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Boy Gladiators of Capua, Book 2	By : Jake Category: S through Z > Spartacus: Blood and Sand Views: 132 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and make no money from writing stories based on it.

Chapter List
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1. The New Recruit
Some weeks after the praetor's visit, Kaelus was returned to the arena to fight a mystery opponent. This was a highly publicised bout that left not one free seat in the house. Kaelus stood on the sand, his bare, muscled torso glistening with sweat and his gladius held firmly in his right hand. From the entrance opposite him, a figure emerged.
It was a far smaller figure than Kaelus had been expecting, and it was trembling visibly as it stepped into the harsh light of the arena. The crowd's murmur grew into a wave of confusion and shock. Kaelus's opponent was a small boy, clad in armour that was too big for him, and dragging a sword that was too heavy. Kaelus felt his heart sink as he recognised the face of the terrified child.
'Aulus?' Kaelus whispered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd. 'No...'
His eyes widened in horror as he took in the sight of his younger brother standing before him. Aulus looked around the arena in fear and disbelief. His once bright eyes were now clouded with tears, and his small frame seemed dwarfed by the grandeur of the brutal setting.
'Kaelus, I believe you are already acquanited with the newest member of my ludus,' the master called mockingly. 'Why don't you show him the ropes?'
Kaelus's sword shook in his hand as he looked from Aulus to the master. His mind raced, struggling to process the nightmarish reality of the situation. The weight of his promise to protect Aulus, the sacrifices he had made, and the love he held for his brother all collided in a crushing wave of despair.
'No!' Kaelus shouted, his voice breaking with raw anguish. 'This can't be happening!'
The master's expression remained cold and unyielding. 'We don't expect a duel to the death, of course... not this time. Fight him, Kaelus, and make sure you put on a good show for these people, or the consequences will be dire for both of you.'
Kaelus looked at Aulus, his heart breaking at the sight of the child he had sworn to protect. The crowd's roar faded into a distant hum in his ears as he struggled to maintain his composure.
'Aulus, I...' Kaelus's voice cracked, and he choked on his words. 'I'm so sorry. You'll have to... I mean, we'll have to... I mean, I'll have to...'
Aulus stood frozen, his eyes filled with confusion and fear, unable to grasp the situation fully but understanding enough to know that there was much at stake for both of them. The master's patience was wearing thin.
'Fight now,' he ordered, 'or these good people will get what they came for in a different way – a way that will inflict unforgettable harm upon you, Kaelus.'
Kaelus's gaze was locked on Aulus. He could see the desperation and terror in his brother's eyes, mirroring his own anguish.
'I... I can't hurt you,' Kaelus said. 'I won't.'
With sudden resolution, Kaelus threw his weapon to the ground. He walked slowly towards Aulus, his movements deliberate. The crowd's cheers turned into a cacophony of confusion and disappointment. The master's anger was palpable as he watched the defiance unfold.
Kaelus reached Aulus, dropping to his knees in front of him. He looked at his brother with tear-filled eyes, his hands reaching out to grasp Aulus's. The arena fell into a stunned silence.
'I won't fight him!' Kaelus declared. 'I won't harm my brother! No matter what you do to me, I'll never hurt him.'
The master's face reddened with fury, but the sight of Kaelus and Aulus in their desperation began to shift the mood of the crowd. Whispers and murmurs filled the air as the audience processed the dramatic turn of events. Some of them even started calling for both boys to be released there and then, not only from the arena but also from slavery itself.
But the master was certain that they would change their minds once he had given them the show they had come to see. With a sharp, commanding gesture, he signalled for the guards. Two heavily armoured men strode into the arena, their faces set in grim determination. They approached Kaelus and Aulus.
'You've chosen your path, Kaelus,' the master's voice rang out. 'And now you will face the consequences.'
Kaelus looked up at the master, his heart pounding. He knew that his punishment would be severe, perhaps even fatal. But no part of him was tempted to capitulate. He tightened his grip on Aulus's hands, trying to offer some measure of comfort to his brother.
The guards moved swiftly, separating Aulus from Kaelus and dragging the small boy away to a corner of the arena. Aulus's terrified eyes never left Kaelus's own. The sight of his brother being taken from him was almost more than Kaelus could bear.
Kaelus was ordered to remain on his knees and clasp his hands behind his head. The master then decreed that he would be subjected to a relentless series of lashes with a whip, not only on his back but also on his chest and abdomen. Kaelus was well aware of the extreme and unremitting pain that awaited him, not to mention the danger of serious injury or even death, but his only regret in that moment was that Aulus would be forced to witness his suffering.
A guard carried out the order with mechanical efficiency, each crack of the coarse rope echoing through the silent arena. Kaelus gritted his teeth, his body tensing with every strike. The pain was excruciating, but he bore it with a stoic resolve, determined not to show any weakness.
The lashes cut through Kaelus's flesh, leaving red welts across his muscled torso, each one a mark of his defiance. The crowd continued to watch in grim silence, their earlier excitement replaced by a sombre respect for the young gladiator's bravery.
Kaelus's gaze shifted to Aulus, who was watching, horror-stricken, from the corner of the arena. The sight of his younger brother's terrified face, and the knowledge that he could not protect him, were profound sources of anguish. But Kaelus's resolve remained firm, even as the physical pain threatened to overwhelm him.
The punishment continued unabated; Kaelus found himself struggling to remember what it had been like not to feel the continual sting of the whip. He was acutely aware of the agonising sensations of his flesh being torn open repeatedly and ragged chunks being ripped from the underlying muscle tissue, combined with the sickening feeling of his blood being spilled from his body.
The sound of the whip cracking through the air now melded with the relentless thudding of his own heartbeat, each pulse sending fresh spikes of pain radiating through his entire being. The sweat that soaked his skin mingled with his blood, making his body slick and his grip on consciousness tenuous. The torment felt endless, an eternal cycle of agony that threatened to consume him.
The pain was relentless, a constant reminder of his helplessness and of the overwhelming cruelty of those who held power over him. He could feel his strength ebbing away with every drop of blood that poured from his wounds. But somewhere deep within him, a stubborn flicker of defiance remained, refusing to be extinguished despite the overwhelming odds. It was this that kept him clinging on to consciousness.
The world around him began to blur, the edges of his vision darkening, his body teetering on the brink of collapse. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth; he was not sure if this was from biting his tongue, or the result of some deeper internal injury. Not for the first time in his young life, Kaelus accepted the very real possibility that he was about to die.
Finally, jarringly, the punishment came to an end. Kaelus was left lying on the sand, his entire torso covered in blood. The master approached him, his expression a mix of satisfaction and disdain.
'This is the price of defiance,' he said coldly. 'You will be confined to the cells for one week, and upon your release you will be expected to obey my orders – any orders – without hesitation. If I command you to strike down your brother where he stands, you will do it! Consider this your lesson in obedience.'
Kaelus lay there, barely conscious, his body wracked with pain. The master's cold words pierced through the haze of agony. The crowd's silence felt heavy, as if the very air were thick with the weight of Kaelus's suffering. His blood mingled with the sand, a stark reminder of what had been taken from him as a result of his refusal to carry out an order that was impossible to obey.
Aulus's terrified eyes were locked onto the disfigured form of his brother, the fear in them a mirror of Kaelus's own unspoken anguish. The small boy's expression was one of helpless horror, a sight that twisted the knife of Kaelus's pain still further.
The guards dragged Kaelus away, his broken body barely able to support itself. The crowd, though stunned by the brutality, began to disperse, their excitement (and, in some cases, sympathy) replaced by a quiet acceptance of the harsh realities of the arena.
Kaelus was hauled through the ludus, his feet dragging on the floor, the pain of the lashes and the sheer volume of his blood loss making it almost impossible for him to stay conscious. His mind was a whirl of thoughts – thoughts of Aulus, of his own defiance, and of the hope that his sacrifice, in the end, might mean something.
Tarin and Lykos stared in horror at the sight of their friend, tears pricking at the eyes of both boys. Tarin reached for Lykos's hand; Lykos grasped the proffered apendage and held on to it tightly.
As the guards hurled him into the cold, dark cell, Kaelus's vision blurred. The iron door slammed shut behind him with a finality that echoed through the empty space. Alone, Kaelus slumped to the ground, every movement sending waves of pain through his bleeding, mutilated body.
The cell contained no furniture of any description. A small window high up on the wall let in a sliver of sunlight, casting a beam across the hard stone floor, where a wooden post protruded from between two of the flags.
Kaelus endured his agony with a quiet resolve. The physical pain was intense, but his spirit remained intact. The brutal flogging had not broken his will, and the hope of building a new life with Aulus remained a guiding light through the darkness of his continuing ordeal.
Aulus himself was shown to his new quarters, his eyes filled with tears and his heart heavy with the weight of what had transpired. The master's punishment had been severe, but it had also reaffirmed the unbreakable bond between the two brothers.
Night had fallen; the sliver of light in Kaelus's cell was now being cast by the moon. Kaelus himself, still battered and broken from his savage punishment, lay slumped on the floor, his body wracked with pain. His mind was overpowered by the image of Aulus being dragged away from him.
The cell door creaked open and the master appeared, flanked by two guards. His eyes were cold and indifferent as he looked at Kaelus, whose heart sank at the sight.
'Bring the boy,' the master ordered grimly.
Kaelus's breath caught in his throat as the guards dragged Aulus, who was now wearing only a loincloth, into the cell. The boy's small frame was trembling, his face pale and tear-streaked. He was led with a rough hand to the centre of the room, his eyes darting around in fear.
The sight of his brother's terror deepened Kaelus's anguish. The master's expression remained unyielding as he approached Aulus. A blood-stained rope – the whip that had been used on Kaelus earlier – was now coiled in his hands.
'No!' Kaelus shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. 'Please, not him! He's just a child!'
'You have already learned the consequences of your defiance,' the master intoned. 'Now he will learn them also. I told you that they would be dire for both of you. Perhaps you thought I did not mean it. If so, you were wrong.'
Kaelus struggled to his feet, his hands outstretched in a futile attempt to reach Aulus. One of the guards restrained him in an iron grip. Kaelus's pleas grew more frantic as the master prepared to administer the punishment.
'Aulus, I'm so sorry!' Kaelus cried. 'Please, I'll do anything – just stop!'
The master signalled to the remaining guard, who secured Aulus roughly to the wooden post in the cell. Aulus's small body quivered with each tight pull of the ropes, tears pouring down his cheeks. Kaelus let out a primal scream of despair.
The whip cracked through the air; Aulus's agonised cry was a piercing, heart-wrenching sound that echoed off the walls. The first lash was brutal, leaving a bright red mark across the boy's back. Each subsequent strike brought a new wave of anguish for both brothers.
Aulus's screams of agony were too much for Kaelus to bear. His cries became hoarse, his own pain now utterly overshadowed by the torment that was being inflicted on his brother. He was struck by the horrifying realisation that if this punishment turned out to be even half so brutal as his own, Aulus would certainly not survive the experience.
The master's grim expression remained unchanged as he administered the lashes. The whipping was relentless; Aulus was soon bleeding heavily and struggling to stay on his feet.
'You're killing him!' Kaelus screamed. 'You really are killing him! Please, kill me instead! I don't care, I don't care! Just leave Aulus alone!'
Suddenly, the whipping stopped. Aulus was left trembling and battered, his back covered in red welts and dripping with blood. The guard unbound him carelessly and he collapsed to the floor, his sobs muffled by the crippling pain that threatened to overwhelm him.
Kaelus was released from the guard's crushing grip. He crawled to Aulus's side, his hands trembling as he cradled his younger brother. Tears streamed down his face as he held Aulus close, his own pain a distant echo compared to his brother's suffering.
'I'm so sorry,' Kaelus whispered through his tears. 'I'm sorry, Aulus. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to you.'
Aulus's eyes, though clouded with pain, looked up at Kaelus with a fragile trust. He smiled, weakly but reassuringly. Kaelus howled in anguish.
The master's cold voice broke the silence. 'Kaelus, if you ever defy me again – in any way – you will instantly be killed. Hmm, no, not instantly. First you will watch as your brother is killed – slowly – and then you will join him.'
'Kill me now!' Kaelus wept. 'Please, kill me now! Kill me now and let Aulus go free, I beg you!'
'You are in no position to bargain with me,' the master sneered. 'I shall not kill you now, Kaelus, because I do not choose to – your life is for me to give or take! But I want you to remember that you have become expendable. I don't need you to entertain my guests anymore – your two young friends have proven themselves more than capable of that. Who knows, if you do defy me again, perhaps I might decide to kill you instantly after all, and use Aulus as the third member of Lykos and Tarin's troupe. Yes, I think the three of them would look good together up on that stage. What do you think, Kaelus?'
Kaelus threw up. The sheer horror and revulsion he felt at such a prospect, combined with his overwhelming sense of helplessness, had manifested as a visceral physical response. The discharge was mainly bile, laced with long streaks of blood, evidence of the brutal toll his body had taken earlier that day. With a cruel laugh, the master left the cell, followed by the two guards. The door slammed shut behind them.
Kaelus was left alone with Aulus, their shared agony a heavy burden in the oppressive darkness. As the brothers huddled close together, the cell became a place of profound grief, but also of unspoken resolve. Despite the cruelty and suffering they had endured, their bond remained a beacon of hope in their darkest hour.
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Boy Gladiators of Capua, Book 2