Page 265 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Dagian exhaled a long breath. “I honestly don’t know. He might try to exhaust your forces here before attacking somewhere else. He might come straight for the rings and try to entrap Tessa again.”
“Improvise as we go. Got it,” Tessa said, and Luka could feel her already sinking into her power. “I’m going.”
“By Sargon,” Luka muttered, grabbing her arm a second before she Traveled out.
Theon had done the same, apparently grabbing Dagian and Sasha. Razik and Xan Traveled in separately, Eliza in tow. Nowthey all stood in the center of Castle Pines, and Theon muttered a low curse. He’d mobilized warriors nearby, or Tessa had, but most of their forces were stationed in the larger cities like Rockmoor and Dark Haven. The only reason to start in Castle Pines would be if Rordan was coming straight for Arius House.
There were bodies in the streets. Some warriors, some civilians. Seraphs were in the air, power raining down from their stolen gifts. Achaz forces were splitting up and storming down side streets, Arius forces rushing to meet them.
“Kill more than me,mai dragocen,” Razik said, flashing Eliza a challenging grin before he leapt, shifting into his dragon form in the air and loosing a battle cry as he soared up. Xan was in the air a moment later, the two dragons already engaging and letting their bloodline sing.
The Fire General spun towards them, drawing her sword from her back. “You two come with me. Tell me about the magic we’re facing,” she said, pointing at Dagian and Sasha.
Dagian glanced at Theon, who nodded in agreement. “She knows what she’s doing. Go with her and stay close.”
They went right, which left Theon and Tessa to go left. Luka hesitated, wanting to be in the sky, but also needing to be with his Ward and wife. On top of all that, he’d neverfoughtin his dragon form. He was far more confident in his abilities with a blade.
Then the howling reached them, Nylah and Roan appearing seconds later from the fray. Which was great for Tessa, but it also announced their presence among the mayhem.
“We’re starving,” Tessa purred, a dark smile filling her face as Achaz forces came running in their direction.
Luka looked up, seeing Razik and his father taking on the seraphs as ashes started to drift in the air like snow. Is this how they felt when in battles with their Wards? Torn and needing to be in two places at once?
“I’ll stay with you two until more forces arrive,” Luka said, tightening his grip on the sword he still held.
Theon glanced at him. “Are you sure?”
“There aren’t enough here,” he said. “We sent extra support to Dark Haven after the massacre.”
“Yeah, all right,” Theon said, drawing his twin short swords from pools of shadows. “But if you need to go help in the sky, you just go.”
“Now?” Tessa asked, her feet already floating off the ground.
“Now, baby girl,” Luka conceded as a few warriors managed to break past Nylah and Roan.
They were met with a wave of crackling light, three of them on their backs within seconds. Arching in agony, that light spread beneath their skin, veins bright and translucent until they stopped moving altogether.
Tessa inhaled sharply through her nose, as if savoring whatever she’d just done. Then she turned to face them, violet eyes bright and the Marks on her skin glowing that soft gold color. Her smile was pure wildness before she set off.
“If anything, I need to stay with the two of you to help rein her in when it’s time,” Luka muttered.
“But for now, we’re just going to let her be who she is,” Theon replied.
They followed her, like they always did. She didn’t race to join the fray, but she seemed to have a certain direction she was going. Luka had no idea what was driving her, but her wolves prowled ahead and she let arrows fly as she moved.
Theon and Luka used their blades, and the first time he swung with that sword, dragonfire encompassed the thing. He didn’t have time to marvel at it as he sank the sword into a warrior, his power turning them into nothing. It was just like Eliza’s sword, only hers magnified her fire magic.
Theon was the death he always was, his darkness fighting as much as he was with weapons. They’d trained like this hundreds, if not thousands, of times, but these last months were the first times it’d been life or death rather than sparring.
It didn’t take long for them to realize the Legacy warriors weren’t going to be the issue. It was going to be the seraphs in the skies, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t just as much work to do down here.
“You need to get up there,” Theon barked, his darkness holding two Achaz warriors in place while Luka cut through both of them with his sword.
“And leave you two vulnerable down here?”
“Does that look fucking vulnerable to you?” Theon snapped.
Luka’s gaze snagged on Tessa where she was letting her arrows fly while her power took. And she wasn’t just fighting the warriors on the ground. No, her chaos was reaching into the sky and grabbing seraphs who made the mistake of coming for her. It dragged them to the ground, and even from here, Luka could see the eerie glee on her face as she stood over them and fed her magic.
