The Banquet of the Gods
Lately, Inanna had been in remarkably high spirits.
Her steps were light, and a smile never left her face. Even someone who had not spent years attending her would have known she was positively glowing with delight.
Ninshubur, however—who had served Inanna for a very long time—read it as the calm before a storm. It was the kind of knowledge that only came from hard-earned experience.
And for the past week, Inanna had not even returned to the palace, which only deepened Ninshubur's worry. It was true that her mistress had grown considerably more well-behaved of late, which was a relief in its own way—but failing to come home at all was still a serious problem.
Even so, knowing how much Inanna hated anyone meddling in her affairs, Ninshubur had done her best not to pry.
But even the most loyal and perceptive of attendants could not ignore an invitation sent by the great gods themselves.
"This is the place?"
Tracking Inanna's trail, Ninshubur arrived at the summit of Mount Ebih.
What stood there was a single small house—a modest, shabby dwelling so far removed from Inanna's tastes that it might as well have belonged to another world entirely.
My lady is staying somewhere like this?
The question flickered through Ninshubur's mind. But the residual traces of divinity clearly led here, so all that remained was to confirm it.
She knocked politely on the door.
A brief commotion stirred from within.
"Who is it?!"
The door flew open, and a voice thick with irritation snapped out. It was Inanna, looking down at her attendant.
"Oh. It's you."
"Yes. I'm afraid it's rather important, so…"
Inanna's appearance, however, was something else entirely. Her armpits, her neck, her breasts were slick and glistening with saliva, and her hair was a wild tangle. But what truly drew the eye was the space between her thighs—thick, milky fluid was seeping freely from the cleft of her sex.
"What is it?"
"…Lord An has sent an invitation to a banquet."
Doing her utmost to act as though nothing were amiss, Ninshubur held out the clay tablet bearing the invitation.
"Invitation? This is a summons."
"Shall I decline it, then?"
As she spoke, Ninshubur glanced past her grumbling mistress. A strange man stood fidgeting in the background.
He's handsome.
The thought came unbidden. His beauty was extraordinary—his face alone could stand comparison with Enki or Enlil. It was enough to make perfect sense of why her mistress had abandoned the palace to roll around in bed.
And that was as far as it went. Ninshubur had no business commenting on her lady's love life, so she stopped thinking about the man altogether.
"No. If I skip it, I'll never hear the end of it later. Besides, I've got a few things I want to say to those old fossils anyway. Perfect timing."
"Very well. Then we shall depart at once."
"Hold on a second. Let me say goodbye first."
Inanna ducked back inside and said something to Sunya.
"…So it looks like I'll have to be away for a little while."
"I see. And when might you return?"
"Maybe a week? Could be a bit longer."
"A pity, but it can't be helped."
"Yeah. So give me a goodbye kiss before I go."
The two of them pressed their mouths together. Where Sunya had been flustered by Ninshubur's sudden arrival only moments before, he now drew Inanna close by the back of her head and the small of her back, kissing her with raw, unrestrained passion. Tongues were most certainly involved.
Isn't that going on a little long?
Even Ninshubur found it mortifying to stand there in broad daylight watching them carry on like that.
When the endless kiss finally ended, Inanna spoke with flushed cheeks.
"…Want to go one more round?"
"Please have some mercy. We have a guest, after all."
"Fine. Then I'm really going this time."
At last, Inanna stepped outside.
"You brought the sky-boat, right?"
"Yes. Just in case…"
"Good. My legs are a little shaky, as it happens."
Shaky legs made no difference whatsoever when one was flying, but Ninshubur chose not to point that out. Taking off in her current state would have been a problem all its own.
Inanna climbed aboard the sky-boat Ninshubur had arrived in. Once she had settled into a comfortable seat, Ninshubur took the helm.
Has there been a strange scent lingering this whole time?
As they flew, she caught a smell she had never noticed before. It wasn't unpleasant—if anything, it was closer to the clean fragrance of flowers. But the fact that it was unfamiliar niggled at her.
After a while, Ninshubur realized the source was Inanna herself.
"My lady? Have you noticed a floral scent for some time now?"
"Floral scent? Ah—yeah, it's been leaking out a little bit since earlier."
"Pardon?"
What on earth does that mean?
Ninshubur tilted her head at the incomprehensible reply. To help her attendant understand, Inanna explained more precisely.
"It's the smell of his seed."
"Pardon?"
A beat of silence. Then Ninshubur understood that she meant the scent of semen, and her face went scarlet.
"P-Paaaaardon?!"
"And while we're on the subject—I'm pregnant."
"…"
It was a relentless cascade of shock and horror. Ninshubur momentarily lost the power of speech. Still, she was a capable attendant. Even in her fluster, there were questions that had to be asked.
"When exactly…?"
"About a week ago?"
A week ago lined up precisely with the day Inanna had left the palace. Ninshubur had no way of knowing it, but that had been the first night Sunya and Inanna had lain together. She had conceived from the very first climax.
"…And the other party is the gentleman I just saw?"
"That's right."
"…"
Ninshubur no longer knew what to make of any of it. Gods having children was hardly a momentous event to begin with. And Inanna was more than capable of looking after herself now—it would be absurd for a mere attendant to start issuing opinions. She would simply do her duty, nothing more.
"Then, as for telling the others…"
"You keep quiet. I want to be the one to say it."
"Understood."
Upon arriving at the palace, Inanna washed herself. It was a touch disappointing, but she cleaned around her mound as well. Then she dressed in splendid garments adorned with jewels and arranged her hair.
"Good. All ready. Let's go."
Once she had finished preparing, Inanna was every bit the dazzling, seductive goddess she had always been. Looking at her now, no one would have believed she was the same woman from mere moments before. Of course, that fierce, vital gleam in her eyes had not changed in the slightest.
"By the way, Ninshubur—did you hear why they're suddenly holding a banquet?"
"From what I gather, there is special news to be announced. Beyond that, I know nothing."
"News? What news? Probably some more worthless nonsense."
Inanna grumbled the entire way to the banquet hall. Ninshubur listened to her mistress's complaints in silence. She was long accustomed to them; it was no great burden.
"You're here!"
"It's been so long since we've seen your face."
Nanna and Ningal, who had arrived a little ahead of Inanna, greeted her warmly.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."
"Is that any way to speak to your parents?"
And right on cue, Utu started scolding her the moment they met. Inanna pulled a face of pure disgust.
"Why are you making a fuss when Mom and Dad say it's fine?"
"…Well, at least you're calling me big brother now."
Utu hated how something so trivial could improve his mood.
"Our little girl—what have you been up to all this time?"
"Do you know how sad your father has been, not seeing your face lately?"
Nanna and Ningal laughed warmly as they spoke. Even the greatest troublemaker in the divine realm was nothing more than a precious daughter in her parents' eyes. It helped that both of them were gentle by nature to begin with.
"I'll tell you later."
"What kind of trouble did you cause that you have to put it off?"
"Would you be quiet already, big brother?"
The happy family made their way into the center of the banquet hall. The festivities were already in full swing—tables laden with every delicacy imaginable, including beer brewed by Ninkasi herself. Musicians played their instruments and poets sang to stoke the merriment, making for a truly boisterous and magnificent feast.
"It's always so loud."
Inanna found the noise grating on her ears. She had split off from her family and was sampling beer and food alongside her attendant Ninshubur.
"It's been a long time, Inanna."
Ninhursag, spotting her, came over.
"Good to see you too, Auntie."
"Heh. Not so long ago you were smaller than me… and now you're looking down at me like this."
Indeed, Inanna stood nearly a full head taller than Ninhursag.
"You've always been on the short side, Auntie."
"True enough."
"Is something wrong, though? Dad's expression looks a little off."
"Nanna has always gotten anxious whenever a banquet is held. He's worried Enlil might announce a successor."
"Is that so?"
"You really never paid any attention to your own family, did you?"
Even addressed so rudely as "Auntie," Ninhursag remained soft-spoken and gentle—a far cry from how she dealt with Enki.
"Then do you know why they called everyone together?"
"I'll give you a hint. You could say it's because of me."
"Because of you, Auntie?"