by Nina Bruhns
It was a dilemma to ponder.
He was roused from his thoughts by the approach of a pair of riders. In the falling light of dusk, he couldn’t see their features.
Unlike Petru’s camel-mounted army, Seth and Shahin’s warriors had chosen to go into battle on horseback. Their conjured warhorses were huge and powerful, black as obsidian with glowing red eyes, muscles rippling under their glistening coats, tails flicking, nostrils snorting and hooves prancing in anticipation of the coming action. Magical glyphs and symbols of their god adorned their hides, drawn in shining silver paint that reflected the beams of the moon, making them glow like ancient ghostly apparitions, which he supposed they were.
When the riders approached, he saw the front man was Shahin. The captain galloped up to Seth, lifting his gloved hand in greeting.
Seth returned the salute, and they grasped each other’s arms in a warrior’s clasp of brotherhood and good luck. Seth saw that the other rider still shadowed Shahin, the smaller horse prancing at Shahin’s side in excitement. To his shock, he realized the second rider was Gemma Haliday, dressed as the rest of the shemsu, both male and female, in black tunics and loose Bedouin trousers. She gripped a lethal sword in her fist, her expression conveying that she meant business.
Still stunned, Seth looked from her to Shahin. “Is this wise?” he asked, loathe to question the presence of anyone who wished to fight for Khepesh. But if she were to fall in battle, Josslyn would never forgive him, regardless of the outcome.
“I stand by my man, and my lord Seth-Aziz,” she said, her back straight and her eyes shiny.
“But you are mortal,” he reminded her. “You could so easily die.”
Her lower lip trembled. “The fate of Shahin and Khepesh is my own. I’ve no wish to live without him.”
Seth’s heart swelled, and for the first time in a long, long time he felt a true stab of envy, for his captain and the devotion he had found in this woman’s love. How he longed for a love as true and pure!
You are a very lucky man, my friend.
Though Shahin gave no outward sign, Seth felt his friend’s soul overflow with love. Don’t think I am unaware of that, my lord.
To Gemma, Seth said aloud, “Your loyalty does you proud, Gemma Haliday. I fervently hope I can return the favor one day.”
Just then, against the setting sun, another two riders galloped up, their stallions snorting and lathered from a run. Seth recognized them at once. It was Lord Rhys. And with him—
“Gillian!” Gemma cried out, joy mingled with dismay.
“Gem,” Gillian returned with a brave but tremulous smile. “Thought I’d find you here.”
The two sisters hugged fiercely, tears brimming onto their lashes.
“Oh, Jelly Bean, it’s too dangerous!” her sister said, dread and concern running rampant in the words. “You shouldn’t have come!”
Gillian swallowed. “And let you have this adventure all by yourself? Not a chance.” Only the slight quavering of the young woman’s voice betrayed her fear.
Seth’s heart was humbled by the faith he was witnessing. Not just in each other and their chosen men, but in him and Khepesh, too. Neither woman had had to show up here to do battle on this day. He would not have blamed them for a single second for staying away.
He turned to Rhys and gave his best friend a smile that made his soul ache. Past the growing lump in his throat, he said, “My loyal Englishman, come to watch my back as always.”
Rhys returned his smile, his eyes touched by a century of steadfast friendship. “I am your humble servant, my lord.”
Seth answered as he had a thousand times before. “You are neither servant nor particularly humble, Lord Rhys, yet it pleases me to hear you say so.” He clasped his master steward’s arm as he had his captain’s and added, “It pleases me even more to have you by my side on this final day of reckoning.”
“Try and keep me away,” the Englishman returned somberly. And as if reading Seth’s unspoken fears, he said, “Lady Josslyn is safe, my lord. The Lady Nephtys came to fetch her and said she’d seen you. That you had instructed her to keep Josslyn safe from harm.”
Seth nodded with a measure of relief. Still, an unbidden trickle of foreboding seeped through his bones. He trusted his sister. He did. She had never let him down. Not once in over five-thousand years. But…if Haru-Re forced her to make a choice, with whom would Nephtys throw in her lot? Her adopted brother or the only man she had ever truly loved? Seth feared he knew the answer.
Would Josslyn be caught in the crossfire?
Pain razored through his chest.
And at last he understood the truth.
Seeing Gemma and Gillian’s devotion to his two friends, and their loyalty to a world in which they had only recently landed and embraced as their new home, Seth knew what was desperately missing from his life.
He loved Josslyn. He didn’t ever want to lose her.
He’d been a fool to reject her and send her away. She would have been as true a companion and soul mate as her sisters had proven to be to Shahin and Rhys. Given half a chance, Josslyn Haliday would have been here, right by his side, sword in hand. He knew that as surely as he now knew he didn’t want to live on this earth without her, either.
He prayed to the gods that he would survive this day and have the chance to tell her so and beg her forgiveness.
He thought uneasily of her, left on her own in the palace of his enemy with no protector but a priestess with mixed loyalties and unable to do magic on her own. He sent a powerful guardian spell hurtling toward her and hoped it would penetrate the warded walls of Petru.
Then he lifted his hand and swirled a double spell of protection around her two brave sisters, weaving them together with the invisible shields he felt Shahin and Rhys had already cast around them. The magic would not save the women from killing sword blows in the coming fight, but the combined protection was strong and would cause stray slices to glance harmlessly off them. He prayed it would be enough to keep them both alive.
The oranges and reds of the dying sun threw ribbons of vivid color against the darkening backdrop of the night sky. There were no stars out yet, just a kaleidoscope of the ever-changing palette of sunset over the desert.
It was a beautiful thing to behold.
If one must die, it should be on a night like this.
And Seth was ready to die if he must. Haru-Re’s tyranny aside, he could not live in a world of perpetual light even if only in metaphor. He would go mad if there were no shadows to step into when he needed a place to disappear. No endless void of black space with which to fill the universe of his imagination. No mysterious night in which to feed the banquet of his senses.
“It is time, my lord,” Shahin said, gesturing to the walls of Petru, where scores of golden warriors swarmed like huge glowing fireflies in the light of sunset, lining up, brandishing weapons, preparing for their attack. It would take at least fifteen minutes of hard riding from their gathering point to reach the palace walls. Shahin had waited until the last gasp of the waning sun, for the symbolic effect, and for the practical advantage of the glare in their enemies’ eyes. “By the time we get there it will be full darkness.”
Darkness was their world. They would take every advantage they could get.
Seth nodded. Together, the five of them—Seth-Aziz, Sheikh Shahin, Lord Rhys Kilpatrick, and Gemma and Gillian Haliday—cantered their mounts to the front of the ranks of Khepesh warriors.
Seth’s majestic stallion reared up and pawed the air, claiming his place as the alpha in the order of the magical beasts, somehow knowing it was the natural place of his master.
There was a hum of tension in the air, thick and electric. The drugging, spicy smell of preternatural energy wafted on the breeze that teased above the army as from a field of opium poppies in full blossom. Magical power ebbed and flowed from the shemsu in rivers of energy, raising the hairs on even Seth’s arms and buzzing through his brain like a horde of locusts. H
e’d never felt the like in all his days.
The warrior guardians of Khepesh were as committed as he.
Tonight it was all or nothing.
Live, and rule the whole world.
Or lose, and perish from the earth forever.
At his nod, Sheikh Shahin gave a signal, and as one the shemsu raised their scimitars. They all looked to Seth-Aziz.
Pride swelled his chest to bursting.
“All praise to Set-Sutekh!” he shouted, raising his own weapon above his head. “We fight!”
“For the glory of good!” the men shouted back as one.
With a heart filled with love for his people, but scant hope for a future, Seth-Aziz gave his final order. “To the death!”
The men let out a roar of approval. The horses reared, eyes wild.
The last sliver of the sun went down behind them.
And the immortal followers of Set-Sutekh charged toward the stronghold of the enemy, prepared to meet their destiny.
Chapter 20
“We must hurry!”
Nephtys urged Josslyn to move faster. They were practically running up the narrow stairs, but Haru-Re was waiting for her. Ray had summoned Nephtys to the highest parapet that jutted from the top of Petru’s enclosure wall, where he was said to be pacing and shouting orders to the commanders of his vast legion of followers. He’d asked Nephtys to bring the other woman to him before the battle was engaged, and sent one of his guards to accompany them—for their protection, he’d said. She didn’t want to believe it was to ensure she obeyed. Not after the exquisite afternoon they’d shared.
She was still floating. Because today he’d made love to her for the very first time.
Oh, they’d had sex before. Lots of times. And he’d fucked her plenty, too. But never before today had they made love together. Sweet, lingering, heart-rendingly emotional love.
“I love you, Nephtys,” he’d whispered softly in her ear when they’d lain in each other’s arms afterward. “I want you to be mine forever.”
And she knew he’d meant it, because he hadn’t pierced her flesh with his fangs nor drank of her blood. Instead, he’d punctured a small hole in the underside of his wrist and fed her with drops of his own blood, to cool the addiction for him that raged within her.
Even now she felt intoxicated by it. Euphoric.
His.
But in the air she also felt the distant pounding of a thousand hooves. Were the warriors of Khepesh already on the move?
“Nephtys, slow down!” Josslyn called, breathing hard as they clambered up the endless circular granite staircase inside the soaring tower, plastering themselves against the cold, rounded walls every few minutes to let more warriors go past. “You’re killing me!”
Nephtys shot a sharp glance down at her. “I’d never hurt you, Josslyn. I hope you know that. I couldn’t. My brother loves you.”
The mortal woman blinked up at her and then halted at a landing to bend over and catch her breath. “I think you’ve gotten faulty information somewhere. Seth wants nothing to do with me.”
Nephtys fought to control the other feeling that was nearly drowning her: fear…for Seth’s safety. For his very life. Seth-Aziz had neglected to tell her the battle he’d spoken of was to take place today! She could feel the army’s approach, felt the roiling presence of Shahin’s warriors practically outside the walls, charging in for combat, and she was terrified. Why had Seth done this? She’d told him she could convince Haru-Re to leave Khepesh in peace, now that she had claimed his heart! Why hadn’t Seth believed her? All she’d needed was a little more time!
Josslyn was still breathing hard, so Nephtys stirred the air with her fingers and sent it to fill her lungs and said, “Trust me, men are clueless idiots. This I know.”
Her brother’s lover straightened, testing her breathing. “Wow. How did you do that?” She shook her head. “Never mind. Look, you won’t get an argument from me about men being clueless. But you’re wrong about Seth. He’s made it pretty clear—”
“Yes, yes.” Nephtys waved a hand impatiently. They had to move! “My brother is stubborn as a donkey and likes to think he’s in charge of everything around him, including his emotions. But as you and I both know so well, emotions are impossible to govern. They are what they are, and the goddess help us if we try to ignore them or pretend they don’t exist.”
“Sometimes one doesn’t have a choice,” the other woman muttered.
Nephtys turned and hurried up the last few steps, anxious to reach Haru-Re before he gave the order to charge out to meet the Khepesh army, and Josslyn followed.
“You love him, too,” Nephtys said approvingly. She heard Josslyn exhale but otherwise remain silent. No denial. Good. That would help. She’d been desperately formulating a plan to try to stop what was happening. Josslyn was the cornerstone. Having her cooperation was key.
They reached the top of the parapet, and her worst fears were realized.
Ray stood like a masthead upon the narrow battlement, stalking back and forth, peering out over the vast, undulating desert toward a sliver of sun that hovered on the western horizon. Against the shrinking arc of molten brilliance, the black slash of her brother’s army rode, resplendent, mounted on the backs of massive black stallions, galloping hard in ranks three deep across the golden dunes.
Though still in the far distance, they were advancing quickly. And they were glorious! The sight made her shiver in both awe and terror.
As Haru-Re watched them come, a deep scowl was etched on his handsome face. He gave her shivers, too.
She could feel his preternatural energy sizzle and pop with his anger. The air around him glittered with sparks, and when he tipped his head back and raked his fingers through his hair, shimmering streamers of fire leapt around his head like a halo of golden snakes.
Sweet Isis, even in such a precarious situation, the man made her knees weak. His body had the perfection of a demigod, his mind was as sharp as his vampire fangs, his strength terrible and his power awesome.
She yearned to belong to him in every way, with a craving that filled every pore of her body with need, every beat of her heart with love.
And yet, she could not let him hurt her brother.
Outside the walls, the vast army of Petru had assembled, the warriors riding a host of ghost camels so numerous it was impossible to see the ground below.
Here, on the battlements, scores of men and women ran to and fro carrying longbows and shouting to one another to get into position. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Seth’s element still held sway over the palace. But Ray had long since smashed through the spell of chaos and shattered it.
Thinking of Ray’s immense powers, and the vastness of the army he had gathered, her heart quailed. Seth and his comparative handful of men didn’t stand a chance!
Ray spotted her and Josslyn, and a brief smile curved his mouth as he turned his head to follow their progress along the rampart. She hurried toward him, followed by the other woman and their trusty guard.
When she finally reached Ray, he caught her up by the waist and lifted her to meet his lips. “Meruati,” he murmured, kissing her. “You’ve come to me.”
“Of course,” she returned, kissing him back, passion sweeping through her. Being held in his arms was like floating on clouds of joy. “Did you doubt it?”
He just smiled, then glanced at Josslyn. The smile faded, and he spoke to her. “It seems your faithless consort has deserted you to my tender care,” he said with no small satisfaction ringing in his voice.
Josslyn’s gaze went in dismay from the galloping warriors of Khepesh to the eager armies of Petru gathering below and back to Haru-Re. “If you mean Seth-Aziz, I am not his consort,” she said. “And I wasn’t deserted. I chose to stay here in Petru.”
Ray’s brow rose. “Indeed?”
“My parents live here. Although I still haven’t been allowed to see them,” she added, the words tinged with accusation. “Why not?”
Josslyn’s face faltered and she glanced anxiously back at the galloping warriors. “What are you talking about?”
With a small motion, Ray conjured a spyglass and handed it to her. “Take a look at the group of riders leading the charge. Recognize anyone?”
She did, and gasped in horror. “No! What are they doing?”
Nephtys swiped the glass from her and peered through it. “Blessed Isis,” she said in dismay. Both of Josslyn’s sisters as well as Lord Rhys were riding stallions next to Seth and Shahin, black robes flying in the wind like raven wings, weapons flashing and glinting in the dying light.
“Ray! You must stop this!” she cried, dropping the instrument and grasping his arms. “This isn’t necessary!”
“Oh, but it is,” he refuted, a gleam of impending victory glowing in his eyes. “This is the moment I’ve awaited for five millennia. Finally I have you at my side, and now I shall have all the world bowing at my feet, mine alone, to rule over as I wish.”
She shook her head. “No,” she breathed. “You mustn’t do this. You can’t!”
“On the contrary, I can, and I will,” he growled.
“Please! You mustn’t hurt my brother!”
He just laughed. He snapped his fingers, pointed at her and Josslyn, and gave the command she’d dreaded in her heart.
“Seize them!”
Chapter 21
Instantly four of Haru-Re’s warriors surrounded Joss and Nephtys, grasping their arms so they couldn’t escape.
Joss struggled against their steely hold. “No! Damn it, let go of me!”
Fear gripped her nearly as hard as the men did.
Coming up here had been a huge mistake. She glanced down at the quickly advancing army of Khepesh, and her heart pounded out of control. She should never have trusted Haru-Re. And she wasn’t so sure about Nephtys, either.
