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  Table of Contents

  Releasing Chaos

  Book Details

  Dedication

  Glossary of Gods and Goddesses

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Releasing Chaos

  Sumeria's Sons, Book 6

  Lexi Ander

  Everything Tristan, Ushna, and Brian have fought for comes down to the moment they face Inanna and Marduk. Before then, Ushna must embrace his destiny and be transformed by Tiamat. But he returns with a fractured mind and will need the help of the new firebird or he'll be lost to the insanity of a primordial God. If he's lost, so is the balance Brian and Tristan sorely need.

  Tristan has vowed to care for his ex-Flame, Theo Sullivan, who is doomed to forget more and more with each use of his new ability. When not dealing with his stubborn ex, Tristan must free the warriors stolen by the government and devise a trap for Inanna.

  And that's only the start of the challenges, and everything that can still go wrong.

  Releasing Chaos

  Sumeria's Sons 6

  By Lexi Ander

  Published by Less Than Three Press LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

  Edited by Constance Blye

  Cover designed by Kirby Crow

  This book is a work of fiction and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

  First Edition August 2017

  Copyright © 2017 by Lexi Ander

  Printed in the United States of America

  Digital ISBN 9781684310487

  Print ISBN 9781684310852

  For Molly Jean Couch-Newcomb: sister of my heart, best friend, and holder of secrets… I miss you every fucking day. (Don't scowl at me, woman! At least I didn't use the GD word.)

  Acknowledgements

  This series wouldn't have happened if not for the gentle pushing from Lucy and Molly. They saw potential where I did not. I'll be eternally grateful for their belief in me. Without Lucy, Ushna would've never been Tristan's love interest, and without the feedback from the Chicagoland Book Club, I wouldn't have found a way to bring Brian back. The questions Gary had about Theo made me take a deeper look, leading to a couple of "ah-ha!" moments. Talking out the issues with Crissy are memories I bring out when I need some inspiration. And Lee, with all of his messages asking who was whose Twin Flame and his enthusiasm over poly romance… just thank you. Many thanks to all the beta readers who patiently read poorly edited manuscripts and gave me the best feedback: Piper, Crissy, Crystal, Andrea, Lucy, and Claudia. A special thanks to Alison Mann for being there for me when I was having a meltdown. You are magic.

  GLOSSARY OF GODS & GODDESSES

  Abzu [ab='ocean', zu='to know' or 'deep'] God of fresh water, co-creator of the cosmos, consort to Tiamat. He threatened to destroy the world, upset with the chaos the younger Gods had created, and he was planning to murder the younger deities. Enki confined and defeated Abzu, and places Abzu in eternal sleep in the waters of the Kur.

  Ishkur—"Thunderer" God of storms and rain. Inspector of the cosmos. Consort to Shala, a Goddess of grain. Father of the fire God Gibil.

  Adapa—The first human man. Against Enki's wishes, the Gods decide to slay Kingu, and Enki finally consented to use Kingu's blood to make the first human, with whom Enki later had a close relationship; the first of the seven sages, seven wise men or "Abgallu" (*Ab=water, *Gal= great, *Lu=man), also known as Adapa.

  Anat—A violent virgin Goddess of War. Patron Goddess to Lycan warriors. Mother to the Goddess Inanna. She is depicted carrying a spear, axe, and shield, and wearing a tall crown mounted with two ostrich feathers.

  Ashur—Anshur—[An=heaven, Shar=axle or pivot.] Sky God. Axis of the Heavens. Consort to his sister Kishar. Son of Lahmu and Lahamu, who were the first children of Tiamat and Abzu. Led the war against Tiamat. He was depicted with wings.

  Enki—[EN.KI(G)]—"Lord of the Earth", "Lord of Freshwater". His image is a double helix snake wrapped around a rod of lapis lazuli, or the Caduceus, very similar to the Rod of Asclepius. He is often shown with the Horned Crown of Divinity dressed in the skin of a carp. Considered the master shaper of the world, God of Wisdom and of all magic. God of Fertility and Creation. Creator of humanity and Enkidu.

  Enkidu—[EN.KI.DU "Enki's creation"] is a wild man created by the Gods as Gilgamesh's equal to distract him from oppressing the people of Uruk. Civilized by the priestess of Inanna, Shamhat. Enkidu embodies the wild or natural world, and though equal to Gilgamesh in strength and bearing, acts in some ways as an antithesis to the cultured, urban-bred warrior-king. Enkidu became the king's constant companion and deeply beloved friend, accompanying him on adventures until he was stricken ill.

  Enlil—[EN=Lord + LIL=Loft, "Lord of the Open" or "Lord of the Wind"]—Titles accorded to him are "King of Lands", "King of Heaven and Earth", and "Father of the Gods". He is the God of Wind and Breath. When the Gods could not find Enki, Enlil offered to kill Tiamat if the Gods would make him their king. He wears the copper Tablets of Destiny which he took from Tiamat's son, Kingu. Without the tablets he loses his right to kingship.

  Ereshkigal—[EREŠ.KI.GAL, lit. "great lady under earth"] Goddess of Ikalla, the land of the dead. Wife of Nergal, She manages the destiny of those who were beyond the grave, in the Underworld, where she is queen. It is said she had been stolen by Kur and taken to the underworld, where she was made queen unwillingly. The twin sister of Enki. Name means "Lady of the Great Place", "Lady of the Great Earth", or "Lady of the Great Below". She sided with Tiamat in the war of the Igigi.

  Gilgamesh—[Gilgameš] was the fifth king of Uruk, modern day Iraq (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. Gilgamesh is a demigod of superhuman strength who built the city walls of Uruk to defend his people from external threats, and travelled to meet the sage Utnapishtim, who survived the Great Deluge. He is usually described as two-thirds God and one third man. He was titled Shūtur eli sharrī ("Surpassing All Other Kings") and Sha naqba īmuru ("He who Saw the Deep").

  Gugalanna—[gu="bull", gal="great", an="heaven", a="of"]—The Great Bull of Heaven—also known as Taurus for the constellation of the zodiac. God of the seven waves of petulance. Associated with the solstice. He was the first hu
sband of the Goddess Ereshkigal, the Goddess of the Realm of the Dead. He was sent to take retribution upon Gilgamesh for rejecting the sexual advances of the Goddess Inanna.

  Inanna—[INA NA]—Goddess of Sexual Love, Sacred Prostitution and Warfare. Inanna's symbol is an eight-pointed star or a rosette. Patron Goddess of the city of Uruk. She is infamous for her proprietary but contemptuous treatment of her former lovers who inevitably ended up cursed. Her obsession with vengeance against Gilgamesh for his rejection led to the deaths of Gugalanna and Enkidu. In Babylonian myth, known as Ishtar. Depicted with clawed feet of a raptor and wings.

  Ishara—(išḫara)—"treaty, binding promise" Goddess of the Oath. Ishara could inflict severe bodily penalties to oath breakers, in particular ascites, a military oath. In this context, she came to be seen as a "Goddess of Medicine" whose pity was invoked in case of illness. There was even a verb, isharis—"to be afflicted by the illness of Ishara".

  Keresaspa—the greatest warrior of all. He is destined to kill the demanos Azhi-Dahaka with his mighty club. Only then will the curse of evil on the world be lifted.

  Mithra—In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of the waters. He is the God who is the guardian of the Khvarnah or Divine Glory that alone bestows legitimacy on kings. He can assume the forms of a strong wind, wild ram, swordsman with a golden blade, or the shape of a boar. Guarded by the God Verethragna.

  Ki—[KI="Earth"] Known more widely as Ninhursag. Was the Earth and mother Goddess, one of the seven great deities of Sumer. She is principally a fertility Goddess. Temple hymn sources identify her as the 'true and great lady of heaven' and kings of Sumer were 'nourished by Ninhursag's milk'. She is typically depicted wearing a horned head-dress and tiered skirt, often with bow cases at her shoulders, and not infrequently carries a mace or baton surmounted by an omega motif or a derivation, sometimes accompanied by a lion cub on a leash. She is the tutelary deity to several Sumerian leaders. Her symbol is the omega Ω.

  Ninsun—[nin-sun "lady wild cow"] is a Goddess, best known as the mother of the legendary hero Gilgamesh. Also known as the "August cow", the "Wild Cow of the Enclosure", and "The Great Queen".

  Shamash—[Šamaš="Sun"] God of the Sun and Lord of Justice. Emblem is the winged sun. Just as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light. Has the ability to expel demon possession. Gilgamesh receives dreams from Shamash, which Enkidu then interprets, and at their battle with Humbaba, it is Shamash's favor for Gilgamesh that enables them to defeat the monster. Lower Gods that serve Shamash are Ketta ("Justice") and Mesharu ("Right").

  Sin—aka Nanna—God of the Moon, the illuminator, often rode a winged bull. Symbols are the crescent moon, the bull, and a tripod.

  Tiamat—A primordial Goddess of salt water, consort and queen to Abzu. She is identified with images of a sea serpent or multi-headed dragon. When she was slain by the God Enlil, the Heavens and the Earth are formed from her divided body. She is known as a chaos monster and gave birth to dragons, serpents, scorpion men and merpeople. The twelve signs of the zodiac are attributed to the children she created before she battled with Enlil.

  Uttu—Known as the Spider, the weaver of the web of life. Goddess of Weaving and Clothing. The child of Enki and Ninkur. Keeper of the histories of the Gods.

  Verethragna—[vərəθraγna]—ithe principle companion and protector of Mithra. Called "Victorious Fire". He's an archangel in constant battles with daemons and men. He has ten forms in which he can appear.

  Zal the White Haired—He was considered cursed and was abandoned by his father and raised by Simurgh but later welcomed back by his father, the king of Sistan.

  Prologue

  The Nameless

  We Nameless had been running hard for many days. Something crawled under our ruff, beckoning us to go southeast. The part of us that was once human cowered in the back of our minds, pleading with us to stay in our dens, but we could not. The pull was strong, and we responded to the urgent need that seeped into our paws from the ground.

  "Hurry," The Earth Mother whispered to us.

  Months ago, our alpha freed us from the vileness of our human side, locking away the corruption so we could teach our humans the lessons they had either forgotten or were never taught. We shared the joys of running on four paws, of being family, of supporting each other through the hunt. We gave them our love for the land, the sky, the water, and for each other. We showed them how to work together and yet still be individuals. For we were wolf. Hunter. Predator. Mother. Father. Family.

  Now as they proclaimed their fear, we would teach them how to stand together, to use their instincts to discern right from wrong. The Earth Mother called us to the alpha's aid. Though he made us Nameless, he had shown us mercy and set us free. He would forever be our alpha and we his tribe, his people.

  As we loped, closing the distance between us and the one who needed us, the Earth Mother pushed healing through our paws, fortifying our energy and curbing our hunger. We stopped briefly alongside a stream to drink our fill before once again we hurried on. The urgency rode us as we ran across fields, through sleepy towns, over grassy plains, and entered foreign woods. We were close now and hoped we would arrive in time.

  As one, we threw our voices into the wind. "We come to stand by your side. To be your shield. To hunt with you and take down your prey. To protect our people. We come, our Alpha, we come."

  *~*~*

  Jory Swaine

  I didn't know what disturbed me from a sound sleep, but an itch between my shoulders forced me from my room to prowl the dark house. For a couple of days now, I'd been sensing… I pushed out the back door, barely catching the screen before it slapped noisily against the frame, waking the whole house.

  Before tragedy had taken Tristan away from us for half a year, he'd entrusted into my care the wolf forms of the traitors who'd attempted to murder him. Members of Tribe Uras collaborated with the rogue, Craig Stoiler, and invaded Tristan's ranch. I would've had them killed for their treachery, but Tristan had another idea. He'd stripped the people of their human form, giving their wolf dominion. The demonstration of his power as the supreme alpha and prince of our people proved his lineage to the doubting members of the Council of Five, but there was an additional reason for his action. He'd given them a second chance, of sorts, and ordered some twenty-eight wolves to follow my commands as their handler.

  Whatever type of transformation magic Tristan performed had a lasting effect. With the events that had transpired following his return, I didn't have a chance to relay to him I could still feel those wolves. He'd tied them to me that fate-filled day, not that I was upset. What I sensed of them was harmless, a simple awareness nestled in the back of my mind, telling me their state of being and general welfare… until now.

  The stars shone sharp and bright overhead, the sky a virtual blanket of diamonds. The sight still made my breath catch, especially after spending so many years in California cities, where the light was muted. My eyes were drawn to the northwest. The string attaching me to them pulled with their sense of urgency. They were coming. Perhaps it was time to tell Tristan about my relationship with them. Something caused the pack to leave their dens in the Canadian tundra. I wasn't sure if this sense of urgency coming from them was a portent of good or evil. For Tristan's sake, I hoped the banished members of Tribe Uras didn't intend to attack him a second time. I'd grown quite fond of their playfulness in the corner of my mind, and I'd hate to be the one who sent them on to their next reincarnation.

  Chapter One

  "Betrayal of kith and kin will threaten the balance with the blood of the innocent." —Prophecy of the Blood of Three

  Nathan Janick

  I hated this damn cell; not being able to see the sky and gage whether the sun or moon shone overhead agitated my wolf. I also despised the guards who walked by simply to gawk. They and their opinions me
ant absolutely nothing to me. Well, unless one of them wanted to remove the enchantment on the doorway, then I would listen to their opinion all damned day. Pride was a luxury I could no longer afford. I'd shamelessly be what my rescuer wanted me to be if it meant I went free.

  The guard called Felix slowly passed the cell again. His infuriating smirk taunted me. I'd love to tear the expression from his face, but the clear magical barrier kept me in the cell. Standing taller, I donned my most haughty mask and stared back, silently daring him to grow some balls and confront me. Felix dropped his gaze and moved on. Under my breath, I grunted my disdain. Coward.

  I resumed pacing, stuffing my hands into my jeans' pockets. Earlier, a couple of passing guards had spoken of my transfer to the Detention Center in Bahbelle. Soon transportation would arrive, giving me a couple of days on the road to devise a way to escape. Briefly, I wondered why Shadow Movers weren't taking me instead, but I refused to second guess my good fortune. The opportunity gave me time to come up with a plan.

  Many of those who I'd once called friend now sneered at me, but even here in Tristan's magically enhanced cell I held power. There were those who owed me a debt, and I wouldn't hesitate to cash them in. The question was: Would they dare Tristan's wrath? Although I could handle my little brother, perhaps Tristan wasn't who they should fear. The resurrected Brian Minoa was the one who concerned me.

  Thinking back to my last interaction with Brian, a shiver worked up my spine. After the last argument with Tristan, Brian had paid me a nasty visit. His stony stare and dire promise to make me pay if I ever spoke to Tristan like I had convinced me he made no idle threat. He'd keep his vow and smile while I screamed. Whatever happened to Brian before being resurrected had changed him. He was no longer the carefree youth I remembered. If he caught even a whiff of a rumor that I searched for someone to spring me, I had no doubts he'd find a way to kill me.

  A commotion down the hallway disrupted the quiet. I didn't attempt to look; I wouldn't have been able to see anyway. All the same, my heart sped up, sure the voices and the noise meant my time on the ranch had come to an end. A part of me wished I could speak to Tristan and Neesie one more time, then I berated myself for the foolish thought. We'd only rehash the same issues, keeping wounds open and sprinkling them with salt. He thought he knew who I was. Perhaps it was better if he didn't have faith in me. Tristan only spoke to me about superficial things; he didn't ask the important questions. Even if he had, I didn't dare trust him with the answers. Perhaps the separation between us was inevitable. In the end, he'd probably sentence me to death, but I wasn't about to lie down and accept what he shoved at me.