Page 174 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“What?” she asked in confusion. “I had no idea that a mirror gate was there.”
“Just because you didn’t know what it was doesn’t mean you couldn’t sense it,” he countered. “Why do you think Dex always deterred you from going there?”
She frowned, mulling that over in her mind. Dex had never outright told her not to go there, but now that she thought about it, every time it was suggested, he steered them in another direction.
Except once.
One time she’d been insistent, and Dex had finally relented. She didn’t remember much of that night, and she’d always blamed it on drinking far too much during the excursion. But now…
“What happened there, Brecken? That night? Did I really lose control?”
Brecken sighed, casting her a pitying look. “Yeah, Tess, you did, but it wasn’t your fault.”
“What do you mean, it wasn’t my fault?” she demanded, her power restless as emotion rolled through her. She tamped them down, not wanting Theon and Luka to feel the sudden shift. “There were… Peopledied. Innocent people. Others from the Estate… Dex always said it was because of me.”
“Your power may have caused it, but he knew it would, Tessa. He knew what taking you there would do,” Brecken said grimly.“They were testing you. Seeing how strong you were. You were given the Mark to neutralize your power, just like the Fae are given upon birth. If not for that Mark, the Fae would come into their power around ten years, just like the Legacy do. It’s another way they control them here. But you are not Fae, and as you grew, your power was likely angry at being trapped.”
She’d always felt it. That thing inside her that would lift its head. That would thrash and make her feel somethingother.
“Anyway, they got you drunk. You already had trouble controlling what you didn’t know you were. Intoxicated? It was worse. And then, having you by the mirror gate? Your power took over, much like it does now at times. It was what they wanted to see. They’d always known the Mark wouldn’t be enough, but now they knew what it would take to contain you,” he went on.
“But what happened that night? How did I…” She trailed off because how many times had Dex held that over her head? How many times had Oralia chastised her and reminded her of the messes Dex had to clean up because of her?
“Your power takes, Tessa,” Brecken said gently. “It took before they could get you subdued. After that, they started mixing a tonic into your food, particularly your doughnuts.”
She stopped mid-step, staring up at him. “They drugged me?”
“In a sense, yes,” Brecken said, glancing over her head at Tristyn, who had remained silent during all of this.
Her gaze snapped to Tristyn, eyes narrowing. “You knew?”
“I suspected,” he admitted. “I didn’t know how they were keeping your power subdued, but that night, you were felt across the realm. They took a risk letting your power manifest like that.”
“But you still couldn’t find me?”
He shook his head. “We knew the general vicinity after that night, but we had to be sure. And even if we had figured out it was you, we needed a solid plan in place. You never would have agreed to simply come with us. You know that.”
He had a point. Back then, she would have believed anything Dex said. If Tristyn, or anyone for that matter, had shown up and tried to tell her she was being used and kept hidden for something nefarious later, she would have laughed in their face. Mother Cordelia had done a superb job of convincing her she was worthless and good for nothing. Why would anybody bother hiding her away for something so grand?
It still stung that no one had eventriedto get her out of there, even knowing all the facts. Knowing they had lost her. Knowing they’d been searching. Knowing she had been so groomed by Dex and Cordelia, and effectively Rordan, that it wouldn’t have mattered if they had come for her anyway. No one had eventried.
Which led her back to thoughts of her parents. A god and a fury. Untamed and Chaos. And Xan had told them they needed to bring her mother here. She didn’t know how to feel. She didn’t know what to think.
Despite everything, even having Theon and Luka and the others now, she still felt so alone sometimes.
“We’re nearly there,” Brecken said, cutting into her thoughts.
“Nearly where?” Tessa asked with a slight frown, looking around. There was nothing different. No buildings or runes. Just the frost-covered ground, the rolling fog, and the sea beyond.
Brecken sent her a mischievous wink, gesturing ahead. “Surely you feel it?”
She was still frowning at him when shedidfeel something. When she felt that thing in her soul snap its head up in anticipation. When it pulled and tugged, her feet moving of theirown accord. Her skin was buzzing. The gold bands on her wrists flared, while her power sparked at her fingertips.
A hand landed on her shoulder, gently squeezing and pulling her back. She looked up into russet eyes, Tristyn giving her a reassuring smile. “I can feel it too,” he said. “Not like you, but as a deity, I can sense it.”
Brecken had moved ahead of them, taking the lead, and her gaze bounced from him to their surroundings, studying the fog. “But can you see it?”
“Not yet,” Tris murmured. “Are you cold?”
