Page 292 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
They dug into their meals, small talk taking place among them, and it was about halfway through when Tessa turned to the Anala Lady and said, “May I ask you a question?”
Kyra smiled, setting down her silverware and wiping her fingers. “Of course, my Lady.”
All the chatter had died down, and Tessa picked up her wineglass. “Why is it that all the fire Fae stay in the Anala Kingdom?” She glanced at Kat. “Or most of them.”
Kyra hummed. “Yes, there are very few exceptions. She was one of them, although not by my choice. I did not learn of it until you were already gone from our borders, Katya.”
“I didn’t mind the Falein Estate,” she said. Then she added, “For the most part.”
Didn’t mind, my ass, Axel thought to himself, and he must have made some kind of sound because Kat reached over and rested her hand on his thigh, squeezing softly. He was fairly certain if she’d been raised here, she wouldn’t have been forced toserviceany scholars.
Kyra cleared her throat, gaze darting away from Axel. “There have been Accords since Devram was created that the fire Fae would serve Anala Kingdom. Anala herself demanded it before agreeing to bring her Legacy here.”
“But why?” Tessa pushed. “None of the others made such demands. Silas. Sefarina. Anahita.”
“None of them were a First,” Kyra said. “They were not in a position to make such demands.”
“Not in a position? They are gods.”
“Yes, but they are Lessers. Everything in Devram mirrors other worlds in one way or another.”
“Like the Source Marks?” Tessa asked with far too much sweetness. Theon and Luka took note too, both of them stiffening at her tone.
Kyra looked more and more uncomfortable as this conversation went on, and Axel was rather impressed. For someone who didn’t want to be the most powerful in the room, Tessa was handling it with far more grace than any of them would have.
“Yes,” Kyra agreed. “Like the Source Marks.”
“That mirror something else.”
Kyra shifted in her chair. “I won’t deny that there is corruption in the realm, Lady Tessa.”
“Do you deny your participation in it? Do you deny going along with it to maintain your seat of power? Of forcing the Fae Anala felt the need to protect to still serve at your feet?” Tessa pressed, lightning flickering in her eyes. Her gaze flicked to Kyra’s Source, then to Gatlan. “Forcing Fae to endure such Marks?”
“We do not treat them beneath us here,” Kyra tried, lifting her chin.
“It doesn’t matter if you do so outside your own borders. You simply prioritize those you deem more valuable,” Tessa spat bitterly.
“Tessa,” Theon murmured, reaching to take her hand.
“No, Theon,” Kyra said, holding up her hand. “If we are to be allies, we need to be able to speak freely.”
“You know of twin flames?” Tessa asked, tapping her wineglass with her nail. “You know they’re incorporated into the Source Marks?”
Kyra cleared her throat. “Yes, I did know. That was happening long before I acquired my seat.”
“And you didn’t think to do anything about it?”
“We have all made mistakes. We all have regrets. I think you’ve learned that well over these last months,” Kyra replied. Tessa’s eyes narrowed, but she went on. “Changing how things have been done for centuries is not an easy task, my Lady, especially when the majority of those in power do not want change. When they are vehemently against it. Instead, it must be accomplished by making smaller changes. Letting them build into something bigger. Over and over again, even when it doesn’t feel like a difference is being made in the end.
“It is making a difference when no one will likely know but the person who receives the gift. It is keeping as many as you can safe and mourning those you lose. It is welcoming those who manage to escape and giving them refuge. It is watching and observing those who show the slightest bit of sympathy because maybe, just maybe, they will end up joining the cause. It is working endlessly for something you may never see come to fruition in your lifetime.”
Her voice cracked as she continued. “It is hoping, when all feels lost, that a young heir who Selected someone who could be this world’s salvation or destruction will let her be who she was always meant to be. It is hoping she will choose this world too, despite how it broke her and used her and does not deserve her. It is hoping, even when it seems pointless, because hope sees the invisible. What is possible. What hides in the dark, hope drags to the light. Hope is never truly lost as long as one person still dares to dream of something better.”
Axel was staring at the Anala Lady. Everyone was. The room had gone silent and still. Something reverent hung in the air.
“I once thought hope was pointless,” Tessa said softly.
“What changed your mind?” Kyra asked.
