Gladiator Clash (Time Hunters, Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

fortune to make this show bigger and better than ever.” He folded his meaty arms and glared at the prisoners. “Guess who has agreed to fight? None other than Hilarus! You lot will be the warm-up acts before his fight!”
    Each and every prisoner started to groan in despair. Some even broke into great sobs.
    Isis elbowed the man next to her in the ribs. “Who’s Hilary?” she asked him.
    The man moved away from her, rubbing his side. “How can you not have heard of Hilarus?” he asked. “He’s the most famous gladiator in the Roman Empire. He’s won thirteen fights in a row. Huge crowds will be coming to see him.”
    â€œSo why’s everyone moaning?” Isis sniffed.
    The man chuckled bitterly and shook his head at her. “In the arena, they fight to the death.”
    Tom and Isis exchanged nervous glances. Gladiator training was tough, but at least nobody had been trying to kill them!
    â€œWe’ve got to find the amulet soon,” Isis whispered to Tom in alarm. “Or else we’ll end up in the arena.”
    Rufus cracked his whip until the grim chatter stopped.
    â€œYou should be thankful! This is the most excitement you mangy lot will ever see!” he shouted. “There’s going to be parades, musicians, spectacles… animals too.”
    The door clanged as Josephus walked in. Everybody turned around as he strode to the front.
    â€œEr, perhaps not the animals,” he said to Rufus, wringing his hands.
    Rufus’s tanned face wrinkled into an almighty frown. “But Atillius definitely wants to include them in a fight.”
    Josephus shook his head. “Sorry. There’s something wrong with them. They’re acting all timid like mice; it’s as though they’ve seen a ghost. I’ve tried stoking them up. I even threatened to turn the alligator into a pair of sandals. But they’ve lost their bite!” He shrugged. “They would make a truly poor show, I’m afraid.”
    â€œWell, Atillius will just have to leave them out,” Rufus said.
    Meanwhile, the prisoners had started to panic.
    â€œI’m going to grab the heavy, shiny armour!” one yelled. “A sword won’t get through that.”
    â€œAre you mad?” cried another. “Swords cut through everything. The only hope of escape is dodging the blows with fancy footwork.”
    Tom, who had been listening carefully to all Rufus said, couldn’t wait to pull Isis to one side. He felt like his heart would burst if he didn’t get the words out.
    â€œHey, remember the riddle said
cheerful is the one you need to find
?” he whispered. “Well, I’ve worked it out. Guess what the Latin for cheerful is!”
    Isis shook her head.
    â€œHilarus!”
    â€œThe other prisoners say he’s undefeated in thirteen fights,” Isis said.
    â€œExactly!” Tom beamed at Isis and gave her the thumbs up. “He’s our man.”
    â€œSo if the amulet is in his shield, we’ve got to get close to him in the arena,” Isis said. “Which means—”
    â€œWe’ll have to fight the most fearsome gladiator in the whole of the Roman Empire,” Tom finished. He swallowed hard and felt his spine tingle with dread. If they could get their hands on the amulet, they’d be whisked back to the safety of Tom’s bedroom. But how on earth were they going to get close enough to Hilarus’s shield without getting hurt?
    Suddenly, the ground started to rumble beneath them.
    Isis gasped. “What’s happening?”
    â€œI think it’s an earthquake,” Tom said, feeling tremors under his feet. “Quick – take cover!”
    As the two of them scrambled into a corner, the stone floor cracked, then opened up. Anubis’s jackal head burst out of the ground. It was almost the full height of the room. His fierce eyes glared at them in an alarming shade of red.
    The other