And other Praetors grabbed me too. I felt the spark as they tried to take the magic, but they couldn't hold on long enough to do any serious damage.
"His skin is like fire." One of them scowled, cradling his burned hand in his arms.
The heat I was generating made me nauseous and sweat emptied from every pore in my body. But for now, I was untouchable.
I turned and started to run back to the caged wagon. Once I got my mother, I couldn't generate this heat, but I could make us disappear somewhere. For her sake, I would not fail at duplicating Radulf's trick.
Except that she was gone. The wagon was still there but the door was open, and I had no idea in which direction they had taken her. More Praetors were coming down the hill from behind the wagon. Wherever she was, I could not follow. All I could do was run back toward Valerius's field and hope to escape from there.
I threw punches of magic ahead of me, brushing aside every Praetor in my way. I saved a special force of air for Brutus, knocking him into the shadows, where I hoped he landed on the back of a mother bear. She could teach him a lesson about why one should never threaten a mother.
And then I ran. I let the heat burn off me as I raced through the trees, throwing magic ahead of me to keep the path clear. These woods were littered with Praetors -- so many that they rivaled Radulf's armies. How were we to defeat them all?
I got back into the field, startling the Praetors who were still there. I couldn't see Aurelia anywhere, so I hoped she had remained free once leaving the woods.
They immediately began closing in around me, but I wasn't finished fighting.
I ran into the center of the field. At least forty Praetors surrounded me and more had followed from the woods. I fell to one knee, then put my fist to the ground, releasing everything within me. Magic poured into the earth, creating waves from solid ground. If I'd had the bulla, it might've exploded the entire area, and me along with it, but the Divine Star merely sent out ripples, violent enough to topple every man standing in the field.
Once they went down, I tried to raise a shield, but too much of my strength was already gone and I stumbled.
No, things would not end so quickly. I forced myself to stand but felt an arrow pierce my thigh. The exact reason I had wanted a shield actually.
I collapsed again, hearing the laughter of the Praetors as those who were not injured got to their feet. I yanked out the arrow and put a hand to my leg, searching for enough magic to heal it. There wouldn't be time before they grabbed me again.
"You will not touch him!" Valerius yelled, scurrying down the path and into his field. "Praetors of Rome, I am the presiding magistrate of the Senate, your superior. You will obey my orders. Let that boy go!"
At that moment, Decimas Brutus emerged from the woods, to my disappointment, free of any bear scratches, although he did seem more tousled than usual.
Brutus faced Valerius directly, on opposite ends of the open field. "Walk away, Senator. You are useless to us now, and if you want to stay alive, then you will remain useless."
"Threatening a Roman senator is treason," Crispus said, walking into the field with the guards of his home. "You will leave at once, or our guards will arrest you and deliver you to the emperor himself."
I got to my feet. The wound wasn't completely healed, but I could walk without pain and I wanted to preserve what magic I had left.
"Those are personal guards of your father's, not Roman soldiers," Brutus said to Crispus. "I'm not bound to their orders."
"Surrender your weapons now," Crispus said. "If you prefer to see how their skills compare to the soldiers of Rome, I promise to impress you."
"And this is my promise." Brutus drew his sword and aimed it directly at Valerius. "If you do not order your guards to leave, I will carry out my threat to your father." He ran forward, swinging back his sword for a strike.
"Valerius, run!" I cried, sending a new wave of magic toward the Praetors closest to him. Then I began running in that direction as well.
Crispus sent his guards into the field, where a fight broke out between them and the Praetors. Meanwhile, with the battle as a distraction, I leaned against the grapevines and searched for my magic again. I needed to find the bulla. If I could get to Callistus, maybe he could lead me to where it had fallen. I didn't think anyone had found it yet. They would've announced it if they had. But how long would it take me to find Callistus? Valerius needed my help now, just as he had helped me.
I ran over to Valerius, who was crouched on the path leading back to his home. Crispus knelt by him, urging him to get back to the villa.
"Come with us," Valerius said.
"Aurelia is here," I said. "Have you seen her?"
"I'll find her," Crispus said. "You should go with my father."
The mark in my shoulder was alive once more, but rather than creating pain this time, it was filling me with energy. Again, its contrast from the bulla's magic amazed me. The Divine Star served me, and not the other way around.
"This is my fight," I said to Crispus. "But your father must leave, for his own safety."
"We can't leave you behind," Valerius said. "Yours is the most important life of all."
I glanced back. Fists and swords and arrows were flying in all directions, but not to our favor. One by one, his men were falling, and too many Praetors were still standing.
I turned to Valerius. "I'm the cause of this battle, now I need to be the solution to it. Please, sir, the threat against you is real. Go to where it is safe."
"Where are you, Nicolas Calva?" That was Brutus speaking. "Show yourself and end this fight."
Radulf must've heard it too, or sensed it through our connection of the Divine Star. He didn't speak to me, but I felt his concern, even his panic. If I didn't get away, I was in trouble, and we both knew it.
I had not been given the chance to help my mother disappear, but I could do that now. All I needed was to picture someplace else in my mind. I could take Valerius with me, and maybe Crispus too. Bring them to safety and then return to find Aurelia. And Livia too, if she had come here with Aurelia. I hoped she wasn't anywhere near this field.
I scanned the area and still couldn't see Aurelia. The night was too dark, and the feeling of approaching rain was growing. I hoped she was halfway to the other end of Rome by now, though I knew her too well to believe that.
"Where can we go?" Valerius asked. "The Praetors will follow us to the villa."
The hypogeum beneath the amphitheater -- that's where I'd take them. No government official would descend into that filth, probably not even to find me. I pictured the animals' cages, the mazelike paths, and Felix's face as it would be when we appeared directly in front of him.
"Take my arm," I said to Crispus and Valerius as I knelt by them. "I'm going to get you two out of here."
"Can you hear Atroxia's crying, even above the sounds of fighting?" Brutus yelled. "The Mistress needs rescuing. Only you can help her, Nicolas."
"He's lying," Valerius whispered. "Shut her out of your mind."
That was harder than it sounded. Because, yes, the crying had returned in my head, louder than ever. As more men fell in the battle, I heard the Mistress's voice, begging the gods to forgive her crimes.
I closed my eyes again, and the hypogeum reappeared in my sights. According to Radulf, it was simple magic to disappear, so why was I struggling with it?
"Three is too many for you," Radulf said. "Let go of the senator and his son. Get yourself away from there."
That was not an option. I muttered for Radulf to get out of my head and do something useful instead. If he wasn't here to help, then at least he could remain quiet so I could concentrate.
"They're getting closer," Crispus said. "Whatever you're doing, Nic, please hurry."
The hypogeum. I began to see it, not as an image in my mind, but as if I were truly standing there. I smelled the animals and the acrid sweat of the slaves at their labors. I felt its suffocating heat like I was part of it a
gain.
Then Crispus released my arm and, with a yell, stood and attacked a Praetor who had come upon us, bringing them both down to the ground. It pulled me back into the field, and I leapt to my feet too. Praetors were swarming this field like ants across spilled honey. Crispus's guards helped, but not enough.
Valerius was slower to respond. He rolled beneath the vines, putting his hands over his head, no doubt hoping that would be enough to save him.
I shot magic toward the Praetor entangled with Crispus, and then yanked Crispus to his feet. "Protect your father," I told him. "I'll do what I can to stop this."
I started running, headed away from Crispus, away from the vines. If they needed a distraction, then I was happy to provide it.
I sent a ball of fire near the vines, similar to one I had seen Radulf create once. Enough moisture was already in the air that it required more magic to maintain the fire, but the smoke was all I cared about. I needed another shield, which would protect me as I ran through the fire toward where I'd left Callistus. The Praetors could not follow me then.
However, I underestimated how much weaker I had become, and my still-injured leg tripped on a simple stray vine. The area was already filling with smoke, choking me.
I got onto all fours and searched within myself for any remaining magic. If necessary, I would crawl until I found the bulla.
I found a bit of magic deep inside, enough for a minute or two of protection. If I hurried, it would get me past the fire.
Crispus was running up the hill now, directly behind his father. And not far from me, a Praetor had a bow aimed directly at them. Rather than create a shield, I used the last of my magic to hit the Praetor, but it was a moment too late.
With the punch of magic, his arrow released at a different angle than what had been intended and missed Crispus. But it did hit someone.
Valerius was shot.
I rushed back through the Praetors, slick with sweat and refusing to be taken again. I wanted to send magic at all of them, to cause the same hurt and pain that was now swelling in me. But for the moment, I couldn't feel even a whisper of magic from the Star.
By the time I reached the place where Valerius had rolled after he fell, Crispus was at my side.
"There's a unicorn," I said between breaths. "At the edge of your property, there's a unicorn. Bring him here ... his horn ... I can't heal this alone."
Crispus nodded and ran in the way I'd directed him.
Valerius clutched my hand. "I'm so sorry, Nic. For everything I've done to you. Everything that will still happen to you. I'm so sorry."
"I've got to pull this arrow out, sir," I told him. "It's going to hurt, but then I can heal you."
"No, don't ... Use what you have ... fight."
I shook my head and put my hands on the shaft of the arrow, but Valerius put his hands over mine and pulled them down.
"Crispus will ... help you," Valerius whispered. "Trust him. You ... must learn to trust."
"I've got to remove the arrow."
But Valerius shook his head. "Do not wake the Mistress. If they force you ... the Malice ... do not wake her."
Praetors were edging closer again. They were relentless, like vultures that wanted their prey.
"Where is the door?" I asked him. "Sir, where is the Malice hidden?"
Another arrow flew through the air, nearly above my head. I ducked as it hit the thigh of the Praetor who had gotten closest to me.
"I have enough arrows for all of you!" Aurelia yelled out. So she was still here, somewhere in the vineyard ahead of me. It must've taken her time to locate another bow. I was never sure how she seemed to find them everywhere when I had yet to find a single weapon simply lying around for the taking.
"I've got help now," I told Valerius. "I'll heal you while she ..." My voice trailed off. The senator's eyes were closed, and his head had gone limp.
I yanked out the arrow, then pressed my hands to his chest and emptied into it everything I had left. The Divine Star's cold burn was almost as intense as it had been when the Praetors pressed down on it, but this magic wasn't being taken from me. I was giving it to Valerius, all I could.
"Enough of this, Nic," Radulf whispered into my head. "You can't help him now."
"What do you know about help?" I muttered. "Where are you?"
"I am coming. But hold on to your magic for the battle that can be won. It's not with Valerius, not anymore."
Where was Crispus with the unicorn? They should've been here by now. Unless Callistus wasn't there anymore. The Praetors said they had chased him away.
Life was draining from me, and still there wasn't a spark from Valerius, as there should have been. Why not? I was giving him everything. Everything.
"Nicolas, I said that's enough!" Radulf's voice came at me so sharp that it snapped me away from Valerius.
I released the senator and looked down at his face, even more lifeless than I felt.
He was gone.
When I looked up again, I saw the flash of white out of the corner of my eye. Livia was in front, but Crispus rode in the saddle behind her.
No, I didn't want Livia in this battle. I stood and ran toward them. But before I could say anything, Crispus dismounted and said, "The unicorn wouldn't ride with me. Not until she came too. How's my father?"
My heart sank. It was hard enough to know what had happened, but having to say it was so much worse. I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Crispus. I did what I could for him."
Crispus nodded and looked away. Livia slid off the unicorn's back and immediately put a hand on his arm for comfort. He pressed his hand over hers, gently and gratefully.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled again. I needed to apologize, not only for failing to save him, but for being the reason he was targeted.
"My father brought this on himself," Crispus said, clearly fighting back tears. "And he'd want us to win this battle. We have to keep fighting."
I nodded, but by then, Livia's eyes had drifted to me. "Nic, your leg!"
She ripped the edge of her tunic for fabric to bind the wound, but I didn't care about that. I started searching Callistus's saddle, checking to be sure the bulla was indeed gone. The rope I had used to knot it was still there, but the bulla was not. It really had disappeared.
Panic swept through me. I had no idea where to begin to search for the bulla, or how I'd do it while this battle was raging.
"Aurelia found Callistus first, then called me over to protect him while she came closer to the battle," Livia said as she bandaged my leg. "We knew he was yours -- who else would be riding a unicorn?"
"Was the bulla here when you found him?" I asked.
Livia shook her head while another fire erupted at the far end of the fields, closer to where the fighting between the Praetors and villa guards had moved. There could only be one reason for that.
Radulf had said he was coming to help me. Obviously, he had arrived.
Get my sister to safety," I said to Crispus. "After all that's happened tonight, I know I can't ask this of you, but I need you to keep Livia safe."
Crispus put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm the one who cannot ask anything of you. I'll protect your sister, Nic."
And I knew he would. I trusted him, just as Valerius urged me to do. When they ran off in one direction, I climbed onto Callistus's back, headed toward the fighting, and determined to be strong enough to finish it.
Radulf was somewhere in the middle of it all, sending out balls of fire that he launched at whatever Praetor was irritating him the most. They responded by diving into a small pond not far away to put out any fires that had gotten too close to them. So I put my energy there, using magic to build up the slope of the pond, which became steep and slippery. The men could get into it to douse the fire, but it'd take several more men with ropes to lift them out.
The effort exhausted me, and I leaned forward in the saddle while I recovered. The men who were now stuck in the pond shouted curses at me, but I ignored them. If they didn't stop y
elling so loud, I'd send something into that pond to bite them.
While I rested, I turned my attention to Radulf. The fight around him was emptying, and once I got a better look, I saw why. He wasn't really there. It was only a trick of light, similar to what he had done when I fought him outside the baths.
He was here, enough to send magic, and I knew from experience that he could receive the blows of magic as well. But he wouldn't feel the sting from the Praetor swords, and certainly wouldn't be affected by their touch. If only I'd been clever enough to do that tonight. If only I were clever enough to know how to do that trick.
A hand touched my injured leg, and I jerked it backward, expecting the worst.
"You kicked me!" Aurelia said. "Ow!"
I slid to the ground where she was turned away from me with a hand on her face.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know it was you!"
"I need to announce myself before getting anywhere near you."
"Here, let me see it." I gently pushed her hand away and saw a bruise already starting to form. "I'm sorry," I said again. "I can heal it, but I need a few more minutes first."
Truthfully, I needed a week, considering the way I felt. Any magic trickling through me was barely keeping me on my feet.
"Would this help?" Aurelia held up her other hand, with the bulla dangling from it.
"You had it?" Feelings of relief swelled in me, enough that I almost hugged her. Almost. "How long?"
"Since I got here. Why did you think I offered myself to Brutus? To give you the bulla!"
"Why didn't you --"
"When would I have told you? Between your shouting and threatening and making all sorts of stupid deals?"
"I had a plan!"
"Well, I had a better plan," she said. "To get close enough to give you the bulla so you could help your mother and flatten the entire Praetor camp."
"Making yourself a hostage in the middle of the camp is hardly helpful."
"You were supposed to rescue me first. Not honor your deal and tell me to run away."
"My plan involved honoring that deal!" I said.
"And I needed you to break it," Aurelia said. "Sometimes I think we make a terrible team."
I smiled. "Sometimes I think we make a pretty good one." Frankly, it made me happy that she considered us a team at all. I took the bulla from her. "So you found this on Callistus's saddle?"