Ahassunu turned to Burrukan and inclined her head. “Come, the night isn’t getting any younger, and Ditanu likely has much he wants to discuss before morning.”
With that, the two traitors to the crown turned and exited the room.
Iltani watched them go, wishing she had a valid reason to keep them away from the king. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do that wouldn’t look suspicious.
She needed a plan.
Only the knowledge that they weren’t likely to do Ditanu harm in the next few moments kept her from rushing back across the hall with her sword drawn.
Iltani started to pace while she mulled over this new distressing news.
All three of the cubs were most certainly Ditanu’s. Their blood called to her mark, confirming the cubs were his. At least, his heirs were indeed his. Her line of reasoning turned down another road.
Gryphons mated out of love, but what if ambition overruled that emotion?
Could Burrukan and Ahassunu have mated in secret even before Ditanu had laid eyes on his consort?
Did they plan this all along?
Had Ahassunu actively seduced the younger Ditanu as a way to gain the power and prestige of the crown?
That seemed likely.
But to what end?
How was this even possible? Iltani massaged the back of her neck, but it did nothing to alleviate the tension.
She had to report this mess, or at least, share it with someone.
Who would believe her? She was having difficulty accepting what her own eyes had seen.
If she hadn’t witnessed it, Iltani would have sworn Burrukan was loyal to his king.
Perhaps if she took some proof before Ditanu’s aunt, Priestess Kammani? Ishtar’s high priestess would, at least, listen to Ishtar’s Blade.
Iltani pinched the bridge of her nose and attempted to massage away the beginnings of a headache.
How could Burrukan have done this?
That was the hardest part to swallow.
Burrukan was the only father she knew.
For now, her own feeling of betrayal and confusion would have to wait. Ditanu’s safety came first.
Yet, how was she supposed to keep him safe when she was here instead of there?
The cub in her arms, perhaps sensing her distress, stirred awake and made a mewling cry in question. She rocked him and sang softly. The cub soon settled. Iltani glanced down at him, studying him in a new light, and the beginnings of a plan grew as she glanced between him and his siblings who were also waking to see what the youngest had been fussing about.
Iltani grinned. “Did you have a nightmare, little Kuwari?” she crooned to him and kissed him on the head. “Of course, you want your father’s reassurance. It’s entirely natural.”
Then she gently deposited him on the floor next to her pack and scooped up the other two cubs. They wiggled in her arms and tried to burrow deeper, not particularly distressed or wanting to visit their father, but Iltani insisted.
Guilt nagged at her conscious for disturbing the little one but protecting the royal line was of greater concern than waking three gryphon cubs.
Soon, the youngest was doing some very loud insisting of his own.
He clawed at her boot and cried piteously to be picked up again.
Once she’d deemed he’d made enough noise that the guards outside couldn’t possibly have missed it, she picked the cub up again. The door creaked open just as she was trying to figure out how to juggle three upset cubs.
“Do you require assistance?” the guard asked.
Iltani grinned. “Sorry. I think they miss their mother. Ahassunu said to bring them to her if they started to fuss.” Having finally managed to get a good grip on all three cubs, she marched out into the hallway and on toward Ditanu’s suite before the guard could make other helpful suggestions.
The Shadows outside the king’s suite took one look at Iltani and tapped softly on the door before opening it and ushering her forward. One of them dared to grin as she marched past. She didn’t dignify his grin with a response.
Let them think what they would. Iltani had other concerns.
Once she entered the outer receiving rooms, she soon picked up the soft mumble of conversation and followed it to its source. For the second time, she found herself in the king’s study.
The king in question was sitting cross-legged by the fire. Ahassunu was kneeling behind him, working his wet hair back into intricate little braids. Burrukan sat cross-legged beside the king, holding out a bowl of beads for Ahassunu to pick from as she required them.
All three fell silent and looked up at Iltani’s sudden entrance.
After executing a hasty bow, which earned three delighted squeals from the cubs, Iltani sought out Ditanu’s gaze. “I am sorry to interrupt, but Consort Ahassunu said to bring the cubs over if they started to fuss. I think they worried when they awoke to find only me.”
Ditanu brushed away Ahassunu’s hand where she was tying a gold bead into one of his braids. He unfolded himself and came to his feet. “The little ones will have you well trained within the week,” he said, a smile softening what might otherwise have been a rebuke.
Iltani would have replied had her mouth not just turned dry as a desert and her tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth. Ditanu approached her with a masculine grace that she couldn’t help but appreciate, but it was his attire or mostly lack thereof which made her speechless.
His only adornments were the beads in his hair and a white and gold knee-length loincloth that left much of his golden skin bare.
Forcing her eyes away from her king, she looked down at his cubs instead.
Three sleepy faces looked back at her, destroying her ploy about them being fussy. “I swear they were whimpering just a few moments ago.”
Ditanu leaned forward, using the pretense of scooping two of his cubs from her arms to whisper in her ear. “You shouldn’t lie to your king.”
“We need to talk,” she answered truthfully, already deciding to tell Ditanu of Ishtar’s warning about Beletum. One threat at a time. She’d figure out what to do with Burrukan and Ahassunu later. “In the hall earlier, I ran into Beletum, and my magic flared a warning. You said to come to you if anything disturbed my peace.” She paused. “My peace is disturbed.”
Her words caught Burrukan’s interest, and he drifted over from where he’d been leaning against the mantle. “I’ll increase the guard.” He swung his gaze from Ditanu and speared Iltani with a dark look. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”
Maybe because I caught you and the consort together?
Aloud she said, “The cubs distracted me. Besides, I didn’t take Ishtar’s warning to mean an immediate threat, only one that needed watching.”
Burrukan held her gaze and then grunted unhappily. His look slid sideways to where the consort was taking one of the cubs from Ditanu.
She could see him wondering if she’d been distracted by something else she might have seen. Iltani kept her expression neutral, not willing to give anything away that might, in turn, endanger Ditanu.
Thankfully, he didn’t challenge her or show any outward signs of nervousness.
Still, Iltani was a little surprised when she heard herself saying. “Ditanu and the cubs stay together tonight. I can’t keep them both safe if they are on opposite sides of the damn hall.”
“Agreed,” Burrukan barked and then marched out toward the corridor.
Iltani heard the door open, and then Burrukan’s sober voice issuing orders. The guards said something in exchange and then her mentor returned. “I’ve doubled the night watch. Three of the guards will stay in your quarters at all times.”
“Does your king get a say in this?” Ditanu asked with humor glinting in his eyes.
“No,” Iltani and Burrukan echoed each other.
Ditanu sighed. “You know I hate having an audience while I sleep.”
“Yet, I sleep better knowing you’ll wake in the morning.” Burrukan
snipped back.
Iltani’s fists tightened. Did Burrukan really mean that, or was he such an accomplished liar, that everything she’d grown up believing was actually false?
“One guard.” Ditanu’s gaze slid toward Iltani, and she didn’t know what to make of the look he gave her.
Burrukan snorted. “Two. And, yes, you can keep Iltani with you.”
The king’s boyish grin reminded Iltani of the youth he’d been. She was glad to know her childhood friend still lived within the man, even if his charms had her emotionally off balance every moment she was with him.
Her eyes tracked toward Ahassunu where she was grooming her oldest cub, Humusi, lovingly, all without looking even slightly nonplussed by Ditanu’s apparent joy at keeping Iltani with him. Shouldn’t Ahassunu, at least, pretend to be upset or disturbed by her husband’s focus on another woman?
Just what, by Ishtar, was going on here?
Chapter 8
No one answered Iltani’s unasked question, of course, so she merely shrugged it off as another intriguing mystery she’d unravel in the coming days. Tonight, she was too tired and flummoxed to attempt it.
Ditanu motioned for her to join him by the fire. She did, transferring the cub in her arms to her lap. The king did the same and then glanced over at his consort. To Iltani’s surprise, Ahassunu was stripping off her robe. Eyes widening in alarm, she snapped her gaze back to Ditanu.
She wasn’t…Ditanu wasn’t…they weren’t. Because there was no way Iltani was staying for that. She could guard her king from the hall.
“If I only had a mirror,” Ditanu drawled, “so you could behold your expression. Ahassunu is going to shapeshift so she can nurse the cubs before they go back to sleep.”
Iltani felt a fiery wave of embarrassment course down from the top of her head all the way to the tips of her toes. “I knew that.”
“Liar.”
When Iltani chanced a glance over at Ahassunu a few moments later, it was to behold a tawny-colored gryphon flicking her wings to settle the long primary feathers in place. Her lion’s tail flicked gently as she gathered her powerful haunches under her and paced over to where Ditanu and Iltani held the two male cubs.
Iltani held perfectly still. Even the most mild-mannered of gryphons could become predatory, territorial and reactive while in full gryphon form. Add to that a mother’s natural tendency to be protective and volatile, and Iltani was suddenly feeling on edge.
“Relax,” Ditanu said, not looking alarmed by the massive presence of the gryphon towering over them while they sat on the floor. “Ahassunu is as familiar with your scent as the cubs are.”
This time, it was Ditanu’s turn to look embarrassed about something.
“What?”
“You never noticed some of your clothing going astray?”
Iltani arched an eyebrow. “It was common on the training island to misplace items of clothing since it all went to the central laundry area for the servants to clean.”
Ditanu cleared his throat. “Your worn clothing always made another stop first.” He groomed the cub in his arms gently as he spoke. “It was important to me that my cubs know your scent, so I instructed Burrukan to always bring an item of yours when he returned each night.”
Again, Iltani was stunned by Ditanu’s actions and touched by them as well.
He didn’t elaborate more, and Iltani didn’t question him.
“Not one of my prouder moments—stealing woman’s underthings,” Burrukan groused from where he was gathering up Ahassunu’s discarded garments. “At least when the new litter is born, you will be here for it.”
“New litter?” Iltani blurted it out before she could stop herself. Ahassunu was carrying another litter? She eyed the consort’s sleek and trim gryphon form. Nothing showed yet. The consort couldn’t have been far along since Iltani hadn’t noticed any telltale bulge when she’d been in human form.
Were they even Ditanu’s?
“The healers say I am only a month along, but the little ones are strong,” Ahassunu said in hissing gryphon speech. “I just told Ditanu the news yesterday after the healers confirmed it.”
Ditanu grinned at Iltani. “I was going to write to you, but then you came in person, and I got sidetracked. You’ll be here for the birth of this litter, and all my cubs will know the love of my Blade.”
Iltani just hoped Ditanu was the father.
When Ahassunu issued a soft cry, the cubs jerked awake from where they were dozing and bolted toward their mother. The oldest two got there first just as Ahassunu laid down, curling on her side to allow the cubs to nurse. Kuwari showed interest in the offered meal, but quietly sat and looked up at Iltani expectantly.
“What?” she asked the cub, wanting something to think about other than another litter where Ditanu may or may not have been the father. Iltani acknowledged Kuwari’s intense, hopeful gaze. “Aren’t you hungry?”
The cub yawned and then nipped at Iltani’s fingers with his still-soft beak, making purring noises in the back of his throat. He butted his head against her breasts when his first attempt didn’t elicit the response he’d hoped for.
“As well as being the fussiest of the three, he doesn’t understand that not all breasts produce milk on demand,” Ditanu said, humor glinting in his gaze. He sobered a moment later. “I think he’s also inherited my gift for true dreaming and may see glimpses of the future, but he doesn’t yet have a way to communicate his worries. Your scent has always calmed him—he knows Ishtar’s Blade will protect him.”
If he’d inherited his father’s ability, which Iltani thought of more as a curse than a gift, then poor little Kuwari had a good reason for being clingy.
With tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, she picked up the cub and planted a kiss on his head before carrying him over to his mother where he burrowed around until he found a teat. The sound of the suckling cubs was relaxing, but it still didn’t dull the sorrow she felt.
Her eyes slid to Ahassunu and Burrukan, and the sorrow turned to anger. She still hadn’t forgotten or forgiven their betrayal, but she didn’t have the first idea what to do about it either.
Nor did Ishtar’s warning flare when Iltani was near them.
Could it be that while Ahassunu and Burrukan were committing treason, they weren’t actually a threat to Ditanu’s welfare?
***
Iltani fought off a yawn as she listened to Ditanu and Burrukan discuss plans for the trip to the island of Uruk, home of High Priestess Kammani. Perhaps after the blooding ceremony, Iltani would find time for a private moment with Kammani to ask her advice about what to do about Burrukan and Ahassunu.
Ditanu’s aunt was wise and kind, as well as being quick to forgive, but equally quick to react should she deem something a danger to her nephew. There was not much that happened in the ten city-states that Kammani was not either privy to or lacked the means to find out.
That dilemma postponed until tomorrow, Iltani let her mind go blank and allowed her eyes to wander for a few moments.
Ahassunu was curled up with Humusi sleeping on her flank while Ilanum was snuggled in Ditanu’s lap and Mite, as she had taken to calling Kuwari in her mind, was asleep in her arms where she stood against the wall, keeping watch.
Though she admitted, it was hard to look like a suitably fierce King’s Shadow with a cub purring softly in her arms.
“We’ve talked this topic to death. I’m in danger of losing my voice.” Ditanu stood and stretched, the cub still asleep in his arms. “Off with you.”
It took her a moment to realize he was talking to Burrukan. She’d only just begun to relax when Ditanu swung his attention back to her.
“Come, help me put these ones to bed.” He gestured at the cubs.
She couldn’t really say no, so she followed him as he headed toward his bedchamber. Burrukan scooped the cub off Ahassunu’s flank and then handed his tiny burden over to Ditanu.
With that, Burrukan uttered good night and left.
Iltani paused at the threshold and held the door for the consort to follow.
Ahassunu stretched and started in the direction that Burrukan had gone.
“Consort?” Iltani called, not really wanting her to come but curious what she would do.
Looking over her shoulder, Ahassunu laughed. “Ditanu snores. Enjoy.”
Well, wasn’t that blatant?
Iltani just shook her head and promised to get to the bottom of whatever deception was going on under the king’s very nose as soon as possible.
Another thought occurred to her.
Ditanu was equally as sharp as his aunt.
Could he be aware of what was going on—and, what?
Didn’t care?
She scowled. It made no sense. At least not yet, but perhaps Ditanu had mentioned some of his suspicions in one of his letters and that was why Burrukan said they were dangerous if they fell into enemy hands.
Sighing, she rubbed her temples with her free hand and looked down at Kuwari.
“I guess I’ll worry about tomorrow’s troubles tomorrow, eh little Mite?”
After Ahassunu had left, Iltani checked on the guards posted at each location. Content that the area was as secure as it could be, she made her way back to the king’s bedchamber. Before a case of nerves could overcome her, she marched into the room.
Another guard was already stationed in one corner, pretending he was invisible. Iltani spied the opposite corner and mentally claimed it as her own. From there, she could watch both the bedchamber door and the door leading out to the balcony.
She’d almost reached the location when her eyes adjusted to the darker bedchamber, and she began to pick out details of the wall. It was another of those wall carvings. Her eyes narrowed and then one brow arched.
Well, my…wasn’t that…something to make Ishtar proud, Iltani decided after she ran her eyes over the life-sized image of a female Blade astride her gryphon king.
Iltani cleared her throat and spun on her heels.
She made her way over to the balcony and surveyed it and the three Shadows standing guard directly outside. She knew there would be others stationed throughout the gardens. Her magic already told her Ditanu’s location.
Queen of the Gryphons: Ishtar's Legacy: Books 1 & 2 Page 8
