Chapter 97
End-June - 3,390 BC
Earth: Village of Assur
JAMIN
Just upstream from Assur, the river had gouged a cruel gash into the earth, carving a cliff out of the mud. A nearly-dry stream cut that cliff in half and trickled down the rocks like a trembling heart which gushed the desert's life-blood.
Jamin sat, hidden among the sweet-scented acacia bushes, twisting the necklace he'd made from the teeth and claws of a lion. Far beneath him, his unfaithful former fiancé stood thigh-deep in the river's fertile waters, cheerfully doing laundry. The bulk of her laundry belonged to Mikhail.
Every muscle in his body whispered: Kill the intruder. He would slay him, the same way he'd slain the lion. Up close… With a knife between the ribs.
A soft whistle drew his attention. Siamek scrambled
