Ooooh thanks for all the reviews! They make me so happy.
And NeferNeferi, I love it when people correct me. It makes being an author more fun. One thing though, the original name was Bast in the Old Kingdom, especially where she was mainly worshipped in Bubastis. When more foreign rulers came to Egypt the name was changed to Bastet, mainly in the New Kingdom.
There are loads of different names for gods, but they're all the same deity. So I'm just going to keep it up Bast. Okay? Thanks a lot for your review!
And thanks Cassie, you're the best! (You're like my fraternal sister or something)
*
Atemu walked down an endless tunnel. His friends stood on either side, shouting at him to help.
They all needed him, but Atemu was unable to help. He couldn't go to them, couldn't save them.
They were drowning in a sea of loneliness. Or was he the lonely one?
Atemu sat straight up in bed, sweat running down his temples. 'It was only a dream,' he told himself sternly.
'Only a dream...' Hearing a noise, Atemu turned to face the doorway of his room.
Qetesh had shown him to his rooms the night before. They were small, but adequate.
The door swung open a crack. Tawny fur shone in the torchlight. "Bast?" Atemu whispered.
"You're not wanted here little one!" Blazing red eyes glared at him from the darkness.
Sekhmet stretched her limbs and put her face up near his. Her breath stank of meat and blood.
"You're tender flesh shouldn't be wasted." The lioness said, running her claws lightly along his arm.
"Sekhmet?" Atemu said tiredly. "I don't have time to talk to you. I'm tired. Go away or I'll tell Ra you tried to eat me again."
"You wouldn't, little one. You wouldn't dare. And even if you did, no one would believe you. It's your word against mine."
"Exactly." Atemu retorted. "You're not exactly a perfect angel when it comes to truth are you Sekhmet?"
The goddess hissed. "Well then I'll guess I'll just have to get rid of the evidence then won't I?"
Sekhmet opened her jaws, revealing stained yellow teeth, sharp from tearing at tough meat.
She lifted Atemu off the ground, preparing to take a large bite.
"Sekhmet," A voice from the doorway warned. "Drop him." At once Sekhmet dropped Atemu back onto his bed.
"Ladies," She said, her voice quivering. "I didn't know you would be here so soon. I was just welcoming our friend."
"Welcoming him my tail feathers!" Two women came into the room.
One of them wore the red crown of Lower Egypt, the other the white crown of Upper Egypt.
Both were frowning angrily at Sekhmet. The lioness goddess backed away, exiting the room quickly.
"Now then, kit, you must be Atemu. How are you? I hope Sekhmet didn't frighten you. She talks a lot of rubbish."
The speaker was a woman with vulture like wings on her back. She sat on the bed beside Atemu and hugged him.
"I'm called Nekhbet. And this is Wadjet. We were sent here especially to look after you."
"I don't need looking after! I can look after myself!" Atemu glared at Nekhbet.
"We can see that, kit, but it's our job to look after all the Pharaohs, and that included you."
Atemu turned to look at Wadjet. She had a rich, deep voice that reminded him of the syrup he sometimes had for breakfast.
"You look after all the Pharaohs? Does that mean you'll look after my cousin Seto as well?"
"I expect so kit, yes." Nekhbet sighed. "But we were sent to look after you specially."
"Why? Why am I so special? Well, I've always been told I'm one of the elite, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Wadjet snorted. "Aren't you the modest one? You seem more conceited to me."
"Conceited? Listen Wadjet, I'm not conceited." He spoke slowly, as if he was speaking to a small child.
"And why aren't you conceited?"
"Because," Atemu said seriously, "conceitedness is a flaw. And I have no flaws."
Both Wadjet and Nekhbet burst out laughing. "You don't, do you?" Nekhbet said between fits of laughter.
"That's right, I don't. Though Seto always said I thought more of myself than of others."
Atemu looked sadly at the floor. "Though I wish I could've proved him wrong." He said softly.
"Oh, kit." Nekhbet hugged him again. "Don't say that. If that's what you believe, though, then I think we can help you there."
"You can?" Atemu asked excitedly. "How?" Wadjet laughed at his eagerness.
"Not us, kit, but Thoth. I think he will give you your first task to complete. I believe that if you finish it, he will grant you the ability to transport from our world to theirs."
"That way you can see your friends whenever you want." Nekhbet added.
Atemu toyed with the pendant Dark Magician had given him. "All of my friends?" he asked.
"All of them." Wadjet said firmly. "Thank you!" Atemu hugged first Nekhbet and then Wadjet.
Nekhbet smiled. "Now it's off to bed with you, kit. We don't want you falling asleep on us now, do we?"
"Guess not, Nekh." Atemu said as he climbed into bed. "'Night."
"Goodnight, little kit."
*
"It's all over, isn't it?" Isis asked. She stared out the window of her room at the rain.
An un-expected monsoon had flooded all of the lower parts of the city.
Farmers had to move their stock. Seto had given some of the poor workers permission to stay just outside the palace.
The rumor spreading through the city was that Shu was in mourning for the loss of Atemu.
"Yes, it is." Seto spoke softly, letting his eyes drift towards the opposite building that was now his chambers.
"We lost almost all our men though." They had also lost Alaya, but Seto didn't really mind.
Jou had complained that she was far better than the men and had fought like a demon.
Seto had just told him that she was an Amazon, what could be expected?
"Our losses are great, but there is one loss that is far greater." Seto didn't need Isis to tell him what that loss was.
Isis returned to staring out the window. Most of the richer nobles and palace workers were dressed entirely in kem, whereas the poorer people just wore strips of black cloth.
"I can't believe he's actually gone." Isis' voice was a mere whisper. "Neither can I."
For a while, both mages were silent. When they spoke, it was both at the same time.
"But he's never really gone."
And NeferNeferi, I love it when people correct me. It makes being an author more fun. One thing though, the original name was Bast in the Old Kingdom, especially where she was mainly worshipped in Bubastis. When more foreign rulers came to Egypt the name was changed to Bastet, mainly in the New Kingdom.
There are loads of different names for gods, but they're all the same deity. So I'm just going to keep it up Bast. Okay? Thanks a lot for your review!
And thanks Cassie, you're the best! (You're like my fraternal sister or something)
*
Atemu walked down an endless tunnel. His friends stood on either side, shouting at him to help.
They all needed him, but Atemu was unable to help. He couldn't go to them, couldn't save them.
They were drowning in a sea of loneliness. Or was he the lonely one?
Atemu sat straight up in bed, sweat running down his temples. 'It was only a dream,' he told himself sternly.
'Only a dream...' Hearing a noise, Atemu turned to face the doorway of his room.
Qetesh had shown him to his rooms the night before. They were small, but adequate.
The door swung open a crack. Tawny fur shone in the torchlight. "Bast?" Atemu whispered.
"You're not wanted here little one!" Blazing red eyes glared at him from the darkness.
Sekhmet stretched her limbs and put her face up near his. Her breath stank of meat and blood.
"You're tender flesh shouldn't be wasted." The lioness said, running her claws lightly along his arm.
"Sekhmet?" Atemu said tiredly. "I don't have time to talk to you. I'm tired. Go away or I'll tell Ra you tried to eat me again."
"You wouldn't, little one. You wouldn't dare. And even if you did, no one would believe you. It's your word against mine."
"Exactly." Atemu retorted. "You're not exactly a perfect angel when it comes to truth are you Sekhmet?"
The goddess hissed. "Well then I'll guess I'll just have to get rid of the evidence then won't I?"
Sekhmet opened her jaws, revealing stained yellow teeth, sharp from tearing at tough meat.
She lifted Atemu off the ground, preparing to take a large bite.
"Sekhmet," A voice from the doorway warned. "Drop him." At once Sekhmet dropped Atemu back onto his bed.
"Ladies," She said, her voice quivering. "I didn't know you would be here so soon. I was just welcoming our friend."
"Welcoming him my tail feathers!" Two women came into the room.
One of them wore the red crown of Lower Egypt, the other the white crown of Upper Egypt.
Both were frowning angrily at Sekhmet. The lioness goddess backed away, exiting the room quickly.
"Now then, kit, you must be Atemu. How are you? I hope Sekhmet didn't frighten you. She talks a lot of rubbish."
The speaker was a woman with vulture like wings on her back. She sat on the bed beside Atemu and hugged him.
"I'm called Nekhbet. And this is Wadjet. We were sent here especially to look after you."
"I don't need looking after! I can look after myself!" Atemu glared at Nekhbet.
"We can see that, kit, but it's our job to look after all the Pharaohs, and that included you."
Atemu turned to look at Wadjet. She had a rich, deep voice that reminded him of the syrup he sometimes had for breakfast.
"You look after all the Pharaohs? Does that mean you'll look after my cousin Seto as well?"
"I expect so kit, yes." Nekhbet sighed. "But we were sent to look after you specially."
"Why? Why am I so special? Well, I've always been told I'm one of the elite, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Wadjet snorted. "Aren't you the modest one? You seem more conceited to me."
"Conceited? Listen Wadjet, I'm not conceited." He spoke slowly, as if he was speaking to a small child.
"And why aren't you conceited?"
"Because," Atemu said seriously, "conceitedness is a flaw. And I have no flaws."
Both Wadjet and Nekhbet burst out laughing. "You don't, do you?" Nekhbet said between fits of laughter.
"That's right, I don't. Though Seto always said I thought more of myself than of others."
Atemu looked sadly at the floor. "Though I wish I could've proved him wrong." He said softly.
"Oh, kit." Nekhbet hugged him again. "Don't say that. If that's what you believe, though, then I think we can help you there."
"You can?" Atemu asked excitedly. "How?" Wadjet laughed at his eagerness.
"Not us, kit, but Thoth. I think he will give you your first task to complete. I believe that if you finish it, he will grant you the ability to transport from our world to theirs."
"That way you can see your friends whenever you want." Nekhbet added.
Atemu toyed with the pendant Dark Magician had given him. "All of my friends?" he asked.
"All of them." Wadjet said firmly. "Thank you!" Atemu hugged first Nekhbet and then Wadjet.
Nekhbet smiled. "Now it's off to bed with you, kit. We don't want you falling asleep on us now, do we?"
"Guess not, Nekh." Atemu said as he climbed into bed. "'Night."
"Goodnight, little kit."
*
"It's all over, isn't it?" Isis asked. She stared out the window of her room at the rain.
An un-expected monsoon had flooded all of the lower parts of the city.
Farmers had to move their stock. Seto had given some of the poor workers permission to stay just outside the palace.
The rumor spreading through the city was that Shu was in mourning for the loss of Atemu.
"Yes, it is." Seto spoke softly, letting his eyes drift towards the opposite building that was now his chambers.
"We lost almost all our men though." They had also lost Alaya, but Seto didn't really mind.
Jou had complained that she was far better than the men and had fought like a demon.
Seto had just told him that she was an Amazon, what could be expected?
"Our losses are great, but there is one loss that is far greater." Seto didn't need Isis to tell him what that loss was.
Isis returned to staring out the window. Most of the richer nobles and palace workers were dressed entirely in kem, whereas the poorer people just wore strips of black cloth.
"I can't believe he's actually gone." Isis' voice was a mere whisper. "Neither can I."
For a while, both mages were silent. When they spoke, it was both at the same time.
"But he's never really gone."