Ironhold, Trial One (Ironhold #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

This morning is the morning I am due to die. I have not found a way to undo the treachery that Finn is plotting with the others, and that means I could end up facing three gladiators alone in the colosseum.

I spend much of the procession down to the colosseum looking over at Finn, Vex and Lazlo.

“Are you all right?” Rowan asks me as we march. He is marching close beside me, looking my way often. Obviously, last night wasn’t just one snatched moment to him.

I could tell him all of it, could tell him exactly what Vex and Finn are planning, but what good would it do? Rowan would want to help, but there’s nothing he can do. It would only distract Rowan when he needs to prepare for his own bouts today.

“I'm just worried about the fight,” I say.

He puts a hand on my shoulder. “You can do this. You have achieved more than anyone believed you would so far. And Finn is better than he looks. Just remember, when the moment comes, don't hold back.”

I know he's advising me to kill my opponents as quickly as possible, but I also know that things are not that simple for me. If I could kill someone that easily, I might have been able to go along with Alaric’s plan last night. Instead I look down at Rowan’s side, hoping that everything I've done to patch him up is going to be sufficient to get him through the day.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

He nods. “You did a good job, you and Naia.”

“You should still ask her for healing before your bout,” I say.

Rowan shakes his head. “Her ability to heal herself is one of the main things getting her through this. I won't take any energy away from her before her fight. And I'm fine. This won't be another blindfold match, so no one is going to catch me by surprise in the same way.”

I hope that's true, but if I have learned one thing about Aetheria and its colosseum, it is that none of it is fair. It exists to provide a spectacle for the citizens of the city. Where a bout would be more entertaining by having it unequal, the organizers do not hesitate. They spend our lives like coin designed to buy the loyalty of the masses within the city.

Perhaps they will be buying it with my life today. I hope not, but I still can't think of a way to get through this unless…

I go over to Finn. I know Alaric said that Vex will just adjust his plans if he knows that I know about the betrayal, but right now this is my only hope. Finn looks nervous as I get close to him. We have reached the city, so we are both smiling and waving at the crowd.

“I know what Vex has planned,” I say. “I know he wants you to betray me.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Finn replies. We both keep walking, keep pretending that everything is all right, even though it could never be like this.

“I followed you, Finn,” I say. “I heard you talking to him.”

“Then you also heard what he's threatening if I don't do it. Do you really think we can beat them? Lazlo is a tough fighter, and Vex… there's no way to stop those blades of his.”

“I beat him before,” I say. I don't add that it was pure luck. “We can do this, Finn, if we work together. Do you really trust that Vex will keep his word?”

He gives me a long look.

“Do you really think we can beat them?” he asks.

“We must,” I say. “And we can do it if we follow the strategies we worked on.”

“Strategies that rely on you being able to keep off all of Vex’s blades,” Finn says. “You're right, you beat him before, but you still got cut. You still couldn't stop those knives of his.”

“I've survived my bouts so far,” I point out. “Trust me, Finn.”

“Are you telling me that you have some other beast whisperer trick waiting to deal with him this time?”

I wince at that term. It’s the same one Lady Elara used. It seems people are starting to work out what I am. I wish I could tell Finn that I have something planned, that I have a strategy that will allow us to win this bout easily. The truth is that even if we survive this, it will not be an easy victory. We will probably both be hurt, and there are no guarantees of success for us. It is simply that if we do not work together, failure is guaranteed.

But Finn believes he has a way to survive failing, and that means that I’m not sure I can convince him.

“I don't know if you're going to go straight to Vex with whatever I say,” I point out. “You're just going to have to trust me.”

Finn lets out a short laugh. “Do you know how I ended up here?”

“I know you're not a free gladiator,” I say. “I assumed that they grabbed you the way they did the rest of us.”

Finn shakes his head. “I was a thief in the city. I got caught, and because I used illusions trying to escape they gave me a choice. I could be executed, or I could go to the arena. I learned quickly as a thief that you can't trust anyone except yourself if you want to survive.”

It seems I'm not getting through to him and there is no more time because we are at the colosseum. We head inside, and we aren't even together in the preparation areas. I must warm up and make sure that my armor is in place alone. For all I know, Finn has gone straight to Vex with everything I said.

I can feel the tension building within me. The sounds of the arena carry into the space beneath it. The sounds of combat have begun, in their usual deadly rhythm. I see Alaric walking past, flanked by soldiers, on his way to the arena floor.

“Good luck out there, Lyra,” he calls to me.

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” I call back.

He shakes his head. “Some of us don’t need luck.”

He still seems to be convinced of his own invincibility. He bows in my direction.

“And remember, when the moment comes, don't hold back. I suspect you'll be able to spring a few surprises on Vex yet. And if not… well, it has been fun knowing you.”

The guards urge him on, and just like that, he's gone, out onto the sands for his bout. I know he has more bouts than me, so I suspect he's due to fight early in the day and then later. Today is scheduled to be the last day of the games. It isn’t just a question of whether he can win now, but whether he can come through it uninjured to fight again.

I find myself thinking of Rowan again, but there is no time to seek him out, even if it wouldn’t distract him from his own preparations. Instead, I must wait, and hope, and try to ignore the fear building up inside me about what will happen in my bout.

Eventually, the trainer comes for me, flanked by guards.

“It's time,” he says.

I head with him to the gates of the arena. Finn is there waiting for me, blades held ready. The gates open and we step out together, into the bright sunlight. Vex and Lazlo are waiting for us. Vex already has one of his knives floating, ready to use. Lazlo is bare-chested, carrying a sword that seems almost as large as I am, a huge weapon that I suspect would slow down anyone else.

The announcer speaks. “Citizens of Aetheria! I'll give you your next bout. Here we have fan favorites Vex and Lazlo!”

The crowd roars its approval.

“And against them, the young gladiator Finn, and the young woman who has surprised us all in these games, Lyra!”

I'm surprised by how loud the cheer is. It's as if they want us to win, but wanting isn't enough. We are the ones who must fight, and only our own skills will determine the outcome. I look across to Finn, still not knowing if he will betray me or not.

“Are you ready to do this?” I ask.

He nods.

I can see the emperor up in his box, looking down at us. After all Lady Elara said, I think I can understand now why his eyes are on me.

His voice carries around the arena.

“Begin!”