Velia spent the rest of the day watching Ferox train Achilles. The incident with the graffiti seemed to have thoroughly intimidated the novice, and Achilles surveyed him with a wary combination of fear and respect.
Ferox was a brusque, unforgiving, and relentless trainer. He pushed the novice hard, so hard Velia began to worry. They began with strength exercises, then Ferox spent some time coaching Achilles on sword maneuvers against a wooden post as an opponent, then moved onto running.
“Are you sure you’re not going too fast?” she couldn’t help asking at one point. Achilles seemed nearly on the verge of collapse after running laps around the training ground. “It’s only the first day. What if he leaves?” Then she’d be back to zero, and she already owed Lucullus money for Achilles’s housing and food, even if only for a day. What if she couldn’t find another suitable recruit in time for the games?
Ferox cast her a dispassionate glance. “Let him leave. If he flees after one hard day, he was never going to make a success of himself for you. Better for him to know what he’s getting himself into from the start.”
“If you say so,” she replied uncertainly. Achilles had dropped onto a nearby bench, breathing hard, his forehead dripping with sweat.
Ferox’s dark gaze lingered on her. “You hired me to train him, Velia. Let me train him.”
Hearing her name in his gravelly voice made her stomach quiver and flip. Heat flooded her. If she’d been on her parents’ farm and encountered a man who intrigued her as much as Ferox did, she wouldn’t have hesitated to use her charms to entice him into a hasty encounter in the hayloft or a secluded corner of the orchard.
Men were so easy to enrapture. All it took was a saucy smile, a suggestive comment, a hand on the chest, and she could take what she wanted from them.
Those days were behind her. She was different now. She had a life that made her happy, a goal for the future that filled her with purpose. She didn’t need the thrill of an illicit tumble to distract her from everything she lacked.
Besides, Ferox was the one man she definitely shouldn’t take liberties with. Ferox’s expertise and training were essential to Achilles’s success. If things went badly between them, it could ruin everything.
But there was something about him she couldn’t easily ignore. In the past, she didn’t reallythinkabout the boys she desired for longer than it took to figure out if she wanted to tumble them and how she might accomplish that. Ferox, however, had been lurking in her thoughts since she met him.
Her mind was full of questions about him. Why had he left the ludus? Why had it taken such an outlandish offer to get him to return? Was there anything to the way she occasionally caught him glancing toward her as he worked with Achilles? Was it just annoyance at being supervised, or…
Ferox marched forward to haul Achilles to his feet. Though the men were matched in height, Ferox handled the lanky novice as easily as if he were Velia’s size. Ferox thrust a blunt sword into his hand and shoved him toward the wooden posts on which gladiators practiced swordplay.
Velia tried not to notice the way Ferox’s muscles bulged and rippled, tried not to imagine him handling her in that rough, domineering manner.
Her days of indulging in such pleasures were long past, she decreed regretfully to herself. Ferox was her trainer, not her plaything, and she had to remain focused on her goal.
5
ToVelia’srelief,Achillesdidn’t leave. A week of rigorous training passed. Velia thought she could already see new muscles forming on the novice’s body. He was learning the basics of combat, though Ferox seemed to be focusing more on general exercises like running and lifting stone weights to build strength. Ferox was a thorough, if relentless, teacher.
Once she was sure Achilles wouldn’t abandon her, she met with Oppius, the official in charge of booking gladiators for the upcoming games. The middle-aged man had an office, but Velia knew he would more likely be found at one of three taverns nearby. He wasn’t at the first one, but she found him at the second, tucked into a corner with a jug of wine on the table before him. Another man sat at the small table across from him, and Velia recognized him as the manager of another ludus. Oppius must be busy as the games approached, and Velia hoped there would still be space for Achilles in the roster.
Velia lurked off to the side, waiting patiently for the conversation to finish. As soon as the other man vacated his stool, Velia swooped in.
“Velia,” Oppius greeted her as he topped up his wine cup. “I thought everything was already settled with Lucullus. I’ve got all your men on the schedule.”
“I have one more for you,” she said. “A new recruit. His name is Achilles. Surely there’s another novice you can pair him up with. You know how much the crowd loves a fresh face.” Matches between novices were always of great interest to the audience; everyone wanted to predict who the next favorite would be and declare they’d supported him from his very first match.
Oppius considered. “I might be able to squeeze him in.”
“You’re going to want to.” Velia leaned forward. “I have three reasons for you. Firstly, his hair is the most blinding shade of red you’ve ever seen. Hurts your eyes to look at. It’sverydistinctive. People will love it.”
Oppius looked unimpressed, so she plowed on with her second reason. “Also, he’s left-handed. Quite rare, isn’t it? Once he’s trained up, that alone will give him an edge over nearly everyone.”
Oppius lifted his wine cup to his lips.
“And speaking of training…” Velia allowed her lips to curve into an anticipatory smile. “I’ve gotten Ferox to train him.”
“Really?” Finally, interest sparked in Oppius’s gaze, and he set down his cup. “Ferox is training him? I heard Lucullus managed to get him back…”
Velia nodded, feeling absurdly proud of herself. “They’ve been working from sunup to sundown.”
“That is interesting,” Oppius murmured. “Can the best gladiator in the city turn an absolute novice into a serviceable fighter in a matter of weeks? Everyone will want to find out.”
“Oh, he can,” Velia assured. “So, you’ll take him?”
