Ishtar's Blade

by Blackwood, Lisa

  Iltani sprinted to Ditanu’s side. Three of his guards were already with him, but she didn’t have eyes for them. All her attention was riveted upon the length of a spear piercing Ditanu’s wing joint. She shoved her way between the guards—there were more gathering now, thank the goddess.

  A closer look at the angle of the entry wound showed the spear hadn’t shattered the joint. Then whispering an apology to her king, she placed one hand on the wooden shaft and the other against his side.

  The spear had pierced through muscle and cartilage but missed bone and the main blood carrying vessels. Otherwise, Ditanu’s wound would have been gushing his life force out onto the sand.

  “Ditanu,” she shouted to be heard over the noise of the battle. “Hold as still as you can. I’m going to use magic on the shaft and then cauterize the wound.”

  The king flicked a tufted ear in acknowledgement and gave her a sharp nod. His beak gaped open in pain. Otherwise he showed no outward signs that he wasn’t ready to continue the fight. The beloved idiot. Her hands started to shake as relieve swept through her body. He was hurt, but would heal in a few days. She just needed to get him off this beach.

  Shaking off the bout of jitters, she gripped the wooden shaft and sent her magic racing down its length. Where it touched, it ate into the surface and the wood vanished in another shower of light and ash.

  Ditanu snapped his beak closed with a hiss of pain as a second pulse of her magic sealed the wound. It would require proper healing later, but for now, her field dressing would do.

  “That will hold for…” A thunderous roar drowned out Iltani’s words. She twisted around toward the fearsome sound in time to witness the north wall and a good portion of the upper temple shear away from the rest of the cliff wall.

  It crashed downed toward the beach, indifferent to the shouts and cries of fear.

  Many of those shouts of alarm were cut short, silenced forever.

  A cloud of dust and sand rolled out across the shore obscuring both the dead and the survivors. Ditanu roared, calling for his cubs.

  The fighting paused as all opponents choked in the debris-filled air.

  Iltani tore a length of veil from her skirt and tied it around her face and then turned to scan the area with magic, seeking Ditanu’s cubs.

  Two life forces were bright spots in her mind, but the third…the third was flickering like a guttering candle.

  “Stay with the king.” Iltani ordered the other Shadows and began to run.

  The air was thick with stone dust and visibility was terrible, but she didn’t need her eyes.

  Her magic guided her and she swiftly made her way through the maze of fallen rubble.

  Coming around a mostly intact piece of turret, Iltani halted suddenly. After taking in the sight of Burrukan and several Shadows digging desperately at one section of rubble, her heart dropped to her stomach, knowing what it meant even if her blood link hadn’t already informed her of the terrible truth.

  “Move,” she yelled as she joined them, a cluster of Shadows in her way. When they ignored her or likely didn’t hear her over the noise of shifting rocks, she shouldered her way forward.

  When the first boulder was within reach, she touched it and it popped out of existence with a snap of magic. The two soldiers nearest her turned to study her with startled looks. These two had been with Consort Ahassunu the entire night so had not seen the ceremony and likely didn’t know she was Ishtar’s Blade.

  They could figure it out on their own time.

  “You!” She pointed to the one to her left. “Move the smaller bits of rock and rubble. I’ll deal with the larger pieces.” She glanced to the male on her right. “You, help him.”

  If they were surprised at standing shoulder to shoulder with Ishtar’s Blade, they buried it under layers of discipline.

  She touched a second, and then the third piece of rock, vanishing three pieces before Ditanu’s presence was at her back again. His rage, pain, and fear flooded out across their link.

  He paced back and forth, wanting to get to his cubs, but too weak to shapeshift back into human form.

  Gryphon form was superior in battle, but their paws useless in this endeavor. Ditanu was rational enough to know getting in the way would not help his cubs.

  Iltani closed off the emotions flowing from her king to concentrate on his cubs. With a sense of desperation, she realized she could only sense two of them.

  “We’re losing one,” she screamed feeling helpless. There was still too much rock between her and that tiny flickering life. Rage flowed through her body. Her magic spiked, escaping her control and entire sections of rock vanished. Iltani renewed her desperate digging.

  A wing. A tiny leg glimpsed between pieces of rock.

  “I see one!” Iltani shouted and the two guards nearest her race forward.

  “Hold,” Burrukan barked as he joined them. “Careful. Or the rocks above will crush him.”

  Iltani froze in sick horror and closed her fist on another wave of power. It burned between her fingers but didn’t leap out across the space to the boulder she’d already targeted.

  Burrukan was correct.

  “How many can you take out at once?” He speared her with a fierce look.

  The simple answer was ‘all of them’ but this task would require a precision she didn’t know if she’d mastered yet. “It needs to be direct touch. Ishtar’s magic is too strong, too wild for me to control. I can’t risk the cubs.”

  “Then we won’t. Start with this one,” Burrukan said and pointed to the one he wanted her to target.

  She did as instructed, vanishing piece after piece he selected. Burrukan had a good eye for it and the pile didn’t shift dangerously at any point, but she swore it was taking an eternity. Slowly the section of rubble they worked on got smaller. She could see more of the cub. It was Ilanum. His chest barely rose and fell. He was bleeding from his mouth. Iltani, heart in her throat, continued to clear the rocks Burrukan chose.

  Ditanu paced forward, close enough to jam his beak into the space between two of the larger boulders and touched his cub.

  He made a pitying whine, but when Iltani and Burrukan tackled the one boulder pinning the cub, Ditanu quickly snatched the cub to safety. Iltani only had a moment to see the tiny battered body before Ditanu mantled his wings around his little one.

  Iltani didn’t have time to see more. Burrukan dragged her to a different section of the pile.

  “We are close to the consort. I can smell her.” Burrukan sounded both panicked and pained. “And blood. I can smell that too.”

  Iltani pitied him at that moment. As much as he and Ahassunu had betrayed the king, she still couldn’t hate her mentor.

  “Here, this one,” Iltani said, pointing to a different section than where the Shadows had been working. She could only hone in on the cubs, not Ahassunu. She hoped they were together.

  *****

  They worked feverishly. The Shadows removing smaller obstacles while Burrukan‘s keen eye picked out the best spot for Iltani to use her power. On the beach behind them, the battle still raged on.

  The lone lamassu had been joined by three of its siblings and two of the temple’s smaller genies and a stone lion. The genies and the lion fought alongside the Shadows, but the great lamassu were going out into the surf.

  The great winged behemoths made short work of both the landing boats and the soldiers within them. Iltani, connected to the stone guardians by Ishtar’s magic, could feel their fierce joy at defending their land.

  “Iltani! Here,” Burrukan shouted, drawing both her attention and Ditanu’s sharp, half-wild gaze. The gryphon rushed forward, so did Iltani.

  She vaporized another section of rock at Burrukan’s urging and then she stepped back as he dragged Ahassunu from the rubble. It was amazing the weight of the rocks hadn’t crushed her. Iltani glanced back at the rocks. Ah, she’d used magic. That’s why the rocks hadn’t crushed her.

  Burrukan and Ditanu were chec
king Ahassunu over for injuries, but the consort shook them off and came to all fours—although unsteadily. She said something to Ditanu and he stalked forward toward Iltani and the crevice they’d just pulled Ahassunu from.

  Understanding hit. Iltani dropped to her hands and knees and crawled into the narrow space. In the far back corner, two cubs huddled together, too frightened to move.

  “Kuwari!” she called. She couldn’t make out which was which but one head popped up out of the twin lumps of fur and feathers.

  He squealed and tried to get up, at which point his cry turned into a series of pained yelps.

  Outside Ditanu roared. It was a fresh wave of anger, not pain which washed across the link, so Ditanu was just reacting to his cub’s pain, not injured himself.

  Crawling on her hands and knees, she made her way toward the back of the magically created cavern.

  It was narrow but deeper than she’d expected. Ahassunu must have been trying to dig her way free.

  Ditanu called to his cubs again, this time shoving his head and shoulders into the opening.

  “Ditanu, get out of the way. You’re blocking all the light.” Iltani spoke to him as she did when they were children. It gave her comfort in this small tomb-like cave.

  He huffed and pulled back enough to allow light in.

  “I’m making my way to the cubs now. They’re both alive.” At least, they were both breathing. She feared to see what she’d find when she reached them, though.

  There was a scuffle at the entrance.

  This time, Ahassunu was there. “I wasn’t able to free them without bringing down that entire back wall.” Ahassunu’s voice came out strained with the guilt of a parent unable to protect a child. “My magic wasn’t great enough to free them.”

  Ahassunu hadn’t asked, but Iltani heard the plea there anyway. Wiggling the last of the way, she touched Kuwari gently. Her crystalline sword gave off enough light to see he wasn’t mortally wounded, but part of one wing and the tip of his tail were trapped under a solid chunk of rock.

  She couldn’t start randomly vaporizing pieces without bringing half a cliff’s worth of rock down upon herself.

  If she had no other choice, she could sever the tip of his tail and cut the trapped wing feathers. When she gently shifted Kuwari enough to examine his sister, she instantly knew the female could not be freed in such a way. Her entire hind end was trapped, likely crushed.

  It was probably too late to save the tiny female but Iltani’s blood link and the steel in her own soul wouldn’t let her give up either.

  She glanced between Ahassunu and the cubs. “Get Ditanu and yourself out of here. Once he is at a safe distance, I’ll shield the cubs and then release Ishtar’s rage upon this entire cursed beach. The power should vaporize this pile of rubble and any enemies I can catch in the blast.”

  While that probably wasn’t a lie, Iltani didn’t know if she or the cubs would survive it, either. The thought of Ditanu losing all his cubs struck terror into Iltani’s heart, but surely as long as he still had Ahassunu and the unborn cubs she carried, that would be enough to keep him safe from the clutches of grief madness even if the worse happened and Iltani failed.

  Ahassunu glanced at Iltani and then the cubs, her pain clear in her eyes. “Do you really think you can save my cubs?”

  “I don’t know, but I will do all in my power to protect them or die trying. You have my vow.” Iltani dragged in a breath, almost a sob, “That’s why I need Ditanu off this beach. I need to know even if I fail, he is safe.”

  Ahassunu nodded her head. “I understand. You have my gratitude. I will see your will is done even if one of the great lamassu has to carry the king away from here.”

  The consort backed out of the passage. From outside, Iltani heard Burrukan and Ahassunu attempting to reason with Ditanu. It went on longer than it should, but at last there came the thunder of wings followed by Ditanu’s startled exclamation as a lamassu scooped up the gryphon king and his cub, carrying them both away from the battle.

  Through their link, she could feel the distance rapidly growing between them as the stone guardian winged away, heading for the safety of the capital, the king and the cub Ilanum, clasped in its embrace.

  Her king as safe as he could be, Iltani turned her attention back to the other two cubs. Kuwari was crying and fighting to free himself. She scooted closer until she could curl protectively around him and his sister.

  “Easy, little Mite,” she said as she caressed his head, trying to distract him from his injuries or, at least, stop him from inflicting more damage. “I’ll have you out of here in a moment and back with your parents before you know it.”

  She hoped that wasn’t a lie, but even if it was, the cub stopped struggling to free himself. He pressed his head against her hand and turned his beak enough that he could nuzzle into her side.

  Iltani waited until the sounds of battle grew closer. There was another scuffle at the entrance.

  A body hit the sand just outside her cave. Burrukan suddenly stuck his head inside to peer into the passageway.

  “Ditanu is safe.” He turned to look behind him, scanning the beach as he continued. “Consort Ahassunu and the remaining Shadows are waiting further down the beach, at the northern pier. We’ll meet you there. The beach here is overrun. Give me a count of ten and then raze everything to glass and ash.” He gave her a flash of white teeth. “I’m proud of you, more than I could ever say. So don’t disappoint me by getting yourself killed.”

  With that, he disappeared back out of the passage and was gone.

  “I will not fail you or my king,” she whispered and pressed closer to the cubs. She closed her eyes, sending a hasty prayer to Ishtar and then summoning that full, unrestrained torrent of power which had been dancing at the edges of her consciousness since she’d first learned there were invaders within gryphon territory. The sword glowed more brightly, and Iltani formed a ring of burning power around herself and the two cubs.

  Once the power was concentrated enough, she sent a small portion to eat away at the rocks pinning the cubs. Above her head, the rock shifted, making her heart pound, but the rubble didn’t fall. Ishtar’s magic held it back with greater force. Sweat trickled down her back and her ears felt like she was underwater as a great pressure descended upon her body.

  Her magic continued to eat away at the rock trapping the cubs and suddenly Kuwari came free. He yelped in pain but shifted closer until his entire body was pressed against her breasts. She couldn’t spare him the attention to sooth his fears. Dragging Humusi free, she eyed the damage.

  What she saw of the cub’s injuries sent a cold lance of fear straight through her heart. The cub’s hind limbs and pelvis were crushed. The right hind leg was almost severed at the knee. Iltani hastily tore off a piece of her skirt and used it as a tourniquet.

  She was out of time. Gathering both cubs into her arms, Iltani sat up, coming to her knees. Shifting them to a one armed hold, she grasped her sword’s hilt and released the contained power. A power bright as the sun flashed through her closed lids, tinting the cavern red all around her.

  Then the world exploded.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Choking on air filled with dust and heat, Iltani struggled to her feet and found herself in the center of a crater. Blessedly, she was unharmed by the blast. Almost the opposite, she felt like she could conquer a mountain. Reining in her adrenaline-filled thoughts, she glanced down at the cubs. They were no more damaged than they’d been before, but that still wasn’t saying much for Humusi’s chances at survival.

  More heat radiated up from the sand, some of it an odd crunching consistency under her sandals. Neither the hot air nor the molten spots slowed her as she bolted into motion, the cubs tucked against her side and a glowing sword in the other hand.

  She cleared the small rise, which was actually the crater’s rim, and came out on the beach and saw first-hand the destruction she had created. Burned and broken bodies. Boulders and bits of te
mple masonry. None of it distracted her from her destination: the small harbor just beyond the curve of the cliff wall.

  Iltani sprinted across the sand, weaving around or jumping over bodies and debris in her path. This particular stretch of beach was relatively empty of enemies, which was a blessing. Encumbered with the cubs as she was, hand to hand combat wasn’t something she wanted to face. Unfortunately, ahead, the sounds of battle rang out.

  She stumbled more than climbed over the last rocky section and sprawled on the beach. Rolling onto her side, she shielded the cubs from the worst of the impact. Kuwari whined, but the other was ominously quiet. Iltani’s focus became finding one of the Shadows trained as a healer. Etum and his twin, Eluti, both possessed healing gifts. If either of them still lived, they might be able to help.

  Surveying the battle before her, she spotted three separate groups of fighting. Nearest her location, a vanguard of Shadows was dispatching the enemy stragglers that had landed on the beach during the earlier battle—the few to escape the lamassu’s assault.

  Further in, Ahassunu and her guards were liberating one of the enemy’s boats. It was larger than a skiff, with no sail. Instead, it had oars to power it through the water. Iltani’s brows drew together in confusion. A closer look showed why they were after the boat. Ahassunu’s one wing was hanging limp, broken. She wasn’t the only one with injuries. There weren’t enough able-bodied gryphons left to fly the rest to safety.

  If that were all they’d had to face, escape out to the safety of the ocean would have been relatively easy.

  But fate wasn’t being kind today. A large battle-damaged ship was already in the harbor. Its three masts were shattered by a lamassu’s rage and there was also a large hole in its side. The ship was riding low in the water—sinking further as she watched. The ship might be dead, but its crew wasn’t.

  Swinging her gaze away from the wounded ship, Iltani searched out Burrukan by the sounds of battle. He was on the harbor’s main dock, flanked by five of his Shadows. Together, the small group of defenders attempted to keep the ship’s crew from coming ashore.