VI
Thad stood to one side and watched the people milling around. He was glad that the evenings were turning cool because it was almost stifling in the large room on the third floor. There was laughter and talking among the elite. He and the other champions of today’s games stood like statues as the people around them came by to inspect and talk to the gladiators. Several of the women were very interested in Septimus and it was hard for him not to roll his eyes.
Doctore had warned them to be on their best behavior.
“You are a commodity for the rich. This is a good thing, for if they like you, desire you, your wealth and health is assured. No matter what they do, you smile,” Titus Lucius warned. The doctore hadn’t been wrong either as the women were absolutely ridiculous. The first hand to go under Thad’s loincloth had shocked him to his core. It had been all he could do not to jerk the woman’s hand off his junk. The men were clad in bloodred loincloths with wide studded belts. Their bodies had been oiled so they gleamed in the torches that studded the walls of the large chamber.
Their hands and crude comments flowed over the gladiators and it was difficult for Thad not to run screaming out of the chamber. The women had grown bored and had moved on and were now hovering around Septimus. There were several senators, if he guessed correctly about their clothing. His gaze moved around the crowd and he picked out Scauras, who was wearing a jet-black wig with a gold leaf laurel. Scauras’ robes were rich and had a deep blue band down the front with a crimson edge beside the blue, very thin.
Glaucis was in deep conversation with doctore. Both men were dressed in long robes, but neither robe had much in the way of adornment. Glaucis did wear a heavy gold necklace and Thad thought the man looked thoroughly bored. He noted that the senators wore similar tunics and robes, but had the wide crimson band and several had a deep purple strip that edged the wide crimson. Some wore gold wide bands on their wrists. Thad thought perhaps this was some kind of ranking or show of wealth.
There were many subtle indicators that he didn’t understand. He’d have to ask Felix later and find out. Felix was a good friend to have and when they had all gone to the second floor, they had found their new cell very inviting. There was a wooden door that shut, but the room itself had beds or rather cots. There were ten beds and a large brazier in the middle of the room. There were small tables and Thad had been surprised to see that there were games scattered on the tables. One game, terni lapilli, was essentially a tic-tac-toe game. Though the board was crudely carved, he saw that the gladiators actually played board games.
There was also latrunculi, a kind of chess, but it reminded him of the Chinese board game, go. He thought it amazing that the two different cultures might be playing similar games. He recognized one game and looked forward to playing it. It was tabula, a kind of backgammon and it even had dice. The second-floor cell was much nicer and he was pretty sure that they would appreciate it during the winter. Thad was now seeing the advantage to moving up in rank, especially since they now had one day off a week.
Thad was brought out of his musings when his eye caught movement near a low table that held carafes of wines. The gladiators would start to mingle after the first hour, after they had all been inspected. They had been warned to mind their manners and drink only one cup of wine. Doctore wanted no drunkenness. The young woman who was by the table was watching him and she was stunning. Her long dark hair was pulled up and away from her face. It was in the style that was prevalent, with curls and ringlets. There were gold bands that were wrapped with ribbons, woven through her hair.
She was taller than many of the women there and she was slender and had large brown eyes. Her eyebrows arched nicely above her eyes and Thad found himself drawn to her. She was beautiful and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her and she watched him with a soft smile. She moved away from the table with a chalice of wine and disappeared behind light curtains.
“See something you like,” Marco said from the side of his mouth.
“Yeah, man, she was beautiful,” Thad said.
“Lust at first sight,” Marco said softly and chuckled.
“Something like that,” Thad said.
“Dream on,” Marco said.
“If I’m gonna dream, dream big,” Thad said and laughed softly. The both turned when Titus Lucius walked by.
“You may mingle and if you are lucky enough, may the gods grant you sponsorship.”
“Thank you, doctore,” Thad said and walked toward the table of wine. There were also platters of cheese, bread and fruits. He was hungry, though he’d eaten a large dinner. Though well fed, Thad missed not having snacks and here was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“You did very well in the games today, Drago,” a man said and Thad turned to see an older man, tall with a hint of silver on his dark hair. By his dress, Thad thought that the man was a senator. After living for years in Japan, Thad had gotten
