Page 311 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
She was taking it all, and she’d decide who would be left standing in the end.
“You should be sleeping,” Luka said, coming to her side. “We don’t move for another two hours.”
She hummed an acknowledgment, but she didn’t answer. Standing at the edge of the trees, she stared out at the open area that would soon be filled with warriors of all kinds. Legacy. Fae. Night Children. Shifters. Witches and deities and dragons. They were marching on Faven at first light, and that was indeed hours away. But others were already stirring. They would be preparing,but she hadn’t been able to shake this feeling. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, and it was something she should know. Something she should recognize.
“Baby girl,” Luka sighed, pulling her into his chest, a large palm running down her hair. “It’s the realm against one kingdom.”
He was mistaking her mood for nervousness and dread, but she’d oblige him in this.
“A powerful kingdom run by a male who has been stealing power for decades with seraphs in his army. If we win this, it will not be easy,” she murmured, pressing her cheek to his chest.
“No one said it was going to be easy. But with you and Theon. All the forces?—”
“That we scrambled to put together. Who have never known true war. Who have never truly fought.”
“Theon was right yesterday,” Luka said sternly. “We can’t think like that. If we do, we may as well bow down now.”
“I will never bow to anyone again,” she said sharply. “Never again, Luka.”
His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face up to his. “Then let’s make sure of it. Are you ready?”
She nodded, and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her deeply on the edge of the woods as they prepared to bring a storm of chaos and fury at dawn.
They flooded out of the woods. Hundreds of them at once. Those with wings were soaring above as they all marched onFaven when the first rays of daylight kissed the ground. As they expected, it didn’t take long for seraphs to answer in the sky.
Razik, Eliza, and Caris were leading units to the right. Xan, Aiyana, Tristyn, and Cienna had the left, her mother with them. Tessa led the rest in the center, with Theon and Luka at her sides. Axel was with them. Cade and Rayell. Kylian and Giselle.
“Get in the sky, but stay close,” Tessa gritted out to Luka. She turned to Theon, her grin pure madness as an arrow appeared in her hand and she nocked it to her bow. “And so chaos rains.”
Theon grabbed her neck, hauling her to him, and for a few precious seconds, she savored it.
Then pulled back and let that arrow fly.
And as the sun broke the horizon, the first seraph fell.
Everything after that was instinct as she let herself plummet into her Chaos. It wanted to take, and she was going to let it.
Her arrows didn’t miss, seraphs becoming nothing but fluttering embers as she released one right after the other. She didn’t worry about the ground forces. Nylah and Roan were at her sides, and they didn’t let anyone near.
Her power was thrashing and yanking, tasting the death in the air, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet.
Not yet.
Soon.
Theon, however…
He was not waiting.
His darkness coated him like armor as it always did. That sword they’d taken from Bree was in his hand, and his darkness wound around that too. He moved like the god he descended from. Power flowed, blanketing the ground around him. Tendrils shot up from the depths of the inky mist like vines. They wrapped around seraphs as they dove, yanking them down where either the Trackers ended them or Theon did.
A roar of fury had her looking up to see not only Xan and Aiyana, but their sons fully shifted too. Black flames filled the sky at the same time thunder cracked, rain starting to fall. Whether it was her or her mother, she didn’t know, but a storm rolled in. Lightning flashed, dragon and seraph alike diving to avoid it. They’d have to deal with it though because that cloud cover forced the seraphs lower, allowing those with wind magic to interfere more effectively.
Tessa shot one last arrow before looping her bow over her chest as an Achaz warrior made it past Roan. Her hand shot out, snagging the male’s arm as he raised a dagger. She wasn’t stronger than him physically, but she finally let her power out. It pounced, sinking deep into his soul, light and dark crackling under his skin as she watched the bands of light on her arms flare brighter. Knew the Marks on her skin were doing the same. The warrior screamed, pitiful and full of agony as her Chaos feasted, refilling the magic she was using.
More.
She needed more.
