Wrath of the Storm (Mark of the Thief 3)

Standing beside the emperor, Brutus showed less respect in the tone of his voice. "Whatever treatment Nicolas receives now is not a punishment. It is to force him to reveal the location of two amulets that belong to the gods. They must be given to the empire."

"If I did, how would you use them?" I asked. "Tell the emperor why you want my magic!"

Only a moment passed before Brutus said, "For the glory of Rome, and for the gods we serve, naturally."

His lies were coated in honey, smooth enough to make Probus swallow them whole. Brutus only served Diana, and her intentions for the empire had nothing to do with its glory. But I also knew that Brutus wouldn't volunteer that information to the emperor.

I heard footsteps on the grass and turned again enough to see Pro

bus behind me. I lowered my eyes in respect, but looked up, sooner than I should have, curious as to what would happen next.

He pulled my tunic down enough to look at the Divine Star on my shoulder. His finger ran along the scar. I felt the touch and flinched, but he gave me none of the pain that Brutus did. This man had no hatred of me or wish to control me. But I did sense his concern for what harm I might bring to the empire.

"This is what gives you the ability to do magic?" he asked.

I nodded.

"The bulla, and the Malice of Mars, these contain the magic of the gods, yes? More powerful than what this scar alone can do?"

Again, I nodded.

"Where are they? I wish to examine these amulets."

I stared forward without responding. My heart was pounding, though, as if it wanted to scream out the answers. I would be screaming soon, no doubt.

Probus raised his voice, just to be sure I had heard. "Where are the amulets, Nicolas? If you truly intend no harm against the empire, then you should be glad to show them to me."

Should I be glad? Knowing full well that Brutus wanted those amulets in his hands so he could force me to use them in service of the Mistress and Diana. If I confessed their whereabouts, within the hour, Aurelia and Livia would be arrested on charges of treason, just as I was now charged. With all of that on my mind, did he really think I should be glad to obey any of his orders?

I only shook my head at his request. Now they could add refusing a direct command of the emperor to my list of crimes. I would pay for this.

The emperor made some sort of gesture that I couldn't see, and then walked away. Other footsteps echoed behind me, and this time I made no effort to turn and look. I lacked the courage to do it and only knotted my fingers together, hoping to stay strong for as long as I could.

A whip snapped in the air, echoing against the many marble walls in the forum. Brutus chuckled and said, "Hear that, Nicolas? The sound will be even worse when it hits your back. Unless you tell the emperor where you've hidden the amulets."

"I threw them to the bottom of the Tiber River." I scowled. "Why don't you go dive for them? Don't come up for air until you've found them."

With that, Brutus's whip hit, cutting like a blade into my back. I cried out and my legs crumpled, but the Praetors holding my arms on the other side of the tree refused to let me fall.

With the second lashing, I collapsed against the tree. My face scraped against the bark, though that was nothing compared to the sting on my back.

The next lash struck behind my knees, which hurt far worse, and forced a cry of pain from me that surely even the gods could hear. Why would they leave me to this fate? Was I not protecting their amulets from Brutus, from a goddess who had declared war against them? Were my crimes awful enough to deserve their abandonment?

Or had I been abandoned since the moment I escaped the mines? Maybe the gods had not forgiven me for taking the bulla, regardless of what I had tried to do for Rome since then.

"Where are the amulets?" Brutus said, accompanying his question with another strike to my back. It was a reminder that this was only about getting the amulets. The greater punishment for my crimes was still to come and would no doubt be worse, if that was possible.

"He won't tell you anything!" Crispus yelled. "Don't you see this is useless? He'll never tell."

No, I wouldn't. I couldn't tell, no matter what they did. Nor did I intend to die this way, with Brutus taking my life one lash at a time. But it was becoming easier to believe that no matter what I intended, this whipping would continue until he had succeeded.

Brutus struck again, cutting deeper into the wound already behind my knees. This time, I collapsed with so much force that the Praetors could not keep me up. For the briefest of moments, they let go of me, and the magic in my shoulder attempted to give me a spark. I felt it, and then Praetors had my hands once more. The spark disappeared, leaving me more hopeless than ever.

"Tell me where the amulets are, and this will end," Brutus said. "Tell me what I want to know, and it will go better for you at trial tomorrow. You might even hope to earn a little mercy."

"I won't beg mercy from you!" My teeth were clenched so tightly together that he might not have heard me.

The snap of his whip said otherwise. "You were too weak to kill me when you had the chance, but I am not so weak in dealing with you. Tell me where those amulets are, or I will end your life."