Page 42 of Crown of Chaos

“You need to be certain this is the path you want to go down, ladies,” I muttered, not confident they fully grasped the gravity of what I was saying.

“None of us intend to leave you, Aria. You’re someone who won’t lead us blindly into battle and abandon us when things get bad. We all stayed together and made sure we all made it out together. If you’re asking us to consider our options, we have. This world doesn’t require another queen. It needs someone who’s not afraid to stand up to those who want to rule us through tyranny and oppression,” Siobhan stated firmly.

“I chose you when I saved you in that dark alley. Since that day, I haven’t strayed, nor do I intend to do so.” Esme snorted and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at me. “Friends don’t let friends do stupid shit without them, or so you once told me. Plus, I believe in you and what you stand for, Aria Hecate.”

“I’m here because we don’t know what comes next; none of us do. But oh, what an adventure it’ll be to bring this realm and those who get off on hurting us to their knees. When I first met you, it was because Ilsa had sent me to find you and bring you to back to her, and I’d have done that without hesitation because she had my sister. The problem was that, when I met you, Ifeltyou on another level that made me realize that we’re nothing. We are an inconsequential drop of water in a river.You?You’re the fucking ocean the rivers yield to,” Soraya admitted.

“I am not the ocean, Soraya. I’m merely a raindrop in an ocean of waves.” Still, their faith in me renewed my hope that maybe, just maybe, we’d all make it through this. “Hecate knows what I am, and I intend to show her she’s right to fear me. I’m going to burn down her kingdom and chase her ass through the ashes until she has nowhere to hide from the monster she created. Now, let’s go create some chaos and see what my family has been up to while we were away. Shall we?” I asked, smiling as I pulled my pack on and headed through the portal that led to my bedroom in the sanctuary.

I was now on my own side of a war that had had been set in motion long before I’d even drawn air into my lungs. My plans hadn’t changed, but the delivery had, and the first step I needed to take was to figure out what Aurora was really up to. She’d begun campaigning her way back into the good graces of those in power inside the Nine Realms for months. It was time to assess who she’d allied with and which side of the fight she truly stood on.

Aurora had done what she’d thought we needed in order to survive. Unfortunately, I’d begun suspecting her motives were purely self-serving. I’d been on the frontline, battling to keep them shielded and protected from Knox’s rage and need to end our line. Throughout it all, she’d been slinking from the tomb and making moves behind my back. So, what made her think they should keep me in the dark?

I needed to figure out where my sisters stood and accept the possibility that it might be with Aurora. It didn’t scare me to stand alone, but I didn’t wish for that to happen, either. In the past couple months, I’d learned that betrayal came easily within this place. I had a new understanding of why Knox was so defensive and lethally dished out punishment to those who sided against him. You got colder and learned to expect betrayal and treachery in order to mitigate the pain. I was adapting and growing.

My heart had been ripped out, and they had brutally made me aware that mistakes were deadly. Emotions and blood bonds meant very little to this world. I’d let loyalty lead me to battle, and I’d felt failure’s blade as it pierced my soul. Luckily, I’d healed enough to recharge in his arms, as if being near him had rekindled the link I held to the Nine Realms.

Chapter Twenty-One

Glaring out over the courtyardof the sanctuary, I fought the anger churning within me. My stomach tightened, and bile pressed against my throat. Denial leaped to my mind, as if it wasn’t real. I could smell the coppery tang of blood mixed with hemlock clinging to the air around me. Crimson droplets painted the emerald ground red. Tears burned behind my eyes as I pressing a hand over my mouth as I fought the proof of wickedness, and horror that had been unleashed on the innocent lives I’d vowed to protect. The distant clap of thunder sounded through the eerie, unnatural stillness of the scene.

I couldn’t find words to speak, or issue past the lump swelling in my throat. My focus shifted, searching through the corpses for the older witches. Bodies were strewn over the ground, left like garbage to rot and be picked apart by animals. My heart hammered like a drum, and the pulse of my blood echoed in my ears.

A soft sound behind me caused my stomach to twist and knot. Focusing on a child’s lifeless face, I stepped forward and zeroed in on the small, crudely sewn teddy bear still clasped in her hand. As if she’d held on to it for comfort as her life’s essence drained into the soil.

I exhaled a shuddered breath and curled my fingers into tight fists. The barrier had been lowered, which showed that someone from within had assisted in the assault.

They had sat one child up on a bench to appear as if she’d merely sat to survey the others while they slept. Only they weren’t sleeping and daggers pinned her body in place.

“Do you—would Aurora do this?” Esme lowered her eyes to the kids who had been murdered.

I shook my head. “No, Aurora isn’t this evil and wouldn’t slaughter children.” I dropped my eyes, causing my brow to crease before my vision blurred from unshed tears. “At least I don’t think she would. This feels more personal, and it looks like they’re staged. I can’t sense magic or the lingering touch of it here. They’re just children,” I whispered thickly, unable to shut off my emotions. “Someone led whoever did this here and allowed this to happen. Who would be this cruel to slaughter children and then leave them to rot like trash? I don’t see the older girls, though, do you?” The others turned and moved to scan through the corpses.

Someone had entered the sanctuary, removed the barrier, and allowed all these witchlings to be slaughtered. This wasn’t to punish the children for the blood they carried. It was a show of cruelty and disregard for life.

“Hecate maybe? The children wouldn’t have been old enough to be added to her army or grid.” Soraya sniffed, resisting the abundance of emotions overwhelming her.

Whoever invaded hadn’t been able to use the younger witches and had instead slaughtered them all. My heart hammered achingly while I inspected a tiny corpse. I could still visualize her splashing in the water, laughing with the child who lay beside her, holding her hands. Tears burned against my eyes, pricking with the need to fall. In life, they’d been inseparable, and now they were also together in death.

“We’ll burn the bodies to cleanse their souls of this tragic ending. We can go once we’ve finished,” I instructed as an overpowering rush of emotion swirled through me and magic danced at my fingertips. Everything within me wanted revenge and retaliation for the atrocity that occurred here. “I will not allow creatures to dine on their remains. They deserve better than that.” I curled my fingers into tight fists at my sides and avoided the invitation to unleash the power flooding to me.

“What if those who did this come back?” Siobhan asked cautiously, surveying the silent village we’d called home. Her mouth tightened into a worried grimace, and her attention shifted to us, revealing tears that rolled down her tear-streaked cheeks.

“They won’t.” I gritted my teeth, jerking my gaze from the slain child laying in the muck like she hadn’t mattered.

“But if they do?” Esme pressed.

“If they return, we fucking slay them and let the animals feast on their carcasses,” I spat, studying their nods of agreement. “Let’s get this taken care of so we can see if the monster who did this left a trail for us to follow.”

The girl I lifted from the muck was lighter than I expected her to be, and again, I had to force the rage down. Tenderly, I placed her on the shrine we’d used for herbs and examined her delicate features. It wasn’t her face I saw when I looked, though; it was my daughters’. Blinking rapidly to clear away the blur of burning tears, I turned to the next young girl. We gathered the children, and the knowledge that they had murdered tiny females was a toxin in my soul.

After several hours, we’d blessed each child and placed her into the flames, delivering them to the otherworld for their new journey. We didn’t consecrate their bodies to be given to Hecate for safekeeping because fuck her and fuck being a witch. The deity we were supposed to revere never cared about any of those created in her image. We were merely fodder for her war to gain control over the realms.

When the fire died down, we grabbed our bags and headed toward the road. A commotion came from the thick shrubbery at the entrance of the courtyard, causing me to release my bag. Then, pulling power to me, I trembled with the thrill and anticipation of unleashing my magic. I glided my piercing gaze over the bushes, stalking closer until Avyanna popped up, her frightened expression focusing on me, and relief flowed over her.

“Why are you hiding?” I demanded, scanning her scraped arms and shoulders. I didn’t catch any scent of guilt or think she’d been the one to drop the barrier. Avy wasn’t that brave, and I was pretty sure she was out here hiding because she fled whoever had done this.

“Where have you been? Ialmostdied! Holy shit, I assumedyou’ddied! Then, this morning, I was relieving my personal needs when screaming erupted. I hid, which I’m not proud of, but I’m not strong enough to fight or defend anyone. I’m sorry.” She heaved, her words broken and loaded with agony. She looked at me with regret and then glanced down, her chin quivering with fear.

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