Radulf's eyes flickered for a moment, but he continued to stare. "Unknown? Not even a name?"
Though it meant little to me, I did know my father's name, Halden. From my mother's description, he had died when struck by lightning. It was a senseless, useless death, one without honor. For that reason, I never said his name, not even to my sister. There was no chance of me telling this man now.
"Where is his mother?" Radulf asked.
"A few weeks after they all arrived here, I sold her to a family near Rome." Sal flicked his eyes at me and I glared back. It was on top of the long list of reasons why I hated him. "But the boy's sister is still here. Livia."
The way he said her name curled my hands into fists. Sal had never made it a secret that he was waiting for my sister to come of age so that he could make her an offer of marriage. The thought of it twisted my stomach.
Since it was too much to hope for favors from the gods, I decided that if I could not save myself, at least I would do something for Livia. Faking all possible innocence, I looked up at Radulf. "Sir, please allow Sal to come with us. If you want me to succeed in that cave, we must have his help."
Sal's face paled, then reddened as he tried to control his anger. He sputtered out an objection but it was already too late.
"Very well." Radulf nodded at Sal to lead us on. I wished I could've taken more joy in Sal's distress, but in truth, I felt anything but happiness then.
A roll of thunder sounded outside as we walked deeper into the tunnel, and I shuddered. It was a sign, reminding me that, like the rest of the world, the gods cared nothing for mining slaves. I felt the eyes of the other men staring as Sal dismissed everyone but me and Radulf from the mines. Their expressions were sympathetic, even concerned for my plight. But they were more relieved that it was me, and not any one of them, walking to his death.
The entrance to the secret cave was buried deep below the earth's surface. I knew because I was part of the small group that had discovered it. When we had broken the rock apart, it had revealed a long vertical shaft that had blown bitter cold wind out at us. That should've been our first warning. Now one miner lay dead somewhere at the bottom, and they'd had to carry Fidelius out of here, still chewing on his fist. Not that Radulf cared. In fact, considering that he knew what I'd overheard, he probably hoped I'd join their fates.
"Remove this boy's chains," Radulf ordered Sal. "He cannot do what is required of him while wearing chains."
But Sal shook his head. "You see how far he ran while wearing chains. Imagine if he didn't have them."
"It's never been chains that kept me here," I said. It was Livia's reluctance to leave. The idea of escaping frightened her just as much as it beckoned me. But she was younger, and didn't remember freedom like I did.
"Unchain him," Radulf said.
Sal reached for his keys and did as he was told. He was then ordered to tie a long rope around my waist. It would be his job to lower me to the bottom of the cave. If there was a bottom.
Looking down into the cave's black entrance, I was sure Fidelius had been right. This was forbidden earth. My chances of returning weren't good, and where would that leave Livia? Without me, there was no one to take care of her. Except for Sal, which was worse than having nobody at all.
After Sal tied the rope, Radulf dismissed him so that we could talk in private. He checked the knot, but offered no sympathy for the likelihood that I would die, nor did I expect any. He only said, "If it truly is Caesar's lost treasure down there, then you will look for only one thing, a bulla made entirely of gold. Do you know what a bulla is?"
I rolled my eyes. Every freeborn boy in Rome wore the pendant around his neck. Not having one identified me as worthless to the empire. So yes, of course I knew what it was.
"Good. The one I want will have a griffin carved on one side and Caesar's initials on the other. Do you know your letters?"
"All the important ones." He smiled at my comment, though I hoped he wouldn't make too much of it. My mother had taught me to recognize Latin letters, but got no further before she was sold away. I had no idea what to do with them beyond that.
"That bulla is all I want," Radulf said. "The rest belongs to the empire."
I squinted back at him, recalling the conversation I had just overheard. If Radulf wanted a way to crush the Roman Empire, a bulla would do him no good. Bullas were given to wealthy young boys as charms against bad luck. Personally, I doubted they worked. Since they had been born wealthy, I figured those boys already had all the luck they needed in life. Regardless, once a boy became a man, he put away the bulla along with his other childish things. Caesar would have done the same.
Radulf grabbed my arm and leaned in closer. "I know what you overheard from me, and you would be wise to forget it. If you defy me, it will not go well for you."
I believed him. He'd been in my life for less than an hour and my hopes had already taken a significant turn for the worse. "All I care about is getting back to the surface," I said. "The rest is your concern, not mine."
His expression warmed to that. With his grip on me tighter than ever, he said, "Once you find the bulla, do not put it on; do not hold it too close. Just carry it back to me. If you do as I ask, then I will take you away from this place, even bring you back to Rome with me. Your sister too."
My mouth dropped open in surprise. I didn't like Radulf, but I'd rather not like him in Rome than stay here in the mines for another minute. That made it harder to ask the question still hanging in the air. "What if I don't find the bulla?"
"Then Sal won't bring you back up."
My hands began shaking, and I pressed them against my leg to calm the nerves. "I might not come back anyway. Others have tried."
Radulf looked me over again, and the barest hint of a smile escaped his stern expression. I wasn't sure if that was a sign of hope, or one of cruelty.