And one did.
Aurelia's shield failed a second time, as did all my magic. I struggled to get free, but they pounced on me like hungry lions.
"Nic!" Aurelia screamed my name and began cursing at the men who had grabbed her.
Brutus knelt beside me and pulled my tunic back, revealing the Divine Star, with the whiplash across it. "The whip is reserved for disobedient slaves," he said. "Is that who you are, still, after all you've done to prove otherwise?"
"I am a slave to no one," I said. "Let me go!"
"Nearly two hundred years ago, Emperor Domitian wanted a way to connect his palace to the circus, but few people ever knew where his tunnels were." Brutus smiled. "I know about these tunnels, though. And, I suppose, now you do too."
I fought hard and knew Aurelia was fighting too. Then above the noise, a Praetor said, "We don't need the girl."
There was the slice of a sword.
And Aurelia screamed again.
Everything seemed to have gone silent. Only Aurelia's scream remained, like a horrible echo in my ears.
A new power emerged in me, something that could not have been magic, but which was even stronger. Praetors scattered around me like unwanted garbage, and I escaped their grip, then leapt to my feet and ran over to her.
Aurelia was still alive, but only barely. Blood seeped out of a deep wound in her side, and with it, life was leaving her too.
"Stay away from me," I warned the Praetors. "Stay away or I promise to destroy you all."
Brutus stepped forward. "You can't fight us off and heal her."
I knew that. Worse still, I wasn't sure that I could heal her. I hadn't recovered from the race, and my magic was already depleted. The bulla was helping, but the Divine Star gave me nothing. Without the mark in my shoulder, I had no powers to heal.
"So which do you want the most?" Brutus asked. "To destroy us, or to save her?"
Aurelia grabbed my hand. Her face was pinched with pain, an image I knew could not be the last I ever saw of her. I could never bear that memory. "There's not enough magic for me anyway," she whispered. "Don't waste it."
"Where's Callistus?" I asked Brutus. "The unicorn? Where is he?"
"Under our control. But don't try calling him here. Trust me, he won't get far if you do."
"Give me the unicorn and my friend."
"And in exchange?"
"I will ride with you to that field."
"No, Nic." Aurelia's life was slipping away like smoke through my fingers. "Please don't."
I pressed my hand against the wound and began pouring magic into her. I didn't have enough to save her, but hopefully it would keep her alive until they returned Callistus.
"Are you begging me for her life?" Brutus asked. "Here, on your knees, are you begging me, as I predicted you would do?"
"Yes, if it helps, then I am begging." Sweat dripped from my brow, stinging my eyes, yet I only gave her more of what I didn't have. "But I am also threatening. If you refuse to return my unicorn, things will not go well for you."
"We can ride this tunnel and exit near the amphitheater," Brutus said. "No crowds are there. We'll go to the field together."
I nodded. "Let Callistus come now. Hurry! I need him to save her."
Aurelia's eyes were closed, but she shook her head. Even this close to death, she still wanted to fight me.
"Give me the bulla," Brutus said. I started to protest, but he added, "You'll get it back when it's time to use the key. But if I'm holding the bulla, then that ensures you won't try any tricks on the way."