Garden of the Lion and the Dove

Chapter 2

"What is so important that you needed to interrupt me?" grumbled Gilgamesh as he followed Ekur to a small room near the courtyard. It was one of the spare rooms used to house guests of a lower class so the furniture was not something the King wanted to be associated with.

Ekur dropped the huge liver-shaped clay tablet on the small table. "I did a liver reading this morning after exposing the ram to Nabu's star last night in order to see what was in the future for you my King."

"You did not see something promising I am guessing?" Gilgamesh crossed his arms. Although Ekur believed in these divinations, Gilgamesh did not put his trust into them too much.

"I know you do not care but you must listen when the Gods send a message!" Ekur pointed to a certain section of the liver. "I did the usual readings but this section turned out very odd. There was a mark here and I was not sure what it meant and I consulted some of the older liver texts. Apparently, it means there is an ill omen approaching in relation to something recently that has changed."

The old man began pacing around the small room. "I also ended up doing a reading of the oil to make sure."

"Really?" Gilgamesh scoffed. If it was one thing he hated more than the liver readings it was the absurd oil and water readings.

"Do not scoff this, my King. The Gods are trying to warn us about something. There are going to be changes in this city soon and not all for the better. I fear that you will be in the center of it as well and you will be affected the most."

Gilgamesh laughed again. How absurd was this? He would be affected by this change by the Gods? He was almost one of them! He had nothing to fear from them.

"My King. You must head this omen and be careful!" insisted Ekur. "Not only the liver said it, but the oil said it as well!" He picked up the liver tablet. "I think that girl is the catalyst for what is to come as well. Please, my King, heed this warning. Hurry up with whatever you plan about with the girl and then get her removed from the palace."

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed and he turned away from his most trusted advisor. "I will keep the girl here in the palace. She is…interesting."

"My King, even if she is interesting, she might be the downfall of this kingdom."

"Enough!" The king slammed his hand against the table. "I will be keeping her here and that is final."

Ekur clamped his mouth shut and bowed as low as he could. "I am sorry my King. I will no longer speak of this subject."

"Good," replied Gilgamesh. "I want you to keep this omen to yourself. There is no point in alerting the people of this matter and I do not want her to be at risk because some wayward priest decided to take matters in their own hands."

"Of course my King. But, if I may ask, why are you so concerned about this girl? Even if she is foreign, this is very unusual for you. You never showed an interest in this regard before."

The king peeked out of the room and into the long hallway. Slaves and other workers were going about their daily lives. "It was her eyes," he admitted.

"Her eyes?"

"There is something about them…" Those defiant eyes of hers. Even when he had spoken to her in the garden, her eyes had drawn him. He didn't even know if she knew what kind of expression her eyes made. If she did not, that just made her even more interesting.