“All very noble,” Marcus says.“And I’m sure you’ll do whatever it takes to free Aetheria from those forces that threaten to turn the city into something nightmarish.”
Alaric nods, but his eyes are wary.
“Well,” Marcus says.“So will I.And when I say I’ll do whatever it takes, I mean it.I’ll do the hard things.I don’t have the luxury of hiding beneath the city or painting slogans on the walls, because that’s not how things get done.”
“We’ve achieved plenty,” Alaric shoots back, heat starting to enter his tone once more.
“As much as you could have if you’d held actual power?”Marcus asks.“I’m not asking for your permission or forgiveness for wading into the filth of this city, for setting myself up to control some of the worst parts of what happens here.I’m just asking you to understand that if I didn’t, someone else would.Someone whodidn’thave the interests of the city at heart.”
Alaric rolls his eyes.“And the parts where you enrich yourself through underground fights and brothels, drug dens and shady deals?”
“Let me have control over the levers of those things, the better to shut them down when the time comes.As a senator, I get to shape the laws of the city and see the people are helped.As someone who’s built wealth, even outside the rules, I get to have influence.”
“And all you’ve had to do is whatever Selene asks,” Alaric counters.He looks my way.“I know you agree with me, Lyra.There’s a reason you walked away from being a senator and joined the resistance.”
I nod.That’s true.I didn’t feel I could achieve enough as a senator, but I also wonder what I managed in the resistance, other than to get myself captured.
“The thing that matters now is working together,” I say.I look from one of them to the other.“Can you do that, both of you?For the city?For me?”
They both give one another a hard look, but they nod.
“Thank you,” I say.I turn to Marcus.“Can I… I haven’t seen Alaric in weeks.Can I have a moment to speak with him?”
Marcus looks momentarily jealous, but then relents.“Of course.I know how much he means to you, even If I don’t understand why.But Alaric, don’t try to steal her away from this place.It will only make things worse, for all of us.”
He leaves the room, although I doubt he’s going far.Alaric and I won’t have long.Alaric seems to realize the same thing, hurrying up to me and kissing me.
“I should have been able to save you,” he says.
“There was no way to do it,” I reply.
“The things you must have suffered…”
I shake my head.“I don’t want to think about them.And it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”
I try not to think of all the worse tortures I could have suffered in that place.
“Of course,” Alaric says.He looks at the door.“You know you don’t have to do any of this, right?”
I frown.“What do you mean?”
“You don’t have to stay in Aetheria and fight against Selene.You’ve done enough.You’vesufferedenough.I could get you out of here, to somewhere in the countryside where you could charm the beasts and live free.”
I hold up the dampener on my arm.Alaric obviously recognizes it for what it is.
“We’d find a way to remove that,” he says.“We should, anyway.”
“We can’t, without alerting Selene that I’m something more than a perfectly compliant prisoner.And I notice you didn’t say you’d be with me.”
Alaric shakes his head.“I need to stay and finish this.”
“So do I,” I insist.
“And you have to be here for it?”Alaric asks.He touches my face.“I’ve missed you so much, Lyra.Iloveyou so much.It broke my heart when you were captured.And now, you’re back here in Marcus’ home.”
“I don’t have much of a choice about that,” I say.
“Thereisa choice,” Alaric insists.“We could disappear into the catacombs, back into the resistance’s hiding places.”
