We entered the throne room.

It was a rectangular room with stone benches along the side and rear walls and four columns that held the roof. The floor was marble covered in expensive Persian-like rugs. Some people were sitting on the benches and leaning on the wall. The space between the four columns had no roof and the sun shone down on the far wall where Nephew sat on a stone chair. The walls and columns were painted a dull red with bands of geometric patterns going around and several relief carvings of important moments of the city.

I felt a chill running up my spine. Magic being used on me? I didn't think so.

Nephew's crier decided to speak. While he did the announcements, I checked on Nephew. He seemed healthier. The signs of radiation poisoning were still there, but they seemed more like lifelong scars from a distant event than a current malady. His alopecia was even being replaced by new hairs that were growing from his deformed scalp, creating a thin fur over his head. He was wearing an embroidered tunic with a fur cloak with huge gold clasps that screamed wealth. His sandals and belt were also decorated with gold and jewels. His form was still lean and gaunt but he wasn't showing weakness in his stance. He sat with his back erect and was looking down on us.

The crier seemed to end his long prologue. He tapped the butt of his staff on the ground to call everyone's attention.

" ... The magnanimous Enshi Es-Kina speaks!"

I had no idea if we should kneel or do some reverence. I really didn't want to but there was no need to antagonize him. Especially in my weakened and powerless state. I watched around and Abil-Kisu dropped on one knee while the others that were seated lowered their heads. I picked up the hem of my skirt and did a curtsy.

"Welcome, welcome. I recognize merchant Abil-Kisu and lady Rinaldi, maiden of Tarhun!" Nephew said in a solemn tone. I guessed it was some kind of rite. "I called you today to discuss your proposal. You offered me to feed the whole town in exchange for sparing your houses from the mandatory draft. Now, while that was a very generous offer, to build the mightiest ziggurat for Ishtar, all the power possible is required. I cannot just let one such as you go, lady Rinaldi."

A dish best served cold, was that it? Did Nephew want his vengeance this bad? I started to frown, but then I saw the corners of his mouth rise, showing the joy he was feeling for bothering me. That was his game. Abil-Kisu stood up and moved to sit on an empty spot on the wall bench. I stayed there. It was no time to be meek and docile. Maybe he really belonged in the pit. I steeled myself and straightened my back.

"All the power possible. Unless you want to try your luck and pit both sibling gods against one another, I am not 'possible'. I respect your rites but what I offered is the limit of what I'm willing to do. You would be wise to not press the issue any fur--"

"INSOLENCE!"

The shout that interrupted me did not come from Nephew, he seemed to be enjoying our exchange. It came from his crier, a guy that I've seen once in the council room. Now that he was fuming at me, I thought his job might not be just a crier but the prime minister or some other government position that made people feel self-important enough to interrupt the king's conversation. And boy, he hadn't even started.

"Put yourself in your place, woman! You have the honor to stand before the Enshi and his offer is the most generous one. You'll have the honor to embody the goddess herself as you perform Ellu Hassadu with him."

I'd heard this term somewhere else before... yes, when this whole debacle started. The proclamation mentioned that he would...

I felt nauseous as I connected the dots. That 'Ellu Hassadu' thing was totally the King fucking the priestess on an altar at the top of the ziggurat, wasn't it? Boy, oh, boy. Was it time for the revolution yet?

"Now, now," Nephew started to talk, "there's no need to be so harsh with the lady, Mu-Hattusa. I am sure she will see the wisdom of siding with us and helping the goddess once she learns what the priestess gains with Elu Hassadu. Would you mind a little history lesson, milady?"

I raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. Honestly, coming here with my powers locked was the best thing, because I was sure I'd have demolished this palace and committed some heinous atrocities with these stupid men. I really don't hate men, but sometimes they are just big assholes. 'Sometimes' might be an oversight.

But after I gave it some thought and saw the two acting up in front of me, were they playing 'good cop, bad cop' right in front of me?

"Yes, please. Teach me, magnanimous Enshi," I replied, oozing sarcasm.

He stood up and spoke with broad, theatrical gestures. "Elu Hassadu is when a King rises to his rightful place with the deities! In ancient times, the goddess herself would descend upon the world to sacrament the union and ascend with the King. But the times changed and the gods no longer walk the land. Now, a priestess embodies the avatar of the goddess and offers her body as a vessel for the divine!

"But as she channels the holy energies through her body, she grows in power and becomes like a daughter to the goddess herself. They become great and wise magicians! It is said that no ordinary mortal can survive such a rite. You, lady Rinaldi, would become the most powerful sorceress in the whole world. Hear me, Ishtar herself promised that to you."

I don't think I'd lay down with that guy even if the promise was to return to Earth.

And from what Marduk told me, I was already powerful enough. Yeah, hard pass.

"I don't--" I was going to speak but Nephew took a step forward and interrupted me.

"And behold, for she granted me magic power and magic eyes, making me a sorcerer already! And I can see the rumors of your fall are not just rumors, milady! Let it all be known that the Enshi owes the Lady a debt for cleansing the poison that threatened to kill me!"

"Hear, hear!" The peanut gallery shouted. They didn't say that exactly but it was the best translation I could find.

That was a development. If Nephew could see magic, he would see that my magic was sealed. I didn't have an opportunity to talk back as he resumed his drivel.

"And I can see you lost your powers entirely! That was a shame! We have a debt with the Lady and the mighty Ishtar will mend you. She will grant you great power and your magic back. The rite is rumored to be pure bliss!"

I was disgusted, struggling to not falter and run from him. I wouldn't go far as the doors were closed and guarded by those mountains of muscle that were his royal guard. And as he said, I was powerless.

"However, you are right. The Lady is wise, let none say otherwise. Forcing you to do the rite would anger Tarhun, and we don't want the sibling deities to fight one another. I'll let you decide. If you are going to be with me on the altar as I ascend to godhood or not, it is your choice. I have other less-optimal choices for the role of the priestess. Fear not, milady. You are safe here and I want to be your ally."

Totally good cop, bad cop. I wouldn't buy his sweet words even if they were a dime a dozen. And it reminded me I couldn't even summon a Bird-ex-Machina to save me.

The silence after his offer was about to become long enough to become awkward when one of the men sitting along the walls jumped up, screamed, and started to bleed from every orifice in his head. Eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. He gurgled, choked on his own blood and fell limp on the ground.

"My son!" Loudmouth crier slash prime minister Mu-Hattusa shouted and ran to pick up the young man from the floor.

He shook the body and the young man choked and spat a blob of black blood, then vomited over his father. He glanced at me with hatred.

"You, witch! You ensorcelled my son and murdered him! Blessed maiden of Tarhun or not, I shall have your head for that!"

If someone could kill at a distance without twitching a single muscle, I wouldn't dare challenge them. But a grieving father was not a rational person.

"I did nothing," I told Nephew while looking at his eyes. "You were watching me and as I said, I am powerless. Whatever happened to that young man, I had nothing to do with that."

Nephew nodded. I saw a blur behind him and a shout of "Watch out, your majesty" from another man. Nephew was tackled by an army officer that wore a uniform like Brandon's. It left the way open for the griefing and now bloodied minister to rush me with an ornate bronze dagger.

I could only spare a thought to be grateful I didn't come with my high heels before I had to react at his attack. I moved my feet to assume a stable base and spread my arms slightly. he stabbed and I moved sideways, gripping his wrist and moving my left elbow under his hairy and naked armpit, executing a tanto-doori defense. I pushed him along the direction he was already moving in while pivoting his body around his armpit and sweeping his right leg under him and putting pressure on his ulnar nerve as I twisted his wrist.

His hand came open and the dagger fell on the ground. I pulled his arm down and his body naturally spun. I didn't let go of his arm as he cartwheeled. I pulled and twisted, even more, moving the limb around and away from the body. I dislodged the shoulder and snapped the forearm bones and then released him, letting the man drop down on his back with a huge noise.

Lastly, I kicked the dagger away from him and the Enshi. The weapon spun and skidded to the far corner of the room.

"Enshi Es-Kina, are you okay?" I shouted for all to hear. "That man wanted to stab you in the back!"

Illusion is the ultimate weapon. I wanted to get the minister off my feet, divest the attention away from me and maybe earn some brownie points with the King. Now he had the choice to either agree with me and throw the minister under the bus or disagree with me and gain nothing from the whole exchange. Because I was sure his goal was to win me over.

As an ally, he had a chance. He wasn't going to put his grubby flaking fingers anywhere on me though.

Nephew was still on the ground, hugging and being protected by the guard officer.

"I thank you, milady Rinaldi. Are you hurt?"

I checked. In the heat of combat, it was easy for the brain to forget to register the pain signals from wounds. I was unhurt. "No. He wasn't able to hurt me."

Nephew chuckled, a practiced fake move. "It seems the lady is not as defenseless as she seems." He pointed at the groaning man on the ground. "Guards! Seize this traitor and his son!"

The chest-naked guards quickly and brutally grabbed Mu-Hattusa and his son. There was a burst of gossip as the ones sitting on the benches talked among themselves. Nephew stood back on his feet, apparently hale as well.

"What happened with Mu-Hattusa's son? What made him bleed that way?" I asked Nephew.

"I might not be the target for the assassination attempt, milady," he answered while he straightened his clothes. "That was the result of a foolish sorcery apprentice suffering from burnout. I believe he attempted to use a spell on you and paid the same price as Sun-Goro."

"You were the one that poisoned my son's ears! Promising him riches," Mu-Hattusa barked at Nephew.

I show up without any signs of my magical power. If Mu-Hattusa attempted to cast a spell on me, he'd be struck with burnout immediately, exactly what happened. What spell did he try to use on me? Maybe some mental magic? To make me more susceptible to Nephew's advances?

How important was to him to have me on that altar?

Nephew didn't let Mu-Hattusa bark much longer. He drew a shortsword from the belt of the officer that helped him and jumped on the soon-to-be-former minister. I ran to the other side, away from them. Nope, nope, nope. I'd enough of that. I covered my ears as I tried to filter out the sounds.

I didn't look as Nephew murdered his minister and his son, probably to cut off the loose ends. I had no doubt he did exactly as Mu-Hattusa said. After hearing rumors of my weakness after cleansing the uranium, Nephew convinced the Mu-Hattusa's son, most probably a novice sorcerer to use a spell on me. Since I was greatly weakened due to my burnout, it would be easy to affect me, or so they thought. And if things backfired, he'd just deny any involvement.

A person able to discard his trusted retainers in his mad bid for power. Or in his case, survival. The only explanation for his recovery was divine intervention. As Nanna said, he made a covenant with Ishtar. Nephew would basically sacrifice the city to survive.

I searched for Abil-Kisu along the bench. He was on the other side. I glanced at the guards taking away the bodies wrapped on the bloody rug, dripping the red fluid on the marble floor.

"I'm sorry for this unsightly display, milady. The traitors were dealt with!" Nephew addressed me and then shouted at the gallery.

Machiavel would disagree with what he did right there. It is true that if a ruler had to choose between being loved or feared, feared was better. But Nephew disregarded the warning about not being hated. And I was regretting not sending him down for a tour through the abyss.

"Milady Rinaldi, are you sick?" Enshi Nephew Es-Kina the Ruthless asked me.

"I am nauseated by the blood, my liege," I decided to play along. There was no need for me to openly antagonize him now. "We should proceed to the negotiations if that is fine with you."

He smiled at my meek behavior. As long as he didn't bother me or mine, I would not hold a sliver of pride.

"Yes, I was told you would procure means of solving our food situation!" He replied, cheerful.

Nephew moved back to his throne, leaving me alone in the middle of the room with all eyes on me. So far I seemed to be safe so I wasn't afraid of being attacked. I looked at him. It was the face of a maniac. I couldn't even look at him in the eyes. I too have murdered in cold blood but I was at war. The fate of this whole city and my own fate would be way different if Marduk had besieged us.

'Rationalize however you want, Sandra. You murdered thousands.' My inner voice told me. I was a monster dealing with monsters.

"No. Not solve the food situation. I can at most keep the city from starving. And the techniques I'll teach will help make sure the harvests will always be bountiful. That will be a permanent improvement to the city conditions. More food will allow fewer people working in the fields to meet our needs, and more people for other jobs, like craftsmen, soldiers, or scribes."

I looked around. I had the interest of everyone.

"And with well-fed people, they will be happier, work harder, and our soldiers will be stronger."

One of the men on the benches stood up and pointed at me. "That's a tall order for a woman. Blessed by Tarhun or not, what can you do? Even more in your weakened state. You lost your magic powers."

"Knowledge. I hold the knowledge of five thousand years of my people. In my world, my people harnessed the very elements. We flew over the sky as one goes to the outlying villages. We even sent some of our own to sail among the stars, to walk on the moon."

'Moon' was sort of a taboo word. And it was also spelled 'nanna' in modern Akkadian. I knew that already but it surprised me.

"The harbinger!" Another man shouted. "She is the second Harbinger!"

"SILENCE!" Nephew shouted. He glared around and roared. "Anyone that disrespects the lady will no longer sit in this room. Or any room, ever. Milady, please continue."

Yeah, listen to your psychopath king, ye people.

"I don't know much about this Harbinger character, but the late prince Marduk did say I had the power to become stronger than him."

"Before you put a dagger in his back, I reckon," Nephew added.

I sighed. That was not a thing I wanted to remember.

"I am different from the Harbinger though. I do not desire destruction. Otherwise, I would have just walked away and let Marduk pillage sack and burn your city. Yet all of you are here, free of a siege and without an invading army knocking on your doors."

Yes. You all owe your hairy asses to me. And I won't let you forget.

"Milady," Nephew called, "I wish to assign a team of four scribes to follow you and record the techniques you'll use to improve our agriculture. Is that okay with you?"

More like spies.

"Yes. Make it eight. They shall be under my orders and obey my commands. The records shall be made public. Those are the only demands I have."

"So shall it be. Anything else?"

"These scribes, they shall bear your authority as the Enshi. Some farmers won't agree with my changes and techniques. Some of them might even resist. They should be able to call on the guard to enforce our rule. I won't seize assets but I will need to determine what crops will be planted and where. There are also other concerns.

"I will need to establish rules and procedures the people of the city will have to follow. We have several blocks that are without buildings. I want permission to take some lots in those blocks to build public facilities. With the newcomers, disease will follow. We need to strengthen our people. These facilities will be managed by the city government. The treasury should also pay for the purchase of the lots if the owners are still alive."

Not only I needed to improve food yield but also sanitation and hygiene.

Nephew stood up. "Let all know, this is my royal proclamation. Lady Rinaldi, champion of Tarhun is hereby nominated minister of development and agriculture. Her word is law. Tomorrow eight scribes and thirty guards will be assigned to you, milady. The expenses for these men will be paid by the treasury. Any expenses you see required will be also paid by the treasury. They shall obey your every command and enforce your rulings. Your household and those of your friends will be exempted from the mandatory draft. But I expect results. And let any that attempt to sabotage your efforts know that the penalty for that will be death."

The crier stood up. "So proclaimed the magnanimous Enshi Es-Kina! Large is his wisdom and long will be his rule!"

Hey, look. I got a government position! Yay me.