“Fighting for your pleasure, we have Teak!”an announcer calls out, and a man who looks like he’s been hewn out of the wood of his name jumps down into the makeshift fighting pit.He’s stripped to the waist, with corded muscles, and even as I watch, his skin ripples, seeming to cover over with bark.Apparently, his magical talent is for shifting his flesh to wood.
“And facing him, Kai!”
The young man who jumps down into the pit is slightly built compared to his opponent, leanly muscled and probably fast, but it doesn’t look like a fair fight.The two of them start to circle one another.
The younger man, Kai, hits and moves, and I see the flicker of magic covering his hands as they slam into Teak, hard enough to send splinters of wood flying.He jabs and moves, ducking under the slow swing of a return punch that’s probably hard enough to take his head from his shoulders.Kai kicks Teak’s knee, dodges aside from another punch, then hits him again.
I'm impressed by his speed and by his surprising toughness.Even when Teak hits him, he seems to shift his magic just in time to block the worst of the blow.Kai spins away, slamming another kick into Teak's midsection, and keeps moving.
“Kai, Kai, Kai!”
He seems to have the crowd on his side, combining his skills with the charisma to pull in attention.He reminds me of some of the more popular gladiators from the Colosseum, maybe even Alaric.
I can recognize the appeal of the spectacle, the way the fight is getting the blood of the crowd flowing.Even I can feel the excitement of it as Kai dodges and strikes, avoiding the worst of his opponent’s blows even as he counterattacks.I find myself willing him to succeed, hoping he’ll be able to bring an end to the fight soon.
He dodges another punch, slamming a combination into Teak's head, finishing with a blow that seems to blur the air around it with the magic he uses.The other fighter topples, blood spraying as his nose breaks, unconsciousness claiming him.
"Kai!Kai!Kai!"the crowd continues to chant, as Kai raises his hands in victory.He jumps from the fighting pit, and people crowd towards him.The movement of the crowd carries me into his path, like a leaf on the wind, and suddenly, I find myself face to face with him.It doesn't matter that I have the hood of my cloak up, because head on, he can still see my face.He stands there staring at me, as if he can't quite believe what he's seeing.
“You’re Lyra,” he says.
I start to shake my head, but his hand flashes out, faster than even I can block, pulling back the hood of my cloak.
"Lyra Thornwind.I saw you fight so many times when I was a servant in the Colosseum.Did you come to see me fight?"
I shake my head.“I came because someone here sent people to try to hurt me.”
Kai looks shocked by that, but quickly keeps going.“I’m going to fight in the colosseum one day, the way you did.”
He sounds so young, so naïve.
“It’s not even guaranteed that the fights will start again,” I say.
"Of course they will," Kai replies."The Senate can't deny that it's what the people want.We'll fight wherever we have to.Why not have the fights in the arena?"
"Because it's dangerous," I counter."You said you were a servant in the Colosseum.You must have seen what it was like, seen the death, the violence, the way people were forced to risk their lives and serve the whims of the nobles."
“WhatIsaw was the glory,” Kai says.“And these fights would be different.I’m not being forced to do anything.Iwantto fight.”
I can see I'm not going to persuade him.This is a young man who clearly likes fighting and who can't see the dangers.Whatever respect he has for me isn't enough to make him listen when I tell him how dangerous the Colosseum can be.
Suddenly, I don't want to be here anymore.Especially not when the crowd is starting to gather around me, moving closer in an echo of the way people wanted to be near me and touch me during the processions to the Colosseum.
Marcus is there then, putting a protective arm around me and pulling the hood of my cloak back up.When people get too close, a crackle of lightning flickers out from him, keeping them back.
“Come on,” he says.“Let’s get you back to the palace and your rooms.I’ll tell you what little I’ve found, but we can’t stay here.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ALARIC
I never thought I'd be back here, and I must admit I missed the sights and sounds of the city while I was gone.There's nowhere quite like Aetheria, certainly not some small fishing village, days of walking away from anywhere with a decent theatre or good wine.
But those aren't the reasons I'm back in Aetheria, even if I stand at the gates simply staring at the spaces beyond, taking in the monuments and the magic.Although there seems to be less of that, as if someone has reined in the spectacle of the city.Probably Rowan.He never did know how to have fun.
“Stop standing there,” one of the guards at the gate snaps.“What's wrong?Have you never seen a city before?Who do you think you are, getting in the way?”
I turn the full weight of my disapproval on him with a stare that makes him take a step back.It's probably helped by the part where I have a pair of swords strapped to my hip, and I'm wearing dark armor.He starts to reach for his weapon.
“Who do I think I am?I think I’m Alaric Blackthorn.”
