Chapter 6: Nakia, the (Self-Titled) Goddess of Darkness

My hands were bound behind me, and my calves were tied together. Two guards, one male and one female, stood at either side of me. Although I was still terrified, I wasn't in full-out panic mode. I realized as they were pulling me onto their boat that I could understand them. With hope I clung to the thought that I could try and explain everything to them. On one side of my head I was praising Thoth for his wonderful, amazing amulet. On the other side I was cursing Anubis. Once he was back to his human form, I had a tirade of I-told-you-so's ready for him. Didn't I tell you not to steal that boat? Didn't I warn you about the river? See where ignoring me got you? But even as I was cursing Anubis to the darkest pits of the duat, I couldn't keep from smiling at him in grim satisfaction. The natives have the weak human bound and guarded. But the real threat, the god of death, was laying to the side with no rope or guards to hold him back.

We came into a make-shift dock much further down the river than we had been. I was yanked into standing and the male guard cut the ropes from my feet. They shoved me out of the boat. I didn't much care how rough they were with me, but when the dog yelped in pain, I was furious.

"Don't hurt him!" I yelled. "Don't touch my friend!"

All the faces of the natives froze. From somewhere in the other boats, I thought I heard a man say, "Where did a white person learn to speak Guaraní?" The man holding the dog looked shocked, but I could tell that he was trying to be gentle with him. I felt a stab of guilt. At least until the dog jumped out of his hold and got on the dock on his own. My eyebrows dropped. He's such a faker.

The oldest of the group, a tall man only showing slight signs of aging, approached us. He was the most lavishly adorned with beads and weaved fabric that only covered the most important areas of his body. He sized me up for a moment; his scowl seemed permanently etched into his face. He finally said, "Why do you steal our boat, girl?"

I made sure to give Anubis a glare before I answered. If only I could change into an animal to escape the blame. "We needed it," I said shortly.

A man behind him burst of angrily, "You think that gives you the right—"

"Quiet," the older man said. The younger one clamped his mouth shut and continued to glare at me. "I don't know which is stranger," he said with a mocking voice, "the strange colored dog or the blindfolded girl."

I first thought, 'Anubis. He's the bigger freak show of the two.' I knew better than to say this. I didn't want them to think that Anubis was a threat. It would be better for them to keep their eyes on me.

"He's only a dog. He's very ordinary compared to me."

"Is that so?" The man casually stepped closer. "And what makes you so extraordinary?"

Your guess is as good as mine. "I'm a goddess." It was all I could do to keep myself from wincing at my lie. It was so horrible. But I needed his attention on me and what better way to divert attention away from a god by making myself a god instead. My panic was really killing my creativity.

His eyebrows drew up. He looked surprised, skeptic, and… he couldn't really look scared could he? "A goddess," he said carefully.

"Yes," I replied more certainly than I felt. My mind jumped to a memory of a god climbing into a bedroom window before I continued. "I am Nakia, the goddess of darkness." Now all the eyes watching me held some fear in them, but I could tell they were skeptic. Even the dog's eyes were skeptically watching me. I shot him a look I hoped said, 'Well, what else am I suppose to do?'

"Then show us if you are a goddess," exclaimed the older man with more force than before.

I took a moment to take in all the warriors. "There are twenty-three among you. Five carry bows, twelve have spears, and six wield swords. I don't need the light to see. Could another mortal do this blindfolded?"

The natives all looked around each other confirming the calculations I had made. The man did not even glance away from me. Either he already knew the numbers of his company or he didn't want to show any sign of wavering. "And how do we know if you can see through the blindfold?"

He hit the weak point of my lie. The blindfold was slightly transparent in the bright light of the rainforest. Normally this wasn't a problem. I only needed something to cover my eyes to keep them closed. Now this fact was betraying me. There would be no way of convincing them that I was keeping my eyes closed while wearing it.

My mind was too sluggishly slow trying to think of a response. But then a multitude of gasps and shouts of astonishment pulled me out of my thoughts. Anubis stood next to me. He was almost the way I always remembered his human form to be, the exception being the blood covering his body and the dog ears poking out of his hair.

"We are both gods," he proclaimed with a strong voice I've never heard him use. All the natives now looked convinced. His voice even convinced me that I was a goddess. I had to mentally slap myself. 'Keep your head in the game,' I thought to myself.

"You were supposed to be a dog," I whispered just loud enough for the others to overhear.

"It looked like you needed help," he said in a whisper I could barely hear.

"Please excuse our rudeness," said the converted old man. "We did not know."

"You do not need to apologize," Anubis replied, and there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief as though they had all been holding their breath till now. "You were right to be angry. We stole your boat and for that I apologize. I can promise you we had no intent of keeping it. We were in need at the time."

"Thank you for your understanding. Please allow us to make amends for this misunderstanding by coming with us to our village. We can treat your wounds and provide any accommodations that you need."

"Thank you for the offer. We would be glad to go with you," Anubis said with a warm smile. For once I was glad he ignored checking for my opinion before accepting. The conversation turned way too formal for me and we could do without me offending them again.

As the group prepared their belongings to take to their village, a young man approached me hesitantly. His eyes still held fear from Anubis' grand transformation. I quickly recognized him as the one who had shouted out earlier without their leader's permission. Understanding came to me and I felt bad that he was afraid I may be angry for his shouting. "M-m-may I unbind your hands?" he asked putting an effort to be calm but failing.

"Yes, please do." I turned around and allowed him to cut the rope around my wrists. My hands were free. I rubbed the rope burn around my wrists grateful. "Thank you," I said, my voice thick with gratitude. His fear eased, but didn't keep him from slinking cautiously away.

The village was about a mile into the forest. Even though the path there had been worn with use, I was still having trouble keeping myself from tripping over roots and rocks as I struggled to see them. Anubis always predicted when I was going to trip. He would grab my arm to steady me a second before my foot caught on something that would trip me. What he couldn't protect me from, though, was the panic of moving away from the canopic jar. I wanted to turn and run back to the river. I would take my chances with the piranhas. Every instinct in me was screaming, 'YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!' I forced my feet to keep moving forward ignoring how much it tore me up inside.

We came to an opening in the forest. It had houses built with coarsely chopped wood and straw roofs. Some had smoke rising from them. It was like something out of a National Geographic magazine. Everything was made with methods used for thousands of years. I knew it would be primitive, but I didn't anticipate how tranquil the atmosphere would be. You could hear the songbirds constantly singing in the trees. The light above that passed through the leaves made everything have a faint glow. I wanted to take off my blindfold to see it all in full color but I fought the urge.

Anubis on the other hand didn't show any interest in the scene before us. The arm he had been licking as a dog he was now gnawing on. I elbowed him. "Stop chewing your arm."

"It itches," he replied. Rolling my eyes no one could see, we followed the leader, who had introduced himself as Carios earlier. He took us to the chief's home, which was only slightly larger than the other homes. He was an elderly man covered in jewelry and no stranger to piercings. Carios explained who we were and if the chief was surprised he didn't show it. "We welcome you to our home, Great Ones. If there is anything you need, please don't wait to ask."

"Thank you," we said in unison. We were shortly taken to a vacant house on the outskirts of the village. Before we could go inside, a petit, young woman came bouncing to us. "Hello! My name's Itati. I'm a healer and I've come to—" She was cut off when Anubis spun around and started walking the other way. I quickly grabbed his shoulder. "Let the girl treat you. You're covered in blood."

"I'll live," he muffled through his bloody arm, his mouth still pressed firmly to it.

"We're guests here and you're being rude."

He growled, more like a dirty mutt than a fierce jackal in my opinion. Luckily, I changed his mind and he reluctantly came back. The healer gasped when she saw him chewing his arm. "My lord, you should not be biting your wounds!"

"It itches," he said. She took him away. While Anubis was gone, I received the royal treatment. They offered me a bath in cool water, which felt amazing in this heat. I was very happy to wash off all the sweat from the heat. They then dressed me in their own clothing that, thankfully, covered me completely unlike many of the clothing worn by other women here. As one woman combed my hair, another held out a bare piranha skull and asked if I would like my hair trimmed. I quickly refused.

I was escorted back to the chief's home where a large feast was laid out. There were many tropical fruits, vegetables, fish, and other meat dishes I didn't recognize. I did recognize the piranhas that had attacked Anubis grilled inside a large leaf. Serves them right, I thought.

Anubis came in covered in bandages, dog ears still sticking out of his hair, and no sign of emotion on his face. We sat next to each other, but I never said a word to him sensing he was unreachable right now. No one ate until we did. Every time my plate started to empty someone would fill it with more food. Midway through the meal, Anubis snapped out of his vacancy and started a conversation with the chief.

"The food is very delicious," he said. "Do you fish in the river every day?"

"When the weather permits us. Some days our warriors are able to catch a crocodile like the one we have here." He gestured to one of the plates I had just picked from. I swallowed the meat down with much effort. After a moment, I continued biting into it deciding that a crocodile isn't that bad.

"Your warriors are very impressive," Anubis continued. "I would like to borrow their skills if you would allow me to."

The chiefs smile didn't fade but I could see his eyes harden. "What do you need their talents for?"

"There is a possession of mine in the bottom of the river. We tried to retrieve it today but my way was blocked." That's a nice way to put being nearly eaten to death by fish. "Your warriors would probably be better equipped to recover it than we would."

"It would be our honor to help you, although it may be difficult to find if we do not know where to look."

Anubis pointed his thumb at me. "Nakia will be able to guide them to the right spot." Anubis crossed his arms and looked at me with a slight grin. "She sees in ways we do not."

I wasn't sure if he was poking fun at me or was being honest, but I ignored him. The chief vehemently agreed not seeing any double meaning in his words. At the end of our dinner I was full and very tired. Not in the sleepy way but just tired of all the special treatment. I just wanted to get to the place we would be sleeping and have some time alone. Outside there were less people out which meant less eyes to stare at us. Even though the world was in grayscale, I could tell by the dimming glow that the sun was setting. More houses had smoke rising from them. I was glad that when we reached our home for the night that our entourage let us be. I happily stretched out on a small cot and listened to the songs the night created.

I wanted to close my eyes to block out the world so badly. Even though my blindfold was still secured over my eyes I wasn't blind to anything at all. With dread it dawned on me that I probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight. What with the anxiety disorder and seeing with or without my eyes closed, I didn't even know how to sleep this way.

I sat up, my earlier relief gone, to notice Anubis sitting on his cot watching me. "What?" I asked defensively.

Anubis looked away, tracing the pattern on his blanket. "You shouldn't go around telling people we're gods, especially since I am one."

"I had to do something," I said coldly. "It's not like I had many options."

"Its okay this time, I suppose," he remarked, his eyes still trained on his blanket. "They seem more excepting to the existence of gods than most people."

"Thank God, too. Or I guess it's 'Thank the gods'. I don't know what we would do if they caught that lie." I rolled my eyes at myself. Maybe it would have been better to tell the truth, at least for me. I hate lying as it is.

"Yeah, it's a good thing you're such a smooth liar," I snorted. Anubis raised his eyebrows and finally lifted his gaze. "What?" he asked.

"You've got to be kidding," I said with a laugh in my voice. "I'm about as good of a liar as I am a goddess."

"Really?" he asked, skepticism written in his face. I really didn't think I'd have to explain. Didn't he see my poor attempts at lying earlier?

"Of course. Most of the time my aunt and uncle catch my lies. The only people who buy into me are gullible." Even though I spoke the truth, I regretted my words as soon as I said them. Who was the rude one now, insulting the very people who had been so kind to us? Anubis never replied but instead went back to playing with his sheet. After a couple of minutes of silence, I was at the end of waiting. "You can go ahead and say what you're thinking. I know I'm horrible."

Without lifting his eyes he replied, "I wasn't thinking that. I was just wondering why you only lie to those who know you best."

He stopped me short, and I realized that he was right. The only ones I've ever had reason to lie to were my aunt and uncle. And how could I have not lied to them when I knew I would just worry them. They always asked if I was okay, but I never was. What else could I have done?

My silent anguish turned into panic when the world turned black. My wish had finally come true, only that the green glow of the canopic jar went out with it. All my earlier fears came back to me. It was a fluke. It's gone! I won't be able to find the jars anymore! I couldn't see him, but Anubis must have noticed my new panic. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't see! The jar, the room; it disappeared!" I pulled the blankets under me into my clutched fists. I didn't realize they were shaking till two hands held mine steady.

"Calm down," Anubis' voice said close to me. I did my best to comply. "Take off your blindfold," he softly ordered. I grabbed at the knot but my fingers struggled to undo it. Anubis' hands quickly replaced mine. The blindfold was soon off me. The world was in color, just as it should be. But it was more than that. Though it was night, the room was bright and crisp as though there were daylight. And over Anubis' shoulder, where it had been before, was the green glow.

I let out a sigh of relief. "I can see it again. That's so weird. I wonder why it changed all of a sudden."

Anubis walked away from me and to a window. He pulled away the cloth that had given us privacy. I could see the whole forest clearly, even the bits of the moon visible through the foliage. The strangest thing happened when Anubis' gaze met the moon. His deep chestnut eyes would turn silver every time he looked in its light. I thought it was the glow of the moon, but it looked so unnatural that it really did look like his eyes were changing color.

He sat down next to me on my cot. He never looked at me while he spoke. "Your power must come from the moon."

"How so?"

"It's why you must close your eyes during the day. The sun interferes with your sight. By closing your eyes you're blocking it out." I didn't know what to think of this. While I let the new information sink in, Anubis played with his bandages. When the slightly bloody cloth dropped to the ground next to me I realized with horror he wasn't playing with them. He was taking them off.

"What are you doing?"

"It's fine. Moonlight heals me." Sure enough, under his bandages was smooth skin. There wasn't even a scar where his flesh had been gaping open.

"Pretty cool trick. Any reason why the moon can do that?"

Anubis shrugged, still not looking at me. "The moon is the sun of the duat. I draw power from it being a god of the duat."

"You too, huh…" I stared at the glow no one else could see. "What does that make me then?"

"I don't know," he said taking a moment to look at me. I glanced over at him and had to stifle a laugh. "By the way, nice ears," I said. I had almost forgotten about the dog ears he somehow kept after he changed back. Now that the world was in color again, the sandy fur of his ears stood out against his black hair.

In response, Anubis ruffled his hair. "I thought it would look ominous. I could have kept my whole head as a canine but that usually terrifies people."

"Yeah, please don't. The ears are enough. Happen to be hiding a tail too?" I asked while leaning over to peak.

Anubis didn't move at all at my investigation. "If I did I wouldn't show you. I'm glad I managed to change, though. For a moment there I thought my magic was sealed."

I cocked my head. "Sealed? Like sealing the lid on a pickle jar?"

His eyebrows dropped. "I guess you can compare it to that. I panicked when I couldn't use my magic. And then the fish came."

Now I was trying really hard to stifle a laugh. "I told you so—," I sung teasingly.

Anubis managed a grin. "You don't think I couldn't handle a couple of fish under normal circumstances?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't. Those things are freaky. I woman wanted to cut my hair with its teeth earlier." I shivered at having that skull anywhere near my hair. "Anyway, do you have any idea why your pickles were sealed shut?"

"A god is probably protecting the river. Normally I would ask if there is anyone these people worship, but since they know I'm a god it's harder to ask. They assume we're all knowing."

"I can ask," I offered.

"Aren't you the goddess of darkness, Nakia?"

"Oh… right…"

He smirked slightly. "It may not matter. We'll have the warrior's help tomorrow. Get some sleep. We'll need your eyes well and rested."

"I'll try," I mumbled. Even with the thought of another god at work here, I wasn't concerned. Like Anubis said, we'll be fishing with the warriors, so he won't have to get the jar himself. Despite my earlier worries, I did manage to get some sleep.

My eyes slid shut not knowing that after today nothing would be the same again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The day was hot and humid once again. Around us were the warriors readying their nets and spears. Beside the boat Anubis and I were riding there were two other boats flanking our sides. Although Anubis was the one giving the boat power, I was giving all the directions. The current wasn't strong so the other boats were able to keep up. When I would glance over the water's edge, I would sometimes see the shadow of fish following the boat. "The piranhas are following us," I called out to Anubis. "I think they want a second taste." He shook his head.

We slowed down as we came closer to the jar. I had to shout out more directions until I was sure all the boats were positioned around the jar. They started readying their net. It was very large and heavy, but it was exactly what we needed. It was designed specifically to scrape the river's floor and pick up anything that dwelled there. From what Carios explained earlier, it took at least two boats to haul up the net. While our boat was in charge of dropping the net, the other two were preparing their long grappling hooks so they could help lift it back up.

"We are ready," Carios said. "How is our position?"

"We're right where we need to be," I replied. "Have you shown your men the position of the jar?"

"Yes, your Highness." Good, I thought. The sooner I can get away from being called 'Your Highness' the better. "Carry on then." He made his way to the others. I noticed Anubis was peering over into the water. I wondered if he took my piranha taunt to heart. I climbed over the bench to stand over him. "Ready to have another piece of your heart back?" I asked.

It was strange how as soon as I started speaking the emotion instantly left his face. It didn't take long for the confused look he had before to drift back. "Yeah, but something's not right." He peered back into the water.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

He shook his head. "I just feel like something's watching us." I peaked over the edge too, thinking I would see a pair of eyes in the water. But the dark surface showed nothing of what lurked below.

"The piranhas are watching you," I teased to hide my own unease. He smirked for a second but said nothing.

The men were now working the net over the edge. With a splash it dropped into the water while still secured to our boat by a single rope. You could see the years of experience by the way they moved. It was methodical, with no movement made without a purpose. As the other boat worked the net across the river floor, I saw the glow move. It dragged away from me at first but soon came to a slow stop. "I think you have it," I shouted to Carios.

He gives a curt nod and they start moving our boat towards the other one. The ropes their hooks had been pulling were lifted out of the water and traded off into our boat. The man started pulling at the ropes, using their basic pulley system for leverage. The glow steadily grew larger and I knew they caught it. My heart started to pound in excitement.

The net broke the water's surface. Inside it was small fish and crustaceans that live on the water's floor as well as rotted timber and debris from the forest. The net had a coat of muddy sand that was dripping off in large chunks. Without hesitation, I threw my arm through an opening in the net. I worked my way into the fish and wood seeing the glow was just beyond it. My hand touched a hard smooth surface and I grabbed it. I could feel a layer of sandy grime covered the jar. I pulled it out of the net, twisting it so it would fit through the hole. It was too dirty to make out its features, but the glow of it confirmed it was the jar we needed. My face broke into a grin. We did it!

Less than a second after I pulled the jar from the net I heard a loud splash below me. It was hard to believe what I was seeing. A crocodile moved upward out of the water. The fact that it was a crocodile wasn't what alarmed me but its size. The mouth alone was as long as two people. Its jaw clamped onto the net my hand had been in seconds before and submerged it underwater with it. Our boat started to lean sideways, threatening to topple over. A light came from Anubis' hands. The light sliced at the rope holding the net. The boat rocked violently from the release. Everyone fell to the floor. As we regained our footing, a giant tail flew out of the water and crashed into one of the other boats. The wood splintered as it was broken in half.

Carios started yelling out orders to engage in battle with the creature, but I could only watch helplessly. How could they possibly stand a chance against that thing? Anubis seemed to be thinking along the same lines. His mouth was moving with words I couldn't hear and his hands stretched toward the water. A pillar of water shot into the sky and formed into a giant wave that crashed into our boat. We were swept by it, and dragged to shore. When the boat hit land, I flipped over the boat's edge. My back slammed onto the wet shore and I felt sure that I had bruised something. I clutched the jar to my chest and pushed myself up. I saw Anubis jump from the boat and land beside me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, just don't do that again. What's going on?"

"Sobek," was all he said. He went back to the other warriors as they were collecting their weapons from the boat's floor.

"You should leave him to me," Anubis told them. "Get yourselves away from the river."

"We are not leaving, Great One," Carios replied strongly. "We have men still braving the waters. We won't abandon them."

"Fine," Anubis said turning from them. His expression turned blank from their response. If you didn't know him as well as I did it would probably have looked like he was thinking, 'It's your funeral, not that I care.' Certainly, the other men gave each other looks like this was what Anubis meant. Since I knew there was no way I could help with the mutant crocodile problem, I decided to use my new status to help Anubis save face.

"You should focus on saving your men instead of fighting the monster. You won't be of any help if you're killed." I kept my voice even and strong which helped to distract them from Anubis' departing words. At first, I thought that I shouldn't be helping them like this. I would prefer to shout, 'Go help him kill that thing!' But I knew that wouldn't be right. Truthfully, I felt it wasn't a battle I wanted others to fight. I willfully made the choice to enter the world of gods knowing the dangers. But I didn't want these people dragged into our problems, because whatever happened to them it would be my fault.

Carios walked to the front of his men. "You may be right. What would you –"

Splash! From the river the crocodile rose from the water. Anubis stood at the beach, a small silhouette compared to the beast rising to meet him. Panic filled my mind and I forgot about everything in the world, even my own breathing, outside of the terror of Anubis facing this creature. But he never made a move to run, but stood tall and still in front of it.

"Sobek!" he shouted. "Stop this!" The crocodile lunged at him. The beast's jaw opened wide, easily large enough to devour a two-story building. Anubis managed to duck under his mouth and the croc's mouth bit into the sand. While on his back, he kicked the beast's jaw. It looked very pathetic of an attack with how small Anubis was compared to the crocodile. The effect was instant, though. His mouth clamped shut with the force and a furious growl ripped out of the beast's lungs. It retreated back, somewhat stunned from its pain.

I managed to breathe again, the initial shock somewhat subdued. I looked to the warriors, their own shock freezing them in place. Only Carios seemed to be aware of their own situation. "Come! We must find the other boats!" The sound of their leader's words broke them of their shock. The group began to depart into the wilderness that bordered the river.

Anubis called to them, "Take Nakia with you!"

"Hell no!" I responded immediately. I knew I was useless but I wasn't about to abandon Anubis. Leaving him would drive me as insane as trying to leave the canopic jar.

Anubis wasn't ready to fight me over this. "Then stay back!"

So I stood back, my arms wrapped around the jar protectively. The warriors left while the crocodile was distracted. The beast began to regain his composure. As it did, Anubis said to it, "Why do you do this, Sobek? Since when have I become your enemy?"

As great of a plan striking a conversation with a murderous mutant crocodile was, it backfired completely. Probably not the conversational type. My panic peaked again as the creature's teeth came for Anubis. Adrenaline made time move sluggishly slow, or was I more aware of what was happening? The adrenaline, however, didn't prepare me for the shock of how the situation completely changed.

Whatever plan Anubis had for dodging the creature's attack, I never saw it. Before the croc's jaw met its target, it suddenly jerked backward by some invisible force. Its open mouth roared in pain. Then from the river came a scorpion of even greater size than the crocodile. Its pinchers snapped at the crocodile's legs but it whipped away. When the scorpion's tail grazed the side of the crocodile as it stabbed at him, the crocodile retreated into the river. The scorpion went after it. The water splashed and then became perfectly still.

Slowly, the birds and creatures of the forest came back to life. The forest's song started to play again. But I was too confused to be calm. All I could manage was to ask, "What the hell just happened?"

Anubis didn't move from the shore. His eyes stayed trained on the river. We both were completely still, me from shock but I wasn't sure about Anubis. I don't think he would be shocked even if he was capable of the emotion. When I was sure nothing was coming to eat us, I made my stiff limbs move. I started to walk to Anubis but he quickly flung out his arm. "Don't come. Stay there," he commanded.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I could barely trust the calm of the forest, and his reaction only confirmed my instincts.

"It's fine, just don't come here." His voice was calmer but I still felt very tense. The minutes passed in absolute silence. I stood still except for my hands fiddling with the jar. When I felt a rhythmic pound on the jar's surface, I stopped playing with it.

I had just decided that Anubis was being paranoid when the water started to move again. It began to bubble and part opening a path to the river's floor. Walking on that path was a gorgeous woman. She was very tall and dressed in a lavish gown that sparkled like gold. She had a darker complexion like the natives here. Her hair was a long sheet of black silk that moved like ripples of water was running through it. I was so astounded by her beauty that I didn't notice her expression. She looked very annoyed and was glaring down at Anubis.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anubis said with a welcoming but off smile. "My name is Anubis. Thank you for your help earlier."

The woman considered him for a moment, her annoyance a bit eased. "I am Ituana, goddess of this river. Did you bring that beast of a god here?" she asked.

"I know of him, but he certainly didn't come from my invitation."

"But he knows you?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. If he came for me, I don't know why. He is… easily provoked. His attack may as well been a coincidence."

Her annoyance came back in stronger force. "Really? And I suppose this would be the same coincidence that's left my river smelling of wet dog."

The emotion started to slip from Anubis' face but he continued on. "I was recovering something of mine that had fallen into your river. I knew I was unwelcome when I felt the seal on me."

"You most certainly weren't welcome. I already have to deal with the Pombero's stench." She paused, observing him with disdain. "You may leave in one piece, and consider it a gift. But please try not to lose anything else of yours in my river again. I can't guarantee I will be as understanding a second time." She was turning to return to the river when her eyes flickered to me. Her eyes narrowed and she added, "I guess you'll be taking care of the mortals? I believe two dead ones were recovered from my shore."

I sharp gasp of air ripped my lungs. No one noticed. "I will send off their dead," Anubis replied heavily. Ituana held her gaze on him for a moment, then retreated back to the river, the water erasing her path.

Anubis came to where I was having my first episode. Two people dead. Two lives ended because of me. Their families would be grieving and it was my entire fault. I had sunk into the sand, my forehead rested on my knees while the jar was smashed into my gut. Whether I could see with my eyes closed didn't matter anymore. I couldn't wipe away the images of the warriors who had joined us this morning and wondered whose deaths I was responsible for.

A hand rested on my head. Anubis was sitting in the muddy sand across from me. His sad expression reminded me of his promise. I will send off their dead. We needed to go back but I couldn't move. I wasn't ready for this, to look into the eyes of the families I had stolen from. It may have been in desperation that I clung to Anubis' shirt. I asked barely above a whisper, "What can I do? What can I possibly say to make this better?"

Anubis' eyes hardened. For the first time I saw him as the old man he was. He replied, "I've been around death enough to know there are never any words." He unfastened my grip on his shirt. He rose and I heard a whistle above me. In a couple of moments our boat sailed to us in a ripple of air. Anubis was back on the ground coaxing me to stand. "You should return to the boat. I'll finish things here."

I nodded and stood. I held out the jar to him, my eyes still focused on the ground. "Here," I said. He took it from me and I quickly added, "Drink it when I'm on the boat. I'm at my limit today." He nodded and held my hand while I boarded the boat. I felt the strange sensation of space changing around me and his hand disappeared.

Paws was there waiting for me. My arms quickly wrapped around him. I stayed there for a long time holding on to him as though he were a life support. When I couldn't stand my muddy clothes anymore, I finally let go. Paws followed me wherever I went clearly concerned. He even joined me in the shower, cleaning off the mud and sand my hug had gotten on him. When my physical self was taken care of, I made myself a glass of iced tea and snuggled with Paws on a sofa to deal with my emotional self. I don't know if it was because I didn't know who had died, but I felt more tired than the grief I had at the river. I laid my head into the warmth of Paws' fur and allowed my eyes to droop.

I woke up with no sense of how long I had slept. I reluctantly opened my eyes to quickly realize I still had the blindfold on. I took it off and observed the darkness around me. It had to be nighttime already. In a lounge chair across from me sat Anubis. His face was nestled in his hands hiding his expression. "Anubis?" I asked with sleep in my voice. He didn't move. "Anubis, what's wrong?"

He shook his head and lowered his hands. The look on his face was new to me. It was like the sad expression he gave me earlier but more intense. Even painful. "It's nothing," he replied. "I just need some sleep." He got up and both Paws and I watched him till he left the room. I laid my head down and worried about Anubis. It was harder to worry, though, when I was calmer than I had been since I first sensed the jar. I may have been able to doze back off.

That was until Anubis' cry of pain rang through the night.

"People can make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999. Their donation will go to support relief efforts for the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific. "

Author's Note: Arg, my internet hasn't been working for a week. I'm horribly behind on everything. I'm so glad I'm on vacation this week.

Good news. I was browsing through FF and someone mentioned a Mary Sue Litmus test which I had never heard of. I found it and gave it a try. I'm glad to report that Nakia got a very low score ^^ Anubis on the other hand barely scraped by *snicker*. Good thing I didn't create him. I don't even have to bother with Ra and Osiris to know they are Sues. The Egyptians had a bad habit of making their favorite gods have all the best powers. The test is hilarious though. And I'm glad I took it because it was the first time I ever thought of my story as a whole and I realized that I will be putting Nakia through hell. I'm so evil to my protagonists.

~Oishii