The Leopard
Chapter 14
A Pleasure Cruise
I thought long on what Adad-nari told me. It was difficult to ignore the desire that flared whenever I recalled the Akkadian. Naamah's scions have strong desires. We all face the challenge of learning to control them lest they control us. I had mastered this long ago, but there were still times when desire spoke and I had to answer. Mayhap it had been too long since I'd bedded a man- I do choose women more frequently, after all. I'd had plenty of company in bed lately between Apolline and Amitys, so there was no frustration in that area. I did not often lust over those I did not trust, and I was not fool enough to trust Adad-nari.
There was also the matter of the invitation I'd received from the Khalif. Though it seemed unlikely that he meant me harm, I did not trust him either. I could not turn down the invitation, so I vowed to be ever-vigilant the entire time I was on his pleasure barge. I would not be able to wear my sword and dagger, but I could always hide small knives on my person and hope they'd be enough. I did not think anyone would dare to attack the Khalif's barge while he was on it. If Sennacherib was present, that would make an attack even less likely.
The pleasure cruise was not to begin until evening, so I spent the better part of the day in repose. The heat was as oppressive as always, but our terrace was still a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. Apolline and I sat together on a pile of pillows we brought from the sitting room. Orange trees in small plots of dirt provided shade while exotic flowers I'd not seen before filled the air with a subtle perfume. Apolline was quite entranced by the scent.
"Such intoxicating fragrances here! I should like to acquire some oils and create new perfumes. You'd enjoy smelling like an Akkadian, wouldn't you Barquiel?" she remarked.
"I wouldn't mind if you crafted an Akkadian scent for me. Do any of those ladies you've been associating with make perfumes?"
"I'd not thought to ask them, but I will be sure to do it when I see them again. You will be the first on my list," she declared.
"I'm flattered." I closed my eyes briefly, taking a moment to enjoy the perfumes. "What scent should I wear to the pleasure cruise tonight?"
She pursed her shapely lips, considering the question. "Somewhat light."
"Then I shall do so. It is nearly time for me to ready myself."
When the oppressive heat of the day began to wane and the sunset turned the sky a bright orange, I went inside to dress. The outfit had been selected the day before and sent with my valet, ensuring that it was ready to wear. My lightweight doublet was a red so dark it was nearly the legendary shade of sangoire. Intricate silver embroidery decorated the cuffs, edge and collar. Slashes in the sleeves showed the white silk shirt I wore beneath. To this I added an unadorned silver chain. Heeding Apolline's advice I dabbed a light perfume on my neck and wrists. I also wore a pair of small knives within easy reach if I needed them. I would not venture onto the pleasure barge without some means of defending myself. I made my way to the river gate, wary and alert.
A sizable party was assembled there. Akkadian nobles, men and women both, stood amongst numerous guards and slaves. It was not difficult to spot the Khalif. He stood beneath a wide umbrella, dressed as extravagantly as ever. "Duke Bar-key-el!" he announced, catching sight of me. "You are just in time. We are about to board the barge."
"I thank you once again for your invitation, your majesty," I said cordially.
The Khalif waved a hand dismissively. "It was my pleasure."
We did not have time to converse further, for we began boarding the barge. It was a sizable vessel with a canopy to provide shade for the passengers. I walked behind the Khalif, his sons and favored wives, keeping my eyes on Sennacherib. The Khalif and his family settled themselves in the back of the barge under the canopy. Sheer silk curtains blew in the faint breeze. Numerous plush pillows and stools had been set up. The Khalif motioned for me to sit beside him in the place of honor. I folded my long legs beneath me and sat on a large pillow. The princes sat on the other side of their father. Slaves stood to either side of us, holding large fans.
"It is time for you to truly see the mighty Euphrate. You must not have seen much of it when you crossed to enter the city," the Khalif exclaimed.
"I did not, your majesty. I look forward to seeing more," I replied. The entire thing was beginning to remind me of pleasure cruises I'd taken on the River Naamah. Apolline and I had sailed up the river when we visited Naamah's shrine. But the Euphrate was much wilder than the River Naamah was.
"Do you have rivers as great as the Euphrate in Terre d'Ange?" Sennacherib asked. I misliked his condescending tone.
"As a matter of fact, we do," I answered him, carefully concealing my annoyance. "One of them passes through my home estate."
Sennacherib was quiet for a moment. It seemed my response was not entirely what he expected. "Our rivers are the glory of our nation," was all he said.
"I do hope I shall have the opportunity to see the Tigris as well during my time here," I added casually.
"Ah," said Sharru-kin-Shamabarsin. "You may well see it the next time the court moves to Nineveh."
Nineveh was the most important city in the northern part of the Akkadian homeland. It rivaled Babylon, dominating the north as Babylon dominated the south. "I should like to see the wonders of Nineveh."
"I will be sure to invite you along the next time we go," said the Khalif.
With all of the passengers on board the barge, the slaves pulled up the gangplank. In a short time, we were underway. I watched the oars rise and dip into the water. There were several other barges as well, all filled with Akkadian nobles. I paid them little mind, though I did not entirely discount them as potential hideouts for assassins. I did not yet know all the members of the House of Eridu in residence but I had no doubt that some of them were present on the other barges. Sennacherib's friends had to be about as well. I moved closer to the Khalif. If there were assassins about, surely the possibility of hitting his majesty would give them pause.
Feeling slightly more at ease, I observed the surroundings. I'd ridden past all of these buildings with Adad-nari, but the view from the river was rather different. I got a much better look at the western side of the city. Several ziggurats and temples were easy to pick out against the skyline. Numerous palm trees grew along the banks. Many folk could be seen moving about on both shores, taking advantage of the cool hour of dusk.
On the barge, slaves circulated with trays of hors d'oeuvres and flagons of wine. Both eggplant and chickpea spreads were provided to dip flatbread in. We tasted purple olives with sharp white cheese, juicy figs and more grape leaves stuffed with seasoned lamb and barley. I sampled some small fowl flavored heavily with onion and garlic. It was quite to my liking. While we ate, musicians serenaded us.
"I have noticed that onions seem to be a very popular flavoring in Khebbel-im-Akkad," I remarked as I ate.
Sharru-kin laughed, as did Sinaddan and several of the other folk seated around us. "Do you not use onion in Terre d'Ange?" he asked once the laughter subsided.
"Of course, but I do not think we use quite as much," I replied.
The Khalif laughed again. "Then you are missing out in Terre d'Ange! There is never too much onion and garlic." As if to prove his point, he dipped a piece of flatbread into olive oil mixed with many cloves of garlic. I'd declined to sample that myself- I'd tried a similar dip in Tiberium and reeked of garlic for days.
As we ate, I took the opportunity to steal glances at Sennacherib. He did not look at me, preferring to converse with one of his friends I'd seen in the practice courts and another man I knew not. He looked to be several years older than the prince and I took him to be a highly-ranked noble by the quality of his dress. I could not make out their conversation over the myriad of other noises on the barge. I sipped my wine and looked away from them.
The music had the same haunting sound all the music I'd heard in Khebbel-im-Akkad had. I'd come to like it. Unfortunately, I was unable to relax enough to appreciate the music properly. Drinking enough to dull my nerves was not an option. Beside me, the Khalif spoke with his sons and wives. The presence of the wives surprised me, but I supposed they could be allowed out of the palace if they were properly veiled. I noted that the Khalif hadn't introduced them to me, which all in all was not a great surprise. Looking at them, I wondered if Sinaddan and Sennacherib had the same mother.
When the desserts were brought out, the sky grew dark and I noticed we'd passed the southern walls of the city. I turned my attention from my sharbat and dates to watch the shoreline. It was difficult to discern much in the dark, but I saw the mud-brick buildings were slowly replaced by rushes. For a moment, I was reminded of the Aviline River as it flowed from the City of Elua to the sea. "How far is it to the coast?" I asked the Khalif.
"It is several days' journey by the river, longer by land. Not far from here the desert recedes and becomes marshland." His face took on an expression of disgust before continuing. "There are the marsh dwellers there, but they are no threat what with their reed boats and hovels."
"Marsh dwellers?" I'd not heard of such a people before.
It was Sinaddan who answered me. "They are a people who live in the marshes where the rivers join before flowing into the sea. They travel the marshes in shallow boats and build their homes of reeds." His voice did not have the contempt his father's had, but I still sensed some disdain. Why did they look down on these marsh dwellers? They sounded uncivilized, to be sure, but that did not seem a worthy basis for such contempt.
"They are not Akkadians?" I inquired.
All around me, everyone went silent. No sounds could be heard save the music and the sound of the oars splashing in the water. Evidently I'd said somewhat offensive. Sennacherib gave me a poisonous look.
"Akkadians? Of course not!" The Khalif gave a short, harsh laugh. "They are a weak and poor people, with nothing of value. They were meant to be ruled by a mighty people like us."
Their ideas about their right to conquer still disgusted me, but I was beginning to grow used to them. It was military might and victory in battle they prized above all things. "There are cities close to the coast, are there not?"
"Yes," said Sinaddan. "Ur is near the coast. That was our home initially and why we are called the House of Ur. Over time Babylon became the mightiest city in Akkad and we were brought under its rule. When the old line of Babylonian kings died out, we became kings once again. As great as Babylon may be, Ur is the oldest place of our civilization."
I'd not known much of that- the books I'd read proved to be lacking when it came to the full history of Akkad. "I'm afraid I do not know as much Akkadian history as I'd like to. Would you happen to know of any books or scrolls I might read to remedy this?"
Sinaddan brightened visibly. I'd taken him for an intelligent man, but now it seemed he had an interest in scholarly pursuits. "There are several that may be of interest to you. I assume you did not learn the old cuneiform script before you came?"
It had been enough just to learn modern Akkadian script. "I did not, your highness."
"That will limit the selections a bit, but there are still plenty of books and scrolls to suit your purposes. I will have some brought to your quarters tomorrow," said Sinaddan.
"Thank you. There is not a great deal of information on Khebbel-im-Akkad in Terre d'Ange since so few of my people have ever made the journey here. Much of what we do have is from ancient Hellene sources. We have great admiration for the civilization of ancient Hellas in Terre d'Ange."
"When the Hellenes were living in caves, we were building great cities and tall ziggurats," Sennacherib cut in.
I was going to respond, but Sinaddan was quicker. "That may be so, brother, but the ancient Hellenes were a great people. Only a fool would deny that."
"They may have been great for a time, but in the end they were conquered by the Tiberians," Sennacherib retorted.
"That does not mean they were not great. You forget that we ourselves were conquered by the Persians," Sinaddan persisted. I detected a note of tension in his voice.
"And we defeated them and reclaimed our lands," persisted Sennacherib. The Khalif watched the debate between his sons, giving away nothing.
"Believe what you will, Sennacherib, but no great civilization lasts forever."
Sennacherib opened his mouth to reply before closing it again. I was rather grateful for that. It was truly dark now, the only lights coming from the barges and the moon. We continued on a little bit further before turning and beginning our journey back to the city. I was quiet for most of the return trip, taking the time to listen in on what conversations I could. The musicians continued to play, preventing me from hearing as well as I would've liked. People spoke mostly of mundane matters, but I listened anyway. The Khalif's wives mostly chatted amongst themselves, but I caught some of them stealing glances at me. I suppose I was quite the curiosity to them. It seemed they did not leave the womens' quarters often.
At last we returned to the palace. I'd grown quite weary and was glad to see it. After disembarking, I made brief farewells to the Khalif and others. My soft feather bed and pillows were waiting for me. I very much needed to rest, for my mind was spinning. The pleasure cruise had given me many things to think on.
Notes
Onions & Garlic- Onions were apparently very popular in ancient Mesopotamia & used in many dishes. Garlic was used a great deal as well, but not quite as much as onions.
Sharbat- Sherbet.