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The two men burst into laughter.

Claudia applauded nervously when Gia stepped out to face the Roman gladiatrix, Livia, attempting to assemble her expression into a normal arrangement of empress-watching-her-guard-fight.

As a native Roman, Livia had considerable advantage with the home crowd. She already had her supporters here in the capital city, people who waved her flag and chanted her name, but this support could only be a good thing, if Claudia was to enact the change she dreamed of.

They each took turns to salute her.

When Gia met her eye, Claudia felt the heady squeeze of all of the tension and longing between them, making her happy and sad, comforted and distressed, everything in one.

A sudden throb of panic clutched at her heart – a cold, clammy feeling that sank deep into her guts.

Something bad was going to happen.

‘Go, Viatrix!’ said Athena.

She wore Dominic’s gladiator helmet as part of her costume. It was far too big, falling down over her eyes.

Gia hadn’t fought properly since the day she killed her mentor, Cyrus, though Claudia knew she’d trained several times with the girls from the new Ludus Victoria. She was taller than Livia by almost half a foot, but as soon as the horn sounded, the smaller girl lashed out in a vicious frenzy that had Gia defending immediately.

Their delicate grunts echoed across the circuit, in the centre of the racing track.

‘Remember what I told you, about being small,’ said Dominic.

‘I don’t care any more; I just want Gia to win!’ wailed Athena.

The two girls were sparring, bantering back and forth, but Claudia was too far away to hear what was being said. From the look on Gia’s face, it was a friendly fight between two respectful competitors, though Livia had a wildness about her, a ferocity that made Claudia anxious.

She was suddenly fearful that Gia might become injured, with the way Livia whirled her sword like a toothpick. Her heart pounded when their swords began to clash, wiping her clammy palms on the folds of her robes. The bad feeling intensified, becoming thick and solid.

But once Gia found her rhythm, Claudia remembered why she enjoyed watching her fight so much. It was the most fluid of dances, arcing and flowing like moving waters, yet Gia was always purposeful, always dynamic, her muscles flexing as she defended a hit.

While previously she’d worn her braid loose, now it was tied up in a tight knot at the back of her head. Claudia felt a wave of desire, but the collective gasps from the Circus Maximus kept her drawn to the action.

Unlike her opponent, Gia still chose to fight without a shield, making her lighter and faster, but leaving her open to attack. One close call saw Livia’s blade skim past her shoulder as she ducked away. Another hit grazed the smooth skin on Gia’s thigh. Claudia clutched her hands to her face, regretting telling Gia she didn’t need luck.

Athena pulled her robes up over her head. Dominic was talking to himself, narrating Gia’s next move as Cyrus had once done. Cassius used some words Athena had surely never heard before, and one that was new to Claudia too. She exhaled noisily when the flow of the battle returned to Gia’s favour, her attack causing Livia to stumble and retreat.

When Gia went down, falling awkwardly, Claudia got to her feet. Though she tried to keep her composure, she couldn’t prevent herself from crying out, her hands clutched together in prayer.

Gia scrambled upright, limping slightly, and struck out until Livia tired. With a thrashing tumble of limbs, Gia had Livia pinned to the ground, the tip of her sword to Livia’s throat as the referee counted down, poised in the moment of the final strike.

There was something unexpectedly intimate about the pose, their eyes locked together, their bodies touching in a dozen different places, as if they were fused together.

It reminded Claudia of when Gia taught her to fight, and how she’d tripped them on purpose to get closer to her. She was relieved when they broke apart.

‘Viatrix the Victorious is the winner!’ called the referee, hoisting Gia’s arm into the air.

Claudia exhaled, clutching her chest. ‘Thank goddess.’

The audience exploded into cheers of success and defeat, depending on which fighter they’d made bets on. Athena jumped up and screamed, as did Cassius, while Claudia put her fingers in her mouth to whistle in a most un-empress-like way.

Livia threw down her shield in frustration, only to pick it up moments later and go back to shake Gia’s hand.

Claudia was too far away to present her with a wreath, or even give congratulations, watching Gia disappear into the bellows beneath them.

‘I think you may be on to something here,’ said Darius.

‘Sorry?’ said Claudia, startled by his sudden presence at her side.