From the dark depths of ancient civilizations come tales of terror and horror that will chill you to the bone. Bella Darkwood's Cosmic Horrors of Antiquity is a collection of spine-tingling stories set in Greece, Rome, China, Mongolia, and America...
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In the days of ancient Babylon, when the city was a shining jewel of civilization, resplendent in its ziggurats and glittering canals, there lived a priestess named Ishtaritu. She was beautiful and cunning, known throughout the land for her wisdom and the power she wielded over the hearts of men. But Ishtaritu was not content; she craved more power, more secrets, more knowledge than the gods themselves had deigned to share with mankind.
Late one evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of blood and fire, Ishtaritu donned a dark cloak and ventured into the mountains that loomed menacingly on the outskirts of the city. It was said that a coven of mad women dwelled there, former priestesses who had dared to dabble in forbidden magics and paid the terrible price with their sanity. It was to these women that Ishtaritu would go, in search of the knowledge she so desperately sought.
As she climbed higher into the mountains, the wind began to howl with an otherworldly fury, whispering the names of the forgotten gods and chilling her to the bone. The moon cast a sickly glow over the desolate landscape, illuminating the twisted, gnarled trees that loomed like skeletal guardians.
At last, Ishtaritu arrived at the cave where the mad priestesses made their home. The stench of decay and madness hung heavy in the air, a palpable miasma that threatened to suffocate her. As she stepped inside, the women emerged from the shadows, their eyes wild with the secrets they had unearthed and the horrors they had witnessed.
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"Why have you come, child?" one of them hissed, her voice like the rustling of dead leaves.
"I seek power," Ishtaritu replied boldly, "and the secrets of the gods."
The mad priestesses exchanged wary glances, their eyes darting about as if in search of unseen threats. Finally, one of them spoke, her voice wavering with the weight of her knowledge. "You speak of dangerous things, child. The power you seek comes at a terrible price, and the secrets of the gods are not meant for mortal minds."
Ishtaritu's gaze hardened, her resolve unwavering. "I am prepared to pay the price, whatever it may be."
The mad priestesses looked upon her, their eyes filled with a mixture of pity and terror. "Very well," one of them whispered, "but remember: we warned you."
