First Queen of the Gryphons (Ishtar's Legacy Book 5)

by Lisa Blackwood

  After escaping the crowded market, Amata headed back to her hut to gather some supplies.

  Chapter 5

  The day was still young when Amata drove her small flock out onto the upper pastures. The grazing here was excellent and would keep them occupied until her return. The terrain was sufficiently rocky to keep all but the most surefooted of predators at bay.

  Well, the usual predators like jackals and steppe wolves. If a gryphon came and wanted to take one of her sheep, there was little she could do even if she stayed to watch over them.

  Once she’d driven her flock to the upper pasture, she continued her climb higher into the mountains, taking the same path she had yesterday.

  It took all morning to cross the peak and start down the ridge to the next valley, but shortly after noon she spotted the temple of Ishtar situated high on the eastern summit of the mountain she now climbed.

  Why anyone would build a temple in such a remote location, Amata couldn’t guess. But again, she wondered if it had something to do with Ishtar’s gryphons. After all, the goddess had created the beasts to serve her.

  Perhaps the temple’s remote location and the priestess who lived there had some goddess ordained purpose? Could Ishtar have always intended the gryphons to serve humanity? Like a cross between a winged horse and loyal hunting hound? Amata’s excitement grew, and she increased her pace.

  At last she reached the cauldron-lined avenue that led to the temple. With a quick stride, she followed the processional way to its end where she paused before the ziggurat’s great ramp and took in the breathtaking sight of the structure’s blue and gold glazed brick walls. The massive structure of the step pyramid dwarfed her. Even the surrounding hills and valleys couldn’t diminish its grandeur.

  Pushing aside feelings of inferiority, Amata started up the central ramp. As she climbed higher, it felt a little like ascending into the heavens as the world dropped away below her. But that strange sensation was dispelled when she reached the temple that sat upon the flat top of the ziggurat.

  More cauldrons sat between the pillars that flanked the temple’s entrance. They were lit even in broad daylight, which seemed an enormous waste to her, but was also a good sign. The priestess must be here somewhere.

  Before venturing within the temple, she dug in her satchel for the offerings she’d brought. They weren’t much. A couple dozen dates, a clay jar containing honey, and a pitcher of the best wine she could afford.

  Well, it was more than she could easily afford, but she’d always felt protected by Ishtar ever since she’d been a child. And the priestess had given Amata the priceless gift of her sword.

  She entered the temple and admired the outer chamber with its gold and lapis lazuli adorned walls before venturing deeper into the inner altar chamber. Here the walls were carved with scenes depicting Ishtar’s many aspects. As a goddess of fertility, love, and desire, some images were enough to bring a blush to Amata’s cheeks. But there were also carvings to represent her as a goddess of justice and war.

  Along the back wall, towering over the altar, was a statue of the winged deity herself. Two stone lions flanked her voluptuous form.

  More cauldrons stood on either end of the altar and provided light. After glancing around at the alcoves and still not seeing the priestess, Amata continued up the five steps to the shrine itself and set out her offerings.

  After a whispered prayer, she bowed to the statue and slowly backed away to search the rest of the temple. But she didn’t find Priestess Ereshti within and with a defeated sigh, started back down the central ramp.

  It wasn’t until she reached the ground and rounded the ziggurat’s north side that she spotted a gryphon circling lazily in the sky to the west. The gryphon was black-furred with familiar red barring on his wings.

  Even if she’d been too far away to see the markings, some instinct within her confirmed this was the gryphon from yesterday.

  A small footpath led away from the temple, heading in the direction where the gryphon was circling. Perhaps the gryphon’s circling wasn’t aimless at all. Amata started down the trail. Hopefully, the gryphon was in a friendly mood, and in the priestess’s company.

  Amata had only descended the first steep slope when she spotted Priestess Ereshti making her way up the incline from the valley below.

  “Greetings Priestess,” Amata called and then glanced up at the gryphon.

  The big male enlarged his circle to include both women. Once she and Ereshti had covered most of the distance between them, he came in for a landing.

  Amata bowed to the priestess and then glanced nervously toward the gryphon. He merely fluttered his wings a couple times before folding them tight to his sides. With an annoyed flick of his tail, he turned and paced away from them.

  Once he reached his destination—an outcropping of stone overlooking the valley floor—he sat with his back to them, tail stiff, fluffy end twitching in swift, jerky motions.

  The priestess looked upon the gryphon for some moments before turning to smirk at Amata. “Do you know what that means?”

  Amata looked back and forth between priestess and gryphon. “I don’t have a clue, but I’d say he looks annoyed about something.”

  “You would be correct,” Ereshti agreed. Unfortunately, her expression gave nothing else away.

  Studying the gryphon, Amata swallowed hard and gripped her bow a little harder. “Is he annoyed at me for being here? Encroaching upon his territory?”

  The priestess laughed in delight as if Amata had said the most entertaining of things. “No, dear. While he is annoyed at you, it isn’t for entering his territory.”

  Amata looked at the gryphon in more detail and tried to calm her wide-eyed, nervous looks while also ignoring Ereshti’s continuing chuckles. “But he is angry at me specifically?”

  “Anger? No, that’s too strong. He’s more upset. You hurt his feelings.”

  Hurt his feelings? Now Amata’s mouth was agape, and likely the cause of the priestess’s renewed laughter.

  “Might I ask what I did? I don’t have the faintest idea.” Which was true, she thought to herself as she went over the previous night’s events.

  “You left after accepting his food.” Ereshti’s tone suggested that should be enough for Amata to piece together the rest.

  It wasn’t. Not even close.

  “Forgive me, but I still don’t know why he’s angry. He left first,” Amata explained. “It was late, and I still had to drive my flock into the lowland pens for the night.”

  “He went because he wanted to bring you another gift. He’s never approached a human before to share his kills. Certainly, never gone so far as to retrieve a gift for the interloper.” Ereshti spread her arms wide and grinned. “He likes you.”

  Amata dragged in a deep breath and schooled her expression.

  He liked her? That had to be good. Safer than him not liking her. She cleared her throat. “How was I supposed to know he was coming back? For that matter, how did you know what he was thinking?”

  Ereshti continued to grin. “He told me.”

  Amata’s mouth fell open again. She snapped it closed a moment later. Now the priestess was just having a laugh at her expense. Fine. Laugh at the uneducated shepherdess. It wasn’t the first time someone had insulted Amata. Merchants often disrespected her or the other shepherds, assuming they lacked a sharp mind just because they herded sheep.

  Realizing something else, Amata narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

  If the priestess thought she was gullible, it might work in Amata’s favor. The priestess might reveal more than she planned.

  “Do you mean gryphons can talk?”

  “Only a few.” Ereshti’s expression was so honest that Amata dropped her act in the next moment.

  “Really? You mean they can be trained to mimic words like some birds?”

  Amata supposed that wasn’t so farfetched. Gryphons might share enough bird-like characteristics to mimic sounds. And she couldn’t forg
et a powerful goddess created them. The gryphons might possess more gifts than the average animal.

  “He can understand what we’re saying.” The priestess smiled sadly. “You are underestimating his intelligence. A gryphon is as intelligent as you or I.”

  “But… how?”

  “One of Ishtar’s gifts to them.” Ereshti moved to stand next to Amata, and together they observed the big male. “There is no training. They choose who they wish to befriend.”

  Amata felt a spark of disappointment. She sensed the priestess was telling the truth and that meant the beasts were not domesticated and might not be trainable as she’d hoped.

  “You seem disappointed to learn that.”

  “I thought you’d made pets out of some of them,” Amata admitted with a grimace. “I’d come to warn you to keep them hidden. The king has sent men to root out the raiders, and the leader of the soldiers talked of capturing one of the gryphons and bringing it back to Lagash for the priest-king.”

  The priestess broke into a new round of laughter.

  Amata folded her arms across her chest and waited.

  “Dear, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the audacity of those males. The king’s men can try to hunt a gryphon, and they will see just how intelligent and lethal one of Ishtar’s greatest creations can be.”

  Amata nodded and unfolded her arms. “I wasn’t sure if that big fellow over there would know enough to avoid the hunters. I feared he’d get injured or killed in a trap. I’d hate to see such a beautiful creature killed. Besides, he didn’t attack me when I trespassed on his hunting grounds. I am in his debt.”

  “He admires you. That’s why he didn’t attack.”

  Ah. There it was. The first piece of the puzzle.

  “Is that how you’re able to live so deep in their territory? You gained their admiration and trust?” Amata asked.

  Though that raised the question: how did one go about gaining a gryphon’s trust?

  “No,” the priestess said simply and then changed the subject. “Why are you here Amata? You have reasons other than just to warn me that foolish men are coming to hunt my gryphons.”

  Wasn’t that enough? Amata wondered, but realized the priestess was astute and wanted to know more of her motives.

  Shrugging, Amata told the truth. “I had wondered if there was a way to domesticate and train the gryphons to aid humans.”

  “In what way?”

  Hmmm. She hadn’t really thought about the scope of training beyond a force that even the raiders would fear. “Hunting I suppose. Perhaps teaching them to fly patrols to guard against raiders.”

  “You’ve put some thought into this.”

  Not really, Amata countered in her head.

  “How did you foresee yourself accomplishing this great feat?”

  Now Amata honestly did feel foolish. “I’m not sure. I thought that perhaps you had found some orphaned cubs and raised them yourself, earning their trust and loyalty. If cubs were introduced to humans early enough, I thought they might be trainable.”

  “You’re here because you wish to raise a litter of gryphon cubs? Delightful!” The priestess laughed again. “Hillalum will be pleased.”

  “Hillalum?” Amata asked, wondering who Hillalum was and why the priestess found her words so entertaining.

  “Yes. The gryphon, Hillalum, he has hit maturity and wishes to take a mate soon.”

  Amata arched a brow in question when the priestess stood and looked upon the black gryphon with the gleam of pride in her eyes.

  Amata studied the male. If Hillalum was ready to sire a litter and he remained this placid, he might allow Amata close enough to play with the cubs and begin their acclimation to humans. Perhaps her idea of a winged patrol wasn’t so farfetched after all.

  “So, we just need to find him a female.” Amata began, already wondering how one would start training gryphon cubs. A rare spark of excitement began to build within her.

  The priestess just shook her head. “Oh, young one. You still don’t understand. Hillalum has already picked out a female and started courting, but you left before he could make his intentions known to you.”

  “What?” Amata had to have misunderstood. The priestess couldn’t be suggesting…

  “Oh, your expression! Hilarious. Hillalum isn’t just any gryphon. He’s one of Ishtar’s new breed. He’s still fierce in battle but possesses compassion and other beneficial emotions as well. The goddess hoped to fix an oversight by blending some gentleness into her gryphons.” Ereshti shrugged. “The first few generations of gryphons had an unfortunate tendency to occasionally eat her human worshipers.”

  “I still don’t understand what that has to do with me.”

  Ereshti arched a brow. “Why, our goddess is hoping if you and Hillalum have a litter, the cubs will possess some of what she seeks.”

  Amata’s hand dropped to the hilt of her sword as she started to back away from the priestess who had apparently become unhinged.

  “Dear Amata, did I forget to mention he’s a shapeshifter and their King?”

  Chapter 6

  This conversation wasn’t going anything like how Amata had hoped. Time to abandon her grand plan of trained gryphons and make a hasty retreat before this mind-touched priestess fed her to the gryphon.

  “I should return to my flock,” Amata said as she slung her bow over her shoulder. “Good day priestess. Be safe.”

  The priestess’s expression turned serious. “You were born for more than the herding of sheep. Ishtar chose you for a great destiny.”

  Amata didn’t stop walking.

  “You feel it deep inside. The drive to fulfil your destiny,” the priestess challenged.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Amata halted.

  “Come now, how did you think I knew to come to your village to smooth things over with your village elders after you’d killed those three fools in self-defense?”

  As swiftly as that, Amata was reminded that this woman had helped her in the past. While she didn’t know what she could do to help the woman if something in her mind had snapped, she owed it to the priestess to at least sit and hear her out.

  She turned to face the priestess. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

  Oh, but that was a lie. She had worried over that more than once.

  “I know what destiny Ishtar has planned for you,” Ereshti breathed. “If you will hear me out, you will soon grow to understand.”

  “I’ll hear you out.” Maybe the priestess would forget about her talk of gryphons wanting to mate with humans.

  “Good.” A twinkle entered Ereshti’s gaze. “Ishtar has watched over you since your birth. You carry her mark.”

  “What mark?”

  “The birthmark at the base of your neck,” she explained.

  Slowly, Amata fingered the back of her neck. “How did you know about that?”

  “Ishtar knows many things, and she and I are close.” A secretive smile accompanied the priestess’s words.

  After a moment, Amata realized there was a plausible reason for Ereshti knowing about the birthmark. The priestess was a healer and may have treated Amata as a child. Although she didn’t remember such a thing, it could have been when she was young.

  “Don’t you want to know what the gods have planned for you?” Ereshti asked when the silence stretched long.

  Not really, Amata thought, eyeing the path that would take her back home as she rethought her decision to stay. She sidestepped the priestess.

  “Come now, child.” Ereshti gestured behind her to where the gryphon still sulked. “At least stay long enough to apologize to Hillalum.”

  Hillalum?

  Right. The gryphon.

  Amata glanced at him again.

  Meeting him had been a wondrous event. She couldn’t deny that. And while the priestess might not be of sound mind, that didn’t mean the gryphon wasn’t already halfway domesticated. It would be a missed opportunity if she didn�
��t at least take the time to further earn his trust.

  Perhaps she could still befriend him and then track him to his nest one day. He was a prime male. No doubt he’d win breeding rights to one or more of the female gryphons in the area. She might even get access to his cubs one day.

  Getting back into this gryphon’s good graces couldn’t hurt.

  He still stood looking out over the cliff and down into the valley below. His every line spoke of bruised feelings and hurt pride. Perhaps the priestess wasn’t completely delusional. It was possible the gryphon had returned with another kill to share, but she hadn’t been there.

  Squaring her shoulders, she slowly approached the big gryphon.

  “Hello, beautiful,” she crooned softly and stopped a couple body-lengths distant.

  That she was within easy striking distance of his powerful front paws with their talon-like claws wasn’t lost on her. She reassured herself he hadn’t tried to harm her last night, or today so far, even though he seemed a little put out by something she’d unknowingly done.

  “I’m sorry I left last night without saying goodbye. I wasn’t aware you were planning to return.” She paused and then studied him for any telltale responses. She saw nothing and felt more than a little foolish, but she’d already started down this path. She might as well see this journey to its end. “Come now, you can’t blame me for not being able to read your mind.”

  She took a step closer. He didn’t react aggressively. When she was finally within touching distance, she stopped.

  “Well, at least you haven’t slapped me off my feet for the audacity of approaching you.” Amata knew she was just rambling now, not sure what to say to the big, winged beast.

  “Is it all right if I touch you?” Goddess! She was questioning him like she expected an answer. If Amata kept this up, she’d be as deranged as the priestess in a few seasons.

  The gryphon tilted his head, one tufted ear swinging toward her. He was listening at least. A sudden idea struck. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle. Inside was dried meat jerky and some soft goat’s milk cheese. While she didn’t know if it would be okay for him to eat cheese, the jerky should be fine, she reasoned.