There are people waiting below, a whole crowd of them.I think I recognize some of the faces from the riots before, with plenty of the poorer people of the city there.People who want the return of the games.People who are prepared to resort to violence if they don’t get it.
“My friends,” Marcus calls out, and his voice is amplified by some magic woven into the balcony.“You know Lyra Thornwind, the former champion of the games.”
The crowd roars, and it’s a familiar feeling, a rush of adrenaline that comes with the approbation of the crowd.I could be standing on the sands again, with the spectators roaring around me.I wave reflexively, and the volume of their approval only intensifies.
“Lyra and I have been working on preparations for the thing you’ve all been waiting for: the return of the games!”Marcus calls out.
I speak up.“These will be a different games, a safer games!One where people will only risk their lives if they wish to.”
The crowd doesn’t respond to that in the same way, but Marcus speaks up.
“Which means that the people fighting there are eager to fight for your entertainment, eager to spill their blood if necessary.The games will be more than they ever were, with fighters who havechosento give their all in the arena!”
Now the crowd cries out in response, their need for blood and violence obvious.
“Our first games will be a series of exhibition matches,” Marcus says.“The best gladiators of the colosseum mixed in with the finest up and coming fighters of the city.”
The crowd looks expectant, obviously wanting to hear details of the bouts to come.I don’t know those details, but it seems Marcus does, taking up a scroll.
“The highlight of these first games will be a contest between the old and the new, between a former gladiator of the colosseum and a young fighter fresh out of the fighting pits of the city.Representing the colosseum that was, the gladiator, Glacius!”
Another roar comes from the crowd, louder than ever.It’s easy to ride on the wave of their approval.I think I know Glacius, he was a tough gladiator whose magic gave him control over ice and cold.It made him a potentially dangerous opponent, one no new fighter should underestimate.I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that someone like him would want to keep fighting, given the chance.Or maybe he was just well paid to bring him back to the arena.
“Facing him will be the star of the underground fighting scene that has grown up in the city over the past year,” Marcus says.“A young man who has dreamed of fighting for your pleasure.A fighter who has gained the attention and respect of the crowds throughout the city: Kai!”
This time, the sound of the crowd is enough to make the balcony shake.It’s obvious they want this fight.That they want the return of the games more than anything.
I head back inside, and then go back down through the arena, while Marcus stays to continue addressing the crowd.
I’m surprised to find Alaric waiting for me in one of the hallways.He’s wearing noble clothes, his eyes shrouded with anger, but worse is the way he’s holding it all in check, not showing a flicker of emotion on his face.
“Alaric, what are you doing here?”I ask.
“I wanted to see if you would go through with all this,” he says.“I hoped, even now, that you’d put a stop to the games.But you won’t, will you, Lyra?”
“The only way to make them safe is-”
“Thereisno way to make any of this safe,” Alaric says.“But I’m not here to have that conversation with you again, Lyra.”
“Why are you here, then?”I ask.
“To tell you I’m leaving,” Alaric replies.“My family… things didn’t go well, and I can’t stay here with you.I can’t stand by and watch you bring back something we both fought to destroy.”
“You’re leaving, just like that?”I ask, barely able to believe it.His words hurt far too much.
"It's not 'just like that, '" Alaric counters."You've betrayed everything we stood for, Lyra.And it isn't like you want me here.You havehimbeside you now.I hope he makes you happy.I wish I could have.”
I know he means Marcus, and I wish I could deny it, but Alaric isn’t done.
"This is goodbye, Lyra," he says.He turns, and he walks from the Colosseum.I wonder if I should stop him, but I can't bring myself to do it.There's something broken between us, and I'm not sure I can fix it.
CHAPTER TWENTY: LYRA
I throw myself into the preparations for the exhibition match, wanting to use them to distract myself from the pain I feel with Alaric leaving.We had so much together, and somehow we still drifted apart.I loved him so deeply, and it wasn’t enough.That part hurts far too much.
There are so many small things to prepare for the renewed games, and now I’m there to work on all of them, whether it’s the lists of fights to make, the licensing of bookmakers to take bets in the arena’s halls, the bringing in of provisions to provide food for the thousands of citizens who will come to the games, or the setting up of preparation areas for the fighters.
It gives me a good idea of the many, many elements that go into putting on the games, and leaves me with a newfound respect for the masters of the arena when I was just one more gladiator among the rest, but none of it does anything to take away my pain.
