Kat PoV focus this chapter. There will be a lot of her PoV focus moments in the coming chapters as certain events begin to unfold.
Also lots of italics this chapter. Sorry.
One more apology (because I just noticed). FFN doesn't like certain typed characters it appears. This includes the 'less-than' sign, which messes with a certain line in this chapter. There is a 'text' sequence in which the old-school emoji for heart/love is written (less-than sign + 3), so all you see is '3'. This will probably be an issue in the next chapter as well (and I'm hoping it's the only issue I run into).
"Get that usurping whore out of my sight!"
"I'll kill any who dares to lay a hand on my Queen!"
"You would betray your Pharaoh for that whore?!"
"I am doing as my Pharaoh commanded, just as I've always done!"
"Lies! It does not matter. We'll let the Gods decide if you are worthy of continuing to serve your Pharaoh in the Afterlife…"
Kat couldn't see the face of the one standing protectively in front of her. She barely even registered what was going on. There was a group of Ishtari standing with their weapons pointed in her direction, looks of disdain across each of their faces. Why? She glanced down to see the crimson puddle that had formed at her feet and was soaked into her dress. Her eyes followed the trail of red that continued up the front of her, shaking as she lifted her hands. She stared long and hard at the golden fragments in her hands, covered in the same sickening color. After a few long moments, her gaze looked past the objects in her hands, now becoming focused on the bodies that had created the slick pool around her.
Her heart stopped, and her body shakily moved on its own.
"S-...Set…?...Atem…?"
The golden fragments clattered to the floor as her arm slowly reached out towards the nearest body. She swallowed hard as she rolled the crown laden head over so that she could see his face.
The face she saw was not the one she expected, and in her horror…she screamed.
Kat bolted upright, her forehead thick with sweat as she gasped for breath. She placed a hand on her chest as she tried to calm both her mind and her breathing.
'It was just a nightmare,' she tried to reassure herself.
The nightmare itself wasn't exactly new. It was one she'd endured many times over the millennia. The end, however, was concerning. She knew how the nightmare was supposed to end…because she had spent the past five millennia living it
The change worried her. Was it a warning, or was it just her own subconscious fear?
Kat shook her head, trying to dismiss the nightmare as the latter. She was certain that the events of the previous day were to blame. After a moment she looked around, realizing she was in bed alone. How long had she been asleep? Surely Marik would have woken her before he left? That is, unless he didn't want her to know he was leaving…
She tried to quiet the fear and panic that had surfaced at that thought. She grabbed her phone to check the time, and became even more nervous when she noticed the string of texts waiting for her. Her hands shook as she fumbled while trying to unlock her phone to see what it was that Marik felt was easier to do over a text than to her face.
gamiil: hope you slept well
gamiil: tried to wake you before I left but you stayed asleep
gamiil: i'll see you when I get home later
gamiil: 3 u
Kat felt all her anxiety about Marik leaving melt away. He hadn't intentionally left without informing her, she'd just been too tired to wake up when he'd attempted to rouse her.
She allowed herself to lay back down and relax into the bed, closing her eyes as she recalled her conversation with the Elder the night before.
"He is an interesting one."
Kat turned her massive, skeletal head towards the tiny, hooded figure. She closed her eyes, calming the rage that lingered and allowed her to stay in her current form. She felt her body harden and stiffen, then the sensation of her outer shell crumbling and falling away to reveal her human form. In her mind, she conjured the image of her preferred outfit, envisioning it appearing on her body. As she opened her eyes, she didn't need to look to confirm that she was indeed clothed in her usual attire.
"Interesting doesn't even begin to describe him," Kat replied fondly as the emotions she felt at that moment made their way to the surface.
The Elder revealed a smirk from below her hood. "You are truly smitten with him."
Kat looked away uncomfortably as other emotions jumped forth and became priority. "My Lady, you did not request for me to stay behind for 'girl talk'."
The Elder sighed. "Straight to the point, as always." She then turned her gaze off as if looking at something specific in the distance. "How are you feeling? I have heard that your most recent attempt was a success, even though you did not have time to properly prepare your body before the ritual."
"I feel…a bit more exhausted as of late. I also feel as though I am losing control over myself." Kat lowered her head. "I'm also having a harder time controlling my other self. It's as if my Isfet has separated and become its own entity, taking control at will and shutting me out completely."
The Elder kept her gaze off into the distance. "That is concerning, but that is perhaps because you have been starving it again." She turned her hooded head back towards Kat. "I am going to insist that you feed it during the eclipse of the Harvest Moon."
Kat lowered her head even lower while nodding slightly. "As you command, My Lady."
She waited to hear the inevitable.
"Sanura, I understand your reasoning for attacking your sire. You were simply protecting your child, as any mother would. I will not hold you accountable for something that is only in your nature as a mother to do."
Kat gingerly raised her head. "Thank you, My Lady. That removes a great burden from my mind…but what about my recent transgression against Ra?"
"There is a rumor that he trespassed into Amaterasu's territory, which is where you currently reside…along with his recently discovered descendant. Everyone knows how much Ra despises the heirs you keep company with, and based on the fact that he recently invaded your sanctuary…you were well within your rights to remind him that his actions will not go without consequence."
Kat bowed respectfully. "Once again, thank you. I was worried that I would have to face Judgment and be forced to leave those I care about."
The Elder smiled. "I think with your connection to Judgment's sire, he would have gone easy on you. I must thank you, by the way. The boy has become a great asset, and has surprisingly adjusted to his role quite quickly. I only have one major concern with him."
"Oh?"
"He appears to be overly fond of mortal confections. When he is not busy with his tasks, he can often be found stuffing his face with sweets."
Kat chuckled. "Kura did say he had a sweet-tooth."
The Elder chuckled along with her. "I think that is an understatement."
Kat calmed herself and sighed. "I appreciate your understanding in everything, My Lady. If there is nothing else, I would like to return home."
The Elder's joyful expression faded. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you."
"Ask. I will try my best to answer."
"Do you still have your cinniúint klārom, and do you use it?"
Kat looked away uncomfortably again. "I do still have it, though I only use it to try to predict potential outcomes. I do not take steps to force those outcomes unless I feel it is truly necessary."
"Understandable. Would you be upset if I told you I am taking steps that I feel are necessary?"
Kat clenched her jaw and her fists. She hated feeling like there were certain aspects of her life that had most likely been orchestrated to play out someone else's preferred outcome.
"I take it I am not permitted to ask what steps you have taken to…" She paused, trying her hardest not to use the word 'manipulate'. "...to see that the outcome is desirable?"
The Elder shook her head. "I'm afraid not."
"Then why even bring it up?"
"Because I have encountered a set of outcomes that will be determined by you alone. You will find happiness with each, but you may find the end result of some less desirable. It is a choice that cannot be made or influenced by anyone other than yourself."
Kat tried to choose her words wisely. The Elder was one of the few gods she held some level of respect for. It was the Elder that had taken her under a literal wing and acted as a mentor in her early years as an Awakened elemental.
"You wish for me to use my board to predict, and take steps towards, the more favorable outcome…correct?"
The Elder paused, as if thinking on her words as well.
"I would simply ask that for each decision you make, that you use your klārom to predict the potential outcomes. Try to see which choices will lead you towards the more desirable future."
"Should I consult it for every decision? Do I need to see if I should choose a coffee or a cappuccino?" Kat asked sarcastically.
The Elder sighed in exasperation. "Perhaps I should have worded it better. Consult your klārom when faced with decisions that will have an impact on others. For example: When faced with trying to decide whether it is best to hide the truth to protect someone, or exposing it and risking that same someone becoming hurt."
Kat turned her head sharply, growling quietly. "Must you bring that up? He came back. I could not have, in good conscience, hid something like that."
"Yet you offered to."
Kat quickly glanced back at the Elder, her eyes narrowed in anger. "It was a stupid mistake! One I will not repeat!"
The Elder reached out and took the elemental's hand in her adolescent one. "I did not mean to make you upset. I was simply stating fact."
Kat's chest tightened at the touch. She always felt conflicting things when the Elder touched her. It always made her want to break down in tears and beg to be held…and she hated it because it made her feel this way. As much as she wanted more than just the simple hand-hold from the tiny Elder, she found herself jerking her hand free.
"I told you not to touch me," she said in a shaky voice.
"It calms you."
"No it doesn't!"
The Elder sighed again. "You may leave if you wish. Just keep in mind what I said. Feed during the eclipse of the Harvest Moon, and consult your cinniúint klārom. There are events rapidly unfolding that will bring you to a crossroads. The time fast approaches where you will have to make a choice for another…but that choice will give others the choice you never had."
Kat growled in frustration and vanished.
Kat opened her eyes again. Her choice would give someone else the ability to choose something she'd never gotten a choice in? That didn't narrow down things one bit. There were many things she'd never had a choice in. She thought back to the nightmare, and the face she saw. Would he be given a choice? Was the nightmare foretelling that should she make the wrong choice…that he would meet a similar fate?
She clutched her pillow tightly, burying her face in it to soak up the tears that leaked out. As she took in a breath between silent sobs, she caught a whiff of the lingering scent left behind by Marik sleeping on the edge of her pillow. She pulled that section closer to her face, breathing in deep the strange mixture of his natural musk combined with his shampoo made from rosehips and jojoba. It was strange how much she enjoyed this combination, and how much she felt it matched him perfectly.
Kat relaxed and opened her eyes again, sitting upright and deciding that the nightmare was just a nightmare…and nothing more. As far as the Elder's cryptic message…she wasn't going to concern herself with it at the moment. She simply looked forward to the end of the school day when Marik would return home.
cinniúint klārom- Irish word for 'fate' (cinniúint) and the proto-celtic form of 'table' (klāros/klārom)
If you are curious about Marik's choice of shampoo, it's Herbal Essences Rosehips. Yes, it is vegan friendly, and it is also filled with a lot of natural ingredients. If you find yourself allergic to most shampoos because of the excess amount of chemicals, I highly suggest giving this one a try.