Page 272 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Theon sighed. “We go in. We find my mother and Eviana. We send everyone else away, and we take care of Father.”
“Tessa and Luka are not just going to leave us there, you idiot,” Axel groused from where he was now rummaging through the fridge.
“I’ll talk to them.”
“Great. Do that. While you fucking shower. You’re too disgusting right now to be standing so close to my wife and child,” Axel called over his shoulder.
Theon rolled his eyes, glancing once more at Kat to find a small smile playing on her lips. “You won’t win this one,” she said softly.
He sighed again, knowing she was right. “I’m not enjoying you two constantly ganging up on me,” he said, turning to leave the kitchen.
“Tessa would side with us,” Axel called, and Theon flipped him off over his shoulder because he knew that too.
“Are we sure there’s something here?” Axel asked, looking around where they stood just inside the Leisure District.
Kylian had shown them the area a few days ago while their powers were still recovering. Theon and Luka had again drank rations, and they really needed to figure something else out. Tessa had offered to fill their reserves, but then she would be left without full strength because she could only refill her magic by taking life. Checks and balances even when she was an imbalance herself.
“Can’t you feel the wards?” Tessa asked.
“They’re meant to deter you,” Theon answered. “I feel something trying to get me to turn around. Go in the other direction. Like an instinct of some sort.”
She shrugged. “We’re here. We may as well try it, right?”
“I guess,” Axel said, scratching the back of his head.
There wasn’t much else they could do. If it wasn’t here, then they were at a loss, and Theon refused to entertain that idea at the moment.
“We have to all be connected,” Lange said, reaching for Tessa.
Theon knocked him away, taking her hand while Luka took the other.
“Stop being a dick,” she muttered.
Theon ignored her. This had nothing to do with her friend touching her and had more to do with him being on edge. He was going in there to meet his mother and kill his father.
With everyone touching, they moved forward, step after step, until he felt the wards ghost over his skin and a two-story stone house loomed over them. Built into the side of the cavern wall, it had a few windows on the front and a stone wall surrounding it.
“There’s no gate or way in,” Axel said in a hushed tone after they’d all darted to the side.
“Then we go over the top,” Tessa said simply.
“And get caught?” Axel tossed back.
She turned her head to him with a smirk. “Don’t let anyone see you.”
“How are we supposed to scale that?” he asked, gesturing to the wall.
She turned in the other direction. “Lange?”
He winked. “Sure thing, Tess.”
A minute later, Lange was using his air magic to lift them over the wall. When the last of them were on the other side, they turned and faced the house.
“Now what?” Axel asked.
“We go in,” Theon replied. His magic was tense, as on edge as he was, and he could feel it writhing in anticipation.
“The Mark,” Luka said, handing him a dagger.
