“I want to talk to the owner. Is that you… Tammuz?”
“Yes, I’m Tammuz. And this is my wife, En-hedu. We own the Kestrel. Who are you?”
The man smiled, then sat at the nearest table, and motioned for them to join him.
Tammuz eased himself down onto the bench facing the man, while En-hedu stood just behind him.
“I spoke to guardsman Jarud. He says you can be trusted.”
Tammuz said nothing, still waiting for the man to give his name.
He took the hint. “My name is Enar.” He paused, as if he had just imparted a great secret. “Jarud says that many of your customers are river men, some of them from up north.”
“The Kestrel is close to the docks,” Tammuz said. “Who else but boatmen would come here?”
“Can your wife be trusted to keep her mouth shut?”
“My wife speaks only when she’s told to,” Tammuz said.
“Mmm, a good woman. Then she may be useful, too. An innkeeper and his wife hear many things from their customers, especially when the customers have drunk too much ale. When you hear such things that may be of interest, I would like to know them. You would, of course, be paid for what you tell me, provided it is useful.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Oh, anything of importance. Things that might be of some use to Sumer’s rulers. Any talk about unrest, people complaining about the king’s rule, gossip about Akkad, even information about trade and cargoes, boats, caravans. Anything of interest.”
Tammuz and En-hedu had heard rumors that the new queen, Kushanna, wanted as much information as possible about the six cities in Sumeria, as well as the far north. Enar would be one of her informers, seeking such information from any source he could find.
He glanced at his wife, who nodded. “How much would you pay?”
“At least a copper coin for anything of value. More, if it is especially useful. Much more if what you hear is of real importance, such as anyone plotting against the king.”
“The Kestrel is a good tavern,” Tammuz said, “but not good enough for most ship captains or boat masters. All that come here are the crewmen, the rowers, and some guards.”
“I know who patronizes this place. I’ve been here before. You must not remember me.”
Tammuz didn’t, which annoyed him. He should be alert enough to recognize a Sumerian spy.
“How would I get such information to you?”
“I stay at the White Gull. If I’m not there, you can leave a message with the owner.”
Tammuz nodded. “I’ll keep my ears open. If I hear anything…”
“Another thing… you might want to encourage some of your more interesting customers to talk. Slip them a little extra ale, if need be. Your wife… your whores… the more you can get your patrons to talk about home — especially those from Akkad and upriver — the better.”
“We can do that,” En-hedu said, joining the conversation for the first time. “As long as you pay each time.”
A brief frown crossed Enar’s face at her impertinence. Women should speak only when spoken to. “I’ll pay when you tell me something useful.” He returned his eyes to Tammuz. “Best if you didn’t say anything about this to anyone else. Nor to Jarud. Even those who live here in Sumer might need to be reported, should they say anything against King Shulgi’s interest. That includes members of the city’s guard.”
“I understand.”
“Well, then, I’ll be on my way. Your first customers should be arriving soon.” Enar stood, nodded approvingly, and left the tavern.
En-hedu sat down beside Tammuz. “At least he didn’t demand a silver coin from us.”
“Who knows, but we may be able to make a few extra coins this way.”
“It does only seem fair, with what we’re paying in taxes and fees, to get something back.”
They laughed at the idea of spying for Sumer.
T he next day, En-hedu gave massages to Irkalla and Anu. Both women worked hard, and En-hedu knew they would appreciate a little attention. Mother and daughter kept the kitchen, common room, and their own chamber clean. They started working early in the day before the first customer arrived, and then sometimes labored until Tammuz fastened the door, and even after. Some customers wanted servicing long into the night, and again in the morning. As the Kestrel grew more and more popular, the number of customers increased, and Irkalla and Anu rushed back and forth carrying food and ale, in addition to occasionally disappearing into their chamber with a patron for a time, usually as brief an interval as the girls could manage.
Giving the mother and daughter a massage helped En-hedu, who needed the practice. Aside from Tammuz, she hadn’t given anyone a massage since they left Akkad. She started with Irkalla, who had never received a massage before. This early in the day, there were no customers in the Kestrel. Anu covered a table in the common room with a folded blanket, and En-hedu told Irkalla to remove her dress, and lie face down on the blanket. With Anu watching, En-hedu began working the woman’s neck and shoulder muscles. A few drops of oil helped warm Irkalla’s skin, and soon En-hedu moved down to the lower back. By then, Irkalla sighed with pleasure as the stiffness in her body faded, and the muscles stretched without straining.
By the time En-hedu had finished, Anu, showing more excitement on her face than En-hedu had ever seen, pleaded for a similar rubdown, hopping up and down in her eagerness.
“Please, mistress,” Anu said. “My back has been hurting for days.”
En-hedu smiled at the girl. “Give me a few moments to rest.”
While Irkalla dressed, Anu removed her garment and moved up onto the table. As En-hedu began, she saw that the girl’s back really did need work. The muscles in her right shoulder were knotted. Now that she noticed it, En-hedu realized why the girl sometimes had trouble standing up straight.
“You are very stiff, Anu. We shall have to do this every day for awhile, until your back is straight.”
Shadows blocked the door, and En-hedu glanced up to see Tammuz and Rimaud returning. The guard carried a wineskin under each arm, and Tammuz had a third one slung over his shoulder. Tammuz’s mouth opened in surprise at finding his wife working on a naked Anu, who moaned and sighed at each touch of En-hedu hands. She smiled at her husband, who stood there, fascinated. En-hedu saw his eyes fasten their gaze on Anu’s body, and a moment later, she caught sight of his erection pushing up against his tunic.
“Almost finished,” she said to Tammuz. “Then you can take Anu’s place. It’s time we took care of you.”
Tammuz blushed, which made Irkalla laugh. En-hedu moved her hands lower down on Anu’s back, and began squeezing the globes of her buttocks. En-hedu slipped her hand between the girl’s legs, and found her secret place wet and aroused. Anu moaned again at the touch, and opened her legs wider in invitation.
“Enough for today,” En-hedu said, giving the girl a friendly slap on the buttocks. “Now it’s your turn, Tammuz. I think the three of us should be able to satisfy you.”
Before her still-blushing husband could protest, she took his hand and guided him to the table. En-hedu helped him remove his tunic, and then she undid his undergarment, letting it drop to the floor. With Irkalla’s assistance, she eased Tammuz onto the table, on his back.
His unfettered erection throbbed in the air.
“So big,” Irkalla said, brushing the member with her fingers. “He must give you much pleasure.”
“Oh, yes. It feels so good inside me.”
“Shall I relieve him for you?” Irkalla asked. “Or Anu?”
“No, his rod is mine alone,” En-hedu said. “But you can use your mouth to satisfy him, while Anu and I will keep his hands and lips busy.
She slid her tunic down off her shoulders, and moved up onto the table, letting her breast brush against Tammuz’s mouth. In a moment, Anu moved to the other side and did the same. At the same time, Irkalla knelt on the blanket between his legs, and took his staff into her mouth.
Tammuz’s hands went to the women’s breasts, and he cupped and squeezed them even as Anu shifted her body so that her left breast brushed his face.
Except for the training with Te-ara before they left Akkad, Tammuz had never had such an experience. Soon he was groaning and writhing in pleasure, as Irkalla’s skilled mouth, tongue, and hands brought him to a massive explosion of seed into her mouth. She gagged a little as he came, but she never stopped moving her head up and down, draining every drop from his rod, while he clutched at Anu’s breasts in his passion.
En-hedu reached down and kissed him. “I hope you enjoyed yourself, husband. Next time, we’ll spend more
