After rounding the first turn in the corridor, Ninsunu said, “I’m sorry for your loss, Xerk. You were close with Bel, no?”

“Thank you, High Seer Ninsu—”

“Call me Nina. You’ve done more than enough to prove yourself by now.”

“Oh.” His chest swelled. “Well… Nina, yes, I was close with Bel. Although… um, er….”

She turned to look at him. “Well?”

“She and Gandash were a lot closer. They were… a couple.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I’m worried he’s taking it even worse than me.”

“Good to know. A loss like that can be truly devastating.” She led him into a large open chamber that he wasn’t familiar with. It looked like some sort of temple. Their footsteps echoed on the smooth tile floor as they crossed it. “I’ll check on him later on, once all of this is over.”

“So you think it’s going to be over soon?”

At the other side of the temple chamber, they entered another corridor. “I hope so. Now, tell me more about the Abhorrent. Not the summoned ones.”

Xerxes gulped and went on to describe everything he remembered about the vile monster.

When he mentioned the way the creature talked, Ninsunu said, “You’re certain it said the word melam?”

He paused before answering. “I’m not absolutely certain,” he said. “But… I think so.”

“Interesting,” she said. “I’m surprised you were able to make out that word clearly.”

“You’ve heard them talk before?”

“I never said that.”

“Oh.” Feeling slightly foolish, he clamped his mouth shut.

They left the main part of the keep and started crossing a courtyard. Up above, the sky was beginning to darken in the east.

Now, the silence between them was making things even more awkward, so he cleared his throat. “Ma’am, what exactly is this mission of ours?”

“I’ll explain in a moment once Satahsusar is with us.”

“Right.”

Their conversation ceased at that point. They walked for about three more minutes, leaving the keep itself and crossing the street to a squat building with no exterior markings to indicate its function.

That was where they received Seer Satahsusar. Though he had heard her name spoken many times, he’d never actually seen her. It was quite a surprise. If he hadn’t known better, he would never have guessed that she was actually older than Ninsunu, by nearly a century at that. Unlike Ninsunu, who looked middle-aged, Satahsusar hardly looked more than twenty. She wore her dark hair in three long braids that hung down her back, and had a circlet of gold with a serpent-shaped diadem at her forehead.

Apparently, Satahsusar had been injured a few days ago, and was in convalescence. She didn’t seem happy to be assigned a mission.

“I need your mind, Sata,” said Ninsunu.

“I’m not the only Hasasu mage around,” Satahsusar grumbled, folding her arms and looking out the window. “Can’t you get someone else?”

Xerxes immediately disliked the way she literally turned her nose up at Ninsunu. Here he was, exhausted and still struggling with the loss of a dear friend, and he hadn’t balked at a new assignment. What right did she have to act so high and mighty?

“I don’t trust Shemesh. And Dumamu… lacks experience outside the court. Besides, Aban is the one who gave the order, so stop stalling. Time’s limited.”

Ninsunu arranged for a carriage to take them to the barracks, where she asked for a sergeant she knew. Once they had ten soldiers to escort them, they made their way across the city to Harborview.

As the name indicated, it overlooked the city’s sizable harbor. However, though the name sounded picturesque, the place was anything but. It was a squalid, shadowy place with numerous winding alleyways and decrepit buildings that honest folk generally avoided. That said, Xerxes was more than a bit familiar with it, and was curious why they were heading to that specific location.

As soon as the cart started rocking back and forth, Ninsunu said, “Alright, we have a few minutes, so I’m going to explain what’s happening here. Mostly for your benefit, Xerk.

“We’re dealing with an Abhorrent invasion, that much is certain. Or at least… an incursion. Which is why I keep telling Aban we need to simply hole up in the keep and close all the gates. I think if we did that, we could weather the storm. But I’m not in charge. In any case, Xerk, have you heard about the Cult of the Eternal Father?”

“A bit. But I don’t think we get formal instruction about them until next year.”

“I see. In that case, why don’t you tell me what you do know, so I don’t waste any words?”

He grinned wryly. “Truth be told, I don’t know much beyond the fact that they’re… bad? Maybe they have something to do with illegal machinery?”

“Not quite.”

Off to the side, Satahsusar covered her mouth with her hand as if to prevent herself from laughing, while simultaneously making sure he heard her laugh.

“Sorry,” he said, flushing.

Glaring briefly at Satahsusar, Ninsunu said, “I didn’t mean it that way. There’s no need to be embarrassed not knowing about the cult. It’s not as though anybody takes them seriously other than me. Well… they didn’t. Now even Aban seems to realize they’re more than just simpletons and crazy people.

“Simply put, the cultists worship the Abhorrent. Of course, the vast majority of them have never even seen an Abhorrent, so I’m not sure why the hell they’re so confident in their beliefs. Regardless, here on Mannemid, it’s been a non-issue for centuries, as only Buhhu mages can summon the things from the Nightmare Cove, and we aren’t exactly teeming with Buhhu mages. But in higher starisles, it’s a different story.”

“Why would they worship the Abhorrent?” Xerxes asked.

“Good question. Based on my understanding, including interrogating actual cultists, they believe that the Abhorrent are the source of all magic. Perhaps… causal origin is a better word. Truth be told, not even I’m exactly sure of the specifics of their teachings.”

Xerxes shook his head. “That makes no sense. Magic is possible because of melam. How could the Abhorrent have anything to do with the existence of melam? It’s everywhere. It would be like saying the Abhorrent are responsible for air.”

“That’s the same question I’ve asked cultists in the past. They jabber nonsense in response.”

“What about the Nergal?” Xerxes couldn’t help but ask. “Doesn’t he care about them?”

“The Pontifarch has other people assigned to deal with the cult. But… Mannemid is too small of a place for such individuals to care about. Due to the fact that the cult doesn’t pose any overt threat, we’ve only given them half-hearted attention. With what’s happened in the past few days, though, my suspicions have been aroused. My contacts have mentioned a new cult leader that seized power sometime in the past year or so. A man by the name of Enki. My gut tells me that he has something to do with this invasion.

“So. We’re going to go into Harborview and ask him directly. I have Marshal Authority from the king, so I don’t plan to waste time. We’ll go in quietly and carefully, but we’re not going to pussyfoot around. Xerk, how’s your chamber looking? Not full, I take it?”

“I cast a few spells during the fighting. And… I didn’t do very much meditation on the way back. But I have enough melam for plenty more spells.”

“Okay. Keep your component pouch ready and your sword up. If you feel the need to cast a spell, don’t hesitate. Just drop your sword and do it. At the same time, keep an ear out for orders from me. If you end up using any crabnickel powder, I’ll personally see to it that you’re compensated. No need for applications. However, there’s one thing to keep in mind. Don’t kill Enki. We need him alive.”

Around then, the cart trundled to a stop.