by Lexi Ander
My little nephew Atar was the reincarnation of Keresaspa. His identity wasn't hard to deduce with Saéna showing herself right after the birth of Tristan's pups. He and Ushna had only expected twins, and were surprised with triplets. I'd seen the twins weren't alone when Tristan was pregnant but thought the mass a tumor. How Atar had fooled my equipment, I didn't know.
Now, Inanna's goal was to release the chaos monster. She had failed time and again to destroy the line of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. She didn't care Zahak would destroy the whole world, not just the Lycans. The Gods could retreat through the gates to their own realm, Dilmun, returning when Zahak had expended all his energy and became dormant. A millennia or more would pass before he rejuvenated enough to become a threat again.
But Atar was only a babe. If Zahak was released now, he'd face the demanos as a boy instead of an experienced man. He'd be doomed to fail. I couldn't allow that to happen any more than I could allow Daniel to harm my nephews, Justus included. My father raised me with one purpose in mind: to be the person who would sacrifice everything to protect our family, to be bound by duty to the people of my lineage. After his death, I became lost, intent on revenge, forgetting that shielding Tristan was the reason I lived.
All those months ago, when Ushna came home devastated and broken without my brother, I knew the fault lay at my feet. It was always supposed to be his life before mine. That very day, my resolve was set. I'd failed Tristan, but I could protect his children. I grasped the treacherous path that presented itself. Even though I knew I would lose everything, all I had to do was go to the nursery and stare at the pups who would grow up without Tristan. Watching their sweet faces, a plan had formed. I refused to falter in my task. My only regret was that I wouldn't be able to tell Tristan I didn't mean a word I'd said to him. Daniel had spies watching me and so I played my part. Soon the Goddess Inanna would know I betrayed her and would take great pleasure in murdering me slowly. But before she did, I would eliminate two of the threats against Tristan and his children.
The scrape of a foot brought me out of my dark thoughts. Daniel crouched, jerking at a covering and cussing. We'd made a small dent in the row. When the sound came again, I glanced at Justus. Ever so slowly he'd been sidling away from us. I turned back to my stack, ignoring him, all the while hoping Daniel wouldn't notice. The object under the covering felt different, heavier than what I sorted through already. My heart leapt in anticipation.
Reaching into my back pocket, I carefully withdrew the garrote I'd taken from the hiding place in my old bedroom. Daniel and Inanna didn't allow me weapons, but the thin, coiled wire was something easily hidden on my person. I worked the cloth ties along the left hand side. The object was almost as tall as I was. When I gently lifted the edge of the material a smooth, highly polished metal was revealed.
Mirror indeed.
The last time Keresaspa battled the chaos monster, mirrors hadn't been invented. Those who could afford the extravagance used polished metals to view their reflections. I rubbed my fingers along the cuneiform symbols lining the edge of the frame. Even though I was expecting it, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a dark form moved into view, revealing a watery yellow iris staring back at me through the small opening I'd made.
Quickly, I glanced at Daniel to see if he noticed my reaction. His attention wasn't on me or the search. Justus took another step back and Daniel snarled.
"I've had enough of you, boy." He darted across the aisle to where polearms, javelins, and spears leaned against an ancient chariot.
I didn't think, I moved, meaning to knock away the spear Daniel would throw at Justus. In my haste, I'd forgotten Brian's guardian. Tristan told me the serpents didn't kill Kaspian until he had attempted to shoot him. My only thought was to protect Brian and Justus. Unintentionally, I got in the way of the deadly strike when I tore the spear from Daniel's hand.
The sting of the bite spelled my doom. Daniel stared, open-mouthed, as the serpent let go of me and slithered back to Brian.
"You!" Daniel's accusatory exclamation wasn't directed at me but at the pups. I'd seen the murderous rage overcome him once before and it wasn't something I wanted to see again.
I dropped the spear. With my free hand, I pressed my fingers and thumb together. In a quick movement, I spread my hand wide in Justus's direction. Scatter.
No sooner had I given Justus the signal than I snapped out the garrote and deftly wrapped the thin wire around Daniel's neck. In a violent move, I took him to the floor, slamming him face first into the stone. He wasn't expecting an attack from me. I'd spent almost a year cultivating his trust. So I imagined my knees putting pressure on his lungs came as a great surprise to him. Using the garrote, I worked hard to not only cut off his air supply but to cut through his throat.
The poisonous burn in my hand crept up my forearm. I prayed to the Goddess Tiamat that Daniel died before I did.
"Uncle Nathan, you've been bit. Uncle Tristan said—"
"Justus! Run and hide, little wolf. You're responsible for protecting Brian," I commanded through gritted teeth. "Go now!"
Daniel bucked under me, his hands scrambling at the ultrathin cable cutting into his skin. Blood flowed down his neck as his eyelids fluttered closed. Inanna would feel when Daniel died. In a very dark place in my heart, I chortled with sadistic glee.
In few a more seconds, Daniel would pass out from lack of blood and oxygen, but I had one secret I wanted to share with him. "Do you think changing your name and dyeing your hair would hide you from me? I know who you really are. Father found you and your sire, but you know that already. The two of you killed him and my mother. He hunted you down like the dogs you were after the two of you shot Tristan, Brian, and Ushna. In return, I snuffed out your father's life and now it's time for you to join him."
Daniel went limp, unconscious, but I still counted to sixty before I pried my numb hands from the garrote handles. A cluster of axes sat next to the spears. I staggered to my feet, sweat soaking my clothing as I burned up. Clutching the handle of the biggest, sharpest ax I could find, I separated Daniel's head from his body. I wouldn't take the chance the bitch could resurrect the fucking asshole. My family would be free of his taint if it was the last thing I did.
I giggled hysterically because killing him would be my last deed. Unsure if Inanna could reattach his head, I took the ax to Daniel's torso. The rage I'd harbored since my parents were murdered bubbled to the surface. Their bodies had been mangled in the car wreck, almost, but not quite, hiding the wounds of torture they'd suffered before they died. For the last ten years, I held the knowledge close to my chest, waiting, watching, searching for the culprits. Before Tristan called, prompting Neesie and me to go to the ranch, the evidence had emerged pointing at Daniel and his father as the murderers. I killed Daniel's father before going to Tristan, but once I realized others knew who Tristan was, I couldn't leave his side. I'd hope there would come a time I'd be able to terminate Daniel's life. But with Tristan pregnant, I'd set aside my revenge quest. If I'd completed my mission at the time, Tristan wouldn't have been in danger from Daniel. I screamed as I remembered how I believed Tristan had died by Daniel's hand. I went berserk slashing away at Daniel's body, severing his limbs. Then I cried as I recalled the pain on Tristan's face when he thought I betrayed him, of Neesie's words when she severed her ties to me.
When I fell to the ground, covered in blood and gore, I was numb and couldn't tell if it was emotional exhaustion or the venom. My gaze landed on the cloth-wrapped cage holding Zahak the Serpent Shouldered, realizing I still had more to do before I breathe my last.
Rolling to my hands and knees, I felt as if I struggled to climb a cliff face. When I gained my feet, I thought I'd pass out. When my vision steadied, I went to the last portrait Daniel had uncovered. Taking my gore-sodden shirt off, I dropped it, using a dustcover to wipe the rest of the gore away. The snake bite on my hand was huge and black. When my skin was stained red but no longer wet, I used my remaining strength to move the
portraits and mirrors Daniel had already handled, I put them in front of the one Inanna desperately wanted. My vision blurred and I dropped to my knees after replacing the last frame.
When I attempted to rise, I fell to my side. I must've passed out because when I open my eyes again, Inanna crouched over Daniel's mutilated body. I held my breath, praying she couldn't fix the damage I'd done. The hostile gaze she shot me told me I'd succeeded, and I grinned in triumph.
Her dove colored wings shuttered, a clear warning sign of her fury. She was bedecked in all her mes of power. Lapis lazuli jewelry hung from her ears, draped from her neck, wrapped around her arms and giant feather ankles of her birdlike feet. Heavy lines of black coal lined her eyes and the wig of straight black hair hid her bald head.
"You think you can escape my wrath by dying? I see the poison coursing through you." Her large talon-tipped toes grated against the hard stone when she shifted. The only pieces of clothing she wore were a loincloth and a red wrap around her breasts. With the exception of the wings, the feathered calves, and her feet, she looked human. For years, I'd passed Sasha on the street or at the Hall of Shamash and didn't know she was the Goddess Inanna in disguise.
When she shifted, her wings fluttered the air. "Where are the pups? Daniel was supposed to acquire them. They have to be here, or the tomb wouldn't have opened."
I ignored her question. "Tristan is going to kick your feathered ass," I slurred.
The hiss she gave was more birdlike than serpent. She moved to squat next to me. I attempted to jerk away when she grasped my wounded hand. "I might not be able to keep you from death so I can spend an eternity skinning you alive, but I can make your death excruciatingly long." She cruelly crushed the snake bite between her fingers as she wove her magic around me. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing my pain. The burn intensified until I could do nothing more than scream helplessly.
"Now to collect my new pups to train." She rose gracefully to her feet and sniffed, following the path Justus had taken.
I tried to rise and go after her, but another wave of agony scoured through my veins, paralyzing me as I put a voice to the pain that twisted my body. I prayed vehemently that someone would protect the children.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Betrayal of kith and kin will threaten the balance with blood of the innocent
Save the eye of the ophidian barters his life for the oldest of the Twin Flames" —Prophecy of the Blood of Three
Stanley Kendall
Paralyzed, I lay on the floor, staring at the closed bedroom door. Someone was talking to Nathan in the hallway. Through my shock, it took me an embarrassing few seconds to recognize Daniel's voice. A few moments ago, I'd believed I would die by Nathan's hand. Instead, an assassin of the Ophidians had given me a mission.
Nathan had knelt on the floor next to me while I waited for him to take my life. No one looked on the face of a Vikrum and lived, even an Adon of the ancient order couldn't be spared. We ophidians knew the rules.
But Nathan didn't take my life. He glanced at the open doorway, cocking his head, listening. Unable to move, all I could do was stare at his blue cowl. Taking a couple of breaths, I let that fact sink in. The knowledge changed everything we thought we knew about Nathan and his intentions. Oh shit, Tristan would be devastated he'd believed the worst of his big brother.
I was brought out of my thoughts when Nathan gripped me by the shoulders and pulled me into the room. "Inanna is coming. I need you to listen to me carefully," he whispered into my ear. "Daniel's here for Tristan's pups. I'll do what I can to make sure he doesn't get his hands on all of them, but we need one to access the King's Tomb. As an Ophidian, the paralyzer I used will wear off sooner on you than anyone else. You need to follow us to the tomb and reclaim Tristan's heir. I'll take care of Daniel. No one can come between me and my quarry, not even you. Please don't allow others to follow me. There is an innocent involved." Nathan froze when the sound of the screen door squealed at the front of the house. "Tell Tristan I always loved and believed in him." Then he was gone, the bedroom door closed behind him.
I'd believed there wasn't much that could surprise me, but Nathan, the stiff-necked doctor, had shocked me to the core. Staring at the closed door, I worked at moving my fingers. I'd been drugged only a couple of minutes, but refused to lie there and listen to how Daniel spoke to Nathan and do nothing. Tristan's home was well-made, but my sharp Lycan hearing had no problem discerning every word spoken until they moved away. They had to be in the nursery and my heart skipped a beat or ten. The knowledge there was nothing I could do to keep Daniel from taking at least one of the royal heirs infuriated me. Then I heard Justus's voice.
No. No. No. No.
I knew what had happened the last time Daniel had tried to take Justus against his will. That sadistic fuck would hurt him. For several months, I'd cared for and taught that hardheaded boy how to control his wolf. I thought of him and his sisters as my own. Now that I'd claimed Theo, I'd been looking forward to all of us coming together as a family. I wanted to formally claim Justus and the girls before witnesses, cementing our little unit. Today Daniel once again threatened our hard-earned peace.
Rage tore through me, helping to burn off the paralyzing chemical. Before too long, I moved my fingers and felt the pain of my clenched jaw. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the techniques the Ophidians had taught me. All Lycans had a passive magic; it was what allowed us to take on the form of a wolf. They had taught me how to grasp that inherent energy and force it through my body, further burning away the numbness.
By the time I rolled onto my hands and knees, sweat soaked my clothes, dripping down my nose and chin. Nathan had given me a task and I refused to fail. Perhaps, if I was quick enough, I could save Nathan too.
Staggering to my feet, I stumbled to the door and threw it open, causing it to slam into the wall. With every step I took, the ease of movement and my strength steadily returned. Shuffling down the corridor to the nursery, I fumbled with the belt knife that Nathan had kindly replaced in my holster. Not that I needed the blade; the nursery was empty.
"I smell human magic."
Spinning, I almost toppled onto my ass. Saéna stood at the top of the basement stairs.
"The pups?"
"Justus and I were able to get Ramsey and Atar to the panic room. He came up to retrieve Brian but did not return. From what my nose tells me, he didn't leave the house by conventional means." Saéna's copper feathers were raised, but the steely look in her eyes belied her calm, easy tone. She was pissed off.
Nathan had said they needed to get to the King's Tomb. Turning, I moved down the hallway to the kitchen where there was a landline. Bixx answered my call on the second ring. "Hello?" His tone was strained, wary.
"It's me, Stan. We have a situation. Are you with Tristan, Brian, or Ushna?"
Saéna walked by me to the front of the house.
"I am with Corey, Brian, and Gregori. Let me put you on speaker. Okay, now tell us what happened."
"I encountered Nathan here at the house." Quickly, I relayed what he told me. "Someone needs to warn Tristan. I don't know how much time he has before Inanna arrives."
"Stan," Corey's voice cut in over some expressive cussing that sounded like Brian. "Nathan could be lying. He just helped Daniel kidnap Little Brian and Justus."
"You don't understand. Nathan is Vikrum." I had hoped I could keep that secret a while longer. If Nathan survived, I wanted to be the only one who knew.
"Are you sure?" Brian asked softly. "You could be mistaken."
Before I could say anything else, Corey said, "The Ophidians here claim an assassin was sighted behind the King's Tomb. That's too much of a coincidence."
"He wears the cowl. No other Lycan would dare put on that color, you know this."
"He let you see him. You know what this means?" Bixx asked.
"Yes," I said. "He plans on dying to complete his task." Unless I arrived beforehand to he
lp him. "If he's been seen then I need to hurry. Saéna has Ramsey and Atar in the basement. New guards need to be sent to the ranch. Someone find Randy and secure him."
"We don't have time to—" Corey huffed out a sharp sound of frustration.
"Make time! He'll try to go to Justus." Just as Justus had attempted to follow Randy when he was in trouble.
"He doesn't know—"
"Listen to me, Corey. Believe me when I say he knows, just like Justus knew when Randy was trapped in Irkalla. He'll try to save Justus. I'll bring Little Brian and Justus back, but you can't allow Randy to interfere."
"I'll go." Gregori's soft voice was a stark contrast to Brian's and Corey's angry ones.
"Thank you. I must—"
"You don't think you're going alone, do you?" Brian snapped.
"Stop. You know you and Ushna need to be with Tristan to face Inanna. You know that if she's coming, then so is Marduk. We all have jobs to do. Trust me to do mine. I will bring our sons back." There was no more time to argue so I hung up.
Saéna stared up at me. "I have to stay here with the hatchlings. But I'll take care of the people in the house and guard them until the warriors come." She opened the back door. Nodding, I followed her outside. "I can send help with you."
Saéna's wings flared wide and her copper-colored peacock tail fanned out. "Corleone!" Strange smelling magic brushed by me and I heard the high screech of the Shirdal. A shadow passed over us briefly before Corleone alighted mere yards away.
"You smell sick." The words were pushed at me through the Earth. Tristan had claimed that was how the Shirdals communicated, but not once had they spoken to any of us other than him or Randy.
