For now, though, I’m carried along by the wave of ordinary citizens as we march to the palace.The guards on the gates step back to let us through, and we make our way to the senate chambers.
There are already plenty of senators there.While some were in the colosseum, wanting to see Selene’s victory, others were clearly waiting for her return here, ready to swear their allegiance to her.There’s even a throne set up where the seat of the First Senator used to be.The senators look around frantically.Some of them look confused, too, as if they can’t remember where they are or what they’re doing.Olivia clutches her skull as if experiencing the worst headache she’s ever had.I guess that, now Selene’s dead, the lingering effects of her psychomancy are wearing off.
“What’s going on here?”Senator Octavio asks.
“A new beginning,” I say, walking over to the throne.I can see the others there staring at the golden circlet on my brow.I want to kick over the throne, but Rowan puts a restraining hand on my arm.
“You need to set things right,” he whispers to me.
I swallow back my dislike of the role that’s been forced onto me, but I know he has a point.I force myself to turn and sit regally, looking out over the senators.
“Hail Empress Lyra,” Octavio says, in the same formal tone he would probably have used to hail Selene’s victory, if she were the one sitting on the throne.
"Now," a senator says."To our first order of business, the"
“No,” I say, and the senate falls silent.
“Empress?”the senator says.
I stand.“No.I won’t get sucked in like that.I’m not going to deal with things the way this corrupted senate wants.You wanted an empress?Well, that means I command and you listen.”
They seem shocked into silence.Except for Olivia.
“So, what’s it going to be, Lyra?The death of your enemies?Revenge on all those who supported Selene?Should I quietly take poison to avoid being thrown into some prison cell?”
I stare at her for several seconds.“I could do that.There are probably plenty of people out there who want that.And you’ve done plenty to deserve it, Olivia.You sent assassins after Marcus.You tried to humiliate me and to sabotage me.There are people in this room who’ve changed their votes based on bribes or threats, who profit from criminal gangs and the misery of others.I could have you and everyone else who took part in those things dragged away until I decide which of you should die.”
I look around, seeing which of them seems ashamed or afraid.Olivia looks both.
“But that’s not what I’m going to do,” I say.“If I did, I would be every bit as bad as Selene was going to be.I know what it is to be thrown into the darkest pits of the city, and I won’t do that to anyone else.Those prisons will be closed, the guards who did the worst things dismissed.It will be just the first of many changes.”
“What kind of changes?”Octavio asks.“The law-”
I shake my head.“The laws of the Republic were too indebted to those of the empire.We became just an imitation of it, reaching for the games to placate the people, always seeking to do things the old way.It's time for something new.This version of the senate is done.We will reconstitute it, building it based on the will of the people, not the factions of the city.Everyone here can go.In the morning, we’ll begin the work of rebuilding Aetheria.”
The senators look around in confusion, clearly not knowing whether they should try to argue or not.
“Go,” I say.“And be thankful Idon’thold you accountable for everything you’ve done.”
They start to hurry out.A part of me wonders if I could have Olivia arrested, since I'm sure she played her part in the attack on Marcus.But I don't.This is a time for rebuilding.Most of the people around us go as well, leaving just me, Alaric, and Rowan in the senate chamber.
"You're dismissing the senate?"Alaric asks in a worried tone.
“Just until we can produce a fairer version,” I say.I sigh.“There are so many things to do.Selene did a lot of harm.”
“Not just her,” Alaric points out.“The whole system is the problem.”
“And that’s why I put the crown on your head,” Rowan says.“We squandered our chance before.Now, we need to make sure that we truly change things.And if that means you ruling outright, then that’s just what’s necessary.It’s just a question of where you want to begin.”
I know immediately what I want to do first.There will be ambassadors watching my every move in the coming days, and there will be endless meetings as we try to find a way of ruling Aetheria that works for its people, but before all that, there’s one thing that cannot wait.
*
I stand in the middle of the colosseum in the morning sun.It’s still filled with rubble, and Selene Ravenscroft’s body still hangs in place atop a spire of stone.The building is empty now, because we’ve madesureit’s empty for what’s to come.I’ve even driven out the animals within it, because far too many have already been hurt here for the entertainment of the crowds.
I’m alone, for now, here to do just one thing.I take off the circlet of golden leaves, setting it down in the middle of the colosseum and walking away.I’m still technically the empress until Rowan and I can come up with a better version of Aetheria’s constitution, but I’m determined that the rule of a single figure is not going to be the answer.
I walk out through this place that has seen so much death over the years.Selene’s body is the last.In that sense, her impaled form is a tribute to the fallen as much as to the failure of her schemes.There will need to be a more fitting tribute in time, but for now, I need to hurry.
