The Chariots Slave (17 page)

“Thaddius!” Calista screamed as she ran to him, trying to
gain his attention. In his single-mindedness he ignored the
girl and walked right past her.

“Oh Thaddius, I am glad you are safe!” Calista once again
tried feigning concern.
Much to Thaddius’s relief he saw Acestes out of the
corner of his eye. The man was instructing one of the other
slaves.
“Acestes!” Thaddius called out.
“Yes Dominus.”
“See that Calista and Guya return home. And while you
are in town, inquire about purchasing another driver.”
Thaddius did not stop to hear Acestes’s reply but maintained
his rapid pace toward the trigarium.
“But Thaddius.…” Calista cried.
“No buts. I am far too busy to entertain you and Guya.
When the tournament is over and I am victor, we can discuss
our wedding arrangements.”
“Our wedding?” As the words escaped her lips, she
faltered in her step.
“Yes, you will be my bride!” He called over his shoulder
as he continued his focus march to the trigarium.
Calista raised her hand to her forehead; her eyes rolled to
the sides, blackness filled her sight, and she fell backwards to
the ground.



“Thaddius, the girl has fainted!” Acestes yelled after him.
But Thaddius did not stop. He waved his hand in disregard

and continued his march. When he came to the hill
overlooking the trigarium, he took in a deep breath before
heading down to the circus.

The drivers were diligently coaxing their horses around
the track, yet despite their best efforts, he could already see at
least four mistakes each had made. “No, no, no! Do not lean
against the turns!” he yelled as one of the chariots whipped
past him. “Trust your lead horse. If you don’t trust them, then
how do you expect the other horses to?”

Thaddius ran out into the middle of the track. This sudden
move forced one of the drivers to pull back on his reins in a
desperate bid to avoid Thaddius. The cart and horses swerved
to a stop and spread a cloak of dust over Thaddius.

“Do you see what you do? Through the turns the horses
lean away from the lead instead of into it. Give more slack to
the reins and they will learn to trust you!” He slapped the rear
of the lead horse which sent the team into a quick jaunt. “Try
my instruction through the next turn!” he shouted after them.

The hours went by painfully slow. The men were learning,
but at a more deliberate pace than Thaddius would have
liked.

“Keep your feet planted!” he yelled as one of the chariots
drove past.
“Thaddius!” a voice called out. Thaddius turned to see
Acestes running toward him as fast as his old legs could
manage. Acestes opened his mouth to speak. But by the look
on his face, Thaddius already knew it was bad news, and he
dreaded hearing any more bad news at the moment.
“Not now Acestes!”



“You need to listen to me.”
Thaddius tilted his head toward Acestes and rolled his

eyes.
“The first race of the Grande Maximus starts at high
noon!” Acestes panted, still worked up from his run to
Thaddius.
“What are you talking about? We still have three weeks.”
Thaddius shook his head in exasperation as he turned from
him and back to watching his drivers.
Acestes stood in front of Thaddius, blocking his view of
the track and drivers. “No, it is today! We have been isolated
in this villa over the last week and have almost missed the
change. Barachius must have pressed Emperor Caligula to
move the starting date forward. I assure you this is no
accident. He wants to disqualify your drivers from entering.”
“How could he even do that?” Thaddius asked, as he
tapped his foot and tried to calm the panic that grew within
his chest.
“The Emperor favors the greens. No doubt Barachius used
that to his advantage,” Acestes explained.
“But my drivers are not ready.” Thaddius huffed in
exasperation as he threw his hands in the air and then pointed
to the men on the track. “They can barely make it around an
empty track let alone one with other drivers.,” he paused to
think over his options.
They had to try to make it in time for the first race or the
blues would be ineligible for the remainder of the
tournament. Of course, he couldn’t even be sure if his drivers
would make it to the next round. As far as he could tell, he
had only one option.
“I will also compete!”



“Jupiter’s cock! Are you an idiot? That is not an option.”
Acestes slammed his fist into his hand.
“Do not address me as though you are an equal. You may
have advised my father, but to me you are but another slave.
If I do not compete and we lose, then Barachius will own
you, and you will have no voice!”
Thaddius ran out onto the track once more, waving his
arms, directing the chariots to stop. As the drivers tried to
guide their chariots to a halt, they narrowly missed ramming
each other. Thaddius hung his head in his hands and said a
quick prayer. They were going to need more than luck to help
them now.
“Water your horses and ready them for a race. The first
stage of the tournament has been moved to high noon. Today,
we will see which of you will be worthy of the title
charioteer.”

Acestes cleared his throat. “You want the girl to attend to
the horse at the tournament or before?” he asked trying to
clarify Thaddius’s request. The hint of judgment in Acestes
words brought Thaddius from a focused mind to one of
frustration.

“She comes to the tournament. There will be no arguing
about this!”
Vettius tried to hide his smile, but his efforts were not
enough, and Thaddius caught sight of it. This, in turn, caused
a reaction he had not expected as laughter welled up within
him and threatened to spill forth. Thaddius turned his head
before either man saw his smile and covered his mouth to
stifle the rising need to laugh.
Sometimes, Acestes constant need to belittle became more
than frustrating—it became amusing. At least they could give
him credit for being a determined old man.

As Thaddius made his way to Simeon’s tent, his humorous
mood dissolved. When the tent came into sight, he realized
he had not yet thought of what to say. Spur of the moment
apologies were difficult for him. He had to choose his words
carefully.

When he spoke his rehearsed apology, he did so pacing
back and forth before the tent. He couldn’t help but worry
about the afternoon race. It would be the first time he would
race for a reason other than for sport. The worry clouded his
memory, and he wound up stuttering his apology and having
to start over.

“For the gods sakes, Thaddius, get in here. How many
times can you blunder one simple apology? You’re forgiven
already!” Simeon yelled from within the tent.

A grim smile crept over Thaddius’s face, and he shook his
head at the kindness of his friend. Simeon had no reason to
forgive him. In fact, if the table were turned, Thaddius would
have made him suffer longer. Thankfully, Simeon was not
like Thaddius.

Making his way into the tent, he noticed how his steps
seemed lighter. Simeon had taken a great weight off his
shoulders. Knowing they could once again be friends made
Thaddius feel invincible.

When his hand felt the scratchy grain of the tent fabric, he
paused, remembering the hurt he had felt the last time he was
here. But he couldn’t dwell on that now. He needed Simeon,
and that was all that mattered.

The medicos stood over Simeon’s back expertly stitching
together Simeon’s exposed flesh. Upon seeing this, Thaddius
faltered in his light step.



“What is this?” he asked.
“Some of my wounds will not close so the medicos has

decided to fasten my flesh together” Simeon grit his teeth
every time the medicos penetrated his wound with the needle.
A wave of guilt washed over Thaddius. He and he alone
had forced this foul punishment on his dearest friend. And yet
Simeon chose to forgive what still brought him pain. He was
a good man, better than Thaddius could ever dream of being.
The medicos looked over and noticed Thaddius’s pale

face. “I am almost finished, fret not!”
“I can’t remember the last time you apologized to me,”
Simeon joked, hoping to distract Thaddius.
“Even while undergoing torture you still jest!” Thaddius
grinned as he walked over to face Simeon.“Simeon… I know
we just, somehow, came back on good terms. But….”
“You need my help?” Simeon cut in.
Feeling no need to lie to his friend after all he had put him
through, Thaddius did what was often hard for him to do—he
spoke honestly.
“Yes, the first race of the Grande Maximus was moved to
today. And I have never raced without you on the sidelines.
And of course, it just doesn’t seem right. Do you feel up to
coming?” Thaddius watched as Simeon thought over his
words.
“Was your apology sincere, or for the purpose of
convincing me to come?” he asked.
“Honestly? Both. I wanted to apologize to you a few days
ago and was on my way here when I got, uh… distracted. I
didn’t want to ask you to come without the apology you
deserved.”
When Thaddius saw Simeon nod, he knew he had won



him over. “I would hug you, but I do not want to bring you
more pain.”

“Thaddius, do you know why I asked the medicos to sew
my wounds?” he asked, taking the tone from jovial to a more
serious note.

“I cannot say I do,” Thaddius replied as he watched his
friend, wondering what he was about to reveal.
“My father had already informed me about the race, and I
wanted to attend for your sake,” Simeon confessed.
“After all I have done?” With his hands shaking Thaddius
reached up and brushed back his hair. His eyes darted from
one object to another as he tried to avoid Simeon’s
penetrating gaze. What on earth would possess him to
willingly attend without first having been given an apology?
“I don’t understand,” Thaddius stuttered as he worked
over every possible reason in his head.
“Do not be foolish Thaddius. I forgave you a long time
ago. Yes, I said hurtful things that first night, but I was
furious with you. I may be wounded, but I am not dead, and
my love for you has survived my lashings intact. We are
brothers, Thad!” Simeon pulled down his cloak and struggled
to stand.
The medicos steadied his movements until he was
satisfied that Simeon would not fall over.
“That said, I have not forgotten your actions. And while I
love you, it will take a long time for my trust to rebuild.”
“That is but fair,” Thaddius admitted before offering his
arm to his friend. “Come Simeon, enough of this emotional
talk, we have a race to get to.”
The two slowly made their way to the trigarium where two
carts, three chariots with the teams already hitched, and a



group of people waited. The carts had been painted blue and
the horses decorated with blue ribbons, all in honor of his
team.

Thaddius caught sight of Sellah as she held fast to
Diana’s reins. He noted how closely she was also observing
them. Every time Simeon flinched from the pain, Sellah did
as well. She did not like seeing him in such a state.

Thaddius called out instructions. “Vettius, Simeon, and
Sellah will ride with me. Place the drivers and their
attendants in the other cart!” He couldn’t help but notice the
awkward exchange between Sellah and Simeon when hearing
his orders. The look that passed between them reminded him
of the night he had come upon them in the tent.

Emotions threatened to erupt once more, but he forced
them back down.
“Congratulations on your betrothal, Dominus,” Vettius
said.
Thaddius watched her as she stared wide-eyed at him
before turning her head and hiding it in Diana’s snout.
“You are betrothed, brother?” Simeon shouted in
excitement as he patted Thaddius on the back. “This is good
news! Who is the lucky lady?” he asked as he studied
Thaddius’s angered face with confusion.
When he failed to answer, Simeon looked between
Thaddius and his father, hoping to find understanding. “Have
I upset you?” he asked.
Vettius cut in to explain. “Simeon, Thaddius has offered
Calista his hand in marriage.”
“The girl from the auction? I really have missed a lot. No
matter. You can tell me everything on the ride over.” Simeon
smiled as he hobbled over to the cart.