AN: Reminder, this is the second of two chapter posted today, July 5 :)
Satiah woke with the sun, first fighting, then welcoming its warm rays. But as she turned into them, she realized there was more than just Ra's warmth embracing her — fluttering her eyes open, she found herself greeted with the smiling face of her husband, blinking drowsily at her from the pillow beside her.
"Good morning," he hummed, shifting his body even closer to her beneath the sheets.
Satiah sucked in a deep breath and reached for him, wrapping her arm around his side to make sure she wasn't dreaming. He returned the embrace, tucking her head down beneath his chin, and as Satiah breathed of his clean scent she decided this was indeed reality.
"What time is it?" she mumbled into him.
"It doesn't matter," he replied, stroking his fingers through her hair. "We've got nowhere to be but here."
Satiah smiled against his skin. "I didn't think you'd actually do it."
Atem pulled back just then, casting her a wry smile. "Come now. What kind of king would I be if I didn't keep my promises?"
"Oh, just like all the others, I assume," Satiah quipped back, causing his smile to grow.
"Such little faith," he said, then leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
Satiah sighed and nestled back into him, but she jolted at the sound of the door opening a moment later. Reflexively, she leaned on her elbow and pulled the sheets up to her chin, just in time to see a throng of servants entering their quarters, carrying trays of food and drink. Brow creased, she looked down at Atem, seeing him grinning even wider.
"I said breakfast in bed, didn't I?" he said, pulling himself up against the headboard.
Satiah relaxed and followed suit, watching as the servants drew near, laying their trays on the empty space at the foot of the bed. They each smiled and bowed before turning and sweeping out as quickly as they'd come.
As the door rattled closed again, Satiah shot Atem a sidelong glance. He was still smiling smugly, causing her to bite her lip as she reached for one of the mugs of steaming tea on the tray before her. "Thank you," she said sheepishly, bringing the cup to her lips.
Atem breathed a laugh as he grabbed a cup of his own, along with a fresh baked roll. Satiah took a steep sip of her tea and carefully shifted closer to the trays, folding her feet in to sit cross legged. She filled a cloth napkin with delectables and laid it in her lap, alternating between taking bites of the food and sipping her tea.
While they ate, she and Atem traded small talk about the fair weather and joked about all the excitement he was surely missing at court. When she'd eaten and drunk her fill, Satiah stretched deeply and slipped out of bed, finally willing herself to the window to check the time.
"It's almost ten," she announced. "Shimon must be pacing with worry."
She turned back, seeing Atem stepping out of bed and moving to stand over the table nearby, tea in hand. "I'm sure I'll get an earful later," he said, reclining steeply in his chair.
Satiah meandered back over to him, watching as he ran his fingers across the nearly complete puzzle on the table before him. "Go if you have to," she urged. "This was already much more than I was expecting. I don't want to keep you from your kingly duties."
Atem hummed his agreement, still fiddling with the cylindrical object, twisting the individual sections in no particular order. "I will soon," he assured her.
Satiah smiled and walked to the other side of the table, idly tidying stacks of papyri. As she began to roll up the scroll from the night before, she saw Atem's eyes flash up. She looked down again, catching sight of a flicker of gold beneath the corner of the scroll. As she lifted the papyrus, her heart twisted with uncanny suspicion — beneath the scroll was a thick, dusty tome, its withering cover decorated with the familiar Eye of Wadjet — the only symbol common to all the Millennium Items.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Atem did not reply, but he didn't have to. She saw it plain as day in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had such a strange feeling last night… I had to see where it led."
Satiah took a deep breath and finished rolling the scroll, nestling it along the warped spine of the spellbook. She looked up at her husband, fighting hard to keep her features steady. "I'm not angry," she said, moving toward Atem — less to be closer to him and more to put distance between her and the Tome. "I just wish you didn't feel like you had to keep secrets from me. We're in this together, remember?" She lost his eyes, which turned guiltily down to his lap. With a sigh, she came to sit on the arm of his chair and threaded a hand behind his neck.
He looked up and flashed a tortured smile. "I know," he said, resting a hand on her knee. "I suppose I was a little worried… That I might be taking you to a place you didn't want to go."
"You have to trust me to make that decision for myself," she said simply. "But I'll never get the chance to if you don't let me in." Satiah twisted a finger around the hair on the nape of his neck, flicking her eyes back and forth across his face. "I just want to help you, that's all."
Atem heaved a deep sigh and turned away, letting a brief but thick silence take hold. "Help me with this then," he said, suddenly reaching out and pulling the puzzle closer, then letting it thump back on the table. "Your gift seems to vex me more than any riddle."
Satiah let slip an involuntary laugh. She took her hand away from him and leaned forward to run her fingers along the cool bronze. "It seems complete to me," she said, picking it up and turning it over in her hands. "You're sure there are no other pieces left?"
Atem nodded, pulling the ceramic box forward and removing the cover to reveal its empty interior. "Though—" he put the box down and folded his hands over hers, tilting the puzzle up on one end. "There does appear to be a void where a piece should fit." He pointed to the very top of the object, where a small rectangular slot took shape between the bronze pieces, barely visible even in the bright midmorning light.
After inspecting the slot for a moment, Satiah set down the puzzle and took up the box instead. She peeked inside again, then nestled the cover back onto it and smoothed her hand across the glyphs, looking for any clues or hints. The words formed nothing particularly revealing — just a random collection of Ramesses' various titles and epithets, all surrounding his cartouche in the center of the cover.
She traced the curved edges of his nameplate with her index finger, watching the way the sun distinctly outlined the stark edges of it. As she reached the spot where the tangent line met the bottom curve of the cartouche, she saw that part of the ceramic had been chipped away from the etching. But as she looked closer, it seemed less like the etching had been carved from the ceramic and more like it had been laid into it. She slipped her little finger into the chipped void, and her heart suddenly lurched to life as the etching popped out of alignment.
"Look," she gasped, taking up the cover and holding it for Atem to see. She pushed her finger deeper, causing the cartouche etching to lift further away from the ceramic. Atem's eyes went wide, and he reached forward to hold the edge of the cover, angling it toward the light. Carefully, using just the pads of her fingers, Satiah continued to work the etching free, until it completely separated from the ceramic, leaving just the delicate shape of an empty cartouche in her hands.
She felt her breath holding tight in her throat as she cradled the cool ceramic. It wasn't big — perhaps two inches tall by an inch wide. But as she weighed the object in her hand, a thought suddenly struck her: the etching, when held sideways, was almost the exact size of the void in the top of the puzzle. She glanced at Atem, and the look in his eyes told her he'd already had the same thought. He took up the puzzle and held it end-side up, allowing Satiah to angle the etching into the slot in the top. Carefully, holding it by the straight side, she slid it into place, hearing a small but noticeable click as it stopped perfectly flush with the top of the puzzle.
Light suddenly swallowed their bedchamber, and Satiah flinched back, letting the puzzle slip out of her grasp and clatter loudly to the table. She felt Atem surge out of his chair and catch her in his arms, wheeling around to put his body between her and the scintillating puzzle. Satiah squinted her eyes to watch as the light slowly subsided, leaving just a warm and distinctly magical glow around the object. Atem, too, soon relaxed enough to turn his head over his shoulder, eyes wide with wonder as the puzzle — which had a moment ago been no more than a paperweight — now glowed as gold as the sun.
Satiah winced again as a loud voice cracked across the chamber — warm and regal, almost godly:
"Atem, son of Aknamkanon — god-king chosen by the Gods of Light, and flesh of my flesh. I, Pharaoh Ramesses the Second, speak to you from across the plains of time to deliver news most urgent — and grave.
If you are hearing this, you have been deemed worthy by the Gods of Light to inherit their divine knowledge. When once such words were entrusted to every Pharaoh, Amenhotep's heretical meddling forced the end of this honorable tradition. Upon my ascension, I forever forbade the teaching of the Holy Language across the land of Egypt, so that the sinister will of my predecessor would never be allowed to infect future generations. Instead, I forged this Codex — an object of my own design — by which only the Chosen Sovereign may interpret the words of our divine masters. Through your completion of this puzzle, and by virtue of your anointed blood, you have earned the right to the knowledge bound within the Tome of Coming Forth By Day.
However, I must advise extreme caution when translating the spells therein. The pages have been tainted by the God of Darkness, and should you choose to wield his words with an unholy heart, you will bring untold suffering upon the soil of Egypt. Tread carefully, flesh of my flesh — may you walk only along the path of Light, and through your trials may you find the strength to resist the temptation of evil unleashed by our forebears."
The voice trailed off into a thin echo, and a moment later, the glow winnowed away along with it, leaving them in a deep and diverging silence.
Atem swept his eyes across the stunned faces of his advisors, their expressions of shock and contemplation showing stark in the light pouring in from the great hall's windows. They'd just witnessed the Codex puzzle in action, and while the Guardians were not graced by the words of the Great King as he and Satiah had been, their awe over the artifact was no less apparent.
Along with the Millennium Tome and Metjen's scroll, the Codex now sat on the table between the group of them. The artifact was surrounded by a faint halo of golden light, which seemed to be emanating from inside the object itself. The light projected strange, scratchy symbols all around the artifact's otherwise blank rings — symbols which matched perfectly to the language inscribed within the Millennium Tome.
After Ramesses' voice had left them, Satiah and Atem had spent several hushed moments inspecting the Codex. Atem had opened the Tome to its first page, and Satiah, carefully spinning the artifact's rings, began mimicking the arrangement of the symbols within. Once she'd run out of space on the Codex, it flashed a bright light, replacing the foreign symbols with recognizable hieroglyphs spelling out a single phrase: "The Gods of Light came forth by day."
Now, after Atem had just finished demonstrating the artifact's power before his court, words still escaped them several moments later. Atem, too, could find nothing to say — his own mind still filled to the brim with the wondrous, terrifying words spoken to him by Ramesses.
Finally, Aknadin looked up from the Codex, but Atem was surprised to see the priest's eyes drawn first to Satiah.
"Where did you say you found this object?" he asked in a dark tone.
Satiah blinked, her posture stiffening. "In the Memphis bazaar," she said simply. "A traveling trader. He sold mostly worthless trinkets and silks from the north. There was nothing remarkable about him or his stock."
Karim made a low, disapproving noise. "He could have been a spy," the priest said. "This item may be hiding danger, my king. I advise we break it back down and have it thoroughly searched."
Atem gritted his teeth. "I'm afraid we don't have the luxury of such caution," he said. "We have no choice but to trust its authenticity for the time being. Even now, our enemies gather in the shadows—"
"Enemies?" Seto cut in, his face etched with skepticism. "You mean the cowardly thief Bakura? Your highness sent him scurrying back to his den, licking his wounds. Let us waste no more time on the cur."
"I would advise against such heedlessness, Guardian Seto," Mahad said. As always, his voice was measured and precise. "Bakura has proven time and again that he is not to be taken lightly."
Atem gave a firm nod of agreement.
"But what would you have us do, Pharaoh?"
Atem looked to Iset, whose eyes were filled with peculiar unknowing.
Suddenly, Aknadin reached for the Codex. "It's obvious — we must begin translating the spells within—"
Atem surged forward and laid his hand over the artifact. "No," he said firmly. "I alone must be the one to shoulder this task."
Aknadin looked as dismayed as when Atem had taken up the Tome in the underbelly of the palace the night before. "But, my king—"
"My father once entrusted his priests with this seminal work — to his own ruin," Atem continued, his fingers quivering as he held to the Codex. "I will not make the same mistake."
Even without looking, Atem could feel his wife's gaze searing into his head from where she stood beside him. He fought the urge to turn to her, instead continuing to scan the faces of his court.
"Our Pharaoh has spoken," Shimon finally said, and Atem was as glad as ever to have the wise vizier's support. "Let no man touch this artifact but our king — and our queen."
Finally, Atem swept his eyes to Satiah, surprised to see her looking not worried or angry, but determined. She took a step forward, her headdress flashing brightly as the noonday sun crawled up her body.
"I have another topic for consideration, if it please the court," she said, her voice steady. Atem watched, fascinated, as she reached across the table and straightened the scroll given to her by her father. "This scroll could not be more clear — the Holy Ka are almost certainly entombed alongside their former masters at Giza. I propose that we make a voyage north, and garrison at Memphis while we prepare to infiltrate the pyramids — once the Pharaoh and I translate the spells needed to unlock them."
The court was again drawn to silence in the wake of Satiah's words. Likewise, Atem found himself too stunned to add to his wife's proposal.
Finally, Shimon cracked a small smile. "An astute plan, my queen," he said. "Memphis is well-positioned near the Giza plateau, and the holy city will surely offer many resources to aid in our efforts."
Again, the skeptical Seto stepped forward. "But we don't know how long this quest will take," he said. "Is it wise for the king to be away from the capital for so long?"
"A good Pharaoh is capable of ruling his kingdom from anywhere," Satiah retorted. Atem felt his heart glowing with confidence. "Should we expect our king to stay forever in his palace?"
Seto seemed to have nothing to say to this. Atem could see hesitance seeping from Aknadin as well, perhaps because it had once been his own duty to rule over Memphis and its surrounding nome. Atem spoke quickly to quell the priest's reservations. "It's settled then," he said. "Karim, send a message to the Memphis Conclave to expect a visit from their king." Atem turned again to face his wife, finding her face alight with a proud smile. "We will leave in three day's time."
AN: Quick little chap, but it's kind of an exposition dump, so didn't want to drag things out too much. Again, thank you all for being patient and sticking with me! :) Your readership is appreciated more than you know. If you feel up to it, I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings on my story in the form of a review! See you in the next chapter! 3