Semiramis Series Box Set

by Maya Daniels

  “My father knows where they are, but I cannot help you there. You need to summon him yourself. He does like pretty things like you, so I’m sure you can get him to tell you anything you ask.” She laughs at my shocked face. “Come now, love, you are not a child. You are my vessel, yes, but you are also a woman. Nothing bad in enticing a man for the greater good, right?” She winks and I my stomach sinks. Entice a man? What the fuck? I can’t entice a fly to get out of the room, much less a man.

  “I’m not really an enchantress, if you haven’t noticed,” I say dryly.

  “No, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in you,” she points out. “A woman doesn’t need to lay with a man for him to be enticed, love. Use your gifts, your talents. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She reaches for my face and touches it gently like a whisper, but it’s full of such overwhelming love that tears run down my cheeks. When my vision clears, she is gone.

  Slowly, I open my eyes and sit there for a while, thinking about what she said. I need to talk to Remi and Jezzinta. I’m sure they’ll know what to do and, judging from Remi’s reactions, she’ll dress me in a scuba diving suit to summon Sin and make sure he stays far, far away from me. I’m safe there. That makes me laugh. Putting out the flames from the candles, I pick up the book and go to find them. They’re both sitting in the living room talking, but as soon as they hear me, they stop.

  “Sorry to interrupt your conversation. I just need help,” I tell them, sitting down and acting like I don’t notice they’re hiding something. “I spoke to Inanna and she said if I manage to entice Sin, he will tell me where the potions are.” Staring hard at Remi, I don’t miss her frown.

  “Entice him how?” she asks.

  “I don’t know. She said I’m a woman and I should use my gifts and talents, whatever it may mean.” As I say this, Jezzinta jumps up.

  “Brilliant! I know just the thing,” she says excitedly and Remi and I both turn to her like she’s lost her mind.

  “Well, don’t look at me like that! Remi, remember the night when we needed a favor from the gods to be able to stop the Romans from destroying the temple?” She’s getting more excited with every word, practically bouncing by the last, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “Calm down, sparky! You want to share the story? Because I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her. Remi turns thoughtful and I can tell she’s a few steps ahead of us with what Jezzinta is saying and what it may mean for us.

  “It just might work,” she says thoughtfully.

  “Great! What do I have to do, then? Play a game of chess with him?” I ask her with a straight face and she grunts. “What? If you think it’s good, it works for me, because it means no man gets closer than a few feet to me.” I had to say it. I’m still upset.

  “Listen, asshole, I can let you do whatever you please, but when you’re all broken inside, don’t come to me, understand? I’ve heard it hundreds of times, and I’m still the one watching you cry your eyes out when shit goes wrong, or at the worst, I’m the one to bury you!” she snaps, gets up, and walks away. I stare after her.

  “You shouldn’t have said that, sap, especially after what she gave up to be here for you,” says Jezzinta, and her words smack into me with so much guilt my stomach hurts from it. I don’t know what’s going on, but I intend to find out soon so this stops. Angry or not, I need to know why she’s acting strange.

  “Can you tell me what’s wrong with her?” I ask Jezzinta.

  “I could, but it’s not my place to say,” she says sadly.

  “Well, it can wait. Now tell me your plan so we can start getting ready.” I curl up on the armchair, hugging my knees and resting my chin on top of them.

  “You always do that, curl up like a little girl.” A grin stretches across Jezzinta’s lips. “Anyway, my idea was this.” She sits at the edge of the sofa. “If there’s anything you’re good at that’ll leave a man empty in his head, it’s dancing. You always had something when you danced that left us all astonished, like you hypnotized us or something. I’m thinking that if you dance for him, he might tell you what you want to know. Maybe even how to kill him.” She chuckles at her own joke.

  “Dance? That’s your plan? You’ve lost your mind, woman. I do dance, but I’m not who you think I am. I understand we’ve been through many lifetimes together, and as much as I remember them, I’m not the exact same person, sister. I am, but I’m not. I hope you understand that,” I tell her in all honesty.

  “I know you, Alexia. I don’t need to know you now. If you silence your mind and let your spirit guide you, I promise you will make him tell you,” she says seriously. “Plus, if you want, I’ll give you a few lessons.” She jumps up and swings her hips from side to side in front of me. We both cackle and snort at that.

  “I’m good, thanks,” I tell her and get up. “Well, as long as I don’t need to be close to him, I’ll dance. I’ll even moonwalk if he wants me to,” I say as I step away, and she hoots, slapping her leg.

  “Oh, I would love to see that, sap!” she calls after me.

  I walk up the stairs slowly, contemplating how I’m going to pull this off. Dance for a god. Shit like this can only happen to me, I swear. I guess it won’t do any harm to have a little practice. If nothing else, it’ll make me forget about everything else for a little while. I pick up my phone from the nightstand and open YouTube. What better place to find good music, right? The door to my room opens and Remi walks in holding a pile of something in her hands. It’s like gauze or silk. I have no idea.

  “I think you’ll need this,” she says, putting it on my bed. “I’ll bring the rest in a second, but I was going to ask if you’d like me to play the drums for you. You always asked me to when you danced,” she says.

  “Remi, please sit. I need to say something.” I point at the bed. She sits lifting her eyes at me like I’m about to give her a death sentence. My heart shrinks into a pebble from the guilt stabbing through me.

  “I know that you remember everything from many lifetimes, but I don’t. I don’t know why that is, but all I remember are flashes of all of them. I’m guessing I only get the important ones at certain times. I know you’re trying to protect me, but I don’t understand from what. So, the only thing I can think of that will make you act like you do is this. Have we been lovers in any of my previous lives?” I have to know. I need to understand why she’s acting like this.

  The color slowly drains from her face as her eyes widen at me. I can tell she’s barely breathing as the shock registers on her face and her hands tremble slightly in her lap. Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she can finally speak and her words come through numb lips.

  “What? No, we haven’t been. You’ve always been a sister to me. We’re not blood sisters, but we are soul sisters,” she says, and I can tell I’ve hurt her even more. Great. I’m an idiot. With my assumptions, I made it sound like a lover would care more for me than a sister would.

  “Sorry, but I needed to know, because you’re acting more like a jealous boyfriend than a sister.” I sit next to her with a heavy sigh.

  Remi stares at me unblinkingly for a long time, as if she’s seeing a stranger. She fists her hands a few times as if trying to bring sensation into them or stop them from trembling, and my gut twists at the sight of it. Before I can start apologizing again, she takes a breath. “Listen, you’re very emotional, and you don’t know how to love with only your heart. You love with everything you have, and people take advantage of that. I’ve seen it happen many times over. You get hurt, then you waste away in front of my eyes. It’s either he will hurt you, or he’ll die from natural causes, or he’ll get killed. You name it, we’ve been through it. I can’t watch you go through the same routine again this time. I’m only trying to protect you. I need you to believe me.” Her voice is clear even when it hitches, and the tears in her eyes causes guilt to choke me for my choice of words.

  “I’m sorry for being an ass.” I nudge her leg with mine,
but she doesn’t say anything. We sit like that for couple of minutes, then she takes a deep breath.

  “Has anyone visited you?” She’s watching me like a hawk. I know that if I even move a muscle, she’ll know if I’m telling the truth or not.

  I frown at her. “Who? It’s not like if someone comes here I can hide them in my pocket. You’d see them, too,” I point out the obvious.

  “No, not like that. Like a spirit, or someone here but not really here.” She hasn’t moved, still looking straight into my eyes, sending my stomach flipflopping, remembering the first shower I had in the house.

  “I see he didn’t waste any time,” she says so angrily that I move back a little like she just slapped me.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, my voice edged. It’s no one’s business anyway.

  “Alexia, he’s bad news, and if you could remember everything, you’d know it, too. He always does that, makes you think that he can’t live without you, but as soon as you let your guard down and open your heart to him, he’ll rip it to pieces. He always does,” she says sadly.

  “Who are you talking about, Remi?” I need to know who he is, was … I don’t even know what I need to know. I just know I do.

  “Enlil! He’s a god. He’s been following you through every

  reincarnation and always does the same thing. When you were first born some three thousand years ago, he took you for his kindred. You were the first woman to marry a god. Then he just kept adding to his harem.” Her eyes flash with anger and I flinch. I don’t remember what she’s talking about, but my heart rattles like someone just stabbed it with a hot poker.

  “And I loved him?” I asked, disgusted.

  “Yes!” she says simply. I stare at her.

  “Well, you have nothing to worry about. This Alexia does not do polygamy, I can tell you that much.” I’m upset now at how stupid I’ve been. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was.

  “Mhm, you’ve said that before, too, you know. I don’t know what stories he was feeding you, but you believed him. He had a hundred wives and courtesans,” she spits through clenched teeth.

  I feel sick. How can I let a man like that touch me? Remi is right. I need to stay away from all of them.

  “I’ll stay away, sister, don’t worry. I think after that many lifetimes, I’ve learned the lesson.” That was disturbing information, but now I need to change the subject. I’ll think about all this later.

  “What’s all this?” I point at the pile of stuff she brought.

  “That’s what you like to wear when you dance. Well, it’s what you used to like to wear, so check it out. I’ll go bring you your dayereh, no dancing without your favorite instrument.” A thrill goes through me at the mention of the hand drum as she gets up and walks out.

  I haven’t used the drum for a very long time, so it cheers me up a little. Music always makes everyone be better. I unfold the bundle and look at the clothing. It’s similar to what we were wearing at Inanna’s temple, only it is bronze. It’s like a slave girl costume, which makes me smile. If I’m going to dance for a god, I’ll make him think that he has control, at least until it’s too late and he’s told me what I need to know.

  Sin won’t know what hit him.

  Chapter 14

  “Alexia!” Remi is yelling to be heard over the music. I turn it off and try to catch my breath.

  “Take a break for a little bit and come downstairs, please. There’s someone we want you to meet,” she says, smiling.

  “Who?” I’m gasping for air. I’ve been dancing for hours without a break, so this is welcome.

  “You’ll see!” She’s excited, I can tell, so I secretly wish she changed her mind and Derik is waiting downstairs, but as far as I know, that’s only wishful thinking.

  “Let me shower and I’ll be there in a minute,” I say as I walk towards the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, I hear them talking in the living room, so I walk in to see a woman I’ve never seen before having tea. All three turn my way.

  “Hi.” I smile at the new lady. She’s apparently Native American, very beautiful with her high cheekbones and long braids framing her face, quite a bit younger than us judging by the looks of her, about twenty-five, maybe twenty-six years old. Even her eyes are smiling when she glances at me and I can’t help but like her. There is something familiar and calming in her energy. It’s like a soft breeze caressing me.

  “Hello, Alexia! It has been a very long time, sister,” she says while getting up and bowing slightly to me.

  “It’s very nice to see you, but you will excuse my ignorance. I don’t remember everything, and with that, I can’t remember you either, as much as I wish I did,” I tell her honestly.

  A chuckle falls from her lips. “It’s okay, sister, it will come when it’s the right time. I have no doubt about that. I’m Meda.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Meda. I love the sound of your name.”

  “It means prophetess in her native tongue,” offers Jezzinta, and I’m happy that they are always there to help out with things. This whole process would’ve been much, much harder if I’d had to navigate on my own.

  “I’m happy you decided to visit so I could meet you,” I tell Meda and her head snaps in Remi’s direction.

  “Ummm, actually, we called her to come. We can use all the help we can get from now on, and no one knows how to deal with gods better than Meda,” says Remi, and I can hear the respect she has for Meda in her voice.

  “Are you a shaman?” I ask and Jezzinta laughs. “What? I’m asking! Geez, woman.” I roll my eyes at her, but now I feel stupid. I don’t know why I asked that. It’s not like all Native Americans are shamans, but her energy has that healing vibe, so I assume she is. Assumptions are the bane of human existence. I keep saying it, but I should start using that little advice, too.

  “Sorry, Meda, that was presumptuous of me,” I tell her. I hope she can hear the regret in my voice.

  “Don’t be silly. It’s perfectly fine. You can say anything to me and I will never get offended,” she says laughingly.

  “Thank you, but that doesn’t make it right.” I smile at her. I really like her.

  “I like you too,” she says, and my eyes widen at that.

  “You’re telepathic?” This is amazing.

  “Ah, yes. I shouldn’t do that, but it’s a habit, especially with you.” She shrugs her shoulders.

  “You want to tell me more about it? Or should we talk about why you’re here first?” I sit in the armchair with a little ouch, grateful I can rest my legs finally. I think that was the end of any practice if I want to be able to move when we summon Sin.

  “Everything in Divine timing,” she says.

  “Well, that’s great, but we don’t have much time to wait on the Divine. The full moon is tomorrow night,” I point out.

  She just offers a placating smile. I know that tactic. I do it myself when I know something and the other person is trying to find out, but I’ve made up my mind to not give the answer. Yes, as you can tell, I’m trying hard to understand human psychology.

  “Okay, fine. Let’s relax and I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready. It’s not like we have anything else to do.”

  I watch all three of them. How strange it is that the four of us are so different, look so different physically and personality wise, yet we kind of fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Life is truly a strange and amazing thing.

  “Tea?” Jezzinta lifts the teapot and pours a cup before I even answer her. I love this woman. She’ll tell you off in such a way that you’ll keep smiling at her while she does it, unlike Remi who has that strong emotional presence that will either make you love her to death for it—like I do—or want to strangle her and hide her body. Meda, on the other hand, from what I can tell about her presence, is somewhere in between these two. What a group we make.

  “Why are you smiling?” asks Remi.

  “Oh, she was analyzing our personalities and was happy
with her assessment,” says Meda, who laughs joyfully when I startle out of the daydream.

  “Okay, okay, no more mind reading. I swear it.” She waves her hand in front of her like she’s chasing a fly. It makes me laugh.

  “Hey, go ahead, read it, but I can’t promise you that you’ll always like what you hear there,” I tell her.

  “It won’t be the first time,” she answers back. That gives me pause. “Oh, never mind. I’m just being silly like you are.” She grabs her cup and drinks her tea staring straight in front of her.

  “So … anyone has an urge to tell me what the plan is? And why I am always the last one to find out about it?” Pulling my eyes from the floor tells me the other two are finding everything in the room very interesting all of a sudden, their gaze wandering everywhere but near us.

  “Oh, come now, out with it! Talk!” Annoyance coats my words.

  “I’ll tell you,” says Meda. “You need the information from the god of the sun to find the potions, correct?” At my nod she continues. “Well, I have no doubt you’ll convince him to do exactly that.” She pauses for too long and I wait for it; there’s always a “but” there somewhere. “But (see? I told you) what you need to know is when you open the portal that Sin can come through, it’s not an actual door that you open and close or let only who you like in. If anyone or anything knows or senses the portal is opening, they can come to this realm as well as through it. That is why I’m here. I will make sure nothing interferes with the ritual and no one, except Sin, comes through.” She leans back and crosses her arms over her chest like a teacher. Well, I suppose that’s good news.

  “Smart thinking,” I tell Remi and Jezzinta.

  “They also wanted to make sure we spent some time together in this lifetime,” Meda adds. Well, that’s odd. I keep an eye on her, waiting to see if she will explain more. She sips her tea like she hasn’t spoken.