Mark of the Thief

The mosaic entry of Crispus’s home is tiled with the same precious gems Nic once mined. Its pattern is of a griffin, prompting Nic to miss Caela and wonder if she survived. Paintings of Valerius and his father hang in the corridor. Nic notes that he never met his father. In the atrium, another griffin mosaic decorates the floor of a shallow pool illuminated by moonlight. Crispus suggests Aurelia go to the baths, but she insists on remaining with Nic.

Aurelia is ill at ease and suggests they leave, but Nic trusts Valerius. He asks why she cares to find a family that exposed her. She reveals that she thinks about them daily, adding, “I need to tell you something” (206). Just then, two dogs rush in barking. Nic and Aurelia run into the atrium, the dogs at their heels. Nic trips and falls into the pool. Holding up his hands, he orders the dogs to stop, and they immediately obey and begin happily following his commands. When Nic stands up, Aurelia notices the bulla shining as brightly as the moon and tells him she knows which god powers it. Crispus witnesses the scene.