Releasing Chaos

by Lexi Ander

  Daniel made an animalistic noise, slamming me against the wall. "You're lying!"

  "No, I'm not, and I won't prove it to you by dying," I snapped. "Justus can carry the boy just as easily as you or me."

  "And you're happy about that," he said, reading my calm expertly.

  "Of course. Don't you think I know how much you want to get your hands on Justus? Reprimand him for his disobedience? You've already wasted enough time throwing a temper tantrum. The longer we are here, the more likely we'll be discovered. We need to find the mirror before the Goddess Inanna confronts Tristan so she can release chaos before his eyes. You know this and yet you—"

  Daniel's lips crushed mine, halting my rant. I opened my mouth and let him in, allowing him liberties, hoping he'd eventually calm down. When he broke away, he pressed his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry for losing my head. It's so hard to think nowadays. Only you and Inanna keep me on track."

  "Soon it will be done. She will reign over all, and we can do whatever we want." I cupped Daniel's face, wiping away sweat. I kissed him briefly and then straightened. "Come, we need to get ready."

  Pushing him away, I arranged his brown cowl so his hair and the lower half of his face was covered.

  "Justus, who are you holding?" I asked calmly, turning to adjust Jonas's white cowl.

  With his gaze firmly on Daniel, Justus said, "Little Brian, Uncle Nathan."

  My heart squeezed hard and for a split second my resolve wavered. If I could put an end to the craziness without the pups, I would.

  Sitting on my heels out of striking distance of the snake, I met Justus's bright blue eyes. There was wary trust there I didn't deserve but was grateful for. His gaze dropped to my hands and his brows rose. I fervently wished he could manage his expression better. I didn't want him to give away that I spoke to him with more than words. I knew a little of the signals used by the Warriors of Anat. Tristan had taught me when we were younger, and I hoped I'd recalled them correctly as I told Justus to stay by me. I'd hoped that with Stan as Justus's mentor, Stan had instructed Justus using the signals. By his reaction, I'd gambled correctly.

  "You and Little Brian will be coming with us. Don't try to run away. Don't yell for help or do anything to draw attention to us. If you do, Daniel will be displeased and people will die. We don't want that to happen now, do we?"

  Daniel snarled. "Stop coddling him. He'll do as I say or I'll kill the brat he's holding. Nothing I read said anything about the royal needing to be alive to enter the tomb."

  Gritting my teeth against an unwise retort, I held Justus's gaze, willing him to be the strong boy I knew him to be. Finally rising to my feet, I faced Daniel. "We are as ready as we're going to be."

  Jonas trembled at my statement, his face a submissive mask. "We can cross over to Sanctuary from here. For your safety you'll need to stay behind me."

  Daniel glared at Jonas, his expression promising pain if Jonas failed. I didn't envy him his task. Human witches were reclusive, hiding from other humans, sure of their persecution if the general population knew of them and what they could do. Few witches were considered truly powerful, their talents usually lying with healing and telekinesis. And there were repercussions for using their inborn abilities. The stronger the witch, the higher the consequence.

  Daniel had explained once what Jonas was capable of, which clarified the reason for his gauntness and why Daniel only used him when absolutely necessary. The energy came directly from the witch's body, eating away muscle and tissue as if the body was the magic's favorite buffet. For the witch to regain their health, it took considerable time. Watching Jonas, I worried that even though his mind could do what Daniel wanted, his body might not be up to the task. Daniel valued Jonas as a tool. If we could get to the King's Tomb any other way on today's schedule, Daniel would have saved Jonas's talents for another task. But we didn't have another option, and our haste could very well mean Jonas's death.

  After adjusting my own cowl, making sure only my eyes were revealed, I motioned for Justus to follow Daniel. After a brief hesitation, he did as I bid. We stood with our backs to the large crib, with Jonas standing a few feet away in the middle of the room. Daniel shifted closer to Justus, only to immediately jump to the side when the snake coiled around Little Brian's chest struck out. I scowled at Daniel, easily reading how he contemplated ways to get the pups away from their venomous guardian.

  Jonas held his hand palm out. "Master, I must go through first in order to hold the way open. When I signal, then you may cross."

  Since Daniel didn't balk at Jonas's insistence, I assumed he was aware of the requirement, suspecting Jonas merely restated the warning for Justus and me.

  A soft glow appeared in the air at Jonas's eye level. Slowly, the light consolidated into a bright ball before it expanded. Within the edges of the light, a low stone house appeared. Beyond sat tall carved pillars. I held my breath as the window expanded enough to allow Jonas to step through.

  Daniel glared at Justus. "You're to go through first."

  Justus appeared as if he'd argue, but to my relief, he darted after Jonas, who now faced us on the other side. He didn't look very good, his pallor and sunken cheeks calling to the doctor instincts within me. I hurried, sensing Daniel close behind me. Once through, Jonas's eyes rolled up and he sank to the ground.

  Crouching down next to him, I took his pulse, relieved he was still alive, if only barely. He appeared emaciated, the bones of his face and hands sharply prominent. If he recovered it would take months to nurse him back to health.

  "We don't have time for this. Leave him here, we have to get to the tomb." Daniel's tone was exasperated, as if Jonas had passed out on purpose.

  Daniel peered around the edge of the building and I took the moment to survey our surroundings. We had landed within a cluster of outbuildings. Daniel said there were rumors of Tiamat's terrifying guardians, but he couldn't discover what they were. He'd been told lizards, but he dismissed the intel outright, scoffing that such creatures couldn't be deadly. But as I ran my gaze over the rooftops, intelligent beady little eyes peered down at us.

  Crouching over Jonas, I waited for them to make a move, but they only watched. Daniel was oblivious to the numerous eyes on us, his attention solely on our task. After deciding we weren't in immediate danger, I moved to his side, keeping Justus in my line of sight. I peered cautiously around Daniel. It seemed we were behind the ziggurat, the seven-tiered structure looming over everything, austere and foreboding.

  Beyond the building, there were people everywhere. "Are we waiting until dark?" I couldn't see a way through without people noticing us if we opened the front doors to the tomb. I didn't imagine Tristan carelessly left the way open for us.

  "There is another recorded entrance higher up." Daniel pointed to the stairs zigzagging up the exterior. "While ascending, we'll be easy to spot, so we'll need to hurry."

  I glanced to Justus as he shifted Little Brian to his other hip. Would he be able to keep up? Daniel would have a fit if he didn't. Deadly snake or not, Justus would have hell to pay.

  To the right of the tomb, through the pillars and walkways, I could discern an amphitheater. To the left was a road that rumor implied would connect Sanctuary to Bahbelle. Rising above the ziggurat was a hill, clusters of buildings running up the side. There were too many chances we'd be seen, but if Daniel said we couldn't wait then we'd have to take the gamble.

  Moving back over to where Jonas lay, I removed his white cowl and withdrew a medallion from my pocket.

  "What are you doing? We don't have time for you to put on your doctor's hat. He'll either be fine and I'll collect him later or not." Daniel stomped across the distance.

  Jonas needed a healer, or he wouldn't come out of his body's self-induced coma. But there was no use telling Daniel this. I tossed the cowl toward Justus. "If we're going to be exposed, he needs to cover his head, using the end to conceal Little Brian and the snake. Too many will recognize him, and I won't take the chan
ce of someone guessing who Little Brian is."

  As I spoke, I placed the medallion in the hollow of Jonas's throat. Hopefully, one of the Ophidians would find him; they would know what the coin meant. Nodding to Justus and prompting him to pick up the cowl, I stood to catch Daniel. As soon as Justus set Little Brian on the ground, Daniel lunged for Justus. The striped snake hissed and struck out, barely missing Daniel. If he didn't possess the quickness Inanna's blessing gave him, he would have been a dead man. Daniel attempted to snatch Justus a couple more times and I held my breath. When Daniel came to understand he wouldn't get past the serpent guardian, no matter how fast he was or the tricks he played, he'd give up. At least for the time being.

  There were times when Daniel became fixated. His vendetta against Tristan stemmed from Theo handing guardianship over without Daniel's knowledge. I imagined Justus being so close but being unable to put his hands on the boy was slowly driving him insane. Over the course of the last eight to nine months, ever since Ushna had come home without Tristan, I'd learned much about Daniel, figuring out what made him tick. The only one who perhaps knew Daniel better than me was the Goddess Inanna.

  Justus held still and watched the byplay, his wary, almost terrified expression turning to one of confidence. He crouched next to Little Brian and did his best to wrap the cowl around his own head and face, the excess material draping over his shoulder. A spark of pride lit in me as Justus ignored Daniel's snarls of frustration.

  I pushed into Daniel before he could lunge again, whispering in his ear, "Have patience. There is no one here to take Justus away." For a moment, I thought he'd strike me, but instead he closed his eyes and leaned into me.

  "I'm sorry, baby. I know I've been acting crazier than usual. I can't seem to help myself. Every time I look at him, I see his father's betrayal. I can't abide by traitors, Nathan." He pressed his face into my neck and I ran a soothing hand down his back.

  Over his shoulder, I watched Justus. He picked up Little Brian, arranging the end of the cowl around the pup, partially obscuring the serpent. The creature's head was visible above the cloth and I hoped it couldn't be seen from a distance. I didn't know how many people would recognize the guardian for what it was.

  "You won't have to look at him much longer," I murmured into Daniel's ear.

  "Promise?"

  "Yes, I promise." I pressed a soft kiss into Daniel's temple. "Come on, let's go." After I made sure the lower half of Daniel's face was covered, I did the same with my own cowl, making sure only my eyes were visible.

  Inside I vibrated with an excitement I struggled to hide. We walked around the corner of the building with Justus in between us. I was conscious of the distance Daniel and I needed to keep from the pups—close, but far enough the snake could bite us. Our group didn't look comfortable, like the family we were pretending to be.

  The seven-tiered ziggurat was a massive structure. Each step we took toward our goal, I felt as if I floated just above the ground. My palms itched to reach for the weapon in my back pocket. Have patience became a silent litany as we passed through towering columns as big around as redwood trees. I saw more than one Ophidian stop and stare at us… at me. It wasn't long before they quickly marshaled bystanders out of our way, clearing a pathway. A quick glance at Daniel told me he was completely concentrating on the King's Tomb and oblivious to how subtly the crowds disappeared.

  By the time we ascended the stairs, the only people around were far enough in the distance their features were indistinct. We climbed to the first platform with Daniel in the lead. Justus was situated between us, staying close to the wall. There was no safety railing to catch him if he stumbled and fell. At the top of the first set of stairs, there wasn't much more space between the second floor wall and the walkway.

  "Where is the door?" I asked as we followed Daniel. The smooth red stone seemed unbroken.

  "The text Inanna brought me said it would be unmarked. Only a royal will be able to find it," Daniel replied in a distracted manner, running his fingertips over the surface stone as he passed.

  I glanced down at Little Brian gnawing on his fist and cussed. Daniel shot me a look over his shoulder and laughed.

  "Are you kidding? He can't find anything. He doesn't even understand what we're looking for." Before I could foolishly lay into Daniel, the section of the wall next to Justus made a loud grinding noise reminiscent of a stone rubbing against stone.

  A line appeared where there hadn't been one. The sandstone shifted slowly inward, revealing a wall almost three meters thick. Daniel sneered at Justus and motioned for him to go in first. When the slab became free of the wall, it slid sideways to the left. Sunshine spilled through, providing the only light. I was surprised at how little dust there was. Even if Tristan had toured the interior, I couldn't imagine he would have had time to have the place cleaned. There should have been almost three centuries worth of dust covering everything.

  Daniel took the torch from the wall, setting it ablaze with a pocket lighter. It shouldn't have worked. The ancient torch should have disintegrated at a touch, yet it remained. Pressure crept over my skin, steadily squeezing me, stealing my breath. Little Brian, who'd been remarkably quiet this whole time, began to whimper.

  I glanced at Daniel, but he appeared to be struggling more than I was. Breathing became a chore and sweat trickled across my brow and down my nose as I wheezed. Glancing behind me, I counted the number of steps to the entrance. This had to be a security measure. Narrowing my eyes at Daniel, I waited for what he'd do. Would half my task be taken care of by his slow response to obvious danger?

  Little Brian cried out and I staggered to lean against the wall, battered by a wave of wild magic. Daniel fell, the torch rolling a couple feet away. Justus didn't move, watching Daniel and me with wide, shocked eyes. Little Brian twisted in Justus's grasp, huge crocodile tears falling down his little cheeks. He burped, then puked a white frothy substance. The pressure immediately withdrew. My first instinct was to go to my nephew and soothe him, but I couldn't, not yet. Daniel rolled to his hands and knees, his glare directed at Justus as if what had happened was the boy's fault. From now on I'd have to take precautions to keep him and Daniel separated.

  After grabbing the torch, Daniel crawled to his feet, grunting as if the magic hadn't only knocked him over, but hurt him. He and I were the same in that we'd both had our wolves torn from us, a fact I refused to allow myself to dwell on. The only difference was that Daniel carried Inanna's blessing. I wasn't sure what the "blessing" was exactly and had refrain from asking in case my curiosity brought me unneeded attention. Daniel could hide his scent, move incredibly fast, and he was difficult to kill—not impossible, simply difficult. I could only surmise that whatever magic hit us didn't react well to the enhanced part of Daniel. Whatever had happened, Little Brian made the suffocating pressure stop.

  I moved closer to Justus, giving him quick instructions and waited for his replies as he cleaned up Little Brian's puke. I wouldn't be able to assess either of them to ensure they hadn't been injured until much later.

  "Where do we start looking first," I said, bringing Daniel's attention back to me and on task. "We cannot assume we have hours to find the prison of the chaos monster."

  "We'll start on the ground floor. My source said there was a section of portraits and mirrors there." With a grim expression, he motioned for Justus to precede us. I grabbed another torch off the wall and used Daniel's to light mine.

  Walking next to Daniel, we lit more lamps as we came upon them. At all times, I was hyperaware of where Daniel was. I could practically hear the sand slipping out of the hourglass. Once we descended the stairs and Daniel became more confident we wouldn't be accosted by strange magic again, he took the lead. I couldn't allow myself to marvel at the antiques and treasures stored here. My attention never traveled far from the back of Daniel's head.

  Strangely, Justus didn't glance around either. He moved as if he knew what obstacles were hidden in the shadows. Instead, he wa
tched me as if he suspected I had something up my sleeve, his gaze much older than his nine years.

  Daniel wasn't so focused on the hunt to forget about Justus or me. There was a mean glint in his eye that told me he was thinking about hurting me or the boy. I suspected Justus, but I'd read Daniel wrong before and paid dearly for it. I couldn't make any errors now.

  To keep Daniel preoccupied and focused, I asked questions I hadn't dared voice before. "You know what the cage looks like?"

  "It's a type of a mirror. Zahak the Serpent Shouldered was trapped within by Keresaspa," he replied, and then came to an abrupt halt, raising his torch high.

  Before us were rows of framed portraits and looking glasses of all types. The eclectic mix appeared as if they been collected across several centuries, and the majority of them were tightly covered.

  I helped Daniel light pots of oil supported by tripod stands and soon the area was as well-lit as it could be. I took the stacked closest to Daniel that leaned against a four-foot wall. The majority of the frames were as tall as or a foot taller than the half wall that created rows upon rows of space for an abundance of portraits and mirrors.

  "How will we know when we have found it? There has to be at least a hundred mirrors here mixed in with the pictures." And the majority of the frames were covered with cloth, secured with ties. It would take us considerable time to uncover each one to discover what was hidden underneath.

  "We'll know when there is a figure in the glass staring back at us." Daniel snorted a laugh. "It's going to be amazing to see a person trapped like that, moving around, scaring the shit out of people."

  I didn't share his humor. Zahak was better known as the demanos Ahzi Dahak, a vile creature that had come through one of the Anunnaki Gates. He was impossible to kill, and every several centuries or sometimes millennia, he'd break out of the prison the reincarnation of Keresaspa placed him in. When Zahak freed himself, he and the legendary figure, Keresaspa, would have an epic battle. If the demanos won, the world would be destroyed, mankind diminished until they were on the verge of extinction. It was said the Simurgh had witnessed the destruction of the Earth three times over. With her appearance, those who believed Keresaspa had been reborn prepared for a battle that would begin anew.