'If it fails, we can leave Italy. Like Spartacus was going to do. Go a long way away. Somewhere Rome has no influence.'
The Gaul's tanned face brightened, the words resonating within him. 'Now you're talking!' A spark lit in his eyes. 'Six years I have waited for the gods to give me a sign.' He got to his feet, clouting Romulus goodnaturedly. 'And they've sent it through you!'
The young man was delighted by his friend's response.
'It's been too long since I smelt the wind, hunted in the forest.' Brennus grew even more animated. 'Let's find the scissores.'
'Tomorrow,' cautioned Romulus. 'Memor is going to the slave market for new fighters then.' The school's losses would be easily replaced and the knowledge angered him even more.
'Good.'
Romulus nodded grimly. Perhaps now they could start to recruit men who felt the same way.
'This has given me a real thirst. Why don't we get out of the ludus tonight?' Brennus nudged Romulus. 'I'll show you my favourite haunts.'
'We 've been confined to quarters. It's not worth the risk.'
'Come on. We deserve it!'
'Why not have some wine here?'
'I'm sick of it.' The Gaul banged on the wall, knocking loose damp plaster.
Romulus could see that Brennus meant it. 'Doesn't Severus owe you a favour?' he asked. The grey-haired guard had been a formidable gladiator in his day, but was now more interested in gambling.
'That old drunk?' Brennus stopped pacing up and down. 'Suppose he does. I've helped him pay off the moneylenders often enough.'
'He's on duty at the gate most nights.'
'Asked me for three thousand sestertii yesterday. Took a bashing on chariot racing at the Circus Flaminius.' The Gaul smiled. 'Severus wouldn't dare tell Memor if we went out.'
'What if he checks the cell?' Romulus was still wary.
'No chance of that,' Brennus replied confidently. 'Memor doesn't leave his rooms after sunset.' The Gaul had cheered up immensely at the prospect of going out. 'We 'll be back before dawn. Nobody will know a thing.'
'We can't get into any trouble.'
'All right. I won't crack any heads.'
'Promise me.'
'You have my word,' Brennus growled.
Drinks in one of the taverns the Gaul was always talking about appealed to Romulus too. If the serving girls were as his friend described, he could do with a grope of their flesh. Romulus' hormones had been raging for some time. The scantily clad prostitutes visiting the ludus recently had driven the teenager wild with lust. The temptation to spend his winnings had been strong, but sheer embarrassment at the lack of privacy had prevented him.
If Romulus was going to lose his virginity, it would be without others watching.
Chapter XVII: The Brawl
Late that night, they left the Thracians snoring in the cell. Creeping into the unlit training yard after Brennus, Romulus closed the door quietly. The ludus was silent. Gladiators rose early and went to bed by sunset.
The stars were partially obscured by clouds, affording little light as they padded across to the heavy iron gate that separated the school from the streets of Rome.
'Who's there?' The voice sounded scared. 'It's after hours!'
'Peace, Severus! It's me.'
'Brennus?' An overweight, middle-aged guard emerged from the shadows, hand ready on his sword hilt. 'What do you want at this hour?'
'Me and Romulus thought we 'd go for a drink.'
'Now?'
'Never too late for wine, Severus.'
'Memor would cut my throat if he knew I was letting you out.'
'You owe me a few favours.'
The balding gladiator hesitated.
'Come now!' Brennus chuckled knowingly. 'What about the three thousand sestertii you asked for?'
Severus' face took on a hunted look. 'How long?'
'A few hours. We 'll be back before you know it.'
Severus shuffled his feet.
Brennus went for the kill. 'Those moneylenders are ruthless,' he said. 'You don't want to piss them off.'
The guard quickly took a large bunch of iron keys from his belt and led them to the gate. Picking one, he placed it in the lock, turning with a practised wrist. The door opened without a sound and Romulus knew it must have been oiled.
'You'll have the money by tomorrow morning,' Brennus whispered as they slipped through.
'Just make sure you're back before dawn,' replied Severus. 'Or my life won't be worth living!'
Romulus shivered as the gate clicked shut with an air of finality. Hoping Memor was sound asleep, he warily followed his surefooted friend. Both were armed with swords and wearing dark-coloured lacernae.
A crescent moon added only the faintest illumination to the few stars visible. The light was reduced further by the three- and four-storey buildings around them. But in the Stygian gloom, Brennus seemed to have a sixth sense of where they were.
'It's so quiet!'
'Decent folk are all behind locked doors.'
An occasional burst of laughter from behind the blank wall of a house or tavern broke the silence as they trod the dirt of smaller streets. Shop fronts were boarded up, tenement doors barred, temples empty and dark. Mangy dogs lurked here and there, prowling for scraps. A few people scuttled by, eyes averted. Even the collegia thugs at each crossroads dared not trouble the Gaul and his companion: two large, obviously armed men.