Princess of Death (Three Provinces Book 1) (8 page)

“Oh! Hopefully we’ll reach Bet Pagri before them. We haven’t seen a play or concert in forever Eshie!”
Nam called to me as we went past. His face was flushed and there was a bit of little boy excitement in his eyes.

“That’d be great
Nam, something else to look forward to. Adura entertainment is always more interesting than that garbage we got at the palace.” We’d been force to watch some really dull ballets and operas, what Biri was famous for, while growing up. Some people thought they were beautiful and amazing; Nam and I tended to sleep through them.  To each their own.

After an hour or two I knew that while we might not stop and make camp, we did need a rest and to eat something. I knew that my legs, butt and thighs would hate me if I didn’t stretch and give them a break.

“Do you smell blood?” Nam asked, a pleasant smile on his face.

“Kind of, more like sweet rust.”  Sniffing the air, my eyes strained a head of us. We were coming upon a bridge.

“Oh, we’ve reached Namba River.” The Adureeds, sensing our desire, slowed and took us to the side of the road where the grass was thick and soft. Standing, I could look down the few feet to the river’s edge.

Namba
River had a peculiar smell and the water was as red as my hair. But even though it looked and smelled like blood, it was thin and drinkable. It had no real flavor and was supposed to be healthy.

Nam
had to help me down off the steed as my legs wanted to give out from under me.

“How do you not hurt?” I asked him.

“I rode a lot when you had Princess things to do. I’m used to it.” He shrugged.

I gazed longingly at the water, “do you think I could take a bath?”

“I don’t see why not, it’s a river like any other,” Nam said.

Once when I was twelve, my father hired Adura guards to take
Nam and me on a tour of Adura.  We’d been gone one week, not enough time to really see everything, but enough so that we’d know about where we had been born. I remember the guard telling us how Namba freaked people out, even Adurans, that it only looked and smelled like blood, but was basically harmless. It didn’t even have creatures that lived in it like other rivers. Just a source of good water.

“Alright then, I’m going in.” I began to strip.

Chapter 8

Naked, I slipped into the lukewarm water of Namba, quickly submerging until I was neck deep. The water felt so good on my abused and tired skin. Once in the water I realized it was not red, something else gave it the illusion; it was normal water sliding over my skin. I took a large mouthful, enjoying the refreshing taste.

“Eshie! Catch!” I heard
Nam’s voice and my hand shot up so I could catch my toiletry bag. I made my way to the shoreline and put it down. Opening it I grabbed my rose smelling soap and began to lather and wash away the dust from travel.

“Hurry up, I wanna bathe, too! Plus, I set out clean clothes!”
Nam called down to me from the top of the small embankment.

“Hold on, I need more than five minutes, remember? I am not a guy!” I yelled, amusement, in my voice.  Dunking my head, I unbraided my hair, and came up spluttering a little. Washing my hair took about five minutes, I have a lot of hair and it is a process. I swam until it was little deeper to rinse the conditioner and just be totally under the water for a bit.

I buried my fingers in my hair, giving my scalp a good massage, as I was about to come up for air I felt an icy touch on my ankle. Trying to jerk away I kicked and opened my eyes, but I couldn’t see anything. The grip got tighter, pulling me farther into the river, deeper into the water to where I knew I couldn’t touch.

It should have been impossible but I heard giggling under the water. Squirming and lashing out I tried to dislodge whoever was holding me down. My lungs had begun to burn with lack of oxygen.  Panic filled my mind as for a second time in twenty four hours my death seemed to loom on the horizon.  I struggled against my captor, I could hear myself screaming in my mind as I tried to think of a way out of the watery grave I’d found myself in.

Managing to create waterproof light, I opened my eyes again, as soft light poured out of my palm, I had to actively keep my mouth shut and not scream as I got a good look at what was trying to drown me. An undine, an Adura undine, crap, I was so dead. 

Undines were water elementals that had roamed the waters of Salas long before Kassaptu colonized it. They were unisex and the ones in Adura had long pointed teeth, stringy, long, watery hair, their limbs elongated, pointed chins, noses and ears. The worst was that they were totally created from water so their forms wavered in and out; you couldn’t look at them straight on for long. Adura undines were endangered because most of them were dangerous and Kassaptu had spells that cleared the water of them. Most undines now lived in an artificial lake we created for them.

I realized this one must have been hibernating in Namba, a river no one really swam in, which was why the spells hadn’t affected it. I had woken it up and now it was going to kill me.

My throat
burned as my body absorbed the last of the oxygen in my system. As shooting pain filled my head and static took over my eyesight, the last thing I saw before losing consciousness was the damn thing grinning at me.

I woke up dry and naked, and when I opened my eyes I wasn’t in Adura any longer. I was lying on a white marble floor, dotted with gold specks, in the middle of a huge room. I drew in a breath and it felt so good, cold air filling my lungs. I took a few more breaths before I allowed myself the luxury of taking in my surroundings.  The walls of the room were silver and all the fixtures and furniture were black, torches lit the room with soft light. I had no idea where I was. I couldn’t feel Adura or anything but the most basic of my magic. I knew I couldn’t be in Salas anymore. How long had I been unconscious? Was I dead? These thoughts filled me with such fear I began to tremble.

“You are not dead.” The voice that spoke came from behind me, sending shivers up my spine, reminding me of when I heard the dead speak.

“Stand up Ereshkigal.” The next speaker sounded normal and a little friendlier. I got to my knees slowly, then stood, stretching a little; marble is not so much fun to sleep on.

“Turn around sweetheart. If we’d wanted to hurt you we wouldn’t have saved you from death,” warmth laced through the words, mothering tones even.

I turned around and at once was back on my knees head bent as close to the floor as I could get. I had only ever seen the women in front of me in carvings and pictures. They were the three ancient Goddesses of Salas. Most Kassaptu no longer prayed or had any religion; they threw off the old tales as mythology, worshiping only their magic and the land or animals. Some still followed the old ways, but it was fairly underground. My family had cancelled the old holidays and celebrations decades before, when no sign of the Goddesses had been seen in over a century.  Mash and I had always felt this to be foolish and cocky.

“You do not need to bow, we do not have time for it, and we must speak.” Lifting my head I took in Zalm, the Dark Goddess. She was tall and slender, her skin black like night, eyes like the moon and hair, straight and long, the blue green twilight of Adura and she was dressed in starlight and cobwebs. I wrapped my arms around my unclothed body, feeling exposed.

“We need your help, daughter.” Syb, the Silver Goddess, took a few steps closer to me, wrapping me in a soft slate colored robe. She too was tall, but muscular, skin like peaches, with short cropped hair a silver color and eyes grey as storm clouds. She wore mist and fog around her form.

“Why would you need my help, I’m no one.” I frowned.

Tinkling laughter, like small bells came from the mouth of Pesu, the Light Goddess. She came and hugged me, smelling like sweet flowers and earth. Backing away she put a hand on my shoulder.

“You are going to help us restore the old ways Ereshkigal; you are the most in touch with us that your family has been in centuries. When you were born it was like we could breathe again.” She had curling gold hair and skin green like the freshest grass, eyes bluer than Nannaru sky; she was clothed in sunlight and dew.

“Not Shamash?” I asked her, confused; Mash had dedicated himself to learning all about Pesu.

“Your brother holds a special place in my heart, but his thoughts are only for the good of Nannaru, not for all.” She explained.

Zalm motioned for me to sit down and I chose a comfy stool where I could see the whole room.

“You are in danger; we needed to warn you, you cannot die before your task is complete.” Zalm said.

“Someone from Bet Pagri does not want you to reach it and possibly marry the heir to their throne,” Syb told me.

“Let’s try not to scare her, my sisters. Ereshkigal, the people of Bet Pagri are the only ones left that fully worship us and keep to the old ways. If you marry one of them we shall be brought back into the mainstream, we will be given our full powers again.” Pesu knelt down next to me.

“Wait, how do I know you are who you say you are? That this will be good for all of Salas, that you will be better than what we already have?” It sounded a little too good to be true; three awesome Goddesses wanted the old worship back? There had to be a catch.

“Oh, she is smart, Zalm, definitely one of your get,” Syb chuckled.

“Your get?” I asked. Zalm came and stood in front of me, making me look way up into her face.

“When your mother got pregnant do you think it was coincidence that in all the centuries your family has been ruling that suddenly they had a daughter born in Adura...” she was cut off by Pesu.

“Or a son in Nannaru?” Pesu cringed at the look her sister gave her and Zalm continued.

“We created Salas, Ereshkigal, we are not happy to be forgotten this is true. We lose power when people forget us and stop worshipping, we want that back. I will not lie to you daughter, ever. When you were born we did see a way back into the hearts of our people.” Zalm took my hands and her skin was cold, she helped me to stand.

“Are you going to punish my people for neglecting you?”

“Oh, child no! We love the Kassaptu and all the other inhabitants of Salas. But I have foreseen perils and change coming and we think that the only way Salas will make it without destroying itself is if we have an active part again.” Syb consoled me, she sounded earnest and honest.

I looked at each of the goddesses and took a deep breath; I opened all my senses and tapped into what little magic I could feel with the three of them blocking me. Death swirled up into my eyes, nose and mouth as I played their words back. I got no sense of trickery, my instincts told me they were being truthful and that their actions had good intentions and love in every inch.

“You want me to spread the word that you are real, that you are awake and active and possibly marry Nergal? This will help restore your full power and you will help me and my brother and sister with….. whatever?” I was, of course, talking about the revolution. I still figured if I didn’t talk about it or really think about it, maybe it wouldn’t happen.

“Yes, Ereshkigal. In truth we have left well enough alone, even at the height of our power, only interfering when we needed to, but at least we could help, or hinder if need be. With what Syb has seen coming you will need us again and long have we slept, been shadows of ourselves as you forgot us.” Pesu sounded sad.

“Then I shall help you, though I do not know what will happen between Nergal and I, that is private.” Thinking of him depressed me. I missed him and knew it might be a while before I reached Bet Pagri. I wished that we could just be us, without everything else looming.

“Of course, we would not dream of pushing you into a marriage,” Zalm looked offended.

“Never. We are also women after all.” Syb grinned at me and I couldn’t help but return it.

“However, you do already like him, so that would make a marriage easier,” Pesu added. Zalm reached over and flicked her nose. All three of them laughed and I found myself missing Mash and Ishtar, almost painfully. Their merriment didn’t last long, however, and they turned their attention back to me.

“We have rescued you from the undine; it will be moved directly to their habitat; nasty creatures, why Zalm created them like that I’ll never know,” Syb scoffed at her sister. I watched, missing
my
sister, as Zalm rolled her eyes.

“Someone woke it before you got to the river; it was a trap for you, daughter.” My head jerked in Zalm’s direction as the impact of her words hit me. Someone really did want to kill me, and they had almost succeeded, twice.

“You will need proof that you have our blessing sweetheart, something visible that is well known, especially to those who still believe.” Pesu held out her hand to me and I, confidently, placed my hand in hers. Leaning down she blew warm, flowery breath onto the inside of my right wrist. I watched as a pale, shimmering gold tattoo appeared; flowering vines an inch wide, winding beautifully around my arm from my wrist to my elbow.

“Show off,” Syb smiled, and opening her hand she showed me a silver ring; the stone was in a princess cut and silver, shimmering, almost glowing, brighter than the metal of the ring itself. I recognized the stone as a Syb stone. Everyone knew what it looked like because the only one in Salas resided in the Queen’s crown. It could not be duplicated, or found anywhere. The myth was that Syb gave it to the first queen of Salas; now I knew it wasn’t a myth. I put it on and it fit perfectly. I could see the ring, but it felt like it wasn’t even there.

“It will never come off, unless you die,” Syb warned, but the warning came a little late since I was already wearing it.

“I am sorry that you will feel pain at my gift daughter.” Zalm, didn’t look sorry, in fact there was a tiny bit of glee in her eyes. But it didn’t bother me; she was my goddess, death and darkness. She alone of these three beautiful women would actually understand me.

She pushed down the collar of my robe and where her fingers pressed into the back of my shoulder pain exploded. It burned worse than when I had touched the fire place in the kitchen as a little girl. I could smell my own skin smoldering as the searing agony ripped through me. Tears clouded my vision and the threat of vomit crawled up my throat. I vaguely heard their words of comfort and love as I passed out, again.

This time when I woke, it was to the worried face of
Nam leaning over me as I blinked, taking in the bright moonlight behind him.

“Goddess, Eshie are you ok?” his voice was fearful and breathy. I took a moment to get a hold of myself. I was drenched, naked, lying on the grass near the river, covered with a thin blanket and my shoulder ached like a son of a bitch.

“How,” I cleared my throat, “long was I gone?”

“Gone?” He looked confused, “you weren’t gone, I heard you scream, came running and found you barely breathing, unconscious on the river bank. I dragged you up here and tried to wake you.”

“How long was I out?” I countered. He helped me sit up and I hissed as he touched my left shoulder blade where Zalm had marked me.

“Fifteen minutes, maybe, are you in pain?”

“Grab me two mirrors would you?” I tucked the blanket around me and stood, shakily. I had to see what the Goddess had “gifted” me with.

He scrambled away, looking over his shoulder, worry in his features. When he came back it was with two small mirrors.

“What’s up?” He asked

“Look at my shoulder, is there something there?”

He turned me around yelped, “Goddess Eshie, you have a moth branded into your skin!”