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 t
ogas 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."