A Sacred Rite

Chapter 1 - Betrayal

Inara moved quickly down the secret corridor of the temple Ur-Nammu, fear gripping her as she moved deeper into the ziggurat of the goddess Inanna. Her fellow warrior maidens close on her heals. She came to a halt in front of the massive doors to the inner sanctum, where the high priestess had been taken to after collapsing. Turning to the women, she snapped out her orders. "Guard the door. No one is enter or leave without my permission."

Not bothering to knock, she pushed open the doors, coming to an abrupt halt as the anger and despair on the faces of the few occupants of the room registered, causing her heart to seize painfully.

"Is she dead?" she demanded. "Tell me!"

"Inara?"

Hearing the weak voice of her sister, Inara pushed aside the people standing between her and her beloved identical twin, Asharru. She was not prepared for the state that she found her in, and she could not stop the gasp that escaped her. Asharru's normally olive complexion was grey, with beads of sweet clinging to her skin. Her normally lustrous black hair lay about her in limp disarray. Her labored breathing and glazed green eyes were so unlike her normally vibrant sister that Inara felt tendrils of dread spread throughout her body. Her sister looked more dead than alive.

Carefully sitting next to her, Inara gently took her sister's hand in hers, pressing her fingertips against her inner wrist, she had some hope as she felt the erratic – though strong – pulse. There may be hope yet. "Are you in pain?" she asked softly.

"Yes," she rasped, "like daggers piecing my belly."

Inara could feel the heat coming off her sister; she was burning with fever. Bringing her hand up to her face, she frowned at the faint scent that clung to her fingertips. Inara took both of her sister's hands into hers and deeply inhaled the scent that clung to them. Letting out a gasp as she identified the scent, she let go of her sister and turned to survey the room.

Grabbing a pot, she swiftly dumped the contents on the floor and placed it next to the bed. Helping her sister to sit up, she brought her to lean over it as she jammed her fingers into her sister's mouth, causing her to wretch violently into the pot.

Ignoring the protests from the people in the room, Inara struck the priestess who tried to pull her from her sister's side. Drawing her dagger from her belt, she leveled a vicious glare at all the occupants in the room, daring them to interfere. "She has been poisoned, you fools! She needs to expel as much as she can," she snarled.

"That is not possible! No one would harm the high priestess of Inanna in such a fashion. Stop what you are doing, you are causing her more harm than good!"

Taking in the thunderous expressions of the temple priestesses, Inara bared her teeth, whoever had poisoned her sister could very well be in the room with them, hoping to finish what they had started. "If you value your life, you will stay back as I take care of my sister, or I swear I will gut the lot of you."

The temple priestesses stood for several seconds as they debated whether to try to overpower Inara. One of the elder matrons turned to a young acolyte. "Go fetch the temple guards."

Inara waited until the young priestess was almost to the door before making her intentions clear. Flipping the dagger in her hand, Inara threw it at the door, it came within a hairs breath of slicing off the ear of the young acolyte, causing her to scream and back away from the door in terror. Before anyone could move, Inara pulled another dagger from her belt, "The next person to move will find my blade buried in their heart."