by Lexi Ander
That brief thought of my brother almost cost me my life. I'd paused as pain swamped me, the agony accompanied by a physical one. I glanced down at my fur-covered chest at the rust-red blade protruding from the right side of my lower abdomen. I gritted my teeth, feeling as if a red-hot poker had been shoved into me.
"Motherfucker!" I gasped when she pulled the blade free.
To Inanna's astonishment, the Earth rose up through my legs and healed me, wiping the self-satisfied expression from her face. It had been a great while since I'd needed Earth's assistance. Since returning from Stasis with Tiamat's blood mingling with mine, memories of my former lives schooled me on how to interact with her, merging in such a way songs weren't needed. Damn if the ability didn't come in handy. By the time I faced Inanna, sword at the ready, I was completely healed.
"My turn," I snarled, attacking with a ferocity I'd attempted to distance myself from when I'd returned to
Earth.
Several millennia of knowledge sat at my disposal. Memories of battles fought, lives taken, lands conquered, and enemies vanquished supplied me with a book of tricks that kept Inanna on her toes. Her vendetta stopped today. I'd make my people and children safe, and never again would they be vulnerable to anything or anyone in the outside world.
With every stroke I pressed, Inanna relinquished ground until we fought at the edge of our armies. We both gave small wounds, but she healed as quickly as I could. Her strength was greater than mine, but I was slightly faster. Spinning from the bite of her blade, she caught me unaware with one of her wings. The hit sent me flying several yards. When I rolled to my feet, she was rising into the air. The rush of unfamiliar magic stopped my advance. Inanna wore several mes of power. The lapis lazuli measuring rod belted to her waist, her pala dress, every bead in her pectoral necklace, and her rings bled a foreign energy she hadn't drawn upon until now. Her mes glowed softly as she hovered over me, her expression filled with premature triumph.
I'd been holding my own against her, but if she used the mes she'd be able to overcome me with little to no effort. I was only a demi-God, and though Tiamat's blood strengthened me I'd be no match against Inanna.
From one step to the next, I transformed into my dragon form, the Tablets of Destiny sinking into my skin, reminding us of our conviction. Using our wings to create an updraft to extend our hop, we spun, using our tail to bat her out of the air. She slammed into the ground with so much force a geyser of dirt exploded, raising a dust cloud.
Tucking our wings against our sides, we roared, running across the green to where Inanna's crumpled body had fallen near Gregori. The Nameless added their song to ours. We barely refrained from releasing a gout of fire. We didn't wish to hurt our precious hoard, but we would chomp on the foolish Goddess. We'd see if she could survive the grind of our teeth.
Inanna stumbled, climbing out of the divot. Her wide, shocked eyes falling on us before she scrambled to Gregori.
No. Ours!
She dragged his limp body to her. "Stop! Or I'll end his miserable life."
Smoke rolled from our nose. How dare she handle what belonged to us. Our mouth watered to taste her blood, to hear her bones crunch in our jaw. But we held still. We understood why Gregori still played possum.
She stood unsteadily. One of her wings tilted at an odd angle, dragging on the ground. "I'm tired of playing with you, dog. Tell Grandmother I said hello when you see her. Tiamat should've chosen her champion better."
The mes' brilliance sharpened to an eye-watering intensity. We were conflicted. We couldn't allow her to dip into the power, but neither could we harm Gregori. Before we decided how to attack, Gregori's eyes popped open. Behind Inanna, Ace stepped closer and raised his hands, palms facing outwards.
Gregori cupped a blue flame and it grew quickly, as if he had no control. Inanna gasped when the fire touched her. She didn't burn or blister, but the fire crawled hungrily over her skin. When she attempted to pull away, Gregori grabbed the arm she held across his chest. The blaze covered him, the heat so immense even we could sense the temperature through our scales. Wind whipped up and cocooned Inanna and Gregori, the scorching swelter suddenly cut off by the whirlwind swirling around the two.
Walking forward, we transformed back to our man shape. I didn't stop until Ace's magic was the only thing separating me from my best friend, and Inanna. The touch of the blue fire ate away the precious metals holding the jewelry together, the lapis lazuli stones falling to the ground. The powerful cloth wrapped around her waist and the wig of mes incinerated in a puff of smoke. After that first touch, her struggles weakened with every inch of skin claimed by the flame.
The blue inferno raged in the funnel of wind. Gregori truly had no control. If it hadn't been for Ace, all of Sanctuary could have been consumed by his magic.
Juan stepped next to me carrying a set of rust-red shackles. I knew exactly what those would do to Inanna. She'd be cut off from her godhood, as insignificant as a human.
"How are we going to get him out of there?" I glanced at Juan and was surprised at his tears. "Juan?"
"You know we all love you, Your Highness." I almost took a step back at the formality in his tone. "But I must ask you not to ask this particular favor of mi candela again until his circle is complete. You put him at risk and he loves you too much to tell you so."
Juan stepped through the wall of wind into the blue conflagration. Unlike Gregori and Inanna, the fire didn't touch him. He fitted the rust-red shackles on Inanna's wrist and I was relieved they didn't turn to slag. Gregori had tested the material but we had no way of knowing if the metal, from a different plane and capable of holding a God, would withstand Gregori's magic completely unleashed. Juan then picked up Gregori. My best friend looked so small and vulnerable cradled against Juan's broad chest. When Juan returned to my side, the fire remained in the cyclone.
"Is he…"
Gregori opened his eyes, dark circles making his silver-gray gaze bright. "I'm fine. Just finish this. Ace can't hold the wind for much longer." No matter his reassurance, Gregori and I would be having a lengthy conversation once this was over.
Returning my attention back to the trapped blaze, I wondered how I'd put it out.
"Eat it," the Earth pushed at me.
Before Ace erected the shield of wind, the scent of the flame had reminded me of the moment Tiamat had commanded me to drink from her wrist. If I could consume the fire, then—I bounced off the whirlwind. How had Juan walked through? Glancing around, I noted Corey's troops had pushed Inanna's out and away from the entrance to the amphitheater. Jory and the Nameless guarded the wide corridor. I'd no idea where the fighting Gods and Goddesses had gone. The sky overhead was filled with dragonet fire and battle. Once Inanna was taken care of, I'd join Brian and Ushna.
"Everyone evacuate the area except Ace. Now!" I put Alpha Command behind my words in order to cut off any arguments. The only one who stayed was the Goddess Ereshkigal. She looked on with an expression of excitement and anticipation.
Transforming back to dragon, we met Ace's steady gaze and nodded. The whirlwind moved to encompass us. A wall of sizzling heat slammed against our scales. We could almost believe the inferno was sentient, but we didn't have time to study the sense of other the flame emitted.
We stepped closer, our snout brushing the blue before we opened our maw, inhaling. Our mouth filled with heat and we swallowed, roaring in pain as we kept gulping down the fiery liquid that burned everything it touched on the way to our gullet. Devouring and inhaling, we continued to eat, becoming gorged until we thought we couldn't absorb any more. When the last sliver of blue flame slithered over our swollen tongue, we choked it down, trembling on four legs, unsure if we could keep from throwing the magic back up.
We hadn't realized we'd closed our eyes until we opened them, confronted by Inanna's furious stare. Belching blue-tinged smoke that caused her to cough, we stepped back on wobbly legs, and watched as she tested the shackles. Her ire turned to horror. Perhap
s Gregori's magic had hypnotized her. She didn't seem to remember what had occurred.
Our stomach roiled and squeezed painfully. If we'd been in human form, we'd be sweating from the sickness pressing down upon us. Our vision blurred, and somehow we came to be lying on our side.
The Goddess Ereshkigal stood over Inanna, the light of anticipation burning in her eyes. How long had she waited for Inanna to pay for the death of her consort? She snapped a rust-red collar around Inanna's long neck, the chain held firmly in her fist.
When Ereshkigal turned to glance at us, her countenance was one of absolute wonder, the expression there and gone so quickly we almost believed we hadn't seen it. "Inanna was wrong. Tiamat chose her royal line wisely. I offer you my unending friendship and gratitude. You and yours are permitted to come and go from Irkalla without consequence."
Neesie screamed our name. Behind Ereshkigal, the jewel-toned serpents slithered our way. Beneath us, the Earth's cooling touch pushed into us. We were tired and needed to catch our breath before we joined our consorts in the sky. Closing our eyes, we wondered why the Queen of the Land of the Dead came to be fond of us.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ushna Ahura-Yazda
There was no illusion of control. The whole confrontation released chaos not only on the ground but in the air. With the battle raging around Brian and me as we dogged Marduk's heels, I couldn't keep track of the action below us. We'd planned for the conflict. Corey and Bixx, with the assistance of the Magi, would work in tandem to push back Inanna's ground troops. Even though I was loathe to leave Tristan, Marduk's fighting preference was well documented. As expected, he orchestrated from the air. The sooner Brian and I broke Marduk's hold on the Children of Tiamat, the quicker we could return to Tristan. In the meantime, I relied on the expertise and competency of our friends and colleagues to enable Tristan to concentrate solely on Inanna.
I swung the Green Bastard at the clawed foot reaching for me. Ladon spat a yellow-green glob at the attacker and then dug his sharp nails in as I dodged. The wind whipped around us as Brian banked, the only thing holding me in place was the grip of my legs around his neck. If we spent an extended period fighting in the sky, my muscles would eventually give out from exhaustion. Demi-God or not, even I had physical limits.
Brian and I worked hard to keep from mortally wounding any of Tiamat's children. Noticing our reticence, Marduk kept a couple layers of fighters between him and us. If we'd been willing to kill to get to him, the barrier would have been easy to smash through.
The gout of blue flame on the green of the amphitheater caught everyone's attention and the fighting halted as Tristan seemed to… What? Inhale the fire? Brian released a noise of concern, almost a whine if not for the hint of rumble.
When Tristan staggered away from Inanna, he tipped to the side and collapsed. My heart attempted to beat its way out of my ribcage. Every second Tristan was down, apprehension ate at me. Brian roared, giving voice to our mutual trepidation.
Marduk laughed, the sound full of triumph. "Destroy them all," he commanded, pushing the various dragons into action.
Fury rolled through me. Tristan needed us and we were still dealing with that smug, self-important asshole. Fuck him. He thought by putting Tiamat's children between us protected him. Kept us… me away. To hell with him.
Moving to crouch on Brian's neck, not quite losing my balance when Brian dipped low, I waited and watched for a window. Brian's strategy was to circle over Marduk and, when a path opened, he blew columns of fire onto Marduk's head. We'd hoped the God would tire of being roasted and choose to confront us. We needed to defeat him swiftly, and my small well of patience quickly dissipated. When a path cleared, I leaped from Brian's neck with the Green Bastard in my hand. Ladon chirped incessantly in my ear, calling me an idiot for not sheathing my sword first. For a split second, time slowed and I was almost convinced I wouldn't fall. Then the distance between Marduk and I rapidly closed. When I slammed into him, the scales of my half form muted any pain from the blow.
Better prepared to be a dragon rider than I, Marduk was strapped in a harness on the Masmahhu's middle neck. Tied down as he was, if the Masmahhu rolled in the air he wouldn't be dislodged from his perch. The Masmahhu folded under my weight, and the momentum carried me past him. Using my claws, I gouged a path down the Masmahhu's back, coming to a stop halfway off the long body, hanging next to the thick tail.
The Green Bastard was still clutched in my left hand, a hard-learned lesson from my training in the Order of Anat. I had nowhere to set the sword, nor could I bury it in the hindquarters of Marduk's temporary steed. Wrapping my legs around the tail, I grappled for leverage. Marduk glanced back at me and I bared my teeth at him. I'm still here, you ugly bastard. He reached for the buckle on his right leg. I needed to be on my feet before he reached me.
Brian's roar and the gout of flame that hit Marduk caused me to glance up. Wings hugged to his sides, Brian's black dragon nosedived through the mass separating him from us. Bullying his way past any who attempted to block his way, Brian dropped like a speeding bullet, spitting more fire. Ladon scampered off me and crossed the distance to Marduk. Before Brian collided with the Masmahhu, he snapped his wings out, stalling his rapid decent. A couple of yards above the Masmahhu's back, he transformed back into his human form. I wanted to yell at him for pulling such a dangerous stunt but held my tongue. Considering I was hanging off the ass end of a dragon, I couldn't really say anything.
Marduk was dealing with Brian's flames, which wouldn't keep him occupied for long. As soon as Brian's feet touched the Masmahhu's back, Ladon jumped and turned into a larger dragon. He immediately began to harry the three heads of Marduk's unwilling steed.
Quicker than should be possible on an enemy dragon in midair, Brian crossed to me. Judging by his expression, I thought he'd strangle me, but he pulled me up over the edge and into an iron embrace. "You senseless, crazy asshole. You took years off my life," Brian yelled over the rush of wind.
The shouted command for the Masmahhu to remain steady caused me to move between Brian and Marduk, who had finished unstrapping himself from the saddle. In my half-dragon form, the wind was less bothersome, the second eyelid protecting my eyes without causing them to tear. Brian, on the other hand, didn't have a half-form to protect his soft human body.
Marduk's ruined skin healed as we watched. Ever since Brian explained how Marduk captured the power of prayers in statues, I'd hoped the enchantment shackling the children of Tiamat, bending them to his will, followed the same premise. Marduk was the God of Magic, but we barely understood how his magic worked. The prayer statues were the only hint we had to go by. If Marduk needed a construct to hold the magic, then perhaps the enchantment binding Tiamat's children was also a construct. The only flaw in our speculation was that if Marduk didn't carry the device with him, we wouldn't know where to look for it. If the item of power couldn't be found, then the only other way to break the binding would be to kill Marduk. Ending a God wasn't easy. Although Mithra had said we could break the chain, so far we hadn't figured out how.
"I'm tired of dealing with you. Come meet your death." The rest of Marduk's monologue was caught and stolen by the wind.
Arrogant bastard. As the only person standing between me and Tristan, he should have been more wary of what I would do.
Marduk's haughty expression morphed into one of dismay as I sheathed my sword and charged as if I were a linebacker. I hit him hard, and he flew backwards over the side of Masmahhu. Brian ran past me and dove after Marduk, changing back into his dragon; his tail missed hitting me in the head by mere inches. Knowing Masmahhu wouldn't obey my command, and refusing to be stranded in the air, I leapt off, following Brian. Below me, Brian snatched Marduk up in a clawed fist.
Foolishly, I'd thought I could land on Brian's back. Obviously, I hadn't thought my plan through. But before I could panic while freefalling, Ladon slid underneath me. His dragon form wasn't as large as Brian's or Tristan's, but he
was big enough to bear me to the ground. Circling, we descended, following the route Brian had taken. No sooner had Brian landed than he flew backwards a great distance into the stadium stairs. Marduk stood straight and tall where Brian had initially landed, leaving no doubt who had thrown him. Brian transformed into his human form again, but didn't move. My gaze narrowed on Marduk, who stood with his back to me, his attention still on Brian, unaware that Ladon and I flew directly at him.
Fury colored the edges of my vision as once again I hurled myself off the back of a dragon, going down feet first and slamming onto Marduk's shoulders. The force crumpled him like a stiff, rusty accordion and I rolled, the impact not as jarring since I'd used Marduk to break my fall. Knowing I only had a short amount of time before Marduk put himself back together, I rushed to Brian's side. To my relief, he moaned in pain when I turned him over. Nothing seemed to be broken, and his eyelids fluttered.
Marduk screamed as his body healed the extensive damage I'd delivered. I was reluctant to leave Brian's side, but I had no choice. I jumped down the tiers of the amphitheater, drawing the Green Bastard. To my right, the bulky shape of Tristan lay on the ground, obviously hurt. The fresh image of Brian behind me gave me a burst of speed that caught Marduk off guard. He wore a few mes, items of power in the shape of a couple of rings and an ornate headband that kept his black wig in place. They didn't help his defense against my attack. I used the Green Bastard to administer several slices across his chest, and in a flurry of swordwork caused him to retreat several steps.
He wasn't a close-combat fighter. In the Igigi War, he'd used distance weapons, a bow and spear, both of which I had under lock and key. Not two minutes into the fight Marduk realized I was more than a match for him. He took a step back, teetering and almost falling into the hole that had been created when I'd landed on him. I snagged the collar of his heavy tunic and pulled him towards me. Before he pushed me away I caught a glimpse of a rectangular tablet about three fingers wide on a golden chain around his neck. My heart leapt even as I staggered back from the glancing blow, his fist clipping my chin.