Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

26. Theon

26

THEON

H e shifted in his seat, finding the chair far more comfortable than he’d anticipated. Although he should have expected such a thing. The rulers of the realm wouldn’t have settled for anything less. Of course the seats on the dais at the Tribunal building were luxurious, while the benches everyone else sat on were hard and uncomfortable.

The side door opened, and the Achaz Lord and the Serafina Lady appeared with their Sources. They each moved to their seats, the other Ladies already here and settled. Rordan sat back, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands across his chest as his gaze fell on Theon.

“Heir St. Orcas. How kind of you to grace us with your presence,” Rordan said tightly. He held Theon’s stare, clearly waiting for something. An apology? An explanation?

He’d get neither.

His father might be a fucking bastard, but he’d made sure Theon was more than prepared to hold his own among these people.

Sitting back in his own chair, his legs sprawled wide in a casual fuck-you as he leaned an elbow on the armrest. “I had no choice in the matter,” Theon said calmly. “Apparently while I’ve been busy tending to the power transition in my kingdom, you have let the Sirana Villas become a graveyard.”

Rordan went eerily still. “Are you suggesting I had something to do with that?”

“Of course not,” Theon said. “But the Villas are in your kingdom. They are your responsibility to keep safe just as the other kingdoms keep the Estates safe, and we keep the Underground confined and controlled. The Villas are your territory.”

The room fell silent.

There was no audience today. The benches were empty. No heirs or nobles. Only the rulers and their Sources. Theon didn’t even have an advisor with him. He would have brought Axel, if only for appearance’s sake, but his brother had disappeared, leaving only a fucking note. When he’d learned of his leaving, Theon hadn’t said a word. He’d gotten in a vehicle, driven to the banks of the Wynfell River where everything always seemed to go wrong, and unleashed everything.

His wrath.

His frustration.

His desperation.

His sorrow.

His despair.

His darkness had coated the ground, seeping into everything. Surrounding vegetation withered as life seeped from its leaves and roots. The earth turned grey and desolate. His vision was nothing but black, obscuring everything from the stars and the sky, to the earth and the water.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, his power pouring out of him and the world dying around him. But when his vision finally cleared, the waters before him?

They were as dark and as black as the Night Waters in the eastern part of Arius Kingdom. The entirety of the Wynfell River was black, and he didn’t know what to make of that.

But now he sat here, alone in a room full of people who clearly didn’t want him in this seat, trying to figure out how and where he was going to fit into everything.

Tension filled the air after his last response to Rordan, the Lord’s stare boring into him as Theon held his own. Gold mist floated around the Lord, and Theon let wisps of darkness appear in answer.

When Rordan said nothing in response, Theon said, “At least tell me you have suspects? A lead? Some type of information as to what happened there?”

“You mean who happened there,” the Celeste Lady cut in with a sneer.

“Who?” Theon repeated.

“Yes, who,” she snapped. “Let’s not play coy. We all know it was your Source.”

“Who I’ve been told is no longer mine. She was taken from me,” Theon said, gesturing to the Achaz Lord.

“But she is still bonded to you as a Source, is she not?” the Falein Lady asked.

“Seeing as I do not have a new Source at my side, that is clearly the case.”

“Yet you bear a new Mark,” the Anala Lady said with a pointed glance to his right hand where Tessa had drawn the Achaz symbol.

He knew he should still be outraged by it, but it was a piece of her she could never have back. It might be the only piece of her she’d ever freely give him, so he didn’t despise the marking on his hand like he should, even if it was a rival kingdom’s symbol.

Theon shrugged, flexing his right hand. “We had a disagreement. She can be…unpredictable.”

“That girl is more than unpredictable. She is uncontrollable ,” the Celeste Lady said. “Despite promises being made that she would be kept under control.”

And that pointed statement was spoken directly to Rordan.

“I am handling it,” Rordan retorted.

“And how is that going?” Theon asked, steepling a finger along his temple now.

“That is no longer your concern,” the Achaz Lord sneered.

“I think it is all of our concern,” the Falein Lady interjected. “Was she responsible for the Villas, Rordan?”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?” the Anala Lady asked. “Please explain that.”

Rordan took a breath, visibly collecting himself before he straightened. Light crackled at the tips of his fingers as he gripped the ends of the armrests. “I went to visit Desiray for my usual monthly meeting. Tessa asked to accompany me as she had obviously never been to the Villas before. While hesitant, I agreed. If we want her to continue to be accommodating, she needs to be given some freedoms. I arranged for Larissa to give her a tour, but she…”

He paused, clearly searching for the right words, so Theon supplied them for him.

“But she had an agenda of her own?”

The gold rings in his eyes flared, and Rordan glared at Theon. “It was a miscalculation on my part.”

“Then you are accepting responsibility for what happened in the Sirana Villas?” Theon asked, taking a page from Luka’s book and sounding bored as fuck.

The room fell silent again, all eyes pinned on the Achaz Lord. “That is not what I am saying,” he ground out.

“Then the girl needs to be locked up until she can be controlled,” the Serafina Lady cut in, and that had Theon arching a brow in surprise. Achaz and Serafina were always a united front.

“And if she can’t be controlled, she needs to be eliminated,” the Celeste Lady added.

Theon couldn’t hide his huff of amusement.

“Nothing about this matter is funny,” the Celeste Lady snapped.

“Agreed,” Theon replied. “But both of those suggestions are pointless. She will not allow either thing to happen.”

“She cannot overpower a united front of the six kingdoms.”

“Do we know what she is truly capable of?” the Anala Lady asked, and her question wasn’t directed at Rordan but at Theon.

“If the Revelation Decree is to be taken as the omen it is, she will be the downfall of Devram,” the Celeste Lady answered instead. “We have been preparing for this for centuries, and instead of dealing with the threat, you have welcomed her into your home, Rordan.”

“Because having control over her makes him more powerful than the rest of us,” the Anala Lady said calmly.

“That is not the motivation here,” Rordan retorted. “Having her on our side is better for the realm as a whole. She cannot destroy the realm if she is working with us.”

“But she can destroy the Arius Kingdom, right?” Theon cut in. “Let’s not pretend that isn’t a motivation from the rest of you.”

“We do not wish for the Arius Kingdom to be destroyed,” the Serafina Lady scoffed. “That is absurd.”

Theon clicked his tongue. “There’s no need for pretenses here, Maya.”

Her silver irises flared at the informal address. “And you are not yet a Lord, Theon. Be grateful we are even letting you sit in on this meeting.”

“Grateful? When I arrived I was admonished for not being present more. Now you are telling me I should be grateful to even be here. Which is it?”

“That does need to be addressed,” the Anala Lady interjected. “When do we declare Theon the Arius Lord?”

“When there is proof Valter is dead,” the Serafina Lady snapped.

“How long do we wait for such proof before we take matters into our own hands?”

Theon had to hide his surprise. He hadn’t expected this to be discussed at this meeting. The Sirana Villas and Tessa, yes. His Lordship status? Not at all.

“Do you have any leads as to his whereabouts?” the Falein Lady inquired, her eyes on Theon.

“I have theories, but every attempt to prove them has failed, so I cannot confirm any of them,” Theon answered carefully.

“And what are these theories?”

“He either fled, believing as I do that the rest of you wish for the downfall of our kingdom, and is in hiding. He is being held captive somewhere.” His eyes slid to Rordan for the briefest of moments at that. “Or he is truly dead.”

How he wished that were true.

“Who would be holding him captive?” the Falein Lady asked.

“Let’s not pretend my father doesn’t have enemies,” Theon said flatly.

“And let’s not pretend his own offspring wouldn’t take an opportunity to steal his seat from under him,” the Serafina Lady interjected.

“So what if I would?” Theon asked with a shrug. “You are telling me you didn’t scheme and plot against your mother for that seat, Maya? We are immortal. If only death can relinquish a seat, tell me how your mother passed?” Her stare was pure malice as she glared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. “But if I had killed him, I would be presenting his corpse to you to avoid this very conversation,” he added.

“I think we can all agree that as long as he remains bonded to Tessalyn in a Source capacity, he cannot be instated as the Arius Lord,” the Falein Lady said, forever the voice of logic and reason.

But didn’t that just fuck him over? Because the only way to sever a Source bond was the death of one of the parties. He certainly wasn’t going to let Tessa be killed, nor was he planning on dying anytime soon.

“So Arius Kingdom will just continue to be treated as less than?” Theon argued, sitting forward. “ This is why I spend my time with my people instead of attending these ridiculous affairs.”

“Ridiculous affairs?” Rordan snarled. “This is why Arius Kingdom has been shunned for decades. Your entire bloodline is arrogant enough to believe you are above the laws and rules. That covenants and agreements are beneath you, even if they are for the wellbeing of the worlds as a whole. You are no better than the god you descend from.”

And at that, the entire room fell silent once more. Everyone was tense, power flickering in their eyes while it lingered at the fingertips of the Fae of the room. A part of Theon wondered if this was how these meetings always went. If it was, he could somewhat understand how his father had become such a hard and hateful male. You had to be ruthless to survive this and fight for your kingdom. The unified front presented to the realm was only a show. Behind the scenes, it was each kingdom grabbing as much power as they could. It had always been a fragile thing, and now it was cracking.

All because of Tessa.

Control the uncontrollable or to fury they all lose.

“I think we all need you to expound on that statement,” the Anala Lady finally said, toying with a flame in her palm.

“What is there to explain?” Rordan said, shifting in his seat as he gripped the armrests tighter.

“Your words make it sound as though you have a personal vendetta against Arius himself,” she answered calmly. “If that is the case, we can only assume said vendetta gives you underlying motives.”

“Why would I have a personal vendetta against Arius? That is not even a possibility. The gods cannot interfere here.”

“The gods cannot come here,” the Falein Lady corrected.

“If anyone is harboring a secret vendetta, I would look at the Anala Kingdom. They are the ones who do not let others enter and keep the fire Fae from everyone else,” he countered.

The Anala Lady arched a manicured brow, her red-gold hair shimmering like the flames she wielded. “Have you ever been denied a visit, Rordan?”

“No, but the requirements for such a visit are rather absurd.”

“I fiercely protect what is mine to care for,” she said matter-of-factly. “It is no fault of mine if you do not have such care for your own kingdom.”

“Choose your next words carefully, Kyra,” Rordan said in a low tone.

The fire in her palm expanded. “My words are always chosen with purpose, Rordan.”

“Let’s take a minute and focus on what we need to accomplish today,” the Falein Lady cut in. “What are we going to do about the Sirana Villas?”

“And the girl?” the Celeste Lady cut in.

“And what of the missing Fae?” the Serafina Lady added on. “Those assets must be recovered, Rordan.”

“Not to mention this is still a Selection year,” the Celeste Lady said.

“Enough!” Rordan barked. “We have handled crises before. We will do it again. First things first, we need to put our people at ease. They are already anxious with the sporadic attacks on Legacy, even if it was kept to the Arius line until now.”

Theon held his tongue at that comment, waiting to see where the Lord went with this.

“We hold the Sirana Gala as planned,” Rordan continued. “We invite more than the nobles, make it a grand affair. A remembrance and tribute to those who were lost, and reassure everyone we are taking these matters seriously and handling it.”

“I think we also use this as an opportunity to appoint a new noble to rule in Rosebell,” the Falein Lady added. “Do we have anyone in mind?”

“I have a few ideas,” Rordan said.

“As do I,” the Anala Lady said.

“I as well,” the Celeste Lady chimed in.

Rordan was visibly annoyed. “Fine. We submit names and meet a week before the gala to decide.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“As for the missing Fae,” Rordan continued. “The most valuable had Tracking Marks. The issue is that all the people who had the corresponding Marks to track them were also killed.”

“Every single one?” Theon couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes,” Rordan said tightly.

“You are telling me you didn’t have a single person outside of the Villas with this Mark in case something like this happened?”

A few seconds ticked by before the Achaz Lord gritted out, “Obviously not.”

“By the gods,” Theon muttered, swiping a hand over his mouth.

Granted, there were only three of them connected to Tessa’s Tracking Mark but that was because he didn’t trust anyone else. Out of six kingdoms, there wasn’t one person outside of the Villas to trust with this Mark? Although, when he thought about it, the issue was likely they couldn’t agree on who that one person should be, just like it would be hours of discussion to agree on a new leader of the Villas.

“Then how are we going to find them?” the Serafina Lady demanded.

“We can ask the priestesses to see if they can come up with something,” Rordan said.

“Or we ask the Shifters for aid,” the Anala Lady said.

“The Shifters? You cannot be serious,” the Serafina Lady scoffed.

“They are excellent trackers.”

“And there is a reason they are in the Underground.”

“They are also notoriously difficult to work with,” Rordan cut in.

“But if the interim leader of the kingdom that governs the Underground approached them, surely they would have to fall into line,” the Anala Lady said, still playing with the fire in her palm.

He felt all eyes land on him, and he sighed. “Kylian and Giselle are indeed hard to work with.”

“Are you saying you do not have control over a section of your kingdom?” Rordan asked with a smirk.

Theon shrugged. “They’re all still breathing, which is more than you can say for a section of yours.”

A streak of light erupted from the Lord’s palm, spearing for Theon, who managed to get a shield of darkness in place a second before the powers connected. It was still enough to make his chair slide backwards several feet though.

“What the fuck?” Theon demanded, already on his feet. His power pooled, snapping and straining for vengeance. Rordan was on his feet too, ire lining every part of his features.

And then a wall of fire erupted between them.

When it receded, the Anala Lady still held a large ball of flame in her hand. “If either of you throw one more attack, you will be feeling my flames instead of just looking at them.”

Tension blanketed the room, the Sources having all stepped in front of their Masters, ready to protect and defend them. Although, the Anala Lady’s Source stood at her side rather than in front of her.

“Things always get so heated in these meetings,” the Falein Lady sighed. “And always between your two kingdoms.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Theon ground out.

“Exactly,” Rordan spat, taking his seat once more as he straightened his suit. “You are too young and inexperienced. Too inexperienced to be running your mouth about things you know nothing of.”

“Isn’t it my job to know these things now?”

“Not until you are officially declared the Arius Lord.”

With another dramatic sigh, the Falein Lady said, “The missing Fae must be found. There is no reason not to have both the priestesses and the Shifters aiding us. Offer the Shifters an incentive to find them first if you must.”

Right.

An incentive to the Shifters.

Theon already knew what their price would be. He was already sporting the Bargain Mark for it, despite having found Axel.

“Weekly updates from each of you on this matter would be appreciated,” the Anala Lady added.

“Fine,” Rordan agreed begrudgingly. “Anything else?”

A huff of disbelief came from the Celeste Lady. “Yes. What are we going to do about Tessalyn? And do not say you have her handled because you clearly do not. She was under more control when she was with Theon than she has been with you.”

Theon couldn’t help the dark smile that curled on his lips at that, and he settled back in his chair to watch how this played out.

“You want me to give her back to the Arius Kingdom?” Rordan demanded.

“At least Legacy weren’t dying when she was with him,” the Anala Lady said casually.

“I will get her under control.”

Theon swallowed his chuckle. He’d said those same words once. More than once actually. He could tell the Achaz Lord exactly how that was going to go, but he kept quiet. This was something it seemed everyone needed to learn for themselves.

“Perhaps it is because she is separated from Theon?” the Anala Lady mused, her chin resting in her hand now. “We all know how the bond reacts when we are separated from our Sources for too long.”

“You want me to, what? Give him visitation with her?” Rordan mocked.

“You could ask her if that is something she would like,” Kyra replied with a small shrug.

“You are trying my last nerve this day, Kyra,” he ground out.

“And you are failing in your promises, Rordan. You said you would control the girl. Keep her grounded. That she would be an asset to Devram. Instead, she has destroyed one of our greatest resources, not to mention centuries of research and knowledge,” she retorted. “And yet you still expect us to believe you can control her? All the evidence suggests otherwise. In fact, all the evidence suggests she should be with Theon.”

“She has Achaz power,” Rordan spat, his magic appearing yet again. “She does not belong with Arius.”

“I am willing, if the others agree, to give you one final chance with the girl,” the Falein Lady interjected. “But one wrong move. One more death. One more issue, and she gets locked away until her fate can be agreed to.”

It took a full minute before there was a murmured agreement from everyone else. Even Theon agreed with them. It wasn’t as if they could turn her back over to him. She was the one to decide if and when she let him be in her presence.

Which was going to make this Sirana Gala an issue.

He’d have to speak to Luka and have him talk to her.

And he fucking hated that this was where they were at.

“Now is there anything else?” Rordan ground out.

When no one voiced any concerns, the Achaz Lord was the first to leave, his Source following him out of the room. The Ladies all lingered, and so did Theon because he needed to speak with the Anala Lady.

He hung back, waiting until she separated from the others before he approached her. “Kyra, can I have a word?”

She turned to him, her amber eyes bright as she looked him up and down. “I am running late for another engagement,” she answered. “But you can make an appointment.”

“It is about the Anala Estate,” he said, falling into step beside her as she left the Tribunal room.

Her brow arched in a silent command for him to go on.

“A Fae we claimed was originally from there. And another, the fire Fae, was not…” He trailed off when fire flickered in her gaze at the words. She was clearly still upset by that.

“And your question?” she asked coldly.

“I would like to visit. Not just the Estate. The kingdom itself,” he said, feeling awkward as fuck for some reason. She was intimidating.

“My office can make arrangements for that.”

“Yes, but that takes weeks, if not months,” he argued. “I was hoping as a soon-to-be fellow ruler in the realm, we could expedite the process and skip all the formalities.”

They were outside the Tribunal building now, her Source beside her.

“Tell you what, Theon St. Orcas. Gain the trust of one who knows the secrets of the winds, and he can tell you how to enter my kingdom without the formalities.”

“What does that mean?” Theon asked, a fire portal appearing behind Kyra.

“The Shifter Prince knows,” she answered.

Then she was gone.