Kiya and the God of Chaos

by Philippa Bower

  Chapter Seventy Three: A Frightening Transformation

  Above Kiya’s head came a high-pitched scream. Something strange was happening. Kiya heard more shrieks and angry yells. She looked out from under the chariot, ready to pull back quickly if a spear was thrown. There was no sign of waiting swamp men and so Kiya scrambled from their refuge.

  “Come back, Kiya!” called her aunt.

  “I must see what’s going on!”

  Kiya climbed the chariot-ladder to look out over the rim of the pit. Her heart leapt at the sight that greeted her. Anubis was standing on the corpse of a swamp man. He had cast aside his disguise and looked magnificent in a pleated tunic, his head high, his shoulders back and the light of battle in his eyes. In his hands he wielded a huge bronze axe and the muscles of his torso rippled as he swung it around his head. A snarling horde circled him in the wreathing mist, trying to poke him with their spears. One came near enough and he slashed down with his axe. Kiya heard a scream and the man staggered away clutching a nearly severed arm. A spear was thrown and, to Kiya’s horror, it stuck in the god’s side. He turned to face his attacker and another swamp man leapt forwards and ripped out the spear, leaving a jagged wound that poured blood.

  “Hurry up, Hathor!” Anubis shouted.

  Kiya turned to where Hathor was standing by the side of the road, completely naked. She looked distraught. Anubis’s shout had alerted others to Hathor’s presence and three swamp men broke from the ranks to accost her. They rushed towards her, their spears held high. She gave a cry, which turned into a roar. There was a movement beside Kiya and she spun round to see Huy, who had climbed up to stand by her side. His jaw dropped open in dismay. “By the gods, it is Sekhmet!”

  Kiya looked back to where Hathor should be and saw instead a huge lioness. With a fluid movement that was almost too quick for the eye to see, Sekhmet struck at her attackers. One was disembowelled, one had his throat torn out and a third was bitten through the back of the neck as he turned to run.

  Sekhmet then attacked the mob that surrounded Anubis, lashing to left and right in an orgy of slaughter. Kiya and Huy looked on in horrified awe as she pursued the survivors into the swamp. There was the sound of distant screams as the carnage continued.

  A groan brought her attention back to Anubis, who had collapsed onto the ground. Kiya scrambled out of the pit and ran to kneel down by his side.

  “You were magnificent,” she said. “Thank you for saving us.”

  “For you I would risk anything, even death itself.” He tried to smile but his face contorted in pain.

  “We must tend your wound,” Kiya cried. She turned to where Huy was helping her aunt from the pit. “What should we do? Have you any salve, Laylos?”

  Her aunt shook her head, “No, dear, everything was lost when we were captured.”

  “Oh, Anubis, I am so sorry.” Kiya bent over the fallen god and cradled him in her arms. His valiant fight had rekindled emotions that she had thought long dead and she felt tears well into her eyes.

  He responded by slipping an arm around her waist. Behind them came a roar. Anubis hastily pushed Kiya away and struggled to his feet. “No, Sekhmet! Control yourself. It is time to change back!”

  From the swamp mist emerged the lioness, her eyes red and her fangs dripping with blood. She slunk towards Kiya and snarled.

  “Stop it!” Anubis thrust Kiya behind him as the lioness rose on her hind legs and slashed at them with extended claws. He took the full force of the Sekhmet’s attack and screamed as the unsheathed daggers raked his flesh. The horrible sound rent the air and caused Sekhmet to back away shaking her head. Seconds later the lioness changed back into Hathor, and stood staring at Anubis as he lay bleeding at her feet.

  “You have really hurt me this time, Hathor,” gasped Anubis.

  “You should not have been cuddling that woman,” said Hathor sulkily. She turned away from him and went over to the bush to retrieve her shift and cloak.

  “We must save him!” cried Kiya. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she gazed at the terrible claw marks across his chest. “Please don’t die, Anubis,” she cried.

  His eyes flickered and then closed. “Tell Hathor to hurry,” he said in a voice that was scarcely more than a whisper.

  “Hathor? But she was the one who tried to kill you!”

  He did not answer and she looked round to where Hathor had finished dressing and was coming towards them.

  “Get away from him,” the goddess growled.

  “Do something to help,” Kiya cried, appalled by Hathor’s lack of concern.

  “I said get away from him!” Hathor seized her shoulders and pushed her roughly to one side.

  Kiya sat sprawled on the road and watched Hathor undo a strap of her shift and expose a breast. She then squeezed it towards the nipple until a globule of milk oozed out and dropped onto one of Anubis’s wounds. Where it fell, the bleeding stopped and the edges of the wound started to knit together. More milk was expressed until the whole of the wounded area was covered in healing liquid. Kiya watched in amazement as the deep gashes disappeared leaving only slender silver scars.

  “Now, turn over and let me treat the spear wound,” said Hathor. Anubis turned so he was lying on his side and Hathor repeated the magical treatment so even that ripped wound was healed leaving a scar shaped like a star.

  “That was amazing,” said Laylos. “I wish I had an ointment that could work so well.”

  “Such miracles are for the gods alone,” said Hathor.

  Anubis sat up. He looked pale and his hand trembled as he stroked his chest. “The milk of Hathor is wonderful stuff, I am left with nothing to show for my bravery but the scars of battle.”

  “They will disappear soon enough,” said Hathor.

  “Thank you for healing me, my beloved,” said Anubis turning to Hathor with a smile.

  “It is more than you deserve,” said Hathor. “You should know by now not to upset me when I am Sekhmet.”

  “We must thank you both for saving our lives,” said Huy. “How did you realise that we were in trouble?”

  “The roc has been a look-out for us,” said Anubis. “He told us you had returned from Crete and were heading this way. It is hard to believe you would use the swamp road, where these pits have claimed many victims.”

  “We did not choose it, our horse did and has paid the price for its foolishness,” said Huy. He looked around at the corpses of the swamp men. “We must fill in the pit before other travellers are trapped. These bodies can be buried within it.”

  “We will waste too much time,” cried Laylos. “What if more swamp men come to attack us?”

  “There are none left,” said Hathor with a sigh.

  “Poor Hathor,” said Anubis and put an arm around her. He turned to the others. “She hates turning into Sekhmet and always feels guilty afterwards.”

  Poor Hathor, indeed! thought Kiya, stung by Anubis’s concern for the goddess. She probably relishes her power. Her healing milk can grow a baby to manhood within a single cycle of seasons and her alter-ego can destroy a battalion. Few could claim such a command over life and death.

  “Since we are safe from further attacks, I suggest that we all work together and fill in the pit quickly,” said Huy.

  “Do what you must,” Hathor said. “But do not expect me to help. It will upset me too much.”

  Anubis nodded sympathetically but Kiya felt more irritated than ever.

  “I know you feel awful about killing so many people,” she said. “But perhaps you could help by finding us food and drink.”

  Hathor frowned at her. “You mortals! Always thinking about your stomachs.”

  “They will function better if fed, my beloved,” said Anubis. “I will stay and help them.”

  “Very well,” said Hathor and disappeared.