At the Temple of Shamash, the day seemed no different from any other.
Scribes sat in the open courtyards, pressing records of offerings into clay tablets as people came and went beneath the sun. Near the gates, lesser priests carried out public judgments, their voices rising now and then above the steady murmur of the crowd. From deeper within the temple came the sound of lyres, drums, and flutes, their notes echoing through the stone halls with practiced solemnity.
Ishtal watched it all from a distance. Or rather, his eyes rested on it while his mind remained elsewhere. He let out a slow breath, still turning over the conversations he had just had.
'Why does she always have to be so irrational?'
The thought came with familiar irritation, and the target was obvious. His sister, Ennari.
After speaking with Ereshgal about the plan, he had gone straight to her. Depending on how things unfolded in Uruk, Ennari could easily end up in danger as well. He had thought she would understand that much, even if she disliked the rest.
She had not.
Of course she had not.
Ishtal kept his gaze on the movement around the temple as if the order of it all might somehow settle his thoughts. Lifting a hand, he pressed his fingers against the space between his brows and held them there for a moment.
Too many pieces were already in motion.
'This is not the time to worry about that. I will lock her away if I have to.'
A moment later, his thoughts shifted to the conversation he had with his brother. No matter how many times he turned it over, he could not find any clear inconsistency in what Ereshgal had told him. The story held together well enough.
And that was exactly what bothered him. Something about it still felt wrong.
From what Ereshgal had described, the man waiting by the river had most likely been Belash. Ishtal was almost sure of it. And if Belash had looked nervous, then something must have gone very wrong, something that had ended with Urhen dead and three burned bodies inside the warehouse.
Was another high chosen making a move, or was it someone else entirely? For now, there was no way to know. All he could do was wait, either for them to make another move or for Liraya to appear.
Until then, Uruk had to remain his priority. Still, priority did not mean neglect. Ishtal lowered his hand from his brow and straightened slightly.
"Nadira" he called.
She appeared at his side at once. Then she knelt and lowered her head, waiting for his orders. Ishtal remained still for a moment, letting his thoughts settle before he spoke.
"From now on, stop watching Ereshgal" he said at last. "Stay with me instead, as my personal guard at all times. I will assign someone else to watch him."
'It would not be as effective, but it would have to do.'
"As you command, my lord." Normally, that would have been the end of it. Nadira would have vanished the moment the order was given. But this time, she stayed. Ishtal noticed it, he turned his head and looked at her properly.
"Is something wrong?"
For the briefest moment, Nadira's expression shifted. That alone was enough to catch his full attention.
Ishtal's eyes narrowed slightly. "Speak. You would not still be here if it meant nothing."
Nadira lowered her gaze for a second, then straightened again. "There is something I am not certain about" she said carefully.
"Say it anyway."
After a brief pause, she spoke. "Earlier, when we went to see that monster... I think he saw me."
Ishtal let out a quiet laugh. "Are you sure you are not imagining things?" Nadira shook her head, though there was still uncertainty in her expression.
"I am not sure at all" she admitted. "It only lasted a second, right after you entered. But he looked directly at me."
Ishtal fell silent.
For a moment, he actually considered it. He did not know the full extent of his brother's new abilities, and that alone was reason enough not to dismiss the possibility too quickly. Still, Nadira's invisibility was not ordinary.
If it were true, if Ereshgal really had seen her, then someone as naive as him should have given himself away. But there had been no sign of it.
"Well" Ishtal said at last, "I will keep it in mind."
But even as he said it, he was already pushing the matter to the back of his thoughts, giving it less weight than it probably deserved.
He looked ahead again, his expression settling.
"We continue with the preparations."
…
(Ereshgal POV)
Several hours had passed since Ishtal left.
We had gone over the plan in broad terms. It was not a bad one. Of course, he had kept parts of it to himself, but I could fill in enough of the gaps to understand the shape of it.
He would remain here, which made sense. Kudur was still keeping an eye on him, and even if Ishtal had once given up his claim to the throne, that did not make him harmless. A man like him could still cause trouble just by existing.
He wanted Kisaya and me to wait a week before leaving. I had no intention of agreeing to that, so I insisted on two days instead, making sure to sound impatient enough for him to believe it. Given the impression he had of me, that did not surprise him.
In the end, he accepted it, but only on the condition that Ennari stayed behind.
He had clearly planned that from the beginning. After all, the whole reason I had come here was to find her. He wanted to make sure I would not take her with me. Before, I might not have agreed to that. Now, I did. This place was safer for her.
Still, I had no intention of being the one to tell her. That part would be his problem.
'Good luck with that.' A faint smile pulled at my mouth before fading again.
Surprisingly, I still was not thirsty. That only confirmed it further. Human blood satisfied me far more than animal blood ever could. Even so, I still drank from the animals. If I stopped now, it would raise questions.
Animal blood tasted duller now that I had tried Liraya's. It was like eating something that gave strength, but never truly left you satisfied.
I raised a hand to my mouth and ran a finger over my teeth. With a thought, the fangs slid out. One of them cut lightly into my fingertip when I touched it, so I pulled my hand back, hid them again. After so many days, I could summon them and hide them whenever I wanted.
Still, that was not the part that mattered now. I need to know if I can drink human blood without taking the memories. 'Who could I test it on?' I closed my eyes and went through her memories.
My thoughts settled on one person.
'He will do.' I opened my eyes and looked toward the window. There was still light outside.
Then I heard it.
A low voice reached me from outside the room, tense with frustration and kept to a whisper.
"Who does he think he is? And Eresh agreed to it? Liar." A faint smile touched my face before fading just as quickly.
I turned around at once.
"Kisaya" I said, already moving toward the window, "sorry. I will be back in a few hours."
I did not wait for a response. Behind me, Kisaya barely had time to process what I had said before the door burst open hard enough to rattle the frame.
"ERESH!"
Ennari.
Her voice rang through the room just as I landed outside. I straightened and moved forward without looking back, slipping between the houses while the first exchange began behind me.
For a few moments, I could still hear her. If I had stayed, she would have made me deaf. A small smile tugged at my mouth. Kisaya was more than capable of surviving that conversation.
Probably.
Then the distance started to swallow the words. Her shouting grew fainter with every step until it blurred into the evening sounds of the city.