Author's notes:

This is the continuation of A Long Time from Home and if you haven't read that, I advise you to do so. The series is self-edited, so any mistakes are mine, though I now have a proofreader, that can catch missing words ect. Thanks to Jessejames932006 for doing that.

Some of the chapters will take place in the ancient past and while I have done a lot of research for that, there might be small errors here and there. If you think you found such an error in the story, please double check to be sure that you're correct and then PM me about it, so I can fix it. :)

Due to its length, I placed ALTFH under the 'Novels and Novellas' section, but as you can see, ALTFH II is placed in the 'Sci-fi and Fantasy' section, which fits it better due to the elements of magic that's in it. At least in my opinion :)

Have fun and while you're at it, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

I have stated that I would upload chapters of 'Into the Chaos' (my Star Wars: The Old Republic story) every other time and that is still the case.

About the notation:

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

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Chapter 5 -- Flashback: Mysteries

The city of Susen, Haltamti (Susa, Elam, present day Southern Iran), 1203 BC

There was a light breeze of cold mountain air that made the summer heat bearable, as I made my way through the market in Susen, heading towards the eatery where I usually got a cup of a meal at this time of day. I could have done it at home but eating with the other merchants that frequented the place gave me a chance to hear some news from the rest of the world and even make some deals from time to time.

A shout brought me out of my thoughts, and I stepped to the side to avoid being run over by a loaded cart, driven by what looked like two Assyrians. On the other side, a small group of locals were carrying a load of cloth somewhere, followed by sailors from Megan, who were looking around like it was their first trip here.

I chuckled to myself, as I knew how they felt. Few cities in the human world were as old and advanced as Waset in Kumet, but Susen in the Haltamti area was one of them. Like most of the old cities, it was built on the bank of a great river, which in this case was the river of Choaspes, in the lower end of a mountain range. In this case the area around the city was extremely fertile, as another river, the Coprates, ran through the same valley and while the rivers never met, they were only about half a day on foot from each other. Each year, when the snow in the mountains melted, both rivers ran over, flooding the entire area south of the city and leaving fertile soil behind in the same way as the Nile.

That made the area extremely well-suited for crops and for that reason the city could support a much larger population than its location near the mountains would normally allow for, making the area a near perfect place for a city. Susen had not only been the capital for the Haltamti kingdom as long as anybody remembered, but it was also a great trading hub, with goods coming in from as far away as Bharat, Kumet, Assyria and Babylonia.

The wars going on and the destruction of the City of Babylon had just added to the city's importance, as the caravans and ships that used to go to Babylon were now travelling to Susen instead, avoiding the war-torn areas as the Assyrians were still on the warpath, despite the death of King Tukulti-Ninurta I. His death hadn't meant peace to the area, as he had been killed in a civil war between him and his three sons, with one of them, Ashur-nadin-apli, taking the throne as the new king.

That was still new though and as the Assyrian empire tried to sort itself out, and the rest of the area waited to see if they were going to war or not, the merchants took the more secure route up the Choaspes and sold their wares at Susen.

As fate would have it, we had ended up here as well. Originally, I had wanted to go to Sheba, since there was a faint chance that Mernepath or Amenmesse would send out people to get Princess Neferure back. With Guard Captain Huy knowing that I had planned to go to Dilmun, that made the island kingdom the first place they would look for us, so going to Sheba instead made sense.

However, we ran into a storm as we rounded Oram Aromatum (Baylon: Spice Coast. Present day Arabian Peninsula), which blew us past the relevant harbours and right into the Gulf of Magan (Present day Strait of Hormuz). I talked with the captain about it, and he persuaded me to stay on the ship all the way to its destination in Susen. Not only was it the largest city in the area not currently involved in a war, but as a trading hub with lots of foreigners, it was fairly easy to blend in there.

As it turned out, he had been partly right. We had arrived at Susen without any difficulties, and it hadn't taken long to find a house that was large enough to house all five of us. As we had agreed upon, Neferure pretended to be my wife, while Merit, Tutu and Kiya were our servants.

However, the part about blending in had been easier said than done, which I had to admit was mostly my fault. I could hide my blonde hair, but not my size, and with me being a head taller and correspondingly wider than most of the men here, I stood out in a crowd.

Fortunately, the inhabitants of Susen were used to foreigners and in the almost five years we had been here, I rarely had anyone comment on my looks, except for a few women that clearly had a thing for tall men. That was another thing I liked about Susen and the culture here in the kingdom of Haltamti: Unlike so many other places in the world, with the exception of Kumet, women were regarded as equals, instead of being treated as some kind of second-rate citizens at best and property at worst.

One might argue that it was simply a function of the many wars in the area. Since women didn't go to war, they could manage the family business, while the men were out fighting, making sure that the Kingdom had enough resources to continue the fight against the often much bigger Assyrian or Babylonian armies. Considering that it had only been a decade since the last time the Babylonians had tried to conquer the Haltamti, it was most likely even one of the most important reasons, but it really didn't matter to me.

The equality meant that instead of just being a merchant's wife, Neferure could work as a healer, something she not only had been trained in as an acolyte, but even had a natural talent for, while Merit and her sister Tutu took turns helping her. Kiya's dancing and singing had been too different from the local ways to be any success, but her weaving and looks proved to be enough for one of the local weavers to ask for her hand in marriage. After some consideration she had said yes and had moved in with him. A year later they had moved to Anshan, the other big city of the Haltamti and that was the last I had heard from her.

"Well met, Zabu!" Greeted Arwia cheerfully in Assyrian when I entered the eatery, and as always, I returned the greeting in the same language. Despite the many wars and the cruelty of the Assyrian armies, their language was the most commonly used trade language in this part of the world. It was for that reason I had learned it years ago and I was extremely grateful for it now. With the shift in both Ars Magica and Ars Mentalis, I simply didn't dare use the Ars Mentalis trick that enabled me to learn languages at a fast pace. With Susen being a trade hub, most people here spoke Assyrian as well as the local language, which was a relief as the local language didn't remind me of any other language I had ever heard before and therefore would take a long time to learn.

Just to be able to use my natural ability to command people, I did learn a few phrases like 'Stop', 'Go way', 'come closer' and so on, but beyond that and the typical polite phrases to say 'hello' and 'goodbye', I was no closer to speaking the language than I had been when we arrived here.

"A meal with beer as usual?" She asked with a smile that showed a few missing teeth.

"Yes, please. Fish or lamb if you have it."

"I have both." Arwia replied, waving a meaty hand towards the grill where various forms of meat were sizzling over the hot coals. "Fresh from this morning."

"That is nice. Can I get a plate with a little of everything?"

She nodded eagerly. "Sure. Just go to the roof and I'll send Kiri up with it."

I nodded and walked up the stairs to the open upper level. What had once been a flat roof was occupied by eight tables with surrounding chairs placed in the shadow of the wooden roof, and instead of walls, there was a railing allowing the breeze to cool the customers down and made it possible to see what was happening on the market.

The place wasn't empty as several merchants were having their dinner, but as soon as they could see me, one of them lifted a hand in a greeting. "Well met, Zabu! Come join me."

With a smile, I nodded and walked in the direction of his table, nodding to the people I knew. Murdus was a merchant, importing wares from the surrounding nations and selling them in Susen. Mostly semiprecious stones and metals, but he would deal in everything he thought would yield a profit and he was right often enough to be fairly successful.

"Well met, Murdus." I said as I sat down opposite him. "I hope the Gods are treating you well."

"Well enough." He replied with a smile. "The latest deal went sour, but the gods are merciful and Ettu is pregnant again, so we will need the skills of Merit again."

Ettu was Mordus' third wife and while she wasn't the youngest of the three wives, she was very fertile, having given birth to three babies already. During the years we had been here, Merit had become a well-known midwife and a favourite of the merchants I usually traded with, and she had delivered two of them.

"Congratulations and I'll tell her that you requested her help!" I said with a slight nod.

He faked a grimace, but on his bearded face, it didn't really come across. "Thank you, but no blessings without a drawback. It's harder for her this time and the wives have agreed that they need help, so I'm forced to buy a slave for her."

"You can afford it." I said drily. "Unless you lost more than I think on the deal you mentioned."

"No, but it was a wasted trip, as I never got the wares I was hoping for, and wasted time is wasted opportunities." He said with a shrug. "Have you heard the news from Kumet?"

"No. As always, it's only rumours without much substance."

He nodded and started to explain. King Merneptah had died, leaving the throne to his son Seti II. Unfortunately, things had progressed just as I had feared they would. Amenmesse had challenged Seti II, seizing control of Upper Egypt and Kush, and the two was now fighting a civil war. While the war was at a stalemate at the moment, Amenmesse's people were raiding the trading route, trying to cut off trade and forcing Seti II to rely on the Middle Sea trade as the only source of wealth.

That had made Murdus unable to transport any wares and thus the deal had been cancelled. On the bright side, he managed to get some spices from Sheba on the way home, so the trip wasn't a total waste of time and money.

I was about to ask a few questions, when Arwia's daughter Kiri arrived with a platter of meat, fish and bread, along with a small bowl with a sauce for dipping. It smelled fantastic, and I sent her a smile to go along with the 'Thank you', which for some reason made her blush and hurry away.

Murdus laughed softly. "It has to be those blue eyes of yours, Zabu. I've known Kiri since she was a little girl and she has never reacted that way to me."

"That's exactly the reason." I chuckled as I took a piece of fried fish. "I'm the mysterious foreigner from far away. You're like the cuddly uncle."

That made him laugh louder and I chewed my fish, while waiting for him to calm down. Eventually he did and was drying tears of laughter away from his eyes. "It's been years since anybody called me 'cuddly'. Not even my wives say that."

Swallowing the fish, I said. "Not to your face anyway. You never know what women say about you to their sister-wives."

"True that." Murdus said, still chuckling. "But the thought of me being a 'cuddly uncle' is still fun, though I doubt my nephews and nieces think of me as such."

"So more like tough and fair?"

"Yes, I like to think so." He grinned as his eyes shifted to another table. "But we can settle that easily." He gave a wave like the one he had given me. "Hallutush, could you come over here for a moment."

As I looked over, a young man said "Yes, sir." and walked over to the table we were sitting at.

Of middle height, but with broad shoulders, he walked with confidence, and I had no doubt that he knew how to use the knife in his belt for something else than eating. He was also a good-looking young man, with a well-kept beard and dressed in quality clothing.

"Yes, Uncle Murdus?" The young man said as he came near enough to be heard without talking loudly.

Murdus waited until Hallutush had taken a seat at our table and then said. "Zabu here seems to think that most of my family think of me as a cuddly person. What do you think?"

Instead of answering right away, the young man looked at me with a straight face. "What exactly do you mean with 'cuddly'?"

"Friendly, slightly rounded and generally in a good mood." I said with a smile, as I took a piece of lamb. "That's not to say that he can't be a shrewd businessman or, if need be, a determined leader."

The young man laughed a deep pleasant-sounding laughter and looked at Murdus. "I'm sorry, Uncle, but he got you."

"Betrayed by my own kin." Sighed the merchant, but there was a smile on his face. "By the way, Hallutush, this is Zabu the Merchant. He's also married to Kherta the Healer, whom I'm sure you have heard off." Hallutush nodded slowly, causing Murdus to continue. "Zabu, this is my nephew Hallutush. Despite my best intentions, he is only a moderate merchant, but on the other hand he's a formidable warrior and a Captain of the guard. Oh... and he's the son of my sister, Dwura, meaning that he's a noble."

"Nice to meet you." I said, while my thoughts were racing. Murdus had a lot of connections and many of them were due to his extended family being married into the various noble houses in the kingdom. At some point he had mentioned that his much older sister Dwara was one the many wives of Napirisha-Untash, the former king of Haltamti, and the father of the current king, Kidin-Hutran III. Putting that together meant that Hallutush was a minor prince and part of the royal family.

Hallutush nodded with a smile and turned the attention back to Murdus, as the merchant asked, "By the way, do you know when Kidin-Hutran will return? I've heard that he has had great success in Babylonia."

The young man nodded. "Yes. He raided several cities and is on the way home with a lot of loot and slaves. He should be here any day now."

As the two of them debated the news, I settled in to eat a piece of lamb, while thinking the situation over. After the Assyrians had devastated Babylon, the Assyrian king, Tukulti-Ninurta, had placed one of his sons as a puppet king on the throne there, but as Tukulti-Ninurta died, the puppet king had lost much of his backing. He was also extremely unpopular among almost every surrounding nation, as Tukulti-Ninurta had not only defeated Babylon, but also taken many of their religious symbols and holy statues with him back to Assyria. An act that had enraged pretty much everybody. Especially the Haltamti, who accepted every religion on equal value, as long as they didn't directly work against the Haltamti, even when the Haltamti were at war with the country of the religion.

So, when Tukulti-Ninurta died, Kidin-Hutran III had gathered an army and attacked the Babylonians, using the excuse of trying to get the holy items back, though a much more likely reason was that Kidin-Hutran III was married to a princess from Babylon and wanted revenge for the Assyrians killing her family member.

Chewing on the lamb, I sighed. Politics, religion and revenge, personal or otherwise, were a bad mix. Especially when coupled with dynastic ambitions.

I was almost done eating, when Murdus leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "I guess I cannot put it off anymore."

"Buying a slave for your wives?" I guessed, earning a nod in return.

"Yes. In a weak moment, I promised them that I would return with one today." He said and stood. "Have a good day, gentlemen."

"Likewise, Murdus." I said with a small bow.

Hallutush stood as well. "Let me escort you, Uncle."

"Sorry for stating the obvious," I said. "But considering that the King is only a few days away and has a lot of slaves along with him, wouldn't you get a better deal by waiting? I mean, the market will be flooded with slaves within a week."

Murdus looked at me with surprise on his face and then sighed. "You're right, but as I said, I did promise them that."

I shrugged. "There's still a lot of time. Go home and ask them if they would rather have whatever is on the market now, or a very good one for a better price in a few days and let them make the decision."

That made Hallutush chuckle. "He does have a point, uncle. That would be better."

"I know," Sighed Murdus. "Let's go to my house and speak with the wives."

Still chuckling, Hallutush accepted with a nod and the two of them walked off, while I remained seated, drinking the rest of my beer, before heading home again, with a slight detour to two cotton merchants to secure their stock of Kumetian cotton. With a civil war going on in Kumet blocking the export of almost everything, the price on cotton was certain to rise and with just a little work and some patience, I could make a good deal of money.

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A good evening (Unfinished)

The city of Susen, Haltamti (Susa, Elam, present day Southern Iran), 1203 BC

I was greeted by Merit almost as soon as I entered the house, going through the entrance that led to the area of the house we used as a healer's place, where people could come to get help.

"Hello Merit." I greeted with a smile when I saw her. During the last five years she had flowered into a good-looking young woman and the local style of clothing with light colours showed off her olive skin, as well as her long, dark and curly hair, and big brown eyes.

Unfortunately, Merit was just as convinced as Neferure, that I was an avatar of the Lion-headed god Maahes, but unlike Neferure who seemed to find that exciting, Merit didn't belong to the Kumetian religion and the concept of sharing pleasure with a perceived avatar was just not part of her thinking. Consequently, she was extremely grateful for me taking her out of captivity and would do anything for me, even going to bed with me if I asked, but as I had never felt any desire from her, that was one thing I had never asked of her.

She returned the smile, saying "Good afternoon, Master."

"Oh, I ate dinner with Murdus the merchant and his wife is pregnant again. He asked me to ask you for your help."

Her smile grew a little wider. "I'll be happy to. Did he mention a date?"

I shook my head. "No, so you'll have to ask them yourself."

"Not a problem." She stated with a smile.

"Good. Is Kherta home?"

Kherta was the name Neferure had chosen to use in exile. Mostly because it meant 'free' in Assyrian, but also because she simply liked the name. There had been no reason for Merit and Tutu to change their names like Neferure and I had done, so they had simply kept their original names and seemed happy about that.

"Yes, but she's with a patient right now." Merit said gesturing towards one of the rooms. "One of the merchant's sons broke his arm, so she is setting it right and applying a splint to it. I shall tell her that you have returned."

"Thank you."

"I'll send Tutu in with a cup of herbal brew."

Unlike Lescare, the locals didn't have real tea, but the herbal brew they used instead was quite tasty, so I nodded my thanks and walked into the small, enclosed garden in the middle of the house. One of the things that had surprised me when we arrived in Susen was how much the houses here reminded me of those in Kumet or Dilmun. However, in the hot climate a central opening in the house allowed the heat to rise up, drawing in cooler air, and by having some plants in that area it added some moisture and aroma to the air. In short, it made sense that the architecture was similar as they faced the same problems and at least some of the solutions had to be the same as well.

The heat was also the reason why I didn't do any smithing, as I found it too hot to be standing next to a forge for hours when the sun was baking from a cloudless sky. Susen might get cool air from the nearby mountains, but the area was still extremely hot and after making a few swords I had simply given up on smithing, preferring the comfortable life of a merchant instead.

A choice I silently applauded now as I sat down to relax in one of the carved wooden chairs in the pleasantly cool room. Almost as if by magic, Tutu appeared with a cup of hot herbal brew, which she placed on the table beside me. "Here you go, Master."

"Thank you, Tutu." I said and watched her ass move under the dress as she walked out of the room again. Looking a lot like Merit, Tutu had the same long black and curly hair and big brown eyes, but somehow it just looked more alluring on her. That I, from time to time, could feel a spike of lust from her when she looked at me also helped.

My focus changed as Neferure walked into the room almost at the same time as Tutu walked out. For once the beautiful Kumetian looked like she was over-heated, her cheeks red with heat. She sent me a smile and opened the straps on her dress, which fell to the floor, like a leaf falling off a tree. She wore only a short skirt under the dress, giving me a very tempting look of her body.

She hadn't changed much in the five years it had been since we took off from Kumet, which was most likely due to her dancing, I decided. Her full breasts were still sitting high and proud on her chest, without any sag to see. Her stomach was still flat, and her legs were still long and slim.

"Don't get any ideas." She warned when she saw me looking. "I've been working constantly since this morning and the eastern rooms are insanely warm. It's like working in an oven and I need to cool off."

"And the western room?"

"Was filled around mid-morning." She said shortly. "I don't know what's wrong with people at the moment, but they run into accidents like never before."

I chuckled at her. "No, I think your reputation as a healer is spreading, causing more patients to come to you instead of the other healers."

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again, thinking for a moment, before she said. "Well, then it's really your fault, because you taught me most of it."

"But it was your choice to learn it." I countered with a grin.

She walked over to me and gave me a soft kiss. "I know and sorry for being grumpy, but I'm really overheated."

"Sit down and relax." I gestured towards a chair. "I got news from Kumet to tell you."

She lit up in a smile and sat down in the chair. "Do tell."

Relaying what Murdus had told me and my thoughts about it didn't take long, and she looked thoughtful when I was done.

"Do you think Amenmesse could win?"

"It's hard to say, but I don't think so. Amenmesse might have the Southern Armies, but Seti has the northern armies, and both the Ra and Amen army groups are better and more experienced than the Southern army groups of Ptah and Sutekh." I said slowly, thinking while I spoke. "Added to that, there's a lot more people in lower Kumet, so Seti can replace lost soldiers faster than Amenmesse. If Amenmesse can pull off a quick confrontation between the two armies and win, he'll have a good chance of winning it all. If not, Seti can play the waiting game, fighting defensively and making sure that Amenmesse consistently loses a lot of people. Then Seti will have the upper hand."

Neferure nodded slowly. "So, basically the same tactics as Merneptah used against the sea people?"

I nodded. "Yes, and the cursed sword Amenmesse is wielding will work against him here as it will cause him to take on aggressive tactics, more likely than not throwing his soldiers against Seti's prepared positions." I shrugged slightly. "Amenmesse can take a lot of ground that way, but it'll cost him a lot more soldiers than it'll cost Seti to defend them."

She thought it over and sighed. "I just realised that no-matter who wins, I can't go back to Kumet. There're way too many people in high places that know that I ran away."

"Not entirely correct." I told her. "If Seti wins, there's a good chance that you can return, but that demands that Captain Huy is still alive and can testify to Seti that you ran off to avoid giving Amenmesse a chance to win."

"You have a point." She said and thought again before she stood. "I better go pray to Horus to grant Seti victory in this war and to Sekhmet for keeping Seti alive and in good health." She smiled wickedly. "Later I'll pray to Bastet by sharing pleasure with the avatar of her son, the Wielder of the Knife."

Bowing slightly in my seat, I said. "I'll look forward to it."

"So will I." She chuckled and walked towards the small room that functioned as a shine.

The smile on my face stayed as I watched her walk away. Like Nofret, Neferure insisted that I had to be an avatar of Maahes, more commonly known as The Lord of the Massacre, Wielder of the Knife, Lord of Slaughter and The Scarlet Lord (referring to the blood of his victims). Fortunately, Maahes also promoted order and justice, so he was also known as Avenger of Wrongs and Helper of the Wise Ones.

When Neferure was gone, I leaned back in the seat to think the situation over. If Seti won the civil war, chances were that Neferure would want to go home to Kumet. I couldn't blame her. No-matter how comfortable it was here in Susen, being a princess in Kumet would be better, even if it was just a low-ranking princess.

There was also no doubt in my mind that I would escort her there. Not only to make sure she reached the destination, but also to make sure that the cursed sword of the Pulchers disappeared for good. Leaving it in one of the strongest empires in this part of the world was inviting chaos. Or perhaps I should say, even more chaos, as the swords that were in the hands of the sea-people were already causing more destruction than the world had seen in the last five centuries put together.

Sighing, I stood from the chair and took my herbal brew along as I walked up the stairs to the covered rooftop. I might as well finish the painting I was doing while waiting for Neferure to finish her prayers, which, judging from experience, wouldn't be done before sundown.

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The sun was going down and the light was fading, when Tutu came to inform me that a visitor needed healing. With Neferure doing prayers, I told her that I would be there shortly and while she walked off, I quickly packed the brushes and paint away, and walked down to the healing area.

Somewhat to my surprise, Hallutush was standing there, patiently waiting, while another man was sitting in one of the chairs, nursing his left leg.

When he saw me, Hallutush lit up in a smile and bowed slightly before saying, "Hello, Zabu. I'm sorry for the late hour, but Tiglath here was kicked by a horse and your wife was the nearest healer."

Returning the bow, I said, "Unfortunately, Kherta is spending her afternoon in prayer, but I can take a look at it?"

He tilted his head. "Are you a healer as well? I thought you were a Merchant."

That made me chuckle. "I am, but you cannot be married to one at any length of time without some knowledge rubbing off." I gestured at the man in the chair. "May I?"

Hallutush nodded. "Anything you can do to help. I need him tomorrow." He showed his white teeth in a quick smile. "Though he just needs to be able to stand guard."

"I'll see what I can do." I told him and turned towards Tiglath, who seemed more occupied by his leg than the conversation I had with Hallutush. "Hello, Tiglath. Can you stand?"

"He doesn't speak Assyrian." Hallutush said calmly. "Allow me to translate."

He did and Tiglath replied, looking sorrowful.

"He says that he can't walk." Explained Hallutush. "It hurts too much, and he fears that the bone is broken."

Nodding, I kneeled beside him and quickly examined the leg. "He's in luck. There's a muscle injury along with some internal bleeding, but it's not broken. Still, that leg needs to be treated or he risks even greater injury."

"I feared as much." Mumbled Hallutush and translated, which made Tiglath look relieved, despite the obvious pain he was in.

"I'm going to move you into a bed, put on a bandage with an herbal cure under it and elevate the leg. That should help a lot."

Hallutush and Tiglath exchanged a few sentences and then Hallutush turned his attention back to me. "He doesn't think he can make it to the bed, so we'll have to carry him."

Nodding, I looked the wounded man over. Despite being short, Tiglath was broad shouldered and wide chested, speaking of a lot of training, which made him heavier than most people of the same stature. However, he didn't look too heavy for me to lift, so I told him to stay still, placed an arm under his knees and another behind his back, before standing up with him in my arms. He was indeed heavy, but as I was using the muscles in my legs and not my back, I could manage it.

Taking care not to hit the wall with him, I walked into one of the vacant rooms and placed him on the bed there.

"You're strong for a healer." observed Hallutush, who had followed me. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Hmmm. Take the small stool from the corner and place it under his leg, while I go find the herbs and bandages."

"That I can do."

I walked into the herb-room, selected the herbs I needed and walked back.

"Good job." I told Hallutush, when I saw that he had indeed found the chair and placed it in the bed, so Tiglath's leg could be elevated.

Placing the herbs on the big blue mark on Tiglath's leg, I followed with a tight bandage. "There. Now you need to keep this leg elevated and rested until tomorrow."

After having it translated, Tiglath nodded, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I answered and looked at Hallutush. "No hard training for fourteen days, but as soon as he can walk without pain, he should have some light training for the leg."

"Yes, Healer." Answered Hallutush with a smile. "May I ask how you became a merchant? You look like a warrior and have the knowledge of a healer."

"I was an armsman once, but a long time ago I was trained to be a healer." I said and told him that I used to work for a noble merchant before he stopped travelling, and I had taken up trading for a living, finishing the explanation with "It's more peaceful and I don't risk my life for other people's wealth."

"Well, you're still strong." Hallutush said.

"Yes. All that training is not going to go away fast." I replied with a chuckle and prepared a few more herbs. Then I got hot water from the kitchen where Tutu was preparing dinner and made a cup of herbal infusion that I handed to Tiglath, "Here. Drink this slowly and you will feel better, not to mention in less pain."

He did as I said, while Hallutush asked about my healing skills and I explained that half of it came from taking care of injuries during my training and the other half from observing my wife, and when I was done with the explanation, Tiglath was done with the cup and had fallen asleep.

"That was fast." Observed Hallutush. "I guess it was the herbs."

Gently taking the cup out of Tiglath's hand, I nodded. "Yes. Now please excuse me for a moment. I have one last thing to do."

I took my acupuncture set and was about to insert the first needle, when Hallutush stopped me. "What in the name of Manzat are you doing?"

"It's a technique from the far east." I explained patiently. "Using the needles, I can block pain and make sure he sleeps better, which helps in his recovery."

Hallutush eyes the thin bronze needle. "Is it some kind of magic?"

That made me laugh. "No, it's healing... Here, let me show you."

Reluctantly, he let me insert four needles in his arm. "Well, at least it doesn't hurt."

"They're too thin for that." I explained. "Now, use the other hand to pinch yourself somewhere, just hard enough for it to hurt. Then do the same in the area between the needles."

He did as I asked and widened his eyes in surprise. "I almost can't feel it! How can that be?"

"When you hurt somewhere, it's because your body tells your mind that it hurts. In this case, the needles stop your arm from doing that... or at least make it a whisper instead of a shout." I explained while removing the needles again. "May I continue with Tiglath?"

"Please do."

I inserted the needles, adding some Vis to boost their effectiveness, and then looked at Hallutush again. "Before you get any funny ideas like most warriors do: No, you cannot fight or even move much, while the needles are in position, and no, it can't be done all over the body to create a warrior that doesn't feel pain."

He chuckled. "Yes, I have to admit that I was wondering about that."

"You and just about every other military officer." I said drily. "However, I'm done now. Would you like to join me for dinner on the roof?"

He considered it for a moment and then nodded. "I'll be honoured."

--------------------------

"This is a very nice house." Hallutush remarked when we were seated on the rooftop terrace. "Large enough to be useful and wonderfully cool."

"Thank you. I'm quite fond of it myself, but as you're a noble, I guess you are accustomed to greater houses than this."

"Yes, but bigger isn't always better. I remember..." His voice trailed off as Merit walked onto the terrace with the food.

Dressed in a yellow dress with a green and white border and with the light from the braziers making her eyes sparkle along with her usual bronze jewellery. In short, she looked lovely. A fact that obviously didn't escape Hallutush, that looked positively smitten by the sight.

"The food is ready, gentlemen." She said with her usual easy smile, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.

"Thank you." I said, trying not to laugh at Hallutush's facial expression. Even half hidden by his beard as it was, it was still hilarious. "Do you want to join us?"

She shook her head, as she placed the tray on the table. "Thanks for asking, but I have already eaten, and I have some herbal mixes I need to prepare for tomorrow."

I did detect a touch of regret in the answer, and it seemed like she was just as interested in Hallutush as he was in her. At least judging from the emotions I got from her, which was interesting since she hadn't shown interest in any other person in the time I had known her.

"Thank you for the food then."

She nodded and walked downstairs again. I was sure she had noticed the way Hallutush had looked at her, because there was just a little more sway in her hips than normal as she walked away from us.

"By all that is Holy!" Blurted Hallutush when Merit had disappeared. "Who was that? She can't just be a servant!"

"She's not." I said calmly. "You might know her as Merit the Midwife. She has helped deliver several of your family's children."

First, he looked at me in surprise, but then laughed. "Yes, I've heard of her, but I had the impression that Merit the Midwife was an elderly woman."

"Well, as you can see, she's not."

"Yes, I was clearly mistaken about that." He paused for a moment. "Would you consider it appropriate, if I took her to the theatre at some point?"

"I think she would like that, and I can't see anything inappropriate about it." I answered and had to stop myself from chuckling, when Hallutush's smile almost took his ears.

Still smiling he took a piece of meat and a slice of bread. "How come she lives here? With her fame I would have thought that she at least had a house for herself."

"Kherta and I have known her for years and brought her and her sister along to Susen." I explained as I took some of the food as well. "We have the agreement that they live here for free as long as they cook. That works out very well for all of us." I chuckled at his facial expression. "I like my privacy, so I don't have servants or slaves."

"Armsmen?"

I shook my head. "No. They would be bored to death here, but I do have some armsmen at the warehouse where I keep the goods." I shrugged slightly. "I mostly deal in high volume, low-cost wares, like cotton or wine. It's not really something thieves can run off with in a short amount of time."

"And if thieves come here?"

"Then they're dead anyway." I said calmly. "I haven't forgotten how to fight."

"That is good." He said with an approving nod and took some more food. "Talking about fighting. I got word earlier today that Kidin-Hutran is arriving in the city tomorrow. The army is camped about five hours away."

I swallowed the bread I had been chewing. "So, when you said earlier that he could return any day, you really nailed it."

He nodded with a smile. "I guess I did." He shrugged. "It's not really a secret, as most of the city knows about it by now."

"Oh, that's why you need Tiglath tomorrow."

"Exactly." Confirmed Hallutush and was about to say something more, when Neferure came walking up the stairs. Tutu or Merit must have told her that we had a guest, because she was dressed in the same type of dress she usually wore when she was called to a rich merchant's house for healing: A bright green dress in the local style, with dark red and golden edges and a matching belt, that went perfectly with her red hair and golden jewellery.

"Ahh. Hello, honey," I said with a smile. "We have a visitor. This is Hallutush, nephew of the Merchant Murdus and a Captain of the Royal Guard. Hallutush, this is my wife, Kherta the Healer."

Neferure smiled and bowed slightly. "I'm honoured to meet you, Captain Hallutush."

He returned the bow. "Likewise. Your name and skills have been mentioned many times." He smiled, "but somehow people have forgotten to mention that you have to be one of the most beautiful women in the whole of Haltamti."

To my surprise, Neferure blushed a little from the compliment. "Thank you, kind sir."

I glanced over at Hallutush. While he had been completely honest in his compliment, there wasn't the expression of awe he had when he had seen Merit earlier. Personally, I thought that Neferure was the most alluring of the two, but it looked like Merit was more Hallutush's style.

"Hallutush has brought one of his men here to be healed, so I placed him in the last free bed and applied some herbs to take care of the problem." I smiled to her. "That means that you're off-duty for now, so do you want to join us?"

She flashed another smile. "Perhaps later, when I'm done with the prayers." She looked directly at me. "Can I use some of your brushes? I had one, but I forgot to clean them last time and the hairs are stiff."

"Sure. They're at the usual place."

"Thank you." She looked at Hallutush. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Captain."

"Likewise." He answered politely.

Neferure nodded again and walked over to get the brush from my painting equipment before she walked down the stairs again.

"You're a lucky man." Hallutush observed when Neferure had disappeared.

"Oh yes." I agreed with a chuckle. "Kherta is beautiful, well-educated and a skilled healer. To be honest her only downside is that she's a terrible cook, but as Merit and her sister do the cooking anyway, it doesn't bother me."

He chuckled. "Well, that's not too different from most of the noble women of Susen."

"It's not, except that Kherta is from Kumet and was educated as a healer and priest there."

"That explains her skills." Hallutush said with a slow nod.

"I guess so." I replied with a slight chuckle. The Kumetian healers were widely believed to be some of the best in the world and people might even be right about it. Due to the thousands of years of making mummies, they had an excellent understanding of how the body worked, and their knowledge of medical herbs and oils were unmatched. Added to that, their physicians were just as obsessed about keeping journals as the priests, so successful treatments for various illnesses were kept for the next generation. Combined with the sheer age of their civilization, that gave them a vast knowledge of tried and tested remedies to be used against most illnesses. The drawback was that due to the extensive knowledge, Kumetian physicians tended to specialize in one area, so a physician could have a vast knowledge about the gut or the teeth, while lacking in other areas. Fortunately, Neferure had been an acolyte and had left Kumet before she had the chance to specialize and combined with the Baylon medical practices I had taught her, that had made her an extremely good general healer.

I swallowed the last piece of meat. "It's still a bit early for the treatment of Tiglath to have taken effect, so could I interest you in a game of Senet?"

Originally, Senet was a Kemetian board game, but as so many other things, it had spread as merchants travelled around, bringing the game with them to pass the time. Now, it could be found all over this area, especially at trading hubs like Susen.

"Yes, that could be interesting." Said Hallutush happily. "It's been a while since I've played with anyone other than my family."

So, we played a few games of Senet, only disturbed by Merit, who came back to get the empty plates and causing Hallutush to miss a few good moves, because he was simply too occupied drinking in the sight of her, while doing his best to seem like he wasn't doing exactly that.

I didn't take advantage of it, since that would have told him that I had noticed, and when Merit had gone back to the kitchen, the game continued as before, being fun and interesting.

After two games I walked downstairs to check on Tiglath. He was still sleeping, but while his leg had improved, there was still a long way to go, so I suggested just letting him sleep in the house and fetch him in the morning.

Hallutush agreed and then suggested another game, to which I agreed, and the moon had set before he walked home with the promise to come back at least twice: First to fetch Tiglath and then at some other time to play again.

I barred the door after him and went into the bedroom, where Neferure was waiting, expecting her to be in the bed.

I was wrong. Instead, Neferure was kneeling on the floor, with her backside towards me. As she was naked, the position she was in gave me an excellent view of her well-shaped ass. Either she was sweating or covered in oils, because her skin was shining in the light from the braziers. It was a testament to the beauty of her butt that it took me a few heartbeats to discover that Neferure wasn't alone and that she had a brush in her hand.

In front of her, positioned on a thick and soft carpet, lay another naked woman and Neferure was painting symbols on her skin. An action that the woman clearly enjoyed, as she moaned slightly when she felt the wet brush against her skin. She also had a set of fabulous breasts that managed to stand proud despite her laying on her back, defying gravity by their very perkiness.

From my position I couldn't get a good look of her face, but her skin was the typical light golden-brown colour typical from this region, except from where Neferure had drawn religious symbols in black and red on it. Most of them praises to Bastet or pleasure, but there were several symbols of protection for the Pharaoh, linking to Bastet's role as protector of lower Kumet and defender of the king.

"Good that you're here." Neferure suddenly stated, having obviously heard the door open. "We have started the ritual."

"Yes, I can see that. Do I need to know who the other woman is?"

"No. You can call her Khet."

I chuckled at the name. Khet meant 'sacrifice' in Kumetian and Neferure clearly intended to keep the woman's identity hidden from me. At least for the time being.

"Now, it's your turn." Neferure said as she stood to face me, the light from the braziers playing on her skin, making it look like it glowed in the semi-darkness of the room.

"For what?"

"For this ritual to work, you need to be blindfolded." She declared.

There was something wrong with that statement, but I couldn't really put a finger on what it was. She wasn't lying, as she believed what she had just said, but it somehow didn't feel right. On the other hand, I trusted her intentions and her suggestions were usually fun. "Well, if that is the case, blindfold me."

She smiled her brilliant smile. "Undress first, then I'll put on the blindfold."

"Yes, priestess." I said as I returned the smile and took off the clothes.

While I did that, Neferure walked behind me and as I dropped the last piece of cloth, she pressed her warm body against my back. A shiver ran through me, as I could feel the fullness of her breasts and her hard nipples against my skin.

With a giggle, Neferure kissed my shoulder blade and gently put the blindfold on me, making sure it was tight enough to stay on, but not so tight that it would be unpleasant.

When she was satisfied with the blindfold, her soft hand slid down my neck, onto my chest and then down to my hard dick. The feel of her fingers as they danced up and down the length of the shaft sent shivers through my body.

"Remember, she'll not move before you have given her at least one orgasm." She whispered in Kumetian as she gently stroked me, "and the more pleasure you can give Khet, the more powerful the prayer will be."

I nodded and Neferure guided me through the room to the thick blanket where the woman was laying, making sure that I knelt beside the woman without hitting her.

Then she walked off and a moment later I heard a lute starting to play a vaguely familiar tune but shut down my mind before it could start to remember it. I had other and more enjoyable things to do.

Reaching out, my hands encountered the soft silken skin of Khet, causing her to tremble and inhale sharply, and I suddenly became aware of an additional scent in the room. Almost overwhelmed by the scented oils Neferure had used, was the intoxicating aroma of an aroused woman.

I ran my hands lightly over her body. More to get a sense of her position than anything else, but her breathing became deeper. She had the firm body of youth without any of the muscles that would indicate she was a dancer or any of the scars a human warrior would have. Not that it was likely that a woman was a warrior in this part of the world, but just to satisfy my curiosity, I let my hands follow the flow of her body until I reached her hands. They were reasonably soft, with none of the typical calluses that come with weapon training, and I massaged the hand for a while, causing her to sigh in pleasure, before I went up her body again.

My hand accidentally brushed over her breasts and instead of continuing my movement, I began caressing them, confirming that they were indeed as firm as they had looked. They were also soft, with the exception of the hard nipples and 'Khet' began to moan softly as I lightly brushed across a nipple. The moan became a little deeper, as I brought my other hand into play as well, caressing the other breast.

I spend a good deal of time playing with those magnificent globes of flesh, massaging, fondling and caressing them, stopping from time to time, to play with the tips of my fingers on hard nipples or exploring the little bumps and contours of her areolas, while ignoring my hard cock and its desire to get inside her.

Leaning forward, I found her head with my mouth and nibbled my way to her mouth, so our lips could meet in a kiss. Like her breasts, her lips were firm and soft at the same time and somewhere in the back of my mind, it registered that she tasted of sweet fruits, as our tongues met in a dance of desire.

It was delightful, but I didn't let it continue for long. I had a job to do and judging from the way she was trembling with lust, it was going to be a very pleasant job.

Reluctantly I broke the kiss and kissed my way down her neck and across her chest until my lips found the nipple of her left breast, flicking my tongue over it, causing her to gasp. Getting my hand into play again, I cupped the warm soft mound, fondling it while licking the hard bud with long passes of the tongue, feeling the nipple hardening even more as I did so.

Using my free hand, I grabbed the other breast and fondled it for a moment, before shifting my mouth and tongue to the nipple, licking and nibbling it, until it was just as hard as the other one. Then I closed my lips around it and sucked it slowly into my mouth, letting the tip of my tongue dance on it, as I did so.

The woman let out a moan and moved her hands slightly, but a sharp order from Neferure made her lay still again, but she did arch her back somewhat, pressing her breasts against my mouth.

Enjoying myself, I sucked hard on one nipple, then the other. My thumbs ran along the underside of each breast as I moved back and forth, kissing and sucking all around each hard nipple and giving them broad laps of my tongue for variety.

The groans from the woman grew in intensity as the treatment continued and her arousal increased, but eventually I moved the kisses to the area between her breasts and then down the soft skin of her stomach. She was trembling when I let my tongue explore her navel, but I could sense it was right on the edge of tickling, so I licked my way downwards.

I had expected to encounter hair, but Neferure must have taken care of that, because her mound was bald, and her shivers increased as I let my tongue slide over the bare skin. She was breathing deeply, and her belly rose and fell slightly under my hand with each inhalation.

Using my other hand, I gently touched the skin where her thighs met and she eagerly spread her legs. The wonderful aroma of an aroused woman hit my nostrils, making my dick throb with lust.

Turning slightly on my knees, I placed my left hand under her buttocks, palm upward, so I could fondle those tempting mounds of flesh and muscle, as I gently licked the edge of her lips from top to bottom. She tasted delightful. Fresh, spicy and clean.

One of her hands found my legs and caressed it, sliding in between them to find my hard cock. Her fingers grabbed it as if to test its hardness and then began fondling it, causing me to sigh with pleasure, as my tongue licked up the edge of the other lip of her pussy, ending by drawing a circle around her love-pearl.

The position I was in didn't really allow me to lick her pussy for real, so instead of trying, I reached over her spread legs with my right arm and with the elbow on the carpet, I could both support myself and had a hand free to play with her pussy, while licking the top, along with the love-pearl.

The hand stroking my dick squeezed a little when I let my tongue dance over the base of her love-pearl, while I inserted my fingertips in her wet opening and caressed the sensitive skin there, while making my fingers slick from her juices at the same time.

'Khet' shook and groaned each time my tongue passed over her love-pearl in a steady pattern meant to gradually increase her pleasure.

The shakes intensified as two fingers made their way into her, making her hips buckle as jolts of pleasure shot through her. The inner walls of her pussy squeezed my fingers gently as I moved them in and out of her at a relaxed pace, my fingertips finding her internal pleasure point.

Unfortunately, the pleasure caused her to stop fondling my dick, but the feel of her pussy around my fingers almost made up for that, along with her aroma in my nose and the taste of her in my mouth, so I just continued.

It didn't take long before she was moaning continuously, her juices running down my hand to drip on the carpet, and each time my tongue nudged her love-pearl, her hips rocked, trying to keep the sensitive organ in contact with my tongue for as long as possible.

Pressing her against me with the hand under her ass, I sucked the love-pearl into my mouth and licked it fast and hard, while the fingers massaged her internal pressure point in the same rhythm.

That did the trick and a few heartbeats later, her legs closed around my head as wild spasms crashed through her body, causing her hips to buckle and the muscles of her pussy to clamp around my still moving fingers.

That brought her pussy out of reach for my tongue, but I continued using my fingers on her internal pleasure point while the storm surged through her body, and I only removed my fingers when I sensed that it was becoming too much.

Amazingly, she didn't scream during all that, but her moans had turned into a series of whimpers as she laboured to catch her breath during the orgasm, but after a while she started to breathe normally and since I still had a hand under her ass, I could feel her spreading her legs.

Not one to turn down an invitation, I let the hand slide from her ass to the soft skin of her inner thighs, while I spread the juices on my fingers on my cock. That done, I carefully moved, trying to get between her legs. Not being able to see was a challenge, but I managed to do it without stepping on her.

Leaning down, I kissed the skin of her stomach and then kissed my way up her body, pausing by her breasts to give both them and the nipples a workover. Her hands found my shoulders and guided me further up her body. Her soft lips kissed my nose and then my mouth and a heartbeat later, we were kissing passionately, tongues playing.

The position had also placed my dick on top of her wet mound, and she moaned into my mouth as it glided over her love-pearl.

Moving my hips back, I caused the head to slide down in between her slick lips. She gasped into my mouth as the head of my dick found her wet, hot entrance almost by itself. Pressing against it, I moved my hips from side to side, making the head massage the sensitive skin.

I had planned to keep that up for a while, but her legs crossed behind my back and pressed me forward. Instead of resisting, I let myself be pushed. Wet as she was from the oral sex and her orgasm, her pussy lips spread out, letting the head inside.

She was tighter than I had expected, but her hips started bucking again, making more and more of my hard dick to go into her with each move she made, while she moaned blissfully into my mouth.

Despite the pressure from her legs, I pulled back a little and then gave her a few short strokes to wet the shaft before attempting to go further. That worked even better than I expected, as she came again, going into another quivering state of orgasm, giving off a cute little scream as pleasure overwhelmed her.

A few more thrusts to make my dick slide the rest of the way into her snug pussy, hitting bottom as my hips met hers. It also made my pelvic bone hit her love-pearl and the effect was spectacular.

Her body seized for a few heartbeats and then she cried out loud as she came in yet another thunderous orgasm, that made her shake all over and her pussy rippled as it clamped down on my dick, the sensation making me groan.

Breaking the kiss, I took a deep breath and moved to her neck, gently biting and licking the skin there, while changing the angle of my hips as I both slowed and shortened my thrusts into her until I was slowly moving my dick a palm length in and out of her. The new angle making my pelvic bone grind against her love-pearl with every slow powerful stroke. It didn't allow my dick to go as deep as before, but the stimulation of her love-pearl more than made up for it.

Her body moved with me, tits moving against my chest and hips jerking as I drove into her. Her legs clamped around my waist and urged me into her with every stroke. Her inner muscles rippled on my dick, and I could feel them caressing my shaft from every angle.

It felt fantastic and instinctively I picked up the pace a little.

'Khet' gasped and grabbed my head again, pulling it up from licking her neck, so she could kiss me fervently, her tongue seeking mine, while her pussy began to spasm and clasp my cock each time it thrust into her.

The incredible sensation, coupled with the feeling of her body against mine as well as the scent and sound of us sharing pleasure, dragged me closer to my own orgasm.

Fortunately, she came before I did, and I could feel her whole body tense. Her hips curled up hard into my invading cock, drawing me into her even more. Then her head flew back as she screamed her pleasure into the room and I could feel the orgasm travel through her voluptuous body, feeling the waves travel through her from gripping pussy to shaking thighs that kept me locked in place.

Then her legs lost their grip on me, landing on the carpet as she went limp under me, having fainted from the overload of sheer pleasure.

"Lay on your back." I heard Neferure say, the tone of her voice clearly stating that she was the priestess in charge of this ritual.

With a smile, I withdrew from 'Khet' and lay down on the soft carpet, having a good idea about how Neferure was going to finish the ritual.

That idea was confirmed a moment later, as I could feel her sitting down with one knee on each side of me. A hand grabbed my stiff cock and guided it to her bald pussy, where she rubbed it against her lips. She must have enjoyed watching the ritual so far, because she was dripping wet as she settled the head of my cock right in the opening.

The muscles of her legs flexed against my side as she slowly sat down, taking me all the way into the clasping heat of her pussy, before her hips started to swivel in tight circles in what I can only describe as a dance. A dance that made the head of my cock hit different parts of her pussy, while her inner muscles massaged the shaft, and the awesome feeling made me groan.

"Close your eyes." She whispered, as her hands found my head. "It's time to take the blindfold off. It has served its purpose."

After the blindfold had been removed, I carefully opened my eyes. The sight that met me just added to the incredible sensation. Neferure sat tall and proud on top of me, her oiled body shining in the light from the braziers, as she did her sensuous dance. One hand played with the nipples of her full breasts, and she made another swirl of the hips, the feeling making me groan and her bite her lips in pleasure.

Then she started lifting her-self up and down on my dick, each move done with accompanying swirls of the hips, adding to my pleasure.

"I'm going to come fast, if you keep that up." I warned her with a groan.

"So am I." She said and picked up the speed a little, the swirls being replaced with fast back and forth moves of her hips, that sent my dick moving in and out of her hot pussy.

I could feel the orgasm racing closer in both of us, the tingles of extreme pleasure that usually announced an incoming orgasm spreading in my body, causing my cock to swell.

The beautiful princess riding me must have felt my dick swell as well, because she lowered the pace of her ride and chanted,

"I pray to you, my Goddess,"

while moving up and then

"To accept the sacrifice of pleasure."

as she impaled herself on my dick, making her body shake and causing me to moan in pleasure.

"As I give myself to the avatar of your son, the Avenger of Wrongs in your honour,"

Then she moved up again, her inner muscles clenching around my dick as she continued her chant.

"To keep Seti free from harm."

She paused at the top, her hips making circles and her pussy caressing the head of my dick.

"To protect the king and his kingdom..."

She sank down again, the feel of her slowly engulfing me making me shiver, and I knew I couldn't hold it much longer.

"against the foul imposter..."

As she went up again, I could feel her pussy shiver as it contracted around me, intensifying the tingles in my body.

"and evil spirit..."

She went down faster this time, slamming her hips against mine to drive my dick into her, before increasing the tempo even more, as she went back to moving back and forth again, barely keeping up the chant, each word punctuated by a back or forth move of her hips.

"That... is... Amen... messe."

She kept the pace, milking my cock as she continued.

"This... offer... of... Delight... we... make... to... you, ... Great... Protector, ... our... most... honoured... Bast!"

The last word turned into a scream, as Neferure came in a powerful orgasm, shuddering violently on top of me, full breasts dancing to the rhythm of pleasure. I went over the edge at the same time, my dick spewing shot after shot into her pussy, groaning from the intense feeling of pleasure that shot through my body.

Neferure collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily, and I could feel wetness dripping down my groin and legs where our juices were leaking profusely.

Finally, Neferure lifted her head from my chest and gave me a kiss, her brown eyes sparkling with satisfaction and delight. "That has to be the best prayer I have ever done."

"No argument from me." I replied and gave her nose a kiss. "Though I have no idea how you can chant and fuck at the same time."

"It takes both skill and practice." She admitted. "And before you say that would be fun to practise, know that reciting passages from The Book of The Dead while being licked by another acolyte, isn't exactly easy."

"Good point." I said as I remembered something and tried to look around her to see who the other woman was, but Neferure was in the way.

"Don't." She warned. "I had to promise that you wouldn't know her identity in return for her help in the ritual."

I stopped trying and looked at Neferure instead. "So how do I get out of here?"

She chuckled and picked the blindfold off the floor. "I put this back on you and you leave, so I can get 'Khet' out of here." She glanced over at the woman. "When she wakes up that is."

"Sounds like a plan. Come and get me when she has left."

"I will."

------------------------------------------

The return of the King

The city of Susen, Haltamti (Susa, Elam, present day Southern Iran), 1203 BC

I woke up early the next morning. Not by choice, but because Tutu woke me up to tell me that Hallutush had come to get Tiglath.

"I'll be right there." I promised, got into my clothes, and hurried down the stairs to be greeted by Hallutush, who was standing outside the room where we had placed Tiglath.

"A bright good morning to you, Zabu." He greeted, sounded impossible fresh considering that it was dawn outside.

"Good morning, Hallutush." I replied, swallowing a yawn as I opened the door to Tiglath's room.

The sight that met me, woke me up rudely.

Tiglath was still laying on the bed, but by his side a transparent figure was standing, draped in wispy, ethereal robes, its form translucent and slightly shimmering in the light from the open door. Its claw-like hands were stretched out, so they hovered over Tiglath, and glittering stands of energy were leaving the warrior, being drawn into the claws of the spirit, slowly draining him of life.

"Tits of the Goddess." I cursed, as I recognized the type from the classes at Arcem. The spirit was a Phantom: A rare type of undead that, unlike most other undead, hadn't been created naturally by negative vis. Instead, it was a product of magic, as it took a Necromancer to create these foul creatures. Silent and invisible most of the time, except for the head and eyes, they were often employed as assassins by their creators. To make it worse they were immune to weapons not enhanced by Magic or Vis, and just being around them would suck some lifeforce from their opponents, strengthen the Phantom over time, while simultaneously weakening the opponent.

"An Eṭemmu!" exclaimed Hallutush from behind me.

The Phantom looked over at us, the small dot of light that was its eyes gleaming a sickly yellow flash, and I felt a wave of fear rolling over my mind-shield, leaving me unaffected.

Thankful that self-affecting Ars Mentalis hadn't been disturbed by the disappearance of Baylon, I activated the trick that made me stronger and faster.

A heartbeat later I was extremely happy for that, as the Phantom went on the attack, sharp claws cleaving the air.

Instead of moving back, I rolled under the claws in the direction of Tiglath's belongings. My weapons were upstairs in the bedroom, but I knew that Tiglath had a sickle-sword when we put him to bed last night and I needed that.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Hallutush had drawn his sword and the Phantom was steadily approaching him. That was trouble. He might be able to block the Phantoms attack, but without an enhanced weapon, he would not be able to wound it or drive it away.

Spotting Tiglath's sickle-sword, I quickly drew it from the scabbard and turned towards the Phantom. Hallutush had indeed blocked the first attacks, but his counter-attacks went right through the transparent figure.

Slipping into Vis-meditation for a heartbeat, I activated a Vis Power that made big blue sparks run over my body, down my arm, onto my hand and with that, the blade of the sword, dancing on the edge and illuminating the room in a pale blue light, that made the phantom seem more solid.

Then, from a habit born from way too many combats, I flowed into Mutatur Tempus Mente (Baylon: "Time shall be changed in the mind.") without even thinking about it. My brain accelerated and everything else slowed to a crawl.

The Phantom had noticed the blueish light as well and whirled around to face me just in time to get one of its clawed hands up to block the first strike. I had expected the edge to cut off a finger or two, but apparently, the hand was highly magical because the sword bounced off the hand like it had been made from steel. I quickly whirled the sword around in my hand, the edge hitting the flowing cloth over its shoulder, cutting through it. As an insubstantial creature, it didn't bleed or even look wounded, but it still moved away from me a little, so it must have felt the strike bite into it.

Behind it, I saw Hallutush sprint out of the room, but it was a determined sprint, not one born out of fear or desperation.

The Phantom's eyes glowed intensely for a moment and again, I felt a wave of fear hitting me, but the mental attack didn't do anything, causing it to hesitate for a few heartbeats. That was enough for me to deliver a fast attack against its lower parts and as it moved to parry with its claws, I turned the angle of the attack enough to hit its elbow... or at least where a humanoid would have an elbow.

Again, it moved back, getting just outside the range of my sword, and it felt like it was observing me, looking for opportunities to attack.

Then I felt the chilling sensation of Negative Vis surrounding me and like it had done with Tiglath, life energy started to leave me like wisps of smoke, being drawn into the Phantom. I almost sighed. Undeads were creatures of Negative Vis, or Vis Mortem, and just being near them would drain life energy from every living creature in their vicinity. In Baylon it had been known as gelidus mortuorum (Baylon: Chill of the Dead), and all Inquisitors had for obvious reasons been warned not to stay too long within that chill.

As a long-time Vis-user, I had more life energy than most, so I didn't need to hurry quite as much, but the downside was that the Phantom would keep getting stronger and considering that it had drained a lot from Tiglath before we arrived, it was already a tough opponent.

Taking two steps forward to test it, I did a few propping attacks, but the Phantom kept pulling back, ending almost at the wall. Fortunately, despite being mostly insubstantial, Phantoms couldn't go through solid walls, requiring at least some cracks to seep through.

Suddenly, the Phantom went on the attack, two clawed hands striking in rapid succession and if I hadn't been in the slow, secure world of Mutatur Tempus Mente, from where I could observe and react with supernatural speed, those clawed hand would have pierced my chest, but instead I parried one of the attacks, while dodging the other. The third attack did rip my clothes, missing my skin by the narrowest of margins, but the fourth was a right-to-left swing with the right arm that didn't even come close to hitting me.

On the positive side, it enabled me to block the arm from swinging back, leaving its side open. If I've had two swords like I usually do, I could have wounded it gravely, but instead I resorted to kicking it in the ribs. The vis power that I had used didn't just enable my sword to hit it, but my whole body as well and the impact of my shin against its side sent it flying through the room until it collided with the far wall, just beside Hallutush who had chosen that exact time to enter the room again.

The sight of a Phantom flying past his face made him step back for a moment, but then he did a sweeping motion with his hand, spreading a white powder over the Phantom.

An otherworldly scream filled the room, followed by a frying sound, as smoke started to rise from it, while holes appeared in its form as the white powder Hallutush had spread consumed it.

It was clearly dying and glancing over at Tiglath, I took a chance, setting up a channel to guide Vis into him. When a creature died it would release some of the Vis energy inside them, but in reverse polarity. That meant that when a living creature died, it would release negative Vis, but when an undead creature like the Phantom died, it would release positive Vis.

The channel done, I threw the sickle-sword with all my strength, aiming for and hitting it in the head. It might be able to overcome Hallatush's powder, but it was wounded and weakened, and I wanted to take advantage of that. The Phantom screamed again and began to disintegrate, its insubstantial form unravelling like wisps of smoke in a gust of wind. With each passing moment, the glow in its eyes faded, until finally, all that remained was a dissipating mist in the room and a lot of positive life energy.

Without even thinking about it, I absorbed what I needed and then sent the rest into Tiglath, who gasped as the life-energy filled him. I let the flow continue for a few heartbeats and then dissolved the channel.

"Tiglath!" Exclaimed Hallutush and rushed to the warrior's side, as he switched to the local language and started to ask questions, getting a few answers in return.

Having nothing to do until I could examine Tiglath, I cancelled the Vis power I had used, and the blue sparks faded away, leaving the room darker than before. That was changed a few heartbeats later, when Merit entered the room, carrying an oil lamp and looking around curiously.

"What is happening?" She asked as she saw me.

"I'll explain later." I told her and walked over to the bed. "Is he wounded?"

Hallutush shook his head, as he looked over at me. "Not that I can see. Would you examine him?"

"That was the plan." I said with a smile.

He nodded and moved away, so I could do my job. To my pleasant surprise, Tiglath was completely fine except for lacking Vis energy, but as that would solve itself in a few days, I sent him a smile and looked over at Hallutush. "He'll be just fine in a few days. He can even walk as soon as I take out the needles."

"Please do that."

I took the needles out as careful as I had placed them and when I looked up again, Hallutush was busy talking with Merit, while Tiglath looked at me with an expression of gratitude on his face, as he said, "Thank you."

I might not know much of the local language, but that one I knew, so I bowed slightly. "You're welcome."

"I guess that means that he's fine." Said Hallutush from behind.

I nodded as I turned toward him. "Yes. He can leave whenever he wants."

He nodded. "I'll ask him to get ready, but before I go, we need to talk."

"Agreed." I replied. "I need to know what you threw on the undead."

"Salt." He told me with a grin and said something to Tiglath, before turning back to me. "We got to make it fast. The parade isn't waiting."

"Let's just step outside."

So, while Tiglath got his equipment in order, we walked outside, followed by Merit, who continued into the kitchen area, after sending Hallutush a last worried look.

"So, salt?" I asked when we had closed the door after us.

"Yes, salt." Confirmed Hallutush nodded with a smile. "According to the old folktales, it's very effective against ghosts, which is why I ran into the kitchen to get it."

"Well, it clearly worked. I think we can safely say that the old folktales have proven to be right." I said dryly.

"Yes." He was silent for a moment before he asked. "You're an Asipu, right?"

Since an Asipu was someone who used powers to heal people, I nodded. "Yes, but not as you know them, which is why I don't do it here. Fortunately, I've learned some defensive magic, to go along with the healing, and that enabled me to hit the Phantom. However, a more interesting point would be why the Phantom, or Eṭemmu, as you called it, attacked Tiglath. Is there something special about him?"

Hallutush scratched his beard as he thought it over. "Well, he's a minor noble like everybody else in the Royal Guard, but he's not in line for anything major like the seat of his house or other important titles."

Each major noble house had two seats on the ruling, while the minor houses had one seat each, and as far as I knew, there could be a lot of infighting in the houses about who sat on those seats. Another potentially dangerous position was being in line for the throne, as those further down the line might decide to eliminate a few rivals to get closer to the throne. However, it didn't sound like Tiglath was in any of those positions, which in theory should make him safe from any assassination attempts.

"This is strange." I sighed. "That kind of undead is normally used as assassins by practitioners of the dark arts, but they need a reason for using their powers and I can't think of one right now."

Hallutush's eyes widened. Magic in this area was separated into three colour-coded groups. 'White magic' was positive rituals and defensive magic. 'Black magic' was harmful rituals and dealing with the dead, while 'Grey Magic' was aggressive magic along with just about everything that fell in between the two other categories. That being said, practicing dark or black magic was highly illegal and if the practitioner was caught using it to harm other people, it carried a death sentence.

"Do you think it's a rival doing this?" He asked.

"I don't know and that is the reason I'm asking." I explained. "I'm not accusing anyone, I'm just looking for an explanation to why a magical created undead appeared in my house."

"That I can understand, but unfortunately, I don't have any answers for that." He said thoughtfully. "But I promise that if I discover something, I'll let you know."

"Thank you."

The door opened and Tiglath walked out, fully dressed and with a smile on his face. To my surprise, he bowed deeply as soon as he saw me, saying something that sounded like 'Thank you' followed by a sentence I didn't understand.

"He thanks you for taking on an Eṭemmu to save his life." Hallutush translated, sounding serious. "He's eternally in your debt and hopes he can repay your help one day."

I smiled and bowed slightly. "Your gratitude is more than enough. Helping others is its own reward, and I'm just glad I could make a difference. Not to mention that it was Hallutush that came running with the salt that killed it, which made all the difference."

Hallutush translated again, but I noticed that the translation was rather short compared to what I had said.

"Did you skip the part about you and the salt?" I inquired with a chuckle.

"Yes. I've already saved his life and I don't want to add to that burden." He explained calmly. "Thanks for everything, Zabu, but we need to go, or we will be late for the parade."

"Go in peace."

Hallutush and Tiglath said their goodbyes and I walked into the living room in search for Merit. She needed to know what had happened. The same for Tutu and Neferure, but they could wait for a bit.

Somewhat to my amusement, the first thing Merit asked was "Is Hallutush unharmed? I mean, the touch of a ghost is rumoured to linger and cause sickness."

"Yes. He's fine." I answered and studied her. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Yes." She said honestly. "He's a fine-looking man, not to mention friendly, intelligent and well-educated." She smiled a little. "Most of the young women in Susen cast long glances in his direction every time he is near, but so far he has escaped them."

"Any rumours of him being a man-lover?"

She shook her head. "Nothing serious. The rumours say that he has a beautiful slave that he takes to bed and according to the servants, the woman likes it so much that she wakes up half the household with screams of joy when they are sharing pleasure."

I had forgotten that as a midwife, Merit spent a lot of time with the servants while waiting for a child to be delivered and she most likely knew more about what was happening inside those houses than I did.

"Any rumours about Tiglath? I'm still surprised that the Phantom attacked him."

Merit hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "According to what I have heard, he doesn't look like his supposed father, but he does look a lot like the King did in his younger years and his mother was one of the most beautiful ladies in the whole country." She shrugged. "Most servants speculate that Tiglath is the result of a brief affair between the two, but it's impossible to know for sure."

"Well, it's good to be the king." I said dryly. "As long as he's not ugly, most women are willing to be seduced and even in the case of an offspring, the husband won't object too loudly, because it strengthens his house's standing to have a royal heir in it. Even an illegitimate one." I paused for a moment. "Though that'll depend on how many children there are. Do you know any other rumours of illegitimate heirs?"

Meris shook her head, causing waves in her long black hair. "Not to the royal family. As far as I know, he has kept it to his two wives and a small harem."

"Shit." I mumbled. As almost all royal marriages, Kidin-Hutran's marriage to a Babylonian princess had been a political one, but according to the merchants, they were genuinely fond of each other, and it had taken almost a decade before Kidin-Hutran had taken another woman as his second wife. That was most likely due to the fact that he still hadn't produced any legitimate heirs with the first queen and so far, the second one hadn't helped on the situation.

I discovered that Merit was looking at me as if she expected me to explain. "While I can't know for certain, Tiglath is perhaps currently the only child Kidin-Hutran has ever produced, which makes him a target for anyone that knows that he might be the illegitimate heir to the kingdom." I shrugged. "I was looking for a reason why he was attacked, and I think I just found it."

She looked at me open-mouthed, but then stammered. "B-b-but why use an undead?"

I sighed. "I don't know, but the best bet would be that such an attack is untraceable, and that the person behind the attack isn't in a position to persuade or hire someone to do it. Unfortunately, that negates the most obvious suspects, like the noble houses, because they most certainly have people who could arrange Tiglath's early demise." I shook my head. "I hate powerplay and politics. It's lethal and generally a bloody mess and for some reason, I keep getting involved in it."

"Like the business in Kumet?"

"Yes, but at least I'm not in the middle of it this time." I pushed the negative thoughts away. "Let's forget about it for now and go see that parade. It might be a while before we'll see anything like that again."

Merit smiled and nodded at that. "I'll pack a basket with some food and drink."

"Good. Then I'll go fetch my knives. There's no way I'll go unarmed into the city after this."

----------------------------------

We weren't the only ones that wanted to see the parade and it seemed like most of the inhabitants of Susen were in the streets, with the road from the main gate to the palace ground being lined with people wanting to see the parade and finding a place from where we could see it, proved to be difficult.

Due to my height, I didn't have a problem looking over the crowd, but the three women did, and it took me a while before I remembered Arwia's eatery. The entrance was on a side street, but the rooftop had an unrestricted view of the main road, and I was more than willing to order four plates of food to sit comfortably instead of being in a densely packed crowd.

We made it just in time. Others had gotten the same idea and the eatery was so full that we got one of the last free tables on the rooftop.

"This is a lot better." Said Neferure when we were seated, and Kiri had brought us four cool (Basement temperature) beers to drink while we waited for the food.

"Yes." Agreed Merit and lowered her voice. "But why is the waitress giving me the evil eye? As far as I know, I haven't done anything to her."

"You're with Zabu." Chuckled Neferure. "I guess she has her eyes set on him and she thinks that we're all his wives... and we're young and in good health, which leaves little room for yet another."

The distant sound of drums and trumpets cut off the conversation, as we all looked towards the main street. Soldiers had started to appear, ordering people to clear the middle of the road, so that the parade could pass.

Knowing that it would take time before the parade reached us, we settled down to eat and drink again as the sounds came ever closer to us.

"There they are." Said Merit suddenly and with a smile.

I swallowed the last piece of food as I looked at the main road.

She was right. While we had been eating, soldiers had lined the streets, interspaced with priests and acolytes from the temples, the metal censer in which incense was burned swinging gently from the chain, spreading the fragrant smoke over both the civilians and the parade.

On the street, soldiers clad in polished bronze armor marched in disciplined formations, their rhythmic footsteps echoing off the stone walls, while the sound of drums reverberated through the air, setting the pace for the majestic display. Each soldier represented a regiment and carried a banner that fluttered in the breeze, emblazoned with symbols of their regiments and cities they hailed from.

After the bannermen came the royal guard, their faces stern as they surveyed the throngs of spectators, looking for any signs of trouble in the cheering crowd.

Then came the royals, led by King Kidin-Hutran III himself, riding a gold-plated chariot drawn by two magnificent black stallions. The king was looking just as glorious as the stallions as he stood dressed in his armor, a sword by his side and a long crimson and gold cape over his shoulders. Despite being middle-aged, his beard was still jet-black, his shoulders broad and the stance powerful, as he had the reins in one hand, while the other rested on the jewelled hilt of the sword.

It was the first time I had seen him, and I had to admit to myself that I was impressed: He fitted the warrior-king description I had been given perfectly.

The next two chariots held two of his wives, both dressed in green dresses with gold trimming. The first one was a middle-aged woman with dark hair, but the sight of the next one made me spit out a mouthful of beer in surprise.

Tall, good-looking and adorned with a thick mane of flaming red hair, she held herself like a noble. The reason for my surprise wasn't the red hair, but the fact that I knew her. It was Chuzara, the Baylon half-blood from the Pulcher family, that I had interrogated, and shared pleasure with, in Drusus on Baylon, before the rest of her group freed her, killing most of the prison guards in the process. Later, Chuzara and the rest of her group had guarded the Northern dimensional anchor in order to prevent Varro, Tia, Verina and I from destroying it, but when I had told her, that if the Anchor wasn't destroyed most of the world would be destroyed, she had wisely fought her way out of the area around the anchor.

After we had destroyed the anchor and Tia, Verina and Varro had returned to Baylon, while I had been left behind due to some unfortunate circumstances, I discovered that Chuzara had taken the magical gate I had left open as an escape route. Since she was laying bleeding and unconscious on the ground, I had brought her along to Kumet and healed her wounds. Chuzara had stayed with me for a while, but after a year or so, she had taken her goodbyes and left for her home city of Tyre, where she was raised and where some of her human friends were living.

To see her standing on a chariot as a wife of King Kidin-Hutran III was quite the surprise to say the least. She even looked almost the same, despite the six years that passed since she had left Kumet. That had to be the effect of the Baylon blood in her veins, slowing down her aging, because I knew she was at least thirty-one, but she looked like a human in the start of her twenties.

"What're you doing?" Inquired Neferure quietly and in Kumetian. "I've never seen you this surprised before."

"In a moment." I said in the same language and looked at Kidin-Hutran again or rather at his sword. Chuzara wasn't a noble, at least not of any kingdom close to this, and it was highly unlikely that the King would marry what essentially was a nobody, when he had plenty of beautiful and well-connected women at his beck and call. Due to the interference in the magic caused by the disappearance of Baylon, magic and mind-control was highly unlikely, but as a half-blood of the Pulcher family, Chuzara was capable of commanding anyone that carried one of the cursed Pulcher swords.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a closer look at King Kidin-Hutran's sword, except for the jewelled hilt, but as the sword of a king, that was a time-honoured tradition.

I looked over at Neferure and continued in Kumetian as I said, "I'm surprised, because the new queen is an acquaintance of mine... I just don't know if it's good or bad." I paused for a moment, but then asked. "Do any of you know where Kidin-Hutran got his sword from? I mean, is it a family heirloom or a gift from someone?"

They all shook their heads, so I decided to ask Hallutush or Murdus about it later.

"How well do you know her?" Neferure wanted to know.

"Oh, I saved her life years ago in a country far away from here." I told her with a slight smile. "That being said, she's not someone to be taken lightly. She took down a group of armed and armoured soldiers by herself. Unfortunately, she had lost so much blood that she passed out, and my help was limited to healing."

"Well, you do have a talent for being in the right place at the right time." Neferure said as a smile slowly spread on her face. "Or in the wrong place at the right time, depending on how you look at it."

"Sometimes it's more like somebody else being in the wrong place at the wrong time." I said dryly. "I like living in peace, but apparently, that is too boring for the Goddesses, and I keep running into people who need help."

"Avoid people." Suggested Tutu with a chuckle.

"Not going to happen. I'll get bored to death." I glanced over at the parade. "It's not like I'll see something like this, if I was living in a cave in the mountains."

"That's true." She replied with a smile and turned to look at the street as well, and we stopped talking and just enjoyed the rest of the parade.

As usual, the victorious king wanted to show off at least some of the loot from the successful raid and it didn't take long before a double line of wagons started to roll past us, loaded with all kinds of goods and riches. There was gold, silver, bronze, ivory, embroidered cloth, weapon and armor, sculptures, statues, cedar tree and many other things, which made the merchants by the other tables talk excitedly among themselves, mentioning the king's name several times.

It was one of the times where I wished that I had learned the language as I really wanted to know the reason for the excitement, but instead I glanced over at Merit. "What has made them so excited?"

She listened for a moment. "Most of the loot on display here will be sold at auctions held in the near future, and they're excited about the possibility of making a lot of good deals." She chuckled. "And most of them praise the king for bringing back this much loot."

"Thank you."

That kind of praise was the very reason why most kings held parades at the end of a campaign: It would raise their popularity among the merchants and upper classes, and those were the ones that had the most influence.

The merchants continued their excited talk while the parade progressed, and the next in line were the prisoners of war that were going to become slaves. Some of them were ordinary people from the various towns and cities Kidin-Hutran's army had raided, while others were defeated soldiers, though those weren't popular as slaves due to the potential problems they could cause. There were also a lot of people that had been slaves in Babylonia and some of them were going to be freed, if they had family here, while those who didn't have family in Haltamti would just continue to be slaves here.

I watched them carefully, just for the remote possibility that I might see somebody I knew, but thankfully I didn't recognize anyone.

"Zabu?" Asked Merit in a low voice.

"Yes?" I answered, still looking at the passing people.

"Can we get some slaves or servants? I'm tired of doing housework when I could be preparing herbs for healing."

That made me look over at her with a slight smile on my face. "I was wondering when you would ask about it and the answer is yes."

She looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. When we arrived, getting help didn't really make sense, but now that your services have become more sought after, I think it's justified."

Neferure turned to look at me, looking slightly miffed. "If you knew she was going to ask at some point, why didn't you suggest it yourself?"

My smile turned into a grin. "Because I only started thinking about it yesterday, when Murdus mentioned having promised his wives an additional slave, and Hallutush seemed almost outraged that Merit and Tutu actually did manual work." I shrugged lightly. "To be honest, I should have hired help or bought a slave a long time ago, but when things seem to work, I usually don't think about it."

They nodded in unison, with Merit saying. "Well, I know that you prefer servants over slaves, but most of the good ones are already taken, so perhaps we should try our luck with slaves instead. Not to mention, that I would really like to help some of those unfortunate souls."

Since both Merit and Tutu had started out as being my slaves, it made sense that they would like to help others in the same situation, and I nodded. "That is fair. When they're going to sell these, we'll go buy some."

"Deal." Said Neferure. "Now, can we go home? As far as I can hear from the animal sounds, the next part of the parade is livestock, and I don't want to sit here with the smell of goats, sheep and cattle in my nose."

Merit and Tutu seconded that, so we quietly packed and went home.

------------------------------------------

Trouble is brewing

The city of Susen, Haltamti (Susa, Elam, present day Southern Iran), 1203 BC

"It's bad." Hallutush said with a sigh a few weeks later, as he moved an ivory piece on the board. This time we were playing Hounds and Jackals, but Hallutush's mind wasn't really into it, which was unusual. With the King back in town, I haven't expected to see much of him, but he had been here at least four times since Tiglath had been healed and while I suspected that Merit was the major reason for his presence here, he did enjoy playing games and talking with us. Their trip to the theatre had gone well and Merit had developed a habit of joining us after the first few games, taking part in the conversation. She had even tried to learn both Hounds and jackals, as well as Senet, but she wasn't good at any of them. On the bright side, she was a killer in Pasha , a four-person board game we played when Tutu or Neferure joined us.

Right now, there was only Hallutush and I at the roof-top terrace, so I asked. "What is bad?"

He leaned back in the seat with another sigh. "The mood at the court."

That made me raise my eyebrows. That last two times he had been here, he hadn't breathed a word about it and that he was talking about it now, showed that it weighed heavily on his mind. "How so?"

"There was an assassination attempt on Queen Smuqta last week, but she's tougher than she looks like and killed the would-be murderer."

That made me chuckle. "Good on the queen."

He nodded slightly. "Yes, indeed." He tilted his head a bit. "You don't seem shocked. Do you know something I don't?"

I moved a piece on the board, giving myself time to think for a moment. As a minor prince and a royal guard, Hallutush was closely connected to the royal house and anything I told him now, would most likely be passed on to the rest of his family.

"I met her some years ago, and I have to say that I found her to be a highly intelligent and well-educated woman. Not just in scholarly knowledge, but also the physical ones. She's very well trained with a bladed weapon or a spear and can use her hands and feet as well." I shrugged. "For a young noble, she's also a very rational person, who rarely acts on her impulses without thinking them through. All in all, I liked her a lot back then."

"So, she really is a noble?" Hallutush said with a slight smile, as he leaned forward to move a piece. "There have been speculations about that in the court."

I nodded slowly. "I don't know who her mother was, but I knew her father's family and they were most certainly nobles." I thought for a moment. "As I said before, assume that she is even more educated than most noble women here and if she appears to be clueless from time to time, it's more about not knowing the traditions and customs here than lack of intelligence."

"Good to know." He said and hesitated for a moment before asking. "As a healer, do you think she's fertile?"

"As far as I know, she doesn't have any habits that make her infertile, which is more than I can say for the king." I said dryly and moved one of my pieces. "Most infertility problems come from what people eat and there's a good chance that the king is eating something he shouldn't."

That made his eyes go wide. "I did not know that. Can you give a few examples?"

I shook my head. "I don't know the spices and herbs around here well enough to give a guess. I can say that too much wine will lessen fertility, but as far as I know Kidin-Hutran doesn't drink that much, so that's not relevant."

"That's fair." He chuckled. "And to be honest, I can't think of anything special the king eats right now."

"Talking about the king, what's the story about his sword? I saw the jewelled hilt at the parade, but I couldn't really see the blade."

"Oh, it's a fine sword." Hallutush said, as he moved a piece on the board. "It's a single-edged bronze sword, but it holds an edge like nothing I've ever seen before. I've seen his Highness train with it, and it cuts through wooden spears and makes huge dents in normal bronze swords."

That made me raise my eyebrows. In my experience, the only way to make bronze swords that sharp, yet durable, was to use the same Baylon developed lux-bronze alloy I had used to make my own weapons. However, as it was inferior to most other metals used for weapons on Baylon, they were rarely used on the island itself and had never been made in large numbers. Put together, it made it highly likely that the king's sword was one of the cursed Pulcher swords.

"When did he get it?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, do you remember the Babylonian raid about two years ago?"

I nodded. The king and at least part of the army had been conducting training, when they had discovered a Babylonian raiding force heading towards one of the smaller cities in the north. Kidin-Hutran had reacted quickly and sent his chariots to block the way to the city. When the raiding force discovered the chariots, they wisely turned around and hurried back towards the border, only to run into Kidin-Hutran's main force. The result was a total destruction of the raiding force and Kidin-Hutran had returned to the city in triumph, though the victory was too small for a parade.

"Good." Continued Hallutush. "Kidin-Hutran took the sword from the corpse of the Babylonian general leading the raid as a trophy. However, he liked so much, that he had a new hilt made for it and now uses it almost exclusively." He shrugged. "After seeing him train with it, I understand why. If I had gotten a sword like that, I would have used it all the time as well."

I chuckled as I moved a piece. Unlike normal soldiers, nobles were expected to bring their own equipment when they joined the army. Mostly because the equipment usually was of better quality than what the normal person had access to.

"Isn't your own sword good enough?"

Like Tiglath, Hallutush was armed with an Assyrian-type sickle-sword. A design that was widely used in this part of the world and looked like a straighter version of the Kumetian Khopesh, making it easier to have in a scabbard.

"Oh, it's a good quality sword, but nothing compared to the King's sword and certainly not as fancy looking."

"Fancy looking bad swords will get you killed." I said dryly. "I'll take a normal looking, but superior quality sword, over a good looking one any day."

He nodded in agreement, as he moved a piece. "So would I." Then he widened his eyes as he discovered the opening he had made with his move, but quickly got his facial expression under control, obviously hoping that I hadn't noticed.

For a moment, I was tempted to ignore the error, but decided against it, and moved my piece into the winning position.

Hallutush sighed. "Not one of my better moves." Then he chuckled. "But as always, it is fun to play against you. The strategies you use are different from the ones usually employed here and learning these strategies will make me a better player."

I returned the smile. "Good, long-term planning there."

He nodded sagely. "Yes, I thought so too."

He was silent for a moment and then asked. "Now, we are talking about long-term planning, have you thought about why that Eṭemmu attacked Tiglath or who sent it?"

"Yes, but you're not going to like the answers."

"No matter what, it's better than not knowing anything."

I thought for a moment and then asked. "What rumours have you heard about Tiglath?"

Now it was his turn to be silent for a moment, but then he sighed. "There's a rumour that he's Kidin-Hutran's son, but I don't believe that for a moment."

"Oh. Why's that?"

He smiled wryly. "To be honest he's not smart enough. Both Kidin-Hutran and Tiglath's mother are very smart and while Tiglath isn't exactly stupid, he's not nearly that clever and he learns extremely slowly."

"Is that why he doesn't speak Assyrian?"

"Yes. It took so long for him that he simply gave up on it." Said Hallutush with a slight sigh. "Oh, and yes, they do look somewhat similar, but Tiglath's mother and Kindin-Hutan's father were cousins, so naturally there has to be some resemblance.

That was bad news. If Kidin-Hutran happened to die before his time and if the nobles decided to accept Tiglath as an heir, the Kingdom of Haltamti would be left with a slightly stupid and slow-learning ruler. Not exactly a good idea, when you had an Assyrian controlled Babylon next door. Another possibility was that the nobles didn't accept Tiglath as the heir, which could result in a power struggle or, in worst case, a civil war, and that possibility was even more realistic than them accepting an illegitimate heir. Especially a stupid one.

I sighed. "I'm still trying to figure out why he was attacked, and each time I think I have found a reason, I get new information that disproves that reason."

"Well, it might still be the right reason." Said Hallutush thoughtfully. "I mean, I know that Tiglath most likely is not Kidin-Hutran's child, but on the other hand, I've known him for many years. The people that set that attack into motion, might not know him that well."

"Good point." I admitted, "but who else would benefit from Tiglath's death? I mean, it's already unlikely that the nobles would accept Tiglath as Kidin-Hutran's heir, so why even try it?"

"I don't know." Said Hallutush with a slight shrug. "And I have to admit that I have thought a lot about it... Without any luck, I might add." He snorted. "The only thing I'm certain about, is that the attack on Tiglath, is not connected to the attack on Queen Smuqta, since her marriage to the king wasn't even public knowledge when Tiglath was attacked."

"Except for those who were with the army." I countered. "Which were most of the noble houses."

He shook his head. "No... or rather yes, but no couriers left the army before they were camped five hours away, so if the two attacks are connected, that would have left very little time for anyone to make a magical ritual... though I have no idea how long such a ritual takes."

"Same here. I have no experience with those kinds of rituals."

He accepted that with a nod. "So, the reason for the attack is unlikely to be due to any possible connection to the king. He doesn't have any status to speak of, compared to some others in his family, and the same goes for wealth."

"Personal reasons like a lover?" I suggested.

Hallutush shook his head. "Tiglath was married two years ago with Zefrin of the Urua family, and while that was an arranged marriage, he's extremely happy with it." He snorted. "Not to mention, that Tiglath isn't exactly a ladies man. He simply doesn't have the charm."

"Hmmm... Who knew that Tiglath and you came here for healing?"

Hallutush snorted. "The entire Royal Guard. I always tell the men where I'm going, in case they need me."

It made sense, but it didn't help limiting the number of people.

We both sat in silence for a moment, before Hallutush asked. "What does a Black Magic practitioner look like? I mean, in the stories they're always ugly or deformed in some way."

That made me chuckle. "Sorry, but as far as I know, Black Magic doesn't impact the user's looks in any way. He or she might be one of the most beautiful people you have ever seen or one of the ugliest." I shrugged. "The only thing they can't be is young. As far as I know, learning the ritual to create an Eṭemmu takes decades of study and practice."

Hallutush looked thoughtful for a moment. "Since there haven't been any other such attacks in the five years I've been in the Royal Guards, or any instances of people using Black Magic for that matter, I'm tempted to assume that the Black Magic user is a newcomer to the city."

"That sounds fair." I said after having thought it through. "Continue that thought."

"So, we're looking for a middle-aged person that has arrived in the city recently. There's a possibility that they were hired by someone else, so it doesn't have to be a noble."

I nodded and added. "And either the Black Magic user or the person hiring him or her have to be new to the city as well."

That made him raise his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because Tiglath doesn't have much chance of being elected as heir, but a newcomer or someone new to the nobles here won't know that." I chuckled. "I mean, I actually thought that the possibility of him being an heir was the reason for the attack."

"Good point." Hallutush mumbled and was silent for a moment before saying. "It's late and I need to go, but I'll look into this."

"Be careful." I warned. "You don't want a visit from an Eṭemmu during the night."

He nodded and took a small pouch from his belt. "I never go anywhere without some salt, and I spread salt around my bed every night. Tiglath does the same." He tilted his head. "I recommend that you do the same."

"I'll consider it but to be honest, I'm a political nobody compared to you guys. There's no reason to go after me."

"Better safe than dead." He countered with a slight smile as he stood. "Thank you for another relaxing and interesting evening."

"You're welcome and likewise." I answered as I stood as well. "It's always a treat to have you visiting."

When Hallutush had departed, I walked into the kitchen to fill two cups with salt, before walking to the bedroom. There was no reason to ignore good advice due to arrogance, and salt had the advantage that everybody could throw it, and thus it didn't need any training to use.

The next few weeks were going to be interesting, most likely more interesting that I would like, and some precautions would go a long way to protect Neferure, Tutu and Merit, while I tried to figure out what was happening.

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