Most of the onlookers who had been here before sensed the coming fight and were quickly clearing out. Even the charioteers had stopped their practice and turned their horses toward the stables. Valerius, Crispus, and Aurelia were gone too, leaving Radulf and me alone with the Praetors. I hated cowering in his shadow, but if it was true that they were here to get me, I had only two choices: To fight them and reveal my magic to Radulf. Or to cower.
"Stay close to me," Radulf said. "Let's hope the Praetors keep their distance."
"They have powers?" I asked.
"No, but they --"
"General Radulf, we mean you no harm," a Praetor in front said. He was both taller and younger than Radulf, with hair as curly as Crispus's, but as dark as night. His eyes were also dark and looked as if they'd been lined with soot. I recognized him from when Radulf and I had fought in the amphitheater. He was the man who had ordered Radulf to stop taking my magic. Though he might have saved my life then, I couldn't help but think as I looked at him that he regretted letting me walk away from the amphitheater as easily as I had. He had come here now to fix that mistake.
He said, "My name is Decimas Brutus, and I am a judge of the Roman Empire. We need to talk to that boy behind you, about crimes he has committed."
My shoulder flared again with pain, and I gasped and fell onto the steps, then clenched my teeth together in hopes Radulf wouldn't hear. Magic from the Divine Star was filling every vein of my body, begging to be released.
"I am the commanding general of all the armies throughout Rome," Radulf said. "If this boy committed any crimes, there is no one better than me to punish him."
Brutus came closer, his cold eyes on me. "Our new emperor, Florian, is still fighting in Gaul, but he has asked for an evaluation of the boy."
"If he wants to remain emperor, then Florian had better keep his distance from me, and my family," Radulf said.
"Is that a threat, General Radulf?"
"Yes, it is." Radulf didn't even flinch as he spoke. "Our last emperor, Tacitus, dismissed me too easily. I hope Florian will not do the same."
"Florian is your ruler!"
"We'll see about that." Radulf gestured to me. "Florian needs no evaluation of this boy. Neither do you."
"I disagree," Brutus said. "The empire must understand the extent of his powers, his ability to destroy Rome."
Radulf chuckled, whispering under his breath, "Or your ability to help them destroy Rome, eh, Nic?"
"I won't go with them," I whispered back. Radulf was a terrible person, and his intentions for Rome were just as bad as the Praetors', but at least I had some claim upon him as my grandfather. The Praetors would wring me inside out without a care for my life.
"What's in that bag?" Brutus asked, nodding at my waist. "A key, perhaps?"
"Sunshine," I told him. "And roses."
"Really?" Radulf scowled. "Must you anger them?"
Then he raised a hand and pushed it toward Brutus, who fell onto the stone steps. Instantly, every Praetor in the circus drew swords and spread out, encircling us. They blocked all of the exits, probably even in parts of the circus I could not see.
Brutus shouted, "Get the boy!"
"Horatio never gave me the key!" I shouted back. "I'm of no use to you!"
Brutus smiled. "Let us determine that."
Radulf twisted, repelling another Praetor who had come up behind us and gotten close. I felt the magic race through his Divine Star as it emptied. It seemed impossible that he didn't feel mine whenever I used magic.
"Don't let them touch me." Radulf sent magic toward yet another Praetor who was edging closer to us. "If they do, I can't protect you anymore. They'll take the key." I started to protest, and he looked at me long enough to say, "You have it, even if you don't know it."
He shot out more magic to keep the Praetors back, but I sank deeper into my thoughts. It was a partial attempt to distract myself from the pressure inside me, but I also had to ask myself if it was possible to hold the key to the Malice and not even know it. Had Horatio given me anything, even if it didn't look like a key? No, he never did, I was sure of it. But Crispus had been correct before -- Horatio himself did say that he had given me the key. Why tell such a lie?
Radulf grabbed my arm and swung me behind him as he rotated yet again. His punches of magic were becoming fiercer, but the Praetors were also coming in faster. He couldn't get them all.
Suddenly, a dozen Praetors rushed at us, all at once. Radulf sent out enough magic to fell most of them, but the rest kept coming and more were hurrying toward us, some with their swords out.
I noticed a few small rocks scattered o