"Make it stop!” Seth screamed.
Betha giggled like a child about to get an ice cream cone. “Oh no, Seth. You are going to do my bidding whether you like it or not. This is just to remind you that you're mine. Nothing can change that.” She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “And there's nothing you can do to save Linnea's sweet little child. Thank you for keeping tabs on her for me. The girl would have grown up to be quite powerful, but now, well, we'll see. Maybe I'll make her into one of my servants. I wish your little human well. Whatever it was you were protecting her from will have a nice meal. Never go against me again, Seth. Learn from knowing your beloved mortal is going to die, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. This is the way it should be. Your heart's desire is human. We have nothing to do with the human race, or have you forgotten that?"
With that, she was gone. The pain flowing through him intensified until it consumed his muscles and he writhed. It had been so long since Seth had felt anything except the occasional twinge of pain that his defenses were not expecting the onslaught from the Banshee Queen. He had never been put under Betha's scrutiny. What she was planning with Whitney was unthinkable. There was no way she could act out her revenge on an innocent when the Raven Warriors were all about protecting the innocent. He had to alert Tremain and Linnea. He had to warn Jayd. He had to get to Caleb and tell him what the queen was intending. Their leader was the only one who could stop her from doing anything rash. But Seth couldn't move and the agony kept coming in more intense waves. It seemed he was being tortured by having hot pokers all over his body or having boiling oil melting through his skin. He screamed again. Darkness loomed on the edge of his consciousness. Whatever she had done to him, it would not kill him. He knew that. He didn't know how long her torture would continue, but he had to fight through it. The dark was so inviting. He let the coolness of it take his consciousness away while his body was still convulsing in pain. His mind left his body behind, and he traveled back, back to a place he'd never forgotten, to a time he had hoped to forget. The day he was cursed. The day he was betrayed by the man he had thought to be a father. Back to the day where he lost his life, under the full blazing sun, losing the god he had worshiped most of his life.
* * * *
Seth opened his eyes to the sun streaming in his window. Today was the day. His father, or the man he called his father since he didn't remember his own, was going to initiate him into the full priesthood and mysteries of the great god Ra. Excitement boiled underneath his skin and his heart beat like the drums they used in their rituals. Few his age were granted the privilege of being a Senior Priest of Ra and of learning the deepest mysteries that went along with the office. All he knew was that there were times his mentor spent hours poring over scrolls so ancient that they were rumored to have come across a great sea from an island that had sunk beneath the waves. Nothing remained of the island anymore save the scrolls and a few legends. That was part of some of their ancient wisdom he did not know yet but wished to. Once his guide realized that Seth had taught himself to read the hieroglyphics, the priest had opened the vast knowledge that the other priests held to Seth. His mentor taught him Greek, Latin, and other languages. Seth was never able to speak them, but he could read and write them. The young priest loved knowledge and wanted to explore the world through any kind of scrolls or writing he could find.
Seth often scoured the marketplace for new manuscripts that came in on the trade routes. Other times, he would walk through all the stalls and gain knowledge by watching people. That was another one of his pastimes. He loved to observe life and how humanity interacted together, no matter if they were young or old, slaves or freemen. Even some of the ladies from the highborn houses would come out and look for trinkets. All regarded him with some awe when they recognized him from the golden symbol he wore around his neck. The priests were revered in the city, but he had heard in other cities north of here that some of the priests were being slaughtered. He wondered why that was. Being a Priest of Ra didn't mean that they did human sacrifice. They burned incense and gave food to the great sun god. They left wealth and grains of the harvest to appease him, and Seth didn't understand why Ra's temples would be desecrated.
Seth got out of bed and donned the new white robe he had been given to wear. He stared out the window at the people bustling in the courtyard. All of them were preparing for the great feast that would be happening all in his honor once the great sun reached its zenith. When the first rays of the noonday orb streamed into the temple, he would be initiated into the oldest mysteries of the sect. He would learn what his mentor had been searching long and hard for these past few years he spent in the dark and stuffy rooms underground with the ancient scrolls. Seth hated to go down into the rooms because he had to pass rows and rows of mummified priests. It gave him the creeps. He had gotten lost in the catacombs when he was a child and a slave. All he had seen were rows of the dead priests. He didn't want to end up one of them, but even now, being initiated, he knew that his body would eventually be mummified and his spirit would travel to the next world. He understood the ways of the dead now that he had been trained in some of the lesser mysteries of his cult.
Seth absently watched the servants running around in the courtyard below. A soft knock on his door brought Seth out of his thoughts. “Come in,” he called.
Seth turned expecting to find his mentor, but instead, he found a servant girl. She looked at him once and then stared at his feet. She was a beautiful specimen. If he desired, he could have had his way with her. Some of the other priests took advantage of the slaves, but he thought that was degrading. The poor girl didn't have any say in what her master did to her.
"Good morning, master. I have been sent to prepare you for the ceremony. Will you come with me?"
A smile curled his lips. “Of course."
She bowed low and then waited for him to lead. He heard the door close behind him and then Seth followed her through the maze of hallways until he came to the bathhouse. There he found three other girls waiting for him in a steaming pool filled with lotus blossoms. The water bubbled of its own accord warmed by a natural spring that came right up from the earth. Another gift from the gods that only the priests partook in. The serving girl undid the belt from around his waist and then removed his robe and folded it on a seat that had been carved out of the limestone. Seth felt himself stir staring at the beautiful serving women. Unfortunately, it was not for him to indulge in the ways of the flesh when he would have to pass the tests of Ra and needed all his facilities about him.
"Come, sit in the sacred water and be reborn.” Another serving girl motioned to the water.
Seth realized that she wasn't a slave from the markings on her face and jewelry she wore. She was a priestess. He had never seen a priestess before in the temple of Ra. He knew the great god had female counterparts, but he had never met one. Maybe this was another perk that came with the office. Seth knew not to insult her, and stepped into the water, sitting on one of the natural seats that the water had carved into the stone over the years. When he did, its slight sulfur smell and the warmth of the water made him relax. He leaned his head back and let the water embrace his body while random bubbles tickled his flesh. Seth closed his eyes. Before he knew it, hands were traveling all over his body, washing him and playing with his hair. He was in heaven. He had never been pampered before. The perfume of the lotus blossoms, bolstered by the hot water, lulled him to another.
Time passed slowly for him. When Seth opened his eyes again, his mentor was standing before him at the pool dressed in the robes of his office. “The hot springs are truly a gift from the gods, are they not?"
Seth gave his mentor a wide grin because every muscle was loose. He'd been put under a spell and his body was not obeying his commands. “Yes, they are. Is it time?"
"Yes, Seth. It is time."
Seth nodded and got up slowly. His legs were wobbly. When he got out of the water, the servant girls toweled him off and then wrappe
d his robe back around him. The Priestess of Ra gave him a sly smile. He wondered if she knew many secrets and might tell him later. He didn't return the grin but gave her a slight nod. Once robed, he turned to his master and gave him a small bow.
"Seth, you stopped having to do that for me ages ago. Please do not debase yourself in front of me. You are an Elder Priest of Ra now. You bow to no man. Not even if Pharaoh himself calls you to his court."
Seth understood he didn't have to bow to his mentor, but if it weren't for him, Seth would still be a slave. Or worse, he might be dead. “I only wish to show you my thanks, Bes. If it weren't for you. I would still be serving. I...” Seth was at a loss for words. A surge of love and gratitude caressed his heart. He bowed even lower.
Bes laughed and then clapped him on the shoulder. At that, Seth looked up into his mentor's face. Starting at him, Seth had not realized how old his friend had gotten. There were wrinkles around his dark eyes, and his hair was shot through with gray. His once-firm muscles were begging to sag. All the time in the catacombs reading those ancient scrolls had taken a toll on him.
"Seth, you have nothing to thank me for. It is you I must thank. You have given me many years of happiness. Even though I'd be selfish in saying it, you have become the son I've never had. It is an honor to elevate you today. Now come, before we miss the great Ra rising to his zenith. You must be bathed in the first rays of the noonday sun."
Seth smiled and followed after his mentor with Bes's words ringing in his ear. He thinks of me as a son. That warmed his heart and made him respect the priest even more. There was nothing he wouldn't do for the man. Through the halls, Seth passed stonecutters carving new designs into an expansion of the temple. Others were painting in the glyphs. The temple had been expanded by order of the great ruler of Egypt himself. When Seth walked through the hallowed halls, he had a sense that the temple would survive long after he and the other priests did. It would be a monument to the great god for centuries to come.
In the inner temple, the heavy smoke of frankincense filled the room. All the elder priests were standing in a semicircle around the back of the altar and fanned out from there. The stone altar had been cleared of all its homage to the great god Ra. Seth thought that was odd because he was going to be elevated. He assumed the great god would want tribute to give him good luck if he was welcoming a new priest into his sect, but Seth was not there to question, and followed Bes to the front of the altar.
"Kneel, Seth."
Seth did and looked skyward. A singular round opening in the stone ceiling caught the sunlight. Right at the exact moment of high noon, the full rays of the sun would bathe him in its light. He could already feel the warmth of Ra basking him in his arms. His fingers tickled Seth's face. Seth knew he only had a few minutes. Seth smiled and then focused his attention on his mentor when he heard the other priests start to chant a hymn he'd never heard before. It was a mantra in a language different from that which he heard in the marketplace from all the visitors. It seemed more ancient. The words were laden with power, but he did not understand the meaning of them.
"Seth, you come before us to pay homage to the great god Ra. Will you accept whatever fate He has intended for you?"
Seth looked deep into his mentor's dark eyes and saw something there that didn't seem to be right. While the chanting continued, fear crawled around inside Seth's body and gripped his jaw. The ritual couldn't be stopped now. If it did, the priests had every right to kill him and declare him a defector. It was one of the tests. “Yes."
"Will you never question His judgment? Will you be a loyal servant to Ra until the end of your days?"
"Yes."
"Will you guard the knowledge of all you have learned with your very soul?"
"Yes.” Seth felt the warmth of the sun on his flesh. The god was reaching down and caressing his face. It made him feel whole. Everything in his whole life, since Bes had taken him under his tutelage, was about this one moment. Seth took the oaths to heart. He was going to devote himself to Ra and do whatever it was he could for the god.
The chanting of the other priests increased. Bes's hands touched the crown of Seth's head. He whispered something under his breath. Seth glanced up. The sun was almost at its peak.
"Forgive me,” Bes whispered close to his ear.
Panic riddled Seth when he tried to rise. Something was wrong. He was trapped to the spot. He looked up at the sky. The sun was overhead. Bes raised his hands over his head summoning the sun into the temple. Seth had seen a similar ritual for years when a neophyte priest, but the words were different. Bes was not calling down the god Ra. He was calling down the death goddess, Nephthys. Seth tried to find his voice, but speech had been stolen from him, along with his movement. He was not able to do anything except listen to the ritual before him.
"Great goddess, Nephthys, hear our plea. You, who are sister to Isis and wife to Set, grant the souls you have taken of our priests in other temples release from their torment. Stay your hand on our brothers. Show mercy. We give you this pure soul in sacrifice to serve in your flock of Warriors."
Seth looked up and a chill raced down his back. The torches flickered in the breeze that had stirred through the inner temple, but the mortar between the stones made it impossible for that to happen. Seth felt a weight on his soul. He felt like he was being encased in the wrappings of a mummy. Seth saw darkness descending over the now full sun, but there was nothing he could do except listen to the ritual. How could Bes do this to him? How could the one man that he trusted sacrifice him to the death goddess to stop the killings of the other priests? Why him? Seth hadn't wanted this. He had trusted the man. Why? All these words settled on his tongue, but he couldn't say anything. Bes went on.
"Great goddess who has gone by other names before your great and ancient legend came to our dry shores. Nephthys, I appeal to you and all your ancient wisdom. Accept our humble sacrifice and stay your hand on the priests who worship your brother the great sun."
It all clicked with Seth. The killings had been going on for years. The other priests had started to be slaughtered in small numbers, but their temple had not been touched because they were the most revered by the pharaoh. However, the killings must have gotten worse. All those years in the catacombs, Bes must have been looking for something, anything that would appeal to the goddess to stop the killings. He must have found something among the ancient wisdom in the scrolls.
The sun above was blotted out by a black disk, eclipsed by the moon. For a moment, Seth thought that the darkness was comprised of great black wings moving over the sun. The great goddess had spread her midnight wings swallowing the sun in them. It showed her awesome power, but he didn't think that any other god had more power than the god Ra who ruled over everything. It was at that moment that his voice was released.
"Please, Bes. Why are you doing this?” Seth pleaded.
His teacher, mentor, father, gave him a look of great sorrow but did not stop the ritual. “Great Nephthys, take him into your flock. Make him into one of your great Warriors so he can serve you and carry with him all the knowledge he has learned. Take my son to your life-giving breasts, and grant him all your gifts as he serves you."
Seth saw the tears in his mentor's eyes and realized he hadn't wanted to give him up. It must have been a joint decision from the other priests. Before Seth could say another word, a ray of silvery light shot down from the now darkened sun and hit him. Its cold fire seared his left shoulder. His skin bubbled. He dropped to the stone floor and yelled in agony. This was not happening to him. Seth reached out to Bes, silently begging him to stop. However, when Seth looked at his arm, he saw his dark skin was being replaced with feathers the color of Anubis's flesh. His whole body contorted in agony when he felt himself shrinking. The silver light burned through his body. Before he could call out once more, the only thing he heard was the loud caw of a raven before he realized it was himself. The pain grew so much that Seth could do nothing but let the darkness consume
him from the inside out.
* * * *
"Seth."
The Raven Warrior heard his name. Slowly he opened his eyes, expecting to find himself back in Ancient Egypt when he was still human and the curse had never taken him. Maybe all of these years had been a bad dream. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Seneca staring down at him. The other Raven Warrior was a Native American, and he was one of his closest friends among his brethren. Seth saw the hand his brother offered and took it. When he did, he half expected his body to be riddled with pain once again. However, the torture that he thought would still be racking his body had been long over. The queen's power had worn off. He had no idea when it had stopped, but when he took stock of himself and his inner clock, he realized hours had passed. Fear captured Seth's heart when he realized that he had left Jayd vulnerable for hours.
"Seth, are you okay?"
His friend's dark eyes and mind searched Seth's, making sure there was nothing wrong with him. Seth didn't mind that his friend was in his mind, but it did stir him enough to throw up some walls and push Seneca out. “I'm fine, Seneca, but there are others who aren't. Why are you here?"
Seneca took his friend's hand and Seth got up slowly. “I had a feeling you were troubled. What happened?"
Seth shook his head. There was no real time to explain. He searched the links between his other brethren. They were all connected mentally, even Tremain and Darius. Even though they were no longer cursed, they were still part of the flock. He sensed Tremain's troubled thoughts. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his Raven brother.
"Tremain."
In his mind, he saw the Warrior look up into the night.
"Seth? What is it?"
"Have you checked on Linnea? On your children?" Seth asked.
There was a pause while Tremain searched the thread between his heartmate and his twins. Seth felt his fear when Linnea did not answer. Seth himself was not connected to Linnea or the children because they were not cursed. Heartmates could only communicate between one another and were not joined to the web that the other Warriors were linked to.
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 8
