Queen of the Gryphons: Ishtar's Legacy: Books 1 & 2

by Lisa Blackwood

  Next Balathu placed a bloodied dagger and a stalk of diseased wheat upon the altar. “I honor slayed Nergal, god of pestilence, war, and the killing high summer sun. May he soon be restored in all his glory.”

  Enheduana freed a tiny owl from his cage and gave him a gentle head scratch before setting him on a perch just above the altar. Reaching inside her robe’s sleeve, she drew a dagger from a hidden sheath. The owl turned his wide, unblinking eyes upon her.

  While he watched, she pressed the dagger’s tip to her forearm, making a shallow cut. Once a few beads of crimson blood welled up, she raised her arm above the bowl. A few drops hit the water’s surface, soon turning it a reddish-pink. While the wound was still bleeding freely, she smeared some on her fingers and anointed the tiny owl’s head, beak, and chest.

  “Thus, I honor Ereshkigal, guardian of souls, dweller in the land of Kur. Our great and noble Queen and Goddess who we honor above all others.”

  “We honor Ereshkigal,” Balathu and Enusat uttered in unison.

  The little bird merely looked at the three robed figures with unblinking eyes. Though, soon he started to lick at the blood and then vigorously groomed himself.

  Enheduana turned from the altar. The other two males followed close on her heels. Now that the ritual had been completed, they had business to attend to.

  “Balathu, your message said you had some important news that couldn’t wait.” Enheduana hoped it was as vital as he claimed.

  “I was attending to the offerings in the city temple when King Ditanu came to speak with High Priestess Kammani. From his expression, I knew it was something of importance, so when she led him out into the courtyard, I slipped up the stairs to the next level and waited by a window.” Balathu paused as if to remember details.

  Goddess give me patience. Was he going to tell her how many steps he took, too? “Go on?”

  “They’d almost finished their conversation by the time I reached a window overlooking the courtyard, but I was in time to hear Kammani mention that next time Kuwari and Enkara completed a Blooding Ceremony it would be a formal one, properly honoring Ishtar or they risked angering the gods.”

  This new development confirmed Enkara was Kuwari’s Blade, which was good, but it was also bad news as well. “If they’d already completed the first Blooding Ceremony, then we must enact our plans swiftly.”

  Enusat cleared his throat. “We can’t be sure this is the first Blooding Ceremony. There might have been more. When I was in the palace kitchens earlier, I heard one of the servants speaking with another. Apparently, she walked in just after Enkara had shifted to gryphon form for the first time. Enkara almost killed the girl.”

  Enheduana compressed her lips. “Enkara hasn’t even been back a moon cycle yet. I doubt they’ve had time to perform more than one Blooding Ceremony, but we need to intercede before there is a second or third. We can’t allow Ishtar to steal back what rightfully belongs to Ereshkigal.”

  Enusat nodded agreement, though he looked concerned as well. “How are we going to stop the next ceremony?”

  “We separate them.”

  “How? They are too well guarded.”

  “The same way we planned to deliver them to Ereshkigal in the first place.”

  “Our plans are nowhere near ready,” Enusat stated, although his earlier expression of concern had transformed into something more purposeful.

  He’d tucked his chin and stared unfocused at the floor, his sharp mind likely playing through any number of scenarios. When he glanced up at her a short time later, Enheduana nodded. “You see that it’s possible. We simply must accelerate our original plans.”

  “Simply accelerate? We’ll need the aid of several Anunnaki, and we haven’t even summoned the first one yet.” Balathu began wringing his hands. “If we summon too many, too quickly we risk a Lamassu sensing the imbalance in the living world and notifying King Ditanu. If he and his Blade learn of us, we’re dead and so too is the last hope of Ereshkigal reclaiming Nergal.”

  “Then we will just have to be very careful not to upset the balance,” Enheduana said with growing conviction. “I’ll summon the first of the Anunnaki this night.”

  Chapter 21

  Kuwari stared down into his cup of tea and tried to bring into focus the blurry sense of unease that had been plaguing him for the last three days. It had started shortly after Enkara’s first flight. He tried seeking out the cause but couldn’t pin down what was amiss. For once he would have welcomed a vision, but none were forthcoming.

  Though it might have had something to do with what his father had just revealed. Apparently, one or more of the councilors had gotten impatient and let slip that he would be entering into a betrothal with an as-yet-unnamed female.

  While he’d known it would happen sooner or later, if it had been up to him, he would have held off to give Enkara a little more peace. Once others knew she was his choice, Enkara would suffer the full undivided attention of the court. Not something he’d wish on his darkest enemy.

  “I would very much like to know which council member slipped the news early,” Kuwari told his father while half-consciously running his thumb over the jewel in his sword’s pommel.

  “I’m not sure knowing who did changes much. The court was already speculating about you and Enkara after how you two danced the evening of your name day. It’s clear who you favor. Your announcement will come as no real surprise.”

  “We didn’t even dance together.”

  Ditanu chuckled. “You danced for her alone. Anyone with eyes could see that. Just make the announcement. Enkara will get used to the scrutiny in time.”

  Sighing, Kuwari stared down at his rapidly cooling tea. “Fine.”

  “You’ll make the announcement?”

  “Yes. Today. I’ll do it over midday meal in the Great Hall when the council members and a large chunk of the nobility will be present for the afternoon petitions.”

  Ditanu stood and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re old enough to be thinking of females, let alone old enough to soon be starting your own family. Not so long ago you were a fluffy little cub.”

  He grinned at his father’s words. “What are you mumbling on about, old man? Enkara and I are already older than you and Iltani were the first time.”

  “Old? Watch your tongue, cub.” Ditanu’s tone lacked anger, and he was suspiciously holding a goblet in front of his mouth, likely to hide a grin. “All joking aside, I hope Enkara accepts you quickly. Once you form that bond, it’s one less thing to worry over.”

  “On that topic, I do have one question.”

  Ditanu grinned. “What? Do you need another demonstration by a priest and priestess?”

  Kuwari rolled his eyes. “No. It’s about Enkara being half human. If she were pure gryphon, I’d wait for her to initiate the mating. If she were pure human, I’d make the first advance. But Enkara is both human and gryphon and I don’t know which way her nature runs.”

  Seeing his father was fighting back another gale of laughter, Kuwari stood and stomped across the room. “It’s not like I was born knowing this pesky little detail.”

  “My son, you’re overthinking things. Later, after you’ve retired for the night, go to Enkara and ask her. If she doesn’t yet know, seduce each other and see what happens. If she welcomes you, enjoy the experience. Alternatively, if she kicks your ass halfway across the room, you’ll know she’s more gryphon than human in bed.” Ditanu gave Kuwari another companionable pat. “For your sake, I hope she’s more human than gryphon. Does that answer your questions? Or do you need more instructional details?”

  “Gods no!” Kuwari winced. “The priest and priestess were detailed in the demonstrations. I get the basics.”

  “Good. Because if you need details, I was going to make Burrukan do the explaining just to watch him squirm. Did I tell you he beat me in the practice ring this morning? I’m not above revenge. So…if you need pointers?”

  Kuwari thanked his
father and left before he followed through on his threat about Burrukan. Though, later tonight he planned to apply his father’s advice and see if Enkara would welcome him or kick him out into the corridor.

  Chapter 22

  As Kuwari limped back to his chambers after a long and disastrous day, he decided that nothing could have gone worse even if a god of ill-luck came and sat on his shoulders. The first calamity had been his announcement that Enkara had agreed to become his betrothed.

  Heartbeats after he’d uttered the words, he’d drawn Enkara close and kissed her as was tradition. She’d been so focused on the crowd, his kiss had startled her, and she’d jerked back and then froze like prey before a predator. He’d had to call her name three times before she’d stepped in beside him again and taken his outstretched hand.

  He’d been so happy that Enkara was finally going to be his, he’d forgotten her aversion to public showings of emotion. The insecurity sprung from her childhood. She hadn’t entirely gotten past it and large groups of people often still overwhelmed her.

  Even after they’d sat down for the midday meal, she’d remained stiff with embarrassment and nerves, nearly spilling a goblet of wine.

  The court had broken out in boisterous chuckles. There’d even been a few shouted questions about if he’d forgotten to ask her first before announcing the betrothal.

  He’d chuckled good-naturedly and steered the questions and well wishing to safer areas. As soon as the court had calmed, he’d immediately apologized to Enkara using their special link. Outwardly, she’d recovered her composure, smiling calmly and nodding to one noble or another as they came forward to personally wish them well, but all through the rest of the meal, Enkara had been more silent than usual.

  After the meal, he’d wanted to apologize again and do something to make it up to her, but Burrukan had ambushed him and dragged him off to the practice ring while Queen Iltani had accompanied Enkara to the next ring over.

  Distracted by earlier events, Burrukan had soundly thrashed Kuwari in the first fight and then ordered him to stay until he improved sufficiently. Unfortunately, it took the rest of the day and half the night to appease the evil old brute.

  Last meal was long past and most of the palace, including the servants, were already asleep. He was too tired and sore to bother walking to the kitchens. He shuffled toward his own chambers in the hope that once he fell into bed, it would break the streak of evil luck plaguing him this day. Ahead, the Shadows standing guard saw his escort approaching and held open the doors.

  Inside, the only light was from a fire burning in the hearth to stave off the ocean’s chill. As he crossed into his own bedchamber, he glanced toward Enkara’s with a small hope there’d be a bit of light to suggest she was still up. He wanted to talk to her after the day he’d had, but her chamber was dark and silent.

  Brushing aside the fringed curtain, he peered into the darkness, merely needing to hear her soft breath, the sound of her heartbeat, the sweet aroma of her newly emerged gryphon nature.

  Even the moon was against him, having already disappeared from the sky and offering no light. His eyes slowly picked out details in the shadows. Entering her chamber, he only managed six steps before the sharp edge of a table caught him precariously close to his groin.

  Grunting in pained surprise, he halted.

  “I suppose I should take pity on you,” Enkara’s voice reached out from somewhere in the darkness to wrap around his senses. “I had some time on my hands so had the servants help rearrange the room.”

  “Delightful use of your time,” Kuwari said dryly as he rubbed at his abused flesh. “May I join you for a little while? I wanted to apologize for earlier, during mid-day meal—I should have realized—”

  “There’s a rug on the floor,” Enkara said by way of reply. “Follow it to your right for about ten strides. That will bring you to the foot of the bed.”

  “Hmmm. Found the rug.” He couldn’t keep the purring tone out of his voice.

  “Good, don’t fall and break anything, I don’t want to explain to the healers what you were doing stumbling around in my dark chamber.”

  “Your concern warms me,” Kuwari echoed her sarcasm, but it was ruined by an undignified humph as he tripped over a stack of something on the floor.

  “Be careful. I forgot to mention the stack of armor and weapons.” Her voice held genuine concern this time. “We didn’t get all the weapons racks put back up yet.”

  “It’s fine. I just found them,” he grumbled. “Are there any other items you forgot to mention?”

  “No, nothing else that’s in your path.”

  Kuwari continued forward, his hands outstretched before him until he found the edge of her sleeping platform. Carefully skirting it, he came along one side and began to undress.

  He felt around blindly until he found the corner of her blanket.

  “If that earlier rustle of fabric means you’re now naked, I’d think hard before getting in this bed.”

  Enkara’s voice was sleep-edged, and he didn’t find it particularly threatening. Grinning in the darkness, he slid under the covers. “Who actually sleeps in clothing?”

  “Not you I assume,” Enkara said, but she merely reached out and took his hand, guiding him closer until he rolled up against her back. He wrapped one arm around her waist and burrowed the other underneath her pillows.

  Grinning, he decided this was how he should always sleep. Nuzzling aside her braids and the neckline of her sleeping robe, he pressed a kiss to the skin of her tattoo, noting the slight roughness of Ishtar’s mark.

  “I know you have something on your mind.” Enkara was still sleepy sounding, but it didn’t take much to figure out what he was thinking.

  “I’m male,” he said by way of reply, feeling humor and love mixing together in his heart.

  She snorted and rolled onto her back so she could face him, though he didn’t know how she could see anything in the absolute pitch darkness of her room.

  “That’s not what I was talking about. You’re uneasy about something. I first noticed it the day of our Blooding Ceremony.” He could hear the frown in her voice. “Does something about my gryphon form displease you?”

  “No. Never that. I always knew you’d make a beautiful gryphon, but even if you had the narrowest rump in the history of our species, a bent spine, stunted wings and a club foot, I’d still love you.” While that was true, she had picked up on the one thing he didn’t want to speak about. Something he couldn’t even put a name to yet. How was he ever going to explain it to her if he didn’t know what this new itch beneath his skin was? All he knew was that it was both foreign and yet not. Something similar and yet different to the power of his visions.

  Unfortunately, his visions didn’t show him what it was. But whatever it was, he felt it stirring awake inside him and that scared him. Perhaps he could skirt this discussion altogether by steering it in another direction. “Earlier, when I announced we were betrothed, I’m sorry my public showing of affection embarrassed you before the court.”

  “Not a lie,” she said and patted his hand. “But not the truth either.”

  “I…” Curse it! She’d always been able to sense his every lie and evasion. When he’d been younger, that ability had spoiled more than one of his planned escapades. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Beside him Enkara stiffened, then she tossed back the cover, stood and marched out of her room. While he was still fumbling in the darkness for the discarded blankets, she returned carrying a candle, the light enough to highlight her ‘did you just dare to lie to me’ look. He hadn’t seen it since he was a child, but he admitted it still caused his heart to race a little.

  She set the candle down on the table and kicked the blankets in his direction.

  “Get dressed.” Her glower never wavered. “What happened to ‘we tell each other everything’? Because this, whatever this is, is definitely something.”

  Enkara was correct. He owed it to her to sh
are this with her even if he didn’t know exactly what it was. If it was something that could be dangerous to her, she deserved to know.

  Sighing, he adjusted a blanket around his waist and sat heavily on her bed. Then he rubbed his face, trying to put the uneasy feeling into words. He began with the vision of the two Anunnaki in his room and how they’d wanted to speak with him, but it wasn’t really Kuwari they wanted to speak with.

  “Even for a vision, that makes very little sense.” Enkara stood with her back against the wall and her arms crossed.

  “It does if I’ve been infected by something or someone.”

  Enkara pushed away from the wall, expression changing form annoyance to worry. “High Priestess Kammani once gave me a series of very old scrolls to read. One mentioned how an Anunnaki can possess a human. But according to the scroll, they only do that to very dark souls, so they can drag the tainted soul into the underworld for judgment and stop it from doing greater damage to the mortal world.”

  “She ordered me to read the same one.” Kuwari frowned down at his folded hands. Was there one of those guardians even now inside him? He’d sense it, wouldn’t he?

  “Still, that can’t be what is causing this…” she shrugged, at a loss. “The scroll said it’s a swift, clean death for the host.”

  “Only once the Anunnaki abandons the body to take the soul to the underworld.”

  Enkara’s lips parted, but no sound emerged. She tried a second time. “No.”

  He slumped his shoulders and rested his chin in his hand, not looking her in the eye when he said, “Since when has ignorant want ever changed the truth of something’s nature?”

  Her lips parted again, but she didn’t deny his words. After a long, thoughtful pause she continued. “So, I might be Ereshkigal’s Blade, and you might be possessed by one of the underworld Anunnaki. Some pair we make.”

  “As much as I’d like it to be otherwise, I can’t rule out that it’s not an Anunnaki.”