Marcus has a problem. He needs to punish Celeste for escaping, but she is his only gladiatrix. In one fell swoop, he lost his free gladiatrix and his longest serving gladiatrix. Both lost their fights during the death match tournament. His only winner won because her opponent froze, and then she escaped. If he doesn’t punish her, his gladiators may believe they can get away with escape attempts as well. If he gives her the punishment she deserves, he will not have any gladiatrices left. And he knows editors are always insisting on at least one fight between gladiatrices. He can buy more female slaves, but without a seasoned gladiatrix to show them the ropes, they may never be ready for the arena. And although Celeste is definitely not a seasoned gladiatrix, she has at least fought in the a
