Page 35 of Ironhold, Trial One

Alaric takes hold of my arm. “There’s a difference between Vex being a snob who looks down on anyone not born noble and him actively hating you, Lyra. He’s dangerous. And he’s not the only one. Some of the other gladiators are starting to look at you like you’re a threat now, rather than someone they can ignore. They’ve heard stories of beast whisperers before. And standing out too much in the arena brings its own problems.”

“Attention from too many lecherous nobles at the gatherings afterwards?” I suggest.

“Take this seriously, Lyra,” Alaric warns. “This is life and death.”

“Do you think I could forget that?” I retort.

I know that I’m going to have to fight for my life again in the morning. So are the rest of my friends. For now, I’m just grateful that they’re still alive, but I don’t know if anyone will still be at this time tomorrow. Even Alaric, for all his arrogance and bravado, could find himself cut down.

I’m surprised to find that I would miss him if he were.

For now, I head into my room, trying to sleep. Rest eludes me, though. Tomorrow will come all too soon, and with it will follow fresh violence.

CHAPTER TWENTY

This time, our procession down to the colosseum holds a grim note. People are still out in the streets cheering, but I do not wave back. I have seen too muchof what they're cheering for.

Alaric, Vex, and a few of the others are still playing up to the crowds, but more of the gladiators are focused, all too aware of what might happen to them on the sands today. I am grateful when we reach the Colosseum, grateful when I can wait in the dark spaces beneath it. I seek out some of the animals there, kept overnight, ready to be used in the violence today. There was something comforting about being close to them, even though they are snapping and snarling, and I can feel the hunger among them.

“Haven't you fed them?” I ask Stefano, when I find him.

He shakes his head. “Lord Darius wants them hungry, ready to fight.”

Already, the games are already beginning. I can hear the sounds from the arena, the announcements, the clash of iron against iron, the screams. When I head to the gates to look through, I see Zara fighting a wiry foe, flinging one of her vials of water at him. It bursts, and the water seems to flow around his head in a bubble. I watch as he flails, then claws at it, then collapses, drowning in the middle of the sand thanks to her magic. Almost as soon as he does, the carrion birds swoop down. There are many more crows above today than yesterday, obviously drawn by the death.

Now I must prepare. I make sure I have all my all too revealing armor in place, and I collect my weapons. My net has been repaired by some of the attendants around the colosseum, and I have my dagger and trident once more. I test the weightof them, knowing that they are the only things standing between me and death.

Finally, the soldiers come for me, pushing me out into the arena beneath the hot sun.

“I give you Lyra!”

As I step out, the crowd cheers and boos in equal measure. They clearly haven't forgotten what happened yesterday. Business around the betting booths is brisk. Are more of them betting on my death?

“And her opponent, Braxus!”

The man who steps out onto the sands is big and heavily muscled A giant of a man who stands far taller than me and who looks as though he could pick me up one-handed. He has plates of armor over much of his chest and shoulders. He carries a large shield and a curved sword.

“Braxus! Braxus!” It's clear he's a crowd favorite, which means he's fought plenty of times before, even if I don't know him well. He's just a face I vaguely recognize from Ironhold. I can remember a little about him. I think he might be one of the nulls there, but he has succeeded in spite of that. He has a reputation for brutality and strength.

I stand opposite him, keeping my distance, trying to work out how to do this. I'm trying to work out if I can hurt somebody just so I can survive.

“Are you scared yet?” he calls to me. “You should be. I'm going to kill you slowly, and all your fancy tricks will donothingto me.”

The bout begins, and he rushes in, clearly hoping to catch me off guard. I wheel away, swinging my net in his face to distract him as I gain ground. He bowls forward again, attacking with a series of blows that I barely avoid and block. His strength and aggression are phenomenal. I know that if I am caught in closeto him even for a few moments, he will do enough damage that I cannot keep going.

I must dodge and look for an opportunity to use my net. That's how I’m meant to fight, avoiding attacks, trying to tangle my opponent, using my trident to keep the fight at a longer distance. But I don't have any advantages today, and without the help of the animals, I'm not sure I can win this fight.

As if to demonstrate that, the first cut comes across my arm, blood flowing down onto the sand. Another scrapes across my stomach. Both are painful, and I know Braxus could have done far worse.

“You’re going to beg me to kill you before I do it,” he says.

I can’t see his attacks coming well enough to be able to stop them. It is as if he is everywhere and I just don't understand what's happening sufficiently to be able to fight back on even terms.

I remember what Alaric told me: there aresomeanimals around the arena. I can feel them, can feel the wheeling watching carrion birds, waiting for their meal. I can feel hundreds of eyes on the fight below, and in that moment, without even thinking about it, I reach out for them.

I am watching myself now, watching my opponent, and I can see the fight from every possible angle. I can feel the birds staring down at the fight, even as I’m still in it. And they whisper to me.

Dodge! Move!

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