The Gladiator

The two figures standing behind the skirmishers strode boldly towards him, passing through their men and drawing up ten feet away One wore armour, a scarlet cloak and a helmet, and he hefted his centurion's vine cane as he scrutinised the commander of the slave army. Ajax felt a cold chill tickle his neck. He recognised the face. This was the officer who had led the foraging column. But he had seen him before, somewhere else, he was certain of it, yet for the present could not place him. He turned his attention to the other Roman, who was taller and wore a white tunic with a broad red stripe. He crossed his arms as he drew himself up to his full height to confront Ajax.

'Say your piece, slave.'

Ajax bit back on his irritation. 'I no longer count myself a slave, nor do any of the men and women in my army'

'Army? That is no army. Merely a rabble.'

Ajax could not help smiling. 'That rabble slaughtered a thousand of your best men, Sempronius.'

The Roman clamped his lips together.

'Besides,' Ajax continued, 'my army now controls most of southern Crete. We go where we will, while you Romans hide behind your defences and pray for deliverance. But your gods have deserted you. There is nothing that stands between you and certain death, except me.'

'I see, you've come to save us,' Sempronius sneered.

'I have come to offer you a chance to save your lives and the lives of every man, woman and child inside the walls of Gortyna.'

'And how can I save them?'

'By giving us our freedom and by ensuring that we are given free passage from this island to the eastern frontier of the empire.'

Sempronius chuckled bitterly. 'Is that all?'

'It is a fair exchange for your lives, wouldn't you say?'

'No. It is out of the question. I don't have the authority to do that.'

'But you are the governor. You act in the name of the emperor and the senate. You could grant us freedom.'

'What's the point?' Sempronius sneered. 'I thought you said you were no longer slaves.'

'I want it in writing, ' Ajax said firmly. 'I want it guaranteed in the name of Rome.'

'Why?' Sempronius insisted. 'What difference does it make?'

Ajax smiled. 'I know what sticklers you people are for paperwork. I want our freedom to be official.'

Sempronius was silent for a moment. 'You want to rub our noses in it, you mean. This is about revenge.'

'Yes...' The image of his father nailed to a crossbeam and left to die appeared in Ajax's mind - raw and painful. 'I deserve revenge for the suffering I have endured at the hands of your people. So do all those who now follow me. Your emperor should count himself lucky that my demands are so modest.'

'But you must know that Claudius could not possibly concede to this. The senate would not stand for it. Nor would the mob. If he gave in to the demands of a common slave the mob would tear him to pieces.'

'I think you will find that I was a most uncommon slave, Governor,' Ajax said tersely. 'Otherwise we would not be here.'

'All right, then. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I agree to your demand. What makes you think that any other Roman official will honour it? In any case, you have no means of finding sufficient ships to carry your people away from Crete. How do you think you will be able to compel Rome to keep to her side of the bargain?'

'It's simple. I will take you, and every Roman, and the city's leading families as hostages. You will come with us every step of the way. When we reach the frontier, and not before, we will release you. If the emperor, or any of his subordinates, attempts to hinder us, then I will start killing my prisoners, begi

Sempronius took a sharp breath. 'That won't work. I've told you, Rome ca

'Then it is up to you to persuade the emperor. I take it you were trained in rhetoric as a youth. No doubt by some expensive Greek slave. Now's the chance to put your skills to good use. Your life depends on it.'

'This is absurd. I ca

Sempronius paused and drew a deep breath. 'Now, let me tell you what my demands are. One: you lay down your arms and surrender.

Two: you identify all the ringleaders to me. Three: all other slaves are to return to their owners at once. In return, I will send you and the other ringleaders to Rome to be sentenced before the emperor and the senate. Furthermore I will do all that is within my legal power to limit the punishment of the slaves who freely return to their masters.'

Ajax stared at the Roman with a cold expression. He had expected such disdain from Sempronius, and a refusal of his demands.

It was time to demonstrate to these Romans that their danger was very real.

'Senator, your demands are no more acceptable than mine. Yet the difference between us is that you are in no position to make demands.' Ajax turned in the saddle and called back towards his men.

'Chilo! Bring the wagon here!'

The line of horsemen parted and four oxen trudged forward, drawing a heavy covered wagon behind them. A driver sat on the bench, with another man who was covered in filth. His tunic was in tatters, exposing skin that was streaked with grime and blood, and marked with cuts and bruises. He was chained to the wagon by his hands and ankles and his head was bowed.

'What's this?' asked Sempronius.

Ajax turned back. 'I suspect you have been won de ring why we did not advance on Gortyna immediately after the ambush. The answer is in the wagon. You see, my army bypassed Gortyna during the night eight days ago. We made for Matala instead. The commander of the garrison there proved every bit as arrogant as you, Sempronius. He managed to herd most of his people on to the acropolis. Those that remained in the refugee camp we put to the sword. I sent a messenger to the gate to demand the surrender of the acropolis. I told your Centurion Portillus that I wanted the food on the acropolis, not him and his people. When he surrendered, they could all go free. If he did not submit within two days, then I would take the acropolis and slaughter every person inside its walls.

I am glad to say that Portillus saw reason, and surrendered the very next day.' Ajax paused as the wagon rumbled up, turned to one side and halted behind him. He caught a waft of death and decay and heard the buzzing drone of flies as he continued. 'Sadly, as far as the people of Matala are concerned, it was necessary for me to make an example of them in order that you would believe me when I came here to make my demands to you.'

'What have you done?' asked the centurion behind Sempronius.

'I did what was necessary. I had the garrison and townspeople marched out of the city and then I told my men to kill them.'

Sempronius shook his head. 'You're lying.'

'Yes, I thought that would be the reaction. So I brought proof.

Chilo, remove the cover.'

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Chilo edged his horse towards the side of the wagon and grasped one corner of the cover. With a savage heave, he wrenched it away and let it fall to the ground.

A swirling mass of insects rose into the evening air. Sempronius covered his mouth with a hand and stepped back. The nearest of the auxiliaries squinted at the contents of the wagon and then turned to one side to vomit. Ajax watched their reactions with quiet satisfaction as they gazed upon the severed heads heaped on the bed of the wagon.

'That is what is left of the soldiers of the Twelfth Hispania. The rest we left out for the carrion and the dogs.' Ajax turned to the driver of the wagon and pointed at the man chained beside him.

'Release him! Then leave the wagon and get back to the camp.'

'Yes, General,' the driver replied and then ducked down to release the pins that fastened the shackles to the wagon. As soon as he had done that, he roughly pushed the man off the bench and he tumbled on to the ground beside the wagon with a thud and lay there groaning.