Explanation of the Chapter:
-Yes, at the time of Atem (-1000 BC, according to the author), in Israel, reigned the famous King David. :)
Killing bleakness submerging this innocent world, sweeping away the corpses of men now nameless, simple souls too quickly mowed down in this war of the damned. In a quest for ridiculous vengeance, bringing only absurd suffering, they were the hope that, engulfed, brought infinite light. Now, imperceptible gleams in the darkness, they are desperately trying to escape from these cursed abysses, their hearts gnawed by hatred for what will last an eternity...
Delightful pleasures of conquest, having climbed the echelon of torture, and the love that never endures, corrupted by what is nothing more than an immense emptiness; clemency and compassion no longer exist, no more than the indulgency.
They are of those sentenced. Brigands sacrificed in the name of peace, found guilty without having been the subject of a trial, murdered by this king without mercy, pretending to be ignorant while in the shadows is created a life of resentment.
Child haunted by the ghosts of his past; gets lost on the border between truth and lies. And as grows this desire for bloodshed that will free him from these shackles, in death burn, that vow of destruction.
Slowly opening his eyelids, Heba blinked several times to chase away the remnants of sleep.
These nightmares, now an integral part of his nights, seemed not to affect him as much as before, offering him much calmer awakenings. And although he still suffered much of their content, he was relieved not to disturb the Pharaoh's nights, allowing him to sleep without interruption.
The sun was barely rising on the horizon, emerging discreetly between the dunes while the warmth of its rays already warmed the icy stone walls of the palace. An immense blue sky stretched above it, in an azure colour similar to that of the Aegean Sea; without clouds, its brightness dazzled anyone who looked up at it.
A purr sounded near the boy, and instinctively recognising it, he turned his head to his right, smiling at the cat lying on his shoulder, rubbing it energetically with the tip of its muzzle with the obvious purpose of waking him up for good. Standing up in a sitting position, he grabbed the demi-god between his arms, caressing it gently while looking around him with perplexity.
Yet it's only dawn...
Doubtful, the teenager went out of bed to walk into the apartments of the young king, inspecting each room carefully in hope of discovering a clue that would tell him where the ruler had gone so early.
Releasing slightly his grip on the cat, he pouted, opening his mouth to ask a question he knew could not be answered.
"And you, Sekhmet, would you know where Atem is? "
Oddly enough, however, the feline writhed between the teenager's arms at this demand, escaping abruptly to land with agility on the ground, and crossing with incredible speed the entrance of the ajar doors to escape into the corridors of the royal residence.
"Ah! Sekhmet! Come back! "
Running after it, Heba ran down the stairs of the first floor, pursuing the animal in a maze of antechambers he did not remember having already visited, struggling to follow his four-legged companion and jostling several people in his path, stopping just a few seconds to apologise properly before leaving again at full speed under their stunned eyes.
"But where are you going like this?! "
Out of breath, the boy slowed his pace, hesitating for a moment as he walked along a wide dark alley, discerning, though with difficulty, the busts of dozens of pharaohs that bordered it on each side of the walls.
Soon, however, a halo of light unfolded at the other end of the room, and his pupils focused on the shapes of the hairball which entered there in a self-assured way.
Inhaling greatly, the teenager also crossed this path that led apparently outward, squinting under the intense glow of the dawn that rose the celestial space, putting a hand above them the time to be completely used to it.
The landscape before of him defined more clearly and a smile unconsciously stretched his lips while wonder froze him on the spot. There, in front of him, lay a gigantic garden of plants and flowers with dozens of shimmering colours, resting over a bed of grey granite frescoed with colourful geometric shapes.
And in the centre, surrounded by obelisks engraved with ancient hieroglyphics, stood a large rectangular marble basin filled with cyan blue water. An alabaster fountain representing a cobra with a gaping mouth rested in the middle of the latter, white jasmine petals floating gently on the glistening surface.
Imposing imperial green date palms, bordering the outer walls, completed this magnificent picture.
Heba moved feverishly through this multicoloured paradise, passing the knotted indigo curtains that delimited the entrance, and finally noticed that the demi-god had suddenly stopped at the edge of the pool, lazily stretching near a dark-skinned young man who soaked his feet with amusement.
"Atem! " he exclaimed, all of a sudden recognising the young king, surprised that the cat had driven him exactly where he wished as if it had understood him.
Turning suddenly, the sovereign offered an amazed look to his double, finally perceiving the presence of the cat with grege fur a few meters from him, the animal almost mockingly shaking his tail in the air.
Tilting his head, the Pharaoh finally smiled kindly and raised a hand to signal to the boy to join him, leaning back on his hands while watching the hairball slowly get sleepy.
Approaching, Heba sat next to his alter ego, leaning his back against one of the pillows placed carelessly against the pillars and, raising his cream tunic until his knees to prevent it from getting wet, he dipped his feet in the cool water, the gold bracelets wrapping his ankles shining brightly under the turquoise liquid.
"You easily found me. " indicated Atem, anchoring his gaze into his game partner's, gratifying him with a new smile.
"I was helped. " simply declared the teenager, mysteriously.
"And this night, were you able to rest? " the sovereign asked with a worried pout, frowning.
Pursing his lips, the boy ended up sighing, shaking his head from right to left before answering, embarrassed:
"Yes... I slept without interruptions... "
"I see... in this case, so much the better... "
A slight silence imposed itself as they both looked away, admiring Khepri rose above their heads with serenity.
Suddenly, the young king stood up and walked along the basin for a few meters before turning to his double, drawing his attention.
"I have a favour to ask you. A huge favour... "
"What is it? " Heba asked, raising an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Last night, I agreed to play according to your rules. However, I still believe that it's much easier to know the intentions of his opponent by pushing him straight into a trap... " declared the Pharaoh, a strange glow twinkling in his purple eyes.
"I'm not sure to follow you. " the teenager said uncertainly.
"If we join forces. If we both play with the same hand, it's clear that our combined strategies will become unbeatable. My traps, but elaborated by you, in such a way that they are harmless but equally effective. "
"That is to say? "
"Since days I know that King Hussein is preparing something against me, and I'm starting to get impatient in waiting that he makes a wrong move. "
"So you want to trap him... "
"So that he reveals himself in full light! That's right! "
"And how do you intend to do that? "
"By letting myself be killed, of course! "
##########
The staging seemed straight out of an old oriental tale. A set of decisions taken without his consent and in which he found embarked despite himself.
Biting his lower lip forcefully, Heba squirmed in all directions, embarrassed, while maids were arranging an indigo cloak around his shoulders.
"It will never work!. " he exclaimed vehemently to the address of the sovereign posted a little further against the canopy bed.
"Don't be ridiculous. How could this fail? This is our combined game. "
"Everything is not just a matter of games, Atem! "I-I mean, M-Majesty," he corrected himself, feeling the look full of reproaches of Seth at his side.
Waving aside the self-correction of his partner with a wave of his hand, the Pharaoh crossed his arms against his chest, turning his head to the rest of his priests gathered around the ivory table.
"Did each of you understand their role? "
"Yes, my Pharaoh. " acquiesced slowly Isis, a soft smile on her face regarding the boy whose face was taking more and more reddening colours.
"All will go well, Your Majesty. " Karim added as he advanced towards the bearer of the millennium necklace, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"All will not go well! " the teenager was indignant again, more than ever bored. "How am I supposed to do everything you ask me to do?! "
"I'll teach you everything you need to know, and Shimon will be by your side all the time, so you really do not have to worry. " tried to reassure him the young king, smiling as well.
"Be sure that I won't leave you. " announced the grand vizier, approaching the double of the sovereign.
"Grandpa... " whispered the latter with a voice filled with anxiety, and the old man did his best not to feel offended while the rest of the assembly was discreetly laughing at the nickname the adviser was now carrying.
"I keep thinking that all of this is ridiculous and useless. What's more, it's an insult to the Pharaoh himself. " Seth said, tightening his grip on his millennium rod, the features of his face twitching as he let his irritation take over.
"There is no better way to discover the hidden intentions of the King of Ma. "
"My Dear Nephew has definitely lost his mind, and you aren't very far from following the same path if you continue like this, Mahad! " suddenly began to relate Aknadin, in agreement with his son. "The Pharaoh's position is one of the most prestigious! What would the Israelites think if an impostor sat on the throne of David! "
"Father... "
"This has nothing to do, uncle... And you know it very well! " lectured Atem, frowning, getting closer to the boy, always in the care of the maids, almost in an attempt to protect him from the high priest's cold words.
"It seems obvious that we won't be able to fulfil our plan if we continue to conflict this way. " Shada explained with kindness, seeking to calm tensions. "Seth... you know as well as all of us that it would be totally foolish to lay charges against His Excellency unless we have strong evidence... and that's not the case. In other words, we must reveal his hidden schemes to everyone in other ways. "
"What if we are wrong? What if King Hussein is innocent of any crime? " Seth asked, although he himself didn't seem to believe in those words.
"I wouldn't stand in front of you with this idea in mind if I wasn't sure of myself. " Atem revealed, looking confident. And all the priests, Aknadin excluded, nodded, convinced.
"If my brother was here... He would be scandalised by what you're about to do. " the wearer of the millennium eye revealed angrily, pushing his son and the grand vizier to react instinctively.
"Father! "
"Aknadin! "
"So be it..." the sovereign sighed, shrugging his shoulders casually. "That I become a disappointment for my father who observes me from the Kingdom of the Dead. If Horus and Osiris support me, then I don't care about the opinion of the non-living. "
Stepping back, Heba closed his eyes, a long shiver of anxiety running down his spine.
What was that familiar feeling he was feeling right now? This air of defiance that hovered in the room, as before, when he stood before the Pharaoh, desecrating with his feet the tomb of his father... This face... Those white mid-length hairs almost grey and those lavender eyes filled with hate...
Who was this man he now discerned more clearly in his mind? He who haunted his dreams every night, leading him to a truth that was desperately seeking to be erased from memories.
As if, again, the Shadow Game resumed...