know more of tantra than any woman but Inanna, you know little of the beast in man.”

“Oh, I am well acquainted with beasts,” she cut him off, stung. “Have you forgotten Ghora and Andhaka?”

“There is another kind of beast controlling our city,” he countered gloomily. “Far more dangerous than those petty village criminals.”

Terror spiraled upward from the pit of her belly. “What is your advice, my lord?”

“To turn Takshak against Charaka while you can,” he ordered quietly. “Charaka has bullied our Council for three decades now, but Takshak still rules. Seduce the king afresh, Ishvari, just as Inanna did with Shaardul, and do this for Melukhha. Meanwhile I shall get Devadas to urge Takshak to banish this woman, before sh...

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