Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich - 6

3

“ Y ou need shoes, Tessa,” Luka said from the main foyer of the penthouse.

She looked down at her bare toes, brow furrowing.

“It’s been snowing for days, and I know it’s stopped, but now the sidewalks and roads are icy,” Luka continued, dropping a pair of boots on the floor in front of her. “More than that, we have no idea what we’re going to step into when we go through the mirror gate.”

She wasn’t really worried about that.

He pressed socks into her hands, and she looked up at him, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“You can’t wear flip-flops,” he chided, crossing his arms, and she rolled her eyes as she plopped down on the floor and slid the socks onto her feet. Then she pulled on the black boots, working the buckles and laces. The things came nearly to her knees. She would have preferred a dress, but she was in fitted black pants and a form-fitting top. Clothing very similar to Razik and Eliza, who were clad in what she assumed they had arrived in this realm in.

A hand appeared in her line of vision, and she slipped her fingers into Luka’s palm, letting him pull her back to her feet. Then he dropped a stocking hat on her head, and she scowled at him. He ignored her, reaching to take a cloak that Tristyn was passing out. All of them would wear the cloaks the Keepers wore. An extra layer of disguise everyone was hoping they wouldn’t need.

She hadn’t come back downstairs until everyone was ready to leave. Luka had said they were discussing something important and had tried to convince her to come listen to it all, but the truth was, she didn’t care. Nothing anyone said was going to change anything, and any information they had could be told to her after this night.

“Everyone have everything?” Tristyn asked, and Tessa watched him slowly take in the space around him. A place he’d lived in for centuries.

Razik reached to take a pack from Eliza, shouldering it with his own. Cienna and Gia had bags she assumed held potion ingredients and books. Tristyn had two bags stuffed full, and Luka had a backpack along with a duffel bag.

She had nothing.

The bow Auryon had left her was back at Luka’s cave. Her phone was in Faven. The book Rordan had given her was hidden. She had nothing, just like she’d gone to the Arius Kingdom with.

She had nothing, but all that was about to change.

Luka reached over, pulling the hood of the cloak up and tucking her hair in. Taking care of her like Theon had instructed. His new assignment.

With another last look around, Tristyn pressed the button for the elevator that opened directly into his main foyer. They all stepped in, the ride to the first floor quiet, and they stayed that way as they stepped out onto the street, taking a side door that emptied into an alley. The door behind them hadn’t even closed completely when two large shapes stalked from the shadows, glowing orange eyes locked on her.

Tessa smiled as Roan came to her side, rubbing against her legs. Her fingers sank into his silver fur while Nylah prowled a few feet in front of her, dark as the night. There would be little doubt who they were if they were spotted, but few would dare to do anything. She was powerful. Her wolves were dangerous. Her company was violent.

It was the start of everything that was to come.

Tristyn took the lead along with Xan, Nylah with them. Luka stayed on her other side. Behind them were Eliza and Razik, and Tessa idly wondered how they kept their footsteps so light. Cienna and Gia took up the rear.

The world was still around them, as if the entire realm was holding its breath, and Tessa inhaled deeply. Fresh cold air filled her lungs, and she wished her bare feet were leaving prints in the snow rather than her boots.

Sticking to the dark streets and staying in the shadows, they made their way to the Pantheon. The trek took three times as long as it should have, but they couldn’t exactly pull up in a car at the front doors.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Luka pull his phone from his pocket multiple times. For the most part, he appeared to simply be checking the screen. A few times, his thumb moved as if typing a message.

It was over two hours before Tristyn was leading them through the hidden door and down passages in the Pantheon. Roan dropped behind her, the passage too narrow for him to stay at her side, and she heard Luka cursing at the wolf for separating him so far from her. Soon enough, they were all spilling into the chamber, everyone pulling back their hoods and breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Or everyone else was.

Tessa kept her hood up, coming to a stop just inside the chamber. Her eyes swept over the room, vividly remembering every breath and step, every word spoken and tear that had fallen.

A kiss, soft and tender and full of sorrow.

Tessalyn Ausra, I would sacrifice all the realms and all the stars for you. You are perfectly wild. Perfectly untamed. You were not made to be caged, nor were you made to be a sacrifice for a realm that does not deserve such a gift. You were made to live in the light. Go live, little storm.

Thumbs swiping at her cheeks.

And fury.

So much fury as he had walked away from her.

“Stay with us, Tessa,” came a low murmur, and she blinked, finding Xan standing in front of her. He had a knowing look on his face, sapphire eyes searching hers. “Let him help you. The deeper you sink, the harder it will be to pull you back.”

Her lips pulled up at the corners. “Maybe I want to drown.”

If he was surprised she’d spoken, he didn’t show it, and he didn’t balk at her words either.

“I know that’s easier,” he said with a nod. “It’s easier to give in, but in the end? That’s all it will be. An end.”

Then he moved away as Luka approached, eyeing his retreating father suspiciously. “Are you all right?” he asked, still watching his father. When she didn’t reply, he finally turned to face her fully. “Before we go, Tristyn and Cienna need to remove the enchantment that was put on you when he freed you from the cells. We don’t know where we’re going to end up, and we need to be able to Travel in case we find ourselves somewhere unfavorable.”

She nodded because it would be nice to have the enchantment removed. It made her feel caged not being able to portal anywhere, and she didn’t like feeling trapped. More than that, they could have all simply Traveled here rather than walking these last few hours. Roan nudged her hand, his nose wet and cold where he sat beside her. Nylah was pacing the perimeter of the chamber.

“It is easier to remove here,” Tristyn said, coming to Luka’s side. “Especially down here, where magic is stronger and more prevalent.”

“Why?” she asked.

Tristyn blinked, unable to conceal his surprise like Xan had, but a pleased expression quickly replaced it. “Because the Pantheon is located at the center of the continent. It is already a more powerful location because of its position as a nexus. Beyond that, this chamber is the center of the Pantheon, making it more powerful still. That is why the cells you were in could contain you. There is more magic here.”

“You mean more Chaos,” she supplied, her fingers winding into Roan’s fur once more.

Tristyn nodded slowly and almost seemed to hesitate before he said, “Yes, and because of that, I do not know how you will be affected. It will be easier for us to remove the enchantment, but I fear it will be harder on you .”

“What does that mean?” Luka demanded, edging closer so he was partially blocking her from view.

She almost scoffed. She didn’t need physical protection. Only protection from those who tried to take from her. Control her with pretty words. Use her.

“She is already…immersed in her power,” Tristyn said. “Undoing this enchantment will require us to draw on the magic here, and her magic is drawn to…”

“Itself,” Tessa supplied, slipping past Luka and venturing deeper into the chamber. She kept her back turned to the passage she’d watched him walk down, leaving her behind. Instead, she focused on the mirror, where Eliza and Razik were speaking in a low tone.

“Stand in the center,” Cienna said in her usual harsh tone, and Tessa moved to the middle of the room. She reached up, pushing back her hood and removing the stocking hat Luka had given her, tossing it to the side where everyone had placed their packs of belongings.

She could feel it. The power Tristyn had referred to. It buzzed in the air, frenetic and enticing. Or maybe that was her own power? It didn’t really matter. They were one and the same. But the magic in her veins was seeking. The thing in her soul was stretching. She could feel it all. Everyone’s power. The dragons and the fire. The calming that Tristyn was pushing on her. The magic of the realm and the stars beyond.

The power of that mirror.

Cienna was circling her, drawing Marks on the ground as she went. Tristyn was standing before her, concern etched deep into his features.

“Luka will be here, wild fury,” Tristyn said, trying to muster his cocky smile. He truly was worried about this. How interesting. “As soon as we’re done, he’ll be here to pull you back.”

Her head canted to the side. “Back from where?”

“The madness,” Xan supplied. “Temural would often have to do so for your mother.”

Tessa blinked. For the first time in two weeks, she actually wanted more information. Despite her parents abandoning her, she was still curious. She didn’t know how she’d react if she ever met them. Would she be cold and distant like Razik? Or would she be tentative and open like Luka?

Probably more like Razik. He’d been intentionally abandoned; Luka had been a victim of this realm.

“Ready?” Tristyn asked, looking more nervous than Tessa had ever seen him. He was always cool and collected, snapping at Theon and putting people in their place.

Tessa nodded, once again wishing she’d taken her boots off before they did this. She curled her toes, hating the feeling of the socks.

“He can’t be in the circle with you,” Tristyn said. “You need to listen for his call.”

Tessa glanced at Luka, who stood with his arms crossed. Holding her stare, he said, “I will come for you, Tessa.”

One would think he’d felt her hesitation and uncertainty about that statement, but she knew that wasn’t the case. The bond was broken. It had broken the moment Theon had left this chamber. All three of them were broken, and there was no fixing them anymore.

Luka took a step towards her, lips parting as if he was going to say more, but Cienna started reciting something in an old tongue. Tristyn joined her, and the moment was lost. Luka’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she couldn’t focus on him. Not as she felt her power rush to the surface, that thing inside of her screaming with excitement. Not as she felt power surround her, her magic stretching and yanking to greet it.

She heard Tristyn falter, but Cienna snapped, “We keep going, Tris. We don’t even know if she can leave this world with the enchantment in place. Do not stop.”

Tessa’s head tilted as she watched the siblings, both eyes glowing a soft sage, his with russet undertones, hers with violet. They resumed their incantations, and her eyes fluttered closed as she felt the push and pull and call of what she was.

It swirled around her, and she gasped, her eyes flying open. Light and dark flared at her fingertips, wound up her arms. Sparks of gold and embers of silver fluttered among it all. Her feet lifted off the ground, and her hair fanned out around her as if caught in a windstorm. Maybe she was because rain and snow were falling around her, and gods . She hadn’t been worried, but this hurt . As if the magic of every world was trying to rip her apart to get at the power she held. It wanted to take and take and take. It was that same feral craving she always fell into when she let her magic have its way. They’d warned her. Told her it would take everything from her if she let it, and this⁠—

This is what they’d meant.

Tessa!

Her name echoed in her mind. Maybe Luka had yelled it. Maybe the emotion was strong enough to filter through a splintered and fractured bond.

It didn’t matter.

When she opened her mouth, a scream erupted from her.

The scream of her magic.

The scream of her pain.

The scream of chaos and fury.

A fierce roar mingled with her cries, but she couldn’t focus on anything as power wrapped her up in a whirlwind of Chaos. She thrashed among it, trying to find a way out, a way to free herself, but the power gripped her tighter. As if the enchantment had been doing more than just keeping her from portaling and Traveling. As if the enchantment had somehow caged her power too, and now it was angry. It was taking what it wanted, and she would be the cost.

She screamed again. Her knees cracked against the stone floor of the Pantheon chamber.

And she fell into Chaos.

It was like watching the mirror as worlds and stars swirled around her, held together by the Chaos it all came from. No order. No structure. No balance.

She couldn’t breathe, but she also didn’t know that she needed to in this space. She didn’t think it was the After. Maybe it was the Beginning.

Maybe it was nothing and everything at once.

She was tossed around, and yet…

Despite the Chaos, she felt calm.

How odd.

She stopped struggling. Stopped flailing and just let herself be.

She watched.

She listened.

She learned everything she could.

And then she was standing in an opulent room. Gold and white, black and silver. Marks she knew and symbols she didn’t glittered on the walls, the floor, the ceiling. In the center of the floor was a vast chasm that seemed to swallow the light yet illuminate the room all at once.

“Thank the… Well, not the gods. Because frankly, fuck them and their failures. The Fates? But that would be awkward, right? Considering ⁠ —”

“There is not time for this,” a male voice interrupted the female.

Tessa had spun at the voices, and it had taken her several seconds to find the female figure slinking through the shadows. All in black, she wore a cloak, the hood up, but an ashy-blonde braid was snaking out and down her chest. And by the gods, she had so many weapons strapped to her body, Tessa wasn’t sure how she could even move.

More movement had her attention shifting to the male. Tall and broad with deeply tanned skin, he had the arched ears of the Fae and Legacy. His black hair was tied up atop his head, eyes the color of a thunderstorm fixed on her. But it was the brown feathered wings that arched over his shoulders that had Tessa’s eyes narrowing.

He was the same as Dex, Oralia, and Brecken.

The female pulled her hood back while simultaneously pulling a dagger from her hip, spinning the point against her gloved finger. She smiled, the tips of fangs visible, and the smile held a tinge of madness that Tessa recognized as honey-colored eyes connected with hers.

Her head canted to the side in a predatory manner while she said to the male, “I was beginning to think she’d gotten the date and time wrong.”

“You don’t trust my sources?” came yet another female voice that had Tessa spinning again.

“Depends on which one it was,” replied the first female, still spinning her dagger.

The newcomer breezed into the room, carefully closing the door behind her. Arched ears were just visible through her long dark red hair, and Marks peeked out of the wide collar of her long-sleeved top. Tessa also suspected the nose piercing wasn’t her only one, and once again, honey-colored eyes settled on her.

“I know it’s calling to you,” she said to Tessa, moving farther into the room, her white sneakers quiet on the gleaming floor.

Tessa remained quiet, watching them all and trying to figure out what was going on in yet another vision she didn’t understand. The Chaos wasn’t driving her mad; these godsdamn glimpses of everything and nothing were going to be what pushed her over the edge.

“How long do we have?” the male asked, planting himself between Tessa and the hole in the center of the room. His feathered wings flared wide, as if creating an additional barrier, and she could tell just by looking at him he was a trained warrior, perhaps even more so than Razik.

“Anala is doing her part. Again,” the dark-haired female said bitterly.

“We can’t help it if she’s his favorite,” the first female said.

But Tessa had stopped listening to them as the thing in her soul yanked her forward. She stumbled a step, the male going rigid as she got closer.

“Em…” the male warned.

“I’ve got it,” the dark-haired female snapped before focusing on Tessa once more. “Listen for his call. Don’t go deeper.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tessa said, trying to peer around the male as the first female slunk to his side, a dagger in each hand now. As if they anticipated a fight was about to happen. Maybe it was because her power wanted… It just wanted .

“Resist it just a little longer,” the female—Em—said. “If you go to it, he’ll find you and the balance will never recover.”

“There is no such thing as balance,” Tessa retorted, taking another step forward.

“There is,” Em insisted. “But if he finds you, he’ll just add you to his collection that keeps him in power. Is that what you want?”

Tessa faltered, unsure of who or what they were talking about.

“That’s what he does,” Em went on, noticing her hesitation. “He finds. He creates. He cages. He will keep you.”

“I am no one’s,” Tessa hissed, her power flickering at her fingertips.

And the floor shuddered.

“Shit,” the male muttered. “He’ll have felt that.”

“I thought you said you had this under control,” the other female snapped, stepping to Em’s side. “That we just needed to keep her distracted for a minute or two.”

“That’s what he said,” Em retorted.

“This is why I don’t trust your godsdamn sources.”

The door being thrown open had them all turning as an ethereally beautiful female strode in. Her red-gold hair hung in loose curls down to her waist, amber eyes honing in on Tessa.

“We are out of time,” the female said, her voice fire and power. She never slowed, coming right up to Tessa. “You must go. Find the one who chose Death. She has your answers.”

Then her hand thrust out, her palm, wrapped in flames, slamming into Tessa’s chest, and she fell into Chaos again.

The stars tumbled. The worlds fell.

And then she was standing before a cell.

She’d been here before, and knew when she turned to the window, she’d be below the sea.

The same female was behind the bars, her fingers in her lanky black hair, tugging at the ends. Bright violet eyes snapped to Tessa, the female lurching forward, careful not to touch the bars.

“Did he send you?” she asked, sounding more than a little mad. “Is he finally coming for me?”

“I…don’t know who you are,” Tessa answered slowly, her head tilting as she watched the female slowly back away, shaking her head.

“But you do, child. But you do. We are one and the same,” the female said. Then she tipped her head back and laughed as she shot forward, wrapping her hands around the bars of her cell.

Power rippled out, slamming into Tessa, and again she fell.

But it was faster this time.

Glimpses of visions as if looking through windows. Her soul being pulled in so many directions she wished it would simply tear apart.

A silver-haired female in a chamber surrounded by books. It took a minute to recognize Scarlett, worry etched on her features as she frantically flipped pages. Three males stood in the doorway, watching her. One was Sorin. All three shared a look of concern as her shadows coiled around her.

Another female with silver hair, a white snake around her shoulders as she slipped into the shadows of night.

The land in the sky.

A child with blonde curls and blue eyes, laughing as she ran before she shifted mid-step into a small feline.

A female with hair as golden as her own sitting on a balcony railing, legs swinging in the air and smiling as if she could see Tessa.

A male with long black hair tied at the nape of his neck. Wolves walked at his sides, a black eagle screeching in the sky above him. Pine green eyes honed in on Tessa, as if he, too, could see her.

As if Tessa was straddling two worlds. All worlds.

The thing in her soul whined, begging to be set free. The female tipped her head back, laughing to the dark clouds above her, while the male clenched his jaw, the wolves at his sides tipping their heads back and howling to a clear sky.

A land once pristine and now rubble, a male with black hair and piercing emerald eyes. Her feet finally found the ground again, rocks crunching beneath her boots. He palmed her cheek, his thumb stroking gently. “Go home, Tessa. He’s calling for you,” he said.

And before she could say anything in response, before she could tell him she didn’t have a home, he bent, pressing his lips to her brow. Everything in her soul settled, even as she fell into Chaos yet again.

“Tessa? Open your eyes, Tessa!”

Her name was a growled command, her shoulders shaking as her eyes fluttered open. Luka stared down at her, relief filling his face. He was kneeling on the ground, her body cradled in his arms, and she rolled from his hold, bile rising up her throat.

He reached over, gathering her hair back in case she vomited, but it never came. Her arms trembled as she stayed on her hands and knees, trying to reorient herself.

“Did it work?” Luka demanded.

“It worked,” Cienna replied.

“How can we be sure?”

“It worked,” Tessa said, lifting her head as the nausea subsided.

“What the fuck happened?” Luka asked, his attention on her now.

But Tessa just pursed her lips, sitting back on her heels. “I saw things.”

“Visions,” Luka clarified.

“Kind of. It was like I was falling through them in a way. They went so fast. Different worlds. Different times. Two worlds at once. I…”

She trailed off, shaking her head and trying to clear it. Luka released her hair, withdrawing from her, and the calm that had settled over her immediately left. Her power rushed to him, latching on, and she heard him suck in a sharp hiss. His own magic scrambled to protect him, and then it was her sucking in a breath as their power intertwined.

“Enough,” Luka gritted out.

“Just give me a minute,” she rasped again, trying to push to her feet but immediately dropping back to her knees.

“What do you mean, you fell through visions?”

Tessa looked up to find Eliza standing over her, grey eyes narrowed.

Tessa shrugged. “That’s what it felt like.”

The Fae looked up at Razik, who was at her side. “Doesn’t that sound like…?”

Razik rubbed at his jaw. “It could be similar,” he agreed.

“Someone fill us in. Again,” Luka snarled, getting to his feet and helping Tessa up as he did. She swayed, and his lips pressed into a thin line as he held her steady.

“Scarlett wasn’t born what she is,” Razik said. “She found the power of the world walkers.”

“She found it,” Luka repeated dubiously.

“It had been contained and hidden,” Eliza cut in. “When the war between the gods and world walkers ended, that was the cost. They didn’t want that power lost, so it was contained. The World Walkers were still beings of Chaos.”

“And Scarlett obtained that power, essentially becoming one herself. And Tessa is…something similar,” Razik finished.

“So you are saying she, what? Walked the worlds?” Luka asked.

“Not like Scarlett can, but something similar, perhaps,” Razik agreed.

Luka took her shoulders, spinning Tessa to face him. A finger under her chin had her head tipping back, forcing her to meet his gaze. “What did you see?”

She should tell him. They should be past keeping secrets, but she couldn’t make any sense of anything she saw. They weren’t alone here, and she was just getting used to working her shit out with another person or two. Not a whole godsdamn room.

His nostrils flared with an exhale, faint traces of smoke appearing when she remained silent. He leaned in, his voice low as he said, “This conversation isn’t over, Tessa, and Sargon help me, you’re going to tell me. You’re going to have to figure this out because I don’t have near the patience Theon does.”

He released her, stalking to the other side of the room to grab his bags. She stared after him, her hands curling into fists. She’d just…needed a moment. She knew he was pissed at her—had every right to be—but fuck.

“Easy, Tessa,” Xan said, trying to calm her, but his voice was too much like his son’s. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She wished she could say they were tears of hurt, but it was fury.

It was always fury lately.

The only time it wasn’t eating at her, her power was clawing at her insides. She just needed a minute to breathe. A minute to think. A minute to⁠—

“Summon her. Let’s get on with this,” Luka snarled, snapping Tessa out of her spiral.

Everyone else had gathered their belongings. Eliza and Razik were waiting near the mirror.

“Wait!” Tessa cried, lifting a hand to stop them, but power ricocheted around the room. Energy and light bounced around, curses sounding.

“Control it, Tessa,” Luka barked, and she slid her gaze to his, her lip curling back in a sneer.

He was pissed, but so was she.

“I am,” she said, and this time everyone stilled because her voice was too soft. Too calm. “I’m controlling all of it.”

She made her way to the mirror, Razik pulling Eliza into his side as she approached.

“We can call her,” Eliza started. “She gave us a way⁠—”

“I’ll do it,” Tessa interrupted, pulling a gold dagger from a swirl of magic. Ignoring protests, she sliced her palm, curling her fingers to keep the blood from dripping to the ground as she looked over the symbols and runes surrounding the mirror.

“She won’t have a symbol,” Razik said. “That’s why we were given a way to contact her.”

Tessa looked over her shoulder, her smile wild and wicked as she said, “I know.”

Then she pressed her palm to the Mark she’d been seeking.

An eight-pointed star.

Find the one who chose Death.

“That’s not the right—” Tristyn started, reaching for her, but she lifted her other hand, magic shoving him back. Light swirled, keeping the others at bay as the mirror flashed with worlds and scenes, just like the visions she’d fallen through. She was so godsdamn tired of everyone thinking they knew what was best for her. Of telling her to do as she was told. Go with Luka. Leave this world. Tell me what you saw. Control it. Stop fidgeting. Just give in. Try harder. Be more. Be less.

The mirror swirled faster, moving too quickly for her to make out anything, until it slowed and a female came into view. Silver hair flowed over her shoulders and past her navel, a crown of white flames as bright as starlight atop her head. Thick kohl lined her eyes, her lips as red as blood. Her black gown was nearly sheer, and slithering along her torso and around her shoulders was a white python, stark against her bronzed skin.

Glowing silver eyes settled on Tessa, and her voice was as ethereal and cold as the voids between the stars when she said, “I’ve been waiting for this since the moment I learned of your existence.”

“Everyone knows who I am, yet no one cared to tell me,” Tessa replied, her hand dropping to her side, her magic having already healed the cut. “But I’m told you have answers for me.”

The female stood too still. She didn’t even look like she was breathing.

Maybe goddesses didn’t have to breathe.

“What answers do you seek?” she asked.

Fingers brushed her arm, wrapping around her elbow as if to pull her back, but she shook them off.

He’d told her to control it.

That was what she was doing.

“You chose him. Chose Endings over Beginnings,” Tessa said. “Why?”

The female’s eyes softened a touch as she looked at Tessa, never breaking her stare. The snake moved, its tongue flicking in and out as it tasted the air. But no one spoke. There was no other sound, and the silence stretched on for so long, Tessa was wondering if she was going to reply.

But she would have her answers one way or another, and the goddess seemed to understand that when she said, “To start a genesis.”