Page 36 of Ironhold, Trial Four

The crowd seems happy to vent its disappointment at that as I walk across the sands guided by my guards. Boos ring out from around the stands. I look up to the imperial boxand see the emperor moving into position. Perhaps his plan all along was to see me humiliated like this. Certainly, he wouldn't want to be the patron to a gladiatorassociated with the death last night.

The guards walked me across the arena floor when they could have taken me in another way. They take me down through the iron gate at one side, leading me down into the depths beneath the colosseum. For the first time in a long time, I can feel every animal that has been brought in for the games. I can touch their minds and feel their hunger.

The guards place me in a holding space beneath the arena, with no view out onto the sands. It is clear they don't want me to see what happens today. As I have been told before, I'm a gladiator, not a spectator. The games are not designed for me to watch. And I suspect that this is some small cruelty dreamt up by the emperor. He must know it will hurt me to hear the bout above without being able to influence itor even see it. My mind will fill with the worst imaginings about what mightbe happening, but I won't have any way of knowing what has actually happened until after the fight is complete.

The emperor seems to have decided that I am helpless with my dampener, and so he can be as cruel to me as he wants. If I were stronger maybe he would kill me outright, but instead he's going to take out his fears and insecurities on me. He has used me as much as he needs, and now he means to destroy me slowly.

Although there is only one main bout today, I can feel beasts being taken into the arena. Impulsively Ireach out tofind the creatures that are in there, looking through their eyes.

It means I see as the great snakedevours a criminal cast into the arena, its jaws clamping down on him, while its coils crush the life from a woman. I feel sick at the sight, pulling back quickly. It's a reminder that I must still be careful even if I have my powers back.

I must be especially careful nowbecause the emperor doesn't knowthat I have my powers. He believes me to be helpless, and that is why he has let me livenow I'm no use to him. If he knows that I have the full powers of a beast whisperer again, he will see me as a threat, and I cannot survive that.

So I sit there in the dark of my cell, ignoring the cries of pain from outside and the clash of steel. I think about Alaric instead, and all he has sacrificed for me. I know he will be in a cell somewhere too. At least, I hope he is because the alternative is that he has already been executed. Will his family be able to do anything to intervene? Will they be able to save him?

I don't know. I doubt thathis father or his brother will even care that he is incarcerated. From everything he's told me, he is an outcast to most of his family. His mother was able to secure his patronage but that doesn't mean she will be able to free him. Will she at least be able to hold off themoment when he's killed?

Those are grim thoughts, and I'm torn from them by the sound of chanting from the stadium above.

“Lyra! Lyra! Lyra!”

The crowd are chanting my name. They clearly want me to fight but I am not scheduled to do so and I'm in no shape to attempt it. It is not just the after effects of Callus’ attack that arelingering; I have spent most of the night hanging in chains, unable to rest. And I know the emperor will not let me out there in any case. He wants me near the fight but unable to take part in it.

Above, I hear the announcer. “Ladies and gentlemen, citizens ofAetheria, today we have a very special match up, and it is one that is a change to the one we were originally intending. Many of you will have heard of the events last night, of how the gladiator Alaric slew Callus, seduced by the wiles of his lover, Lyra!”

That is not what happened. The arch magistrate herself has established that is not what happened, butI can't exactly complain about her lying right now, not when she did so to save my life with the emperor. Besides, this has the ring of someone else's lie. Perhaps the emperor has commanded this, or perhaps someone else has come up with the story. Either way it has the crowd chanting my name again, but now they're tone is angry and there are boos mixed in with the demands.

“She will fight again for your pleasure soon enough,” the announcer promises. “But for today we still have aboutbetween three of the strongest gladiators of Ironhold. First, I present to you the most noble of all gladiators, scion of the games, Vex!”

There is a roar of approval at Vex’s name. I can imagine him walking out onto the sand, and then I realize I don't need to imagine. The arena still has its carrion crows, and with my powers returned to me I do not have to restrict myself to looking through the eyes of just one. I spread my consciousness out, reaching for the birds around the colosseum, borrowing afraction of each of their sight so that I can see what is happening from every possible angle. The emperor might won't be shut away in the dark but I do not have to sit here and imagine this when I can watch.

So I see Vex step out in front of the roaring crowd, golden haired and scarred, carrying his knives and wearing partial plates of armor to protect him. I see him wait as the next figure steps onto the sand.

“Against him we have the barbarous warrior of the forests, a mistress of water, who can drown her foesin the middle of a dry arena. I give you Zara!”

Zara steps out with her curved daggers raised in salute, the sun glistening from the vials of water that she carriesas a weapon. She has much less armor than Vex, a few patches of scale armor and little else. Her flame red hair is tied back to fight.

“Finally, we haveone of the strongest gladiators around. As tough as granite, and with control over stone… Rowan!”

Rowan steps from the gates, barely acknowledging the crowd. He is focused only on those he must fightas he lifts his short sword and shield. He has a shoulder guard and a couple of patches of scale but again little armor compared to Vex. It seems like an advantage for the noble, especially now that he isusing his powers to levitate his knives ready for battle.

I swallow back my fear for my friends. In theory, they will have the advantage because they will be able to work together against Vex, but will they do that? Will they trust one another enough to fight together? This is meant to be a three-way battle, after all, to continue until only one of them is standing. With teams, each of those out there would have someone to trust, someone to back them up and protect them. Instead, they're on their own. I can only watch from myviewpoint within the minds of the birds.

It means I can see the tension in them, Rowan adjusting his stance on the sand, Zara taking out a vial of water. Vex stands between themas if knowing that they both have more reason to hate him than each other.

The seconds seem to drag out, but then the emperor rises.

“Begin!”

CHAPTERTWENTY FOUR

They rush at one another almost as soonas the emperor tells them to start. The first few seconds are utter chaos, with each of them throwing attacks that are hard to follow, striking at the others seemingly at random. They come together and then partas if bouncing from one another, tumbling away in different directions.

Each of them comes away bloody, and the crowd screams its approvalas that blood drips to the sand. It's obvious that this will not be a quick or easy fightand that none of them is holding back.

That surprises me, because I know Rowan and Zara are friends. But it seems that they know they can't afford to hold back in this situation, not when everybody else involved in the fight is so skilled.

Rowan and Zara seem to be determined toclose the distance with Vex now, while he is moving back trying to open ground between them. That makes sense, because he can stand at a distance and send his knives out to attack them, while their weapons will only function when he is within their reach. It means that for a few seconds at least there is a game of cat and mouse going onacross the floor of the colosseum.

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