And suddenly everything went quiet.
Because what landed on the floor of the Pantheon was not a dragon, cursed and terrible in its greatness.
What landed there was a young vestalis who had been imprisoned in a tomb since the death of Julius Caesar. And a prisoner of the dragon every day after that.
The curse was broken.
And impossibly, I was still alive.
The Jupiter Stone had not been made. More important, it did not need to be made.
I was still alive.
The rain continued to fall, though the drops were lighter now than before. Brutus jumped back onto the floor to survey what had become of the Mistress.
He stopped when he saw Atroxia lying there, on her side facing away from us, and moving, though only a little.
The vestalis rushed over to Atroxia, helping her slowly get to a seated position. As she did, she said to me, "She is forgiven, Nicolas. She will rejoin the vestals and spend the remainder of her days helping to build the best of what it is to be Roman."
Now Atroxia met my eyes. The only time I had seen her before was in the catacombs of the temple on Valerius's land. It had been dark in there, and her grip on my wrist had been so painful, I'd barely noticed her appearance then. But I didn't see how I could've missed it.
Atroxia's hair was as red as the scales of the dragon had been. Her lips were equally red, though the rest of her skin was pale, perhaps the consequence of centuries without seeing the sun. But her beauty could not be denied. She might've even been lovelier than Livia, something I'd never thought possible for anyone.
"You saved me," Atroxia said, almost in disbelief. "After all I've done wrong, you saved me."
"No!" Brutus shouted, not to the vestalis but to me. "You've ruined everything!"
I used enough magic to punch him back to the wall, then said to the old vestalis, "You both must leave! This isn't over."
The vestalis immediately got Atroxia to her feet and then helped her onto Callistus's back. He would get them safely away from here. If only I could get Aurelia out of here too.
"I told you what would happen if the Mistress were destroyed," Brutus snarled. "Didn't you believe me?" He cried out to the heavens. "There must be a new Mistress." His gaze lifted to Aurelia.
I wasn't sure how to get her safely down from where she stood, nor if that was enough. She needed to get out of the Pantheon, as far from Brutus as possible.
Suddenly, the cornice beneath Aurelia crumbled and she screamed. Her arms flailed until she found a chunk of rock protruding from the wall. It was holding her for now, but it wouldn't for long.
Diana must've done that, upon Brutus's request. Nothing else should've caused that piece of wall to collapse on its own.
"The moment she loses her grip, Diana will curse her," Brutus said. "It will be the only way she survives that fall. She will become the new Mistress."
"I won't let that happen!" I shouted.
Brutus ignored me. "And when she becomes the Mistress, will you destroy her with a bolt of lightning too? No, of course not. For you will obey this Mistress just as I was sworn to obey the last one. Once the curse is in place, she will demand the amulets from you, and you will give them to her!"
"You promised to let her go!" I said.
"And I will, if you save her from the curse!" Brutus said. "Pledge your loyalty to Diana, swear to use the amulets to serve her, and there will be no need for a Mistress. I will take the Jupiter Stone in her place."
I stood tall on the altar again and raised my hand. "Hold on, Aurelia, please."
She kicked against the wall, still trying to save herself. "Don't make that stone, Nic!"
All I said to her was a mumbled "I'm sorry." Upon my silent command, the rain fell heavier
than before, and thunder rolled overhead. Then I looked over at Brutus. "And when the stone is made, I will use it to end this war. If there are no amulets, there can be no rebellion in the heavens. No curses. No Praetor War. Everything ends tonight." I raised my arms and saw sparks of light dance in the dark clouds above me. I felt their tingle in my fingertips.
"You will not destroy those amulets," Brutus said, moving forward. "I can still get the Stone. I can still give it to Diana and earn my rewards!"