The Whore of Babylon

Chapter 7

Things returned to normal for almost a week, and no more of Kisha's possessions were damaged.

Then things took a more serious turn.

Mari came rushing into the bedroom, where Eliana was sat embellishing a baby gown with lapis beads as Kisha rested on the bed. With a finger to her lips, Mari gestured for Eliana to come.

Setting aside the gown, she followed. There, on the dazzling white stone of the terrace, was a sight that made Eliana's stomach turn.

A grizzled black mongrel, a bitch, lay split almost in two. She was disembowelled, her entrails spilling out of the monstrous gash in her belly. A fly crawled lazily across her dead, staring eye.

In itself, the dead dog was revolting. Worse was the statuette tied about her neck with a distinctive beaded necklace belonging to Kisha. Eliana had to squint against the glare of the sun to make it out – made of jet, it blended against the dog's black fur.

When her eyes focused, the unmistakeable likeness of Lasmashtu glared back at her.

She took an involuntary step backward. 'A curse?'

'Undeniably,' murmured Mari. 'We must clean it up before Kisha sees.'

They bent and took hold of a leg each; Eliana struggled not to retch at the smell. The day was a hot one, and the corpse had already begun to rot.

As she straightened to ask Mari where they would take it, Ani appeared in the doorway. Both girls looked at her, silently urging her to quiet. She stared calmly back, malice clear in her gaze.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and screamed. Eliana could happily have hurled the dead dog straight into her smug face as Kisha came running.

Mari and Eliana instinctively moved to try to block Kisha's view, but it was no use.

'Ani, what on earth is...' she stopped in her tracks, gazing horror-struck at the bloodied mass behind the girls. 'What is that?' she whispered.

'Nothing, my lady!' Mari answered, her words running together in her rush to get them out. 'It must have been injured somewhere and crawled here to die.'

'Then... why is it wearing my necklace?'

Eliana kicked herself for not having removed the necklace and offensive statue before trying to move the creature.

'It's nothing,' she tried to reassure her sister. 'Just somebody playing a tasteless joke.'

'It's no joke.' Ani cut in. 'Is that not a statue of the childbed demon tied around the throat? It's as clear a curse as they come.'

Kisha staggered backwards, her mouth working in a soundless scream, her arms cradling her belly protectively. Her face crumpled in pain and she bent almost double.

A rush of fluid spattered the floor between her legs.

She dropped to her hands and knees, one hand still on her bump, and cried out in pain.

'Kisha!' Eliana ran to her sister. 'What's happening?'

'It's coming.' Ani answered, not moving.

Mari went to Kisha's other side and the two girls helped her up. 'We need to get her to bed,' said Mari. 'When the contractions grow stronger, we'll move her to the birthing chair.'

Once Kisha was settled in the bed and as comfortable as they could make her, Mari went running for water, linen sheets and all manner of medicines to try to ease the pain.

Eliana sat helplessly beside her sister, holding her hand and trying to distract her with chatter. Kisha was ashen and could not concentrate on the conversation. 'The baby is cursed,' she muttered. 'I'm going to die.'