"Do it!" I shouted. "The amulets will disappear forever, as will the only person who can make them work. I dare you to do it!"
And a growing part of me wished he would. Without magic to sustain me and heal me, I would not last much longer anyway.
I clenched my fists as the whip snapped again.
This time, the whip didn't touch me, but I felt Brutus's anger just as if it had. He knew I was right in the threat I had made. Without me, even if he found the amulets, they would be useless.
"Fire!" someone yelled. "On Aventine Hill!"
I leaned sideways just enough to see smoke rising over the temples and basilicas.
Crispus ran up the rostra steps, where he could have a better look. He called back to the crowd, "The fire is near Laverna's gate." Then he faced the emperor directly. "Laverna, goddess of thieves. This is a sign, no doubt. She demands that Nicolas be allowed a fair trial before anything else is done to him."
Brutus didn't strike me again, so maybe the emperor had gestured for him to stop while he considered Crispus's warning. All I could do was remain on my knees, clinging to the familiarity of Crispus's voice and reminding myself to keep breathing.
Since he already had the rostra from which to speak, Crispus continued, still addressing the emperor. "Caesar must know that to offend even a minor god like Laverna can have serious consequences for Rome. I propose we use the rest of the evening to give proper worship to the gods, then conduct Nicolas's trial tomorrow morning."
"If you let me continue, I will get the boy to talk," Brutus said. "Perhaps Nicolas cannot be persuaded when it's his own pain. But if Caesar will allow me to put the senator's son beside him, Nicolas will tell us what we want to know."
I looked over at Crispus with panic in my eyes. Surely they wouldn't do that. His eyes had widened too, and I could almost see his heart beating from here. He had just witnessed my lashing, so it must be far worse for him, wondering if he would be next and if he could endure it. Which forced me to ask myself how long I could let it happen before telling them about the amulets.
I couldn't tell, not even for Crispus. I hoped he would understand that and forgive me.
However, Probus said, "Crispus is a respected citizen of Rome, accused of nothing more than being a loyal friend." His tone became angry. "How dare you suggest such a thing, Brutus? This is finished. You have disappointed me with your failure and your cruelty. Crispus is right. Tonight we shall pay proper respect to the gods in their temples, and tomorrow the boy will receive a fair trial. And someone put out the fire on that hill! I will not sit by as Nero did and allow this empire to burn! Everyone go back to your homes, now!"
The crowd that had surrounded me immediately began to disperse, and Probus disappeared with his soldiers too. But Brutus walked forward and crouched beside me. I suspected he would have liked to touch my shoulder and inflict whatever last bit of pain he could, but with the blood on my back, he only stared at me, red-faced and sputtering with anger.
"How did you start the fire on that hill, so close to Laverna's gate?" he asked. "You should not have any magic."
"I didn't start it," I mumbled. Nor did I know how the fire had started, whether it was a warning from the gods or merely a natural coincidence that benefited me.
He continued staring until he decided either I was telling the truth or that he'd get no confession. Then he motioned toward someone on the other side of the tree, who began replacing the ropes that had bound me with chains. When that was finished, the Praetor pulled at my right arm. Whatever he was doing, I didn't resist. I couldn't, but I did wonder what was happening.
Brutus answered my unspoken question. "It's the same armband all Praetors wear, though there's a lock on yours to keep it from coming apart. With that on your arm, it'll be no different than our touch. You won't feel any magic."
That didn't matter. The only thing I felt was the pain on my back and behind my knees. I doubted there was room within me to feel anything else.
Now Brutus leaned forward and said, "You may feel proud for refusing to answer me today, but this only puts you in a worse situation for the trial. If you had cooperated and told me where the amulets are, I could've saved your life. But when the emperor finds you guilty, your execution will follow. You will have fought for nothing, protected nothing, and given your family nothing but memories of your failure. The pain you're in is nothing compared to your fate tomorrow. I am offering you one last chance. If you give me the amulets and promise to help me use them, you will not die tomorrow. That is your only chance."
"I have no intention of dying tomorrow," I mumbled. "Nor of giving you those amulets."
"You think this stubbornness is a strength, but it is a weakness that will destroy you in the end." Brutus frowned. "Think on my words tonight. You may feel differently when the sun rises again."
Then he patted my head until I pulled it away. He stood and gave me a light kick before leaving. As soon as he was gone, Crispus rushed forward. He braced me with his arm and said, "I'll call for someone to tend to those wounds."
"For what purpose?" I asked. "We both know how my trial will end. Let them be."
"You shouldn't be here right now. Back in the amphitheater, they gave me a bow and ordered me to shoot Radulf. I know you came to the arena to protect him, but I never would've done it."
"Then they'd have killed you too. Your mother ..." I had to swallow before I could finish. "I promised her ..."
"If you kept the amulets, you could've gotten all of us out alive."
"Until they come again." A brush of cool air flowed over my back, and I c
lenched my teeth until it passed. "Fighting always makes things worse, with more people paying for my crimes. The war has to end, with either my defeat or theirs." This time I paused to consider my own words. "I think it'll end with mine."
"If I could break the lock on your armband --"