Tiberius's words stole the air from my lungs and shock silenced the others, their eyes darting to me. I felt like I was the one out there on the sand. And the trapdoors had just opened up beneath me.

  "What?" My voice was faint.

  “Ah, stercus,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Shit. Of course he didn't tell you."

  I clenched my hands into fists, willing myself to remain calm. Felix was still alive and panicking helped no one, least of all Ursus. I stared out at the arena. "Then tell me what happened. Now." The words came out harshly.

  He came to stand next to me at the edge of the box. "It was the longest fight anyone had ever seen. And it still hasn't been matched yet. But both of them had to abandon their helmets just so they could breathe. They kept fighting but neither of them could get the upper hand, not since Felix sliced open Cyclops's leg.”

  The announcer was introducing the last match as the two gladiators gave their attention to the cheering spectators.

  “They were both staggering with exhaustion, although it was only a matter of time until the gash brought down Cyclops. But then Felix lost his footing on a patch of sand wet with blood. The next thing I knew, he was on his back while the Cyclops's sword came down at his face.”

  I hissed an inhalation, knowing what was coming next.

  “The man swung it like he was Jupiter throwing a bolt of lightning, Max. Only the gods know how Felix managed to deflect it in time while kicking him away. That's when the blade dragged down your father's face. Any deeper…"

  Tiberius paused as the two faced off. Roaring, Cyclops hit his gladius against his shield and turned his back to Ursus and scanned the crowd. It felt like he looked right at me and Saturnia wrapped her arms around me protectively.

  "I hear the oh-so-great Felix is his mentor!" He shouted to the crowd, making a promise. "This time, I'll finish what I started and kill his prized gladiator!”

  "This time, it'll be over before you know it," Ursus countered with a laugh. He looked right at me and winked. "One of us will be walking out still looking handsome, and that already rules you out."

  Whirling back, Cyclops growled. “I'm going to have fun destroying that face of yours then. I hear you're just a moecha putida. Spending more time as a dirty slut performing for patrons than you do fighting.”

  Ursus scoffed. “Unlike you, I don't need to pay for a good time.”

  The judge cut them off before they could continue, instructing the gladiators to put their helmets on and ready themselves.

  "And then what?" I pressed Tiberius.

  He crossed his arms and continued. "Felix managed to drag the shield over himself and reached out for his sword. But before he could grab it, it was kicked away and the Cyclops's own blade came down on his hand. He's lucky he only lost a finger there."

  I bit my tongue and tasted blood. The others were listening intently, even though I was sure they'd heard the story before.

  "Cyclops went wild at the sight, somehow getting another lick of energy to hack at the shield until the sword got stuck. The gladius snapped when he tried to pry it out while Felix rolled away. So your father grabbed a shard and stabbed him in the eye. That's how Cyclops got his nickname. Before, he was called—"

  "I don't need to know the name of a dead man," I said calmly, cutting him off. Because I was sure of it.

  His eyes crinkled at my statement and the judge motioned for the fight to begin.

  "The fight ended right after that. They fell apart with the broken hilt buried into Felix's side. They could hardly move anymore and the crowd shouted for mercy.” Tiberius shook his head. “The medic hadn't finished patching Felix up when he ran out and stole a horse."

  If the situation hadn't been so tense, I would have laughed at how absurd that sounded.

  "He also kept repeating that Mors couldn't take him yet. That he couldn't die until he saw you."

  A sharp pain stabbed my throat and my breath ran ragged.

  Saturnia reached out to me. “Max—”

  But I shifted away from her comforting touch and spun away with burning eyes. Away from the soft look that Praxedes and Quintus gave me, away from Corvus who swore under his breath. I could hear the two gladiators check each other a few times with their shields, testing their strength.

  “That man loves you more than anything in the world,” Tiberius said.

  His words only brought fresh tears hot upon my cheeks. After a few moments, I wiped my face to turn back—this wasn't about me.

  "You're weak, old man! And everyone knows it,” Ursus taunted. He began to swing hard and wide, but his shield dropped to the side a little each time.

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  My eyes narrowed.

  “That's not like him,” Praxedes said, echoing my thoughts.

  Taking the opening in Ursus's defenses, Cyclops let out a triumphant roar. He thrust forward. But it was too late when he realized he'd been baited. Ursus grabbed the extended sword arm and pivoted, throwing Cyclops over his head.

  “Oh, gods,” Saturnia breathed with an awed expression that made Quintus snort. “He's amazing."

  The crowd gasped to see a man of his size fly through the air like he was nothing more than a sack of bread. He thudded onto his back with a groan, scrambling to orient himself. But Ursus had already pinned him down, stabbing his sword into the sand. Right through several fingers.

  Cyclops roared in anger. “I know what you're doing, but—”

  His voice cut out when the gladius was shoved into his side next. The blade came back out in a spray of red blood. It was the strangest thing, but for some reason I remembered the food fight.

  "Like cherry juice," I murmured.

  Corvus glanced at me, bemused, before his eyes snapped back to Ursus.

  "Any last words?" the gladiator asked after prying off his opponent's helmet.

  He opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, Ursus grinned and stabbed down into the other eye, using both hands to drive the sword through the skull.

  Cyclops stilled.

  It was a pathetic death and an unceremonious end to a fight. One that was met with equal part wild cheers and booed, but I felt vindicated. And it was all the same to Ursus as he lifted his fists in victory. Covered in blood with his plumed helmet, he was how I pictured the god of war Mars would look.

  The others around me shouted and whistled. Ursus walked around the defeated champion's body, gesturing to raise the noise. But before he left the arena, he paused to toss his helmet into the crowd. And then the cloth belted around his waist, baring his ass to everyone and the body. They reached to catch the spoils, screaming.

  "Well, that explains a lot.”

  The group looked at me.

  "When Felix came home, he was already bleeding through his bandages and there wasn't one on his face. And as soon as he walked through the door, he collapsed to his knees and only held out one arm. The other hand he hid from me, which was stupid because I could already see him covered in blood. It soaked my clothes through my clothes by the time Meridius and the medic raced in behind him.”

  “You weren't afraid?” Quintus asked.

  I shrugged. “No. Yes. Because he'd come home, but he also came home half dead. They had to pry me away in order to carry him to another room and stop the bleeding.”

  They fell silent.

  “I'm just glad Ursus walked away without a scratch,” I added.

  Tiberius ruffled my hair again. “Cyclops got old and should've retired by now. Don't worry. Felix is still the best of us.”

  I frowned. “That's not what I meant.”

  "So, uh. Prax,” Saturnia jumped in, clearing her throat. “How are you going to impress Max now? Your rival just killed the guy who nearly killed her father."

  There was a moment of silence and then I burst out laughing. I didn't know where it came from, but it didn't stop as tears streamed out and it became hard to catch my breath. Praxedes caught the same tickle and Quintus grabbed her before she could fall off the bench, muttering to himself. Corvus looked more alarmed than skeptical, although his mouth twitched before joining in. Saturnia just stuck her tongue out at me and I squeezed her tightly. She always knew what to say.

  When I finally let go, she put her hands on my shoulders. "Seriously, Max. Are you alright?”

  After hesitating a moment, I nodded. "Yeah. I think I just need some time alone for now."

  "If that's the case, the rest of us can go back together with you Saturnia," Tiberius offered.

  Before they could say much else, I said a quick goodbye and escaped, avoiding their reactions. My nerves felt chafed raw as it was and I felt too vulnerable for any more talking or sympathetic expressions.

  My feet brought me back to the markets. I wandered through, searching for a distraction but not really looking at anything at the same time. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of that table of books again. It was something completely removed from my usual life and I took a deep breath of relief.

  A large crowd had gathered and I took a closer look out of curiosity. All of the books were titled some sort of introduction. Introduction to mathematics, philosophy, art, astronomy...and things I had never heard of before, like thermodynamics and computational science.

  A bowl of small white disks caught my eye. It was accompanied by a sign that labeled them as free. The description underneath said it was both a sweet dessert called candy and a perfume for the mouth.

  I scrunched my face. Perfume for the mouth? The memory of one too many customers suddenly came to mind. Some had breath that stunk so bad it made my eyes water. Self-consciously, I put my hand to my mouth and sniffed my exhale. How many times did my own breath smell bad?

  Taking one, I put it in my mouth and was immediately hit with the taste of mint and a sweetness so intense it traveled up my jaw. The candy began to dissolve on my tongue until I bit it. It broke with a satisfying crunch, crumbling under my teeth. Maybe they'd let me buy a bunch from them.

  My eyes swept the people from Schola. There was a mix of men and women, young and old, all dressed strangely.

  "Salve," I said to one that reminded me of a scruffy dog, offering a smile. His skin was paler than most in Aeterna and dotted with freckles. "Alright, how many people have you offered these to, pretending it's a gift?

  Looking slightly panicked, he blinked in surprise. "Well, it really is a gift and..." He paused at the smirk I gave him. "A lot," he answered sheepishly.

  "Thought so." I laughed. "So…is Cyrus here by any chance?"

  "Uhh, you're looking for Cyrus?" He shook his head, muttering at himself to keep it together. "Cyrus is taking a test right now. We're, uh, doing our best to keep our normal school routine. Keep calm and carry on, you know?" A nervous laugh interrupted his words. "That's dumb, of course you wouldn't know that expression. It's British. Which, funny enough, you guys almost—" He cut himself off.

  I blinked in confusion, but held my tongue. The poor guy looked stressed enough. I began to turn away. "That's okay. Thank you for letting me know."

  "Wait!"

  I looked back.

  "What's your name? I'll tell him you stopped by?"

  I didn't know what possessed me to say this, but I grinned. "Tell him not-Cassius. He'll know."

  The confusion on his face deepened and I walked away to get the horse. After rounding the corner, I groaned out loud and slapped a hand to my face. What if he had no idea what the message meant? That had to have been the dumbest thing I could've said.