Page 76 of Once a Villain
“Can I see—” Aaron pointed to the cave-like chamber.
“Of course.” Carvel led them through.
No, not wagons, Joan corrected herself now. They were cages on wheels, built for display, with winged lions carved from wood decorating the roof of each cage.
Each was crammed with people, so full that they were all forced to stand. Joan counted about twenty people in each cage, dressed in ordinary clothes.
“Let us out!” someone begged Joan and the others. The nearest cage shook as its occupants tried to tip it over. “You can’t do this!”
A guard strolled by then, striking hard at the iron bars with a baton. Joan flinched at the crack of bone and a scream—he’d broken fingers.
“They emptied the prisons for the spectacle today,” Carvel said. “A thousand condemned in two dozen carts. Quite the logistical nightmare, believe me.”
Joan caught Ruth’s eye, and Ruth nodded slightly. Time for a distraction. And maybe a chance for some of the prisoners to run.
Joan made herself turn back to Carvel. “The gladiators seem healthy,” she said. She walked back toward the gladiator chamber to draw attention from Ruth. “What have you been feeding them?”
Most people they’d encountered in this world had been irritated when Joan spoke in Aaron’s company.
Carvel seemed pleased by her interest, though. “Oh, the usual. Mashed beans. Stews.” He produced a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket. “The Oliver gladiators will be in rounds two and three.” He smoothed the paper, revealing a program for the day.
JUBILEE SPECTACULAR
i. A spectacle of beasts on land and at sea
Damnatio ad bestias, damnatio ad gladium
Beasts versus criminals and gladiators
ii. A reenactment of the overthrow of humanity
Damnatio ad gladium
Gladiators versus criminals
iii. A battle of families
Gladiators versus gladiators
iv. A tribute to Queen Eleanor, Semper Regina
Ruth reappeared. Behind her, something crashed to the ground.Those locks were hard to pick, Ruth said to Joan, using Hunt hand signals. From the sound of people running, she’d done it, though. People were escaping some of the cages.
“What the hell!” Carvel turned as guards ran to the wagon chamber. “I must deal with this,” he said to Aaron apologetically. “Shall I have someone escort you to your seat?”
“I can find my own way,” Aaron said.
They waited an excruciating minute for the chaos to peak. Joan looked at Aaron while they waited.
They’d always planned for him to split from them at this point. He hadn’t wanted to separate, but the Olivers had a whole wing of seats up above, and Aaron’s absence would be noted if he wasn’t there. They couldn’t do anything to tip Eleanor off today.
Aaron looked torn as he mouthedBe safeto them. Nick nodded, and Joan mouthed back,You too.
And then Jamie gave them all the nod to move, and they darted after him.
They hurried up passage after passage, trusting Jamie’s perfect memory of the labyrinthine map. He guided them on little-used paths, avoiding guards and gladiator trainers. The route gradually rose uphill until they reached a chamber with a packed-dirt floor that sat alongside the arena at ground level. Slotted openings showed the sand-covered battleground, so close that Joan could have reached through and taken a handful of sand.
Outside, the stadium was filling. People wore roses in their hair and waved flags with family emblems. The atmosphere was festive, with music playing over a loudspeaker, the bass notes thrumming, and horns sounding in the crowd. Huge banners hung under the stands, one for each of the monster families.
