Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich - 3
T here was nothing but rocks and dirt and rubble under her bare feet. The sky that had been clear and blue when she’d first stepped here was quickly turning grey the longer she stood among the ruin of a world that had once been grand. Wicked and cruel and broken, yes, but the shell of it had been gr...
T here was nothing but rocks and dirt and rubble under her bare feet. The sky that had been clear and blue when she’d first stepped here was quickly turning grey the longer she stood among the ruin of a world that had once been grand. Wicked and cruel and broken, yes, but the shell of it had been grand. The beauty of the outside had hidden the poison that spread among the realm, killing and taking and breaking —
Lightning crackled at her fingertips, flecks of silver and gold, white and black, flickering among her power. She took a deep breath, calming the fury that was building in her belly. She’d told no one she was coming here. Only one knew. The one who’d helped her get here. But perhaps she should have brought Roan or Nylah just to help keep her grounded. It’d been decades since she’d been in this world. She hadn’t thought it would still make her… feel.
But she should have known.
It would forever make her feel.
Because it was the last place she’d seen him.
Because it had always been more than a bond.
Tessa looked back over her shoulder. The mirror gate she’d stepped through stood several paces away, but the Pantheon that had once housed it was in ruins. It was nothing more than cracked pillars and crumbled stone. She could see straight to the courtyard where the fountain had stood once, large and regal. Without having to navigate the passages of the Pantheon, she reached the disintegrating structure quickly. Half of the fountain was gone and water had long ceased flowing, but the other half still stood, albeit fractured in several places.
She ran her hand along the lip, finding a crack that had been there before this world had died. A crack she’d put there with her power, summoning a Hunter to her side. Peering over the side, a gasp of surprise fell from her lips. Somehow the mosaics of the six First gods and goddesses were still pristine and perfect. Not one scratch or chip on the tiles. Tilting her head as she studied them, she couldn’t help but think they’d gotten some of it wrong, particularly Celeste. Just minor details here and there, but not Arius. That mosaic was perfect with the dark hair and emerald eyes. The arrogant tilt of lips. It even managed to capture the aura of his darkness and power. Looking so much like him .
Odd really, when he was hundreds and hundreds of generations removed from Arius. How had he looked so incredibly similar? Genetics or no, it seemed implausible.
Straightening, she intended to make her way to a townhouse that had once almost felt like home, but as she turned, she stilled. This world was dead, the Fates having destroyed it in their search for her, and yet…
“Hello, clever tempest.”
She said nothing.
Only stared back at him.
The inky black hair that always found a way to fall across his brow. The emerald irises drifting with darkness and sin. The suit sans jacket. The rings on his fingers. The Mark of Achaz— her Mark—forever on the back of his left hand.
When she didn’t speak, he slipped his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels slightly. He slowly took her in, eyes going from her head to her bare toes and back up again. As though he was trying to take in as much detail as he could.
“Are you a phantom?” she finally blurted, unable to help herself because how was he here? Nearly a century after Devram and everyone in it had been destroyed? How had he survived?
He smiled, and her stomach dipped as a dimple appeared. Only then did he take a single step toward her, his head canting to the side a little with the movement.
“You look beautiful,” he said, going still once more.
Tessa looked down at the black dress with deep slits up the sides. Her bow was looped across her chest while her golden hair was loose and flowing around her as the wind picked up.
Meeting his gaze once more, she said, “You didn’t answer my question. How are you still here?”
He appeared to debate his answer before he said, “I’m not entirely sure. Do you wish I wasn’t?”
“I…” Her fingers curled at her sides, power and more flaring, because she didn’t know what she wished. She didn’t know why today, of all days, she’d finally found her way back here.
He reached her in a few long strides. Gently taking her chin, he tipped her face up to his, and she shuddered. It may have been decades since she’d seen him, but a part of her soul remembered him. Always would. Her power calmed. Her fury banked. The Chaos that was always trying to consume her rushed to his touch, seeking him out. A small sigh escaped her when he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“Better?” he asked, his voice gruff and low as he searched her eyes, concern lining his features.
She nodded, swallowing thickly. “How did you know?”
That small smile tilted again. “I always know what you need, little storm.” They stood like that for a long moment, staring at each other, before he lightly cleared his throat. “Where is Luka?”
Tessa shrugged, looking back at the mirror gate. She wished she hadn’t. His hand slipped from her face, and the thing inside her immediately thrashed, reaching for him again so violently, she stumbled back a step. Her hands curled, fingers already reaching for her hair, but wisps of dark wrapped around her, soothing and calming.
She shouldn’t have come back here, and yet…
He’d been able to touch her. A phantom couldn’t do that, could it? Then again, the Hunters had been able to touch her when they’d wanted to.
“You’re thinking too hard, Tessa,” he said gently, watching her.
“Is this the After?” she asked instead.
He huffed a laugh. “By the gods, I hope not. Then again, if it brings you to me, I’ll take it.”
“It’s been decades.”
His brow furrowed for a few seconds before quickly smoothing back out. “I’ll take whatever you’ll give me.”
She nodded, still unsure of…everything that was happening. The last time she’d seen him…
Lifting her chin, she glared at him, fresh fury coursing through her. Fury she’d shoved down for years and years. Fury she’d told everyone she’d dealt with, when in reality, she’d simply learned how to hide it, master it, use it when needed. Fury and chaos. Chaos and fury. Wild and untamed. Untamed and wild.
There’d never been any such thing as balance when it came to her. She’d only given them the illusion she’d found such a thing. Found a balance. Found a semblance of peace and belonging. Found a sense of purpose. The truth was, she’d simply found a way to survive, letting the chaos and the fury consume her. She knew Luka sensed it. He’d tried, she supposed, but in the end…
“Luka tells me…” She trailed off, letting her fingers flit through the darkness drifting around her and hovering close. “Well, everyone tells me, I guess, that I was never the same after we left here.”
“Who’s everyone?”
She shrugged, too many emotions trying to claw their way out of the dark places where she’d shoved them. “Luka. Tristyn. They’re the only ones who really knew me from my time here.”
He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her.
“You broke me,” she stated.
“I know, Tessa. I know I did, but I had hoped that if I got you out, it would…” He shoved a hand through his hair, a frustrated growl escaping him. “I was hoping it would atone for some of it. Keep you safe. Save you from a fate you never deserved. That’s all I ever wanted for you. To be safe and happy and —”
She shot forward before she fully knew what she was doing. Impulsive. Wild. Her hands slammed into his chest, and he caught her wrists, keeping her there.
“You broke me when you walked away from me!” she cried, finally letting that fury win.
To fury they both lose.
“You promised. You were the one person—the one person—who never balked when I showed you my worst. You promised I would always… You were my only constant in the end, and you walked away from me,” she finished.
He said nothing, pulling her fully into his chest. Her head rested against him, and she could hear his heart beating, rapid and erratic.
“It was all to save you, Tessalyn,” he murmured, his chest rumbling with the words. “Always to save you because I love you. Please tell me you understand that. It’s the only way I know how to… I love you.”
“And I hate you,” she replied.
He was silent for a few of those too-fast heartbeats before he said, “Yeah, little storm? How much do you hate me?”
“So godsdamn much,” she answered, pressing into him more, because like this, her soul was almost calm. The fury almost banked. It did this with Luka too, but it was never enough. Peace and contentment just out of reach. The world almost silenced for once in her immortal existence.
His hand drifted along her hair, tangling in the strands as she clutched at his shirt. She breathed him in, letting his scent fill her lungs. Memorizing his touch. Some part of her wished she could stay with him. A bigger part of her knew she’d left a piece of herself here, and it was why she’d come back.
How bizarre to want to stay with a phantom.
As if he could still hear her thoughts, he whispered, “You can’t stay here.”
She stiffened, his fingers trailing down her spine.
“It’s too dark for you here, little storm,” he continued. “You hate the dark.”
“As much as I hate you,” she retorted.
His fingers paused on her lower back before a low huff of laughter escaped him. “Always a battle with you, right?”
Despite herself, a small smile tilted on her lips. “Always.”
“Tessa, I—” But he broke off, his entire body tensing, and she pulled back to look up into his face once more.
His gaze was fixed on something beyond her, and she turned to see a figure off in the distance. This far away, she couldn’t make out much, even with enhanced senses. She could only see the long black hair blowing in the increasing winds around a distinctly feminine form.
“Is that…Auryon? Is she a phantom here too?” Tessa asked, moving to take a step closer, but his hold on her tightened, keeping her close.
“You need to go,” he said. “It’s not safe for you here right now.”
“When was it ever?” she countered, her voice hardening.
He cupped her cheek, regret and longing staring down at her. “I’ll always find you. I’m forever yours.”
Tessa pursed her lips, lingering a second longer before stepping from his hold. She wouldn’t argue with him. It hadn’t worked before; she wasn’t under any illusion that it would do any good now.
Adjusting the bow across her chest, she didn’t say another word as she made her way back to the mirror gate. The figure across the vast expanse watched, not moving.
“You broke me too,” he called after her, making her pause. “In ways I never could have imagined. So hate me, Tessa. Hate me and break me and make me feel it all, but would you save me? If you could?”
Her fingers traced along the symbols etched around the mirror, searching for the one she needed. She pulled a dagger from where it was sheathed at her thigh, slicing her palm and pressing it to the marking before she looked over her shoulder one last time.
“Maybe,” she answered, before she stepped through the mirror.