And immediately I urged them forward. This was a faster team, every bit as strong as Radulf's stolen horses. In less than half a lap, we had overtaken the chariot team between me and Aurelia, and I was gaining on her.
"That was completely insane!" she shouted to me. "Never do that again!"
"Let me get closer!" I shouted back at her. "Because I must do that one more time."
Aurelia's eyes widened as she understood what I had intended all along. She had to win the race, and so did I. But only one chariot could cross the finish line first.
Ours.
It had been extremely difficult for me to cross from my chariot into this one. And in truth, it hadn't gone as well as I'd expected. There had been only a whisper of a difference between my making it safely inside and falling to the track below. Perhaps the only reason I didn't fall was one of the gods had nudged me inside. Nothing else could explain it.
In comparison, Aurelia was helping me this time. She slowed Callistus until I drew up beside her and then pushed her chariot as close to mine as she dared. Callistus would match his speed with my team of horses, which would help a great deal. If I was careful, I wouldn't even have to leap. I could simply step out from behind my cart, and onto hers.
"Give me your reins," I told her.
She obeyed and stretched her chains enough to hold to my chariot with both hands, determined to keep them together.
I took one step over to hers, just as she screamed my name and told me to stop. It was too late.
One of the chariots that had been ahead noticed what we were doing and had gotten directly in front of my horses, then halted his.
We crashed directly into his chariot, sending him flying, but also ripping me entirely off my cart. I landed in the dirt behind Aurelia. My helmet flew off my head and the pads protecting my legs came off as well. I could take the scrapes to my legs but I kept my head as high as possible -- that would be much harder to heal.
I still had Callistus's reins, and Aurelia cried out for me to let go before it killed me, but I couldn't. Instead, I used the strength that had been built in me from five years in the mines, muscles formed from carrying rock and scaling chiseled walls, and from being forced to remain on my feet from dawn until dark. Slowly, I inched forward on the reins.
Aurelia leaned out, trying to help me. "Take my hand!" she yelled.
"I'll pull you out." If she fell, she'd be dragged by her chains, unable to cut herself free.
"You won't!" Then her eyes focused directly on mine. "Nic, I trusted you. Now please, learn to trust me too."
I nodded, inched forward once more, and then reached for her with my hand that had taken the whip.
It stung again when she clasped it but not as much as being dragged behind the chariot, and it was only for a moment before she had drawn me closer to her, and now she had my forearm, and then both arms. And then she pulled me into the chariot with her.
"Can you stand?" she asked.
I had to, though my legs were shredded from the fall. Aurelia put her arm beneath my shoulders and helped me to my feet, and I tugged on the reins to tell Callistus that it was time to finish this race. We had lost time in that fall. Two teams were ahead of us, and another two teams were behind, but both of them were too far back to catch up now.
And trumpets sounded as the final dolphin fell. We had one more lap.
With me at the reins, Callistus knew I had come back to him and likely had known this was my strategy from the moment I exchanged chariots with Aurelia's. So he burst forward, running as if racing for the gods themselves. I was grateful for it; no other horse could've had this much energy so late in the race, but the speed was hard on me and I was having trouble keeping my balance. Sensing my weakness, Aurelia crossed behind me. She held to both ends of the chariot and then braced me with her weight. Without her there, I would've fallen, but she wouldn't allow me to fail now.
We quickly passed the chariot in second place, and rather easily, for he obviously had not seen us coming. But the one in first place was well aware of us. As he neared the first turn of the final lap, he pressed in even closer to the spine. It was the strategy any leading charioteer would take. He had no one to pass, and all he had to do was run out the final lap while keeping us trapped behind him.
A few days ago, I had joked to Radulf about using Callistus for this race. My attitude had been that with only one horse, I could squeeze between the other teams. Radulf had laughed then.
But I had been entirely serious.
I pressed Callistus to go faster, and toward the center of the track.
"We're going to make a sharp turn," I said to Aurelia. "Get ready to lean."
Callistus pushed forward until his nose was in line with the other chariot. Then I yanked on the reins and pulled him hard to the left. We hit the spine, tipping our chariot against the columns, but with two of us inside to shift our weight, we quickly came down on two wheels again. And emerged from the bend in the lead.
"We're ahead!" Aurelia screamed in my ear. "There's only a half lap remaining. We're going to win!"
She let go of the chariot and instead wrapped her arms around my waist. And I held the reins with one hand and folded my other over her clasped hands.