The Whore of Babylon

Chapter 19

Mari gave her a suspicious look, 'what are you planning?'

'I'm not planning anything, and therein lies the danger. I don't know what I'm going to do or say, so get these girls out for a walk.'

'Don't do anything stupid,' pleaded Mari, going to collect Sarri from her playroom.

Without waiting for Ashan, Eliana turned and strode from the room, towards Samsu's apartments. He chased after her, 'don't be an idiot, Eliana. He's well-disposed towards you, for now. Don't jeopardise it!'

She didn't answer.

When she reached the door to Samsu's rooms, she barged straight in without knocking. 'You wanted to see me, sir?' There was just a hint of a sneer in her voice.

If he heard it, he ignored it. 'Yes, karkittu. I've decided that I will take you as my new concubine. The ceremony will take place next week.'

'When Utu falls from the sky, it will.' Eliana fired back, quivering with rage.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. 'I beg your pardon?'

'I will never give my consent to this marriage.'

'Fortunately, I do not require your consent.'

'You'll have to drag me there – I'll kick and scream all the way!'

'If that's what it takes!' Samsu raised his voice; she could see he was beginning to get agitated. A smug feeling of triumph smothered any fear she might have felt. 'Ungrateful whore! You should be honoured.'

'Well I am not honoured. I am disgusted. You murder my sister and seek to put me into her place? I will not.'

'You will, if I command it,' he growled.

'You can force me to the altar, bind me to you with your strange ceremonies and foreign ways, but I will never love you, never respect you, never willingly obey unless I choose to. I don't even think I fear you anymore. You will find no easy, pliant wife in me as you had with Kisha.'

'I do not want an easy, pliant wife,' he said, coming to stand so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. 'I want you, may Marduk have pity on me. You may never love me, that I do not demand, but you will respect me, and you will fear me.'

Slowly, deliberately, she spat at his feet.

Every muscle in him tensed.

'Have you forgotten how to bow, karkittu?' he hissed. 'Perhaps you've been too long in my company, grown too accustomed to taking liberties. Bow!'

She did not move, did not step back, but continued to stare him full in the face, her eyes full of insolence.

'I said, BOW!' stepping swiftly to one side, Samsu drove his foot into the backs of Eliana's knees, knocking her to the floor.

She immediately got to her feet. He clenched his fist and drove an iron blow into her stomach.

The pain was so intense that sparks danced before her eyes as she doubled over, stifling a groan. Forcing the air back into her lungs, she straightened up to face him again.

He raised an eyebrow, 'a smart whore would stay down.'

'Then I suppose I am a stupid whore,' she retorted. 'Why would you want to marry a stupid whore?'

'Because I say I do!' he slapped her face; her head snapped back with the force.

Whipping her head straight again, she did something she never would have dared had she thought about it first – she slapped him back.