Age of Majesty

Chapter 6

Kalim had only said "ambassador", which was a stupid mistake because the Ethiopian was a prince. When Atemu realized this he understood suddenly why he had asked specifically for Seto, who was, in his own way, a prince as well. Normally ambassadors only associate with those of their own rank, and rarely do they meet with those of higher rank. In a way, Seto would have been of higher status than most ambassadors.

Having no other choice in this case, since it was important that Seto not see Prince Mekonnen, and to allow other priests to meet with him would be an insult, Atemu ventured to welcome the Ethiopian himself.

However, he first called, differently from he usually did, for Isis's counsel, because he did not want to weary Seto further. Isis came to the main palace, seemingly already aware of what she was called in for.

It is a habit, even a necessity, for any advisor of a King to point out the plots even if the King might see them himself. Though Isis knew that Atemu saw the hidden motives already, she still mentioned them as a way to silently confirm Atemu's own beliefs without Atemu having to ask.

" High Priest Seto is a formidable strategist. As a High Priest he is the most difficult obstacle for enemies to try to take over the kingdom. If he is really to be replaced, the Ethiopians may see this as a chance to try to attack us. It is more of a certain victory for them without Seto—Seto's plans have caused much mishap for them when they tried before. They may wish to attack again."

" To encourage the idea that Seto is being replaced will encourage an onslaught." Atemu folded his arms. " And yet, we cannot lie to the kingdom at this time without lying to them as well."

Isis hesitated. " I am afraid, my Pharaoh," She admitted reluctantly, " Only High Priest Seto can answer our dilemma."

Seto, however, was not really in the shape to advise anyone. Though he had slept well he woke with a massive headache and stomach cramps. When Atemu went to see him, and it was only for Seto that Atemu did this favor, for priests were supposed to come to the Pharaoh, not the other way around. Not bold enough to yell at the Pharaoh, he did decide that he could risk being rash enough to rant about his fellow priests.

" Do they not have any brains?" He complained grumpily. " Of course they're not going to attack. They have no clue who your new priest is. If he turns out to be better than me they'll suffer heavier losses. What did Isis think they were going to do, jump at the opportunity?"

If he had been in a better state Seto might have realized he just insulted Atemu as well, for Atemu had believed the same thing, but Atemu decided not to take offense. Seto had on many occasions in the past taken advice from his fellow priests, who were all older and more experienced.

" What if they decide to use the tournament as an excuse though?" Atemu asked. " All the Shadow users are gathered in the capital. This leaves the other areas unprotected."

" They will not." Seto replied irritably. " The Shadow Realm will cover that. They know about Isis's tauk. We can carry the army there easily if we have to."

" Only you and I can do that." The Pharaoh pointed out. " And right now you are indisposed."

" I can't do this." Seto suddenly looked like he was about to start sobbing from frustration. " I can't! Just trust me on this!"

Surprised, Atemu stared at him as Seto tripped, nearly falling on his face. The priest coughed violently, then let himself fall to his knees. In his shock Atemu had forgotten to give Seto permission to sit.

" What is wrong?" Atemu cried, fear gnawing at his heart. " What is wrong with you?"

Seto did not answer. He fell forward and lay there, shuddering. Panicking, Atemu called out.

" Someone call a healer!" He yelled, before bending down to reach for Seto. " Seto? Seto, answer me! Seto?"

But Seto's eyes slid shut and he never answered.

oO

" It was the trip across the grounds." The healer told the Pharaoh. " He did not get enough rest. He should be alright if he gets enough rest. The pneumonia did not clear up completely yet. I have given him something to treat his lungs. Once that clears up he should have more energy. As for the irritableness, that came with fatigue, I would guess, and stress."

" Hm." Atemu was not so naive as to believe Seto was not stressed. Perhaps it was really time to let his cousin go have a vacation somewhere. However, that will have to wait until Bakura is executed.

Seto was lightly dozing, and Atemu turned to leave, but Seto woke with a start.

" I still cannot sense anything." He mumbled.

Atemu turned to look at him, waving the healer away so he could speak to Seto alone. The healer obeyed, closing the door behind him. Atemu sat by Seto's bed.

" I can sense you perfectly well." Atemu assured Seto. " Your magic is not gone."

" That hardly matters if I cannot use it." Seto looked at Atemu. " What if I can never use magic again?"

" Then you will not have to." Atemu replied, feeling this was the best time to convince his cousin of his worth. " You are not widely feared for your shadow powers so much as your cunning."

This did not seem to make Seto feel any better. " It has never been this bad before." He whispered, small and frightened. " It has never been so bad."

Atemu begged to defer, remembering all those times when Seto had fallen ill and bled. It had been scary, but perhaps it was not so terrifying for his cousin as it had been for him. His father never told Atemu to take good care of his cousin because it simply was not done and was not appropriate, but he did tell others, all the servants and lords, to protect his nephew, and Atemu knew that underneath all that Akhenamkhanen had meant him as well. Maybe Seto merely meant his sickness never blocked his magic in this way before.

" You will get your magic back." Atemu told him. " If it puts you at ease we can ask Isis to make sure."

Seto suddenly smiled wistfully, all traces of fear lost. " She already saw enough, I think, that I would not want to."

Atemu froze. " What do you mean?"

Seto winced. He remained stubbornly silent.

" You can tell me," Atemu glared, " Or I can hear it from Isis. It is up to you."

Seto closed his eyes. " I am not certain what she saw. She just had a look of mortification. I did not ask. She did not seem to understand it either."

Atemu paused, and nodded, deciding to accept that. " I will leave you to rest. Once the tournament is over, perhaps you should leave court for a while to properly recover. There is no way you can completely heal if you constantly have work to do."

Seto clasped his hands together. " Many thanks, my Pharaoh."

Atemu hesitated, still feeling somewhat stung. He was not sure how he would feel if Seto and he were on more casual terms, but it had to be better than Seto being so fearful of him. It was prudent for anyone else, but as a cousin and a childhood friend, they used to be almost like brothers. It made him almost wish that he were not Pharaoh, that someone else was.

Of course, there were many things that made him almost regret being Pharaoh.

" Get well soon, Seto." Atemu left before Seto could say any more 'My liege's or ' My Pharaoh's.

oO

Though Seto had expressed annoyance at the idea that they should be worried about an attack, Atemu was not so willing to completely trust Seto's judgment when the young priest was obviously in discomfort. Seto had not explained his reasoning the way he usually did, instead presenting an argument for each of Atemu's. However, it seemed that Seto had already considered the matter from the ready way in which he denied any of Atemu's concerns. Seto had been confident, at least in the beginning, that there was a way to avoid an attack from Ethiopians if the tournament was announced.

The question was why.

From Seto's earlier deductions, the Ethiopian King was a very hesitant man, always waiting too long to analyze the situation and constantly missing opportunities despite the better counsel of his advisors. He hated acting without knowing all the details, which is something that had cost him many an advantage in the past. The best way to avoid any action on the King's part is to keep him in the dark by keeping the information ambiguous. And since Atemu had never actually announced any replacements to be made, and the intent had only been intimated through the statement that the King of Games will be called to court, he decided to personally meet with Mekonnen to give him absolutely no new information.

Mekonnen was a dark, handsome man of twenty. He had a very sinister look about him. Atemu had a feeling he might want to kill his older brother, the Crowned Prince, for the throne, and thanked the gods that such an idea will never occur with Seto. He briefly wondered how he would feel if Seto ever got such an idea. Would it pain him more to see Seto grinning in triumph as he took his last breath, or would it be worse to see the silent hatred in his cousin's blue eyes as he is condemned to death?

But he disregarded the notion. After all, Seto's weak health would kill any hope of being Pharaoh, and even if Seto had been healthy the priest would never betray his cousin like that, simply because Seto was a good, kind person.

It was unfair, that Seto had to suffer this way. Perhaps it was just as well though. Seto would have been perfect, had his health been better. And Egyptians knew as well as anyone that perfection never lasts in this world.

Mekonnen bowed, for Atemu was of higher status than he. Atemu sat in his office of sorts and did nothing but look at the prince to acknowledge his presence.

" My father sends his greetings, Pharaoh," Mekonnen began a little haughtily, " And hopes to emphasize his enthusiasm for the partnership of our people."

Atemu was seated, and did not offer Mekonnen a seat. " I trust you and your family are well."

" Yes, thank you Pharaoh." Mekonnen bowed again, as was proper.

Atemu set down the papyrus, but before he could say anything Mekonnen began again,

" My father has received news of High Priest Seto's retirement."

" Has he?" Atemu kept his face and voice slightly puzzled. " We have never released such an announcement. We have, however, been holding a tournament for the past three days to determine the strongest shadow user in the country."

" Ah yes," Mekonnen bowed again, " My father, the King of Ethiopia, hopes to one day unite all kingdoms in an international tournament of Shadow Magic, with your approval, Pharaoh."

This tangent Atemu was willing to take. " That is a splendid idea. I shall send out invitations for the coming New Year. However, surely we must hold a conference to discuss the regulations of such an event."

It was a mistake for Mekonnen to mention an international tournament, for from then on Atemu never allowed the prince to return to the topic of Seto again. In the end Mekonnen was shown to his guest rooms in the palace. Atemu resisted the urge to visit Seto again. To go would only aggravate the priest, and slow his recovery.

oO

Mahaado yawned as he headed back to the house. The servants bowed in front of him as he passed. It had been a long day, with several very long and intense matches that had nearly gotten out of hand. He was more than ready to go to bed.

Most of the servants had gone to bed, something they were not quite supposed to do, but Mahaado could forgive them. It was very late, the moon had been out for hours already. A servant lighted the way with a candle and several followed to help him undress and prepare for bed.

As far as he knew, Seto was the only priest to enjoy preparing for bed alone. It was a strange idiosyncrasy of the young priest, even from when he was a child. When Atemu had attempted that he received a scolding from the late Queen, who told him that it was not proper for princes to undress themselves like peasants. Seto was able to get away with it, though, because he was able to use his health to get out of a lot of things.

He went to bed. He did not even realize that he no longer sensed Seto's shadowy presence.

oO

Seto was in the deepest sleep he had ever been in. He was so far gone that even in the dreams he felt heavy and slow. It seemed like he was fading, falling more and more so that the light above him seemed impossible to reach. He was really tired from everything that happened and spent most of the day sleeping after the Pharaoh left.

Gahiji used his shadow magic to cloak his presence. It was a neat trick taught to him by his master a long time ago. His master, a mentor hired by his father who was a noble, regretted that decision several years later when he "accidentally" let loose a bunch of Shadow monsters on himself. No one ever suspected Gahiji, for no one sensed him.

In the pale moonlight Seto was a sleeping angel. His skin was smooth as porcelain and his long lashes were shadowy under the moonlight. The man raised a rough hand to brush against that cheek. Seto did not stir.

He had intended on using this same trick on the priest, but the sickness had taken away even that bit of magic. It will grow back, if Gahiji knew anything about magic, but for now it was a distinct advantage. He just had to avoid the other High Priest who was supposed to be protecting Seto.

Slowly lifting the thin covers, Gahiji took in the vision of beauty before him. Against the pale linen Seto's body looked thin and delicate. The exhausted priest did not sense the danger at all, not even shivering in the sudden chill. One arm was at his side while the other was bent up so the hand rested next to his head.

Gahiji took out the rope he brought with him and seized the thin wrists. Seto woke with a start, blinking blindly in the darkness, but before the priest could react Gahiji had flipped him over to his stomach and wound the rope around his wrists behind his back. Tying it with impossible efficiency, he grabbed the gag he prepared as Seto let out a scream, flipped the boy back over and stuffed it in the boy's mouth. Seto kicked up, but Gahiji grabbed that thin leg easily. He tossed it down to the side and hoisted Seto's body over his shoulder. Pinning Seto's legs against himself to stop the futile thrashes, Gahiji turned to the window and leaped out. The back of Seto's head knocked violently against the top of the window as Seto arched up, and the boy went limp as blood poured down to his forehead and dripped onto the ground as his captor rushed away.

oO

Bakura sensed there was something wrong with the air around him. It has been days since his last steal and the thief was itching for another one. It had gone to the point where he could barely catch his much needed rest. Even though tomorrow he had a match, the thief decided he could do without sleep tonight. After all, he had yet to meet any shadow user that could match his skills and power.

The only place worth robbing, really, is the palace. And since Bakura had a good idea of its layout thanks to his previous venture for the gold, he had no qualms about sneaking into again. This time he is leaving the prize for later.

The guards were easy to avoid, it was the Pharaoh and his priests that Bakura had to worry about, and from previous experience Bakura knew he could dodge them. There was one particular treasure he had in mind anyway, and although he was not going to be as stupid as he was last time, he knew Seto could not use or sense shadow magic. Perfect.

It was obvious, however, as soon as he got there, that Seto was not in his house. Bakura had been wondering why they allowed the sick priest to go through the palace grounds, but apparently Seto had been moved to another priest's care. Which made things considerably more complicated. Bakura paused on top of the roof, considering. He could not afford to take any risks. If he was discovered there was no going back. But he really wanted to see Seto.

Suddenly, he saw a shadow jumping out of the other priest's window. He was carrying a load, and as it bobbed up and down over his shoulder Bakura recognized Seto's form clearly. He is kidnapping him…gritting his teeth in sudden anger, Bakura threw caution out the window and gave chase.

He is the Thief King Bakura, after all. No one steals from a King.