Releasing Chaos

by Lexi Ander

  Brian and I were so focused on pestering Marduk, neither one of us noticed Leora had taken the humans through the gateway. I sensed it was still open, but I wasn't sure we could break away long enough to make our escape.

  "Marduk!" The booming bellow sent out a shockwave and Brian lurched, tilting to the side before he righted himself.

  Turning in my seat, I found the God Ashur, who'd been Tristan's tutelary, walking across the barren sands toward Marduk. Where the God Marduk had a human visage, Ashur did not. His blue skin was hairless, with tentacles on his head and a pair of copper-tipped black wings spread out behind him, portraying how primordial he was in comparison to the younger God.

  "Walk away, boy. You have already caused enough turmoil for the night. You've revealed yourself to the humans and broken King Enlil's decree that we pull away from them." With every step Ashur took, he grew in size until he was as tall as Marduk.

  "Ashur," Marduk sneered, his voice low and booming. "I have risen to fulfill my destiny. I will be king over the Gods. You are too weak to stand in my way. If you leave now, I will be lenient with you once I wrest the crown from that sniveling coward Enlil. I created humans to be our slaves; serving us is their only purpose. Neither you nor Enlil will have a say about their value. We gave up our rights because Enlil, in his misguided wisdom, believed we needed to remove ourselves from this world."

  "We have no place in human existence now. Much happened while you slumbered. The people have all but forgotten us." Ashur countered.

  Brian circled around to the gateway, but instead of landing and allowing me to climb off, he tilted and bucked. To control my fall, I pushed off with my legs before I was completely free of him. In the background, Ashur and Marduk continued to argue. I ignored them as I attempted to land without breaking any bones. Hitting hard, I twisted my knee and shoulder, slamming into a rock and knocking the breath from me. Gasping, my vision grayed out as I rolled to my hands and knees only six feet or so from the gate. The energy of the open portal beckoned to me, but I couldn't leave, not yet. Not without Brian.

  The ferocious roar had me scrambling and turning to see what was happening. Fire licked at Marduk's hair and he slammed into Ashur, chasing after Brian who headed directly at me. Backing up, I positioned myself so I wasn't quite touching the invisible barrier. I kept waiting for Brian to land and change, but Marduk was too close and would've caught him.

  "Dammit, Brian, you're too big for the portal. You have to change, man." As if he could hear me.

  Marduk lunged as Brian tucked his wings to his sides and rolled. He transformed while still flying through the air, breathing fire and toasting Marduk's grasping hand before Ashur tackled Marduk to the ground. With his wings gone, Brian dropped like a rock toward me and the gate.

  My last words were, "Oh, shit. This is going to hurt" before I caught my friend and blacked out.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tristan Janick

  When Ushna and I returned home, I couldn't settle. Brian being gone left a chasm open within me, sucking away any joy I would have felt over having the last of our warriors home. I wasn't the only one on edge. Ushna silently paced with me. Eventually, we both ended up outside, staring at the eastern horizon as if it would give us the answers we sought.

  Our resident Shirdal, Corleone, sat next to me, his quiet support bolstering me, and I absently scratched the tawny feathers between his equine ears. The Simurgh, Saéna, who usually played with Corleone, couldn't be found on the ranch. Apparently, she'd accompanied Ushna's parents and our children to one of the safehouses Corey and Ushna had set up.

  I couldn't shake the sense of trepidation that had plagued me since Stan and Brian left with the scorpion-men. Why had I not argued more? Ushna gripped my shoulder, his fingers like a brand. When I glanced up into his tri-colored eyes, I saw I wasn't the only one ready to fly apart.

  The slap of the screen door made me glance back to see who'd left the house. Randy, Mary Jane, and Christie were still at Sanctuary with the kids. With Ushna's and Brian's parents gone as well, there weren't too many others around.

  Corey, Gregori, and Jory walked toward us. Bixx Decimus rounded the corner of the house, jogging to catch up.

  Something was up. I could feel it, but I couldn't voice my question and so waited for them to explain. I didn't have to wait long.

  "I was thinking we could go to the Anunnaki Halls to wait for Brian and Stan," Corey said, handing Ushna and me our weapons.

  Glancing at Gregori and Jory, I wondered if they too sensed the wrongness of Brian and Stan's absence. But I didn't ask, my throat closing around the words before I uttered them. Instead, I strapped on the belt, ensuring the Green Bastard was secured in the scabbard and checking the ammo clip for my gun. Leading the way, I headed toward the gate on the ranch. Ushna caught up with me and threaded his fingers through mine. That one simple touch grounded me. The sense that the barest push would cause me to fly apart lessened to the point I could talk without choking.

  "How did you know Ushna and I were out here waiting for Brian and Stan? Not that we expected them to step out of thin air," I added.

  Corey and Bixx maneuvered around us to lead the way. Gregori took my free hand, and Jory paced alongside Ushna.

  "Jory and I…" Gregori paused, flipping his braid over his shoulder distractedly. "I don't know how to explain it."

  "Something felt wrong," Jory replied, raking his hand through his short blond hair. "I started searching the house from top to bottom, surprised to see Gregori doing the same. We didn't find either of you in our search, so went to the security room and they immediately pointed out where you two were."

  "When we realized the danger we sensed didn't come from you, we did an impromptu security check with the perimeter guards." Gregori squeezed my hand. "We were going to tell you what we sensed, but Corey was already waiting in the hallway for us, loaded for bear."

  Gregori's joke made me smile, if only a little. Corey always seemed to be one step ahead, and armed to the teeth. I still didn't know how he did that. Sometimes I wondered if living for so long made him sensitive to certain situations; Corey had refused to answer when I asked.

  The trip to the gate was quick. I barely noticed the activity at the temporary tent city in the Northwest pasture. Of the warriors we'd freed from The Center, and now the ones from the human labs, many didn't have anywhere to go, while others had requested entrance into my tribe. The only land I had to my name was the ranch, and we hadn't had time to find a more permanent solution for housing. Not that the warriors minded. They only wanted to be near their king. I cared because they deserved better.

  The Anunnaki Gateway stood in the middle of one of the pastures. The edges of the stones were weathered by time, but the Ophidians had repaired the symbols so they were easier to discern, not that I knew how to use them. I'd read somewhere the gates had been constructed by the Gods in order to transport large groups of humans, as well as to allow the Gods to move quickly and freely around the Earth. The fact the Gods couldn't poof everywhere still shocked me. As a people, we were raised to revere the Gods and Goddesses. Somewhere along the way the titles had become synonymous with all-powerful, and sometimes even infallible. Since my revelation, I'd reevaluated my beliefs; I hadn't liked what I saw.

  "We have four hops before we reach the hall," Bixx said, turning to look at me. "The Ophidians who could not return with me will be overjoyed to see you." Before I'd birthed our pups, I'd given Bixx permission to return with his Ophidians under the condition they report to Corey, my Arms Master. But not all Ophidians were free to join us. The Kenwards of the gateways had stayed behind.

  Anxious to get to the Halls of the Anunnaki even though I'd only end up waiting for Brian and Stan to return from their mission for Goddess knew how long, I nodded to let him know I'd heard. Bixx moved through first, disappearing between one step and the next, followed closely by Corey. The rest of us waited for a count of twenty, something Corey insisted on so the area could b
e cleared before Ushna, Brian, or I stepped through. Barely saying nineteen in my head, I was already moving through the portal. Before today, I'd never used a gateway before. The Shadow Movers had become my primary way of traveling long distances in a short period of time. Passing through the void with them always made my heart stutter. I never understood how the shadowmen endured the cloying darkness.

  I'd expected the portals to have the same effect, and was utterly taken aback by what I saw. It was as if I was running at a great speed, or perhaps flying faster than any human-made jet. To the right and the left, the landscape sped by so quickly all I could discern was a blur of mixed colors. Before me, I saw the end of the gate with perfect clarity: Corey and Bixx stood off to the side waiting. The distance was one step, though my eyes told me differently, and when I set my foot down, I was through.

  I turned to glance behind me but Corey grabbed my elbow, pulling me out of the way. Which was a good thing since Ushna followed on my heels. Once we were all through, Bixx shut down the portal and activated a new one. When I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to check the time, I was shocked to see forty minutes had passed. Shadow walking was instantaneous. Did the Shadow Movers bend time and space to go from one location to another? Was that the reason for the disorientation when we stepped through? The gates, although obviously points of fast travel, were something very different.

  I didn't have long to compare the differences because we were moving again, and by the time we stopped for good, all I could think about was Brian. The further we traveled, the more I felt something was wrong. When we finally stepped out into the Halls of the Anunnaki, the sense of impending doom hit me like a slap in the face. Automatically drawing my weapon, I searched for the threat. When Ushna, Gregori, and Jory stepped into the hall, they also went on alert, as if they too sensed danger stalking close by.

  Bixx stopped and spoke to a much older Ophidian who wore a bright yellow cowl. Glancing around to take a quick inventory of my surroundings, I counted ten Earth gates in all. Their formation circled the mound where the largest gate sat. Not far away, across the low mound, people were coming through a different Earth gate. A glimpse of Leora among them had me practically running. Behind me, I heard other footsteps, and I knew without turning that Ushna, Gregori, and Jory followed.

  "Leora!" I called her name a couple times before she looked around, meeting my eyes. The fear I saw there made my blood run cold. The moment she recognized me, her expression relaxed into one of utter relief.

  "Siamak," she called to me. Before she'd only used sire or your highness. With her reverence poured into the one word, she pleaded for her emperor's help.

  Other scorpion-men stumbled through the gate. Some with one human, others with two. Neither Brian nor Stan were among them.

  "They are bringing up the rear," she yelled as if reading my mind. "They are keeping Marduk preoccupied. We wouldn't have escaped without them."

  The edges of my vision went white. I couldn't breathe. Marduk. They weren't supposed to confront him, at least not yet. Brian didn't have any weapons to defend against a God. My dragon roared, and I barely kept from giving voice to his—our—fear. Two more people staggered through and I stood off to the side… waiting.

  Leora quickly relayed what she saw before entering the gate. "He kept Marduk from commanding us. We would have had no choice but to comply."

  But at what cost? Was keeping these humans away from Marduk worth his and Stan's life? I stared at the gate, willing them to come through, and when they didn't, I approached the portal.

  "Your Highness, no!" Bixx grabbed my arm, his steely grasp unshakable.

  I glared at him, my skin rippling as my dragon thrashed beneath the surface. "You dare tell me no?" I bellowed. Steam wafted from my clothes and Bixx hissed as if in pain, but he didn't let me go.

  "The portal is only one way. If you try to enter from this side, you will be torn to pieces." His explanation made sense, but I needed to be on the other side.

  Ushna came up behind me, his chest flush with my back and he looped an arm around my waist.

  "Then close this portal down and reopen it so I can go to them. They cannot fight Marduk alone." Desperation rang in my voice. We could not lose Brian again.

  "And if we change the direction of the gate and Brian steps through?" I wanted to beat Bixx's face in just because he was calm and logical. "He has no way of discerning it is not safe to enter."

  My breath caught at the image of Brian and Stan being torn apart.

  "Then we use a different one, jump to the gate closest to them and go to their aid," Ushna's corresponding snarl caused Bixx to take a small step back.

  "Ushna, Tristan." Corey stepped in, pushing Bixx to the side and drawing us close. "You cannot go. You know that. You don't have the proper weapons on you, and Marduk is a full God who's been amassing an immense amount of power. If you stand against him now and fail, everything you built and fought for will be for nothing. The Goddess Inanna wins."

  Everything Corey said was true.

  "We cannot just stand by and hope Brian and Stan make it back to us." Ushna hissed in a low voice.

  "That's why Gregori and I are going in your stead." Corey replied calmly.

  "No!" I snapped. Ushna and I might not be full Gods, but we were stronger and more durable than Corey and Gregori. But before I could argue, two figures shot through the portal, flying through the air with shocking speed before crashing into the ground on the far side of the mound.

  Everybody started yelling at once. Bixx ordered Leora to close the portal. Gregori and Jory called Brian and Stan's names. But before anyone could move, a huge bronze hand emerged from the gate, the appendage so enormous the index finger was as big around as I was. Around the wrist was wrapped blue fingers. The color reminded me of the God Ashur, who I hadn't seen in a very long time.

  There was no doubt in my mind who the bronze hand belonged to. I drew the Green Bastard from its sheath. Gregori had magically transformed a blade of grass, creating the weapon. I'd thought I lost it after I killed Inanna's puppet, Greg Stoiler, but somehow Tiamat had retrieved it. When I returned to Earth she gifted the sword back to me. Without thought to what I was doing, I ran toward the grasping hand, raising a battle cry that rang in my ears. Marduk would never touch what was mine. With a mighty swing that held all my energy, I chopped downward with all my strength.

  Warm crimson spray doused me, and suddenly, Marduk's hand withdrew. Leora scrambled at the gate and when she collapsed in relief, I knew she'd shut down the portal.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ushna Ahura-Yazda

  My heart stopped when Brian and Stan came flying through the gate. They were going so fast; I knew it couldn't end well. When they landed hard, Stan was crushed by Brian before they rolled. A huge hand came through the portal, scaring ten years off my life; Tristan was too fucking close.

  "No, please," I whispered. I couldn't lose Tristan again. Not after all we'd been through, all we'd accomplished and planned. We were so fucking close to being free of danger.

  Tristan's features twisted into a mask of hatred as he raised the Green Bastard and sliced off the pinky of the grasping hand. Seeing Tristan did indeed have a weapon that could wound a God, I ran across the low mound to where Stan and Brian lay too still. Jory and Gregori were close on my heels when I skidded to a halt. Brian groaned and rolled to his side, but Stan was unmoving.

  "See to Stan." I pointed, even though Gregori had to have known I spoke to him.

  Brian coughed continuously. I knelt next to him, afraid to touch him anywhere because I wasn't sure where he was injured. Gregori's choked sob caused me to glance up, dread eating at my heart. He was always cool and calm, not much ruffled his feathers. For him to show that much emotion didn't bode well for Stan.

  Jory and Gregori detached the dragon scale armor, and the look of Stan's chest made my breath stutter to a halt. There was so much bruising, and a couple of broken ribs pierced his skin… and who k
new what other internal damage he suffered.

  When Tristan dropped down next to Stan, he looked like a blood-streaked avenging angel. Brian's hand on my knee had me dragging my gaze away from them. He stared up at me with surprisingly clear tri-colored eyes.

  "Where are you hurt?" I asked, still afraid to touch him.

  Brian blinked rapidly. "Bruises, I think. Where's Stan?"

  I glanced over and Brian followed my gaze to where Tristan chanted then blew a breath into Stan's slack mouth.

  "No." I heard Brian's suppressed tears.

  *~*~*

  Tristan Janick

  Bixx continued to issue orders. All the gates in the region were to be locked down immediately. But my attention wasn't on him. Across the floor, Ushna, Jory, and Gregori crouched around the two figures. I couldn't purge from my mind how they'd come through: with Stan flying backwards, his arms wrapped around Brian's upper torso. They'd been a couple of feet off the ground, but traveling at such a high speed when they hit, there was no way they weren't injured.

  To my utter relief Brian moved, rolling over. I released my pent-up breath. Stan, on the other hand, remained still. Gregori frantically tore at his tunic and cowl. Dread filled me as I sprinted across the distance. I automatically reached for the Earth even as a healing glow surrounded Gregori, telling me Stan was in dire straits. But it was the choked sob that told me Gregori didn't think Stan would live.

  Jory quickly moved out of the way as I fell to my knees across from Gregori. The Earth revealed to me the extensive damage Stan suffered. His chest and organs were crushed, more than likely from whatever happened on the other side, plus their hard landing. His heart wasn't beating, nor was he breathing, but I could still sense his flame. I snagged his spirit even as I chanted for healing. Removing the part of the cowl that covered his lower face, I wiped away the blood he'd coughed up on impact. I checked to make sure his passage was clear. Tilting his head back, I breathed into him just as the last of his bones mended.