Releasing Chaos

by Lexi Ander

  "Thank you for listening, for being my friend." I clamped my mouth shut before I spewed something like, "I love you, bro!" Those sentiments I'd save for when I was stinking drunk off my ass.

  "Anytime you need an ear," Randy replied with a heavy sigh. Even though he was getting better every day, he still tired easily. "I'd better return to my room and get packed before you decide to pack for me."

  I grinned when Randy mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. He was frustrated at how slowly his strength was returning. That would teach him to go talk to the Queen of the Underworld. He was lucky to come back at all. But I said nothing. He'd heard it all before. He shooed me away when I attempted to help him rise from the mattress.

  When the door closed behind Randy, Jory sat up straight, the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "I've got you, you sons-of-bitches! Sam, pull your scouts back to safety. I'll get back to you after I've briefed Tristan."

  Jory glanced up at me, his eyes filled with righteous anger. "We found our kidnapped warriors."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tristan Janick

  The amphitheater was huge. The stone seats rose several levels two-thirds of the way around a circular cleared area. In the center, Brian, Ushna, and Corey spoke with their heads together. They discussed attendees, strategic points, and the best way to get people to safety if we were attacked. We'd set a trap for Inanna prior to the public coronation, but if she didn't take the bait we needed to be prepared for all contingencies. With any of the scenarios, the hope was her attention would be solely on me, allowing the warriors to secret away any noncombatants. If there was another way to trap her, I would've taken the path. But all the old stories indicated once she was fed up, she liked to have an audience to humiliate her prey in front of. She wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to crush me before so many people.

  Not too far away stood a seven-tiered ziggurat, larger than the Hall of Shamash. Ushna approached, following my gaze. "Ladon said that's the King's Tomb."

  Now my interest was piqued. "I'm going to check it out. Who knows, perhaps it holds something to help us." Not to mention, Inanna wanted to gain entrance to search for a mirror. This was our chance to find it first and hide it.

  I smirked when Ushna and Brian lost interest in strategizing in favor of exploring a treasure house. Who wouldn't? The legendary King's Tomb wasn't only a storehouse of untold ancient treasures, but held items of magic too dangerous to be owned or lost among the general public. I hoped we'd find something to aid us in the coming battle against Inanna and Marduk. Of course, we had the weapons Gregori collected from our last skirmish with The Servants as well as the shackles that had held Mithra prisoner. Was I greedy to want more of an advantage?

  Brian and Ushna rushed to catch up with me. Ushna took my hand and Brian grasped the nape of my neck. Not for the first time, I was rocked by the sense of a storm brewing on the horizon. I wished I knew what exactly was coming. Obviously Inanna, but we could only guess at her plans. All we had were assumptions. Crazy as it seemed, Ushna, Brian, and I were placing the fate of all Lycans upon guesswork.

  Sanctuary's emergence from the surrounding Georgia forest pushed the borders of the city further out. Every day the denizens reclaimed sections, bringing forth a city of lush green gardens amidst all the stone pillars. Before us, the columns stopped and an expanse of green the length of a football field surrounded the giant ziggurat. The wide steps zigzagged up the front, but the only entrance I saw sat at ground level.

  Standing on either side of the door, facing each other, were identical stone statues. The detailed carving of their countenance, from their sandals to the pleated skirts, was amazing. Bare chested and baldheaded, the sentries stood at least nine feet tall, with three sets of arms raised towards the opposite statue. A dozen shining swords crossed over each other, barring access.

  How did I gain entrance to the tomb? I knew it opened only for my bloodline, but the how was a mystery. What type of locking mechanism used by an ancient people would recognize a Lycan king? As we approached, I scanned the area but saw nothing. The doors were at least three feet taller than the many-armed statues. Though the carved wood of the door was beautifully ornate, I didn't even see a simple keyhole.

  When we were about ten feet away the statues began to move, and as one, we stopped. The rumble of stone grating on stone was loud, and unabashed, I covered my sensitive ears. The figures turned to face outward, their three sets of arms crossing the swords in front of their bodies. Eerily, the doors swung outward.

  "Wait!"

  I turned to see Corey and a half dozen warriors running to catch up with us. After Ushna and Brian, I trusted Corey above all others.

  "The guards should clear the area and ensure there are no traps." Corey signaled, and the warriors went in by twos.

  "You think whoever locked this up last left a nasty surprise?" I listened for any noises indicating the guards had run into a problem.

  "I was the last in the Tomb as far as I know." Corey said once he was close enough that only I could hear. "However, we cannot discount the possibility someone else has accessed the tomb. Better safe than sorry."

  I'd forgotten that, as my twin, Corey would have had access to the tomb all those years ago. I was curious about when Corey had entered, but I was afraid of the answer. My first guess would be shortly after his brother—I—was murdered.

  Once the all clear was given, we stepped into a foyer of sorts of polished red sandstone and massive columns reaching up to the high ceilings. Sconces on the walls burned with an ethereal light. Three doorways greeted us. One to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. In the center stood a stone of carved onyx. Magic pressed roughly against me, making my skin unbearably itchy. So much energy was packed into the place. Was it the items of power, or from the construction of the building? The sensation was definitely unpleasant, more aggressive than I gathered from my faint memories. But once I pushed out with my magic, the onslaught fell away.

  When everyone sighed aloud, almost at the same time, I asked, "You felt that, too?"

  Corey nodded. "It's almost like a watch dog demanding its master command it. The sensation would have persisted until we were either chased from the building or you pushed back."

  "That's some impressive magic. Is anyone else finding it strange to remember when and how this was built?" Brian asked, crossing to the black standing stone.

  Ushna made an indecipherable noise. "It's creepy, actually. I can remember helping others bring items in for storage."

  Although I said nothing, I remembered as well. Not at first, when we waited outside, but once we stepped in and sighted the foyer's centerpiece, I recalled commissioning the stone carved with a copy of the Code of Hammurabi, one of the most ancient codes of law. I also recalled generations later contemplating having it destroyed because the laws were antiquated. The people were too caught up in the old ways to forge a new and better future. In the end, I kept it for history's sake, moving the obelisk here as a reminder of how far our people had come.

  "I want to show you something." Corey gestured for me to follow him.

  To have the King's Tomb, which played so prominently in my past, collide with my present was beyond strange. I felt as if I walked through a waking dream. Some things matched what I thought I knew, but other things I didn't recall. Which made sense, once I thought about it: not all my reincarnations were as the king of the Lycans.

  The rooms we passed through were huge, filled with crates and chests, ornate furniture that would, nowadays, be considered child-sized. But I recalled using the small chairs and beds when I was middle aged. We were a tall people, but as with the humans of bygone days, poor nutrition and circumstances of the time, along with healthcare, played a part in our reduced stature. Over the years, my people prospered and grew in size with each passing generation. The evidence of our progress was in the items stored here.

  Everywhere I looked t
here were objects of magic. Sacred lapis lazuli jewelry and accoutrements buzzed as I walked by, as if they begged to be picked up and handled. Several of the Gods wore such accessories to augment their power. Alongside the ornate jewelry were other items of power that didn't belong to Sumeria. Ornately carved ivory tusks, gilded scrolls adorned with gold and silver, tablets carved from precious stone instead of clay, and gem-encrusted, hide-bound books. Things made from woods that could no longer be found on Earth. Animal skins from creatures that had long been extinct. Three different iron pots smelling as if a meal was ready to be pulled from their depths. Polished lengths of metal once used as looking mirrors. A barrel of bedecked spears from a dozen different cultures. A fucking golden chariot I doubted any team of horses would be able to pull. The rooms were littered with what looked to be odds and ends we could never give away and probably couldn't destroy.

  If the King's Tomb held something we could use in our fight with Inanna, it would take forever to find. There was no rhyme or reason in how things were stored. No list of what the tomb held, how the items could be used, or where they came from. We wouldn't find any help here. We were so screwed.

  Following Corey up several flights of stairs, we stopped at the very top. We faced a wall with the impression of the symbol of our patron God, Shamash, a four-pointed star with wavy lines emanating from the center. From a leather cord around his neck, Corey lifted a medallion over his head and placed it into the center of the symbol, twisting it until the dial stopped, and then pushed.

  The wall moved. "The kings have a special key to this room. I couldn't chance it falling into the wrong hands with our family on the run from assassins, so I safeguarded the medallion." Corey handed the necklace to me.

  Instead of accepting what he offered, I wrapped his fingers around the key. "Then you can continue to be its keeper."

  For a moment, Corey looked taken aback, as if he hadn't expected me to return the medallion. Then he nodded and placed the cord around his neck. Suddenly, he gave me an uncharacteristic mischievous grin. "You're going to love this."

  We stepped inside what looked more like an ancient sitting room or study than another storeroom. One wall had cubby holes from floor to ceiling, holding scrolls, books, small trinkets, boxes, and vases. The immense power emanating from a tablet-covered case sitting on a pedestal drew me. My cuneiform was rusty, but I'd been honing my skill as I searched for answers on how to protect my people from Inanna. I slid my fingertip over the symbols, reading slowly.

  Snatching my hand back, I rubbed my hand on my pants as if the cool clay had burnt me. Surely this wasn't what it claimed to be. "Corey, are these… Holy fuck! Are these…"

  Brian looked over my shoulder. His quick inhale, and the way he pulled me further from the pedestal told me I wasn't the only one unsettled. "Where in the hell did you get the me?" Brian's tone was incredulous.

  The mes were ancient items of power making up the foundation of civilization. There were some one hundred or so Godly decrees, and they had been split between the different Sumerian cities and their reigning deities. The God Enki had parceled out natural phenomena and the art of craftsmanship such as architecture, metalworking, and writing to the lesser Gods as responsibilities of their patron cities. There had been a great debate about whether the intangible mes like truth, fear, or victory had a physical representation. Although after Inanna stole Enki's collection of mes, records stated she displayed them to the people of Uruk. How in the world did this particular me come to be here in the King's Tomb?

  When I glanced at Corey, he smirked, the mischievousness returning to his eyes. "You'd be surprised at what someone can find lying around the heaven of the Gods. A good portion of the cities didn't exist anymore, and some of the Gods no longer cared for or valued the mes placed in their possessions."

  Ushna moved around Brian to stare down at the tablet covered box, snorting out a laugh. "So you just happened to stumble upon the me of victory while you were in Dilmun?"

  Corey's smile widened. "Among other things."

  Hope and curiosity flared within me. "What else did you find?"

  He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to a wall rack displaying a glittering net behind a polished white bow and quiver of arrows. "When I went through the gates looking for a way to extend my life, I stumbled across a weapons stash. I had no idea at the time that they belonged to Marduk." The grin Corey flashed was predatory and sharklike. "They were sitting in an open-air pavilion, as if someone had set them down and forgotten about them. I was nervous when I picked them up, afraid I'd be caught. So I stuffed them into my bag and ran." Corey's eyes took on a distant look, as if remembering his flight with his precious booty. "There's no telling what would have happened if I'd been caught with them before leaving. At the time, I didn't care. I was desperate. Not until I returned home and had a chance to study them did I discover what they were. When I did, I despaired; they were useless to me then. If I used them, Marduk would know and come for me. So I stored them here. I'm beginning to think stumbling upon them was actually fortuitous."

  No kidding. One part of me cringed to see the weapons used to trap and kill the Goddess Tiamat hanging on the wall. There were many accountings of the Igigi War, each a little different from the others, but what stayed the same was the method used to vanquish Tiamat and her armies. She was trapped with the net and her body pierced by an arrow shot from the bow created by the God Marduk, or Enlil, before magical winds tore her asunder.

  Movement off to the side stole my gaze from the pristine bow to where Corey worked to unlock an ironbound chest. Ushna, Brian, and I moved to stand behind where he knelt on the floor. Both Ushna and Brian were curiously quiet and, before I could ask them what they thought, Corey threw back the lid to reveal the contents.

  "Holy shit," Ushna whispered.

  Brian sucked in a breath. "Is that…"

  I couldn't breathe to say anything.

  Ladon hissed, jumping into the chest, Ushna scrambled to grab the little dragonet. Catching Ladon under the arms, he grunted as Ladon wiggled excitedly in his grasp. "What did you do, Corey, raid the treasury house of the Gods?"

  Chapter Sixteen

  "When you return, Ushna, you will notice the world is changing. The humans are experiencing turmoil because magic is awakening again. Vows now carry weight, and those who have broken their promises are being cursed and dying. The Lycans will no longer be able to hide. The veil that shrouds my children will be torn away. As you are my Heart, listen to what your intuition tells you and be decisive in your actions. Give council to my Voice, and guide my Sword." —the Goddess Tiamat to Ushna Ahura-Yazda as he took Abzu's blood.

  Tristan Janick

  Whatever answer Corey would have given was interrupted by someone yelling my name. I left Corey to secure the room and hurried to the stairs only for Brian to hiss at me to wait. Drawing a firearm from the holster at the small of his back, he took point going down the stairs. Ushna held my elbow, giving me a reproving look when I opened my mouth to argue.

  Corey caught up with us halfway down the second flight of stairs, his own weapon out as he, too, shouldered his way past me. But he didn't rush ahead.

  "I want you to start carrying a gun," Ushna said.

  Corey nodded his agreement. I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Why do I need a firearm when I can change into my Lupe or call the Earth if I need to fight. If someone is particularly nasty, I can release my dragon and they will gobble them down. Looking at it that way, I'm a walking weapon. I think I want a superhero name."

  Ushna choked back a laugh, and Corey gave me an incredulous look over his shoulder.

  Well, I was dangerous—possibly.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Brian spoke to Jory. The guards circled around them, facing outwards as if they expected an attack, tension hanging thick in the air. I brushed all levity aside.

  "What's going on?" I asked, stepping onto the main floor.

  Jory's eyes snapped to mine. Anger radiated fr
om him in heatwaves. "We have found the facilities where the humans took our Lupe warriors."

  Having lived many generations without a king to anchor the warriors battle forms, Lycan warriors no longer always returned to themselves when they went Lupe. For the safety of all, they were captured and transported to The Center, where they were housed until they either returned to their human form or, if needed, passed away. After I'd been reborn, we'd freed the Lupes from The Center. What we'd uncovered angered us all. Servants of the Glorious One had infiltrated The Center and worked to ensure the warriors didn't return to their human form. The Lupes were then experimented on and some were given to the human military for "research". We'd been seeking those the United States held, and it seemed our search had come to an end.

  I barked an order for the warriors to clear the room. The door had been left wide open, and I didn't want anyone else to wander in until I'd spoken with Jory. Motioning him to an elaborately carved table, Jory set his bag on top, withdrawing several tablets and a roll of blueprints.

  After activating the devices, he gave one to each of us. "Captain Samuel Mercer located the first facility. He didn't see anyone taking our people in or out, but there were traces of Lycan on some of the humans. Once I had the information on the facility, and identified the doctors who had access, I was able to locate three more facilities by association. Our men are split up between the four. We confirmed Lycan scents on those premises as well."

  I flipped through the snapshots taken by those on reconnaissance. Some were grainy, as if taken too far away or by a camera phone. There were various shots of people coming and going, laughing and smiling. Zoomed in head shots, detailed pictures of the vehicles, their license plates, what the people carried, but every time I came across a carefree grin, my temper rose. How dare they look happy and lighthearted when behind those doors they did Goddess only knew what to my people. What made them think they could take away our civil rights? How many had they maliciously broken in their search for…