Shifters Gone Wild; Collection

by Skye MacKinnon

  “No,” I lied. In reality, I read them religiously. I had an odd fascination about the whole thing, one that hadn’t faded over the years.

  “Pity. Shall we see what it says about you? Scorpio, right?”

  “You think just because of who I am that my star sign is Scorpio?” I demanded.

  “No, I’m saying it because I do know when you were created.”

  I stayed silent, not knowing what I could say about that. He’d done his research, that was for sure.

  “Scorpio…you should expect a big decision to come up and your choice will make a big difference in the way your life will play out.”

  “How fitting.”

  “It is, rather.” Sed smiled at me, a genuine one that did weird things to my insides. He was a handsome man and apparently, I wasn’t oblivious to that.

  “What does yours say?” I asked.

  “Cancer,” he said needlessly and tapped the page. A slow smile curled up his lips. “It says love is on the cards and I should keep my eyes open for a beautiful Scorpio.”

  “It doesn’t,” I scoffed.

  “Alright, it didn’t use the word beautiful. But the rest is there.” He held up the magazine for me to check but I shook my head. If he was willing to show me then there wasn’t any doubt he was telling the truth. Annoyingly.

  “What kind of pet are you looking for today?” I asked, changing the subject as one of the other nurses walked in. We’d have a lot of explaining to do if we got caught talking about anything particularly dangerous.

  “I was hoping to see any arachnids you had.”

  I tittered. He was just too much. Yet I kind of liked it. “We don’t have many, but if you come this way, I’ll show you what we do.”

  Sed rose to his feet and set his magazine back on the table. I gave it a longing glance, still wanting to be sure he’d gotten the right dates and horoscopes. If he had, then my own was eerily spot on and I didn’t want to think about the consequences if his was too.

  The room we kept the arachnids and reptiles in was deserted, as was normal. Most of the time, we only came in here when we had a reason to. None of these creatures needed people around like the dogs and cats did. Apart from Jerry the tortoise, but we often took him into the other room so he could walk around. He’d struck up a friendship with one of the cats who’d been with us for a few months. It was adorable to watch.

  “We only have a few animals in that might interest you.” I waved my hand towards the back wall where three tarantulas lived in their lonely glass tanks. As always, I felt the pang of disappointment that we didn’t have any scorpions here. While they weren’t likely to be my sacred species, anything that made me feel more at home was welcome.

  “That’s a pity. I was really looking for a rare and treasured species of scorpion. I was hoping to pick one up here.”

  A blush rose to my cheeks and, not for the first time, I was grateful for the bronze tint of my skin which covered it up.

  “Then I’m not sure I can help you,” I responded.

  “You can. Come to Egypt with me.”

  I glanced away, wanting to agree and wanting to tell him under no uncertain terms would I be going to Egypt with him.

  “What good would that do?” I whispered urgently.

  “You can heal Osiris.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t, Sed. I don’t have the magic to heal a human even when I’m at full strength. A god is another matter entirely. I don’t think it’ll be possible.”

  “Sera, please?”

  “Please what?”

  “At least try?” His eyes widened, showing the true earnestness behind his request. He truly believed I could make a difference. I wished he was right.

  “I really can’t help. I have no magic to do this. I don’t wish this death on Osiris at all. I just can’t help.”

  “We can find your temple and get to the bottom of what’s happening with your scorpions. Get your powers back,” he tried desperately.

  “I don’t think it works like that,” I responded. “My scorpions are tied to me not my magic.” And just finding some wouldn’t do anything to bring my powers back into existence. As far as I knew, the only thing that would do that was if people remembered who I was. And without even a core group of followers anymore, that was almost impossible.

  “Please, Sera, try.”

  I sighed. As much as I thought it was pointless, there was a part of me that wanted to try and fix it. Osiris had always been kind to me, he didn’t deserve the fate he was being dealt and if there was something I could do to help that, then I should do it. Duty wasn’t something I could shirk.

  “Alright, I’ll try. But I can’t promise anything.”

  Sed’s shoulders slumped as a weight lifted off them.

  “One question.”

  “Of course,” he responded.

  “Who sent you?”

  “Osiris suggested I searched for you. But that might just have been so he could get me out of the way. I don’t believe he was too happy with me doing my job around him.”

  “Your job?”

  “Protecting kingship.”

  Ah. Who better for him to transfer his duties to than Osiris, one of the best known Pharaohs in the world. At least, one of the best known and still living Pharaohs. Ish. Osiris was a complicated one to say the least. He’d squirreled himself away once people had stopped believing. All of us struggled to fit in a little bit but he more than most. With our human forms, we could live among humans without a problem. Osiris, on the other hand, would always have stood out with his green skin.

  “When do you want to set off?” I asked.

  “How soon can you get away from here?”

  I frowned, thinking hard. “I have all my holiday left to take but I’ll need to arrange it. How long does Osiris have?”

  “A month or so? It’s hard to tell.”

  I nodded. “Alright, give me a couple of days and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “How’s everything going in here?” one of the other nurses asked.

  “Oh, good thank you, Rebecca. I’m afraid we don’t have what this gentleman is looking for.”

  “It’s very regretful but I suppose that’s the case when you’re looking for something rare.” Sed gave me a lingering look that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else, even if I’d wanted to.

  “Thank you for coming in.” I smiled to him and ushered him towards the door, only relaxing slightly once he was outside and our waiting room was once again empty.

  Unable to help myself, I picked up the magazine he’d been reading. Reading through the horoscopes, I was somewhat surprised to find he’d been telling the truth. All I could do now was hope it would turn out in a way that wouldn’t destroy me. Especially with what his horoscope had said.

  Love.

  That wasn’t something I’d considered in years. I’d had no reason to. Yet now, it was the only word there was any room for in my head.

  Chapter 5

  Hot air dried out my skin the moment we landed. I’d forgotten how the heat in Egypt felt but now a wave of relief flowed through me as a result. I hadn’t realised how much I missed my true home.

  “Welcome back,” Sed said, resting a hand on the small of my back as we made our way down the steps and off the plane.

  I didn’t know how to react to the gesture. On the one hand, it was reassuring to have someone touching me like that. On the other, it was almost intimate and that wasn’t something I was willing to give much thought to yet. Relationships with gods were complicated to say the least and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. At least Sed was a minor god. He probably didn’t have a romantic history with everyone and their brother. Then again, there was no telling. Maybe he’d have that because he was a lesser god.

  No. I shouldn’t be thinking about my travel companion’s love life, even if the horoscope I’d read played on my mind. Maybe he was expecting something to happen between the two of us.

  “It’s good to be bac
k,” I said, enjoying the little dart of magic glowing within me. It seemed to be responding well to being back in our homeland, which was something. So far, nothing other than time had managed to get it to grow back.

  “I know the feeling. No matter what we do, there’s still nothing like the homeland.”

  I laughed. “You make it sound like a cult.”

  “Is it not?”

  I cocked my head to the side, not paying much attention as he drew me inside the airport and towards passport control. I wished there was an easier way to travel. Flying was fun but not when it meant all the queuing to follow.

  “I don’t think anyone ever felt like they were forced to serve us,” I responded, hoping I was telling the truth. I didn’t like the idea that we’d forced ourselves on the humans around us and made them believe what we wanted them to.

  “Of course not,” he replied. “We did what was right at the time.”

  “But you don’t think it is now?”

  I was called up to border control before he could answer but the question kept playing on repeat in my head. Maybe we really hadn’t done the right thing.

  Sed followed me through, flashing his passport. I had to admit this was one of the easier countries to get into. I hadn’t been back to Egypt in a few hundred years and hadn’t realised they’d become so lax.

  “So?” I prompted.

  “So?”

  “You think what we did was wrong?”

  “Now…sometimes,” he admitted as we made our way to the baggage claim. I’d packed light but still needed some stuff with me.

  “Why?”

  “We put too much faith in the system,” he responded sadly. “We relied on the humans remembering who we were and now we’re here. Forgotten and fading fast. You’re not the only one who has almost disappeared from memory. Even Ma’at seems to be heading that way.”

  “I don’t think that has anything to do with people forgetting her name,” I muttered. The Goddess of Justice was always going to be having a hard time with the current world. It wasn’t one which suited her ideals and she’d be suffering for it. At least when it came to me, the ways of healing people had improved. If people could remember my name, I’d probably be stronger than ever.

  “Indeed. But the lack of human followers isn’t helping.”

  “It’s not just them, though, is it?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “No. Some of the lesser gods have already fallen into obscurity. Other than their immortality, I suspect they’re completely powerless.”

  I grimaced. That was the way I was going, whether I liked it or not. My shifting ability would be safe so long as I remembered my own name but the rest was fair game. If I wasn’t careful, the sands of time would take me and there’d be nothing I could do except drift into oblivion.

  Not that it worked that way. I’d still be alive, living out eternity with the knowledge my legacy failed. There weren’t many ways to kill a god. Even a forgotten one.

  My suitcase turned up before I could give him an answer, which was probably for the best. The conversation was getting a little uncomfortable and I didn’t particularly want to debate our dead religion any more than I had to. The whole situation was bad enough as it was.

  “Let me hail a cab and then we can be on our way.”

  “Where are we staying?” I asked.

  “I thought we’d stay at my temple,” he responded.

  My eyes widened. “You still have one?”

  Sed nodded. “I don’t have many followers, but I have enough to keep it working at least.”

  “Where is it?”

  “About half an hour from here.” He loaded our suitcases into the cab and waited for me to get in before telling the driver where we were going.

  I wouldn’t admit it aloud but I was looking forward to seeing the inside of a temple. There was something reassuring about it. Like coming home after a really hard day at work when nothing more than a bubble bath and a great cup of tea will do to make the world a better place.

  Neither of us said a word as we travelled. I didn’t know what was going through Sed’s mind, but my own was racing with thoughts of home and what our country had changed into. While parts had been modernised, there were reminders of the ancient civilisation everywhere and I could appreciate the majesty that had once been.

  I just wished it had stayed like it had been at the height of it but I knew exactly why it hadn’t. Too much pride did a lot of damage to the Pharaohs and their people.

  “We’re here,” Sed said after a while.

  “Good.” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. What if no one recognised me still? Or worse, what if they did and they wanted me to do something I didn’t have power to do anymore? That could be a disaster.

  “You don’t need to worry,” Sed said, leaning over and squeezing my hand.

  “Thanks.” I didn’t believe him but I did appreciate the reassurance.

  I got out of the taxi and took my suitcase from Sed, wheeling it behind me as he led me up the path and towards a squat temple that looked nothing like I’d expected.

  “It’s modern,” I said needlessly.

  “I had to bring it into the twenty-first century, otherwise they’d all have abandoned me.” He gives me a wry smile. “That’s how a few of the others lost their followers.”

  “Is our grasp on them really that flimsy?”

  “I don’t want to find out,” he answered sadly.

  “High Priest, you have returned.” The priest bowed as he spoke, giving Sed the respect he deserved as a god.

  “I have. Please prepare a room for Sera.”

  “Is she new to our priesthood.”

  “Not at all, she is the High Priestess of Serket, please afford her every courtesy.”

  “Sed,” I scolded in a whisper. I couldn’t believe he wanted to pretend I was my own High Priestess. It was both incredibly disrespectful to my actual High Priestess and a genius idea. I supposed I shouldn’t worry too much, I didn’t have any priestesses to insult.

  “It’s the easiest way to keep everyone believing.”

  I didn’t answer, mostly because the priest had come closer and taken my suitcase from me. The corridors were more like what I’d expected, with traditionally painted images on the wall, telling the story of Sed’s festival no doubt.

  “There should be everything you need in here,” Sed said once the priest had left.

  “Thank you,” I replied, looking around the small but comfortable looking room.

  “But if you need me, you can give me a call.”

  I nodded, not sure what else there was to say. Everything looked good and the journey had been a long one. I just wanted to have a shower and a nap.

  “I’ll leave you to it.” He looked like he wanted to say more but left before he did. Possibilities ran through my head about what he was thinking. A few options I particularly liked played out but I squashed them down, not truly wanting to consider the implications.

  I’d promised myself years ago that gods were off limit to me. I had to stick to that, especially with the potential issues I had to deal with.

  Chapter 6

  I‘d woken with a smile on my face as the reality of my day sank in. Egypt. I was back. The urge to shift into my scorpion form and dance about in the sand was almost impossible to ignore but I knew I had to. At least for now. If we actually managed to find my temple, I could do something about it. If not, then I’d have to make do.

  “Are you sure this is where it is?” Sed asked.

  “Yes, it should be just around the riverbend.” I pointed ahead and hoped I wasn’t misremembering. It had been so long since I’d been there that I really could have forgotten.

  The sand slipped into my shoes as we walked but I didn’t care. The sensation was more welcome than I expected it to be. I shouldn’t have left it so long without a visit to my homeland.

  I let out a small scream of surprise as I slipped down the slight decline of one of the dunes, be
fore giving a carefree laugh and repeating the movement. This would be even more fun once I was in my other form. There was something so satisfying about working my legs to stop myself from slipping and sliding. It wasn’t an easy thing to describe to someone who hadn’t experienced it before.

  The sand shifted in front of us, revealing the very top of a stone temple. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was still here. I had no doubts about what I’d find inside, no one would have taken care of it in my absence. My scorpions would have multiplied in that time. Hopefully they hadn’t overrun the place.

  Sed moved through the sand behind me, but I didn’t slow for him, the eagerness to reach my true centre too much to ignore. I hadn’t expected to be this excited, not after being gone so long, but it was almost palpable in the air around me. While I could barely admit it to myself, a part of me hoped I’d feel more powerful once I was inside.

  Stale air hit me as I stepped into the temple. Not a surprise, though a part of me was relieved that my temple was in Egypt and not a humid country, otherwise that meant there’d be more damage once we got inside, which wasn’t something I wanted to deal with.

  “Is everything here?” Sed asked as he followed me in.

  “It looks like it,” I responded.

  As far as I could tell, no one had been in here since I’d left. It wasn’t very well hidden though, so a part of me was a little confused how some adventurer hadn’t stumbled upon it by accident. Maybe they had and just been so unimpressed by it because they’d never found the true beauty lying beneath the surface.

  “It’s beautiful,” Sed replied.

  “Thank you.”

  I trailed my hand over the wall, dislodging some of the dried sand that had stuck there and leaving it cascading to the floor. The colours of the paintings came to life underneath my fingers, bringing back the memories of a better time.

  My power pulsed within me but didn’t flare to life like I’d hoped. But realistically, I knew it had been in vain. I’d lost too much magic to be recharged just by being here.