Page 20 of Ensii
“It is,” Ashek answered drily. “The goddess of traitors has no place here.”
A ripple went through the crowd and Talitha found it hard to interpret. Were they excited? And how had they known Ashek would come?
“We follow the Ensaak Talitha,” piped up a man in the rugged tunic and notched belt of a mason. “The usurper is a weakling and a tyrant! He’s closed off the roads and we haven’t been able to trade outside the village. Our stores are dwindling. If we don’t reach the farms on the outside soon, we will starve and their crops will suffer for lack of water.”
Talitha dissected every word, taking into consideration what exactly this mean. Naram was no statesman and he was no municipal leader. He must have sealed the gates because he feared Talitha would come in that way. It seemed that Nehemian hadn’t been giving orders on mattersnotinvolving the worship of Anakti. Even he would have known better than to ban travel for this long without providing from the palace granaries.
“As for me and my household, we will follow Priest Ashek to whatever end,” Shem, the old man, dropped to one knee, head bowing over his bent staff as a good twenty of the men at his back did the same.
Another man stepped out from the crowd, the mason. “Ensaak Talitha is our rightful ruler. Long may she reign!”
At his words, the whole of the market place was fulled with bowing supplicants. Talitha had forgotten how it felt to have people bow before her. Had it always been this elating and humiliating at once? She had as many failures as any of them.
“I’m glad our people are our people, but we have a palace to take,” Shaza muttered from over her shoulder.
Talitha took a step forward. “If you support us, we accept your loyalty. Ashek and I have united our clans in marriage. Ilios now belongs to Hudspethites and Ilians in equal measure.” She wasn’t sure whymarriagecaught in her throat. The lover’s mark on the side of her neck seemed to heat at the word. “If you are with us, go to your neighbors and gather them together. We are overthrowing the pretender and reinstating rightful leadership.” She looked to Ashek then, forcing herself to give him the floor. If they were to rule together, she would need to get used to this.
Ashek inclined his head to her before addressing the crowd. “My wife speaks true. Rouse your neighbors. Pull down the shrines to Anakti. What can be burned, burn, but burn it in the streets so as not to harm your neighbors. We will tear any icons from the houses later. Harm no one—not even the most devout follower. They will be given their chance to surrender the idols willingly. For now, take only what is in the streets and take nothing for yourself. That gives Her power.”
Talitha wasn’t sure how much power a chunk of marble plated in gold could be, but didn’t argue.
“We will do as you command, my lord,” said Shem, still in the kneeling position.
“Go with them,” Talitha ordered the other Ilians. “Let Nehemian decide whether he will protect his precious idols in the streets.” It would demoralize the old priest if nothing else.
“The sunrise is only a few hours away,” Ashek said. “Let the suns look upon a new Ilios at dawn.”
The crowd let off a cheer that echoed through the black night. Raising their staffs and torches, several of them already began to turn and rush into the dark. The iconoclasm had begun.
