Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms Book 2)

by Amelia Hutchins

  “You think she murdered those kings and queens to ensure that the walls between realms remained open?”

  “I think she wanted to rule everyone and did whatever it took to accomplish that goal. Her laws, to do no harm to others, and to rule justly, were supposedly for the betterment of the realms. But I don’t buy into that theory. Hecate was an evil, selfish cow who craved power and control, humping her way to the top. So why would she enact laws for the ‘betterment’ of the realms, when she clearly only cared about herself?

  “Hecate did go to ground, but she did so because something stronger than her showed up. Whoever that was, they forced her to sleep, and the moment she went to slumber, someone murdered her. Now, why am I here? Because we didn’t leave by choice, Esme,” I scoffed, watching her lips tugging in the corner as her frown deepened. “I was conceived in the Nine Realms, but born in the Tenth Realm, or as you know it, the Failed Realm since the Nine Realms could not procure it. I had no choice regarding where I wanted to live. When my sister, Amara, went missing, we went to Haven Falls to find her, only to come face to face with Knox the moment we arrived.”

  I smiled at the memory, which felt as if it were years ago, instead of close to only one year now. “I was changing when we arrived, and something about my proximity to Knox woke the creature within me. His scent, or maybe the sound of his rattle, I’m not sure which, but I know it was Knox that caused my change to occur. Once I heard his rattle, I started evolving much faster and couldn’t slow it down. The House of Magic in the Tenth Realm was unprotected because someone destroyed its shield, leading my sisters and me to stay in Knox’s mansion. I lost my virginity to him when a spell called for hymen blood of a pure Hecate witch to erect the barrier around the house, igniting the power once more.”

  The blood drained from her face as Esme opened and closed her mouth several times. I snorted, watching her, trying to place everything I had told her into her mind.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered in shocked horror that matched her worried expression.

  “That’s one way to state it.”

  “The King of Norvalla, he’s your lover? He’s the son of a bitch trying to kill us!” Esme watched the slow nod of my head, dropping her eyes to my lips that curled into a smirk.

  “So he is, but I don’t intend to allow him to achieve his goal,” I announced.

  “We’re all in danger if he can trace you here!”

  I nodded slowly. “Which is exactly why I won’t be staying here very long,” I grunted. Something crashed on the floor beside us, and I swung my head toward it.

  “I don’t even know what to say right now.”

  “So don’t.” I watched the coloring return to her face. “There is more too, which I’m sure will go over like a whore going down on a priest giving a sermon in Sunday church.”

  “What could possibly be worse than you fucking our sworn enemy?”

  I smiled, watching her eyes filling with worry.

  “Shit.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I stared at Esme while she counted out loud, fighting for calm at everything I kept dropping into her lap. I didn’t blame her, and admittedly, I should have warned Esme before bringing her and the others here to hide. It wasn’t as if we’d had much choice, though, and it was a safe place for them to hide for now.

  “You are his lover.” she repeated, standing up to pace slowly in front of me. “You’re sleeping with the enemy!” She wasn’t going to let that one go.

  “I was, yes. Knox protected me up until he saved me from my sister before she could sacrifice me to her father-in-law. I was supposed to die so that Amara could prove her loyalties to the King of Unwanted Beasts. Knox came to save me, or so I thought. Instead, he took me as his prisoner, exchanging one jail for another. Then, he told me to remain silent as he moved to assassinate my aunt, who is the only real mother I have ever known. I refused, opening a portal outside the House of Magic, and we escaped. I destroyed any chance we had of ever returning by smashing my grandfather’s skull, ensuring no one could ever go back. I sealed our fate, and now I have to fix that by erecting a new safe haven. A new House of Magic has to rise in the Nine Realms.”

  “Why?”

  “I destroyed the skull and the House of Magic, along with any chance of returning for a few reasons. One, we would wage an immortal war among the humans, and they’re not a part of this world. I didn’t want that. Not because humans are innocent, but because they’d want all of us dead, and we’d strived to keep our existence secret. But also, it is our responsibility to hide the discovery of the Nine Realms from outsiders. Had we waged war amongst ourselves, they’d have noticed. I took steps to protect my family from him and his people by igniting a spell to hide the House of Magic from the naked eye, but that wasn’t enough. When it became apparent that we would have to return to the Nine Realms, I had to destroy the house and the portal into that realm to protect the humans, preventing us from ever returning. Now I am going to raise a stronger, more powerful House of Magic here, and I intend to bring Knox and his creature to their knees.”

  “The King of Norvalla is purging the Nine Realms of the evil that has spread throughout them, Aria. I stand with him on that account, but he is mostly blaming the witches, and we’re not all bad. He accepts witches into his army, but they must be pure of heart and minds, which some of us aren’t. Some of us had to do whatever it took to survive in this world, and he removes our heads because of those choices.”

  “I don’t disagree with him either. I differ with the fact that it isn’t his mess to clean. It’s ours, Esme. The Hecate bloodline failed, and in doing so, others have suffered greatly. I have already slaughtered thousands of witches who sought to murder me because of whom I am. You’ve seen my army, haven’t you?” I asked, noting the color was draining from her face. “I thought so,” I laughed soundlessly.

  “It’s hard to ignore them when they groan or make noises beneath our feet,” she pointed out, and I nodded in understanding, before rubbing my temples to ease an oncoming headache.

  “They’re the witches who tried to hurt me or ones I found harming others. No good witches were harmed in the making of this army,” I boasted, smirking as she winced at the smile playing on my lips. “Anyway, I’m here to prepare and place protections around the castle because I won’t be back for a while.”

  “You just got here,” she pointed out crossly, folding her arms over her chest, staring meaningfully at me.

  “I have a mark on my thigh that allows King Karnavious to hunt me down no matter where I am. I can’t stay anywhere long, or he shows up and tries to caveman my ass over his shoulder.”

  “What kind of mark? Did he mark you as one of his witches?”

  “I’m not one of his witches. This mark is different. It’s the kind that is so deep into my flesh that I can’t remove it, not even with magic. When I went into heat the first time, it happened in his home. He offered a way to protect me from the alphas by placing a mark on my flesh. I just hadn’t understood exactly what it would mean, but he did. I was naïve enough to think it would remain for a limited amount of time.”

  “Do you know the type of magic he used to create the mark?” Esme asked, frowning, already knowing the answer.

  “Blood magic, which in hindsight should have clued me in on his intentions at the time. I just wasn’t aware anyone would actually want to be connected to me, especially Knox. We didn’t hit it off or even like each other when he did the marking, so it was easy to assume he didn’t want that connection for any length of time. I was horribly wrong, considering he wants to use me as a weapon.”

  “Every male within the Nine Realms craves to control a Hecate witch, Aria. You’re the shit of legends, and we’ve not had one with a strong link to the bloodline for some time now. You are more than a weapon, and considering the show you gave us the other night, I’m assuming you’re not looking for a coven. You are a coven worth of power in this tiny little silver package.”

&nbs
p; “No, I don’t need a coven. However, the House of Magic does. I don’t even wield the same magic as you. It’s more primal and rawer, which I’m sure you felt when I cast to protect you and the others from Tristan’s soldiers.” Shaking my head, I waved my hands in front of me, “We’re off track, and Knox is currently chasing me, so we need to cut this short. My sister, Kinvara, will bring more witches to you, as well as supplies. I enhanced the castle with a barrier, I’m sure you’ve noticed. That will keep enemies out and still allow you to go out if you choose. You’ll earn your keep, or you’ll have to go,” I said, smirking as I fed her words back to her. “Prove to me you’re worth keeping. More witches will be joining you, but I need someone tough enough to do what is required. I think you’re that person. You’re powerful, which means you can enforce the rules. If you see someone who doesn’t belong or grow suspicious of them, don’t take any chances, kill them.”

  “What are the rules?”

  “First rule? Don’t be an asshole, Esme,” I snorted, watching her lips twitching in response. “Also, you have some serious resting bitch face when you’re thinking.”

  “That may be harder to fix. My sparkling personality and resting bitch face makes people assume that I’m much colder than I am. How many witches are you planning to hide in here?”

  “Here? Only a few more, for now, I think. There’s a larger castle that will soon be vacant. I think it will be a better fit for us.”

  “Castles don’t go vacant.”

  “No, but if you murder the dark coven currently in residence, they tend to be open for new ownership,” I said, shrugging as I stood to stretch.

  “You’d need an army,” Esme scoffed, eyeing me.

  “Oh, you sweet summer child. I am a fucking army. Esmerelda, this goes without saying, but to be sure you understand, if you cross me, I will burn you from the inside out. I will make sure you feel every moment of the pain until your flesh begins to sizzle, separating from your bones until your eyes pop out of your fucking skull. Then, and only then, will I remove your head and leave it for Knox to find. I’ll instruct him to place it on the seat of his throne, so you’re nothing more than a fucking chair for his surprisingly firm, very nice ass. My family is the only thing I really care about, and this plan ensures them and the witches within the Nine Realms who aren’t evil as fuck, live. If you work out, I think you and I will make great friends. If not, I do enjoy barbeque.”

  “I don’t know if I should be terrified or have a serious girl crush right now. I can’t say I trust you yet, Aria, but I can say that if you’re serious about helping us, I’m your girl. I am all in with you. I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to bury more headless bodies. I worked in the killing fields, and I can’t do that again.”

  “What killing fields?” Esme swallowed and shook her head. “Show me.”

  “It’s not safe there.”

  “We won’t stay long, and if they find us, I’ll kill every last one of them to ensure we escape, Esme.” She nodded, moving her attention to the girl and boy I’d not noticed. “Hello, urchins,” I whispered, smirking as they slowly moved closer.

  “Little traitors,” she grumbled, opening the portal. “I’ll remember that.”

  “Do they have names?” I asked, smothering a laugh.

  “Yeah, it’s urchin one and urchin two. They don’t speak. Tristan removed their tongues after murdering their mother once her usefulness had expired.”

  Nausea swirled through me as I stared down at the children that held my hands. “How could he be so cruel?” I asked.

  “Tristan was their father. He planned to breed the evil out of us with his seed, or he had, up until you murdered him. Now I guess he won’t be breeding anything, will he?” She turned her attention to the children and nodded toward an older woman. “Go see old Agnes and ask her for some sweet cakes. She’s hiding them in the larder room. Stick out what’s left of your tongues at her. She’s a softy for a sad tale.”

  “That’s kind of fucked up,” I muttered, watching the two children rush toward a witch who didn’t look any older than thirty. Old Agnes wasn’t that old if you were to judge her by her appearance. Unlike humans, though, we didn’t age past thirty, so as far as I knew, she could be ten thousand or so.

  “Barbeque? What is that?” Esme snorted, stepping through the portal as I followed behind her.

  “It’s something you eat after you cook it over open flames.”

  “But if you cooked me from within, wouldn’t I be something other than barbeque?” she questioned, tilting her head.

  I exhaled at the rows of sticks fashioned into awkward crosses covering the ground as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t a typical graveyard with headstones and tomb markers; this was a sea of nameless graves that stretched on for miles and miles. My breath caught in my throat, and I swallowed, turning to look at Esme, who stared out over the field.

  “Who are they?” I whispered.

  “Witches, monsters, men, and women,” she said thickly. “My mother is here, and several of my sisters. This is where we bury the dead. Some are headless thanks to your boyfriend, while others weren’t smart enough to bow to the high queen and ended up here one way or another. This is a glimpse at the future of the Nine Realms if the war continues to ravish through them.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I moved toward the hillside with Esme, peering out over the men who endlessly dug graves. Chains clanked around their feet, and I turned, peering at Esme in question.

  “They’re prisoners of the realms,” she swallowed loudly. “Once charged, they work until they expire and succumb to exhaustion. Some aren’t immortal, so those will work until death or until the wounds fester on their backs, and they are too weak to work. Once that happens, they’re added into the graves alive.”

  I took in the thick mist that rolled through the clearing, and a chill ran up my spine as the putrid scent of revenants got closer to us. My eyes burned, and I covered my mouth to suppress a cough, noticing Esme’s panicked expression.

  “No noise when it comes,” she whispered barely above a breath.

  Esme grabbed me just as their shrieks began. We rushed over the field covered in graves, Esme pulling me down with her when she tripped. I turned, staring over my shoulder where the revenant mist was moving quickly toward us.

  I shoved up from the ground, grabbing Esme as we once against took off to the forest that was a little over a football field away. My lungs burned by the time we reached the thick woods, turning to see the gray, husk-like creatures as they stepped from the mist, rushing toward us.

  I turned, pulling magic to me, sending it slamming into them at the same moment that Esme cried out. Spinning, I stared at the horrified look on her face before swinging my stare back to the creatures that had paused, growing before my eyes.

  “Well, shit,” I muttered.

  “Come,” Esme groaned, grabbing my arm as she yanked me through a portal she’d just opened.

  We fell through it, barely escaping the poisonous claws that reached inside, grasping for us. I stood, resting my hand on my knees as I caught my breath. Lifting, I peered at the large stronghold that sat on the horizon.

  Guards surrounded it, their power echoing outward, and a large wall wrapped around the complex, moving through the winding countryside beyond what my eyesight could see.

  “What is this place?” I asked carefully, shivering at the power coming from the castle, humming through me.

  “That’s the head of the snake, per se. That is the palace. Do you see that tallest tower in the middle?” I nodded silently. “That’s the heart of the palace, and no one gets inside. Therefore, no one knows what it holds. Dark magic protects it, which I’m sure you can feel. People go into the keep, but they’re not the same when they come out of that place. Something inside that stronghold changes them, and it isn’t for the better.”

  “Is the high queen inside of it?” I asked, watching the guards move as someone approached.

&n
bsp; A man appeared, screaming and shaking his hands in anger toward the palace. The guards moved into action, lifting their hands without a care for the man as mist billowed from the ground. Their hands shifted, tossing him toward the fog, and my stomach clenched with unease as he was pulled into the mist by the creatures we’d just escaped. I stared in shock as his bones were tossed out by a gray husk of a hand.

  “And that is what happens when you get close to the gate without an invitation,” Esme whispered so softly that I wasn’t certain she’d even spoken.

  “Someone controls that mist,” I muttered, my tone lower than hers as she nodded.

  Esme tugged on my arm and started through the forest. I trailed after her, stopping to watch her climb a sheer rock-faced cliff. Once she was up far enough, I unsheathed my claws and followed until we stood on a hill that overlooked a winding valley.

  The same mist filled the valley below, shielding something from view. I silently moved closer, crouching to peer through where the fog was the thickest, but it was no use.

  Scanning the area, I noted people moving around inside the outskirts of the mist without harm. Beyond, where the fog had cleared, sat a quiet town that sent a chill rushing down my spine.

  “What is that place?” I asked.

  “That used to be my home. It used to be Dark Hills, but then the palace was built beside it, and everyone fled when the mist came. Only a few of us made it out before revenants pulled them into the mist. A couple of my sisters died when the fog first appeared. The others were spared, but some of the dark witches eventually took them. Two went into the palace, but the one that came out wasn’t my sister anymore. My mother went to find help, but she never returned for us. We sent word to the high queen, but to no avail.”

  “She didn’t care they were murdering witches beneath her rule?” I couldn’t believe that the high queen wouldn’t want to stop whoever was murdering her witches.