“Probably forged.”
“By whom?”Marcus demands, standing.“I hope you’re not accusing anyone in this room.”
Yarrow smiles an insincere smile."Of course not, but if I were, I'm sure they'd want the chance to defend themselves here rather than being killed out of hand."
Rowan holds up his hands for silence.“Senator Lyra was speaking.I, for one, want to hear what she has to say.Please, Lyra, go on.”
“She worked with Domitian,” I say.“I’m worried even now about her being held in the same place as him.She stood side by side with the former emperor.She did his bidding for years, and she ran the games when they were at their cruelest.She’s even been killing beast whisperers out in Arboria, and caused so much disruption that the Arborians sent a delegation to us.”
I can see Marcus looking pleased.He’s obviously sure I’ll side with him, and maybe he thinks my support will help sway the rest of the senate to his side.Sometimes he sees me as a political liability, but sometimes, my fame and the things I’ve done to save the city can persuade people as well.
Sadly, I’m going to have to disappoint him.
“But shedidhold back when it came to the rebellion,” I say.“And she helped me when I was a gladiator.She undid the dampener she’d put on me on the emperor’s orders, letting me use my powers when I fought.I always got the feeling she was more interested in the law than in the emperor’s aims.”
I pause again, looking around at the people in the viewing gallery.“But those aren’t the reasons I think Selene should get to plead her case.The truth is, I don’t think we should be killing people out of hand.I don’t want our Republic to be as soaked in blood as the empire was, and I certainly don't want us to ignore our own laws.If this is a place where justice becomes about our whims, then it isn't justice at all.That's why, if there's to be a vote on this, I vote that Selene should be allowed to make her case.”
Marcus looks surprised by that and disappointed, but I can see some of the other senators nodding.Octavio looks pleased.
Rowan sighs.“I think this has come to the point where we need to vote on it.Lyra has already declared she's in favor of letting Selene speak.So am I.”
“Against,” Marcus says.“I think allowing this puts us all in danger.”
The votes start to come in for and against.It's hard to keep track of the count, even though the viewing galleries above are silent and tense, people obviously waiting to see what the result will be.Rowan is keeping a careful tally.At last he stands.
“It's decided by two votes.Selene Ravenscroft will have the opportunity to address this chamber, and we'll decide her fate.”
Marcus stands and moves to leave the senate chamber.I can see the anger on his face at losing the vote, but it feels like more than that.I go after him as he goes through to the antechamber beyond the senate.I catch up to him and put a hand on his arm.I can see him getting himself under control, pushing down his emotions.
“Why is this affecting you so much?”I ask.
“I just think she's dangerous,” he replies.
I shake my head.“It's more than that.”
“She was an official of the empire right at the point where my family's holdings were seized, signed over to the emperor.Forget what she said about not being involved.Do you think she didn't know about that?”Marcus demands.“Do you think that, when I went to protest to officials, it didn't reach her ears?”
I realize how personal this is for him, but then, it is for me too.I don't know the former arch magistrate well, but I've met her.She's stood in judgment over me, contained my powers, run games in which I've been hurt.
“I have every reason to hate her as well,” I say.I put my hand over Marcus's heart now.“But if you hold all that hate inside you, it will only hurt you, not her.”
“I plan on it hurting her,” Marcus says.“When I went to the prison, and she talked about my family… her very denial just proved how much she knew.”
“She was trying to get you to react,” I point out.“It's all part of her game.”
“But that's the point,” Marcus replies.“She has some kind of game going on and we're letting her play it.”
“We’ll work out what she's doing and stop it,” I say.“We'll stop her as well, but the right way.”
“I hope so,” Marcus says.
“Let me take you back to your villa?”I suggest.
He shakes his head.“Not this evening.If Selene plans to argue her case tomorrow, I want to prepare to counter those plans.”
I can't help feeling that he's cutting me out of those preparations because I voted in favor of letting her speak, and that hurts, but I don't argue.Things will be better after Selene has argued her case in the senate, and in any case, I still need to find the death bouts that are meant to be taking place in the city.I let Marcus go, then head back to my rooms and change, ready to go out and look for them.The sign I saw on the uniforms of the servants at the gambling parlor is the only clue I have, but maybe I can do something with it.
There's a message waiting in my room.
