Thalia gestures vaguely, as if to indicate the world beyond these walls.“He’s gone to meet with a couple of our people in the slums, near the bone statue.”
“I know the spot,” I say, heading for the tunnels leading out.
“I thought you were planning to stay here,” Thalia says.
I shake my head.“That was before this.It feels like news Alaric needs to hear.”
“And you aren’t waiting for him to get back because…”
I don’t reply.We both know the answer.I’m too frustrated here to stay.I need to be out there,doingsomething.At least finding Alaric to give him this fragment of information feels like I’m helping, and it’s a chance to prove to myself that I’m in complete control again, my powers doing what I want of them and no more.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”Thalia asks.
I curse as I remember I should be wearing a disguise, and hurry through the safehouse to find something suitable.I choose the outfit of a noblewoman, along with a cloak and mask.Such a woman would have every reason to go masked if she went into the slums, wanting to protect her identity as she sought something illicit or illegal from the gangs there.I’ll stand out compared to the normal citizens, but I doubt anyone will bother me.Even most of the gangs don’t want the retribution that comes from attacking a noble.
I slip through the tunnels beneath the city, heading for one of the hidden exits.I come out into the sunlight, breathing in the fresh air of the city and wondering how much has changed in the days I’ve spent in the resistance safehouse.
Thankfully, my disguise means I can look around wide-eyed at the slums without it appearing suspicious.Of course, a noble visiting some common lover or going to one of the drug dens on the fringes of the city will look around as if expecting trouble at any moment.Of course, she would want to take in every detail of a place so different from her usual villas and grand houses.
I’m careful about how I watch what’s going on around me, restricting myself to the sight of a single bird, hovering above.I don’t want to take too much for too long.I don’t even reach out to feel the emotions of those around me.My powers can give me great strength, but I’ve been reminded firmly that they have dangers, too.
I use the bird above me to seek out the space with the bone statue.I can see it, gleaming white against the dirt of the slums, not that far away.It's a grim sight.There's a row of butchers and tanners in front of it, filling the air with the stink of their craft.Someone has taken the leftover bones, using some hint of magic to blend them together, turning them into a coherent whole that towers over the space in the form of a rearing bull.
I head towards it quickly, moving through the slums while watching for signs of danger.I can’t find any signs of Alaric yet, but if he’s using illusion to disguise himself, I wouldn’t expect to be able to spot him, even from the air.There are plenty of people around, people going to dirty jobs on the fringes of the city that Aetheria won’t permit within the walls, gang members watching over the streets they claim, people heading into gambling dens or brothels despite it being the middle of the day.
I’m about halfway to the statue when I spot someone Idon’texpect to see in the city, a familiar woman with pale skin, deep red hair, and striking green eyes with a spear across her back and clothes in greens and browns that reflect the colors of the forests beyond Aetheria's borders.Surprise hits me as I see Lady Cassandra Welsted, previously an ambassador from the neighboring kingdom of Arboria.
Surprise hits me as I see her.She shouldn’tbehere in Aetheria.She went home to Arboria after her visit, taking with her the Senate's reassurances that we were willing to work with her kingdom and that we were strong enough to defend our territory against anyone who might seek to attack it.
If she’s back, it must be because her queen has sent her on some mission.I need to find out what.There are many ways I could try to do that, but Lady Cassandra is someone who believes in directness.Which means that, as she walks across to the spot where a chariot is waiting for her, I hurry over and step out in front of her.
There’s a knife in her hand instantly, as if she suspects I’m about to attack her.
“If you’re another idiot who thinks they’re going to rob me,” she warns, “the last one who tried it is currently bleeding in a gutter.”
I raise my hands, then carefully pull aside my mask.Cassandra raises one perfect eyebrow.
“Lyra?What areyoudoing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same question,” I say.“Have you come to Aetheria to address the senate?”
Cassandra cocks her head to one side.“Not the senate, no.”
“Then who?”I ask.
Cassandra turns, and I know I can’t just let her go without an answer.I reach to catch her arm, turning her back to me.
“Careful, beast whisperer,” she says, a fierce look in her eyes.
“Just tell me what’s going on, Cassandra,” I insist.“Is this…”
A horrible possibility comes to me.
“You came to see Selene Ravenscroft, didn’t you?”
Cassandra doesn’t answer for a moment, but then nods.
“Why?”I ask.“She killed beast whisperers within Arboria.I thought your people hated her for that.You told me that anyone who can’t defend their people doesn’t deserve to have them as subjects.”
