Page 90 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

The Avonleyan Queen swept into the room, Cethin behind her.

“I really do like her,” Scarlett said after a moment.

“Of course you do,” Rayner muttered. “She has a penchant for stabbing first and asking questions later.”

“Nuri and Juliette would like her too,” she added, heading into the room.

Rayner and Sorin exchanged another look.

“She is not herself,” Rayner said in a hushed tone.

“I am aware,” Sorin answered.

“How did she react to hearing Cassius had left?”

“She didn’t,” Sorin muttered, stepping into the room and moving to sit by his wife.

Who had made a statement by taking the seat at the head of the table.

Something had been off since she’d woken, and Sorin couldn’t quite place it.

She’d been quiet while he’d filled her in, hardly commenting on the fact that Cyrus and Cassius had left.

That’s when he’d known something was wrong.

Perhaps not wrong per se, but she was lost in whatever she was working out.

She’d shared a little more with him, but that had left him with as many questions as she had.

“Have you heard anything from Razik?” Sorin asked the Avonleyan royals.

“Communication with Razik has been limited since he left for the continent,” Kailia answered, attention flitting to the window at the cry of an eagle. Altaria appeared a moment later, his beak clicking as he landed on the back of Cethin’s chair.

Scarlett’s head tilted, studying the eagle. “He is Temural’s, yes?”

“Yes,” Cethin said slowly, still studying her suspiciously.

Scarlett hummed, her fingers drumming on the table.

Before anyone could say anything more, the doors opened again, and Saylah strode in with Tybalt at her side. The Commander smiled warmly at them all before taking a seat next to Kailia.

Saylah did not sit, but stood opposite Scarlett at the other end of the council table. “Do you have my lock?”

Scarlett’s brow arched, her chin resting lazily in her palm. “ Your lock?”

“You know what I mean,” her mother answered.

Not breaking her stare, Scarlett said, “Rayner.”

The Ash Rider reached into an inner pocket on his cloak, ashes and smoke obscuring the orb he pulled free. He leaned over Sorin, stretching to hand it to Scarlett.

“Give it to me,” Saylah demanded.

Rayner ignored the goddess, placing it in Scarlett’s outstretched hand. The moment Scarlett touched it, Altaria gave a shrill cry that had all of them flinching.

“You defy a goddess?” Saylah asked, her voice as dark as the shadows drifting around her.

“He obeys his queen,” Scarlett replied in a tone that matched her mother’s.

“Scarlett,” Cethin said in a tense whisper.

“Who created it?” Scarlett asked, ignoring her brother’s warning.

The orb had instantly sprung to life the moment Rayner had ceased to touch it. The glyphs faded in and out, and Scarlett watched them as she waited for Saylah. The goddess remained silent for so long, Sorin wasn’t sure she was going to answer.

Scarlett’s eyes flicked to her. “Come now, Mother. I’ve come to deal in your currency of choice.”

Sorin didn’t know what that meant, but Saylah clearly did, judging by the way her eyes narrowed on Scarlett.

“Serafina created the lock,” Saylah answered tightly.

Scarlett stilled, sitting back in her chair. Sorin could feel her shock at that revelation. Out of all the possibilities they had discussed of who had created it, Serafina had not been on that list.

“What is it?” Scarlett asked.

“The power to unlock the mirror gate,” Saylah said.

“We are not trading half-truths,” Scarlett retorted sharply, her shadows breaking free of their constraints. “I have retrieved the lock. The payment for that service is answers to my questions.”

It was unnerving how still the goddess stood. Fae could go preternaturally still, but this was something else. This was as if the goddess controlled the stillness of the aura around her. It was another full minute before the goddess spoke again.

“You and Cethin are the product of two bloodlines. Arius and Anahita. Because the Arius blood is more powerful, those are the gifts you inherited. Gifts of Arius and Serafina, myself and Temu ral. Those bloodlines are all essentially one. Temural’s and my gifts are an extension of those of Arius and Serafina.

“Anahita is a Lesser god, but all the power of the gods comes from the Chaos. That is what makes us stronger than other magical bloodlines created. That is why we rule the realms. The more Chaos in one’s being, the stronger the god.

That is why the Firsts are the most powerful.

They came directly from the Chaos. They are Chaos.

Arius’s darkness is Chaos, just as Achaz’s light is Chaos.

Chaos is what is used to create new worlds.

Chaos is what is used to create new bloodlines. ”

“Are my shadows Chaos?” Scarlett asked.

“No, but Cethin’s darkness is. It is why he finds it wilder and harder to control,” she answered.

“What?” Cethin demanded, twisting to fully face his mother.

Saylah’s gaze slid to him, something shifting in her eyes. “You were born with some Chaos. All magical beings are. Because your father was Legacy, you also have some mortal blood. Mortal blood weakens the Chaos.”

“Then how does he possess it?” Scarlett asked, the lock still in one hand resting atop the table. “How would any Legacy maintain their power if mortal blood weakens Chaos?”

“Chaos is the undercurrent of all power. It is Chaos that determines how powerful one’s gifts are.” Saylah answered.

“Not Fate?” Scarlett drawled.

Saylah stared at her in a way that had Sorin shifting closer.

“Chaos and Fate are not the same, but they do create the balance.”

After a moment, Scarlett muttered, “I do not know if that is helpful or not.”

“But Cethin’s Chaos is more than he was born with because I gave him some of mine,” Saylah said, again having everyone go still with surprise. “He let beings in that should not have been. In order to save him, I needed to give him more.”

Scarlett turned to Cethin. “What is she talking about? The Hunters?”

Cethin shook his head, Kailia placing a hand on his. “I told you there were other beings who received my message about entering the Wards. Beings from beyond the realm.”

“So Cethin is what? A god? Because he has more Chaos than he should?” Scarlett asked, shifting her attention back to her mother.

“No. He does not have nearly enough Chaos for that. He has more Chaos, but only just enough to enhance his gifts. Just as the Chaos you carry is enough to enhance your gifts.”

Scarlett lurched back in her chair, and Sorin was snatching up the lock that nearly tumbled to the floor as more shock spiked down the bond.

Breathe, Love. In and out.

If we are right about the lock, Sorin, this means that—

I know, Scarlett. Let’s see what other answers she has.

“You asked why the gifts Sorin was given would not manifest as anything other than fire. Fae cannot possess more than one gift. The Fae Queens were different. They were enabled to carry more than one element by Taika,” Saylah explained.

“It is why you were born in the Witch Kingdoms. The High Witch is a descendant of Taika. She had the ability to transfer the Chaos from Eliné to you. In order to transfer gifts, Chaos must be given. It is the cost. To give you Eliné’s gifts, to have them intertwine with your soul and become part of you, it needed to be done when you took your first breath.

To give you the ability to not only carry your own gifts but also hers, you needed more Chaos.

Without it, the magic would have consumed you long before you were ready to wield it. ”

“You gave me some of your Chaos?” Scarlett asked in a hushed tone.

“Yes,” Saylah replied. “More than Cethin has. It weakened me greatly. It prevented me from returning to Avonleya as quickly as I would have liked. The mirror gate was left unguarded too long. Those you know as the Maraan Lords found their way in during that time.”

“If Chaos must be given to transfer gifts …?” Sorin started, trailing off when the weight of Saylah’s gaze settled on him.

“What you are thinking is correct. I had to give up more Chaos to transfer those gifts to you. It will not be as effective as it was for Scarlett. It is why you find it unnerving to wield such power at times, because it has not been a part of you from the beginning.”

The conflicting emotions he could feel coming from Scarlett mirrored his own. Saylah had sacrificed some of her power to give Scarlett what she had demanded. Had sacrificed it to keep her children safe. Had protected them in the only way she knew how.

“Is that how I am able to Travel?” Sorin asked.

“No. That gift would have simply transferred to you during the process. All Fae have a trace of Chaos. It is how they can carry their elements. The more Chaos in a Fae, the stronger their gifts. The gods created them that way to balance their Legacy but to never be more than them,” Saylah said.

“But Chaos is unpredictable. Some things are out of even the gods’ control, despite our best attempts. ”

“What does that mean?” Scarlett asked, watching her mother carefully.

“The Fae will never be equal to a god, but if the right bloodlines were united, they could be stronger than a Legacy. This is why some realms keep the Fae under close watch. It is why contention around crossing the bloodlines is strategically sewn in some realms. Other worlds simply pass decrees forbidding it. The Fae that become too powerful are sought after for a number of reasons,” Saylah replied. “Blood has been shed to keep them.”

“This history lesson is fascinating,” Scarlett cut in, drumming her fingers atop the table. Despite her sarcasm, Sorin could see her mind working, putting things together. “But what does any of this have to do with the lock?”

“Because the gods were not the only beings to emerge from the Chaos, and wars over powerful Fae are not the only reason blood has been shed.”

“You speak of the World Walkers,” Scarlett said, sitting up straighter, Saylah finally getting to what she was most interested in.

They had spent the last few hours discussing the World Walkers.

Scarlett was convinced they were the missing piece to figuring out the mirror gates, and whatever information Saylah had would determine if they moved forward with their plans or not.

Saylah only gave a sharp, curt nod.

“That is all? A nod?” Scarlett asked incredulously.

“What else would you like?”

“What the World Walkers have to do with the godsdamn lock,” Scarlett said, embers of starfire mingling with her shadows now. “And do not tell me nothing. There is a connection.”

Saylah’s lips pursed again, but she said, “The Great War here is simply a battle in the Everlasting War, just as every other battle in the realms is. Arius, Serafina, and Achaz were meant to end the war, instead they re-birthed it.”

“The war was not originally because of Arius and Serafina?” Sorin asked, still holding the orb while Scarlett and Cethin both drummed their fingers simultaneously. They glanced at each other and pulled their hands into their laps.

“No. It was between the gods that you know and the World Walkers.” She held up a hand when Scarlett opened her mouth.

“And before you ask, I do not know the specifics. This was before my time. Before Arius and Serafina upset the balance. I do know that when the gods emerged victorious, they gave some of the World Walkers the choice of death or serving one of the gods. The spirit animals you know chose the latter. They were the original Shapeshifters and became bound in their animal form.”

“But who were they? Before?” Scarlett asked, looking at Altaria still perched on Cethin’s chair.

“That I do not know. I know they followed a World Walker named Korra. She was one of their high rulers. It is her Chaos in that lock. It is her power that can unlock the realm. She gave that power in exchange for her people to be able to make the choice of binding themselves to a god or going to the After where Arius would cast judgment,” Saylah answered.

“Why does it respond to me and not the others?” Scarlett asked.

“It responds to the Chaos in you.”

“You just told us all the immortals have some form of Chaos. It does not respond to them,” Scarlett countered, gesturing to the orb Sorin still held.

“It responds to you because of the kind of Chaos you carry. Not only that with which you were born, but that of Eliné and what I gave to you. Chaos is drawn to its own power. It is why those born of it crave more. It is why the more one possesses, the more one desires it.”

Scarlett’s lips tilted in that way that made Sorin brace himself for what she was about to say, because she had clearly figured something out. “And you? Do you desire more of it?”

Sorin was fairly certain the entire room stopped breathing at the question.

“It would restore what I have given, as well as allow us to leave the realm,” Saylah answered tightly.

“And would it be drawn to you as it is to me?” Scarlett asked, reaching over and taking the orb back from Sorin.

The glyphs sprang to life, the Chaos swirling violently within. Saylah’s gaze snapped to it, and for the first time, she was not still. She seemed to tremble with restraint.

“No,” the goddess gritted out. “I may carry more Chaos than you, but it will seek you.”

“It’s why Alaric wants me so badly, isn’t it?” Scarlett asked, rotating the lock in her hand.

“Yes.”

“Does he know what this is? What it can do?” Scarlett pressed.

“Yes,” Saylah said again. “Achaz would have told him. He sent Moranna here to find a way to release the Chaos to be used for his own gain.”

“Does Alaric know what I can do with it?”

“The same thing I can do. Unlock the realm,” Saylah said, eyes sliding to her daughter.

Scarlett shrugged. “That might be all you can do with it.”

That unearthly stillness returned to the goddess. “Explain yourself.”

“I would but …” Scarlett got to her feet, tossing the lock into the air and catching it with a grin that would rival Nuri’s insanity. Then she godsdamn winked at her mother. “Secrets are the currency of the gods.”