Page 22 of Ironhold, Trial Four

The crowd shouts its approval. I realize that the people there think I'vedone all this deliberately, held back from using my powers to give them a better show. I have felled the stoneheart, and it seems they love me for it.

But what does that mean now I am cut off from my powers? Who has done this to me, andwhy?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the wake of my bout, I don't get to just go and try to work out what's happened with my dampener. As with all the gladiators I must go and mingle in the receiving area reserved for nobles within the arena.

It is in its way a beautiful space, lined with marblehung with tapestries, with gilded couchesand silks. There are busts of famous gladiators on plinths around the room. Servants stand in readiness, with platters of delicacies or jugs of wine. And there are doors leading offto side rooms in which nobles can entertain gladiators further, should they choose.

There are plenty of gladiatorsin there already, although neither Rowan nor Alaric is there. Thankfully, neither is Callus. It seems he hasn't had his bout yet. There are nobles there, of course, talking to the gladiators, admiring them, simply trying to be seen with them. A couple of them are talking to Cesca, and she takes the hand of one as he holds it out, letting him lead her to a side room.

And Lady Elara is there, sitting on a couch, looking over at me. I head straight for her, both because it will allow me to avoid the attentions of other nobles and because she might know something about what has happened to me.

“Lyra, it is good to see you,” she says, as formal as if I were merely a gladiator she had once known, rather than a fellow beast whisperer. But then, her role as my teacher and the head of the spectral covenant is something we both wish to keep a secret. She gestures to the seat beside her.

I sit down. Ordinarily we would head to one of the side rooms, but I guess that isn't an easy option now that Lady Elara isn't my patron, and the emperor is. Were we to go into such a room and the emperor were to find out, perhaps he would thinkthat Lady Elara was overstepping her boundsby spending time with what was his.

Lady Elara lowers her voice. “We must be careful that we are not overheard.”

“I understand,” I whisper back. “Someone tampered with my dampener. I don't have access to any of my powers.”

“That is troubling news indeed, and I'm afraid what I have to say doesn't make it any better. I've had news from Seatide.”

“The emperor was going to send soldiers.”

“He did, but only a handful, and they aren’t there yet. Even when they get there, they will defend the village itself but the lands around it are still vulnerable. More women have been taken and killed.”

That news is anything but welcome. The emperor promised me that he would deal with this if I looked into Callus. I feel a familiar sense of helplessness at not being able to do anything to aid my village.

“Meanwhile, there's an assassin hunting for me in Ironhold,” I say.

“I saw the end of your bout yesterday. Such powers are familiar. I have some of the others trying to look into it. I will send you a message if I find anything.”

She whispers the last part hurriedly, because two imperial guards are already approaching.

“The emperor requires your presence,” one says.

I stand and follow. This has become almost familiar to me by nowas they lead me through the arena to the emperor's private box. He is waiting for meon his throne. I kneel, but I'm not able to keep my expression as neutral as usual.

“Have you found anything about Callus yet?” The emperor asks without preamble, as the guards leave. “Have you established who he's working for?”

“I haven'teven worked out how I'm meant to do that,” I say. “What am I meant to do?Go talk to him? He'll kill me before I'm halfway through it.”

“I expected results, Lyra,” Emperor Tiberius says.

“And I thought you were going to protect my village butfrom what I hear you're only sending a handful of men to it. What are they going to do againstthese bandit attacks?”

“You're questioning me?” the emperor demands. “You? You barely survived that performance, and you dare to question me?”

“Someone sabotaged my dampener,” I snap back at him, unable to keep the feeling out of my voice. “I'm completely cut off from my powers. You need to-”

“Do not seek to tell me what I must do!” The emperor snaps back at me. He moves in and he strikes me across the face with the flat of his hand, the slap ringing around the box. Anger rises in me and I go to move, but I'm frozen in place again, his power bearing down on me, holding me in time.

My muscles are frozen, my body locked in place. I cannot speak, cannot fight back against him. It's his favorite way of reminding me just how helpless I am compared to him.

“You kneel there as if you are respectful, but the truth is that you have never really learned your place,” the emperor says. “This is a problem with you beast whisperers. Your nature is hard to tame. But do not think for a second that I can’t destroy you.”

He moves close to me and there's a knife in his hand, he brushes the edge against my collarbone, and I can feel the sharpness of it.

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