Page 9 of Ironhold, Trial Three

Would he actually want it, though? A patron would likely treat him in much the same way that his old mistress did. I can't imagine Rowan wanting that when it seems that all he wants is to get through his seasons and leave Aetheria.

I see some of the others still working at the practice posts. Ravenna is there, accustoming herself to her new weapons. She looks over as I pass, saying something to a small crowd of onlookers. Because of course even here she has admirers and onlookers, a group of men and women watching her every movement with longing. That group laughs at whatever she says. I'm sure it isn't flattering to me.

I don't see Alaric yet. Possibly, he is still out with his mother, although he won't be able to stay out much later without the guards going hunting for him. Even as a free gladiator, there are limits to what he can do.

I need to practice as well and for the same reasons as Ravenna. Well, not all the same reasons. I'm not doing it so I can attract the attention of others, but I do need to acclimatize myself to my new weapons. They should handle in a similar way to my net and trident, but I'm sure there are nuances that I need to understand before the trials.

So I collect my weapons and make my way around the practice spaces until I find a practice spot a little way from everything else. In one of the many practice rooms, there is apost hanging down from the ceiling so that it swings freely. And as it swings, poles thrust from the walls, jabbing towards the center. It is an environment where I will have to hit and move, but it is also a small room where there is only limited space to dodge.

That makes it perfect for replicating the kinds of conditions I might face in the arena this time. I already know that at least one of the fights will be a head-to-head bout, hemmed in by flames. That won't give me as much room as usual to hit and run, to dodge and tumble out of danger.

I start to work with my new weapons, accustoming myself to the weight, not just of them, but of my armor as well. I hit with the spear, thrusting at the post, then weaving away from the attacks of the poles. It is hard work, especially after a day of working on my powers. I'm sure all the other gladiators believe that I have wasted the day in decadent luxury, but instead I've been working hard, trying to learn the limits of what I can do with the dampener on my wrist.

“Remember that you can slice with this weapon as well as thrust.”

I spin around at the words and find myself facing Vesper, who is watching me from the doorway. He has arrived without a sound. That is less surprising than the fact he's just spoken.

“I thought you didn't talk to people?” I say.

“Most people aren't worth talking to,” Vesper replies. His voice is soft, as if he isn't used to speaking much, but it resonates through the room.

“And I am?” I ask.

Vesper shrugs. “The fact that Ravenna seems so interested in you suggests that there's more to you than meets the eye, and I have been paying attention to what you've been achieving in the colosseum. It's obvious that you’re one of the favorites in the Champions Trials.”

I think about Alaric and Rowan. “I'm not sure if I'm the favorite.”

“You're being too modest. You have more power than most. Maybe more than anyone there, although they're making you hold back. It makes sense for people to work together, doesn't it?”

"You're asking to be my ally?" I say. It catches me by surprise because recently it has seemed that few people have wanted to be by my side. Or maybe I just haven't been prepared to trust them after Naia's betrayal.

“It doesn't have to be anything that formal if you're not comfortable with it,” Vesper says. “I help you, you help me, and we both try and get through this.”

There's a simplicity to that I like, so I extend my hand to him. He takes it.

"Would you like to work some more with your spear?" he asks. He has his own weapons, short, half-moon blades that seem to fit over his fists.

“It's probably not safe to spar with these,” I say. “I've not fully adjusted to my new weapons and if either of us suffers an injury now, it could slow us down, in the contest.”

Vesper nods. “A good point. But make sure youdopractice. I'm pretty sure there's a reason there was no trident back in the armory.”

That thought sets suspicion running through me. I had thought that it was simply that they wanted us to have new, better weapons for this contest. But if there had been a trident and net, wouldn't I have taken them? Instead, I have ended up with subtly different weapons.

It's easy to think now that might be deliberate, an attempt to force me to use something I'm not entirely familiar with. If so, it points to the kind of manipulation and politics within the games that I've tried to avoid.

Vesper leaves, and I realize that he isn't the only one within the Champions Trials I might be able to bring over to my side. If I can persuade people to work together for this, maybe we can get through it as a group, and fewer of us will have to be hurt.

I think about my options. Vex is a non-starter. He's the one who drove a dagger into Naia’s heart. It's clear he doesn’t like me, and I hate him for what he did. Ravenna is just as culpable, and while I'm sure she would offer to side with me to my face, I can't trust her.

Rowan and Alaric will probably help me, but there are still a few gladiators who are probably undecided. The more of those I can bring to my side, the better.

I go looking through the fortress, trying to find those who have been chosen for the trials. It isn't long before I find Malira working hard with a long blade that she holds two-handed. I had expected her to choose something swift and agile for her weapon, but it seems that this one doesn't slow her down, and she barely seems constrained by gravity either. She's happy to run up the walls of the room where she's working, flipping this way and that, attacking in breathtaking sweeps of the weapon.

She looks around as I enter.

“What do you want?” she asks. Her tone isn't friendly, and I'm not sure what I've done to deserve that. She doesn't even know me.

“I came to talk to you,” I say. “With the trials coming up, I thought maybe we would have a better chance of surviving if we-”

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