by Jean Murray
White twisted spires pierced the veil of large fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky. A large white dome with a sun disc at its peak filled the center of the floating city. Kit grabbed Lilly to steady herself, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty. They had always transported directly to the Council Chambers and were never allowed out beyond the doors. Now that the gates were closed, it forced them to come to the front door. And, what a door.
“Let us see if our cousins held up their promise.” Asar extended his hand from the shadows. The Underworld Lord’s skin remained its rich olive tone, and didn’t blister in the sun.
“It seems they have,” Bakari said and stepped onto the bridge next to Kendra. The colors brightened to gold beneath their feet.
“For how long?” Asar grasped Lilly’s hand and kissed it.
“We shall see, love.” Lilly kissed him back.
Kit frowned, knowing Kamen would never be allowed by her side. Not in this realm. “Let’s get this over with.” She stalked towards the gate. “Does this thing have a doorbell?” She ran her fingers over the metal, and it groaned and slid open. “Ah, I thought this was supposed to be locked,” Kit said and looked over her shoulder to Asar.
“They are. It takes Creation blood to open them.” Asar entered the gap in the gate. “Although I would have expected sentries.”
“Siya said the security was lax.” Lilly followed Asar.
“I do not like it,” Bakari said, pulling his Mevt daggers free.
“Put them away, son. We do not want them to perceive us as a threat.”
“We are not the enemy,” Bakari growled but stowed his weapons.
“No, we aren’t,” Kit agreed.
“That may be, but I am not willing to lose this opportunity.” Asar grabbed the gate and shifted it back into place until the locking mechanism engaged. “Everyone sticks together.” He shifted his gaze to Kit. “I promised Kamen I would watch over you.”
“I appreciate that.” Kit walked along the bridge and stared over the edge. The thick clouds filled the void below, like a fluffy mattress you could fall into.
Kit turned back to the gate. She might be Creation, but she belonged to the darkness. She narrowed her eyes on the shadows beyond the gate. Kamen stood at the dividing line between the realms, his skin black and cold, unlike his brothers. Kit grabbed the gate, wanting nothing more than to go to him.
“Let us go,” Asar called behind her.
She hesitated, knowing where she belonged.
“Go, Kitten. I will be here waiting.”
“I know.” In her heart she knew he would wait because she wanted him to, but Aaru needed protection. Siya and the baby. The younglings. Their home.
She released the metal. With each step she wondered whether they would ever be rid of the barriers between them.
Their only chance resided in the Council’s decision and disrupting Apep’s plan. A long shot, but worth fighting for.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kamen waited for Kit to enter the Council Building. The ache in his chest worsened with each step she took away from him. Restless beneath his skin, the beast did not make their separation any easier. She wanted him to be there and he couldn’t.
His thoughts drifted back to the Nehebkau temple. He hadn’t been able to be by her side then either, and his absence resulted in her abduction. He had lost her, a pain worse than any curse could inflict. He fisted his black hands and forced them into the sunlight. Smoke curled up from his skin. Wishful thinking on his part.
Dematerializing, he shifted through the realms and appeared in the palace. Heavy breathing and the scent of blood had him charging down the hallway.
Siya stood hunched over, clutching one hand on the veranda wall and the other around her abdomen.
Kamen slowed and searched for Bomani. “Do you need assistance?”
“Can you deliver a baby?”
He frowned. “No.”
“Then your assistance is not needed.” She blew out a breath and straightened. “If this is just getting started, I can’t wait to see what is to come.”
“I will get Bomani.”
She snagged his arm, her grasp no less strong. “I want you there, when the baby is born.” Panic flickered in the War goddess’ light green eyes.
The beast surged, setting an ache in his spine. He forced it away and stared at Bomani’s mate. “I am not sure you want me there.” If Siya transitioned to her demon state, he had no idea what the beast would do. He was uncertain to the state of the baby, and maybe that was Siya’s concern as well. “I will get Bomani.” Pulling his arm free, he stepped back.
He dematerialized and reappeared in the warrior training arena. Bomani and Dennu, the young Creation god, were sparring. Fifty younglings surrounded the pair, each matched with a dark warrior of equal size and skill. Formidable foes and unlikely allies. Siya and Bomani’s adopted brood of Creation orphans joined the Underworld not long ago, filling Aaru with an amazing amount of living energy. A shadow of what it once was when souls passed into the afterlife.
Heads turned as Kamen prowled forward, interrupting the training session.
His nephew lowered his sword. “Uncle.”
“It is time.”
“Time?”
Kamen raised his brows. “The baby.”
Dennu motioned to the others. “Siya is having her baby.” The group scattered, stowing their weapons and charging down the beach towards the palace.
“Baby,” Bomani repeated with a shake of his head. “The baby is not due until the eclipse. That is two days from now.”
“Siya needs you.” He grabbed Bomani by the bicep and dematerialized before his nephew could protest.
He solidified back on the polished sandstone and pushed Bomani towards Siya.
“Siya,” Bomani said, rushing forward through the throngs of younglings to support his mate through another contraction. “Why did you not call for me?”
“The boys needed to continue their training,” she replied through gritted teeth. The scent of blood filtered in the air.
“Where is Lilly?” he asked, scooping her up.
“They are at the Council.” Kamen met Siya’s painful stare.
A rumble shook the palace beneath Kamen’s feet. It ended as soon as it had begun, but Kamen feared it heralded more of what was to come.
“What in duat was that?” Bomani asked, pulling Siya closer to his chest.
“Get Siya settled. Dennu, remain to assist Bomani. Everyone armed and on alert.”
Sin, Bakari’s lead warrior, ran down the hall. “Did you feel that?”
Kamen grabbed Bomani’s bicep. “Get her comfortable. The younglings will provide you security and assistance.”
Bomani nodded and whisked Siya to their room, followed by five of the largest Creations.
“Sin, I want one platoon to search every room of the palace. Make sure everyone is okay and ready to evacuate if needed. All others down to the gate. Nothing is to get through.”
“What about the dungeon?”
Kamen grabbed the hinge of the door as another quake rolled through the ground beneath their feet. “I will take care of the dungeon. Make sure the legion is reinforcing that gate. Kill anything that crosses.”
Sin nodded and shouted out to the group of warriors. “Alpha team search the palace. Bravo, Charlie and Delta down to the gates. Fall out.”
Kamen charged down the sandstone corridor. He reached out through the blood bond to his master. He only hoped Asar got the message. If Aaru was under attack, the Creations would be next. His thoughts drifted to Kit. He filtered his emotions so as not to alarm her. The draw to protect her choked him, but he had to make sure Aaru was safe in Asar’s absence.
The large iron gates of the dungeon remained intact, but the iron bolts entering the stone appeared twisted. Kamen pulled the key from his pocket, unlocked the barrier and delved into the black labyrinth of stone. The home of the damned burned his senses. Evil consumed every inch of this place
. Kamen needed to ensure none escaped, especially one in particular. Set always made good on his promises and would not stop until he made Kamen suffer. His brother knew there was only one thing that could truly hurt Kamen. The only thing that meant the world to him. Thankfully, she was far from Set’s reach at the moment.
He slowed as he approached the last corridor. Here only the worst of the damned were housed until their execution. The hardest of metals was four times as thick and buried in tons of stone the full circumference of the cell. Formidable in its own right, a spell made the prison impenetrable. But Kamen would not chance even one fracture or splinter of stone or steel. His brother would not be leaving this cell.
“Coming to check on me, brother?” Set asked from the dark shadows beyond the barrier.
Kamen ignored Set’s taunt and surveyed every square inch of metal. Thankfully, everything was intact. The rumble shook through the stone and rained debris down upon Kamen’s head. If it was any heavier, it could weaken the structure.
“So it begins.” Set rose from the bench and moved towards the bars.
“We knew this time would come, even then.” Kamen met his brother’s stare.
“So what is the plan to save the world?” Set swirled his finger in the air.
Kamen huffed. “You must be mad, if you think I would share one damn piece of information with you. As soon as this is over, you will be sent back to Duat to continue to serve your mandate to Asar. And, if you fail, you will answer to me.”
Satisfied that the cell would hold, Kamen trudged towards the exit.
“She will betray you, Kamen, just as all women do. And, do not be so sure of your place in this world. Soon, the balance of power will shift, and when it does, I will be there to watch you burn.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Now is not the time to overreact,” Chancellor Thoth said, placating the concerned stares. The all white marble chamber amplified the murmurs within the Council Chamber loud enough it was giving Kit a headache.
“We must react or all will be lost. Apep will make his move when the earth blights out the light of the moon. Darkness will consume the homeland of Egypt in less than a few days when the Underworld and the Creation powers are at their weakest. We all knew the Dark Lord could not be detained indefinitely. We knew this day would come again.”
“I do not need a history lesson, Asar. The Council fully understands the significance of the anniversary of your brothers’ betrayal. It divided the Pantheon. But, there have been many lunar eclipses since Apep’s fall. Millenniums have passed without incident. Tomorrow will be like all the others. I see no reason to raise the Creation Army at this time.” Heads nodded in agreement to Thoth’s statement.
“Apep was responsible for Set and Kamen’s acts, long before the war. The Dark Lord was responsible for the reven curse and the siravants poisoning humans. We have spilled the black blood of Apep for the last five years. The threat is real. The brink of war is now upon us.”
“Kepi was responsible for the reven curse and she has been disposed of. The curse has been broken and is no longer spreading. The issue has been contained, and as far as the siravants, they too were banished to Duat long ago.”
Asar barked a laugh. “No siravants, really?” He turned to Bast who sat to the right hand of the Chancellor. “Do you have anything to say about that, Bast?”
Kit held her breath, knowing Bast couldn’t deny the attack at the warehouse when Menthu, the God of War, and six siravant killed two Protectors and left only her as a witness.
Bast opened her mouth to speak.
Thoth answered for the goddess. “Bast has fully briefed me on the incident. Menthu was responsible for her injuries.”
“And, Meti and Haru?” Asar met Thoth’s stare.
Bomani had saved the two Protector gods’ souls from a siravant. It was becoming clear to Kit, Thoth had not briefed the Council on the demise of the Protector gods at siravant hands.
“What happened to Meti and Haru is unfortunate. Nor are they here to testify to your claims.”
“My word is not good enough?” Asar growled.
Silence fell on the chamber.
Kit gnawed on her gum, irritated and bored with all the banter. Precious time was ticking away as these gods discussed the relevance of signs of Apep’s rising. They had no appreciation for what the revens had done to decimate the human realm, not to mention her family. The innumerable cursed humans she had to terminate. The smell of death. The nightmares. The presence of siravants, Apep’s minions, spreading disease and evil in the world, wasn’t enough? They had not even gotten to the part of lifting the curse.
Aloof and self-righteous bastards, the lot of them.
Shifting in her seat, she restrained herself from storming out of the chamber. Siya warned them not to push the Creations. If the change were to happen, they had to come to their own conclusion. Let the bureaucratic process take place. On any other day that would be fine, but with Apep breathing down their necks, this process had to be expedited.
“This is bullshit,” she mumbled and received a hot warning stare from Lilly. “That’s what it is. Thoth is flat out lying. Making this out to be a figment of our imagination.”
Lilly leaned into her ear. “He has the power to lift the curse. We need to let this process play out.”
“Still bullshit. Menthu can walk through that door any minute and slaughter all of them.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Kit said and slouched back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. She narrowed her eyes on the Chancellor. A traitor according to their sources. The god looked like a shriveled bird with a long curved nose, thin lips and short legs. If Kamen was here, he could shift through the scents and see if the Chancellor was compromised. She usually had a sixth sense about people. The god had his own agenda that was certain, but whose side was he hitting for was the question. Nebt had gained their trust only to turn a death blade on her sister. Trust was a delicate thread these days.
Her thoughts drifted back to Kamen. The warmth she had left with had faded, replaced by a dull ache. Lilly and Kendra had the same symptoms when they were separated from their mates. The longer the separation, the stronger the ache would grow. Only when they found each other again would the pain dissipate. The draw to be with him only added to her agitation. Their time together was slipping away while she sat here listening to—bullshit.
She refocused back on the conversation between Thoth and Asar, only to find they were arguing about the same god damn thing. She groaned, loud enough it turned a few heads.
Lilly whipped her head around. “Please, don’t make a scene.”
Kit narrowed her eyes at her sister, tempted to jump out of her seat and run around screaming. Her ass hurt from sitting on marble for god knew how many hours when she could be wrapped up in Kamen’s arm making love in their bed. “A scene. Oh, you haven’t seen me at my worst.”
Lilly’s eyes widened. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Be afraid, very afraid,” Kit growled.
Kendra chewed on her lip that had curled up into a smile.
Asar cleared his throat and stared at Kit. “Perhaps we need to take a short break from our discussions. Refreshments?”
Thoth glanced from Asar to Kit and back. “Certainly. Please forgive me ladies, I am not attuned to human limitations.”
“Limitations?” Kit stood and confronted the Chancellor. Okay, she didn’t care what side this guy was on, he was an asshole.
“Kit.” Asar held out his hand and directed her down the aisle and out the door.
Furious, Kit stalked out the receiving door and into the hallway. “This is taking way too long. We should be back in Aaru, not here quibbling over things that happened thousands of years ago. The war is here. It’s now.”
Asar ran a hand through his hair. “I do not disagree with you, but you must show the Council respect. Especially when we need their assistance in this war.”
Despite Lilly’s warning glare, Kit pursued, knowing she was challenging a god that could take her life with a mere thought. Sister-in-law or not, she was crossing a line no one dared to test. “That is where you are wrong. It is they who need the Underworld. They need us. They need you, not the other way around.” She knew from her dreams the Creations ran when they needed them most.
The air around her chilled. Asar’s eyes darkened. “Again, I do not disagree with you, but we need the curse lifted in order to battle Apep. This is the way of the Pantheons. You cannot change millions of years of history.”
Lilly grabbed Kit’s arm. “Asar is right. Like it or not, we have to think of the Pantheon.”
“What does it matter anyway? They will not lift the curse on Kamen.”
“Kamen knows and understands that fact, as should you.” Asar turned and opened the door back to the chamber. “I will move discussions along as fast as I can.”
“In a rush?” Thoth asked, appearing in the doorway. He stepped through and settled his eyes on Kit. His blue eyes measured her. “I meant no disrespect, my lady. I apologize for being unsympathetic to the changes you must be going through. I imagine it is not easy for a human to adjust to the transition. So much power flowing through those veins—unsettling I am sure.” The insincerity dripped from the god’s apology, nothing short of condescending.
“Come, let me find you a place to rest.” Thoth moved forward, but Asar stepped between the god and Kit.
“Kit is not going anywhere.”
“You dare insult me with your lack of trust?”
“Consider it a life lesson,” Asar said, glaring down at the god.
“Ten minutes time and you will have your demi-god back.”
“What is it you want with her?”
“Just a few questions is all that I require for the ancient records, nothing more. If you allow it, I perhaps could persuade the Council to consider your request on a temporary basis.”
