A Golden Song
Three months later Iato looked up as the door to her cage opened and Trey walked in, he looked grumpy. She stayed where she was, perched on a high branch in a tree.
"Little bird… come on down… I swear I'm not going to hurt you." Trey sighed. Iato dropped down.
"My name's Iato." Iato said. She had been looking at the book again. She had been singing every other night and every night she saw Atem there but he would only look up every once in a while, he seemed to be doing something.
"Alright, tomorrow is marking the second month of the temple building. I know you're a healer so I want you to go down there and help, they need it. And I'll leave your cage door open tonight; you can go out and do whatever because you've been so good." Trey said and Iato put her hand to her mouth. It was going to be her first time outside since she was captured. And Naira had said that there was a big art fair going on.
"Oh and Iato…" Trey said.
"Yes, sir?" she asked him.
"Make sure you're at the temple tomorrow morning got it?" Trey asked and Iato nodded as he walked out. She hurried to her bed and slipped an outfit out from under the mattress of now sweet grass. She put it on. She wrapped herself up the way she did back when she had been under the overhang with Atem. She pulled on her skirt and tied up her shirt. She put the bag around her hips again along with her swords. She put her cloak around her shoulders and grabbed her staff.
"Hey Atem!" Seto said walking up to him. Atem was sitting in the front of the tavern playing senet, a popular Egyptian game with men, with Seti, the old doctor and Seto's father.
"Yeah…" Atem said. He had entered his pictures of Iato to the art fair under the name Areos. Seti took Atem's pawn while he wasn't looking.
"You have been off your game for the past few months Atem. Where has your mind gone?" Seti asked suspiciously. "Does it happen to involve a girl?" Seti asked and Atem, who wasn't paying attention looked over.
"Huh?" He asked, his arm around the back of his chair. He took a drink from his beer mug.
"Dad did you hear about my and Atem's escapade trying to buy the draperies for the palace?" Seto asked Seti as he sat down and Seti shook his head. Seto looked over Atem's head and saw Iato walking by, staff in hand, falcon at her side. She apparently didn't notice them as she turned right in front of them to see Atem's drawings of her.
"Oh this is funny, Seto and I measured the balcony wrong and we measured it in inches and thought it was centimeters. So we go up and ask the lady for 82 centimeters and the lady looked at us funny and said that we couldn't want that and we nodded. She said no again and then said that it wouldn't fit so Seto goes we need to get two and-"
"And Atem's over here going give me one and I'll cut it in half and I'm like no, that won't work. And he's still like, we need one and I'll cut it in half. And I said that it would be like this tall if we cut it the way he wanted it." Seto laughed, his hand around his knee.
"So finally he got it through my head that we needed two but why… now that's the one I don't understand." Atem laughed and Iato turned around.
"Well… what have we here? Tom, Dick and Harry." Iato said and the men stopped laughing to look at this beautiful girl who had just walked into their midst. Atem smiled at her.
"What are you doing out here?" Atem asked her as he stood up and looked into her eyes curiously.
"Mr. Trey said I had the whole day off. As long as I show up at the temple tomorrow." Iato told him.
"Wonder what changed him?" Atem asked and pulled her up a chair.
"Who is this Atem?" Seti asked.
"That's his pet, she's of the Areos, the bird people." Seto said as Atem sat down.
"She's not my pet, she's my friend." Atem smiled.
"Aren't you the girl who's been singing down at ol' Trey's place every other night? The one with that beautiful voice?" Seti asked her and she blushed.
"It is a trait of my people to have singing voices. But I have never heard a human that could sing like us until I met Atem." Iato laughed, taking off her cloak. Her wings were white and glittering again.
"You should have heard their rather odd duet. It was weird he just started singing out of no where." Seto said, "They sound perfect together." Seto smiled.
"That because the Areos have a special ability. They can hear the songs from one's heart. Then can hear and tell if someone is going to be right for them or if someone else is going to stay together. When an Areos finds their true love they sing a beautiful song together. But there is song that only two can sing. The Guardian Iato and her love, there is an old legend from the Areos that the song was sung only once ever but Lady Iato's love died weeks later. That hasn't been heard by them since until three months ago. The Song of Iato was heard by everyone in their race. They all recognize their leader's song and are raised to listen for it. It is said that something wonderful is about to happen for the Areos when they hear that song. The legend says that the Guardian Iato will be contained. She is helped by a man who at first she thinks will hurt her like all the others but then he asks her to sing for him and while she is looking for a song she closes her eyes, her hand on his heart, and hears the duet. She sings her song, calling the attention of the other Areos and then he sings with her, creating the most angelic sound… rising to the heavens, their voices melding as one to form a beautiful but sad harmony for they will be torn apart but their song will find a way to sing, even if she has to sing it alone for their love is the greatest of all of the Areos'. They are the ones to set their people free." Seti told them. Iato had heard the legend before, she had written it but she never knew it was actually going to happen.
"There's a bit more to it," Iato said, "when finally together their song will carry on the winds as far as it will. The Areos will be united once again for his mother was one of the outcast Areos. He is only half Areos but there is enough for him to carry their traits..." Iato finished.
"How did you know that my dear? I heard that most of you were never taught the rest…" Seti said.
"I know it because I wrote it. I am Iato the Guardian of the Areos." She told him as Talrim landed on her shoulder.
"You're Iato? Then the song… the song…" Seti said and she nodded.
"He's the other half. See…" Iato put her hand to his heart and opened her mouth singing the song, his voice rising from her throat as well. He looked at her and began to sing with her. She pulled her hand away as they continued to sing. She trailed off and they stopped. She laughed.
"How in the world do you do that?" Atem asked her and she cocked her head to one side. "Do that… when you sing I sing too. It's a whether I like it or not kind of thing." Atem laughed.
"It's the song, when your heart hears my song you sing yours, it is a trait of the Areos." Iato said to him. And Seto blinked.
"Wow, that was a bit too powerful for being right next to you." He said, holding onto his hat.
"I know but I can't sing any softer." Iato said and Atem laughed.
"I know but I didn't even know he could SING… much less on key until three months ago." Seto said and she laughed.
"I want to show you the palace since you have all day." Atem said leading her off.