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"I choose whom I kill," said Ortog.
The question of the young officer had made it clear to those who might be
perceptive in the tiers that the barbarian was not intended to survive the
evening. Perhaps he might then have availed himself of the satisfaction of
destroying one enemy, perhaps in the same moment that the trigger on the fire
pistol could have been pulled.
"Ambos!" called Pulendius, irritably. This fighter was from the world, Ambos,
and was known professionally by that name. This was not uncommon in the arena,
naming the fighters for worlds, or cities, or animals, or appearance. He was
the fellow who had been successful in the last mock match, that with what were
intended to represent the two-headed spears of Kiros. We do not know his real
name. One account gives it as 'Elbar.' More importantly, for our purposes, he
had once wrestled professionally on Ambos, before applying to the arena
masters.
Ambos came forth.
"Kill him," said Pulendius, indicating the barbarian. He then stepped back.
There was to be no mock adjudication of holds, of breaks, and such, in this
match.
Ambos, of course, had watched the previous match, and had noted the fate of
Hinak. The barbarian was clearly not a trained wrestler, but he was unusually
strong, and that made him
dangerous. Ambos had no intention of taking him lightly.
"Close! Finish him!" said Pulendius.
But the two men, together in the center of the ring, only thrusted, feinted,
and reached for holds.
"Finish him!" said Pulendius.
Suddenly the two men grappled, locked together, swaying back and forth.
"Finish him!" cried Pulendius.
But to the horror of Pulendius and those in the tiers the barbarian, slowly,
by sheer strength, drew
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Ambos from his feet, and then slowly turned him, and placed his back over his
knee, his hands pressing down, the knee as the fulcrum, the spine a doomed
lever, subjected to terrible force at each termination, surely in a moment to
snap, surely incapable of withstanding such pressure.
But then the barbarian let Ambos, gasping, wild-eyed, slip to the sand.
The barbarian rose to his feet.
"Am I not victorious?" he asked.
"You did not kill him," observed the young naval officer.
"I did not choose to do so," said the barbarian.
Ambos was helped from the sand by two of Pulendius's men.
"And whom would you choose to kill?" asked the young naval officer.
"One worthy," said the barbarian, his arms folded.
"Me?" asked the young naval officer, quietly, amused.
The barbarian turned about and lifted his arm. He pointed at the gladiator
with whom we have been hitherto acquainted, he who had been raised in a small
festung village, that of Sim Giadini, he who had been behind Pulendius, and to
his right, on the evening of the captain's table, he who had looked upon the
officer of the court, who was even of the blood, as though she might be naught
but a common slave, one such that she might be purchased in any market, and
thence put to the common purposes of slaves.
"He!" said the barbarian.
"Why?" asked the young officer, puzzled.
The barbarian was silent.
"Who is he? Who do you think he is?" asked the young officer, leaning forward,
keenly interested.
Again the barbarian refused to respond.
"Where are you from, fighter?" asked the young officer of the gladiator.
"From the festung village of Sim Giadini, milord," said the gladiator. He also
identified the world, but we think it best, again, at this point, in order not
to anticipate, to withhold its name. It was, however, we recall, one of the
claimed worlds within the imperial system.
"No," said the barbarian. "No."
"It will be with weapons!" said Pulendius, angrily.
"Let him live," called a man.
"He has been victorious!" called another. "Free him!"
Pulendius looked angrily toward the source of such cries.
"Kill him!" cried a woman.
"Kill him!" cried the woman in the pantsuit.
"Kill him!" cried another woman, a young woman. The officer of the court saw
that it was the salesgirl, she from the ship's shop, from whom, earlier that
day, she had made certain purchases.
She had not noticed her in the tiers before. She was terribly embarrassed,
now, to see her there.
After all, she knew the nature of those purchases. Had the salesgirl seen her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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