Page 14 of Vesuvius

‘You?’ said Sera.

‘You,’ said the Priest, ‘with what authority?’

Loren’s hands twisted in his lap. ‘I don’t have much power in the city. But as a free citizen and temple attendant, I can offer him some protection from the council and guards, at least until we know if he’s tied to the quakes. And what Camilia said, about bad luck – I fear setting him loose, without knowing what he’s capable of, would do more harm than good.’

Irony simmered low in Felix’s gut, and it felt a lot like vomit. Loren bemoaned his lack of power in the city, yet in the same breath staked claim on another’s freedom. Last night, Felix had been on top of the world, flying through empty streets, nothing on his mind but treasure and the next town. Now to sit there, helpless and bloody, while strangers blamed him for wreckage and debated his fate?

This was lower than low. Felix was a thief. Whatcapabilitiesdid Loren think he had?

The Priest returned to rubbing his chin. ‘An interesting proposition. If the gods are upset, and this boy is connected, perhaps it would be wise to keep watch on him. At least until I receive a clearer sign about his fate. But understand, if you vouch for his honour now, any further trouble he causes will land on your shoulders.’

Loren hesitated. Slowly, he nodded.

All the while, he never spared a glance for Felix. That rankled him the most.

Another hum from the Priest. ‘Do something about that arm, won’t you? Before he bleeds to death in mycourtyard.’

Felix caught Camilia and Loren exchanging a look. Reading people had never come easy to him, but he got the sense she was asking if Loren knew what he was getting himself into. And Felix wanted to respond for him: no. Here was a boy willing to bash a stranger’s skull on first sight, then hope he survived long enough to question later. Who, when doing the questioning, sneaked around behind his fellow temple attendants, like he alone needed the information. Who clearly didn’t trust Felix, not one bit, yet wanted him on a tight leash.

I know you.

Loren was unpredictable. Impulsive, not instinctive. And he seemed to know something Felix didn’t.

That made him the most dangerous person in the room.

So, no. Loren had no idea the trouble he was in now that he and Felix were tied together.

Chapter IV

LOREN

‘Irefuse,’ said Loren, pulling a needle through the pinched skin of the thief’s arm, ‘to believe you told the Priest the truth when he asked your name.’

The thief’s brow twitched up. ‘What tipped you off?’

They had retreated to the private quarters again, away from Camilia’s scrutiny and the Priest’s frown. Loren hoped the privacy might inspire the thief to talk, but he was as shifty here as he’d been at the altar.

Loren tried to make his words teasing, but even before they left his mouth, he knew his joke was doomed to fall flat. ‘No self-respecting parent would name their son something so crass.’

‘Who said anything about self-respecting?’ He considered Loren across the table. With his free hand, he sifted through the grapes scooped from the floor. The thief selected one, inspected it for dirt, then popped it in his mouth. Chewed slow. ‘It’s Felix.’

Loren dragged his gaze from Felix’s swallow, letting the name sink in. How odd to finally put a name to the face that had haunted him for so long. If he closed his eyes now, he could see it clear as day, Felix’s copper curls tangled behind his eyelids. But even that wasn’t right. The faded, cruel ghost that lurked in his dreams had nothing on how absurdly golden Felix was in reality.

Exactly Loren’s luck that this was the closest he’d been to a boy in years, and here he was, putting stitches in his skin while Felix, manifestation of his nightmares, snacked on floor grapes.

Pinch. Pull. Tight, even passes, as Camilia taught him. ‘No family name?’

‘Just Felix.’

‘And what brings you to Pompeii?’

Felix flashed his teeth. ‘Shit luck.’

Another draw of the needle, and Loren tied the cord. He dabbed blood with a damp rag before winding linen around the wound. Felix’s arm looked less garish this way. Less brutal.

‘Are you finished? I can’t stand all this handling.’ Felix’s mouth flattened. He’d worn the same expression when Loren stopped his escape during the aftershock.

If thatwaswhat the quake had been, as Camilia insisted. Loren wasn’t convinced.

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