The Whore of Babylon

Chapter 27 | part 2

Susa.

'What are you doing?' Eliana tried to keep her voice calm, steady. 'Where is my son? What have you done with Eshu?'

'Your son has come to no harm,' said Ani, from the corner. 'You, however...'

With a vicious grin, baring her teeth like fangs, Susa said, 'You have stood in my way for too long, whore. They can call you queen, dress you in gold and silks, but you'll never be more than the jumped-up daughter of a petty official. It's time you made way for a true queen.'

Despite the rising tide of fear for herself, Eliana was overwhelmed with relief to hear that Eshu was not injured. The truth of the situation began to dawn on her though: she had rushed headlong into a trap.

'I am the true queen, and have been so for these past eight years,' she said. 'You have been silent on the matter until now. Why would you suddenly choose to start creating trouble?'

'Because suddenly, my husband is leagues away from here, and occupied with more pressing concerns than the safety of his little whore. I have been a good, accepting wife for so long now that he will never suspect my involvement.'

'Who else would he suspect?' Eliana tried. 'You'd be a fool to think you'll get away with it.'

'But we will,' smiled Susa, her voice full of malevolence. 'You are like a cornered rat. These men will take you and do their work – the physician will tell my husband what I pay him to say about the cause of your death, and you will be interred and well out of the way before Samsu ever hears a whisper of your demise.'

Panic began to flutter again in Eliana's chest. She forced it down, telling herself to remain calm.

She opened her mouth to reply, to try to talk some sense into Susa, but a hand seized her arm through the cloak, and a second pair of hands clutched at her waist.

Immediately, she began to writhe, twisting and bucking like a frightened horse. By sheer fluke, she caught one of her assailants in the shin with the heel of her foot; he let go of her, crying out in a voice barely broken into manhood.

With one more determined twist, she slipped from her cloak and ran for the door. Susa tried to grab her, but she easily sent the older woman flying against the wall with a powerful shove, wrenched the door open and fled.

She ran blindly, not caring where her feet took her, hearing the slap of sandals against the tiles behind her, hot on her heels.

Darting around a corner, first left, then right, sprinting down a corridor and up a curving flight of stairs, along one passageway, around another corner, up another passageway, down a flight of stairs, across a courtyard, vaulting over a low wall and charging across a second courtyard... she was thoroughly lost.

In desperation, she stared around, looking for a room she could hide in until she was certain that the servant boys would not find her. Her eyes lighted on a small door at the base of a tower – she ran to it, forced back the long-rusted bolt, and slammed it behind her.

Inside the tower was pitch-black. She leaned against the door, her heart thudding so loudly in her chest that she was terrified it would give her away – it must be audible to half the palace!

She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes, allowing them a moment to adjust to the gloom. The air around her was cold, musty and damp. She shivered as the sweat began to cool on her skin.

When she opened her eyes again, Eliana could see that this tower used to be important. Daylight streamed through a narrow window high above her, illuminating a flight of stairs that twisted up and vanished into the darkness. The steps she could see certainly used to be grand – the bright tiles were dulled by a thick coating of dust, but the vibrant patterns were still just about visible.