Page 27 of Ironhold: Trial Five

I go to one of them, a young womanwith golden hair and wide blue eyes. She is wearing a white dress that clingsto her tightly, held in place by a golden belt. Like me, she has an iron collararound her neck, although unlike me, she does not have the brand of thecolosseum on her left shoulder. Because she does not fight as a gladiator shecan never get marks for seasons successfully completed. She will never be free,never even have a chance at it.

“What's your name?” I ask her.

She looks surprised that I'masking. “Salene, my lady.”

“I'm no one’s lady,” I say. “I'mjust Lyra. Salene. What is it like being a servant here?”

She looks around, looking worriedas if afraid that this is a test of some kind, designed to examine her loyalty.

“I do all that is commanded of me,”she says. “I bring food and drink to the nobles. I… serve them in other ways ifthey require it.”

“Does it make any difference to youwho the emperor is?” I ask her.

Now she looks truly frightened. “Iserve Aetheria loyally. I would never say anything against the emperor.”

“That's not what I'm asking,” Isay. “I want to know…”

What do I want to know? Who shewould want as the emperor? Which way I should place my allegiance in thebuilding tensions? It is unfair even to ask the questions, because if anyoneoverhears us, she will be punished for it.

“She won't say what you want tohear,” Vex says. He steps into the receiving room. “Or rather, she will say anyplatitude you wish to hear, but she won't tell you the truth. I imagine she'stoo scared for that. Come away from her. I have someone rather better for youto talk to.”

I feel tension running through meat his presence. In some ways it's good that he was the one to walk in andoverhear us. At least Vex is as caught up in the possibility of rebellion as Iam. If it had been anyone else, I might find myself being dragged before theemperor.

“Come with me,” Vex says, gesturingfor me to follow him as he leads the way from the receiving rooms. I follow inhis footsteps, but I'm still suspicious of his intentions.

“Where are you taking me?” I askhim.

Vex shrugs, smiling back over hisshoulder at me. “You know, strictly speaking, a slave gladiator shouldn't beasking so many questions of her patron.”

“Well strictly speaking, youshouldn't be doing any of the things you're currently doing should you?” Ipoint out. He can hardly talk about what's correct and within the rules whenhe's plotting rebellion.

“True enough. Let's say that I havearranged something to show my good faith. I know what matters to you, Lyra, andI want to show you that I can give you it.”

He leads the way through thecolosseum, heading up to the spaces that contain the noble boxes. I hope heisn't just planning to make me watch the fights with him. If there is one goodthing about this day, it is that it will contain no violence for me.

Yet, as he opens the door to thebox, I realize that he has indeed arranged the one thing I want. Alaric iswaiting in that box, along with a couple of guards, but they leave as soon asVex goes to them and puts coins into their hands.

“Remember who you're with when thetime comes,” he murmurs to them. It's obvious that he has bought the loyalty ofsome of the guards, at least. The guards go to stand outside.

“They will keep watch on this boxfrom outside,” Vex says. “And I will be waiting to speak with you, Lyra. Fornow, the two of you probably have a lot to say… and do.”

He leaves and it is an agonywaiting for him to leave so that I can throw myself forward to take Alaric inmy arms and kiss him. He kisses me back with enthusiasm, and if we weren't in aspace where there was a chance of being overlooked from outside, I suspect itwould go a lot further. As it is, we both curl into one couch there in the boxtogether, close in a way we have not been able to be since Alaric was taken.

“Since when is Vex enough of afriend to you to arrange something like this?” Alaric asks me.

“He's my new patron,” I say.

Alaric looks troubled by that. Heknows how much Vex has hated me in the past, as much as anyone.

“He’s doing it to show me that hecan,” I say. “To show me that he can help me save you, I think.”

Alaric looks troubled by my words.“If he's telling you that, don't believe him. It's one thing to bribe a coupleof guards to give us some time alone together. Another to do more than that.They still serve the emperor.”

“I'm… not so sure,” I say.

Alaric frowns. “What do you mean,Lyra?”

I don't want to tell him too muchright now. The emperor has him, which means he could force Alaric’s mind to beread at any point by a suitably powerful psychomancer. It is better if hedoesn't know all the details of what is happening.

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