{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg{\info{\creatim\yr2018\mo12\dy16\hr20\min39\sec42}}\viewkind1\viewscale100\viewzk0\paperw11907\paperh16839\psz9\par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  --------------------------------------------------------------------------\par \pard\plain  \'c4\'fc\'fe\'e8 \'c3\'f0\'e0\'ec - \'c3\'eb\'e0\'e4\'e8\'e0\'f2\'ee\'f0. \'c0\'ed\'e3. \'c8\'ed\'f2\'e5\'f0\'ec\'e5\'e4\'e8\'e0\'f2\par \pard\plain  --------------------------------------------------------------------------\par \pard\plain  \'d1\'ea\'e0\'f7\'e0\'ed\'ee \'e1\'e5\'f1\'ef\'eb\'e0\'f2\'ed\'ee \'f1 \'f1\'e0\'e9\'f2\'e0 https://prochtu.ru\par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  Gladiator\par \pard\plain  Adapted from the novel by                            \par \pard\plain  DEWEY GRAM\par \pard\plain  Based on the screenplay by\par \pard\plain  DAVID FRANZONI,\par \pard\plain  JOHN LOGAN and\par \pard\plain  WILLIAM NICHOLSON\par \pard\plain  Level 4\par \pard\plain  Retold by Annette Keen                                                      \par \pard\plain  Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter\par \pard\plain  Pearson Education Limited\par \pard\plain  Edinburgh Gate, Harlow,\par \pard\plain  Essex CM20 2JE, England\par \pard\plain  and Associated Companies throughout the world.\par \pard\plain  ISBN 0 582 47117 6\par \pard\plain  First published in the USA by Penguin Putnam Inc. 2000\par \pard\plain  First published in Great Britain by Penguin Books 2000\par \pard\plain  This edition first published 2001\par \pard\plain  5 7 9 10 8 6 4\par \pard\plain  TM & Copyright \'a9 DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures, 2000\par \pard\plain  Typeset by Ferdinand Pageworks, London\par \pard\plain  Set in 11/14pt Bembo\par \pard\plain  Printed in Spain by Mateu Cromo, S. A. Pinto (Madrid)\par \pard\plain  All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored\par \pard\plain  in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,\par \pard\plain  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the\par \pard\plain  prior written permission of the Publishers.\par \pard\plain  Published by Pearson Education Limited in association with\par \pard\plain  Penguin Books Ltd, both companies being subsidiaries of Pearson Plc\par \pard\plain  For a complete list of the titles available in the Penguin Readers series please write to your local\par \pard\plain  Pearson Education office or to: Marketing Department, Penguin Longman Publishing,\par \pard\plain  80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL \par \pard\plain  Contents\par \pard\plain  page\par \pard\plain  Introduction iv\par \pard\plain  Chapter 1 Farmer and Soldier 1\par \pard\plain  Chapter 2 The Last Battle 5\par \pard\plain  Chapter 3 One More Duty 11\par \pard\plain  Chapter 4 A Prisoner Again 19\par \pard\plain  Chapter 5 New Gladiators 27\par \pard\plain  Chapter 6 Caesar\'92s Arrival in Rome 32\par \pard\plain  Chapter 7 The Spaniard and the Crowd 37\par \pard\plain  Chapter 8 The Colosseum 44\par \pard\plain  Chapter 9 A Man for the People 51\par \pard\plain  Chapter 10 Secrets and Lies 57\par \pard\plain  Chapter 11 Broken Plans 62\par \pard\plain  Chapter 12 Home, At Last 71\par \pard\plain  Activities 72\par \pard\plain  Introduction\par \pard\plain  All eyes turned to the trees. A horseman rode out, toward the Roman\par \pard\plain  army. There was something strange about the way he was riding\par \pard\plain  Maximus was the first to understand . . .\par \pard\plain  As the horse came closer, the other men could see what had happened.\par \pard\plain  The Roman messenger was tied to his horse. His head had been cut off.\par \pard\plain  Maximus knew now what he had to do. Life was suddenly simple.\par \pard\plain  General Maximus, Commander of the Roman Army of the\par \pard\plain  North, fights his last battle in the war against Germania. Then, he\par \pard\plain  hopes to return to his farm and his family in Spain.\par \pard\plain  But there are many serious problems in Rome and Emperor\par \pard\plain  Marcus Aurelius knows he will soon die. Maximus realizes that\par \pard\plain  he must perform another duty for the Emperor before he can go\par \pard\plain  home. He knows it will not be easy, and he is right. Soon he is\par \pard\plain  fighting for his life again, first as a prisoner, then a slave, and\par \pard\plain  finally as a gladiator.\par \pard\plain  One thought keeps Maximus alive: that he will finally meet\par \pard\plain  and kill the man he hates most\'97the new Emperor, Commodus.\par \pard\plain  The book, Gladiator, was written by Dewey Gram. The\par \pard\plain  screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William\par \pard\plain  Nicholson was made into a very successful movie. The movie\par \pard\plain  stars Russell Crowe as Maximus and Joaquin Phoenix as\par \pard\plain  Commodus. British actor Oliver Reed (Proximo) died before the\par \pard\plain  movie was finished, although almost all his scenes had been\par \pard\plain  completed.\par \pard\plain  On film and on paper, Gladiator is a very exciting story.\par \pard\plain  iv \par \pard\plain  Chapter 1 Farmer and Soldier\par \pard\plain  At the height of its power, the great Roman Empire stretched\par \pard\plain  from the deserts of Africa to the borders of northern England.\par \pard\plain  Over one quarter of the world\'92s population lived and died under\par \pard\plain  the rule of the Caesars.*\par \pard\plain  In the winter of A.D.\'86 180, Emperor Marcus Aurelius\'92s twelveyear\par \pard\plain  war against the people of Germania was coming to an end.\par \pard\plain  There was one last battle to win. Then there would be peace\par \pard\plain  across the Roman Empire.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  The man walked through the sun-warmed Spanish field, his hand\par \pard\plain  touching the wheat. He looked past apple trees to a farmhouse.\par \pard\plain  He heard a child laughing somewhere near. A bird flew onto the\par \pard\plain  branch of a tree close to him and they looked at each other. The\par \pard\plain  man smiled.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, the sound of shouts and horses frightened the bird\par \pard\plain  and it flew up into the air. The noise broke through the man\'92s\par \pard\plain  daydream and he came back to the real world with a crash. He\par \pard\plain  was not dressed in farmer\'92s clothes, as he had imagined, but in the\par \pard\plain  proud armor of the Roman army. The field was burnt and\par \pard\plain  muddy from battle, without a green leaf on it.\par \pard\plain  Beyond the tree line ahead, somewhere in the forest, the\par \pard\plain  German armies were preparing to attack again. The man knew\par \pard\plain  that behind him an enormous army waited. The Roman army,\par \pard\plain  40,000 men, his army. Maximus the farmer was Maximus the\par \pard\plain  Commanding General of the Army of the North for one more\par \pard\plain  * Caesar: the title given to the Roman Emperor. \'86 A.D.: after the birth of Christ.\par \pard\plain  1 \par \pard\plain  battle. One last battle, and then he could go home to Spain.\par \pard\plain  He turned his horse and rode back to his men. Thirty-year-old\par \pard\plain  Maximus was a great general\'97a man they could trust. He moved\par \pard\plain  among them, checking that they were ready for battle. He looked\par \pard\plain  back frequently to the line of trees.\par \pard\plain  Some of his officers were warming themselves around a fire,\par \pard\plain  and Maximus joined them.\par \pard\plain  \'93Still nothing?\'94 he asked Quintus, his second-in-command.\par \pard\plain  Quintus shook his head. \'93He\'92s been gone for almost two\par \pard\plain  hours,\'94 he said. \'93Why are they taking so long? They only have to\par \pard\plain  say yes or no.\'94\par \pard\plain  A young officer gave Maximus a bowl of hot soup. He drank it\par \pard\plain  slowly as they talked, always keeping one eye on the line of trees.\par \pard\plain  \'93Snow in the air,\'94 said Maximus. \'93I can smell it.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Anything\'92s better than this German rain,\'94 Quintus said,\par \pard\plain  looking out at the mud in front of his men.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, there was a shout. \'93He\'92s coming!\'94\par \pard\plain  All eyes turned to the trees. A horseman rode out, toward the\par \pard\plain  Roman army. There was something strange about the way he was\par \pard\plain  riding. Maximus was the first to understand.\par \pard\plain  \'93They say no,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  As the horse came closer, the other men could see what had\par \pard\plain  happened. The Roman messenger was tied to his horse. His head\par \pard\plain  had been cut off. Maximus knew now what he had to do. Life\par \pard\plain  was suddenly simple.\par \pard\plain  Far away, at the edge of the trees, a German chief appeared. In\par \pard\plain  one hand he was holding the head of the messenger. He\par \pard\plain  screamed his anger at the Roman army, then threw the head\par \pard\plain  toward them.\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s men stared back and waited for their general\'92s\par \pard\plain  order to attack.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  2 \par \pard\plain  Several carriages traveled along the road toward the battle area,\par \pard\plain  protected by Roman soldiers. Inside the first carriage were the\par \pard\plain  royal family\'97the Emperor\'92s son and daughter. Twenty-eight-yearold\par \pard\plain  Commodus and his beautiful older sister Lucilla were dressed\par \pard\plain  in rich, warm clothes. They had left Rome two weeks before.\par \pard\plain  \'93Do you think he\'92s really dying?\'94 Commodus asked Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93He\'92s been dying for ten years,\'94 she replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93I think he\'92s really sick this time. And he\'92s sent for us.\'94 He\par \pard\plain  pointed to the following carriages. \'93He sent for the senators, too.\par \pard\plain  If he isn\'92t dying, why does he want to see them?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Commodus, you\'92re giving me a headache. Two weeks on the\par \pard\plain  road with you is more than enough,\'94 said Lucilla, impatiently.\par \pard\plain  Commodus moved closer to her. \'93No, he\'92s made his decision,\'94\par \pard\plain  he said. \'93He will name me as Emperor. And I know what I shall\par \pard\plain  do first. I shall organize some games . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I shall have a hot bath,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  The carriage stopped. Commodus stepped down and spoke to\par \pard\plain  one of the guards.\par \pard\plain  \'93We are almost there, sir.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Good,\'94 said Commodus. \'93Bring me my horse.\'94\par \pard\plain  Under his warm traveling coat Commodus was wearing\par \pard\plain  Roman armor. He looked handsome and brave, the perfect\par \pard\plain  picture of a new, young emperor. The guard brought Commodus\par \pard\plain  his horse.\par \pard\plain  \'93Take me to my father. And take my sister to the camp.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus reached out a hand to Lucilla. \'93Kiss,\'94 he said, smiling\par \pard\plain  like a little boy.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla brushed his fingers with her lips, then watched him\par \pard\plain  ride away.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, sat on his horse and stared at\par \pard\plain  the army below. His hair and beard were white, but only his eyes\par \pard\plain  3 \par \pard\plain  really showed his age and state of health. Marcus knew he was\par \pard\plain  dying and soon he must name the next emperor. But first this\par \pard\plain  battle must be won.\par \pard\plain  From another hill, Maximus also looked down onto the\par \pard\plain  Roman army. His men were ready to fight.\par \pard\plain  The German soldiers started to move out from the trees.\par \pard\plain  There were thousands of them, dressed in animal skins, shouting\par \pard\plain  at their Roman enemies.\par \pard\plain  Maximus bent down from his horse and took some earth in\par \pard\plain  his hands, as he did before every battle. Then he let it fall through\par \pard\plain  his fingers. It was a sign his men had seen many times before and\par \pard\plain  they knew what it meant. Maximus gave the command and a\par \pard\plain  flaming arrow shot into the sky. Hundreds more followed.\par \pard\plain  Thousands of German soldiers rushed forward and met the\par \pard\plain  first line of Romans. The air was filled with the sound of\par \pard\plain  screaming as more arrows landed and men from both armies died\par \pard\plain  terrible deaths.\par \pard\plain  Maximus led soldiers on horseback into the battle at the same\par \pard\plain  time as 5,000 Roman foot soldiers moved forward from another\par \pard\plain  side. Each man marched behind a large shield, each carried a\par \pard\plain  sword. The Germans were caught between two walls of death.\par \pard\plain  Above them the sky was full of flaming arrows. They were\par \pard\plain  fighting for their lives.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, Maximus was trapped between two Germans. He\par \pard\plain  swung his sword around in a circle, striking both men dead. Then\par \pard\plain  he rode forward again, and his sword cut through the enemy\par \pard\plain  soldiers in his path.\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s horse suddenly fell forward, a German sword in its\par \pard\plain  neck. The General flew over his horse\'92s head and crashed to the\par \pard\plain  ground. There was danger all around him, but he continued\par \pard\plain  fighting. He found the Roman flag, still in the hand of a dead\par \pard\plain  soldier, and held it high. His men fought their way toward it and\par \pard\plain  defended their position bravely.\par \pard\plain  4 \par \pard\plain  More and more Roman soldiers moved forward onto the\par \pard\plain  battleground. They were well-trained and had the best\par \pard\plain  equipment and armor. The Germans were not as good as the\par \pard\plain  confident Roman army and finally they began to tire. Maximus\par \pard\plain  saw that he was winning and moved up a little higher on the hill.\par \pard\plain  From there he could see and command his men better. The\par \pard\plain  enemy began to lose confidence and some turned and ran. More\par \pard\plain  joined them and soon the only Germans on the battlefield were\par \pard\plain  dead or dying.\par \pard\plain  Maximus went back down and walked among them. As he\par \pard\plain  stepped over bodies, he began to relax and let his sword arm fall to\par \pard\plain  his side. Behind him, a dying German suddenly lifted himself from\par \pard\plain  the ground and rushed forward with his sword. Maximus was\par \pard\plain  calling an order to one of his officers when he saw the sudden look\par \pard\plain  of terror on the officer\'92s face and immediately swung his sword\par \pard\plain  around, cutting off his attacker\'92s head. There was so much power\par \pard\plain  behind the sword that it flew from his hand and landed in a tree.\par \pard\plain  Maximus had no strength left to pull it out again. The battle\par \pard\plain  had ended. As he looked at the dead around him, he could only\par \pard\plain  think that his men had won, and he had lived.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 2 The Last Battle\par \pard\plain  Emperor Marcus Aurelius sat on his horse, on the top of the\par \pard\plain  command hill, with guards on each side to protect him. He\par \pard\plain  watched as the battle slowly progressed and it became clear that\par \pard\plain  the Roman army had won. Marcus hoped it would be many\par \pard\plain  years before they had to go to war again, certainly not before he\par \pard\plain  died. He had no wish to see another battle. He turned to his\par \pard\plain  guards. \'93I will leave now,\'94 he said. \'93I have seen enough.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked at his sword in the tree. His face was covered\par \pard\plain  with blood and mud. The beat of his heart was beginning to slow\par \pard\plain  5 \par \pard\plain  down as the noise of the battle became quieter. There were other\par \pard\plain  sounds now\'97screams from the dying and cries for help.\par \pard\plain  A small bird flew down from the top of the tree and sat on\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s sword. Could it possibly be the same bird he had seen\par \pard\plain  before the first explosion of battle? That seemed like a hundred\par \pard\plain  years ago. He shook his head and reached for the sword. The\par \pard\plain  frightened bird flew away as Maximus pulled his sword out of\par \pard\plain  the tree.\par \pard\plain  Across the field, doctors were trying to help any Roman\par \pard\plain  soldiers who were still alive. Other soldiers were walking slowly\par \pard\plain  through the men on the ground, looking for Germans left alive\par \pard\plain  and killing them quickly.\par \pard\plain  Maximus walked back toward the command point, sometimes\par \pard\plain  stopping to speak to a dying soldier, sometimes calling for water\par \pard\plain  or medical help. He came to a low hill where the bodies of\par \pard\plain  Roman soldiers had been placed, side by side.\par \pard\plain  \'93Let the sun always be warm on your back,\'94 he said softly.\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92ve come home at last.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92re a brave man, Maximus, and a good commander,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  a voice behind him. \'93Let us hope it is for the last time.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus turned and saw the Emperor. \'93There\'92s no one left to\par \pard\plain  fight, sir,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93There are always people to fight. More glory.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93The glory is theirs, Caesar,\'94 said Maximus, looking at the\par \pard\plain  lines of dead soldiers.\par \pard\plain  \'93Tell me,\'94 said Marcus. \'93How can I reward Rome\'92s greatest\par \pard\plain  general?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Let me go home,\'94 replied Maximus, quickly.\par \pard\plain  \'93Ah, home . . .\'94 said Marcus. He gave his arm to Maximus, and\par \pard\plain  they walked together back across the battlefield.\par \pard\plain  All eyes followed the long purple coat and white hair of their\par \pard\plain  emperor. They could see that he moved slowly and with\par \pard\plain  difficulty. He was clearly in pain. Most of the soldiers realized that\par \pard\plain  6 \par \pard\plain  they were probably seeing him for the last time. And they knew\par \pard\plain  Rome was not likely to have such a good emperor again.\par \pard\plain  Marcus Aurelius and his general walked along the road, past\par \pard\plain  lines of tired soldiers. Hundreds of men resting on a hill stood\par \pard\plain  and raised their swords high in the air when they saw them pass.\par \pard\plain  \'93They honor you, Caesar,\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93No, Maximus, I believe they honor you,\'94 replied the Emperor.\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked across at the crowd of brave men and raised\par \pard\plain  his own sword. The men cheered him loudly.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, Prince Commodus and his guards rode into view.\par \pard\plain  When he heard the cheering and saw the reason for it, Commodus\par \pard\plain  was filled with jealousy. Roman soldiers were honoring a Spaniard\par \pard\plain  above the Emperor and his family\'97it was not right. But he tried\par \pard\plain  to look pleased as he rode up to Marcus and Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93Have I missed the battle?\'94 he said, jumping from his horse.\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92ve missed the war,\'94 said Marcus. \'93We\'92re finished here.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus put his arms around his father. \'93Father,\par \pard\plain  congratulations,\'94 he said. \'93I shall kill a hundred animals to honor\par \pard\plain  your success.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Let the animals live and honor Maximus,\'94 said Marcus. \'93He\par \pard\plain  won the battle.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93General,\'94 Commodus said, turning to Maximus, \'93Rome\par \pard\plain  salutes you, and I salute you as a brother.\'94 He opened his arms\par \pard\plain  and put them around Maximus. \'93It has been too long since we\par \pard\plain  last met. How long? Ten years, my old friend?\'94 Commodus\par \pard\plain  turned to Marcus. \'93Here, Father, take my arm.\'94\par \pard\plain  Marcus let his hand rest on his son for a minute, then said, \'93I\par \pard\plain  think maybe I should leave you now.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus called for Marcus\'92s horse and some of the guards\par \pard\plain  ran forward to help him. The old man waved them away and\par \pard\plain  looked at Maximus. Maximus came quickly to his side and\par \pard\plain  helped him onto the horse. Without a word to his son he rode\par \pard\plain  slowly away.\par \pard\plain  7 \par \pard\plain  Commodus and Maximus stood together and watched the\par \pard\plain  Emperor go, each thinking their own thoughts about him.\par \pard\plain  Marcus had won many battles for the glory of Rome, but\par \pard\plain  Maximus would always remember him first as a good man.\par \pard\plain  Commodus\'92s thoughts were very different. He was angry that\par \pard\plain  his father had not put his arms around him. He was jealous\par \pard\plain  because Maximus was asked to help Marcus onto the horse and\par \pard\plain  the Emperor had spoken privately to him. He swung himself\par \pard\plain  back onto his horse and rode away, followed by his guards.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  A city of hospital tents had been built. There were thousands of\par \pard\plain  wounded Roman soldiers, and the doctors were busy all night.\par \pard\plain  Maximus came out of one of the tents. He was sad that so many\par \pard\plain  men were badly hurt, and he knew that many more would not\par \pard\plain  live until morning.\par \pard\plain  He turned and walked back to the main camp. In the biggest\par \pard\plain  tent many of the officers were celebrating. There was wine and\par \pard\plain  food; they were laughing and shouting. These were the lucky\par \pard\plain  men who had cheated death.\par \pard\plain  The Emperor sat in a chair in the center of the tent and\par \pard\plain  received visitors. Two senators, Falco and Gaius, had just arrived.\par \pard\plain  \'93We greet you, Marcus Aurelius,\'94 Falco said. \'93And we bring\par \pard\plain  greetings from Senator Gracchus. He waits to honor you when\par \pard\plain  you return to Rome.\'94\par \pard\plain  When Maximus entered the tent, officers came forward to\par \pard\plain  meet him. Someone gave him wine, others held their hands out\par \pard\plain  to him, Quintus stopped his conversation when he saw his friend.\par \pard\plain  \'93Still alive! The gods must love you!\'94 they both said together,\par \pard\plain  laughing. Maximus moved through the tent, with Quintus and\par \pard\plain  some of his other officers following behind.\par \pard\plain  Through the forest of men Maximus could see Marcus\par \pard\plain  Aurelius surrounded by a group of people. As he got nearer, he\par \pard\plain  8 \par \pard\plain  saw Commodus at the Emperor\'92s side, with the two senators.\par \pard\plain  Maximus paused to speak to another officer.\par \pard\plain  \'93Back to Rome now, General?\'94 the man asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93I\'92m going home,\'94 Maximus said. \'93To my wife, my son, and\par \pard\plain  my fields of wheat.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus the farmer!\'94 Quintus said, laughing. \'93I still can\'92t\par \pard\plain  imagine that.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Dirt washes off more easily than blood, Quintus,\'94 replied\par \pard\plain  Maximus.\par \pard\plain  Commodus, Gaius, and Falco came toward Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93Here he is,\'94 said Commodus. \'93The hero of the war!\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus was not happy that Commodus had said this in front\par \pard\plain  of his brave officers. To him they were all heroes.\par \pard\plain  Commodus introduced the two senators. They were smart\par \pard\plain  politicians and they saw that Maximus could have an interesting\par \pard\plain  future in Rome. The real power was not with the Emperor. It\par \pard\plain  was with whoever had control of the army.\par \pard\plain  Commodus led Maximus away to a quieter corner. He spoke\par \pard\plain  softly. \'93Times are changing, General. I\'92m going to need good\par \pard\plain  men like you.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93How can I help, sir?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92re a man who can command. You give orders, the men\par \pard\plain  follow your orders, the battle is won.\'94 Commodus looked across\par \pard\plain  at the senators. \'93We must save Rome from the politicians, my\par \pard\plain  friend. Will you be with me when the time comes?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93When your father allows me to go, I will return to Spain, sir,\'94\par \pard\plain  said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93Home? Ah yes. But don\'92t get too comfortable\'97I may call on\par \pard\plain  you soon.\'94 Then, seeming suddenly to remember, Commodus\par \pard\plain  said, \'93Lucilla is here. Did you know? She hasn\'92t forgotten you\'97\par \pard\plain  and now you are the great hero.\'94 He turned away to watch his\par \pard\plain  father leaving the tent with his guards. \'93Caesar will sleep early\par \pard\plain  tonight,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  9 \par \pard\plain  When he turned back again, Maximus had gone. Commodus\par \pard\plain  was anxious. Who did the great general really support? Could he\par \pard\plain  be trusted? Commodus took some more wine and thought\par \pard\plain  carefully about Maximus.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Marcus\'92s slaves helped him into the royal tent. Lucilla was already\par \pard\plain  there.\par \pard\plain  \'93It\'92s a pity I only have one son,\'94 Marcus said to her. \'93You would\par \pard\plain  be a better Caesar than Commodus . . . stronger. I wonder if you\par \pard\plain  would also be fair?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I would be whatever you taught me to be,\'94 she replied,\par \pard\plain  smiling. She came to his side and kissed him.\par \pard\plain  \'93How was the trip?\'94 Marcus asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93Long. Boring. Why have I come?\'94 asked Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93I need your help,\'94 said her father. \'93With your brother. He\par \pard\plain  loves you\'97he always has. Soon he is going to need you more\par \pard\plain  than ever.\'94 Lucilla did not know what to say. \'93No more. It is not a\par \pard\plain  night for politics,\'94 Marcus said. \'93It is a night for an old man and\par \pard\plain  his daughter to look at the moon together. Let us pretend that\par \pard\plain  you are a loving daughter and I am a good father.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla took his arm and they walked together into the cold\par \pard\plain  night air. \'93This is a pleasant fiction\'94 she said, smiling at him.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla understood him. She knew that her father would love\par \pard\plain  to be just a simple old man sharing a little time with his\par \pard\plain  daughter. But he was Emperor of Rome, and for him life was\par \pard\plain  much more complicated.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the cold morning, at the edge of the forest, a group of men\par \pard\plain  were training for battle. Commodus and his guards were\par \pard\plain  practicing sword fighting, striking at small trees.\par \pard\plain  The young prince was proud of his body. He was strong and\par \pard\plain  10 \par \pard\plain  healthy as a result of the strict training he did every morning. His\par \pard\plain  training program was taken straight from the gladiator schools,\par \pard\plain  where men learned to fight for their lives. His greatest wish was\par \pard\plain  to fight against real gladiators, although he knew that his father\par \pard\plain  would never allow it. Marcus had ended the tradition of gladiator\par \pard\plain  fights in Rome.\par \pard\plain  Maximus passed by the small group of men in the early\par \pard\plain  morning light and noticed that the Emperor\'92s son was among\par \pard\plain  them. He was not surprised. He had heard plenty of stories about\par \pard\plain  Commodus, how strong and skilled he was. He had also heard\par \pard\plain  that Commodus was a cruel man, but he tried not to believe that.\par \pard\plain  There were always jealous people saying bad things about the\par \pard\plain  royal family.\par \pard\plain  Maximus walked to Marcus\'92s tent. The Emperor\'92s guards let\par \pard\plain  him through the entrance without any questions. They were\par \pard\plain  expecting him.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 3 One More Duty\par \pard\plain  The only light in the Emperor\'92s tent came from oil lamps.\par \pard\plain  Marcus sat with his back to Maximus. He was writing his diary\par \pard\plain  and at first he did not realize Maximus had arrived.\par \pard\plain  \'93Caesar. You sent for me,\'94 said Maximus. Marcus, lost in his\par \pard\plain  thoughts, did not reply. \'93Caesar?\'94 Maximus repeated.\par \pard\plain  \'93Tell me again, Maximus,\'94 Marcus said. \'93Why are we here?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93For the glory of the Empire, sir.\'94\par \pard\plain  At first he thought Marcus had not heard him. Then Marcus\par \pard\plain  slowly got up from his desk and softly said, \'93Yes, I remember . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  He walked over to a large map of the Roman Empire and\par \pard\plain  waved a hand across it. \'93Do you see it, Maximus? This is the\par \pard\plain  world I have made. For twenty years I have tried to be a student\par \pard\plain  of life and of men\'97but what have I really done?\'94 He touched\par \pard\plain  11 \par \pard\plain  the map. \'93For twenty years I have fought and won battles. I have\par \pard\plain  defended the Empire and increased it. Since I became Caesar I\par \pard\plain  have only had four years of peace. And for what?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93To make our borders safe,\'94 said Maximus. \'93To bring teaching\par \pard\plain  and law.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I brought the sword! Nothing more! And while I have\par \pard\plain  fought, Rome has grown fat and diseased. I did this. And nothing\par \pard\plain  can change the fact that Rome is far away and we shouldn\'92t be\par \pard\plain  here.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93But Caesar . . .\'94 Maximus started, but Marcus interrupted\par \pard\plain  him.\par \pard\plain  \'93Don\'92t call me that,\'94 he said. \'93We have to talk together now.\par \pard\plain  Very simply. Just as men. Can we do that?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Forty thousand of my men are out there now, freezing in the\par \pard\plain  mud,\'94 said Maximus. \'93Eight thousand are wounded and two\par \pard\plain  thousand will never leave this place. I won\'92t believe they fought\par \pard\plain  and died for nothing.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93What do you believe, Maximus?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93That they fought for you\'97and for Rome,\'94 he replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93And what is Rome, Maximus? Tell me.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I\'92ve seen too much of the rest of the world and I know it\'92s\par \pard\plain  cruel and dark. I have to believe that Rome is the light.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93But you have never been there,\'94 said Marcus. \'93You have not\par \pard\plain  seen Rome as it is now.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus had heard stories about Rome. People in the cities\par \pard\plain  were hungry and food prices were much too high. Some\par \pard\plain  Romans had become very rich, but most were poor. Bridges,\par \pard\plain  roads, and ports all needed repairs, while tax money went into\par \pard\plain  the pockets of the rich. There were many things wrong at the\par \pard\plain  heart of the enormous empire.\par \pard\plain  \'93I am dying, Maximus. And I want to see that there has been\par \pard\plain  some purpose to my life.\'94 Marcus sat down again. \'93It\'92s strange. I\par \pard\plain  think more about the future than the present. How will the\par \pard\plain  12 \par \pard\plain  world speak my name in future years?\'94 He held out his hand to\par \pard\plain  Maximus, who took it and came to sit next to Marcus.\par \pard\plain  \'93You have a son,\'94 said the Emperor. \'93You must love him very\par \pard\plain  much. Tell me about your home\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93The house is in the hills above Trujillo,\'94 Maximus began. \'93It\'92s\par \pard\plain  a simple place, pink stones that warm in the sun. There\'92s a wall, a\par \pard\plain  gate, and a small field of vegetables.\'94 Maximus looked up and\par \pard\plain  saw that the old man had closed his eyes as he listened. He\par \pard\plain  was smiling. \'93Through the gate are apple trees. The earth is\par \pard\plain  black, Marcus. As black as my wife\'92s hair. And we grow fruit\par \pard\plain  and vegetables. There are wild horses near the house\'97my son\par \pard\plain  loves them.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93How long is it since you were last home?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Two years, two hundred sixty-four days\'97and one morning.\'94\par \pard\plain  Marcus laughed. \'93I am jealous of you, Maximus. Your home is\par \pard\plain  good\'97something to fight for. I have one more duty to ask of\par \pard\plain  you before you go home.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93What would you like me to do, Caesar?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Before I die, I will give the people a final gift. An empire at\par \pard\plain  peace should not be ruled by one man. I want to give power\par \pard\plain  back to the Senate.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus was shocked. \'93But sir, if no one man holds power, all\par \pard\plain  men will reach for it\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92re right. That is why I want you to become the Protector\par \pard\plain  of Rome. Give power back to the people of Rome.\'94 Maximus\par \pard\plain  said nothing. \'93You don\'92t want this great honor?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93With all my heart, no.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93That is why it must be you,\'94 Marcus replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93But what about Commodus?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Commodus is not a good man. I think you already know\par \pard\plain  that. He must not rule. You are more of a son to me than he is.\'94\par \pard\plain  Marcus stood up. \'93Commodus will accept my decision\'97he\par \pard\plain  knows the army is loyal to you.\'94\par \pard\plain  13 \par \pard\plain  A piece of ice struck Maximus\'92s heart. \'93I need some time sir\'94\par \pard\plain  he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Of course. By sunrise tomorrow I hope your answer will be\par \pard\plain  yes. Now let me hold you as a son.\'94 Marcus put his arms around\par \pard\plain  Maximus.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus left the Emperor\'92s tent feeling anxious. One more duty,\par \pard\plain  one he did not want\'97but could he refuse? He was a loyal\par \pard\plain  soldier, loyal to Rome and to Caesar. He stood outside the tent\par \pard\plain  trying to think clearly. Suddenly, there was a voice behind him.\par \pard\plain  \'93You are my father\'92s favorite now.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus turned and saw Lucilla. As their eyes met, a shock of\par \pard\plain  emotion ran through them both.\par \pard\plain  \'93It was not always true,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Many things have changed since we last met,\'94 said Maximus,\par \pard\plain  and he turned to walk away.\par \pard\plain  \'93What did my father want with you?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'91To wish me luck, before I leave for Spain,\'94 he replied,\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92re lying,\'94 said Lucilla. \'93I could always tell when you were\par \pard\plain  lying. You\'92re not very good at it.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I was never as good as you, my lady.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla did not try to deny it. Again, Maximus tried to leave.\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus, please . . . is it really so terrible to see me again?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93No, I\'92m sorry. I\'92m tired from battle,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93And you\'92re upset to see my father so weak. Commodus\par \pard\plain  expects our father to name him in a few days as the next Caesar.\par \pard\plain  Will you be as loyal to him as you have been to Marcus?\'94\par \pard\plain  This was a difficult question, but Maximus never forgot that\par \pard\plain  he was talking to one of the royal family.\par \pard\plain  \'93I will always be loyal to Rome,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Do you know I still remember you when I speak to the\par \pard\plain  gods?\'94 said Lucilla, smiling.\par \pard\plain  14 \par \pard\plain  \'93I was sorry to hear of your husband\'92s death, I understand you\par \pard\plain  have a son.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes,\'94 said Lucilla. \'93Lucius. He\'92s almost eight years old.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I, too, have a son who is eight years old.\'94\par \pard\plain  They smiled at each other again.\par \pard\plain  \'93I thank you for your kind thoughts,\'94 said Maximus, and then\par \pard\plain  he walked slowly back to his tent. Lucilla watched him go. Her\par \pard\plain  thoughts were confused, and her emotions reminded her that she\par \pard\plain  had once loved this man.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus sat in front of a low table in his tent. On the table were\par \pard\plain  small wooden figures of his family\'97parents and grandparents. In\par \pard\plain  the center, protected by the others, were the two smallest figures.\par \pard\plain  These were his wife and child.\par \pard\plain  As he looked at his family, he tried to imagine what his father\par \pard\plain  or grandfather would do in his situation. What would they\par \pard\plain  decide? How would they advise him? He picked up the figure of\par \pard\plain  his wife and kissed it.\par \pard\plain  \'93Cicero,\'94 he called out. Behind him, his servant Cicero\par \pard\plain  appeared and gave him a drink. \'93Do you ever find it difficult to\par \pard\plain  do your duty?\'94 Maximus asked him.\par \pard\plain  Cicero, a tall, thin man with long hair, thought about the\par \pard\plain  question for a few seconds. \'93Sometimes I do what I want to do,\par \pard\plain  sir,\'94 he said. \'93The rest of the time I do what I have to do.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus smiled. \'93We may not be able to go home,\'94 he said,\par \pard\plain  sadly.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Marcus Aurelius sat in his great tent, lit only by the light of a fire,\par \pard\plain  and prepared himself to tell Commodus of his decision. Finally,\par \pard\plain  he said, \'93You will do your duty for Rome.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus stood in front of him, proud and tall, waiting to\par \pard\plain  15 \par \pard\plain  hear his father name him as the next Caesar. \'93Yes, Father,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93But you will not be Emperor,\'94 Marcus said.\par \pard\plain  Commodus froze as his future suddenly disappeared. \'93Who\par \pard\plain  will take my place?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93My power will pass to Maximus, to hold until the Senate is\par \pard\plain  ready to rule. Rome will be a republic again. I can see that you\par \pard\plain  are not happy, my son . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You break my heart,\'94 Commodus said. \'93I have tried to make\par \pard\plain  you proud . . . but I could never do it. Why do you hate me so\par \pard\plain  much? I only wanted to be your son, but I was never quite good\par \pard\plain  enough.\'94 Marcus put his arms around his son, and Commodus\par \pard\plain  cried. \'93Why does Maximus deserve this instead of me? Why do\par \pard\plain  you love him more than me?\'94\par \pard\plain  His voice grew louder as he held his father\'92s head tighter and\par \pard\plain  tighter. Marcus could not breathe. He began to move, trying to get\par \pard\plain  away, but Commodus held his father\'92s face close against his chest.\par \pard\plain  His strength was too great; Marcus could not escape. Commodus\par \pard\plain  did not relax until he felt his father\'92s body drop in his arms.\par \pard\plain  He placed him on the bed, dead. \'93You didn\'92t love me\par \pard\plain  enough,\'94 he said softly.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Quintus woke Maximus in the middle of the night. Maximus\par \pard\plain  realized immediately that there was trouble.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Emperor needs you,\'94 Quintus said. \'93It\'92s urgent.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93What is it?\'94 Maximus asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93They did not tell me,\'94 said Quintus.\par \pard\plain  They hurried to Marcus\'92s tent together. At the entrance, the\par \pard\plain  guards let them through without a word.\par \pard\plain  Inside, Maximus saw Commodus first. His face was white but\par \pard\plain  showed no emotion. Lucilla stood in a corner of the tent, looking\par \pard\plain  down at the floor. Then Maximus saw Marcus, lying on his bed.\par \pard\plain  He knew immediately that he was dead.\par \pard\plain  16 \par \pard\plain  \'93How did he die?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93In his sleep,\'94 said Commodus. \'93The doctors say there was no\par \pard\plain  pain.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked at Lucilla, but she turned away. He walked to\par \pard\plain  the bed, bent over Marcus, and kissed the top of his head. Then\par \pard\plain  he stood and faced Commodus. Commodus looked back at him\par \pard\plain  and held out his hand.\par \pard\plain  \'93Your Emperor asks for your loyalty,\'94 he said. \'93Take my hand,\par \pard\plain  Maximus.\'94 Maximus understood the situation exactly. He knew,\par \pard\plain  without a doubt, that Commodus had killed his father. \'93I shall\par \pard\plain  only offer it once,\'94 said Commodus.\par \pard\plain  Maximus walked past him and out of the tent. Quintus already\par \pard\plain  had his orders from the new Caesar. Commodus looked across at\par \pard\plain  him and he followed his general out into the night.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla bent over her father and kissed him. Then she turned\par \pard\plain  to her brother. Their eyes met. She hit his face twice, hard. He\par \pard\plain  stepped back, shocked. Then she took his right hand, lifted it to\par \pard\plain  her lips, and kissed it.\par \pard\plain  \'93I greet you, Caesar,\'94 Lucilla said without emotion.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Back in his own tent, Maximus called to Cicero. \'93I must talk to\par \pard\plain  the senators,\'94 he said. \'93Wake Gaius and Falco! I need their\par \pard\plain  advice.\'94\par \pard\plain  Quintus arrived just then, and caught the servants arm to stop\par \pard\plain  him. \'93Maximus, please be careful . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Careful? The Emperor was murdered!\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93No,\'94 said Quintus. \'93The Emperor died in his sleep.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked toward the entrance of the tent and saw four\par \pard\plain  royal guards with their swords ready. They came in and quickly\par \pard\plain  tied his hands and arms.\par \pard\plain  \'93Please don\'92t fight, Maximus,\'94 said Quintus. \'93I\'92m sorry . . .\par \pard\plain  Caesar has spoken.\'94\par \pard\plain  17 \par \pard\plain  Maximus understood. Quintus was a soldier, and his orders\par \pard\plain  had come from the top. He had to obey.\par \pard\plain  \'93Quintus . . . promise me you\'92ll look after my family\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93Your family will greet you in the next world,\'94 Quintus said,\par \pard\plain  quietly.\par \pard\plain  Maximus jumped at him in anger. One of the guards hit the\par \pard\plain  prisoner on the back of the head with the handle of his sword\par \pard\plain  and Maximus fell to the ground.\par \pard\plain  \'93Take him as far as the sunrise and then kill him,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Quintus.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  It was nearly sunrise, and the five horses on the forest road had\par \pard\plain  not passed anybody for several hours. Here there was nothing\'97\par \pard\plain  no help, no hope.\par \pard\plain  \'93All right, this is far enough,\'94 said Cornelius, the oldest of the\par \pard\plain  guards and their leader. \'93Take him down there. No one will ever\par \pard\plain  find him.\'94\par \pard\plain  Two of the guards climbed from their horses and pulled\par \pard\plain  Maximus from his horse. His hands were still tied in front of him.\par \pard\plain  Cornelius searched in his bag for something to eat. He would\par \pard\plain  make sure the orders from Caesar were obeyed but he did not\par \pard\plain  want to have Roman blood on his hands. The other man, Salvius,\par \pard\plain  stayed with the three horses.\par \pard\plain  The two guards led Maximus down the hill. They thought he\par \pard\plain  had given up the fight, but he was like a cat watching a mouse. He\par \pard\plain  could see they were young and their armor was still new. These\par \pard\plain  were royal guards\'97they almost never left Rome and they did not\par \pard\plain  usually go into battle. They were not experienced fighters.\par \pard\plain  \'93This is good enough,\'94 said one of them. \'93On your knees.\'94\par \pard\plain  Behind Maximus, one of the guards was ready with his sword\par \pard\plain  to cut off his head. The second guard stood facing Maximus.\par \pard\plain  18 \par \pard\plain  Maximus sunk to his knees and closed his eyes. As the sword\par \pard\plain  came down, he turned very quickly and caught it between his\par \pard\plain  hands. Then he brought the handle of the sword up into the\par \pard\plain  guards face. In the next second he turned again and struck the\par \pard\plain  sword through the other guard. As he got to his feet and turned\par \pard\plain  back to the first man, he saw his chance and pushed the sword\par \pard\plain  through his body.\par \pard\plain  On the road above, Cornelius and Salvius were waiting on\par \pard\plain  their horses. They heard a cry from below, and then it was quiet\par \pard\plain  again. Cornelius sent Salvius down to make certain Maximus was\par \pard\plain  dead. The guard rode down the hill but saw nothing of his\par \pard\plain  friends. Suddenly, he felt there was someone behind him. He\par \pard\plain  turned in time to see Maximus\'92s sword as it flew through the air\par \pard\plain  toward him and landed in his chest. He fell to his death.\par \pard\plain  Cornelius was still on his horse, eating his bread and meat. He\par \pard\plain  heard some noises below, moved across the road, and looked\par \pard\plain  down into the trees. With no sound at all Maximus came onto\par \pard\plain  the road behind him.\par \pard\plain  \'93Guard!\'94 he shouted.\par \pard\plain  Cornelius turned around and rode toward Maximus at full\par \pard\plain  speed, his sword ready. As they met, Maximus struck his sword\par \pard\plain  upward and back. It cut right through Cornelius\'92s body.\par \pard\plain  Cornelius fell off his horse and lay down to die.\par \pard\plain  But Maximus had also been wounded, with a deep cut to his\par \pard\plain  shoulder from Cornelius\'92s sword. He fought the pain and moved\par \pard\plain  toward the horses.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 4 A Prisoner Again\par \pard\plain  Maximus rode fast through the German forests on Cornelius\'92s\par \pard\plain  horse. He was leading one of the other horses behind him. He\par \pard\plain  had put a cloth around the cut in his shoulder, but it was bad and\par \pard\plain  19 \par \pard\plain  gave him a lot of pain. Blood ran down his arm as he rode, but he\par \pard\plain  did not have time to stop.\par \pard\plain  By the middle of the day he had crossed into the east of\par \pard\plain  France. He rode his horse as hard as he could\'97he had to get\par \pard\plain  home before it was too late.\par \pard\plain  Into the night he continued riding, not stopping for water,\par \pard\plain  food, or rest. He saw nothing as he passed through the country\par \pard\plain  and he remembered nothing. He could only think that time was\par \pard\plain  passing so quickly. He became hot and tired and decided to\par \pard\plain  throw off his armor. His horse was also tired, and he knew it\par \pard\plain  could not go much further. He changed horses and continued\par \pard\plain  his urgent flight toward Spain and the faraway hills above\par \pard\plain  Trujillo.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the light of early day, the Spanish hills around the farm and\par \pard\plain  house were unbelievably beautiful.\par \pard\plain  An eight-year-old boy with dark hair was in a field beside the\par \pard\plain  pink stone house. He was training a wild horse, making it walk\par \pard\plain  around the field. A beautiful, black-haired woman watched her\par \pard\plain  son working with the horse and smiled. He would have a fine\par \pard\plain  riding horse by the time his father returned.\par \pard\plain  The boy stopped\'97he saw something. Over a hill he could just\par \pard\plain  see a battle flag, coming in their direction. He shouted with\par \pard\plain  excitement and happiness and ran out of the field. He ran toward\par \pard\plain  the flag, calling, \'93Father! Father!\'94\par \pard\plain  The woman, too, looked toward the flag. But there was\par \pard\plain  something about it that worried her. Something was not right,\par \pard\plain  and she suddenly felt anxious.\par \pard\plain  The boy continued to run along the road. Soon soldiers\par \pard\plain  appeared over the hill. But they were not the Roman soldiers he\par \pard\plain  expected to see. He slowed down, then stopped, confused.\par \pard\plain  Twenty royal guards were riding down the road, and his father\par \pard\plain  20 \par \pard\plain  was not among them. He searched their faces again, looking for\par \pard\plain  his father, hoping.\par \pard\plain  Behind him his mother started shouting out his name. The\par \pard\plain  horses suddenly came faster, riding over the small boy and\par \pard\plain  crashing him into the dirt of the road. Then they rode straight\par \pard\plain  toward his screaming mother.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  At the hills turned pink and gold with the sunset, a rider raced\par \pard\plain  for his life killing the horse under him. His shoulder was\par \pard\plain  bleeding badly He came to the top of a long, low hill and\par \pard\plain  stopped. There was a line of thick, black smoke in the distance\par \pard\plain  and he tried to see where it was coming from. With a cry of pain\par \pard\plain  he forced the horse forward, racing down the far side of the hill.\par \pard\plain  Would he arrive in time?\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s worst dream did not equal the sight in front of\par \pard\plain  him. His family home and farm were burning, completely\par \pard\plain  destroyed. The wheat and the apple trees were burnt black, and\par \pard\plain  smoke still curved upward from the last stones of his house. Two\par \pard\plain  pink stone chimneys were left standing\'97nothing else.\par \pard\plain  He stopped the horse violently. It fell over onto its side and\par \pard\plain  Maximus was thrown off. His stomach was sick with fear. He\par \pard\plain  knew now what he would find.\par \pard\plain  He stopped before the field of vegetables, looked up, and\par \pard\plain  forced himself to breathe. There, hanging on ropes, were the\par \pard\plain  burnt bodies of his wife and son. There was almost nothing left of\par \pard\plain  them. He reached up with both hands to touch his wife\'92s feet. A\par \pard\plain  terrible scream came from him, and he sank to the earth. His\par \pard\plain  world was now dead.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus dug one deep hole in the black earth on the hillside for\par \pard\plain  his wife and son. He pushed the earth back over their broken,\par \pard\plain  21 \par \pard\plain  burnt bodies and cried. Me looked down toward the ruin of the\par \pard\plain  house he had built, to the dead apple trees.\par \pard\plain  He spoke to his loved ones through his tears. \'93Lie in the\par \pard\plain  shadow of the trees, my loves, and wait for me there . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  He fell onto the earth beside them.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  They came because they had smelled the smoke in the air. Fire\par \pard\plain  meant there was something to be found and taken.\par \pard\plain  These were Spanish thieves, and their chief was a big\par \pard\plain  mountain man with a black beard. They found the man lying\par \pard\plain  dead on the black earth. Hands touched his shoes\'97expensive,\par \pard\plain  leather shoes. Other hands moved over his soldiers clothes\'97fine,\par \pard\plain  dark red cloth.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, the dead man moved. The hands on his body\par \pard\plain  stopped. Something was said in a strange language. Everyone\par \pard\plain  waited.\par \pard\plain  The big man on the ground did not move again. The chief\par \pard\plain  made a sign to his men, and the hands roughly took hold of\par \pard\plain  Maximus and pulled him away.\par \pard\plain  Days and nights passed, and for Maximus it was like a neverending\par \pard\plain  feverish dream. Terrible pictures crossed his mind as he lay\par \pard\plain  close to death in the open carriage they had thrown him into. He\par \pard\plain  dreamed of wild animals, close to his face . . . then he was on a\par \pard\plain  ship, traveling across water. A large African man smiled down at\par \pard\plain  him . . . he saw views of the desert . . . far-away mountains . . .\par \pard\plain  heard shouts in a strange language. It was hot, too hot to\par \pard\plain  breathe . . .\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s eyes opened slowly. Centimeters away from his face\par \pard\plain  was a wild tiger\'97and this one did not go away when he closed\par \pard\plain  his eyes and opened them again.\par \pard\plain  He looked around and realized that he was one of several men\par \pard\plain  chained together in a dirty slave carriage. There were small\par \pard\plain  22 \par \pard\plain  windows at the front and back and on both sides. He looked\par \pard\plain  through one of the windows and saw other carriages traveling\par \pard\plain  with them. Wild animals in chains were walking along with them,\par \pard\plain  some close to the window that he was looking through. He fell\par \pard\plain  back onto the floor, thinking, \'93This must all be a terrible dream.\'94\par \pard\plain  When Maximus woke again, he saw twelve slaves, all chained\par \pard\plain  together, all looking at him. Outside the carriage he could hear\par \pard\plain  men talking in a language he did not understand. Someone was\par \pard\plain  looking down at him, a big African man.\par \pard\plain  \'93Juba,\'94 said the African, giving his name. He, too, was chained.\par \pard\plain  Maximus moved with great pain and saw that the sword\par \pard\plain  wound on his shoulder was worse than he had realized. Juba was\par \pard\plain  putting something on the wound. Maximus fell back again and\par \pard\plain  slept.\par \pard\plain  When he woke again, the African was still with him. \'93You\par \pard\plain  see?\'94 he said. \'93Now your arm is getting better\'97it\'92s clean.\'94 He put\par \pard\plain  his finger gently on the wound. \'93Don\'92t die,\'94 said Juba. \'93They\'92ll\par \pard\plain  feed you to the tigers. They\'92re more expensive than we are.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus stared at him, and Juba looked down with a small\par \pard\plain  smile on his lips.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  The desert heat of Morocco was not like anything that Maximus\par \pard\plain  had known. The hot air made breathing difficult. He did not care\par \pard\plain  about breathing, though. Maximus did not care about anything.\par \pard\plain  All around him men were standing in the sand in a slave\par \pard\plain  market. The buyers walked slowly around, looking at the men\par \pard\plain  and touching them. There was a man with a black beard standing\par \pard\plain  near them, calling out to tell people about his slaves.\par \pard\plain  Maximus stood with the others, looking far away, beyond the\par \pard\plain  people and the market. Physically, he was getting better with\par \pard\plain  Juba\'92s help. But nobody could help the darkness inside him. He\par \pard\plain  did not even care about his own life. Maximus the Roman\par \pard\plain  23 \par \pard\plain  General, Maximus the farmer and husband was already dead\par \pard\plain  Across the market square Aelius Proximo sat in a small, dirty\par \pard\plain  café and watched everything with interest. Proximo was a large\par \pard\plain  man with big, blue eyes and white hair and beard. He looked like\par \pard\plain  a man who enjoyed the good things in life. He drank his tea\par \pard\plain  slowly, as a man measured his feet for new shoes. Two slave girls\par \pard\plain  sat beside him.\par \pard\plain  \'93Proximo, my friend!\'94 said the man with the black beard.\par \pard\plain  Proximo recognized the man immediately and turned away.\par \pard\plain  \'93Every day you are here is a great day,\'94 the man said, smiling. He\par \pard\plain  came to sit with Proximo. \'93And today is your lucky day\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo caught hold of his arm and held it tight. \'93It wasn\'92t\par \pard\plain  my lucky day the last time you sold me some animals. They\'92re no\par \pard\plain  good\'97they only run around and eat. Give me my money back!\'94\par \pard\plain  The slave-seller tried to pull his arm away. \'93I\'92ll give you a\par \pard\plain  special price today\'97because you are unhappy. Just for you.\par \pard\plain  Come and see the new tigers.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo let him go and followed him across the square.\par \pard\plain  \'93Look at this one,\'94 said the man. \'93Isn\'92t he a beauty?\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo looked at the tigers through the bars. \'93Do they\par \pard\plain  fight?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93Of course! For you, my special price, only eight thousand.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93For me,\'94 said Proximo, \'93four thousand. That\'92s my special price.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Four? I have to eat . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo looked around at the group of men in chains. \'93Do\par \pard\plain  any of them fight?\'94 he said. \'93There\'92s a contest soon.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Some are good for fighting, some for dying. You need both.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo walked over to Juba. \'93Get up,\'94 he commanded the\par \pard\plain  big African.\par \pard\plain  Juba lifted his head and looked at him. He got up slowly.\par \pard\plain  Proximo looked at him carefully. He turned over Juba\'92s hands and\par \pard\plain  felt the hard skin.\par \pard\plain  Then he moved on to Maximus. He saw the wound on his\par \pard\plain  24 \par \pard\plain  arm and then he saw the mark just above it\'97the letters \'84SPQR.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo knew that they meant Senatus Populusque Romanus: The\par \pard\plain  Senate and the Roman People.\par \pard\plain  \'93A soldier,\'94 said Proximo. \'93Did you run away?\'94 he asked\par \pard\plain  Maximus. But Maximus said nothing.\par \pard\plain  \'93Probably,\'94 said the slave-seller. \'93They say he\'92s a Spaniard.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo walked on and looked at the others. \'93I\'92ll take six\'97a\par \pard\plain  thousand for all of them,\'94 he said. His servant handed him a small\par \pard\plain  brush with red paint on it.\par \pard\plain  \'93A thousand!\'94 the slave-seller cried. \'93The African alone\par \pard\plain  should cost two thousand.\'94 He whispered to Proximo, \'93Turn\par \pard\plain  your back on him, he\'92ll kill you.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93These slaves are no good,\'94 said Proximo, as he walked away.\par \pard\plain  \'93Wait, wait . . . we can discuss the price.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo made a mark in red paint on the chests of the slaves\par \pard\plain  he had chosen. \'93I\'92ll give you two thousand,\'94 he said, \'93and four for\par \pard\plain  the animals. But it will be five thousand for an old friend.\'94\par \pard\plain  The slave-seller thought for a second and then accepted.\par \pard\plain  \'93But those tigers have to fight,\'94 said Proximo.\par \pard\plain  \'93Don\'92t feed them for a day and a half,\'94 said the slave-seller,\par \pard\plain  \'93and they\'92ll eat their own mothers.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Interesting idea,\'94 said Proximo, as he walked away.\par \pard\plain  His servants pulled the chains tied to Juba, Maximus, and the\par \pard\plain  others, and they were led away.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s carriages arrived in a crowded, Moroccan port city.\par \pard\plain  Maximus and Juba sat together with twelve other new slaves.\par \pard\plain  One was a small, very frightened Greek man. He was probably a\par \pard\plain  teacher or a writer. He was definitely not a fighter.\par \pard\plain  The carriage of slaves was followed by several others carrying\par \pard\plain  wild animals\'97including the tigers. Most of the chained men\par \pard\plain  looked back at the tigers from time to time, not with interest but\par \pard\plain  25 \par \pard\plain  with fear. They knew what a hungry tiger could do, and they\par \pard\plain  guessed why they and the animals had been bought together.\par \pard\plain  They drove through some large iron gates. There was no sign\par \pard\plain  on the gates or on the buildings inside, but everyone in the city\par \pard\plain  knew the place as Proximo\'92s School. It was not a place to learn\par \pard\plain  Latin, Greek, or mathematics. It was a school where men learned\par \pard\plain  how to fight\'97to live one more day in the face of death. It was a\par \pard\plain  gladiator school.\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s school was like a castle prison. In the center was a\par \pard\plain  square. On one side were the cages for the animals, and on the\par \pard\plain  opposite side the human prisoners were kept.\par \pard\plain  Maximus and the other new slaves were pushed into their\par \pard\plain  prison, and the doors crashed shut behind them. Maximus\par \pard\plain  noticed the guards. They all carried short swords and some also\par \pard\plain  had arrows or spears.\par \pard\plain  At the far end of the square a group of about ten men were\par \pard\plain  training. \'93Battle practice,\'94 thought Maximus. \'93Like Commodus.\'94\par \pard\plain  A very big man was teaching two new gladiators how to\par \pard\plain  throw a spear. They were trying to hit a picture of a man, but\par \pard\plain  they were not very good. Both students missed it. The teacher\par \pard\plain  threw his spear and hit the picture in the stomach.\par \pard\plain  \'93Haken,\'94 said a voice from behind, naming the teacher.\par \pard\plain  Maximus turned to see Proximo, who was admiring Haken\'92s\par \pard\plain  strength. He and Maximus stared at each other.\par \pard\plain  \'93Spaniard . . .\'94 Proximo said, naming Maximus. Then he\par \pard\plain  moved along the line, naming each new slave. \'93Thief . . .\par \pard\plain  murderer . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, he stopped and smiled. \'93Proximo!\'94 he said. \'93Anyone\par \pard\plain  know the meaning of that? \'91Nearest.\'92 \'91Dearest.\'92 \'91Close to.\'92 I am\par \pard\plain  Proximo. I shall be closer to you in the next days than your own\par \pard\plain  mothers were. I did not pay good money to buy you,\'94 Proximo\par \pard\plain  said. \'93I paid to buy your death. You may die alone, in pairs, or in\par \pard\plain  groups\'97who knows? Many different ways with just one\par \pard\plain  26 \par \pard\plain  ending.\'94 He walked around his new slaves, enjoying himself.\par \pard\plain  \'93And when you die\'97and you will die\'97the sound of cheering\par \pard\plain  will send you to the next world.\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo raised his hands and stretched them out to the group\par \pard\plain  of slaves. \'93Gladiators, I salute you,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 5 New Gladiators\par \pard\plain  Proximo never missed training for the new boys. He could learn\par \pard\plain  so much about them.\par \pard\plain  The more experienced gladiators trained against each other,\par \pard\plain  working with swords and spears and with shields and armor.\par \pard\plain  The new ones were put together into a small arena in the\par \pard\plain  center. One by one they were given heavy wooden swords and\par \pard\plain  sent in to face the teacher. He had a similar sword.\par \pard\plain  Proximo watched from a short distance. Very quickly his\par \pard\plain  trained eye could sort the new class into two groups. The fighters\par \pard\plain  were marked with red paint, and the others with yellow.\par \pard\plain  Haken enjoyed his job as gladiator teacher. He took great\par \pard\plain  pleasure in knocking away the swords of his new students and\par \pard\plain  then hitting them hard so they fell onto the dirt. It was soon\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s turn to face Haken.\par \pard\plain  \'93Spaniard,\'94 Haken called to him.\par \pard\plain  Maximus went forward slowly. Proximo watched more closely,\par \pard\plain  to see what would happen.\par \pard\plain  Maximus picked up the sword and stood facing Haken.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly everyone, especially Haken, saw that this man was a\par \pard\plain  fighter. There was something about the way he held the sword,\par \pard\plain  the way he stood\'97but most of all there were his eyes. There was\par \pard\plain  no doubt\'97he knew how to fight.\par \pard\plain  Maximus lifted the sword and then dropped it to the ground.\par \pard\plain  He seemed to be saying, \'93I could kill, but I choose not to.\'94\par \pard\plain  27 \par \pard\plain  Haken was surprised. Was this an insult? He looked to\par \pard\plain  Proximo for orders. Proximo made a sign to him to continue.\par \pard\plain  Haken struck Maximus across the stomach. Maximus fell\par \pard\plain  forward but then stood straight again and faced him.\par \pard\plain  Haken looked again to Proximo, and again he was told to\par \pard\plain  continue.\par \pard\plain  This time Haken struck Maximus across his wounded arm.\par \pard\plain  Maximus almost fell to the ground but managed to stay on his\par \pard\plain  feet. All the time he stared straight at Haken, who was becoming\par \pard\plain  very angry. Maximus\'92s thoughts were clear: \'93I may be low, but\par \pard\plain  I\'92m not as low as you. I won\'92t kill for sport\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo found it very interesting. Haken lifted the sword\par \pard\plain  again, ready to hurt Maximus really badly, but Proximo stopped\par \pard\plain  him. \'93That\'92s enough for now\'94 he said. \'93His time will come.\'94 He\par \pard\plain  looked behind him to the servant with the pots of paint. \'93Mark\par \pard\plain  that one,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the heat of the late afternoon Haken, Juba, the Greek, and the\par \pard\plain  other new gladiators sat on the ground in the shadows.\par \pard\plain  Maximus lay by the wall to one side. He had a small, sharp stone\par \pard\plain  and was using it to try to remove the letters SPQR from his arm.\par \pard\plain  Juba called out to him, \'93Spaniard! Why didn\'92t you fight? We all\par \pard\plain  have to fight.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus did not answer.\par \pard\plain  The young Greek was very frightened. \'93I don\'92t fight,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93I shouldn\'92t be here. I\'92m a secretary\'97I can write in seven\par \pard\plain  languages.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Good,\'94 said Haken. \'93Tomorrow you can scream in seven\par \pard\plain  languages.\'94\par \pard\plain  The other gladiators laughed.\par \pard\plain  Juba moved closer to Maximus and watched him digging the\par \pard\plain  stone into his skin. \'93Is that the sign of your gods?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  28 \par \pard\plain  Maximus did not answer.\par \pard\plain  Behind them Haken was making fun of the Greek. \'93Maybe\par \pard\plain  the secretary will be the one who wins his freedom,\'94 he laughed.\par \pard\plain  \'93Freedom!\'94 the Greek replied. \'93What do I have to do?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You go into the arena and you kill me,\'94 Haken replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93Then you kill him, and the African, and him, and a hundred\par \pard\plain  more. And when there are no more men to fight, you\'92re free.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I can\'92t do that,\'94 cried the Greek.\par \pard\plain  \'93No,\'94 said Haken, suddenly serious, \'93but I can.\'94 He looked\par \pard\plain  from one gladiator to the next until his eyes rested on Maximus.\par \pard\plain  Maximus stared back at him, his face like stone.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Proximo and his gladiators walked through the streets of the\par \pard\plain  town on their way to the arena. Haken and the gladiators were\par \pard\plain  chained together, and Proximo\'92s guards walked with them. They\par \pard\plain  were all carrying short swords.\par \pard\plain  The arena was small. It was not like the enormous\par \pard\plain  Colosseum* in Rome, although it was there for the same\par \pard\plain  reason\'97to entertain the people. This arena was just a circle of\par \pard\plain  sandy ground with a lot of seats around it. But the seats were\par \pard\plain  filled with people, and the people were expecting to see blood.\par \pard\plain  Maximus and the other gladiators were taken to a small area\par \pard\plain  behind the seats. Above them were Proximo\'92s seats, next to the\par \pard\plain  seats of several other gladiator trainers. This special position gave\par \pard\plain  the trainers a good view of the arena and they could also see the\par \pard\plain  gladiators preparing to fight. They discussed their gladiators\par \pard\plain  together before the contest started\'97who would live and who\par \pard\plain  would die.\par \pard\plain  \'93Has the African fought before?\'94 one of the men asked\par \pard\plain  Proximo.\par \pard\plain  * Colosseum: the famous arena in Rome, used for gladiator contests.\par \pard\plain  29 \par \pard\plain  \'93No, first time.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93And that one?\'94 he asked, pointing to Maximus. \'93Soldier?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Him? He\'92s no good,\'94 said Proximo. \'93But I have an idea\'94 He\par \pard\plain  called down to his guards. \'93Chain the Spaniard to the African.\'94\par \pard\plain  he said.\par \pard\plain  The other man was not sure about Maximus. He liked the\par \pard\plain  look of the Spaniard. \'93I think he\'92ll live through this fight, you\par \pard\plain  think he\'92ll die,\'94 he said. \'93Let\'92s put money on the result\'97a\par \pard\plain  thousand?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Against my own man? I don\'92t do that,\'94 said Proximo.\par \pard\plain  \'93And if I make it five thousand?\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo thought about it. That was a lot of money.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Proximo liked to see his new boys before they went to fight. A\par \pard\plain  guard called for silence as he walked into the waiting area.\par \pard\plain  \'93Some of you are thinking that you won\'92t fight,\'94 Proximo\par \pard\plain  said, \'93and some that you can\'92t fight. They all say that until they\'92re\par \pard\plain  out there.\'94 He pulled a sword down from a shelf. \'93Push this into\par \pard\plain  another man and the crowd will cheer and love you. You may\par \pard\plain  even begin to love them back.\'94 He stuck the point of the sword\par \pard\plain  in a table. \'93In the end, we are all dead men. Sadly, we cannot\par \pard\plain  choose how. But we can decide how we accept that end, so we\par \pard\plain  are remembered as men. You go out into the arena as slaves. You\par \pard\plain  come back\'97if you come back\'97as gladiators.\'94\par \pard\plain  Outside, the crowd was getting impatient. Before he left,\par \pard\plain  Proximo walked down the line of men, saying who must be\par \pard\plain  chained together. They were all put in teams of two\'97and it soon\par \pard\plain  became clear that the method was to chain a \'93Red to a\par \pard\plain  \'93Yellow.\'94 Each good fighter was with a certain loser.\par \pard\plain  Haken was chained to the crying Greek secretary. Maximus\'97\par \pard\plain  a \'93loser\'94 because he had refused to fight Haken\'97was chained to\par \pard\plain  Juba.\par \pard\plain  30 \par \pard\plain  Maximus turned to look at the closed door. From the other\par \pard\plain  side they could hear the shouts of the crowd. Suddenly, Maximus\par \pard\plain  bent down and picked up a little sand from the ground, then let\par \pard\plain  it fall through his fingers. Juba watched him but did not\par \pard\plain  understand. When Maximus stood up again, he looked different.\par \pard\plain  He was ready for battle.\par \pard\plain  Outside, the crowds were cheering and shouting. There was\par \pard\plain  the sound of drums. Everyone stood anxiously waiting.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, the doors to the arena crashed open and sunlight\par \pard\plain  poured in. For a few seconds the men were blinded by it. There\par \pard\plain  were trained gladiators already in the arena, waiting, their swords\par \pard\plain  and spears ready for killing.\par \pard\plain  The new gladiators ran out, some to immediate death. Side by\par \pard\plain  side, their chain loose between them, Maximus and Juba ran out\par \pard\plain  into the arena.\par \pard\plain  It was not a fair fight. The new men had only one small sword\par \pard\plain  and no armor; the experienced gladiators had much better\par \pard\plain  equipment.\par \pard\plain  Maximus and Juba fought together. Juba was surprised to see\par \pard\plain  that his partner\'97marked with the yellow of cowards\'97was\par \pard\plain  fighting bravely. All the anger and pain inside Maximus had come\par \pard\plain  out, and he was better than any man in the arena. He knew this\par \pard\plain  was not his day to die, not like this.\par \pard\plain  Together they killed the first pair of gladiators. Others came to\par \pard\plain  fight them and, for a second, Juba lost his sword as he attacked.\par \pard\plain  Maximus pulled him clear of the other man\'92s sword and then\par \pard\plain  struck the attacker hard. His sword point came out the man\'92s\par \pard\plain  back. He and Juba worked together as a team. They were strong\par \pard\plain  and fast, and many of the attacking gladiators were killed by them.\par \pard\plain  Haken fought with great power. The Greek was soon killed,\par \pard\plain  and Haken cut off the man\'92s hand so it was easier for him to\par \pard\plain  move about in the arena.\par \pard\plain  Proximo watched everything closely.\par \pard\plain  31 \par \pard\plain  The crowd quickly realized that Juba and Maximus were a\par \pard\plain  strong fighting pair and began to cheer them.\par \pard\plain  Soon all the attackers were on the ground. Juba and Maximus\par \pard\plain  looked around, and then at each other. But then, as they began to\par \pard\plain  relax, one of the gladiators tried to get to his feet. They ran\par \pard\plain  forward together and pulled their chain tightly around his neck.\par \pard\plain  The fighting had ended. The crowd were on their feet,\par \pard\plain  cheering. Maximus looked at the many bodies around him, and\par \pard\plain  then at the excited faces of the crowd. It made him sick that\par \pard\plain  people were entertained by the sight of men killing other men.\par \pard\plain  He walked toward the entrance and threw his sword into the\par \pard\plain  crowd. It only made them cheer louder.\par \pard\plain  Proximo was pleased with the day\'92s work. He had lost a lot of\par \pard\plain  money but he had found a new fighter.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 6 Caesar\'92s Arrival in Rome\par \pard\plain  It was a special day in Rome, a holiday. Fifty black-armored royal\par \pard\plain  guards marched down the main street of Rome, followed by\par \pard\plain  hundreds of men on horses. Behind them came the royal carriage.\par \pard\plain  Commodus, the new Emperor of Rome, was coming home.\par \pard\plain  His sister Lucilla was sitting next to him. Another fifty guards\par \pard\plain  marched behind them. Close to the royal carriage, on a beautiful\par \pard\plain  black horse, rode Quintus, the new Commander of the Royal\par \pard\plain  Guards.\par \pard\plain  Commodus had told the Senate that he was now the\par \pard\plain  Commander of the Roman Army, and that the army was loyal to\par \pard\plain  him. Many senators doubted it, but there was no one in Rome\par \pard\plain  with enough power to take control. And so nothing could stop\par \pard\plain  Commodus.\par \pard\plain  The people had been told that their new Emperor would\par \pard\plain  arrive in Rome on this date, at this time. The city was cleaned up\par \pard\plain  32 \par \pard\plain  and purple flags were hung outside the most important buildings.\par \pard\plain  The citizens of Rome lined the streets at the time he was\par \pard\plain  expected.\par \pard\plain  The crowd was not very big and it was not very enthusiastic.\par \pard\plain  They cheered, but not loudly. Commodus was young and had no\par \pard\plain  experience, but the people could forgive that. They were more\par \pard\plain  worried about the stories they had heard\'97that Commodus was\par \pard\plain  selfish and cruel. He was not his father, and they had loved\par \pard\plain  Marcus Aurelius. Commodus had much work to do to make\par \pard\plain  himself popular and win the support of the people.\par \pard\plain  Ahead, on the steps of the Senate, a group of senators stood\par \pard\plain  waiting: Falco, Gaius, and Gracchus were among them. Lucius,\par \pard\plain  Lucilla\'92s eight-year-old son, was standing with them.\par \pard\plain  Senator Gracchus, a white-haired man in his sixties, was not\par \pard\plain  happy about the new Emperor. \'93He is entering Rome like a\par \pard\plain  hero\'97but what has he ever done?\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Give him time, Gracchus,\'94 Falco answered. \'93He\'92s young. I\par \pard\plain  think he could do very well.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93For Rome?\'94 asked Gracchus. \'93Or for you?\'94\par \pard\plain  Falco turned to Lucius. \'93It\'92s a proud day for all of us, isn\'92t it,\par \pard\plain  Lucius?\'94 he said. \'93I\'92m sure Senator Gracchus never thought he\'92d\par \pard\plain  live to see such a day.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucius watched as the royal carriage came closer, then ran\par \pard\plain  down the steps when it arrived. He jumped up into his mother\'92s\par \pard\plain  arms and she held him tight and kissed him.\par \pard\plain  Commodus raised his arm in salute to the crowd, but he could\par \pard\plain  see that the crowd was small and the cheering was only polite.\par \pard\plain  \'93Rome greets her new Emperor,\'94 Falco said. \'93Your loyal\par \pard\plain  people are here to welcome you, sir.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Thank you, Falco,\'94 replied Commodus, \'93for bringing out the\par \pard\plain  loyal people. I hope they weren\'92t too expensive.\'94 He turned to\par \pard\plain  Gracchus. \'93Ah, Gracchus,\'94 he said. \'93The friend of Rome.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93We are happy that you are home, Caesar,\'94 Gracchus said.\par \pard\plain  33 \par \pard\plain  Then he became more serious. \'93There are many problems that\par \pard\plain  need your attention.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the royal palace Commodus was meeting with the senators. He\par \pard\plain  was following his sister\'92s advice and listening to them patiently.\par \pard\plain  Senator Gracchus had a list of problems in the city. He was\par \pard\plain  anxious that Commodus look at them without delay. \'93. . . and\par \pard\plain  here are some suggestions from the Senate\'97ideas for solving the\par \pard\plain  problems,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  Commodus walked around the room, losing interest. Lucilla\par \pard\plain  listened carefully\'97and watched her brother.\par \pard\plain  Finally, Commodus could not listen any longer. \'93You see\par \pard\plain  Gracchus, this is exactly the problem,\'94 he interrupted. \'93My father\par \pard\plain  spent too much time listening to the Senate, and the people were\par \pard\plain  forgotten.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93The Senate is the people, Caesar,\'94 said Gracchus. \'93Chosen\par \pard\plain  from among the people, to speak for the people.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I doubt many of the people eat as well as you do, Gracchus.\par \pard\plain  Or have the beautiful home you have, Gaius. I think I understand\par \pard\plain  my own people \'93 Commodus said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Would Caesar kindly teach us, from his own great\par \pard\plain  experience?\'94 replied Gracchus.\par \pard\plain  \'93I call it love, Gracchus. I am their father. The people are my\par \pard\plain  children,\'94 said Commodus. He was getting angry.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla stepped forward. \'93Senators, my brother is very tired,\'94\par \pard\plain  she said. \'93Please leave your list with me. Caesar will do\par \pard\plain  everything that Rome needs.\'94 She called for a slave to show\par \pard\plain  them out.\par \pard\plain  The senators left, but they were not pleased. It was not a good\par \pard\plain  start for the new Emperor. When they had gone, Lucilla turned\par \pard\plain  to Commodus. \'93The Senate can be useful,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  \'93How?\'94 he replied. \'93They only talk \'93 He moved to a window\par \pard\plain  34 \par \pard\plain  and looked out over the great city. \'93It should be just you, and me,\par \pard\plain  and Rome.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93There has always been a Senate . . .\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Rome has changed,\'94 he answered. \'93It takes an emperor to\par \pard\plain  rule an empire.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Of course, but leave the people their traditions.\'94\par \pard\plain  It had been a \'93tradition\'94 for the last two hundred years to believe\par \pard\plain  that the Senate ruled Rome, through the Emperor. But everyone\par \pard\plain  knew the real situation. The army held the political power in\par \pard\plain  Rome, and the real ruler was whoever the army was loyal to.\par \pard\plain  Commodus\'92s thoughts were moving ahead. \'93All the years of\par \pard\plain  my father\'92s wars gave the people nothing\'97but still they loved\par \pard\plain  him. Why? They didn\'92t see the battles. They knew nothing of the\par \pard\plain  people we fought and killed, or their countries,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93They care about the greatness of Rome,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93And what is that? Can I touch it, see it?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93It\'92s an idea. It\'92s something they want to believe in,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  Commodus was suddenly excited. \'93I\'92ll give them something\par \pard\plain  to believe in\'97I\'92ll give them great ideas. And they\'92ll love me for\par \pard\plain  it,\'94 he said, raising his arms to the sky. \'93I will give them the\par \pard\plain  greatest ideas, the most wonderful Rome ever!\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  There were artists at work in the streets, painting enormous\par \pard\plain  pictures on walls. Their pictures showed scenes of gladiators and\par \pard\plain  wild animals fighting, and the sand on the floors of the arenas was\par \pard\plain  red with blood. Crowds stood and stared, watching as the pictures\par \pard\plain  were completed. This was the start of the advertising for\par \pard\plain  Commodus\'92s new idea.\par \pard\plain  \'93Games!\'94 Gaius complained to Gracchus and a group of other\par \pard\plain  senators as he joined them in a café. \'93One hundred and fifty days\par \pard\plain  of games!\'94\par \pard\plain  35 \par \pard\plain  The senators watched the wall painters working outside the\par \pard\plain  café.\par \pard\plain  \'93He\'92s smarter than I thought,\'94 said Gracchus, quietly.\par \pard\plain  \'93Smart?\'94 said Gaius. \'93All of Rome would laugh at him if they\par \pard\plain  weren\'92t so afraid of his guards. You can\'92t really think that the\par \pard\plain  people will forget Rome\'92s problems and sit back to enjoy these\par \pard\plain  games?\'94 he asked. \'93It\'92s completely mad.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I think he knows what Rome is,\'94 Gracchus replied. \'93He will\par \pard\plain  give them magic, and then they\'92ll have something else to think\par \pard\plain  about. He will take their lives, and he will take their freedom.\par \pard\plain  And still they will shout and cheer.\'94 He shook his head, sadly.\par \pard\plain  \'93The beating heart of Rome isn\'92t in the walls of the Senate. It\'92s\par \pard\plain  on the sand of the Colosseum. He will give them death. And they\par \pard\plain  will love him for it.\'94\par \pard\plain  The other senators knew he was right. It was a lesson from\par \pard\plain  history. But they did not know that Commodus was planning\par \pard\plain  better and longer games than any emperor before him. And it\par \pard\plain  was all for one reason. Commodus knew he had no choice. He\par \pard\plain  and the Senate did not agree about anything and he could not\par \pard\plain  be certain of their support. So he had to look beyond the\par \pard\plain  Senate and go straight to the people for his power. The games\par \pard\plain  were the key. As Lucilla had said, the people must have their\par \pard\plain  traditions. And he would not deny his citizens their traditional\par \pard\plain  games.\par \pard\plain  Sitting behind the senators in the café, with his back to\par \pard\plain  them, was a small man. None of the senators noticed him, but\par \pard\plain  he was close enough to hear everything they said. The face of\par \pard\plain  the listener was quite ordinary, except that his right eye was\par \pard\plain  missing. He did not see well with only one eye, but he could\par \pard\plain  hear perfectly and he had a good memory He was able to\par \pard\plain  collect a lot of information and he was paid well to repeat it to\par \pard\plain  other ears.\par \pard\plain  36 \par \pard\plain  Chapter 7 The Spaniard and the Crowd\par \pard\plain  Crowds of people came down the hillside from their small houses\par \pard\plain  above the Moroccan town. They were all going toward the arena,\par \pard\plain  hoping to put a little excitement into their difficult lives.\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s arm, now without the letters SPQR, was covered\par \pard\plain  with an arm guard. He had earned the extra protection of armor\par \pard\plain  because of his brave fighting. He bent and picked up some dirt\par \pard\plain  from the ground, watched it disappear through his fingers, and\par \pard\plain  walked quickly toward the entrance to the arena. Proximo\par \pard\plain  walked with him.\par \pard\plain  \'93You just kill, kill, kill!\'94 Proximo shouted at Maximus. \'93You\par \pard\plain  make it look too easy. The crowd wants a hero, not just someone\par \pard\plain  cutting up meat. We want them to keep coming back. Don\'92t kill\par \pard\plain  so quickly\'97take more time!\'94 The cheers of the crowd grew\par \pard\plain  louder as they got closer to the arena. \'93Give them an adventure\par \pard\plain  to remember!\'94 Proximo shouted above the noise. \'93Fall to one\par \pard\plain  knee\'97they\'92ll think you\'92re finished. Then force yourself to your\par \pard\plain  feet\'97our hero!\'94 He was rushing along to keep up with\par \pard\plain  Maximus. \'93Remember, you\'92re an entertainer!\'94\par \pard\plain  Without a word to Proximo, Maximus walked out into the\par \pard\plain  arena. There was a cheer immediately. He was a known fighter\par \pard\plain  now, and the Moroccans knew they were going to see some real\par \pard\plain  action.\par \pard\plain  Out in the bright sunlight, six fighters waited. Maximus looked\par \pard\plain  at them and decided immediately on his method of attack. He\par \pard\plain  chose the strongest and most confident man first. When that man\par \pard\plain  went down, the others would know they had no chance. He cut\par \pard\plain  them down, one by one, his sword striking through their bodies\par \pard\plain  with great speed. It was all finished in a few minutes.\par \pard\plain  The crowd stood and cheered. They shouted, \'93Spaniard!\par \pard\plain  Spaniard!\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo got up from his seat and walked out.\par \pard\plain  37 \par \pard\plain  Maximus dropped his arm to his side, stepped over a body, and\par \pard\plain  walked back toward the exit. He picked up a sword from the sand\par \pard\plain  and threw it into the crowd. As it fell to the floor, the screaming\par \pard\plain  crowd grew silent, watching and waiting.\par \pard\plain  \'93Are you not entertained?\'94 Maximus shouted at them. \'93Is this\par \pard\plain  not why you came?\'94 He threw down his own sword and walked\par \pard\plain  out of the arena gates and back to the prison area.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the cool of the evening, Maximus and Juba stood inside the\par \pard\plain  gates of Proximo\'92s school. They looked out over the desert to the\par \pard\plain  mountains in the distance.\par \pard\plain  \'93My country\'97it\'92s somewhere out there,\'94 Juba said. \'93My\par \pard\plain  home. My wife is preparing food and my daughters are carrying\par \pard\plain  water from the river. Will I ever see them again? I think not.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Do you believe you\'92ll meet them again\'97after you die?\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93I think so,\'94 Juba said. \'93But I will die soon. They will not die\par \pard\plain  for many years.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93But you would wait for them.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Of course,\'94 Juba said.\par \pard\plain  \'93I almost died, coming here,\'94 said Maximus. \'93You saved me. I\par \pard\plain  never thanked you\'94 Maximus looked at Juba, and there was pain\par \pard\plain  in his eyes. \'93Because my wife, and my son, are waiting for me.\'94\par \pard\plain  Juba understood. \'93You\'92ll meet them again,\'94 he said. \'93But not\par \pard\plain  yet, yes?\'94 He laughed. This team was not ready for death.\par \pard\plain  Later that evening, two guards came to find Maximus. They\par \pard\plain  took him to Proximo.\par \pard\plain  \'93Ah, Spaniard,\'94 he said, sending the guards away. \'93It worries\par \pard\plain  me that although you\'92re good, you could be better. You could be\par \pard\plain  the greatest.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You want me to kill. I kill,\'94 Maximus said. \'93That\'92s enough.\'94\par \pard\plain  He turned to walk out.\par \pard\plain  38 \par \pard\plain  \'93Enough for a small Moroccan town like this,\'94 Proximo called\par \pard\plain  after him. \'93But not for Rome.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus stopped. \'93Rome?\'94 he said, suddenly interested.\par \pard\plain  \'93My men have just brought the news,\'94 Proximo said. \'93The\par \pard\plain  young Emperor has arranged some games in honor of his dead\par \pard\plain  father, Marcus Aurelius. It\'92s strange to think that I had to leave my\par \pard\plain  school in Rome years ago because his father stopped all gladiator\par \pard\plain  contests. But his day has ended now.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes,\'94 said Maximus, quietly, angrily.\par \pard\plain  Proximo laughed. \'93We\'92re going back! After five years in this\par \pard\plain  terrible place we\'92re going back to the Colosseum,\'94 he said. \'93Ah,\par \pard\plain  Spaniard, wait until you fight in the Colosseum. Fifty thousand\par \pard\plain  Romans following every move of your sword. The silence before\par \pard\plain  you strike. The cry that comes after\'97like a storm!\'94 He stopped\par \pard\plain  and looked to the heavens, his eyes shining.\par \pard\plain  Maximus saw the memories lighting up Proximo\'92s face and\par \pard\plain  suddenly he understood. \'93You were once a gladiator,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  Proximo looked back at him. \'93The best,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93You won your freedom?\'94 Maximus asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93A long time ago.\'94 Proximo went into the next room and\par \pard\plain  came back carrying a small wooden sword. \'93The Emperor gave\par \pard\plain  me this. A sign of freedom. He touched me on the shoulder and I\par \pard\plain  was free.\'94\par \pard\plain  On the handle of the sword was Proximo\'92s name and the\par \pard\plain  words, \'93Free man\'97By Order of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I, too, want to stand in front of the Emperor, as you did.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Then listen to me,\'94 said Proximo. \'93Learn from me. I was not\par \pard\plain  the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd\par \pard\plain  loved me. Win the crowd, and you\'92ll win your freedom.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus knew that he was right. \'93I\'92ll win the crowd. I\'92ll give\par \pard\plain  them something they\'92ve never seen before.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  39 \par \pard\plain  In the royal palace Commodus stood looking down at Lucius,\par \pard\plain  asleep in his bed. Lucilla entered quietly behind him. She stood\par \pard\plain  in the doorway, watching, worried.\par \pard\plain  \'93He sleeps so well because he is loved,\'94 said Commodus,\par \pard\plain  gently brushing a hair from Lucius\'92s face.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla moved forward quickly. Lucius turned over and she\par \pard\plain  thought he was waking. \'93Shh . . . go back to sleep now,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  She pulled his blanket closer and watched him breathe deeply,\par \pard\plain  already dreaming again. \'93Come, brother, it\'92s late,\'94 she said,\par \pard\plain  turning away and knowing he would follow her.\par \pard\plain  Back in his own room Commodus sat on the bed and picked\par \pard\plain  up a document. He looked at it, then let it fall to the floor. The\par \pard\plain  table next to his bed was covered in other papers\'97plans for the\par \pard\plain  New Rome and documents from the Senate.\par \pard\plain  \'93I can\'92t sleep,\'94 he complained. \'93The Senate is always sending\par \pard\plain  me papers. And my own dreams for Rome are making my head\par \pard\plain  ache.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla prepared a drink for him, secretly mixing in some\par \pard\plain  medicine. \'93Quiet, brother, this will help.\'94 She held out the drink\par \pard\plain  to him and watched as he drank it.\par \pard\plain  \'93Are the people ready for me to close the Senate yet? What do\par \pard\plain  you think? Should I have the senators killed? Some or all of\par \pard\plain  them?\'94 he asked Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93We\'92ll talk about it tomorrow. Sleep now,\'94 she said. She\par \pard\plain  thought to herself, \'93Rome is in frightening hands. Thank the\par \pard\plain  gods that I am here to control him.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Will you stay with me?\'94 Commodus asked Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Still afraid of the dark, brother?\'94 Lucilla smiled gently, kissed\par \pard\plain  him, and then started to go. She stopped at the door and looked\par \pard\plain  back.\par \pard\plain  Commodus lay on the bed, a lonely figure, his eyes wide open.\par \pard\plain  \'93Sleep, brother,\'94 Lucilla said.\par \pard\plain  40 \par \pard\plain  \'93You know my dreams would bring terror to the world,\'94 he\par \pard\plain  said.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla left.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  When she was certain that Commodus was asleep, Lucilla quietly\par \pard\plain  left the palace. She went to Senator Gracchus\'92s house, and there\par \pard\plain  in the darkness Gaius was waiting for her. He took her arm and\par \pard\plain  led her into the house, where Gracchus met them in the hall.\par \pard\plain  He turned to Lucilla. \'93Do you know, there was a time, not\par \pard\plain  very long ago, when I held two children on my knee,\'94 he said\par \pard\plain  with a kind smile. \'93They were the most beautiful children I\'92d\par \pard\plain  ever seen. And their father was very proud of them. I, too, loved\par \pard\plain  them very much, like my own.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93And they loved you,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93I saw one of them grow strong and good,\'94 Gracchus\par \pard\plain  continued. \'93The other grew . . . dark. I watched as his father\par \pard\plain  turned away from him. We all turned away from him. And as he\par \pard\plain  became more and more lonely, there was more hate than love in\par \pard\plain  his heart.\'94 Gracchus shook his head sadly.\par \pard\plain  They went into the main room and Gracchus gave his guests\par \pard\plain  glasses of wine. Lucilla spoke first. \'93Anyone who says anything\par \pard\plain  against the Emperor is in danger now,\'94 she said. \'93Students,\par \pard\plain  teachers, writers . . . we must be careful.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93All to feed the arena. I\'92m afraid to go out after dark,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Gaius.\par \pard\plain  \'93You should be more afraid in the day,\'94 said Gracchus. \'93The\par \pard\plain  Senate is full of Falco\'92s spies.\'94 He took a glass of wine and sat\par \pard\plain  next to Lucilla. \'93What is in Commodus\'92s mind? These games are\par \pard\plain  all he seems to care about.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93And how is he paying for them?\'94 asked Gaius. \'93They must\par \pard\plain  cost a fortune each day, but we have no new taxes.\'94\par \pard\plain  41 \par \pard\plain  \'93The future is paying,\'94 Lucilla answered. \'93He\'92s started selling\par \pard\plain  the wheat we have saved. In two years time the people will die of\par \pard\plain  hunger. I hope they\'92re enjoying the games now because soon\par \pard\plain  these games will be the reason their children are dead.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93This can\'92t be true,\'94 said Gaius. \'93Rome must know this.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93And who will tell them?\'94 asked Lucilla. \'93You, Gaius? Or you,\par \pard\plain  Gracchus? Will you make a speech in the Senate and then see\par \pard\plain  your family killed in the Colosseum?\'94 She looked from one man\par \pard\plain  to the other. \'93He must die,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Quintus and the guards would take control themselves,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Gaius.\par \pard\plain  \'93And we haven\'92t got enough men. The army may not be loyal\par \pard\plain  to us,\'94 said Gracchus. \'93No, we must wait, prepare, and be ready.\par \pard\plain  We can do nothing while he has the support of the people. But\par \pard\plain  every day he makes more enemies. One day he will have more\par \pard\plain  enemies than friends, and then we will strike. Until then, we\par \pard\plain  must be patient.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Proximo and his gladiators were near Rome by late afternoon.\par \pard\plain  Proximo could see that something had changed since he left five\par \pard\plain  years before. Rome had become an army camp.\par \pard\plain  When they were inside the city walls, he noticed other things.\par \pard\plain  The city was poorer and dirtier than he remembered it.\par \pard\plain  At last they arrived at Proximo\'92s old school, where the gates\par \pard\plain  were still locked as he had left them. The gladiators were glad to\par \pard\plain  get out of the box they had traveled in. They looked around.\par \pard\plain  Across the rooftops of Rome, only a short distance away, was an\par \pard\plain  enormous building: the great Colosseum.\par \pard\plain  Maximus, Juba, and the others stared at it, listening to the\par \pard\plain  sound of 50,000 voices shouting for blood. Each man was\par \pard\plain  thinking, \'93Is that where I die?\'94\par \pard\plain  From the great arena came another sound: \'93Caesar! Caesar!\par \pard\plain  42 \par \pard\plain  Proximo knew this meant that the Emperor had just arrived.\par \pard\plain  He looked across at Maximus. \'93Win the crowd\'94 he said softly.\par \pard\plain  Maximus had only one thought: \'93He is there. He is close. The\par \pard\plain  time is coming when I will see him myself: the man I live to kill.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  It was late morning of the following day when Maximus and the\par \pard\plain  other gladiators were taken to the Colosseum. They were put\par \pard\plain  into cages under the seats of the arena.\par \pard\plain  Crowds of people came past to look at the new fighters, to\par \pard\plain  guess which ones were winners and which would die. Maximus\par \pard\plain  sat at the back of the cage, taking no notice of them.\par \pard\plain  He could hear Proximo talking loudly to a man called Cassius,\par \pard\plain  whose job was to organize the contests in the Colosseum. He\par \pard\plain  also had to please the Emperor.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Emperor wants battles?\'94 Proximo shouted. \'93My men are\par \pard\plain  highly trained single fighters. I refuse to let them die like that.\par \pard\plain  They will be wasted in this stupid piece of theater.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93The crowd wants battles, so the Emperor gives them battles,\'94\par \pard\plain  Cassius replied, \'93and your gladiators are going to act the Battle of\par \pard\plain  Carthage*. You have no choice.\'94\par \pard\plain  Their voices grew quieter as they walked away.\par \pard\plain  Among the passing crowds were some young boys from rich\par \pard\plain  families, watched by their servants. Maximus took no notice of\par \pard\plain  them until a voice suddenly made him turn his head.\par \pard\plain  \'93Gladiator!\'94 It was one of the boys, fair-haired and about the\par \pard\plain  same age as Maximus\'92s son. \'93Gladiator, are you the one they call\par \pard\plain  \'91the Spaniard?\'92 \'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  Maximus moved closer to the boy. \'93Yes,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  \'93They said you were enormous. They said you could squeeze\par \pard\plain  a man\'92s head until it broke, with just one hand,\'94 said the boy.\par \pard\plain  * Battle of Carthage: the last of a number of wars between Rome and the city\par \pard\plain  of Carthage (now Tunis) in North Africa in 146 B.C. (before the birth of Christ).\par \pard\plain  43 \par \pard\plain  Maximus looked down at his hand. \'93A man\'92s? No . . .\'94 he said\par \pard\plain  He held out his hand and smiled. \'93But maybe a boy\'92s . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  The boy smiled back. \'93I like you, Spaniard,\'94 he said. \'93I shall\par \pard\plain  cheer for you.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus was shocked. \'93They let you watch the games?\'94 he\par \pard\plain  asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93My uncle says they will make me strong,\'94 the boy replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93But what does your father say?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93My father\'92s dead.\'94\par \pard\plain  The boy\'92s servant came to him and took his hand. \'93Come,\par \pard\plain  Lucius. It\'92s time to go.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Your name\'92s Lucius?\'94 asked Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93Lucius Verus, like my father,\'94 Lucius said proudly. He turned\par \pard\plain  and left, followed by the servant.\par \pard\plain  With a shock, Maximus suddenly realized that the boy must be\par \pard\plain  Lucilla\'92s son. He searched the crowd\'97was Lucilla somewhere out\par \pard\plain  there? But although he kept looking, he could not see her. He\par \pard\plain  could only see the faces of people who were thirsty for blood.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 8 The Colosseum\par \pard\plain  The gladiators waited for their contest in an area that was at the\par \pard\plain  same level as the sand of the arena. In there they were given\par \pard\plain  helmets, body armor, and swords.\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s guards led his gladiators into the area and Maximus\par \pard\plain  walked over to a window He looked out at the sand that seemed\par \pard\plain  to continue for ever.\par \pard\plain  Maximus spoke in a low voice to one of the guards. \'93Is the\par \pard\plain  Emperor here?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93He\'92ll be here,\'94 the guard replied. \'93He comes every day.\'94\par \pard\plain  One of the guards held out a helmet to Maximus. He shook his\par \pard\plain  head and looked instead at the other helmets. He chose one with a\par \pard\plain  44 \par \pard\plain  better face guard and tried it on. He turned his head back toward\par \pard\plain  the arena, knowing that now his face could not be recognized.\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s gladiators were armored and ready. They were\par \pard\plain  dressed to look like soldiers from Carthage. They carried spears\par \pard\plain  and long, curved, heavy shields.\par \pard\plain  As they waited to go out into the arena, an official spoke to\par \pard\plain  them. \'93You have the honor of fighting in front of the Emperor\par \pard\plain  himself,\'94 he said. \'93When the Emperor enters, raise your spears in\par \pard\plain  salute. When you salute him, speak together,\'94 he said. \'93Face the\par \pard\plain  Emperor. Don\'92t turn your backs.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Go,\'94 Proximo said. \'93Die with honor.\'94 His five best gladiators\par \pard\plain  walked past him and onto the sand of the arena.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was the last to step onto the floor of the great\par \pard\plain  Colosseum. He had never imagined such a sight. There were\par \pard\plain  thousands and thousands of screaming, shouting people. All around\par \pard\plain  him was an ocean of cheering faces. It took his breath away.\par \pard\plain  The gladiators moved into the center of the sand. At the same\par \pard\plain  time, three other teams appeared in the arena from different\par \pard\plain  entrances. There was now a total of twenty gladiators on the\par \pard\plain  Colosseum stage. All wore the same armor and carried long\par \pard\plain  double-pointed spears and heavy metal shields. They stood in a line\par \pard\plain  and faced the Emperor\'92s seat. It was still empty. Fifty royal guards\par \pard\plain  surrounded the area where Commodus and his friends would sit.\par \pard\plain  Then Commodus and Lucilla entered\'97and the crowd went\par \pard\plain  wild, cheering and shouting salutes. Lucilla and Lucius went to\par \pard\plain  their seats. Commodus moved forward and waved to the crowd.\par \pard\plain  Gaius and other senators near the Emperor watched in silence.\par \pard\plain  They had just heard the latest news: To help pay for the games,\par \pard\plain  Commodus was taking the houses and money of senators he\par \pard\plain  disliked.\par \pard\plain  Commodus looked down at the gladiators, and Maximus froze\par \pard\plain  as he felt his eyes rest on him. He stared up at the man he hated\par \pard\plain  and wanted to kill. On one side of Commodus he saw Quintus.\par \pard\plain  45 \par \pard\plain  On the other side, Lucilla and Lucius. The distance between\par \pard\plain  them was too great\'97this was not his chance. He knew there\par \pard\plain  would be a better one.\par \pard\plain  When Cassius gave a sign, the gladiators all saluted with their\par \pard\plain  spears and shouted, \'93Caesar\'97we salute you before we die!\'94 Only\par \pard\plain  Maximus was silent.\par \pard\plain  Cassius stepped forward to introduce the afternoon\'92s event.\par \pard\plain  \'93On this day we reach back into history to bring you the Battle\par \pard\plain  of Carthage!\'94 The crowd cheered loudly. They laughed at the\par \pard\plain  gladiators, dressed as the soldiers of Carthage, the battle\'92s losers.\par \pard\plain  Then Cassius continued, \'93On that great day the gods sent them\par \pard\plain  against Rome\'92s greatest soldiers\'97the Army of Africa!\'94\par \pard\plain  The crowd cheered again as the doors at the ends of the arena\par \pard\plain  suddenly opened with a crash, and six chariots came in from each\par \pard\plain  end. The chariots raced through the line of gladiators, who\par \pard\plain  jumped out of the way. They turned and came back, running\par \pard\plain  over one gladiator. Then the chariots raced around the outside of\par \pard\plain  the arena, forcing the gladiators back into the center. It was\par \pard\plain  difficult for the men on foot to see well through the cloud of\par \pard\plain  dust and sand from the wheels of the chariots. As they thundered\par \pard\plain  past, Maximus saw a spear flying through the air. It hit one of the\par \pard\plain  gladiators in the neck and killed him immediately.\par \pard\plain  Maximus could see that he must take control and he called to\par \pard\plain  the other gladiators, \'93If we work together, we can win!\'94 He made\par \pard\plain  them move in closer. \'93Shields together! Shoulders against the\par \pard\plain  shields!\'94 he called. The gladiators followed his orders\'97except for\par \pard\plain  one. Haken stood alone, ready to fight his own battle.\par \pard\plain  The crowd was very surprised. They had never seen anything\par \pard\plain  like this before! The men in the chariots circled around the group\par \pard\plain  firing arrows and spears, but they only hit the gladiators\'92 shields.\par \pard\plain  A Roman spear from one chariot hit Haken in the leg. Juba\par \pard\plain  threw his spear and killed the driver, and Maximus pulled Haken\par \pard\plain  into the safety of the group.\par \pard\plain  46 \par \pard\plain  Two chariots drove straight at the gladiators. Fixed to their\par \pard\plain  wheels were short, sharp spears. As the wheels turned, they could\par \pard\plain  cut a man to pieces. But the shields were good protection, and the\par \pard\plain  wheel spears broke when they hit them. The wheel of one chariot\par \pard\plain  hit the corner of a shield, and the chariot turned over. Another\par \pard\plain  driver, close behind, crashed into it and was thrown out. His chariot\par \pard\plain  raced on, and its wheel spears killed him as he tried to get away. A\par \pard\plain  third chariot was very close, and both vehicles crashed into the gate.\par \pard\plain  Maximus ran for one of the broken chariots and cut the horse\par \pard\plain  free. He jumped onto the horse and rode fast toward one chariot.\par \pard\plain  The driver was watching Maximus carefully. He did not see that\par \pard\plain  he was very close to another vehicle. Their wheels touched. Both\par \pard\plain  drivers were thrown onto the sand. One was killed by Maximus\'92s\par \pard\plain  spear, and the other died under the feet of his horse.\par \pard\plain  The gladiators pulled two crashed chariots into the path of the\par \pard\plain  others, who were forced to slow down. Then they rushed at the\par \pard\plain  drivers, striking them with their spears.\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked around. All their enemies were dead. He\par \pard\plain  climbed down from his horse, and the gladiators stood on either\par \pard\plain  side of him. Haken was among them.\par \pard\plain  In the arena, Maximus, for the first time, raised his right arm\par \pard\plain  and sword high. It was the gladiators\'92 traditional sign of beating\par \pard\plain  death. The crowd cheered wildly.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Commodus called for Cassius.\par \pard\plain  \'93My history is not so good,\'94 he said, \'93but I thought we won\par \pard\plain  the Battle of Carthage.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes, sir,\'94 said Cassius, his voice shaking with fear. \'93Forgive me.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Oh, I\'92m not unhappy,\'94 said Commodus. \'93I enjoy surprises.\'94\par \pard\plain  He pointed to Maximus. \'93Who is he?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93They call him the Spaniard, sir.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I think I\'92ll meet him,\'94 said Commodus.\par \pard\plain  47 \par \pard\plain  The gladiators were almost at the gate. Maximus turned and\par \pard\plain  saw the Emperor walking out onto the sand, smiling at him. He\par \pard\plain  noticed a broken arrow in the sand and, as he fell to his knees he\par \pard\plain  quickly closed his hand around it. This would be his chance.\par \pard\plain  Commodus was nearly there . . . just a little further . . . almost\par \pard\plain  close enough to kill. Maximus was ready . . .\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, Lucius ran out and took Commodus by the hand.\par \pard\plain  Commodus laughed and moved the boy in front of him, facing the\par \pard\plain  gladiator hero. Maximus could not strike\'97Lucius was in the way.\par \pard\plain  \'93Stand, stand,\'94 said Commodus to Maximus. \'93Now, why\par \pard\plain  doesn\'92t the hero tell us his real name?\'94 Maximus stood and said\par \pard\plain  nothing. \'93You do have a name?\'94 asked Commodus.\par \pard\plain  \'93My name is Gladiator,\'94 Maximus said. Then he turned and\par \pard\plain  walked away. It was a great insult to turn his back on the\par \pard\plain  Emperor. The crowd were shocked. Commodus was very angry.\par \pard\plain  He made a sign to Quintus, who moved the royal guards into\par \pard\plain  the arena. They stood at the gate, swords ready, and did not let\par \pard\plain  Maximus pass.\par \pard\plain  Commodus spoke calmly and clearly. \'93Slave,\'94 he said, \'93you will\par \pard\plain  remove your helmet and tell me your name.\'94\par \pard\plain  Slowly, Maximus turned to face him. He knew he had no\par \pard\plain  choice now. He took off his helmet.\par \pard\plain  Commodus stared. Quintus could not believe his eyes. Lucilla\par \pard\plain  recognized Maximus from her seat in the arena and put her hand\par \pard\plain  over her mouth in total shock.\par \pard\plain  Maximus spoke in a clear, proud voice. \'93My name is Maximus\par \pard\plain  Decimus Meridas, Commander of the Army of the North,\par \pard\plain  General of the Western Armies, loyal servant to the true\par \pard\plain  Emperor, Marcus Aurelius\'94 The Colosseum was completely\par \pard\plain  silent. Then he turned to Commodus and spoke more quietly. \'93I\par \pard\plain  am father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I\par \pard\plain  will punish their killer, in this life or the next.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus gave a sign to his guards and they moved closer.\par \pard\plain  48\par \pard\plain  The crowd shouted out. They had seen enough deaths for one\par \pard\plain  afternoon and they did not want their hero to be the next one.\par \pard\plain  They reached out a forest of thumbs, pointing up to the heavens.\par \pard\plain  Their meaning was clear\'97Let him live!\par \pard\plain  Commodus looked around at his people and with great\par \pard\plain  difficulty he forced himself to smile. He slowly lifted his own\par \pard\plain  thumb.\par \pard\plain  The crowd cheered. \'93Maximus! Maximus!\'94 they shouted.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla and the senators could not believe the scene happening\par \pard\plain  in front of them.\par \pard\plain  Another shocked face was watching from his seat in the\par \pard\plain  Colosseum. It was Cicero, Maximus\'92s servant in the army As he\par \pard\plain  watched the General, his mind saw many possibilities.\par \pard\plain  Maximus led his men from the arena. He looked back just\par \pard\plain  once, from the gate, and thought, \'93The battle hasn\'92t ended yet.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In the darkness of the palace Lucilla stopped in front of the doors\par \pard\plain  to Commodus\'92s room. She took a deep breath before she entered.\par \pard\plain  Commodus sat calmly at his desk, signing papers. Lucilla was\par \pard\plain  surprised that he was not still in a violent temper. When he\par \pard\plain  returned from the Colosseum, he had screamed in anger and\par \pard\plain  attacked a picture of Marcus Aurelius. Now he was quieter and\par \pard\plain  behaving quite normally. She walked up to the desk.\par \pard\plain  \'93Why is he still alive?\'94 he asked her.\par \pard\plain  \'93I don\'92t know,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  \'93He shouldn\'92t be alive,\'94 her brother said. \'93That makes me\par \pard\plain  angry. I am terribly angry.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla watched him carefully, waiting for an explosion.\par \pard\plain  \'93I only did the things I had to do,\'94 said Commodus. \'93Father\'92s\par \pard\plain  plan was crazy\'97the Empire . . . Rome . . . they must continue.\par \pard\plain  You do understand that, don\'92t you?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes,\'94 replied Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  49 \par \pard\plain  He moved to the tall window and looked out at Rome, quiet\par \pard\plain  now in the late night. \'93They lied to me in Germany. They told\par \pard\plain  me he was dead. If they lie to me, they don\'92t honor me. If they\par \pard\plain  don\'92t honor me, how can they ever love me?\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus was lying awake in the dark of the prison when he\par \pard\plain  heard a guard coming. He was on his feet immediately.\par \pard\plain  The guard entered and took Maximus along to another prison\par \pard\plain  room. He chained him to the wall and left without a word.\par \pard\plain  And into the light stepped a woman. Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  Maximus stared at her. \'93I knew your brother would send one\par \pard\plain  of his killers,\'94 he said. \'93I didn\'92t think he would send his best.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus, he doesn\'92t know . . .\'94 Lucilla began.\par \pard\plain  \'93My family were burnt alive!\'94 Maximus interrupted, throwing\par \pard\plain  the words at her in anger.\par \pard\plain  \'93I knew nothing of that, you must believe me. I cried for them.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93As you cried for your father?\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93I have been living in a prison of fear since that day,\'94 Lucilla\par \pard\plain  said. \'93I live in terror for my son because he will be the next\par \pard\plain  emperor . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93My son was innocent,\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93So is mine,\'94 she replied. \'93Must my son die, too, before you\'92ll\par \pard\plain  trust me?\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus began then to relax. \'93Why does it matter if I trust\par \pard\plain  you or not?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93The gods have allowed you to live. Today I saw a slave\par \pard\plain  become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  \'93Use that power, Maximus. My brother has many enemies, but\par \pard\plain  until today no one was strong enough to face him. The people\par \pard\plain  were with you, they would follow you.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I am only one man. What possible difference can I make?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Some politicians have worked all their lives for the good of\par \pard\plain  50 \par \pard\plain  Rome\'97one man above all. If I can arrange it, will you meet\par \pard\plain  him?\'94 she asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93Don\'92t you understand? I could be killed tonight in this\par \pard\plain  prison\'97or tomorrow in the arena. I\'92m just a slave now.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93This man wants the same things as you,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Then let him kill Commodus!\'94 Maximus said in anger.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla searched for a way to make him understand. \'93I knew a\par \pard\plain  man once,\'94 she said. \'93He loved my father very much and my\par \pard\plain  father loved him. This man served Rome well.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93That man is gone,\'94 said Maximus. \'93Your brother did his work\par \pard\plain  well.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Let me help you,\'94 said Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes, you can help me. Forget you ever knew me,\'94 Maximus\par \pard\plain  replied. \'93And never come here again.\'94 He shouted for the guard.\par \pard\plain  \'93This lady has finished with me,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  The guard unlocked the door and led Maximus away.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 9 A Man for the People\par \pard\plain  Senator Gracchus climbed the many stairs inside the Colosseum.\par \pard\plain  He listened to the shouting crowd and he was not enthusiastic\par \pard\plain  about being there.\par \pard\plain  He joined a group of other senators near the top of the arena.\par \pard\plain  \'93Senator Gracchus,\'94 Falco said with surprise. \'93We don\'92t often\par \pard\plain  see you enjoying the pleasures of the crowd.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I don\'92t pretend to be a man of the people,\'94 said Gracchus.\par \pard\plain  \'93But I do try to be a man for the people.\'94\par \pard\plain  The Colosseum was full. The crowd was already beginning to\par \pard\plain  shout the name of their hero and favorite gladiator. \'93Maximus . . .\par \pard\plain  Maximus . . . Maximus.\'94\par \pard\plain  Cassius started to introduce the next event of the day.\par \pard\plain  \'93Now, as we celebrate the sixty-fourth day of the games, you\par \pard\plain  51 \par \pard\plain  will see how kind the Emperor is and how he loves his people!\'94\par \pard\plain  Servants came into the arena pulling great boxes. They removed\par \pard\plain  the covers and took out loaves of bread. Then they started to throw\par \pard\plain  them into the crowd. Other servants appeared at the top of the\par \pard\plain  steps and threw the bread down. There were thousands of loaves.\par \pard\plain  The crowd cheered and caught as many loaves as they could.\par \pard\plain  Commodus chose this as the best time for him to enter.\par \pard\plain  Below, in the prison area, Proximo stood with Maximus. They\par \pard\plain  heard a great cheer go up from the crowd.\par \pard\plain  \'93He certainly knows how to please them,\'94 said Proximo.\par \pard\plain  \'93Marcus Aurelius had a dream for Rome, Proximo,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Maximus. \'93This is not it.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Marcus Aurelius is dead, Maximus,\'94 Proximo reminded him.\par \pard\plain  In the arena the servants had thrown all the bread to the\par \pard\plain  crowd, and Cassius spoke again. \'93The Emperor has decided there\par \pard\plain  will be a special contest today. Five years after his last fight in the\par \pard\plain  Colosseum, we bring you the greatest gladiator in Roman\par \pard\plain  history! Today Tigris of France returns!\'94\par \pard\plain  The crowd loved a surprise and they cheered in excitement as\par \pard\plain  Tigris drove his chariot into the arena.\par \pard\plain  He was a large man of about forty-five and he looked\par \pard\plain  dangerous. He wore silver armor and a silver tiger helmet with a\par \pard\plain  face guard. The bright sun shone off his helmet as he rode around\par \pard\plain  the arena with his arm held high. The crowd shouted and\par \pard\plain  cheered even more loudly.\par \pard\plain  Tigris stopped his chariot, got down, and waited in the center\par \pard\plain  of the arena. He was carrying a sword and a spear and he looked\par \pard\plain  frightening.\par \pard\plain  When the crowd became quieter, Cassius started to speak\par \pard\plain  again. \'93And from the great school of Aelius Proximo . . . Caesar is\par \pard\plain  pleased to give you . . . the Spaniard, Maximus!\'94\par \pard\plain  There were more cheers and shouts from the crowd.\par \pard\plain  Maximus appeared from his gate. He was carrying only a short\par \pard\plain  52 \par \pard\plain  sword and a round silver shield. He had no armor or helmet.\par \pard\plain  Among the crowd that day were a group of people who did\par \pard\plain  not usually go to watch gladiator games. They were soldiers from\par \pard\plain  the Army of the North, with Valerius and Cicero at their center.\par \pard\plain  They had come to see if it was true that their general was really\par \pard\plain  still alive. When he got close enough for them to recognize him,\par \pard\plain  they were very happy. They shouted to Maximus, but he could\par \pard\plain  not hear their voices among so many others.\par \pard\plain  Commodus was also watching Maximus closely. \'93They love\par \pard\plain  him like one of their own,\'94 he said to Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93The crowd has its favorite for a time\'97then they find\par \pard\plain  someone new. He\'92ll be forgotten in a month,\'94 she replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93No,\'94 said Commodus, smiling. \'93Much sooner than that. It\'92s\par \pard\plain  been arranged.\'94\par \pard\plain  Down on the arena sand, Maximus looked at Tigris. \'93Only\par \pard\plain  one man with a sword and spear?\'94 he thought. \'93Something\'92s\par \pard\plain  wrong. What don\'92t I know?\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus stopped a short distance from Tigris. They saluted\par \pard\plain  each other, and then Tigris turned to the Emperor and raised his\par \pard\plain  sword. \'93Before we die, we salute you,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  Maximus did not turn to the Emperor, or salute him. Instead,\par \pard\plain  he bent down and picked up some sand, then let it run through\par \pard\plain  his fingers.\par \pard\plain  Tigris pulled down the face guard on his helmet. Then he\par \pard\plain  immediately attacked Maximus. Maximus struck back at him.\par \pard\plain  The two men were equal contestants\'97both strong and fast.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was the younger man and he was very confident. He\par \pard\plain  believed that he would not be killed that day.\par \pard\plain  As they fought, Maximus suddenly heard a strange noise. He\par \pard\plain  could not understand where it was coming from. Then he felt the\par \pard\plain  ground move.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, a door opened in the sand behind him and an\par \pard\plain  enormous tiger came out. It jumped at him. He felt the tiger\'92s\par \pard\plain  53 \par \pard\plain  breath on his back as he moved quickly to one side, and he\par \pard\plain  expected the animal to land on top of him. But when he looked,\par \pard\plain  he saw that it was on the end of a long chain. This was held\par \pard\plain  tightly by three men near the wall.\par \pard\plain  Tigris attacked again with great strength, forcing Maximus\par \pard\plain  back toward the tiger. Maximus also attacked, and drove Tigris in\par \pard\plain  a new direction. Then a second door opened in the sand, and\par \pard\plain  another tiger jumped into the arena.\par \pard\plain  Maximus found a new position and continued to fight, as two\par \pard\plain  more tigers suddenly appeared from the ground.\par \pard\plain  There were now four tigers, one in each corner of the\par \pard\plain  battlefield. Maximus had five enemies to fight and he looked for\par \pard\plain  a weak point.\par \pard\plain  Then it seemed that all four tigers were suddenly closer!\par \pard\plain  Maximus realized what was happening. When Tigris was near a\par \pard\plain  tiger, the men holding the chain pulled it in a little. When\par \pard\plain  Maximus was near, they let the chain out further.\par \pard\plain  Finally, Maximus\'92s strength and speed began to beat Tigris. He\par \pard\plain  knocked Tigris back and they fell onto the sand together.\par \pard\plain  Maximus quickly jumped to his feet and stood over him, his\par \pard\plain  sword at his throat.\par \pard\plain  But then one of the teams of servants let go of the chain and a\par \pard\plain  tiger ran at Maximus. He just had time to turn and push his\par \pard\plain  sword upward into the tiger\'92s shoulders. The animal fell on top of\par \pard\plain  him and died. This gave Tigris enough time to get to his feet,\par \pard\plain  pick up his sword, and prepare to attack again.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was under the heavy body of the dead tiger but he\par \pard\plain  still had enough strength to throw his shield up at Tigris. It hit\par \pard\plain  Tigris hard on the face guard of his helmet and bent it. It was\par \pard\plain  impossible for him to see through it. Tigris was forced to drop his\par \pard\plain  sword again so he could use both hands to try to pull the cover up.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was able to squeeze out from under the tiger and\par \pard\plain  pick up Tigris\'92s sword. The Frenchman was still blindly\par \pard\plain  54 \par \pard\plain  pulling at his helmet as Maximus knocked him to the ground.\par \pard\plain  Maximus stood over Tigris with his sword point at his throat.\par \pard\plain  He looked to Commodus.\par \pard\plain  All eyes in the Colosseum turned to the Emperor.\par \pard\plain  Commodus was very angry but tried not to show it. He\par \pard\plain  slowly stood and looked down at Maximus. He raised his arm\par \pard\plain  and held out his hand\'97thumb down.\par \pard\plain  Maximus raised his sword to kill Tigris . . . but suddenly threw\par \pard\plain  it down on the sand, next to his head. \'93You fought with honor,\'94\par \pard\plain  he said.\par \pard\plain  The crowd was silent, then suddenly there was an enormous\par \pard\plain  cheer. The shouts of \'93Maximus . . . Maximus . . .\'94 grew louder\par \pard\plain  and louder.\par \pard\plain  Commodus turned and disappeared from sight.\par \pard\plain  Senator Gracchus suddenly sat forward and started to take a\par \pard\plain  real interest in the behavior of the crowd.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was almost at the gladiators\'92 exit from the arena\par \pard\plain  when a group of royal guards appeared in front of him. They\par \pard\plain  stepped back as Commodus walked through them and toward\par \pard\plain  the great fighter.\par \pard\plain  Maximus and Commodus stared at each other, just an arm\'92s\par \pard\plain  length away. The crowd was quiet now but they could not hear\par \pard\plain  what was said.\par \pard\plain  \'93What am I going to do with you?\'94 said Commodus.\par \pard\plain  Maximus did not reply.\par \pard\plain  \'93Once more I offer you my hand,\'94 Commodus said. He held\par \pard\plain  out his arm, but Maximus did not move.\par \pard\plain  \'93Are we so different, you and I?\'94 said Commodus. \'93You take\par \pard\plain  life when you have to, just as I do.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I have one more life to take,\'94 said Maximus. \'93Then it is\par \pard\plain  finished.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Then take it now,\'94 said Commodus.\par \pard\plain  Maximus knew he only had to take one step toward\par \pard\plain  55 \par \pard\plain  Commodus and the guards would kill him. He turned his back\par \pard\plain  on the Emperor and walked away.\par \pard\plain  The crowd went mad! They cheered Maximus, their hero.\par \pard\plain  And then some started laughing at the Emperor and throwing\par \pard\plain  bread at him.\par \pard\plain  Gracchus could not believe his eyes. Such insults to the\par \pard\plain  Emperor usually resulted in death. But the people were not afraid\par \pard\plain  now. All this, because of one brave man.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus and the gladiators were chained together again for the\par \pard\plain  walk back to Proximo\'92s school. There were guards walking with\par \pard\plain  them, trying to keep back hundreds of people. They all wanted to\par \pard\plain  get a close look at their hero.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, Maximus heard a familiar voice and saw Cicero\par \pard\plain  ahead in the crowd.\par \pard\plain  \'93Where are you camped?\'94 he shouted to Cicero.\par \pard\plain  \'93A day\'92s ride from Rome\'97at Ostia,\'94 replied Cicero. \'93We\'92ve\par \pard\plain  been there all winter. The men are getting fat. They\'92re bored.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93How soon could they be ready to fight?\'94 asked Maximus,\par \pard\plain  \'93For you, sir? Tomorrow,\'94 Cicero said proudly.\par \pard\plain  The guards pushed Cicero back into the crowd. He ran ahead\par \pard\plain  and came out in front of Maximus again, further along the street.\par \pard\plain  This time he pushed a small package into Maximus\'92s hand. The\par \pard\plain  guards were close and Maximus knew he only had one chance.\par \pard\plain  \'93Cicero! Listen carefully!\'94 he said. \'93You must contact Lucilla,\par \pard\plain  the Emperor\'92s sister. Tell her I will meet her politician.\'94\par \pard\plain  There was no more time. Cicero disappeared into the crowd,\par \pard\plain  and Maximus was forced to move on.\par \pard\plain  Later, alone in the prison at Proximo\'92s school, Maximus took\par \pard\plain  the little package out of his pocket and looked at it. Inside were\par \pard\plain  the two wooden figures of his wife and son.\par \pard\plain  \'93Do they hear you?\'94 a voice suddenly asked.\par \pard\plain  56 \par \pard\plain  Maximus looked up into Juba\'92s eyes.\par \pard\plain  \'93Your people,\'94 said Juba, \'93in the next world.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes\'94 said Maximus, looking down at the figures.\par \pard\plain  Juba thought about it. \'93What do you say to them?\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked at his friend. \'93To my son, to keep his head up\par \pard\plain  when he rides his horse,\'94 he said. \'93And to my wife . . . that\'92s\par \pard\plain  private.\'94\par \pard\plain  Juba smiled.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 10 Secrets and Lies\par \pard\plain  Commodus walked up and down in his room. He was a worried\par \pard\plain  man. There was one other person with him: Senator Falco.\par \pard\plain  \'93An emperor cannot rule if he is not loved!\'94 Commodus said\par \pard\plain  to Falco. \'93And now they love Maximus because he let Tigris live.\par \pard\plain  I can\'92t kill him now or they will hate me. But I can\'92t just let him\par \pard\plain  continue like this\'97every day he adds another insult. It\'92s like a\par \pard\plain  bad dream.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Every day his power is greater,\'94 said Falco. \'93And the people\par \pard\plain  are getting braver. The Senate sees it, too. This is not something\par \pard\plain  that will go away in a few days or weeks. Rome is beginning to\par \pard\plain  move against you. He must die.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Then they will love him even more!\'94 shouted Commodus.\par \pard\plain  He began walking again and soon he was calmer. \'93When I went\par \pard\plain  to the Senate today,\'94 he said, \'93I purposely told them about selling\par \pard\plain  the wheat to pay for the games. And what happened?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Nothing,\'94 said Falco.\par \pard\plain  \'93Exactly! Nothing!\'94 said Commodus. \'93Even Gracchus was as\par \pard\plain  silent as a mouse. Why?\'94 He stopped and looked out his window\par \pard\plain  over Rome.\par \pard\plain  \'93We must be quiet and patient, Caesar. We must let the enemy\par \pard\plain  come to us,\'94 said Falco.\par \pard\plain  57 \par \pard\plain  Commodus began to relax a little. \'93Have every senator\par \pard\plain  followed,\'94 he ordered. \'93I want daily reports.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  It was easy to find Lucilla, but much harder to speak to her. For\par \pard\plain  two days Cicero stayed in the streets around the palace. Finally, he\par \pard\plain  was lucky. Lucilla\'92s carriage came toward him, surrounded by\par \pard\plain  royal guards. There were two other men following her carriage\'97\par \pard\plain  but they were not in uniform. One, a small man, was blind in one\par \pard\plain  eye. He was one of Falco\'92s secret police. He had been very good\par \pard\plain  at watching senators, but now he had been given a different job.\par \pard\plain  He was watching Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  As the carriage passed, Cicero called out, \'93My lady! I served\par \pard\plain  your father at Vindobona!\'94 Lucilla heard but did not pay him\par \pard\plain  much attention. The guards pushed him away, and he ran around\par \pard\plain  to the other side of the carriage. \'93And I served General\par \pard\plain  Maximus!\'94 he said, when he got close enough.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla called for her carriage to stop. She asked her servant for\par \pard\plain  a coin and held it out to Cicero. \'93And I serve him still,\'94 he said, as\par \pard\plain  he came closer to take it.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla understood at once that he was a messenger. She told\par \pard\plain  her guards to step back. \'93This is for your loyalty, soldier,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  Cicero took the coin and kissed her hand. He whispered, \'93A\par \pard\plain  message from the General. He\'92ll meet your politician.\'94\par \pard\plain  It was enough. Cicero stepped back into the crowd, and\par \pard\plain  Lucilla\'92s carriage moved on.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s school was dark and quiet. The men were all asleep,\par \pard\plain  except one. Proximo went quietly to wake Maximus and then\par \pard\plain  took him to his own rooms.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla and Gracchus were there, waiting for Maximus.\par \pard\plain  58 \par \pard\plain  Proximo turned and left immediately. Lucilla introduced\par \pard\plain  Gracchus to Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Senate is with you?\'94 asked Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Senate? Yes, I can speak for them,\'94 Gracchus replied.\par \pard\plain  \'93Can you buy my freedom and get me out of Rome?\'94 asked\par \pard\plain  Maximus, wasting no time.\par \pard\plain  \'93Why would I do that?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Get me out of the city. Have fresh horses ready to take me to\par \pard\plain  Ostia. My army is camped there. By the second night, I\'92ll be back\par \pard\plain  with 5,000 men,\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93But there are new commanders,\'94 said Lucilla. \'93Loyal to\par \pard\plain  Commodus.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Let my men see me alive. They are still loyal to me.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93This is crazy,\'94 said Gracchus. \'93No Roman army has entered\par \pard\plain  the city in 100 years. This may be no better than the rule of\par \pard\plain  Commodus. And what next? After the battle to take control of\par \pard\plain  Rome you\'92ll take your men and just . . . leave?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I will leave,\'94 said Maximus. \'93The soldiers will stay to protect\par \pard\plain  you, under the command of the Senate.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93When all of Rome is yours, you\'92ll just give it back to the\par \pard\plain  people?\'94 asked Gracchus. \'93Tell me why.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Because that was the last wish of a dying man,\'94 said Maximus,\par \pard\plain  quietly. \'93I will kill Commodus and leave Rome to you.\'94\par \pard\plain  There was silence, then Gracchus spoke again. \'93Marcus\par \pard\plain  Aurelius trusted you, his daughter trusts you. So I will trust you,\par \pard\plain  too. Give me two days.\'94 He held out his hand to Maximus. \'93And\par \pard\plain  stay alive.\'94\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  In his beautiful house Senator Gracchus listened to the cheers\par \pard\plain  coming from the Colosseum. His servant helped him pack a large\par \pard\plain  amount of money into a bag.\par \pard\plain  59 \par \pard\plain  \'93Wait outside the Colosseum. He\'92ll come to you,\'94 he told the\par \pard\plain  man.\par \pard\plain  Gracchus\'92s servant left the house and walked toward the\par \pard\plain  Colosseum. All the way he was followed by one of Falco\'92s secret\par \pard\plain  police.\par \pard\plain  Proximo sat in a café and waited. He seemed to be watching\par \pard\plain  the crowd passing, but really he was looking for Gracchus\'92s\par \pard\plain  servant. He knew immediately when he saw him, but just\par \pard\plain  continued drinking his wine. He looked up and down the street.\par \pard\plain  Suddenly, he saw a man standing by a door and he did not like\par \pard\plain  the look of him. It was Falco\'92s one-eyed secret policeman.\par \pard\plain  Gracchus\'92s servant stood patiently for a long time with his bag\par \pard\plain  of money, but no one came to him. In the café Proximo\'92s table\par \pard\plain  was now empty. He knew when to disappear.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus was brought to Proximo\'92s room by two guards just after\par \pard\plain  sunset. He was impatient, ready to start. Proximo looked at\par \pard\plain  Maximus and shook his head. \'93I tried,\'94 he said. \'93It won\'92t work.\par \pard\plain  The Emperor knows too much. And this has become too\par \pard\plain  dangerous for me.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Let me go,\'94 said Maximus, \'93and you\'92ll be paid when I return.\par \pard\plain  I promise you.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93And what will happen if you don\'92t return?\'94 asked Proximo.\par \pard\plain  \'93Trust me\'97I will kill Commodus,\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  Proximo looked hard at Maximus, studying him.\par \pard\plain  \'93I know I can trust you, General,\'94 he said. \'93I know you would\par \pard\plain  die for honor, or for Rome, or the memory of your family. I, on\par \pard\plain  the other hand, am just an entertainer.\'94 He called for his guards.\par \pard\plain  \'93Take him away.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus looked straight into Proximo\'92s eyes. \'93He killed the\par \pard\plain  man who freed you,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  After Maximus had gone, Proximo picked up the wooden\par \pard\plain  60 \par \pard\plain  sword that Marcus Aurelius had given him, the sign of his\par \pard\plain  freedom. And he thought for a long time.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Falco\'92s spies were good at their job. They had followed Gracchus\par \pard\plain  and the other senators, then Lucilla, and now Proximo. Lucilla\par \pard\plain  knew their lives were in great danger and she tried to keep her\par \pard\plain  brother calm.\par \pard\plain  Maximus also knew it. Commodus would come for him soon,\par \pard\plain  he was certain. In the dark of night in his prison room, he\par \pard\plain  suddenly heard footsteps coming toward him.\par \pard\plain  It was Proximo. He woke Juba and threw him out. Then he\par \pard\plain  turned to Maximus. \'93Congratulations, General,\'94 he said. \'93You\par \pard\plain  have very good friends.\'94 He stepped back and Lucilla came into\par \pard\plain  the room. Proximo left them together.\par \pard\plain  \'93My brother plans to put Gracchus in prison,\'94 she said. \'93We\par \pard\plain  can\'92t wait any longer. You must leave tonight. Proximo will come\par \pard\plain  for you at midnight and take you to a gate. Cicero will be there\par \pard\plain  with horses.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93You\'92ve done all this? You\'92re very brave, Lucilla.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I am tired of being brave,\'94 she said. \'93My brother hates\par \pard\plain  everyone\'97and you most of all.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Because your father chose me.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93No,\'94 she said. \'93Because my father loved you . . . and I loved\par \pard\plain  you.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus took her hands in his.\par \pard\plain  \'93I\'92ve felt alone all my life\'97except with you,\'94 she said.\par \pard\plain  She turned to go, but Maximus held her and they kissed. It\par \pard\plain  was their first kiss for many years, and, for a short time, they\par \pard\plain  rested in each other\'92s arms.\par \pard\plain  They separated, with one last look, and Lucilla went quickly\par \pard\plain  back into the dark night.\par \pard\plain  61 \par \pard\plain  Back in the palace, Lucilla hurried to her son\'92s bedroom. She\par \pard\plain  looked around and called to the servant. \'93Where is Lucius?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93He\'92s with the Emperor, my lady,\'94 she replied\par \pard\plain  Lucilla rushed down the palace halls, looking in all the rooms\par \pard\plain  she passed. Finally, in great fear, she opened her brother\'92s door.\par \pard\plain  Commodus and Lucius were sitting together, looking at some\par \pard\plain  papers. \'93Sister, come and join us,\'94 said Commodus, smiling. A\par \pard\plain  frightening smile. \'93I\'92ve been reading to dear Lucius about the great\par \pard\plain  Julius Caesar.\'94 He took Lucius on his knee. \'93And tomorrow, if\par \pard\plain  you\'92re very good, I\'92ll tell you the story of the Emperor Claudius,\'94\par \pard\plain  he said. Commodus looked right into Lucilla\'92s eyes. \'93He trusted\par \pard\plain  the people closest to him, but they didn\'92t deserve his trust.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla felt faint. She sat down opposite them.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Emperor knew they had been very busy, planning\par \pard\plain  against him,\'94 Commodus went on, watching his sister\'92s terror all\par \pard\plain  the time. \'93And one night he sat down with one of them and said\par \pard\plain  to her, \'91Tell me what you have planned, or I shall kill the person\par \pard\plain  you love the most. You will see me wash in their blood.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla kept her eyes on her son, and a tear ran down her face.\par \pard\plain  \'93And the Emperor\'92s heart was broken because she had\par \pard\plain  wounded him more than anyone else could. And what do you\par \pard\plain  think happened next, Lucius?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93I don\'92t know, Uncle,\'94 said Lucius, nervously\par \pard\plain  \'93She told him everything,\'94 Commodus said.\par \pard\plain  Chapter 11 Broken Plans\par \pard\plain  The sound of marching feet broke the silence of night in the area\par \pard\plain  around the Colosseum.\par \pard\plain  In his room Proximo was packing his bags, planning to leave\par \pard\plain  Rome fast. He heard the marching feet coming toward the\par \pard\plain  school and he knew then how he was going to die. He picked up\par \pard\plain  62 \par \pard\plain  his bunch of keys and hurried across to the prison rooms. He was\par \pard\plain  almost there when the royal guards arrived and stopped in front\par \pard\plain  of his gates.\par \pard\plain  \'93Open up in the name of the Emperor!\'94 the captain called out\par \pard\plain  loudly. For a few seconds Proximo paused, without turning to\par \pard\plain  look at them. Then he continued toward the prisons.\par \pard\plain  Maximus had also heard the marching feet and knew their\par \pard\plain  meaning exactly. He watched as Proximo appeared through the\par \pard\plain  prison entrance, keys in hand.\par \pard\plain  \'93Everything is ready,\'94 said Proximo. He handed the keys to\par \pard\plain  Maximus. \'93It seems you\'92ve won your freedom.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Proximo,\'94 said Maximus, as he took the keys, \'93are you in\par \pard\plain  danger of becoming a good man?\'94\par \pard\plain  Proximo walked back to his rooms. The guards could see him\par \pard\plain  through the gates, but he did not look across at them once.\par \pard\plain  \'93The Emperor commands you to open these gates, Proximo!\'94\par \pard\plain  shouted the captain. \'93Do you want to die, old man? Tonight all\par \pard\plain  enemies of the Emperor must die!\'94 Proximo walked on, and up\par \pard\plain  the stairs to his room. \'93Break the locks!\'94 shouted the captain.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus quickly unlocked his door. Then he and Juba let Haken\par \pard\plain  and the others out.\par \pard\plain  The sound of metal hitting metal came from the gates.\par \pard\plain  Maximus knew he had to go, now. He handed the bunch of keys\par \pard\plain  to Juba.\par \pard\plain  Juba took them, understanding. \'93Go!\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  The gates to Proximo\'92s school flew open and the guards\par \pard\plain  rushed in. Maximus ran for the back entrance. Juba, Haken, and\par \pard\plain  the other gladiators threw themselves between the guards and\par \pard\plain  Maximus and slowed them down enough for him to get away. By\par \pard\plain  the back entrance Maximus found his army sword and armor\par \pard\plain  waiting for him.\par \pard\plain  63 \par \pard\plain  In the fighting, Juba was knocked to the ground and left for\par \pard\plain  dead. Haken was first wounded by a Roman sword and then shot\par \pard\plain  through the chest with four arrows. His enormous body fell,\par \pard\plain  dead, at the bottom of the stairs.\par \pard\plain  The guards climbed over Haken\'92s body and raced up to\par \pard\plain  Proximo\'92s room. When they broke through the door, they found\par \pard\plain  him at his desk with his back to them. In his hand was the\par \pard\plain  wooden sword Marcus Aurelius had given him with his freedom.\par \pard\plain  He did not turn to see death coming. The end came quickly,\par \pard\plain  with three deep wounds to his neck and back. He died with the\par \pard\plain  wooden sword hanging at his side, held tightly in his hand.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  Maximus came out of the back entrance to the school and\par \pard\plain  waited quietly in the shadows. Suddenly, he heard a horse move.\par \pard\plain  He looked toward the sound and moved out into the street.\par \pard\plain  There were two horses waiting, one with a rider. As he got\par \pard\plain  closer, he could see that it was Cicero.\par \pard\plain  But something felt wrong. Maximus hid behind some rocks\par \pard\plain  and whispered Cicero\'92s name.\par \pard\plain  Cicero turned. \'93Maximus!\'94 he shouted. \'93No!\'94\par \pard\plain  As he shouted, his horse suddenly ran and Cicero was pulled\par \pard\plain  from it by a rope around his neck. He was left hanging from the\par \pard\plain  tree above.\par \pard\plain  Maximus rushed forward and caught him by the legs. At the\par \pard\plain  same time six arrows flew into Cicero\'92s chest, killing him\par \pard\plain  immediately.\par \pard\plain  Maximus had his sword ready. But there were too many guards\par \pard\plain  and he had no chance.\par \pard\plain  A voice called out, \'93Take him alive!\'94 and the guards quickly\par \pard\plain  caught him, making him a prisoner again.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  64 \par \pard\plain  At sunrise, even before their servants were awake, Senator Gaius\par \pard\plain  and his wife were murdered in their bed by royal guards. Seven\par \pard\plain  other senators were killed the same morning, also many private\par \pard\plain  citizens. All these people had upset Commodus in some way. His\par \pard\plain  secret police had done a good job.\par \pard\plain  Senator Gracchus was not killed, but the guards took him\par \pard\plain  away from his home and threw him into prison.\par \pard\plain  In his room at the palace Falco came to tell Commodus the\par \pard\plain  news. Commodus was pleased that so many of his enemies were\par \pard\plain  finished. After Falco had gone, he spoke to Lucilla.\par \pard\plain  \'93Lucius will stay with me now,\'94 he said, walking across the\par \pard\plain  room toward her. \'93And if his mother even looks at me in a way\par \pard\plain  that upsets me, he will die. If she decides to take her own life, he\par \pard\plain  will die.\'94 He smiled and touched her hair. \'93Kiss me, sister,\'94 he said.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  It was hot and dusty in the Colosseum. Hundreds of servants at\par \pard\plain  the top of the arena were throwing red flowers down onto the\par \pard\plain  sand. Fifty-five thousand Romans were waiting. They had been\par \pard\plain  told to expect something special.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was also waiting. He knew there was only death\par \pard\plain  ahead of him. But he still hoped for a soldier\'92s death, and he kept\par \pard\plain  his back straight and his head up. On his way to the arena he\par \pard\plain  passed a prison room where Juba and Proximo\'92s other gladiators\par \pard\plain  were. When he saw Maximus, Juba stood in a silent salute to a\par \pard\plain  brave man and a friend.\par \pard\plain  Under the floor of the Colosseum arena was a large elevator,\par \pard\plain  operated by servants with ropes. It was the way the tigers had\par \pard\plain  entered the arena when Maximus fought Tigris.\par \pard\plain  Maximus was led there now by Quintus and the royal guards.\par \pard\plain  They fastened his chains to the elevator and Quintus himself\par \pard\plain  checked them. As he bent to do this he whispered softly, \'93I\'92m a\par \pard\plain  soldier. I obey.\'94\par \pard\plain  65 \par \pard\plain  Someone was walking toward them. Quintus stood up again\par \pard\plain  and moved back. Emperor Commodus suddenly appeared with a\par \pard\plain  group of servants carrying armor. The Emperor himself was\par \pard\plain  wearing his own gold armor. He wore this armor when he\par \pard\plain  wanted to feel like a god.\par \pard\plain  Commodus and six of his guards joined Maximus on the\par \pard\plain  elevator. Maximus expected to die immediately, but Commodus\par \pard\plain  smiled at him.\par \pard\plain  \'93Listen to the crowd,\'94 he said. \'93They are calling for you. The\par \pard\plain  general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator.\par \pard\plain  The gladiator who insulted an emperor.\'94 He called his servants\par \pard\plain  forward with the armor. \'93It\'92s a good story\'94 he said. \'93And now the\par \pard\plain  people want to know how the story ends. Only a great death will\par \pard\plain  be good enough,\'94 Commodus continued. \'93And what could be\par \pard\plain  better than to fight the Emperor himself in the greatest arena?\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus did not believe him. \'93You will fight me?\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Why not?\'94 Commodus said. \'93Do you think I\'92m afraid?\'94\par \pard\plain  The servants began to fix armor to Maximus\'92s body, first his\par \pard\plain  arms, legs, and shoulders. They left the body armor until last.\par \pard\plain  \'93I think you\'92ve been afraid all your life,\'94 Maximus answered.\par \pard\plain  He knew Commodus would never have a fair fight with him.\par \pard\plain  What would he do to make sure he won?\par \pard\plain  \'93Unlike Maximus the Brave, who knows no fear?\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Commodus.\par \pard\plain  \'93I\'92ve been afraid, But you took away from me everything I\par \pard\plain  loved. Since then, you\'92re right, I have not known fear,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93There is one thing left\'97you still have your life to lose,\'94 said\par \pard\plain  Commodus.\par \pard\plain  \'93I once knew a man who said, \'91Death smiles at us all. A man\par \pard\plain  can only smile back,\'92\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  \'93I wonder,\'94 said Commodus, \'93did your friend smile at his own\par \pard\plain  death?\'94\par \pard\plain  66 \par \pard\plain  \'93You must know,\'94 Maximus replied. \'93He was your father.\'94\par \pard\plain  Commodus was silent, and they stared at each other.\par \pard\plain  \'93You loved my father, I know,\'94 Commodus said. \'93But I did,\par \pard\plain  too. That makes us brothers, doesn\'92t it?\'94 He reached out his arms\par \pard\plain  to Maximus and put them around him.\par \pard\plain  Maximus suddenly let out a cry of pain. The Emperor had a\par \pard\plain  small, sharp knife in his hand. He had wounded Maximus in the\par \pard\plain  side, cutting him deeply.\par \pard\plain  \'93Smile for me now, brother,\'94 Commodus said, as he pulled the\par \pard\plain  knife out. Quintus stared, shocked. \'93Now put on his body armor.\par \pard\plain  Hide the wound,\'94 Commodus said to his servants.\par \pard\plain  ♦\par \pard\plain  All eyes in the Colosseum watched the center of the arena as the\par \pard\plain  elevator came up. Commodus stepped off and onto the sand. It\par \pard\plain  was covered with red flowers.\par \pard\plain  Commodus took his sword from Quintus and turned slowly\par \pard\plain  to all sides of the arena. Maximus stood straight, but he was in\par \pard\plain  great pain. He looked up to the royal seats and saw Lucilla there\par \pard\plain  with Lucius and Senator Gracchus. They were surrounded by\par \pard\plain  guards.\par \pard\plain  Commodus raised his sword high and the sun shone off it.\par \pard\plain  Maximus slowly bent down and picked up some sand from\par \pard\plain  the arena. Quintus threw Maximus\'92s sword down on the ground\par \pard\plain  near his feet. Maximus picked it up, slowly, and stood facing the\par \pard\plain  Emperor. And the fight began.\par \pard\plain  Commodus rushed at Maximus and knocked him to the\par \pard\plain  ground. Maximus got to his feet with difficulty. The arena\par \pard\plain  seemed to be turning around. The sun danced off the Emperor\'92s\par \pard\plain  armor and blinded him. He heard the noise of the crowd\'97now\par \pard\plain  it seemed to be far away, now close.\par \pard\plain  Standing behind the entrance, Juba saw a thin line of blood\par \pard\plain  running out from under Maximus\'92s armor.\par \pard\plain  67 \par \pard\plain  Lucilla watched him in fear. He seemed to be looking straight\par \pard\plain  at her. Could he see her? She held out her hand and called his\par \pard\plain  name.\par \pard\plain  Commodus struck him again. Then he raised his arms to the\par \pard\plain  crowd. One or two people shouted, \'93Commodus!\'94 The crowd\par \pard\plain  loved a winner.\par \pard\plain  Maximus almost fell again. The sun was bright, very bright.\par \pard\plain  And then suddenly, beyond all this, he saw the sun shining on a\par \pard\plain  pink wall . . . He saw a gate in the wall . . . and a field of apple\par \pard\plain  trees beyond it . . .\par \pard\plain  He pushed himself forward and, as he did so, he struck\par \pard\plain  Commodus. The crowd cheered.\par \pard\plain  Commodus came forward again and knocked Maximus back\par \pard\plain  to the ground. The crowd were silent. Only the sound of the two\par \pard\plain  men could be heard.\par \pard\plain  Maximus saw something else now . . . A woman stood in the\par \pard\plain  doorway of a pink stone house . . . There was a field of wheat\par \pard\plain  behind the house . . .\par \pard\plain  Commodus stood over Maximus with his sword ready for\par \pard\plain  the kill.\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus!\'94 One person in the crowd called out in the silence.\par \pard\plain  Commodus looked around, angrily. The crowd repeated the\par \pard\plain  cry. \'93Maximus!\'94 Commodus turned back and brought his sword\par \pard\plain  down.\par \pard\plain  But the sound of the crowd had brought Maximus back to the\par \pard\plain  arena and given him new strength. He pushed his sword up and\par \pard\plain  knocked Commodus\'92s sword away. Suddenly he got to his feet\par \pard\plain  and attacked the Emperor, forcing him back. The crowd cheered\par \pard\plain  loudly.\par \pard\plain  Then Maximus saw an opportunity and pushed his sword\par \pard\plain  forward. It caught Commodus under his arm and he dropped his\par \pard\plain  sword.\par \pard\plain  Commodus called to Quintus. \'93Give me your sword!\'94\par \pard\plain  68 \par \pard\plain  But Quintus just stared through him.\par \pard\plain  Commodus turned to the guards. \'93A sword! Give me a\par \pard\plain  sword!\'94\par \pard\plain  Some started to come forward, but Quintus stopped them.\par \pard\plain  \'93Put your swords away!\'94 he ordered.\par \pard\plain  Commodus looked around, suddenly frightened. He saw the\par \pard\plain  great crowd and heard the name of his enemy on all sides.\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus! Maximus! Maximus!\'94 they shouted. Senators\par \pard\plain  joined in the cry. Juba and the gladiators shouted the name, too.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla stood in silence, her hand to her mouth.\par \pard\plain  But Maximus was dying. He could not stand. He dropped his\par \pard\plain  own sword. He seemed to be reaching out toward something . . .\par \pard\plain  a pink stone wall with a gate . . . a wheat field . . . the sound of a\par \pard\plain  child\'92s laugh . . .\par \pard\plain  Commodus saw Maximus fall to his knees and he stood over\par \pard\plain  him. He took the small knife in his hand again and lifted it, ready\par \pard\plain  to strike Maximus one last time.\par \pard\plain  Maximus saw the knife coming toward him. He held\par \pard\plain  Commodus\'92s arm and pulled him onto the ground. Suddenly\par \pard\plain  finding power from somewhere, Maximus turned the knife\par \pard\plain  around and pushed it deep into Commodus\'92s neck.\par \pard\plain  There was a look of surprise on the Emperor\'92s face, then he\par \pard\plain  took one last breath and died.\par \pard\plain  Maximus slowly stood, took one step forward, and reached out\par \pard\plain  a hand. Quintus went to him. \'93Maximus . . .\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Quintus, free my men,\'94 said Maximus.\par \pard\plain  The crowd was completely quiet.\par \pard\plain  Maximus saw his own hand on the gate, pushing it open . . .\par \pard\plain  Walking away from him was a woman, and a child running . . . They\par \pard\plain  looked back and smiled at him . . .\par \pard\plain  Maximus fell to the sand.\par \pard\plain  Out of the silence, Lucilla crossed the arena to the place where\par \pard\plain  he lay. She took him in her arms. She could see that she could\par \pard\plain  69 \par \pard\plain  not save him, but she wanted him to hear her before the end.\par \pard\plain  \'93Maximus,\'94 Lucilla said softly.\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s dying eyes opened again. \'93Lucius is safe?\'94 he asked.\par \pard\plain  \'93Yes.\'94\par \pard\plain  \'93Our sons live.\'94\par \pard\plain  Lucilla smiled. \'93Our sons live. And they are proud.\'94 She kissed\par \pard\plain  him, crying, and whispered, \'93Go to them. You\'92re home.\'94\par \pard\plain  Maximus walked through the wheat field . . . The beautiful\par \pard\plain  woman stopped and turned. She called to the boy. He stopped\par \pard\plain  running and looked back. The boy then started running back\par \pard\plain  along the road, toward the man in the wheat field, toward his\par \pard\plain  father, who was coming home at last.\par \pard\plain  Maximus died in Lucilla\'92s arms, as she placed him gently on\par \pard\plain  the sand. When she stood up, the whole arena was watching her.\par \pard\plain  She turned and spoke to the senators. \'93Rome is free again,\'94 she\par \pard\plain  said.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla stood over Maximus\'92s body as Gracchus and the\par \pard\plain  senators came down onto the sand.\par \pard\plain  \'93He was a soldier of Rome,\'94 Lucilla said. \'93Honor him.\'94\par \pard\plain  Quintus\'92s voice rang out, \'93Free the prisoners!\'94\par \pard\plain  A hand turned a key, and Juba led the last of Proximo\'92s\par \pard\plain  gladiators into the silent arena.\par \pard\plain  Gracchus stood by the body. \'93Who will help me carry this\par \pard\plain  man?\'94\par \pard\plain  A few voices broke the silence, calling Maximus\'92s name. Then\par \pard\plain  many more voices joined in. The sound grew and filled the arena.\par \pard\plain  The gladiators picked Maximus up on their shoulders. Silent\par \pard\plain  and proud, following Gracchus and the other senators in a slow\par \pard\plain  march, they carried him out of the arena.\par \pard\plain  Lucilla stood for a long time, watching them go, while her\par \pard\plain  mad brother lay dead on the bloody sand behind her.\par \pard\plain  70 \par \pard\plain  Chapter 12 Home, At Last\par \pard\plain  The games had ended.\par \pard\plain  The Colosseum was empty and silent as Juba walked across the\par \pard\plain  sand. Juba, now dressed in his African clothes, was a free man\par \pard\plain  again. And soon he was going home.\par \pard\plain  He still heard one voice in the arena, though. He heard\par \pard\plain  Maximus, the great fighter, asking about his home in Africa and\par \pard\plain  talking to him about his own home in Spain.\par \pard\plain  Juba moved to the center of the arena and found the exact\par \pard\plain  place he was looking for: a small area of blood on the sand. He\par \pard\plain  dropped to his knees and made a little hole in the ground. He\par \pard\plain  took something from his pocket\'97the small wooden figures of\par \pard\plain  Maximus\'92s wife and son.\par \pard\plain  He carefully put them in the hole and covered them with the\par \pard\plain  earth that carried their loved one\'92s blood. Now it would be easier\par \pard\plain  for them to find each other in the next world.\par \pard\plain  \'93Now we are free,\'94 he said loudly, looking around at the\par \pard\plain  empty, silent arena. \'93This place will become dust, but I will not\par \pard\plain  forget you.\'94\par \pard\plain  He stood above the place where Maximus had died. \'93I will see\par \pard\plain  you again,\'94 he said to his friend. He smiled the wide smile that he\par \pard\plain  had smiled for Maximus in life and would soon smile for his own\par \pard\plain  wife and daughters. \'93But not yet.\'94\par \pard\plain  He walked slowly out of the arena, looking back just once at\par \pard\plain  the place, as the wind blew red flowers across the killing ground. \par \pard\plain  ACTIVITIES\par \pard\plain  Chapters 1-3\par \pard\plain  Before you read\par \pard\plain  1 Find the word empire in your dictionary. Was your country once\par \pard\plain   part of the Roman Empire? Was it part of another great empire?\par \pard\plain   Did it have a different name then?\par \pard\plain  2 Check the meaning of these words in your dictionary. They are all\par \pard\plain   used in this story. Then answer the questions.\par \pard\plain   armor arrow emperor general gladiator republic slave\par \pard\plain   senate shield sword\par \pard\plain  a Which four words are for people?\par \pard\plain  b Which two things can you use to kill someone?\par \pard\plain  c Which two things would protect you in a fight?\par \pard\plain  d Which two words tell you about the government of a country?\par \pard\plain  3 Now check the meanings of these words. Choose the best words\par \pard\plain   to complete the sentences below.\par \pard\plain   battle carriage cheer glory honor raise salute swing\par \pard\plain   train trap wheat wound\par \pard\plain  a Many soldiers were killed in the \'85\'85. and many more were \'85\'85 .\par \pard\plain  b The winners \'85\'85\'85. their arms, and the crowd \'85\'85.. .\par \pard\plain  c When a soldier passes an officer, he must \'85\'85\'85 him.\par \pard\plain  d We drove in our \'85\'85\'85 past fields of \'85\'85.. .\par \pard\plain  e There were enemy soldiers all around me―I was \'85\'85.. .\par \pard\plain  f He\'92s new here, so they will . him to do the job.\par \pard\plain  g \'93Don\'92t \'85\'85\'85 that ladder around! You\'92ll break a window.\'94\par \pard\plain  h \'93We \'85\'85\'85 all those soldiers who died for the \'85\'85\'85. of Rome!\'94\par \pard\plain  After you read\par \pard\plain  4 Answer these questions:\par \pard\plain  a Why does Commodus think his father is really sick?\par \pard\plain  b What does Maximus do to show that he is ready for battle?\par \pard\plain  c Why do you think the Roman army wins the battle?\par \pard\plain  d How does Commodus feel about Maximus?\par \pard\plain  e What does Marcus want Maximus to become and why?\par \pard\plain  72\par \pard\plain  5 Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.\par \pard\plain  a Quintus is woken in the middle of the night by Maximus.\par \pard\plain  b Maximus realizes that Marcus has been killed by Commodus,\par \pard\plain  c Quintus believes that the Emperor died of natural causes.\par \pard\plain  d Cornelius takes Maximus down into the trees to kill him.\par \pard\plain  e Maximus is wounded with a cut to his neck.\par \pard\plain  Chapters 4-6\par \pard\plain  Before you read\par \pard\plain  6 Discuss these questions.\par \pard\plain  a Where do you think Maximus will go? Why?\par \pard\plain  b Do you think Quintus will try to help him? Why (not)?\par \pard\plain  7 Check the meanings of these words in your dictionary.\par \pard\plain   arena cage chain spear tiger\par \pard\plain   Which is:\par \pard\plain  a something that is sharp, pointed and could kill a man?\par \pard\plain  b something that you use to stop an animal running away?\par \pard\plain  c a prison for an animal?\par \pard\plain  d a wild animal?\par \pard\plain  e a place where sports and games are held?\par \pard\plain  After you read\par \pard\plain  8 Who says these things? Who to? What are they talking about?\par \pard\plain  a \'93They\'92re more expensive than we are.\'94\par \pard\plain  b \'93Some are good for fighting, some for dying. You need both.\'94\par \pard\plain  c \'93Tomorrow you can scream in seven languages.\'94\par \pard\plain  d \'93You go out into the arena as slaves. You come back\'97if you\par \pard\plain   come back\'97as gladiators.\'94\par \pard\plain  9 Explain:\par \pard\plain  a Senator Gracchus\'92s opinion of Commodus.\par \pard\plain  b how Commodus first gets the idea for the gladiator games.\par \pard\plain  c why Commodus thinks the games are a good idea.\par \pard\plain  10 Who are these people? What do you know about them?\par \pard\plain  a He is a large man with big, blue eyes, white hair, and a white\par \pard\plain   beard.\par \pard\plain  73\par \pard\plain  b He is small, and looks quite ordinary, but he only has one eye.\par \pard\plain  c He is a tall, thin man with long hair.\par \pard\plain  Chapters 7-9\par \pard\plain  Before you read\par \pard\plain  11 Who do you think the spy is selling his information to? What do you\par \pard\plain   think will happen to him?\par \pard\plain  12 Check the meanings of these words in your dictionary.\par \pard\plain   chariot helmet\par \pard\plain  a Add one of the words to each of these groups:\par \pard\plain   sword/shield/armor/ \'85\'85\'85..\par \pard\plain   horse/wheels/driver/ \'85\'85\'85..\par \pard\plain  b Now write a sentence containing both words.\par \pard\plain  After you read\par \pard\plain  13 Answer these questions.\par \pard\plain  a Why does Proximo tell Maximus, \'93Remember, you\'92re an\par \pard\plain   entertainer!\'94?\par \pard\plain  b Why is Maximus suddenly interested in Proximo\'92s advice?\par \pard\plain  c Why is Proximo unhappy about his gladiators acting the Battle\par \pard\plain   of Carthage?\par \pard\plain  14 Work with another student. After Lucius meets \'93the Spaniard,\'94 he\par \pard\plain   tells his mother about it. Act out the conversation.\par \pard\plain  15 Where do these people meet? Why?\par \pard\plain  a Lucilla and Gaius (chapter 7)\par \pard\plain  b Commodus and Maximus (chapter 8)\par \pard\plain  c Maximus and Lucilla (chapter 8)\par \pard\plain  d Maximus and Cicero (chapter 9)\par \pard\plain  Chapters 10-12\par \pard\plain  Before you read\par \pard\plain  16 Discuss how the story will end for:\par \pard\plain   a Maximus b Commodus c Lucilla d Rome\par \pard\plain  74\par \pard\plain  After you read\par \pard\plain  17 Answer these questions.\par \pard\plain  a What does Commodus tell Falco that he must do to get more\par \pard\plain   Information?\par \pard\plain  b Why doesn\'92t Proximo meet Gracchus\'92s servant?\par \pard\plain  c Why does Commodus tell Lucius the story of Emperor\par \pard\plain   Claudius?\par \pard\plain  18 Put these events in the right order. The royal guards are outside\par \pard\plain   Proximo\'92s school.\par \pard\plain  a The guards rush in through the gates.\par \pard\plain  b Haken is killed.\par \pard\plain  c The captain shouts, \'93Break the locks!\'94\par \pard\plain  d Proximo is killed.\par \pard\plain  e Maximus hears the guards coming to the school.\par \pard\plain  f Maximus gives the keys to Juba.\par \pard\plain  g The guards run up to Proximo\'92s room.\par \pard\plain  h Proximo gives the keys to Maximus.\par \pard\plain  19 Discuss how you felt at the end of the story. Was it the right\par \pard\plain   ending? Why (not)?\par \pard\plain  Writing\par \pard\plain  20 Imagine you are Lucilla. After the last fight in the Colosseum you\par \pard\plain   must explain to Lucius why both men died. Write your conversation\par \pard\plain   with Lucius.\par \pard\plain  21 It is the day after the death of Maximus. Write a report for Rome\'92s\par \pard\plain   English-language newspaper about his death. Tell your readers\par \pard\plain   what happened in the Colosseum.\par \pard\plain  22 It is the day after the spy has heard the senators talking in the café.\par \pard\plain   Now he must give the information to Senator Falco. Write his report.\par \pard\plain  23 What does Maximus mean when he asks Proximo, \'93Are you in\par \pard\plain   danger of becoming a good man?\'94? What do we know about\par \pard\plain   Proximo? What is your opinion of him?\par \pard\plain  24 It is a year after the end of the story. What do you think has\par \pard\plain   happened in that time? How has life changed for Lucilla, Gracchus,\par \pard\plain  75\par \pard\plain  and Quintus? Are the people of Rome happier or are they unhappy\par \pard\plain  with the republic?\par \pard\plain  25 Did you enjoy the book? Write a short report for someone who has\par \pard\plain   not read it. If you have also seen the movie, compare this to the\par \pard\plain   book. Why do you think the movie was so popular?\par \pard\plain  Answers for the Activities in this book are published in our free resource packs for teachers, the\par \pard\plain  Penguin Readers Factsheets, or available on a separate sheet. Please write to your local Pearson\par \pard\plain  Education office or to: Marketing Department, Penguin Longman Publishing, 80 Strand,\par \pard\plain  London WC2R 0RL \par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  \par \pard\plain  --------------------------------------------------------------------------\par \pard\plain  \'c4\'f0\'f3\'e3\'e8\'e5 \'ea\'ed\'e8\'e3\'e8 \'f1\'ea\'e0\'f7\'e8\'e2\'e0\'e9\'f2\'e5 \'e1\'e5\'f1\'ef\'eb\'e0\'f2\'ed\'ee \'e2 \'f2\'e5\'ea\'f1\'f2\'ee\'e2\'ee\'ec \'e8 mp3 \'f4\'ee\'f0\'ec\'e0\'f2\'e5 \'ed\'e0 https://prochtu.ru\par \pard\plain  --------------------------------------------------------------------------\par \pard\plain  }