Earlier that day Ereshkigal, the ancient Sumerian goddess of death, had promised Melinda she'd suffer an especially brutal demise that night, an ancient Persian form of execution known as the Mare of Steel.
That evening, Melinda found herself on her knees, astride the long and hideously sharp blade that comprised the Mare's spine as Nergal, the ancient Sumerian god of war and pestilences and Ereshkigal's husband, reached for the lever that would send her sliding down the Mare's long razor sharp spine.