Page 35 of Ironhold, Trial Four

Eventually she pulls back from me, andI can feel her leaving my mind. But I know she has already seen far too much, the violation of my innermost thoughts too great. It is just another reminder that to the Aetherians, I am nothing. The emperor said as much when he commanded Selene to look through my mind.

“I wish you hadn’t made me do that,” Selene says, looking over to the emperor.

“Yes, yes. What did you get?” he demands.

“Nothing but a bunch of salacious memories of her and Elara. Oh, Elara has tried to contact her while you’ve been her patron. She's clearly completely infatuated, if you want to use that against her.”

I have to work hard to keep pure shock off my face. The arch magistrate is lying to the emperor outright, telling him the same lie that Lady Elara cooked up to tell the world and explain her patronage of me. There is no reason I can see why the arch magistrate would do this, but maybe she is playing some game of her own devising.

The emperor looks disappointed, but then slightly relieved, as ifdeciding that I am not some grand threat to be disposed of instantly.

“Then there is not some bigger situation I need to deal with,” he says. “There is still the matter of the death of Callus.”

“Her account is consistent with Alaric’s,” the arch magistrate says, “and both appear to be telling the truth. Lyra did not start the violence, and Alaric only intervened to save her life. If he had not, it would be Callus here, and a rather more clear cut outcome.”

The emperor nods, looking thoughtful. He looks at me with an all too familiar expression, as if he is trying to decide whether to kill me or not. The more I see of him the more I'm convinced that his powers have driven him to paranoia, his glimpses of the future and the possibilities involved convincing him that he can control everything.

“Very well, Lyra will live, and no blame will be attached to her. This season will count for her even though she is not able to fight today.”

Relief floods through me at those words. Not only am I not to be executed, but this season will count for me. I will not have to fight again in the arena. Almost as soon as the relief comes, though, fresh worry follows on its heels.

“What about Alaric?” I demand. “What's going to happen to him?”

“You do not speak to your emperor like that,” Emperor Tiberius says. “I grow tired of you, Lyra. You throw my generosity back in my face. Alaric is noble born, but he still killed someone against the rules of Ironhold. There will be consequences for that.”

“But-”

“Silence!” the emperor snaps. “One more word, and I will have you killed, law or not. Contained as you are, you're clearly not the threat my visions show, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you prattle on. And you're certainly too uselessfor me to be your patron. I had thought you would lead me to the spectral covenantand root out any enemies I had within Ironhold. Now I see you're mostly just an embarrassment. So from this moment on, I am no longer your patron.”

I should be afraid of his anger but if anything that just brings fresh relief. Perhaps too much of that shows on my face because the emperor smiles cruelly.

“Oh, do you think that Lady Elara is going to buy your patronage back? Do you think you're going to be in her bed once more? No, if I can't get any use out of youto deal with the spectral covenant, I think there's a better patron I can give you to.”

“The emperor does not give such patronage,” Selene points out. “The laws of the city-”

“The laws ofAetheria are whatever I say they are!” the emperor snaps. “And if I want to give away this one to a newpatron, I will. Now help get her out of here, Selene. I'm angry at you both.”

The arch magistrate helps to lift me to my feet. As she does so, I feel her fingers brush my dampener, and with that touchI sense something start to change.

The arch magistrate has given me my powers back.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

I test out my powers as the guards escort me to the colosseum, reaching out to sense the animals around me. It is as if I can see again afterdays and weeks of being blind. Because the arch magistrate has not just undonewhatever tampering left me so vulnerable in my first challenges. She has removed all of the dampening. The dampening cuff is just a piece of decoration around my wrist now, with no more power over me thanthe manacles that hold me.

I am surprised to find that I am being taken to the colosseum, led through the early morning streets towards it. There are crowds out in the streets now, waiting for the action to follow, but I doubt they know much about what happened in Ironhold last night.

“Murderer!”

Or maybe they do. A man flings mud at me, and it strikes my cheek.

“Cheat!” A woman calls out. It's obvious that at least some of the crowd think I have arranged for Callus to be killedto give myself a better chance in this fight. Do they know I'm not going to be a part of it? Apparently not but they do knowthat callus is deador they wouldn't be shouting this way.

I'm surprised that they know, surprised that the news has gotten around so quickly. Ironhold is cut off from the world, But it seems that the whole of the city knowsabout what happened last night. That suggests that someone has been spreading rumors about it, someone who knows, someone who wants me vilified. Would the emperor stoop to such a thing? Or has some other noble found out?

It doesn't matter because I must still walk through the crowds. Some of them are more supportive, but others jeer atmesince they see me in chains now. I wonder if I were walking along with my weapons in my hands and waving with the other gladiators, would they cheer at me instead?There is something inherently shallow about the way the city works. The people are given heroes and villains to support and hate, given a chance to vent their feelings so that they will not rise up.

It seems to take forever before I reach the colosseum. Already, it is filling up, and I can see the bookmakerstaking betson what is to be the only match today. The three-way bout is still up on their boards, but now there are names missing from the teams. Callus is dead, while I am recovering and Alaric is imprisoned somewhere. It means that the fight today will be three individual gladiators: Rowan, Zara and Vex.

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