Page 42 of House of Serpents and Slaves

I made my way over to Tarshi, ignoring the hostile glares from the other gladiators. "Are you alright?" I asked softly.

He flinched at my approach. "I'm fine," he growled, but I could see the sweat beading on his forehead and the tremor in his hands.

"You're bleeding," I said, noticing the dark stains seeping through his tunic. "Let me help-"

"I said I'm fine!" Tarshi snapped, jerking away from me. "I don't need your pity."

Cato's mocking laugh rang out behind us. "Aww, look at the little slave girl feeling sorry for the monster. How sweet. Now enough of this shit. Line up!”

"Let's get started," called Marcus and we fell into line immediately, the chatter ceasing at his words, though I was still getting some unfriendly looks. I ignored them, concentrating on the training instead.

Marcus ran us through some forms and drills to get everyone warmed up, much as we had been doing before, and I felt my body flow through them as normal, muscle memory doing most of the work for me.

As we began the sparring however, it quickly became apparent that I was outmatched by the other gladiators. Their strength and skill were far beyond my own, and every time I tried to gain the upper hand, I found myself flat on my back, gasping for breath. The taunts from the two earlier gladiators, Priscus and Maro, only grew louder and more vicious.

"Look at her," Priscus sneered as I struggled to lift a heavy practice dummy. "She can barely hold her own sword." I gritted my teeth and forced myself to continue, but with every failure, my confidence waned.

"Pathetic," Maro added, mocking my attempts at executing a complex strike. “Good job she’s a half decent fuck, cause she’s useless out here.”

That comment stung more than any blow I'd received during training. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I stubbornly blinked them away and clenched my fists, determined not to let these bullies see me falter, but as the training session wore on, and my body ached from the constant punishment, I couldn't help but feel the weight of inadequacy crushing me. Was I really cut out for this? Could I ever become a gladiator strong enough to avenge my family?

"Break!" Cato barked, signaling the end of the session and the break for the midday meal. My body sagged with relief, but my spirit felt broken. I had been so sure of my path, so determined to see my quest for vengeance through. But now, as I limped away from the training arena, battered and bruised, doubt gnawed at me like a hungry beast.

My heart pounded in my chest as I took stock of the gladiators surrounding me, their powerful muscles glistening with sweat. They moved with a grace and strength that made me feel like a clumsy child in comparison. A pang of fear threatened to consume me, but I quelled it with a deep breath. This was what I had wanted, after all – to become a gladiator, win my freedom and avenge my family's murder.

We made our way into the dining room, and I queued with the others, not really paying much attention. My mind was going over each sparring match I'd had, where I'd gone wrong, what I could have done better. I wasn't paying attention at all and suddenly as I took a step forward, I collided with something very big and solid that sent me flying. Large hands caught me before I hit the floor, and I looked up in Tarshi’s dark eyes.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, slave girl," a gruff voice bellowed. He sneered at me before turning his attention to Tarshi. "You got yourself a woman, half-breed? I know none of the others will touch you."

I glanced quickly at Tarshi, seeing his face darken. I knew he hadn't been with any of the slave girls since he’d got here, and he'd certainly never asked me, but I assumed it was because Drusus was still making him sleep in the cages at night. By his reaction, I thought the gladiator might be right.

“Shut up, Maro,” I snapped as I righted myself.

“Well, if you’re fucking the monster, then I’m certainly not taking you to my bed again,” leered Maro. “His cock probably has your pussy poisoned. My dick might shrivel up if I stick it in there again.”

I felt Tarshi stiffen behind me, but I ignored him.

“Wouldn’t make much difference to your tiny shrivelled dick, Maro. But if I’d known fucking Tarshi would get you to stop begging me to come to your bed again, I’d have done it quicker.”

Maro's face contorted with rage. "You little whore!" he snarled, lunging forward.

I braced myself for the blow, but it never came. Tarshi stepped in front of me, his massive form like a wall between Maro and me.

"Back off," Tarshi growled, his voice low and menacing.

Maro hesitated, his eyes darting between Tarshi and me. The dining hall had gone quiet, all eyes on our confrontation.

"This isn't over," Maro spat, backing away. "You'll get what's coming to you, slave girl. And you, beast."

As he stalked off, I let out a shaky breath. "Thanks," I murmured to Tarshi.

He grunted in response, not meeting my eyes. "Don't mention it."

We got our food and found a quiet corner to eat. As we sat down, I noticed Tarshi wincing as he moved.

"You're still in pain," I said softly.

Tarshi's jaw clenched. "I told you, I'm fine."

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