I stared in confusion, having no idea how this could’ve happened. We weren’t at the games, weren’t anywhere near the Colosseum from what I could tell. The only thing I knew for sure is that Messalina was messing with me. If she couldn’t keep me under her spell, then she’d keep me trapped in her maze.
Bodhi cocked his head, looking to me for direction. Figuring since I’d spent so much time here I must know the way, and at that moment, I suddenly understood his job better—the huge responsibility involved in guiding others. I also understood how horrible it must’ve been for him to be stuck as my guide, when I tended to fight him every step of the way, ensuring his job was anything but easy.
Surely being stuck in a maze of empty white rooms that all looked the same, feeling about as lost as it gets as my dog and my guide waited for me to lead them to escape, was nothing more than the payback I so richly deserved. Though payback or not, I had no choice but to overcome it, to do whatever it took to find our way out.
I forced myself to go quiet and still, on the lookout for any signs that might help, and it wasn’t long befo
re I heard a burst of noise drifting from a place nearby, motioning for Bodhi and Buttercup to follow alongside me. We crept down a series of corridors, through a succession of identical rooms, progressing toward the sound of laughter, music, and chatter that seemed to grow louder and louder with each passing step, though no matter how far we went, we couldn’t locate the source, never got any closer than when we began.
I stopped, coming to such a quick and sudden halt that Bodhi bumped right into me, and Buttercup into him—the chain reaction knocking me off balance, forcing me to reach toward the wall to steady myself.
“Sorry,” Bodhi whispered, starting to say something more when I raised my finger to my lips, shooting him and Buttercup a warning of silence.
Listen, I thought, knowing he could hear it as clearly as any words I might speak. Listen as hard as you can.
Bodhi leaned forward as Buttercup mimicked by cocking an ear and holding the pose for a moment before turning to me in confusion.
I don’t hear anything—or at least anything that stands out from the laughter and chatter. Bodhi looked at me, face thoroughly confused.
I nodded. Finally getting the full picture of what I’d only glimpsed before. “Instead of moving toward the noise, we should’ve been moving away from it.”
Bodhi looked in both directions before returning to me.
“The noise is a distraction. It’s keeping us from our goal. Just like it’s keeping Theocoles from his destiny.”
Bodhi sighed, shrugged, clearly having no idea what I meant, but eager to get on with it, he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder and said, “So, we go that way instead?”
I nodded. “Head into the silence.” I slipped in front of him, taking the lead. “Head to the place where the noise becomes no more than a whisper. That’s where we’ll find him—and that’s where we’ll need to lead him as well.”
22
We headed back through the maze, back down the stairs, and back toward the ludus, moving away from the noise Messalina had manifested to bait us, until reaching the long row of cells where I stopped, listened intently, and hearing the roar of the crowd, moved in the direction it came from.
“Wait—I thought we wanted to move away from the noise?” Bodhi said, keeping pace beside me.
“We did.” I nodded, quickening my pace.
“But now we’re moving toward it—again.”
“Yep.” I navigated a series of turns, trying not to overthink it—that would only lead to doubt and confusion. If I wanted to end this, I had to commit to my instincts.
“I don’t get it,” Bodhi said, his voice sounding discouraged, as though he was ready to move in and take charge.
“You may not get it now, but you will, I promise. You have to trust me.”
I looked at him, taking in the swoop of his hair, and his thick fringe of lashes, then I looked away just as quickly. Unsure why I felt such a sudden surge of loss when we were getting along better than ever, but there was no doubt things had changed. Changed in a way that was much bigger than either of us probably realized. Whether it be good change or bad change remained to be seen—all I knew for sure is that all change stems from a loss of something that came before.
“The party noise was intended to distract us, to lead us toward something that didn’t exist,” I told him. “Messalina manifested it. There are no party guests—she just makes it appear that way. The only thing that’s real is what happens between her and Theocoles.”
“What about those other Soul Catchers? Did you run into any of them? They’re still out here, disguised as party guests, gladiators, house slaves, and who knows what else?”
I shrugged. I had no way of knowing what happened to them, and I hated to say it, but it really was none of my concern. I’d been warned about making up my own assignments, it was a lesson I’d learned the hard way, but at least I can say that I truly did learn it. Which meant that the fate of anyone other than Theocoles was none of my business. The Council was in charge, not me.
“We’ll deal with that later.” I glanced over my shoulder. “But for now, all you need to know is that wherever you hear the roar of the crowd, that’s where you’ll find Theocoles. It’s what he lived for, what he inadvertently died for—and it’s the one thing he refuses to give up.”
We turned another corner and I couldn’t help but smile in triumph when the light hit my eyes so hard I was forced to squint and shield my face with my hand.
“The Colosseum,” Bodhi said, as poor Buttercup sniffed the air and gazed around anxiously, sensing the lingering agony of all the poor animals that came here before him only to die a terrible death. “The ludus had a passageway that led right to it. I guess I’d forgotten that.”