"I don't know why Ningal hated me as much as she did. I tried so hard to make it work, but there was never any pleasing her. It was as if she just wanted to hurt me."
Kat tensed as a bad feeling went through her and she had to bite her lip to keep from speaking. Given what he'd just confided, she wondered if Ishtar wasn't his daughter after all. How cruel to lie to him and tell him his own daughter belonged to someone else...
Surely Ningal hadn't been that mean. But as she stood there, she felt the truth in her heart. It would be the deepest blow and it was one Kat was sure Ningal had taken.
Sin stepped away from her and headed down the narrow corridor to a chamber at the end of it. As soon as he entered, the torches lit themselves all around the room. The fire made dancing shadows that formed the images of children playing and deer running.
Kat gaped at the splendor. Every part of the room was covered in gold. Emeralds and diamonds were encrusted along the wall to make the grass where the children danced and there in the center was a sarcophagus in the shape of an ancient temple. It was exquisite.
On the top of it was carved the likeness of Ishtar whose eyes were two perfect sapphires. In her features, Kat saw the likeness to Sin. She'd been right about Ningal and it amazed her that anyone could be so cruel. How could Ningal have lashed out so viciously at the one person who should have meant the most to her? It defied logic.
Sin paused before the image to place his hand on Ishtar's face. The agony of his features tore through her. The thought of opening Ishtar's tomb was ripping him apart.
Kat wanted to spare him any more pain. "You want me to look for it?"
"No," he said, his voice thick. "She never liked strangers to touch her. She was actually very shy." His expression guarded, he closed his eyes and pushed at the lid. It shook slightly before it moved. The sound of scraping stone echoed through the cavern.
Kat moved forward and then gasped as she saw Ishtar. Because she was a goddess, her body hadn't decomposed. She was as perfect as the day she'd died. Her eyes closed, she appeared to be sleeping and a part of Kat kept waiting for her to wake up and look at them. She wondered if Sin was having the same thought.
Ishtar had been laid to rest in a crimson gown, the hem was encrusted with rubies that set off her dark complexion perfectly. Her hands, covered in gloves made of gold, were crossed over her breasts and beneath them she held the Rod of Time. In the shape of a raven, it, too, was gold and encrusted with gems.
Kat looked up at Sin. "She's beautiful."
"I know." He reached in to pull the Rod out from under Ishtar's hands. As soon as he touched her skin, a single tear slid from the corner of his eyes. "I miss her so much," he breathed. He glanced up. "I don't want to see you like this, Katra. Do you understand?"
She nodded as her emotions choked her. She didn't want to bury him either. "Ditto, bud. If anything happened to you, it would definitely ruin my best day."
Sin didn't speak again as he closed the sarcophagus and gripped the Rod tightly in his hand. "We have the key."
"Now we need the lock."
"And a miracle."
Kessar stood before the lock with Neti behind him. Tall and slender and dressed in dark brown, Neti had been one of their better conversions. The former chief gatekeeper to the Sumerian Underworld, he now worked for Kessar who kept him in deep seclusion.
"You are devious, master."
It was true. He was the master and he was devious. Kessar laughed as he stroked his chin. He'd embedded the lock that would hold back the Dimme inside Zakar's chest. The only way for Sin to save the world would be to kill his own twin.
He relished the image of Sin ripping Zakar's heart out to save mankind.
The only thing better would have been to have taken his woman and have her hold the lock in her chest. But that would have been suicide since her death could very well unleash a Charonte army to hunt for them.
No. This was much better. It would be like Sin killing himself, only worse.
Stepping forward, Kessar cocked his head as he looked down at Zakar who was weeping from the pain of his chest having been ripped open. The chain that led to the Dimme tomb flowed out of his back.
He smirked at the man's pain. "What is that quaint human expression I learned last night? Sometimes you're the dog and sometimes you're the hydrant?" He tsked at Zakar. "Guess you're the hydrant today, eh?"
Zakar's entire body was shaking as he bravely lifted his head to pin Kessar with a lethal glare. "Fuck you."
"No, thank you. I prefer women." He ducked as Zakar tried to spit on him. "And you gods think you're so superior. You cry and spit and beg for mercy, just like everyone else. You have no more dignity than the lowest beggar." He balled his fist in Zakar's hair and pulled it hard. "I can't wait to see you die."
Zakar panted as more pain assaulted him and that thought actually made Kessar hard.
Kessar stepped back. He needed to find a female for a few minutes. "Neti. Guard him well. I'll be back to play with him shortly."
Sin had just returned to his penthouse with Kat when the Rod started glowing. Two seconds later, something that felt like an earthquake shook the entire casino.
"What the...?" Damien asked as several pictures fell to the floor and shattered. "Is that more bomb testing?"
Sin shook his head as a bad feeling went through him. "No. It's something else." He looked at Kat to see if she felt what he did.
"I don't know what that is," she said her voice tone filled with apprehension. "But I don't like it."
Kish pushed himself up on the wall. "Maybe it was the quake they're always saying is going to hit Vegas."
"Maybe..." But the Rod was still glowing and now a low-level hum had started emanating from it. "Something's not right."
All of a sudden, a light shot from the Rod, illuminating the area in front of Sin. A tall, black-haired woman appeared in a dark brown ancient gown. He had no idea who she was...
"The seal has weakened," she said in Sumerian. "The Dimme will be freed in six marks. Whoever holds this tool, you must reseal their tomb..."
"Six marks?" Damien asked. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Two hours," Kat and Sin said simultaneously.
Kat looked at Sin. "I thought we had a couple of weeks?"
"So did I," he said gruffly. "Something else must have happened to accelerate the clock."
Damien made a face of exaggerated happiness. "That's just beautiful. Zippity-doo-da! What a wonderful day."
Kat sighed heavily. "So much for planning an attack, huh?"
Sin walked through the diagram as he went to retrieve his last sword that would easily kill the gallu. "We need to gather everyone we can."
Damien scoffed. "Uh, boss, hate to be a pall, but I think everyone we can gather is currently here in this room."
Sin paused to look at Simi, Xirena, Damien, Kat, Kish, and Xypher. It was a pitiful number of defenders. But it was all the world had. "In that case, we need to seriously arm ourselves."
Damien crossed himself. "Hail Mary, full of grace-"
"What are you doing?" Kish asked. "You're not Catholic."
"Yeah but I'm feeling really religious all of a sudden and it seemed like a good idea."
Sin rolled his eyes. He looked at Simi and Xirena. "You two are our tanks." He glanced around to the others. "We'll have to guard them so that they don't get overwhelmed and brought down. If we lose them, we have no one who can help us."
Kat frowned. "Wait. I have an idea... You go ahead and arm everyone. I'll be right back."
Sin opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak, she was gone.
Kat flashed herself to Olympus, onto her mother's balcony. Luckily, Acheron was still sitting on the terrace, looking incredibly bored.
He gave her a chilling look. "Are the Dimme out yet?"
She gaped at the unexpected question. "How did-"
"I felt the vibration. It's a sensation I've felt before the last time they almost went free. And to answer the question in your mind, you'll have to ask Artemis. I can't leave here until she dismisses me."