Emperor: The Gates of Rome E#1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

angle and the crowd scattered as it soared toward them. One boy was slower than the rest, and when the discus hit and skipped, it caught him in the side with a thump, even as he tried to dodge. He fell winded, and groaned as Tani ran up to his side.
"Good stop, lad. Are you all right?"
The boy nodded, clambering to his feet but still holding his side in pain. Tani patted him on the shoulder, stooping smoothly to pick up the fallen discus. He returned to his spot to throw again.
"Anyone racing horses today?" Marcus asked.
A few turned and weighed him up, casting gazes at the sturdy little pony Tubruk had chosen for him.
"Not so far. We came to watch the wrestling, but it finished an hour ago." The speaker indicated a trampled space nearby where a square had been marked out on the grassy ground. A few men and women stood in clusters nearby, talking and eating.
"I can wrestle," Gaius broke in quickly, his face lighting up. "We could have our own competition."
The group murmured interest. "Pairs?"
"All at once—last one standing is the winner?" Gaius replied. "We need a prize, though. How about we all put in what money we have and last one standing takes the collection?"
The boys in the crowd discussed this and many began to search in their tunics for coins, giving them to the largest, who walked with confidence as the pile of coins grew in his hands.
"I'm Petronius. There's about twenty quadrantes here. How much have you got?"
"Any coins, Marcus? I have a couple of bronze bits." Gaius added them to the boy's handful and Marcus added three more.
Petronius smiled as he counted again. "A fair collection. Now, as I'm taking part, I'll need someone to hold it for me until I win." He grinned at the two newcomers.
"I'll hold it for you, Petronius," a girl said, accepting the coins into her smaller hands.
"My sister, Lavia," he explained.
She winked at Gaius and Marcus, a smaller but still stocky version of her brother.
Chatting cheerfully, the group made their way over to the marked square, and only a few remained on the outside to watch. Gaius counted seven other boys in addition to Petronius, who began limbering up confidently.
"What rules?" Gaius said as he stretched his own legs and back.
Petronius gathered the group together with a gesture. "No punching. If you land on your back, you are out. All right?"
The boys agreed grimly, the mood becoming hostile as they eyed each other.
Lavia spoke from the side: "I'll call start. All ready?"
The contestants nodded. Gaius noted that a few other people were wandering over, always ready to view or bet on a contest in whatever form. The air smelled cleanly of grass and he felt full of life. He scuffed his feet and remembered what Tubruk had said about the soil. Roman earth, fed with the blood and bones of his ancestors. It felt strong under his feet and he set himself. The moment seemed to hold, and nearby he could see Tani the discus champion spin and release again, his discus flying high and straight over the Campus Martius. The sun was reddening as it sank, giving a warm cast to the tense boys in the square.
"Begin!" Lavia shouted.
Gaius dropped to one knee, spoiling a lunge that went over his head. He shoved up then, with all the strength of his thighs, taking another boy off his feet and leaving him flat on the dusty grass. As Gaius rose, he was hammered from the side, but spun as he fell so that his unknown attacker hit the ground first, with Gaius's weight knocking the wind from him.
Marcus was locked in a grip with Petronius, their hands tight on each other's armpits and shoulders. Another struggling combatant was shoved blindly into Petronius and the pair fell roughly, but Gaius's moment of inattention was punished by an arm circling his neck from behind and tightening on his windpipe. He kicked out backward and raked his sandals down someone's shin, hacking back with an elbow at the same time. He felt the grip loosen but then they were both sent sprawling by a knot of fighting boys.