Page 43 of Flame and Fury

“Listen up. Due to…circumstances,” Billy’s eyes dart over to the television, “our next challenge will be moved up a day. Go see your stylists and be prepared to leave in two hours.”

I drop my toast on my plate, my stomach swooping with nerves. I told Atlas last night that I was going to throw this challenge and lose. Saying it and making it happen are two different things. I won’t be able to craft a plan until I know exactly what the trial is. That doesn’t mean I’m not nervous. I have approximately ten percent of a plan. After I lose the challenge then what? Lark somehow ended up as a servant at Nathaniel’s house. What series of events after the Hydra challenge led to that outcome? That's a problem I’ll have to figure out later.

Atlas and I stand at the same time. His eyes lock on me while I ignore him. Despite my best efforts to hurry out of the dining room, Atlas is at my side as I walk into the hallway. My breath hitches when his fingers wrap around my wrist. What kind of magic touch does he have? It’s really not fair.

“I hope now that you’ve slept you’ve come to your senses.”

I don’t stop walking, my irritation spiking. I slide my arm from his hold as we reach Estella’s room.

“Go get ready, Atlas.”

“Wren.” Atlas’s jaw ticks and his nostrils flare with his inhalation.

“We don’t have another choice.” I shake my head and slip inside Estella’s room, taking the coward’s way out and leaving him on the other side of the door. I rest my forehead on the cool wood, stealing a moment to collect myself. My emotions are all over the place and my Fury is restless. I can’t tell if it’s because a part of me wants to go back to Atlas, or because it’s finally time to get shit taken care of.

When I turn around, Estella is standing in front of a wall, staring at one of her drawings. She has fashion sketches hung all over the room, giving the cement walls a flare of color that’s desperately lacking in the rest of the compound. She’s so focused that she hasn’t noticed me yet.

“Estella?”

With a gasp, she spins around, her hand on her heart and her eyes wide. “Gods, you startled me.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was being so stealthy.” I smile at her, but the look she gives me in return is a weak imitation. “Are you okay?”

Stella’s normally bright clothing is subdued again today. It’s not like I’ve known her since childhood or anything, but these drab colors don’t feel right on her. She’s too vivacious and lively to be in the background. Her pink box braids are piled up on top of her head. There’s a near permanent furrow between her brows and her eyes look tired and bloodshot.

“I’m okay. Are you okay? Sounds like you were all rushed out of the party last night.”

“That was actually the best part of the night. Not gonna lie, a party at Nathaniel Rogers’s house isn’t my idea of a kick ass Saturday night.” I scratch my temple. “Actually, I don’t even know what day it is.”

Estella laughs like that’s a joke, but honestly, I have no clue what day it is. I’m pretty sure it’s still September, but even that’s a guess.

“What kind of fancy ass clothes do I need to wear today?” I look around the room seeing if I can spot my outfit for the next challenge. Usually, Estella has the clothing of the hour hanging somewhere for us to ooh and aah over before she orders me to get dressed. There’s nothing like that displayed today.

“The clothes for this challenge are much more casual than normal. I’ll just be fixing your hair and make-up and then we’ll get you dressed.”

I sit in the chair and let Estella do her thing. She’s more talkative today, but there’s a nervous pitch to her voice. She braids my hair into plaits on either side of my head. I can’t tell what she’s doing behind me but there’s a lot of tucking and twisting happening until the braids are off my neck.

“You’re not going to want your hair in your way today.” Estella pushes another pin into the braids.

I raise my eyebrows. “Do you know what the challenge is?”

Estella bites the corner of her lip. Her eyes flick up to catch mine in the mirror before quickly looking away. “I really can’t say.”

I wave her off. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I’ll be losing regardless of what Atlas says. He can’t tell me what to do.

“We should probably take this off, though.” Estella’s fingers move over the clasp of my necklace, but I jerk out of her reach. There are so many reasons this charm needs to stay on. One is that it belonged to my mother. It’s a piece of her I always carry with me. I’m not taking it off to match some aesthetic the gods want me to achieve for a stupid challenge. Slightly more important, is the fact that the necklace has magic in it that cloaks my true nature as a Fury. Without this tiny piece of jewelry, the gods would know with one glance what I am. They’d feel the energy that all Furies have. That’s how they’ve hunted and killed them for years.

“No. That stays.”

“I think they’re going to be upset if you have any jewelry on.”

“No offense, Estella, but I don’t give a fuck what they think. The necklace stays.”

Estella nods and takes a few steps back. “Right, sure.” She laughs and wipes her hands down the sides of her pants. “It’s not like it’s the massive soulstone or something.”

“What’s a soulstone?” I stand from the chair and reach my arms over my head, stretching after sitting for so long.

“You haven’t heard of the soulstone?”