Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich - 55

52

T he conference room was silent when Theon finished explaining what they planned to do by transferring Dagian’s power to him. The Ladies stared back, seemingly at a loss for words, and the tension in the air was so thick, it was oppressive. Luka was rigid on Tessa’s other side, and Tessa appeared almost…bored. A far cry from what she’d been last night. He knew she wasn’t bored. She was waiting to see which argument they were going to face first. Just like he was. But he’d meant what he’d said. This was happening whether or not the Ladies agreed to it. Mainly because Dagian was not only offering but insistent. The male hadn’t been the same since Sasha’s death.

He wasn’t surprised that the Falein Lady spoke first, nor was he surprised by her question.

“I need to clarify what you are requesting,” Lady Farhan said, her palms flat on the table.

“Not requesting,” Theon corrected. “Simply informing you of what’s to come.”

Her eyes narrowed, her words terse as she said, “You want us to approve of you taking power from the Achaz Heir?”

“That he is willingly giving,” Theon amended.

“That is not the point,” the Celeste Lady interjected. “The point is you will be more powerful than any of us.”

“But not more powerful than Tessa,” he said with a shrug. “She will still be the Arius Lady.”

“Whom you are married to,” she retorted. “You have already deceived us once. We will not stand for this.”

“If she is the Arius Lady, why are you speaking for her?” Lady Farhan asked.

“He is not speaking for me,” Tessa cut in. “He tends to be far less…dramatic than I am.” Her point was accentuated as she drummed her fingers on the table, a single flicker of lightning appearing and bouncing along the table. “But if you’d rather deal with me, then so be it.”

All the Ladies, save for Kyra, sat up straighter. “You have two husbands,” the Celeste blurted.

“Yes, yes,” Tessa muttered, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s already been established and not why we are here today. I do not have time for such trivial matters.”

“Trivial matters? What is stopping us from taking second Matches?” Lady Candra scoffed.

Tessa widened her eyes. “Nothing. Take another husband. Take a wife. Take five. As long as they are not forced, I don’t care.”

Now they were blinking back at her, clearly uncertain what to do or say.

“That is not how things are done,” Lady Farhan finally said.

Tessa paused the drumming of her fingers. “Forgive me for not really caring how things are done when, for most of my life, I was forced to bow, and for the last year, everyone has been trying to use me and decide my destiny for me.”

“I still don’t understand why all these other people are here,” the Serafina Lady interjected, although her voice was monotone. As if even she didn’t wish to be here.

“They are my…advisors,” Tessa said, settling on a word.

“No one needs that many advisors,” the Celeste Lady argued. “Fae? Sargon Legacy? A vampyre? We do not even know them all.”

“Perhaps if you had more, and they were more diverse, we wouldn’t be facing our current reality,” Tessa replied, her hand leaving the table and moving to her hair. But Luka caught it, guiding her fingers to rest on his thigh.

“We need to stay focused on the subject of this meeting,” Theon interjected.

“The answer is no,” the Celeste Lady said. She turned to the Anala Lady. “I cannot believe you summoned us here for this.”

“I thought we should hear them out,” Kyra mused, settling back in her chair and taking everything in.

“This is utter nonsense. It will change everything.”

“That is the entire point,” Tessa drawled, and Theon had to work to hide his smirk. Gone were the insecurities and nerves of last night. He’d like to say they fucked it out of her, but her trepidation was still there. He could feel it lingering beneath other emotions, but he was so godsdamn proud of her in this moment.

“Theon is right,” she continued. “This is a courtesy to you all. We are not asking permission. Arrangements have already been made, and this is Dagian’s request.”

The Serafina Lady turned to the Achaz Heir. Dagian was seated down the table, quiet and haunted. “Is this true, Dagian?”

He nodded, looking them each in the eye. “I came to Theon weeks ago and asked for this.”

“Weeks ago?” the Falein Lady questioned. “Why not come to us?”

“Why not come to you?” he repeated derisively. “You, who have served with my father for decades? You, who work to uphold the ludicrous traditions of this realm? You, who twist and scheme and plot with the rest of them? No, Lady Farhan, I would not bring these concerns to any of you only to have one of you whisper them to my father. Your own heirs aren’t even in this room to discuss matters that will affect them when they take their seats. I went to the kingdom who loathed him. I went to the one who has the means to end him. I went to the ones who could make a difference, not the ones content to watch the world crumble as long as their thrones remained intact.”

“You understand you will no longer be able to hold your seat?” the Serafina Lady asked. “Once your father is dealt with, you will not be the Achaz Lord?”

Dagian’s lips tilted in a sardonic smile. “I am not the most powerful Achaz blood at this table, Lady Isleen.”

All eyes slid back to Tessa.

After several seconds of tense silence, the Celeste Lady said, “Fine. We transfer power, but we should decide together who will take it.”

“No,” Dagian said firmly. “It is my power. I will only transfer it to Theon. If anyone else tries, I rescind the offer, and you can face my father as you are.”

“He cannot be stronger than all of us together. Not if Tessa is fighting on our side,” Lady Farhan argued.

“It will take all of Tessa’s power to defeat Rordan, and even then, she could be weakened to the point of being overpowered by the seraphs that serve Achaz,” Luka said. “That is not an option on the table.”

“It’s more than Rordan,” Theon added. “Tessa is…not a Legacy. She’s not a god. She’s…more. She’s something more, and while we’ve been trying to figure it out, others have been looking for her. Others who will come for her.”

“Like who?” Lady Farhan demanded.

“Achaz,” Tessa said simply.

“The gods can’t come here.”

“Not right now,” Tessa agreed. “But if they can find a way to create an entire world and then abandon it, I assure you, there is a way to break the Accords of old.”

“Achaz is one threat,” Theon agreed. “The Fates are another. There is no agreement keeping them from coming here.”

“The Fates?” Kyra asked, her brow arching. “This is new information, Theon.”

“Since we’re all here, and for the sake of transparency, we want to share everything we know. This isn’t some grand effort to overtake the kingdoms, but it is a desperate attempt to save this realm and all the people in it.”

“By putting her in power?” the Celeste Lady sneered.

Theon’s lips curled up. “I told her to leave us all and let the Fates destroy the realm. She chose to stay and fight for us. Doesn’t get more benevolent than that, does it?”

“But she is not the one who will gain more power,” the Falein Lady argued. “ You will.”

“To become her balance,” Theon said. “The Fates are looking for her because she is an imbalance. Beginnings and Endings. As we all know, her power is extensive. Something needs to balance it out.”

“And that something is you?”

Theon’s brow arched. “You’re welcome to try.”

Tessa’s power had already been growing, chaotic embers and sparks of light drifting around her. He could feel her working to keep it under control. There was lots of power in this room. It was the reason Xan and Akira weren’t in here with them. Because Tessa’s power was seeking; he couldn’t imagine Akira in here.

But at his words, Luka’s dragonfire wound around one of her arms while Theon’s darkness fluttered along her jaw. She visibly relaxed, but the power in her eyes didn’t bank.

“The two of us help her control it, but the Fates will require more,” Theon said. “Rordan has been stealing power for decades. Even the added expanse of Dagian’s gifts likely won’t be enough to offset it, but it will give Tessa more to draw from.”

“As her Source?” Kyra asked, her head tilting with interest.

“As her Source. As her lover. As her equal. As her balance,” he replied. “I’m whatever she needs me to be.”

“And you don’t believe it will be enough to keep Devram from ruin?”

Theon glanced at Tessa, and her lips pursed at the question.

“Rordan’s goal is to bring Achaz here. He believes if he is successful, Achaz will give him this world to rule as a reward for his faithfulness,” Tessa said. “I’ve never seen the true depth of his power, but I’ve felt it. My Chaos seeks more. It knows who is the most powerful in a room, and when he is in it, it is always him,” Tessa said. “As for the Fates, I suppose they will require an equal power. I am the grandchild of three First gods. No, one power being transferred to Theon will not be enough.”

Kyra nodded, toying with flames in her palm. “But the power of another ruler would help.”

“What?” Tessa asked, but it wasn’t in confusion. It was shock. The same shock Theon was feeling. The same thing Luka was processing, because Kyra couldn’t mean what it sounded like.

“You’ve seen what we’ve built here,” Kyra said, and Theon could hear the slight tremble in her voice. “I’ve been in this position for over a century, and Dagian is correct. I’ve done much, but I could have done more. I can do more to ensure the people in my care are safe. That this realm is safe.” She took a deep breath, her eyes pooling with tears. “Because change requires sacrifice. Change requires more than pretty words.” She offered Tessa a weak smile. “So I offer my power as well. For the betterment of Devram and all those who deserve more in a world long forgotten by the gods. If I’m not willing to sacrifice to save them, I don’t deserve to call myself their Lady.”

The room was silent at the proclamation, and Theon didn’t know what to do or say. He’d expected arguments and debates, yes, but he’d never expected things to end like this.

“I offer mine as well.”

Theon’s head whipped to the right where the Serafina Lady was meeting his gaze.

“You?” Theon asked, because it was all he could think of to say.

“You’ve held a longstanding alliance with Achaz Kingdom,” Luka said, voicing Theon’s thoughts.

“And he has betrayed that time and time again. I was too foolish to see how thoroughly,” she replied. “And now I have lost…too much. I have seen too much, and in the end…” She cleared her throat, getting herself under control. “Maybe a beginning isn’t what is needed, but an ending to make room for something more.”

He heard Tessa’s slight inhale. Felt her emotions all over the place as the Falein Lady followed suit, and finally the Celeste Lady. As one by one, the Ladies of the realm offered their power and their places alongside Dagian so that Devram might survive. So that they had a chance. So that Rordan wouldn’t win.

So that there just might be a balance in the realm once more.

That afternoon, everyone gathered on the banks of the sea south of Idalia. It was the place where the Shade Plains merged with the Anala Kingdom at the base of the Ozul Mountains. They didn’t dare do this in Arius Kingdom after Rordan’s recent attack. They were told it would need to be some place the power could manifest. The magic would fight being taken from one to go to the other, and as he took more and more, he would struggle to contain it right away.

Introductions had been made, all of them leery of Akira, and Theon couldn’t blame them. He was used to Tessa slipping into her chaotic states. Akira seemed to live in that space permanently.

“So, to be clear,” the Falein Lady said, “Theon won’t suddenly possess gifts from all the First gods?”

Tristyn shook his head. Tessa had requested he come after things had escalated during the meeting this morning.

“That’s not how this works,” Tristyn explained. “He will have the strength of that power, but it will manifest differently. It will become the darkness he now possesses. Your power will simply strengthen it.”

“And what will they become?” Tessa asked, Luka tucking her hand into his before she could start pacing.

Tristyn glanced at the rulers, and Theon could swear he winced. “They won’t be mortal, but they won’t have power. Only an extended lifespan with a Staying that will remain for some time. For how long, we never know.”

Theon looked at each of the Ladies. “This is your choice, your graces,” he said. “We are not asking this of you, and we understand if you rescind your offer. No one will hold it against you. To be separated from a gift you have harnessed in your soul your entire life is a tragedy, even if done willingly.”

“My offer stands,” Lady Kyra said. “My only request is that Tana is still offered a seat at whatever new sense of order is established to oversee the kingdoms.”

He smiled softly. “That can be arranged.”

“We will value all your input when the time comes,” Tessa added.

“But if we do not do this, it won’t matter,” Dagian interjected tightly. He was on an edge, and Theon would be the same if their roles were reversed. He was moments away from losing not only a power he’d trained much of his life to harness, but also the life he thought he’d have. “Let’s get on with it.”

“What of their Sources?” Tessa asked suddenly. “If they no longer have power, what will happen to their Source?”

The three Sources that were present went rigid, and Tristyn rubbed the back of his neck. “That I don’t know, wild fury. And even if I did, because of the corruption of the Source Marks here, I don’t know that it would be the same anyway.”

“The only way to sever a Source bond is by death,” Tessa mused, pulling her hand from Luka’s to pace anyway.

“But if there’s no power, is there anything for the Mark to cling to?” Axel asked. “If I’d had a Source when I turned, what would have been the point?”

“Yes, but you lost your power. The magic itself isn’t dying. It’s just being moved to another,” Tessa argued. Then her eyes went wide. “Will those bonds transfer with the magic?”

“Again, because the Source Marks here are not a true Source Mark, we won’t know,” Tristyn said. “Because of the other Marks interwoven, we can’t know.”

“It won’t be balanced,” Akira piped in, drawing closer.

“What does that mean?” Tessa asked, turning to her mother.

“Xan told me of the Source Marks,” she answered. “One connects the soul. One intertwines the power. The life force. The heart. It is a balance. If that balance is broken, the whole thing shatters.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Nothing is certain in the stars, Tessa,” she sang, crouching down and beginning to draw a Mark in the dirt. “But the magic will be strained enough. It will not be able to sustain an unbalanced bond.”

“And the Fae tied to them?”

Akira stood, moving a few feet, and crouching to do the same thing again.

“Their lives are not tied to the Marks.” Akira frowned. “Although they will likely feel the death of it. That will be as excruciating as losing one’s gifts,” she said simply, moving another few feet to draw more.

Tessa turned to the Fae, all of them having paled. “This is no longer only the Ladies’ choices,” she said. “If any of you wish not to do this, we will decline the Lady’s offer.”

“Tessa—” Theon started, but she held up a hand.

“No. They were already forced into a bond. No one will force them to risk their lives after having so much taken from them,” Tessa said. “This is their choice because this is what we are fighting for. Everyone having a godsdamn choice.”

Silence fell, stretching on until finally the Anala Lady’s Source spoke. “My life as a Source has been better than others,” he admitted. “But if this means none will be forced to give themselves for this purpose again, I will take the risk. If that is what we are fighting for, Lady Ausra, then I will risk this and stand by your side if I survive.”

He placed a fist over his heart and bowed his head, and Tessa lurched back a step. But Theon was already moving in front of her. He’d bowed before her when she took the Arius seat and now he’d stand beside a Fae to show his solidarity in this too. He stood next to the Anala Source, following his actions.

Axel moved next. “You already know this, but the Underground will follow you,” he said, stopping next to Theon. “Someone who understands what it is to have their value stripped away to nothing. Someone who fights to ensure the amount of power someone carries—whether vast or nonexistent —does not define them. Someone who does not care what blood runs in their veins or what type of being they are. Someone who sees them as people. You have our loyalty, Lady Ausra.”

One by one everyone fell into a line as faint howls sounded. Nylah and Roan appeared, prowling to her side and lowering to their bellies.

The Fae.

The Underground.

The Legacy.

Those of Devram and those from across the stars.

Because destiny beckoned and sacrifice demanded.

And while she had not asked for this, Chaos had come to reign.

And Chaos did not choose.

She would fight for them all.

“A new dawn,” Akira said simply, and Theon lifted his head to find her staring at her daughter. “Because in all things there must be balance.”

“The sky, the sea, the realms,” Tessa echoed faintly. “One was never meant to rule over the other.”

Akira smiled wider, her hands clasped under her chin as she nodded several times in excitement. “So Endings discovered because Dreams dared to challenge.”

“Yes,” Tessa breathed, a laugh of disbelief coming from her lips. Her gaze slid to Theon, where Luka stood beside him. “And so we fight.”

“And we will not fall,” Theon said darkly before he turned to Dagian. “Are you ready?”

The Achaz Heir nodded once, and Akira clapped her hands twice. “We draw, Tessa,” she said, pointing to the Marks. “In a circle.”

Mother and daughter drew until the circle was complete, and then Akira was shoving Theon to the center. “Come, come,” she added, motioning to Dagian until the two males stood in the middle.

“You must not lose contact at any point,” Akira instructed.

“It will be agony, Dagian,” Tristyn added grimly. “I cannot perform this, but I have seen it done. You will feel a piece of yourself being torn away.”

“It can’t be worse than losing Sasha,” he said tightly. “Tell us what to do.”

“No one else crosses in,” Akira said, dancing back outside the circle. “Or the power may choose another.” She glanced at Luka. “Keep her contained. Her Chaos will want it.”

“And you?” Theon demanded.

“I have her,” Xan said, stepping to Akira’s side while Luka slid an arm around Tessa’s waist, pulling her back into his chest.

Dagian lifted his hands, turning his palms up when Akira instructed them.

“A blade,” she encouraged. “Across your palms to merge your blood.”

Dagian drew a dagger from his magic, and Theon knew why. He wanted to feel his power one last time. He drew it across his palms before passing it to Theon to do the same. Theon placed his hands atop Dagian’s as he said in a low voice, “One final chance, Dagian. No one will fault you if you change your mind.”

But his sharp features only tightened, holding his stare as he said loudly, “Do it.”

“Your blood, daughter,” Akira said. “On the Marks.”

“But the Hunters,” Tessa protested.

Akira shook her head. “The Marks are more. If they appear, their power will be taken. They will not venture where sacrifice demands.”

Tessa moved along the perimeter, Luka walking with her, and the Marks flared as her blood fell. Akira was speaking in a language Theon didn’t know, but nothing was happening. There was nothing but him and Dagian and the awkwardness that came from standing in a circle holding hands.

Until Dagian winced.

That was when he felt it. A tiny beat of power against his palm as Dagian hissed from between his teeth. Theon’s hands tightened instinctively, their mixed blood dripping to the ground while more and more power flowed. Small drops that grew and slid along his soul as if seeking a way in.

Dagian grunted in pain, lurching back a step. “Do not let the connection break!” Akira cried. “It is too late to stop.”

But Dagian stepped back again, gasping in pain.

“Dagian,” Theon ground out, gripping the male with everything he had. “You can do this. For your people. For Sasha.”

Dagian nodded frantically, another grunt of torment coming from his lips as he dropped to his knees, dragging Theon down with him. He didn’t know what was going on around them anymore. Didn’t know what Tessa was doing. Couldn’t focus on Akira. Everything in him was homed in on the male who had already sacrificed, and now was giving more. Who was trusting him to make a difference with this sacrifice. To ensure Sasha’s life was not lost for nothing.

Dagian gasped, the ground trembling beneath them. Waves were crashing to the shore from the sea, and it wasn’t drops of power coming to him now. This was waves of magic slamming into his soul. He grunted for a different reason, forcing himself to stay upright as another burst of power flowed into him. It wasn’t light. It wasn’t energy. It was darkness and death churning in his soul, and he felt it rip free, his shadow wings forming as he absorbed more and more from Dagian. He was an heir, poised to be the most powerful male in the Achaz Kingdom. If this was his power, what of the Ladies? This was staggering enough. To add more? And to know he still wouldn’t be as strong as Tessa?

Someone was calling his name. Someone else was still chanting in an old tongue. All he could do was take the power rushing over him, trying to find another while also latching onto his soul. His darkness swallowed it down, taking and taking.

Because life must give, and death must take.

Until finally it was done, and Theon caught Dagian’s shoulders as the male slumped forward.

Akira must have told them it was safe because Tessa was throwing her arms around him, and he clutched her close, letting his darkness envelop her. Luka watched warily while wrapping Dagian’s hands in something. Where he’d gotten the cloth, Theon didn’t know, but Dagian wouldn’t be able to heal anymore.

Tessa pressed her mouth to his, her lips lingering as she asked, “How do you feel?”

“Restless,” he muttered, trying to wrangle the new magic in his soul.

“I can help,” she whispered, still straddling his lap. He felt her chaos there, wrapping gently around his darkness. Coaxing it. Calling to it. Calming it.

His breathing evened out as he tried to adjust, and she took his face in her hands. “We can do the others another time. This does not all need to be done today.”

But he shook his head. “It does. We do it all now. I don’t want a slow adjustment. I’d rather do it all at once.”

She nodded, pressing her brow to his. “We do this together.”

He nodded, taking another minute before Luka pulled him to his feet. Tristyn was with Dagian off to the side, speaking low with him. Theon shook out his arms, feeling anxious and jittery with all the new power. Then he looked at Kyra and said, “If you are still willing, I’m ready.”

Her head held high, she stepped forward. “We just witnessed a young male sacrifice everything for a kingdom and realm that wasn’t his to protect yet. Decades and decades younger than me, he’s made a bigger difference in his short life than I have in my decades on a seat of power. I am not blameless here. None of us are. Change requires sacrifice, not to make amends for our transgressions, but in the hope that those who come after us will learn from our failures.”

So they began again.