Page 15 of City of Secrets and Shadows
As the crowd’s attention turned to the next match, I made my way to where Livia waited, collecting our betting winnings from a sullen-faced man who clearly resented paying out.
“That was quick,” she said, a hint of a smile playing at her lips.
“No need to draw it out.” I wiped blood from my knuckles. “Did we get enough?”
She nodded, her fingers briefly brushing mine as she showed me the coins. “More than expected. Enough for a week if we’re frugal.”
Relief washed through me, followed immediately by renewed tension as Tarshi joined us. His face showed no strain from the fight, just that perpetual calm that irritated me so deeply.
“We should leave separately,” he murmured. “You two first. I’ll follow in a few minutes.”
He was right, though I hated to admit it. We’d attracted attention with our victories, and lingering together would only make us more memorable.
“The usual place?” Livia asked.
Tarshi nodded. “I’ll bring food.”
I placed a protective hand at the small of Livia’s back as we made our way toward the exit, hyper-aware of the eyes that followed us. We’d gotten what we came for, but at what cost? How many people would remember the skilled fighters calling themselves Wolf and Snake? How many would connect those fighters to the escaped gladiators the Empire sought?
As we emerged into the cool night air, Livia’s shoulder pressed briefly against mine. “You did well,” she said softly.
Despite everything — the risk, the pain in my knuckles, the danger that still surrounded us — I felt a surge of pride ather words. For that alone, perhaps the night’s gamble had been worth it.
5
I’d spent three weeks searching for her in a city of thousands, with nothing but hope and the certainty that she would come to Imperialis. Octavia had called me a fool more than once. Perhaps I was. But I’d known Livia better than I knew myself once, and if vengeance drove her — and it surely did — there was only one destination that made sense.
“You’re distracted again,” Graccus grunted from beside me as I sliced through a side of beef with mechanical precision. The butcher shop stank of blood and offal, not so different from the ludus in that respect, though the screams were animal rather than human.
“Sorry,” I muttered, focusing on the task. Three weeks of slicing meat had earned me just enough to survive, but more importantly, it had given me a place to listen. Butcher shops were like taverns – people talked freely, sharing gossip and rumours over their purchases. I’d heard fragments about the Emperor’s increasing paranoia, the purges in the outer provinces, the rewards offered for escaped gladiators.
But nothing about Livia.
“You’ll cut your damn fingers off,” Graccus said, not unkindly. He was a hard man, but fair, asking no questions about my past when I’d appeared seeking work. “Go on, then. Your shift’s nearly done anyway.”
I cleaned my knife and hands, hanging my bloody apron on the hook before stepping out into the afternoon heat. The cramped streets of the lower city were crowded as always, the air thick with dust and the smell of too many people pressed too close together. I navigated through the familiar maze toward the market where Octavia sold fruit from a small stall.
She spotted me before I reached her, her face lighting with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Octavia had been beautiful once, before grief had hollowed her out. The dark circles beneath her eyes had never faded after watching her husband die in the arena three years ago. Now she survived on determination alone, her only goal to help me find Livia, her only friend from the women’s quarters of the ludus.
“Nothing,” she said before I could ask, reading the question in my face. “Though I did hear something interesting from a wine merchant this morning. There’s fighting in the Rat’s Nest tonight. Underground matches.”
I shook my head. “Livia would never—”
“You don’t know what Livia would never do anymore,” Octavia cut in gently. “The girl who left the ludus isn’t the same one you knew. Three weeks of searching the upper city has yielded nothing. Perhaps it’s time to try the less... respectable areas.”
She was right. The Livia I’d known — the fierce but careful fighter, the woman who planned every move — might not have risked exposure in an underground fighting ring. But the Livia who’d stolen a dragon and escaped during an attack on the city? That Livia might take risks I couldn’t anticipate.
“Where is this Rat’s Nest?” I asked, resignation in my voice.
“Near the eastern wall. Follow the smell of cheap wine and blood.” Octavia pressed a piece of fruit into my hand. “Eat something first. You look terrible.”
“You always know how to make a man feel special,” I attempted a smile, but it felt foreign on my face, like a mask that didn’t quite fit.
“Go find her, Marcus.” Octavia’s voice softened. “And when you do, don’t waste the chance. Tell her everything.”
“I will.” The promise felt heavy on my tongue. Everything. Including how I’d failed her. How I’d stood frozen while Drusus violated her. How I’d chosen security over freedom when she’d offered me escape. How I’d killed our owner too late for it to matter.
I ate the fruit as I walked, barely tasting it. The eastern district was the poorest section of the lower city, where buildings leaned against each other like drunks supporting one another’s weight. As darkness fell, I pulled my hood lower, one hand resting on the knife concealed beneath my cloak. Even desperate as I was, I wasn’t foolish enough to walk these streets unprotected.
