The drop of
blood fell onto the scarab and ran red into the cracks of the green stone.
Amani-shakhete’s hand closed over his and turned it over, pressing her
fingertips over the wounds in his.
“Enough blood, my husband. She is
still alive and my Ushera has not
returned, so must still be seeking her.”
Jahi stared
down at his hand cupped in between hers.
She wiped the droplet of blood off his skin and pressed the sacrifice
square of linen over it. His fingertips
were scarred with years of his blood letting for his missing little girl. “Amani, I feel so helpless.”
“I know, my
love. I and my advisors will begin the
Flow tomorrow. There will be enough
power to try and cast some sight. South
this time. We looked North and
North-East last time before the Pharaoh blocked us.”
Jahi, his
hair streaked with white from where the Roc had injured him, snatching his
daughter, his eyes no longer steady and his chin jerking sideways every few
minutes, closed his eyes and his wife leaned forward to kiss him.
“Love, it was a choice of seconds," she said. "You
delayed the monster long enough that Asteri could go after him.” She dropped
her gilded eyelids, looking down. “And I
didn’t want to lose you too.” It had
taken a full blood bath to save her consort, seven days of seclusion and all
the power that her closest and most powerful advisors could manage. He’d been wrapped in bandages for a full
twenty-eight days afterwards, before he could be re-birthed and rise up healed.
“So you and
your ladies are about to go into the Red Temple and try and stop this disaster
that is coming? Whatever it is?”
“Sometimes
we only get warnings, my dear, you know that.
This time we can’t even see what to guard against.”
“When my
mother saw it, first time, she said it was Fire.”
“And when
Namret saw it, she and her Bennu said
it was Earth.”
“So the
country needs you. You’re bleeding
yourself dry, my wife.”
She smiled
and stood up, drawing him up from where he knelt before the altar to their
daughter. “It’s my duty as Candace. Trust Asteri.
He would have come back and told us if he’d failed.” She waved at the
scarab. “Her naming scarab is whole so
she is alive and it is bright. She is well.
Asteri will find her.”
Jahi picked
up the staff of his office, that he more often leaned on these days, the falcon
headed lapis staff. “I hear you,
wife. I will trust the bond of your
blood.”
She drew
her hand down his face. “Our blood,
husband.” Kehet-Ana’s Bennu came fluttering in the open
window, singing, golden feathers flashing. “Ah.
The Flow has begun. I will see
you in seven days, Jahi.” Kehet-Ana always started the Goddess’s flow first of
the Candace’s advisors and her phoenix summoned everyone else.
There were
twelve women in the Candace’s advisory council, all synchronized to flow
together, so they could raise their powers together out of their monthly
blood. Twelve women who would enter the
waters of the Nile, dive down under the Red Temple and emerge inside the red
sandstone walls, the red glass windows, the image of a red tent raised inside
around the entrance pool. The images of
Nuit and Sehkmet gracing the inside walls, lounging on the red couches of
power, light flowing from between their legs and out of their mouths and hands. The pool in the Nile was the only way in or
out.
“I’ll raise
you out of the waters myself.”
“I trust
that you will.” She smiled at him, took up crook and flail, and went to her
duty.
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