Incredibly dark. “Come with me.” Christus took my hand, though how he found it in the dark I did not know, and tugged, just the tiniest bit. Though I was not certain that I would be able to relax with the knowledge of the games looming over my head, I was still strangely fascinated by the unexpected gift that the slave girl had given us. I opened my mouth to say this to Christus, but my words were cut off. “Wait a moment.” I heard a soft rustling, as if Christus was undoing his clothing. Then his fingers touched my temples, and I felt something soft covering my eyes, something that smelled like leather—one of the ties from his subligaculum, I thought. I jolted as the last hint of my vision in the darkness was removed and was fairly certain that I heard a laugh, just a little one, from him. I understood then that it was important for Christus to give me this, this moment away from the stress and strain of the games. He touched my hand with his, and without much choice in the matter, I followed him, through the crevice of rock.
