The Temple of Fortuna (Wolf Den Trilogy)

by Elodie Harper

Philos speaks without a trace of self-pity and has the calm, stoic look she remembers so well from their life together. It is the mask of a slave, who cannot afford to have feelings. A mask Amara once wore herself. But now she is freed and Philos never will be.

Perhaps nothing marks the passage of time as inexorably as the loss of love.

“Fear is like an enemy you see on the road. You raise your hand to him, you greet him, and you continue on your way.”

Whatever Britannica is saying is giving her strength, igniting the rage and ferocity that has always lit her from within. Watching her, Amara is no longer gripped by anxiety; instead she feels euphoria. Britannica has the strength, the fearlessness, the unbridled fury she has always wanted for herself, and unlike Amara, unlike every woman here, this woman has the power to make men feel afraid.

Amara wants to say something, to give Pliny some comfort in the darkness, but finds she has no words. Instead she bends and kisses him on the forehead, pressing her lips to his skin, so that his last human touch will be one of love. Then she takes Philos’s hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet, and leaves Pliny to die alone on the shore.

Strike first Britannica’s voice is in Amara’s head. Her dead friend is beside her, so close she can feel the whisper of her breath against her ear. Britannica was denied the chance to kill Felix, and it was Amara who denied her that chance. But no longer.

“Take back the name you gave me. Take it with you to the underworld. May Amara never be spoken in this life again.” From the purse around her neck she takes a coin, then places it under his tongue. It is his fare for Charon, the demon who ferries the dead across the River Styx.