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fantasies crumbled into dust. To think I’d imagined us fighting side by side. A bimbo, that’s all I was to him. A joke. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
    Bottle it up, I scolded myself. Swallow it down. Whatever. Don’t let Orlando see you cry.
    Next minute the universe supplied an unexpected distraction. Our teachers are constantly telling us that the Agency works in mysterious ways. Like, one tiny thing can change the whole course of human history. Even a silly fluff-ball of a pooch.
    While I struggled to control my emotions, Minerva had noticed Reuben. My angel buddy has a magical affinity with all furry or feathered creatures. Birds, bees, dancing bears, universally adore him. With a weird whimpering sound, the little dog jumped out of Aurelia’s arms and went wriggling up to Reuben, holding up her injured paw.
    Completely disregarding his chains, Reuben stooped down and began to pet her, talking so softly that no human would ever dream he was speaking in the very ancient language we use for communicating with birds and animals. I’m not as fluent as my buddy but I got the gist. “Did the wasp sting you?” he was saying. “Do you want me to take the hurt away?”
    Reuben touched her paw with a gentle finger. I saw an arrow of glowing pink light beam from his heart into Minerva. By the time Reubs straightened up, her limp had totally gone.
    I don’t know what Aurelia saw, but she looked amazed. “I want to buy that boy too,” she told her father. “Minerva needs a kennel slave and he’s obviously wonderful with animals.”
    “I’m also wonderful with plants,” Reuben said shamelessly. “Give me a free hand in the garden and you’ll think you’re living in paradise.”
    My pure angel buddy never gets caught up with his emotions the way I do. He didn’t give a hoot about missing out on gladiator school. Kennel boy, gardener, beggar, thief - it was all one to him. He didn’t even need to be told that Aurelia needed us. Pure angels always go with the flow.
    “Sixteen sestercii for the pair,” said the dealer promptly.
    Aurelia’s father opened his mouth to protest. “It’s a good price,” said Aurelia quickly. Her father counted out coins with a dazed expression.
    I gave Orlando a hurt look. “I can’t believe what you just did.”
    “I needed a way to get an agent into Aurelia’s house. This was the obvious solution. I don’t see why you’re so upset.” His voice became soft and gentle. “Being her ornatrix isn’t who you are . Melanie. It’s just your cover.”
    “It is ?” I quavered. I SO wanted to believe him.
    “I keep telling you, she needs our help,” Orlando insisted.
    “Yeah, after all she is totally alone,” I said sarcastically. “Ooh, except for her rich daddy and a gazillion slaves, not to mention helpful angels falling over themselves to heal her little puppy dog!”
    The dealer was coming back with the lanista.
    Orlando looked genuinely worried. “Promise me you’ll look after her?” Please, Helix ? he added silently.
    Helix is my angel name. Orlando was appealing to me as a fellow professional. So I had to say yes, didn’t I?
    The lanista and the slave-dealer were closing their deal. Any minute now, Orlando and I would be taken off to our different destinations.
    My throat ached with misery. It wasn’t meant to be like this. “You could have explained, you know,” I told him reproachfully. “I’d have understood. Do you even know where they’re taking you?” I heard my voice crack with distress.
    But before he could answer, Orlando, the rest of his task force, plus Flammia and five regular-sized barbarians were all led away in chains by the lanista.
    Aurelia was watching with a sympathetic expression. “It’s too soon for you to trust me,” she said in a low voice, “but maybe one day, you’ll tell me your story.”
    In fact, I’d sensed some kind of mysterious bond with Aurelia from the start. I think Aurelia sensed it too. Maybe