slavious Doom and his honorable servant Drin Hain have decided that you will each die in an interesting and entertaining manner, for the amusement of his lord’s guests. In three days’ time . . .”

  He looked around the room, his eyes finding Ruma, then Teo, and finally Argon, before they came to rest on Gladius.

  “One of you will be thrown from the top of this very tower . . . “

  The little jailer allowed his message to sink into the minds of his audience before he continued. “After that, another of you will be dropped into one of several cages. The cages will be covered, so you will not know your fate until it is upon you. We currently have a wonderful selection of lions, snakes, sharks, and crocodiles . . . so, once again, entertainment for Lord Doom’s guests will be assured.”

  All four slaves managed to hold the jailer’s gaze, not one of them giving the little man the satisfaction of seeing their fear.

  “Then, when only two of you remain, one shall be hung on a scaffold in the square at the base of this very tower. The other . . .,” he hesitated slightly, another cruel smile spreading across his face, “will have the honor of being executed in traditional style by the hand of Drin Hain himself . . . in a duel of mortal combat.”

  The jailer started to laugh, but he was quickly interrupted by Argon.

  “Who gets what?” he snapped. “Are we allowed to know which of us will go first?”

  The jailer smiled again, his jackal features creasing up so his face was consumed by folds of loose flesh.

  “You will all find out at the appointed time . . . and then you will be able to watch one another suffer!”

  He turned and went to leave the room, pausing briefly in the doorway and casting a sly glance back at the group.

  “Unless your friends give themselves up, of course,” he muttered.

  Ruma, Argon, Teo, and Gladius watched as the group paraded out of the room and slammed the door behind them. The jailer’s cackle still echoed through the tower several minutes after the spiteful little wretch had departed.

  CHAPTER V

  HIDING OUT

  The ship had departed shortly before dawn. Decimus knew this because there were slivers of light penetrating the hiding place he and Olu had found upon boarding it. Unfortunately, the space behind the captain’s cabin soon proved to be a busy spot and so they’d decided to relocate elsewhere. Now they were hunkered down in the bilge, wedged between stinking barrels and chests that smelled like they were full of rotting fish.

  “Did you notice those benches on the deck above?” Decimus whispered, pulling Olu away from a potentially noisy rack of chains.

  “What?” came the hushed reply. Olu shook himself from his reverie. “Yes, I saw them . . . and the oars. This is a slave ship, Decimus. You know what that means?”

  “Yeah,” said the young warrior, with a grim smile. “It means that if we start trouble while we’re on board, we’ll have the slavers outnumbered.”

  When Olu looked up sharply, his eyes wide and his jaw gaping, Decimus quickly raised a hand.

  “Relax, Olu. I know we can’t afford to be captured on here.”

  The other slave smiled, and a flood of relief washed over him.

  “I’m not like you, Decimus,” he said. “I don’t think I can do this much longer. I’m so very tired, and my bones feel like they’re crumbling.”

  “You’re doing well, Olu. Just remember, if it weren’t for you, we would never have escaped from the arena. You SAVED us. It’s my turn now—whatever we do next, I will make it happen. I just need you to go along with me. Shhh—someone’s coming!”

  The two slaves crawled deeper into the shadows as a pair of sweaty-looking galley slavers clambered down the steps and began to stalk around the bilge.

  “C’mon,” said one. “We’d better get this barrel up or the captain will make us row in place o’ the slaves . . . like he did last week when old Reeky talked back to him.”

  “It was hard going, that was,” said the other, spitting on the floor and cracking his knuckles. “I don’t know how those skinny scrapers manage it.”

  “They get whipped if they don’t row. They get no food if they don’t row. They get drowned if they don’t row. THAT is how they manage it. Besides, it was hard because there were only eight of us; there’s forty of them! We should get to the Suvius Tower with time to spa
re, I think.”

  Together they lifted a barrel from the bilge and began to heave it toward the steps. After dropping the load several times, the two slavers eventually managed to get it onto the deck above, and soon scrambled after it. As the second one disappeared through the gap, a scroll fell from his tunic and landed in a puddle of dirty bilge water.

  Once the slavers were gone, the shadows seemed to return, creeping around the huddled pair like spears of black mist. The drip, drip, drip of a thousand tiny leaks echoed throughout the bilge.

  “Did you hear that?” Decimus whispered. “They’re going to trade with Drin Hain . . . and there’s only a handful of them! Can you believe that?”

  “Don’t even think about it,” said Olu. “The eight slavers are probably built like Roman fortresses with muscles like granite and the forty slaves are probably all starving skeletons with diseases who lack the will to live. Wait here a second . . . I see something.”

  Olu crawled around the perimeter of the bilge and crouched beside the steps. Glancing over his shoulder at Decimus, he put a thin finger to his lips. Then he picked up the wet scroll that lay in a small puddle of bilge water beside the hatch and scampered back to where Decimus was hiding.

  “One of the slavers dropped it,” he panted. “It might be orders or something. I can’t read it, though. You’ll have to tell me what it says.”

  Decimus rolled his eyes and began to scan the parchment. Even in the shadows, Olu saw the look of horror slowly consume his friend’s tired face. The young slave swallowed a few times, but didn’t reply. He looked up at Olu, then down at the scroll once again.

  “What IS it? Tell me!” urged Olu.

  Decimus stretched the scroll to its full length, and glared at the words that were burning into his eyes as they followed each line of text.

  “It’s a notice,” he said aloud. “It says: News on escaped slaves, Decimus Rex and Olu Umbika. There’s a description of us both; pretty accurate, I’d say.”

  Olu nodded gloomily. “Doom has a reputation,” he said. “He and Hain will NEVER stop looking for us. They’ll track us down until—”

  “Listen to this,” said Decimus with a grimace. “To ensure the full attention of the two slaves, we have arranged a series of four private executions for the night of the 24th at the Suvius Tower in Southern Campania. Those scheduled for execution are the cellmates of Decimus Rex and Olu Umbika. The executions will only be canceled if their friends hand themselves in to us. Should this fail to occur, we can guarantee a night of brutal entertainment for those with money and a taste for violence. Price of entry: one hundred Denarii.”

  Olu remained silent for a long time. It was Decimus who managed to speak first.

  “We can’t let this happen,” he said. “The 24th is tomorrow night, by my calculation. They’re doing this because of us! Gladius, Argon, Ruma, Teo. They’re all going to suffer and die because we escaped.”

  Olu shook his head. “It’s a plan to draw us out! Surely you can see that?”

  “It doesn’t matter!” Decimus snapped. “Whether it’s a plan or not, we both know Doom and his twisted servant will go through with it! They don’t CARE about Gladius, or Ruma, or any of them. You don’t have to go back, Olu . . . but I must. I wouldn’t have gotten through half of those trials if it wasn’t for Gladius and the others. I can’t let them die for me, Olu. I just can’t.”

  Olu shook his head sadly. “You really think they would do the same for you if the situation were reversed?”

  Decimus shrugged. “That doesn’t matter—I can only think for myself, not for others. I was told that a long time ago, and it’s true. Whether they could leave me to my death is for them to decide should they ever need to—but right now, the decision is mine.”

  Olu nodded and lowered his head. For a long time, Decimus was afraid his exhausted friend might burst into tears or simply curl up and sleep. Eventually, however, the slave raised his head once again, and Decimus spotted the familiar look of deep, determined thought on Olu’s weathered face.

  “Then we go back in force,” he muttered, gritting his teeth. “The Suvius Tower is on a rock that juts out over the coast. If this ship has been there before, we have the perfect weapon. Hain’s slave-traders won’t be expecting an attack.”

  “An attack?” Decimus repeated, wearing a puzzled expression. He almost didn’t recognize the boy now standing in front of him as the same tired figure he’d escaped with.

  “A major attack,” Olu confirmed. “We don’t go back and just hand ourselves in—we storm the tower. Of course, we’ll need to free the other slaves on this ship.” Olu climbed to his feet, using a barrel for support. “To do that, we need a master key to their chains. Then we can take out the slavers and gain control. There were enough swords in the captain’s cabin to give everyone on board at least two each.” He turned to Decimus, who was looking surprised and impressed by his friend’s sudden determination.

  “The big question,” Olu continued, “is whether or not you think we can lead a horde of mutinous slaves to victory? I wouldn’t even think about trying it, myself—but after seeing you in those sewer tunnels, Decimus, I believe you can do anything.”

  Decimus turned to his friend, but the smile soon drained away from his face. As he peered over Olu’s shoulder, a hatch at the other end of the ship was suddenly flung open, and a strangled cry erupted from the deck above . . .

  COMING SOON

  Slavious Doom has a sick sense of humor and is using Decimus and Olu’s friends in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Can the boys capture the slave ship they are hiding on and make it back to the Suvius Tower in time to rescue their friends? The odds are stacked against them. Find out if they make it in . . .

  THE REBELS’ ASSAULT

  ARENA COMBAT

  Get ready to challenge your friends! Each Gladiator Boy book will contain a different trial. Collect them all to run your own Arena of Doom—either at home or on the playground.

  TRIAL 3

  THE HIDDEN

  Decimus and Olu spend most of this book in hiding, but how good are you at concealment? This trial is all about hiding things in clever places where no one would think to look.

  You will need three players: one to play the shadow-lord Drin Hain and two to play the escaped slaves, Decimus and Olu.

  Each hider (the one playing Decimus and the one playing Olu) must select a distinctive stone or pebble and show it to the seeker (Drin Hain). The seeker must close his eyes and turn away from the other players. He must then count to one hundred. While he is counting, the hiders must conceal their objects somewhere nearby.

  The seeker then goes in search of the objects, scoring one point for finding one and three points for finding both. He has a time limit of twenty minutes, which can be monitored with a watch.

  If the seeker fails to find an item, the player that concealed it receives two points.

  Play then revolves until everyone has been Decimus, Olu, and Drin Hain once.

  IMPORTANT RULES

  The game must be played in a safe place. Players who choose hiding places that are high up or dangerous are immediately disqualified and will score no points for their item remaining unfound. The players must hide their stones within sight of the seeker, meaning that if they were to reveal their items they would be seen immediately. If they go beyond sight of the seeker, their items are disqualified.

  The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner!

  CHARACTER PROFILE TEO

  NAME: Teo

  FROM: The Orient

  HEIGHT: 5’5”

  BODY TYPE: Slender

  BEST FRIEND: Ruma

  CELLMATE: Argon

  TEO QUIZ: How well do you know Teo? Can you answer the following three question?

  1. WHERE IS TEO WHEN HE IS SEEN PICKING DIRT FROM HIS TOENAILS?

  2. WHEN TEO CHARGES AT AN ARCHED WINDOW, WHO THINKS HE IS CHARGING IN FOR A FIGHT?

  3. APART FROM HIS NAME, WHA
T ARE TEO’S FIRST WORDS?

  WEAPON PROFILE: PIRATE WEAPONS

  In a previous weapon profile, we looked at various swords. The pirates described in this book would have used something a little different. They would have used a special sort of sword called a cutlass.

  THE CUTLASS

  The cutlass is very similar to a sword, but with one major difference—it has a curved blade. The cutlass was used on many ships because of its ability to cut through thick ropes . . . vital when you’re caught in a storm and need to sever the sails!

  THE BOARDING AXE

  The boarding axe was a special, long-handled axe that pirates used to break down the cabin doors of ships they boarded. There was also another version of the boarding axe: A short-handled one that was used when pirates leaped from one ship to another and slid down the sails, ripping them open as their axes bit through the material. (This latter variety may have existed only in fictional stories and films about pirates, but it’s certainly an amazing sight to watch!)

  READ MORE OF DECIMUS REX’S ADVENTURES IN BOOK FOUR OF THE GLADIATOR BOY SERIES:

  THE REBELS’ ASSAULT

  Ruma, Argon, Teo, and Gladius were led down from their cell at the top of the Suvius Tower, dragged by the jailer’s guards with such force that several cuts and bruises were earned along the way. At one point, Gladius stumbled and fell headfirst down a flight of steps in the tower courtyard. However, rather than stop his momentum, the guards simply laughed and one even gave him an experimental kick to see if he would keep going. By the time the group reached the gates of the fortress, they had stored up enough hatred for their captors to last several lifetimes.