(Lureh POV)
I was fixing my hair as usual.
Once I finished, I looked at my reflection in the water.
Yes. Loose hair definitely looked better with this long, pale dress. I could not help turning once, smiling as the fabric lifted lightly around me.
I was just about to leave when I heard people running behind me. Nothing unusual lately. Two days had passed since Liraya and Urhen died. Everyone was nervous. Her faction had become more chaotic with each passing hour.
But Liraya had prepared for something like this. She had left orders behind in case anything happened to her, and those orders were keeping her faction from falling apart. The few chosen who had sworn a divine oath to her were still obeying them.
Poor things.
If they knew what had happened to her, all of them would simply run.
A divine oath was one-sided. It bound only the person who had sworn it. Even if Liraya's death had made it meaningless, there was nothing that would let them know. That was why I had to confirm her death myself that day.
But there was another way to find out. All they had to do was disobey one of her orders. Of course, no one had dared. They were not fools. It was too dangerous. Even with Liraya missing, no one wanted to be the first to break the oath. If they tried and she turned out to be alive, they would wish they had died before making that mistake. Still, I wanted to be in their place. Because the moment one of them finally dared to test it, they would understand.
And all of them would be free.
During that time, I had simply continued with my usual routine. When they asked where I had been, I lied. They believed me without much trouble. After all, one of her orders was that we could not lie to each other.
But there was one thing that kept making me uneasy.
My new Lord.
I had tried to gather information about him in secret, but most of what I found was either useless or strange. According to the stories, Ereshgal had been born under signs people took as divine favor, so he grew up as more than just a prince. He was protected, admired, and expected to become someone chosen by the gods.
But when the ceremony of selection came, no god chose him. After that, everything around him changed. People began whispering that the gods had abandoned him, maybe even that they wanted him dead. Then he was wounded by a wendigo, and no one could heal him. That was strange enough on its own. Did the gods truly want him dead? In the end, he left to search for a cure.
He died during the journey. Or at least, that was what everyone believed. But now I knew he was alive and chosen by a god.
What had really happened?
I could not help wondering. Had he escaped because his uncle wanted him dead? Or was this one of those secret royal trials meant to shape him into a better heir?
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous the possibilities became. But I could not deny it was fun to imagine.
Still, it did not matter for now. If I stayed close to him, I would find out eventually.
The good news was that despite everything, he seemed to have been a decent person before he disappeared. Whether that was still true now was another matter.
I tied the waterskin to my belt and left my room in the temple.
The moment I stepped into the corridor, I could feel the tension in the air. I ignored it and kept walking. No one stopped me. With Liraya gone, there was no one here who could give me direct orders.
So I went out for a walk. I needed to clear my head a little.
Maybe I would even find some handsome man to talk to. That would at least make the day less dull. Hopefully, in Uruk, I would finally find someone worth keeping around.
Ereshgal's face came to mind.
I shook my head at once.
No. Absolutely not.
He was not an option.
After leaving the temple, I made my way toward the artisans' workshops. I liked visiting that part of the city.
The market was always loud and crowded, with sellers repeating the same offers from every direction. The workshops had a different feeling. Sometimes, they made pieces that never reached the market.
Those were always the best ones.
I went to the weavers first. Dalla should have been there.
She was an older woman who had been weaving for years, and among the artisans in Sippar, she was one of the few who could make truly fine clothing. The dress I was wearing now had been made by her. If I was lucky, she might have one of her test pieces ready to sell.
I reached her workshop quickly and stepped inside without asking.
The first thing I saw was the loom. It stood near the wall, a tall wooden frame wider than a doorway. Dozens of threads hung from the upper beam, stretched downward and tied to clay weights that kept them tight. The whole thing looked orderly, as it always did.
Except for one weight.
It lay on the floor, as if it had fallen and no one had bothered to pick it up.
That was strange. Dalla was not careless with her tools. I looked deeper into the workshop and called out.
"Dalla? Are you here?"
I heard her voice a moment later, coming from the room at the back.
"Here."
I walked in and found her lying on the bed with one foot raised, a damp cloth wrapped around it.
"What happened?"
Dalla gave me a sad little look before answering.
"After so many years without an accident, I suppose it had to happen again eventually. One of the loom weights fell on my foot."
I moved closer and looked down at the cloth.
"May I?"
She nodded.
I lifted the damp cloth carefully. Her foot was badly swollen, the skin already turning purple in places. Those weights were heavier than they looked. I could heal her. Lord Ereshgal probably would not mind. At least, I hoped he would not.
But before that, I had to ask her the question.
"Do you wish to be healed?" I asked.
Dalla smiled faintly, as if she thought I was only asking out of kindness, not because there was any real hope.
"Of course" she said. "I would love that."
The moment she answered, she fulfilled my edict. I could only heal someone who wished to be healed.
I unfastened the waterskin from my belt and loosened the cord around the hollow stopper. Then I poured a small amount of water into it, using it like a tiny cup.
I looked at Dalla's foot again and measured the amount of spiritual energy I would need. Not too much, but not little either. The bone was likely broken, so I had to mend the fracture, reduce the swelling, and leave the rest for her body to heal naturally. I gathered the energy at the tip of my index finger, then traced the rune carefully over the water.
The symbol glowed for a brief moment. Then the water changed. A soft blue-green color spread through it.
I brought the stopper to Dalla.
"Drink this" I said. "And don't tell anyone."
Dalla looked at the water, then at me, clearly confused. Still, she nodded and drank it without arguing.
A moment later, the swelling in her foot began to recede.
The deep purple color softened little by little, and the worst of the pressure faded from the skin. It did not heal completely, but that was fine. The injury was no longer serious. With normal treatment, she would recover fully in a few days.
"I…" Dalla started to speak, but I raised a hand and cut her off.
"Don't say anything. If you want to repay me, give me a pretty dress. I have a long journey soon."
For a second, she only stared at me. Then she laughed and nodded.
A few moments later, I left the workshop with two beautiful dresses folded in my arms, one green and one red. I could not keep the smile off my face.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." I straightened at once when I heard his voice.
Then I turned and saw him.
My new lord.
"Lor— "
"No need."
I froze for a moment. For some reason, my eyes went straight to his. I really liked them. Before I could decide what to say, he spoke again.
"We leave tomorrow. A carriage will depart for Uruk in the morning. Hide your identity and leave the city quietly. Wait for us outside the walls."
So the time had come. I had already prepared everything, of course. If he had told me to leave right now, I could have done it.
He continued before I could answer. "And I need you to do me a favor."
I sighed inwardly.
I knew it. How bad is this going to be?
"I need you to get me two criminals sentenced to death" he said. "The crimes do not matter, as long as they have been proven. And most importantly, choose people as healthy as possible."
That was strange. Why did it matter if they were healthy? Well, it was not my problem. People like that deserved whatever happened to them.
I waited. That obviously could not be all. It was too simple. But a few seconds passed, and he still did not say anything.
Eh? That was it?
"Nothing else?" I asked.
"No. Nothing else, I'll see you tomorrow."
He started to leave, then stopped after a few steps.
"By the way, I like the red one."
Then he simply kept walking.
I stood there for a moment with my mouth slightly open, still holding the dresses in my arms. Without thinking, I hugged them a little tighter against my chest.
After a moment, I shook myself out of it and started back toward the temple. This was my first mission for my new lord, and I had to do it properly.