How Dragons Survived the Flood

Chapter 3 Part 4

Japheth was lying on his bed, eyes closed. He could not think straight. When the destruction came, he would lose Ismi. He ignored the preparations going on around him, as he tried to find a way to save his friend; none came to mind.

The temple incense amplified the sorrow and shock he felt. His mind bounced from thought to thought, trying to understand Yahweh's edict. All the other animals would come as adults, all of them. Why not the dragons?

"Ismi." Her name fell from his lips, a small whisper containing all his sorrow.

He kept his eyes closed and smiled. She was there! Nothing large, but the lingering effect of the incense made him sensitive to her presence, a warm ember in his mind. Every time he thought of her, he could see the ember glow and throb, and the sound of the flute became louder.

He chuckled. She was such a sneaky beast, hiding her sound from him. Or did he give her the sound? He did not know. The Tree, like the harlot's dancers, led his mind around and around, never settling in one place.

He started to doze. They were flying above a herd of wild cattle that bellowed and stampeded under her shadow.

He woke to someone pounding on his door. When he opened the door, he found Ham standing there. "Come, Brother, I think you should see how others celebrate the Budding Flower Moon. It will be a good comparison to how we do. Follow me."

Japh looked at his brother, his stomach growling loudly.

Ham raised an eyebrow, "It will redirect your mind to other things."

Japheth glanced back to his bed. The dream of Ismi was already fading. "All right," he mumbled, pulling on his dragon-skin tunic.

Once outside the compound, Ham took Japh to a small patch of bushes near the slave quarters. Japh was surprised when Ham disappeared into it, but followed, and found himself in a small area hidden from prying eyes.

Sitting cross-legged like Ham, Japh directed his gaze outward and saw the slave huts arranged their neat square. Standing in the square was a woman dressed in a translucent gown with a wreath of wheat and berries crowning her head. She held a ceramic cup overflowing with an amber liquid in her raised hand; in the other, a staff made of twisted and braided Tree-of-Life stems culminating in a ring. Woven through the ring were ribbons dyed in various hues of pink, blue, green, and purple.

"Noah forbids it, of course, but Inanna's prostitutes go unto the people and lead them in the celebration. They like to call themselves 'priestesses.' The Budding Flower Moon is when the temple high priestess and the king reenact the courtship of Inanna and her shepherd, Dumuzi, to ensure the crops will be healthy. Here, around town, and in the surrounding fields the prostitutes reenact the courtship with the freemen and slaves." Ham was quite for a moment, lost in the woman's swaying hips. "See? See how she dances to the drums?"

Japh's gaze followed Ham's pointing finger. Drummers swayed as they beat out a syncopated rhythm while the woman danced. The sheer fabric of her gown revealed the curve of her breast; as she turned, a length of her thigh. When she passed in front of the setting sun, the silhouette of her body was revealed.

More women materialized from behind the drummers, again chiming out the rhythm on their tiny finger cymbals while they danced among the slaves, encouraging them to drink deeply from the flagons of beer that others passed around.

The priestess motioned to a bald servant who came willingly into her embrace. She encouraged him to drink. To the crowd's approval, he downed the drink in one go and raised the cup high in victory. Positioning herself in front of him, she led his hands across her body, swaying against him.

He needed no encouragement. His touch was intimate and sure. Soon the woman was straddling his knee. The drums' feverish staccato increased.

The crowd cheered as the woman lowered him to his backside in the dust, raised his tunic, and mounted him. Riding him, the pace of her thrusts increased.

Her hair was a tangle. She ran her fingers through it, tossing it back, before caressing her breasts. One last thrust and she trembled, falling forward, her hair becoming a dark veil around them.

Japh heard a strangled sigh escape from Ham. He looked over and saw his brother moving slightly to the beat of the drums, breathing fast, his face red. "If this is disturbing you too much, perhaps we should return to the house," Japh whispered.

Ham looked at Japh for a long moment, and smiled. "I forget, Brother, you are a dragon rider, but not a dragon rider from town." He shook his head, "Living secluded in the wilderness with the dragons, you are probably untouched."

"But of course, as you were until you were married, Ham."

Ham smiled again, "Of course, Brother. Of course."