Snorting through its broad nostrils, the beast walked away from Romulus.

Its eyesight really is poor, he thought with a flush of excitement. It gave him the tiniest window of hope. Now I might have a chance of striking a lucky blow. But where? Before he'd moved a step, Romulus despaired. The rhino's hide was thicker than the chain mail worn by legionaries. Stabbing it in the hind quarters or even its belly would not kill, or even wound it badly enough to stop it goring or trampling him. Its massive bony head was invulnerable, and the great muscles of its neck afforded no weakness either. Its heart, he thought. Somehow I have to reach that.

The rhino was now about twenty paces away, and impatient members of the crowd were throwing things at it to make it turn around. All this did was to anger the creature even more, and it trotted towards the far side of the enclosure.

Romulus took a step towards it, and another. Each one he took made it easier to continue, but then he had to pass by Petronius' mangled remains. Romulus couldn't help himself. He looked down, and revulsion filled him. His friend's features were barely recognisable amid the blood and broken bones of his skull. Fury bubbled up in Romulus that a trusted comrade had died like this. It was so unjust. The least he could do was to make a good attempt at killing the rhino. With renewed determination, he gripped the spear with both hands. Instead of advancing, he retreated towards the timber planking of the enclosure's edge. A truly desperate idea was germinating in his mind.

Catcalls and jeers erupted from the watching citizens.

They died away when Romulus shouted at the rhino. 'Come on,' he yelled. 'Here I am.'

Despite the clamour, the creature heard his cry. Spinning more gracefully than he could have imagined, it raised its head and bugled a challenge. Its front horn was red and sticky all the way down to its base. That's Petronius' blood, thought Romulus with a tremor of fear. Warm wood touched his back and he stopped. Mine will soon join it – but maybe not, if the gods are willing. Either way, this is the end of the line. He was glad that it would be over quickly. This level of dread was hard to live with. Planting his feet wide, Romulus watched as the rhino gave more indications that it was about to charge. Pawing the sand, it flattened its wide ears and snorted. Its head went up and down a few times, and then it came for him. Picking up pace, it quickly reached the speed of a galloping horse.

Shouts and cheers rose from the spectators, who were at last getting what they wanted. Their jaded palates had been tickled by the bizarre-looking rhino, but all the running about was boring. Soon this idiot would be crushed against the wall, and then the gladiator fights – the real entertainment – could begin.

Although it was utterly terrifying, Romulus stood his ground. Where could he run to anyway? At least now he was armed, and could give a good account of himself before he was sent to Elysium. His pulse was going like a trip hammer, and all he could think of was the people he had loved. His mother. Fabiola. Juba. Brennus. Tarquinius. And brave Petronius. His sister was the only one who was definitely alive, but he would still never see her again. Gods grant that Fabiola is well, and happy, thought Romulus. I will see her one day, in paradise. With that, he readied himself for the only move he could think of. He tossed the spear off to his right, making sure it landed straight, with its point towards him.

The audience responded with incredulous laughs. 'Too scared to use it now?' shouted one man.

The sand beneath Romulus' feet began to shake. The rhino loomed larger and larger in his vision. Every instinct he possessed was screaming at him to run, to hide, to jump out of the way. He thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest, but somehow Romulus managed to keep his feet right where they were. If he moved prematurely, the rhino would turn and catch him. If he left it a heartbeat too late, it would smash every bone in his body against the wall behind.

His entire world had shrunk to a tunnel directly in front of him.

It was filled with the angry rhino.

Romulus thought his muscles would remain frozen when the time came to move. Great Mithras, give me courage, he pleaded. An image of Brennus standing alone against the elephant flashed before his eyes. Then one of Petronius, buying him time. Romulus grimaced. That was enough. There was time for a last deep breath before the armoured beast hit him and ended this charade for ever.

He took it.

With the rhino no more than three steps away, he hurled himself to one side.

There was an almighty crash as the creature collided with the heavy timber planks, breaking some and cracking others. Its momentum was such that its horns and the front half of its head drove through to the other side, trapping it. Flying splinters covered Romulus' back as he landed face first in the sand. Fortunately he'd closed his eyes, so the yellow grains only filled his mouth. Above and behind him, he heard the furious rhino thrashing to free itself from the wooden prison around its massive neck. Angry bellows echoed through the planking as it pushed and pulled. Ominous creaking sounds told Romulus that he didn't have long.

Desperate, he got to his knees and faced his foe. He was so close that he could have reached out and touched its armoured brown hide. A kicking hind leg nearly brained Romulus as his right hand reached out, searching in the sand for the spear. Where was the damn thing? He began to panic. The rhino's struggling was so dangerous that he couldn't afford to look down. When his fingers closed on the wooden shaft, he gasped out loud with relief. Lifting the spear, Romulus studied the great expanse of leathery skin before him. It was just possible to make out the ribs. From his hunting experiences, he knew the heart's position behind the left elbow. Yet the fore leg on this side was pawing about so much he couldn't get a clear thrust in.

A number of timbers broke at once and the rhino lurched backwards a step.

Romulus cursed. If he didn't act now, all his efforts would have been in vain. Trusting his skill, he shoved the spear into the rhino's side with all his might. He felt the blade grate off a rib, slow down momentarily and then slide deep inside the chest cavity. Romulus ran the shaft in to the length of his forearm and more, twisting it to make sure. The sharp blade had to do many things: slice apart lung tissue, cut large blood vessels and penetrate the heart. It had to do all of those to bring down this leviathan.

A deafening bellow left the rhino's throat, and it broke free of the planking. Staggering backwards, it coughed up a fist-sized ball of bloody froth. To Romulus' horror, its beady eyes fixed on him. They were still just a few paces apart. Good killing distance. I had my chance, thought Romulus, his hope turning to despair. I wasn't good enough.

The rhino took a step towards him, and then its front legs buckled and gave way. Its hindquarters followed suit, and it sank down with a groan. Torrents of pinkish fluid began to pour from its mouth, staining the sand. More was issuing from around the spear shaft, which was jutting from its chest. From the blood's bright red colour, Romulus knew that he'd hit a major artery. He didn't know how, but he'd delivered the rhino a mortal blow. Gratitude filled every pore of his being. Petronius had been honoured, and avenged. No doubt the archers would loose any moment, and end his life. But when he entered Elysium, Romulus knew that he could hold his head up high, even among heroes like Brennus and Petronius.

He came back to the present as the rhino kicked a few more times. A moment later, the great horned head slumped forward and lay still.

Silence covered the huge amphitheatre like a blanket.