As soon as Marcus leaves for the senate, Alaric takes over.Hispreparations are all about pushing me hard with weapons, forcing me to improve in practice bouts where we tumble and whirl, exchanging rapid series of blows.
Half the time, Alaric uses his illusions to mimic Selene, so that it feels as though I’ve fought her a hundred times now, rather than just on a couple of occasions.He doesn’t have her magic, but he can send out illusory darts and beams of purple force, commenting each time they strike me on the damage they might do.
“That one would numb your left arm,” Alaric says, as a dart strikes home.“Only use the right.”
I drop my net and use my trident one handed, trying to fend off slashes from the curved blade Alaric holds.He forces me further and further off balance, before another blast of illusory power strikes me in the chest.
“And that one would kill you,” Alaric says.
“You don’t know that,” I insist.“Neither of us knows what magic she would use.”
“But we know it’s powerful,” Alaric insists, “and that any touch of her magic could prove debilitating.You need to avoid every blast of it, or she’ll have you at her mercy.”
We both know how little mercy Selene will have, given the chance.I scramble back to a ready position, hoping that this time, I’ll be able to avoid everything Alaric throws at me in his guise as Selene.
Marcus comes over to us, still wearing his senatorial toga.
“How’s Lyra doing?”he asks Alaric.
“Her physical skills are improving,” Alaric says.“But her lack of magic is a problem.Lyra doesn’t have anything that will let her counter Selene’s magic directly, so she needs to avoid all of it.”
“I’m right here, you know,” I say.It’s good that Marcus and Alaric are getting along a little better, but right now, I’d appreciate a little more encouragement from them.
“And you need to keep working here until you dodge everything I throw,” Alaric says.He throws a blast of illusion my way, but I’m expecting it and duck out of the way, already thrusting with my trident.
We start to exchange blows again, and Alaric’s right about the effect the disparity between our magic has.I’m put into a position where I must dodge each one, continuously moving.I dive and roll, snatching up my net and flinging it in one movement.For once, Alaric isn’t able to get out of the way.The net wraps around him, holding him in place just long enough for me to jab forward with my trident, touching it to his chest.
It's a reminder that, despite Alaric’s warnings, Idohave a chance.I’ve always had to fight against bigger, stronger opponents, against foes with the power to kill me with a single blow.The very essence of the fighting style I learned with the net and trident is to hit and move, dodging attacks rather than standing and blocking them.Selene might have the power to kill with a single blast of her magic, but I also only have to connect with one of my attacks.If I tangle her in my net, or if my trident connects, any fight between us will be over.
Alaric is still disentangling himself from my net as a servant runs over.His appearance shifts once more, thanks to his illusions, becoming that of a trainer who looks only a little like him.Not that the servant is looking his way.Her eyes are fixed on Marcus, and on me.
“Senator, a visitor has come to the villa.”
“I’m in the middle of something, Talae.”
The servant nods.“I understand, Senator, but… it’s Selene Ravenscroft.”
Alaric’s expression hardens.“Selene Ravenscroft ishere?”
He looks as though he wants to charge into the house and cut her down.Marcus seems to realize that.
“Thank you, Talae.Lyra and I will be right in.”
The servant hurries away.
“We could deal with her here and now,” Alaric says.
“And then a senator has murdered her in his own home,” Marcus points out.He shakes his head.“Even if I thought murdering Selene would stop her followers, rather than making her a martyr, I’d rather not do it in a way that sees all three of us imprisoned afterwards.”
Alaric still takes half a step towards the house, but I get in his way.
“Let’s do this the right way,” I say.“Go.Marcus and I will see what she wants.”
Alaric looks troubled, but he nods and heads for the gates to the villa.Marcus and I head inside.Selene is waiting for us, sitting comfortably on a couch as if Marcus had invited her to come over to talk.
“Ah, Marcus, there you are,” she says.
Marcus smiles that politician’s smile of his.“Selene.So good to see you.I wasn’t expecting you to come over today.”
