Page 44 of Crown of Chaos

Then I was striding forward. I got to the gate and slammed my palms against the massive wooden planks until they creaked. It only took a second more for the timber to splinter and explode. I crushed the guards who were waiting in the courtyard beneath the strength and intensity of the attack, and they contorted like tin cans under pressure. The realm rumbled, and the atmosphere swelled with raw, unsoiled magic. Shivering, I savored the tempting offering of the Nine Realms, which was lending me vast amounts of power. The sound of wood splitters hitting the cobblestones mixed with the music and screams from inside announcing my entrance—I guess if I had intended to be queenly, maybe I should have knocked?

I marched to the center of the courtyard like I owned the place. People paused, huddling together, as if they thought they’d be safer in groups. Magic flowed around me, threading through the crowd. All at once, I sent the assembling inhabitants and warriors sailing in different directions, plastering them against the wall and grinning coldly.

“Hello.” I chuckled. “I’m your fucking queen, which you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, means nothing.” I rotated, providing a half-assed curtsey before proceeding. “Let’s not obsess on that too much, seeing as we’re not here for a social call or because I fucking wish to be. You motherfuckers thought to fuck around, and you’re about to discover why you shouldn’t have.” Glancing at the men and women, I snickered at their condescending faces that were tightened with anger.

“Shall we proceed straight to the reason for this unannounced visit from your queen? Your lord unjustly murdered witchlings under my protection. I’m here to murder him, and anyone else guilty of allowing such atrocities to occur. I’m a very firm believer that we should maintain our homes in immaculate conditions. But more than that, I demand the lords of such houses not abduct women for his sadistic gratification or to feed them to monsters.” I looked to the lord, placing my hands on my hips as I fluttered my eyelids. “So, here I am, taking care of this messy fucking house for my king.”

“You expect to slither in here and order us around? We’ve heard about you, Aria Hecate, the puppet queen. You and your kind are not welcome here, so you need to leave,” the lord demanded, but I couldn’t take him seriously. Not while he wore that hideous puffy purple shirt. I chuckled at his pompous appearance.

“Is he here, then? I don’t see your king, which means I’m off my tether and standing before you. A saner individual wouldn’t call an unbalanced woman names or remind her of her position. You murdered children and took witches from me, and I’m here to retrieve them. Once that’s done, I’ll deal with you and your people,” I explained, drawing magic to me as he sneered.

“You cannot strike against us!” he barked, but an echo of laughter stole my attention, and I focused on a witch stepping away from the crowd.

My stare slid over Daria and she smirked while shrugging. “There are rumors of your weakened condition, witch. You wanted to save the witchlings, and that was exactly why I allowed them to die. Did you think you could return here and that we’d all bow before you? You’re wrong. We all know you are nothing but a pathetic, want-to-be queen who doesn’t even have a throne to sit her dainty, weak ass upon.”

I snorted, sucking my lip between my teeth before releasing it with a loud pop. “You sold them out, and for what? To gain favor with your king or the pathetic lord you serve? You idiot, I don’t care about sitting my ass on a throne. I am fighting to end the horrors that are happening to our sister witches.”

“It doesn’t matter why I did it. You’re too late. The lord of this keep has already fed the ones you seek to the hound in his hall. You should have seen them trying to escape. It was excellent entertainment, a real crowd-pleaser.” She chuckled as the color drained from my face. Rage simmered and converted into murderous intent, which I leveled on her and had her backing up.

“As your death will be for us, murderous bitch.” I laughed as my magic reached her, wrapping around her legs and yanking her to the ground. Her screams reverberated in the courtyard, and I watched emotionlessly as her body twisted and bones snapped before her head rotated, spinning until it popped off. The lord looked positively horrified as it rolled toward him and came to a stop at his feet. “Now that was quality entertainment, don’t you all agree?”

“Our king will kill you!” he snarled as spittle flew from his lips.

“The only thing yourkingwants tomurderon me is my pussy. Unfortunately for him, it’s currently closed for business. So, where were we?” I tilted my head, laughing coldly. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. You were just about to die screaming.”

I curled my fingers into a tight fist, forcing his blood rushing through him until it exploded from his skull. I slid my attention to the guards, smiled, and then released the magic holding them in place. They rushed toward me, and I laughed as I flicked my wrist in their direction. When they hit the wall this time, they splattered in a way that would have impressed Jackson Pollok. Red mist sprayed through the air and splashed onto the men on the battlement. I could feel the girls behind me, watching my back even though they were iffy about what was happening.

If these assholes wanted a monster, I’d show them what one could do. I let my rage run loose as obsidian-stained my fingertips and moved up my arms. The wind howled, whipping my hair against my shoulders and face. Lightning crackled above, filling the area with the thick, enticing scent of ozone. It slammed against the battlements, creating brilliant violet light throughout the surrounding area. I held my hands up high, smiling cruelly when large, fiery balls of blistering how boulders crashed to the ground, assaulting those leaning on the wall.

People flooded from the castle, chased out by a monstrous dog with three horns that adorned the crown of his skull. It threw its head back, howling as it rushed me. I really hated when pets got in the way, but this one was rabid and seemed hell-bent on eating me for dinner.

Closing my eyes, I pulled more magic from the realm. The anger and frustration of the last twenty-four hours replayed within me, and I unleashed it on those who had trespassed against us and the sanctuary where we’d promised the girls they would be safe. I couldn’t hear them inside, which meant the bitch I’d murdered first hadn’t been lying.

The blood pounding through me was deafening, and my pain gave way to something darker. The rage flowed through me untethered, and I screamed as tears rolled down my cheeks. They were all monsters. Anything I did to them was nothing compared to the fate of those they had killed in this place of horrors.

The lord had fed innocent witches to his dog for entertainment. He deserved to die. All of them did. I released more magic, watching as the entire keep shuddered and began to crumble into rubble. People fought to escape, not that it did them any good. If they could witness such things without trying to stop it, they were just as guilty as the lord and his guards.

I could hear muffled screams coming from all angles, but I refused to relent. My hair whipped in the blast of wind that rushed in like a cyclone, and lightning struck anyone who tried to flee the keep’s wall. Then, when the earth quieted, I twisted to stare at my friends, who were shouting at me.

Dismayed, I spun away from them and took in the violence I’d unleashed. Body parts were scattered around the courtyard. The keep was unrecognizable, and only a small section of the outer wall remained intact. Yet, I’d maintained enough control to protect my friends. I was evolving, gaining more precise focus, and the magic I wielded was becoming—more. It was both terrifying and exciting.

Silence reigned through the courtyard. The magic I’d unleashed slowly returned to me, and I exhaled the anger that drained from my limbs. Facing the girls, I took in their wide, horrified stares that drifted over the carnage.

Soraya stepped back, spinning while her mouth dropped open. Esme’s eyes were as wide as an owl’s and her mouth formed a perfect O as she took in the destruction I’d created. Siobhan cleared her throat, forcing everyone to notice I’d finished.

“You were correct, Aria. Murder is very messy,” she whispered so softly that I had to strain to hear her.

Spinning to the wreckage, I bent to pick up a length of ribbon from where it had laid discarded in the dirt. I tossed it into the air, watching as it found the flag of Norvalla tied around a pole.

“There’s no way Knox won’t know you did this,” Soraya admitted in a hushed tone. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

“They deserved it for what they did to the others.” I drifted farther into the carnage, pausing when a tiny hand caught my attention. Silently, I climbed to the child, pulling him out from the rubble. “No,” I hissed, shaking my head as my chest tightened and denial pulsed through me. “There are no children in Norvalla. He shouldn’t be here.”

“Others come here for shelter and to settle,” Esme stated, kneeling next to me. “He would’ve become a murderous bastard, anyway. Who knows, maybe you saved someone else from him?” She winced when I swung my horror-filled stare to her.

“You don’t know that for sure, though.” I killed a kid, and I couldn’t take it back. Standing, I looked at the rumble and quietly surveyed the atrocity I caused with my pain and crimson rage. “I-I didn’t realize there were children here.” My words broke, and my lips quivered at the brutality ofmycrimes. “I didn’t know.” Crying past the palms I’d pressed to my trembling lips, I fought the nausea that was flooding my mouth with saliva.

My thoughts raced with the knowledge I’d taken a child’s life. I had fucked up. Bile burned the back of my throat, and I shook my head in denial.

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