I felt movement and woke up. Startled, I tensed up and held an arm that was trying to pin me down. I started to hyperventilate and was about to get some tool or weapon from my storage when I heard his voice.

"Sandra, calm down. It is me."

It was Brandon. He slept next to me. I felt his warmth, his weight pressing down on the straw mattress. He cared. I relaxed my grip, leaned back, pulled the arm over me like a blanket and kissed the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry. I..."

He flipped his hand and held my cheek. I leaned on that hand like a pillow.

"Shh," He soothed. "I know. I've seen it many times with new soldiers. The first battle is always worse. Relax. I'll stay here with you."

My eyes moistened. I felt very fragile and I needed to stay there, in his arms.

"I killed them, Brandon," I whimpered, starting to sound like a broken record. "It was terrible."

"I wasn't awake when the blast went off, but it woke me up. The sentries stationed at the walls saw the thing and they were afraid. When the report on where the explosion happened came, I was afraid. When you disappeared during the meeting without telling anyone where you were going, I knew it was you. I was afraid you were hurt or dead."

I shook my head. It made me warm inside to know he was worried about me. "I was buried several meters under the earth. It only shook me a bit."

He pulled me tight and rested his chin on my head. "When you went into the abyss, I thought you were lost forever. I... I hated it."

"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do." I sang acapella. He didn't understand a word, obviously. So I explained the lyrics. It was that or Rick Astley.

"That's beautiful," He commented.

"Did you know," I said, teasing him, "That I almost evacuated with everyone when the Enshi died? I only stayed behind because some blockhead would stay behind and die for the city."

"Are you talking about me?" He asked. I huffed and headbutted his chin. "Ouch! Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"You better be!" I pouted.

"I have to thank you then. You saved me from fighting a siege."

"And you can't forget that," I felt elated and then it was like the arms of the dead dragged me back down to the ground. The guilty returned double because here I was having a good time and these young men were denied their future.." I... Brandon, what did I do?"

Doubt, guilt, fear, disgust. I could hear the explosion, the smell of the prince's body burning, the face of the unknown soldier. The burnt and charred debris spread I shivered. Brandon held me tighter.

"It is okay. Be strong. You did what was right. You protected the town. You protected the children. You fought for the children you cherish so much. And those soldiers, they would attack, pillage, rape and enslave everyone."

I didn't want to cry anymore. But it was stronger than me. I twisted in the bed and buried my head in his chest. Someone seeing us might think we were up to no good but there was no mood. I just wanted solace. I just wanted to wake up from this lucid nightmare. Brandon was a gentleman. He held me, caressed my hair. I was almost falling asleep again when someone knocked on the door.

"Captain, honored Abil-Kisu asked to warn you. The council starts in one hand."

And the clock rang midnight. Time to turn into a pumpkin.

"I have to go, Sandra. Stay here and rest. I'll be back as soon as I can.'

My wish was to hold him back. But I knew I couldn't keep him from his duties. Neither me from mine.

"What is this council?" I asked.

"The gathering of merchants and craftsmen to decide the fate of the city. You were there, and you have a vote as you own a lot of trade permits."

I would like nothing better than staying in bed, with him if possible. But I couldn't stay still. If I hadn't something to distract me, the terror would catch up. I sat up.

"I'm going," I declared.

"No. You stay here and rest," He said with an insincere voice.

"Okay, what is going on? I seldom hear your voice breaking. You are hiding something!"

Is this what they call wife instinct? The sixth sense that tells when one's man is being unfaithful? Not that I suspected Brandon of having a miss...

Really, me? Wife instinct?

"The council... they decided..."

Yes, totally hiding something. Him being unable to lie with a straight face was kind of cute.

"Only three days and they decided something? That must be a new record!" I said with sarcasm oozing from my words.

"I know. They decided the city must have an Enshi or the Lugal will just use the opportunity to appoint one of his cronies. Today we will debate who will be the Enshi. There's... some animosity toward you."

I kept watching him straighten and ready his clothes. Only then I noticed he hadn't changed. And my pajamas. Too late.

"I really don't care. I have some things to tell this council. And staying here without something to do will drive me crazy."

He sighed, then gave up. "Come then. You have a right to be there."

"I'm going to change really fast. Go ahead."

I checked the clothes I used during the trip, they were ruined. I cut the worst parts, the pieces stained with blood and stored them back so they would self-repair. I changed into the frilly dress I used for Abil-Kisu's baby shower. Now that I had a set of high heels, they would be perfect. I put on foundation to hide the bags, some eyeliner to give me fierce predatorial eyes, and a deep red lipstick to draw attention to my mouth. I also put on my gold choker, earrings, and bracelets.

I looked in the mirror and thought it was good enough. Based on the outfits I had that weren't regenerating or were unfit for the occasion, it was either this or the sailor uniform.

The other world is not ready for miniskirts and 7/8th socks. And I didn't have shoes to wear with my high school uniform. And I was too old to pose as a JK.

I went downstairs and joined Abil-Kisu and Brandon. They were eating breakfast. Yeah... Lipstick and greasy food. Not a great match. But Abil-Kisu settles the deal for me.

"Come, sit and eat. We have a bit of time, yes?"

I sit and get my tableware from storage. Breakfast is some soup and bread. I eat it while Abil-Kisu pays great attention to the fork and spoon.

"I'm going to the council today," I announced to him. "I have some matters I need to settle there. Then I won't bother them again unless someone comes to bother me."

Strike when the iron is hot. I had leverage and momentum, I intended to use it. I wanted to secure the rights to the mine and the Aerie. And make sure that the magistrate nephew doesn't rise to power. He was the last loose end on prince Marduk and Nergal's schemes. And no, I won't mock a dead man. I didn't want to have to throw in in the abyss though. But I would do whatever it took short of that to make sure he paid. I didn't think one more kill would be just another drop in the bucket and I was thankful for that. Maybe I had justified cause for that.

I finished my breakfast and went to the carriage that would take us to the palace. Abil-Kisu and Brandon sat on one side, leaving the other one for me.

"We don't want to wrinkle your marvelous outfit," The merchant lord said.

During the trip to the palace, I saw some teams working on the burnt city blocks. Removing debris, filling wagons with dust and ash. Rummaging through the wreckage, probably in search of valuables or bodies. I wanted to help. I could help rebuild the city. Mine was the power of recycling. That was the core of Decompose. I could salvage materials from the wreckage. Reuse it. I could use what little I knew of engineering and materials to make better buildings.

The silent trip ended as we parked in the palace courtyard. The footman helped me get down and I happily used his help. Those vehicles were not designed with high heels in mind. For a moment I felt like a princess. Getting down from a coach in front of a palace wearing a frilly dress. But all the court intrigue and interests and backstabbing and sycophancy. It would get old soon. And I didn't want temporal power. Ruling my household of thirty people was good enough. Soon I'd be mining. Soon I'd be rebuilding a town.

Redeeming myself in front of my own eyes. Proving I was not a monster.

The visions threaten to come again. I smell smoke. Blood. No. Please no. I am about to lose my footing when Brandon gets my elbow.

"Thank you," I tell him.

The way he looks at me tells me he knows what I am going through. "You are strong. Don't let the ghosts torment you. I'm here, you can rely on me."

And so I do. I move to his left and get his arm. We move toward the conference room. I can hear the men arguing. The guards manning the door open them for us. It felt like we were entering a ball.

A dance of words and daggers. Interests and threats. At least they stop mumbling to look at us. Look at me. I scan the room and see that even though my seat is on the merchant's side, I have more allies on the craftsmen's side. That was a stupid division.

And then I saw him. The nephew-formerly-magistrate. Fellow monster tamer. And he seemed to be... balding? Thinner? His was skin taut and dry, with black spots. He scratches himself, clearly irritated.

"What is this woman (cough) doing here in my council?" He asks with an accusing finger. His voice was croaking and rough.

I was about to speak when master Samus shouted from the craftsmen's side. "She is one of the merchant lords. You granted her enough trade permits to give her three seats."

Yeah, take that. Nice touch. I smiled at him, he nodded back. Aran was by his side. I could see that nice lady that was always well-dressed, and also master goldsmith Lu-Ninurta. I gave each of them a smile. The lady was eyeing my dress as if she was a digital scanner.

"I could ask what are you doing here, former magistrate. I remember you have an outstanding date with the abyss," I snark back.

He glares at me and hisses. Or wheezes. Gosh, what is his problem?

"Captain, take your place. Because you sure took your time to pick up unwelcome people."

Brandon tried to move but I held him back. "Isn't he your slave? Why are you obeying him?"

The sick man slams the table. I am your Enshi! Elected by this council! Have respect, woman, or I'll--"

"Get another rigged trial to try and fail at defeating me?" I chortle at him. "Get real, former magistrate. I survived your pet monster, the abyss, and just returned last night from defeating the army the gentlemen gathered here were trembling in fear three days ago."

Abil-Kisu was behind us and he takes a step sideways to allow everyone to see him. "Since when he was elected the Enshi?"

"You were late pampering your pretty lady," Nephew answered. "So we held a vote. Get early next time."

That relinquish-your-name thing was really annoying. And that maneuver was a cheap shot.

"I would like to challenge that. The council is no longer valid," Abil-Kisu replied, "since miss Rinaldi here destroyed the army two nights ago."

There were a few nods and some mumbles of agreement coming from frowning faces. The majority kept silent though. With a quick headcount, I saw that it was almost tied. I guess that my votes and Abil-Kisu's were really missed.

"That is a tall boast. A single woman against (cough) an army forty thousand strong?" Nephew croaked.

"I don't claim I managed to destroy the whole army. Most of it though. I took all of their supplies and ammunition. They are in the middle of the rocky savanna without water. And your patron, Prince Marduk..."

I summoned my combat knife and stabbed the air, sending the weapon back to storage right away. I was already hating what I was about to do but I needed to be strong. Appear strong. Put the dots on the 'i's' and cross the 't's'. It might trigger me. I held Brandon's hand and said my piece.

"I put a dagger deep in the small of his back. But not before he told me on how he paid you, Hama-Tula and Es-Kina with chests of gold. I've found already Hama-Tula's share and boy was it huge. I can only assume that yours and your uncle's were even bigger, given that you were above the greedy merchant in the food chain. Now, it is unfair you keep his payment since you failed to deliver. And that was kinda betraying the whole city too. Your uncle's too. The city needs rebuilding and those funds will go a great length to help that. Hire more hands, pay for materials, and so on.

"Ah, and since Marduk is dead twice over, he is not coming to get the town from your hands. It seems you are kinda stuck here if you really want to play king."

His face was red with anger. He glared daggers at me but he was powerless. I could see that both sides of the table liked my offer of extra funds. If I got the valuables from Nephew, I would deliver.

"You (cough) you are insane, woman! I had no deals with Marduk whatso..." He broke into a hiss of coughing, getting as far as spitting blood on the table and staining some documents.

It felt somewhat familiar.

I knew I had something at the tip of my tongue regarding his symptoms.

It...

Hama-Tula was deep in debt. But he had that stash hidden. Probably that was the bribe from Marduk. Probably everything in that room was the bribe from Marduk. It meant that...

Nephew had hair loss, skin lesions, loss of weight, coughing, apparently anemia too.

He also got the bribe from Marduk. And Marduk did not intend to keep them around any longer than he needed. What if he had an insurance plan to make sure these people died even if he did nothing else?

What if he put a deadly and seemingly beautiful thing in the treasure he handed over to them?

The torbernite ore.

Nephew had radiation poisoning. It all fit. He had more time to be exposed to the radiation than Hama-Tula, and four months went by while I was in the underground tunnels.

It meant both Nephew and Es-Kina had radiation poisoning. Es-Kina was healthier because he probably locked away his sample of torbernite somewhere away from him, like his treasury. Nephew didn't have that luxury. And vain like he was, he probably admired his shiny green jewel a lot.

"Nephew, I know what sickness ails you!" I said, my voice betraying my concern.

He glared at me and threw the blood-stained documents on the ground. "Lies! You (cough) try to win my favor with lies! I know your kind, woman! Always deceiving!"

I summon my laptop and put it on the table in front of me, between two merchants. I open my offline Wikipedia and browse to the torbernite page. Then I open up the picture gallery. I turn the screen around to show him.

"Did the treasure Marduk gave you have a gemstone like this one? Green, and shiny? This gemstone, called 'torbernite' in my language, has an insidious poison that can kill a person from just from being next to it."

I turn the notebook around so everyone can see it. Lu-Ninurta gasps. The old goldsmith puts his hands over his heart and stands up.

"You!" He points at Nephew. "You showed me that gemstone even gave me a piece of it! You wanted to kill me!"

He was scowling and grumbling. Probably mashing his thoughts together. I stored the laptop and pleaded to the goldsmith. "Master Lu-Ninurta, do you have the gemstone with you?"

"It is here in my pocket! He made me think it was too valuable to keep in a vault!"

The craftsmen next to Lu-Ninurta jump away from him as if he had the plague. The goldsmith produced a felt pouch and turns it upside down on the table, revealing the green tetragonal crystal cluster. Lu-Ninurta also moves backward until he hits the wall.

"Brandon, General, protect the Enshi, keep him alive. Nephew, I'll get back to you soon. Nobody touches that gemstone!"

I run around the table, aiming to get the torbernite. My estimate was right. Several angry people try to get the Enshi. I grab the ore. It felt wrong, just like the previous one. It was as if it was burning my hand, which was even though it was slow.

"I'm going to dispose of this safely. Tell me, master Lu-Ninurta, are you having dizziness? Vomiting? Diarrhea?"

"I was feeling under the weather lately. I vomited yesterday. I thought it was the smoke..."

"Then it is fine. I think I can make an antidote. And this... this..."

I thought of the ore in my hand. I could sense the wrongness. Decompose worked on the ore, at least for sensing. Could it speed up the process of radioactive decay? Would it be safe?

I summoned a disk of lead that I extracted from the galena in the mine. Then I buried the torbernite inside, along with the pouch which I Decomposed until only the radioactive matter remained. Shape the lead into a sphere. Flatten the bottom because the last thing I need is some runaway radioactive contaminant.

"There. Inside the lead, it is less dangerous. I'll dispose of it safely."

I raised the gray orb in my hand and looked around. "Do you believe me now, gentleman? And you, former magistrate. I need the rest of the torbernite. And it contaminates everything around it. Where is it?"

"Ha! Do you think I would tell you? You set this theater up just to steal my treasure!"

This was no joking matter. The torbernite Hama-Tula had was potent, and I could see this sample I had here was as powerful. What Nephew had, combined the two samples he got as a bribe, could very well doom this whole building.

I wasn't a radiology expert. But I knew no amount of precaution was too much precaution.

"Nephew... No, you are no longer a magistrate. Do you have a name I can call you?" I asked him.

"I'm the magnanimous Enshi Es-Kina now."

Okay. Not even a 'the second', but whatever rocks your boat."I can help you. Show me where the torbernite is. I can make an antidote. it could help you."

What I really should tell him was, 'Okay. I won't lie to you, you are already poisoned beyond salvation. You have little time to live, so do one decent thing and hand over the radioactive material.' But I had to make him cooperate.

"Everyone, vacate the room," the general shouted. "The council is adjourned. Lu-Ninurta, miss Rinaldi, you stay. Everyone else, scram."

The merchants and craftsmen were happy to put distance between themselves and the new Enshi. I felt sorry for him. He had months to live, at most.

"Girl, can you (cough) really make an antidote?"

If I were a physician, my license would be revoked at that moment.

"Yes, I can. But I need the torbernite that poisoned you to use as a catalyst. This," I showed the lead ball, "Is too little. I need all of it if I am to have a chance at healing you. And even if you don't tell me, it is your loss. I will tear this palace, this city apart and find it. I can sense when it is nearby and I can walk through walls."

He looked nervously between me, Brandon, the general, Lu-Ninurta and Abil-Kisu. Only the six of us remained in the room. Then he had his 'eureka' moment.

"I'll send a soldier to fetch it for you. You just need the gemstones, right?"

He wanted to play smart. Two can play that game.

"Yes. I will prepare a proper receptacle for the gemstones so the guard is not harmed."

I sat at the edge of the table, with my back to them. I took two cylinders of lead, about six kilograms. I then made a box with thick walls, using aluminum on the inside and outside. I hid my phone in the bottom, with the pedometer app in 'pirate treasure mode'. It would count the steps and direction, using the built-in compass. The aluminum wasn't thick enough to block the magnetic field. I returned to the other side.

As I worked, a 'volunteer' soldier approached. I handed him the metal box.

"Here, put the gemstones in this box. You need to get all the stones that look like this," I showed him the torbernite, "And if it is green and you are in doubt, take it too."

I shielded the box from the Enshi's view on purpose. As the soldier turned to leave, he shouted.

"Let me (cough) check on that box. This woman has tricks to make what was seen once repeat itself."

He examined the box for that I suppose were camera lenses. He wouldn't find them. Satisfied, he gave the box to the guard. "Go. You know where the secret treasury is."

He moved away, walking the corridor with precise steps, like a good marching soldier. Soon I would have the torbernite and the location of the treasury. Did I feel guilty for stealing the gold Marduk gave them to kidnap me? You can bet I didn't. And I would do good on my word, to use the gold to rebuild the city. Before the soldier returned, I took the radiation tag, broke the corner and stored the piece.

We waited in silence until the guard returned. He handed me the box. I lifted the lid. I could swear the ore glowed. About as much as what Hama-Tula had in his secret chamber. Not good. I knew immediately what he told the guard to do. I took the torbernite and wrapped it in lead with the other sample, using another disk.

The Enshi nephew glared at me. "My antidote. How long will it take?"

I wrapped the box in the plastic bag the torbernite was in and stored it with the phone inside. Now that it was in my storage, I could summon the phone back. I tapped the app and used "generate treasure map". It would take the double trip and calculate instructions with the number of steps.

"Brandon, make sure to keep the Enshi and his trusted guard restrained in this room. I'm going to get the rest of the torbernite."

"What?" The nephew-Enshi complained. "You can't do that!"

Brandon held the guard by the wrist, "Gu-Ler and Fenana, get inside!" and called the two that were guarding the room outside. "Go, Sandra."

I was about to move out but I stopped and met the general's eyes. "Sir, that petty man kept half of the poisonous gemstone to himself, obviously thinking of..."

He raised a hand, I stopped talking. "I got that. Go and do what you want, miss. I doubt we could stop you and if captain Brandon trusts you enough to mutiny against the ruler of the city, I have to do the same." The general then glowered at the Enshi-formerly-magistrate. "You stay here. Don't speak. If the miss fails to bring back more ore, I'll deal with her myself."

Yeah. Remember when I said I wouldn't start a revolution? I guess that commitment also failed. I left the room and followed the treasure map. I noticed how deserted the inside of the palace was. The architecture was something between ancient Roman and something I saw once in pictures of Asia Minor's ruins.

After a while, the map told me to walk into a wall. Some sort of secret passage? I touched the stone wall and opened a hole the size of my arm. Pushing the arm deeper, I found air on the other side, about twenty centimeters in. Without wasting time to look for the mechanism, I Decomposed the wall to open a passage. Before I went in, I used the mirror to look around. There was a blade trap. Ropes connected to weights would pull and swivel some bronze blades forward if the trap triggered.

I opened another hole next to the blades' mechanism and Decomposed the bronze. Some blades fell down, triggering the other side of the trap. The sound of metal striking stone followed and then nothing. I moved inside and collected the copper and tin from the trap. Onward. The tunnel wasn't long but it did two sharp turns before opening into a vault. I could see the treasure chests. I walked inside and poison darts flew at me. I was hit by more than half of them.

I'm the best rogue. I disarm traps like a barbarian though. I pocketed two darts that missed me.

In hindsight, even Hama-Tula had two traps. I removed the darts and felt the paralysis set. I tried to fight the poison with Decompose but had little result. It got hard to breathe but I didn't think this poison was meant to kill. It seemed tailored to capture intruders and induced mild cramps where the darts hit. There was little I could do to fight the poison but wait. I could move a bit because the poison only half-paralyzed me, thanks to the divine boon. I moved slowly around the room, focusing my Decompose sense. A few minutes later I'd found where the torbernite was.

Was.

Two chests of the same size and slightly fancier than the one Hama-Tula had his ore were side-by-side, empty. The guard moved the torbernite to another location. If I had to guess from the size of the chests, Nephew combined both his ore and the late Enshi's.

I checked the map, he didn't leave the room before he returned to the room and the steps ended inside this room. He probably put my heavy box on the ground while he worked. It meant the two torbernite samples I'm missing could be anywhere. With my limited mobility, there was only one thing I could do. I shaped a bowl of lead and a bowl of silicon.

I Decomposed the whole room, sending the contaminated materials in the lead bowl and the purified ones in the silicon. I also removed about three fingers of stone from all the walls. I separated the valuable metals from the common and the unknowns. There was something there that looked like platinum but I would check it later. I encased the radioactive contaminants in the lead and then inside the silicon from the walls. It should be enough to hold it until I could gather everything to dispose of.

I regained control of my body and moved in search of the torbernite. The guard should've walked out of the vault with the ore. I tried to sense the "wrongness" from the radiation and walked around. I could pick up traces here and there but I should be getting closer. Nuclear hot and cold is a tense game best left behind in the sixties. It led me to a door with a guard.

"Halt! What do you want in the Enshi's private quarters?" The guard barked at me.

I blinked. Did the idiot hide the uranium in his own room? Did he have a death wish or he didn't believe me? No. If he didn't believe me, he wouldn't keep some of the ore.

"A guard came with a green gemstone and entered this room. The Enshi changed his mind and asked me to fetch it."

He shook his head. "You are lying, miss."

I nodded. "I'm sorry." I moved forward. He leaned the spear down but didn't point it at me. "I wished I could see a king's chambers at least once," I told him as I inched forward. "Could you show them to me?" I asked with a sweet girlish voice.

"Miss, stay back. I don't want to hurt you but I will." He replied with a voice that betrayed a lot of doubt.

I needed to get inside. I took a page from Theresa's book and used my feminine charm on him. "Are you married, sir? I heard that the palace guards are all virile man that sometimes help ladies in need like me..."

Eww.

I got closer to him. Inside his spear's reach and then I touched his hand and held his bracer. I looked into his eyes and moved closer. Closer. Close enough to block his sight from the dart I took from my pocket and stabbed his arm with. Then the second dart on another arm.

"Ugh." He gritted his teeth as the paralysis settled and I eased him on the ground.

I went inside and the trail of wrongness was stronger. After rummaging through the furniture, I dug through a cabinet's bottom and found the two huge and very active weapon-grade chunks of torbernite along with a stash of gems and gold. I encased the radioactive ore with the last of my lead and checked the valuables. Not enough time passed to contaminate them significantly.

And my petty sense of vengeance made me take it. In fact, I owned everything nephew had. Four months in the depths. I was okay with sparing him the trip down, but I'd be twice damned if I let him have the money Marduk paid him to kidnap me and that was mine by law. Which law? Ask that to Mr. Schwarzenegger. I was angry and thought Nephew was unworthy to keep the bribe because it was a BS bribe and he didn't deliver the goods. So I bagged all of it.

Totally in the moral gray area, I know.

I went back to the room, carrying the lead orb. I entered the conference room and presented the orb to the general.

"The poisonous ore is inside. Do you want to see it?" I challenged him.

The general shook his head. "No. I know you are not lying. Does the magnanimous Enshi want to confirm she has two samples of ore in these balls?"

Nephew didn't answer. He was too busy breathing. I felt no hatred for what he did. He had his karmic punishment already. I would even extend an olive branch.

"This will be spoken of in years to come. How the treacherous Prince Marduk attempted to end the line of the great Enshi of Es-Kina with a fake gift of a poisonous ore. How the magnanimous Enshi Es-Kina, last of his name unraveled the conspiracy, ending Marduk's plans for good."

Last of his kind. Because I was pretty sure he was permanently sterile now. Nobody answered, maybe too busy digesting what I said.

"I won't lie to you. You are dying, Enshi Es-Kina. I can make medicine that will help you live better. I don't know how long you have, but it is less than a year. If I were you, I'd focus on rebuilding the city and making a name for yourself. It is all about how you want to be remembered by the people of this city. You could be the leader that rebuilt the city after the death of your uncle. The people could raise a statue of you in your prime to honor your memory.

"I have no grudge against you and I will ask only for the Sky-Lord Aerie mountain to the west. And I pledge to help in the reconstruction with my power and my knowledge. What do you say?"

The look he gave me was one of disgust. The disgusted one feels when he's the target of pity.

"You can have God's Fingers mountain you like so much. Rename it even," Enshi Es-Kina proclaimed. "And what about my gold?"

I summoned a plastic bag with the gold lumps. Half of what I gathered in the treasury.

"I purified it. You can have this and get it minted into new coins. The gemstones I had to dissolve because the poison spreads and makes everything around it poisonous too."

It was still a sizeable lump of gold. I ripped off part of the bag and stored it, causing the rest to dissolve.

With his greed sated, the Enshi looked at me, "Am I really going to die?"

I nodded. "You have at most a year. I would say four to six months. Maybe less. I am not an expert in this kind of poisoning. But back in my world, it was one of the most terrible kinds. Prince Marduk... He was evil. And so is the god he worships. Would you be against banning the worship of Nergal in this city?"

Yeah, take that, asshole god.

"No. I have no sympathy for Nergal too. It shall be done. The church of Nergal is banned."

"Then it is settled. I will prepare the poisonous ore for transportation.

I put myself to work. First I researched radiation poisoning medication and containment. I should mix graphite with the uranium to block fast neutrons that might form and cause fission. Other than that, it was a heavy coating of lead to stop the gamma radiation.

I took all the remaining lead I had and encased all the torbernite in a ball. Then I layered iron and aluminum over the lead, making a sphere one meter tall. I punched holes on both sides and placed an arc of titanium bending inwards and pinching on both holes. Now the ball could be rolled around by pulling the arc.

"Tie this to a horse and have a soldier you trust to take the ball to my house," I told the general. "The metal will protect him from the poison."

The general shouted some orders and soon the sphere was going away.

I went to talk to the Enshi. "I need some sea salt. Could you get me some?"

He waved a hand to call a servant and ordered him to fetch a barrel of sea salt.

"Is that all?" The Enshi asked.

"Yes, I can extract the medicine from the salt."

I didn't think I could get the most effective radiation medicine for him. He was showing alopecia and other signs of a fatal dose. Potassium iodide was easy to make, I just needed to get it from the sea salt. Prussian blue and sodium-calcium-EDTA would be tricky. The first was made with cyanide and the second was a complex organic compound. Both were beyond my current ability. I could give them the iodide salt to protect their thyroids. It would help a lot already.

The sea salt came and I started to work. I scooped the salt and separated the sodium chloride from the other materials. Iodine had a 1 in twenty million parts. After going through the whole barrel, I put the pure sodium chloride back in the barrel. From the fifty kilograms of salt, I obtained around 300 mg of potassium iodide that was in a sheet of paper from my notebook. I also obtained other salts that seemed very nice. I could probably fill the first three periods now. I also learned iodine particular resonance, making it easier to spot the element later.

I split the salt into three parts and handed one to each man. "This will help you recover some strength."

Lu-Ninurta took him quickly and after making sure the goldsmith wasn't dying, the Enshi also took his. I shaped a vial of thin silicon and poured the third dose inside, sealing it. I handed it to the Enshi.

"Take the salt inside this orb tomorrow at the same time. I will try to make more."

I thought where I could find a rich iodine source. It is usually captured by living beings, especially marine life. Saltpeter also has iodine in the composition of some of its salts. But our best bet was seafood.

"I will," He said, suspicious.

"Be magnanimous, Enshi. We won't oppose your rule and I would ask that my votes in the council be recorded as supporting your rise to the station. I got what I came for, even more than that. I wish peace between us. I... I have other issues to deal with now."

Enshi Es-Kina (I felt bed mocking him after this point) raised his hand. "I know you raided my treasury. I expect you to make good (cough) in your promise to help and fund the rebuilding of my city," He put emphasis in both 'my'. "I would be a fool to keep opposing Tarhun's chosen. Go in peace, miss Rinaldi."

I smiled, curtsied and left with Abil-Kisu and Lu-Ninurta. Brandon followed us.

"Sandra." He called me.

I spun around, making my skirt balloon. "yes? What is it?"

"Can I see you tonight?" He asked, fidgeting.

So cute!

"I'd be delighted to drink a bottle of wine with you under the moo... starlight," I replied. It was still hard to cope with the fact there was no moon.

I heard a snicker from behind me. "It is good to be young," Lu-Ninurta quipped.

"Tonight then. Once I am done with my duties."

I nodded. "Yes. It is a date."

He went back to the room. I hope this Enshi is not stupid enough to try and hog my Brandon. I wanted to go back to training every morning. We walked away down the deserted hallways of the palace.

"Will the council meet again?" I asked the men with me.

We were reaching the courtyard where the carriage was waiting for us.

"No, I don't think they will. An Enshi rose to power, the purpose of the council is over," Abil-Kisu said.

"And I think everyone will be very busy trying to survive the chaos that is coming," Lu-Ninurta said, looking to the southwest. "The remnants of the invading army will disband. Some will try to join us, some will become bandits, some will die to the hands of their former brothers-in-arms, and just a few will try to go back home. They will be trouble."

We walked outside and I took note of the sun's position. It was past noon. Abil-Kisu's carriage moved and I sighed. My afternoon was going to be a busy one, as usual. I knew I had to. Keeping myself busy was the best way to keep my mind away from the flashbacks.