Blade's Destiny (Ishtar's Legacy Book 3)

by Lisa Blackwood

  “What is the meaning of this?” Arahunaa shouted and scrambled to her feet.

  “Palace business,” Kuri injected smoothly, deviating from their earlier plan.

  But then again, Asharru had ruined their original idea by barging in, and now the guard had to improvise so Arahunaa didn’t report them, which would then draw to light that the Crown Princess was trying to purchase slaves.

  Certainly not the message Asharru wanted to convey to the masses.

  “Consider this the first of many payments.” Hunzuu lifted the coin bag and gave it a little shake. “You will be compensated very well for any…inconvenience.”

  “Palace business?” Arahunaa pulled her top back in place, her expression turning calculating.

  The male the slave trader had been mauling a moment ago looked them over with an emotionless mask in place. Actually, he appeared almost bored until his gaze landed on Asharru. His expression shifted, eyes widening, then his nostrils flared a tiny bit as he drew in a startled breath.

  He scanned her face and then her clothing. When he got to her toes, he arched a brow at her beaded and gold leafed sandals. In a swift, graceful move, he rolled to his knees and bowed forward until his forehead touched the thick carpeting.

  After a moment, and a great flexing of muscles—that was no small feat with his hands chained behind his back—he straightened.

  Her gryphon took some particular delight in his show of strength. Somewhat dismayed by her gryphon’s apparent interest, Asharru glanced away. She’d never even laid eyes upon this male before. He wasn’t even a gryphon, not even partly. She’d have sensed that.

  Goddess. Was she staring at her future mate?

  A human mate?

  How had her gryphon even known he was here?

  And more importantly, how had this male seen through her disguise so quickly?

  Then it occurred to her.

  The damned sandals.

  Her footwear had given away the fact she wasn’t a regular city guard and Kuri had announced they were here on official palace business.

  “Normally one of my noble patrons would have contacted me for a showing first,” Arahunaa said distractedly as she studied the male who’d bowed like he’d just done the most interesting of tricks. Though her calculating look never wavered.

  At least Kuri and Hunzuu were flanking her so closely that the slave trader couldn’t know for sure which person the male’s bow had been for. Maybe Arahunaa would think it was for all three of them.

  “There wasn’t time.” Kuri again, her tone clipped.

  “May I ask who my newest patron is, then?” Arahunaa made an elegant gesture with her hands as she indicated the tent beyond. “That way I can select the best slaves for his or her needs.”

  “No.” Hunzuu’s one word came out as clipped as his sibling’s.

  “Well…then…very well. Hmmm…follow me. I have some that might suit your needs, though if I’d been given a little warning, I could have found the perfect slave for your patron’s needs.”

  Arahunaa started from the room, Kuri turning to follow while Hunzuu glowered at the male who’d bowed. The man was on his feet now.

  Asharru’s gryphon kept her rooted to the ground. “What about him?”

  She pointed to the stunning man. His blank mask was back in place, but there was a strange light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  Arahunaa looked at her as if seeing Asharru for the first time. Perhaps she was.

  “These three are already owned by a governor.” Her eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t sell them to another unless your patron is higher ranking than that.”

  “She is,” Kuri said with a huff.

  “Really.” Arahunaa grinned. “The only noble higher than a governor is one of the council or a member of the royal family.”

  “Yes. Your point.” Hunzuu sounded bored.

  “All the council are already patrons of my business. That only leaves the royal bloodline…”

  And there was only one remaining member of the royal line.

  Arahunaa bowed deeply to Asharru. When she straightened a generous smile was on her lips. “Crown Princess Asharru forgive me for not recognizing you immediately. Know that I am deeply, deeply honored you’ve come to me. Obviously, this male is yours if you wish it, and any other slave within this camp you might like.”

  “I would like discretion more than anything.” That was a lie. Her gryphon would liberate her chosen male, discretion be damned.

  “Yes, of course.” Arahunaa nodded. “Do you wish me to have him sent to the palace now or in the morning?”

  Considering what she’d witnessed at first entering, Asharru wasn’t leaving the male here alone. “He will come with us now.”

  Arahunaa nodded again. “As you wish.”

  Hunzuu held out the coin purse. “We will see that you receive more in the morning.”

  The slave trader just shook her head. “No. A future queen should not have to buy her own slaves. They should be gifts. And Tirigan’s training, education, and beauty makes him worthy enough to walk openly in the queen’s court if she so wishes. You shall not be disappointed with this one.”

  “I came to buy a slave. Not receive gifts this night. You will take the money, and I’ll send over the remainder tomorrow.”

  The thought of having this disgusting excuse for a gryphon hybrid ‘gift’ the poor man to Asharru made it worse than if she bought him outright. As if by accepting her ‘gift’ she would be in debt to the woman. There was no way she wanted the slave trader to still have any kind of claim on the poor male.

  Asharru wouldn’t do that to him. He deserved to know that no one could ever hold command over him again once she’d granted him his freedom.

  Arahunaa bowed deeply. “As you wish.”

  Asharru acknowledged the other woman with a royal nod when all she really wanted to do was free all the slaves and then burn every tent to the ground. If the owners were still inside, she wouldn’t waste any tears over their ashes.

  While Kuri and Arahunaa haggled about the slave’s price and Hunzuu studied the other two slaves, the male named Tirigan came to her and inclined his head.

  “It seems fate has favored me momentously this night. Crown Princess Asharru, I am honored too greatly to express it properly.”

  “You can call me Asharru if you like.”

  Tirigan’s eyes widened slightly. She supposed it wasn’t every day that a slave was granted permission to call a future queen by her first name.

  “I would not presume, but perhaps ‘your ladyship’ would suffice.” He smiled for the first time.

  And my, Great Ishtar in the Heavens, it was a truly lovely smile. Then she noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. He was showing her what she wanted to see. Of course, he was. It was likely how he’d survived all these years.

  She didn’t hold his little deception against him. After all, she was a stranger, one he didn’t know he could trust.

  He cleared his throat. “I am being very presumptuous, but if her ladyship needs more slaves, Laliya and Bashaa are prime stock. I can vouch for their quality and training.”

  Asharru glanced from Tirigan to study his companions and then over to Kuri where she was still haggling with the slave trader. Asharru assumed Kuri understood she wanted to free all three.

  Feeling foolish, she realized that might not be the case since she hadn’t specified the other two.

  Tirigan leaned forward, misunderstanding her hesitation. “We three are very close friends, and I would be grieved if I had to leave them behind. I assure you, we can be very…useful… together.”

  “They are your mates?” she asked suddenly, surprising herself.

  “No,” Arahunaa said, joining in their conversation. “Tirigan and Bashaa are full blood human, they don’t fall in love and mate with a single female.”

  Tirigan didn’t take his eyes off Asharru.

  “They will come with us, too,” she said while maintaining his intense
gaze.

  His smile softened a touch, the edges curling slightly, and the hard glint in his eyes eased. It was the first warmth she’d seen in him.

  The warmth vanished after a moment as if he remembered he’d just been purchased.

  “I look forward to serving my new mistress and learning what she would have of me.”

  Oh, wasn’t he going to be surprised when he learned he wasn’t going to be a pleasure slave?

  Chapter 6

  (Ereshkigal’s Kingdom)

  High up on a balcony overlooking the green rolling hills that surrounded the palace, the anunnaki known by his brothers as Hashur, surveyed this tiny section of the spirit world. The souls nearest his location were happy as they should be.

  A few anunnaki were in the air, their wings cutting through the fluffy clouds as they went about their business. The nine seals protecting the underworld were untouched. No danger or darkness had tried to breach them in an age.

  In a word, all was perfect.

  Yet why then was he restless?

  He was never restless.

  Then again, this wasn’t a typical day.

  As the oldest of the anunnaki and one of the nine judges, he wasn’t often called away from his task of judging and cleansing the newly arrived souls.

  But this day, Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld, had summoned him.

  As the oldest and most powerful of his kind, he could answer that summons or ignore it if he so wished.

  Today, though, curiosity drew him here to her palace and kept him standing at this balcony, waiting while she saw to some disturbance in her court.

  But at last, he heard the approach of her soft steps.

  Ereshkigal, goddess of the underworld and older sister to Ishtar, joined him on the balcony. She acknowledged him with a nod.

  “I’m glad you came.” She reached out and took his hands in greeting.

  This was unusual. Ereshkigal was not usually so warm. She must want something from him. Perhaps something adequate to fulfill his ancient debt to her?

  “The future queen has found her Blade.”

  Ah. So that’s what this was about. “You know neither I nor any of my brethren will act as your assassins.”

  Hashur turned to leave, but Ereshkigal placed a restraining hand on his wing. He turned back to her, his wings flicking to smooth the feathers back in perfect alignment. He did not care to be touched, too much emotional transfer always accompanied even the smallest touch.

  “Yes, yes. You don’t harvest innocent souls before their time.” Ereshkigal sighed. “Though just occasionally, it would come in handy. But that’s not why I asked you here.”

  His curiosity grew stronger.

  Ereshkigal folded her arms and tilted her head to meet his gaze.

  Meeting an eagle’s intense gaze was no small feat. Which was the point. As one of the judges, he wore the shape of a man’s body but with an eagle’s head. It made pruning the darkness from a tainted soul easier. And if a truly evil soul found its way into the afterlife, a beak made tearing it into bite-sized pieces easier.

  “I want you to seduce the future queen of the gryphons before she and her Blade can consummate their bond in the sacred marriage. If my sister does not give me back my husband, I shall make it so she can’t have hers either.”

  Ah. That old rivalry. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Though, seduce the gryphon monarch? That was a new tactic in Ereshkigal’s war with her sister.

  He had no interest in taking a human or gryphon mate, but the chance to wander in the world of the living again might just cure the restlessness he’d felt of late. And he missed his friend, Nergal, Ereshkigal’s consort.

  After Ishtar had trapped the god of death and pestilence somewhere outside of the underworld, Hashur had been hoping for a chance to hunt for his friend. This might just provide that opportunity.

  But seduce a gryphon?

  Now there would be a challenge to alleviate boredom.

  “You have my interest.”

  “I thought I might.” Ereshkigal leaned against the balcony and looked out. “I shall have one of my priests or priestesses summon you into the living world. There is already groundwork in place. One of my priests sits on the future queen’s council, and his son is to be hand-tied to the royal for a trial year. You will take that one as a host.”

  “I assume this one’s soul is dark enough that I would naturally harvest it and return here to purify it?”

  “Yes.”

  He fluffed up his feathers and clacked his beak once in humor. “And you are not concerned that your agents are so…morally ambiguous?”

  Ereshkigal snorted. “My choices are limited, but in this case beneficial.”

  He turned his gaze out to the rolling green hills again.

  “And what do you wish to accomplish by having me seduce the gryphon monarch?” Though he could guess some of it.

  “Children loyal to me.” Ereshkigal’s tone was harsh, a manic light entering her eyes. “Ishtar loves her gryphons as much or more than she loves her husband. If the future rulers of the gryphon nation are loyal to me, it will be a great blow against my sister.”

  Hmmm. An interesting idea. If Ereshkigal’s plan worked, she would hold dominion over the gryphon kingdom, and he and his brethren could once again walk among the living. Purifying or eradicating wickedness.

  To be able to save a soul before it turned evil. That was an appealing thought.

  “Will you help?” Ereshkigal asked at last.

  “Yes. On one condition.”

  “What?”

  “That you allow me to win this female by fair means. I want no trickery. If I win her love, I’ll do it honestly.”

  “As you wish. Though the fertility drug reserved for the sacred marriage could be utilized….”

  “No.”

  “Fine. I’ll let you see to the particulars.”

  He did love a good challenge, and perhaps he’d even fall in love with the woman. Or not. But it would be interesting.

  Chapter 7

  Just as dawn tinted the sky pink, Tirigan and his two friends emerged into the royal gardens from a secret passage built within the large palace complex. The two guards barely gave Tirigan time to allow his vision to adapt, but he understood their need for swiftness and stealth.

  After all, they had helped the Crown Princess escape her palace without a sufficient number of guards. Tirigan found that intriguing.

  It wasn’t the only thing he found fascinating either as he allowed his gaze to travel back to the crown princess. Asharru—he liked the name. Still, he couldn’t believe she said to call her by her personal name instead of a title. Not that he would. Not yet. Certainly, never in public.

  But the guards didn’t give him time for idle thoughts, and he was soon spirited into a suite of richly appointed chambers.

  He’d seen lavish places before, but they all paled in comparison to this suite in the royal palace.

  Ahead of them, her two guards talked with Bashaa and Laliya, and he was able to study Asharru without distraction for the first time.

  Framed by her long, dark braids, her features seemed delicate, almost pixie-like. Though once a person looked into her large, brown eyes and saw the intensity there, or caught the moment when her nostrils flared, and her small jaw clenched, they would realize their mistake. The heart of a fierce ruler beat inside her breast.

  There was more to her than just that, though. Her kindness and honesty called to him, telling him she was safe.

  Within moments of meeting, his unique gift had confirmed her intentions were pure. Now freed—goddess, he was actually free and safe—he could relax for the first time since their capture.

  Asharru glanced over her shoulder at him, catching him staring. He’d relaxed a little too much if she’d managed to catch him with his guard down. He drew on his protective persona of indulged and confident pleasure slave, his expression saying she was welcome to look her fill.

  “I don’
t want slaves,” she said suddenly, her piercing gaze meeting his unflinchingly.

  “Strange that you’ve bought three, then, isn’t it?”

  Asharru arched a brow at his tone. “I need allies.”

  With that opening sentence, she began to lay out why she’d broken one of her most ingrained moral codes to acquire him and his friends.

  ***

  His admiration of Asharru grew as she laid out what was going on. Why she needed people she could trust. And why she could only trust a slave.

  “So, you see, I am offering you your freedom regardless of what you decide. Though I hope you agree to stay and work for me, for I desperately need allies I can trust.” She looked up at him through her thick lashes. It was the first time he’d seen the gorgeous gold flecks in her otherwise brown irises.

  It was said to be a trait that ran in those of royal blood. Tirigan wondered what other gifts she held secret. Perhaps she also had inherited a gift of prophecy by her father’s blood, and that’s why she’d sought out him and his friends? Intriguing.

  “My Lady, you have given us much to think about. And, if as you say, we are free to choose, then I would like to first speak with my friends.” Tirigan’s conscience nagged at him. Her earnest words called for something more than his coolly formal response. After a moment, he allowed a hint of warmth to enter his expression. “But know I am in your debt. You have granted me the one thing I’ve dreamed of all my life.”

  She bobbed her head in acknowledgment. “Of course, take as long as you like. You are welcome to stay with me until other lodgings can be found.”

  He glanced around the lavish chambers with the many, smaller rooms branching off the larger ones. Suddenly the decadence made sense. She’d brought them into the very heart of her domain, her sanctuary. These were her chambers.

  He was touched by her generosity. Though it might also be because she wanted their presence to remain secret. Hiding them here was one way to do that.

  He did sense that her generosity was genuine, which was why he was about to encroach even more upon her hospitality. “We would like a chance to scrub the kohl and gold dust from ourselves.” And the stink of the slave trader’s perfume, he added silently. “If we could borrow your bathing chamber for a short time….”