by Jean Murray
“Why me? I’m nothing. She could have picked a full blooded god. Why would she bother with a half-breed human? This makes no sense.” Her voice cracked.
“Do you have any booze in this place?” Kit asked looking around.
A servant scampered into the room, carrying glasses of wine.
Lilly pushed it away. “We don’t have time for that.” She stood and straightened her leather top. She wasn’t going to let her feeling of being overwhelmed delay getting back Asar’s son. “We need to move to intercept the goddess. She expects Rebecca to deliver me within twenty-four hours.”
Asar entered their bedroom. “Kit and Kendra, I would like to speak with your sister alone.” Her sisters immediately left without questioning him.
“What’s wrong?”
His eyes were hard when he looked at her. “You and your sisters are to stay here.”
She went to argue, and realized he was already dressed to leave. His usual garb of black linen was replaced by hard leather armor. Her gaze came to rest on his hardened face. All his emotion was gone. She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat.
“Asar?” He stood across the room unmoving. She shook her head, the heat of anger rushing her face. “No! You cannot leave me here to do nothing. I need to be out there.”
“You will stay here with your sisters," he said in a voice so harsh and unkind, Lilly's body shivered. "That is final.”
“Why are you being like this?”
He turned his back on her, and walked to the door.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me!” Dark energy rolled off him in crushing waves, making her stagger back under its influence. He stopped just in front of the door. “We need each other,” she yelled, incensed he would dismiss her. Again, after everything they had been through.
“No, we do not.” Asar pushed through the doors and slammed them behind him.
A dull ache filled her chest, an echo of the time he ripped his essence from her soul. She had to look down to ensure his mark was still there. Laying her hand over his black mark, she charged through the doors only to witness his form evaporate in front of her.
“Bastard, you get back here!” Lilly screamed at the top of her lungs and looked at the ceiling. “You need me.” She turned in circles not certain what to do. Tears coursed down her face. “You need me,” she whispered between her sobs.
Her sisters came running around the corner. Kit had a pained look on her face. “I’m sorry. He made me promise not to tell you.”
“It’s not right. It doesn’t feel right. I need to be with him.” Lilly pounded her fist over her heart. “I feel it. It’s not right.” Putting her hands to her face, she slid down the wall. “What if something happens to him? He needs someone to watch his back.”
“He took the entire legion of dark warriors. I heard Inpu talking about it. Even the Protector gods and Nehebkau are bringing their Pantheon armies. Asar will be well protected.” Kit put her hand on Lilly’s head. “He is stronger than any other god. If anyone is safe, it’s him.”
“You don’t understand. Kepi has the Mevt dagger. It will kill any god. If the bitch gets a chance, she will use it against him. She already tried to kill him once.”
“The Mevt daggers actually exist?” Kendra gasped.
“Asar said there was something bigger at play here, but he never went any further than that. And, the way Nehebkau reacted when he heard Kepi wanted your body…” Kit added.
Lilly’s anger flared. Asar had withheld a key piece of information. She was more than capable of handling Kepi, so the threat had to be much bigger than the goddess for him to leave her here. Is that why he was so cruel? What could he possibly gain by not telling her? Did he not trust her? They were supposed to be mates.
Although their relationship wasn’t normal by any means, she had more than proven her loyalty to him. Whatever he may have thought, he was wrong to leave her here. She needed to be with him. Every cell of her body was telling her so. Damn him!
“There is one way to find out.”
CHAPTER thirty-three
Asar materialized with the echoes of Lilly’s voice chasing after him like swarm of locust. He regretted his words as soon as they formed on his lips. She had worked her way under his skin to the point that she was part of him, not just his soul, but every dead cell of his existence. His cruelty was premeditated and executed like a precision strike. He wanted to distance himself from her so he could think straight, but he had only made his thoughts of her torturous.
With Kamen at his side, he looked out over Thebes. His dark warriors solidified in the shadows of the desert. Nehebkau approached. The Snake god’s warriors slithered and flowed like a black river across the baked desert floor.
“Gods are with you, Nehebkau,” Asar said in a low tone.
“And with you, Asar.” The Snake god nodded his acknowledgement to Kamen. His brother started to pace the small patch of earth.
Asar hated to admit it, but he had grown fond of the Snake god. They were not that dissimilar. He had great respect for any commander with a battle history like Nehebkau. Although both men were of few words, there was understanding in their silence. No need for idle conversation or posturing themselves before the other.
As if anticipating Asar’s question, Nehebkau spoke. “Bast and her cadre of protectors have not arrived. I cannot speak for them, but it would be best to assume that it will be the two of us.”
“Would I expect anything less?”
Nehebkau shifted his heavy sword in his hands. “These are strange times, friend. It is difficult to determine what to expect, but the Mother Goddess has a plan that will no doubt come to light.”
Asar glanced over to his counterpart, admiring the weight and balance of his weapon. “May I see it?”
Nehebkau turned the blade and presented the hilt to him. Asar noted the elaborate detail of the handle that had an Egyptian asp finely honed into the steel. The thick handle had surprising weight, but not enough to fatigue a fighter. It required a skilled hand to wield a weapon with such heavy striking power. “This is a fine instrument.”
“I know a master blacksmith. Perhaps when and if we get out of this ordeal, I can have a blade fired for your mate,” Nehebkau said, cautiously. “She prefers a katana, correct?”
Asar regarded his friend. “Yes, she does.” He paused silently for a few minutes before he spoke again. “That is a very generous offering. Lilly would be appreciative.”
“I know it is none of my business.”
“You are correct. It is none of your business.”
Ignoring Asar’s obvious warning, Nehebkau stared straight ahead, as he spoke. “I am surprised she is not by your side this night. She is a fine fighter, and would be an asset.”
Asar’s fists tightened around the grips of his blades. The custom of the Pantheons was such that bonded gods fought side by side, even in the face of certain death. A god would not go into battle without his goddess. And, if either died in battle, the other would fight until they succumbed to the same fate.
A fate he would not allow Lilly to face. To expect her to enter into battle without knowledge of their traditions would be reprehensible. He did not need the Snake god to remind him that he was breaking an oath. He could feel the ache all the way into his soul, a true physical pain he knew she would feel as well. If he was lucky and made it out of here alive, he hoped Lilly would forgive him enough to explain his actions.
“I will not put her in harm’s way in this battle or let the Protector gods get their hands on her.”
“You think Bast will take her?”
Fear burned in Asar's gut. Though he did not know it at the time, he had broken a cardinal rule between the Pantheons when he took a Creation goddess for a mate. Their bond could not be reversed, but it could be taken from him. Bast and her cadre would never permit Lilly to stay with him, regardless if she wanted to or not. Asar would fight to the death to keep her. It would be a blood bath—something they did no
t need right now, considering they already faced war with a formidable foe.
“Well, if the Mother Goddess ordained Lilly in some way in her absence…” Nehebkau shrugged. “Then they would be forced to follow Lilly’s orders. She would be representing the Mother Goddess, after all.”
Asar scanned the battlefield in a feeble attempt to hide his surprise.
“But that would take a significant symbol or vision from the Mother Goddess, herself." Nehebkau chuckled. "From the look on your face, I assume she already has. You do realize Lilly could order you around, as well?”
“Not where her safety is concerned,” Asar growled. He had not considered the significance and power Lilly’s pectoral necklace would have over the Pantheons, including those of the Underworld. His relationship with the Mother Goddess had always been one of mutual respect and admiration, despite the tension with the other Creation gods. Lilly’s mother never countermanded his position or judgments that came to pass, even when it dealt with one of her own gods. She had asked for few favors from him, but when she did ask, he complied without question. Despite this, he was still stunned the Mother Goddess would select him to protect her offspring, let alone allow him to mate with one.
Gods, help him.
Asar rubbed the back of his neck. The weight of their worlds rested squarely on his shoulders, which only made the ache in his soul grow. He wanted nothing more than to smother himself in Lilly’s hair and feed on her energy, calming the beast inside him like a sweet drug. He could use a bit of her essence right now, but would have to do without.
Shadows danced between the stone columns of the Temple Precincts. Large swarms of revens. Asar turned to Kamen, whose eyes glowed fiery orange in the darkness. “It is time, brother.”
A low growl vibrated the air. Kamen charged into the darkness of the desert. Asar met the gaze of Nehebkau, his comrade in arms, and smiled tightly. The hour had come to confront the traitors. The goddess Kepi was just an afterthought at this point.
His sights were set much higher.
CHAPTER thirty-four
Lilly pushed open the gold doors to Underworld goddess’ personal quarters. “Nebt!” Lilly yelled. A few servants approached, but shirked away.
She rounded the corner to find Nebt sitting at her dressing table. The Underworld goddess slipped her necklace on under her robe. “Really, Lilly. It is not good manners to barge into another god’s room. If you are to stay here, I must insist on some privacy.”
Nebt remained seated with her back turned to the door. Although her voice was biting, Lilly could not help but notice her posture. The goddess slumped forward and leaned her arms on the table. She dabbed her eyes before she looked over her shoulder. “If you came here for transport, I cannot help you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
Something changed in Nebt’s voice that resonated defeat. “Cannot, if you must know.”
Lilly stalked forward. “What do you mean you can’t?” Lilly’s anger faltered. Despite her attempt to hide it, Nebt had been crying, and hard. Her cheeks were pink and swollen, and crumpled tissues covered the front of her dressing table. Her black eyes looked up with such anguish Lilly fell to her knees and clasped her hands. “What happened? Please tell me.”
Nebt kissed Lilly’s hands and touched her face. “I cannot take you to Asar. He has banished my powers for two suns.”
“God no!” Asar removed any means for her to travel back to the human world for forty-eight hours. It was daylight in Aaru at the moment, which meant it was night in Egypt. By then, the battle would be over.
There was more, though. She knew being stripped of power would be painful, but that couldn’t explain the torment she saw in Nebt’s black gaze.
She squeezed Nebt’s hands. “What did Asar not tell me?”
Nebt’s robe opened up displaying her pectoral necklaces. Lilly froze. Asar’s necklace hung from her neck.
Lilly clasped the lion and moon medallion. Pain ripped across her gut. So this is what the goddess had been crying about. “He isn’t coming back?”
Nebt shook her head. “No, he is coming back. He has to come back.” Her tears started to flow again.
Asar had made plans for his death. The anguish had been evident in his eyes minutes before he disappeared. Lilly sat back hard, remembering the last words she said to him. She placed her hand over the ache in her chest. The pain and longing worsened with each pulsating beat of her heart. “I need to be with him.” The feeling tore through her insides. An internal calling that couldn’t be silenced without his touch.
The inner boil of Lilly's anger overrode her feelings of guilt. She forcefully grabbed Nebt. “Take it off,” Lilly hissed.
Nebt yelped and leaned back away from her. “What? No!”
Lilly flashed her fanged teeth. “Take it off, before I rip it off.”
Nebt’s hands shook as she pulled the thick gold cord off. Lilly grabbed it and stalked out to the door. The goddess stood up in protest. “What do you expect to do, Lilly? You are stuck here, whether you like or not. We all are.”
Lilly paused at the door and looked down. “I’m going to Asar, even if I have to sell my soul.”
CHAPTER thirty-five
Nehebkau recited an ancient prayer and extended his hand toward the desert floor. His rapid speech melded with a low hum and rumble. A large column of sand covered in the writhing snakes punched up from the earth into the heavens. The mound bubbled and spewed sand and debris into the air. Asar stepped back to accommodate the undulating mass, which grew to a size of a small building.
The snakes thrashed against the earth in a race to burrow into the center mass. When the last black serpent was consumed, a tombed silence fell upon the earth. Asar knew this was only the prelude of what was to come. The outside of the column started to vibrate. The low hum returned and built rapidly. The explosion sent dirt and debris shooting out in all directions.
Asar raised his hand to shield his eyes from the blast. Dirt rained down around him and settled at his feet. Over a thousand Nehebkau warriors solidified from the mix of serpents and earth. Despite their cement-like appearance, they moved with fluid grace. Well worth the theatrics.
Asar chuckled. He envied the Snake god’s ability to create such beings. His dark warriors required more time and nurturing to grow from the primordial waters of the underworld.
One thing his warriors had that Nehebkau’s forces lacked was intelligence. The Snake god’s warriors were expendable clumps of sand which could be reproduced as soon as the snake was freed. Conversely, the dark warriors could withstand a significant amount of injury and had self-healing capabilities, which made them a powerfully indestructible force.
Bomani materialized next to Asar. “Kepi has summoned her reven army in significant numbers. She no doubt knows of Rebecca’s failure to capture Lilly. What do you want done with her once we find her?”
Asar grunted. He would prefer to dismember the goddess with his own hands. “She is to be taken alive until we can locate my son.”
“These revens are just a mere distraction. Her collaborator will no doubt save his soldiers to the end. We could use one more legion to mitigate the revens, so that we can save our resources for the bigger fight.”
Asar nodded and narrowed his eyes on the dark landscape. He could sense the enemy’s soldiers shifting among the shadows below. He agreed. The revens were a waste of their energy, but they would be a continued menace to their battle, if they were not terminated immediately. “Your assessment is correct, Commander. Unfortunately, our relatives have seen it beneath them to help, so we will face this as any warrior would.”
“Blood and fury,” Bomani recited. The dark warrior mantra.
“Watch your back,” Asar said, pulling out his two curved blades. “Menthu is not a god that plays by our code of ethics.”
“I have no problem breaking our code for this bastard. I still cannot believe one of our gods would turn against the Mother Goddess, especially considering the
circumstances.”
Asar nodded. Menthu was an orphaned god that the Mother Goddess adopted, hoping to save him from a life of excommunication. Despite her love and nurturing, she was unable to change the evil that ran deep within Menthu’s blood. Asar knew all too well. The same blood ran through his veins. It screamed and clawed to get out, pleading to be set free. The only difference between him and Menthu was the mentor who taught him how to manage the raging beast. As the God of War, Menthu was as confrontational as him, but had no level of reason or empathy, which made him extremely dangerous.
“See you in the afterlife, brothers,” Asar said, clasping Nehebkau’s and then his commander’s forearm. He nodded to Bomani who raised his sword to the legion and signaled the charge upon the holy ground of Thebes.
CHAPTER thirty-six
Lilly turned down one hall after another, searching for an answer to her dilemma. She rubbed at the ache in her chest that now seemed to spread all the way to her back. The call to be at Asar’s side grew exponentially, so much so, the sensation made it hard to breath. She leaned over, hoping it would relieve the pressure. It only made it worse. She growled and punched the first thing that was closest to her.
The statue made up entirely of alabaster crashed to the floor and fractured into several pieces. She palmed a hefty piece of the marble ready to smash it against the wall. To get a better grip she turned it over in her hands. A face of the goddess was carved perfectly in the stone. Unsettled, Lilly dropped the head of the statue to the floor and stepped back. Next to the statue enormous double doors arched to the ceiling.
“Who makes doors out of marble?”
She dropped the piece and wiped her hands off on her leather pants. The white dust left streaks on the front of her legs. She pushed with all her strength expecting sufficient resistance. Perfectly balanced, the door rotated inward with little effort.
She stepped across the threshold. The floor began to glow with an eerie golden cast. Hieroglyphics lit up the entire expanse of the floor and walls.