The former gladiator Lyra Thornwind is wanted for questioning on charges of attacking the guards, aiding the resistance, and possible treason.Anyone seeing her should report her to the nearest guards.
Alaric's expression is tight, and the tension in him is palpable."They know you're one of us.They'll seize you if they see you."
“We guessed as much after last night,” I say, putting my hand on his arm.
It’s one thing to guess it, though, and another to have it confirmed so starkly.The poster is unsettling, a clear declaration that I’ve moved from a figure of status and authority to a wanted fugitive within Aetheria.The senate must have met in a special session to authorize this, and while I’m sure Rowan, and probably Marcus, tried to stop it, they won’t have had the votes.
It means my old life is truly over.I can’t walk the city openly anymore, and trying to stay out of sight as possibly the most famous person in it is going to be difficult.I’ll be hunted everywhere I go.I must admit, that’s more than a little frightening.I feel my hand shaking as it touches Alaric, and he clearly feels the tremble too, because he takes my hand, holding it between his.
“Come on,” he says.“We should find you a room here.”
I nod, mutely, letting him lead me upstairs.Fear and surprise mingle within me, accompanied by indignation that the senate could do this to me.Alaric leads me to one of the doors on the next floor up, one of a series of bedrooms set in a neat row.
“This room is next door to mine,” Alaric says.“I’ll be close by if you need anything.I… I’m sorry, Lyra.I should have argued more strongly against you getting involved.”
I shake my head, determination filling me.“I told you before, it’s my choice, Alaric.I know you’ve been trying to protect me from all of this, but you don’t have to.”
“Perhaps a part of me still wants to keep you safe,” Alaric says.His hand reaches up to brush the side of my face.My heart beats faster at that touch.
“Since when have I wanted anythingsafewith you?”I reply, making a joke of it.
Alaric seems serious as he leans in towards me, though.“I’m dangerous to be around, Lyra.Even more so now than when we were in Ironhold.I don’t want to hurt you.”
His eyes look imploringly into mine.
“I think you’re worth the risk,” I say, and kiss him.This isn’t like the kiss we shared last night, isn’t something I can blame on the parts we’re playing.This is something I want, our bodies pressed together tightly.
Alaric hesitates only for a moment, then kisses me back fiercely.We’ve been apart for so long that it feels as though pressure has been building up behind a dam with us.Now, it’s bursting, and we’re both being swept away.Still kissing, we somehow get the door to the room open, stumbling inside together and falling towards the bed.
Soon enough, I'll have to consider how I'm meant to help stop Selene when I can't move freely in the city and how I can do the most to help the resistance.
For now, though, as the door swings shut behind us, there is only Alaric, and me.
CHAPTER TEN
“You’re being too tense,” Alaric whispers to me, as we move through the city.“Relax, Lyra.”
It's hard to relax when I know there's a price on my head, but now at least I understand why Alaric takes so many precautions as he moves around.Today, he's dressed like a scholar, and his features have changed to those of an eager young man clutching a stack of scrolls.
I'm dressed as his assistant and scribe, my features hidden by a cowl, a slate held in front of me as I make notes, seemingly at Alaric's direction.In fact, I'm counting the numbers and locations of gang members in the merchant district, using the eyes of the birds to count them from above.I note which businesses they go into to extort money and which spots they stand in to control particular streets.
“That’s easy for you to say when your disguise relies on illusion,” I point out.“All it takes is one person to glimpse my face, and I’ll have to run.”
“No one would catch you,” Alaric assures me.He reaches out to touch my arm.“I’d make sure of it.”
The gesture is reassuring, and so is the determination in Alaric’s voice.I know he’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe.In a way, that’s more worrying, because any slip on my part could puthimin danger.
“Would a young scholar touch the arm of his scribe like this?”I ask Alaric.The gesture seems too familiar for the parts we’re playing.I’m imagining an imperious young man, determined he’s uncovering the secrets of the world, while his long suffering scribe must write down every banal thought and musing.
“Perhaps our scholar is secretly in love with his scribe,” Alaric says, flashing a smile.“Perhaps the only reason he hired this one was to be close to her.”
Somehow, now, he always finds a way to insert that element of romance and longing into our cover stories.Yesterday, we were a noblewoman and her paramour, the woman wearing a mask because she thought it would avoid the shame of being seen in public with him openly.The day before, we were a pair of wandering players, composing increasingly outrageous love poems.Well, Alaric was composing them.I was mostly watching the patterns of the guards.
“You’re very careful not to let me go out alone,” I point out to Alaric as I continue to watch the gang members’ movements.
“Perhaps I just want to spend time with you?”Alaric suggests.
“Or perhaps you’re worried my disguise will fall apart at any moment and we’ll have to fight for our lives,” I counter.
