by Jean Murray
He looked her in the eyes. “My soul is yours.”
“You need to end this thing with Kepi. Not only for you, but for all of us or this,” she touched her scorpion mark, “will be all for nothing.”
Fear flickered in his eyes, but he nodded. She hugged him. He hesitated, but then wrapped his strong arms around her and buried his face into her hair.
“Thank you, Parvana.” He fisted her shirt in his hands and pulled her tighter to his chest. He whispered in his ancient tongue.
Gods bless thy name and soul of your child for he has found love eternal.
The words translated with ease. Kendra’s heart skipped a beat, not sure if she was ready for that level of devotion. And what of Bomani? What about him? She looked toward the door, but didn’t break Bakari’s intimate and desperate embrace. On an elemental level, she needed it as much as he did.
Her life depended on it.
Chapter Forty-Five
Bomani materialized outside of Kendra’s room. He had been gone too long. Left to her own devices, Kendra was a magnet for trouble and based on the guard refusing to make eye contact confirmed his worst fear. His brother’s power emanated from the other side of the door.
Bomani growled and shoved the door open. He scanned the room and locked on his brother and Kendra, who were standing next to her white board. They both whipped around at the sound of the door slamming against the wall.
“What in duat are you doing here?” Bomani stocked forward, pointing his finger at his brother. Kendra’s eyes widened and she grabbed Bakari’s hand. The gesture stayed his brother’s counter advance. Too bad. Bomani would not mind a fist to face confrontation. He glared at their joined hands. Kendra released her grip and stepped forward.
“I was explaining what happened while he was asleep.”
Bomani did not even look at her, but glared at his brother with barely suppressed fury. “You do not belong here. Get your ass back to the village.”
His brother’s cool gaze met his. The silver seemed brighter, his power stronger. The leather wrist guards on Bakari’s arms were absent, his markings in full view and darkened. Bomani bared his teeth and hissed. He glared at Kendra. A red mark against her usually perfect skin drew his attention. She pulled her hair over to hide the bite mark.
“You let him do this to you?”
Kendra stepped back and bumped into Bakari. His brother placed his hands on her shoulders. “Yes,” she said meekly.
Bakari dropped his hands, but did not back off. The once hard glare turned soft when Bakari looked at her. “Kendra, I think it is best if I leave.”
“Best? You will leave, fledgling,” Bomani spat.
“Yes, Commander.” Despite the submissive bow, Bakari glared at Bomani with the amount of defiance and determination, he had not seen since before his brother’s kidnapping.
Bakari had grown stronger and more powerful, possibly greater than before. When his brother turned to walk to the door, his raised tattoos on his back came into view. His brother had gained rank among the warriors under Bomani’s nose. How did he miss Bakari’s ascension among the fledglings? And his brother had the audacity to expose his hieroglyphics. Fine. Wait until the warriors got a load of his glyphs, their misplaced loyalty would be revealed.
Bomani waited for the door to close. It gave him a minute to cool his anger. When he refocused on Kendra, she had busied herself with the board.
“Are you okay?” He asked through gritted teeth.
“I’m fine. And don’t bother, I’m not going to talk about it.”
He walked up and forced her to turn. “We need to talk about this. Why is it you continue to do what I ask you not to do? I asked you to stay away from him. Don’t you understand how dangerous he is?”
She recoiled. “I’m not a child. You don’t have to speak to me that way. Bakari isn’t a threat to me. You’re the only one who thinks so.”
Running a hand over his scalp, he cursed. “Isis, Kendra. You do not know him the way I do. You heard from his own mouth what he is capable of.”
“Was capable of,” Kendra corrected. “He is different. He’s trying to make up for all that he’s done. He’s trying to change.”
“That is what he wants you to think. It is what he does best, making you believe things, making you feel sorry for him. He is the master at manipulation. Let me guess, he came here to apologize for this.”
She jerked away when his fingers made contact with her neck. “He needs you to get stronger. You are his means to an end. He wants something. Mark my words. He may even ask you to make concessions with Asar.”
“He didn’t ask me to do anything.”
“He may not have now, but he will, trust me.”
The color drained from her face. “I don’t believe it. He’s asked for forgiveness.”
Bomani followed her gaze. On the bed laid fifty ostraca. The sight of them made his temper flare. With a swipe of his hand he scattered them across the room. “They mean nothing. He will never be forgiven for what he has done, because my brother does not have one ounce of remorse.”
“Brother?” Kendra gasped.
“He cannot keep promises and is not to be trusted. Stay away from him, Kendra.”
Bomani stormed out the door without looking back. He glared at the guardian that should have never let Bakari into her room. “As for you, you are here by demoted for failure to follow a simple fucking command.”
Chapter Forty-Six
With tears in her eyes Kendra went to work picking up all the scrolls from the floor. Had she interpreted Bakari’s actions all wrong? She went over and over in her mind and it wasn’t logical, but her insecurity seeped through the euphoria from her moments with him. She sat on her bed with the ostraca in hand.
What if Bomani was right about Bakari? She had fed right into his hands. The history that played from the pieces of papyrus was nothing but desperation and sadness. Could someone fake that level of despair and agony?
Bakari appeared as consumed by the bond between them as she had been. Not at any point did he hurt her. He had been as shocked at the power of blood thirst and the pleasure it brought them.
Gosh, ruminating like this was giving her nothing but a headache. Not to mention the ache returned to her chest. She rubbed the scorpion mark.
“Kendra,” Lilly called out from the other side of the door.
“Shoot.” Startled, Kendra scrambled to pull more hair over her shoulder to cover up her hickey. She wasn’t quick enough. Her sister barged through the door.
“Bomani told me what happened. Are you okay?” Lilly was still dressed in her leather huntress uniform with her blades hanging around her hips.
Kendra held her hands up to block her sister’s grasp. “I’m fine.”
Kit’s advance stalled at the door. Over her shoulder Asar and Kamen milled about in the hallway. Embarrassed by all the misplaced attention, warmth flooded Kendra’s cheeks. Intuitively, Kit shut the door and leaned against it.
“She’s fine, Lilly.”
“Let me see it.” Lilly brushed Kendra’s hair back.
“Come on,” Kendra protested. “If this was either one of you, no one would’ve given it a second thought. Obviously, Bomani over exaggerated my condition. I’m fine.”
“Did he… hurt you?” Lilly’s severe expression came into focus.
“Oh, come on Lil. Her virginity is still intact. Give her a break.”
Both Kendra and Lilly looked at Kit. She shrugged. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” Kendra quipped.
“What the hell is going on Kendra? I’ve never seen Bomani so pissed off.”
“I needed Bakari’s help and because of Bomani’s interruption, I still didn’t get my answer,” Kendra said and then marched over to her board.
After kicking off her boots Kit stretched out on Kendra’s bed. “Might as well get comfortable. You know Lilly isn’t going to let go of this.”
Kendra pointed at her sister. “Better not get zom
bie juice on my sheets.”
“Oh, shit.” Kit sprang up.
“Great.” Kendra turned to the board, fully aware Lilly was hovering. Kit was right. Lilly wasn’t going to back off until she knew the details. Kendra had always confided in her sisters. Just not a lot about men, because there wasn’t a lot of them. Well, none to be exact. “I was working on a theory. I think Bakari can fill in the gap.” She turned to face her sister. Lilly fidgeted with one of her blades. “I went to the warrior village to find him,” she blurted out.
“Okay.” Lilly twirled her weapon faster.
“Please don’t start lecturing me.”
Lilly threw her hands up. “I wasn’t.”
“Bullshit,” Kit said with a cough.
Lilly glared at Kit. Kendra rolled her eyes. “Seriously, guys. I think I’m onto something.” Kit followed her over to the board.
“We all believed Menthu was top dog, but I’m not so certain. The God of War is too power hungry. Conquer and destroy.”
“But he was tied to Kepi’s tomb. He placed the curse on the key,” Lilly said, sheathing her dagger.
“Did he? The Creation Pantheon is the one who fingered him. Your right he has motive and opportunity, but this guy,” Kendra tapped the board, “has no tolerance. Asar has said as much. This timeline,” she pointed at the line graph, “is much too long for him. We are talking over two thousand years he waited.”
“That would take a lot of patience,” Kit added.
“I don’t think Menthu has it in him to wait that long. Someone had to have been holding his chains. It’s the only way,” Kendra said.
Lilly leaned in and looked at the profiles Kendra had rearranged on the graph. One was pushed off to the side. “So like Kepi, Menthu was another pawn. So who is this?” Lilly fingered the blank profile.
Kendra stood next to her sister. “Menthu told Asar there was a traitor in the Underworld. It may be the reason Kepi was always one step ahead of Asar, until we came along.”
Kit smiled. “So we mucked up someone’s plans? I like that.”
“What about this one?” Lilly pointed to the top of the three dimensional triangle. The second blank profile and the highest.
“The one calling the shots. The one who stands to gain the most over this revolt.”
“So what’s the connection with Bakari? Why did you go see him?”
“To find out the details of his kidnapping. Did Asar mention how it happened?”
Lilly shook her head. “He wasn’t there when it happened. All I know it happened here in Aaru.”
“How the heck did Kepi get into the Underworld?” Kendra asked.
“I can’t. I’ve got to hitch a ride with the Kamenater.”
“Really, Kit. You need to give Kamen a little more respect,” Lilly chided.
“He’s a pain in the ass, what can I say?”
“Can we refocus,” Kendra interrupted. “Bakari is the God of Death. It’s not as if Kepi could walk up to him and hit him on the head. He had to have been subdued someway or tricked by the Underworld traitor. He may have known his attacker.”
“There is another explanation.” Lilly looked at Kit and then touched Kendra’s shoulder. “One you should seriously consider. Bakari could have left on his own free will.”
Kendra frowned. “To be tortured for five years? You saw him when he awoke. Do you really think he willingly signed on for that?”
“Maybe Kepi double crossed him.”
“No, I can’t believe it.” Kendra stepped from her sister to escape from the mere suggestion of him joining the enemy to overthrow the Pantheon.
“Kendra.” Lilly pursued her. “You always say, rule out all possibilities. I think your bond with Bakari is affecting your objectivity. You need to consider this.”
Kendra shook her head. Panic rose up like a flood filling her lungs and making it hard to breath. She knew what she felt when she was around him. It wasn’t malevolent. She looked her sister in the eyes. “What about Asar? He would have quite a bit to gain, if he overthrew the Creation Pantheon.”
“Impossible,” Lilly scoffed.
“Why? He is as close to this as anyone else. Maybe your judgment is being compromised.”
“What has gotten into you, Kendra?” Lilly tugged her vest over to the side and pointed to Asar’s hieroglyphics burned into her chest. “I know because I can feel it in my soul.”
Kendra pulled her shirt off to the side. The scorpion clearly etched into her skin. “Why is my bond with Bakari any different? It aches when I am away from him. I can feel his pain. His emotions.”
“Kendra’s got a point, Lil,” Kit interjected.
Lilly’s face softened. “I’m sorry. This should have never happened to you.”
“I’m not sorry.”
Her sister’s face reddened. “You can’t be serious.”
Kendra turned and walked back to the board.
“He’s ruined your life.”
Anger shot through her veins. She whirled around. “Ruined my life? And my objectivity is compromised?” She chuckled. “I have sat on the sidelines of this war. Tucked away. Finally, I feel like I am contributing to this fight. When I’m with him I feel useful.” Powerful. The pulsating energy stirred with the memory of him, just subdued, as if it was patiently waiting for something.
Kendra wasn’t going to convince Lilly of Bakari’s innocence and she was getting nowhere closer to her answer. “Listen, I don’t want to fight about this. Your point has been noted. I’ll find evidence to prove his innocence. If I’m going to figure this out, I need access to Bakari. He’s the only one who has the answers.” The only other would be her father, and that wasn’t an option. “Can you speak to Asar on my behalf?”
Lilly frowned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Kendra caught her sister’s hand as she turned to leave. “Lil, this is important to all of us. We need to know who we are up against. More importantly, there’s a mole in the Underworld. If I don’t find them, none of us are safe.”
Her sister’s face paled. “If not Bakari, who could it be?”
“I don’t know, but it’s someone close. They knew enough to sneak in the enemy without Asar’s awareness.”
“Shit, that’s just the ones we know of,” Lilly added.
“And this is where we are supposed to be safe? I’d rather bunk in with a bunch of revens,” Kit said. “At least they’re predictable.”
“I’ll talk to Asar.” Lilly tucked Kendra’s hair behind her ear. “You know I want to protect you. And I’m sorry. I only wish you had a choice that’s all.”
“I do have a choice.”
The question was, did she make it?
Chapter Forty-Seven
Bakari returned to the tavern to find Sin heavily engaged with the female he was eyeing earlier. The warrior hall was nothing more than a brothel with no private rooms. None seemed to care but Bakari.
He obeyed Bomani’s order. Despite his need to be with Kendra, he owed his brother respect for his title and rank even though Bomani showed him very little. Not that he deserved Bomani’s respect. He had never earned it. Bakari tried to push away his self-recrimination. It was doing him no good but running him around in circles.
A few of the senior warriors nodded as he passed while others fixated on him with intense glares. A division had developed between those that accepted him and those that held his brother’s contempt. In the short time he had been with Kendra, it was obvious the word had passed of his identity. Those that did not know would soon be enlightened; he had not bothered to cover his glyphs. Let things fall where they may.
He grabbed a pint of wine off the table and headed toward his usual spot in corner. With ease he faded into the shadows. With his back to the wall he scanned the large expanse of Moorish like arches and columns. He was the odd man out with lighter skin and eyes. His raised warrior tattoos extended past his elbow, but stopped at an imaginary dividing line between god and warrior. Fitting, as he felt an o
utcast in both at the moment.
The smooth, dry wine slid down his throat. A burst of plums, oak, and tannins filled his senses. Startled by the sudden flavor, he sniffed the glass. Again, the rich aroma tickled his nose. After his awakening everything tasted and smelled like ash, a byproduct of Kepi’s putrid blood. Kendra’s gift of life had purified him from the inside out. He wouldn’t have made it without her. Kendra truly saved him.
He had nothing to give her, except his honor, if he ever found it. He owed her that much. Hell, he owed himself. A couple of the warriors settled into the tables next to him. The largest of the pair and the most heavily tattooed maneuvered toward him. Bakari stiffened. The last time a group approached him they came to pummel him.
The warrior reached out his hand. “Name is Toben.”
Bakari hesitated but clasped the senior’s forearm in a warriors grasp. “Ari.”
The warrior turned Bakari’s forearm and focused on the scorpion on his arm. “The Commander does not like you much to have given you that name.”
“Well, he has every reason not to like me.”
The warrior’s black eyes locked on him. “Rumor has it you are a master swordsman.”
Bakari nodded. “It has been awhile.”
“Five years has not been kind to you.”
“Nothing I did not deserve.”
Toben released his arm. “Feeling sorry for yourself?”
“I have no use for that now.”
“Good. I require a warrior with skills such as yours.”
The hairs on Bomani’s neck stood on end. Was his loyalty toward Bomani being tested? “In what manner do you speak?”
“For training, of course.”
Bakari scanned the room. Despite the looks of disinterest, the warriors were listening. “For training then,” Bakari answered, but still with a certain amount of suspicion. Although loyal to the death in battle, the warriors were known to test their Commander for weaknesses. The last thing Bakari needed was to be a pawn in some warrior’s power play.