Page 6 of Ironhold: Trial Five

“Lady Elara came to seeyou?” Rowan says,as Ispar with him in a practice room, trading blows with wooden weapons, each of usmoving smoothly at this point. He sounds as though he can barely believe it.“She's not your patron anymore.”

He punctuates that with a flurry ofblows that makes me give ground to dodge and deflect them all. I must becareful with my footing because this is a room with benches and ramps set atodd angles, replicating some of the ways in which the arena floor might beturned into an obstacle course.

“She took advantage of the factthat I don't have a patron at the moment to bribe her way in here to see me,” Isay, thrusting at him with my wooden spear so that he can't advance so quickly,even as I leap up onto one of the benches. It's safer to be off the ground withRowan, since he can manipulate the earth beneath my feet.

Rowan frowns at that. Our woodenweapons clash, and there seems to be a little more force behind his blows.

“Shekeepswanting to seeyou. She’s willing to bribe her way in, just to do it. Does she really want youthat much?”

He sounds jealous.

“It isn't like that,” I say, evenas I dodge aside from the swing of his sword. Because I'm on a beam it's harderto do than usual, but my body has become well trained through my time inIronhold. I have the balance to keep from falling even as I lean back to avoidthe blow.

“Then whatisit like?”Rowan demands. “Because as far as I can see, the nobles are all the same.”

“Lady Elara has a bigger purpose,”I say. “She wants to change the whole city.”

I'm not sure I can say more thanthat now because doing so would put Rowan in danger and expose too much of LadyElara’s plan. I need to convince him, but first, I need to convince myself. Idon't want to tell him the whole thing if I'm going to turn around and refuseto take part in it. My focus is still on getting my freedom, ensuring thatAlaric is free, and only then thinking about the situation of the city.Ultimately, the empire feels too big for someone like me to change.

Rowan chooses that moment to attackagain, striking while I'm still leaning out of the way of his last blow,swinging low so I must lift a leg to avoid his attack. He pushes me with hisshield even as I do so, sending me tumbling to the ground. He stands over methen moving close to me, his wooden sword across my throat.

“You need to keep your focus,” hesays. “All of this sounds like a distraction. Remember where you are and whatwe are. We need to concentrate on getting out of here, and for you that justmeans one more season.”

He's close to me now, his weightholding me down. I try to attack him with my spear and weighted chain, but hepins my arms. For a moment, we are so close, just inches apart, with both of ussweating and breathing hard. In so many other moments like this before, I wouldhave been tempted to kiss him. Yet I'm surprised to find that, although thereis still attraction there between us, although I can still appreciate thedefined muscles of his torso above me, I don't want this moment to go anyfurther. My thoughts are only of Alaric.

“You've made your point,” I say,squirming out from under him. He looks briefly disappointed, but doesn't sayanything. I guess he knows that my heart belongs to another now.

“I hope so, Lyra, for your sake.You only have one more set of games to go before you're free, but that meansthey will throw more at you. The emperor and the people who work for him don'twant you to succeed. They would rather you had a glorious death than emerge triumphant.”

He’s right, and it makes me wondereven more if I should go along with anything that Lady Elara is saying. I knowthat she has plans for both the city and for me, but it seems that I would beputting myself in a much more dangerous situation by trying to build supportfor her cause inside the games than if I simply completed my time in them andfocused on saving Alaric. Does the empire have to fallnow? Does theemperor have to be replacednow?

And is that all she intends? Ican’t help but think about her last words, about the possibility of gettingrevenge. I’m not sure I want to see what a beast whisperer bent on revengemight do.

Rowan and I finish our practicesession, heading back to the main areas of the fortress. We are on our way tothe dining hall when we hear a bell that is typically only wrong to announcethe arrival of new gladiators. It is a summons for all of us, I demand that weattend the gates.

Rowan and I head there even thoughI have no wish to see a new group of gladiators put through their paces. I havealready seen it too many times, with people forced to run, to strike woodenposts with blunted weapons, to lift rocks and perform physical exercises untilthey are ready to drop. The test is always the same: those who stop or whocollapse are dragged to the side to be sold in Aetheria’s markets. Ironholdwants only the people with the determination to keep going.

Even though I don't want to watchany of this, I go to the gates of the fortress. Other gladiators are standingaround, waiting for whatever new arrivals there will be. But as the gates openthere is only a single figure coming through, surrounded by guards.

Alaric.

He is manacled, and there is aleather dampener on his wrist, the same as on mine. The difference is I suspectthat no one will have tampered with his to allow him his powers. His masteryover illusion has been stolen from him.

The soldiers beside him look at himwith contempt, but they also stare out at us with fear, as if knowing that thisis a dangerous moment, surrounded by so many gladiators.

Lord Darius steps out in front ofus all. He clearly rang the bell so that we would see this moment andunderstand everything that is happening to Alaric.

“All of you look at this prisoner,”he says. “Alaric Blackthorn has been one of the greatest gladiators of thegames. His family are among the foremost nobles of Aetheria. But that changesnothing.”

A cold thread of fear runs throughme at those words. I think I know what Lord Darius is about to announce, and ifhe announces that Alaric is to be taken to the parapets and impaled, I will notallow it. I will set every creature in Ironhold against these people. I willfight all of them even though I know I have little chance of succeeding.

I feel Rowan’s hand on my shoulder.Is it a coincidence that his fingers touch the brand there, in a silentreminder that Lord Darius has the magic to burn the flesh of his foes with onlythe effort of concentration?

“Alaric Blackthorn killed a fellowgladiator of Ironhold, outside of the confines of a bout. He tried to arguethat he was only acting in the defense of another, and I'm sure there are thoseamong you who have sympathy with that argument. It is one of the reasons thatit has taken so long to make a decision about this. But the emperor has decreedthat eventhatdoes not excuse such a death here. It is one of our mostimportant rules, crucial to keeping order within this place. And so, theemperor has decided that Alaric will pay the ultimate price for it.”

I pull against the strength ofRowan’s grip, but he holds me in place. I see Alaric look around, and his eyesfind mine. He looks so sad and broken for an instant there, but then it's as ifhe collects himself, bringing his face under control in the kind of mask ofarrogant indifference that he always presents to the world. In some ways, thathurts even worse, because I know it's the only thing he has left to keep peoplefrom seeing how afraid and alone he is.

I start to gather my power. I don'tcare that Rowan is holding me back. If they are going to take Alaric to thewalls to kill him they will find themselves facing an army of beasts.

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