“I trust the councilors to protect their own interests above all else.”
“Exactly. Now, here’s what you’re going to do.”
She stood and listened in disbelief as Kurumtum laid out his outrageous plan.
“You want me to abduct the prince and take him somewhere safe until he’s free of the fertility drug,” Enkara said just to clarify.
“Yes.”
“But I can’t just steal him away unnoticed.” Though, she would find a way if forced.
“You can with the help of the Shadows. We’ll lay down interference with the council members until you are safely away with the prince. And he’ll be safe in the care of a Lamassu.”
“Once I do, then what? He’ll be difficult to…to…”
“Resist?” Kurumtum chuckled. “Refocus his attention. Sweat the fertility drug out of him.”
“Pardon?”
“A sword fight.” Kurumtum’s grin grew broader. “Or something else physical that will get his blood pumping without compromising your promise to him.”
Enkara just stood there staring for a moment. She’d been going to say she couldn’t risk Kuwari’s life. But she wasn’t really, was she? And this way she’d be able to stay close enough to comfort and protect him.
They were only halfway down the hall when voices shouted for them to halt. Enkara swung around to face the oncoming group. Nakurtum was in the company of Pirhum and Ninsunu, and they were surrounded by eight Shadows.
“Halt!” Ninsunu called. “We must speak. Councilor Nakurtum has brought something to our attention that is very disturbing.”
Kurumtum laughed. “What? Did she tell you she drugged her own daughter and the prince?”
Councilor Ninsunu’s expression shifted from concern to surprise to uncertainty. “No. The councilor’s news is about Enkara’s heritage. We have gone over the evidence and must request that she be placed under guard until the King and the rest of the council returns. You say Kuwari and Kullaa have been drugged?”
“Yes,” Kurumtum said. “And I agree someone should be under guard until the King returns, but it’s not Enkara. She’s been in training to become a Shadow. She is one of us and can be trusted. Unlike Nakurtum.”
Ninsunu arched one of her brows regally. “But she hasn’t, in fact, finished her training and sworn under oath and spell to the King yet, has she?”
“No.” Enkara bit out. “But I would die for Kuwari or any of his family.”
Councilor Pirhum circled Enkara. “While both stories can’t be true, and I am more inclined to believe Enkara, the fact remains if the prince received a large enough dose of the fertility drug, it could be lethal to one of the royal line. That must be our primary concern. Does he know how much he consumed? If it’s a lower dose, he could endure it with help from one of the priestesses.”
Enkara placed her hand on her sword’s hilt. “Kuwari doesn’t want any female around him until he’s free of the drug.”
“As much as we value the prince’s opinion, we can’t risk his life. A priestess will be summoned, and she will either ease him through the worst of the symptoms or take the drug herself and become his mate if the prince’s condition worsens to the point of risking his death.”
“I can’t let you do that.” Enkara clenched her other fist. “Kuwari doesn’t want to have his choice taken away.”
“Better his choice than his life.”
Enkara’s jaw dropped. The callousness of the councilors never failed to shock her. “Then please let me stay with him.”
“Even if your heritage and motives were not presently in question, you still don’t have a priestess’s training.”
It was true. All priests and priestesses were specially trained because no one ever knew when one of them might be called upon to perform the Sacred Marriage. Since Ditanu and Iltani had become mates, no priest or priestess had been called to perform the sacred marriage, but they still trained for it.
But that didn’t matter. A priestess was only getting to Kuwari over her dead body. Enkara would honor her prince’s request for as long as he wasn’t in mortal danger. The moment it crossed over into that, she’d do what had to be done herself.
Pirhum continued, unaware of Enkara’s decision. “I say we seek out a priestess and have her attend to the prince while Enkara and Nakurtum are held under guard. Ninsunu, what say you?”
The other councilor nodded. Enkara’s hand tightened on her sword’s hilt.
“I agree with Pirhum’s council. Nakurtum and Enkara will both be held until the King’s return, but for the safety of the prince a priestess must be selected.” Ninsunu tilted her head toward Kurumtum. “See that Enkara is taken to a secure place and Nakurtum as well. For all we know they may be working together. Pirhum and I will go to the temple and speak with the priestesses on duty. With most away at the Spring Rites, finding a suitable female might be difficult. We will do our best. Once the two prisoners are secure, report to Crown Prince Kuwari’s chambers and ensure that no other female goes near him.”
Kurumtum muttered an affirmative and ordered four Shadows to secure Nakurtum while he and the rest would take Enkara into custody. At his nod, Enkara hesitantly unbuckled her weapons. If she hadn’t known Kurumtum’s words were a complete falsehood, she never would have surrendered, not even to her fellow Shadows. But the two councilors didn’t have Enkara’s gift and were so used to giving orders and having them obeyed, they didn’t even hesitate to trust the Shadow’s word.
Enkara allowed two of the other Shadows to come up and take her arms in a firm grip and lead her away.
Once they were out of earshot, Kurumtum whispered to her. “Just don’t let him shift to gryphon form. If he does, you should as well and let nature take its course.” He shrugged. “There are worse fates. He loves you. You love him. The council will have fits until they learn you’re a Blade. All will fall into place.”
“I…”
“Now, off you go while I see that Nakurtum is properly secured. I still have to pretend to follow the councilors’ orders until the king returns.” Kurumtum slowed his pace. “You and Kuwari better be gone by the time I reach his quarters.”
When they turned a corner, the Shadows released her. Enkara nodded and then broke into a run.
Chapter 34
A disturbance in his outer chamber drew Kuwari out of the pounding misery assaulting his body. Moments later he heard a feminine voice converse with the male Shadows stationed throughout his chambers. Enkara was here.
He was on his feet and halfway across the room before the chair he’d been sitting in toppled to the floor. His beloved had returned.
Why, by Ishtar’s great teats, was Enkara back? He’d ordered her away. Hadn’t he? That had been one of his more foolish orders. But she’d left him like he’d asked.
A moment later the object of his thoughts rushed into his bedchamber. She grabbed his hand and then looking harried, scanned the room until she found his practice sword. Without a word, she snatched it up and then dragged him into her chamber where she lifted her own practice sword from the wall rack.
The strangeness of her behavior further helped him to focus on something other than what his body wanted to be doing.
She spun back to him and shoved his sword at him.
“We’re going for a little trip,” she said by way of explanation. “Kurumtum says the fertility drug can be sweated out since you’re otherwise in fine form.”
“That’s—likely wholly true.” He leaned forward and inhaled her scent. Smiling, he mumbled, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because neither of us ever thinks very clearly when the other is endangered. We just react.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. His mind and body were both very clear about what they wanted to do with her.
“But there is the risk he could be wrong, too.”
He?
“Do you trust me?”
That he could understand.
�
��Yes.” It was a simple, beautiful truth.
“Come on. There isn’t much time.”
There wasn’t much time for what, he wondered, his eyes sliding back toward Enkara’s chamber. He’d rather stay than leave, but when Enkara started forward, he followed eagerly.
She led him out of his chambers, stopping only long enough to inform the assembled Shadows of Kurumtum’s plan.
Kuwari narrowed his eyes, glowering at the circling Shadows. To a one, they were male and entirely too close to his future mate. He growled at those nearest and was rewarded by their retreat. It was only a couple body lengths of space, but it was enough to soothe his rising ire.
“Stop that! Don’t you dare shift to gryphon form on me!” Enkara snapped at him and he felt himself wilt slightly.
He’d displeased his beloved, but when he stepped closer to soothe her with caresses, she swatted his hands away. Huffing softly in annoyance, he turned his gaze back to the males. Perhaps if he challenged them, she’d be more impressed with him?
“Don’t even think about that. You’ll be fighting me and no one else. There will be no killing tonight.”
He hissed his displeasure, but his beloved just ignored him.
They exited his chambers using the gilded door that led to the gardens. They wove their way through manicured pathways and neat flower beds. The ocean breeze blew stronger the closer to the cliffs they got.
Enkara hadn’t explained what her plan was, but when she suddenly halted beside one of the towering Lamassu, even his lust-ravaged mind could comprehend her goal. “You’re abducting me?”
“Yes, now get on.” She vaulted up onto the leg and grasped the stone feathers of one wing to use as handholds. Swinging herself up onto the giant’s back, she shouted at him to hurry and order the guardian to wake.
He settled in place on the Lamassu’s back and then laid his hand against the cold stone.
“Wake, Ancient One. A prince of the royal blood has need.”
Nothing was faster on the wing than a Lamassu. Beneath his hand, the stone warmed as the guardian spirit responded to his summons.
“I sense no danger. What task does a Prince and his Blade require of me?”
“We need your powerful wings,” Enkara urged. “And we need them now. I’ll explain once we’re in the air.”
The Lamassu’s powerful bull body lunged into motion, churning grass and crushing plants under his hooves. Then he gathered his mighty haunches and launched himself into the air. The thunder of his vast wings beating the air and propelling him higher would notify anyone who heard it that a Lamassu had just taken wing.
Soon Nineveh fell away below them, and the Lamassu circled the island in a lazy curve.
“Tell me more,” the guardian said.
Kuwari wrapped his arms around Enkara’s waist and dragged her back against his body. Content, he basked in her warmth and let her do the explaining, leaving him to revel in more pleasant concerns.
“Prince Kuwari was dosed with the sacred fertility potion against his will, and now the council fears for his life and wishes to match him with a trained priestess.”
“Ah. A mortal affair.”
“It is, and not something we’d normally bring to your attention. However, Kuwari has no wish to be mated to a stranger, and I gave him my word as his Blade that I’d protect him from such a fate.”
“A noble act worthy of a Blade’s great skill.” The Lamassu didn’t even try to hide his amusement.
Dragging together his wayward thoughts, Kuwari cleared his throat. “This is perhaps not the dire circumstances that would normally awaken one of your kind; however, it is Ishtar and Tammuz’s right to determine the woman whom the future king of the gryphons should take to mate, not two mortal councilors.”
“That is true. I offer my aid and will guard you and your Blade this night.”
“Your aid is appreciated,” Enkara whispered.
“Where would you have me take you?”
A long stretch of silence answered the Lamassu’s question. Ah, his calm, rational Blade had panicked, not thinking beyond escape. Smiling, he nuzzled her hair out of the way and pressed a kiss to the back of her tattoo. Then before he got too distracted, he projected into the Lamassu’s mind the image of a small island a day’s flight from Nineveh. For the Lamassu’s mighty wings, it would be a short trip. Which suited Kuwari just fine.
Before very long, they reached the small isolated island. He dismounted first and Enkara was swift to follow. She scanned the area, no doubt looking for dangers.
“I shall patrol the island. Call me if you need me.” With that last utterance, the Lamassu trotted off, his massive strides carrying him far down the beach, heading south. He soon rounded an outcropping of rock fallen from the small cliffs that formed the southernmost point of the island.
When the Lamassu was gone, he turned to Enkara.
“If there were danger here, he would have sensed it.” Kuwari held out his hand. “Come. Let me show you a cavern I found a couple years ago. It’s sheltered. We’ll be able to start a fire without it acting like a beacon for the Shadow guards Pirhum and Ninsunu will no doubt send after us the moment they realize Kurumtum tricked them.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t need a fire to keep us warm.” Enkara drew her wooden practice sword.
“Not the activity I was hoping for,” he said, a slight purr in his voice.
“You’ll thank me tomorrow once that cursed fertility drug works its way out of your system.”
“Are you sure I can’t persuade you?”
In answer, Enkara’s wooden sword made a swipe at his head.
Chapter 35
Sweat rolled down Enkara’s back, and her body was beginning to tire from the brutally long practice, but Kuwari still fought on with a dogged resolve she’d seen in him before when he was determined to win.
He wouldn’t win this time. Burrukan and the other instructors on New Assur had trained her too well, but the idiot was too bull-headed to factor that in.
“Enough,” she shouted as she struck, bringing her full momentum to bear. Their wooden swords came together in a heavy thwack and then she twisted, locking their cross pieces together. Another skilled twist with just the right amount of pressure sent Kuwari’s sword flying across the sand.
His surprise lasted but a moment, and then he grinned, lunging forward to continue the fight using hand to hand.
“Goddess, Kuwari! Halt. We need to drink and replenish our reserves!”
Breathing hard, he grinned at her wordlessly until he got his breath back. Then sighing in disappointment, he straightened and rolled his shoulders. “Fine. We can stop if you need a break.”
Enkara laughed and mock swung her sword at his backside. Kuwari leaped out of the way but returned to her side a moment later. “I yield!”
“Good. We’ll take a quick break.”
They’d already taken three other short breaks over the long night of practice. The first two times had ended with Enkara tossing his ass out of the cavern and renewing the sword fighting. During their last break, Kuwari had seemed more himself again, though his gaze spent more time below her neck than above it.
They’d both agreed he was over the worst of it. At least until Enkara built a small fire and sat by it to keep the chill from stiffening up well-used muscles. He’d settled far too close to her and soon tried to entice her into his lap.
That had begun round four of practice fighting.
As they made their way back to the small cavern where she’d left a fire burning, she hoped that this time Kuwari was truly himself again. He seemed like it. His skill level during their most recent practice bout had shown her his head was in the fight, but she’d have to wait and see what he was like in his ‘down time’ when his mind was allowed to wander to things other than where her next sword strike was coming from.
She ducked under the low entrance to the cavern and followed the glow from the dying embers to the center. After adding a couple l
ogs and stirring the embers back to life, she wandered over to the small trickle of fresh water running down the wall.
Kuwari knelt at the pool’s edge and drank water from his cupped hands. Dropping to her knees next to him, she reached down and scooped up some of the cold water. After drinking as much as she dared, she splashed more onto her face and arms, trying to cool her overheated body.
“Too bad we didn’t think to bring food with us,” Kuwari said offhandedly.
“You’re always hungry. Besides, food is what got you in trouble in the first place.”
“At least I didn’t drink the wine.”
She glanced sidelong at him. He was splashing water on himself now, too. Completely ignoring her at the moment. That was a good sign. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a piece of meat that’s been pounded on by the master cook.” He rubbed at one dark bruise on his bicep. “You play rough.”
“Your attention kept wandering.” She shrugged. “Had to keep you focused on the fight.”
He grunted and looked down in the pool, saying nothing. Enkara reached out and touched his shoulder.
“Are you back to yourself?” She cleared her throat. “No more unnatural urges?”
“No. Though they were not so very unnatural to me.” He grimaced and looked at her. “I just normally have more control over them than that. I’m sorry. I know my behavior was unfitting many times.”
“Most of the time,” Enkara said with a chuckle. “But that’s what I love about you too.”
Kuwari’s uncertain smile grew more confident. “Well, if this didn’t damage my chances with you, I’ll be happy to put it all behind me.”
“It didn’t,” Enkara reassured him and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead. She wrinkled her nose. “But you’d stand a much better chance if you bathed. The sweat isn’t so bad, but I can smell the bitter essence of the fertility drug mixed in. Go get cleaned up.” Before your hormones make me do something stupid.
Kuwari sniffed at himself and then wrinkled his nose in turn. “As my lady commands.”
Queen of the Gryphons: Ishtar's Legacy: Books 1 & 2 Page 49