Chapter One

"Are you sure this is the one you want mistress, he is young yes, an up and comer but we have maannny who might suit your needs," the overseer prattled obsequiously as he lead his guest down the dim stone corridor beneath the arena. Uncertain breezes stirred the dust into small zephyrs here and there and the scent of stale blood lay heavy on the subterranean passageways. The overseer leered at his guest from beneath his grease stained fez. It was not unusual for highborn ladies, as he took his visitor to be, to sport with slaves, even buy famous champions for their own amusements. It was unusual for such a one to appear at dawn and demand to see a particular slave, and to make the demand credible with cold silver.

The woman was dressed in diaphanous black silks which hung around her frame pleasingly, golden ornaments glittered and her wrists and an a ruby necklace was clasped at her throat. Small golden charms in the shape of strange sigils hung from a silvery veil which was pulled across her face, revealing only a glimpse of smooth olive skin and dark intense eyes.

"This is the one," she said simply, her unadorned words as harsh as any rebuke she might have leveled. The slave master flinched as if struck and ducked his head leading her down yet another corridor. Barred cages lined the vaulted stone work, arms reached for her, some seeking the touch of a woman's skin, others merely human contact. Without fail the overseer cracked their knuckles with his baton driving them back into their cages. Here and there a more high prestige fighter had a cot or some furniture, one even had a ragged looking prostitute draped across his bead, but for the most part they were squalor.

Reaching a cell like any other the woman suddenly paused, then turned to peer into the darkness. 

"This is the one," she said quietly.

"No, no, not this one, the one you seek is..." the overseer objected, panic that his plan to pass some other less profitable slave off as the fighter she sought seemed to evaporate before his eyes.

"Get him out and bring him to the pit," she commanded coldly, "and two others besides."