“But he's in prison,” Rowan says.“And the only threat is from Selene.”
It feels like an oversimplification, trying to boil all the problems of the city down to one person who’s only just come back to it.And there's an obvious problem.The same problem that made me pull them aside in the first place.
“But sheisa threat,” I say.“And a threat who’ll soon be free, probably at the expense of several gladiators’ lives.”
Marcus raises an eyebrow.“You think it's inevitable she'll win?For five sets of games?Across multiple fights per game?"
“She's an archon,” I remind him.“She has power over multiple disciplines of magic, and is more skilled in magic than anyone else in the empire was.Even Tiberius wasn't as powerful as her.She listened to him only because he was the emperor.”
And maybe because his control over time magic made him supremely dangerous even to Selene.For all her skill and control, she wouldn't have been able to do much if she'd been frozen in time.
“Even an archon can be beaten,” Rowan says.
“By whom?”I shoot back.“Anyone you send into the Colosseum against her would be going to their death.”
Even I'm not sure if I could take her one-on-one.I would have to be lucky, would have to avoid all her magic.And honestly, I have no wish to do something like that.I don't want to walk onto the sands to kill someone ever again if I can avoid it.
“Not necessarily,” Marcus says.“My understanding is that for a period you were judged too powerful by those who ran the arena, including Selene.”
That's true.After my powers set a dangerous beast free and it chose to go through the crowd, Selene and Darius Blookhawk, the two organizers of the games, sought to limit my powers.Are Marcus and Rowan thinking of doing the same thing to Selene?
“You want to use a dampener on her?”I say.
Marcus nods.“It's the obvious choice.There's plenty of precedent for it, especially when she was the one to put one on you.She can't exactly complain about us doing it so long as we leave her access to at least some of her powers.She wouldn't be so much stronger than everyone else, and my guess is that her combat skills aren't going to be as well developed.”
“I'm not aware of her ever training at Ironhold,” Rowan says.“She was always a magic user, a judge, not a member of the army.”
He looks thoughtful.
“You two really believe this will work, don't you?”I say.“You think you can slap a dampener on Selene, throw her into the colosseum and watch her die.”
“And you think itwon'twork?”Rowan asks.
“I think there are all kinds of problems with this scheme,” I say.“For a start, do you think she hasn't considered this?Selene wouldn't have suggested fighting in the colosseum if she didn't think she could win, and as you said, she was the one who applied a dampener to me.She must know the use of them is an option.”
“She might know it's coming, but that doesn't mean she can fight well enough with one on,” Rowan counters.
“Which means we're throwing her in there simply to die,” I say.“And it becomes no better than the so-called bouts where the empire would send in a gladiator to kill criminals.”
“Maybe that's not the worst idea, though,” Marcus says.I forget sometimes how in favor he is of the old ways of running the games.
“That's a matter for another day,” Rowan replies.
I shake my head.“This decision brings it closer.Selene has already achieved one thing she wants.She's brought death matches back to the games, even if it's only for her.And once she's in there, do you think she won't use every opportunity to try to build up support for herself?”
Marcus puts his hand on my shoulder in what’s probably meant to be a gesture of reassurance.
“You're overthinking this.Selene thought she could find a way out of her punishment, and now she's going to find that it's coming for her anyway.I know you have qualms about killing people, but this is an enemy to the whole Republic, someone who’ll tear us down if she can.When she's dead, we’ll all be safer.”
I can see I'm not going to change their minds, and the senate has already voted on Selene fighting.I feel as though I'm trapped in the middle of a game, caught up in rules, words, and expectations, not able to act freely.
I find myself missing the days when I wasn't a senator, when I had a simple life out in Seatide.It was just me and Alaric.I miss those days, miss their peacefulness.And I miss Alaric.I hate that he wasn't even prepared to come to a meeting with me.What's he doing now?Has he heard the news that Selene will be fighting?
If so, how will he react?Rowan and Marcus might think they're containing a threat, but they might just have triggered a fresh wave of disruption in the city.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: ALARIC
I view the city from behind another face, walking through it unseen thanks to my illusions.Without them, I would have been caught a long time ago, thrown back into a prison cell to await the judgment of the senate.
