For a long while, Kigal thought on what Ninhursag had told her. There were parts of it she believed, but there were areas that were either so aggrandized or so vague that it was hard to discern where the truth lay. She couldn’t exactly ask An, silent as he’d long gone, fading into the cosmos itself. Kigal did at least have a tablet recording the story that the goddess had given her, so that, should her memory fail, she would at least have all of the details.
In the courtyard, Kigal read the tablet aloud and recounted the tale to Nergal, Gamil-An, Hannahanna, Geshti, and Pashmi-An. Nergal was the only one who kept a stony face, the rest of them raising hands to their mouths or grimacing.
“It certainly fills in some of the gaps in accounts I’ve heard,” said Gamil. “If you’re willing, I’d l
