Drusilla’s eyes widened.
“How dare you,” Gaius snarled, his momentary moderation abandoned. “You’ve forgotten who gave you your freedom, medicus. I can take it away.”
A jolt of horror pulsed through Kallias. His expectations about the consequences of his disappearance had been focused on the short-term: imprisonment, death, possibly a bit of torture along the way. He had not considered being forced to return to a life of slavery.
He can’t. Surely that’s unlawful.But somehow, Kallias doubted the legality mattered in this situation. After all, who would stop the emperor?
Drusilla grabbed her brother’s arm. “Gaius! Be reasonable.”
In a sudden, reflexive movement, Gaius’s arm flashed out to shove her away. His hand made contact with her shoulder, and she stumbled back from the force of it, letting out a small cry.
The emperor froze, staring at her in terror as if he’d just realized what he’d done. Hesnatched his hand back.
An icy mask settled over Drusilla’s usually mild expression. She surveyed her brother with a piercing gaze. When she spoke, her words thrummed with menace. “If youevertouch me in violence again, you will cease to be my brother. Do you understand?”
Gaius was shaking all over, and his face was white as the linens of his bed just beyond. “I’m s-s-sorry. Please, forgive me.” Abruptly, he pulled her into his arms, clinging to her with desperation.
She returned the embrace. When Kallias caught sight of her face, it was drawn with a weariness that spoke of more than the late hour.
When they separated, Gaius glanced over Kallias with faint surprise, as if he’d forgotten he was there. The emperor’s gaze shifted to the Praetorians flanking the doorway. “Get him out of here,” he snapped. “I’ll deal with him tomorrow. After the games.”
The Praetorians stepped forward, hauled Kallias to his feet, and dragged him from the room.
35
Leaclaspedherhandsbehind her back and stretched her arms upward, working out the tight muscles of her shoulders and chest. Noise resounded all around her. She and the other female gladiators were waiting in the arena’s back area for their archery tournament to begin.
Jason was fighting in the arena right now, and ordinarily she would have watched, but she couldn’t risk jeopardizing her focus.
She fixed her gaze on a whorl in one of the wooden beams on the opposite side of the space, willing the image to remain crisp. Her vision had been unreliable since her head injury, and the last thing she needed before an archery tournament this important was to be unable to see the target.
Phoebe, the gladiator who had dealt that injury, approached her. She glanced over the healing wound on Lea’s forehead. “I’m sorry about that.” She rotated her shoulders. “I really thought you were going to duck.”
“It’s not your fault.” Lea released her stretch. “I wasn’t at my best that day.”
“And how are you feeling today?” Phoebe gave a wry smile. “With archery, I think the only way any of us have a chance is if you’re not at your best. But that still leaves second place to fight for.”
“Not much of a prize, is it?” Lea muttered.
Phoebe gave her a strange look. “What do you mean? The chance to join the Praetorian Guard?”
“I’m not sure that appeals to me.” A vast understatement.
Phoebe lifted her arms over her head. “Really? Imagine the honor. The glory. And I bet it’s afarcushier job than this. All they do is stand around and escort the emperor here and there. And imagine, if someone tries to kill him, andyouget to be the one to save him!”
“I suppose you have a point,” Lea conceded, though the prospect of life as a Praetorian still made her stomach turn. But apparently, not everyone felt the same way.
Behind Phoebe, Lea caught sight of Jason returning from his match. Her stomach dropped. He was white-faced, covered in sand, his gaze blank and flat.
She ran up to him. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She glanced over him anxiously. There was plenty of blood on him, but she couldn’t detect any serious injuries, and he was on his feet, after all.
He shook his head slowly. “I—I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” she demanded. Had he hit his head?
His stunned gaze finally focused on her. “I…I think I was about to lose. And thenshewas there.”
“Who?”
