“Are you sure that Senator Valerius has your sister?”

Unsure of how long Aurelia had been awake, I immediately hung the bulla back around my neck and hid it. “I told his son that before I agreed to talk, Valerius would have to get Livia from the mines. She’s got to be with him.”

“Why would he do that for you? He must want something big in exchange.”

“Of course he does.” That gnawed at me. It was something to do with the magic, obviously, but that’s what everyone wanted, so I couldn’t avoid it forever. At least Valerius was willing to help me too.

“Why do you trust Valerius? You’re so opposed to Horatio, but both men are senators, and both are loyal to the emperor.”

I moved back to the wall and scuffed my bare foot against the floor. “When Valerius first saw the mark on my back, he tried to protect me.” Then I looked up and met her gaze. “He was hiding it from Horatio.”

She didn’t seem to like that and only turned away. “Well, maybe Valerius seems nice now, but in the end, there’ll be a price for it.”

I smirked back at her. “Probably, but I already know the price for you being nice to me.”

She chuckled. “It’s a good theory, Nic, but you and I both know I haven’t been at all nice to you.”

No, she hadn’t. Which made it all the more of a mystery why I hoped she’d stay. To her, I was a pocketful of coins, a ticket to a better life and nothing more. But to me, she was turning into more than a guide back to my sister. Whether I liked it or not, she was becoming my friend.

Aurelia took to pacing again. “We need to escape this temple. The soldiers can outlast us. If one gets tired, they can just change out guards.”

“Maybe you should’ve suggested a better hiding place.”

“Maybe you should’ve chosen different enemies!”

I opened my mouth, but no argument came. She was absolutely right about that.

She leaned beside me against the temple wall. “If you want to bring Radulf down, then you must understand the fight it’ll be to get to him. Romans love him. They believe in him, far more than they do the emperor.”

“He’s a villain, Aurelia! Maybe they don’t see what kind of person he really is, but I do. When his voice is in my head, it’s so cold it turns my blood to ice. Back at the mines, he told me if I didn’t bring him this bulla, he’d leave me to die in the cave.”

“Maybe he was saying it for your own good.” Aurelia’s eyes settled on the bulla, still in my hand. “Maybe he knew that if you tried to keep it, all of this would happen.”

I brushed past her, frustrated with the fact that she was actually making sense.

She called after me, “You’re not alone, Nic. I’m here to help you.”

“You’re here to get a reward. I am alone.”

“You’re not.” She walked up and put her hand on my shoulder. “But you have to look at this from the emperor’s view. So far, only one person has done anything to threaten Rome. That’s you. As presiding magistrate, Horatio could defend you before the emperor.”

“Or deliver me to him. Felix said anyone loyal to the empire would kill me.”

“Felix should know. He actually tried to do it!”

“And maybe Horatio would succeed.” My fists tightened. “You can’t possibly expect me to trust him.”

“I don’t expect you to trust anyone!”

“Even you?”

Aurelia wavered, just for a moment. “All I’m saying is that you can’t hide forever.”

“That’s my problem, not yours.” I turned to her. “Once I find my sister, we will vanish.”

“No. Once we find your sister, you promised to go to Horatio. I will defend you to him.”

“And why would he listen to you?” I asked.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Aurelia’s lips. “Surely by now you know that I make people listen when I speak.”

I smiled back. “I know that when you speak, it almost always ends in trouble.”

“You are the last boy on this earth who should speak about trouble!”

I laughed and moved to brush her aside, but this time she grabbed my arm, playfully twisted it behind me, and then forced me to the ground. I pulled her down with me and she fell at my side, laughing as well.

I stared at her a moment, realizing again how pretty her eyes were when she lowered her guard. No, in this failing light of day, they were beautiful.

Hearing the sound of footsteps in the doorway, we both sat up. Aurelia went for her knife and I hurried to hide the bulla beneath my tunic again.

But there was no need for alarm, or at least, I hoped not. In fact, it was the exact person I had hoped to see again. Crispus. As the son of a senator, he moved in the same circles as other leaders of Rome … with Radulf, specifically. I whispered who he was to Aurelia and told her to put away her knife, which she did with obvious reluctance.

Crispus didn’t seem to have come to worship. Rather than an offering, in his arms were two folded togas. He smiled and said, “My father spotted you two running in here earlier today. We hoped you’d still be here.”

“With those soldiers outside, where else would we have gone?” Aurelia asked.

“Father’s out there now, distracting them with some absurd orders, but it won’t last long.” Crispus grinned. “If you want to escape from this temple, you must come with me right now.”

Aurelia started to protest but I muttered that we could sort out whether Crispus should be trusted after our escape.

“He might be dangerous to you,” she hissed.

I only smiled. “But still not as dangerous as you are.” She chuckled, and more important, didn’t disagree.

Crispus held out the togas to each of us. “Have you ever considered dressing up like old women?”

My smile widened. To escape this building, I was ready to consider nearly anything.

Crispus gave Aurelia her toga, and since I had never worn one, he helped me with mine. It seemed like a lot of unnecessary cloth, most of which had to be carried over one arm, but he told me since only the wealthy could afford so much cloth, the soldiers would see it from a distance and assume we were patricians.

“Keep your heads covered, like older women do,” he said.

“I’m barefoot,” I said, holding up one foot. “If they see —”

“Let’s hope they don’t. And if anyone approaches, let me do the talking.”

That was fine with me. Whenever I talked, it only seemed to end in trouble.

Crispus led us through a side door of the temple that exited onto an open-air portico. As warm as it was this evening, at least we felt the breeze now. The afternoon heat inside the temple had been stifling.

“It’s getting late, but there should still be some markets open in the basilica ahead,” he said. “We’ll blend in with the people there. Just don’t look back at the soldiers.” He glanced at me. “And don’t look down. Only slaves do that.”

I hadn’t realized I was. Raising my head felt unnatural, but he was right, keeping my head down was the attitude of a slave. I had spent too many years with my eyes cast downward and my head and knees ready to bend upon anyone’s orders. Well, anyone other than Sal — I had never willingly obeyed him.

“Why are you helping us?” Aurelia asked.

Crispus looked at me as if it had been my question. “Because you need our help. And because Rome needs you.”

We made it inside the basilica without drawing anyone’s attention. Over the top of the crowd, I saw all three stories of the interior were open and every wall from floor to ceiling was lined with arches. Crispus told Aurelia she could remove the toga from her head, but suggested I stay covered. “At least fifty thousand Romans saw you in the amphitheater five days ago,” he said. “It’s safe to assume that many of them are here now and will recognize you.”