Gladiator Heart (37 page)

“Are you willing to die for those orders?” Tristan asked.

It was an outcome the young man hadn’t considered. He opened his mouth, stumbling for something to say.

“How many men are inside?” Tristan questioned him.

“I can’t tell you.”

Suddenly, Vorenus struck the boy’s head with the hilt of his sword. He collapsed to the ground in a heap of red cape and gold armor.

Tristan looked at Vorenus, annoyed. “Why did you do that?”

“I was getting tired of his simpering. He wasn’t going to be of any use to us.” Vorenus lifted the boy’s arms and started dragging him away from the door. “I’ll handle this. Go get your girl.”

Tristan tried the door and found it unlocked. He opened the door slowly and peered into the kitchen. The room was empty. He hurried through the kitchen and down an empty hallway. There were no other guards in sight.

He turned down another long hallway, and at the far end, there was a guard posted outside a closed door. He knew he would find Valeria on the other side of that door. He lowered his sword to his side and hugged the wall to keep to the shadows as he crept closer. Once he was upon the guard, he waited until the man turned his back to make a move. Tristan came from behind and locked his free arm around the guard’s neck to choke him, preventing him from getting any air or making any sound. After a minor struggle, the guard went limp and Tristan let him fall to the floor.

He tried the door handle and found it locked. He quickly searched the guard for a key and didn’t find one.

No matter. He’d break down the damn door.

“Valeria!” he said through the door in a rough whisper. “Valeria! Are you in there?”

A moment of silence passed before she answered, “Tristan?”

“Are you harmed?” he asked, his impatience to have her safe in his arms growing by the second.

“Tristan!” she exclaimed. “Oh, Tristan! Please get me out of here. Gaius locked me up and plans to force me to be his wife.”

His rage exploded. No man would take Valeria from him.

“Stand clear of the door,” he said.

He hefted his leg and kicked the door until it broke away from the hinges and hung open. Valeria stood in the center of the dim room.

He held out his free hand, gripping the hilt of his sword with the other. “Come, let’s go.”

She wobbled over the fallen door and took his offered hand. “I didn’t want to send that message, but Gaius said he’d kill you if I didn’t. I prayed you would come for me.”

He squeezed her hand as he led her down the hallway. “I will always come for you.”

Tristan would never doubt her love for him again.

Hand in hand they raced through the quiet villa, back towards the kitchens. Valeria sensed something was wrong. The quiet sounded too quiet, like the unsettling calm before a storm.

“How did you get past the guards?” she asked.

“They didn’t pose much of a challenge. We’ll leave through the servants’ entrance.”

“Gaius could be anywhere.” She strained to search all the dark corners, expecting him to come at them any moment.

“He’ll be too late,” Tristan said as they came into the kitchen.

The door to the servants’ entrance stood wide open. There was no guard outside, and Gaius was nowhere in sight. Could their escape really be so easy? Relief washed over her as they moved closer and closer to freedom.

“We’ll head straight for the tavern,” Tristan said, leading her to the open door.

And then Gaius appeared, with a small army of men behind him, blocking their way.

“No!” Valeria shrank back in fear.

Gaius looked more than pleased to see Tristan. “I was wondering when we could expect you.”

Valeria squeezed Tristan’s hand. A mixture of fear and anger knotted inside her, and she would not let Gaius have this victory. Not when they were so close to escaping. Tristan seemed to read her thoughts, for he squeezed her hand in return, then spun around to run out of the kitchen.

Another group of armed guards blocked that exit.

“Is there another way out of here?” Tristan asked.

“No.” Valeria shook her head.

They were trapped and outnumbered.

Valeria pressed close to him, clinging to his arm. “What do we do?”

“Pray for a miracle.”

Gaius came to stand before them, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “There will be no escape.”

“May the Gods strike you down!” Valeria flung the curse with all the venom she could muster. It wasn’t praying for a miracle, but she’d tried that before and it never worked.

Gaius merely smiled. “Take him into custody,” he ordered the soldiers.

“No!” Valeria screamed, clinging tighter to Tristan.

The men surrounded them, swords drawn.

“Stand back.” Tristan pushed her back and raised his sword.

A battle broke out in the kitchen. Tristan against six men. And he was winning. They swung their swords, and Tristan ducked and parried, dodging around tables and stools.

“Get him!” Gaius raged.

The soldiers tried to get close, but they couldn’t catch Tristan. He moved with a skill and speed they weren’t accustomed to.

Gaius came after Valeria. She ran, but didn’t get far before he grabbed her and pulled her back against him, bringing a dagger to her neck.

“Stop, or I’ll kill her,” he shouted over the clamoring swords.

Tristan froze, and the guards stopped their attack.

“Drop your sword,” Gaius ordered.

“No!” Valeria shook her head. “Don’t do it, Tristan.”

Gaius dug the sharp blade into her throat. “I
will
kill her.”

“You want her too badly,” Tristan said, panting to catch his breath from the fight.

“Not as badly as you.”

Tristan looked at Valeria, and his harsh expression softened. She saw the love burning in his eyes and knew he would do anything for her, even give his life for her.

“No, no, no,” she pleaded.

Tristan tossed his sword to the floor in a clanging rattle and glared at Gaius with detestation.

“Seize him,” Gaius ordered.

The guards fell upon Tristan and gathered his hands behind his back. Tristan didn’t struggle as they secured shackles around his wrists.

“You’ll never win,” he said. “Not while she loves me.”

Gaius flung Valeria away from him and marched up to Tristan. “I don’t need her to love me to win.” He smashed his fist into Tristan’s face.

Tristan slumped forward, going limp and unconscious. The guards help him up by his arms.

“Take him to the cells under the arena,” Gaius ordered. “The legions will return at dawn, and he’ll be put to death the following morning.”

“No!” Valeria cried as the men dragged Tristan from the room.

Gaius looked at her with an evil smile. “He’ll be executed the morning after next.”

“Please, don’t do this.” She flew to her knees in front of Gaius, taking his hands in hers and holding them tightly. “Please free him.
Please
. I’ll do anything.”

“How readily you give yourself for him.” He snatched his hands from her desperate grip. “I don’t want you this way. I want you to love
me
. In your heart, you must give him up.”

Valeria searched his gaze for any flicker of hope. “Only if you free him.”

“No!” Gaius saw through her ploy. “You’ll never belong to me while his heart still beats for you. He will die, and I will watch him die.”

Gaius turned on his heel and swept out of the room, leaving her alone with the remaining guards.

Valeria collapsed forward, catching herself with her hands on the stone floor. Hopeless despair constricted her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Without Tristan in her world, she didn’t want to live.

By the time the morning sun shone bright and warm in the sky, a number of legions had reached the city. The Senate bent under the orders General Octavian carried from the Emperor. They were to conduct business as usual until he returned. The citizens were questioned and interrogated, persuaded to give up the names of known rebels who had taken part in the uprising. The people gave up surprisingly few names.

Gaius had locked Valeria in her room, saying he would be gone all day making final preparations for Tristan’s execution and their wedding the following morning. She waited a short amount of time after he left before she picked the lock with the writing stylus from the desk and opened the door.

“Did you need something, lady?” The guard posted outside blocked her way.

She opened her mouth, not certain what excuse to give, when he was struck on the head from behind. His eyes rolled back in their sockets and his limp body crumpled to the ground. Rufus stood there, a proud smile on his face.

“Rufus!” She almost broke into joyful tears as she ran into his open arms and hugged him tight. “Have you come to get me out? Will you help me get Tristan?”

He patted his huge hand on her head. “I’m afraid Tristan is under heavy guard in the arena. It will be impossible to free him, but I can take you to see him. To say goodbye.”

Now she did cry. She buried her face in Rufus’s chest, slobbering and sniveling all over the front of his wool tunic. “He can’t die.”

In their cruelty, had the Gods intended for this to happen from the very beginning?

“There’s nothing we can do.” Lucia came up beside her, and Valeria rushed into her arms next. “We can only pray for a miracle.”

“I won’t,” Valeria argued insistently, shaking her head. “The Gods have made it clear they care nothing for my prayers.”

“Then I shall pray for you.” Lucia bestowed a loving kiss on her forehead. “Go with Rufus, but hurry back. If Gaius should return and find you gone he’s likely to do something desperate.”

Valeria hid beneath the hood of a dark, black cape, the dagger Rufus had given her hidden in its folds as he led her down the street towards the arena. She had visions of attacking the guards who held Tristan and killing them all, and laughed at the ridiculous idea. Who was she fooling?

At the gate to the underground cells, they were turned away by the two guards posted there.

“No one is allowed to see the prisoner,” said the older, taller of the two, never once looking directly at her.

“I am the Emperor’s niece.” She put on her noble airs and held her head high. “I demand entry to these cells.”

“You’re the first person we’re supposed to deny,” said the younger guard.

He was about the same age as Valeria, and he dared to look at her with all the sadness and confusion in his eyes. He didn’t understand why the gladiator had to die, or why this woman couldn’t see him. What threat could she possibly pose?

“All she’s asking for is a few moments,” Rufus said on her behalf. “We’re on the same side.”

“Rufus,” the older man addressed him informally. “I wish I could help you, but I have my orders.”

Rufus snorted a disdainful laugh.
Orders
. He was a member of the Praetorian Guard, maybe not an active one, but he knew how they operated. They were nothing more than mercenaries really. Their loyalty changed with the wind.

“How much are they paying you?”

The man glanced nervously at Valeria, then directed his gaze back to Rufus, hesitant to discuss the secrets of his order in front of a stranger. “It’s not so much about the money, it’s about the threat. We weren’t exactly innocent in this whole uprising, and if we want to keep our heads, we keep them down and do as the legions tell us.”

Rufus had been right to remain neutral in the latest rebellion against Rome. He was too old for these intrigues. Lucia wanted him to lay down the sword. It was the only way she would marry him, and the one thing he’d never been able to do. Maybe it was time. He felt like the Gods had sent him a sign; that peace was always preferable to war.

He made a vow. He would fight one last battle. He would help Valeria free Tristan before he laid down his sword. Well, he wouldn’t exactly lay it down. He’d still keep it under the bed.

And as much as he didn’t trust or like the northerner, it was obvious he loved Valeria. He’d risked his life to come back for her, just as she’d risked her life for him so many times, and a love like that was something Rufus couldn’t deny.

His wish was to see the only kind of a daughter he’d known safe and happy, and he knew she would have that with Tristan.

“There used to be a day when money couldn’t sway our favor,” Rufus said to his old partner, Felix. “We used to fight for honesty and justice. For the right thing.”

“Rome is not the city she once was.” Felix looked away over his shoulder, staring out through the bars over the windows with a faraway look.

Valeria had no idea the Praetorian Guard could be bribed. She didn’t know how much money it would take to sway their favor in her direction, but there couldn’t be that many guards keeping her from Tristan. If she could get to her money hidden at the palace, and convince Vorenus to give her a loan, she’d have a small fortune to work with.

“What if I could pay you more?” she blurted out.

All three men froze and stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“How much could a woman pay?” Felix snorted with derision. “We don’t deal for jewelry and fine clothes.”

“What about twenty thousand denarii?” She threw the figure at him.

“You don’t have that kind of money,” Rufus said, shocked.

“Don’t I?” She put her hands on her hips. “My bets with Vorenus all paid off rather well.”

“Vorenus?” Felix gained sudden interest.

“Yes,” she answered, tilting her head. “Have you heard of him?”

“The whole city has heard of Vorenus. He’d be Caesar if the people had their say.”

Valeria was momentarily stunned by that comment. She never could have guessed Vorenus had such a worthy reputation. How different would Rome be if he was in charge!

“I can have the money by tonight,” she said. “In full.”

Felix shook his head. “I’m sorry, lady, but there’s too much heat on us as it is. If we were to lose track of this prisoner, it wouldn’t make us look good.”

“But you could lose track of him?” she pressed further. “Forget where you left him, or send him to the mines by mistake, where he met an unfortunate end when he fell over the side of a cliff.”