CHAPTER ELEVEN LYRA
“Is all this really necessary?” I ask Rowan as a servant wraps me in a white toga. He and Marcus are watching every moment of the process, and I can’t help watching the way their eyes flick to one another, as if each suspects the other of trying to see more than he should.
Neither looks entirely friendly towards the other, either. It seems clear they aren't allies on the Senate, but in the matter of me becoming one of its members, they're in accord.
“It took a lot to get you onto the senate,” Rowan says. “And this is what senators wear when we’re in the chamber. We can’t have you looking like you don’t belong, even as we try to get you voted in.”
“I thought you’d already arranged for me to be on the senate,” I say, frowning slightly.
"There will still need to be a vote," Marcus says. "We've found an empty seat, representing a district in the slums. The people there have already agreed to you, most enthusiastically, as you can imagine, but you still need to be accepted by the Senate."
I look from him to Rowan. “Are there going to be any problems with that?”
Rowan shrugs. “That depends on whether Marcus can deliver the votes he says he can. I have a faction who’ll support me in this, but we’ll need more to be certain.”
"I can deliver the votes," Marcus says, with an easy confidence. "Although there were moments when it wasn't easy. Many people on the Senate believe Lyra is just here to be your puppet, Rowan."
Rowan doesn’t look happy about that. “They really think I would put someone onto the senate just because I believe I can control them?”
“Well, you did call Lyra here back to the city just to aid you,” Marcus says. “And it’s clear that you want things done your own way, Rowan.”
“Are you accusing me of wanting to be another emperor?” Rowan counters, sounding suddenly angry.
Marcus shakes his head. “Not yet, but take your reaction to the idea of the games being restarted. You tried to shut down all discussion.”
Rowan still looks angry. “You weren’t there in the arena, Marcus. You never had to fight for your life on the sands. You never had to kill someone you thought of as a friend, just because the emperor and the crowd demanded it.”
“You’re right, I never had to do those things,” Marcus agrees, “but as a senator, I’ve had to find ways through increasingly difficult problems in the Republic, trying to balance competing interests, trying to cope with the problems of the city.
I might not be a hero of the fight against the emperor, but I’m trying to do my part now. ”
He’s keeping his voice reasonable, but I can hear the note in it that seems affronted that Rowan is focusing on his lack of experience.
“Let’s not fight now,” I say. “We’re here to help the city, aren’t we?”
“I just suspect that Marcus has very different ideas of how to do that,” Rowan replies.
How, when the two can barely be in the same room together, do Rowan and Marcus both want me to be a senator of the Republic of Aetheria? Presumably, both think I’ll be able to help their interests within it. So what does each want from me?
Finally, the toga is in place. I've tried to memorize how to put it on, so I won't need a servant with me every time I want to get ready for the Senate.
I don't feel comfortable. I'm used to the tight, barely there armor of the arena, designed to protect some vital areas while still allowing the gladiators to suffer wounds.
I can't imagine fighting in this outfit, but maybe that's deliberate.
By making it harder to fight wearing the outfits of the senators, maybe the republic is trying to emphasize that the Senate exists to resolve problems with words.
“You look amazing,” Marcus said. “There are people who wear the toga elegantly, and others who wear it badly, but I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone wear it as well as you.”
I have a hard time not flushing at the compliment. Rowan shoots the senator a dark look, but nods. “It does suit you, Lyra.”
It’s a long way from anything I would normally choose to wear, but I force myself to stand tall and stride forward, towards the doors to the senate chambers. I want to make a good first impression.
The other senators are on their feet as I walk into the middle of the chamber.
Marcus walks with me, resting his hand on my arm, then heading off to the middle of one of the factions there within the senate chamber.
I’m sure it’s a deliberate signal, designed to show that I’m someone he approves of.
It’s also a reminder that I’m stepping into a world of politics and subtlety, where problems can be solved or caused with a gesture or a word, where I’ll have to convince people, rather than just fighting them.
Do I really have what it takes to navigate a space like this?
To work out who’s on my side and who isn’t?
I must. This is my best chance to do something to help the people of Aetheria, to try to resolve its tangled problems and instability.
If I can’t do anything here, I’m just one more ex-gladiator with no sway in the city beyond my reputation.
“Senators,” Rowan says. “I present to you Lyra Thornwind, former champion of the colosseum. She has the votes among the people to become a senator of our republic, but now she needs your votes. I ask you to give them to her.”
“And why should we?” Yarrow asks. The female senator looks me over. “Are you trying to bring her in because she’ll give you an extra vote to use against the slums, or just because you’re bedding her, Rowan?”
Rowan’s face flashes with anger, but he seems to have become better at controlling that anger than in the past. He remains as implacable as the stone he can control.
“Neither of those things, Yarrow,” he replies. “And I suspect your objection is based on her potentially becoming a senator for the slums.”
“I seek to help the people of the city’s outer reaches,” Yarrow replies.
The noble senator, Olivia, laughs. “You mostly help yourself and keep your brothels from being closed.”
“That’s a vile lie,” Yarrow snaps back.
Marcus stands, spreading his hands. "My friends, we're not here to argue and insult one another. We're here to vote on whether Lyra Thornwind should be a new member of our Senate. I, for one, believe that she should."
“So maybe you’re the one bedding her,” Yarrow says. She looks me over. “Personally, I don’t see what the fuss is about.”
The older senator Octavio stands. “While my fellow senators are perhaps not putting things the best way…” In his sonorous tones, that sounds like a stern rebuke. “I must ask whether they have a point. Is this an attempt to just add a new senator who’ll vote in your favor, Rowan? Or yours, Marcus?”
I’ve been standing there long enough, letting Rowan and Marcus speak for me, letting others discuss me as if I’m not there.
"If I may speak on my own behalf?" I say, raising my voice the way I might have done to beg clemency for an opponent in the colosseum.
My voice carries around the senate chamber, and I'm almost surprised that the senators fall silent in response.
A couple of servants are moving between them, bringing them food, drink, and messages, but they, and those ordinary people who have chosen to watch the session, are all watching me intently.
I step away from Rowan. It’s a small gesture, but an important one. This is a place where such things matter.
“Does anyone here seriously believe that I agreed to come back to the city just to be someone’s puppet?” I ask. I look around the room, challenging the senators with my stare. “Do you think I would come all this way if I didn’t think I could make a difference here?”
I give them a moment to take that in.
"I'm not back in Aetheria just to lend my vote to someone else, and I'm certainly not being put forward for this position because I'm sleeping with anyone here.
" I turn my stare to Yarrow's way. "I will do my best for the people of the city, all of them, but particularly for those who have chosen me to represent them.
I want to help with the difficult decisions facing this Senate, about the city, about its future, its trade and its people. "
“And about the games?” the noble senator Olivia asks me. “What’s your position on those? Are you someone who doesn’t want them back in any form, like Rowan? Or are you someone like Marcus?”
I hesitate. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ve heard the arguments in favor: that they benefit the city’s economy, that they’re a source of pride and give the people entertainment that will help to limit unrest. But I also saw what the games were.
I saw their brutality and the way they used people who had no choice about being there.
I haven’t worked out yet how I’m going to balance everything I feel. ”
Olivia looks surprised by my answer. “That is… not what I thought you would say. Very well, I say that the city needs senators who will think, and who might… be open to persuasion. Lyra Thornwind has my vote.”
“And mine,” Marcus says.
“Well, I vote against,” Yarrow calls out.
The senators start to speak, one by one, voting for me or against. I try to count the votes as the process goes on, but I soon lose track. When the last of the senators speaks, I look to Rowan, trying to understand what conclusion the chamber has come to. Rowan stands.
“The votes stand even,” he says. “Equal numbers support Lyra and reject her. In this situation, I have a duty as the first senator to cast the deciding vote.” He smiles over at me. “Welcome to the senate of Aetheria, Lyra.”
The senators stand, applauding me, even most of those who voted against. So do most of the onlookers around the room.
“I think we should take a recess for now to collect our thoughts,” Rowan says. I’m grateful for that. I’m not sure I could decide on any major issues so soon after being voted into my new position as a senator.
I head through to the rooms beyond the main senate chambers and find that the other senators and their hangers-on are watching me. Senator Olivia comes up to me, kissing my cheek.
“Congratulations on your appointment, Lyra. You simply must come to my estate for dinner sometime. Or better yet, a party. I throw the most delightful parties.”
Marcus is there as she steps away, moving to my side.
“Be careful, she can be a snake, and her ‘parties’ are debauched affairs indeed.”
“Do you know that from firsthand experience?” I ask.
“Would it matter to you if I’d found myself the subject of Lady Olivia’s attentions?” Marcus asks, raising an eyebrow.
Would it? I’m not sure. It shouldn’t matter to me, but I’m surprised to find that I feel a pang of something close to jealousy at the thought.
“No, but thanks for the warning,” I say.
“I just want to help you,” Marcus says.
“And to persuade me to your side on the arena?” I guess.
Marcus laughs, but then nods. “Yes, that too. I really believe in this, Lyra. I believe that a reformed version of the arena competitions could be beneficial for Aetheria.”
“Yes, but I don’t know what forms those reforms would take,” I point out. “And how great the benefits would be. I have no way of knowing whether the risk is worth it, Marcus.”
He nods.
"I understand that. I hope I'll be able to persuade you, and that you'll be able to help me to do this the right way. I want you to play a full part in helping to shape my approach before I put a final proposal to the Senate. Perhaps I could call upon you to discuss it? We could have dinner again."
He says it warmly and with sincerity. I can’t help but like Marcus, and if I can help him to find a form of the games that won’t cost the lives of ordinary people, I’m happy to try. I nod.
“I’d like that.”