Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich - 7

4

S he’d summoned a godsdamn goddess.

Serafina, the goddess of dreams and stars. The consort of Arius. Tessa’s grandmother.

Luka stared at Tessa as she squared off with a First Goddess. He should be furious with her. He was furious with her. She’d once again, single-handedly, altered their plans. But by the gods, he was also so fucking proud of her as she lifted her chin, waiting for the goddess to answer her. It was going to fuck up everything. He could feel it in his bones. She was about to do something wild and uncontrolled, and he was probably going to fight with her about it later, but in this moment, his chest swelled with pride.

“To start a genesis,” the goddess finally answered, her eyes softening a fraction as she held Tessa’s gaze.

A genesis?

The term nudged at something in the back of his mind, but then there was a hissed, “ Mors! ” from Blackheart that had him turning to his right.

Only to find the male on a knee. Cienna and Gia were in the same position. Looking at his father, he found him, Razik, and Eliza on a knee as well. The same way the Fae knelt for the Legacy Lords and Ladies.

Because they were the gods in Devram.

Luka had never had to do such a thing. It made sense, being in the presence of an actual First Goddess, but he didn’t like the idea of being on a knee with Tessa being so…unpredictable right now. More than that, why in all the realms would he kneel before a being that had abandoned their world, leaving it to become what it was? He’d kneel before someone he was loyal to, and that certainly wasn’t a fucking goddess.

Silver eyes slid to him as if she could hear his thoughts. Her facial expression didn’t change. Her body language remained still. That snake continued to glide around her. He wouldn’t kneel before her, but he did give her the courtesy of being the first to break the stare, dropping his eyes and bowing his head as he would to a Lord or Lady.

Until the goddess said, “Xan, it has been some time.”

Luka’s head snapped back up, looking at his father.

“It has, Serina,” Xan answered.

Serina?

His father was on a first-name basis with her? Not only a first-name basis, but a familial name of endearment?

“Sargon is growing anxious,” Serafina said.

“Understood, my lady.”

What did he understand? He’d been so worried about Tessa and Theon these last weeks, he hadn’t had spare time to sit down and talk with his father about anything. When they did talk, it was all of them trying to convince him they needed to go and stop wasting time. Or rather, it was them trying to tell him he needed to deal with Tessa and convince her it was time to go.

A few more seconds of tense silence passed before the goddess said, “You all may rise.” Her gaze moved over them again, stopping to his right. “Tristyn Blackheart, your dealings do not involve me, but I can still see your deepest desires and dreams. Taika will be interested in this report of events.”

Luka watched the male’s jaw tense, his fingers curling into fists at his sides, but he said nothing. His father was a god. What sort of dealings did the male have with another goddess? This was all getting too messy, and quite frankly, he didn’t care about their dealings or the mysteries of the gods. The only thing he wanted an answer to was what she’d meant by a genesis and why Tessa was asking this of her in the first place.

Tessa was apparently in agreement because the bands of light at her wrists were glowing and snaking up her arms, only now there were flecks of darkness among the light.

“Enough,” Tessa snapped, stepping closer to the mirror once more. “This isn’t a reunion with souls who found their way to a realm you care nothing for. What did you mean ‘to start a genesis?’”

That’s our girl .

Luka thought it before he could stop himself.

Godsdammit.

Serafina refocused on her granddaughter, lifting an arm so the snake could coil around it. “Devram was created millenniums ago,” she said. “Much has happened since that world was cut off from the rest.” Silver eyes scanned the room again. “And much history has been forgotten. If not forgotten, altered, depending on who is telling the tale.”

“Then how am I to believe anything you say?” Tessa demanded, her hands flying to her hair.

He wanted to step forward and stop her, but he hesitated, unsure why. He could say it was because she hadn’t asked for his help. That he was letting her do this on her own unless she asked for him, but he knew that wasn’t the only reason. His dragon knew it too, snarling internally.

She’s not ours, he snapped at the creature in his soul. She betrayed us.

Of course the possessive dragon side of him didn’t care. Once it claimed something, there was really no going back.

Which just made her an even bigger pain in his ass.

“You do not have to believe me,” the goddess was saying to Tessa. “But you summoned me for a reason, so I would gather you will, at the very least, listen to what I have to say.”

The power winding up Tessa’s arms flared again, but then Roan was there, rubbing along her legs, and her fingers sank into his fur. Grounding her. Giving her something to latch onto.

Luka ignored the guilt coiling in his gut.

Serafina’s eyes dipped to the wolf, a small smile lifting on her lips. “One of my son’s own,” she said.

“Roan is mine ,” Tessa retorted. “As is Nylah.”

“Because you are of him,” the goddess answered simply.

Luka heard the scoff from Tessa before she said, “Tell me your version of history then, goddess.”

Serafina’s smile morphed into something tight and cold. A smile he’d seen on Tessa’s face more than once. “Careful, child. Family or not, I am still a goddess.”

“I do not care,” Tessa said. “I have been forgotten and discarded, used and abused. You think I have any care for what you are? For my own wellbeing at this point? I have nothing to lose anymore. I’ve already lost it all. I am the villain in everyone’s story, including my own. I am the excuse for everyone’s actions, and I am the power everyone seeks. I stand at a crossroads. Salvation or destruction. So either tell me why you chose your path or leave. I will make a choice either way. You can decide if your knowledge is valuable enough for me to consider before I take that next step.”

Serafina didn’t move. Didn’t blink as she studied Tessa. And Luka found himself drawing closer. He hadn’t even realized his feet had moved, but he needed to see her face. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t the cool iciness that he found. There was no hesitancy. There was fury, but when wasn’t there anymore? And her words? She’d once said things so similar, but she’d been different then. Beat down by a world full of the wicked. She was a villain because this realm had turned her into one.

The difference was now she didn’t seem to care. She was embracing all that she was.

Wild and untamed.

Chaotic and uncontrollable.

Powerful and vengeful.

“So much like your father. Wild and stubborn,” Serafina murmured.

“He abandoned me. I could not care less about him,” Tessa spat.

The goddess leaned in, as if she wanted to whisper into Tessa’s ear. “You are powerful, but you are not immune to my gifts, Tessalyn. Is that what you believe happened? That he wanted nothing to do with you? That he left you to the Fates?”

“Worse,” she sneered. “He left me alone. Everyone did. It is what I have lived and what I know. Alone in a damned world. Wishing someone would care…”

She trailed off, waiting for Serafina’s response, and Luka glanced at the goddess. Her lips were pursed, eyes glowing even brighter now, as if they were starlight themselves. Silver flames flickered in them. The same silver flames Scarlett could wield.

“Arius and Achaz used to be quite close. Like brothers,” Serafina said. “The first to emerge from the Chaos, they worked together in harmony, as was always meant to be. Keeping the balance.”

“You would have tipped the balance either way,” Tessa said.

Serafina’s answering smile was anything but joyful. “We were not the only beings to emerge from the Chaos. Arius and Achaz may have been the first, but other beings emerged after them. Some before the rest of us.”

“You speak of the World Walkers,” Razik cut in, drifting closer. The draw of new information pulled him in like a moth to a flame.

“The World Walkers were one of them, yes,” the goddess agreed.

“Who else?” Tessa asked.

“The dragons. The seraphs.” Her gaze moved from Xan and settled back on Tessa. “The Fates.”

“Are there more?” Tessa pressed.

“They are the main players,” Serafina replied. “We all emerged with our own strengths. We were all meant to be a balance, but… We created. New stars. New worlds. But the World Walkers were the ones who could move most freely among the realms. The rest of us could do so, but there are costs for magic that is not inherently yours.”

“What does any of this have to do with choosing Arius over Achaz?” Tessa cut in.

“The World Walkers were just as powerful as the gods. While we had our own powers, so did they. They could also create worlds, and they could shift forms at will. The Fates warned of a coming imbalance, and as happens when one tries to figure out fate, destruction befell us all. War erupted between the gods and World Walkers.”

“The Everlasting War,” Eliza clarified.

Serafina nodded. “We were losing, and in our desperation, we thought if we could create a powerful child, stronger than any other being to exist…”

“You and Achaz were going to create… Why didn’t you?” Tessa asked, inching a little closer.

“It is a long tale. One we do not have time for this day,” Serafina answered. “But there came a time when we disagreed with Achaz. He was consumed by victory and power. We knew the balance was going to tip either way. The Fates stepped back and provided a choice.”

“Salvation or destruction,” Tessa murmured, her hands opening and closing at her sides.

Serafina nodded again. “Two could come together and change the course of history. A terminus and a genesis. It was left up to them to choose it. Since that time, there have been other crucial moments offered to two souls that could alter history. Some chose the genesis. Some did not. Some do not realize they have even chosen it. But the Fates do not intervene beyond ensuring their paths cross.”

“It was always more than a bond.” Tessa’s words were so quiet, Luka was sure no one else had heard them. She had taken a small step back, her hands once again in her hair. Then her eyes flashed to him. “He knew?”

“I don’t…” Luka started, still trying to wrap his mind around things, but an image flashed in his mind. A term circled over and over on a sheet of paper in Eliza and Razik’s rooms.

Genesis bond.

He slowly slid his gaze to Razik. “ You knew. Did you tell him?”

“It was a term we’d come across. We were still researching, but we suspected,” his brother answered in the same apathetic tone he always spoke in.

“You son of a bitch,” Luka seethed.

“We cannot interfere,” Razik retorted.

“The Fates cannot Travel among the worlds?” Tessa asked suddenly, looking back at Serafina.

“When the World Walkers lost at that point of the Everlasting War, we did not want their power lost to the ether,” Serafina replied. She lifted her arm once more, the snake sliding back up. “The power was taken from the most powerful and contained, but it also created gateways for us to move among the realms.”

“Like this one,” Tessa clarified.

“Yes.”

“And these mirror gates are the only way the Fates could come here? That anyone else could come here?”

Serafina hesitated, her eyes narrowing on Tessa once more, before she answered carefully, “There are always work-arounds. It is a matter of if one is willing to pay the cost. The gateways are simply the easiest and fastest.”

“And the Fates will come for me?” she pressed. “Because I am an imbalance.”

“I cannot say the intentions of the Fates or their prophecies. I deal in dreams and desires.”

“And I deal in Chaos,” Tessa said, and that fucking eerie ring in her voice had Luka snapping to attention. “Do you regret your choice?”

The goddess had taken a step back too, as if Tessa could somehow affect her from this side of the mirror. It probably had something to do with the light and dark curling around Tessa and rolling off her like a fine mist. Or maybe it was the sparks of gold and silver that flickered among it. It could have been the energy, streaks of lightning flashing through it all. But it was probably the storms brewing in her palms. Rotating vortexes. One of brightest white and the other of darkest black. A push and pull between the two that Luka could feel in the air.

Serafina swallowed thickly, as though she knew her answer was going to set something into motion. But her voice was power and strength when she said, “No. I would choose Arius a thousand times over.”

Before anyone could blink, let alone move, Tessa lurched forward. Her palms landed on the glass, cracks and fissures immediately spider-webbing out from her fingertips.

“Tessalyn, no!” Serafina gasped, the white snake lifting its head in interest as the goddess stumbled forward. “You do not understand the cost of this! I don’t— I don’t know how this will alter things!”

Tessa’s head tipped to the side as magic poured from her hands, the cracks deepening and spreading farther. The mirror was starting to swirl violently, the same magic Tessa was spilling across it sparking and bouncing around the chamber.

“Neither do I,” Tessa replied. “I never know what’s going to happen. I suppose, for once, we’ll all be on the same playing field then, hmm?”

She lifted her palms, her feet coming off the floor as her power swelled all around her, and her hands slammed back onto the glass again. The goddess opened her mouth, but they’d never know what she was going to say because she disappeared as the pieces of glass started to fall to the ground.

“No!” Razik bellowed, lunging for her, but Luka was there first. Not to stop her, but to shove his brother back. His wings ripped free, shredding his shirt, and Razik snarled in response.

“Do not touch her,” Luka warned.

Razik’s eyes had long since shifted, vertical pupils filled with fury. His body trembled, telling Luka his brother was fighting the shift just like he was.

“That is our only way home,” Razik growled. “If you think I’m going to let her destroy it and strand us here forever, you⁠—”

But he didn’t get to finish that statement. Not as the floor beneath them shook, making them both stumble. Not as small pieces of rock and debris rained down on them. Razik turned, an arm snapping out to haul Eliza into his side, and Luka spun, finding Tessa with power still rolling off her. It spread, snaking across the floor. Up the walls. Through the ceiling.

“Tessa, what are you doing?” Luka cried, but he was certain she couldn’t hear him. She was too deep. How the fuck was he supposed to pull her back from this?

“We need to get out of here!” Tristyn yelled. “She is bringing this chamber to ruin!”

“Make her stop,” Razik snarled again. “That is our only way home!”

“It’s already done,” Tessa said in that eerie ring that had them all spinning back to her.

Her entire being was glowing with an aura of…chaos. Light and dark. Energy and embers. Beginnings and endings.

“The mirror still stands,” Razik argued.

“Not for much longer,” she replied, starting for the chamber exit. Each step left a bootprint of dark power, magic radiating with every footfall.

“Let’s go!” Tristyn said, racing to lead them out of here.

Everyone else fell into line, grabbing their packs from the floor and scrambling to follow. Luka grabbed his own and rushed ahead until he realized Tessa wasn’t in front of him. Skidding to a halt, he looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out where she’d gone. When he finally found her, he didn’t know what to think. While the rest of them were clambering to get out of here, she had moved to the perimeter, dragging her fingers along the wall. Fissures spread from beneath them, seeping into the foundation. Tristyn hadn’t been wrong. She was going to bring the chamber to ruin, but this…

This would bring the entire Pantheon down.

He rushed for her, grabbing her other hand. “Tessa, we have to go,” he said, tugging her along.

But even as he pulled, she didn’t appear to be in any hurry. Her hand never left the wall as he dragged her along. Down the passages they moved, cracks spearing in all directions. Nylah had prowled ahead like she normally did, but she kept circling back because they were falling behind. Roan was behind Tessa, nudging her forward with his nose.

“Tessa, we need to move faster,” Luka gritted out as the debris that was falling grew bigger, large chunks of stone and marble crumbling when they hit the ground. He could hear the others ahead of them, yelling to people they came across to run and get out of the Pantheon, but Tessa only smiled. Her eyes were nearly wholly black save for rings of violet on the edges glowing bright. Trying to avoid the obstacles of the quickly narrowing passages, they finally made it to the steps that would take them up to the main floor.

She’d started humming again, that damned Revelation Decree song, and he was done with this. Scooping her up in his arms, he raced up the broken stairs and emerged into mayhem.

Priestesses were screaming and running, arms full of supplies and books. No one paid them any mind, which was good. His cloak had been shredded when his wings had appeared, and while he’d made them disappear, he was still shirtless and recognizable. Not to mention Tessa was well known by everyone now, no longer the wild Fae trying to blend in with the world.

With the crowd, it was too hard to carry her, and he was forced to put her back on her feet. Nylah had circled back yet again, and her wolves made sure people stayed back from them. Still, Tessa walked calmly through the main floor of the Pantheon. Energy continued to emanate from her, and her magic took , taking down Priestesses as she moved. With every body that hit the floor, he felt her power increase, and he finally understood how she refilled her reserves.

Life must give, and death must take.

She hadn’t taken in weeks.

He just needed to get her outside. Once they were outside of the Pantheon walls they could Travel, assuming Tristyn and Cienna had indeed managed to remove the enchantment.

Luka spotted the others up ahead as they neared the main doors. Sentinels were pouring in, trying to help evacuate the Priestesses. It was only then he realized there wasn’t a single Fae to be seen. He whirled back to Tessa, and she only smiled at him, dark and wicked. Finally embracing that she was life and death, and today she was channeling the latter.

“You planned this all along,” he said in disbelief as she moved past him.

She said nothing, only lifted her hands in front of her and threw arcs of light ahead of them. The heavy wood doors were blasted off their hinges, exploding out into the courtyard. He followed, bounding down the twenty steps that led up to the building where the others were waiting for them. But they were staring past him, and he turned, not knowing what he would find anymore.

There were no words as Tessa sat on the top step removing her boots. The Pantheon was swaying behind her, as though it would fall at any moment, and she didn’t seem to care.

Because she was in complete control.

Two Sentinels raced for her, but her wolves were there, their screams cut short by massive jaws. Tessa tossed the boots behind her as she stood, and only then did she descend the steps. Light swirled in one hand, while darkness hovered in the other. Energy skittered out with each step, the stairs crumbling to nothing as she left each one behind. She still wore her cloak, and it billowed behind her as the winds picked up. The clouds above them thundered, lightning striking far too close.

She reached the bottom, and her eyes slid to the left. Luka turned to see what had captured her attention, only to find the Achaz Lord and the four Ladies standing before them.

Shit.

But Tessa only tilted her head as she slowly lowered to the ground and placed a single palm flat on the stone. All they could do was watch as a final crack speared from her hand, back up the rubble she’d left behind and straight into the heart of the Pantheon.

The realm shuddered as the first streaks of dawn pierced the sky.

And then the Pantheon caved in on itself, the fall rippling and radiating power outward as it came crashing down.

Dust and ash filled the air so thickly that even with his eyes shifted, Luka had trouble seeing what was happening. He stumbled forward as the ground continued to shake beneath them, finding Tessa standing upright once more.

“We need to go,” he growled, clasping her shoulder and spinning her to face him. He took her chin, forcing her face up to his. “You made your point, Tessa. Now we need to go and regroup. Figure out what we do from here.”

Tristyn appeared, a hand covering his mouth to keep from breathing in the wreckage. His eyes were glowing brightly as they settled on Tessa. “We have to get beyond the courtyard. That’s where we’ll be able to Travel.”

Tessa nodded, turning to peer through the storm of chaos. The wind shifted just enough to clear the air and give them a perfect view of the Achaz Lord and the Ladies once more. Rordan’s gaze was fixed on Tessa, and she stared right back. There was no mistaking what was passing between them. Tessa had announced her intentions to the entirety of Devram. Something was coming, and this was the only warning.

Then she spun, turning her back on all of them, and barefoot, she walked away from the ruling families of Devram. She’d burned their godsdamn castle to the ground.

Luka moved to her side, and he felt the others fall into a formation of sorts behind her. Tristyn and Cienna were done hiding. His father was free and choosing their side. Devram was about to be divided.

Chaos was about to reign.

“The Fae are safe,” she said suddenly, not seeming to care about the rubble they were maneuvering through. It had to be slicing up her feet.

“What do you mean they are safe?” he asked.

“I sent word ahead of time. To make sure the Fae were removed from the Pantheon before we arrived. Only Legacy went to the After this day,” she replied.

“How?”

She shrugged. “I watched. I listened. I learned everything I could.”

“You just declared war, Tessa,” Luka growled. “Without consulting anyone. There will be consequences. They will retaliate.”

“I will not live in a realm where Fae are forced to serve. This world deserves a war. Devram deserves a reckoning,” she bit out as they crossed out of the courtyard.

“And you believe that is your call to make? To pass such judgment?”

She stopped, turning to look up at him. “I believe my purpose is a genesis. More than that, I believe my purpose is to at least try when no one else is doing a godsdamn thing.”

He blinked at her, unsure how to respond to that, but before he could say anything, Tristyn and Cienna approached.

“We cannot return to my penthouse,” Blackheart said. “We made a statement following Tessa out of there.”

“I’m aware,” Luka muttered, still eyeing Tessa. Her eyes were still too dark; she was still too lost to her power. And he couldn’t decide if it was her magic talking or her.

“Do we go to the Underground?” Tristyn pressed.

“It is the first place they will look,” Cienna said. “We need some place few know of.”

His head whipped to her, finding her piercing gaze fixed on him. “No,” he growled.

“We need some place where we will not be disturbed. We need a plan, and she needs to be brought back from the brink,” the Witch countered.

Godsdammit.

He knew she was right, but by the gods, did he fucking hate it.

“Fine,” he grumbled, an arm winding around Tessa’s waist and pulling her in close. For once, she didn’t fight him. He held out his other hand, Cienna taking it. Making sure they were all connected, Luka Traveled them to his cave to try to figure out how they were going to survive when there was no way to control the uncontrollable.