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Inheritors of Chaos

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by Barbara Ann Wright




  Naos has come to Calamity, and chaos has come with her. Cordelia had enough problems without teaming up with former enemies in order to defeat a mad goddess. And she doesn’t yet know that the Storm Lord has been resurrected in a new body. On the plains, the prophet Lydia is convinced that Fajir is the one chosen to stop a massive firestorm in the future, if only Fajir wasn’t so set on killing everyone around her.

  With their murderous leader dead, hostilities have ceased among the drushka, but the long-living aliens are slow to adapt. The last thing they want is a drushkan king with powers none of them dreamed of before.

  What Reviewers Say About Barbara Ann Wright’s Work

  The Tattered Lands

  “Wright’s postapocalyptic romance is a fast-paced journey through devastation. …Plenty of action, surprises, and magic will keep readers turning the pages.”—Publishers Weekly

  The Pyradisté Adventures

  “…a healthy dose of a very creative, yet believable, world into which the reader will step to find enjoyment and heart-thumping action. It’s a fiendishly delightful tale.”—Lambda Literary

  “Barbara Ann Wright is a master when it comes to crafting a solid and entertaining fantasy novel. …The world of lesbian literature has a small handful of high-quality fantasy authors, and Barbara Ann Wright is well on her way to joining the likes of Jane Fletcher, Cate Culpepper, and Andi Marquette. …Lovers of the fantasy and futuristic genre will likely adore this novel, and adventurous romance fans should find plenty to sink their teeth into.”—The Rainbow Reader

  “The Pyramid Waltz has had me smiling for three days. …I also haven’t actually read…a world that is entirely unfazed by homosexuality or female power before. I think I love it. I’m just delighted this book exists. …If you enjoyed The Pyramid Waltz, For Want of a Fiend is the perfect next step…you’d be embarking on a joyous, funny, sweet and madcap ride around very dark things lovingly told, with characters who will stay with you for months after.”—The Lesbrary

  “This book will keep you turning the page to find out the answers. …Fans of the fantasy genre will really enjoy this installment of the story. We can’t wait for the next book.”—Curve Magazine

  “There is only one other time in my life I have uncontrollably shouted out in cheer while reading a book. [A Kingdom Lost] made the second. …Over the course of these three books all the characters have blossomed and developed so eloquently. …I simply just thought this whole novel was brilliant.”—The Lesbian Review

  “Chock full of familiar elements that avid fantasy readers will adore…[The Pyramid Waltz] adds in a compelling and slowly evolving romance. …Set against a backdrop of political intrigue with the possibility of monsters and mystery at every turn, the two women slowly learn each other, sharing secrets and longing, until a fragile love blossoms between them…”—USA Today Happily Ever After

  Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory

  “Once more Barbara has outdone herself in her penmanship. I cannot sing enough praises. A little Vikings, a dash of The Witcher, peppered with The Game of Thrones, and a pinch of Lord of The Rings. Mesmerizing…I was ecstatic to read this book. It did not disappoint. Barbara pours life into her characters with sarcasm, wit and surreal imagery, they leap from the page and stand before you in all their glory. I am left satisfied and starving for more, the clashing of swords, whistling of arrows still ringing in my ears.”—Lunar Rainbow Reviews

  “In their adventures, the women must wrestle with issues of freedom, loyalty, and justice. The characters were likable, the issues complex, and the battles were exciting. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.”—All Our Worlds: Diverse Fantastic Fiction

  “This was the first Barbara Ann Wright novel I’ve read, and I doubt it will be the last. Her dialogue was concise and natural, and she built a fantastical world that I easily imagined from one scene to the next. Lovers of Vikings, monsters and magic won’t be disappointed by this one.”—Curve Magazine

  Paladins of the Storm Lord

  “This was a truly enjoyable read…I would definitely pick up the next book. …The mad dash at the end kept me riveted. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has a love of sci-fi. …An intricate novel…one that can be appreciated at many levels, adventurous sci fi or one that is politically motivated with a very astute look at present day human behavior. …There are many levels to this extraordinary and well written book…overall a fascinating and intriguing book.”—Inked Rainbow Reads

  “I loved this. …The world that the Paladins inhabited was fascinating…didn’t want to put this down until I knew what happened. I’ll be looking for more of Barbara Ann Wright’s books.”—Lesbian Romance Reviews

  “Paladins of the Storm Lord by Barbara Ann Wright was like an orchestra with all of its pieces creating a symphony. I really truly loved it. I love the intricacy and wide variety of character types…I just loved practically every character! …Of course my fellow adventure lovers should read Paladins of the Storm Lord!”—The Lesbian Review

  Coils

  “…Greek myths, gods and monsters and a trip to the Underworld. Sign me up. …This one springs straight into action…a good start, great Greek myth action and a late blooming romance that flowers in the end…”—Dear Author

  “A unique take on the Greek gods and the afterlife make this a memorable book. The story is fun with just the right amount of camp. Medusa is a hot, if unexpected, love interest. …A truly unexpected ending has us hoping for more stories from this world.”—RT Book Reviews

  “The gods and monsters of ancient Greek mythology are living, breathing entities, something Cressida didn’t expect and is amazed as well as terrified to discover. …Cressida soon realizes being in the underworld is no different than being among the living. The heart still feels and love can bloom, even in the world of Myth. …The characters are well developed and their wit will elicit more than a few chuckles. A joy to read.”—Lunar Rainbow Reviewz

  House of Fate

  “…fast, fun…entertaining…House of Fate delivers on adventure.”—Tor.com

  Inheritors of Chaos

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Inheritors of Chaos

  © 2019 By Barbara Ann Wright. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-295-9

  This Electronic Book is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, New York 12185

  First Edition: March 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Sheri (graphicartist2020@gmail.com)

  By the Author

  The Pyradisté Adventures

  The Pyramid Waltz

  For Want of a Fiend

  A Kingdom Lost

  The Fiend Queen

  The Godfall Novels

  Paladins of the Storm Lord

  Widows of the Sun-Moon

  Children of the Healer

  Inheritors of Chaos

  Thrall: Beyond Gold and Glory
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br />   Coils

  House of Fate

  The Tattered Lands

  Acknowledgments

  As always, this book wouldn’t be possible without my writing groups: Angela, Deb, Erin, Matt, Natsu, Pattie, Sarah, and Trakena. Y’all only get better.

  A continuing thank you to Bold Strokes Books and all its authors. When I’m with you, I’m home.

  Thanks to all the readers who’ve loved this series. Let’s geek out sometime.

  I love you, Mom. You made it all possible.

  Dedication

  For David

  Chapter One

  Patricia Dué had to admit that Dillon seemed to know what he was doing. Even after their former ship, the Atlas, had crashed in the mountains to the north and Patricia’s newly conquered mine had collapsed, Dillon looked confident. He marched toward the shattered tunnel, barking orders before the dust had a chance to clear.

  Even Patricia responded to his commands, using her macro-psychokinetic power to lift rubble clear of the mine shaft while her follower Raquel used a mix of macro- and micro-psychokinesis to drill a hole so those trapped in the tunnels could climb out. The other members of Raquel’s group—like Patricia, former inhabitants of the Atlas—used their powers to direct Raquel’s drilling.

  Patricia could sense the trapped people, too. With her myriad powers, she could help them stay alive until they were rescued. And she could heal them after that, but she could do nothing about the dead. The miners lifted the bodies free anyway, so many corpses, and Patricia thought again of Naos, of the hundreds of years she’d spent as a prisoner in a mind that used to be her own.

  Patricia’s terror at seeing the Atlas blaze overhead had faded a little. She had time to escape. Even with all her power, Naos couldn’t teleport or fly. On the ground of the planet of Calamity, she’d have to walk like everyone else.

  Patricia turned back to the corpses, determined that no one else would die. These were her people, now, even if telepathy had initially made them that way. She couldn’t help a jolt of guilt; she’d brought them to this disaster when she’d taken over the small community. Naos wouldn’t have come here if Patricia hadn’t escaped from their shared mind.

  Every other part of Patricia rebelled against that thought. She’d treated these people well, brought them together, brought them peace with their plains and hill dwelling neighbors. So what if she’d had to use telepathy to do so? In the end, they’d been happy to be convinced. At least she wasn’t like Naos who seemed on a quest to turn everyone into clones of herself.

  Patricia paused and waited for Dillon’s snide voice to disagree, to call her a coward or some other vile name, but of course, he wasn’t a guest in her mind anymore. She’d found a place to put him: in the body of Gale’s mayor, the former Liam Carmichael.

  Between the power users and Dillon’s efficient orders, many of the miners made it out of the tunnels alive. Patricia watched as they hugged their comrades or wept over the dead. Some seemed to be weeping in relief that they still lived, but they didn’t know how bad things were about to get.

  First of the many problems she’d have to deal with: Dillon. Dillon’s new body walked toward her with a confident stride, cockier than the mayor’s steps had been. The mayor’s body was handsome, fit, and in its twenties or early thirties. He had a brown ponytail and startling green eyes. Combined with Dillon’s cocksure swagger, it was a very attractive package, even if looking at him also made her want to smack him. She was just glad he wasn’t in her head anymore to read her attraction.

  He nodded to the house where she’d put him inside his current body scant hours ago. She followed without a word, leaving Jonah, her servant inside Dillon’s old body, in charge of the miners.

  The mayor’s two escorts were lying right where Patricia had left them when she’d knocked them unconscious. A young woman in leather armor and a slightly older man wearing metal; they weren’t going anywhere unless Patricia’s power let them.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Dillon asked.

  It was a test. Did he want her to suggest killing them so he could accuse her of being bloodthirsty, or should she say to spare them so he could call her weak?

  Unless… “Nothing,” she said. She wanted to say they were his problem and leave him to it, but with Naos on Calamity, she needed allies. “With a little prompting, they’ll get used to you as the new mayor of Gale.”

  He rubbed his chin, then looked at his hand in surprise as if just recognizing his new body. Her powered senses detected a wave of happiness rolling off him. “I’ll need you to pull some details from them if I’m going to pull off that charade.”

  “If either of them knew the mayor well, I can.” She wished she’d paid more attention to the personality she’d pulled out of the mayor, but in her haste to bring Dillon out, she’d scattered Liam’s thoughts in her own mind, and there was no putting his memories back together again. “When did you want…I mean, are you going to Gale now, or…”

  “Don’t worry, sweets.” He lifted a hand before she could protest the nickname. “Patricia. I’ll help you out with Naos, the big bad wolf.” He looked at his new body as if admiring it.

  She turned away, sickened. She’d stolen yet another body, something Dillon had chastised her for, but she hadn’t had a choice. When she’d claimed his old body, it had been out of a selfish need for companionship, but now she had to stop whatever Naos had planned, both for her sake and everyone else’s.

  When she looked back, she caught Dillon glancing down the front of his trousers. “Ugh, grow up,” she said.

  “Just getting the lay of the land, sweetheart.” He gave her a wink.

  She rolled her eyes. “I only hope you approve.”

  He gave her a calculating look, then smiled, and she knew what he was thinking without reading him. He feared her powers now that he wasn’t lodged in her mind like a tick. Good, that corrected their imbalance of power a little. If he became too cocksure, she could take what she needed about combat and defense from his memory and leave him to rot, even if that left her without his forceful personality. It was good to know she had options, even if they all seemed shitty.

  * * *

  The sight of the Atlas flying overhead had made Cordelia’s belly go cold. She’d seen the ship before on two out-of-body experiences, and she’d never forget that sleek hull, the acres of rare metal that would drive any Galean wild.

  And she’d also never forget the madwoman in charge of it.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Cordelia muttered as she’d watched the ship rattle and boom overhead, headed for the mountains in the north before its crash echoed across the plains. It would be causing havoc at the mine, shaking the mountains down around them, around Liam.

  She was still staring, worry after worry piling in her mind until she realized Nettle and Horace were talking with the others, asking her what in the world was going on.

  “It’s the Atlas,” she said. No one on the planet had seen it except for her and the people who’d been alive two hundred and fifty years in the past when the Atlas had first come to this planet and launched Cordelia’s ancestors to the surface to be their worshipers. Now the truth was out, and people knew that the original Atlas inhabitants who’d remained in space so long ago weren’t gods. They were all on the planet, revealing themselves as human, but they still had powers that put everyone else to shame.

  And the greatest of them just joined the party. “Naos is on board, has to be.”

  “Why would she come here?” Nettle asked, sucking her sharp teeth.

  “Are you sure?” Horace said at the same time.

  “Can you reach Liam?” Cordelia asked Horace, hoping his telepathic abilities could stretch that far.

  He frowned and shook his head. “Finding one mind among so many would be difficult, and with that Patricia woman around…”

  Cordelia nodded. Patricia had easily subdued him when they’d visited the mine. But with Naos around, maybe Patricia would let do
wn her guard or turn the mine back over to Gale in order to have some allies. No matter what, she had to see that working with someone was better than facing Naos alone.

  “Can you astral project that far?” Horace asked.

  Cordelia shook her head. The ability to leave her body was quite handy in many cases, but her range wasn’t that far. That fact comforted her most of the time. Remembering when Naos had separated her mind and body still gave her nightmares.

  “Do we go back?” Nettle asked, her head swinging between the mine in the distance and the long road back to Gale. In the swamp where her kind, the drushka, lived, the whorls and marks on Nettle’s dark brown skin would have camouflaged her against the surrounding trees, but here on the plains, where the only colors were the green of the grass and the white of stone, she stood out starkly.

  As for her question, Cordelia had no answer. Part of her wanted to run back to Liam at the mine, but if Patricia didn’t want to let him go, there was little Cordelia could do. She needed Simon Lazlo, and he was in Gale. He was the linchpin who could combine enough power to bring someone like Naos down.

  The sun was setting. Cordelia needed to decide. She wanted to hurry back to Gale so she could collect Simon, then take him to the mine to free Liam. But the track leading from the mine to Gale meandered between hillocks and ravines that cut through the plains. With lanterns, her party of paladins and scouts could stumble off the track and get lost, eating up more time.

 

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