There are guards around, too, and those make me wary.Far too many of them are controlled by Selene, these days.
When I reach the forum, the numbers are almost overwhelming, spilling out beyond the columns that denote its boundaries and into the streets beyond.
“How did you and Alaric get so many people here?”I ask Marcus.
He shrugs.“We simply let it be known that there would be a chance to see Lyra Thornwind here.”
A part of me doesn’t want to believe it could be that simple.I want to assume that Marcus must have offered bribes, or Alaric must have used rabble rousers in the slums.But no, maybe my fame really has reached the point where people will come in huge numbers, just for the opportunity to see me.
Certainly, everyone stares at me as I walk through the crowd, heading for a broken column that serves as a traditional spot for people to speak from.Even under the empire, Emperor Tiberius allowed people to speak freely here.Although he would often send spies to listen and identify troublemakers.
“Lyra, Lyra!”someone starts to chant.The other members of the crowd take up the cry, so that my name washes over me continuously as I move to stand on the column, looking out over the crowd.I hold out my hands for quiet, and it’s almost a shock that people fall absolutely silent.They want to hear me speak.
Now, I just need to work out what I want to say to them.
“Citizens of Aetheria.My friends,” I begin, looking around at the faces there.“I can see people here from so many different parts of the city, and I’m glad you came here today.”
“Because of you!”someone calls out.
I smile.“I imagine many of you came because you like my wins in the colosseum.But I hope some of you came here because you believe in Aetheria, the way I do.”
I gesture to the city around me.
“Not the vision of it some would try to sell you.”My gesture takes in the colosseum, strung with imperial colors at Selene’s command.“A vision where the strong rule over the weak, or those with magic, or money, or the right family rule over the rest.”
“Selene’s vision,” someone calls out.
I nod.“But not just her.Domitian thought the same way, and Tiberius before him.Again and again, people try to take control of Aetheria.They try to persuade you that it’s right they should rule, because they have power and cruelty on their side.We cannot let them tell us that it's right.We can’t let them persuade us that it’s the only way things can be done.”
Now, I gesture to the palace, which has become the seat of Aetheria’s senate.
“We already know that it’s possible to do things another way.The Republic is built on different ideals.”
“The Republic is corrupt!”someone yells.I don’t know if these are members of the resistance, planted in the crowd, agitators paid to cause trouble, or just people who are so angry they can’t stop themselves.
“The senators are all in Selene’s pocket!”
“Even before then, they took bribes and didn’t do anything for the people!”
I hold up my hands, trying to contain the outpouring of anger.
“And we’ll change all those things,” I promise.“For now, you just need to show Selene and those who support her that you won’t stand by and let her take power.You need to show the people close to you that they aren’t alone when they stand up to her.We can stop her, together.”
“Lyra!”they start to chant again.“Lyra!”
Even as they do so, however, I see another group of people approaching.I watch them from above through the eyes of passing birds, a wave of humanity wearing flashes of purple and gold: the old imperial colors Selene has taken as her own symbol.
“Selene!Selene!Down with traitors!”
Their cries start to drift over the breeze, and I can see the people around me turning to face them.Thanks to my powers, I can feel the rising anger in the crowd, confronted by people they view as enemies.
I try to push back against some of that anger, try to soothe it, but what am I meant to do when Selene’s supporters are marching forward, many of them armed with clubs and daggers?Their intentions are obvious: they’ve come here for a confrontation.Or at least, some of them have.From above, I can spot the tightly packed knots of toughs armed and ready for a fight, while the others around them mostly just chant.
They charge like a phalanx of soldiers, slamming into the ranks of my supporters.Screams and cries of anger fill the air, while I see many of my own supporters pulling out weapons, too.Members of the resistance, hidden among the rest, are leaping into the fight with Alaric at their head.What started life as a simple gathering has turned into a battle in a matter of seconds.
I dodge aside from a swinging club, catching the wielder’s arm and wrenching it to make him drop the weapon.I kick another attacker back into the mass of the rest, but I know that fighting like this isn’t going to help.
I reach for my powers, instead, trying to tap into the animal instincts of everyone there.I can’t hope to calm so many at once, so I throw fear at them instead, hoping to make people scatter instead of standing and fighting.Plenty do, but that just means the fight splits apart, becoming a series of running battles that I can only watch from overhead thanks to the birds.
