"He has many enemies, and if they get the bulla, they can use it against the entire empire. You proved that in the arena."
"I didn't control any of what happened!"
"Exactly my point!" Felix gestured in the direction of the amphitheater. "If you caused destruction like that without having control of the bulla, imagine what an enemy who controlled it could do."
"The enemy is General Radulf," I said. "Emperor Tacitus must have him arrested."
"On what charge?"
"Illegal sheepherding, for all I care!" I shrugged angrily. "If he made up charges against me, then he can do it for the general."
Felix snorted. "The general cannot be stopped. As I've told you, all the emperor can do is hope Radulf does not turn against him."
"He already has! I've told you what he said!"
"Give me the keys, you're too slow." Aurelia took them and knelt at my feet, working first at the manacles there.
"What if I get evidence against Radulf?" I offered.
Felix's eyes narrowed. "What would you ask in return?"
"For my life. The emperor must forgive all criminal charges against me. And I want my sister's freedom." When I found her. "And I want five hundred denarii."
Still at work with the keys, Aurelia muttered something under her breath. It shouldn't matter to her where she got her money. This way, I could avoid Horatio forever.
"Those are heavy demands," Felix said. "But I might be able to persuade Emperor Tacitus if you give him the bulla as part of that agreement."
"I will trade the bulla for my freedom. But until Radulf is defeated, he can still get at me, and I need the bulla for defense."
Curious, Felix tilted his head. "What do you mean Radulf can get at you?"
"He's got magic, Felix." I had seen it, and felt it, and still had the echo of his voice in my head.
Felix's expression changed. It wasn't one of surprise, but rather, as if I had spoken a truth he had refused to acknowledge until now. "Are you sure?" For the first time since we began talking, he sounded as frightened as I felt.
"It's different from whatever I can do with the bulla, but just as strong. And I bet that if he got the bulla, he could use it, maybe worse than me. He'll make what I did in the arena look like a game of knucklebones."
Felix's face went pale. He took the keys from Aurelia, sorted through them until he found the one he wanted, and handed it back. She stuck it in the lock on my manacles and it opened.
While she completed the others, Felix said, "General Radulf wasn't born a Roman. He came from a barbarian tribe up north and was captured thirteen years ago when Rome conquered his land. He became a gladiator here, one of the few to never lose a fight. Radulf became a hero in this city, and through his skills, he earned his freedom, then his citizenship, then his military position."
Aurelia snapped off the last of my manacles and said, "Let's go."
I resisted her tug. "You think he won because he had magic?"
Felix looked around before speaking, as if he thought we might be overheard. "I worked with the animals while Radulf waited for his turn to enter the arena. I saw him up close many times, bare except for his gladiator uniform. Nic, whatever that mark on your back means, Radulf has one exactly like it."
"Nic, now!" Aurelia said. "We've been spotted." Two soldiers talking by the amphitheater glanced at us.
No, this was my chance to get answers. Maybe my only chance. "I heard he killed others who had the mark."
"Every one of them, and now we know why. He'll do the same to you." Felix's eyes darted around again. "If that mark is a source of magic, then you have to worry about more than the bulla. It means there is magic coming from inside you."
Aurelia
pulled at my arm, but Felix grabbed my shoulders. "Listen carefully. These are dangerous times, and what you did in the amphitheater proves you will either be the emperor's greatest friend, or his greatest enemy. He will not take the risk of guessing wrong about you. If you go to the emperor or anyone loyal to him right now, they will kill you."
Aurelia only briefly met my eyes. Clearly, Felix's warning included Horatio, the leader of the emperor's Senate. And I had agreed to go.