Mark of the Thief

  Aurelia shook her head. "No, you haven't. The corpses of Pompeii look better than you do." But then she smiled too, a little.

  I put my hand on the bulla, which was beginning to cool, and though we remained in the moonlight, its glow was fading. Perhaps because I had faded too.

  Crispus offered me his arm for support and said, "Whatever that was, Nic, it looked like you were attacking those homes, all of these people."

  "I wasn't," I whispered.

  "We know." Aurelia drew out her knife and yelled to the crowd, "Everyone get back. Let him pass through!"

  They did. With me leaning on Crispus, we waded past them through the muddy waters. His wagon was waiting near the baths, which, thankfully, wasn't far away.

  "Where's Caela?" I wanted to bring her to Valerius's home. For her sake, and mine.

  "She flew away." Aurelia's voice was gentle now. "We couldn't stop her. I'm sorry."

  I pressed my lips together and gazed over the skies, hoping to see her. It would've been nice if she cared for me as much as I did for her.

  "Let's go," Crispus said. "When people get a good look at their homes, they'll be angry with you."

  "I made things worse. For all of us."

  "At least we know what your magic can do," he said.

  So did Radulf.

  He had promised to come back at me with the whole of his magic. Tonight's display only came from a shadow of who he really was. I lowered my head and let Crispus help me into the back of the wagon. Before getting in, I said, "Radulf knows my limits now, while I only know a piece of what he can do. What I have won't be enough to defeat him."

  After returning to the senator's home, I went directly into my room, so tired that in my final moments before falling asleep, I wasn't entirely sure whether I'd chosen the bed or the floor. I slept for a while, but the night was so warm, I eventually gave up and wandered outside to practice again, alone.

  Shortly after sunrise, I returned for the morning meal, but hesitated in the doorway, not sure how Valerius would greet me. I was prepared for anything from a sharp scolding to full arrest.

  Actually, the arrest seemed most likely. So really, I was prepared to run.

  But when he saw me coming, Valerius stood and greeted me warmly, and invited me to sit beside him. Certain it must be some sort of trick, I glanced behind me for the closest escape, but then I saw Crispus and Aurelia already reclined comfortably around the table, and figured everything must be safe.

  "Your face looks better than I expected," Valerius said. So he knew.

  I touched my cheek. The tenderness of bruising had disappeared and I only felt one remaining scratch along my forehead. Even that wasn't as bad as it ought to have been. "I think I heal faster ... than usual." Looking over the group in front of me, I said, "If I've put any of you in danger --"

  For a moment, Valerius's eyes seemed to redden, but then he shook it off and said, "You're a good person, Nic. Too good for this net you're caught up in, and I'm sorry for that. Now come and eat."

  I sat between Valerius and Aurelia. As a kindness, she already had piled my plate with food and set it down in front of me. I dug into it immediately.

  "I explained everything to Father," Crispus said.

  "And I believe it's good news," Valerius added. "Your magic is growing in strength and in control. You directed the water over those fires, and it obeyed."

  "More than I wanted. I might've put out the fires, but I also flooded their homes."

  "Who cares about their homes?"

  "I care! And you're a senator, you should care too!"

  "Nic, my only concern right now is what you can do, and you showed progress last night."

  "Radulf wasn't really there, only a whisper of him. It will be different once we come face-to-face."

  Valerius stared directly into my eyes. "But I believe in you. I believe your strength will grow to match his. After all, you have the bulla, and he does not."

  "You're asking too much of Nic," Aurelia said. "Learning magic takes more than a few hours in a field."

  Valerius's features hardened when he faced her. "But it's better to fight Radulf on our timing, not his."

  "Not if this is your timing. And not if Nic has to go back into the arena. It's not an equal match."

  "When would it ever be equal? Besides, fighting Radulf is Nic's plan, not mine. He knows what he's up against better than anyone." Valerius shook his head. "I want him to win, Aurelia, just as you do."

  "Do you?" she asked. "Because there are other ways --"

  "If there were an easier way, I would've found it already. But no fears, I have a plan. Crispus, show us the banner."

  Crispus reached behind him, then stood and unrolled the large maroon banner of Rome. In vertical gold letters across the top were the letters SPQR, standing for Senatus Populusque Romanus. The Senate and People of Rome. A picture of a sickle and pruning knife had been emblazoned in the center of it, and the family name, Gens Horatius, was stitched along the bottom.

  "For generations, this banner has represented the house of Senator Horatio," Valerius said. "At tomorrow's games in the amphitheater, I will hold this banner high and ask the people to cheer Horatio for his support of the empire. Once he sees the people on the emperor's side, he won't dare join Radulf."

  "Join Radulf?" Aurelia sniffed angrily. "Horatio is no traitor. He's the presiding magistrate of the Senate. Second only to the emperor."

  "Which is why he must be stopped!" I turned back to Valerius. "Do you think this will keep Horatio from acting?"

  "I hope so, though I'm afraid it won't stop Radulf. Once he sees you in the arena, he will attack."

  "And then the people will understand what a monster he really is." I shrugged, ignoring the growing pit in my gut. "It sounds simple enough."

  "Which is reason to doubt this plan," Aurelia said. "Please forgive me, Senator Valerius. I know you are older and wiser than me, but you are wrong about Horatio's loyalties, and it's a foolish plan."

  "I am older and wiser," Valerius said indignantly. "My plan will work."

  Aurelia stiffened at that. "You didn't see Nic last night! He didn't win. Nic barely held his own, and that was only because Radulf was testing his limits. Now Radulf knows exactly what Nic can do. How can we be sure you're not trying to get Nic killed?"

  "How dare you?" Valerius raised his voice, both angry and offended. "Nic is condemned by the emperor himself. Do you know what could happen to me if he's discovered here? Why would I risk myself and my family if I wanted him dead?"

  She shrank against the force of his anger, then gathered her courage enough to say, "You don't understand --"

  "And you do?" Valerius asked. "Who are you? A girl of the streets, of the sewers even? You have no education, no family name, and yet you question my plans to save the empire? All you have is that crepundia, proof that you were unacceptable to the family who gave you life!"

  Tears welled in Aurelia's eyes, then she pulled the crepundia over her head and threw it on the table. She gave me one last look before getting to her feet and running from the room.

  "Father, you shouldn't have said all that," Crispus whispered.

  "I know. That was cruel of me." Valerius sighed, then he looked at me. "It's not a perfect plan, and I know it doesn't avoid a fight with Radulf, but I sincerely believe it's our only hope. More important, I am certain it is the only chance you and your sister have."

  I nodded absently, but my attention was on the crepundia. Crispus still stood right behind it, holding up the banner with the sickle and the knife. Similar images were on the crepundia. I picked it up and felt a stab of realization. No, the images were identical.

  Aurelia's father was Senator Horatio.

  I grabbed the crepundia and ran after her. She was in the atrium, arms tightly wrapped around herself, and staring at the rainwater falling into the pool. When she heard my footsteps, she turned to me. "What was I thinking, to yell at someone with his station in life? I know he's shown us
so much kindness, even saved our lives, and I'm grateful for that. But I don't like his plan for you, Nic. I just don't."

  I ignored that and instead held the crepundia out to her. I was so angry that it shook in my hand. "How long have you known Horatio is your father?"

  Her mouth fell open and she seemed to be struggling for words. "How did you --"

  "How long, Aurelia? Did you know at the beginning, when you threatened to bring me to him? Have you known all this time?"

  She nodded, slowly. "That's why it was so important to go to him. Once I proved who I was, I figured I could protect you."

  "You figured? But you didn't know, did you. You weren't trying to help me, or even to help Rome. I was only your ticket to getting close to him."

  Tears filled her eyes. "Yes, I did need you. How else could a sewer girl get the attention of the Senate's presiding magistrate? But I wasn't doing it only for me. Horatio can't be as bad as Valerius says, and maybe he'd even help you. The best chance you have is if we face him together."

  "You're wrong!" I spat the words back at her. "Valerius might have a dangerous plan, but it's my only chance at freedom. The best I'd get from Horatio is a return to the mines, and probably something much worse. You know that, Aurelia!"

  The tears overflowed onto her cheeks, painting wet lines wherever they fell. "I should've told you who my father was. I almost did, but each time I started to, I grew afraid of what you'd think."

  "Here's what I think," I said. "I think you lied to me. I think you used me. And I think you should leave. You have your reward money from Valerius. That will buy you enough status to get your audience with Horatio. Go and beg him to bring you home again. Because you won't find a home anywhere near me!"

  "Nic, I'm your friend!"

  That was oil to the fire I already felt inside, and I nearly exploded. "A friend would've done what was best for me, not used me for her own purposes. A friend would've told me the truth!"

  "Nic, please --"

  "You would have sacrificed my life to get what you most want. So from now on, I fight for me. Not for your father's sake, or Rome's, and especially not for yours. Good-bye, Aurelia." I bowed low to her. "Or shall I call you Aurelia, of the house of Quintus Horatio?" When I rose up again, I dropped the crepundia at her feet.

  I started to walk away, but immediately there came a pounding at the entry. "Senator Valerius!" a voice announced. "Open up for the presiding magistrate of the Roman Senate. We have information that you are harboring a fugitive of the empire. We want the escaped slave, Nicolas Calva."

  Aurelia breathed my name, but I wouldn't look at her. "Nic," she said again. "That's Horatio. We can talk to him together."

  There was more pounding on the door, and Valerius and Crispus hurried into the atrium. Crispus's face was tense with worry, but I couldn't read Valerius as well. Either he was terrified, or else his heart had stopped working. Possibly both.

  "You turned Nic in to him?" Crispus asked Aurelia. "How dare you?"

  Her eyes pled with me to believe her. "I didn't, Nic. I swear --"

  "Don't!" I shook my head. "Don't say anything else."

  "Run out the back," Valerius said.

  I wasn't going to run, and it would've been futile if I'd tried. The door opened and in poured Horatio's personal guard, looking similar to Roman soldiers except for Horatio's banner worn on their uniforms. They pushed Aurelia aside, and walked directly toward me.

  My hand curled around the bulla, which was currently beneath my tunic. The heat in it worried me. Magic flowed in through my fingers, and up my arm. It wanted a fight.

  Horatio glared down at me and no doubt was weighing the odds of how many of his men I could take out before one of them got the bulla. The correct answer: all of them. And I would've released the magic already except I wouldn't put Crispus or Valerius at risk. Or even Aurelia, who stood off to the side with her eyes wide and still full of tears.

  Horatio's face twisted as he prepared to speak. "Nicolas Calva, Emperor Tacitus has ordered your execution. I am here to arrest you."

  "No," I said.

  "No?" He arched an eyebrow. "I'm not asking your permission, slave."

  "And I'm not giving it. The emperor and I made an agreement. Once I fulfill it, I will go to him. On my own."

  Valerius pushed past me. "Senator Horatio, Nic's magic is stronger than you can imagine. He plans to take the key to the Malice of Mars. If you want to live, you will give it to him."

  "Stop this!" Aurelia darted forward. "Nic has not threatened his life, not once." Then she turned to Horatio. "And you will not threaten Nic's life either. He's my friend."

  Horatio laughed. "And why should I take orders from a street girl?"

  Aurelia bit down on her lip, then held up the crepundia, still in her hand. Visibly trembling, Horatio took it from her and examined the miniatures. When he looked back at Aurelia, there were tears in his eyes.

  "Where did you get this?" he asked.

  "From you. On the day you exposed me."

  He made a sound in his throat and stepped closer to her. "My daughter," he whispered. "I had no idea you were still alive."

  "We have much to discuss," Aurelia said. "But first, you must not arrest Nic. He's done nothing wrong."

  "Hasn't he?" Any of the sentimentality he'd felt toward Aurelia vanished by the time he remembered me. "Tell me, slave, how did you get the bulla?"

  "It doesn't matter how I got it." The magic flared in me again, and I clenched my fists to contain it. "What matters is how I use it."

  Horatio nodded his head at Aurelia. "Wait outside, daughter. I wish to bring you home, so we can talk." Aurelia tried to say something to me, but one of his soldiers was already escorting her outside, and I still wouldn't look at her. When she had left, Horatio waved a hand forward for his men. "Burn this house, so other senators may know what happens when they ignore the orders of the emperor. Then arrest anyone who survives."

  "No, you won't!" I raised a hand at Horatio. My intention had only been to warn him, but magic burst from me instead and shot him against the wall. Immediately I felt a sting across my back where one of the soldiers struck me with his sword. His cut went deep, too deep. It might've been worse if I hadn't been moving already, but the injury still dropped me flat on the ground.

  "Nic!" Crispus ran to my side and rolled me to my back. I gasped with the pain of moving, but he clutched my hand.

  "What have you done?" Valerius cried.

  Horatio seemed equally horrified. He shoved his soldier away from us. "You fool! General Radulf wants him alive!"

  If anyone answered, I didn't hear them. My breath was locked in my throat and I felt warm blood pooling beneath me.

  "Heal this," Crispus whispered. "Nic, I know you can."

  So much had happened to my body over the last few days, I didn't have the same confidence. Even with magic, there were limits to what I could take. I closed my eyes anyway and tried to find the Divine Star, or even the bulla, but the pain was so fierce it made any concentration difficult.

  Crispus pulled the bulla out from beneath my tunic and pressed it into my hand. Instantly it began to work, though as I called upon the Star, Radulf crept into my head too. He was angry. He hadn't wanted Horatio to injure me. And I understood then that he didn't like Horatio. Finally, we had something in common.

  "He should've done worse," I muttered, hoping Radulf could hear me. "This won't stop me from fighting you tomorrow."

  "I hope not." Radulf laughed, sending a chill through my bones. "Because if you fail to show up in that arena, I will punish Livia for your cowardice."

  His words were like a second wound. "Don't hurt her!" I cried. "I will be there!"

  "Who is the boy talking to?" Horatio asked.

  Crispus seemed to understand. "Ignore what you're hearing, Nic. Just heal that wound."

  "Take the boy," Horatio said. "He's in no condition to stop us now."

  That was true enough. The sting wasn't so bad now, so I knew
I was beginning to heal, but it had also taken strength from me. While one soldier kicked Crispus away from me and then kept a sword on him and his father, the other picked me up.

  "Put him in the wagon." Horatio then turned to Valerius. "There will be consequences for hiding the boy here. Until then, may I remind you that I am the sponsor for tomorrow's games in the amphitheater? As a fellow senator, I expect you to be there to show your support. We must not let the people think there are ... differences between us."

  Valerius responded with a frown. "Tomorrow, you will make yourself a traitor to Rome. Trust me, there are differences between us."

  Horatio laughed. "Are you sure about that?" He stepped closer. "If you could use the bulla, would this boy still be alive?"

  If Valerius answered, I didn't hear it. The soldier had carried me out by then and dumped me in the back of the wagon.

  "Nic? Are you all right?" Aurelia jumped from a carriage, which her father must have arrived in, but a third soldier quickly forced her back inside. Horatio came out immediately after and got into the carriage with them. Once it left, ours followed behind it. Chains lay in a pile near my legs and despite my weakness, I kicked them away.

  "We should put them on the boy," one of the guards said.

  My eyes narrowed. "Try it and the only parts of this wagon that'll be seen again will be splinters on this road."

  One man leaned forward with a sneer on his face and breath so rancid it actually made me remember Sal's more kindly. "I was in the arena that day. I saw what you did, and trust me when I say that there's plenty we'd have done to you already, except that Radulf made us promise not to touch you."

  "So Horatio has already given his loyalty to Radulf?" I asked.

  "Not yet." The sneer turned into a smile of genuine pleasure. "He's going to announce that in the arena tomorrow, after your execution."

  Horatio had a large apartment very near the amphitheater, though when we arrived I was immediately locked in an underground room. They warned me not to use magic in this tight space, but it wasn't necessary. I wasn't sure how many families lived above where I stood, and I wouldn't endanger them.

  Besides, I had bigger issues pressing in on me. The revelation from Aurelia shouldn't have surprised me, and once I found out, I never should've been so harsh. I was still angry with her, but I also missed her, somehow. Whatever friendship we'd had was in ruins now.