Chapter Five- The Request

Atem yawned and stretched his arms as he and his priests emerged from an empty house. That had been a good night and there are still two more nights like it. I look forward to them.

"Pharaoh, do you truly wish to tell Mahad?" Aknadin said. "I personally think it's a good idea. It would be better if he was on our side rather than against us."

"I do want to tell him and I agree with wanting him to be on our side."

"What if he asks to be bitten?" Seto asked.

"I don't know if he would want that, but if he asks, I would be happy to grant it."

Seto nodded. He thought it would be perfect if Mahad was a werewolf. He would insure their protection as it would be his protection as well.

The morning meeting was a little later than usual and Atem said that the next two mornings would be later as well. He did not give a reason; as pharaoh, he did not have to.

Mahad noticed that Atem seemed more focused this morning and he was glad to see this. He was willing to chalk yesterday off to teenage hormones that erupted with Atem's sixteenth birthday. Today would be normal, the late meeting notwithstanding. He would run a patrol and when he finished reporting, the two of them would talk about anything as they occasionally did; for Mahad there was a topic he wanted to bring up.

The patrol resulted in finding two criminals and imprisoning them to await trial the next morning. He marched into the throne room and knelt. "Two criminals were found and are awaiting their trials tomorrow, my pharaoh."

"Well done, Mahad."

"Thank you. Pharaoh, I confess that you seeking information on werewolves was a bit unusual."

"Unusual? How so?"

"You should not have to concern yourself about such evil creatures. As long as you stay safe in the palace during the full moon, everything will be fine."

Atem suppressed a growl at Mahad's description of werewolves as he knew that his friend spoke from ignorance and that he would soon be enlightened. "Mahad, you have not encountered a werewolf, correct?"

"I have not."

"Actually…you have. Three, in fact which is now four."

"What?" Mahad gasped.

"Mahad, those verbal tales are, for most part, false. There are a few grains of truth in them. Men can be bitten on the full moon into werewolves, but some are born werewolves. My father was one of them."

"Your father? But…then…that would mean…"

"Yes. I'm a werewolf too. It is a trait that is passed through the male line and unlocks when one turns sixteen. I transformed last night and found that I could only speak as a wolf."

"My pharaoh, this is hard to believe. May I ask for proof?"

"It must wait for nightfall. I cannot change in the daylight on full moon nights."

"I thought there were no written material on werewolves. Where did you get such information?"

"From us," came another voice and Mahad turned to see Aknadin and Seto enter the room.

"You, Master Aknadin?"

"Yes. Seto and I are werewolves too. We told the pharaoh all he needed to know yesterday. He was dealing with sharper senses and partially shifting into a wolf before dark and when one changes for the first time, he stays a wolf all night. Every werewolf changes on the full moon and stay wolves through the night. A woman can't be turned but she doesn't die from a bite. We have a distinctive scent other werewolves can detect but it is absent in human form."

"But you can change whenever you like, yes?" Mahad asked.

"Yes," Seto said. "Being a werewolf is not a bad thing. We know that you would kill a werewolf if you caught one. Well, you know three right now."

"I did say that and, given the situation, I will rephrase my sentiment to say if I catch a werewolf who is a criminal, I will not kill him but treat him like any other criminal save for the sentence, I would think."

"Good," Aknadin said. "Then I can tell you that silver has no effect on us. We are vulnerable to the same things you are though scratches and cuts do heal quickly."

"Why tell me all this? Why reveal your secret?"

"I didn't know until yesterday. Also, you're my friend. I thought if I told you, it would alter your view on werewolves and that you would protect us from those who would want to hunt or harm werewolves."

"You thought correctly. You are not evil or a monster, my pharaoh and the same goes for you Masters Seto and Aknadin."

"Thank you," Aknadin said. "Our kind are no different from humans. There are good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately, it is the bad ones that make humans fear all werewolves and the good ones, like us, must hide that part of themselves."

Mahad took in the solemn looks of all three and knew that would do all he could to keep them safe from harm. Yes, he already did that as captain of the guards, keeper of the tombs, and using his magic to protect all he valued highly, like Atem. There is one other thing I could do and now would be the time to do it.

Mahad faced Atem and knelt. "My pharaoh, I have a request."

"Yes?" Atem suspected he knew what Mahad was going to say but did not voice it in case he was wrong.

"Will you bite me tonight?"

"What?" Aknadin asked, surprised by the request, but only a little; in his lifetime, no one had asked to be bitten. He looked at Seto to see mild surprise and a bland expression.

Atem merely raised an eyebrow. "You do understand that if I do, you will spend all of tomorrow with the same difficulties I had yesterday."

"I am well aware of that. I want to be able to protect you to the best of my ability and in every way possible."

Seto smirked. "The pharaoh can protect himself now that his heritage has been unlocked. You don't need to be bitten Mahad."

"But you can't change in the daylight hours of the full moon," Mahad pointed out, facing Seto.

Seto waved a hand dismissively. "Three nights out a full cycle of the moon's phases and very few people know our true nature." Seto, despite his earlier thoughts of Mahad being a werewolf, was confident that Atem did not need another werewolf priest and certainly not one who would be a newbie.

Mahad bristled a little at the younger priest's attitude but Atem defused the situation by saying, "I admire your dedication Mahad and I will grant your request."

Mahad turned and bowed. "Thank you, pharaoh."

"I dug a tunnel to an oasis where we spent most of last night. We could go there again tonight."

"We could," Atem said. "But Mahad will not have a fur coat to keep him warm. We can go there tomorrow night. We need a different place tonight."

"The Magicians' Training Ground," Mahad suggested after a few minutes of contemplation by all. "There is a back entrance known only to me. It would provide shelter for us and warmth for me as well as room for you to run and, if you want, to hunt. My magic will be stronger on those grounds and I can conjure more water from whatever water we bring." He lapsed into silence to see if the others would agree to his suggestion.