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Dark WorldsDark Worlds

DARK WORLDS WINTER 2009 ISSUE THREE

G. W. Thomas & M. D. Jackson, Editors

DARK WORLDS issued occasionally by the Dark Worlds Club, British Columbia, Canada. Copyright 2008.All Rights Reserved by the Editors and Author/Artist Partners. All copyright remains with the authors andartists. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No submissions will be accepted without invitation of the Dark WorldsClub. Letters of Comment can be sent to [email protected]. Each story in this anthology is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents in this anthology are either the product of the author'simagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real people (living or dead) places, businessestablishments, locales, and/or events is entirely coincidental.

NOVELETTES THE TOMB OF THE AMAZON QUEEN..................Michael Ehart 2

A sorceress and her daughter on the run team up with the deadly

Sisterhood of the Spear to find a forgotten treasure.IMMORTALS OF THE CANNIBAL COAST...................................

..............................Joel Jenkins and Martin Edward Stephenson 88Terajel must save herself and her band of pirates from unearthly peri!

SHORT STORIES ROADBLOCK..........................................................Jack MacKenzie 32

Running a roadblock on a disused spaceway didnt seem serious to Eddie Pennington and his partner, but a deadly killing machine has other ideas!

THE STORMING OF BIG SPREE...........................David A. Hardy 44Getting his man is not a problem for Mountie Thomas Gatewood, but keeping the mans death a secret is more of a problem!

BAYOU MIRAGE .......................................................E. P. Berglund 52 Does the spirit of a woman haunt the Bayou or protect it?

LAOCOON ..................................................................G. W. Thomas 65 Brett Hope follows a trail of death that leads to an unexpected evil.

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE ..................................Nick Andreychuk 76 A corpse, a diner and a sleeping dog are ingredients for a mystery.

COMMUNICATIONS DELAY.................................Lee Beavington 82 An astronaut must communicate with Earth about a mysterious object.

ArticlesReview: BURY ME DEEP..................................................................112INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA REYNOLDS.....................................114THE DARK WORLDS CLUB ...........................................................117

Cover artwork by Aaron Sidall ( www.aaronsidall.com )


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NLY NINE Temple soldiers and had another arrow in flighthad emerged from the almost before the first struck himO desert, and Ninshi had cut squarely between the shoulders. The

the throat of one three nights before. second arrow struck less than threeThere were two on guard tonight, fingers' width from the first, and thenervous and alert. Miri waited until soldier fell forward with no more thanthey were both facing out from the a grunt.camp, away from each other. Her first Miri watched as the small form of arrow caught the nearest in the throat, her mother flitted from shadow toand he dropped soundlessly. Her shadow, into the camp, bending over second shot was less certain. The each cloak-wrapped figure for amoon was largely hiding her face, and moment, then silently moving on tothe over-large fire in the center of the the next. Miri lost sight of her for acamp had flickered down to embers. few heartbeats, then was startledShe decided on the center of his back, enough to jump a little when Ninshi

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reappeared a few paces away. life filled her dreams with too many"Did you kill them all?" whispered ghosts. Miri was only fourteen

Miri. summers, and had far less of her Ninshi shook her head. "I left one. adopted mother's acquaintance with

We will speak with him in the violent death. She propped herself morning." against the bole of the tree, and though

She led the way out of the wadi she tried, sleep eluded her as well. Atwhere the soldiers had sheltered from first it was the trembling whichthe night wind to the far side of a followed every fight that kept her hillock a few hundred paces away. awake, and then it was a reflection onTheir horses were tethered to the lone the men they had killed. They weretree there. Both mares stirred and soldiers sent by the Priestesses of thetwitched at the smell of blood on Temple of Ishtar to kill them or worse,

Ninshi's knife, still carried uncovered she knew that much. But it surprisedat her side. Ninshi bent, plucked a her that in spite of the fact that theyhandful of the saw grass that grew in had been running from and fightingsmall clumps at the base of the tree, these soldiers and others for someand wiped her knife with it. The time, she knew very little about them.

bronze of the blade flashed dimly in She knew the weaknesses of their the pale moonlight. armor, and the quality of their

They made a cold camp. Ninshi equipment and training. But she knewslept little anyway, and so kept watch. nothing of the men themselves.The long centuries of her murderous The sky lightened, and Ninshi

THE TOMB OF THEAmazon Queen

An ancient warrior and her daughter on the runjoin with a fierce sisterhood to find a fabled treasure

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stirred from where she had sat still for was little more than a fire and athe last few hours. She reached into sleeping circle. Just a few weeks agothe pack against which she had they had been a hundred strong or

leaned, and produced two small more, with camels, horses and pieces of dried meat and a citron. She elephants. Less than two hands-fulldivided the fruit with the same knife had emerged from the desert, withshe had cut throats with the night little more than their arms.

before, and handed a portion to Miri. Two large rocks had been rolled toThey ate in silence, fed a little grain to the edge of the now-dead fire, andthe horses, and broke camp. Ninshi and the soldier each sat. Miri

They led the horses over the rocky stood alert at her mother's shoulder.hillock, and across an open space. "Tell me why you pursue us,"

Miri tied the horses to a small bush at asked Ninshi.the mouth of the wadi. The course of The soldier's eye widened further.the vanished stream that had formed it "You do not know? The priestesswas clear here, with its rocky bottom cannot let the Temple be burned, evenstriated in recurved lines of ancient by someone " he trailed off ,waves. They walked to the edge of the frightened and uncertain of whatcamp, where the lone living man words might awaken the monster instood, bare handed and with his head front of him.uncovered. "someone like me?" Ninshi

"Why have you spared me, rasped. "You have no idea of what IMistress of Death?" The man's voice am. The priestesses no doubt raisedwas tight, and high-pitched. He spoke you on dark tales of The Betrayer.the Akkadian dialect of Nineveh, with Kept you awake nights, starting atits distinctive dropped word endings. every night sound? Gave a name toHe was clearly trembling, and his face your fears."was pale white against the black of his The soldier nodded.

beard and his tousled hair. Ninshi leaned forward. Her heavy,"I have questions," Ninshi said greased braid slid over her shoulder

after a few moments. a n d hu ng b e t w e e n t he m a sThe man gulped, and nodded. punctuation. "What I am is worse

"Come then, and we shall sit among than you could ever imagine. I needthe dead." your fear. I need you to return to your

They walked into the camp. The Temple and tell them that any whofigures of the dead men, rolled in their pursue me will die. And then"cloaks seemed peaceful. The only She looked around at the silentevidence of violence was the dried figures around them, figures that had

pools of blood around the head of once been men. Using gestures andeach. Even those had mostly sunk into very few words, she instructed thethe thirsty dust here at the bottom of shaken soldier to assist her and Miri asthe wadi. they stripped the dead of their clothing

The fire at the center of the camp and weapons. They laid them outwas dead. The soldiers had fared very naked, side by side in a line.

poorly in the desert, and their camp Miri gestured to the soldier, and

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THE TOMB OF THE AMAZON QUEEN 5

led him up and around the bank of the again. Beautiful and terrifying, hewadi, and motioned him to hide stood man-high at his bull's shoulder.himself and watch. Miri crouched His lion-shaped head towered above

beside him. Below, Ninshi stood Nishi's small rigid form. The earlysilently at the end of the line of morning light glistened gold off of hiscorpses, her scarred face blank. enormous wings. The Great BeastJudging that they were a safe distance rumbled some inquiry at Ninshi, andaway, Miri brought her fingers to her she answered in the same harshmouth and whistled softly. tongue. Seeming satisfied, the

She tapped her forefinger on the monster turned and began his ghastlyman's forehead. "You will be silent feast, beginning at the end of the linenow, and not run. No matter what you farthest from Ninshi.

see, you must not be seen or heard. Beside her, Miri heard the soldier When the beast feeds she sees nothing whimper and choke. She grasped hiselse, and cannot defend us." arm, pinching down hard, and with

The soldier gulped, but said her other hand turned his stricken facenothing. to hers. His eyes were wild, and his

"On your life and mine. Not a mouth agape in horror. She shook her sound." Miri settled a little lower, and head fiercely.waited. "What is your name?" she

For what seemed a long while whispered into his ear, with breath

nothing happened. In the wadi below, only. Ninshi stood staring at a broken tooth H e s h o o k h i s h e a d ,talisman at the end of a strap hung uncomprehending.around her neck. The wind blew She pinched down harder andlightly through the wadi, stirring up asked again, "What is your name?"small twists of dust and pushing a few He sobbed back a whispery gasp,

brown fronds from a dying palm past and nodded his head. "Dant."the edge of the camp. Somewhere, a "Watch, Dant," she whispered.sunbird faintly cried, and behind them "Watch it all, but make no noise, or I'llthe rising daylight warmed their kill you myself." She emphasized her

backs. words with the point of her knifeThe soldier stirred beside her, and against his side. She felt fierce, and

Miri turned to repeat her warning, but faintly ridiculous. Dant was twice her her whisper died in her throat. There size and likely twice her age as well.was a sound like the rushing of a great H e t u r n e d h i s h e a d a n driver, and at that same moment she shuddering, kept his face toward whatwas blinded by pain. It felt as if her was happening below. Miri could noteyes and ears were pierced by great tell if his eyes were open or even if needles. For a moment she knew they were that he was watching, butnothing but her agony, and then as she could tell he was terrified, whichquickly as it came it was gone, leaving was what Ninshi wanted, after all.a foul weakness of limb in its place. After a terrible, long while, the

She had seen the Manthycore feed Beast finished and was gone. Ninshi before, and had no desire to see it was still standing in the center of the


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camp when they got there. Of the lineof bodies there remained no trace.

"Take food, and whatever you

need there." Ninshi gestured towardthe pile of clothes and weapons. "Goquickly, and tell your mistresses whatyou have seen here. Tell them that

Nin-Sinuss, Lady of the Song,Servant of the Manthycore has nodesire to continue killing the servantsof the Temple of Ishtar, but has no fear of it, either. And if they continue

sending companies of men after me, Iwill burn every Temple of Ishtar fromGreat Ur to Carcamesh."

Miri glanced across at her mother, but her face betrayed nothing other than ferocity. Miri was certain that her mother could do nearly anything sheset to do, but even for her this seemeda little more than was believable. A

glance at the face of Dant, though,showed he had no doubt that Ninshiwas serious.

"Go then," she commanded. Dantscrambled to stuff a pack with foodand a few small items, and then, notlooking back, started walking towardthe mouth of the wadi, and the longroad back to Nineveh.

"How did you become a soldier of the Temple?" The words were out of Miri's mouth before she thought aboutspeaking.

Dant stopped, and without turningsaid, "I was an orphan. I could donothing else." After a few moments,his shoulders dropped, and he walkedout of sight.

Miri turned to find her mother staring at her strangely. Miri held her

palms open, and shook her head. "Idon't know. I just wondered."

For a moment they looked at eachother in silence. A series of

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expressions crossed Ninshi's face, generous. They were barely a feweach faint enough that no one but Miri hundred steps when the wind began towould have known that her visage was rise, and the first hints of dust and faint

anything but blank. Finally Ninshi clouds of powder-fine sand began tonodded. "Your burdens are yours, I wisp across their path. In a very fewthink. But the more you know of a breaths they were forced to cover their man, the more there is to remember faces. This was the false storm, just aand regret once you have killed him." hint of the true Shamal to come, but

the horses would not walk into theTHE wind dropped to nothing. dust -laden wind, and so they

Ninshi tucked one leg between the dismounted and led them, cluckingother and the blanket, and rose up on and murmuring in their twitching ears

the back of her horse to look around. to calm them.They were on the long sloping plain They were almost through thethat ran down from the Zagros small collection of buildings beforeMountain foothills to Eshnunna, and they saw them. Ninshi shoutedthe slight elevation this gave her was something, but her words were sweptenough to see for two days' travel away by the now howling wind. Sheahead. She shook her head, and settled motioned to a low building to the

back astride her horse. right, and they led the balking,"Shamal ," she said. "We must find panicky horses through the gateway

shelter, with water if we can." to the door. It was broken, and aslant,Miri felt her eyes widen. Twice in the aged wood grey in the uncertain

the six years before they had passed light. Ninshi pushed it open with her through the Shamal , the fierce desert shoulder, and led her horse inside.sandstorms that raced up the Tigris Miri followed.and Euphrates rivers from the sea, but I t w a s d a r k i n s i d e , b u tthis time they were in the open, at least immediately quieter. The roomtwo days travel from the nearest smelled of goats. As Miri's eyesvillage. adjusted she realized that the smell

"How much time?" asked Miri. came from actual goats present, rather "A quarter day, no more." than previous. She shook the dust"This should at least make us from the scarf she had wrapped

harder to find," offe red Miri , around her face and peered about. Inhopefully. Miri did not know if Ninshi the center was a fireplace, unlit, withactually believed they were still being the small amount of light filteringfollowed, but the long centuries had down from the smoke hole above. Themade her mother cautious. room looked to be the common area of

"There was a caravansary, once," th e ca ra va nsar y. No t en ti re ly Nishi said. "Off the road now, but not abandoned. A stringy toothless manfar. Perhaps it is still there. We will go stared at Ninshi from the corner wherethis way. Even if it is no longer there, he sat, behind the dozen or so goats hethere will perhaps be ruins, and if we had sheltered with.are very lucky, a well." There was nothing much else in

Ni nshi 's es timate had been the room. The caravansary had been



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abandoned long enough that little She held her hands empty andremained other than the uncertain roof level. "Will the storm make of usand the mud brick walls. The doorway allies, for this little time? My sisters

at the rear, which must have led to the and I seek shelter, as have you." Her rest of the building, was choked with voice was smooth and melodic.rubbish, broken bricks and slivered "There is room enough, I think,"

beams. replied Ninshi. "And water in a well"Fire? Miri asked. just outside."

Ninshi coughed and spat. "No. The tall woman nodded. "I shallSmoke will make it worse. There was send my youngest sister, then, toa well just inside the wall. Be careful, accompany the young warrior who

but be quick. Fill our water skins; we followed us in. He will want to

may be here for a few days. I'll tend to retrieve the skins he left outside."the horses." "She," snapped Miri, annoyed thatOutside the wind was noticeably her stealth had been wasted. "I am a

stronger, and the howl had risen in she." pitch from a cry to a full voiced The tal l woman turned andscream. By the time she had filled all nodded. "Why so you are. Myfour skins she could barely see the apology." She motioned at the cloakedcorner of the building, and the actual figure nearest the door, and Miridoorway was curtained by the dust followed her out.

that flew fiercely between. She slung Even in the few moments that shethe water skins over her shoulders, had been inside, the wind hadtwo on each side, and staggered noticeably risen. It took a great deal of toward where she knew the door must concentration just to stay upright, and

be, her steps unsteady as she was the fine, powdery sand that blew off of buffeted by the wind. the desert blinded her. With Miri's

She was almost to the door when a help, the girl was able to fill the sixdark figure formed in front of her. She small water bags she carried, anddropped the skins on her right, and together they stumbled back, on their

pulled her knife, but the figure way picking up the larger water bagsremained hunched and moved to the that Miri had dropped.entrance of the caravansary hall. It The door partially blocked out thewas followed by five others. She howl of the wind as it shut behindslowly lowered the other two skins, them, but already the room wasand with her knife held at ready, crept darker, and now quite crowded.to the door and followed them in. Someone had found a lamp, but its

Ninshi stood at the center of the small light was not nearly enough toroom, silhouetted against the faint illuminate the large room. The air waslight of the smoke hole. Six figures filled with fine dust, further obscuringcrowded the doorway side of the vision.room. The one in the front reached up From her size, the sister who hadand pulled down a dusty hood, gone for water with Miri was littlerevealing dark hair bound up in an more than her age, though size couldelaborate knot. be deceiving. Miri was not much older

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than fourteen winters, and already camp, all facing out from where thewas about the same size as her mother, fire would be. They are all armed,who, if the caravan songs were correct with long knives, bows, some sort of

had to be at least fifty times that age. spear, and little crescent shields.Miri made her way through the Women, but warriors. The leader gloom to the corner where her mother seems to be wearing some sort of sa t qu ie tl y, wa tc hi ng as the armor under her robes. Do you knownewcomers laid down bedding in a who they are? Could they have beencircle and made make-shift camp in sent after us by the Priestesses of the large room. She shifted the water Ishtar?"

bags to lean against the wall, and sat Though unusual, Miri and Ninshi beside her. were not the only women who bore

Ninshi took one of the bags, and arms in the lands between the Tigriscarefully spilled a small amount of and Euphrates rivers. There were cultswater onto her scarf. She motioned whose priestesses practiced the art of Miri to do the same with hers, and then war, and occasional body guards for showed her how to cover her mouth those whose religions would notand nose with the damp cloth. It made allow the creation or service of

breathing a little more bearable. At no eunuchs but needed wives or time during this did Ninshi take her concubines guarded. There were eveneyes from the women in the center of a few women, mostly former slaves,

the room. who had been trained to fight againstThere were six of them, but they animals or each other for the

only laid down five pallets. One of amusement of their owners. Somethem crouched in the center, watching cities trained their women as archers,

both the door and Ninshi watching to stand at the walls if the city wereher. attacked. And, though rare, there were

Ninshi leaned into Miri and said even a few women bandits.something in her ear, but even inside "Ishtar? No. From their speech,the howl of the storm was too loud. they are from the east. We shall see.Miri shook her head, and Ninshi tried Rest now. The storm will be long, andagain. "What do you see?" soon make speech impossible."

Miri looked hard and thought The storm was long. Miri spent theharder. She had anticipated the next two days in a sort of stupor,question. It was a game they often periodically shaking out her clothes

played, a deadly serious one, as when the dust piled up, drifting in and Ninshi tried to impart to Miri a portion out of an uncomfortable sleep. Sheof the knowledge gained by a was constantly thirsty, but knewcenturies-long, dangerous life. enough to take only small sips of

"They are setting up like soldiers." water, and make sure that the horses Ninshi shook her head, and pointed at got the bulk of it. Even still, one of theher ear. Miri nodded, and tried again, horses died the second day. Itslouder. "They are setting up their wheezing breath had gotten steadilycamp like soldiers," she shouted over louder, and then it simply stoppedthe howl of the wind. "Look, a circle breathing, and fell straight down



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where it stood hobbled. The other irregular coloration to his clothinghorse knew that something had and the same straggly beard.happened, but Ninshi had blindfolded To Miri the storm seemed to last a

both horses when she had hobbled lifetime. Not an ordinary mortal'sthem, and the surviving horse was lifetime, either, such as may be probably too weak at that point to do endured by a scrabble-land farmer or amore than snort and roll her eyes bored mistress of some rich merchant,under the strip of blanket Ninshi had with the endless days of samenesstied over them. stretching out into the vague and

Miri was vaguely aware that the formless future. No, the storm seemedwomen in the center of the room were to last the long hopeless centuries of faring much the same. They would her adopted mother's lifetime, only

change guard periodically, with even devoid of the occasional splashes of the youngest and eldest taking turns. vi ol en ce th at pu nc tu at ed he r They kept their faces covered with existence. It seemed that long, butelaborately embroidered cloths, eventually the roar of the winddampened in the same fashion as lessened, the air became slightly

Ninshi and Miri's plain scarves. One clearer, and by the morning of thesister would constantly sharpen the third day actual light shone throughhead of her spear while on guard, the the holes in the roof.sound of the stone against the bronze They all began the weary task of

lost in the roar of the storm. Another cleaning the fine, clinging dust fromdid some sort of needlework, with her themselves and their possessions. Itknife on her lap as she worked, eyes had worked itself into every pack, noconstantly shifting in the gloom matter how tightly bound, and into the

between Ninshi, the goatherd, the tightest crevices. Miri caught the eyedoor and her work. The rest just of the sister who had gotten water withgrimly sat, waiting out the storm in her, and the girl nodded, her eyes dark stoic misery. over the scarf across her face. They

The goatherd kept the lamp filled gathered the now-empty water skins.with oil. He was small, withered and At the door they discovered that thequite old. He seemed uncertain what dust had piled up to block the door, butto be more frightened of; the grim together were able to shoulder it past

band of well-armed sisters, the the drift.equally well armed mother and Outside the light was blinding.daughter in the corner, or the storm. Miri blinked and looked down. SheHe carefully made himself small, was unable to see much but kept her scrabbl ing sideways with an companion's boot toes in sight. Her inoffensive gape on his toothless mother had taught her watch the edgesmouth when he got up to refill the of things, and she knew that anylamp. His expression was most likely hostile move from this girl wouldintended to display harmlessness, but mean shifting her feet. Slowly her instead conveyed something closer to eyes adjusted, and she was able toidiocy. Miri's thought he looked like look up again.one of his goats, with the same She raised her eyes, blinking

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furiously, to see the girl doing the sand from his beard with his fingers.same, heavy dark lashes batting She spoke to him in Khettish, and herapidly as she looked to see Miri's face nodded vigorously, and pointed to his

clearly for the first time. mouth. He made a few blattingIn spite of her intentions, Miri sounds, then he opened his mouthst ar te d to gi gg le . Th er e wa s wide to reveal that as well as havingsomething completely ridiculous no teeth, he had no tongue. Ninshiabout the two of them cautiously nodded, and with the use of signs soonregarding each other as they fanned was able to arrange the purchase of the air with their eyelids. The girl one of his goats. The old manstarted giggling too, seemingly struck immediately grasped her selection by

by the same image. Soon they were one horn, and pulled its head to one

laughing aloud, the gir l's face side. With a quick, practiced motion,covering puffing out with each he cut the goat's throat, and in shortchoking laugh. order had it cleaned, skinned and

They stumbled giddily to the well, skewered over the sister's fire.and took turns scraping the debris and Derinoe and her sisters huddled inscum from the surface of the water as one corner, arguing quietly. Theythey filled the skins they carried. Full, reached some consensus, and theMiri bent to pick hers up, but the girl eldest stood, and approached Ninshi,shook her head, and grasped Miri's hand outstretched. As Derinoe had

wrist with her hand. With the other she done, she removed her face covering,uncovered her face, and smiled with and smiled.regular, white teeth. Her face was "We have shared shelter, and willdark, far darker than Miri's sunburnt soon share meat. Let us share salt, asvisage, but her skin was smooth, well, and call each other companion,unmarked and soft looking. at least as long as our paths run

"Derinoe, I am called, a Sister of together." Over Ninshi's shoulder the Shield." She spoke the language of Miri could see that she was dark-Khett, with an accent Miri had never skinned, with dark hair and eyes.heard before. There were lines on her face, but she

"I am Miri, a traveler." Derinoe was not yet old, though a bright whitedropped Miri's arm, and they picked streak ran though the lock of hair thatup the water skins and hauled them escaped from her head cloth.into the caravansary. Ninshi nodded. "I am sometimes

Inside, someone had built a fire in called Ninshi, and this is my daughter,the remains of a central fireplace. Miri. We travel to Eshnunna, at least."

Ninshi finished shaking out her "As do we. I am named Antiope,garments and took a grateful swallow Eldest. My sisters are Melanippe andof fresh water from the well. She spat, Thermodosa of the Spear. Bremusadrank and coughed. "Much better," the silent stands there staring at theshe said. roasting goat, Molpadia is the tall one,

Miri finished arranging the water and my sister and niece Derinoe isskins while Ninshi moved over to Youngest. Here then is a measure of where the goat herder sat, combing salt."



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Nishi took a pinch, and placed it onher tongue, as did Antiope. Theyclasped hands, and then sat discussing

the road ahead."My sister says you have acallused wrist, like someone who

practices with a bow might." Miriturned to see the tall sister, Molpadia,eying her with measuring glance.

"I have drawn a string," Miriadmitted.

"Good. Then perhaps after we

have eaten you can demonstrate to usthe use of such as this." She held out asmall, recurved bow, similar is sizeand shape to those carried by thesteppe men of the north.

"Molpadia," Antiope said over her shoulder. "We are among friends, for now. Please do not bully the child intodoing something she does not care todo."

Miri flushed with anger, whether at the implied challenge or at beingcalled a child she was unsure. "I willshoot," she snapped.

Molpadia grinned and clapped her hands. "See sister? No bullying. Just acontest of skill with bow, is all. Let ussee what she is made of."

"Leave her alone, Molpa."Derinoe was at Miri's elbow. "Come,let us go to the well and see if we canget some of this dust from our clothes."

Outside, Miri was calmer. Thoughthere was still a light breeze, theclouds of dust no longer obscured thesun, and this little patch where the oldcaravansary stood was showed bits of green under a coating of dust. It musthave been a restful and cool place,once, in the years before trade with thecities of the mountains had slowed.The storm had stripped the palms, of

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course, but there were a few patches of low growing plants that had beensheltered by larger objects and so

were spared.They sat by the well, and Derinoeundid her head scarf to reveal thick dark hair done in the same sort of elaborate knot that Miri had seen onher aunt the first night of the storm.The head scarf was plain and dark, butwell woven and little stained.

Miri undid her scarf and quietly

tucked it behind her, suddenlyembar r a s sed by i t s t a t t e r edappearance. Ninshi traveled hard andfast and there was seldom time or needfor fine dress. Miri reached into the

bag at her waist and produced her onevanity, a fine comb given to her bytraders soon after she had startedtravelling with her mother. She shook

her hair free, and started combing thedust out.

Miri was used to Ninshi's near silence, so Derinoe's gossipy chatter was overwhelming at first. She wassixteen, two summers older than Miri.Her and her sisters were travelling tomeet with another of her aunts, whoawaited them in Eshnunna.

They were from Harap, a city far tothe east. They had come by ship to theTigris where they had traveled upriver as far as Assur before the ship couldgo no further, having been battered bythe steady harsh winds and barelysurviving a spring typhoon. They soldit for a small fraction of its value andhad traveled by riverboat to Nineveh,where they had expected to find her aunt. Instead, they found a city inturmoil, with visitors unwelcome andthe Priestesses of Ishtar, who ran half the city, in near civil war.

A handful of years before someone



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had burned down the temple at the nearly her normal self.center of the city and murdered the Ninshi brought the surviving mareHigh Priestess. She had never named out and tied her to a broken rail near

a successor, so of course several the well, where she found a little grassfactions had formed around the peeking from under a coating of dust.various contenders. Five years later, Miri moved the packs from the deadthe temple remained only partially horse to the live one. With the horserebuilt, and the factions had come to loaded like this, neither of them couldnearly open conflict. ride, but at least they wouldn't have to

Though her aunt had fled the chaos carry their gear.of the city, she had left messages for She was just cinching up the lastthem, and tired of the monotony and bundle when she heard a step behind

potential for drowning of travel by her. "Let's see about this mistress of boat, they had decided to travel the bow," Molpadia drawled. "I haveoverland to Eshnunna. They had hired set up a target on the tree there. Let usa caravan master and half-dozen draw strings, you and I, and I shall seeguards, but the caravan master had if I can come close to your mark."

betrayed them, leading them far astray "I have made no such claim," Miriwith the intention of murder and said quietly, but she pulled her bowrobbery. from where it was tucked into the

He had seriously misjudged the bundles. It was larger than the one

Sisters of the Shield. What the carried by Molpadia, made of bonetreacherous caravan master had and wood in strips, strung withintended as a midnight throat-cutting twisted boar's gut.and extended rape had only succeeded She pulled her quiver from thein leaving him and his cohorts same bundle, and Molpadia gasped.stretched dead in the desert camp. The There was nothing unusual about thewould-be bandits had killed the quiver itself, but the arrows wereSisters' servants, but a lifetime of exquisite. The black fletching on eachtraining had left them over classed by took a half-turn around the perfectlythe Sisters. formed midnight-hued shaft. Miri

That same soldier's training had pulled three from the quiver, andtaught them how to travel light. They walked over to where Molpadia hadhad abandoned the tents, set the drawn a line in the dirt. The dark-camels f ree, and six days later patinaed bronze arrowheads sparkledmarched in good order into Nuzi, and in the sunlight.then from there to the north road to Miri saw Ninshi standing next toEshnunna, where they had been Antiope, looking at her with nocaught in the storm with Miri, her readable expression on her face. Mirimother, and the goatherd. knew this was foolish, that they

Deri's chatter was broken by one of always travelled quietly. Doublyher sisters, who shouted out the door foolish that she had shown the arrows,that there was roast goat to be eaten, if but they were her prize, next to her any was wanted. An hour later, with a comb. She had taken them from thefull belly and a clean face, Miri was bodies of some of the soldiers that the

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Temple of Ishtar had sent to kill them sand, and knocked it. This time sheafter Ninshi had burned their temple. drew even slower, held the arrow

Not only were they valuable and drawn against her cheek until her arm

distinctive, but it was stupid to use started to tremble, and then let fly. Thesuch arrows for shooting at a mark. arrow thwacked into the bole of theOnce broken, they were irreplaceable. tree, piercing the mark with not a

She strode to the line, strung her hair's breadth between hers and bow, and stood for a moment, eying Molpadia's arrow. Better, but still,the mark. It was a scrap of red cloth Molpadia had hit it first.stuck to a tree, fifty or so paces away. Once again Molpadia drew andThe distance wasn't bad, but the mark shot with a dancer's fluid grace. Nowas very small. She made no show of flicker of wind, this time, but her

testing the wind. She could feel it arrow struck just above. All four quite well against her cheek. arrows stood within an area that couldTwo of her arrows she thrust into have been easily covered with Miri's

the sand next to her foot. The third she palm.knocked and slowly drew back her Miri moved slowly forward, her

bow, held, and let fly. The arrow eyes on the impossible mark. Shethwacked into the bole of the tree, pulled the final arrow from the sand,knocking loose a shower of bark. It but before she could draw her bowstood quivering, just under the mark. again she felt a hand upon her arm.

A puff of wind had pushed it to the She looked up into the face of side a little, or she would have hit it. Antiope. The Eldest had a half-smileAs it was, the scrap of cloth settled on her face. "It is our custom, when

back down, its end draping slightly two such as you meet, should there beover the shaft of the arrow. a tie, that we not resolve it. The

There was no sound from the Sisterhood, and I think the world, iswomen around her. She looked down, better served by having two who areand slid back away from the line. master than one held greater andMolpadia stepped up, and in one fluid another lesser."and beautiful motion drew and let fly. Miri shook her head. "Are allHer arrow pinned the scrap of red contests left undecided, then?"cloth to the tree, less than a finger's "No child. Only when there arewidth above Miri's. two who are far above all others, those

Miri shuffled back, her heart in her who draw breath with the heroes of mouth. She could feel her face as it old. Molpadia is the greatest archer of

blazed with embarrassment. How our land, and she has not beaten you.could she beat that? She had practiced For her, and for you, we will leave itfor so many years, ever since Ninshi there."had bought her from slavers as a child. Miri looked across the yard. Her She had a teacher who had hundreds mother leaned against the brokenof years of experience. And here she wall, saying nothing. She lookedwas, being humiliated by this arrogant around to find all eyes upon her,woman. including those of the toothless

Miri, plucked an arrow from the goatherd. It seemed that even the



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goats were watching her, and she felt fields and orchards around the city.the heat rise in her face. She nodded, The air was still, and lines of smokeunable to speak. One by one, the stood up from individual fires to form

sisters clasped her arm and spoke a a grey, hazy cloud above. phrase in their own liquid language. Ninshi leaned over to whisper intoDeri hugged her as well as clasping Miri's ear. "I think we shall findher arm. Molpadia, who was not in lodging outside the city. There is aany way friendly, was at least polite, Temple of Ishtar here, and though it isand managed something like a smile, a small one, there is no reason to doubtat least in form. that they have resources enough to

In a short time they were on the cause us great difficulty should theyroad, Miri leading the mare. The learn of our presence."

Sisters walked ahead. The day was The Sisters grew increasingly bright, though the sun still had a quiet and tense as they drew nearer thereddish cast to it. The storm had swept gates. Deri strode ahead to join themthe packed earth of the road clear, and and it seemed to Miri that the otherson the occasional rise the dark smudge surrounded her, as if to protect her of Eshnunna could be seen far away from some danger presented by theagainst the glitter of the ribbon of the city. Outside the gates, amid theTigris River that lined the horizon. expected hovels, brothels, wine shops

After a long while of walking in and market stalls, there was a

silence, Miri spoke. "At least none of caravansary, low walled and built of the arrows broke." the same reddish brick as the city

Ninshi shook her head. "No, none walls. It seemed busy. There were thedid. Though if there is anyone asking camels of at least two caravans loadedfor us, there now is a good story to be and roped together, ready for told." departure, and a number of donkeys,

Miri looked at her boots as she horses and ox carts in the courtyard.walked. "I am sorry." "Here we will leave you," Ninshi

Ninshi clasped her shoulder. said. The Sisters turned back, and one"Don't be, child. At least it is a story in by one offered a hand to Miri andwhich no one dies. There are few Ninshi.enough of those about me, for all the Deri smiled, and leaned over tolifetimes of men I have walked the hug Miri. "We will see each other earth." again, I think," she said. Miri smiled

back, but couldn't speak. SheFOR over a day Eshnunna was watched them walk through the gate,

visible as a dark smudge against the and disappear into the street beyond,ribbon of the Tigris River. As they Deri at the center once again.drew closer, Miri saw that it was As it turned out, most of the traffictypical of the cities between the two was outbound, and so Ninshi was ablerivers. Its walls were of brick, thicker to find room for them there, in a corner and lower than the stone walls of some near the cistern that served theother places she had been. The reddish caravansary. Sometimes they paid

brick stood out against the green of the more and slept inside, but the weather

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was clear, and Ninshi did not want to the mud brick of the caravansary wall.draw any more attention than could be She liked to watch the merchants andavoided. guards as they prepared for their

Miri stayed with the horse while journeys. Ninshi often had them travel Ninshi made her way to a wine shop with caravans, especially when theyshe had spotted near the gate. She needed to cross an area that wascarried with her a ruby, one of the especially dangerous. Sometimesfabled Tears of Ishtar, one of seven Miri overheard something useful.shed by the goddess on her trip to the But this time her heart wasn't in it.underworld. Kubileya, the tavern She liked Deri. Her life had not let her goddess, had set them to collecting make friends, and sometimes monthsthem. In exchange, she promised to passed without her seeing the same

Ninshi the location of seven ancient face two days in a row, except her herbs, which mixed together, might mother's. She didn't mind, and in factcompel the beast she served, and free Ninshi's act of buying her from theher from its bondage. Few had even slavers had been an answer to aheard of the shappatu , the fabled fevered prayer. But it was a lonely lifeherbs given to Noach so he might they led, something she had not reallycommand the beasts after the deluge, noticed until recently.and those few who had knew little After a time, Ninshi returned. Her other than their ancient names. scarred face was unreadable, but Miri

Ninshi had served the Great Beast could tell from the firmness of her for over forty lives of men, until she stride that she was troubled abouthad forgotten even her own name. She something. Ninshi crouched besidewas compelled by his sorcery, and her Miri, her gaze scanning the courtyardcoope r a t i on e nsu r e d by t he in front of her. Satisfied that noneManthycore keeping as captive the there meant them harm, or even sawlove of her youth, unchanged and them, she sighed, and settled lower timeless. She served in bit ter against the wall.unwillingness, and despair, her only "We will wait, here, for a day or hope now that given by the Tavern so."Goddess, and the seven herbs which Miri nodded, not understanding.she might trade for the fabled rubies. "Kubileya said that the Sisters will

Each ruby needed only to be know of the location of the next ruby."dropped into a bowl of wine, in any Miri shook her head, astonished.wine shop or tavern. And just as the "How is this true?"tavern Goddess hear anything spoken "It seems unlikely, I know, butover bowl or cup, so could she speak sometimes those who seek the sameto those who would hear. It wasn't objects will find themselves on theeven remarkable to watch, as there same road. It does seem as if there iswas nothing uncommon about a some invisible hand at work here, butdrinker muttering into his wine. perhaps it is just coincidence. I don't

They had found and delivered like either possibility, but we will see.three rubies, now. This was the I think we will wait here. We will buyfourth. Miri sat with her back against new horses, and prepare for a long



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