“And then?”I ask.
Marcus steps away from me.“We’ll talk in the morning, Lyra.”
That catches me by surprise, especially when he says it in a neutral tone, carefully devoid of emotion.It’s obvious Marcus is trying to hold back everything he’s feeling.It’s a long way from what I expected of him as he steps out of the room, shutting the door carefully behind him.
I look around at my room, unsure what to make of it.When I’ve stayed in Marcus’ villa before, it’s always been beside him.Now, he seems determined to keep distance between us.I don’t know if that’s because he wants to show me I can trust him, or because he knows he has all the time in the world now I’m his prisoner.
And Iama prisoner.I might not be stuck underground or surrounded by guards, but I still can’t leave.I don’t know what to make of my new situation.All I can do is wait for morning and hope that it will make more sense then.
CHAPTER SIX
I wake to the sound of birdsong, reach out to call the bird to me, and then realize that I can't, thanks to the dampener around my wrist.It's a painful way to come back into wakefulness, reminded of my own helplessness and how cut off from my powers I am.
I lie there in the early morning light, a part of me afraid to wake, to stand, because then I’ll have to find out what my fate is here in Marcus’ home.So far, he’s treated me well, but he’s been happy to go along with this arrangement that sees me utterly in his power.He knows Selene has effectively given me to him, and I don’t know yet whether he intends to act on that.
I don't know what I am to him now.Am I a lover, a friend, a slave?But I'm used to facing uncertainty.In Ironhold and then the colosseum, I did so every day.I was in a similarly helpless position there too, because my noble patrons could have taken advantage of me any way they wished.I won't let fear stop me now.
I stand and dress, taking clothes from the trunk at the foot of the bed.The outfits there are ones I recognize, ones Marcus gave to me while I was his fiancée.It's a surprise he kept them, and even more of a surprise that they're there now, rather than the simple clothes of a servant.I dress carefully, in a grey dress with silver embroidery.There are pieces of jewelry set out along with it, a couple of bracelets and rings that seem at odds with my status as a prisoner.I hesitate before putting them on, feeling as though doing so is to somehow accept my situation.
But they don’t seem like the kind of thing Marcus would give to someone he regards merely as a prisoner, or worse yet, a slave.Or maybe he would.Maybe Marcus merely wants to decorate me, to adorn me so he can show me off to others.
I still don’t know what he intends for me here, whether he plans to keep me as a prisoner indefinitely while barely talking to me, or help me, or hurt me.
I bind up my hair in a simple braid, something far removed from the elaborate styles servants would arrange my hair into as a senator, but I want to dosomethingwith it that's different from the unkempt mess it was in prison.I want to remind myself that I'm not there anymore and that, no matter what my situation is here, it's better than what could be happening to me there, right now.
It's better than what happened to Domitian, too.I can still see the moment when he died, screaming as he burned in the middle of the colosseum, still smell the scent of burned flesh.The horror of it is still running through me.Domitian was my enemy, but I got the feeling in prison that he'd changed.He'd come to realize how destructive his attempted coup was.And Selene killed him anyway.
She had him killed simply because it wasn't convenient to leave him alive, and because it helped to push through the idea of people being killed in the arena.It was another step towards the return to full games in just a few weeks.
I don’t know how many.I still don’t have a sense of exactly how long I spent underground, the days passing in a blur of pain and despair.How long before Selene enacts her plan to make herself he empress of a version of Aetheria where those with the most magical power rule over everyone else?
I’m still trying to work it out when a knock comes at my bedroom door.I open it, expecting to see one of Marcus’ many servants, but instead, Marcus himself is standing there, dressed in a grey and silver tunic that matches my dress.Is that deliberate?I still can’t tell what Marcus is planning.
“I hope you slept well,” Marcus says.“The servants have prepared breakfast.”
“Am I not one of your servants now?”I ask.
Marcus shakes his head.“Just come down and eat, Lyra.We can talk.Please.”
That last word catches me by surprise.This is a man who has almost total power over me now, who doesn't need to ask me when he can just command me.The fact that he asks me is enough to make me go with him, heading down to where a pair of couches are set opposite one another, with a table between piled high with bread and olives, cheese, and fine slices of meat.
Marcus sits, gesturing for me to take the other couch.I do so, feeling a little awkward as I pick at the food.There’s a veil of tension between us, so I don’t know quite how to start talking to him.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Lyra,” Marcus says.
"Don't I?"I ask."You have total power over me, Marcus.You could kill me if you wanted and say I was trying to escape.You could punish me any way you chose and I would have no recourse.You know, Selene arranged this because she wants you to keep me as some plaything."
“You think I care about what Selene wants?”Marcus counters.He gestures to me.“You must see that isn’t what I intend.”
“Because you’ve dressed me in a fine dress and you’re feeding me good food?”I ask.
“I wanted to treat you well,” Marcus says.“I wanted to show you that you’re an honored guest here.We used to be engaged, Lyra.”
I hesitate.“That’s part of what worries me.Is this an attempt to make things the way they were?Are you trying to seduce me, Marcus?”
“By just treating you well?”Marcus asks.
I gesture to the dress.“By dressing me the way I looked when I was with you.By giving me jewelry to wear.”
