Frozen Stiff

by L. J. Vickery

  The knife came down into Enten’s flesh, scoring it in the traditional “H” pattern. Blood beaded up instantly. Enten’s body grew colder and he felt the room chill appreciably. The women all wrapped themselves tighter, having been warned to bring their fine pashmina shawls to ward off the snow that might fall.

  Ice crystals formed on Enten’s brow and he bit down hard as the skin of his shoulder was peeled back, but Nergal hesitated not one minute before he dug deep and uncovered the now glowing amulet.

  The chanting rose in volume as the sharp knife severed the talisman in two. Enten froze in place, deep in pain, but his eyes watched avidly as Doctor Dani retrieved the excised piece and rushed to his Glory’s side where she lay on a slab ten feet away.

  All had been made ready, and with his Chosen in deep slumber, Enten barely breathed as Dani positioned the amulet and closed Glory’s incision.

  The next few minutes were filled with agony, and Enten’s forehead dripped with melting ice particles. It wasn’t just physical pain he dealt with as his shoulder remained open. The true agony lay in waiting to ascertain if the ghost half of his amulet would appear. Only then would Enten be assured his Chosen’s body had accepted her amulet, and the mating completed. Luckily, the sign that indicated a Chosen, the glowing of the amulet during courting, never lied. Most matings were a certainty. It was only when a god thought he was in love, and demanded a ceremony without the proof of the amulet, that things could go awry. Thankfully, that hadn’t happened in a very long time.

  All eyes remained on Enten as the ghost glow appeared, and the amulet regenerated in his shoulder. He let out a shivery breath and there was a round of relieved applause as Nergal closed the tissue back up over the talisman. Enten’s skin began to heal almost instantly.

  He spit the piece of leather from between his teeth, spent a quick second clasping the hand of his king in thanks, and headed to the back of the room where Glory would soon awaken. He needed to be by her side. He practically danced across the intervening space. It finally sunk in. He and Glory belonged to each other now. For all of eternity. His heart swelled at the realization, and more salty crystals formed in his eyes. He never would have believed it possible.

  Glory blinked and blinked. She focused her eyes to see Enten’s brilliant face above hers. She reached up a tentative hand to touch him, and swiftly drew back, the ends of her fingers shiny with ice.

  “What…what?” Glory regarded it, astonished as she turned it to and fro. It didn’t hurt or even feel odd.

  Enten chuckled. “Did I forget to mention that for a short while you and I will share feelings?”

  Glory looked at him, puzzled. “You mean I’ll become the goddess of winter?” The thought didn’t bother her. It just hadn’t occurred to her before.

  “Only if you want to.” Enten beamed his beautiful, chilly smile. “But mostly it means I’ll know when you’re cold, or hurt, or hungry. Just like right now.” She watched him screw up his handsome face. “I know you’re starving and thinking about a big juicy hamburger.”

  Glory laughed and lowered her lids seductively. “I think you might be reading me wrong,” she whispered. “That’s what I want second-most of all.” She reached for his loincloth, running her fingers across the front. “Oh!” Her eyes popped wide. “I felt that.”

  Enten growled. “Me too. Let’s say our good-byes fast.”

  Glory smoldered, reveling at being able to anticipate both their needs. She glanced over at Dani-Lee breathlessly. “Can I get up now?”

  Dani examined the site of the incision, and pronounced that true to form and god-healing properties, Glory had already healed. “Any time you want.” She smiled down at her patient knowingly. Apparently she’d seen this voracious post-ceremony need for sex before.

  “Oh my.” Glory arose and clapped cool hands to her cheeks. “I can see you all.” Okay, she said to Enten―at least she hoped it went to him alone―I may need a few minutes to meet everyone before we go get our chill on.

  Enten huffed, but then smiled. I’m teasing. Of course you should meet the guys.

  The gods Glory had been aware of—Marduk, Enlil, Anshar, Dagon, Lahar, and of course, Enten—stood back and watched as the rest of the deities came forward to kiss Glory’s hand and introduce themselves.

  “It is an honor, my lady. I am Absu and, as you know, I take full responsibility for you meeting this rogue.” He was just how Glory had pictured him, dark and swarthy and so very proper.

  “I’m sure he couldn’t have done it without you, and I’m eternally…” Glory laughed and clapped her unclaimed hand to her mouth. “No. Really. I’m eternally grateful.”

  Absu moved away preening. Glory met, in succession, tousled Dumuzi, distinguished Ishkur, spiky haired Ninurta, and Kulla who smelled divine and looked good enough to eat. Hah. Enten had actually growled when that thought popped into her head. And Shamash whose curly ringlets would make any woman envious.

  Last to approach was Emesh. Her new, and for real, brother in law. Before he could reach her, Glory felt her mother sidle up and tug on her arm. Glory lowered her head to hear what her mother wanted to impart.

  “He’s not Douglas,” her mother whispered, much to Glory’s puzzlement. “Sometimes I get confused and think he is, but he isn’t,” she said definitively. “However, my sweet daughter, he’s just like Douglas and he’s promised to help us find him.” With a final squeeze of her arm, Kate moved back to converse with the witches.

  Glory remained slightly bemused until Emesh finally moved close. She was going to have a word with Angie and Addie May and nip the whole “finding Douglas” thing in the bud. He’d been dead for a good many years now, and Glory didn’t want her mother upset over a fruitless search.

  Emesh took her hand and raised it to his lips, smiling. “I finally have sister,” he exclaimed, and Glory saw it. She couldn’t stop herself, but instead backed up a few steps and stared before rushing forward to throw herself at Emesh. Her whole body shook, and this time not with cold.

  “She’s right,” Glory said into his ear, tears streaming down her face. “About you…and my brother, Douglas.” She swallowed. “I was only ten at the time and I…I never knew. I’ve only…just now…figured it out.”

  “What sweetie?” Emesh asked gently, stroking her back lightly. “That your brother was gay?”

  Glory drew back, nodding her head in fascination. “He was twenty. He was my idol. M…m…my father sent him away.” The sobs moved up, out of her tight chest. Light dawned completely.

  “That was why,” she cried. Her voice muffled as she dropped her face to Emesh’s chest. “My brother wasn’t crazy,” she intoned into his body. “He was gay. That’s why my father had him committed.”

  “I know, baby.” Emesh held her tightly. “I’ve had some long talks with your mother, and you and I will need to sit and talk too.”

  “After we’re through celebrating, brother.” Enten came forward and wrapped his arms around his new wife and his twin. He had felt every heart-wrenching emotion that had moved through Glory while talking about her brother, and knew those things she had suppressed would need to be resurrected in order for her to move on. Emesh was just the god to help her through it, and he was never happier to love him.

  “Shall we move to the dining room?” Holly and Tess, along with the arrogant Absu, who couldn’t touch or taste anything but happened to be fucking brilliant in the kitchen, had prepared a feast fit for― even before they knew he would attend―a king. It was time for everyone to eat and make as merry as possible, even though the specter of what was happening in the Underworld, and to their queen, put a pall on things.

  Glory felt all this, and had eschewed a large celebration party. Instead, she’d requested an understated meal to celebrate her joining with Enten. Truth be told, neither one of them really cared, as the real party―for them―would begin as soon as they could sneak away. Much later, after their very own party for two, making massively sweet love to each other wh
ile reading each other’s every thought, and feeling, they would join whatever late revelers remained, and eat leftovers.

  Glory’s love for Enten overflowed, and as they tripped their way up the stairs to heaven, she knew he felt it too.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Back once again in the meeting room with Dagon predictably grousing, all the gods and goddesses faced their king who had been given Marduk’s seat of honor at the head of the conference table. Enten stood back against the wall, trying not to fidget. He and Glory had been contemplating a few new sexual positions when they’d been summoned. He attempted to remain patient while Nergal filled them all in on what had been happening over the span of the month since Enten had been mated.

  “As you know, I’ve eliminated all god energy so the only immortals roaming the Earth are our enemies and our queen. I’ve even given you all the power to detect immortal energy signatures to help with the search.” Frustration caught at his voice, but he coughed and continued, “Despite this, Beletseri is much smarter than we have given her credit for. I don’t know how she’d doing it, but she’s able to keep her presence and that of Nedu and Eresh hidden.”

  “Could she be using osmium?” Marduk asked, thoughtfully. “If so, we could perhaps devise something that would locate all caches of it, hoping to find her.”

  “I doubt that’s it.” Nergal had considered it. “You know, yourself, how heavy osmium is. It would take more strength than Beletseri and Nedu have to move it around, even with the help of humans.”

  “Who do you have on the hunt right now?” Enten wanted to know.

  “Twelve war gods, led by Erra,” Nergal replied. “And along with their natural attunement to anything or anyone that reeks of war or destruction, I also imbued them with the power to hone in on god energy.” Nergal sighed. “Unfortunately the world has become such a violent place that these gods are hard pressed to find areas that don’t merit their attention. The whole thing has been such a drastic failure, it has certainly given Beletseri plenty of time to amass an evil human army, if that’s what she has in mind.”

  “What exactly do you think she wants?” This problem had been bothering level-headed Shamash, Enten knew. He’d puzzled over it often in the past month. “She hasn’t made any demands for ransom. What could she possibly be up to?”

  “This is only speculation, but I’m assuming she wants me.” Nergal looked to Marduk. “Or you.” His face turned to Enlil. “Or you,” he finished succinctly. “I’ve determined, after my glowie officers looked into her past, she wants a partner who will join with her to be king, so she can finally be queen.”

  “That’s crazy.” Enten could not see the sense in it.

  “Nobody said she wasn’t mad,” Nergal agreed. “I just can’t figure out why she had to take Ereshkigal to accomplish her ends. She could have killed her anytime she wanted over the past thousand or more years. That’s what makes no sense.”

  “Except in a warped woman-scorned kind of way,” Lenore interjected.

  The king raised his eyebrows. “Would you like to explain?”

  “Sure. What has your queen had all that time that Beletseri hasn’t, hmmm?” She looked around at everyone’s blank faces before continuing. “How about the adoration of all of you. The exact opposite of what Beletseri has been able to get.”

  “And…” The king waited for her to continue.

  “Perhaps in her crazy way, your devoted secretary is looking for a tutor.” Lenore had really thought this through, and apparently it made perfect sense to Glory as well.

  “I agree,” his lovely bride concurred. “I’ve been low man on the totem pole at work, and there are only two ways to go about getting up the ladder. You either fuck somebody, which Beletseri has clearly attempted and failed, or you learn from the best and eventually grab for what you want using your own sharpened skills.”

  “So what you’re saying is that, as long as Ereshkigal has knowledge to impart to Beletseri, my queen won’t be harmed.” Nergal pulled air into his lungs, looking like he felt a modicum of hope for the first time in weeks.

  “I believe that’s so.” Lenore sounded damned certain. Enten gave her total credit. She was brilliant in a twisted kind of way, which made her able to think the way an enemy would. It was a lovely skill.

  Dagon similarly fastened on to the next piece of the puzzle that might be useful. “Have you had any mind communication with Queen Ereshkigal since her disappearance?”

  “No. Not one bit.” Nergal’s face showed his frustration.

  “Huh. Whatever Beletseri has found to block her energy signature also filters out communication,” Dagon speculated. “What time do you go to sleep?”

  The king looked surprised at the question, and Enten couldn’t figure out what Dagon aimed at. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I need to know what time of the day or night you are most likely to be asleep.” He didn’t wait for the king’s answer, but continued, “Beletseri made a great study of everything before she pulled off her coup. Therefore she knows your habits inside and out.” He received a nod of understanding from Nergal.

  “So if there is a time where whatever substance is protecting them―be it osmium or not―is deactivated to move to a new location, they would make their change during the hour or hours when you most likely would be asleep, rendering it not impossible, but unlikely Ereshkigal could contact you.”

  Hope flooded Enten’s chest at Dagon’s conclusion, and he eagerly stepped in. “So even if they send, say Nedu ahead to prepare a new hiding spot, there would be a brief period between confinements where Ereshkigal would be able to speak.”

  Nergal was instantly on his feet, clearly beside himself that he might have been sleeping while his queen attempted to contact him. “Dammit. How could I have been so stupid? I’m always abed by one a.m., but certainly asleep between the hours of two and five.”

  “You can’t think of everything, my king,” Lenore’s voice soothed. “I’m amazed that substances like osmium exist and can be the most powerful…”

  “My goddesss,” Dagon hissed, also on his feet. “Not the most powerful.”

  Enten blinked. Dagon, in his agitated state, morphed back and forth between god and serpent. His black eyes skewered Nergal.

  “Call Lavarette right now,” he demanded. “She and the old crone who tellsss the talesss.”

  Nergal scowled. “Magmanna? Why would—”

  “Husssh. Jussst do it.” Dagon shushed the king, but not one of them, including the sovereign, called him on it.

  Nergal contacted his head of security. Lavarette, bring yourself and all your warriors to me. Bring Magmanna. I need you now.

  Dagon breathed heavily and Holly stroked his fins, attempting to calm him. “Why didn’t I think of this sssooner?” he admonished. “I’m an idiot.”

  “Do you want to explain what’s on your mind?” Nergal’s patience had been thin to begin with, but with the latest inkling of hope, Enten could see he was down to his last nerve.

  Luckily Lavarette and the champions chose that moment to appear.

  Dagon turned immediately to them, or more precisely, to Magmanna.

  “Tell me again, and tell all presssent here what your busssinesss wasss in the Underworld when you firssst arrived, and make it short.”

  Magmanna bowed to her king and gave the briefest of explanations. “We were to mine for a precious substance, of which there are only ten pounds in the whole of the Earth. We performed our task, handed the ore over to our kings in succession, and subsequently sank into obscurity.”

  She pointed to the idol around Nergal’s neck. “You are wearing a small piece of it as we speak.”

  “Magmanna?” questioned Dagon. “Where is the remaining material?”

  Lavarette was the one who answered. “Why, in the king’s vaults of course. Safely waiting to be made into idols for the coming kings.”

  It was Marduk’s turn for questioning. “And why do the kings need t
he idols?”

  Nergal answered this one. “It is the substance that allows us to disconnect from the Underworld and ascend to the Overworld once our term in hell has been satisfied, and keeps us protected from prying eyes during our journey. Ereshkigal and I have never used ours because we failed to…we never…” Every one of the old gods knew what he tried to say. They’d become estranged and therefore never expected to ascend.

  The king stopped and started over. “But I’ve seen it work with Ereshkigal’s parents. As soon as the necklace is looped around both necks, that of the king and queen together, a kind of bubble is formed that allows them to move where they wish, which for them and all before them was the Overworld.”

  “It seems to me you’d better check your vault, King Nergal.” Enlil, who had remained silent until that point, was suddenly right in the mix. “I’ll bet my horns Beletseri has made away with all of it, and found a way to use it as protection. If that’s the case, you need to be awake every morning at three―if that’s when they make their moves―to try and make contact with your wife.”

  Lavarette interjected, excitement on her face. “The reason it took our people so long to find the ore in the first place was because, after a while it takes on the properties of the rock around it, so what if―currently, as it is being used―the ore begins to take on the benign effect of the walls surrounding it?”

  “So Beletseri would have to move it to make it activate again.” Enten’s understanding clicked.

  “How much time does it take to make a change?” Nergal asked the glowie.

  “I don’t know, sire, but if you trust me with your idol, I will soon find out.” Lavarette’s eyes fixed dark and round on her king.

  “Do it.” He lifted the necklace without hesitation and handed it over. “And if you don’t mind,” He looked at Marduk. “I’ll be staying here for a while. Can you find me a room with someone in it who will make sure I’m awake at three every morning?”