I nod.If Marcus can try to prove his sincerity with that list, I can do the same.
Alaric hesitates, and I get the feeling he still wants to turn me away for my own protection, but then he nods and flashes his familiar smile again.
“Very well.If you’re determined to take these risks with us, I won’t deny I’dloveto have you around.Welcome to the resistance, Lyra.”
CHAPTER SIX
Being in the resistance doesn’t mean what I expect, at least not at first.Alaric doesn’t send me out on raids like the one at the warehouse, doesn’t throw me out into the city to cause chaos or spread the message that figures within it are corrupt.
“What’s Alaric waiting for?”I ask Thalia as the two of us walk along the promenade leading to the colosseum.We’re both dressed as ordinary folk, there for the day of games that’s promised.“Why isn’t he making more use of me?”
“In the resistance or in his bed?”Thalia counters with a laugh.“Because honestly,that’swhere I assumed you two would have spent the last few days.”
A part of me assumed it too, because Alaric and I were together for a long time, and the same stark, sharp edged attraction is still there between us every time we’re close.But neither of us has acted on it in the brief time since I’ve joined the resistance.Maybe it’s because we’ve managed to hurt one another in so many different ways in the time since we both moved to my home village of Seatide together, or maybe it’s something else.
“I guess he’s just being careful with you,” Thalia says, as we get closer.“Now remember, keep the hood of your cloak up and try not to let anyone see your face.Certainly don’t mention his name in earshot of anyone else.We don’t know who might be one of Selene’s lackeys.”
The precautions seem like a lot when all we’re doing is going to watch the latest set of games, but I guess that kind of caution is necessary now that I can’t just walk in and demand to inspect everything about them.
We join the throng of people trying to get in.It’s a place I’ve never been before.I’ve always been either one of the gladiators fighting in the colosseum or one of those in the grand boxes dotted around the upper tiers of the stadium.I must admit, it’s a very different feeling, being one more face in a sea of humanity.
The colosseum isn’t full today, but it’s still spectacular.Flags flutter in the breeze, vendors shout odds for the bookmakers or sell food from trays.People press in on me from every side.Thalia and I pay the small coin required for entrance and hurry in.
“It’s best if we split up,” she murmurs to me.“See everything you can, overhear any whispers about the grand tournament, and I’ll meet you back at the safehouse.And Lyra?”
“Yes?”
“Try not to get spotted.”
I frown.“It shouldn’t make a difference whether people see me or not.No one knows I’m part of the resistance, and there’s certainly nothing stopping me from going to see the games.”
Thalia sighs pointedly."You're smarter than that, surely?You think Selene won't have people watching for you?Or that the Senate doesn't have spies who watch for any of the resistance?If you're seen here, you'll quickly be the center of attention.You might have done nothing wrong…yet, but it will still make you a target.”
With those words, she hurries off into the crowd, obviously determined not to be too close to me in case something does go wrong.I try to settle into the crowd as well, which isn’t easy when my powers let me feel their excitement and their bloodlust.The crowd feels like a single living organism, one that’s building up to a fever pitch.
“Citizens of Aetheria,” a voice calls out from the council box, and Marcus steps to the front to be seen.“Welcome to the games.Today, you will see gladiators fight in exhibition bouts for your delight and entertainment.”
“Give us the real games!”someone calls out.
“Now, my friends,” Marcus says.“I look forward to the grand tournament myself.But let’s not be hasty.Today exists to whet your appetite, so drink in the spectacle, feast upon the clash of blades, and enjoy!”
With that, the first gladiators walk onto the sands.One is a familiar figure, a short, dark haired woman, dressed in armor so brief it’s scandalous and holding a slender sword that’s as much a conductor for her ability to generate sparks of lightning as a weapon in itself.Cesca has long been a fan favorite, and they cheer her now as she takes on a pair of what appear to be twins who tumble acrobatically around her.
I wonder, as the bout continues, whether Cesca will continue to take part in the games now they’re to revert to the old style.She was always timid about placing her life on the line, always quick to try to latch onto those who were stronger and who she thought might protect her.My guess is she won’t want to risk death again if she can avoid it.
For now, the twins seem to be giving her trouble, moving around Cesca quickly and lashing out with flexible rope-darts that sting and draw blood.One wraps around her legs, sending her tumbling to the ground.Cesca succeeds in striking her attacker with her blade as he closes in, leaving him twitching on the ground as her lighting arcs through the blade.The second attacker manages to loop his rope dart around her arms, though, leaving her helpless as he sets his dart to her throat while he looks up at the council box.
“The contest is at an end,” Marcus says.The stadium erupts in a mixture of cheers and boos at the conclusion to the bout.The twins help Cesca from her tangling bonds, raising her to her feet.She bows elegantly to the crowd, then places a kiss on each of the twins’ cheeks in a gesture that draws fresh cheering from the crowd.Especially when she takes their hands to lead them off.Cesca has made a show even out of her defeat, but I can see the fear on her face.She clearly knows that, if this bout were to take place just a short time from now, it might end in her death.
The next bout is already being set up.A trio of gladiators move out into the arena, armed with nets and tridents that remind me of the weapons I used to use on the sands.They wear partial armor, designed to protect their most vital areas while leaving plenty of bare flesh that might suffer non-lethal wounds.
Nets are lowered around the edges of the crowd, obviously designed to contain something and stop it getting into the stands.
Once they’re in position, a voice comes from the council box.It isn’t Marcus this time, but Olivia.
“Our next bout is a show of skill against deadly beasts.One that will give you all the blood you could wish.Release the creatures!”
A gate at the far end of the arena opens, releasing a trio of creatures that look like ostrich sized hawks, except that their wings are glittering and sharp edged, their feathers like razors.These are razor wings, deadly creatures that normally fly far above their foes, flinging their feathers like darts, or flying at them and slicing them open.
