by Jean Murray
“No, he isn’t.” Kendra surveyed the room. “Where’s Bomani?”
Lilly chewed on the edge of her nail. Her sister’s gaze darted to Asar’s.
“Tell me,” Kendra spat, suddenly angered by their silence. She winced when her effort sent pain shooting through her body. Her mother held her hand. Lilly pulled up next to her. “He left when we arrived.”
Kendra didn’t question his whereabouts, not wanting to remember what had come to pass. She saw the agony in his eyes when the blade meant for him pierced her back and through her chest. Knowing Bomani, he would be distant for a very long time.
“How did you know to come?” Bakari asked his father.
“One of the warriors arrived in the human realm to tell us of the siege against Aaru,” Asar replied. “He said you sent him.”
“Sin.”
“The fledglings did a fine job of guarding the gates. I want to thank you both. Aaru would have been lost, if not for your interference.”
“Kendra!” Kit shouted from the outer chamber. Kendra turned her head toward the entrance. Her sister ran into the room breathless. Kamen stood at the doorway, but didn’t breach the inner chamber. Kit hesitated when her gaze fell on their mother, but then brushed past the Mother Goddess without a second glance. “Jesus.” Kit grabbed Kendra’s hand.
Kendra looked up at her sisters. They had been through so much. Regardless of their differences, they would always be there for each other. Her family. “I love you, guys.”
Lilly and Kit hugged each other and then kissed Kendra on the forehead. “Don’t ever do that again,” Kit said with tears in her eyes.
Kendra snorted and then groaned. “I’ll try not to make it a habit.”
“Better not,” Lilly scowled and then smiled.
Despite the room being filled with pain, there was another emotion—love. A family of opposites, light and dark, life and death, brought together by suffering and pain. A common enemy had unified them to create something more powerful than the mutual pain they had suffered. It grew love and hope.
She looked at Bakari, whose worried eyes scanned her from head to toe. Could they find that same strength among the ashes of this tragedy? Would he still want her as his wife?
Chapter Sixty-One
Kendra’s small body twitched in restless fits as she slept. Bakari lay at her side, unable to close his eyes despite his overwhelming fatigue. Despite powerful healing spells placed on Kendra’s wound by the Mother Goddess, an angry red line marked her back and chest.
Nebt had been aiming for Bomani seconds before Kendra took the hit. The blade had severed her arteries, but spared her heart. A fraction of an inch had saved her soul from being forever ripped from her body. He did not think he could go through losing her again. Not after what they had shared in the fields.
The blood-bond had been negated by their death. His mark gone from her chest. She was free. His heart ached. He had spent hours begging the gods to release her and they had answered his prayers. Now, he wished they had ignored him. He could think about nothing else than bonding with her again. He moved off the bed. If he wanted her in his life, he needed to do it the right way.
With stiff arms he pulled on his black shirt. Lilly rose from the chair next to the bed and came over to him. He regarded her with caution. She never fully accepted him, and why should she? She suffered the pain of his betrayal through her connection with his father.
Her brows furrowed over her brilliant green eyes. He paused unsure of what to say. She struck first, throwing her arms around him. He froze with his arms hanging at his sides. Soft sobs against his chest softened his posture. He raised his eyes to meet his father’s. Asar gave him a grim smile and nodded. Bakari placed a tentative hand on her back. “She will be okay.”
“I only wanted to protect her.”
“I would have done the same thing with the likes of me.”
Asar stood behind Lilly and rested his hand on Bakari’s shoulder. Tears welled at the corners of his father’s eyes.
Asar pulled Bakari into a tight embrace. “To think I lost you twice.”
This time Bakari did not flinch away. He needed his father’s reassurance everything between them was right again. “I am sorry, Father.” He leaned into Asar’s chest not embarrassed by his weakness or affection.
“Your actions speak louder than any words, son. I am proud of you.”
This time Bakari could not suppress his own tears that fell. His father patted his back like when he was a child. A rare but cherished show of affection.
Bakari dropped his arms and stepped out of his father’s embrace. “Will you both be here, if she wakes?” Torn about leaving, he looked over to the bed. “I need to do something.”
“I’m not going anywhere and Kit should be back soon.”
Asar grabbed Bakari’s shoulder. “I will walk out with you. I need to check on Kamen’s progress. Morning will be breaking in the human world.” He turned to Lilly. “Will you be okay, sweetness?” She nodded.
Stealing one last look at Kendra, Bakari departed. Her skin still remained pasty white. He waited outside the door, knowing that Asar’s departure at that same moment was not coincidental. His father wanted to speak with him.
His father’s large shoulders blocked his view of Kendra when he exited the door. Asar grabbed Bakari’s elbow and led him to his office. His father sat in the massive gold chair behind the desk. His face, unreadable. “Tell me what happened. The abridged version.”
Bakari did not want to dishonor Bomani in his father’s eyes. He tapped his chest. “I felt Kendra’s fear and went to Bomani’s office. He was hurting her. I could not let that happen.”
“Nebt lied to us. Bomani left the marks.”
“I do not think he meant to, he was so angry with me.”
“Do not make excuses for your brother’s actions. He had the chance to tell me, but did not. Nor did he dissuade Nebt’s accusations.”
“I would never hurt Kendra,” said Bakari. He looked at his hands. “On the beach, she asked me to take her away.” He looked up into his father’s black eyes. “I could not refuse her.”
“You never left Aaru, did you?” Asar cursed and squeezed the back of his neck. “Kit tried to tell us, but I did not listen.”
“I took her to the guest temple. I wanted to give her time. She was so upset.” Bakari felt his mood darken. Shame kept him from meeting his father’s gaze. “Being there triggered memories of my kidnaping.” He shifted in the chair, finding it suddenly uncomfortable. “Nebt assisted Kepi in my kidnapping.”
Asar’s scrutinizing glare penetrated Bakari’s skin. He met his father’s eyes briefly and then looked at his hands again. Based on Asar’s expression, his father was processing the circumstances. Bakari hoped his father would let the matter rest.
His father straightened in his chair. “We were gone when you returned?”
“The palace and warrior village was empty. We found Sin and the fledglings in the temple. He filled me in on what had happened. Aaru was all but unguarded with Nebt at the helm.” Bakari laughed with the rawness in his chest. “The battle at Thebes was a set up. Nebt needed to either eliminate you or bring Kepi to Aaru.”
Asar jerked forward.
“My kidnapping was all part of the plan. Lure you to Thebes. If Menthu failed to kill you then Nebt knew you would bring Kepi here for judgment. Either way the end result was the same. Nebt would control the Underworld.”
“Nebt needed the black spell book to resurrect Kepi once she was in Aaru,” his father said with revelation. “She could not retrieve it from the vault with the protection spell in place.”
“The spells to awaken me and resurrect Kepi were contained in the same book.”
Asar groaned. “Kendra retrieved the book that is how she was able to do it. Nebt knew Kendra would figure it out and accidently bond herself to you. Kill her, they kill you, and get the book. We all but gave them the key by bringing her sarcophagus here to the dungeon. Wh
y did Nebt not enact the plan sooner?”
“Kendra had hidden the book, masking it to look like any other in the library. Nebt had to buy her time waiting and I presented her the perfect opportunity,” Bakari said remorsefully.
“I hate to even ask this question, but what role did Bomani play in this.”
“None, I would hope,” Bakari hedged. “He was protecting Kendra from me. I took the one thing he thought he deserved.”
“I knew he had feelings for her, but I did not think he would take it this far.”
“Kendra saved his life by sacrificing ours.”
A long silence drew out between father and son. “Where is my brother?” He needed to speak to him before he asked Kendra to marry him. He owed his brother as much.
“I still feel him, so he must be in Aaru. I have beckoned him, but he has not come forward. Knowing Bomani, he has realized his mistake and shame is keeping him away. He will come forward when he is ready.”
“What about Nebt? Inpu?” The last he had seen of the Underworld goddess was when she pulled the dagger from Kendra’s back.
Asar’s eyes darkened. “We do not know where Nebt is. We only knew of her treachery when Sin retrieved us from the human world. We came straight to the cell. We found no book. The Mevt daggers were near your bodies.” Asar cleared his throat and looked away.
Bakari could not imagine what it would be like for a parent to watch their child die. It obviously affected his father very deeply.
Asar waved his hand. “Nebt probably made her escape prior to our arrival. Inpu,” his father paused and met Bakari’s gaze. “You understand the powerful connection with Kendra. Imagine finding out it was all built on lies. Gods are only meant to be bound to one mate. You sacrifice half of your soul to be with them.”
Bakari swallowed against his closing throat. Fear built in his gut. What if Kendra decided he was not the one? She had more than half of his soul. She had consumed it all.
“If it had been Lilly, a part of me would die too,” Asar continued, “Inpu will be lost to us for a while, but we must stand by him.”
“I will be there for Inpu.”
“Kamen is searching for Nebt as we speak. Isis, I am having difficulty coming to terms with this. Why would she do this?”
Nebt had been Asar’s trusted council since the dawn of the Egyptian culture. Her gift of reading souls gave them a strategic advantage. No secret could be withheld from her touch.
Maybe the ability to read souls was no gift at all, but a curse. How long could one stand to be bombarded by unfiltered emotion before it colored your vision of the world? Only one could answer that question. “If anyone can find her, Uncle will. Once Kendra is healed, I will join in the search.”
“I would be grateful.”
A bright flash of radiant light filled the room. “And so will I,” the Mother Goddess said. Asar rose to his feet and bowed.
Bakari, subordinate to both, dropped to his knees at the foot of the goddess Mut and diverted his eyes to the floor. Her flowing white gown brushed the tops of her bejeweled feet. He caught brief glimpses of her at Kendra’s bedside, but he feared to lay eyes on her too long.
The warm brush of fingers grazed his forehead and traced his jaw. He did not resist when she raised his chin with a gentle nudge of her fingers. “Young god, you have surprised everyone by your transformation.” Her smile shimmered. “Surprised yourself, I imagine. Tell me why, when it would have been so easy for you not too.”
“Time in solitude lends well to introspection, Madame.”
The goddess raised an eyebrow. “That is it? Nothing else?” She paused to look at Asar. “Then my foresight was all for not.”
Bakari stiffened. He had chosen this path however misguided when he refused to join Nebt and Kepi the day of his kidnapping. Kendra was his focal point, his beacon, giving him hope when he had none. A future worth fighting for. “You are correct, heavenly mother. Your daughter helped me find my honor. She believed, even when I did not.”
“I know what you seek, Bakari. Rise and ask me the question you are hesitant to speak.”
Surprised, Bakari shot his gaze up to meet her emerald eyes. He stood, as commanded. His throat suddenly dried. His words he had practiced over and over failed him. “Mother Goddess, may I ask your permission to take Kendra, as my eternal mate?”
“You have killed my enemy and for that I am grateful. But, you are not quite forgiven.”
Bakari closed his eyes and hung his head. Transformed or not, Kendra would never be his, not in this world. And, his only connection with her, their blood-bond, was lost in death. He nodded and backed away. “Thank you.”
The Mother Goddess grasped his arm with an amazing amount of strength. Warmth penetrated his skin, similar to Kendra’s touch. “You give up so easily, Bakari?”
Confused, he met her eyes.
“I cannot have my daughter marry a god that cannot forgive himself. Your inability to let loose the bonds of your sins is a weight she should not have to carry. If these good people can forgive you, how can you not forgive yourself?”
The Mother of the Gods in her infinite wisdom was right. Kendra deserved a god at peace with himself. He had made great strides, but like his brother he was reluctant to let go. In death he had relieved himself of such burdens, but now that he returned among the living he was more keenly aware of the yolk around his neck. He would saddle Kendra in the same way.
His father stepped forward and placed his hand on Bakari’s shoulder. “Take it from me, son, it is not an easy task and Lilly suffers with me.” Asar tapped his chest. “She feels my pain and guilt, as clearly as if it was her own. For her and myself, I needed to let go of my mistakes. It does not mean they will not rise up on occasion, but I know there is nothing I can do to change what has come to pass. If you cannot find forgiveness, you can never truly look forward to the future.”
The Mother Goddess smiled, her radiant glow penetrating the darkness of the Underworld, like rays of bright sunlight. It reminded Bakari of the effect Kendra’s smile had on his soul. “If you find a way to let go, Bakari, I will personally oversee your union with my daughter.”
Bakari covered his heart with his palm, overwhelmed by the goddess’ offer. “Now, if she will only have me.”
The Mother Goddess laughed and glanced at Asar. “Find your peace, young god.”
“Yes, Madame.” Bakari bowed and turned to leave but his father’s grasp halted him.
“I have something of yours.”
Confused, Bakari narrowed his eyes at his father. Asar removed one of three pectoral necklaces and placed it around Bakari’s neck.
“You have found your honor, son. It is time to reclaim your identity.”
Bakari grasped the lion and moon medallion that lay against his chest. He was a warrior and a god, and thankfully had been given a second chance to define who and what he was meant to be. “Thank you, father.”
Bakari took his leave, but stopped at the door. He turned to look at the pair of Pantheon Principals, the most powerful of their kind. “Father.” Asar looked up from his conversation with the Mother Goddess.
“At your convenience I need to speak to you about Duat. Things are not well there.” He met Mut’s gaze. “The souls are stagnant, infesting the banks of the river, but never crossing. They will never find Aaru.”
The Mother Goddess whispered an ancient prayer. “That is why Kendra saw her father.” Mut turned to Asar. “Kit is the key. Only with her will the souls find peace.”
Bakari cringed. Duat was no place for a soul to linger. Not unlike the torture of his confinement, the soul needed to answer the call of the afterlife or go mad. Demons would grow stronger off their pain and suffering.
He pushed through the door with renewed purpose. As the God of Death he would answer his call to duty, but first to purge himself of everything else.
Chapter Sixty-Two
The warrior village exploded with black smoke, as the legions solidified out
of the darkness. Their black skin marred and burnt. Bakari strode forward to Toben whose entire face was covered in large blisters. The legion had stayed through the breaking of dawn.
Despite his obvious pain, the general bowed.
“Did they find Nebt?”
“We stayed as long as we could.” Toben shook his head. “Your goddess, how is she fairing?”
“Resting.” Bakari could say no more without choking up. He had grown comfortable knowing how she was feeling through the blood-bond. Now the silence gnawed at him.
“My uncle?”
“Kamen ordered us to return, but refused to leave.”
“He cannot stay too long,” Bakari said. His uncle could not go without feeding. The beast would demand it.
“Leave it for your father to handle. Kamen will listen to him.”
Bakari nodded. Kamen was known for his unwavering control. Any lesser god would have succumbed to the curse of the soul-eater long ago. “Toben, the fledglings are guarding the gates. I hate to ask when you have just returned, but do you have a runner who could check on them?”
Toben narrowed his eyes. “I do. Where is the Commander?”
Bakari met the general’s hard gaze. The silence hung like an oppressive fog. “Let me know if you see Bomani. I need to speak with him. In the meantime, make sure your men tend their wounds.”
A weighted understanding formed in the lines of Toben’s face. “Very well. With your permission I will command in his absence?”
“You do not need my permission. I’m a fledgling, remember.”
“Hardly,” Toben said, eyeing Bakari’s pectoral necklace and then turning to direct his troops.
Bakari walked to his brother’s office and quarters. Empty. Not so much of a surprise. Bomani did not want to be found. He paused a moment and admired his brother’s sparsely furnished quarters. Despite its lack luster appearance, it was immaculate with everything methodically in its assigned place.
