To Love A Murderer | ✔

33 | A Turn of Events

Lilavati was seated on the bed in Iltani's chambers, as the priestess finished up her chanting to Ishtar in the eme-sal dialect of her language.

Once her best friend was done, Lilavati grinned. "Boo!"

Iltani nearly shrieked.

Lilavati burst into laughter as her best friend did a double take and gasped at the sight of her, holding her heart.

Sighing, she groaned.

"Lila."

"Ilu." Lilavati mimicked her stern tone for a second before laughing again, gasping for breath.

"Honestly, I swear to Ishtar, if you don't stop doing that, I will bring a goat to your chambers next time in the dead of night. Let's see how you like that!"

Lilavati paled.

She hissed, "We swore to never talk about that again!"

It was Iltani's turn to laugh, while Lilavati sat there with a burning face, shoving away the memories.

But when the moment passed, Iltani held out her hands and Lilavati pulled her best friend into a hug. Iltani rested her head on her neck, letting Lilavati feel the gentle rush of breath in and out of her. It was moments like these she craved the most, the gentle intimacy and affection with her close ones that kept her going through this life.

Iltani seemed to have grown pensive again, and that was the whole reason Lilavati was here. Her best friend had dropped into one of her melancholic moods over the past day, and Lilavati was determined to find out what was bothering her.

"Ilu, what's wrong?"

Iltani murmured something under her breath in her native language—too fast for Lilavati to catch.

Her striking eyes met Lilavati's, shadowed with something haunting and desperate.

"Bad dream?" Lilavati guessed, her expression softening.

Iltani neither confirmed nor denied that. Instead she asked, in a hoarse voice, "Can we sleep for a while?"

Lilavati nodded.

"Anything."

And they shifted to the bed, Lilavati letting her hand card through Iltani's loose hair, sleeping together as they used to in their youth—usually to stave off Lilavati's nightmares, and how glad she was she could return the favour—and as they drifted off to sleep in the lazy golden sunlight, she heard Iltani whisper something under her breath in her language.

"To have her is to have the stars. My lady, give me strength."

~

It was raining.

Heavily.

The rain descended from the heavens, battering against the high-rise windows in droves as violet light flashed across the sky. The pitter-patter of the rain drove out any other sound, as Lilavati curled up against the window, wrapped in a blanket and watching the world outside, oblivious to anything else.

Solitude used to be hard to bear, a month ago. When the memories of her captivity were still fresh and haunting her. But she had gotten used to life again, though her nightmares were still an infrequent visitor.

But was she ever truly alone, in this beloved city of gates?

The city was always alive, bustling with people, even in the palaces.

Not to speak of the fact that her beloved was never far, a thought in his mind always hearkening back to her.

"Raani?"