XV
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
The Etrurian Players were in their element in those days leading up to the start of the games, working hard at every aspect of the performance and production, each doing his or her part with utmost professionalism and a will to help their leader succeed in his grand endeavour. The Gods had, after all, demanded that Felix Modestus do this thing, that he dazzle Rome itself.
If they succeeded - something of which they became more and more certain with each passing rehearsal - they would be the most sought-after company in the whole of the empire. They lifted each other up by their performances, and by their mutual encouragement, brothers and sisters in costume and in song, with Plautus as their emperor, and Felix as their general.
As the hours and days wore on, it a
