Uptown Local and Other Interventions Read Online Free PDF Page B

played with his toy gladiator, and felt guilty. “We’ll take you down to the trainers’ bay,” he said. “They massage gladiators all day: no way they’ll care that they don’t recognize you. A rubdown, then a hot bath…”
    He headed off, thinking fast, then saw the very last thing he needed—Catharis, looking first sleepy, then surprised. Lucius paid no heed, but didn’t miss the familiar nasty smile. Oh well, what’s one more problem? He turned to the murmillo to ask him the first of a thousand questions, then stopped. “What’re you called?”
     “Whatever my master chooses.”
    Lucius swore under his breath, but as they passed the equipment stall where kit was dropped off for repair, he caught sight of several pairs of caesti , bronze-knuckled boxing gloves. Hmm. “Cestinius,” he said. “‘Lil’ Knucks.’  How does that sound?”
    “Like my name,” said the murmillo , as if there’d never been any doubt.
    “Oh, good.”
    They reached the massage and bath area, and Lucius stuck his head around the door. “Hey, Arcisius! You in here?”
    In a waft of steam, a bathman in a linen kilt emerged from the hot-pool area, wringing out a sodden towel. “Here’s a new guy from the Neronian,” Lucius said. “His trainer’s not here yet, and somebody thought it’d be funny to send him all the way over here for his bath.”
    “Why am I surprised?” said the bathman. “They’re getting back at us for last week, when we sent all those people over to them.” Arcisius peered at the murmillo . “And they made him suit up, too? What a laugh. Go through there, fella; racks for the armor on the left…”
    Lucius watched him go, then said under his breath, “Keep an eye on him, all right? He got a bang on his head a while back; he might seem like he’s not all there…” He slipped a mina into Arcisius’s unresisting hand.
    Arcisius stared at it. “Where’d you get this?”
    “He’s got a patron, and the patron needed an agent. Me. Don’t mention this to anyone, all right? But… This guy’s a good bet for later today.”
    “Freestyles, huh? Got it. Can I mention that to a couple other of the lads? Thanks…”
    He vanished into the bath area. Lucius got back to the beast pens as fast as he could, but Catharis was already there with Mancipuer’s breakfast rolls, looking virtuous as he whispered in the overseer’s ear.
    “You’re late,” Mancipuer said. Ignoring the rolls, he headed for Lucius. Catharis was already grinning. Lucius let the distance close until he could speak quietly, then said, “Sir, my apologies. Someone wanted to… borrow my services.” He did his best to make it sound mysterious.
    “Oh, they did, did they? Well, you can just tell them—”
    Lucius caught his overseer’s hand, pulled it down out of sight of the other slaves and pressed a sestercius into it. If I can cut Lady Venus in, I can cut him in too. Especially considering how much trouble he could make for me otherwise….
    Mancipuer glanced at his hand, then at the other slaves. His other hand grabbed Lucius by the tunic.
    “You were late yesterday, too. The rest of you, back to work! We need to have a little chat.” The other smirked and moved away: that phrase was known code for a serious hiding. Mancipuer dragged him out of sight behind one of the nearby columns, then whispered, “What’s this about?” He slapped the column noisily. “But first, yell !”
    “Ow! Ow ! Master, no!”
    “Keep me waiting, will you? I’ll have your hide off first! Maybe this’ll help you remember!”
    The pantomime went on for a couple of minutes before Mancipuer paused, flapping his hand to ease the sting. “This had better be good,” he said in a low voice, “or it won’t be the column next time.”
    “It is good, sir!  The fix is in! This senator, crimson a hand deep on his toga, he stopped me in the Forum and said he needed an agent no one would suspect. He’s putting a new gladiator into the freestyles