CHAPTER TWENTY
Darius sat in the small stone courtyard with the other gladiators, elbows on his knees, head in his hands, nursing a terrible headache. He leaned back slowly, checking his body as he twisted and turned, and he felt a thousand shooting pains. Covered in scrapes and bruises and cuts, he felt as if he had been run over by a boulder after that fight in the arena. His hands felt swollen, stiff, and it hurt them just to open them. His limbs, too, felt stiff as he tried to stretch his elbows, to lean back, and he wondered how he’d be able to fight again. He needed time to recover, and he had a sinking feeling that he would not get it.
As Darius looked about, he felt a sense of sorrow and guilt than hurt him more than his wounds. He saw Raj and Desmond and Luzi sitting nearby, all
