Word Fulfilled, The by Bruce Judisch Page A

brain. Her vision narrowed, and everything on the periphery went fuzzy. Her breath slowed; her arms went limp.
    “Yes, my Mistress.” Issar-surrat slurred the words through her trance.
    “You have done well.”
    “Thank you, Mother Ishtar. The girl will soon be under my control.”
    “Your control? The girl will be under my control!”
    “Yes, Mistress, of course. What is mine is yours.” Issar-surrat flinched at a needle stab of pain in her temple.
    “Indeed, it is. How good it is for you to remember that.”
    “Yes, my Mistress.”
     
    Lll
    “Hulalitu, what is it?”
    The naditu slumped in the doorway and gripped the jamb for support. Her face was blank, her cheeks wet with tears.
    Ianna sat up on her bed mat. “What has happened?”
    Hulalitu cleared her throat. “I have just returned from a summons.”
    Ianna knit her brow. “A summons?”
    “To the chambers of the High Priestess.”
    The young girl cocked her head.
    “Issar-surrat has taken notice of you.” Hulalitu’s voice tripped over a shallow cough.
    “Of me? Why? How?”
    “I . . . don’t know how. You have found . . . favor in her eyes. In Mother Ishtar’s eyes.” The naditu folded her arms.
    “Favor?”
    “You are to become a naditu. I am to see to your ceremony immediately.”
    Ianna’s face went white. “A naditu ? How can that be? I have not yet even completed my ishtaritu rite.”
    “That is of no consequence. You are to remain in the service of Ishtar.”
    A wave of panic flooded Ianna’s head. “I can’t. I’m supposed to go home. Complete my ritual and . . . go home.” Her voice choked. She rose and faced Hulalitu. “I never wanted to become a priestess. That was not why I came.”
    Hulalitu’s face tightened. “It is an honor to serve Mother Ishtar. She has determined your fate. You will stay.”
    Tears spilled from Ianna’s eyes. “No! I want to go home. You can’t keep me here. I—”
    A resounding smack filled the room as Hulalitu’s hand found its mark. Stunned, Ianna dropped to the floor, her hand covering a rising welt on her cheek. She hung her head, and her body convulsed.
    “You . . . you will remain in your chamber to prepare your heart and mind for the ceremony. It is tomorrow.” The naditu pivoted on her heel and exited the room.
     
     
    Hulalitu leaned against the wall outside the door. She closed her eyes against the quiet sobs that filtered through the gap under the wooden panel.

 
     
     
     
    Nine
     
     
    Nineveh, the Privileged Quarter
    Twenty-fifth Day of Ajaru
     
    H
    ani jolted at the rap on the door. She paused over the dried herbs she was sorting while Mordac napped in the back room. She wiped her hands on a scrap of cloth and pulled open the door.
    “Are you the mother of Ianna?”
    The young girl was dressed in a white tunic and held a small bundle in her hands. Hani recognized the garb as the same she had seen her daughter wear on the steps of Ishtar’s temple. The girl was lovely, Ianna’s age, Hani surmised. But she looked ill at ease.
    “Yes, Ianna is my daughter. Who are you, please?” Hani tried to keep an even tone, but a sudden fear rooted itself in her stomach.
    “My name is Suhru. I live at the end of this street.”
    “Of course. I recognize you now. Please, come in out of the heat.” Hani stepped aside, but the girl only shook her head.
    “Thank you, but I can’t stay. I only came to tell you—” Suhru cleared her throat.
    The fear rose to Hani’s throat and gelled into a lump. “Tell me what, dear? Is this about . . . Ianna?”
    Suhru nodded. She threw a furtive look over her shoulder, then blurted, “They’re making her a naditu. It’s all over the temple. I’ve just been released, but I wanted to let you know.” She lowered her eyes. “They don’t always tell the family.”
    Hani didn’t understand. “A what? I don’t know much of the temple. What does this mean?”
    The girl’s face flushed. “She’s to become a full priestess of Mother