The Whore of Babylon

Chapter 14 | part 3

Days dragged by in an excruciating pattern of boredom and loneliness.

The first few passed relatively quickly, as she expected to be released at any moment. But as the sun and the moon came and went, hope began to fade and desperation set in. Ashan, given the task of entertaining the Babylonian emissaries, had not visited since the first day. Samsu ignored her, and try as she might, she could not get any of her guards to talk to her.

After four days of not even being looked at, let alone spoken to, even by the slave who brought her food and emptied her chamberpot, Eliana was in a frenzy for human interaction. Some acknowledgement of her existence, whatever form it took. She needed to know that she had not become an invisible gidim overnight.

She fought against her chain and collar, pulling and thrashing until her neck was black with bruises – the chain looked delicate, with its slender links, but beneath the gold finish it was made of iron. Even the Brute would have struggled to break it with his bare hands; Eliana stood no chance.

The guards watched her futile, frantic efforts and laughed themselves breathless. She attempted to draw them into conversation, tried everything she knew to strike up some sort of connection. She talked to them, questioned them, complimented them, insulted them... even, in her most despairing moment, tried to seduce them. It was all to no avail.

The one person she managed to make a connection with, eventually, was the slave man who looked after her. He was roughly of an age with her father, and she dared to hope that he might have a daughter too. On the seventh day of her confinement, as she saw him approach, she put on her best pathetic-little-girl voice, 'um, excuse me, sir?'

The 'sir' caught his attention at once – it was a term of address that most slaves were unused to.

'Me, my lady?' he responded gruffly.

'I'm not a lady,' Eliana blushed as she gestured to her filmy gown and heavy collar, 'I'm a slave like you.'

'If you'll forgive me for saying so, your work is a deal less hard.' He grumbled.

'I know,' she said sweetly, thinking how stupid the man must be to think that fetching and carrying was more difficult than what she was subjected to, 'and I'm so very grateful for your care.'

He grunted.

'I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you possibly fill my water jug please? It has been empty for some days and I'm terribly thirsty.' She allowed her voice to crack a little on the last two words, her eyes filling with tears. They were not feigned – the jug had been bone dry for three days. She had only drunk what had come with her food; to not be able to drink when thirsty was a deprivation she had never had to endure before now.

The man took in her pitiful state; a line of compassion cracked his brow. 'Seeing as you ask so nicely,' he said, picking up the vessel.

She rejoiced silently in her success as he walked away. The bond was as delicate as new-spun silk, but she could strengthen it – it was a starting point, if nothing else.

Within a few minutes, he returned with her jug brimming. She drank eagerly until she thought her stomach would burst. Putting it down, she gave him her prettiest smile. 'I can't thank you enough, ...?'

'Resu,' he nodded. 'At your service, my lady.'

She took his hand and squeezed it in gratitude. Such a simple act, fetching her water, but how much it meant to her!

Thanking the mother goddess for small blessings, she settled back into her cushions and her thoughts.

No more than an hour later, a welcome silhouette appeared in the doorway.

'Ashan!' she cried in delight as she recognised him.

He gave her a scowl as black as the underworld. 'Quiet, whore!' he snarled.

Crushed, she folded in on herself and looked away to hide the shine of tears in her eyes. There was a surge of disappointment in her stomach as heavy as a stone. She heard him dismiss the guard; the man left, and Ashan's footsteps sounded on the tiles as he moved towards her.

His knee cracked as he bent down and covered her hand with his. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I didn't mean it – but you must never seem pleased to see me, it will get back to Samsu and he will want to know why.'

She nodded silently, still looking away and wiping her damp eyes with the backs of her fingers.

There was a smile in his voice when he spoke again. 'But hearing you call my name with such joy warmed my heart more than I can say.'

Turning her head back towards him, his face was full of sincerity.

'Have you forgiven me?' he asked.

'It doesn't seem to matter very much at the moment,' she whispered, avoiding the question. Seeing him look at her with such intensity, Eliana was suddenly aware of how dirty and grimy she felt. Her hair was limp and tangled, the malachite she put on her eyes a week ago was still smeared about her face, and her dress was crumpled and spotted.

'Are they treating you well?'

'They're feeding me, if that's what you mean. I didn't have water for three days, but I do now, so I feel a little better.'

His face darkened. 'I will have words with someone about that – I expressly ordered them to keep you as comfortable as possible.'

Her heart leapt a little to hear it. 'Well, don't scold Resu – I think I made a breakthrough with him earlier, he was kind to me.'

'Is there anything else you need?'

'Just a bath,' she said, dejectedly. 'I don't think I've ever been so long without bathing before. I feel disgusting.'

Ashan thought hard. 'It can't happen without Samsu's permission,' he said. 'But I might be able to persuade him.'

'Oh, Ashan! Really?' she gave him a genuine smile of pure joy. To be off the chain, even for an hour! To bathe, to feel clean again!

'I'm on guard duty this evening until midnight, I'll bring it up then if I can. But keep quiet.' There was a warning note in his tone. 'I don't know what I'll have to say to bring it about – you might not like it, but if you speak out, you could jeopardise everything.'

'I'll be silent,' she promised. Then after a pause, 'how much longer do you think he'll keep me here?'

Ashan's face fell and he looked miserable as he admitted, 'I just don't know. He hasn't given any indication at all, hasn't even mentioned you. He hasn't shown any interest in you since you've been here under his nose, but then he's been busy with the emissaries. They departed this morning. I wish I could tell you.'

'Don't worry about it,' she said, holding back tears.

The guard returned and Ashan had to leave to avoid rousing suspicion. He gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze and walked out without a backward glance.