Page 60 of Crown of Chaos

Blood exploded from her nose, and I intensified the assault. Books fell from shelves, and the chandelier above me shuddered, loudly clinking the crystals against one another. The air thickened with the essence of the magic I was cycling, and I shivered at the taste of it. Her eyes widened and terror oozed from them.

“Is that all you got? You’re pathetic and weak and as useless as the beauty you value. I’m ashamed that I carry your name, Hecate.” I cut her sobs off and hit her with the sensation of glass cutting over her face and chest.

My fingers turned the color of freshly polished black tourmaline, and flames continued burning from my sharpened nails. My hair floated around me, and I rattled deep in my chest as I watched her struggle to draw a breath.

“Oh, come on, Hecate. I’m not pregnant this time, and I have nothing holding me back. Come on, you fucking weak, pathetic bitch. Is that all you fucking got?” I roared, watching her continue to fight against the invisible hands of magic holding her in place. The magic tethered through her hair, ripping at it while it continually bashed her head against the wall. “Your days are numbered, and the clock is ticking. I am no longer held down by the rules or the laws of anyone. I will not bow to you or anyone else so long as I live.” I tightened the magic, hearing her bones snapping beneath the strength I used to hold the magic around her.

I ripped more magic to me until I was so full my well overflowed and the power pooled around me. It helped that I wasn’t pregnant and afraid of hurting my unborn babes anymore. I didn’t carry the dread of losing others or putting my family at risk. Fury filled my mind and lashed out against her. She still couldn’t scream, but her eyes went even wider.

“Aria!” Luna’s voice escaped through her lips, forcing me to hesitate until I saw the black of her soulless stare. “It’s me! Stop, you’re killing me!”

“You’re lost now, Luna. There’s no you without her to sustain your life,” I whispered, slamming into her as my claws descended, severing flesh and tendon until her head left her body. “We will meet again, sweet girl,” I whispered through the tears burning my eyes.

Crying started from behind me, but it was a long moment before I could force myself to turn away from the lifeless body of my sister. When I managed it, I headed toward the child, who was sobbing in fear. I reached down to comfort her, to tell her she was safe and I would protect her, but she screamed in terror and recoiled. Slowly, I stood, confused by the fear burning in her soft hazel eyes. Then I saw my hands, which were still the black, lethal claws, and I stepped back in understanding.

“It’s just Aria, Haley,” Soraya whispered through trembling lips, wide eyes looking at me with worry at what I’d just done.

“It’s fine.” I swallowed the sob that threatened to escape and turned from them.

I walked back to where Luna lay lifeless and unmoving. In death, her eyes had reverted to the strikingly beautiful color they’d been before we’d come here. Her curly hair pooled on the floor, smeared with blood. My chest heaved, and I slowly let out a jagged breath. Tears welled in my eyes, and I blinked them away before whispering, “There are rooms above. You should take them up, and we will move again once we’re rested.”

Once they were gone, I dropped to my knees to stare at Luna. My throat tightened, and regret rushed through me as I dropped my head forward, whispering a prayer that she’d find peace in the nothingness of death. My eyes watered, but I refused to allow any tears to escape.

“Be free, and be brave within the next life, Luna. I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to save you. If I had known, I would have made the moments we shared count and held you a little tighter. Find your happiness and hold tightly to it, wherever you go.” Hecate had used Luna to reach me. She’d been afraid of facing me herself, which should’ve sent a thrill rushing through me. It didn’t, not when Luna lay dead and Aine was still in the goddess’s clutches.

“Peasant, are you okay?” Greer’s softly spoken words forced my attention to where he and others stood on the other side of the barrier.

“Meat suit,” I replied in a hushed tone. I dropped my stare back to my sister because couldn’t bear the pity burning in Greer’s eyes.

“Look at me, Peasant. Don’t look at her,” he urged coaxingly.

“Why?” I shook with quiet, unwanted laughter. “Should I not see what I’ve done? Do you wish to know the truth, Greer?” I inquired while edging my attention back to him. “Do you want to know what I felt when I murdered her?Relief.I felt nothing but relief when I murdered Luna. The only thing I did was free her, and no one can use her again like some suit they donned. Other than that, there is nothing but emptiness inside me, and it feels endless. With every tragedy, it slowly stretches a little further.”

“Aria,” Knox murmured, stepping from the shadows to watch me. “You’re exhausted. You require rest.” His heavy stare slid down my body, closing against what he found.

I was thinner, and my clothes were little more than tattered rags. I knew I was a mess, but that was by far the least of my problems at the moment. “I don’t want advice from you, Knox. I need nothing from any of you ever again,” I mumbled, settling my focus on Luna’s lifeless body and the blood pooling around her.

“That isn’t true,” he returned hesitantly.

“Isn’t it?” I countered, rolling my gaze back to lock with his. I stood and folded my arms over my ripped dress, uncaring that my fingers hadn’t returned to the soft alabaster color they normally were.

When he didn’t answer, I moved closer to where they’d gathered. Knox’s gaze slid over my thin, frail features, and he flinched from what I forced him to see. Every town we’d entered had banners with the news of what he’d chosen to do being flown.

“You need to eat and rest,” Greer repeated with worry filling his tone. “Stay a while and allow the children to rest. The library will tend to their needs while you sleep and regain your strength.”

“They’re resilient, Meat Suit. I’ve no reason to remain here. This place and everyone within it, save for the library, offer nothing I need nor want. Spare me your worried glances and empty words of kindness. If you’ll excuse me, I need to bless Luna’s body to send her on her way. Once I’ve finished, I’ll leave and not bother you again.”

Chapter Thirty-One

The altar that the libraryprovided was ivory and crafted with intricate blessing symbols. I’d placed Luna back together, albeit crudely, since she’d already begun rotting from the dark magic present in her system. After I washed her hair and brushed it, I braided it the same way she’d worn it when we were young. Breaking Benjamin’s “Ashes of Eden” played softly in the library, strumming through me, soothing me.

Softly singing the song, I wrapped her body in cloth steeped in lavender, chervil, frankincense, and thyme. Orchids and daisies sat on her lifeless body, representing the loss of a family member taken too soon. Since I refused to send her soul back to Hecate, I had placed coins over her eyes so she could pay the ferryman if she met him on her trip to the underworld. Aquamarines, amethysts, and apache tears sat around her body, adding power to the transition for her afterlife. Candles had been lit throughout the library, casting everything in a soft glow. The mixed scents within the room caused my eyes to sting, and the smoking sage only added to that burning sensation.

“Had I known that I would lose you so soon, Luna, I’d have made more memories,” I whispered, tracing a gentle line over her forehead and down her temple. “I’d have been a better friend to you and fought harder to understand the pain you endured. Oh, but that pain is so fucking hard to handle, isn’t it? It’s a deep, agonizing ache that never eases. It still feels like I will never fully inhale again.” I wiped away the tears, blowing air out of my lungs.

A child approached the altar, regarding with weary eyes, clearly curious about what I was doing. The witchlings we’d collected hadn’t been raised by our people, and more often than not, they did not know of our traditions.

We’d slowly begun showing them and teaching them about the herbs, stones, and things to aid them should they ever need help. We had also made certain that they knew what hemlock was and which herbs could ease the poison from it. This was the first time any of them had seen the ritual of sending someone off into the otherworld, though.

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