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They met in the spaces beneath the city. Not in the temple of Deira, the goddess of beasts; Elara could not risk that when she did not trust those she was meeting. None of them deserved to be there, in any case.

But the city of Aetheria had more than enough places that it had built over in the course of its existence. There were sewers and levels of buildings that had sunken crypts and tunnels.

The current space was in the middle of one of those crypts, flanked by lines of urns containing the ashes of the dead. It was a place with many ways in and out, a place where they could meet without fear of being ambushed. It was lit by small magical stones Elara had brought for the purpose, to avoid the choking smoke of torches.

There were plenty of figures there. Many wore cloaks, disguising their identities, but Elara had watched them through the eyes of creatures as they approached. Even now, they underestimated the power of her kind.

There were many different individuals there, representing the various factions within the city. There were members of the spectral covenant, of course, her fellow beast whisperers waiting for the chance to change things, to rise up and tear the throats from the world that had pushed them down for so long. There were people wearing the colors of the various gangs within the city slums, who ran things in their areas as much as the empire ever did. There were a few merchants, a few representatives of each of the guilds and the trades.

There were even some nobles. Elara didn t know how much she could trust them, but it seemed that they were as determined to change the city as she was, just in their own way. She suspected that each faction had its own ideas about how the city should be run once things were changed, that the nobles probably just wanted a change of emperor while maintaining the current system, that the gangs probably wanted the kind of anarchy in which they could profit.

It was vital that things changed her way.

What did Elara want? She had asked herself this question over and over. Did she want just a version of the empire in which beast whisperers such as herself would not be persecuted, not be rooted out, rounded up and executed? Where she had influence, perhaps the throne itself.

Or did she want revenge? Did she want to pay the empire back for everything that had been done to her kind? Did she want to reduce it to ashes so that she could rebuild in the aftermath?

The answer to that question would rely at least a little on how this meeting went. Today would decide whether she sought continuity and stability, or to tear down everything in her path.

She stood in front of the others, next to a tomb. She had chosen this spot for reasons other than the ease with which they could escape if it came to it.

This is the tomb of Marcus Alexis,

she said. Three hundred years ago, he led the ruling council of the Republic of Aetheria.

There were a couple of intakes of breath around her. She suspected that some of the figures there didn't know much about the history of the city, at least this part. It wasn't something that was taught because the emperors didn't want it known.

No one talks about this period of our city's history because they want to make it seem obvious and natural that we must have emperors, that we must be ruled by a single family who claim to have given us everything.

You wish to deny the role Emperor Tiberius s ancestors played in discovering the way magic flowed out from the stones beneath the city?

a figure asked. He was one of the nobles, of course.

Elara looked over to him. They played a role in it, certainly, and then they parlayed that into control, declaring that since they had given the city this magic, they should be the ones to rule it. They used their own magic and that of their followers to take control.

And so now you want to give control back to all the people?

one of the representatives from the merchants said. He sounded nervous, as if worrying about the effects that such a thing would have on his business.

Don't sound so scared,

one of the gang leaders said with a laugh. We wouldn't take much of your gold.

Elara knew that she had to interrupt. Joke or not the comment exposed too many of the splits between them, the different ways in which their interests pulled them.

I wanted to remind you that it is not inevitable for one of Emperor Tiberius s family to rule in Aetheria.

No, you would rather have beast whisperers running the city,

the nobleman said. No doubt we would have to give our firstborn to be devoured by your kind.

We are not animals,

Elara said, keeping her temper in check with an effort. We do not eat people, we do not go on rampages, and we are not controlled by our passions.

Not yet. Those are rumors that were spread under the emperor in order to justify pushing us out.

We've heard plenty of rumors about you,

one of the gang leaders said. How is Lyra Thornwind?

Elara had started most of those rumors herself, that she had taken on Lyra s patronage to become romantically involved with her. It was something expected of patrons, because many of them saw these young strong gladiators and realized that they could buy power over them. Many of them did exactly what the rumors said she had been doing with Lyra.

She is ready to play her part,

Elara said. She looked around the crypt. What is the heart of Aetheria?

The games,

the nobleman said, without hesitation.

And who is currently the favorite gladiator within the games?

Elara asked. She needed them to see the role that Lyra could play.

I take your point,

the nobleman said. But that doesn't mean things will be easy.

When was anything worthwhile ever easy?

Elara countered. Our noble sons and daughters throw themselves into the games, risking their lives for honor and glory. Our lower classes live lives where they do not know where their next meal is coming from. The city enslaves those it wants from beyond its borders, to live lives of drudgery even if they are not thrown into the colosseum.

And do you think that is enough to make people rise up?

the merchant said.

I think that there is already unrest in the city,

Elara countered. Everyone here is discontented. Those of you who represent the common folk have been fighting in the streets because of the lack of grain. The nobles have seen the emperor's madness and his cruelty. You are already thinking of which of you might be a good replacement. My people have been pushed to the brink because of his visions of a beast whisperer bringing him down.

Well, he isn't wrong, is he?

the nobleman said. After all, you're here plotting against him.

And that would not have happened if it weren't for his actions,

Elara said. She wondered briefly if the emperor understood the role his paranoia around his visions had played in bringing about the current situation. The anger he had built in the hearts of the beast whisperers. What I'm saying is that each of us has a reason to rise up in our own ways, but we are stronger if we do it together.

That hardly sounds like a reason to go along with your plans,

the gang leader said.

Working with you means working for you,

the nobleman said. I assume that you will make yourself empress after this? No, we will have no part of it. We will do things our own way.

As will we,

the gang leader said.

You are being foolish,

Lady Elara said. Lyra Thornwind is a powerful symbol, and this is a crucial moment. The empire will change at the conclusion of the next games. The question is whether you want to be a part of it or whether you stand against it.

That sounds like a threat,

the nobleman said, and a couple of bodyguards near him put their hands on their swords. A couple of beast whisperers took steps forwards.

Enough,

Lady Elara said. We did not come here to fight, but to try to forge an alliance that might change the world. I suggest you all go away and think about that possibility.

They drifted off. Lady Elara had suspected that this might happen. The factions within the city did not trust one another. She could not unite them, because in truth a part of her didn't want to. She had thought to use them, but it was hard to do that when she suspected that they needed to pay as much as all the others.

What now?

one of the beast whisperers remaining asked. We need them.

Lady Elara shook her head. They would have been useful in one way of doing this, but there is another. We have what we need. Each of you will go to your appointed positions, and we will unleash the animals of Aetheria when the moment is right.

Can we hope to control so many beasts?

another of her followers asked.

Lady Elara nodded. Lyra Thornwind is a powerful weapon. At the end of the games, Aetheria will see just how powerful. We will unleash the crowd and the beasts. There will be fury, and violence and death. Come the conclusion of the games, all those who have hurt us will pay the price.