by Daniel Casey
“He can easily and quickly accomplish the task. You will.” Amar-Sin nodded to the sentry at the door who laboriously opened it. The minute it cracked open, he could hear animated voices on the other side. They were rising and falling in a bizarre back-and-forth with each voice buttressed by indignant choruses.
“Now, I will explain to these fools, yet again, what will happen should we toss away our only bargaining chip.” He turned his back to her, “And after you assign Rava his task, you will explain to these people what will happen if they continue to stand against the inevitable.” He stood still as the door was opened completely and the sentry moved forward into the room announcing his entry. Amar-Sin turned his head slightly looking back at Umma, “Do you understand?”
Her eyes burned a hole in his back but her tone betrayed nothing of her rage, “I understand. It will be done.” She turned and walked back down the hall as Amar-Sin entered the chamber to a pregnant silence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Casey has a MFA in Creative Writing-Poetry from the University of Notre Dame. He's been an adjunct English instructor, a soccer journalist, and a literary magazine editor.
Special Thanks to Jessica Bazely Utrup and Logan Ryan Smith who volunteered after I hastily published Adversaries Together to proofread the manuscript helping to create this cleaner edition.