“Be polite, Lucius,” Marcus chides him.
“Thatisthe polite version, Marcus.I understand the senator means something to you, and I can see she clearly cares about the people of the city, but after today, being seen too close to her might cause problems.For both of us.”
Marcus puts a hand on my shoulder.“And yet I’m happy to be seen beside her.Are we done here, Lucius?”
Lucius nods.“And I’ll do the other thing you asked, as well.”
He turns and leaves, hurrying away as if worrying that just being seen near me is likely to damage his political standing.I can understand it in part, given the conversation that just happened in the senate chamber, but it still hurts to think that I’ve become too toxic to be seen with.
And yet Marcus is next to me, still.
“How much does it damage you, being seen with me like this?”I ask.
He sighs."What do you want me to say, Lyra?I was able to defend you in there, but everyone knows that you interfered in the attempts of the guards to bring Alaric's troublemakers to justice."
“Because they were attacking them,” I shoot back.“The guards were beating them, Marcus.”
"They stepped into the middle of the Colosseum," Marcus points out."There are those who might say they risked violence just by doing that.And standing up to Aetheria… it's dangerous, Lyra."
"They're not standing up to Aetheria, just to the games," I retort.Everyone here seems determined to misrepresent what they want.To suggest that they're trying to destroy the city, when the only thing I've heard from them was the pain they've suffered thanks to the games.They want the same things I do to stop the games from becoming all they used to be.The only difference is the methods they employ.
“Those are close to being the same thing,” Marcus insists.“The games have always been at the heart of Aetheria.Without them, we lose something vital when it comes to the heart of the city, and the lands that owe it fealty.”
“I… don’t know what to say to that,” I say.“People were hurt today, Marcus.Even before the protestors got into the arena, the birds made everything far too dangerous.People could have been killed.”
“I’m sure you would have stopped it,” Marcus says, sounding a little bitter.“You would have controlled those birds at some point.Does it occur to you that it’s what Domitian wanted?He wants to put you in positions where you have to act in ways a senator shouldn’t, to weaken your position as a senator.”
“I don’t care about the politics of it, compared to people’s lives,” I insist.
“You should,” Marcus shoots back.“If not for your own sake, then at least for mine, Lyra.Lucius is one of my closest allies.He’s my right-hand man, and he still doesn’t want to be around me if I’m with you.I want change in this city.I want prosperity for its people, and a powerful nation that won’t be at risk from enemies, inside or out.Every piece of political capital I use protecting you makes it harder to do that, Lyra.”
“I don’t want to be a burden to you,” I say.“And if I’m too dangerous to be seen with… maybe it’s better if you aren’t seen with me, for now.”
It hurts, hearing him talk like I’m doing the wrong thing trying to protect people.It seems clear that Marcus cares more about the games than about me, and for now at least, that’s enough to send me hurrying back to my rooms, trying not to let the pain I feel show on my face.
Once more, I’m stopped short by the presence of a note that’s been left for me.
Thank you for helping today.Things are getting dangerous around the games.The protests were partly a distraction, so we could find more information.There are secret meetings happening, senators meeting with those who put together the games.They're talking about a "next step" in the games.I think they're trying to bring death matches from the fighting pits to the arena.
A
I stare at that note, trying to work out if it could all be true.Are there senators really plotting some new stage in the games?It feels consistent with what I've seen so far, but I need more than just Alaric's rumors.I need to find out the truth of what's going on.I need proof, something I can bring before the Senate to stop all this.Domitian will have slipped up somewhere and will have left evidence where it can be located.
I just need to find it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
What can I do to find the truth?At first, the answer doesn’t seem obvious.What can I do against a conspiracy that involves senators and nobles?I lie awake that night, thoughts of what might be happening in the city making it impossible for me to relax.
Aetheria is becoming so dangerous, so corrupt, now.The games are becoming more deadly by the day, and if Domitian is still disguising his actions, I’m sure it won’t be long before he calls openly for death matches.
I dream of Alaric.Alaric in the Colosseum, fighting against foes who usually looked far more dangerous.I dream of him using illusions, deceiving them, never letting them see the truth of him.I'm sure he must be out in the city somewhere, probably plotting the next step in his campaign to stop the renewed games.
I wake, wondering if I should join him in that campaign, but no, that’s not who I am now.I’m a senator of Aetheria, a figure of authority and respect.
And that’s the key to what I need to do about Domitian and the others.I’m a senator.I can go where I want, look into what I want.I can demand answers from anyone employed by the city.Will therebeanswers, though?Domitian has been careful to cover his tracks so far.
But he also works within the structures of the games.He uses its servants and its trainers.I know from my work in putting on the games that they require messages and requisitions, records of equipment inspections and safety measures.
