Sons of Osiris – Fiction: Members of the Temple of Osiris. A secret society based in Alexandria, Aegyptus. The organization manipulates trade, politics, and crime to control entire empires. Some members seek wealth and power. Others seek arcane knowledge. Related to the Temple of Amaterasu in Nippon, where the society originated. Fact: Osiris is the ancient Egyptian god of the dead. Amaterasu is the ancient Japanese goddess of the sun.
Soul-breaking – Fiction: The art and science of splitting the soul of a living person or animal into two portions. The soul portions naturally try to re-join in their original body, but the separated portion can be contained in a sun-steel object or another living creature. This practice can imbue both the original host and the possessed host with the characteristics of the other. Fact: None.
Sunsnake – Fiction: A small black snake with a unique defense mechanism. It can temporarily blind its attacker with a flash of light from its scales, which also triggers euphoria and hallucinations. Fact: None.
Sun-steel – Fiction: A rare metal that absorbs aether as well as souls. The addition of souls makes the metal hotter, but does not melt it. It appears red-gold, similar to copper. Ancient people saw the metal fall from the sky and believe that it fell from the sun. Also known as rinegold and aetherium. Fact: None.
Sutra – Fiction: A Hindu or Buddhist aphorism or scripture. Fact: Same.
Syria – Fiction: One of the provinces of the Empire of Eran located on the eastern coast of the Middle Sea. Fact: This location corresponds with the modern nation of Syria.
Talwar – Fiction: An Indian curved sword (saber). Fact: Same.
Temple of Osiris – Fiction: A secret society based in Alexandria, Aegytpus. The organization manipulates trade, politics, and crime to control entire empires. Some members seek wealth and power. Others seek arcane knowledge. Related to the Temple of Amaterasu in Nippon, where the society originated. Fact: Osiris is the ancient Egyptian god of the dead. Amaterasu is the ancient Japanese goddess of the sun.
Tesiphon – Fiction: An ancient ruined city in central Babylonia, a province of the Empire of Eran. Fact: Ctesiphon was a capital city of the early Persian empires and its ruins are located near modern Baghdad.
Thoth – Fiction: An ancient Aegyptian man who discovered the properties of sun-steel and the science of soul-breaking. By placing a portion of his soul inside a sun-steel locket, he became immortal. He used this science to make an entire Aegyptian family immortal, including the orphan girl Bastet, who calls him Grandfather. Over the centuries, he has traveled the world in search of new knowledge about souls and in search of more sun-steel using various names including Bashir, Grigori, and Omar Bakhoum. Fact: Thoth was the Egyptian god of intelligence, philosophy, writing, and science. Unlike the other gods who were part of an elaborate family, Thoth may have appeared independently, possibly even creating himself.
Thyme – Fiction: An herb common to the Middle Sea region with several medicinal properties, including as an antiseptic, mouthwash, and cure for respiratory infections. Fact: Same.
Tisarana – Fiction: Also called the Three Jewels, the tisarana are the three things that Buddhists take refuge in: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Fact: Same.
Tyre – Fiction: A wealthy sea port on the eastern coast of the Middle Sea. Fact: This ancient Phoenician city is located in modern Lebanon.
Vina – Fiction: The dead wife of Rama, a fisherman living in eastern India. Fact: The Sanskrit name Vina means lute.
Vishnu – Fiction: The Indian (Hindu) god of preservation. One of the three principal deities of India, alongside Brahma and Shiva. Fact: Same.
Yen – Fiction: The original name of the city Kathmandu used by the indigenous Newar people. Fact: Same.
About the Author
Joseph Robert Lewis enjoys creating worlds in which history, mythology, and fantasy collide in unpredictable ways. He also likes writing about heroines that his daughters can respect and admire. Joe was born in Annapolis and went to the University of Maryland to get a very lucrative degree in English Literature. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children.
www.josephrobertlewis.com
Table of Contents
Chimera
Book One The Dragon and the Lotus
Chapter 1 The Lotus Cave
Chapter 2 The Fever Mist
Chapter 3 The Shining Scales
Chapter 4 The Bitter Fruit
Chapter 5 The Silent Sage
Chapter 6 The Deadly Gift
Chapter 7 The Black Dragon
Chapter 8 The Silver Dragon
Chapter 9 The Golden Dragon
Chapter 10 The Beginning
Epilogue: The Crossroads
Book Two The City of the Gods
Chapter 1 Dragon
Chapter 2 Souls
Chapter 3 Loss
Chapter 4 Search
Chapter 5 Gods
Chapter 6 Secrets
Chapter 7 Soldier
Chapter 8 Needles
Chapter 9 Machines
Chapter 10 Echoes
Chapter 11 Within
Chapter 12 Escape
Chapter 13 Father
Chapter 14 Hunting
Chapter 15 Panic
Chapter 16 Torment
Chapter 17 Brothers
Chapter 18 Skywalkers
Chapter 19 Morning
Chapter 20 Falling
Chapter 21 Death
Chapter 22 Engineers
Chapter 23 Baggage
Chapter 24 Legacies
Chapter 25 Grief
Chapter 27 Descent
Chapter 28 United
Chapter 29 Goddesses
Chapter 30 Life
Appendix
About the Author
Table of Contents
Chimera
Book One The Dragon and the Lotus
Chapter 1 The Lotus Cave
Chapter 2 The Fever Mist
Chapter 3 The Shining Scales
Chapter 4 The Bitter Fruit
Chapter 5 The Silent Sage
Chapter 6 The Deadly Gift
Chapter 7 The Black Dragon
Chapter 8 The Silver Dragon
Chapter 9 The Golden Dragon
Chapter 10 The Beginning
Epilogue: The Crossroads
Book Two The City of the Gods
Chapter 1 Dragon
Chapter 2 Souls
Chapter 3 Loss
Chapter 4 Search
Chapter 5 Gods
Chapter 6 Secrets
Chapter 7 Soldier
Chapter 8 Needles
Chapter 9 Machines
Chapter 10 Echoes
Chapter 11 Within
Chapter 12 Escape
Chapter 13 Father
Chapter 14 Hunting
Chapter 15 Panic
Chapter 16 Torment
Chapter 17 Brothers
Chapter 18 Skywalkers
Chapter 19 Morning
Chapter 20 Falling
Chapter 21 Death
Chapter 22 Engineers
Chapter 23 Baggage
Chapter 24 Legacies
Chapter 25 Grief
Chapter 26 Reunion
Chapter 27 Descent
Chapter 28 United
Chapter 29 Goddesses
Chapter 30 Life
Appendix
About the Author