The Tablet of Destinies
When they stepped into the crumbling palace, the Hall of Knowing was already thronged with gods who had arrived ahead of them.
The others, too, seemed to sense that something was amiss; a restless murmur ran through the gathering. Every one of them knew that the Enlil they were familiar with — no matter how urgent the matter — would never have issued a summons while his palace still lay in ruins. For the sake of appearances alone, he would have seen it fully restored first.
"You have come, Father."
Kalam came forward to greet them. A sword hung at his waist, and the sleeves of his robes were unusually wide; the distinctive cut of his clothes made him stand out even among the gods. Ever since Sunya had filled his head with tales of the martial world, Kalam had taken to dressing as though he had stepped straight out of a wuxia novel. Sunya had once sewn such garments for him as a child, and he had worn them ever since.
"What? When did Mom and Dad get here?"
A woman with red hair like Inanna's approached them. It was not only the color of her hair — she resembled Inanna so closely they might have been twins. Golden bracelets glittered at her wrists, and the necklace at her throat was set with jewels of every color, shining like a rainbow. She cut a figure every bit as lavish and extravagant as Inanna herself. But where Inanna's eyes were red, this woman's were blue like Sunya's, and she had no beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
"Yes. It's been a long time, my daughter."
"You seem a little taller than before, Nanaya."
Nanaya. The third child born to Sunya and Inanna — and of all their children, the daughter who most closely took after her mother. It was not only her face; her temperament, too, was the most like Inanna's.
"I'm here too."
After the younger daughter came the eldest, Sharpunitu. Where Nanaya was the image of Inanna, she took after Sunya — or more precisely, she looked exactly as Sunya would have looked had he been born a woman. She kept her eyes half-lidded as a matter of habit, and her hair shone silver. She stood a little taller than Inanna as well. But when she opened her eyes fully, they were red like her mother's, and a beauty mark sat at the corner of one eye — Inanna's features mixed in just enough.
"Father?"
"It's truly been a long time."
Then came Ashur, Babilim, Ninshar, Eragal, and the rest — the children Sunya and Inanna had brought into the world over the decades, gathering one after another.
"Hello, big sisters and brothers!!"
"Our little one came too?"
"Aww, so cute! When did you get so big?"
Nanaya pinched Gula's cheeks between both hands.
"Hehe…"
Laughing and exchanging greetings, they made a thoroughly warm and harmonious picture. Considering how often the gods were known for strained relations between parent and child, it was a truly exceptional sight. Naturally, the eyes of those around them began to gather. More than twenty people clustered together and chattering was hard to ignore.
"Noisy."
Someone spoke, and as if by prior arrangement the entire assembly fell silent. The one who had spoken was Enlil, King of the Gods.
"Putting on airs for no reason. Tch."
Inanna muttered under her breath, displeased. Sharp-eared Enlil glared at her from his throne, but Inanna did not look away. A brief contest of stares followed — and it was Enlil who raised the white flag first. He let out a sigh, shot Sunya a sidelong glance, and shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"Why does he keep looking at us like that? So irritating."
Inanna grumbled on. Sunya took her hand and soothed his wife. He had never once spoken with Enlil in private, yet he knew full well that the god-king regarded him with unease. It was not particularly strange. Just as a person may come to love someone they barely know, the opposite is just as easily done. Honestly, being disliked was something he had long grown used to. So long as no one caused him direct harm, he simply let it be.
"…I have summoned you because there is something I must convey."
Enlil spoke. For some reason, opening his mouth seemed difficult. He looked thoroughly ashamed and humiliated.
"…The Tablet of Destinies has been stolen."
He tried to deliver the words as calmly as he could, but he could not hide the tremor in his voice. At Enlil's shocking confession, the gods fell silent instead.
"What the hell…"
Even Inanna was too stunned to finish her sentence. Only Sunya remained composed, his calm unbroken.
"You know who took it, I presume?"
Enki, standing nearest the throne, asked. But unfortunately, Enlil shook his head.
"…I do not know."
"…Your Majesty?"
Even Enki looked so incredulous he clutched his head and laughed — though it was not a laugh of amusement.
"I saw the face clearly. I used my authority and learned the name as well. But as time passed, I could remember nothing of it."
"That doesn't make any— wait. Actually, it does. If one used the Tablet of Destinies, erasing another's memories and name would be entirely possible."
"Even with the Tablet's power, is that… truly possible?"
"An ordinary god could not manage it. But…"
That was as far as he went. Enki said no more.
"Why do you not continue?"
"…This is not something I can speak of freely here, Your Majesty. Once everyone has left, I will tell you then. For now, please say what you originally intended."
"…"
Enlil frowned, but for the moment he deferred to Enki's judgment.
"The Tablet of Destinies has been stolen. Remain vigilant at all times, and should anyone recover it, a great reward shall be given. The greater gods in particular would do well to take greater care for their own safety. You are dismissed."
Even having issued a full summons, Enlil did not bother to speak at length. For him, the gathering itself was an ordeal. The matter was so grave that no one else had the leisure to criticize his manner.
"Mom."
"What is it?"
Even in the midst of that unsettled atmosphere, there was one who failed to read the room — Inanna's youngest daughter, Gula.
"Who is that big brother over there?"
Following the tip of Gula's finger, a familiar god came into view. A handsome young man with brown hair and wings upon his back. Inanna knew him well. From her perspective, calling him "big brother" was a stretch — to her, he was more of an uncle.
"That's Uncle Ninurta."
"His name is Ninurta?"
"That's right. He's also called the god of farming and the hunt."
"Ahh."
Gula could not tear her eyes from Ninurta. Inanna knew exactly what that look in her daughter's eyes meant. It was the look a woman wore when she fell in love at first sight.
"Oh my."
It was absurd, but the fact that her daughter had fallen in love concerned her more than the news that Enlil had just lost the Tablet of Destinies. Ninurta might have been an uncle to Inanna, but among the gods, age and degrees of kinship rarely posed any real obstacle. Still, the atmosphere was hardly right for introductions, so she did not formally present Gula to Ninurta. There would be other opportunities; there was no need to rush.
Afterward, Sunya and Inanna, along with their children including Gula, shared a brief reunion and then went their separate ways. The children, too, had much to think about and little leisure for lingering. Losing the Tablet of Destinies was that serious a matter.
"That old man may be careless, but he's not the type to cause a disaster this big…"
On the sky-ship home, even the usually lively Inanna was lost in thought.
"Sunya, could this be the work of that beast you once told me about — Anzu?"
"Hmm. In cases like this, the usual cliché is that some unexpected third party turns up. Haha…"
The word "cliché" had not existed in that age, but in Sunya's household everyone understood and used it freely. Inanna was no exception.
"Then who do you think stole the Tablet?"
"Unfortunately, this time I haven't the faintest idea."
"Haa… Of all things, the Tablet of Destinies. I'm worried this might lead to war."
The Inanna of old would have been delighted at the prospect of war. But becoming a mother had inevitably changed her values and her way of thinking.
"Well, I don't think it will come to that — but if war does break out, I will protect you, Lady Inanna. Even if it costs me my life."
As he spoke, Sunya rested a hand on Inanna's shoulder.
"Aing~, stop it."
Inanna let out a coquettish little sound and played the spoiled wife. Decades of marriage had done nothing to dull the affection between them.
Ordinarily Gula would have reacted somehow to the display, but just then she sat quietly in her seat, staring blankly into space.
"What's the matter with her?"
Sunya asked Inanna. Gula wore the classic expression of a girl whose mind had wandered entirely elsewhere.
"That? Nothing much. She's just become a girl in love, I suppose."
"…A girl in love?"
Hearing Inanna put it that way, it did seem to fit. Sunya did not fly into a rage the way some doting fathers might. He was a good father who respected his children's autonomy and independence. Still, it concerned him.
"Do you happen to know who the other party is?"
"Ninurta. The moment she saw him at the palace, she couldn't take her eyes off him."
But when he heard that she had fallen for a man who was essentially Inanna's uncle, even Sunya found it difficult to keep his composure.