“Publico certamine?”
“Public combat. You know, the games that men wager on. That is why you are here.” Galan leaned up against the stone, looking to the yard beyond the window. “Those men out there are seasoned warriors. They are looking to win a purse tonight or, better still, to find a lord who will accept their fealty.”
Cam peered into the flickering light at the men milling about. “Then they’ve been here a long time.”
“Long enough,” Galan said. “But nothing trains a man faster than an actual fight. They will not allownoviciusto be badly injured, but they want to see how you react in a combat situation.”
The more Cam thought about what was to happen, the more nervous he became. “We are not trained tae fight at all,” he said. “None of us much knows what we are doing. And now we are expected tae fight against… againstthosemen?”
Galan nodded.
It was a rapid education for Cam. He supposed if he’d let himself become friends with the other men, he might have been told, but this was the first time he’d heard any of this.
Perhaps a friend like Galan was good to have, after all.
“I am grateful that ye told me this,” he said. “I’ve not had much contact with the other trainees.”
“Who is your trainer?”
“Wendell.”
“Ah,” Galan said. “He is arrogant.”
“Then it is not only me that thinks so.”
Galan snorted. “Nay,” he said. “My trainer is Milo. He is a little better than Wendell. I think he is more patient. Luther is the other trainer. He usually has the men who have been here the longest. He is a fair man.”
“What of the Saxon? Axel?”
“He is fair, also. But do not cross him. He can and will kill you.”
“Ye’ve seen this?”
“Unfortunately.”
As Cam pondered Axel the killer, they began to notice that more men were gathering in the arena, lingering at the edge of the lists and looking down upon the warriors who were milling about in the yard. As he observed the gamblers in the lists, someone emitted a piercing whistle. Everyone turned to see Axel, followed by Clegg, entering the chamber from a heavy oak door toward the back of the room.
The men gathered around.
Clegg, dressed in an elegant cream-colored robe with tanned leather strips around the neckline and sleeves, stepped forward to look at the group of recruits. He was followed by a pair of very big dogs. They followed him closely as he paced a little, inspecting the men before him.
“You have been informed that you are to participate in the combat games tonight,” he finally said. “I realize you’ve not had much preparation for this, but life is full of surprises. Your instincts will dictate your actions against men much more skilled than you are, which will make for an interesting game. It will also help you in your training.”
Cam glanced at Galan, both of them realizing that this “sudden” decision to have the novices participate was not on a whim. It was planned. Galan simply shook his head in disgust as Clegg continued.
“The good news is that not all of you are participating,” he said. “Only some of you have been drawn to fight. Your names have been randomly selected, as have the names of your opponents. I will say this only once, so you will listen—you will fight as best you are able. You will not run. Any man showing cowardice shall be dismissed from the Ludus Caledonia. I do not train cowards. Is this in any way unclear?”
The men listening began to shake their heads with uncertainty. Clegg watched the heads bob side to side as he halted his pacing, looking out over the chamber of men.
“Axel will tell you who you are to fight and how you are to fight,” he said. “Some of you will be in theiustobouts, while one of you will be in aprimusbout. Weapons and armor will be brought out for those of you in theiustobouts and you may make your selections of protection. But theprimusbout will offer no protection, only fists and blunt weapons.”
The men began to look at each other, apprehension on their faces. In the cold, moldering chamber with its stone walls and stone benches, fear was beginning to breed. But how each man handled his fear would separate him from the rest.
And that’s exactly how Clegg had planned it.
“Remember our dictum,” he said. “Hominibus Gloria—in men, there is honor. Fight honorably and win. Fight dishonorably and I will waste no more time on you.”
Without further delay, he turned to Axel, who had a piece of parchment in his hands with the list of those who had been drawn to fight.
