Page 61 of Vesuvius

‘I’m surprised you know what it says.’

‘Aurelia helped.’ A muscle tightened in Felix’s jaw. ‘Read it.’

Painfully slow, Loren unfolded the letter and scanned the writing once. Twice.

‘But the names . . .’ His mouth tugged down.

‘Julia’s father, I know.’

Braid flopping, Loren shook his head. ‘Not who it’s from, who it’s for. You have no idea who you took this from, do you?’

‘I thought we were past the trespassing.’

‘Felix, you aren’t listening.’ Loren tapped the header. ‘Sen. M. Servius R.He’s your statesman? The guard you recognised at the estate, are you certain he’s the same?’

‘He cut me with a sword. My memory is shit, but that’s not something you forget.’

Loren huffed and tucked loose hair behind his ear. ‘Senator Servius is powerful. You don’t understand. I met him today. He and Julia . . . she said they have history. I didn’t realise how much. Or how deep their feud goes.’

‘Murder-deep,apparently.’

‘Isis, this is bad.’ Slumping against the bricks, Loren pressed his palms into his eyes, weary as the world. ‘When you said a rich man was after you, I thought a merchant. A lower ordo at most. But a senator of Rome?’

‘Worse,’ said Felix. ‘He’s a smuggler. I recognise the phrasing. My guess is he failed to rope Julia’s father into his ring, and now Servius holds a grudge.’

‘Aurelia told me a story of an exiled smuggler, a man who wears gloves perpetually, who tried to move the helmet and was burned. I should’ve listened. Servius wore gloves at the games.’

‘No wonder he wants the helmet. Imagine what that would fetch on the market.’

‘If Servius had a true divine relic, I doubt he’d sell it off so easily.’

‘You think he’d use it.’ Felix kicked a crack in the wall. ‘Right. Who wouldn’t want more power?’

‘You wouldn’t.’ Loren dropped his hands and stared at Felix hard.

‘You would.’ Felix levelled his gaze. ‘Power abuses. You can’t trust anyone who has more than you.’

An agitated flush spread over Loren’s cheeks. ‘That isn’t true. A good politician should be someone you trust more than anything. Someone who acts for you. If they fail, you vote them out.’

‘Because it’s so easy to get rid of a bad politician.’

‘It isn’t a perfect system. But with the right intentions—’

‘Intentions? Loren, politicians don’t act for me. They act for whoever has the deepest pockets. And I’m worth nothing to either, not the council, not the rich folks funding them. What am I worth to – oh, forget it.’ Felix couldn’t stomach listening to Loren defend a system that had never once given a damn about him. Not again. Instead, he flicked the letter, still in Loren’s tight fist. ‘What will you do about that?’

The diversion worked. Deflating, Loren tried in vain to smooth the rumpled parchment. He read it again and sighed. ‘What choice do I have? I should warn Julia he’s after her.’

‘You saw her face when she found Clovia. She already knows. I brought you this as proof that dealing with her is dangerous. Anything you think she might know about the helmet isn’t worth it. Find another way to figure it out or drop the matter. Whatever you have with Julia, end it now.’

‘She’s in danger, Felix. As her heir, it affects me, too.’

Loren might have continued speaking. He probably did. But Felix’s scope narrowed to a pinprick. Three words:as her heir.

‘Her heir?’ Felix breathed, cutting Loren off mid-sentence. ‘You signed?’

Loren shifted. An odd look came over him, glowing and proud and blushing for all the wrong reasons. ‘Not officially. Yet. You don’t have to care for politics, but what she offers—’

‘You said you wouldn’t. That you were only there for the helmet.’ Felix swallowed. ‘Gods, Loren. I thought you didn’t want to be controlled.’

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