Page 24 of Flame and Fury

“Things are escalating. The clerics are getting more violent with each passing day. More people are being torn out of their homes without reason. Children are starving. Since the riot in Chicago the clerics have been killing people at an alarming rate, claiming they’re Furies. We can’t keep waiting around for someone else to take action. We want to put the gods back to sleep and reclaim this territory for the people.”

The Boar opens his mouth as if to speak but he closes it, absorbing Atlas’s words. I’m letting them sink in as well. I knew from the brief news clip I saw earlier that the clerics were claiming to have found more Furies, but I didn’t realize it had gotten that bad. Atlas has access to Kat and news of the world outside these games that I don’t.

The Boar cocks his head. Atlas didn’t explicitly say we have a Fury in our back pocket, but he’s implied they have a way to put the gods to sleep.

My skin is clammy. My secret isn’t my own anymore. And I hate that loss of control.

“How exactly do you plan to put the gods to sleep?” The Boar still has his hands in his pockets, his appearance relaxed at first glance. Upon closer inspection, it’s clear he’s excited. His shoulders are stiff and his eyes sparkle with the fire of hope.

Atlas shifts in his seat, another nervous tic I’m surprised to see. “We’ve been in touch with someone who has the ability to put the gods to sleep. I hope you’ll understand that we’re not prepared to share any more information at this time. For their safety.”

I do my best to wipe all emotion off my face. I don’t like feeling like I’m a bargaining chip. The skin between my shoulders itches. I feel gross being spoken about in the abstract, like I’m just an asset to be used in this fight against the gods. At the same time, I understand the power of the word Fury, even if it’s only being hinted at.

The Boar is teetering on the edge, indecision written all over his face. I wonder if he’s always this expressive or if Atlas has truly surprised him. I might not like the tactics Atlas and the Underground are employing, but I see why they’re doing it. I understand the need for change.

I drag my hand through my hair, shaking out some of the moisture. Leaning forward with my forearms on the table I look the Boar straight in the eye. “I think it’s time for us both to think bigger. We might make a difference in our neighborhoods, but we could do so much more. We could help so many more people.”

The Boar pushes back from the table, standing up and walking back over to the window. He stares out at the blowing snow as though he can see past the blizzard, to the town beyond.

“I grew up here. Summers were so hot you couldn’t even go outside. The air was so warm it was hard to breathe. It was a different kind of misery. It’s funny, Hera turned this place into a frozen wasteland. At least that was her intention. But in some ways, she’s shielded us from the worst of the clerics. No one likes to be stationed here because it’s so miserably cold. Sure, we still have our fair share of power-hungry clerics, not to mention Zeus’s frequent visits to our city, which occur more often than you might expect. I know we get off light in some respects, and yet we still suffer.”

The Boar bows his head, his hands stuffed back in his hoodie pocket. He looks older just then, worn out and tired from fighting for so long.

“I have connections in other cities.” A tentative smile lifts the corners of the Boar’s mouth. “I’ll put out the word that an uprising is coming.

I look at Atlas, my eyes wide with surprise. Did we just convince the Boar to join the Underground? Atlas, a fire sparking in his eyes, tips his head in my direction. I think we just made our first real move on the board.

CHAPTER14

ATLAS

After the Boar agrees to join our rebellion, I give him a burner phone. He can use it to contact Kat. We don’t have any plans finalized yet, but when we do, Kat or someone in her inner circle will coordinate efforts with the Boar. Wren and I were tasked with making the connection, and now Kat will take over the rest.

“I’m not sure how you’ll avoid the other champions, but you might want to make yourself scarce,” I tell the Boar as we shake hands.

“I’ll figure something out.” He grins and extends a hand to Wren. I hook her arm and tug her away when the shake goes on for too long. Fine, it’s barely a few seconds, but it was long enough.

Turtle is still waiting outside in the hallway for us when we leave the Boar. Wren’s studying Turtle with an amused look on her face. She snorts and coughs like it’ll hide her laughter. Turtle keeps walking without bothering to look back at us. I peer down at Wren with a raised brow. She looks like a drowned disco rat. And yet, she’s disarmingly stunning.

What’s going on in that head of hers? “What are you laughing at down there?”

Wren scoffs. “I’m not that much shorter than you.”

I’m at least a foot taller than her, but I let her hold on to her delusion. She goes on to explain her amusement as we reach the bank of elevators. Turtle uses his keycard to call it to our floor, continuing to ignore the two of us.

“I was thinking you’re going to need a new name.” There’s a glimmer in Wren’s eyes that makes a rare appearance. She’s serious or irritated most of the time. It’s nice to see her smiling.

“Why do I need a nickname?” I dip my head down to murmur in Wren’s ear as we enter the elevator.

Her breath catches in her throat. After exhaling, she speaks low enough to keep Turtle from hearing, “Because we’ve got the Boar, Kat, Turtle, Wren.” she points at her chest. “You’re the odd man out.”

Wren tips her head back to grin up at me, but I haven’t moved my head. Our mouths are a mere inch apart. It would be so easy to close that distance and capture her lips in a claiming kiss. If we weren’t in an elevator with Turtle, I’d have her backed up against the wall and would show her how much power she has over me.

“Oh yeah? You want to call me wolf or”—I snap my fingers—“Stallion.”

Wren snorts, relaxing with her back against the side of the elevator. “More like puppy. No, firefly because your eyes get all glowy.”

Well, shit. “Or because I light up your world?”

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