“I’m here because of Selene,” I say.
Marcus looks disappointed, but I seem to have caught his interest.
“What about her, Lyra?”
“I’ve been to Ironhold,” I say. “Selene has tampered with her dampener. I’m certain now that she’s using psychomancy to influence the senate.”
“Psychomancy?” Marcus says. I can hear the anger in his voice. It’s easy to understand why. When the emperor wanted to destroy his family, part of the way he did it was to send in a psychomancer, who pushed his mother to sign over almost all their wealth. “To influence the senate? She can’t be controlling that many people outright,” Marcus says.
“She doesn’t have to,” I point out. “A few suggestions here, a few there, and it’s enough. I don’t know who I can trust in the palace now.”
“You can trust me,” Marcus says, reaching out to touch my face. It would be so easy to lean into that touch.
“Can I?” I ask. “I hope I can, but all this business with the death matches…”
“I already explained that,” Marcus says. He sighs. “At least it puts me in a position where I can help you. I’ll do what I can. Will you ever be able to trust me, Lyra?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I… I’m still not certain whether you’re serious about rooting out corruption, or just digging yourself into it deeper to gain more control in the city. I’m sorry, Marcus.”
I pull back from his touch, leaving his villa. I hope he’ll help, but I don’t know for sure whether he’ll be able to do enough, or even if he’ll want to.
So, I head through the city again, making sure I’m not followed as I go to the resistance tower. Through the eyes of birds above, I can see the resistance members who watch mecoming, hurrying back to the tower to provide whoever’s there with advance warning.
Maybe they’re the reason Alaric intercepts me before I get to the tower. Of course, it doesn’tlooklike him. Today, his illusions make him look like some young noble scholar, wandering through the district in search of knowledge. He lets those illusions flicker for a moment as he approaches me, showing me his real face, before the illusion falls back into place.
“Ah, there you are!” Even his voice is different, and I get the feeling Alaric likes being different people. He likes the opportunity to play parts and put on different faces. “Are you ready for our tour around the district?”
Alaric offers me his arm and I take it, which means he can lean close to me.
“Anyone who sees us now will assume I’m just a young scholar trying to impress a woman by showing her the sights,” Alaric murmurs. He gestures grandly. “In that very tower there, the magus Alaxis lost control of a magical working that destroyed the whole upper floor, along with three towers around it!”
He lowers his voice again. “How are your efforts going in the palace?”
“I’m trying to work out who I can trust and who’s under Selene’s control,” I say. “She can’t just control everyone all the time.”
“I hope not,” Alaric replies. “But my own people have been looking around for similar signs ever since we met. We need to know who’s on her side, who’s on ours, and who is controlled by her even when they would normally work with you.”
I nod. “What have you found?”
“Too many people influenced by her to tell you them all,” Alaric says. “And that’s before we get into the ones who simplylove her for her success in the colosseum, or because of what she represents.”
“A return to the empire,” I say.
Alaric nods. “With whatever that means for the people who hear that promise. One of the advantages she has is that she can make vague promises, and people can imagine that she’ll give them everything they need.”
“And people believe her?” I say.
Alaric nods again. “She has people out spreading rumors. She pays them to talk about how she’ll help the ordinary people.” He sighs. “The Republic has made it too easy for her to do it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Alaric gives me a long look. “You’ve seen how difficult people’s lives are in the slums. In plenty of places. I know you’ve tried to help, but Ialsoknow you’ve run into problems.”
“It’s just hard to actually get anything done,” I say. “Rowan’s tryingto rebuild the slums, and we’re trying to make sure everyone has enough to eat, and that the gangs don’t run wild.”
"But everything conspires to stop you," Alaric says. "Corruption. Nobles, gang leaders, and others who like things the way they are. So, the ordinary people will grab for anything that promises them a better life. We're going to try to make sure Selene's criers don't get to tell the story she wants unopposed."
Meaning what? That the resistance would drown them out, disrupt their attempts with violence, spread their own propaganda? The resistance is used to using much dirtier tactics than I like.
