Chapter IV
Ichtus looked at the chariot with his new stock. A few barbarians, they always promised good animalistic fights, just like they fought when they were still in their tribes in the north. A few Hellene women, mostly for his own enjoyment. Even a Roman girl who walked away from home and got captured. She had something cute over her, but could surprise him with her fierce look and harsh words. And then there was the Spartan. He was lucky to have witnessed the attack on a potential buyer, otherwise he wouldn't have known her skill. The smash with her forehead was precise, rock-splitting hard and above all, entertaining. Just what he needed for the arena. But carefulness was required, he had the feeling he could take down guards if she was given the change. Yes, he needed to break her before she broke his business.
The ride to the school was uncomfortable, but not as much as the last trip I made. There were finally some women who actually spoke my language, but they were from Athens. Housewives, sold because of adultery. Farmer's daughters, sold because of the harvesting failure. And young girls who didn't have anybody. I think there are about 20 women in the chariot. Also a few barbarians, one of them with hair that was so wild that she looked like a lion. She was talking to some of the other barbarians, but I did not understand one thing.
The Hellene women didn't talk to me. They must think I'm from the north because of my light skin. I didn't feel the need to talk to them, they wouldn't understand where I come from. They don't understand anything about all the things that I have been thought. Battle-strategies, complex combat manoeuvres and above all, fighting skills.
The girl with the wild hair stood up from her side of the chariot and walked over to me. She wasn't taken back by my look of pure disgust and sat down next to me.
"Hello, me Nicky. You?" She barely spoke Latin, but tried it anyway.
"Alex", I answered flatly. I did not feel the need to talk to the barbarian at all.
"You Roman?" I almost smacked her face right then and there. How dare she call me a Roman? How dare she call me the name of the people who took my everything from me?
"No," I said, hoping she would be finished.
"Oh, me from Germania". I groaned, very irritated by the conversation.
A guard opened the chariot and lifted a big pot in the chariot with a stack of bowls and spoons. Nicky went and filled two bowls with quite good smelling broth. It was filled with meat and all sorts of vegetables. She came back and gave one to me. I'm not used to people doing things for me, so I looked surprised. She just smiled and said "Eat, before cold". Nicky and I ate in silence. Night fell when we were still on the road. I heard a guard say that we would reach our destination in the morning. Nicky looked at me, with an asking look on her face. She must have no idea where we are going.
"We are going to a school, to be gladiatrices", I explained. She looked dumbfounded.
I tried to explain it with gestures, that worked a whole lot better. Nicky shouted to the other barbarian women in their unintelligible language, and they all stood up and gathered around me.
"Tell more", Nicky said.
I was irritated, I don't want to tell stories to those women, but when I saw their pleading faces I couldn't help but feel compassionate. These women were dragged here, and didn't understand a thing that was said to them. They had no clue what was awaiting them. So I stood up and gestured and used just simple sentences to teach them where we were heading and some basic Latin. I took the task with pride, I know people can learn a lot from me, for I am very well-schooled and for they were unskilled barbarians.
