Page 37 of Ironhold, Trial Four

Vex sends a knife towards Rowan, butRowan deflects it with his shield, then knocks another bite from the sky with his short sword. Vex is exactly the most dangerous kind of opponent for him because one of Rowan's great advantagesis his ability to feel every shift of weightthrough the ground, reading the attacks to come. Vex’s attacks, meanwhile, come with just a thought, making it impossible for Rowan to know for sure where they're coming from.

While Vex is busy sending his knives at Rowan, Zara flings a vial of water at Vex, aiming for his head, presumably trying toenvelop him inwater the way she did with Cesca. If she succeeds, she might be able to take Vex out of the fight quickly.

But Vex seems to see it coming, catching the vial and flinging it against one of the walls before Zara can make it burst in his hand. Thewater flows away into the sand, lost to her as Vex continues his attacks. He sends knives Zara's way as well, so that she's forced to fling herself aside, sand spraying into the air as she rolls and comes back to her feet.

My viewpoint gives me the chance to see the three of them as points within a shifting changing pattern, each darting in and out across the arena floor as the birds watch them from above. I probably have a better view than anyone in the colosseum, but that does not make this any easier for me. If anything, it means thatI get to experience the terror of people I know and likealmost being killed again and again.

Zara throws a vial at Rowan now. That doesn't necessarily mean she's trying to kill him, but she is trying to incapacitate him the same way she did with Cesca. If she can bring him down quickly maybe she thinks that she can concentrate on Vex. It shows that there truly are no allies in this bout, even though Rowan seems to be concentrating the majority of his efforts on Vex.

Through the eyes of the birds, I see the reactions of the crowd. I see a mother holding her child closer, possibly regretting bringing it to the games. I see people baying for blood, and clutching their betting tokens. One man is shouting so loudly that the bird I'mcontrolling near him flies away.

And one bird lands on the edge of Lady Elara’s box. She is watching the fight with apparent equanimity, although her attention quickly shifts to the bird. I know without being told that, she can sense that I have control of it.

She smiles. “You have your powers back. That is good, very good. You will need them for everything that's to come. But youalso mustn't be too obvious about it. You need to be careful here. I know your instinct will be to intervene, to save your friends but if you do it too openly, you will give away your hand. Be patient, Lyra.”

That's easy for her to say when there is no one she cares about out there, bleeding for the entertainment of the crowd. Rowan is limping slightly now, one of Vex’s blades having caught him across the thigh. Vex is standing back from the others, but there is blood on both of his arms.

None of them is done yet, though. Zara and Rowanexchange a brief flurry of blows, but then wheel away from each other. I realize the problem for them: Zara believes that Rowan is the strongest there, so she can't risk being stuck in a one-on-one fight with him at the end. She must attack him as much as Vex.

Yet she advances on Vex now, drawing more vials from her belts, ready to throw his way. Knives move to intercept them in the air, cutting through them in sprays of water that Zara briefly sends at him like darts. Vex moves aside from them all, and he's fast enough that even when Rowan comes charging in from the side, he's able to avoid being trapped against the colosseum wall.

I can feel the tension building within the arena. The crowd’s chanting is building to a fever pitch, but the action has yet to reach a crescendo. Each of the fighters there is trying to work outthe best way for them to come out on top here. None of them is prepared to let one of the others back off, because if one of them lets the other two fight it out to the finish it's likely that both will be wounded and weak. At the same time, no one is willing to commit fullyto trying to take down one opponent becausedoing so would mean turning their back to someone else.

The crowd seems to understand this dynamic, watching asthe three shuffle and circle, seeking any advantage they can gain. In theory, Vex is in the best position because he can attackwithout having to approach the others, but Rowan is using his control over the earth to slow Vex down, tendrils of sand reaching up to wrap around Vex’s ankles.

Zara seems to see her chance as Vex hacks at the sand, trying to break free. She draws more of her vials of water, but Vex seems to be waiting for that move, because all the vials she holdsfloat into the air the way his knives do. He throws them using his powers, smashing them against the walls of the colosseum, taking away Zara's source of water to manipulate with her magic. Without it she is much less dangerous than the other two, shorter and less muscled, much more lightly armored than Vex, or even Rowan, given that he has a shield.

The crowd gasps at the destruction of the vials, seeming to understand how weak it leaves Zara.

Vex breaks free from Rowan’s hold, starting to advance on Zara, stalking her around the colosseum even as he flings a pair of knives at Rowan to keep him busy. One of those knivescut steeply into his side, and I winceto see him in pain like that. I wish I could do something to help but I'm all too aware of what Lady Elara said. If I use my powers too openly now, it will be obvious that I have done it. Selene Ravenscroft will knowthat I have interferedeven if the emperor does not initially.

It means I cannot just summon some great beast into the arena and set it on Vex. I must be more subtle than that. I see my opportunity as he approaches Zara near the edge of the arena. There is a servant handing out water above, and I send one of my birds tumbling into them, making them drop the jug of water that they hold, sending itfalling into the arena.

Zara seizes on it, bringing the water up out of it in a spout that she aims straight at Vex. He throws himself aside just in time to avoid it hitting his face, where Zara might be able toperform her favorite trick of drowning him. Instead, it strikeshim in the chest and knocks him sideways, giving her enough time to get clear.

Vex scrambles back to his feet, turning his attention to Rowan. His daggers dart in from every side, forcing Rowan to defend with his shield and his sword at the same time. Rowan is cut once, then twice, falling to the dirt in an effort to fend them off like a flock of angry birds.

I almost send a flock of my own to intercept them, heedless of the danger, because I don't want to see Rowan die like that. I won’t allow it.

Then Zara charges in. It looks as though she also isn’t prepared to allow Vex to simply kill Rowan, in spite of them fighting against one another. Maybe she does it because she knows that she won’t have much of a chance against Vex alone. Maybe she does it because, even if she was trying to beat Rowan, the two of them are still friends and she doesn't want to see him dead. Maybe she just sees a chance to strike at Vex from behindwhile his attention is on Rowan.

Whatever the reason, Zara rushes in, slashing with her blades. One of them wounds Vex deeply, but the other skims from his armor, and he turns his attention to her. His knivesfloat up into position like a swarm of angry bees.

They dart at Zara, and now she is too close to avoid all of them. They cut into her flesh despite her efforts to defend herself. They slash across her, and because she has so little armor, they tear huge gashes in her, that leave her screamingand stumbling. Rowan moves to help her but he must bring his shield up to defend himself against more incoming daggers, and that buys Vex a moment in which tosend two scything into Zara fromeither side, slashing across her throat with terrifying speed.

I shudder, Seeing the moment that she is cut down from a hundred different viewpoints. Zara stands there for a moment,but that only means that more daggers plunge into her, seeking vital spotswith vicious precision.

She tumbles from her feet, dying even as I watch. Her death seems to bring a terrible hush to the colosseum, a moment of silence as the crowd anticipates what is to come next.

In that silence, Rowan attacks.

He throws himself at Vex with the kind of fury that comes because he knows that if he relentseven for an instant, Vex will be able to recover his daggers and send them all against him. Rowan attacks with his sword and his shield, slamming the shield into Vex, following it with attack after attack from the short sword. Vex’s daggers are forced to spin a defensive web around him, catching Rowan’s blade, deflecting it barely.

One of those blades counterattacks, jabbing into Rowan’s side. He falls, and Vex moves to stand over him, ready to deliver a finishing strike. Now I feel myself reaching for all the power I can muster, ready to do something, anything to save Rowan. I cry out in terror for him, and now it's as though all the birds in the stadium cry out together.

Vex pauses, distracted by the sound, if only for a moment. A moment is all Rowan needs. He thrusts upward with his sword, plunging it deep into Vex so that Vex fools gasping for air. His knives fall to the groundas he loses control of them with his powers. Rowan stands over him, ready to deliver the killing blow.

I can hear the crowd chanting.

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