Gladiator, by David Franzoni; fiction, pgs. 200-206

It starts out with Lucius playing with a wooden sword in the lighted palace courtyard with his two grooms, until his dad came, and the two grooms bowed, and his dad asked why he was playing legionary so late, but he said he was playing gladiator, then Lucius said,"I am Maximus, savior of Rome" which made his father feel like throwing up, which he almost did. Then Lucilla showed up, and almost vomited too, because Lucius was sitting on Commodus's lap, and talking to her about some things going on like a queen killing herself with a snake. And some things about other ancestors of them. So she left. She knew that the second emperor knew that they were up to something. (Maximus, and others)One day they sat down, with Lucius, and Lucilla. The emperor threatened her to tell them what their planning. Lucilla's heart twisted in torture. The emperor must have been using hypnotism. Then it skips to Proximo;During his packing he heard and saw that Down the streets there were people who were walking in boots, in unison, which Proximo knew exactly what that meant, someone was going to die. (Proximo thinks it's him they're after)Then they were at his doors, they called to open up, and Proximo paused, then approached. Maximus hears the same thing from his cell, they entered, and Proximo opened the doors, saying," It looks like you've won your freedom. Then Proximo says to the guards,"tonight, all enemies of the emperor must die!


I thought it was pretty surprising at the end of this, how the guards showed up, although I did kind of suspect it a little. I think from here it's just going to go into complete chaos, and somebody important is going to die. The next thing that's going to happen is that Maximus will go free, and go kill the emperor, and in the mean time, it's guards vs. gladiators! Agian, I think someone important is going to die, it's the only practical thing, I don't thing it will end happy, maybe even Maximus will die in this book, which would be surprising because he's been through a lot of battles, even with very powerful leaders and won. You'd think he wouldn't be likely to die by the emperor. Because of what Proximo said, though, there will be a war.


cloaked: To be disguised, something that covers or conceals.