Page 298 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“All the Ladies?” Tessa cried, the door not even fully closed to their room when they returned from a very long dinner.
The sun had set long ago, and Luka had felt Tessa’s emotions rising all evening. She’d done well though. Keeping her poise and control. They’d expected the pushback and debate. Kyra had eventually relented to allowing Dagian to come to Idalia. However, they hadn’t anticipated Kyra informing them that not only would Dagian be here in the morning, but so would the other Ladies. She would send them word tonight.
“It’s not all that surprising,” Theon said calmly, removing his suit jacket and loosening his tie.
“And what are we going to do if they oppose this? We don’t have days and days to debate this, Theon.”
She was already pacing.
“It doesn’t really matter if they oppose it,” Theon said. “It is Dagian’s choice. Not theirs.”
“Itistheirs,” she retorted. “We can’t simply go against the wishes of the kingdoms. We’re trying tochangeone or two people getting their way. Not just…do what we want.”
“Tessa,” Theon cut in. “We are doing this tomorrow. You’re right. When things are different, more opinions will be taken into account. But not with this and certainly not with the same four Ladies who have had every opportunity to push for change for decades and have done nothing but preserve their own seats of power.Theywill not alter a godsdamn thing.”
“This is… What if something goes wrong?” she demanded, having moved to the wall, dragging her fingers along it.
“That is always a possibility,” Luka replied, watching her power crackle around her with each step. “We can try to anticipate problems and prepare for them as best we can, but eventually, we just have to jump, Tessa.”
She didn’t answer them, but she did speak, murmuring to herself. “This is it. Salvation or destruction? We don’t know. We don’t know. We don’t know.” She repeated the words over and over, each time sounding more and more agonized. Her fingers were in her hair, and she wasn’t pacing anymore. She was turning in place. “A final stand. A final battle. Who will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign? Me? Them? We’ve seen the visions. Seen the dreams. They never change. No, they do, but never… Always destruction. Always?—”
She sucked in a gasp, her eyes snapping up as Theon and Luka both sent waves of power to her. Calling to her chaos. Distracting her.
“This weight isn’t on your shoulders alone, Tessa,” Theon said gently.
“Isn’t it?” she asked, desperation ringing in her voice. “Am I not everything that prophecy is? Salvation. Destruction. The realm depends on me, and I did not ask for this!”
“Maybe that is why it was given to you,” Theon countered.
“I’m not the one for this!” she cried again. “Luka’s been right all along. I’m not?—”
“Enough,” Luka barked. “Where is this coming from? You’ve been Traveling around Devram for months now. Destroying mirror gates. Standing up to Rordan. Helping innocent people. And now you question where your place is in this?”
“It’s too much for one person!”
“Which is why you have us,” Theon retorted. “It is why we are doing this. You are not facing this fate alone, Tessa.”
“How is this any different from those who have taken power before us?”
“Because we fucking care,” Theon snapped, and Luka could feel his frustration down the bond.
And so could she.
“You’re the one who told me to process my feelings. You can’t be upset with me for trying to do that,” she bit out.
“I’m not upset you’re processing your feelings,” he ground out from between his teeth. “I’m frustrated because you aren’t giving yourself enough credit. You still believe yourself the villain in all this.”
Her lip curled back, and Luka was more than perplexed as to where this mood had come from. “This world turned me into one, Theon!”
Her cry of outrage echoed in the suite as Theon threw her over his shoulder. “Luka,” he barked over his shoulder.
But Luka only snickered, strolling to the liquor cabinet and pouring three glasses of amber liquid, one slightly less full. He already knew where this was going. They’d been planning this for weeks. Well before her birthday, and Theon had apparently decided it was time.
Thank the gods.
Whether a distraction or to prove a point, Luka didn’t really care. Sure, Theon was irritated, but this wasn’t being done out of anger or a need for control. Quite the opposite actually.
Tessa needed someone else to take control right now. Take the weight of responsibility and madness from her. Make the decisions so she didn’t have to think. She could just…be. Be wild and untamed. Be reckless and impulsive. Trusting they would be there to catch her and keep her safe while she was exactly as she was made to be.
