He saluted Franco again. In the arena, Lex and his opponent were testing each other with brief exchanges; their blades moved constantly, as they touched and teased for openings. Both wore hardened leather breastplate and greaves, allowing them freedom to push their level of skill and risk.
Edouard turned to concentrate on the challenger, who was not a gladiator he knew. The dark haired man moved like silk, drifting over the sand, light as a feather. In contrast his blade work was full of power. Edouard had to acknowledge his skill. "Who is this man?"
"Ronaldo." Franco hesitated a moment. "Of Ettivar."
An Ettivaran gladiator. He could imagine the comments Angelo would make, and grinned at the thought.
"What's so funny?" Franco asked with a slight edge to his voice.
"Nothing," he said. It was important to remember that gladiators had only one allegiance. Cross one of them and you crossed them all.
"He's been here since he was a boy, but his blood is Ettivaran. Does that make him your enemy?" asked Franco.
"No," he said, answering honestly, but thinking how different it would be if the man was or had been an Ettivaran knight. If they had met on the field of battle. The thought raised his blood and made his hands tingle, as if in the proximity of danger.
"Ettivar and Valderon, it is an old enmity?" Franco seemed genuinely interested. "Many terrible things have been done in the name of this?"
Edouard could not deny it. "Centuries ago Valderon was conquered, we fought to be free."
"And now you fight to conquer."
It was not that simple. "Ettivar is rich, her farm lands are plentiful, she has more sea ports. We dare not allow them to grow too powerful." His father, or Charles, would explain it better.
In the arena, the contest had begun in earnest. Edouard was impressed by the Ettivaran. He knew how good Lex was, but this man easily held his own through the opening moves. The two men were matched for height and strength. Ronaldo moved so well it gave him an advantage. His skill and balance with the sword were immaculate.
Lex had experience and presence. It brought the match to a higher level than anything he had seen in the arena. The power with which the two men traded blows made Edouard wince, but as it developed he saw it was also a chess match. Each man maneuvered continuously, seeking out his opponent's weakness or trying to use the arena and sun to their advantage. It was another lesson on arena fighting and he watched intently.
The first touch came unexpectedly. Lex wrong footed the Ettivaran and his blade skimmed the man's shoulder. The gladiators in the stands called out the point.
For a moment, the two men paused, breathing heavily and taking the time to wipe away sweat and sand from their faces. When the match restarted, Edouard thought the Ettivaran was pressing harder. After a while he was certain the contest had a new, dangerous edge.
He glanced to Franco and saw he was watching intently.
"Are they friends?" he asked, niggled by a sudden concern.
Franco's quick shrug expressed a measure of concern. "Rivals for the next championship, so there's little room for friendship," he said. "If anyone can challenge Lex it will be Ronaldo."
Edouard guessed this intense sparring was the opening play in the buildup to the challenge. He felt the gladiators around him watching intently and wondered who they supported. It was hard to be the champion, the man with everything to lose. He knew that well enough, and the pressure that came with expectation. The whole city would be watching for the moment the challenger would take the old champion's crown. Lex was a great champion, and he was becoming a friend. The realization that he would trust Lex surprised him. Edouard leaned forward to cheer him on.
Lex was moving freely now, nearly as well as the Ettivaran. The men were matched for power. Lex's experience offset the Ettivaran's undoubted skill. There was a relentlessness to the match. Edouard thought they could battle all day and night and neither man would give.
He sensed a growing tension among the men around him. Franco was leaning forward, watching anxiously. Or so it seemed to Edouard. The fight had moved across the arena to the sands below where they were sitting. Close enough that Edouard could see the drops of sweat beading the fighter's faces and hear the soft grunts of effort. He found he was holding his breath, made uneasy by some instinct.
It happened fast. Too fast for him to tell if it was by intent or accident. The Ettivaran got his blade past Lex's defense. Maybe the effort or surprise of it unbalanced him. His cut was too strong and sliced effortlessly through leather. Blood spurted, ruby bright. Lex stumbled. Edouard was on his feet as Lex dropped to his knees and reached fingers to stem the gushing blood. He looked surprised. After a moment, he fell and lay sprawled, face down on the sand. In moments the sand beneath him was soaked with blood.
Edouard leaped down into the arena, haste causing him to stumble as he landed in the sand. The Ettivaran was standing a little way off, frozen in place. Blood dripped from his blade. Now was not the time for judgments. Edouard ignored the man and went to Lex. Behind him he could hear the other gladiators following. No one was calling for a surgeon. He looked over his shoulder, furious at the delay. "Call for help before he bleeds to death."
He dropped to his knees by Lex's side, the first man to reach him. Lex lay motionless, blood oozed from his neck to the soaked sand. Gently Edouard touched his shoulder. Lex made no sound. Gritting his teeth at what he would find, Edouard gently rolled him over. He held Lex's head supported across his knees. The wound was hidden beneath the leather breastplate, but the blood was everywhere.
The gladiators had gathered, watching.
"Where's the surgeon, damn you?" He could not believe they would stand and do nothing.
No one moved. There was a hint of a smile on Franco's face. It was the first clue. Edouard looked down. Lex opened one eye and grinned at him. Blood still oozed from his neck. For a moment the shock was too great. Edouard did not understand. He looked around. All the gladiators were grinning. He finally realized he had been given a show. Lex was not hurt.
"Damn you," he said again, but with a different inflection. Reaction left him lightheaded with relief and a measure of anger. He pushed Lex off.
There was laughter now. Ronaldo came forward and offered Edouard a hand. Pulled to his feet, he acknowledged the grinning men and turned to salute Lex.
The big gladiator was on his feet. "You still say you wouldn't be fooled? That there's no skill to putting on a show?" Lex had unstrapped his breastplate to reveal the bladder of blood beneath, animal blood Edouard supposed. Perhaps thinned so it would spurt and flow so easily, they would know how to make that work.
He shook his head. The sight of Lex down and bleeding had brought memories rushing back. It was a struggle to smile and applaud the show when all he could think of was Michel covered in blood dying on a distant hillside. He was covered in blood now as he had been then. He fought the urge to puke. Somehow he managed to ask questions. Acknowledge again how impossibly well it had been done. He endured the gladiators ribbing until they had their fill and wandered off. He was left with Lex grinning at him.
"Damn you," he said. "I thought…"
"We accidentally chopped each other to pieces at practice?"
Put like that it seemed ridiculous that he had fallen for it, which made Lex's demonstration all the more convincing. "I had some help," he said. "Franco invented a feud of sorts."
"And Ronaldo is Ettivaran." Lex nodded. "We needed a bit of subterfuge to get away with it in such an unlikely situation."
Edouard decided Lex should not get away with it quite so easily. He shrugged as if dismissing the show. "I will concede you're good at play acting," he said. "Perhaps you should join an actors' troupe. I hear men like an easy life when they're past their prime."
Lex made a rude gesture and bent to pick up his sword. "They'll be serving food, if you've got over your fright?"
He had not in truth got over his fright, and there was no way he could eat. But he started
for the tunnel alongside Lex. They had not gone far when one of the trainers called Lex back. Edouard walked on alone.
The shock was with him still. Thoughts of Michel filled his head. He remembered his mentor's last words; Michel thinking of the future as he lay dying from wounds received in a fight that was not his. There was no justice in it.
Beneath the burning sun of Allesarion, Edouard could only think he should have died that day. Michel should have lived. His family would be safe from the King's wrath, and Michel would be there to protect them. Instead, Michel was gone and he was in Allesarion playing games in the arena. He had done nothing to right the wrongs; he had left his family to deal with the consequences of his actions. He did not even know if they were safe. The realization shocked and shamed him.
He reached the darkness of the tunnel, so caught up in his thoughts that he did not see the boy until he ran into him. The impact shocked him and he grabbed the boy's arm roughly.
"Please, my lord, I meant no harm. I have a note for you." The boy's voice was no more than a whisper, and he glanced anxiously around before he offered a folded paper.
Edouard released him and mumbled an apology, embarrassed at his overreaction. The boy stood waiting as he opened the note. It was brief, no more than a few lines. He recognized the writing immediately. Hard on the heels of thoughts of Michel, it took his breath away.
Give the boy instructions as to where we can meet, or if it is safe tell me and I will come to the palace. If I do not hear I will find a way to get to you. A
Angelo was in Allesarion. It was the worst news possible; he did not want another friend in danger on his account. He could not begin to guess the risks Angelo had taken to come here. Ferdinand would not have allowed it, and Edouard knew instinctively that Micia must not know. One thought filled his head. Angelo would have news of his family. But it was impossible for him to meet Angelo. He dare not risk another escape. It was clear from the note that Angelo realized he had little freedom and, knowing Angelo, there was a chance he might do something rash, try to rescue him. Somehow he must prevent that happening.
He was watched at the arena. Lex had told him as much. There was no way he could arrange a meeting here. The last time he had seen Angelo was over Michel's dead body. Saints of mercy, he could not let anything happen to Angel.
He heard footsteps.
"What is it, Edouard?" asked Lex.
There was no hiding his anxiety. He had seconds to make a choice that might decide Angelo's fate and his own. The boy was staring at Lex, wide-eyed. The dark shadows of the tunnel might conceal other watchers. "Wait here," he told the boy. He touched Lex's arm and walked back out into the sun. On the far side of the arena two gladiators were warming up. He scanned the sands and saw no one close by.
"Has something happened?" Lex asked.
He offered the note and watched Lex as he read it. In moments he would commit a friend's life to this man. The sun was high overhead now, marking the middle of the day. In a short while he would have to return to the palace. No time for elaborate plans.
Lex was looking at him, waiting.
He took a breath. "A friend from home," he said in explanation. "I need you to send someone you trust to meet him," he pointed to the note and slipped off his signet ring with the Chamfort crest. "Give him this and hide him. I am sorry to ask this of you." He did not speak of danger. Lex would understand.
The gladiator stared at the ring. "A friend from home?"
"Yes," Edouard smiled. "A good friend. You will have to be careful. He can be…. impulsive."
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Impulsive?"
"Tell whoever you send to give him the ring before they say or do anything." Angelo was alone in a strange land, and ready for trouble. He was always ready for trouble. "It is a lot to ask. If you don't want to get involved–"
"Gil will help. How do we arrange it?"
Edouard felt a moment's doubt. By bringing Lex and Gil into this he was putting them both in danger. But Angelo was here and could not be trusted to wait; patience had never been one of his strengths. "I'll send the note back with a place to meet. You say where and when. Sooner would be better." He did not think it would take Angelo long to find trouble in Allesarion. "If you could keep him somewhere." He did not have a clue how this might be done, or how dangerous it would be. "I'm sorry to ask this of you."
"We like diversion, and you have provided us with plenty. If your friend is the same…"
Edouard was not sure how to phrase a warning. "Things are never dull when Angelo is around. But I would be grateful if you could keep him out of trouble."
Lex laughed. "Write the note. I will tell you where he should go. He will be an honorary gladiator." He sounded pleased at the idea. Edouard was less sure. Lex and Angelo, he could not decide how that would work, but there was a good chance this could end in disaster.
###
He spent the afternoon and night worrying, imagining what could go wrong. If there had only been some way he could meet Angelo himself. As the morning progressed, he began to hope that the plan had worked. By the time he rode out of the palace gates towards the Coliseum he had almost convinced himself that everything had gone well.
Arriving at the arena, he followed his usual routine and went to sit in the stands and watch the gladiators train.
He looked anxiously for Lex or Gil but found no sign of them. In the arena the gladiators moved through familiar routines. He barely watched. Then something caught his eye, nagged for his attention. It took him a moment, then he could not believe he had not seen him at once.
Angelo was one of the group of gladiators in the arena. His golden hair braided, he wore the same simple tunic and sandals as the other gladiators. He moved through the routines neatly.
Edouard stared. Relief passed to amazement. Angelo sparring with gladiators. It was as unlikely as the fox sitting down to dinner with the hound. The sound of someone approaching dragged his gaze away from Angelo. He looked up as Lex settled beside him.
"Morning," said Lex. "We have a new recruit."
Edouard shook his head and looked back to the arena. A dozen questions raced through his head. All he could manage was, "How?"
"Gil found it difficult to convince your friend to be, cautious." Lex hesitated, and it seemed he kept something to himself. "So Gil brought him here."
It made sense Gil would have trouble. Angelo could be bloody-minded, and he would not easily be turned from his prize. Edouard looked to Lex.
"You convinced him not only to be cautious but to become a gladiator?"
Lex laughed softly. "It was not easy." He was watching Angelo too. "He has the skill, we made up a story to convince the administrators. They saw straight off what a draw he could be. The ladies…"
"Saints of mercy." Edouard did not want to imagine how that conversation had gone. He looked back to the arena to be sure. Angelo, a gladiator. In other circumstances this would be too good to be true. The grief he could give Angel…
Chapter 93
Charles stood by the window in Prince Arnaud's rooms and gazed anxiously down at the palace courtyard. Gaynor came to stand beside him.
"It will be all right," she said. "Arnaud will ensure everything goes smoothly."
He trusted his cousin, but he also remembered his own arrival at the King's palace. If Ferdinand were to treat his father in the same manner, he shuddered at the thought. His father was a proud man. "I should go down to meet him."
"Wait," Gaynor linked her arm through his. "Trust Arnaud."
He looked down at her. She had changed even in the time he had known her; she had grown in confidence, and in the last week she seemed more beautiful than ever. He had seen a change in Arnaud too.The prince had long needed a confidant and friend. Edouard had always been Arnaud's closest friend. Much as the Prince had loved Edouard, Charles could not imagine his brother had been the most sensitive confidant. When you thought of Edouard's other friends, it was amazing that he and Arnaud were close at a
ll. There was no denying their loyalty to each other.
"Arnaud seems to be well," he said. "Despite all the trouble my family is causing him." Arnaud was well it was as if he had found strength from somewhere, and Gaynor was part of that change in the Prince. He smiled at her. "You are good for him."
"I hope so." She blushed and smiled.
"What?"
"It was all I wanted, to be his wife and friend." Gaynor ducked her head, suddenly shy. "Sometimes I cannot believe my dream has come true."
Charles felt a moment's anxiety for her. With that sort of open innocence, court life would never suit her, but as long as she had Arnaud, she would be protected to some degree. He pushed thoughts of his cousin's ill health aside. If Arnaud could be strong through this, perhaps that strength would stay with him.
"He is here," said Gaynor.
In the courtyard below a party of horsemen arrived, without fuss or ceremony. It was a small party. Charles saw his father among them. Dressed plainly, with no sign of the Chamfort colors, the Prince had passed unnoticed through Fourges. Ferdinand had allowed him to do so. He had not been intercepted by Ferdinand's men, brought before the King without ceremony to be threatened and locked up. Charles sighed with relief.
It seemed that Ferdinand did not intend to intimidate or humiliate his brother. At least not yet. In truth, it changed nothing; they were all in Ferdinand's power, subject to his whim. Charles watched his father dismount. He felt a sudden hopelessness. If they were powerless to help themselves, how could they help Edouard?
It seemed but moments before Arnaud arrived, bringing Prince Rupert with him. It was weeks since Charles had seen his father. They had not parted on good terms and he felt strangely guilty. He thought it was the first time he had ignored his father's advice, disobeyed him, caused him to worry. He was sorry for that.
Gaynor moved forward to greet Rupert. "Welcome, your grace, you must be tired after the journey."
Traitor Blade: (Books 1-3) Page 89