When I sat up again, his eyes were open, just barely, but it was definitely him in there. He was even smiling a little, and that alone made me happier than I ever thought I would feel again.
His smile quickly faded as a hollowness filled his eyes. He said, "My magic is gone. Whatever I had left, it took everything to bring me back."
"I don't care about that," I whispered.
"I think I destroyed the amulets. And the Divine Star is empty, if the scar is even still there."
"You don't need them. The war is over."
"It is?" He raised his head, appearing genuinely surprised. How could he not know?
Explanations could wait until later. For now, I squeezed his hand. "It is."
He laid his head back down on the altar. "That's why everything hurts."
"It also doesn't help that you did battle with a bolt of lightning last night."
"I lost that battle." Another weak grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "To win, I had to lose."
"You did win, Nic. You're alive. All battles are over."
His eyes closed, and when they opened again, a hint of mischief was in them. "So will you marry me or not? Before you answer, you'd better plan to keep your promise, because I won't let you out of it as easily as Crispus did."
I jabbed my elbow into his side, though not too hard this time. "All of a s
udden promises matter to you? Like your promise not to make a Jupiter Stone?"
"Like my promise to come back from it if I did." He drew in a slow, deliberate breath. "Help me up."
He started to rise on his own, but it was clear he had no strength. That didn't matter to me. I would be strong enough for us both until he could keep himself standing.
Caela got to her feet too. I forgot she had stayed near us last night. But Nic turned to her as if he had known all along that she was there.
"I think I called her here, before the ... well ... before," he said. "When did she come back?"
"After it was over."
"Of course." He started in her direction, but his legs failed him. I laid one of his arms over my shoulder and then wrapped my arms around his waist to help him climb over the altar rubble. "Caela will take us out of here, before anyone comes."
"Where are we going?"
He looked over at me. "Britannia. We're leaving the empire."
My heart leapt. Before now, every time Nic had spoken about Britannia, there was always doubt in his voice, even when he tried to convince me otherwise. But he seemed firm in his plans now. "How will you know where to go, without magic to guide us?"
"Radulf was in my head. He's the one who woke me up. Caela brought him and Livia to Crispus's home. She will bring us there too."
I did a double take. "Radulf? How could he be in your head?"
"I don't know. Maybe I dreamed that too. But wherever my family is, Caela will get us there."
By then we were on the solid floor of the Pantheon. Caela had to crouch very low so that Nic could roll onto her back. I got on behind him, and this time I would be the one to ensure he did not fall.
Caela normally took off at steep angles, requiring her riders to hold on tight. This time, she rose gently, gliding into the air in wide circles around the Pantheon, with each round taking her higher and higher. By the time we reached the height of the dome, the first patrons of the temple had entered.
"What happened in here?" someone asked.
"Look, a griffin!" someone else said, pointing upward. "Wasn't that the animal the slave boy used to ride?"