"So you left me with it? If the Praetors had sensed it -- they've been there when I wore the crepundia!"
"They don't have magic, so they couldn't sense it. It was safer with you than if I'd kept it."
"Why didn't you warn me?"
I snorted. "When would I have done that? While I was battling Radulf with one hand and your father with my other -- maybe I could've yelled out a warning that you were holding the real power of the gods?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You, and that magic in your hands. It's all you care about."
"That's not true!" Livia shouted. We turned, and she was standing behind us, hands on her hips. She stepped forward and addressed Aurelia. "If you knew how terrible Radulf is, what he'd do to Rome if he got hold of that bulla, then you would understand why Nic had to switch the gems. And Nic cares for me, and even for Crispus, though he won't admit that. He cares a lot for you too, Aurelia, so deeply that he doesn't even know the right words when he talks about you. Even if he won't say how he feels, I know he cares, and so do you."
There was silence for a moment, then Aurelia asked, "Is this true, Nic?"
I wanted to answer, to tell her that I had thought about her every single day while at Radulf's. That whenever I had practiced writing, or swimming, or racing in the circus, it was always in the hopes of making her think better of me. I wished she understood that I had waited to escape from Radulf's home until I'd had a chance to talk to her first and ask her to come with me.
But now that Aurelia was here, I didn't know how to say all that. The words that trickled through my mind sounded weak and ignorant. If I had Crispus's gift for speaking, then I could make her understand me better. As it was, I could only stand here, looking ridiculous and feeling even worse.
I kicked my sandal against the ground, but felt Aurelia take the bulla from my hands and place it over my neck. "You're a difficult friend," she whispered. "But always my friend."
The bulla's warmth immediately began to fill me, and only then did I realize how cold I had been since losing it. It would take a while to absorb the full effects of its magic, I supposed, though I was already stronger than before.
Now that she had moved closer to me, Aurelia touched my neck. "What are these bruises?"
I felt their tenderness with my fingers and shrugged. "Radulf wasn't happy about us leaving."
She smiled softly. "You do have a gift for making people angry. What will you do about the Praetors?"
I shook my head. "Nothing, for tonight. Maybe we should get some sleep and figure that out in the morning."
She lay down near me, using her arm for a cushion. I would've offered her mine, but so much magic was flowing through it already, I didn't think it was wise.
"Thank you for coming," I whispered.
At first, she didn't answer, and I was sure she must have already fallen asleep. Then she whispered back, "I will always come, Nic."
If I slept at all over the next few hours, then it was only for minutes at a time. The bulla's growing magic kept me restless, the smell of the sewers was nearly unbearable, and worst of all, I could not get Aurelia out of my mind. It was true that I had endured some difficult things in my life, but thinking about her while she was so close by was an entirely different kind of problem.
The earliest hints of light were in the air when Aurelia awoke. Not far away, Livia was still asleep, but she looked cold and I worried that she might not have slept well either. Before lying down, I should've checked to be sure she was all right -- Livia rarely complained. I wanted to help her now. With the Divine Star, I could send a little warmth to her, but then Radulf would know and could find us. With the bulla, I'd do too much, probably send a fire through the tunnels and up through every toilet opening in the city. Hardly the way any Roman wants to start his day.
Aurelia rolled toward me and said, "I can see why you love her so much. Livia seems like a wonderful sister."
"She's better than I deserve."
Aurelia's smile was gentle and kind. "I can't argue with that."
"Forgive me for not warning you about the crepundia ... about my trick with the gems." I hardly dared to continue looking at her, but I did anyway. She was only nodding and seemed to be in a good mood, so I added, "You were right last night, about almost everything."
"Not almost everything." Aurelia giggled a little when she said it, and I smiled too. There was quiet between us for a moment, and then Aurelia added, "I'm also right that you should trust Crispus. And his father too."
"They would've let me die in the amphitheater. How can I trust them again?"
She pressed her lips together, then said, "Two days ago, I was having dinner with Crispus when Decimas Brutus came to the home, asking for Valerius. They went into a private room, but Crispus and I crept to the door to listen. Brutus demanded to know where you were."
"And Valerius told him I'd be at the circus."
"Valerius told him nothing." Now Aurelia sat up on her arm. "You have no idea how furious Brutus was. He threatened Valerius in every possible way. He wanted to know where the Malice of Mars was hidden, telling him that as soon as they got control of you, they were
going to make you open the door. Valerius tried to convince him that my father died with the key and that it was lost forever, but Brutus insisted Horatio would not have been so careless."