Spartacus: The Gladiator by Kane Ben

Author:Kane, Ben [Kane, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Random House UK
Published: 2012-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XII

AN HOUR AFTER the sun had risen, Spartacus came trotting up the path to the crater. There had been no sign of any Romans on the plain and he was content leaving the gladiators to gather the weapons and equipment together and pack it on to the mules. They could follow him up later. Crixus had mentioned taking the Roman camp as their own, but Spartacus had advised against it. ‘We’re far too few to defend the damn thing. Better to stay on the peak. It’s easier to hold, and the lookouts can spot anyone coming for miles.’ Bleary-eyed and weaving where he stood, Crixus had grumbled but protested no further. Castus and Gannicus seemed happy enough with the decision, so Spartacus waited no longer. Carrying the news to Ariadne was now the most important thing on his mind.

He found her asleep by the fire they’d shared. Seeing the knucklebones, he bit back the ‘Hello’ rising in his throat. She could have been up half the night, praying. Treading quietly to where she lay, he squatted down on his haunches. Strands of her dark hair lay across her cheek. She looked very peaceful. Beautiful too. Pride filled Spartacus that she was his wife. She was strong and fierce. And brave. Ariadne wouldn’t sleep with him, but he could bear the sexual frustration for the moment because she was such a good catch.

He shifted position, scuffing some gravel with one of his heels.

Ariadne’s eyelids fluttered and opened. A fleeting look of incomprehension flashed across her face, and then she was leaping up. Throwing her arms around him. ‘You’re alive! Oh, thank the gods!’

‘Yes, I’m here.’ He crushed her to him. Awkwardly, because they’d never been so close. ‘I’m covered in blood.’

‘I don’t care.’ Deliberately, she buried her face in his neck. ‘You’re here. You’re not dead.’

Spartacus was doubly glad that Getas had saved his life.

They stayed like that for a long time before Ariadne pulled away. ‘Tell me everything,’ she ordered.

Taking a deep breath, Spartacus began. Ariadne did not take her eyes off his face as he spoke. ‘Getas died that I might live,’ he concluded. ‘It was a great gift, and I must honour him for that.’

‘He was a fine warrior,’ said Ariadne sadly. Inside, she was rejoicing. Thank you, Dionysus, for taking Getas instead.

‘Oenomaus is gone too.’

Her hand rose to her mouth. ‘No!’

‘Yes. But he did not die in vain. The Germans have made me their leader.’ He threw her a fierce smile. ‘I now have more men than any of the Gauls. That is a strong position to be in.’

Jubilation filled Ariadne. Elements of her vision were making more sense. ‘The god visited me last night,’ she said.

He pinned her with his gaze. ‘What did you see?’

‘I saw you here, on the top of the mountain. A snake was wrapped around your neck. In your right hand you held a sica.’

‘Go on.’ I will accept whatever she has to say. Whatever the gods have sent for me.

‘The snake reared up in your face, but it did not bite you,’ she revealed, smiling.

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