Page 30 of Ironhold, Trial Four

The six of us who are due to fight are like still points among the whirling, chaotic joy of the celebrations. Callus has his usual space around him even now. Vex heads over, but they don't talk for long. I get the feeling that they won't be coordinating much in the way of sophisticated tactics. They will simply both fight and try to defeat the others.

I make my way through the room, pushing aside the offer of drinkssince I must be fresh for the fight. I go to Rowan first since he's my partner in this, standing with him in the middle of the celebrations.

“This is all too much,” I say. “Making us all fight each other like this? It’s obviously a deliberate ploy to cause as much pain as possible.”

“Or just to create as much drama as they can,” Rowan says. He puts his hands on my shoulders and from a distance it must look as though we’re dancing together. “Lord Darius and Lady Selene hardly hold back from throwing people together in the arena who have connections outside. They made us fight in the Champions Trials after all.”

And that was bad enough, butnow I must fight Alaric.

“I don't want to kill Alaric or Zara,” I say. A thought comes to me. “I know this is meant to be three separate teams, butis there a way that our team and their team could work together against Vex and Callus?”

Rowan frowns. He obviously doesn't like the idea of fighting alongside Alaric, but Zara is a friend to both of us.

“It's possible,” he says. “I can try talking to Zara about it, but you will need to be the one to approach Alaric.”

I know that, and it's hard. Things are anything but simple between us at the moment, and I don't know how he'll reply if I suggest to him that we work together.

“And even if we beat Callus and Vex by working together, they will still expect our teams to fight,” Rowan says.

“And at that point we fight but we can do it in a way where we don't kill each other,” I say. “We can try to fight to incapacitate one another. We can put on a good enough show for the crowd thatthey want to see us alllive to fight again.”

“It's a dangerous strategy,” Rowan says. “What if the emperor commands us to kill one another?”

“I've ignored that command before,” I point out. Although if I do it again I suspect I will be punished severely for it. But if it saves the lives of my friends, maybe it will be worth it. “We need to at least talk to them, Rowan.”

Rowan nods. “We can try. Just remember, Lyra, whatever happens, it isn't your fault. You don't have a choice about being here.”

I know that, but it doesn't make anything easier. If anything, Rowan’s words just drive home my helplessness here. I hate being unable to affect things. But maybe by talking to the others, we can at least avoid having to kill everyone.

I go looking for Alaric. I find him towards the back of the room, sitting quietly at the heart of what seems like a particularly raucous area ofnobles drinking and laughing. I move up close to him. He turns to me acknowledging my presence but doesn't smile. He looks as though he's hiding his emotions as best he can.

“We need to talk about the fight tomorrow,” I say.

He nods. “You need to be careful in it. If you don't have your usual powers, you'll be vulnerable.”

He's giving me tactical advice? That isn't what I wanted to talk about.

“I asked you before if you could bring yourself to kill me,” I say. “I guess tomorrow we put that to the test.”

His eyes widen slightly, but he nods. “This is what's so difficult about having a relationship here. I'm not going to set out to kill you, Lyra, just as I know you're not going to try to kill me if you can avoid it. But if it comes to it? If one of us defeats the other and the emperor says that we must either kill or be executed alongside one another?”

That's a horrifying possibility, and it's not an outlandish one. The emperor made exactly that threat during theChampions Trial. In it, Rowan was able to avoid killing me by pretending to die. It cost him the whole season. I doubt that something like that will work in this match up, though.

“He probably won't do that,” I say.

“Probably,” Alaric agrees. “What do you want to bet your life on ‘probably’? We will fight, and I'm guessing you would like me and Zara to help you take down Callus and Vex, but after thatwe're going to have to fight, Lyra. We're going to have to fight and hope that we are not the ones needing the emperor’s mercy.”

“Could you do it?” I ask. “If he commands you, could you kill me?”

“I…”

It's the same hesitation as before. I should have known better than to ask.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I sneak away from the party, feeling safe for the first time since I learned that Callus was trying to kill me. He has his chance in the colosseum tomorrow. There is no reason for him to try to strike tonight, and he would be risking his life by doing it. If he is caught, he will be executed for it, and he has shown no desire so far to risk himself like that. After all, if he was going to give his life to kill me, then he could have lunged at me in the dining hall this morning.

I might be safe for now, but that doesn’t mean I feel good. The prospect of everything that is to happen tomorrow is far too much to deal with. I don’t know how I’m meant to cope with the possibility of having to fight Alaric. I’m not sure I can do it. I certainly won’t be able to bring myself to kill him if it comes to it.

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