Spurius hurried to keep his target in sight as the crowd
around him jostled anxiously into the entrance of the Circus Maximus. The man he
was following was a courier carrying a letter from Cicero to Brutus, a letter
that Spurius needed to intercept. He knew it contained sensitive information
that Fulvia would find interesting. The courier’s head bobbed above the sea of
people shouting and pushing to get to the seats that would provide the best
view of the chariot race. Spurius himself never bet on the races, but he had
observed the courier placing a number of wagers outside of the circus.
Spurius
placed himself on the row of stone benches right behind where the courier was
sitting. The race had already begun, and the green chariot team had pulled
ahead by almost half a lap. Spurius eyed the bag containing the courier’s
letters, but it was still strapped loosely to his shoulder. He would need a
distraction in order to take it without being detected.
The red
chariot had almost caught up to the green team, and the courier was cursing and
yelling loudly along with the rest of the crowd. Suddenly, the driver of the
green chariot pulled the reigns sharply to the left, cutting off his opponent.
The horses pulling the red chariot panicked and veered off into the wall of the
track, causing the chariot and it’s driver to crash. The courier and most of
the crowd were on there feet now, pushing each other to get a better look at
the crashed chariot. Spurius saw his chance and shoved the man next to the
courier hard in the back. The man turned furiously on the courier and shoved
him back just as hard, and within seconds a small brawl had broken out in the
stands. Spurius took the opportunity to cut the strap of the couriers bag and
sidestep his way to the edge of the stands with it. Down on the track the green
chariot had won the race, and the red charioteer was being carried away.
