Mark of the Thief

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

  I smiled over at her. If I won this fight, I would gladly engage in more arguments with her. Radulf was backing away from the lions, but when they began chasing him, he tripped over one of the hidden pipes and fell hard to the ground, unconscious. This was my chance, but I didn't have long.

  I crouched on Radulf's left side while Aurelia knelt on his right. She used her knife to cut through his tunic, revealing his Divine Star.

  "Exactly like yours," she said.

  "Not for long." I started to lift the bulla off my head. When I pressed it to the mark on his back, the bulla would absorb Radulf's magic. In minutes, he would be nothing more than a corrupt general fit for the emperor's dungeon.

  "Aurelia, get away from those lions!" Horatio reached down and grabbed Aurelia's arm, then yanked her back with him.

  "They won't hurt me," she protested. "Nic would never --"

  "He will command those lions to leave," Horatio said darkly. "Won't you, Nic?"

  I looked up. When he had grabbed his daughter, Horatio had also gotten Aurelia's knife, which he held to her throat. Despite the fact that Radulf was already stirring, I let the bulla fall back to my chest and then stood with my hands held low, a sign that I would not release any magic. As warm as the bulla was, whatever I tried doing to him might hit Aurelia. Under my breath, I whispered to the lions to go, that the gates were open for their escape.

  The audience didn't like that. They had wanted blood, but I didn't much care. This was only a game to them. From my perspective, things were far more serious.

  Having regained consciousness, Radulf slowly got to his feet and glared at Horatio, still with Aurelia in his grip. With a snarl, he said, "If you could do this to your own daughter, why would I ever trust your loyalty?"

  "I can be of use to you, Dominus!"

  Radulf yelled, "You lied to me! You did give Nic the key! There's no other way he could've called in that storm!"

  "I don't have it!" I yelled. "Horatio still has the key, and if you harm him, it's lost forever."

  Horatio shrugged. "You tried to warn me, Nic. The key is not what you think. We both have it now."

  Radulf frowned at him. "That's all I needed to hear."

  And he threw out something at Horatio. Calling up what little magic I had left, I put up a shield for Aurelia, still in his grip, but couldn't make it reach Horatio in time. With a brief cry of pain, he crumpled to the ground, instantly dead. Aurelia ran from his clutches into my arms.

  "He didn't even have a chance to fight." Aurelia was trembling and struggling to breathe. "Just like that ..."

  She started to turn back to her father's body, but I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her toward the open gate of the arena. "Get out of here, where you'll be safe."

  "What about you?"

  "This is my fight. Now run!" And she did.

  The audience received Horatio's death with a mixture of jeers and applause, which was horrifying enough. But at least they had seen Radulf kill one of their own leaders. Now they would have to know that he was no great hero, no one worthy of their praise and affection. If nothing else, that was some victory for me. Nobody would follow Radulf now.

  Indeed, I saw Valerius stand again in the imperial box and wave his hands for their silence. When he had everyone's attention, he called out, "With the death of Senator Horatio, I am now your presiding magistrate, leader of the Senate and of all Praetors of Rome. And as a representative of Emperor Tacitus, I am ordering all Praetors to surround and arrest Senator Horatio's two murderers: General Flavius Radulf Avitus and the escaped slave, Nicolas Calva."

  I turned to him, stunned. He knew I had not thrown the magic that killed Horatio. He knew I wouldn't commit such a crime, not even to save my own life. Everyone would've seen the burst of light from Radulf's hands, different from the shield I had created.

  If they had seen it. On the night Radulf and I fought at the baths, nobody had seen the magic but us. They saw the effects of our fight, but not the magic itself. So as far as Rome was concerned, I was part of Horatio's murder. If there were any doubts, then Valerius had just confirmed it for them.

  Aurelia had stopped running to hear Valerius's announcement, and looked back at me in total disbelief.

  "Shoot me," I yelled at her. "Aurelia, shoot me!"

  Even from here, I could see Aurelia's hands were still shaking as she pulled her bow off her shoulder and nocked it with an arrow. I didn't know if the shaking was caused by nervousness from the crowd or horror at her father's sudden death. But as she pulled the string back, her aim seemed true. Once the arrow had flown, she turned to keep running.

  Just as it had in Crispus's vineyards, the arrow came directly toward me. Trying to catch it before had thrown off my balance, but not this time. I watched it spin in the air, fluttering slightly in the wind, and aimed at my heart. When the moment was right, I spun around and then caught the arrow in my fist. The audience burst into applause, but I wasn't doing this for them.

  I spun again and with that motion threw the arrow into the air, as swift and strong as if I'd had my own bow to launch it. When Valerius realized it was heading to him, he cried out and ducked, but it didn't matter. I stopped the arrow at the tip of his nose, then let it fall.

  Laughter and applause followed from the audience, but as soon as they had quieted, I yelled, "I am innocent of your accusations, Senator Valerius. And I'm a free person, not an escaped slave!"

  Only then did I realize that Radulf had come up near me and held out a hand for peace. "Come with me, Nic, as my second in command. In our new world, there will be no Senator Valerius. You will become greater than everyone, even the emperor."

  "Except for you." I arched an eyebrow. "Right?"

  He smiled. "Bow to me, and I'll see that the world bows to you. Or if you refuse, I will kill you, just as I did Horatio."

  "You won't have me so easily!" That, I hoped, was true. My magic was nearly drained, and fading fast. If another fight started between us, I wouldn't have enough magic left to squash an ant. Radulf sent another fist of air toward me, but I punched back with something that rattled the ground. I turned to run deeper into the arena, but before I got very far, he shot at my back and flattened me on the ground. I summoned everything I had left into the core of my body and started to get up, but before I could, his foot came down on my shoulder, directly over the Divine Star. It stung beneath his touch, but offered me nothing in added strength.

  "You don't need a bulla to pull out someone's magic," Radulf said. "All you need is the willingness to inflict that level of pain."

  I didn't waste energy in answering him. Instead, I searched within myself for what magic remained. There wasn't much.

  "Everyone you know has betrayed you," Radulf said. "Aurelia, Crispus, Valerius, Felix, even your mother. The list goes on, except for one name and that is mine. How many times could I have killed you, and I didn't. And I won't."

  "That's a lie!" I tried pushing myself up but he kept me pinned down. "You've killed everyone whose shoulder is marked."

  "For good reason," Radulf said. "I must protect the power for those who should have it."

  "That's not your choice!"

  "It's our choice. Together, our magic will rule this empire. You will not be a slave anymore, not even a mere citizen. We don't need a fool emperor, or a Senate, or the Praetors' secrets. We can defeat them all."

  "No!" I struggled again beneath him, but the shield for Aurelia had cost more than I could've imagined. I only hoped something would be left of me at the end of it.

  He sighed. "You forced me into this, Nic. I wish you hadn't."

  Radulf leaned down and placed his hand on my shoulder, beneath the tear in my tunic and directly over the Divine Star. What had been a mild sting turned to sharp pain as he began to pull the magic from my body. I cried out, both from the pain and the helplessness I felt. If he had been ripping out my heart, it couldn't have hurt worse. This was what Crispus had described to me only days earlier. It was the way
Radulf had killed everyone else with the mark, and now he had targeted me. Without strength to fight him, I could only lie there screaming and trying to keep whatever was left gathered in my hands, both of which were wrapped around the bulla. I couldn't let him take it, but I wasn't able to use it either. I squirmed, trying again to stop him, but the pain was greater than anything I'd felt before and was only getting worse. He dug through every vein of my body, seeking out the tendrils of magic that had attached themselves to me and cutting them free. A part of me wanted him to take the rest of the magic, because then this would stop. So I let go of the fight. If it went on much longer, I wouldn't survive the pain anyway.

  "General Radulf, that's enough!" a man yelled. He must've come through the gates directly into the arena. "On behalf of Emperor Tacitus and Senator Valerius, the Praetors of Rome demand your arrest."

  Hundreds of men had gathered with arrows aimed directly at Radulf. Though my eyes barely remained open now, I looked long enough to notice that each man wore a thin silver band, in the shape of an arrow, folded around his arm. It was Diana's arrow. I wasn't sure how I understood that, but I knew I was right. Radulf stood, and I saw a hint of alarm in his eyes.

  Radulf glanced down at me and said, "Neither of us can fight them alone, Nic. The Praetors are more than what they seem."

  By the time I looked up to respond, he had disappeared.

  Radulf was gone.

  Everyone, stay away!" Crispus ran through the opened gate into the arena, then was at my side where I still lay in a heap on the burnt sand. He put my arm around his shoulder, and raised me to my feet. I tried to walk on my own, but it was hard enough to keep my legs from collapsing, much less use them to take me anywhere. My bigger concern was my shoulder, which throbbed with the pain of losing its magic just as it had stung when Caela first gave me the magic. I felt turned inside out.

  "Let him pass," Crispus yelled to the Praetors who had also entered. "My father, the presiding magistrate, wishes to speak to him at once. Besides, you know what Nic can do."

  That was ridiculous. The magic left in me wouldn't create a slight breeze, much less threaten anyone. Crispus didn't know that. Obviously I was weak, but he didn't know the magic was gone.

  I tried not to look at the Praetors as we neared them. Radulf had said the Praetors were more than what they seemed. Why had they worn that particular armband? And why did Radulf leave so quickly once he saw them here? Perhaps it was I who should fear them. Murmuring amongst themselves, they parted to allow Crispus to help me limp out of the amphitheater.

  I took one last look at Horatio's body, still on the ground without a scratch on him. The fact that I had failed to save him tore at my heart. Despite my best efforts, my plan had changed nothing and my shield had not been enough. Aurelia wasn't here anymore. I didn't know where she had gone, or what she must think of me now.

  Once out in the corridor, I pushed away from Crispus, determined to walk, or fall, on my own. "Your father is responsible for Horatio's murder!" I snarled. "He used me as bait so he could get the key!"

  Crispus looked back through the gates at Horatio's body. "It had to be done. Horatio couldn't be trusted as presiding magistrate, and we couldn't allow Radulf to get the key."

  All I wanted was to leave the amphitheater now, while I still had the chance. I focused that thought inside my head and made a silent plea for help. I limped away from Crispus and leaned against a large column for support. It felt like Radulf had done more than steal my magic. He had stolen that part of me that kept my whole self intact. Worse still, Crispus and his father had let Radulf do it.

  Crispus stepped forward and in a hushed voice said, "We needed you, Nic, to bring Radulf into the arena. You helped us, and now we'll help you."

  Dizzy with exhaustion, I raised a hand to warn him back. I didn't want help. I didn't need any more of his help.

  "My father already helped you survive the arena! We knew that if Radulf believed you had the key, he would leave you alive."

  "That wasn't help! He wanted Radulf to kill me, and the Praetors to arrest Radulf. Then he could have the bulla."

  Crispus cleared his throat. "Yes, that was a possibility. But he hoped you would live. Really, Nic, he did."

  "Only because he wants my magic. And now that he's the presiding magistrate, he'll inherit the key to the Malice."

  "Horatio said you have it."

  "Well, I don't, and I wouldn't give it to you if I did! Even when you're made emperor, I won't give it to you. When will that be, Crispus? Next week perhaps?"

  Crispus looked genuinely hurt, but he quickly recovered and said, "All that matters is you must listen. I've brought a message from my father."

  "More lies?"

  Crispus's expression was flat. "Just cold reality. Radulf will hunt you now more fiercely than ever. We both know he isn't finished with you yet."

  In the face of his emotional void, my tone turned sour. "And your father only wants me to live, correct?"

  "Yes, if you agree to help him get the amulets."

  "That's why your father charged me with Senator Horatio's death," I said. "To force me to help him."

  Crispus nodded. "There's nowhere else you can go to escape the penalty for that crime. But if you come with me, my father will pardon you, and protect you. He's all you have, even if you don't like what he stands for."

  "And what's that?" I yelled. "Corruption? Murder? Lies?"

  "He stands for Rome." Crispus drew a deep breath. "My father commands the Praetors now. They will fight Radulf."

  I lowered my voice. "Radulf told me there was more to the Praetors than we know. Felix said they were dangerous. If that's true, your father is a fool to think he can control them."

  Crispus's eyes darted sideways before he stepped toward me. "Maybe he can't. But it's better than fighting them, which is what you'll have to do if you walk away from here."

  He reached out to steady me, but I stepped away. He withdrew his hand and said, "I'm sorry things had to go the way they did. I swear that I didn't know about any of this until Horatio took you away yesterday. I liked being your friend, and I hate what my father is doing as much as you do. But he's your only chance now. One side or the other will get you if you try to survive on your own."

  Exactly as Radulf had told me.

  I started to walk away, but stumbled. Crispus grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. If it hadn't been for him, I'd have rolled down the marble steps. "Come with me. We have food at home and you can rest there as long as you want. Once you're ready, we'll continue training you in magic and then you will stand at my father's side as the Praetor War begins."

  "Nic, are you all right?" Aurelia came running toward us until she saw Crispus, and her eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious about going with him."

  "I'm not." I hobbled away from Crispus. "Tell your father that I will not help him with anything again, ever. And I will never accept anything from you."

  "Then where will you go? You can barely walk right now."

  His answer came at just that moment. The sound of flapping wings caught my attention and Caela landed on the ground directly in front of us. With my loss of magic, I was amazed that she'd heard my silent call, and even more amazed that she'd answered. It was the greatest relief to see her again.

  I held out a hand to Aurelia. "Come with me."

  She shifted her weight and backed away from me. "You put up the shield to defend me -- I felt it when you did -- but I wasn't the one being attacked. You defended the wrong person in there."

  That hurt as much as if she'd slapped me. Maybe I deserved it, but I still wanted her to understand it through my eyes. "You saw what happened. There was nothing I could've done."

  "You took the key from my father. Knowing it would make him a target for Radulf, you took the key."

  "How many times do I have to say that I don't have it? I have no idea why your father said that!"

  "We'll never be able to ask him. Not now."

  "Maybe if
you --" I could've argued that she never should've come into the arena, that her coldhearted father had been ready to sacrifice her to prove his loyalty to Radulf. But that would've passed the guilt to her, and I wouldn't do that. Better she blamed me than herself. "Maybe not," I whispered. I removed the crepundia and held it out to her. "Thank you for this. It belongs to you, to remember your father."

  Her eyes softened as she took the crepundia back. "Those children who were in the sewers with me, I have to find them again."

  "I can help you do that."

  But she shook her head. "I'd rather go alone. I need time, Nic."

  I didn't answer, just shuffled the rest of the way to Caela on my own.

  "Please don't go," Crispus said. "My father is your only protection now."

  "No," I said. "I am my only protection."

  With some effort, I climbed onto Caela's back and let my weight collapse into her as she flew away. She took us at a steep angle into the air and then arced over the amphitheater. I stared down into the arena, hoping the damage from my fight with Radulf hadn't been too great, but what I saw instead surprised me.

  The arena was full of thousands of people, and every head below was turned to me. Arms raised up in a salute of honor, and then a cheer rose from their near silence to thundering applause. Caela cawed back, accepting their praise for herself. But I sat taller and even managed a smile. Perhaps some hope remained after all. Valerius had condemned me for Horatio's death, but the mob saw it differently. An escaped slave of Rome had just earned the hearts of the people.

  The courtyard of the emperor's palace was directly uphill from the amphitheater, so I'd barely had any time to recover before Caela touched down. Surely no place on earth was so beautiful, or fitting, for my griffin. Like many other buildings in the forum, the floor was made of white marble with inlaid mosaics giving honor to the gods. The entire room was surrounded by tall columns that held up a partial roof. The red fresco walls of the courtyard were gilded with gold, which I knew was real because Caela's attention went directly to it. It was so beautiful that at first she failed to notice the emperor's guard filling the room.

  But I noticed them, and straightened my back. "I wish to see Emperor Tacitus," I announced as boldly as I dared. "His life is in danger."