Gladiator Bear's Battle (Shift In Time 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the quality of our gladiators and the high standards of our hospitality.”
    “And how may we aid in this?” Julius Augustinus queried, leaning forward.
    The eagerness on his face would have been comical if Kiya didn’t know there was a shrewd tactician underneath that mask.
    “Well, having visited your home now, I feel I could ask you for a great favor. Would it be in your interest to put together an evening for the Senators and myself, complete with fights amongst your men, wine, and of course, women? I do not wish to alarm a lady’s ears, but my contemporaries are men with great hunger. In more ways than one,” the young Senator said, passing a look at Kiya that threatened to bring tears to her eyes.
    She knew what that look meant. If that evening were to happen, she would not be safe. As soon as Julius Augustinus broke into a wide smile, Kiya knew that her fate was sealed. And so did the Senator. Even if she was not offered up freely, he would find her, and no one would deny one of the most powerful men in the empire a simple slave girl.
    “But Senator, it would be a blessing to our house! We would like nothing better than to give the revered servants of the empire a night to remember! You may count on us. We will not disappoint,” he said, stressing the words so no one could question his determination.
    “Excellent! I saw your bear in the arena. I think he would please the Senators immensely. Please use him as well for the evening. Beast gladiators are so rare in the more civilized corners of the empire these days that having one here would be a true treat.”
    Now the grin Julius Augustinus wore took a much more sinister shade to it.
    “I have just the right spectacle in mind, Senator. Your wishes shall all be fulfilled.”
    Kiya’s stomach dropped. Like with the flick of a wrist, the happy anticipation within her was trampled and destroyed and all that was left was a dark, growing sense of dread.
     

CHAPTER SIX
    Kiya
     
    Gods, keep my wits about me.
    Kiya walked down the long, narrow corridors with the healer hood drawn over her head. She hadn’t been down in the gladiator dormitories since her first visit with Erden, but she knew she had to see him again. It was worth the risk of getting caught. It had to be.
    Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweaty as she held onto the small tray of salves and lotions the healers tended to carry. This time,she had brought some special salves as well, recipes passed down in her family and unknown to the Romans. She knew Erden had to be almost completely healed—she had seen him practice that day—but she wanted to give him a token of her appreciation. Something to give her an excuse to see him, other than the mounting fear within her that led her to foolishness.
    “What do you want, healer?” the guard demanded gruffly, standing outside of Erden’s quarters.
    He was lucky to have his own room. Only the finest of the fighters were given any privacy and Erden was one of the few in the ludus to be afforded that luxury. Kiya didn’t say a word, but fished around in her robes for the small sealed jug that she had brought for just this occasion. She passed it to the guard, who looked at it questioningly for a moment before accepting it.
    She breathed out a sigh of relief in the darkened halls as he motioned for her to knock on the door. It had all been Lucia’s plan, both how Kiya had gotten into the dormitories the first time and now as well. Lucia knew a few of the servants who worked in the dormitories and how the healers came and went after big fights. The first time it had been a simple case of bribing the regular healer and letting Kiya take her place, but now, the stakes were higher.
    Lucia had spent a lot of time trying to dissuade Kiya from her foolhardy plan, but she couldn’t be swayed. Something within her told her that she had to see Erden again, to talk to him. It would be the only way to silence the nagging feeling that she was walking into