CHAPTER TWENTY #3
The being nods. “My father, Anu, praised be his name, demanded a sacrifice of his grandson, an atonement if you will, for his curse on you. Your mother’s doing, as she hoped to lend him wisdom.
In the future, your friend will again rise to lead the world out of darkness.
This is not yet his time. Do not attempt to wake him or remove him from this shelter. This is my command.”
Alad bows his head. “Understood.” He pauses. “Please take my love and respect to my goddess mother. Tell her I have also learned the lessons she wished to teach me.”
“We all learn our lessons, shedu, though rarely when we ought.” His gaze trails to Gilgamesh.
“Some of us require great despondency in order to understand our place in the grand tapestry that is life.” His attention narrows again upon Alad.
“Speaking of, there is a price to pay, shedu, for avoiding your responsibilities. You were born to protect the people of Uruk. In your absence, Uruk fell.”
Alad stills. I swear he doesn’t breathe. I’m close enough to feel the wave of fear that trembles over him before he draws a deep breath. “Highness, I beg of you, let Charlotte leave this place. I-I will submit thereafter.”
“You will submit now, shedu.”
“But she’s innocent.”
“As were those men, women, and children who fell to barbarians in your absence.” The being’s face and voice are implacable. He turns his burning gaze upon me as Alad sweeps me behind him, where, truthfully, I don’t mind hiding. “Shedu.” The word is warning.
“She is my throne, my country, my queen.” There is more than one note of pleading in Alad’s voice, but he crouches slightly lower, as if he’s taking a fighting position and ready to spring. “I guard her now.”
The terror that washes through me is so cold, it freezes my heart. My mind can’t alight on a solid thought. I don’t know what’s happening—except… I do, and it’s terrible.
“Please.” The whisper of sound escapes me, but it’s enough to catch the god’s attention. I lick my lips, my tongue a hesitant, unwieldy thing in my mouth. “Not him. Don’t hurt him. I can’t bear it.”
“And what would you give, Miss Butters, to spare his hide?”
“Leave her be. I’m the one you require.” Alad takes another step forward, shaking off my hand that tries to pull him back. He stands tall and broad, capable and deadly, a lion without his teeth but equally as deadly. But something tells me he’s no match for the thing that’s both here and not here.
I don’t have anything to give except my life, but… Suddenly, I remember my rose pendant. It’s a trinket, nothing at all compared to the wealth of gold surrounding me or that the god sports upon his body.
But it’s precious to me. And it’s all I have.
Yanking on the thin chain, I rip it from my neck. Sneaking around Alad, who instantly protests and wraps an arm around my waist, I hold it out. “This. My parents gave it to me. It’s all I have left of my old life, so it’s precious to me.”
“Charlotte. Step back.” Alad grits the words between his teeth, but his hands seem to lose strength. It’s as if he hesitates to use his brute power against me.
“Hold, shedu. Let me think.” The god studies me. I’ve never felt so stripped naked in all my life. My body trembles like a leaf in a storm, so I lean against Alad’s warm, sturdy body.
Finally, Enlil nods. “Leave the necklace where you stand. I shall take it in payment, along with the shedu’s immortality.”
“No!” I object at once, springing straight.
“A thousand years should be enough.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Alad says, voice strong.
“No, Alad…” I begin, panicked at the thought he’ll ever die.
“But please, match my time to Charlotte’s. Please.”
“What? No!”
“That is a rather short time, shedu.” The god looks over his shoulder.
A woman with the head of a human female and the body of a bull comes into focus. She glances at me before focusing all her attention upon Alad. “My son. I shall see you again at your parting. You have my love.” She pauses. “Enjoy your adventure.”
And that’s it. She simply disappears.
My mouth gapes. What on earth? Even my mother would have spared more words for me on her deathbed had she been able to speak. And my mother didn’t care all that much about me.
“It is done,” Enlil says. He raises his hands in the air as if in supplication. A golden light shines between his palms. It expands to cover us, sweeping up so fast, I don’t have time to object or even understand what’s happening.
As fast as it rises, it disappears. With it, so does Enlil.
Alad heaves a heavy sigh before taking Second Form. Even as he’s turning, he grabs me off the floor and into the safety of his arms. Stroking my face, his expression serene, he suddenly laughs.
“How can you be happy?” I ask, nuzzling into his touch. “You’ve lost your immortality. Or am I wrong?”
“Not wrong. But I’ve gained you. That was what I most feared losing.” He sets me down. Ripples run over his skin, but he holds out his giant hand for mine. “Come. We’ve a wedding to attend, a home to build, children to make, and life to live.
And so we go, leaving behind the magick for another time. But not the magick of love.