Sorrel laughs.“You really believe that?You really think no one’s dying in fights in Aetheria?”
“What do you know?”I ask him.“What aren't you telling me?”
Sorrel is silent for several seconds.“This… isn't something I can talk about openly.”
“There was a time when you wanted to make things better in the city,” I say.
“And look where that got me,” Sorrel says, with sudden harshness.“I was thrown into a dungeon, whipped, beaten… trying to change things is dangerous.”
I raise an eyebrow.“You don't seem to have any problem with danger, given that you're stepping straight into it in the colosseum.”
He hesitates then, and I can see he's thinking about my words.Sorrel sighs.“Look, I can't say anything now.It would spoil too many things, maybe even shut down this bout.I can't afford that.If people learned that I talked to you, it would be bad for me as well.I need to be in a position where they can't hurt me, and that can’t happen until I've established a name for myself.”
“You mean until you've killed Selene Ravenscroft,” I say.“I know you've killed a beast before, and I guess you killed people in the fight to stop Domitian’s forces, but do you know what it's like to stand over someone and finish them?Do you know how that stays with you?”
Sorrel looks me in the eyes.“I guess I'll find out.”He smiles.“And then afterwards I'll tell you what you want to know.I'll tell you who gave me the armor.”
I wish I could do more.I wish I could talk him out of this or at least get him to tell me more, but it seems Sorrel’s mind is made up and I'm not going to change it.It reminds me uncomfortably of a talk I had with the young fighter Kai before he went to fight Glacius in the Colosseum.
Between the vote in the senate, Selene’s reaction when I went to her, and now Sorrel’s refusal to listen to me, it feels as though I'm being carried along on a great wave of events, unable to stop them from unfolding.
I leave Ironhold reluctantly, heading back into the city, turning the presence of the symbol over and over in my mind.Who could have given Sorrel this armor?Who would benefit from it?Someone who wants to leave Sorrel beholden to them?Someone who wants to get their hooks into him, forcing him to do what they want?At the very least, it’s another indication that the death matches aren't just the work of one of the gangs, but instead of someone with far more power and influence, someone with access to the games and the gladiators.There's a much larger web going on here, and I hope Sorrel can help me unravel it.
I return to the palace.Marcus either isn't back yet or has gone straight to his villa.I return to my rooms, and there I find a message waiting for me.As soon as I pick it up, I can tell it's from Thalia, her writing as spiky and distinctive as she is.
I have the location for one of the fights.It's tonight.Meet me by your statue an hour after dark, and I'll show you the way.
T.
Even with everything that's happening in the games, even with the fight tomorrow, I can't ignore this.Maybe going will give me a chance to find out who's behind all this.Maybe I'll learn enough to be able to confront the person who stepped into the spot Domitian occupied, continuing to run illegal fights outside the games.
Maybe I'll be able to stop this once and for all.That thought brings hope when there seems to be so little of it at the moment.I have to do this.I have to go to the fight.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I creep through the dark, waiting by my statue for Thalia.The night air is crisp enough to make me shiver, or maybe that's just the thought of what I might see in the fights tonight.
No matter what I do, Aetheria has a current of violence within it.There are always those who want to bring back the games as they were, who want to control the city through violence, who want to turn the Republic back towards the cruelty of the empire.I'm starting to think that Alaric was right when he told me that I wouldn't be able to achieve anything as a senator.
I spot Thalia approaching through the darkness, but only because I'm watching through the senses of the animals around me.I turn to face her as she comes closer, wrapped in a dark cloak and armed with a couple of daggers.
“You're expecting trouble?”I ask.
She flashes a grim look in the moonlight.“Always.And especially from the kind of people who put these contests on.Do you think they'll hesitate to kill people to keep making money?”
I haven't considered just how much danger I'm in by going to look at this fight tonight.I've faced plenty of danger in my life, but mostly now, I get to sit behind the safe walls of the palace, protected both by guards and by my status as a senator.If Thalia and I are caught tonight, we’ll have to fight our way out.It's a sobering thought, but it's not enough to stop me.
“Come on,” I say.“Show me this fight.Show me what's happening.”
Thalia nods and starts to lead me through the city.We keep to the shadows, away from the glow of the magical orbs that mean Aetheria is never truly dark.We avoid contact with the others who walk the nighttime streets, either on their way to work through the night or seeking entertainment somewhere in the city.
But in doing so, maybe we make ourselves more suspicious because, as we reach the entertainment district, a voice calls out.
“You there!What are you doing skulking around?”
A couple of guards are watching us.I sense Thalia tensing beside me, ready to fight or run, but I know running will only make them chase us, and attract the attention of others.It's easier for me to step forward into the light.
“I'm trying to make last-minute preparations for the games tomorrow,” I say, as recognition crosses their faces.“But it's something Marcus and I don't want too much attention for.I'm sure you understand.”
