Page 24 of Stormbreaker

I consider his question. Now that I’ve started this, I have no idea what I’m doing. I glance at the man as rage for my father swirls in my gut. This man isn’t mindless. I see his burning soul in his eyes. I don’t know his story. I don’t know who he is. Cog? Hollow? Maybe even Society? It doesn’t matter. In the law’s eyes, he is only one thing now. A burden.

Shame colors my cheeks on behalf of everyone in this room, including myself. No one here even considers his life to be worth anything now.

The other leaders have removed their masks, and my gaze catches Stevie’s. I was already drawn to her confidence, and nothing would piss off my dad more than testing for Aria.

My fists clench at my sides. “What’s the test for Aria?”

“You run the tower of fire,” Stevie immediately says.

I have no idea what she’s talking about. “What’s that?”

“No,” Devon says, lifting a hand. “This isn’t choose your own fucking adventure. You pick a House. That’s it. No more questions and no more dithering. Fiama or Aria?”

“Aria,” I say without hesitation, suddenly sure this is the right choice.

I don’t even understand the repercussions and how deep this could ripple.

Obviously, I’m still destined for Fiama, and I’ll make it up in the next round. I think of our first day, when they laid out the rules of our initiations. They said we have to pass two of three tests for our chosen House, so I’ll just choose Fiama for the others.

I’ve heard of it happening before. After the first trial, people sometimes change their minds about their desired House. It’s part of The Shield’s mandate that we all have a say in how we live the rest of our lives. They want people to be sure of their choice. So I can fix this.

My eyes widen as the consequences of this decision truly hit me. If I fail this first test, I’m out. So I have to pass tonight. Of course, choosing Aria now means a bigger challenge ahead and no room for error on the next two tests. I might also be resigning myself to something even worse down the road, but I’ll have to take that chance.

Devon and Stevie exchange a loaded glance.

“Really?” Stevie asks.

“Really.” I try to make it sound more confident than I feel as I take a deep breath and square my shoulders.

“You’re sure?” Devon asks, giving me one last chance to change my mind.

“Poet,” comes another voice to my left. My cousin Anan tears off his mask. “What the fuck are you doing?”

When House Fiama finds out I chose Aria’s test, there will be consequences.

But it’s also at that moment that I realize how trapped I feel.

I’m the property of two men I hate. All my decisions have been made for me.

I don’t care if this is the “wrong” choice, and I refuse to kill a man.

Tonight, I’m choosing what I want.

I turn back to Devon and nod.

“I’m sure.”

8

A moment later, I’m escorted through another door off to my left, where more masked men and women wait. Without a word, someone grabs my wrist and snaps on a thick plastic bracelet. They press a button, and a red light blinks to life, flashing ominously.

“The tower of fire is a test of stamina,” she says. “Think of it like a game of hot and cold. You must reach a predetermined point somewhere nearby.” She gestures to the device around my wrist. “That will tell you if you’re moving farther or closer to your goal. Red for hot. Blue for cold. Understand?”

I nod slowly. I think so. House Aria members take pride in their physical health, and this sounds like the ultimate challenge to push those limits.

“You have ten minutes,” Stevie continues. “And you won’t be alone.”

“What does that mean?”