Selene gestures for Marcus to sit beside her, leaving me standing to one side, casually ignoring me.
“And since you’re here, we can proceed with the next part of the day’s events.If you’d care to announce it?”
Marcus nods, and then raises his voice, the magic imbued in the senate box carrying his words over the assembled crowd.
“Citizens of Aetheria, thank you for joining us here today for something beyond our usual schedule of games.I can promise you we have a spectacle that will make your presence here worthwhile.”
The crowd is looking at him expectantly.Marcus’s words make it sound as though this has all been organized at the last minute, but I know how much planning goes into a day of the games.Just getting the news out that there’s to be an event would take days.Someone has been preparing for this moment, at least.
“We have only a single bout for you today,” Marcus says.
Someone boos in the crowd, but Marcus ignores it.
“I promise you that bout will be worthwhile.Today, you will witness the death of a traitor to Aetheria.First, let me introduce the gladiator he’ll be facing.On this side of the arena, a gladiator with all the speed and power of a flickering flame.I give you Rexel!”
The crowd roars in approval as a man comes out onto the sands of the arena, dressed in bright red scraps of armor and wielding a pair of short, crescent blades that fit over his fists.They erupt into bursts of flame, so it seems as though he’s holding a ball of fire in either hand.
“And on this side, I give you a traitor to Aetheria.The man who tried to usurp its throne.Domitian!”
Now I know why Domitian was taken into the senate chamber before me.His fate was always going to be different than my own.He hasn’t been released into anyone’s custody, hasn’t been given another chance.
Domitian has been brought here to die.
CHAPTER FIVE
I’m forced to watch as Domitian walks out into the arena to meet his doom.He’s armored in scraps of plate and leather, but I can see at a glance the armor doesn’t protect the most vital areas of his flesh.It’s for show, and perhaps to make sure that he doesn’t die too quickly.
His weapon is a great sword like the one he used to try to kill me, but this one looks heavy and clumsy in his hands.I can see the reason for that instantly: there’s a dampener on his wrist, cutting off his access to the magic that would normally aid him in battle and let him wield the huge weapon with ease.
But Domitian is still a seasoned warrior and I guess he won’t go down without a fight.He sets off carefully across the sand, then builds speed, roaring as he charges at Rexel.Marcus hasn’t announced the start of the bout, but it’s clear Domitian doesn’t care.He’s just determined to kill his opponent.
Rexel weaves aside from the blow, opening a slash on Domitian’s side with one of his red hot blades.I see the cruel nature of the gladiator’s power, because it means his weapon cauterizes the wound even as it inflicts it, damaging and hurting Domitian without letting him bleed out too quickly on the sands.
The crowd roars as the two fighters circle one another.Domitian swings his sword in arcs that need his full bodyweight to power them, while Rexel dances around him, looking for an opening.He can’t afford to get caught by even one swing of that much larger blade.I find myself leaning forward, captivated by that contest of speed against strength.
“Should your new pet be looming over us, Marcus?”Selene asks.“She should be on her knees, I think.”
Marcus looks at me and I’m torn between the instinct to object to anything Selene suggests and the knowledge that she’s only looking for an opportunity to force Marcus to punish me.I fall to my knees, hating the humiliation of it but still keeping my eyes fixed on the contest.
Not that it’s much of a contest, I quickly realize.Domitian manages some good initial swings, but his time in the prison hasn’t been kind to him and, without his magic, he doesn’t have the strength to wield his great sword like some child’s toy.I can see him tiring, and it’s obvious Rexel can, too.
The gladiator moves in on Domitian, dodging one swipe, then another.He flashes past the former senator, slashing him with his blades again and again.I expect to hear the crowd cheering their approval.Instead, the colosseum is largely silent, as if the crowd has realized that this is a contest in name only.
Domitian stumbles, then thrusts at Rexel as the gladiator moves in, but its obvious Rexel has seen the feint for what it is.He twists aside from the blow, grabbing Domitian with both hands.
Domitian screams as flames burst over him.
He’s like a tower of flame standing in the middle of the sands.Rexel holds to him, obviously not affected by the heat.He keeps fueling the flames, holding Domitian there while the stench of burning flesh fills the air.The sight of the would be usurper’s death is so horrifying I think I might throw up.No one deserves a death like this, but Rexel doesn’t do the merciful thing and cut his throat.He just keeps holding Domitian, as if he’s been commanded to make his death as spectacular as possible, holds him upright until there’s nothing left out there on the sands but ashes.
“Why aren’t they cheering?”Selene demands.“They should be cheering.”
I don’t have my powers, but I can still see the flicker of violet in Selene’s eyes as she uses her powers, sending a burst of psychomancy out to prompt the crowd to respond.They cheer, but there’s none of the primal bloodlust that would usually be there.Selene has misjudged this, giving them a spectacle they never wanted to see.
She stands, sharply.“I’m heading down to the receiving rooms,” she says, holding out her hand to Marcus.“Will you join me?”
It’s a request that doesn’t seem to allow for a refusal.At least, not without angering Selene.Marcus nods and the two of them head for the door to the box.
“Come with me,” Marcus orders me, and I have as little choice as him as we head down through the colosseum.
