The Whore of Babylon

Epilogue

'Nahasu!'

The little party of guests raised their bowls in the air, and drank a toast to the health of the bride and groom. Mari and Asag positively glowed with happiness – she finally had her long-promised freedom, and he his bride.

Eshu had willingly granted his permission to set Mari free from the bonds of slavery. She had been a second mother to him, and he prized her happiness almost as highly as Eliana's.

She was proud of him. The boy had taken on the mantle of kingship without so much as a grumble. He was heavily guided at the moment, by Ashan, Asag and other members of the king's council, but he was balanced and fair, listening to what everyone had to say before coming to a decision. She was confident that he would be a king that history would remember for all the right reasons, unlike Samsu.

Once Eshu had discovered that the man he believed to be his father planned to sacrifice his sister to Marduk, his grief had quickly turned to anger. With Samsu dead, people were no longer afraid to speak. The more Eshu heard, the more his disbelief grew, the more he was ashamed of ever having looked up to the man. He had sworn publically in the audience chamber before the entire court that he would never be a man such as his father was, that he would try to rule wisely and justly, like his grandfather Hammurabi.

A storm of applause and cheers had broken out in the chamber, continuing for some minutes as Eshu sat and beamed.

He would not be crowned for some years to come – likely not until after his fourteenth birthday, when the council would be set aside and he would be judged fit to rule alone. In the meantime, Ashan was official regent, and consulted Eliana at every opportunity.

It had been more than six moons since Samsu's death. With his passing, the passageways and corridors no longer felt full of lurking dangers and shadows, and Eliana was growing quite bold again, able to walk around without fear of spies and punishment.

She would never be as bold and fearless as she had once been – too much had happened to change her. Looking at Mari, she thought back to when they had first met – Mari a half-starved orphan, and Eliana a lost child, searching for purpose after losing her sister to Samsu. Would those two girls recognise the women who stood here now?

Eliana was grateful, in a way, for all that had happened. For all the dark times, she felt stronger, wiser and more useful than ever before – each moment in her life, every tear shed, had helped to mould her into the woman she was. The proud and spirited girl was gone, but like a caterpillar transformed, she had emerged from her confinement free and confident, ready to soar.

She stood apart from the others, looking around at the little party. They were gathered in the gardens of the new apartments she had given to Mari and Asag; a small, informal group – all friends and allies gathered together.

Looking at them each in turn, she smiled, feeling grateful to be alive. She knew that without these people, she might not have survived. The only people missing were Kisha and her father.

She had received a message from her father when the news of Eshu's succession reached Nippur. Though it was carefully worded, as was his way, she could still read between his lines. He congratulated her on her new-found freedom, and her elevation to the role of queen mother. Nippur was thriving, he reported, without Samsu's oppressive thumb holding them back, the citizens had begun to regenerate the city. Migrants were flowing in from all corners of the empire, swelling the population and tending the farmland with all the care and devotion it required; with enough men to till the fields, the famine had come to an end.

Kenu looked after him well, the old man said, and he thanked whichever god had brought them together. The message finished on a loving note – Kenu was a fine son, he said, but would never replace the daughters he loved so dearly. There would always be a place for her in Nippur, should she ever choose to return.

Holding back the tears, she had smiled at that. She would never return to Nippur, she knew. Not to stay. Her place was here now, in Babylon, with her children and her love. Eshu was king here, and he needed her. She would not desert him.

Despite that, she had not given up hope of seeing her father again. She hoped he would come to visit, perhaps to attend her own wedding. He would be proud of his grandchildren, she knew, and she would dearly love him to meet Kisha's girls, to see how she lived on through them.

Sarri sat aside, on a bench with Ahat. Dressed in her finest purple silk with golden ornaments in her hair, she flicked her hair as she talked, and pouted as she listened. Eliana was sure that the girl was not unaware of the effect her flirting was having on Asag's son, as the boy sat and listened all agog, hanging on her every word.

The little minx.

Kisuri sat with Nisala under a tree, plaiting her younger sister's hair. They chattered softly, as close as Eliana and Kisha had ever been.

She watched Kisuri for a moment – she was so like her mother, both in looks and in temperament. Kisha was not truly gone, she knew. She was like a phoenix – burst into flame and died to be reborn as her own young.

For just a fraction of a second, she thought she saw Kisha sat there on the grass behind her daughter, one hand on Kisuri's shoulder, a smile on her face.

Her heart melted at the sight. Then she blinked, and her sister was gone.

Ashan, Eshu, Mari and Asag stood together in a little group, talking and laughing. Asag had his arm draped around his bride. She was big with their next child, due in just two moons.

Eliana shared their excitement, bringing her hand to her own belly and resting it there, where a swell would soon appear. She was already three months gone.

Seeing her looking, Ashan detached himself from the little group and came to stand beside her.

'It will be our turn next,' he whispered.

She looked up at him lovingly, warming at the thought. 'Eshu and Nisala need to know first,' she said, suddenly serious. 'They need to know who they really are.'

Ashan nodded. He went to get the twins.

Taking them aside, the four sat together on the grass. Eliana moved a little closer to Ashan; he took her hand.

'We have something to tell you,' she smiled.