Page 330 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“His son will be,” Tessa said. “I propose Axel and Kat hold the position until Maddox is old enough and ready to assume it.”
Axel was staring at her, clearly in shock, and murmuring broke out among the people.
“More than that,” Tessa continued, the crowd falling silent once more. “I will only be the interim Achaz Lady until we learn who should take over the position. I will work closely with Dagian regarding this matter.”
Tessa?Luka growled down the bond.We never discussed any of this.
Agreed,Theon said, working to keep his features impassive.What are we doing, Tessa?
“We are to believe that you are going to step down from everything after all this?” Lady Isleen asked, her suspicion evident in her tone. “What of you and your…husbands?”
“We have other responsibilities,” Tessa said.
“Such as?”
“While Rordan and Valter are gone, Achaz is not. There are still realms beyond that will face the same, and Achaz will likely try again. More than that, we have the Fates to contend with,” Tessa said calmly despite her chaos that had been thickening a little more as time passed. “I put forth that the three of us become the new Keepers. Guardians of the realm to ensure that no one from the outside comes here without our knowing. So that history just might not repeat itself yet again, and the people we are protecting will not be the cost.”
“The three of you would be the Keepers? We’re going to vote on everything else and not that?” the Celeste Lady asked.
“You are welcome to nominate another who would be as effective in the position,” Theon said, recovering quickly from Tessa’s little surprise.
“There isn’t another who would be effective,” Kyra said. “I believe Tessa, Theon, and Luka have all proven beyond a doubt they care for the realm, not just their own kingdoms. Tessa is the grandchild of three First gods. She is not demanding we bow to her. She is not demanding a throne. She is offering to take on the responsibility of protecting the realm so we can focus on protecting the people. That is a noble offering, and I agree to the proposal.”
“We will still have a say in the realm’s policies,” Theon interjected. “That is important to all three of us.”
“So you are, what? Simply Keepers of the Realm?” the Falein Heir asked.
“Yes,” Tessa said at the same time Theon said, “No.”
She turned to him, eyes wide with incredulity. “What?”
“You are not simply a Keeper of the Realm, Tessa,” he said. “You bled and sacrificed for a world that only tried to break you. You fought for a realm that only wanted to use you. You’re still here, fighting for all of us in a forgotten world. You could leave. You have that power. You could leave, Tessa, and you arechoosing to stay.” He shook his head, her wide eyes fixed on him as he stood and took her hand, dropping to a knee before her. “You are the reason this realm still exists. So no, Tessalyn Ausra. You are not simply a Keeper of the Realm. You are a High Goddess of Chaos, because in Devram? Chaos reigns.”
“Theon, stop,” she hissed. “This isn’t?—”
But she stopped speaking as chairs scrapped. As people in the crowd stood. As everyone in the room dropped to a knee before the one who could have left them to answer for their depravity, and instead chose to become a villain with the rest of them.
“You need to see something.”
“Fucking Arius,” Theon barked as he came face-to-face with Axel when he opened the bathroom door, fresh from a shower. “Boundaries, fucker,” he muttered, shoving past him.
“Get dressed,” Axel said. “I need to show you something. Luka is already there.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, grabbing some lightweight pants.
Twenty-two days.
It had been twenty-two days of sitting for hours in that auditorium debating new policies and restructuring. Integrating the Underground population into the kingdoms. Dismantling the Fae Estates. Debating where new communities could be set up. Wages for the Fae and giving them the freedom to decide where they resided.
And Sources.
Gods, that had been three entire days in and of itself. Tessa refused to back down on Sources and demanded no more Selections be held. Instead, every five years, Tribunals just like they’d sat through would be held to make changes, elect new Council members, and more. But Sources? Any Legacy could now have one, but only if a Fae was willing. A new registry was being put together at Lilura Inquest where Fae could voluntarily offer to become a Source. Pairings would go through several counseling sessions to ensure it was mutually beneficial, and then it would be one Source Mark.
The true Source Mark.
But after twenty-two days of mentally exhausting debates, he’d been looking forward to falling into bed with Tessa and Luka and not having to be up before the sun tomorrow.
They’d gone back to Arius House and were planning to stay for a few days as a sort of holiday until they would return to the Acropolis. The Pantheon wasn’t being rebuilt, but there was a home that was going to be built there.
