There was nothing Amata could do except stand by and watch in silence and pray Ishtar-Ereshti had told the truth about how the magic summoned during the ceremony would later heal Hillalum’s wounds.
He swiftly created a matching slice on the opposite side. That done, he glanced back to her and patted the bench.
Amata came and settled in front of him, presenting her back. He leaned forward until his large frame was dwarfing hers. She could feel his heat radiating all along her naked back, but he didn’t seal them together as Ereshti-Ishtar had instructed.
After a lengthy silence, Hillalum cleared his throat a touch nervously. “I don’t care what the gods have planned. I won’t force you into this. You can still change your mind if you don’t want to seal your life to mine for all eternity.”
Amata half turned so she could look into his eyes. “You make it sound like a hardship I must endure. My King, being tied to you will be no hardship. You have swept into my life and banished my loneliness. No words can do justice to that gift.”
“You have done the same for me, but I had to give you one final choice. I am beyond happy you have chosen to be my Blade.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, nibbling at the mark in a way that made her body heat.
Amata pressed back against him, arching her spine, needing him closer. The position aligned their bodies perfectly, and his blood began to trickle down her goddess mark. In its wake, power stirred.
When he began the prayer to Ishtar, his deep voice flowed over Amata, his breath warm against her ear.
“Ishtar, this night we come together to forge a great and lasting pact between your loyal gryphon servants and your human worshipers. Great Queen of the Heavens, your Blade has been anointed with king’s blood as the rite demands. Bless her now with your power so that we may serve you to our fullest potential and never fail you.”
Magic filled with the essence of Hillalum flowed into Amata along with his blood. It seeped into her, coiling along the length of her spine, making the mark pulse to some foreign beat.
From there it spread out to every corner of her body. It was a raw, aching sensation at first, but powerful and glorious too. Something within her answered Hillalum’s power. A magic all her own. Dormant until his blood touched her, reached within her, and then awoke it.
Now it stirred and flared, a glow rising from her skin. All along her back the mark of the goddess pulsed with heat. It was echoing the beat of a heart, she realized. Not hers. Hillalum’s. It pulsed in time to his powerful heartbeat. Soon her own matched it, beating in tune to his.
Then the power flowing from him spiked again. Amata braced her arms, fighting against the current of energy that seemed to be trying to flatten her against the bench.
While she gasped at the new pressure building within, his essence reached so deep he might even have touched her soul. Something sparked to life and then rapidly expanded. A rolling wave of power that shot through her. In its wake, she could feel him so close he might now be a part of her soul.
A link bound them.
She had no other word for it. There was a link between them now. He was a spark in her mind. Knowledge accompanied the power, and she discovered the link existed so a Blade would always know her monarch’s location. If he were in danger, she would know it. She could keep him safe from all harm.
That was the nature of her gift.
Hillalum’s addictive power began to dwindle, and the chaotic churn of her own started to calm. She thought the ceremony was over until a new force began to fill the underground chamber. A rich scent that reminded her of scorching deserts, sultry nights, and the sweet tang of sandalwood filled Amata’s nose.
Instincts had her glancing over her shoulder. She gasped at what she saw.
Chapter 24
A winged being, glorious power radiating off her, stood at Hillalum’s shoulder. Amata stared at the Goddess Ishtar in shock. All she could do in that moment was behold the deity, struck by her voluptuous beauty mixed with the elegance of a warrior’s toned musculature. Fierce, strong, beautiful. It was a strange juxtaposition and reminded Amata that Ishtar had many aspects. Afterall, she was a goddess of fertility, lust, and battle. As Amata watched, the goddess stroked a hand down Hillalum’s back.
“Steady, young king. Somehow, I doubt Amata will appreciate you shifting to gryphon and crushing her under your greater weight,” Ishtar-Ereshti chuckled. “That’s it. Be calm now.”
It was only then that Amata realized she wasn’t the only one who had undergone a trial. The blooding ceremony had gifted him with great power as well.
“You have done well my King and my Blade. This day you have taken the first step toward building a great dynasty.” Ishtar reached out and placed her hand on each of their shoulders. “But I will ask more of you both, starting with eradicating the rest of the raiders. Even now a large force is moving upon Amata’s home village. Once your blade has adjusted to her new power, you will fly swifter than any gryphon, and together we will make evil men pay for all the pain and anguish they have caused.”
“We will go at once and do your bidding,” Amata’s tone was fierce, edged with desperation, but she didn’t care. She was so close to crushing the enemy who had stolen her family away, she could almost taste victory.
Ishtar laughed. “While you might want to jump up and chase down your enemies, your body needs a day to rest while you adjust to the changes it is presently undergoing. Stay close to your gryphon king and his strength will aid your recovery. By dawn, you will be fit to carry my power into battle. Together we will make them pay for their evil deeds. But first, I have one more gift to bestow upon you. A weapon no enemy can withstand.”
Ishtar’s fingers tightened on Amata’s shoulder.
Hissing in pain as more power rushed into her body, Amata’s vision greyed out, but she retained just enough to see another flash of light. This one was brighter. Spots swirled in her vision. When she could see again, her fingers were within touching distance of a shimmering golden hilt. Next, her eyes traveled to the cross pieces, and then the crystal blade. The entire length of the sword pulsed with deadly magic at its heart.
Unable to resist, Amata grasped the hilt, her fingers closing around it. The sword responded with an excited flicker of magic. Something deep within her soul resonated with the sword.
Then she understood.
It was a part of her, born of her magic.
As the magic continued to recede, a new throbbing began to replace the fiery power and spread through her body.
“Steady now, my Avenging Blade. You and your King did well this day. Now you must allow your king to help you through the coming changes,” the goddess paused and looked at Hillalum. “You know what you must do to alleviate Amata’s pain?”
“Yes, my Goddess.” He bowed his head.
Ishtar laughed. “Not that you’ll find it a hardship. I created Amata to be easy on the eyes.”
After a final, knowing chuckle, Ishtar’s form glowed brighter as the shimmering power surrounding her intensified and then she flashed out of existence.
Before Amata could ask Hillalum what the goddess meant, he scooped her up into his arms and began to nuzzle his face against her cheek. She immediately noticed his gentleness.
“What are you doing?”
“Healing you.”
When he brought her to a pile of pillows and blankets made up into a bed, her eyes widened in surprise. The low bed hadn’t been there when they’d first entered the chamber.
“A gift from Ishtar,” Hillalum explained before he lowered her to the soft nest.
He followed her down and began to massage her shoulders and neck, thumbs stroking her throat, a reverence in his touch. His caressing fingers and expression of tender adoration stirred her. She’d never experienced such a look directed in her direction. Certainly, never thought she’d be moved by such a look. But this wasn’t just anyone. This was Hillalum. The male created by a goddess to be her perfect mat
ch.
“Healing?” She prompted, though she wasn’t complaining. His touch felt as divine as his origins.
“Our goddess enhanced my natural healing ability so I can aid you while your body undergoes changes that will allow you to wield the full might of Ishtar’s great gifts. Without this, you would feel a great deal of pain.”
“Hmmm. It feels delightful. I’m not going to complain.” She smiled up at him.
He continued his work in silence. The warm magic flowing from his fingers healed everything it touched, but slowly, a little at a time, the flow of power dwindled. When his fingers stilled, she blinked up at him.
“Amata, there is a limit to how much I can heal you this way.”
She smiled. “You’ve done enough, my King.”
“I would like to do more. So would my gryphon. You impressed him very much during the battle, and he would like for us to take away all your pain.”
Arching an eyebrow, she grinned lazily. “I’m not going to complain if you and he wish to continue.”
Hillalum nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. He nibbled there for a bit and then trailed kisses along her jaw, then up to her ear. “I can share more of my healing power if we are skin to skin.”
“Ah, are you asking permission to seduce me?”
“Yes,” He whispered between kisses.
In answer, Amata reached for him and pulled him down on top, delighting in the feel of his weight pressing her down. Soon she was working loose the knots in his loincloth. She paused as something occurred to her. “When you speak of your gryphon nature as separate, and that he’d been impressed by me during the battle, you don’t mean he wants to… in his natural form?”
Goddess, she was falling in love with Hillalum, but she didn’t think she could…
“No, my love. He’s content to wait until your own power matures enough to allow you to shape shift.”
Amata’s eyes widened in shock. “I’ll be able to shape shift?”
Hillalum grinned. “Yes, that was something else Ishtar whispered in my ear.”
Amata laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. “We can talk more about that later. Right this moment, I’m more interested in learning how a gryphon forms mating bonds.”
Her gryphon king chuckled wickedly and then set out to demonstrate each and every way.
Chapter 25
Hillalum flew back toward his home territory as if a tremendous earth-shaking storm gave chase. Amata clung to his back like she was born for it. And she was. Ishtar had matched him with the most perfect female in all the world. Together they were invincible.
He would not allow his mate’s home village or any of its neighbors to be destroyed or defiled by evil men.
“Hillalum,” Amata called. “I’m worried. Even if we stop the raider attack with Ishtar’s aid, some of the enemies will still escape back into the wild lands. How are we ever going to track them all?”
“We won’t have to hunt them by ourselves.” He opened his beak and sang, summoning his people to his side, to follow, to fly quickly for an enemy had entered their territory. They could not match his goddess blessed speed, but they would come. And their numbers would blacken the sky.
When he fell silent, Amata leaned forward.
“I didn’t know gryphons could sing prettier than songbirds.”
He gave her a gruff laugh. “There is much you still don’t know about me.”
Amata’s merriment flowed into him a moment before she spoke. “I know a great deal more about you than I did three days ago.”
That was true, he admitted. He’d delighted in how they had discovered so much about each other after the blooding ceremony.
“Once this present crisis was over, I plan to learn everything else there is to know about you, my Blade.”
But for now, there was a battle to be won. He flew at an impossible speed, fueled by Ishtar’s power, and covered in an afternoon what had taken him many days the first time.
Soon they were back in his home territory, the familiar flocks of sheep and goats out grazing in the foothills.
Her village was farther east. The citizens unaware that raiders were marching upon its location.
He flew over the village and surrounding cultivated fields. Curving north-east, he dipped lower to follow the river and used the trees to hide his approach.
“I sense numerous people ahead. Hundreds, easily,” Amata said. “We’re getting close.”
Hillalum glided, barely skimming above the river’s surface, using the silence between wing beats to listen. Distantly he heard the clash of swords.
“Unless the raiders are fighting amongst themselves, another group has come to try and stop them.”
Amata sat up straighter as if that would help her see farther through the trees. That wasn’t possible, but then he felt her call on her power. Perhaps she could see what was unfolding beyond the expanse of trees.
“What do you sense,” he asked.
“The raiders have been engaged by another armed group. It’s Guardsman Nasar and a company of the Lagash garrison.” Amata paused, and he felt a stronger wave of her magic flow from her. “Nasar and his men are losing.”
“Not for long,” he growled.
He rounded a bend in the river and came upon the source of the sounds. The human king’s men were vastly outnumbered and about to be outflanked on the bank of the river they were trying to retreat across. The raiders weren’t as skilled at the art of the sword, but they were still cutting down the soldiers because of their vastly greater numbers.
Hillalum swooped lower but didn’t come in for a landing. He knew this battle wouldn’t be won by strength of arms. It was time for Ishtar’s magic to reap her revenge.
“Now, my Blade. Show these evil-hearted men what befalls fools when they prey upon any of Ishtar’s people.”
Chapter 26
As if acknowledging the power was enough to summon it, magic rose up within Amata to race down her limbs, giving her strength and sharpening her senses. The world felt different. More connected. A hundred thousand sparks of life beckoned to her magic. Innocent souls, indifferent souls, and much closer—the ones belonging to the raiders.
Those souls had surrendered to the darkness long ago. There was no saving them, Ishtar’s power whispered. Only death could free them to be judged or healed by the Anunnaki in the afterlife.
Hillalum’s mighty wings kept them aloft while her magic allowed them to hover in one place.
She drew her crystalline sword as the magic flooding into her peaked like a river overflowing its banks. Power raced over her body and down onto Hillalum, and together they burned but came to no harm.
Below them, the raiders and soldiers shouted, scattering in all directions.
Oh, yes, run, Amata directed her thoughts at the raiders. But there is nowhere you can run to escape the wrath of a goddess and the justice you deserve.
Screaming, she lashed out with power, giving it no order other than to destroy. Magic rained down upon the fleeing raiders, setting the forest aflame. But like Amata and Hillalum, the trees and the king’s soldiers were unharmed.
The raiders were not so lucky.
When the questing magic found one of darkness, a convulsion rippled through the growing cloud of magic and tendrils shot outward to wrap around its targets. Then, with a loud crack like thunder, evil was wiped from the world of the living, leaving behind only a scattering of smoke and ash.
The wild chaos of the hunt was over almost as swiftly as it had started.
Once the last bit of evil had been rooted out and destroyed, the remaining magic swirled in the air like motes of shimmering frost before slowly drifting to the forest floor and vanishing.
When all was calm again, the forest looked as it had before, pristine and unharmed by the storm of magic she’d released upon the area.
Hillalum swooped down to land along the now empty riverbank.
Amata noted that her magi
c had not harmed the Lagash garrison soldiers, but still, they ran.
“They flee in a hurry,” Hillalum snorted. “I suppose we must hunt them down and explain Ishtar’s grand plan of a united Sumer and peace between all the city-states.”
Amata dismounted and patted his side. “They’ll stop running in a couple days. We can try talking to them once they are calmer. Or, perhaps, we might do better by returning to High Priestess Ereshti and have her and her brethren set the groundwork for peace talks between the human and gryphon nations?”
“That’s likely a wise path,” Hillalum agreed. “But there’s something else I’d like to do first.”
When Amata glanced over her shoulder at him, it was to find him in human form. She didn’t miss the familiar glint of desire in his eyes. She smirked. “Well, you’re King of the Gryphons. A king can pick his own path, surely?”
Hillalum laughed. “You will turn me into a tyrant.”
“No worries. Ishtar’s Avenging Blade will always be near to dole out appropriate punishment should you start down the wrong path.”
“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind.” He walked up to her and took her into his arms. “In the meantime, I’ll introduce my people to their new queen since I’ve summoned them all and now there’s no one to hunt.”
“How long do you think it will take the first to reach us?” She nuzzled the side of his neck and then bit down gently on his muscular shoulder.
“Hmmm. We likely have time to bed down for a quick nap,” he suggested.
Amata laughed harder. “A nap?”
“Ah. Perhaps we can do something else first before resting.” His voice had taken on a husky note.
“Perfect.” Amata sidestepped him and swatted his ass. “You can go hunting while I start a fire. I’m starved.”
Hillalum’s stunned expression was priceless. After a moment his chuckle filled the surrounding forest. “Wise as always my Blade. I shall feed you well, so later, after I have introduced my people to their new queen and they have returned to their own territories, you’ll be rested and well fed so you won’t run out of stamina for my other plans.”
First Queen of the Gryphons (Ishtar's Legacy Book 5) Page 11