Page 46 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“I assure you, you do not,” he said gently, almost sadly.
She fell quiet once more, passing over the lull-leaf to let him take the final drag. He put it out, setting the butt aside before clearing his throat once more.
“You know there have been many Keepers over Devram’s life. Some have gone to the After, some have vacated the role but still live, and some have deviated from their purpose. But the fact remains that a Keeper greets everyone who enters the realm through a mirror gate.”
“Wait,” she interrupted yet again, pushing onto her elbow to look down at him. “There is more than one?”
He nodded slowly. “You destroyed the main one, but each kingdom houses a mirror gate, Tessa. They keep them hidden and guarded. It was meant to keep power balanced, but like all things in Devram, the purpose has become twisted.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, lowering down once more.
“That’s all you have to say to that?”
“This is a dreadful story,” she replied, again toying with her power. “And I am beginning to believe you are stalling, Keeper of Lies.”
It was Tristyn’s turn to sigh, and she knew she was right when he cleared his throat again. He was nervous about whatever he was going to reveal.
“Cienna and I were met by Keepers, just like Xan was when he arrived with you in arms, his son and wife at his side.”
“His wife,” Tessa murmured. “Where is she now?”
“That is a question for Xan. A story for him to tell,” he answered, and she tsked under her breath.
“The problem with that is that everyone keeps their stories a secret until they are forced to reveal them?—”
“I was the one who met them,” Tristyn interrupted.
The power in her palm expanded at the words. Light and dark spiraling upwards and out, seeking to sink its claws in and take as her fury grew once again.
“Youmet them when they arrived here,” she said, too calm. Each word too even. “And you are just now telling me this? If you knew who I was, how the fuck did I end up at the Celeste Estate? If you knew who I was, how was I so godsdamn lost for years? You were waiting for me? For what? To watch me waste away in neglect and abandonment? Why didn’t you fucking do something?”
She had no idea when she’d gotten to her feet, but she was standing over him as he scrambled to his own. A sage glow eclipsed his russet-colored eyes, and he reached for her before wisely shoving his hand through his hair instead.
“I couldn’t do anything. Youwerelost, Tessa,” he insisted. Pain and regret lined his features, but she couldn’t trust it. She couldn’t trust anyone in this godsdamned realm. “Xan handed you to me when they arrived. You were my purpose here, but when the mirror gate let them in, others took the opportunity to come here too. They’d been waiting, just as I was.”
“Who?” Tessa snapped. “Who else came here?”
“Seraphs sent by Achaz.”
“You mean Dex. And Brecken. And Oralia,” she seethed.
“There were others.”
“And again I ask, why are you just now telling me this? When you have known this entire time?”
“Because I haven’t known this entire time,” he answered, a bite of irritation creeping into his tone now too. “I know you have every reason and right to jump to the worst conclusions, Tessa, but let me explain. Then you can decide how long to continue hating me.”
She glared at him but bit her tongue on her sharp retort, instead crossing her arms and jerking her chin at him to continue.
“I wasn’t the only one waiting for you,” he said, moving for his jacket to retrieve another roll of lull-leaf. “Like I said, your arrival here had been prophesied for centuries. Some say since the world was created. At one time, the kingdoms had all worked together, before the current rulers took their thrones. But relations between the Achaz and Arius Kingdoms had started to erode well before Rordan and Valter, even if they worked together for some time. Valter was trying to regain their place in Devram, and Rordan professed he was vying for peace amongthe kingdoms. But Rordan left The Augury, abandoning Valter, as you know. What we didn’t know was that Rordan hadn’t been working for peace at all. He has eyes everywhere and working alongside Valter gave him access to information that the Arius Lord learned. You arrived, and they arrived, having made arrangements to enter through the Achaz Kingdom.”
“Then where was the Keeper to meet them?” Tessa interrupted.
His smile was all teeth when he answered, “Killed the moment they stepped through the mirror gate, despite having pledged loyalty to Rordan. He took no chances.”
Her breath stalled, but she didn’t react otherwise, waiting for him to keep going, because none of this answered how she had gotten lost among the realm.
“I met Xan at the mirror gate, and the plan was to take you to my place until Xan and Aiyana could acclimate to the world and culture. They were to be your legal guardians, and there were plans in place to integrate all of you into the Arius Kingdom. But we never made it out of the Pantheon,” Tristyn went on. “We had scarcely left the inner chambers when they appeared, charging down the stairs. Xan had already handed you off to me, shoving Luka to my side while he and Aiyana fought, but neither of them could shift inside the tight spaces. They killed several of the seraphs, but they had been a diversion. Rordan was waiting with four others, stronger than an average seraph, along with Elowyn.”
