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He gave a tight bow. “Your performance was delightful. Valentina, were you once as graceful as these little flowers?”

Her face hardened, but she smiled and swatted his arm with a wink. He laughed like a man who could imagine nothing more wonderful.

“I’m amazed,” he continued, “at how you ladies are able to spin those flaming poles without causing injury.”

Kyra laughed politely.

What was he talking about? We had burned one another in practice many times. I couldn’t help myself. “Sir, what makes you think that?”

He blinked in surprise and then laughed again, showing his straight, white teeth. “Delightful.”

Valentina’s eyes narrowed.

He extended his free elbow to me. “What a beautiful girl you are. Hair the color of honey. My dear, come with us to get some wine.”

Valentina gave his arm a squeeze. “My lord, if you will excuse us, I need a word with these two. I will meet you in just a moment.”

He bowed reluctantly and disappeared into the crowd.

Kyra watched his retreating figure. “He seems all right, Valentina.”

Valentina’s smile faded. Her eyes suddenly looked tired, despite the colorful shimmer around them. “He’s perfect. He’s a favorite of the Imperator, and he discovered a mountain of gold in a cave somewhere. I need a new patron, since Lord Marcus seems to have given me up. Of course, maybe that’s for the best. He wasn’t very generous.”

I strained to get another look at the man with the blond curls. “Is that man one of the famous explorers we heard about? Is the other here too?”

Valentina nodded. “They’re both here, but what does it matter to you? I’ve got my eye on Lord Fabius, and you’d do well to stay away from the other one.”

“I just expected an explorer to seem less insipid,” I said, watching the man bow his way through the crowd.

Valentina had been adjusting the draped waist of her dress, but at this she shot me a glance. “And who are you to have any expectations? Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can hold out for the man you like the best. A bid from any of them will do, but wealthy, generous, and dull is the ideal combination.”

“Anna won’t have patience for anyone dull.” Kyra squeezed my hand.

“Then she will have a needlessly difficult time.” Valentina stared into the crowd. “I’ll say this: The other explorer is certainly unusual. He is an Archidux, and the Imperator’s own nephew. Rich enough, but blind in one eye, of all things. And he limps.”

She nodded in the direction of a group on the opposite side of the terrace. “Over there, near the musicians, wearing a gray toga, like many of the others. See, with the burly arms and dark hair? He has a cane with a silver-and-ruby handle.”

The man who met her description was broad and imposing, with high cheekbones and a set jaw. He leaned lightly on a walking stick. I looked away quickly before he could notice me staring.

Kyra raised her dark eyebrows. “I suppose it doesn’t matter if you can see out of both eyes when you are the nephew of the Imperator.”

“The point is,” Valentina said, “look for someone who can help you clear your debts. Charm as many of them as you can. Not Lord Clemens, obviously. I need him.” She looked at me pointedly. “So, keep your quick tongue in check, Anna.”

“I need to sit down,” Kyra said.

“And before you get too curious, know that the Archidux is useless to you, because he never bids on tirae. That’s a blessing from the Goddess, since he’s rough and hard to entertain. Keep your distance.” She patted Kyra on the arm and moved off into the crowd.

We watched her glide gracefully away, drawing the eyes of all the men she passed.

Kyra’s face was ashen. “Do you think many of them are rough?” she whispered.

I had no idea how to answer her question. “You look tired. Come on. We can find a place to rest for a minute or two.”

Over the past few days, as the Demonstratio approached, Kyra had grown increasingly pale and drawn. I did my best to reassure her, but as I knew as little as she did about what the coming days would hold, my efforts had not done much to bring a sparkle back to her usually bright eyes.

We skirted the edge of the terrace, avoiding the clusters of people talking, laughing, staring. Left to myself, I would have ignored all of them and lingered at the wall. Below the terraces of Casa Caligine were the glowing lights of houses lining the cobbled streets of Corlivo—and farther down, the gates of the walled city. Beyond that, vast slopes and plains stretched to a thick forest. And past that? Parts of the Empire that I dreamed of visiting, but like all the girls raised for the elite pleasure houses of Corlivo, I had never even left the city.

“Oh, no,” I heard Kyra whisper.