“Come along,” says Sunsee. We follow her into a shuttered chamber in the nursery. She opens the draperies, revealing furniture and wooden toys. “Forgive the dust. This is reserved for the heir. It’s been unoccupied for some time.”
This was my room before I moved to the Brotherhood temple for the brethren to raise me. I explore the chamber and wait for fragments of my memories to return.
Kalinda wanders the perimeter. We reconnect at the bed. A haunting mural covers the wall behind the headboard. The painting depicts a subversive world awash with grays. A path of switchbacks divided by narrow gates meanders into the underground. As I track the path downward, I count seven gateways.
Kalinda approaches the mural in a daze. “Is this . . . ?”
“The tale of Inanna’s Descent,” finishes the nursemaid. She takes my squirming sister from me, setting her down to crawl. “This was Kindred Lakia’s favorite story. Some of the nursemaids would listen at the door while she told the prince.”
“Was there a book she read from?” Kalinda asks.
“No,” Sunsee replies, “she recited the tale by heart.”
I study the mural closer. “I have no recollection of this.”
“You were four years old, Your Majesty.”
Perhaps so, but Sunsee’s nostalgia implies I should remember.
“Why this story?” Kalinda asks.
“Lakia was fascinated by Inanna.” Sunsee points to a tiny outline of a woman at the top. Paths wind between her and the city at the bottom. A shining figure stands with the woman.
How could I forget my mother’s obsession with this tale? I have been a reader for as long as I can recall. At the temple where I grew up, I was the only child under the brethren’s care. Books were my best friends. Could my passion for reading have come from before the temple, from Lakia?
Kalinda indicates the glowing man with Inanna. “Who is that, Sunsee?”
The nursemaid’s voice hushes. “Inanna could not navigate the under realm alone. As the tale goes, she visited the gods’ mountain house temple and prayed for a divine guide to lead her. The fire-god took pity on Inanna and escorted her through the Void to her beloved.”
“Ashwin,” Kalinda utters breathlessly, “is this the detail you couldn’t remember?”
I pry my heavy tongue from the bottom of my mouth. “Must be.”
Kalinda blanches, her bloodshot eyes stricken.
Sparing Deven from an eternal death is possible, but only with guidance from a god.
6