Free Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen

her?”
    Felix frowned. “Not yet. But she will have her chance to eat.”
    So I got to my feet and followed Felix, who led me up the ramp and back outside. I was so grateful to be away from the fetid heat that it would’ve been enough just to stay here in the open air, but then, he had also offered me food.
    As we walked, Felix gestured to a throng of people gathered on a corner of the road who were holding out sacks of coins and yelling at one another. Felix asked if I knew what they were doing, but I only shrugged.
    “Setting up their bets for the games,” he said. “Mostly on which gladiator they expect to win. By the end of the day’s events, some wealthy men will have lost everything as a lucky plebian walks away with his toga and his home.”
    I squinted into the sun to look at them. “It looks like a mob.”
    “It is a mob,” he said, then stopped and looked down at me. “All of Rome is a mob. The emperor and his senators prance about as rulers do, but they know how fragile Rome really is. Without the Praetors, it would’ve collapsed already.”
    “Praetors?” I asked.
    Felix motioned around us. “They’re the ones who really run this empire. The Praetors are our judges, governors, and administrators. They provide bread for the bellies and distraction with the games. But that’s only their public face. In private, they are —” He stopped, as if he couldn’t force out the rest of his words.
    “Are what?” I asked.
    “They are dangerous!” He drew in a sharp breath. “But Rome needs them. Without the Praetors, the mob becomes … a mob.”
    I thought about Radulf’s claim back at the mines, that he would crush the empire in his fist. Were the Praetors part of his plan? I wondered.
    We walked in silence until Felix pointed to a wide hill in front of us. “Do you know the name of that place?”
    I shrugged, but held my tongue. How would I possibly know that?
    “It’s Palatine Hill, the center of the seven hills of Rome. The emperor has his palace there, but that’s not why I’m showing it to you. That, my friend, is the most sacred place in Rome. Do you know why?”
    I figured it had something to do with the gods, because as far as I could tell, everything did in the Roman Empire. But I knew nothing else.
    “A thousand years ago, the twin sons of the god Mars, Romulus and Remus, decided to form a new city on this very spot. Romulus stood on Palatine Hill. Remus stood on Aventine Hill, behind it. Whichever twin saw the first bird would know he was the rightful king.”
    I pictured Caela in my mind. More perfect than any bird of the skies, or animal of the land.
    “As the story goes, Remus saw the first bird,” Felix continued. “But immediately after, Romulus saw a flock of ten birds. Which was the greater sign? Each brother claimed the right to the throne. As Remus and Romulus fought for control of the land, Romulus killed his brother, then founded the city of Rome on that spot.” Felix eyed me sideways. “Before you can understand Rome, you must understand where we began. We are a product of our history of violence, betrayal, and blood.”
    I was still thinking of Caela, the way I had abandoned her in that cage. “I know about the execution of criminals at the games, and the gladiators who battle one another,” I said warily. “I know those animals must be sent into the amphitheater as part of the battles, but what will happen to the griffin? Surely she is not part of the venatio. She is a gift to the emperor, right?”
    Felix drew in a breath and released it with a sigh. “In two days, the emperor will be watching the games. Then he will see who is stronger, his mighty gladiators or the griffin, animal of the gods.”
    I closed my eyes and tried to absorb the horror I felt. The venatio was a hunt — Felix had told me that, but I had never thought it included Caela. Inexperienced and too eager to please, I had just led Caela into a cage to await her turn to die. I had only one