Mark of the Thief

“I was filthy and covered in the same bruises, scrapes, and cuts as any other slave miner. And I felt how low my status was compared to a man of Radulf’s greatness. But at least I hadn’t spent the last few minutes talking about treason against the Roman Empire.”

Nic here describes coming face-to-face with Radulf for the first time after he overhears the general’s plan to bring down the Roman Empire. This establishes that Nic has a strong sense of agency from the beginning despite his circumstances of enslavement, which is evident also in his adopting two names: Nicolas Calva. This drive toward agency is both developed and challenged across the novel as Nic confronts what it means to be free and what it means to be enslaved, both in body and mind.

“Only senators, or their sons, were allowed to wear those robes, but what was a senator doing out this far from Rome? I noticed his shoes next: high buckskin boots collared black, rather than the red ones or sandals other, lower-ranking citizens wore.”

Woven into the novel’s exploration of power is the way material conditions reinforce social stratification in Rome. Luxuries are permitted for and enjoyed by the upper classes and denied to the lower classes. Nic recognizes that Valerius, however well or badly he behaves, must be a high-ranking senator because of the clothes and shoes he wears.

“But most of the animals were made to fight one another, just as the gladiators did. The more brutal the show, and the more blood that was spilled, the louder Rome cheered.”

Nic describes what he has heard about the venatio and its brutal appeal. Several times across the novel, the Roman people are described as a “mob” that must be appeased. In ancient Rome, this was achieved through panem et circenses—or bread and circuses—the distribution of free food and the staging of violent entertainment that kept the people complacent in the face of strict social control.

“Felix pointed ahead to a massive brick wall that he said now surrounded the entire city of Rome. ‘They say it’s to keep the barbarians out. But I sometimes wonder if the real barbarians don’t already live inside these walls.’”

Felix’s observation that the “real barbarians” are inside the city walls refers not only to the threat of uprisings among the people but also to the city’s rulers. The novel develops this idea through the brutality of authority figures—from Sal at the mines to Horatio and Valerius—who repeatedly demonstrate their willingness to sacrifice innocents for their own quests for power and influence.

“Each one seemed like a palace, lining the streets with white marble walls and columns, or thick, square-cut granite, all of them trimmed with gold, silver, or copper. These were the very materials I had mined for the last five years, which meant that in some way, I had been part of building Rome all this time, and never known it.”

When Nic first arrives in Rome, he is captivated by the city’s beauty and the majesty of its buildings and realizes that he has been part of the city without even knowing it, since the materials he has mined built the beautiful buildings he admires. Felix reinforces this by affirming that Nic is “Roman now as well” and part of the promise of Rome (71). In this way, the novel illustrates the appeal of Rome even for those who are subjugated within it: Feeling invested in the city through their labor makes them feel part of its best aspects, which can either become a distraction from the rot under the surface or an inspiration to make the city better at all levels and for all people.

“The very notion of sewers running below ground was amazing. One of my few memories from Gaul was having sewage accidentally tossed on me while walking down a road. I couldn’t imagine a place where water freely came and went, where thirst wasn’t a daily problem.”

Here, Nic describes the aqueduct that Felix has pointed out to him on their way into Rome. The passing reference to Nic’s native home, Gaul, creates an important counterpoint with Rome that draws further attention to the city’s appeal. Nic wonders if he is in Elysium, the blessed home of heroes in the afterlife. The novel suggests why, for Nic, Rome might be worth fighting for, even with its problems.

“Before you can understand Rome, you must understand where we began. We are a product of our history of violence, betrayal, and blood.”

Felix, the speaker of the above passage, points out Rome’s landmarks to Nic. At this point in the narrative, they are passing Palatine Hill, believed to be among the most ancient parts of the city and the site of Rome’s foundation. Felix tells Nic the myth of Remus and Romulus who initially shared power but ultimately fought each other for sole control, which ended with Remus’s death. Thus, Rome’s foundation lies in betrayal and murder, which continues into Nic’s time.

“When Caesar was alive, this bulla gave him wealth, brought him military victories, and provided him with the power to unify Rome and become the strongest emperor the world has ever known. But he began to believe too much in himself, rather than in Venus’ power. His journals boast of his own abilities, not hers.”

When Nic first shows Felix the bulla, Felix tells him the story of its original owner, Julius Caesar, who claimed to be descended from Venus. In the fantasy world of the novel, he actually was her descendant, but he lost the goddess’s favor through his arrogance. The story foreshadows the relationship each of the Roman elites has to power: Horatio, Valerius, and Radulf each want the bulla to transcend mortal limits and become like a god.

“Every choice was wrong, which really meant I had no choices at all. No way out. No chance.”

Nic’s realization above follows a conversation with Aurelia before he participates in the games. Possessing the bulla has made him a target of both sides. Tacitus will kill him to get the bulla or as punishment for having stolen it, and Radulf will do the same. It illustrates why power is dangerous not only for those under its influence but also for those who wield it.

“I passed the remains of one of the criminals who had been killed and several of the animals that had been sacrificed to the games earlier that morning. It was repulsive to think that this day was only half over. The biggest event still remained for the gladiator battles that afternoon. And the audience cheered on, with an appetite for blood that might never be filled.”

Nic’s observations and feelings about the slaughter at the games reflect the sinister aspect of Rome to which he remains sensitive across the novel. The audience cheering on the slaughter from the stands, which includes the patricians who engineer and sponsor the events, accepts the brutality and cruelty as a facet of Roman life. Conversely, Nic is unwilling to become desensitized in order to achieve his own goals.

“Rome was so much more beautiful than I’d ever imagined. Carla had given me the view of the gods. Surely there had never been a city like this in all the world. Perhaps nothing so great, or so terrible, would ever match this empire again.”

In the scene above, as Caela flies Nic out of the arena, he sees the city of Rome spread out below and observes its beauty from the sky. The moment encapsulates what distinguishes Nic from the others who seek the bulla: He recognizes that this view belongs to the gods, and his access to this view is through Caela, an animal who comes from the gods. Nic understands his human limits, and this enables him to acknowledge both the “great” and the “terrible.”

“I still wasn’t sure if the magic was good or bad, which meant I could no longer be sure whether I was good or bad. But it saved my life before, and I needed it again.”

Though Nic’s character develops across the novel as his agency and self-control grow, he retains a complex view toward power, expressed here through his stance on the bulla. On the one hand, he recognizes that he needs it and that it has saved him. On the other hand, he has seen the destruction it can cause. Unlike Valerius, Horatio, and Radulf, power is not desirable “at any cost,” as the others express.

“Radulf became a hero in this city, and through his skills, he earned his freedom, then his citizenship, then his military position.”

Radulf’s identity as Nic’s grandfather is hinted at throughout the novel: He comes from Gaul, the same place Nic is from, and takes an interest in him even as he seems to view him as an antagonist. This description of him, mentioned several times, also foreshadows Nic’s status at the end of the novel as a hero of the people.

“Raising my head felt unnatural, but he was right, keeping my head down was the attitude of a slave.”

In the above passage, Crispus leads Nic through the city in disguise as a patrician woman and advises him how to escape notice: He must match his walk and attitude with those of a privileged member of society. The scene draws attention to concern across the novel with the relationship between material conditions and state of mind. Nic has been trained to keep his head down, literally and figuratively, and he must learn to “walk in the shoes of a free man,” as Crispus tells him when he gives Nic his first pair of sandals (225).

“As impressive as my first glimpses of Rome had been, nothing equaled the beauty of the forum. It seemed to have been made for the gods themselves, and yet even the lowest Roman was freely given this place for work, play, or worship.”

The “promise” of Rome that Felix spoke of in Chapter 11 is expressed in Nic’s above reflection on the forum, the center of Roman daily life. It is a place of unparalleled beauty that seems designed for the gods, but it is a place where all Romans, regardless of status, coexist and commingle.

“The world will judge you based on what you think of yourself. If you want to fight Radulf as an equal, then you had better think of yourself that way.”

The speaker of the above passage is Aurelia, who has noticed that Nic made a bed for himself on the floor despite having been given a mattress to sleep on in Valerius’s house. Unaccustomed to such luxury, Nic feels more at home on the floor but, as Aurelia expresses, Nic must stop thinking like an enslaved person and see himself as equal to anyone, especially Radulf.

“Even saving Rome would not happen if it meant I had to blur the shades of right and wrong. And it bothered me that Valerius saw things differently.”

Valerius’s motives remain shrouded in the early part of the novel and are gradually revealed. Aurelia is suspicious of him from the beginning, but Nic accepts his help for the simple reason that he needs it. This moment foreshadows Valerius’s willingness to sacrifice Nic: It is clear that Valerius does not share Nic’s values. Rather, like Radulf and Horatio, Valerius’s highest value is power, even if it means doing wrong.

“For the first time, I began to understand the magic, not just use it. Magic itself was an emotion, and like the strongest emotions, it could build or destroy. Right now, it was doing both. Building her, destroying me.”

Here, Nic heals Caela with his magic and loses strength in the process. To heal Caela, he must give up something of himself and share his power. This moment represents an important turning point for Nic when he begins to understand the need to control his emotions, and through them, his magic, so that he can wield his power consciously, with awareness of both its creative and destructive potential.

“No matter how much power it has, you will always be weaker than me. Because I don’t care about any of those people behind you. I will sacrifice them all to get that bulla.”

The above speaker is Radulf, who believes that having no loyalties or attachments other than power makes him stronger and better equipped for success. It is the view held by Horatio, Valerius, and even Felix, to a degree. At the end of the novel, it seems that Radulf may be right, but Nic’s regard for others earns him friendship, respect, and trust; these qualities may turn out, as the series progresses, to be powerful weapons in his fight.

“If I refused to have any master, then that must include the bulla. I would control it, and not the other way around. Nor would I give Sal the satisfaction of seeing me fail here. I was still angry and confused—after everything Sal had said, how could I feel otherwise? But I was also in control, and I let the magic dissipate within me.”

As explored throughout the novel, Nic’s journey to freedom exists in both the external, physical world and in his mind. Learning to embrace the material conditions of freedom is part of his journey. Just as—if not more—important is freedom of mind and choice. Nic’s realization here foreshadows his revelation in Chapter 48 that he exchanged the bulla’s jewels with the fake ones from Aurelia’s crepundia.

“I loved her mother more than I’ve loved anyone or anything. But she died giving birth to Aurelia, and that released a poison inside me. I was a senator, in the greatest empire the world had ever known. But it was not great enough to save her.”

Here, Horatio explains why he exposed Aurelia, his daughter, after her mother’s death, and why he wants to destroy Rome. This admission humanizes Horatio and allows readers to sympathize with him, but it also shows that Horatio made a conscious choice not to resist the painful “poison” of losing a loved one. In this, Horatio acts as a counterpoint to Nic, whose painful experiences do not make him callous or bitter. He shows care even for those who have hurt him, as he saves Sal in the games, and can appreciate the beauty of Rome while still acknowledging its sinister aspects.

“Perhaps some hope remained after all. Valerius had condemned me for Horatio’s death, but the mob saw it differently. An escaped slave of Rome had just earned the hearts of the people.”

Nic’s trajectory here mirrors Radulf’s: He came to Rome enslaved but has earned the respect of the people, who salute Nic as he flies off with Caela after his confrontation with Radulf in the arena. Though Nic ends the novel under Radulf’s control, the significance of this moment creates suspense for the next book in the series and how Nic’s popularity may counter Radulf’s.

“I was caught in the middle of a war between two sides I could not support. If I joined Radulf, a city I had come to love would be destroyed. But if I joined Valerius, there would be nothing left in the world but an empire that had kept me and so many others in chains.”

Nic ends the novel in a similar position he found himself in the beginning—caught between impossible choices. He does not want to see Rome destroyed, as Radulf intends, but he is not content to allow Roman brutality and subjugation of others to continue unchecked, as Valerius intends. As the ending of the first book in a series, it creates tension leading into the next installment.