Page 261 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“You mean her place inyourkingdom?” the Serafina Lady asked. “You know well how upset we all were by your revelation at the Sirana Gala, Rordan. You expect us to be fine with you having that kind of power in your kingdom? Breeding it into your bloodline? I think not. I agree with Luna. Death is the only acceptable answer at this point.”

“Death is the logical answer,” the Falein Lady chimed in. “It would alleviate the most problems with one simple action.”

“Simple?” Theon cut in. “We all know how difficult it is to kill a Fae, let alone a Legacy. You think it will be simple to killher?”

“Dragons are difficult to kill, and we seem to have accomplished that fairly successfully,” the Serafina Lady said with a mocking smile.

“Obviously not,” Theon replied, his smile all teeth as he accepted what she was admitting to.

“Your kingdom keeping the existence of one a secret from the rest of us is not the victory you think it is,” she replied coldly. “It only deepens the mistrust already sown in the events that led to their extermination in the first place.”

“I wonder,” Theon mused, holding her silver stare. “What will you do when you learn Serafina rejected her Match with Achaz and joined Arius?”

“Howdareyou speak such blasphemy,” she cried in outrage.

But Theon only smiled. “So much time separated from the gods. While the other realms were free to advance and grow, Devram was left to rot. They made it look pretty with all the technology of the times, with thegiftsof Fae and mortals to serve, but it’s never been a gift to their legacy. It’s always been a curse, and we have only warped that curse over time.”

“That is enough!” Lady Isleen cried, her hands slamming onto the arms of her chair. “I call for a vote. Those in favor of sentencing Tessalyn Ausra to death, voice your agreement.”

Three feminine voices rang out: Serafina, Celeste, and Falein.

“Your motion fails,” Rordan said, his words full of power.

“Then we will find a way around it,” she sneered. “We always do.”

“Remember the cost of treason and failure, Maya,” he replied darkly, the threat clear. “The Arius and Sargon Legacy played this game once before and lost.”

Her smile was as sharp as his tone. “Perhaps you should remember that dreams born in the dark become nightmares.”

The Achaz Lord’s eyes narrowed on her. On this steadfast alliance that was cracking before Theon’s eyes.

“Perhaps a short recess is in order,” Rordan gritted out after a long, tense moment.

“Agreed,” the Anala Lady said, immediately standing and striding from the room.

Theon followed suit, only he made his way outside and pulled his phone from his pocket. There was still no reply from Luka, but that wasn’t what he was checking for anyway.

Opening his contacts, he clicked on a name and brought his phone to his ear as the call rang through.

“What, St. Orcas?” came the sharp answer.

“They’re holding her in the cells in the Pantheon. Do you know where those are?”

There was a long pause before, “They are in the center.”

“Fuck,” Theon muttered, carving a hand through his hair. “You don’t happen to have any tech that could get us past the Keeper, do you, Blackheart?”

“Getting past the Keeper won’t be the issue,” Tristyn replied. “It’s the cell she’s in that will be the problem. I’ll need a few days.”

“She doesn’t have a few days,” he bit out.

“I’ll do what I can as fast as I can. Meet me there in two days at high noon. If I can do it sooner, I’ll let you know.”

“Not if,” Theon snapped. “Make it happen sooner, Blackheart. Meet me there at sundown.”

He hung up on the male, and Theon yelled a curse, startling two Fae passing by on the street. They practically ran to get around the corner, and he only then realized his darkness was undulating around him.

Hours.

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