Page 45 of Ironhold, Trial Two

“No?” she replies. “But perhaps I might be able to help you by doing it. Perhaps I might be able to find the control you're looking for.”

“And who would be in control, Ravenna?” I ask.

She pauses. “You don't trust me, Lyra, and that's fine. Maybe I need to earn your trust. But I want to think we could be allies. You have seen my friends. You know the influence I can exert. I could do that in your favor. I could try to make things easier for you, here in the Colosseum.”

She's making promises now but they're vague, and in any case I can't look past the rising anger within me, past the certainty that is coming along with it.

“Right before she tore off the cuff they were using to dampen my powers,” I say, “Naia’s face went blank, and she started muttering things. Things that someone else had whispered into her ear. You have spent a lot of time whispering to her recently, haven't you, Ravenna?”

Ravenna frowns. “I don't know what you're accusing me of, Lyra.”

“Don't you? Cut the act. We both know that you influenced her to cut the cuff from my wrist. I just don't know why you did it, what you stood to gain.”

Ravenna looks as though she might still deny it, but she must see the certainty in my eyes and know that she isn't going to convince me.

“Maybe I did convince her,” Ravenna says. “Maybe there were some people who had placed large bets on you after I suggested it. Some people who weren't happy once they learned about the restrictions that had been placed on your powers. Maybe I needed to find a way to ensure that you won. You should be thanking me for that, Lyra. Or do you think you would have survived otherwise?”

The worst part is that she's right. If Naia hadn't done what she did, I would probably be dead by now. There would have been no way to defeat the frost drake. But that doesn't mean I can forgive what Ravenna did. It doesn't mean I believe her motives.

“You didn't do this to save me,” I say. “And I'm not convinced it was just about money either. I think you saw a different kind of opportunity. I'm told that the arch magistrate came close to striking me down when she saw that my powers were loose. Ithink someone suggested to you that they would be grateful if I put myself in a position to be killed.”

“Now you're just making guesses,” Ravenna says, but there's a hint of reaction on her face, a flicker that suggests I’m right. And if I am right, then the only person I can think of who might want that to happen would be the emperor.

“What did the emperor offer you?” I ask. “Was it position? Power?”

Ravenna doesn’t answer.

“Whatever it was, I hope it was worth it,” I say. “I hope it was worth Naia’s life.”

“You think my actions cost her life?” Ravenna counters.

“We had an arrangement,” I say. “I could have taken her down and made it look good. She could have been safe. Instead, I had to deal with the frost drake, and I had to take the time to rein in my powers. All because of you.”

“You're giving me too much credit,” Ravenna says. She looks worried.

“It isn't credit,” I assure her. “Do you want to be my ally? After what you just did? We aren’t allies, Ravenna. Try to scheme around me, if you want. Try to manipulate things. But one day, we will meet out there in the arena, and I will make you pay for what you did.”

“We will see,” Ravenna says, moving away from me.

I want to find a way to make her pay now, but there is no time. Alaric is already coming back into the space beneath the Colosseum, with no more than a couple of scratches, his own blades covered in blood. Outside, a horn sounds.

The final fight of the day is at an end. The games are over.

Chapter Twenty Eight

The end of another season of the games means the survivors trooping out into the Colosseum to receive the adulation of the crowd. I look around, taking in the faces of the survivors, but seeing the gaps where others should be as well. The crowds cheer us, but it wasn't so long ago they were cheering with each death. Their love is fickle and dangerous.

I wish I could ignore this part and just head back to Ironhold, but the formal closing ceremony of the season of games is not something we can avoid. I must stand there on the sand with the others, while priests chant and holy fires burn at points around it.

And the emperor waits, standing on his balcony, looking out over the scene with a grandeur and intensity that would be hard for anyone else to match. Lord Darius stands near him, his loyal servant, as committed to the games as anyone. The crowd is still calling out to us but the emperor holds up a hand for silence and to my surprise everyone is quiet.

“We have seen much in the last few days. These have been holy days in which the virtues of the city have been demonstrated admirably by these gladiators. Each of them has risked their lives for the honor of Aetheria.”

He does not mention the entertainment of the crowd or the way in which it helps to keep the citizenry from rebelling. He does not mention that most of us did not choose to do this at all.

“Many have died during these games. They are sacrifices to the gods, and I believe the gods will judge them worthy, will take them a hold them close in death. Their fall has been necessary so that these heroes may rise. Honor them with your voices now!”

The crowds cheer at the emperor’s investigation. I can see him looking out over them, obviously enjoying the control he has over the masses.

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