Thieves World 4 – Storm Season by Asprin, Robert

and her eyes came alive to stare into his. “Hanse? Did I See? Was it of value?”

He nodded. He was unable to look other than grim. “You Saw, 0 Passionflower.

This time I must owe you, beyond the binding coin.” (Which she had already

dropped into that warm crevasse she called her Treasure Chest.)

Eshi, Hanse thought. Eshi!

A jealous and passionate god, Ils created all the world, and from his bodily

wastes He peopled it. The gods He created from his two extra toes, and the eons

passed and the first-created challenged Ils. This was Gunder, and he lost. He

was hurled to the earth. His daughter Shipri, though, was thrice-fair, and her

the great Lord Ils spared-and couched. By him Shipri became All-mother; of him

she bore Shils, and Anen, and Thufir, and the twins Shalpa and Eshi, their

first daughter, and another; the god no one spoke of. Now Anen was called

firstborn, for jealous, passionate Ils sinned; in rage he slew his firstborn

son, Shils.

Eshi. Much spoken of She was, and prayed to as well, but it was little reverence

she gained. Everyone knew that she was a sensuous beauty who sought out and had

her way with each of her brothers, and indeed sought to bring to couch even her

father. In that She failed; even Ils was not that passionate, and one sin for a

god was enough.

Eshi was fond of jewellery, and so gemworkers took a manifestation of her as

patron. She was known to love love, and thus lovers, of course. Cows were

special to her, and so were cats. Her sign was the liver, which any child

learned early was the seat of love and its younger sibling, infatuation. Eshi!