Page 42 of Ironhold, Trial One

“Aside from her setting a cat on me? Aside from her making me look bad in front of everyone else? There's the part where she's been getting a lot of noble attention, even from Alaric. And then there's… what she is.”

“What she is?” Finn says.

“She can control beasts,” Vex says. “You know what that means. The emperor will want her dead at some point. If I'm the one to kill her, I'm sure he will be grateful.”

I have to cover my mouth to stifle a sound of surprise. Finn looks around anyway.

“What is it?” Vex asked.

“Nothing. I just thought I heard something.”

That's my cue to leave. I've heard enough in any case. I slip away from the room, heading back through Ironhold in the direction of my own quarters. My heart is hammering in my chest as I do it, and not just because of how close I came to being discovered.

Finn is planning to betray me.

What am I going to do about that? WhatcanI do about it? I'm so busy thinking about the danger I'm in that I don't see a figure stepping out into the corridor in front of me until it's too late and I almost run into him.

“Lyra?” Alaric says. For once, he looks like a noble rather than a gladiator with a scrap of noble colors thrown over his gear. He's wearing a purple tunic embroidered with gold and sandals that are decorated with silver. "What are you doing here? Is it that you have finally decided you cannot resist my charms? But no, that can’t be it, because you were with Rowan.”

“What does that even matter to you?” I ask.

“Oh, it doesn’t,” he replies, just a touch too lightly. “Nothing affects me. It’s not like Icare. But you still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing up here?”

“I…” I wonder how much to tell him. “I followed Finn. He was having some kind of secret meeting with Vex. They’re… they’re trying to prearrange the doubles bout tomorrow.”

“The one you’re fighting in?” Alaric says. A flash of anger crosses his face. “That’s… it happens, but the idea of them doing it toyou...”

“I thought you said you didn’t care,” I point out.

Alaric waves my objection away. “What are you planning to do about it?”

“WhatcanI do about it? Go to Lord Darius?”

“With what proof?” Alaric counters.

I know he’s correct. Without proof, there is no reason for Lord Darius to believe my word over that of a noble like Vex.

“Well, what canI do?” I ask.

Alaric considers it. “You could kill Finn.”

“What?”

“Kill him now, and then you would get a different partner. Obviously, you would need to do it subtly, so it couldn’t be traced back to you, but-”

“Are you really talking about me murdering someone in cold blood?” I ask. “You get that's not something I can do, right?”

Alaric looks momentarily surprised. “Well then, I guess I could kill Finn.”

“Alaric-”

“Oh, don’t think of it as some grand gesture. I don't mind killing nearly as much as you do, Lyra.”

“No one is killing Finn!” I insist. “Could you not… I don't know, speak to Vex or something?”

Alaric shakes his head. “I doubt he would listen to me, and if I did, then he would know that I know, and he would change his plan. It would make things worse, not better.”

“So what can we do?Withoutmurdering anyone?” I feel I need to remind him of that part.

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