As she paraded in front of the raucous crowd, Rawena wondered which of her ‘family’ would try to kill her today.
The spectators filled the amphitheater to the awnings, ready to see her fight. Nobles, consuls, and priests sat in the first two rows, wrapped in togas against the cool February air. Behind them, plebeians shouted and placed bets while they watched Rawena and her familia—her fellow gladiators—tread the sand of the arena. Gaunt slaves stood in the back, chatting and enjoying their freedom until the end of the games when they would carry their masters back home in gilded litters.
Continue reading “Celts and the Gladiator, chapter one”