“So you think I’m foolish to hire gladiators?”
“If that’s your only criterion. At the very least I would advise that you look beyond training and arena records and study the individuals. Some of the men currently in your employ have questionable backgrounds. You might start looking into that before you place too much trust in them. Further, I would suggest that you find a trainer who can drill your troops in tactics more suited to the street than the arena. They’ll stand a better chance of winning.”
“I… I’ll have to think on it,” Chenaya said slowly. “What you say makes sense, but it’s all so contrary to what I’ve been raised to believe.”
‘Take your time.” Jubal smiled. “The time to think is be fore, not after you’ve committed yourself. Sending men into combat isn’t a game.”
She looked at him sharply. “I think I hear a hidden warning in that last comment. I take it you’ve heard of my special talent: the fact that I never lose. It’s not potential, and I should think it would count heavily in my favor as a leader… or an ally.”
The crimelord averted his eyes as he sank into his chair.
“I’ve heard of it,” he confirmed. “In my opinion, it makes you both arrogant and vulnerable. Neither of which are traits I would want in someone leading me, or guarding my back.”
“But…”
“Let’s assume for the moment that you’re right… that you’ll never lose. I’ll contest that later, but for now we’ll take it as a given. You’ll win every contest. So what? Start thinking like an adult instead of a child. Life isn’t a game. An arrow out of the dark that takes you in the middle of the back isn’t a contest. You can retain your perfect win record and still be just as dead as any loser.”