“That you will, boy. You had better finish eating and get yourself to bed, so you may start bright and early.”
“Of course father. I will!” However, sleep would be allusive for Gaius for the next two nights, as his thoughts would be focused on the wonders he was bound to see. Never did forty-eight hours seem so far away.
CHAPTER THREE
Gaius looked on in amazement as the vast crowds of people passed, nearly cramming into every square inch of the streets of Rome. Never had he seen so many people in one place before, the very thought that this many souls could exist in the world was a new concept to his young mind. There were people of so many different sizes, colors and races. Men, women and even children walked and ran like chariot racers through the narrow streets and alleyways. Rome truly was a wonder to behold. Clearly, as his young eyes shifted from one sight to the next, his father’s words about this city not being a place for someone, his age was misleading, as he saw many boys and girls, some younger than he, running through the streets without care.
The many voices rose like a choir of sound, making it impossible to single one person among so many. The street corners were lined with shops that sold goods from all corners of the Republic: spices and silks from the east, wheat and jewels from the south, and rare stones and crafts from the north, it would take a lifetime to see it all — an entire world, he knew nothing about. He thought for a moment he may never want to go home again.
Gaius and Antony ran like wild horses through the dense crowds that hardly paid attention to them. They joined other groups of boys from time to time, until their attention was turned to marvelous attractions, from jesters performing feats of magic in the streets, to puppeteers and actors putting on shows on large and elaborately made stages. The volley of cheers and laughter constantly pointed them to new wonders.
Gaius noticed that Julia wasn’t able to take part in the boy’s games as she was held firmly by her body slave, who had been charged with watching all three children. However, the boys easily distracted the slave as they continued their exploration of the city.
Julia tried many times to break free and join them, but once the four rounded one street corner she managed to chase after Gaius, who attention was turned to a large gathering of people.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, seemingly mesmerized by a spectacle beyond, pushing through the adults, he worked his way to the front of the pack. What he saw both scared and excited him. In the center of a large forum, a small circus of sorts was set up where dozens of street performers leaped into the air, twisting and bending in ways that shocked and amazed the onlookers. However, it was the wild animals that captivated the peoples focus.
A burly man stood before the crowd on a stage. His voice billowed, easily heard over the crowd of hundreds of onlookers. Behind him, Gaius noticed a series of large cages, most of which were covered with thick, red cloaks. The sounds and shifting shadows behind the covered cages sparked their imagination as the beast master enticed the crowd, describing creatures from all corners of the known world; that no one would ever forget what they saw this day.
“Beware the Man-Ape!” The beast master proclaimed as his assists revealed a cage which held a dozen small creatures that looked like hairy children gone mad, screaming and chewing at their iron bars that held them.
“Behold a beast so powerful that he could tear your head clear off of your shoulders!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs as another, even larger cage was uncovered, revealing a bear, which roared loudly, brandishing its two-inch fangs, which caused more than a few of the onlookers to step back in near panic.
“But none compare to the power of the next exhibit — A monstrous animal worshiped and hunted by the kings of the heathen savages of the East.”
Julia ran up to Gaius after finding him among the crowd where she wrapped her arms around his, as the new cage was wheeled before the two. He smiled down at her as his attention was turned from the cage for a moment as her soft hands cuddled his. She gleamed up at him, her dark hair reflecting in the high sunlight as her smiled widened.
Inside the cage, Gaius could see a shadowy silhouette pacing back and forth. He felt his heart beat faster with anticipation as both, he and Julia stood focused on the attraction. The beast master smiled at the two children, namely Julia as he gripped his chubby fingers over the red cloth.
“This one especially likes the taste of little child,” the beast master proclaimed in a low voice, his dirty, gapped teeth smiling down at the pair. And then, with one hard yank of the thick cloak that covered the cage, he revealed to everyone the animal trapped within — one that many had heard of, but never seen with their own eyes.
Within the cage, the iron bars seemed barely strong enough to hold the beast back, was an old silver mane lion; whose claws lashed through the gaps between the bars, stopping short just a few feet from Gaius and Julia, causing her to scream out in panic as she ducked behind Gaius for protecting, shivering horribly.
“Beware the king of the dark Eastern lands!” the beast master proclaimed over the frightened crowd, which couldn’t help but take a few steps back as the iron bars hardly seemed capable of keeping the powerful cat at bay.
Gaius stepped in front of Julia as she shivered behind him, both her hands tightly gripping his arms. He could feel her heavy panicked breathing against his back as he stood firm. If the lion should break free, he could not stop it from tearing through them. Regardless, he stood before her and would protect her no matter what.
The old lion had numerous scars running across its face, roared again with so much force that even the beast master seemed a bit nervous as he stepped a few extra feet away from the cage. With just a nod to his men, the beast master directed them to control the animal as they placed pokers into the cage to invoke its rage and attention.
“In just a few short hours, this king of all beasts will be unleashed in the arena. If you want a show, be there to see this, the most powerful predator let loose against the Republic’s greatest collection of gladiators every assembled. And I warn you it has a taste for human flesh,” the beast master bellowed as he promoted the gladiator games located just beyond the outer walls of the city.
“Now, come one, come all, I have much more to reveal; witnessed wonders never before seen by Roman eyes!” The beast master directed the attention of the crowd to other sights, fewer violent animal attractions, but just as exotic: elephants and giraffes from Africa, prized horses and tamed bears from Hispania and Gaul, as well as rhinos, monkeys and colorful birds from all corners of the Roman Republic. Each animal was symbolic of Rome’s growing power over the natural world, and all Rome’s citizens reveled in that knowledge.
As the crowd parted, Gaius heard Julia’s name called several times. She, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice at first as she stayed behind him, still holding his hand.
“Are they gone?” she asked Gaius, tears still rolling down her swollen cheeks.
“They are,” Gaius answered as the lion’s cage was wheeled out of the forum once it had been covered once more.
Gaius turned to Julia and knelt down so he could wipe away her tears. “Don’t worry, little flower, I can protect you,” he said with a soothing voice. She smiled at him, throwing her arms around his broad shoulder and said, “I believe you.”
“Julia!” the body slave said as she reached down and took hold of her arm, pulling her away from Gaius. “I’ve been looking for you. Don’t you ever run off like that again! The master will have my hide if something were to happen to you. Do you understand?”