Stigmata

by L M Adams

  “No,” I close my eyes, not caring, I’m fucking exhausted.

  His sigh is heavy, “Get up or you’re getting a spanking. We’re almost out of water, we cannot stay here.”

  He leaves the shelter with his little threat sitting in the air. Like I give a shit.

  “Jaevia!” He barks ripping away the entire dome of the shelter, exposing me to the sun.

  I finally sit up. Can’t get any rest with his going-on anyway.

  “I’m fucking tired! My hair is dirty, I’m dirty and I’m tired of eating crocodile!” I scream and stand up.

  He sighs deeply, “Just another day and a half, Wench. Hold on for me baby, just one more day.”

  Lucien already feels bad enough about all of this. His guilt takes the wind out of my sails… or rather the hot anger out of them.

  “Fine,” I sigh and get dressed again in my horrid, filthy jeans.

  I know Jack feels the same, but he holds onto his composure better than me, but then Jack has always been better at hiding his true emotions. A skillset he perfected being the tainted blood I imagine.

  Lucien gets everything broken down and back on the sled and we take off across the pebbled dry earth, towards where he promises life will return.

  We walk no more than an hour or so from the lake when Jack stops to look behind us.

  I turn to see what’s caught his attention.

  “Luey?” I say in a whisper as the dust cloud in the distance seems to grow closer. “Is that a sandstorm?”

  He grunts, “The wind isn’t right for a sandstorm… and that is too small to be one.”

  The last cloud of dust that chased us was Azazael. Here in this world, he exists as the truer form of himself, as the god who whispered deceit into the men of Atum’s ears. As the god who seduced Isis, as the one who began the true fall of man… a fall they’ve yet to recover from… or even hit the bottom of.

  “Do we run?” I ask in a whisper.

  “No, it would only exhaust us. We make our stand here,” Lucien grabs his sword from the sled and unsheathes it. He points to a crop of boulders, “go with you, the both of you.”

  “Luey,” I whisper but before I can verbalize my objection his eyes fill with heat and magic as his massive wings of fire erupt in glory… as if even they could outshine the sun; whatever protest I had gets lost in his rage.

  “Come, Jae,” Jack grabs my arm and begins tugging me to the boulder, to safety… and away from Lucien.

  Jack and I crouch near the boulder looking around the edge. My heart pounds in my chest as the sand cloud draws nearer. Lucien’s wings unfurl, curling up to the sun, acting as a lightning rod.

  Golden lightning strikes the tips sparking them wildly with red flame. The ground beneath him ignites in flame and a trail of fire races towards the boulder… towards us.

  Before the fire can reach us, it splits and runs a full circle around us and there the fire grows until it’s almost six feet high. The rocks and sand beneath the golden red flames melt with the heat.

  Jack and I? We are safe, Lucien made sure of it… but he is outside of this circle of protection and now neither Jack nor I can reach him.

  “Can you do magic?” Jack asks.

  I nod, “But goddess knows what it would come out as!”

  “And all I have is a fucking pocketknife,” Jack rages with his own anger; anger at his own inadequacies.

  “How pissed do you think he’d be if we went to help?”

  Jack huffs, “Royally – right now we may be more of a hindrance than a help. But if it looks like it’s going bad…”

  “We go.”

  “Yes, we go.”

  Because we promised one another. We made promises that matter to protect one another, love one another, and never forsake each other. If our end is here… so be it, but we will meet that end together.

  The waiting is the worst, the minutes between what we think will come and what actually arrives. I imagine snarling teeth jackals come to hurt my Lucien because he refused to bow to the god of lies. His skin like the Arabian sand at sunset, his hair as dark as raven’s wings, his tongue forked and his whispers sweet with lies. Perhaps he will come to kill Lucien and Jack so that he can claim me as his bride – perhaps all of this is my fault because when Azazael and I stood in the room of nothing and shattering mirrors – I looked at myself and I saw what life could be at his side and not all of me could say no.

  He knew of me and I knew of him and I knew that once Set loved Ishtar even as Atum fell for her love and a bitterness touched Set’s tongue that would never wash away when Ishtar chose Atum instead.

  Again I have chosen the god of Sun over the god of Sky; and he promised one day that I would regret it.

  “Do you hear that?” Jack asks in a whisper.

  “It sounds like thunder,” I look up into the sky, but there is nothing.

  “Horses,” Jack whispers and moves to step out around the boulder.

  “Would Azazael ride a horse?” I ask stepping out beside him as I spot ten or fifteen horses in a full gallop, riders on most of them.

  “How should I know?”

  “He is your grandpappy.”

  Jack groans, “Do you have to keep reminding me?”

  I laugh, “No.”

  “But you’re going to?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’re a sadist.”

  “Yup.”

  “I love you.”

  “I know,” I smile.

  Something in me relaxes, I doubt it’s Azazael on horseback, not to say whoever this is would be friend, but I’m a hell of a lot more confident in us being able to kill regular people.

  As they draw closer, I begin to see my assessment of what ‘regular people’ are is very skewed.

  These are not people… these are gods… demigods at least, Goddess as my witness I’ve seen the like – both males and females… all of them with dark skin dusted with golden flakes, muscles on their muscles, long hair done in locs as dark as the night sky… their eyes the color of dripping gold.

  Even the horses aren’t like horses I’ve seen… the things are massive with black coats and hooves that sparkle gold and seem to leave a trail of fire behind them.

  The fire encircling Jack and I, grows higher, cutting off my view.

  “Ugh! I can’t see!”

  “They’ve stopped about twenty feet away,” Jack tells me and then doesn’t say anything else.

  “Well, what’s happening?” I ask impatiently.

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing?!” I yell shrilly.

  Jack sighs and stoops down, “Well, up you go.”

  I climb on his back, wrapping my legs around his waist as he stands again.

  He was right, there’s nothing happening. Lucien is standing, flaming sword in hand, but his wings of fire are gone. Now that the riders are closer, I can see them better… and they’re even more impressive.

  They’re dressed in black cloth pants, boots, some with sleeveless shirts, some bare chested, others with leather straps crossing their chests with emblems of animals. On their arms there are golden cuffs, some designs are the same, others different – the only one I can easily recognize is the eye of Ra.

  My eyes widen as movement happens in the back of the group of riders, the horses part and a man steps forward.

  Lucien lowers his sword slowly and the fire dies down as the rider draws closer. He’s dressed differently than the others, wearing black robes or something close to robes, a long mock-collared tunic, he’s older than the others, his locs gray, long, and sweeping the earth behind him. But I know his face, I know who it is.

  Lucien’s collapses to his knees and the fire goes out as he whispers one name that echoes in my heart… “Henenu.”

  73

  Jaevia

  I clamber off of Jack’s back and we both walk forward to join Lucien, who hasn’t seemed to compose himself just yet.

  “Hari?” Henenu asks softly and be
nds to grab Lucien’s shoulder, forcing him back.

  “Hari?!” Henenu shouts again and Lucien springs to his feet, grabbing the older man tightly in a hug.

  The group of people cheer, a thunderous sound, waving amplitudes of voices ululating in joy at the return of one of their own. Jack reaches out and grabs my hand, he threads his fingers between mine, holding on tightly.

  We made it, we made it back to Lucien’s people. It makes sense that the portal would transport us to this time. It put us right back into the spot where Lucien would have been if he’d grown up in the here and now.

  The riders all dismount and circle Lucien and Henenu, I can’t understand a lick of what they’re saying. I finally see Lucien and Henenu push their way out of the crowd. Lucien is still speaking a language I don’t know, but I don’t mind, I understand the intent… I’ve never seen Lucien so happy; he’s bursting with joy like the boy who climbed the mountain of Bast.

  “You remember Jaevia and Capaneus – I now claim them as my wife and husband.” Lucien switches to the common tongue for our benefit.

  “No Hari, I have never met them, but I am joyous that you have found bounty in love.”

  Lucien’s face falls and fills with confusion and then realization hits him as he turns back to look at the others now tending their horses, chattering joyously, but giving us a moment.

  They’re all dead… all of them – even Henenu – the fall of the people of Atum, Isis and Ishtar is coming.

  “We have much to discuss…” Lucien finally says.

  “Yes Hari, I believe that we do. Come, no need for us to spend the night in the wild, hmm? Me’tangua is not far. And your mates look as if they could do with a bit of respite.”

  One of the men steps forward, he’s not as large as Lucien… but wouldn’t be considered small by any standard. It is easy to see they come from the same stock. He is a bit shorter and has a certain boyish swagger Lucien doesn’t have. Lucien turns to the man and seems like he’s piecing something together.

  “Come now, Hari, you do not remember me? Has it been so long that the young lion has forgotten his greatest friend… and foe,” the man stops and grins, brilliant white teeth flash as his brown and golden eyes sparkle.

  “Nassor?” Lucien whispers and the man nods, “Nassor! You are not dead?”

  “Nay brother, I am here still standing as are you,” the man strides forward and wraps Lucien in his arms, they pound each other on the back in greeting.

  “Oh brother,” Lucien whispers and they pull back to touch foreheads with one another.

  Jack’s hand flexes in mine, only for a moment, but it was there. He inhales deeply seeming to settle something in himself. I know what that something was… a seed of jealousy.

  Lucien pulls away from the embrace after a moment, “Come, come, meet my wife and husband.”

  Nassor laughs, “I’m supposed to believe you actually got these fetching creatures to claim your heart?”

  “Aye,” Lucien grins, not seeming prouder. “This is Jaevia.”

  “A new little sister then,” Nassor smiles and reaches out and I let go of Jack’s hand to embrace him, I end up getting picked up and swung around in a circle.

  He puts me down and steps back not letting go of my arms as he stares into my eyes, “A daughter of Ishtar?” He looks at Lucien, “You dirty bastard.”

  I laugh as Lucien steps up to pull me away, draping a heavy arm over my shoulders, “Aye, and she’s mine.”

  Nassor lets out another laugh as I slap Lucien’s chest, “Stop being so possessive.”

  “No.”

  I shrug at Nassor in apology and he smiles, “I cannot say I blame him, the air shimmers with your power – you are a great conquest.”

  “I am a person you know?” I’m starting to see the barbaric attitude may be common here.

  “I welcome your guidance, daughter of Ishtar,” he bows his head in almost reverence and then turns to look at Jack after that cryptic remark.

  Jack holds out his hand, and Nassor pauses before he takes it. He seems to make up his mind and grabs Jack’s forearm, it’s a good shake, “Do I have a brother here?”

  Jack glances at us, a bit out of his element, “I’m um, their husband.”

  Nassor smiles, “Then I have a new little brother. A son of Isis? Or something… else?” He leads.

  Lucien lets me go to step between Nassor and Jack bullying his way between the two men, “Must you try to pilfer all that I call my own?!”

  Nassor laughs, “It is Ha’mara... you cannot blame me for trying, they are a bounty.”

  “Aye, and you should remember what happened the last time you tried to take what was mine,” Lucien actually sounds angry.

  “There was enough bread for the both of us!”

  “Aye there was, I had a loaf and you had a loaf, and you stuffed them both in your fat mouth! I kicked your ass then, and I’ll kick your ass again!”

  Nassor smile widens, “Oh aye, it will be good that you are home.”

  Jack wanders over to me and leans to whisper in my ear, “Are they arguing over a loaf of bread from twenty-five years ago?”

  I sigh, “It would seem that they are… or they’re arguing over us… it’s hard to really tell.”

  “Well, at least I’m not the only one confused.”

  “No Jack… this definitely isn’t Kansas anymore.”

  Henenu calls an end to the reunion and greeting, we need to move if we’re going to reach Me’tangua before nightfall.

  He declares that they can welcome us as we go.

  I’m not the only one surprised as one of the men leads three horses over to us. I do the count quickly… there are still enough for everyone.

  “They knew we were coming?” I ask looking to Lucien.

  “We will ask questions later, Wench.”

  I hush up as Lucien lifts me to the back of the horse, it’s just too tall for me to manage the feat without a running start.

  Everyone starts preparing to leave. They even break down our sled of provisions and split the load between them to carry with us, a seriousness and efficiency in their movements. It is easy to tell that Henenu’s word is law.

  Jack gains his horse expertly, without help, and I see a few appreciative glances in his direction. He really is a suave animal. They seem to be very curious, or confused, turning to one another to whisper things, as if they’re trying to figure something out about Jack.

  “Is it because I’m a white guy, Jae?” He whispers, horribly embarrassed over nothing.

  I laugh, “Perhaps a bit, but I think more so because of your aura, they read signatures and identify people with them.”

  “But I lost my power,” he complains.

  I hum in the back of my throat, “You do not need ‘powers’ to have a powerful aura, to be a child of the gods. I do not think it is as simple as that. Whatever they see, it is something odd, or rare, or perhaps something they haven’t seen before. At least they can see the Isis in you and that seems to be good enough.”

  Our little caravan takes off in the direction of the tall wild green grass fields and trees in the distance. I can see from here where life returns, and my heart feels light with anticipation.

  Lucien and Henenu ride next to one another in front of me and Jack, talking in a hurried whisper. They’ve gone back to that language I don’t know; it sounds Coptic. Jack and I respect their privacy and let the distance widen a bit. Lucien needs this time with his tutor.

  One of the riders works their way up to beside me, a woman, one of the only two women of the party that came to find us. She’s pretty, gorgeous really, her skin pure and dark… it looks as if it would taste of lemon and honey. Her eyes are a glorious mix of violet and gold her locs braided down her back in an intricate design.

  “Greetings sister,” she smiles.

  “Hello… sister?” I’m not sure if I’m supposed to relate to them as family as well.

  But she nods encouragingly, “I am a daughter
of Ishtar as well, although I serve Atum this season.”

  She holds out her hand, “My name is Nyrobi.”

  I take it, “Jaevia… but Jae is fine.”

  “It is good to meet you sister,” she nods her head.

  I smile, “This is my husband, Jack… but Lucien, I mean Hari, calls him Capaneus.”

  “Jack is fine,” Jack says giving her a wave.

  She smiles and nods and looks back at me, “You have claimed well, sister.”

  The corner of my lip twitches, well I guess that barbaric overbearing possessive attitude is not just reserved for the men.

  I nod, “I like to think so.”

  “Do you only enjoy males in bed?”

  Well shit, that is a very forward question…

  “No…I mean… yes… I mean no, they are my mates, but I’ve been known to enjoy women from time to time.”

  She nods, “Then I request to be considered.”

  “What?” I whisper completely lost.

  “Ishtar guide you, Nyrobi! Keep it in your damn pants!” Nassor shouts from behind us.

  She flashes a smile at me, “Think about it, hmm?”

  I nod… completely lost.

  Nassor guides his horse between Nyrobi and I, seeming to chase her away.

  “My apologies little sister, you do not understand our ways. In this time, we must declare our intentions when we intend to pursue someone for those intentions to be considered honorable. Although, she could have waited a bit for an introduction!” He adds loudly.

  “You mean she just called dibs on me?”

  Nassor looks curious for a moment, “I do not know this use ‘dibs’.”

  “She claimed possession of me so no one else can?”

  “No one else?”

  “Yes?”

  “What is this way you have; you do not share?”

  “I mean… we’re married – me, Jack and Lucien…”

  He nods, “They are your hearts, this I understand.”

  “So, I mean, well, sometimes I’ll step outside of the relationship… but they… don’t really.”

  His eyes light up with understanding and he leans forward to look at Jack, “Your woman keeps a tight leash on you?”