Chapter Six
The first morning of the Champions Trial seems to come far too soon. There is a procession down from Ironhold to the Colosseum, but it is a much smaller procession than usual. Only those who have been selected for the trials are a part of it. There is not even the usual wagon train of beasts following us. I get the feeling that any that will be involved in the trials have already been taken into the city.
Instead, there's just us, a collection of gladiators, dressed in new and shining armor carrying a varied selection of weapons, marching together, while the crowds line the way and cheer their support for us.
“Lyra! Lyra!” I hear my name being chanted in parts of the crowd, but it's not the only one. People are chanting for Alaric, for Ravenna, for Vex. Even Rowan has his followers, although he seems to be determined to ignore them. Not like Alaric, who spins and dances for the attention of the crowd, or Ravenna, who seems to delight in people fighting for her favor.
Our route is the usual circuitous one into the city, passing through the slums on the outskirts, then through wealthier districts where statues line the roads and illusions decorate the houses. There are illusory versions of some of us along the way, showing moments from our greatest victories in the colosseum. There is an image of me with beasts winding around me, obeying my every whim.
There is an image of Vex in the moment he killed Naia. Someone has decided that represents a great victory for him, but just the sight of it makes me feel as though someone is tearing my heart out. Alaric is there by my side in that moment, not touching me, not able to acknowledge everything between us but just there, as if he knows exactly how much pain this will cause me.
The colosseum looms ahead, and it is decorated in even more spectacular fashion than it would be for the usual sets of games. Illusions flow back and forth over it, so that every statue on it seems to move, gladiators coming to life on it to reenact battle after battle. The crowds are thicker here than I have seen them before, and when we go into the colosseum itself, there are more people watching from the stands than I could have believed would fit into the space. Ordinarily, it takes time for the stands to fill, but now, they are already awash with people. They cheer or boo. Some sell food, while I'm sure that thieves ply their trade with so many people packed so close together. The betting booths are already busy, the odds on each of the gladiators set out, so that people might bet on each round, or on their chances of surviving the whole contest.
Nobles are in their boxes, attended by their servants and shaded by silken awnings. I can see Lady Elara up there, watching. And, of course, there is a box for the emperor, although he has yet to enter it.
What catches my eye is not any of that, however. Instead, it is the way the floor of the colosseum has been reshaped by magic, or by the efforts of engineers, producing a maze that seems to fill the whole arena. From where I am standing, I cannot see within it, but I can hear the sounds of beasts in there, and I am sure it will be filled with deadly perils.
Even as I stand there staring at it, the emperor arrives to a fanfare from horns that brings the crowd to silence. He stands there in his purple robes of office, wearing a golden laurel crown atop his head as if he is drinking in the attention of the crowd. He waits for several seconds before he speaks.
“Citizens of Aetheria, normally I would have an announcer do this, but these are no ordinary games. These are the Champions Trials!”
Even that gets a cheer from the crowd. The emperor waits for them to settle down before he continues, obviously reveling in their attention.
“Such trials have not been held in a long time, but now we have a group of gladiators worthy of attempting them. Look at them. We have Vex, son of a line of gladiators stretching back generations!”
Vex seems to take that as his cue to step forward and raise one armored arm, holding a dagger so that it catches the light.
“We have Ravenna, noble and beautiful.”
She curtsies as if the movement is for the emperor alone, then blows a kiss to the waiting stands.
“Here we have Alaric, the trickster champion of illusions.”
Alaric steps forward. Only three of him do so at once, all bowing in different directions to the crowd.
On and on the introductions go. The free gladiators are introduced first by the emperor, because this is Aetheria, and such distinctions matter within it. The others are introduced, and I'm conscious that the emperor has not said my name yet, has not called me forward.
Could this all be some vicious trick? Could he have decided not to include me in these trials after all? That possibility fills me with a strange sense of dread. I should be grateful for the possibility of getting out of these trials, avoiding the danger of them, but instead, I want this. I want this chance to prove myself in front of the crowd. And I want this chance to progress one more season towards my freedom.
Just when I think the emperor is not going to say my name at all, he gestures my way.
“And finally, the dreaded beast whisperer. The one who set a wraith among the crowds and who freed a frost drake above Aetheria: Lyra!”
The emperor makes me sound like a villain, and it means that the booing and jeering almost drown out the cheers of those who wish to support me. Even so, with the huge numbers of people in the Colosseum, there are more than enough who wish to cheer me on, too.
I remember my part in this show just in time. I step forward, raising my spear in acknowledgement of the crowd’s support. That seems to intensify the sounds from the crowd, both positive and negative. I'm sure some of them would be happy to see me fall, while others are hoping that I will succeed. I wonder how many have put money on me. In my first games, almost nobody did. In my second, people saw me as powerful and backed me. Now, with the dampener around my wrist, how many people really believe that I can succeed?
There is no way of knowing that and no chance to really think about it, because the emperor is speaking again.
"Those are your gladiators. Each of them is prepared to die for the honor of Aetheria and the glory of your entertainment!"
That is a lie. For how many of the gladiators is it really about honor? Maybe for Alaric, although even he seeks glory mostly as a way of impressing his family. The other free gladiators all have their own reasons, while the rest of us have no choice in the matter. If I were to declare that I did not wish to face these trials, I would probably be executed. Certainly, I would be punished harshly.
But that is not the story the emperor wishes to tell, nor is it a story that the crowd wishes to hear. They want tales of daring fighters, ready to give their lives for the crowd’s entertainment.
The emperor is speaking again, explaining the terms of this first challenge.
“A Champions Trial is different to the normal games,” he says. “These gladiators will not just be facing one another on the sand. Instead, they will face the most cunning situations my master of the games, my arch magistrate and my artificers have been able to devise. The first challenge is the maze. At intervals, each of the gladiators will enter the maze in front of you. You can see it from above, but they have no idea about its twists and turns, or about the dangers that await within. Rest assured that there are dangers, and if any of them is unwary, they may well die in there.”
I feel as though the emperor is looking my way as he speaks. Does he want me to die in this maze? It seems that again and again he has played a role in giving me challenges that would kill most gladiators, even most beast whisperers. Does he really think I'm that much of a threat to his rule?
"The goal of the gladiators is simply to make it to the other side of the maze," the emperor says. "In this challenge, they are not required to fight one another, although they are welcome to do so if they think it will be more entertaining. If they make it through the gate at the far side, they have succeeded and will face the next challenge tomorrow."
He makes it sound simple when I doubt it will be anything other than dangerous at every step. We line up, ready to go. I'm not entirely surprised when I'm the first one to wave forward.
“The first gladiator to face the maze will be Lyra Thornwind!” the emperor declares.
I step up to the entrance, readying my weapons and taking a deep breath. I don't know what waits for me beyond the entryway, but I'm determined, whatever it is, that I will find a way through this.
Accompanied by the cheers of the crowd, I plunge into the maze.