“But it’s so much better if I move,” Tirigan whispered seductively in her ear.
Then he proved the truth behind his words, moving in a slow, relentless rhythm that soon had her alternately purring and moaning so loud she’d probably be embarrassed in the morning, but now… now there was only Tirigan.
He did something then, grinding against her in such a way he hit a spot deep inside and she moaned.
“Like that?” he said with another seductive chuckle and repeated what he’d just done until she was clawing at his back and crying out his name as he sent her over the edge.
“Goddess…” he groaned in unison with her.
She stroked her hands down his back and then remembered his mark and skated her fingers along that as she bit into his shoulder with blunt teeth.
He grunted and tightened his hold on her in response.
“You feel so good… so perfect. Asharru…” Tirigan groaned out her name and lost his rhythm. After a few more shallow pumps he jerked against her and came hard, his body quivering and twitching with his powerful release.
“That was perfect my King.”
“It will be more perfect next time,” he mumbled softly against her neck.
Tirigan’s weight slowly slumped against her and her gryphon delighted in his surrender. When he made to roll off her, she tightened her arms around his waist.
“Asharru, I’m too heavy. I’ll crush you.”
She laughed and wrapped her legs around his sides, digging her heels into the firm muscles of his buttocks. “Now that my gryphon has got you, she’ll not release you until morning. Though, to be fair, since you’re only human, she’ll let you have a nap and recovery time if you need.”
Rolling her hips, she rode his softening staff for a few thrusts and about that time her gryphon decided he really didn’t need a nap until after the second round.
Tirigan laughed, proving he really could read her. “Good thing I’m a god blessed Blade with quick recovery time. Let’s see what I can do to satisfy that beast of yours.”
Asharru purred her agreement, and he did not disappoint.
Chapter 20
After watching the mortal entertainments and pretending to be Nutesh for the day, Hashur was looking forward to walking the gardens under the light of the moon. He’d forgotten how… noisy the mortal world could be, and he found he missed moments of solitude.
The gardens reminded him of home.
Though he wasn’t yet ready to return. The mortal world offered many of its own delights. He just wanted some quiet time to himself.
He’d only just exited one archway and crossed into the gardens when he heard footsteps on the path behind him. Hmm. Someone else had the same thought as him. Likely someone drunk.
Hashur sighed in annoyance.
Perhaps if he slipped down one of the lesser-used side paths, the mortal would continue down the main one and leave Hashur in peace?
“Nutesh, wait! If I’m not disturbing you, might I have a word?”
He recognized the voice of Zinura and relaxed. At least it wasn’t a drunk noble or some other unsavory type come to pester him. Now that the court had figured out Asharru and Tirigan would become mates in the coming moon cycles, the soberest of the nobles had already concluded Nutesh was an excellent prospect for a marriage alliance.
As far as they knew, he was the sole heir of the city-state of Ur as well as being one of Asharru’s trusted councilors. He’d even been credited with helping save the young queen and her Blade, which had gained him much notice.
Of course, if they knew he was one of the nine judges, he’d likely find himself an outcast. He’d have preferred that to the thinly veiled innuendoes he’d been receiving all evening.
At least he was safe from that mild harassment with Zinura. She fancied Hunzuu.
Glancing over his shoulder, he nodded a greeting. “Your company is always welcome, young one. What is on your mind?”
It wasn’t until he uttered that human turn of phrase that he realized he wasn’t receiving any of the usual emotional bleed through from an unguarded mortal mind.
There was only one item that could block an Anunnaki’s power. And only agents of Ereshkigal were ever gifted with them.
“Nuannin,” he said calmly. “I recognize you even in that body.”
She laughed. “It won’t do you any good, traitor.”
He was drawing his dagger to dispatch the assailant in front of him when he sensed movement from behind. He whirled to face the second opponent just as an arrow slammed into his host, taking him in the chest.
Hashur grunted and stumbled back toward where Zinura waited for him with a long knife bare in her hands. She was fast, darting in close and attempting to land a blow.
But he was hundreds of thousands of seasons old. He, too, was skilled at taking down enemies.
He blocked her and snatched at her arm, using his waning strength to spin her around. Once he faced Ekurzakir, he used Nuannin to prevent her father from filling his host with more arrows.
Pressing his dagger against her throat, he called out to Ekurzakir. “Throw down the bow, or you can watch your daughter die again. I imagine Ereshkigal won’t be so forgiving of a second failure.”
Nuannin laughed, causing his blade to nick her skin and draw a few drops of blood. “You were too slow Anunnaki. You’re already dead. Killing me won’t change that. And my father will just summon me back. Ereshkigal will be too busy dealing with you to notice my brief return to the underworld.”
Caught up in the sudden battle, he hadn’t noticed when his injury had stopped hurting. It shouldn’t have, not with a mortal body. The arrow had cut deep, its tip and shaft piercing into more than one organ.
A numbness was spreading from the region of the arrow, seeping into his blood and racing closer to his heart with each thunderous beat. Poison. The arrowhead had been dipped in poison.
This body only had a few heartbeats left to live.
Hashur grimaced and slit Nuannin’s throat. “We can die together assassin, and then we’ll see which of us fairs better in the afterlife.”
A warm wash of blood flowed down the blade, onto his hand, but his own heart had stopped, and he slumped toward the ground, bringing Nuannin with him. As his mortal body’s vision faded, Hashur watched Nuannin clasp a hand to her throat in an instinctive gesture.
There was no panic in her eyes, only hatred and determination. But there was no winning against death, and her stare soon turned blank and glassy-eyed.
If his enemies thought they could force his return to the spirit world immediately, they were mistaken.
Hashur rose from the body of Nutesh and glowered as Nuannin’s soul vanished to begin the journey to the next life. He would have pursued her to destroy her evil once and for all, but he had another, more important task to complete before he was forced to return Nutesh’s soul to the underworld.
And Ekurzakir had already fled, preventing Hashur from killing him and taking two souls to the underworld. Unfortunately, time was limited, and he couldn’t hunt Ekurzakir tonight.
Soon, he promised himself. Someday I’ll collect that soul and devour it whole.
“You,” he ordered Nutesh’s soul as it appeared before him, rising out of the body a little hesitantly as if it was hoping to escape unnoticed. “You will follow and do as you’re told. Otherwise, I’ll begin cleansing your soul here. That’s very unpleasant for all parties.”
Knowing the soul would follow, Hashur started away, flicking his wings in annoyance. Amulets created by his own kind had bested him. Once he returned, he’d destroy every last one of those offensive objects.
If he was in a forgiving mood, he might have absolved himself for not knowing the amulets would one day be used against him. Had he not been housed in a flesh and blood body, they would have had little effect upon him.
Hashur and the soul of Nutesh flowed through the gardens and back into the palace, unseen by servants, nobles, and guards alike. If the
re’d been time, he would have sought Asharru and Tirigan, but he already felt the constraints of his duty dragging on him, tightening those bonds to the point he’d soon have to fulfill his duty and carry Nutesh’s soul to the underworld to be purified.
He needed someone closer. Stretching out his senses, he pinpointed the life-force of his allies. Laliya and Bashaa were closest. If he hurried, Hashur still had time to warn his friends that treachery was afoot once more before his magic forced him back to the underworld.
When he arrived at the door leading to Laliya’s chambers, he flew through it, dragging Nutesh with him. He proceeded through the outer chamber and on to the inner one. His senses scanned the room, and he darted toward the bed and through the draping curtains. There he halted and waited a moment.
Hmm... mortals. They were so busy with each other, they hadn’t yet noticed his incorporeal form standing in the middle of the bed. He gave them a moment longer. They still didn’t see him.
“Stop fornicating and listen!”
There was a series of surprised grunts and gasps from the bed, and then Bashaa was lunging forward, naked except for a dagger he’d pulled from under a pillow. When his eyes adjusted enough to the darkness to see Hashur’s shimmering outline, the human’s eyes grew wide. Bashaa cursed again.
“Our enemies are here,” Hashur said, wasting no time in explaining. “They’ve already caught me by surprise, killing my host body.”
“Nutesh?” Laliya asked, sliding out of bed with her own blade drawn.
“Yes. I have little time. Listen and then carry out my orders.”
Bashaa and Laliya, always calm under pressure, focused as he told them everything he knew and what they needed to do. When he was finished, Laliya nodded.
“I understand. I’ll prepare at once while Bashaa informs Asharru and Tirigan.”
“Good.” Hashur stepped closer, leaning down toward Laliya. “There is only one other thing you need: my true name.”
Under normal circumstances, he never would reveal it to another soul, living or dead. But if Ereshkigal got wind of his plan and tried to stop him, he would need someone in the mortal realm to call him forth using his true name. Nothing Ereshkigal might create to trap him could stop him from answering that summons.
“You will share this with no one,” he whispered in her ear. “Never. Not in this life or the next. Your vow!”
Laliya pushed back her shoulders and stood tall and determined, a fierce light in her eyes. “You have my vow. Never shall I share your true name with another.”
“Your soul is forfeit if you ever break the vow,” he hissed in her ear, his beak snapping shut in a threat that crossed cultures. Then reaching deep into Laliya’s essence, he whispered his name directly to her soul.
Then he looked her in the eyes and was mildly impressed when she met his intense gaze without flinching.
Brave mortal.
“Do you understand everything I said?” he asked at last.
Laliya nodded, her eyes blinking as she broke contact with his. “I do. Thank you for the gift of your trust, Anunnaki. I am humbled by such a gift.”
He swung back to face Nutesh. The de-fleshed soul hovered in one corner.
Hashur’s time was up, the Kur demanded he carry the soul to the underworld to begin its next life. He turned to leave and then paused.
“Beware. Ekurzakir will likely switch bodies after he has restored Nuannin.” Hashur glanced over his shoulder at Bashaa and Laliya. “I enjoyed our friendships mortals. Be safe and summon me as soon as you can.”
With that final goodbye, Hashur grabbed Nutesh’s soul and flew to the spirit world.
***
After Hashur arrived, he handed Nutesh off to one of the other Anunnaki and swiftly went to learn what had happened to Nuannin only to discover she’d already been and gone.
Ekurzakir had acted quickly to restore his daughter to life.
After Hashur’s search had proven useless, he’d flown to the top of the Temple of Judgement to survey his home as he debated what he must do next.
“If Ereshkigal’s agents were breaking all the rules set forth in the original pact between Tammuz and Ereshkigal,” Hashur said to the Kur that made up all that surrounded him, “then am I not free to do as I please?”
There was a ripple in the flows of spirit energy all around as the Kur responded in agreement. Hashur’s eyes widened in surprise. The Kur loved Ereshkigal and rarely disagreed with her. Though it had once before, to her great fury.
Long ago the Kur had once created another palace as splendid and vast as the Queen of the Underworld’s seat of power.
“Hmm,” Hashur grinned, his beak gaping wide. “I think you’ve just given me an idea. Now to carry it out before I get summoned back to the mortal world.”
Spreading his wings wide, he launched from the balcony he’d used as his perch. Darting high into the air, he left both the Temple of the Nine and Ereshkigal’s grand palace far behind.
He flew a great distance—what would have been two moon cycles of days in the mortal world had his magic not allowed him to cross vast distances as swiftly as a thought—until another magnificent palace grew larger in the distance. It rose out of a mountain range, a golden city infused with glowing crystal.
Anyone with eyes would see the kinship between the city and a Blade’s sword.
Chapter 21
A loud pounding on the outer set of doors roused Asharru. Tirigan was already gently rolling her to one side so he could get up. She usually came awake quickly, though this time she and her gryphon were both sated and sleepy.
Asharru forced herself up and dragged on a robe. Tirigan was doing the same, sword already in hand. Enemies didn’t knock, but the urgency of heavy pounding suggested something dire was happening or had already happened.
Kuri had ushered in Bashaa and Laliya by the time Asharru and Tirigan reached the outer chamber
Laliya rushed across the room. “Queen Asharru, Hashur came to us just now. His host body has been murdered.”
Laliya’s words were as shocking as an unexpected punch to the stomach. Nutesh dead. What did that mean for the Anunnaki?
The other woman launched into her tale and Asharru forced away her grief and fear to focus on Hashur’s plan.
Laliya was partway through her story when a second knock sounded. Kuri went to the door and spoke with a Shadow at some length. When she returned to Asharru, she nodded solemnly.
“The Shadows just found Nutesh’s body out in the gardens. Zinura’s body was there as well. The guards said it looked like Nutesh killed Zinura. As for Nutesh, he’d died from an arrow, though there was no bow at the site. There had to be a second assailant.” Kuri glanced at Laliya. “It confirms what Hashur said. Our enemies are still in play, and at least one of them is here in Nineveh.”
“Hashur said Ekurzakir would bring his daughter back once he found a new host for her soul.” Laliya paced as she talked. “Once that’s done, he’ll seek a new body for himself. If we don’t catch him before that, they could become anyone, making tracking their whereabouts almost impossible.”
Asharru’s fingers closed into a fist. “We will find Ekurzakir and Nuannin. When we do, I want their heads to decorate Ishtar’s Gate and their souls fed to Hashur.”
“I will see that it is done,” Tirigan answered, his voice harsh. “They made a mistake by using Zinura in such a way and attacking us. Ekurzakir should have just run for his worthless life.”
“I want to see Nutesh’s body,” Asharru said around a lump in her throat. “Perhaps our enemies have left some clue or some other evidence that will allow us to track them this time.”
Muttering about leading her queen into danger, Kuri guided the group to the gardens.
When they reached the bodies a short time later, Asharru knelt between Zinura and Nutesh. Poor, fierce-spirited Zinura. She’d only ever wanted to help. “You did not deserve this fate, Zinura. You knew freedom too briefly in this life. May the next one
bring you much happiness. And I promise you, we will hunt down your murderers and send them to the afterlife. Perhaps then you’ll be granted a chance to exact revenge against them.”
Asharru whispered a prayer over the body and then turned to the other lifeless form. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Nutesh had been her friend—no that wasn’t his real name. It had been the Anunnaki, Hashur, who’d become her friend. Nutesh was only the flesh housing the soul.
It was the ancient Anunnaki she’d come to love like a mentor. It may have been because he reminded her so much of her brother Kadashman. A new wave of grief washed over her. She’d miss his long talks, his patience, and his clear outlook. She’d always felt at peace when she was with Hashur.
Peace was such a rare gift.
“Hashur, I will miss your wise council.”
Am I destined to lose everyone I care for?
That thought terrified her.
She couldn’t lose Tirigan.
She wouldn’t.
Laliya knelt next to Asharru. “Hashur gave me his true name and told me the rituals I’d need to summon him back. If I can reach him, he may be able to help us, to set things right. But I can’t do that here. I need to go to the island of Uruk, to Ishtar’s main temple and prepare for the ritual.”
Asharru nodded. “The Sacred Marriage is fast approaching. We can go early under the ruse I’m helping you make ready for the ceremony, to be sure you know everything. After all, the ritual between Blade and Monarch differs from the yearly one performed by the high priest and priestess.”
Laliya looked thoughtful. “The people should believe that.”
Tirigan cleared his throat. “Plus, it will be safe there. No outsiders will be permitted until closer to the Sacred Marriage.”
Their plans set, Asharru glanced back down at the two bodies and then whispered. “I’m sorry. You will be avenged. You have my word.”
She stood and glanced around her. “It’s time we travel to Uruk.”
The Blade's Shadow (Ishtar's Legacy Book 4) Page 11
