Page 23 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Genesis bond.
He slowly slid his gaze to Razik. “Youknew. Did you tell him?”
“It was a term we’d come across. We were still researching, but we suspected,” his brother answered in the same apathetic tone he always spoke in.
“You son of a bitch,” Luka seethed.
“We cannot interfere,” Razik retorted.
“The Fates cannot Travel among the worlds?” Tessa asked suddenly, looking back at Serafina.
“When the World Walkers lost at that point of the Everlasting War, we did not want their power lost to the ether,”Serafina replied. She lifted her arm once more, the snake sliding back up. “The power was taken from the most powerful and contained, but it also created gateways for us to move among the realms.”
“Like this one,” Tessa clarified.
“Yes.”
“And these mirror gates are the only way the Fates could come here? That anyone else could come here?”
Serafina hesitated, her eyes narrowing on Tessa once more, before she answered carefully, “There are always work-arounds. It is a matter of if one is willing to pay the cost. The gateways are simply the easiest and fastest.”
“And the Fates will come for me?” she pressed. “Because I am an imbalance.”
“I cannot say the intentions of the Fates or their prophecies. I deal in dreams and desires.”
“And I deal in Chaos,” Tessa said, and that fucking eerie ring in her voice had Luka snapping to attention. “Do you regret your choice?”
The goddess had taken a step back too, as if Tessa could somehow affect her from this side of the mirror. It probably had something to do with the light and dark curling around Tessa and rolling off her like a fine mist. Or maybe it was the sparks of gold and silver that flickered among it. It could have been the energy, streaks of lightning flashing through it all. But it was probably the storms brewing in her palms. Rotating vortexes. One of brightest white and the other of darkest black. A push and pull between the two that Luka could feel in the air.
Serafina swallowed thickly, as though she knew her answer was going to set something into motion. But her voice was power and strength when she said, “No. I would choose Arius a thousand times over.”
Before anyone could blink, let alone move, Tessa lurched forward. Her palms landed on the glass, cracks and fissures immediately spider-webbing out from her fingertips.
“Tessalyn, no!” Serafina gasped, the white snake lifting its head in interest as the goddess stumbled forward. “You do not understand the cost of this! I don’t— I don’t know how this will alter things!”
Tessa’s head tipped to the side as magic poured from her hands, the cracks deepening and spreading farther. The mirror was starting to swirl violently, the same magic Tessa was spilling across it sparking and bouncing around the chamber.
“Neither do I,” Tessa replied. “I never know what’s going to happen. I suppose, for once, we’ll all be on the same playing field then, hmm?”
She lifted her palms, her feet coming off the floor as her power swelled all around her, and her hands slammed back onto the glass again. The goddess opened her mouth, but they’d never know what she was going to say because she disappeared as the pieces of glass started to fall to the ground.
“No!” Razik bellowed, lunging for her, but Luka was there first. Not to stop her, but to shove his brother back. His wings ripped free, shredding his shirt, and Razik snarled in response.
“Do not touch her,” Luka warned.
Razik’s eyes had long since shifted, vertical pupils filled with fury. His body trembled, telling Luka his brother was fighting the shift just like he was.
“That is our only way home,” Razik growled. “If you think I’m going to let her destroy it and strand us here forever, you?—”
But he didn’t get to finish that statement. Not as the floor beneath them shook, making them both stumble. Not as small pieces of rock and debris rained down on them. Razik turned, an arm snapping out to haul Eliza into his side, and Luka spun,finding Tessa with power still rolling off her. It spread, snaking across the floor. Up the walls. Through the ceiling.
“Tessa, what are you doing?” Luka cried, but he was certain she couldn’t hear him. She was too deep. How the fuck was he supposed to pull her back fromthis?
“We need to get out of here!” Tristyn yelled. “She is bringing this chamber to ruin!”
“Make her stop,” Razik snarled again. “That is our only way home!”
“It’s already done,” Tessa said in that eerie ring that had them all spinning back to her.
