Page 67 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Streaks of her power were left in their wake, curling around the wood before seeming to sink into it. It warmed beneath her touch, and more power rushed from her so suddenly, it took her a moment to wrestle it back into submission.
Tessa’s head snapped up, her gaze locking onto Eliza’s grey stare where the female was watching her cautiously. “The stars and the realms are obsessed with the balance, but there’s no such thing. We are all wasting our time. How do we find something that doesn’t exist?”
Eliza seemed to weigh her words before she finally said, “Maybe balance isn’t something to be found or fixed or rectified. Maybe balance is something to be created. Maybeweget to decide what that balance looks like.”
“For the realm? We decide that for everyone? For the spaces in the voids and the stars that cease to shine? For the kings and the forgotten? For the magic wielders and the mortals?”
Each word was more panicked, coming faster and faster.
“That can’t be right,” Tessa went on, her heart beating too fast. An agitated growl rumbled from Roan where he sat a few feet away, his glowing eyes glimmering brighter with the flames.
“It’s not up to one person to decide what balance is for the realms, Tessa,” Eliza said. “But you do get to decide what balance is foryou. Just because the world is trying to tell youwhat it should look like doesn’t make it true. What is balance for me may not be balance for you.”
“But you gave in to your balance,” Tessa argued. “You accepted a bond you didn’t want.”
“It was something we both grew to want over time. It wasn’t instantaneous like I’ve witnessed with other twin flame bonds. It’s different, and we wouldn’t trade that because it’sours. We made it what it is, and your balance will look different from what everyone else thinks it should look like. Fuck what others think. It’s still a choice.Yourchoice. No matter what this realm has tried to convince you of otherwise. You get to decide what your balance is and who you choose to bring into that balance,” Eliza said with such fierceness it had Tessa blinking in surprise as her words rolled over in her mind.
“And the rest of the realms? What does balance ever really look like?” she mused. “Or do we just leave that up to the gods?”
“I don’t know that it should be left up to any single being,” Eliza said, stepping closer and turning Tessa to face the other way. “I think it is the responsibility of those with the most power to ensure those with the least are cared for and treated the same as those with plenty. It is no fault of a mortal that they were born with no magic in their veins in a realm with Fae or Shifters or others.”
“Or a Fae born in a realm ruled by Legacy,” Tessa murmured.
Eliza paused for a moment, her gaze flicking to Tessa once more before returning to assessing her form. “Yes,” the female agreed. “Or that.”
Tessa hummed as Eliza tapped the ground with her toe, showing her where to plant her feet. There was no more talk of balance or stars, kings or mortals. She didn’t want to think anymore, so she focused entirely on what Eliza was telling her.
“Stand straight, and don’t lean back,” she was saying as she adjusted Tessa’s fingers on the weapon. “Square your shoulders,keep them directly over your hips, and keep your feet shoulder-width apart.” Tessa adjusted slightly before Eliza said, “Good. Now, lift the bow in front of you. Your arm holding it should be mostly straight. Only a slight bend in the elbow. No, that’s too much bend,” she said when Tessa shifted.
The female stepped forward, straightening her arm more.
“Like this,” she said. “You want the bones in your arm to hold the weight when you draw the string back, not your muscles.” She tapped her other arm. “We call this one your draw arm. Keep it high when you draw back. A little higher,” she said when Tessa pulled back on the string. “At least as high as your nose. When we add the arrow, you want the crease of the elbow on the same level as the arrow or above the line of the arrow at full draw.”
Tessa nodded, trying to absorb all the information as Eliza handed her the arrow, showing her how to nock it. She got back into position, a thrill zipping through her at learning this. She didn’t know why. She’d never had any desire to shoot a bow, but something about Auryon telling her it was her birthright… It made her feel connected tosomething, even if she had no idea who or what that was.
“Pull back on the string,” Eliza instructed. “The string should touch the tip of your nose without leaning your head forward or backwards. Stay standing straight and relax.”
“I can’t relax after everything you just told me,” Tessa snapped, irritated when Eliza stepped behind her and tugged on her shoulders, proving she was leaning forward.
The female ignored the retort. “Take a breath and focus on your target. When you’re ready, release the string.”
Tessa inhaled deeply, trying to force her body to relax. It was pointless. She hadn’t felt relaxed in weeks. Her muscles were always tense; her body strung too tight. But she tried anyway, inhaling once more before she released the string, mainly because it was becoming too difficult to maintain the draw.
She heard the arrow whistle through the air as it was released.
And then it hit to the far right. It didn’t even touch the flaming target.
“Good,” Eliza said, already handing her another arrow.
“Good?” Tessa repeated. “I didn’t even hit anything.”
“I would have been thoroughly impressed if you did.”
“You expected me to miss.”
Eliza gave her an incredulous look. “It was your first time shooting a bow. Of course I expected you to miss. To be honest, I’m surprised the arrow even went as far as it did.”
“You could have warned me.”
