Page 29 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“Just say you’re desperate.”
He gritted his teeth at the truth of that statement, knowing full well they wouldn’t help unless he said those exact words.
“I’m desperate,” he ground out.
“Be prepared when we come to collect on all these favors.”
The line went dead as they reached the main foyer. Before he led Cressida out into the night though, he stopped, turning to her.
“If anything you’ve told me is false, you will wish for death,” he warned her.
But she only gave a humorless huff of laughter. A sound he’d heard from so many in this realm. It was why he didn’t doubt her when she replied, “As if I haven’t wished for that in the past.” Then she lifted her chin, emerald eyes hardening. “And when I couldn’t have it, I found ways to make my life bearable here and strike back in ways he’d never see coming.”
Theon didn’t reply. Only let his darkness seep into her just enough to render her unconscious. His magic wrapped around her as he pulled the door open, making sure no staff were lingering in the shadows. Moving quickly through the grounds, his power carried Cressida behind him. It took nearly ten minutes to reach the main gates, and another fifteen to move beyond the wards.
“You could have told me you were going to take the scenic route,” the female waiting for him griped.
“Thank you for coming, Tana,” Theon said, greeting the Anala Heir.
“Don’t thank me yet, Theon,” she replied. “You’re the one who will need to explainthatto my mother.” Her amber gaze moved beyond him to where the limp form of Cressida was floating on a mist of darkness.
“I just need her to be kept imprisoned. She can’t know where she is. Daily food and water. Weekly rations. I’ll send payment.Doesn’t need to be luxurious by any means,” he replied. “I’ll explain when I can. I?—”
The ground lurched beneath his feet.
No.
The entirerealmseemed to shudder, as if a piece of the world had died.
Theon stumbled forward, and Tana’s Source lurched to catch her as she was knocked off her own feet by the force.
“What was that?” she asked, eyes narrowing on Theon as if he was the cause.
“I don’t know,” he answered, taking in the surrounding trees as the first light of dawn cast an ethereal glow on them.
“What do you mean you don’t know? This is your kingdom,” she retorted.
“And we’ve never had quakes here in all my years,” he shot back.
A phone rang, the sound loud in the now still daybreak. Tana’s Source retrieved a phone, glancing at the screen before handing it to Tana. “Your mother,” he said.
“Yes?” she answered. Then her eyes went wide, landing on Theon. “I understand.” She hung up, her hand clenching around the device. “Gatlan, take Cressida. We need to get back to Idalia.”
“What happened?” Theon asked, stepping closer while Gatlan moved to retrieve Cressida.
Tana’s lips pressed into a thin line as a fire portal appeared, her red hair glimmering in the flames. “The Pantheon has fallen.”
Theon blinked once. Twice. “That isn’t possible,” he finally managed.
“I do not know the specifics. My mother will fill me in, but I must go. I will be in touch.”
With that, she disappeared through her portal, Gatlan right behind her, and Theon was left standing by himself. If the Pantheon had fallen…
Perhaps he didn’t have days or months or decades.
It appeared the Fates had already come to rip their world apart in search of Tessa.
He spun, racing back through the courtyard to gather his things. He needed to get to Axel. Needed to see him and explain before he never got the chance. Needed to be with the only family he had left if their world was truly coming to an end.
