To win his freedom, a slave becomes a gladiator Rafe is well over six feet of muscle, with a warrior's body marred by only one scar. Long ago, this slave's owner promised him that if he won fifty fights in the pit—fights to the death against men of all colors—he would be granted his freedom. In his first fight, Rafe slipped, and his opponent cut his side. The pain showed him his true purpose. Since then, he has never lost a fight, and he has never again been cut. Rafe has only eight fights left before he can claim his reward, but Ezra Clayton is not certain he wants to free the greatest gladiator the South has ever known. As the deadline draws near and the blood continues to flow, Rafe knows that if his freedom is denied, he will have to take it, as he has taken so many lives: with his two bare hands.