AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Radulf only led me past the baths to a door I'd wondered about every time I'd been in here. He gave a quick knock, two short raps followed by a pause, and then a third knock. Then the door was unlocked on the inside and opened by a small, hunched man who was dressed as a gardener.
He eyed me suspiciously and said to Radulf. "Callistus is for him? Are you sure?"
I tried not to take offense. After all, despite having washed before leaving the sewers, I probably still carried too much of its odor. And I'd just fought off several Praetors, which couldn't have improved my smell. Callistus meant "most beautiful." Whatever it was, I'd probably melt its nostrils. I was almost melting my own.
Radulf nodded, and we were allowed to pass through the narrow corridor into a fenced courtyard. I heard the snort of a horse and the glimpse of a white tail, which didn't surprise me. Radulf had already told me this was for the chariot races, so I figured he must have a powerful horse in his possession.
But it wasn't that. Not exactly anyway.
Radulf had a unicorn.
I felt myself walking forward, drawn to the animal as if from his will rather than my own.
"How is this possible?" I mumbled.
Radulf put his hand on my shoulder, pressing against the Divine Star that was there. I flinched when it sparked, and moved away from him.
"Do you remember how I got magic?" he asked me. "My Divine Star?"
Magic had to come from a creature of the gods, and the memory of how he had acquired his returned to me like a kick to my gut.
"It was given to you accidentally, as you killed a unicorn."
"The unicorn was a mother, and this was her colt. I named him Callistus." Radulf's voice bore no hint of sorrow or regret for what he'd done, which sickened me. "For obvious reasons, he won't allow me anywhere near him, and only my oldest servant can feed and water him." With his hand, Radulf pressed me forward. "But I suspect Callistus will like you."
The unicorn had his eye on me as warily as I was watching him. His fur and mane were as white as clouds, his eyes like the blue heavens from which he had come. But most notable was the spiral horn on his forehead, as golden as the bulla.
Since Radulf had trained me in chariot racing, I'd become comfortable with horses, but I still wasn't sure what to expect from a unicorn. He pawed at the ground a few times and arched his head, and then stared directly at the bulla, hidden again beneath my tunic. He knew it was there.
I withdrew the bulla, and this time felt its power with more intensity than usual. Of course I would, in the presence of such a magnificent animal. And Radulf killed his mother. I glared back at him, wanting him to feel the force of my anger for his crime.
But Radulf was past feeling anything. He only pointed to a leather saddle hanging over the fence. "This was made for Callistus. With the finest materials the empire can produce. Callistus is yours now, Nic."
No, this unicorn wasn't his to give. Callistus was a prisoner here, as I had been. Or maybe as I still was.
I reached out a hand, touching Callistus along the side of his neck first, and then slowly moving up to his head. I didn't dare touch his horn, but I sensed powerful magic in it, something I felt both in my shoulder and in the warming bulla. After a moment, Callistus nudged toward me, much as Caela used to do. I looked into his deep blue eyes and felt swallowed up in them.
Callistus truly was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen, just as Radulf's name for him suggested. But even more, he was pure, like the fresh-fallen snow described to me by men who came here from the far north. And here I was, filthy from the sewers. I was a thief, a runaway slave, and a potential rival of the gods, his true masters. I was unworthy to ride him.
I withdrew my hand and turned to face Radulf again. "I cannot accept this gift," I said. "Callistus should not be owned, or made to serve anyone. Not me, and certainly not you."
"Callistus might save your life. His horn can heal the worst of injuries."
"The Divine Star can heal."
"At great cost. It nearly killed you to save the griffin. The Divine Star may not be enough for what the Praetors will attempt when they find you." Radulf put a hand on my shoulder again and steered me out of the courtyard. "But if you won't accept the gift, then let's get some servants to clean you up. After that, we'll eat. I'm sure you're hungry."
He was right about that, and after I'd been scrubbed down by at least five of his servants, I hurried into the dining room to eat. Radulf was reclined on his couch, waiting for me, but I was halfway through a bunch of grapes before he'd even reached for his first bite. Rather than eat anything, he sat up and studied me.
Finally, I stopped eating and looked over at him. "You obviously have something to say."
"I know what Brutus told you. By tomorrow, you have to give him the key or else they'll kill your mother."
With that reminder, I lost my appetite completely. "I don't have the key, I swear it upon the gods."
"What if the key is something that can't be held? Like a code?"
"I've considered that," I said. "But there was nothing like a code when Horatio spoke to me. Never."
