Horatio told a passing slave to fetch Felix, then turned to me. “I don’t know if it’s bravery that leads you into the arena today, or foolishness.”

“Bravery on my part, foolishness on yours.” I stared back at him. “Let me go in alone to fight Radulf. If you enter the arena, you will not come out again.”

“I am the sponsor of these games,” he said. “The mob will expect to see me, and I will give them the show of their lives.”

“Don’t give Radulf the key,” I said. “Don’t start this war.”

He sighed. “If you were right to warn me about today, then I do owe you some thanks for trying.” He stared off and his eyes glazed over. “A caelo usque ad centrum. Do you understand those words, boy?”

From heaven to the center of earth. I knew the words, not their meaning, and told him so.

Still staring away, he smiled. “You will. If you survive the arena today, then you will soon understand everything.” Then he saw Felix coming and pulled me forward.

It was obvious from Felix’s expression that he was not happy to see me. But he bowed to Horatio and said, “I will get him ready.”

As Felix led me away, I asked, “Get me ready? What does that mean?”

“Do you understand the position you’ve put me in?” Felix scowled. “Horatio is the presiding magistrate and the sponsor of today’s games. If anything goes wrong, he’ll have my head. But then last night I had a visit from Senator Valerius, who believes that Horatio’s games are a threat to the emperor. He insists you can stop it.”

I clicked my tongue. “Just do as Horatio asked. I don’t want you in any trouble. If I can stop Horatio in the arena, then I will.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then Rome will go to war against itself.” We walked on farther and I asked, “Is the emperor at the games today?”

“No.” Felix glanced over at me. “When I found out you’d be here, I sent messengers warning him to remain at his palace. It’s for his own safety. I hope you understand.”

I did, and if anything, I was relieved. If things went well, the emperor would hear about it. But if things got out of control here, and they probably would, I didn’t want to feel responsible for his life.

“Is Valerius at the games, then?” I asked.

“He’ll be in the imperial box at the north end. When I bring you up in the lift, you’ll be directly in front of him.”

“Will there be animals?”

Felix sighed. “That was the original plan — we even have them all in place. But last night, Senator Horatio suggested a reenactment might fit better than a venatio.”

“A reenactment? Like theater?”

“Everything in the arena is theater.”

I stopped and stared up at him. “Felix, how bad will it be up there?”

His face remained as solemn as mine. “If it was bad, would you leave?”

I should. A person would have to be an utter fool to walk into a situation designed to destroy him. But since the moment my life had crossed with the bulla, it was hardly the only foolish thing I’d done. Besides that, Radulf had my sister.

“I have to fight Radulf, as we agreed,” I said. “This is my chance.”

His smile back at me was grim. “Well, it is bad. Just … be smart up there. You’ll need your wits more than your magic.”

By then, we had arrived at the lift, the very one Felix had forced me into when I was tied to the horse. “Here.” He handed me a tunic I recognized very well. It was the one from when I had been a slave, complete with all its rips and holes. It felt like grit in my hands.

“He wants me to wear this?” I asked.

“There’s dried blood on yours. Even with that, you look like a patrician now,” he said. “Horatio doesn’t want the mob to think he’s executing one of his own.”

“Fine. I wouldn’t want anyone confusing me with his kind anyway.” I pulled off the nicer tunic Valerius had given me and tossed it aside, then put on my old one. The smell of it shocked me. I’d never realized it before, but the odor was more animal than human, and more dead than alive. And against my skin now, it scratched just as it always had before. I decided to keep my sandals on. Felix hadn’t ordered me to take them off, and I’d have disobeyed if he did. Then I adjusted the crepundia and bulla, both of which I wore around my neck, and made sure the bulla was perfectly visible over my tunic. While I tied the rope that had served as a belt, my wrists and ankles pulsed with a nervous anticipation, as if the chains would logically come next. I shook them, as though it would slough off the feelings, but it didn’t help much.

Felix leaned in close to me. “Valerius has a message for you. When this is finished, he wants you to return to his home. He says he is still prepared to honor his bargain with you, if you will honor yours.”

It meant he still wanted me to get the key for him. And that he was still planning for Horatio to die in the arena. On the other hand, he had also promised to recover my sister.

“It’s time to go now,” Felix said. “You can do this, Nic.”

I took a deep breath, and then said, “Do me a favor, please. Once I’m gone, get everyone out from the hypogeum. I don’t know what this fight will be like. So get everyone out.”

“I will.” Then Felix ordered men forward to raise me into the arena. When the capstan started turning, he said, “Remember, the crowd wants a show.”

I shook my head. “I’m not here for that. My only job is to stop Radulf.”

“Exactly.” His smile widened. He was as eager for what was coming as I was dreading it. “Stopping Radulf is the show.”

As I was raised up, a door opened in the arena floor and scorching morning sun poured down on me. White sand on the floor blinded me at first — it was different from the yellow sand that had been here before, and contained minerals that sparkled in the light. That alone was concerning. It suggested there was something different about today’s games.

Once I was higher, I realized the crowd in the amphitheater seemed twice what it had been before, but they were all speaking in hushed tones. By the time the top of my head appeared, they had become almost silent. As nervous as their cheers and yells had made me several days ago, the silence was worse. It was unnatural.

I came up directly behind two large ramps in the center of the arena. Between the ramps was a wide platform with images of the gods painted on the sides. Yet as I turned away from the platform, I realized it was hardly the most impressive feature of the arena today. Twelve raised blocks were set around the perimeter. On each was a different person dressed to represent one of the gods. One at the far end looked like Apollo, who carried in his hands a silver bow, aimed directly at me. Of course it was aimed at me. Everything else in Rome had threatened me since I took the bulla. Why not a silver arrow too?

On the next two blocks were men dressed as Mars and Jupiter, each carrying a spear, though Jupiter’s was shaped as a lightning bolt. On the opposite side of the arena, Neptune held a trident and Vulcan had a hammer. Every one of them was watching me.

Some of the people on the blocks represented the goddesses. I easily recognized Diana, also carrying a bow and arrow. At first I thought it was a woman in the costume, but then I realized it was still a man, like the others. And he was someone I recognized — the soldier who had been with Radulf when he first came to the mines.

These were Radulf’s soldiers.

I heard the sound of another lift and realized it was rising into the center platform. Bit by bit, Horatio appeared, dressed in all his Senate finery. The applause for him was polite, but not enthusiastic. His shoulders fell in disappointment, which made me smile, just a little.