Page 9 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
He sighed, crossing his arms. “I’ve tried multiple times to explain myself. You refuse to listen.”
“Because I don’t care. All I care about is getting back to my actual father. The one who raised me as his own. If that is the plan here, to leave, then let’s get the fuck on with it,” Razik retorted.
Tessa watched Xan debate what to say, and she found herself wondering if she’d let her own parents explain their actions. Or would she simply not care like Razik didn’t care? It wouldn’t change anything, and she didn’t owe them her forgiveness for choosing to abandon her in a realm where she’d been forgotten. She didn’t think that was how love worked.
And yet that was what everyone who claimed to love her seemed to do.
Leave her.
Abandon her.
All in the name of trying to protect her and keep her safe.
If she loved someone, she’d fight for them. Do whatever it took to stay with them, even if it meant every day was spent in danger. If she loved someone, they’d fucking know it because she’d destroy a world for them to keep them safe. Not fucking abandon them. Not walk away from them. Not leave them behind.
“Tessa.”
Her name was a sharp command that broke through her thoughts, her gaze sliding to Luka, who still sat in that godsdamn chair as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
His eyes dipped down her body as he said, “Control it.”
She looked down, her palms glowing with embers crackling at her fingertips. But instead of reining it in, she let it grow. Let it loosely wind around her legs, her waist. Let it call to the rest of the power in the room, and she watched as every single person who stood before her stiffened. Knew they were keeping their own straining magic from reaching for her. Knew her power was calling to theirs.
Knew it was affecting Luka the most.
And even when she felt a calmness brush against her, Tristyn or Cienna trying to use their Pax gifts to pacify her, she remained impassive. Turning back to the window, she picked up her coffee and stared at the Pantheon. The Tribunal building. The Acropolis. The center of a poisoned realm. Only then did she let her power wane except for the bands of light at her wrists.
“Has she expended any of that power since she was brought here?” Xan asked, everyone collectively releasing a breath of relief.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Luka answered.
“And you think that is a good idea?”
“I think she’s stubborn and is trying to prove a point, and per usual, it’s going to bite her in the ass,” Luka answered.
Tessa ignored him, setting her coffee aside and picking up an orange, starting to peel it.
“Can we get back to the topic at hand?” Razik cut it. “Because my answer remains the same. Scarlett will not allow that kind of power into Halaya, where we are still recovering from a war we nearly lost. Not when Tessa will continue to be hunted throughout the realms.”
“So then we are left with summoning Scarlett to the mirror?” Tristyn cut in. “Unless you do have other ideas, Xan?”
“I have ideas on where we could go, but we will still need the World Walker High Queen to allow passage,” he answered.
“Then it’s settled. We go to the Pantheon, summon Scarlett to the mirror, and go from there,” Tristyn said.
“When do we go?” Eliza asked.
“Honestly, we’re lucky Tessa hasn’t been tracked here yet. The enchantment that prevents her from Traveling is still active. She’s been too… We haven’t had time to work on removing it,” Tristyn finished.
“We’ve been sitting around doing nothing for days,” Razik cut in.
“We should go sooner rather than later. We’re all prepared anyway. We have been in case we needed to escape,” Tristyn said.
“Then we go tonight. Under the cover of darkness. It’s our best chance,” Luka said, and from the reflection in the window, Tessa watched him rise from the chair.
“Agreed,” Razik said.
“Cienna?” Tristyn asked, and Tessa tilted her head to the side.
