February – 3,390 BC
Earth – Village of Assur
Jamin
The sun beat down mercilessly upon Jamin's raven-black hair, heating up his head until the sweat beaded on his forehead. They'd been summoned to the central square the moment his father had returned from his trading mission to Nineveh. The Chief had lined them up and paced in front of them, his hand clasped behind his back as Ninsianna's father pointed to the temple of She-who-is and made wild gestures with his hands. All around them the other wandered into the central square, eager to see what news the Chief had brought back from the trading delegation and what he would say when Immanu told him about the winged man who had fallen from the sky.
Immanu faded back, his wild, dark hair visible amongst the other villagers as he let the Chief handle the situation. Yes. The Chief. Everyone in the village thought of his father as The Chief, including him… The Chief asked a few other villagers questions, and then stalked over to stop in front of his son.
“Is it true?” Chief Kiyan's brown eyes bore into his. “Did you drag Ninsianna into the stream and hold her head under the water?”
Jamin squirmed under his father’s glare. His father's usual way of dealing with him was to ignore him and hope the problem would go away, but with Immanu telling the entire village wild tales about winged saviors returning from the heavens to help their people smite an Evil One, it was enough to get even Chief Kiyan interested in the dealings of his son. Jamin glanced to the warriors on either side of him and shot them a glare which warned there would be retribution if any of them dared squeal.
"What about you, Siamek?" the chief looked to his lieutenant. "What really happened up there?"
Siamek shot Jamin an apologetic look.
“She was already in the water, sir," Siamek said. “Jamin went in to … uh … talk to her.”
“Firouz?” Chief Kiyan asked. "What did you see?"
“She insulted him,” Firouz said. “She deserved it!”
“Nobody deserves to be attacked for expressing an opinion!” Chief Kiyan snapped. “We are not Halifians! We don't abuse our women!”
“But, Father…”
The gawking villagers elbowed one another and whispered furiously, eager spectators to see the Chief lambast his son. Pride caused Jamin to shut his mouth and not speak what he really wanted to say, that he'd only gone up there to find out why Ninsianna had broken off their engagement.
“But … nothing!” the Chief said. “A warrior's job is to protect the village. Not go looking for trouble! You are all to stay away from the winged one until I say otherwise! Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir!” the warriors muttered.
“I can't hear you!!!” the Chief shouted.
“Yes, Sir!”
The warriors broke up, eager to be away from the Chief's disapproving glare. Jamin tried to skulk away with them and was intercepted by his father's voice.
“Jamin!” his father ordered like he was a little boy. “Get in the house. Now!”
The villagers sniggered. The red flush of mortification burned into Jamin's cheeks. Not only had he lost face once, when the winged demon had run them off of the crash site and kept his wayward fiancé, but now the bastard had bested him twice by winning over Ninsianna's own father. How could his father be so stupid? A shaman was more believable than the Chief’s own son?
Chief Kiyan shut the door behind him. “Sit!”
The interior of their house was far larger than most houses in Assur, with a separate kitchen and a room built off of the multipurpose room where the Chief could entertain important visitors. Their ancient housekeeper saw the fury in the Chief's expression and scurried out of the way into the kitchen. The Chief gestured for him to sit on one of the stuffed pillows that served as a chair.
“You must give up this idea of forcing Ninsianna to marry you,” the Chief said. “It was wrong of me to exercise my prerogative to deny her hand in marriage to another.”
“But Father,” Jamin's breath caught in his throat as at last he allowed his vulnerabilities to show. “I love her.”
“If there was ever any hope of her loving you in return,” the Chief sighed, “you just ruined it by treating her cruelly."
"Cruelly?" Jamin shook with anger. "She disrespected me in front of my men!"
Chief Kiyan ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair, streaked with grey from too many worries.
"I encouraged the match because I hoped Ninsianna would cool your fiery temper," the Chief said, "but I see now your pursuit of her has only inflamed those natural tendencies."
"Inflamed?" Jamin clenched his fist. "The only reason she broke things off with me was because you forced me to reneg on my promise to take her with us to the trading delegation you just came back from!"
"I couldn't allow my son to be perceived as henpecked the way Immanu is by his wife," the Chief said. "You should understand that better than anyone."
"People respect Immanu," Jamin said, "in spite of how sharp-tongued Needa is."
"People fear Immanu," the Chief said, "because of who his father was. And at one time or another Needa has been summoned to save a family member of every chief in Ubaid territory. It is a level of respect Ninsianna has not yet earned."
The Chief squatted down on the low cushion next to him and began to pull out of his satchel the goods he'd just brought back from his trading delegation. One by one, he placed the pretty trinkets onto their low hospitality table until he got to the last item, a golden torque he'd had the gold-worker in Nineveh make that would have marked him as a married man. The Chief fondled the torque between his thumb and forefinger, his eyes focused on the past as his expression softened into an all-too-familiar melancholy one.
"I want you to marry someone who will love you as much as I loved your mother." the Chief said. "Not someone who marries you because you've given them no other choice.”
Old anger boiled in Jamin's veins.
“My mother is dead!” Jamin shouted. “You look at me and you hate me because I look like her, and when you see me, it reminds you that I'm still here and she is not!!!”
“That's not true.” The Chief avoided Jamin's gaze. “You're the only reason I've been able to go on living. But you have become too arrogant. You must let Ninsianna go.”
“He is a demon who was cast down from the heavens!" Jamin gestured to show something falling out of the sky. “It's an evil omen. We must defend the village!”
“Immanu has legends of his people returning in a time of great need,” the Chief said. “He thinks we should welcome the winged one into our midst so that when his people arrive, they'll be favorably disposed to us.”
“A song no man in this village has ever heard until today!” Jamin snorted. “That's a little convenient, don't you agree?”
“Immanu is a good man,” the Chief said. “I will not tolerate you sullying his name.”
“But Father….” The muscle in Jamin's cheek twitched with aggravation.
“But nothing!” the Chief snapped. “I have made up my mind! You and the warriors are forbidden to go anywhere near the sky canoe until I say otherwise. If you do, you will answer to the tribunal!”
He turned his back, indicating Jamin was dismissed.
Jamin slammed the door on his way out, furious. A week ago he'd been looking forward to marrying Ninsianna at the summer solstice, and now he was goat dung? She was his fiancée! If he didn't rescue her, nobody would!
Chapter 21
Sword of the Gods: The Chosen One Page 24