The Witch of Babylon

by Dorothy J. Mcintosh

  Shemer, Adam. “A Drive in the Country,” Baghdad Journal, August 9, 2003, http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/baghdad/archives/2003_08.html.

  University of California at Berkeley Archaeological Research Facility, “Nineveh Region,” CyArk, 2009, http://archive.cyark.org/nineveh-region-info.

  Credits

  The Assyrian empire, seventh century B.C. (Dino Pulerà, Artery Studios, Toronto)

  The Royal Game of Ur (The Trustees of the British Museum)

  Alchemy Archives website, masks from left to right (Ella’s Design, 2010, Used under license from Shutterstock.com; Arthur Tilley, 2010, Used under license from JupiterImages.com; Volk65, 2010, Used under license from Shutterstock.com; Rui Vale de Sousa, 2010, Used under license from Shutterstock.com; Studio 37, 2010, Used under license from Shutterstock.com)

  Planetary symbols (Dino Pulerà, Artery Studios, Toronto)

  Stone panel from the southwest palace of Sennacherib (The Trustees of the British Museum)

  Melencolia 1, Albrecht Dürer (public domain, Wikipedia Images)

  Woman of Babylon, Albrecht Dürer (public domain, Wikipedia Images)

  Ishtar’s eight-pointed star (Dino Pulerà, Artery Studios, Toronto)

  Atalanta Fugiens, Michael Maiers, p. 81 (University of Glasgow Library, Department of Special Collections)

  Mushmahhu—The Snake Dragon (Dino Pulerà, Artery Studios, Toronto)

  Acknowledgments

  Setting out to write The Witch seemed to me much like embarking on a journey, one I would take in my imagination, alone. What I discovered along the way was how false a notion that turned out to be. A book is the product of many people working together, and numerous welcome fellow travelers joined this journey as it gathered steam.

  I’m immensely grateful to my literary agent, Denise Bukowski, whose superlative talents and international reach have made it all possible.

  Much appreciation goes to Penguin Publisher Nicole Winstanley and Commissioning Editor Adrienne Kerr for that first exciting sale. Adrienne, you have been instrumental in shaping the book—thank you so much for your insight and great ideas.

  It requires a very talented team to take a book from the early manuscript to the bookstore shelf and I’ve been really fortunate to work with some of the best in the business: Karen Alliston, Mary Ann Blair, Barbara Bower, Daniel Cullen, Marcia Gallego, Yvonne Hunter, Lindsey Lowy, Mary Opper, Lisa Jager, Don Robinson, and Katherine West.

  I will never forget the thrill of learning that The Witch of Babylon was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (U.K.) Debut Dagger. That one milestone gave me the confidence to carry on and the professional support every debut author needs. Equally, my fellow writers who make up Crime Writers of Canada have been admirable tutors on the art and business of writing, as well as great friends. Winning the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished Novel was another memorable step in the journey.

  My sister, Ellen, and daughter, Kenlyn, have been my steadfast anchors through both the peaks and the troughs. As well, many thanks to Stephen Mader and Dino Pulerà of Artery Studios in Toronto for such excellent work in bringing the illustrations to life; to Robert Rafton for his photography; and to Helen Heller for her sage advice.

  This novel is a work of fiction but one grounded in historical facts, and I’m indebted to Dr. Paul-Alain Beaulieu of the University of Toronto Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations for his help with ancient Assyrian culture and terminology.

  It was, of course, impossible for me to do “research on the ground” in Iraq, so I’m very thankful to the many journalists, bloggers, and photographers whose first-hand accounts proved so valuable.

  Special gratitude goes to my friends and colleagues who’ve been so generous with their support and lent a much-appreciated critical eye: Max Allen, Cathy Astolfo, Pat Armstrong, Jan Armstrong, Joanne Bernstein-Cohen, Liz Brady, Jane Burfield, Melanie Campbell, Donna Carrick, Vicki Delany, Ron Dixon, Cheryl Freedman, Joseph Glazner, Madeleine Harris-Callway, Peggy Hughson, Alan Lennon, Lee Lofland, Judy and Fred Martin, Nancy McQueen, Charlotte Morgan, Eudora and John Pendergast, Jan Raymond, Linda Smith, Christine Von Aesch, Basil, Rob and Caroline Wall, and Richard Wright. As this book went to press, I was most saddened to learn that Dr. Donny George Youkhanna had passed away and would like to recognize his remarkable contribution to illuminating and safeguarding the magnificent legacy that Iraq and the Assyrians have given to the world.

  The Witch and I thank you all.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Historical Note

  Prologue

  Part One: The Game

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Part Two: The Secret of Nahum

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Thirty-four

  Thirty-five

  Thirty-six

  Thirty-seven

  Thirty-eight

  Thirty-nine

  Mesopotamian Culture

  Notes

  Bibliography

  Credits

  Acknowledgments