Chapter 3
TESSA
“You need shoes, Tessa,” Luka said from the main foyer of the penthouse.
She looked down at her bare toes, brow furrowing.
“It’s been snowing for days, and I know it’s stopped, but now the sidewalks and roads are icy,” Luka continued, dropping a pair of boots on the floor in front of her. “More than that, we have no idea what we’re going to step into when we go through the mirror gate.”
She wasn’t really worried about that.
He pressed socks into her hands, and she looked up at him, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“You can’t wear flip-flops,” he chided, crossing his arms, and she rolled her eyes as she plopped down on the floor and slid the socks onto her feet.
Then she pulled on the black boots, working the buckles and laces.
The things came nearly to her knees. She would have preferred a dress, but she was in fitted black pants and a form-fitting top.
Clothing very similar to Razik and Eliza, who were clad in what she assumed they had arrived in this realm in.
A hand appeared in her line of vision, and she slipped her fingers into Luka’s palm, letting him pull her back to her feet.
Then he dropped a stocking hat on her head, and she scowled at him.
He ignored her, reaching to take a cloak that Tristyn was passing out.
All of them would wear the cloaks the Keepers wore.
An extra layer of disguise everyone was hoping they wouldn’t need.
She hadn’t come back downstairs until everyone was ready to leave.
Luka had said they were discussing something important and had tried to convince her to come listen to it all, but the truth was, she didn’t care.
Nothing anyone said was going to change anything, and any information they had could be told to her after this night.
“Everyone have everything?” Tristyn asked, and Tessa watched him slowly take in the space around him. A place he’d lived in for centuries.
Razik reached to take a pack from Eliza, shouldering it with his own. Cienna and Gia had bags she assumed held potion ingredients and books. Tristyn had two bags stuffed full, and Luka had a backpack along with a duffel bag.
She had nothing.
The bow Auryon had left her was back at Luka’s cave. Her phone was in Faven. The book Rordan had given her was hidden. She had nothing, just like she’d gone to the Arius Kingdom with.
She had nothing, but all that was about to change.
Luka reached over, pulling the hood of the cloak up and tucking her hair in. Taking care of her like Theon had instructed. His new assignment.
With another last look around, Tristyn pressed the button for the elevator that opened directly into his main foyer.
They all stepped in, the ride to the first floor quiet, and they stayed that way as they stepped out onto the street, taking a side door that emptied into an alley.
The door behind them hadn’t even closed completely when two large shapes stalked from the shadows, glowing orange eyes locked on her.
Tessa smiled as Roan came to her side, rubbing against her legs.
Her fingers sank into his silver fur while Nylah prowled a few feet in front of her, dark as the night.
There would be little doubt who they were if they were spotted, but few would dare to do anything.
She was powerful. Her wolves were dangerous. Her company was violent.
It was the start of everything that was to come.
Tristyn took the lead along with Xan, Nylah with them. Luka stayed on her other side. Behind them were Eliza and Razik, and Tessa idly wondered how they kept their footsteps so light. Cienna and Gia took up the rear.
The world was still around them, as if the entire realm was holding its breath, and Tessa inhaled deeply. Fresh cold air filled her lungs, and she wished her bare feet were leaving prints in the snow rather than her boots.
Sticking to the dark streets and staying in the shadows, they made their way to the Pantheon. The trek took three times as long as it should have, but they couldn’t exactly pull up in a car at the front doors.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Luka pull his phone from his pocket multiple times. For the most part, he appeared to simply be checking the screen. A few times, his thumb moved as if typing a message.
It was over two hours before Tristyn was leading them through the hidden door and down passages in the Pantheon.
Roan dropped behind her, the passage too narrow for him to stay at her side, and she heard Luka cursing at the wolf for separating him so far from her.
Soon enough, they were all spilling into the chamber, everyone pulling back their hoods and breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Or everyone else was.
Tessa kept her hood up, coming to a stop just inside the chamber. Her eyes swept over the room, vividly remembering every breath and step, every word spoken and tear that had fallen.
A kiss, soft and tender and full of sorrow.
Tessalyn Ausra, I would sacrifice all the realms and all the stars for you. You are perfectly wild. Perfectly untamed. You were not made to be caged, nor were you made to be a sacrifice for a realm that does not deserve such a gift. You were made to live in the light. Go live, little storm.
Thumbs swiping at her cheeks.
And fury.
So much fury as he had walked away from her.
“Stay with us, Tessa,” came a low murmur, and she blinked, finding Xan standing in front of her. He had a knowing look on his face, sapphire eyes searching hers. “Let him help you. The deeper you sink, the harder it will be to pull you back.”
Her lips pulled up at the corners. “Maybe I want to drown.”
If he was surprised she’d spoken, he didn’t show it, and he didn’t balk at her words either.
“I know that’s easier,” he said with a nod. “It’s easier to give in, but in the end? That’s all it will be. An end.”
Then he moved away as Luka approached, eyeing his retreating father suspiciously.
“Are you all right?” he asked, still watching his father.
When she didn’t reply, he finally turned to face her fully.
“Before we go, Tristyn and Cienna need to remove the enchantment that was put on you when he freed you from the cells. We don’t know where we’re going to end up, and we need to be able to Travel in case we find ourselves somewhere unfavorable. ”
She nodded because it would be nice to have the enchantment removed.
It made her feel caged not being able to portal anywhere, and she didn’t like feeling trapped.
More than that, they could have all simply Traveled here rather than walking these last few hours.
Roan nudged her hand, his nose wet and cold where he sat beside her.
Nylah was pacing the perimeter of the chamber.
“It is easier to remove here,” Tristyn said, coming to Luka’s side. “Especially down here, where magic is stronger and more prevalent.”
“Why?” she asked.
Tristyn blinked, unable to conceal his surprise like Xan had, but a pleased expression quickly replaced it.
“Because the Pantheon is located at the center of the continent. It is already a more powerful location because of its position as a nexus. Beyond that, this chamber is the center of the Pantheon, making it more powerful still. That is why the cells you were in could contain you. There is more magic here.”
“You mean more Chaos,” she supplied, her fingers winding into Roan’s fur once more.
Tristyn nodded slowly and almost seemed to hesitate before he said, “Yes, and because of that, I do not know how you will be affected. It will be easier for us to remove the enchantment, but I fear it will be harder on you.”
“What does that mean?” Luka demanded, edging closer so he was partially blocking her from view.
She almost scoffed. She didn’t need physical protection. Only protection from those who tried to take from her. Control her with pretty words. Use her.
“She is already…immersed in her power,” Tristyn said. “Undoing this enchantment will require us to draw on the magic here, and her magic is drawn to…”
“Itself,” Tessa supplied, slipping past Luka and venturing deeper into the chamber. She kept her back turned to the passage she’d watched him walk down, leaving her behind. Instead, she focused on the mirror, where Eliza and Razik were speaking in a low tone.
“Stand in the center,” Cienna said in her usual harsh tone, and Tessa moved to the middle of the room. She reached up, pushing back her hood and removing the stocking hat Luka had given her, tossing it to the side where everyone had placed their packs of belongings.
She could feel it. The power Tristyn had referred to.
It buzzed in the air, frenetic and enticing.
Or maybe that was her own power? It didn’t really matter.
They were one and the same. But the magic in her veins was seeking.
The thing in her soul was stretching. She could feel it all.
Everyone’s power. The dragons and the fire.
The calming that Tristyn was pushing on her.
The magic of the realm and the stars beyond.
The power of that mirror.
Cienna was circling her, drawing Marks on the ground as she went. Tristyn was standing before her, concern etched deep into his features.
“Luka will be here, wild fury,” Tristyn said, trying to muster his cocky smile. He truly was worried about this. How interesting. “As soon as we’re done, he’ll be here to pull you back.”
Her head canted to the side. “Back from where?”
“The madness,” Xan supplied. “Temural would often have to do so for your mother.”
Tessa blinked. For the first time in two weeks, she actually wanted more information. Despite her parents abandoning her, she was still curious. She didn’t know how she’d react if she ever met them. Would she be cold and distant like Razik? Or would she be tentative and open like Luka?
Probably more like Razik. He’d been intentionally abandoned; Luka had been a victim of this realm.