The Gladiator

Then they passed the last milestone, as the road climbed over a slight rise, and the city was there before them. Cato reined in.

'Halt!'

As the horses snorted and the riders breathed heavily, Cato squinted as he scanned the landscape. The ground surrounding Gortyna bore the unmistakable signs of being the site of a huge camp. The remains of hundreds of fires had scorched the ground and left low piles of ash at their centre. Every tree, shrub and small building had been stripped for firewood and kindling. Here and there lay piles of animal bones picked clean by those who had fed on them and were now attracting small clumps of birds and rats who gleaned the bits of gristle that were left. There were some latrine ditches, but most of those who had camped here had simply defecated in mutually agreed areas where patches of their waste lay in clear view. A handful of figures were visible outside the city and more on the walls and in the towers along them.

'Ours or theirs?' muttered the decurion.

'Only one way to find out,' Cato replied, tightening his grip on the reins.

The decurion looked sharply at him. 'If they are slaves, then our mounts are too far gone to make much of an escape.'

'Then you had better pray that those are our men.' Cato waved the column on and urged his horse into a trot. They made their way across the plain towards the city. At their approach there was a thin blast from a horn and those outside the city hurriedly made their way back towards the nearest gates and sally ports. Cato slowed the pace as they came within quarter of a mile of the city's west gate and ordered the squadron's standard bearer to raise his staff so. that the pennant would be clearly visible as they approached.

The decurion gestured towards the men on the gate. 'They're clearly ours, sir.'

'Too early to say,' Cato replied.' The rebels have been helping themselves to the kit they took off our men. Keep your eyes peeled.'

As Cato walked his horse towards the closed gate, a figure stepped up behind the ramparts and raised a hand. 'Halt! You at the front, advance and be recognised.'

Cato clicked his tongue and edged forward. 'Tribune Cato!

Returning from Alexandria with the reinforcement column. Open the gate!'

'Yes, sir!' the optio on watch replied, with evident relief.

Moments later the doors swung inwards and Cato spurred his horse into the city, followed by the rest of the squadron. As soon as he was through the arched gateway he slipped off the back of the horse and strode over to the optio, jerking his thumb towards the plain.

'Seems you had company whilst I was gone.'

'Yes, sir. Thousands of 'em.'

'Did they give you any trouble?'

'They made one attack the day they arrived, and paid a heavy price. After that they settled in to starve us out.'

'So where are they?'

The optio shook his head.' No idea, sir. They were gone this morning. Must have marched off during the night and left the fires burning so we wouldn't catch on until first light. The governor's sent patrols off to search for them and see where they're headed.'

'The governor?' Cato frowned. 'Where's the prefect? Macro?'

'Macro's gone, sir.'

'Gone?' Cato stepped up to the optio and grabbed his harness.

'What do you mean, gone?'

'Captured, sir.'

'Macro taken prisoner? I don't believe it. How is that possible? You said the attack was beaten off.'

'It didn't happen then, sir. It was afterwards, while he was trying to get the governor's daughter to safety, away from the city.'

Cato swallowed and stared into the optio's eyes, unblinking. He lowered his voice.' The governor's daughter, was she also captured?'

'Yes, sir.'

'How do you know this?'

'The leader of the rebels, that gladiator, had them brought forward in a cage when he tried to talk the governor into surrendering.'

Cato felt a flush of hope lighten his heart. 'So they're alive.'

'Yes, sir. Or at least they were when the gladiator showed them to the governor. That was several days ago though, sir. Last anyone has seen of them.'

Dread flooded back into Cato's heart. He looked down and saw his knuckles were white where he was holding the optio's harness so tightly. He forced himself to let go and step back, and gestured to the cavalrymen. 'Have these men taken to the stables at the governor's palace. Make sure horses and men get fed and find them a place to rest.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Does the governor still have his headquarters up on the acropolis?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Very well.' Cato breathed deeply to ease the tension in his chest.

'Carry on, Optio.'

Leaving his horse in the care of the decurion, Cato made his way through the streets towards the road leading up to the entrance of the acropolis. The townspeople forced to live in the ruins he passed spared him no more than a glance as they prepared for the evening meal. The weary resignation of their spirits was clear in almost every face. Only the children showed any signs of life and contentment as they heedlessly played amid piles of rubble between the surviving buildings.

The moment of hope that Cato had felt when he had heard that Macro and Julia were alive was now dashed by the know -

ledge that they were still in the hands of Ajax. While they served a purpose as hostages they would live, but the moment the enemy judged them worthless their lives would be forfeit. Worse still, if Ajax took it into his head to enact some kind of grisly revenge for the death of his father, then Macro and Julia would be subjected to every imaginable torture and torment before being granted the mercy of death. Cato felt sick at the idea, and had to pause in his stride for a moment before he could continue up the slope to the acropolis.

When he reached the headquarters he found Senator Sempronius in his office, sitting at the window as he stared blankly out across the city. A wine jug was on the desk and he was nursing a goblet in his hand when Cato rapped on the door frame.

'What is it now?' Sempronius said wearily. 'Anyway, I thought I gave orders that I was not to be disturbed.'

'It's me, sir.' Cato spoke gently.

Sempronius turned round quickly and his expression filled with relief.' Cato! I feared we had seen the last of you. Come in, my boy.

Sit you down!'

His words were slightly slurred. Cato could not tell if it was fromexhaustion, grief or wine. Sempronius set his cup down on the table and refilled it before pushing it towards Cato. A small amount slopped over the rim and ran red down the side. The senator leaned forward on his elbows. 'Well, what have you to report?'

'Sir, I've heard what happened to Macro and Julia.'

Sempronius's shoulders sagged. 'Yes.'

'We have to believe they're still alive.'

The governor nodded, and for a few moments both men stared at each other in a shared grief that went beyond words. Then Sempronius cleared his throat and looked down at his hands as he spoke. 'Your report, please.'

'Yes, sir. Legate Petronius has provided most of the men you requested. We landed at Matala this morning. I rode ahead of the main force. The reinforcements will reach Gortyna by tomorrow night.'

'Good.'

'There are also warships and marines at Matala that we can call on. The reinforcements are under the command of First Spear Centurion Fulvius, of the Twenty-Second Legion.'