Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Epilogue
Also by Laura Greenwood
About the Author
© 2019 Laura Greenwood
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All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address;
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Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:
www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk
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Cover Design by Olivia Book Design
Priestess of Truth is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Blurb
Priestess, Edrice, never gave too much thought about when she'd find her soulmate. Until she goes to a local fair and meets a tarot reader who reveals she's already met the Leo who'd complete her life. Her thoughts turn to High Priest and lion-shifter, Menefer, but can she give in to them?
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Can a matchmaking goddess and a tarot reader convince Edrice to follow her heart?
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Please note: This is a short story in the Forgotten Gods Series.
1
Laughter filled the room as we made our way towards the temple doors. We didn't leave often, we didn't need to. The gods provided everything we needed, and so many people lived here that it wasn't possible to be bored.
Today was different. For the first time in my life, I was going to visit a travelling fair. Some of the other priestesses had gone during the week, and all of them had come back filled with joy and tales of the exotic things they'd seen. Which said a lot. We lived within the walls of the Egyptian gods' temple. Miracles and exotic sights were a daily occurrence for us.
I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my face. It was always a relief to be outside. No matter what time of year it was, I just found it so magical.
"Edrice? Are you coming?" Demi called.
"Yes." I snapped my eyes open and rushed to catch up with my friends.
It didn't take long to get there. I wasn't sure if that was because they'd picked a spot near the temple on purpose, or if it was just because there was a lot of open space here. It didn't really matter. All that did was the bright colours and shouting voices. The whole place screamed fun. I couldn't wait to be a part of it.
"I'm going to go and find the coconut shy, want to come?" Demi asked.
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on a tent just a couple of paces away. I wasn't usually one to want to visit a tarot reader, mostly because as one of Ma'at's priestesses, and as a demi-goddess myself, I was always able to tell when someone was telling me the truth. It made visiting anyone who dealt in semi-truths painful, and while I believed what they said was real, it wasn't quite as clear as I liked things to be. Yet, I couldn't deny that this tent and reader were calling to me.
"I'm going there." I pointed to the tent, still feeling the call to visit far more strongly than I maybe should.
Demi shrugged. "Suit yourself." She didn't understand. I didn't expect her to. This was out of character, even I was capable of seeing that.
I stepped towards the tent, running into the hard chest of the man coming my way. Something clicked inside me, but I ignored it. Magic did strange things at times, especially when it wasn't the wield-able kind. Being unable to choose how to use my magic was one of the drawbacks of working under a goddess who focused on justice and truth.
"I'm sorry," a low voice rumbled, resting his hand on my arm. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, my throat suddenly dry as I looked up at a familiar tanned face. I didn't know this man well, but I'd seen him around the temple. No doubt he'd seen me too. "It was me, I was in the way." I smiled apologetically.
"How about we just admit it was both of us and that we're both sorry?" he suggested, his amber eyes warm and inviting.
"That works for me." I licked my lips, trying not to think about how it would feel if he kissed me. I was losing control, which wasn't like me. At least I knew he'd been telling me the truth when he said he was sorry.
"I'll let you get on your way. I don't want to take up any more of your time," he said amicably.
"Maybe we'll run into each other again," I blurted.
"Maybe we will." He gave another winning smile, which affected me more than it should, before turning to walk away.
I watched him leave, focusing on the ripple of muscles under his shirt and the feline grace with which he moved. Eurgh, I wasn't this kind of woman. I barely ever fell into bed with any of the priests, and not just because it would make our work messy. I'd always been looking for the person I would spend the rest of my abnormally long life with. That was difficult when most of the people at the temple had slept with each other.
Ignoring that somewhat depressing thought, I entered the tent.
"Welcome." The petite redhead in jeans and a t-shirt was a little bit of a surprise. If there'd been more than one person in here, then I'd have thought she was a client.
"Hi." I gave an awkward half-wave, not too sure what I was doing with myself or why.
"Are you here for a reading?" She grinned widely and gestured to the table, almost as if she knew I was going to say yes, even before I did.
"Please." I took the seat and folded my hands together, trying to convince myself I didn't need to fidget.
"You seem nervous, can I get you a drink?" She placed her cards on the table before sitting down.
"No, thank you." My eyes strayed to the cards and the face of the priest I'd run into outside flashed through my mind. I needed to clear my head if this was going to work.
"Very well." She took her cards and began to shuffle. "You seem to be lost in thought. Is it of anything in particular?"
"A man."
"Anyone special?" She didn't take her eyes off me as she shuffled.
"No. Just someone I ran into outside. I barely know him."
She nodded and placed five cards on the table between us. I studied them intently, trying to make sense of what they could mean.
A child riding a white horse beneath the sun.
A man in red robes.
Pentacles above three men.
A cup in a hand with a bird above it.
A rainbow with cups across it and a family beneath.
To me, they meant nothing. But I could feel the truth in them. It was almost strange to feel that way about objects.
"You want to know about your soulmate and when you'll meet," the tarot reader observed.
I opened my mouth to deny it before realising she was right. Instead, I nodded.
"I think you've already met. I see a temple." She pointed to the card with the pentacles and the men. "This tells me there's a holy space you share. I think the temple. You both work there."
Truth sang through her words. A part of me hoped it was just because she'd correctly stated where I worked, but I knew deep down that it was more than that.
Her hand hovered over the card with the child, horse, and sun. "I believe he will have been born under the sign of the lion. A Leo." Her eyes bore into me.
I gulped. I'd seen the man serving wi
th Maahes before, meaning he was probably a lion demigod, able to shift at will. It was almost fitting that he'd been born under Leo, but maybe that was part of why he'd ended up there. In some ways, the same was true of me.
"This man is a strong one. He's confident and a leader. Someone who inspires people..."
Did that mean he was the high priest? It wasn't outside the realms of possibility. But if he was, I doubted he'd have any interest in someone as lowly as I was.
"You're a Libra. You're meant to bring balance to his life, to make him clearly see what's right and what's wrong. With as much responsibility as he has, he needs someone who will offer stability and support..."
This all sounded terribly serious. Maybe I wasn't looking for my soulmate after all. Not if it meant I had to play the part of support.
"But you want to know when the two of you will come together and give in to what's between you." She studied the cards closely once more. "I see your first time together in the Ace of Cups. The water is flowing. It's full of beginnings and emotions. I feel you'll come to accept him in a place surrounded by water. Perhaps even the Nile. The Ace of Cups also speaks of the depth of emotions, the beginning of something beautiful. Your bond will be as eternal as the river. Once you find one another, you'll never let go."
The romantic in me rejoiced at her words. The independent part shirked a little. I should teach it that the gods and goddesses who ran our lives respected men and women equally. They'd never allow ill-treatment between romantic partners, even if that was merely an imbalanced power between the two people.
"If you do not believe happiness will follow your meeting, then you only have to look to the Ten of Cups. This speaks of a joyous relationship with children, family, and a life built together. You see the world in a similar way, and those views will merge to create something unique and harmonious."
While I wanted to refute it, I knew that was only because I was slightly scared about it. Deep down, I knew that she was only saying the truth. I could feel it in my bones, and that wasn't just a saying in my case.
"Thank you," I whispered, somehow knowing she was done.
"You're welcome." She nodded her head in my direction. "But beware, there is no fighting fate. If you try, you'll only cause yourself pain. I hope that helps you know what to do when the time comes."
I gave her a weak smile. I hoped she was right. I didn't want to go through the rest of my life alone. It was a long time to have to go without the company of someone to love.
Though somehow, I doubted it would make following her advice any easier.
2
I held myself back from rubbing my eyes. The product of my sleepless night obsessing with the tarot reader's words. For some reason, something about them was terrifying me. Maybe it was the idea that I might end up messing things up. Or perhaps it was simpler than that. Maybe it was to do with it being a big change. No one was ever a big fan of change like this.
"Edrice?" the High Priestess called me.
I turned to see her standing in the doorway, a disapproving look on her face. I ran through a mental list of what my duties were today and came up with nothing I could possibly have messed up.
"Your Eminence." I dipped my head as a sign of respect, though I wasn't sure I felt it was deserved. The High Priestess was a cold woman. She had been for as long as I could remember.
"Ma'at would like to see you."
I sucked in a breath. Ma'at? She never saw anyone but the woman standing in front of me. She claimed it was so she didn't have her judgement clouded, but I'd heard whispers that she often left the temple to explore the ever-changing world. It didn't make any sense why she did it in secret, the gods and goddesses had always come and gone as they pleased. Just a month ago, Serket had returned after several hundred years of absence and no one had treated her any differently.
"Now?" I squeaked.
"Yes. Don't keep her waiting." The High Priestess pointed to the huge golden door that led to the goddess' private quarters.
"Thank you." I rose to my feet and made my way towards it, the golden scales mocking me and reminding me yet again of the tarot reader's words. I wasn't ridding myself of her prophecy any time soon then.
Did I knock on the door? Or did I walk straight in? I wasn't sure which of those made more sense. Just that I couldn't keep Ma'at waiting. Deciding that was the lesser of two evils, and that there were plenty of other goddesses I could serve if she chose to dismiss me for this. Though that wasn't something I wanted. I liked serving Ma'at, and my ingrained magic wouldn't suit any other goddess as well.
I stepped into the private rooms, unsurprised to find that they were almost identical to the rest of our space, only a little more spacious.
"Edrice?" Ma'at's voice called.
I turned to the left to see a youthful brunette sat by a pool of water, white linen draped over her in the traditional Egyptian way. She wasn't required to dress that way, none of us were, but a lot still did out of respect for the old ways.
I bowed deeply, my respect for the goddess far outweighing that I held for her High Priestess. "You asked to see me," I whispered.
"I did. Come sit with me."
Not one to refuse a god, I perched myself beside her and looked into the still pool. Nothing in the water moved. But then, I hadn't expected it to.
"I have a favour to ask of you."
"Anything." And I meant it. I would do anything she asked and then more.
"You don't even know what it is yet," she countered.
"But I know you're the goddess of truth and justice. I know you would do nothing to place me in harm's way if it was not necessary." Blind faith. Something many people had lost, but not us in the temple. To us, our gods were people, but they were still divine and we trusted them with our lives and souls.
"That is the perfect answer, perhaps too perfect."
"It doesn't stop it from being true." There was no point in lying to her. She'd know if I was and would throw me from the temple without a second glance.
"How did you come to my temple?" she asked.
"My parents were believers. They taught me the old ways even though they weren't practised anymore. I was only young when they died and found myself on the streets. One of Bes' priests found me. I'm not sure how he knew I believed in the true gods, but when he told me he would bring me to safety, I knew he was telling the truth. I was brought here and tested. When they discovered I could tell when people were telling the truth, they granted me demi-goddess status and suggested I served in your temple. I felt right then that it was a good fit."
"And so it is." She smiled serenely, making herself seem even younger than she already did. No one would see this woman and believe she was centuries old. "How long have you been here?"
"Maybe fifty years or so?" I'd stopped counting as soon as I realised I wasn't ageing. It didn't seem as important to mark the passage of time when I had so much of it ahead of me.
"I thought so."
"Why is it me you want a favour from?" I blurted. I didn't want to admit that it bothered me that from all her priestesses it was me she'd chosen. I just didn't see how it would make sense to pick one of the youngest in the temple.
"I want someone I can trust, and I believe you're the best person for the job. There are so many untruths in the world today. You can tell the fact from the fiction, and that is invaluable in this situation."
"Okay. What can I do for you?" I still didn't think I was the best choice for this, but her words rang true within me and who was I to argue with a goddess.
"We're sending offerings down the Nile to bring a bountiful year. I'd like for you to be the woman who presents mine."
"Thank you." The honour she was bestowing on me had no words to go with it. Being able to give an offering was an honour as it was. Giving it on behalf of a goddess...
"I just need you to promise one thing."
"Anything." I would give whatever she asked for, though that had been true before I'd been given su
ch an amazing honour.
"Be true to your heart, Edrice. Do not deny it what it wants. Being truthful to others, and staying true to me, is all well and good. But without the balance of being true to yourself, you can never achieve what you need to in your life."
Her dark brown almond eyes bore into me, seeing into my soul and striping me bare. I had to wonder if she knew what the tarot reader had said to me the day before, but I dismissed the notion. Ma'at might have noticed me for this, but I doubted she'd pay attention to our lives the rest of time. I wouldn't if I were in her position.
"I promise I'll be true to myself," I vowed, wondering how soon I'd be forced to stick to it.
"Good. You leave at dusk. I've arranged for ceremonial robes to be delivered to your rooms, along with the offering."
"Thank you." I nodded my head.
"No need to thank me, Edrice. I know my choice is right." For the first time, she looked older than her body was. This was the wise and just goddess everyone had worshipped. And it was easy to see why they had. Even without the traditional Egyptian makeup and wig, she was commanding. The ancient paintings had caught her surprisingly well.
I wasn't sure how I knew, but I was certain she wasn't going to say another word. I rose to my feet and left without another word. It seemed that I had a lot to prepare for if I was going to take a trip down the Nile tonight.
The Nile. The place I was supposedly going to give in to the connection I had with a man. Was tonight going to be the night? Part of me hoped it was.
3
The shoulders of my formal robes itched, but I didn't want to scratch them, not with so many other priests and priestesses about. I thought I'd even spotted a god, but they'd been gone before I could be sure. From the situation here, it seemed like only lesser gods would be coming themselves, everyone else had sent one of their underlings. Myself included.
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