"Our power," the Mistress whispered to me. "You would be the most powerful human in the lands, riding astride the most powerful of creatures. A dragon." She was laughing now, not from anger or a desire for revenge, but from hope. It was the first time I'd felt that emotion from her.
"He's lying to you, Nic!" Aurelia said. "The Mistress has no intention of sharing power with you."
"The Mistress needs his magic," Brutus said. "And this boy needs her strength."
"To destroy Rome?" Aurelia asked. "Why would he do that?"
Brutus casually waved her off. "Rome will fall sooner or later. Why not be the one to control the fall, to see that it falls in the best possible way? You can be part of raising a new and better empire!" He stepped toward me, and his eyes lit with anticipation. "Make us a Jupiter Stone. In exchange, I will return your treasonous grandfather, alive. I will give you more than freedom, I will give you power and protection for your family." He glanced at Aurelia and then back at me. "You would be free to live your life, even with a sewer girl, if you want that." He took yet another step and now was almost close enough to touch me. Almost. "Nicolas, give me the one thing I want, and I will give you everything you want."
I felt Aurelia tugging on my arm again, trying to pull me back with her, away from Brutus. I understood why and knew she was right to do so, but I still wasn't moving.
He took his chance to continue persuading me. "Release the Mistress. Set her free, and she will help you create the stone."
"Come with me," Aurelia said. "Don't listen --"
"How can the Mistress help me?" I asked.
Brutus stepped closer again, and now if he did reach out, he could easily touch me. Aurelia tried moving between us, but I grabbed her wrist and held it firmly, forcing her to remain where she was.
Brutus seemed to be weighing his answer to my question. "Vestals are sensitive to magic. Atroxia can help you find the stone. But the Mistress cannot be there when it's created -- you can understand how dangerous it might be for a dragon created by Diana to find itself in the presence of Jupiter's magic."
"He won't create a storm for you!" Aurelia turned to me, her face almost as bright as the dragon's crimson scales. "Why are you listening to him?"
"Because someone is finally making sense!" I said. "Why shouldn't I have a chance at freedom? Why shouldn't I consider an offer that brings peace with the Praetors? Rome has done nothing for me -- why should I care what happens to it?"
"You've said it's because what replaces a fallen empire is only darkness." Aurelia touched my arm as she added, "Or do you no longer believe that?"
"He believes that what replaces the empire is even better," Brutus said. "Imagine a world ruled by the Mistress, under control of the goddess Diana."
"He's not that foolish!" Aurelia tried to free herself from my grip, to no avail. Now she became even angrier, if that was possible. "Or maybe you are."
"The Mistress will help me find the stone," I said, repeating his earlier instructions. "But I have to create the storm alone. If she's caught up in Jupiter's lightning, it might break the curse."
"Yes." Brutus hadn't even finished speaking the word before he realized what he had done. When he did, he sucked in a large breath, as if trying to draw the word from the air.
I only smiled and moved to a safer distance. "Thank you for that information. Now I know."
Brutus didn't take kindly to being tricked. He muttered a string of curses and lunged for me, but I had already raised the shield between us. He could not touch us.
Beyond that, I had magic again and plenty of it. Releasing Aurelia's wrist, I immediately shot out a ball of magic aimed directly at Brutus. It caught him square in the chest and knocked him hard against the far wall. A nearby statue on a pedestal was knocked off balance in the fall, and the statue toppled onto the ground, barely missing his head.
The Praetors who had only been watching us a moment ago moved toward me again, waiting for my shield to fail. If they had seen my indifferent reaction to the broken statue, then they would've known it was the least of the damage I was about to cause.
"Get out of this home while you can," I warned, though I didn't much care if they listened. Then I crouched to the ground and put a hand flat on Radulf's floor, letting the magic travel away from me to shake the earth below us. Radulf's entire villa quaked, enough that any other statues still standing fell as well, crashing into pieces. The pool in the center of the atrium cracked, leaking out water along the floor, and with another larger shake of the home, the opening above the atrium became significantly wider than before. Even with the shield, it was still necessary for Aurelia and me to dodge some of the larger falling pieces of plaster.
I guessed most of the servants of the villa had left shortly after the Praetors arrived. If they hadn't, I figured the quake would encourage that decision. They had all better be gone.
Once the Praetors got back on their feet, they pulled out swords and advanced toward me.
"You can't hold that shield forever," one man said. "And we'll be here when you drop it!"
"I hope you are here," I said with a grin. "Because I'm not finished."
By now, the whole power of the Malice had returned, and I emptied it completely on Radulf's home, beginning with the doorway behind us. The opening crumbled to pieces as the villa walls shifted, leaving long cracks in the plaster. Some of the Praetors cried for help and raced to safety while I grabbed Aurelia's hand and led her on a race toward the back of the home, which was still intact, mostly. That wouldn't last for long.
She seemed to know where I was heading and soon ran ahead of me toward the rear entrance, where the stables were. Several Praetors had followed us, and now I used a bit of magic I hadn't tried in a while. I raised up the water from Radulf's baths until it all hung midair, floating in the room like a very, very wet cloud.
Aurelia grabbed my arm. "No more games." Apparently, she wasn't enjoying this as much as I was.
"The empire is fond of games." I couldn't help but chuckle. "Entertainment first, no?"
Once the Praetors had joined us, their eyes went to the water overhead. Wiser men would've run, but they only stopped as if mesmerized by how it could be floating there. Did it not occur to them that I was holding it in place with my upturned hand?
Aurelia pulled me with her to the rear door of the home. She went through first, and once she was safe, I rotated my palm, letting the water crash down upon the Praetors. It swept them off their feet where they were either carried into the pool or simply left upon the ground. I chuckled to see it and barely paid attention to the fact that I was almost as wet as all of them. It was the second time in two days that these waters had made me laugh.
"Nic!"
I glanced outside. Aurelia already had Callistus saddled and was on his back. I nodded at her and then heard Brutus run into the room.
"This is not over!" he cried.
"I agree," I said. "Consider this my rejection of your offer. Your power is coming to an end. Then all my family -- my grandfather included -- will leave the empire. Your days are numbered, Brutus."
"As are your grandfather's," Brutus said. "If you refuse me, by tomorrow night, he will leave the empire in a coffin. Then I will come for you."
"Your end might be sooner than that," I said. "At the count of three, I will collapse the rest of this home. Get out any way you can. One."
Most of the Praetors had already emptied the room by then, pushing their way past Brutus, who was still hurrying toward me, his hand outstretched. He meant to touch me and take my magic.
"Two."
Only Brutus and I remained in the room. I was protected by a shield and only steps away from the exit. Maybe he didn't know that.
Or maybe he knew that the magic to collapse this home would cause my shield to fail. He was on a full run toward me.
"Three." I raised both arms and exploded out the sides of the home. The ceiling shattered into a thousand pieces and began raining down on us both. Br
utus lunged for me, but I was already out the door. Aurelia grabbed my outstretched hand, and as soon as we had climbed onto Callistus's back, we raced away from the stables and whatever was left of the home. I glanced backward and saw Brutus slowly get to his feet in the stables. I had to admit that he was a stronger man than most around him. Even if he had no magic himself, some of the blood within his veins came from the gods.
Safely away from the villa now, Callistus slowed to a steadier pace. From behind her, I brushed my hand against Aurelia's arm, and this time she was the one to shake it off. "Are you mad at me?" I asked.
"Of course."
"I found out how to remove the curse on the Mistress."
"How does that help anything? If you hit her with a bolt of lightning, what do you suppose that'll do to you?"
"It's either that, or I have to kill her. At least I know it's possible to break the curse. Besides, I did get us out of Radulf's home."
"Only because his home no longer exists. You didn't have to explode it."
"True," I said, smiling. "But it did make for a fun escape."
It took at least a half hour to convince Aurelia that I had never seriously considered Brutus's offer. Or rather, it took five minutes to convince Aurelia, and the rest of the time to get her forgiveness for not including her in the deception. I didn't think she was truly angry, only that she had been afraid of the consequences if I had really intended to join him.
"When I believed you were listening to him, my only thought was that I couldn't follow you," she said. "That's still true. Even if you think you're doing the right thing, I will do whatever it takes to stop you from creating a Jupiter Stone."
"What if I'm doing it for you?" I asked. "To save your life?"
"Even then," she mumbled. "If necessary, I will become your enemy."
"We started out that way, more or less." Then I added, "At least we are friends now."
"More than friends." Aurelia shrugged. "I can say it, even if you can't."
"Neither of us can say that," I corrected her. "Or at least, neither of us should."
Still irritated with me, she groaned extra loudly. "Have you ever spoken to Crispus about our betrothal? Do you know how he feels?"
"How he feels?" I shook my head. "We're boys. We don't talk about --"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Speak to Crispus. You might learn a thing or two."
"I don't have to speak to him. I know why he offered you marriage."
She harrumphed. "Really? Why is that?"
"You had just inherited your father's wealth," I said. "Or you would inherit it, if you were married. He made the offer to help save your inheritance."
"Do you think the money ever mattered to me?"
"If it did matter, I wouldn't think worse of you. I have nothing, Aurelia. I can't blame you for wanting to keep what is rightfully yours."
"So you won't blame me for anything I choose to do with my inheritance?"
I waved off that concern. "Whatever brings you the most happiness, that's all I care about."
My hand was loosely around her waist for balance. She brushed her fingers over mine and sighed. Hadn't I just said that I wanted her happiness? Why did she seem so sad?
"You must live," she murmured. "Of all the promises you've made, keep that one."
I looked down, unable to answer. When I did, for the first time I noticed a bracelet on her wrist, gold and in the shape of a coiled snake.
I gestured toward it and asked, "What is that?"
She shrugged. "A gift from Crispus, as an apology for trying to bargain me away last night."
Suddenly, I wondered if I should've gotten her a gift too, or at least if I should've apologized. Well, I wasn't going to. I hadn't done anything wrong, at least as far as I knew. Besides, I'd already apologized for tricking her in Radulf's home today. Couldn't that apology count for last night as well? Probably not. Anyway, that was Crispus's gift on her wrist, and not mine.
Luckily, Aurelia had already moved on to other thoughts. "So where will you go now?"
"What do you mean?"
Then I understood. An hour ago, exploding Radulf's home hadn't seemed like such a terrible idea. Livia and my mother were already on their way to Britannia. Once I got Radulf free, he'd immediately go to Britannia too. But I wasn't going to Britannia, which left me with the problem of a big hole in the ground where my bedroom used to be.
When I explained this to Aurelia, she said, "Let's go to my father's home, on the condition that you won't destroy it too."
"That depends," I warned. "Is Sal still there?"
Back when I had worked at the mines, Sal had been my master, and my choice as the worst person ever to roam this earth. Making my life miserable had been a game for him. Making his life worse than mine had been my daily goal. However, shortly before Aurelia's father died, Sal had gotten himself named manager of her family's estate. According to her father's will, Aurelia would need to marry someone soon, or else she would lose her entire inheritance to Sal. Since she had already mentioned it, I figured that inheritance was our reason for going to her home.
"Sal is still there, and in fact, he's the one I need to see." She glanced back to look at me. The expression in her eyes wasn't quite disapproval, but it was close. Maybe she knew that I still relished the idea of ruining any day of Sal's life. "I don't think I can trust you. Stay outside. I won't be long."
"Has he taken your inheritance? Has he stolen from you?"
"No! And please don't ask me anything more. Just wait here."
The road in front of her home was relatively quiet today, but she still led me and Callistus through a back alleyway, out of sight. We weren't particularly worried about being attacked here -- certainly I could fend off anyone who came along -- but it also didn't seem wise to advertise the unicorn more than was necessary.
Once we were in that alley, Aurelia stood to face me, shifting the weight on her feet more than could possibly be necessary for her comfort.
Finally, she said, "You told me that none of what Brutus offered you was a temptation. Is that true?"
The tone of her voice confused me. Only minutes ago, she had been angry with me for listening to him. Now she seemed frustrated because I had not listened carefully enough.
"None of it tempted me," I told her, just as I had said several times before. "It was only a trick."
"None of it? There was nothing he offered that you want enough to have considered his offer, even for a moment?"
"Everything he offered was a lie," I said. "He can't give me anything I want."
"But if he could --"
"He can't! Making a Jupiter Stone --"
"That wasn't my question! I only wondered about what you really want for yourself." She flashed me a glare, daring me to answer her question.
"Freedom," I said. "That's all I want."
"Is it? That's all?"
"Maybe some food to eat, if you have anything here." I winked at her.
Instead of returning my joke with one of her own, her expression soured. "Wait for me. And don't explode anything."
Before I could ask her another question, she swerved on her heel and left me alone with Callistus. Still confused, I brushed a hand across his neck. "What was that about?"
Callistus snorted and tossed his head. If I could speak unicorn, there was probably meaning in that snort. Of course, I'd learn to speak unicorn years before I ever learned to speak girl.
"Nicolas Calva!"
I stiffened, recognizing that voice. Magic immediately filled my arms and hands, uninvited and unwelcome. Aurelia had warned me twice not to destroy her home, so I had to assume she'd meant what she said.
"Go away, Sal," I muttered.
"You're giving the orders now?" He tsked with his tongue. "I suppose I might've expected that from someone who's become so famous in Rome." He moved closer. I knew because his rancid breath always arrived sooner than he did. "Or are you infamous, perhaps? I've heard that our new emperor
views you as an enemy."
"If I were an enemy, Rome would know it," I said, still unwilling to turn and face him.
The narrow alleyway widened behind Aurelia's home, enough for Sal to pass me while still keeping what he considered a safe distance. If only he knew how far he'd have to go before it was safe between us.
As he walked past me, Sal took in the unicorn and my finer tunic and sandals. I'd always been barefoot while a slave and had always worn shredded tunics with more holes than thread. Beneath those rags, I was mostly skin and bone, whereas I looked much healthier than ever before. For that matter, he'd never seen me as clean as I now was.
"I always knew you'd make something of your life," he said. "And I don't say that only because of what your magic could do to me. I say that because it's true. You were always different. I thought maybe, if you survived the mines, one day you'd become a supervisor. I didn't expect this, I admit."
Despite the tension in every muscle of my body, I couldn't help but snort out a laugh. "I never expected this either."
He scratched at a balding patch on his scalp. "Late last night, Aurelia sent a message asking me, as the head of her household, to do a service for her. It's against my better judgment, but I have no power to stop her." Sal's bloated face somehow widened ever further. "Trust me, I tried."
"Nobody ever changes Aurelia's mind. What was her request?"
"Two requests, actually. For the first, I want you to know she paid me very well, but not as much as I could have demanded."
I sighed, growing impatient. "What did she ask, Sal?"
"I went to the magistrate this morning and paid the tax to have you and your sister officially freed. You're no longer a runaway slave, or any slave at all. You are free and a citizen of the empire. You are a Roman now."
He said the words so casually that I almost didn't pay them any attention. Now I stood frozen in place, replaying his words in my mind, trying to figure out where I had heard him wrong. Finally, I turned to him, unsure of what to say. This didn't seem like a trick, but I couldn't imagine why he would've agreed to Aurelia's request. He said he did it for less than he could have demanded.
"You freed us?" I finally mumbled. "Why?"
"When we were in the amphitheater together, you saved my life." He shrugged. "Why?"
Maybe asking the question was all either of us would ever get from the other. Maybe that had to be enough. I nodded at him and stretched out my hand.
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