“Why?” Alaric asks.
“Selene invited me to one of her gatherings,” I say. “In three days. I get the feeling she’s planning to unveil her vision for Aetheria to more people. If I can get in there, maybe I can do something to stop her schemes, or maybe I can limit her ability to control people.”
“You want to go in there alone?” Alaric says. “Into a place where you won’t have animals to control?”
“But I can at least borrow from some at a distance, now,” I point out. “And I’ll have the ability to influence people’s emotions. Maybe I can do something to disrupt her power base.”
“But not alone,” Alaric insists. “You’ll need help from the resistance.”
Not just them. Marcus will need to be involved as well. If Selene is planning something big, then we need to know what, and how she plans to realize her vision for Aetheria. Once we know, then maybe, together, we can stop it.
Will he go along with the plan? I hope so. He can provide influence with the kind of people Selene will invite, and maybe with some of the guards.
Even with him, it will be dangerous. If I want to accept Selene’s invitation, I’ll be walking into the middle of a fortress where she might well control the guards. This could all be some trick to have me walk into a place where she can trap or kill me. Going to her gathering will be a risk.
But it’s a risk I must take, for the good of all the people of Aetheria.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
I hurry through the city, to the tower claimed by the resistance. The moon shines above, and magical orbs glow in the street. The latter make me wonder what Selene’s version of Aetheria would be like.
I have no doubt the city would be filled with more magic than ever. The scholarly towers around me would become the homes of the key figures within the city, their magical power making them figures of authority as well. It would be a city filled with wonders.
But I suspect there would also be terrors, especially for those without magic. Selene wants a city ruled by the most powerful magic users, but where would that leave the nulls? Would they be little better than the slaves the old empire claimed? Would those with magic be able to simply command them in any way they saw fit?
I don’t know. Maybe Selene will seek justice for everyone there. Maybe she’s serious about me having a place beside her, where I can prevent the worst excesses of what she has planned.
Wait, am Itemptedby her offer? That thought catches me by surprise. I must admit that there are some tempting elements to what she’s proposing. The idea of an Aetheria where status isn’t down to birth or wealth, where there is at least an element of merit, is tempting. And I know that I would have a powerful position within it. In a society focused on magical power, I would have more than almost anyone. Perhaps only Selene would be stronger.
But I’m not tempted for long. Whatever position I gained in Selene’s new society, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for the damage she does as she takes power, or the cruelty she inflicts on those without magic.
I need to focus on stopping her, which means I must try to find some way to stop her during her gathering.
There’s only one night left before it now. Alaric, Marcus and I have spent the past two days making preparations. I hope they’ll be enough.
The tower is just ahead. Thalia is waiting by the door, letting me inside.
"Elanar is near the top," she says. "We're going to get him out of the city tonight, but he wants to say goodbye. Alaric is waiting on the upper floor, and Senator Marcus is there too."
I can hear the bitterness as Thalia says Marcus’ name.
“You don’t like having him here?” I ask.
Thalia shakes her head. “He represents the kind of old, ordered city that makes the Republic a kind of vague shadow of the empire, complete with all the corruption. He’s behind the death matches. You know that, Lyra, but you’re still working with him?”
I can’t explain that Marcus is running the games to uncover corruption, because I’m still not sure whether I fully believe it. I’ve felt what he wants for the future. Hewantssome pure, perfect version of the Republic. The question is whether Marcus can ever get there with the methods he’s chosen.
“We all need to work together if we’re going to stop Selene,” I say.
Thalia nods. “The question is what happens then. Do we defeat her, only for the city to fall into civil war?”
“I hope not,” I say. I sigh and head up through the tower. No one is pretending to be an artist tonight. Instead, people are sharpening weapons, or practicing with whatever magical abilities they possess. They’re getting ready for a fight tomorrow.
Elanar is waiting for me on one of the upper floors. He’s sitting on the edge of a bed, with a small sack beside him whichI suspect holds his belongings. He’s clearly ready to leave, and I can see the tension in him. He stands as I enter the room.
“Lyra, you’re finally here. I thought I might have to go without seeing you.”
“You’re ready to leave?” I say. “Does that meanI’mready?”
