Chapter 30

She felt his presence the moment he emerged from thin air, but she refused to show any sign of recognition. She stood there in place, her eyes shut and her fists clenched, trying to control her anger and disappointment.

Even here he was, trying to control her life. She knew Ra has sent him, but why there was nothing important or urgent. Doesn’t she deserve to be free for a whisper of time? A day or two in god’s life is nothing comparing to their immortality.

She is mated to a mortal now and every breath counts, but not her selfish, greedy father. From the beginning, he made sure she was lacking in everything. She was a deity just by the name; she was not more than a tool for him to use.

She hugged her middle, refusing to speak, refusing to submit to his power, but when Urmah moved and drew his sword, she had to do something before he hurt himself.

“What do you want, Anubis?” She turned when she heard a thud to find the male kneeling and Urmah was standing there, his sword grazing the male’s neck, almost drawing golden blood. She trudged through the calm water until she stood right in front of the kneeling god with sand sticking to her wet feet.

“You can be at ease Anubis, you don’t need to kneel or bow to me. You always insisted on doing that.” The young god stood gracefully and eyed the male, who was still drawing his sword and ready to fight if he had to.

He rested his right fist on his heart, his head bowed a fraction.

“My apologies, my lord. I didn’t mean to startle you or give you the wrong impression. I’m Anubis, the god of mummification and the afterlife, as well as the patron god of lost souls and the helpless. The great god Ra has sent me to inform the lady of terror that she has been summoned to the god’s assembly.” He turned to Sekhmet.

“He needs you to be present for….” He didn’t finish, but there was no need to. She knew what purpose she served. She needed to be present to scare everyone and anyone who would think that he could hurt her father. The Egyptian pantheon was one of the strongest.

The Greeks were on the same scale. The two were fighting for power ever since the creation of worlds, but none of them could prevail. They were equal, and in the end, they chose to rule together grudgingly.

She closed her eyes and stared at the blue sky. It was a great day, but alas; it was ruined like everything in her life. She felt her lover sheath his weapon and embrace her.

His warm body comforted her aching soul. She sighed, breathing him in. His scent was like a balm to her wounds. She wished this was a different life, and they had met in other circumstances. He kissed her head before speaking softly into her hair.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. No one will force you?” She smiled as if she could do that. “I can’t, my lion. I have a duty for my family and my people too. My presence might be the difference between life and death.” He hugged her closer. “Then let me come with you?”

She raised her head, staring at him bewildered; he blushed. “What? Am I not your male? Can’t I be with my woman anywhere she goes? I told you before, my goddess, I will follow you through heaven and hell. So the god’s realm is nothing.”

She chuckled. Yes, he was right, but the question was. Was she ready to let him see the real her? He has seen most of her truth, but in the other realm, she has a reputation, a one she rightfully deserved.

“But give me your word that you will not fear me after whatever you see or hear up there.” She looked scared, and she was, but yet again one day he would know, then why not now.

“Oh digir_gu, I’m a blind man who finally found his light. How can I leave the only thing that brightens my soul? If I ever leave you, know that it wasn’t my well, but death has at last taken my soul.”

She buried her face into his chest, willing her eyes not to tear and after five harsh breaths and several heartbeats; she pushed away from him “Then let us prepare you my lord to meet the great gods of Egypt.”

She used her magic and dressed him in a velvety golden silk kilt that reached his knees and let his chest bare for two reasons. First; she enjoyed the beautiful sight and second to show off her mark.

Every mated god has one, and she never thought she would ever have the privilege of a mate, as all gods in the pantheon thought. So this was her opportunity to show him off to all of them. She brushed some of his hair in several small braids style and the rest hang loose on his back.

Some golden ornaments adorned it, a huge necklace dangled from his chest with a big ruby shining in the middle and red bracelets like cuffs on his wrists matching hers.

He didn’t need any weapons where they were going, but to make him look fearsome, she chose to attach the kilt with a golden sword that had a head of a lioness as the hilt. She stood eyeing her handiwork and nodded to herself approvingly, then in a blink, changed into a golden gown that was loose, showing her curves in a sultry way.

The jewelry and bangles gave her the air of a playful woman, making her lover growl at her choice. She chuckled.

“Where we are going, my lion, no one will lust after me. Actually, they will think of you as a madman for looking at me in that way.” She kissed his frowned face, choosing to ignore his questioning eyes. She turned to the messenger.

“Lead the way. We don’t want to make the great god wait for us.” He bowed and opened a portal to the gods’ realm. She held her lover’s hand tightly and took confident steps and walked through the black void.

The gods were a suspicious group. They trust no one, even their own. That was why, when they met, they would never go to another pantheon. They would ask the fates to set the time and place, so there would be no treason or bloodshed of any kind. That way, they would be safe from any harm.

The place they chose this time was no different. It looked like a wide expanse of desert, and in the middle, there was a great open tent with no sides or covers erected to hold this big group. The moment they set their foot on the ground, they heard the murmurs and talking.

The great gods were anxious and that would show through the way they stood away and huddled in groups far from each other, waiting for the supreme rulers of this realm.

Sekhmet clasped her lover’s hand and walked proudly with a raised head. She headed to the Egyptian deities who were standing in the corner waiting from the father of all Ra.

when they saw her and her companion, all their chatter seized and they focused on them. They all knew about what her father did for her, but they didn’t know that she found a lover and already mated thanks to Tiye.

“Look who has decided to grace us with her presence and she brought a…. mortal nonetheless with her.”

Horus spoke above all, making everyone present to pay attention to them. Her anger rose in a heartbeat. This imbecile always irritates her, even though she always ignored his presence. Anubis walked quickly to introduce them to the all the attendance.

“The great goddess of war Sekhmet and her mate prince Urmah of Sumer.” She knew this was his attempt to soften the tense air, but the god of the skies didn’t take the hint.

“So the savage goddess finally found someone for herself, but the question was how. Did you threaten him?” He approached Urmah.

“Did she force you mortal, tell me and I will help you. I will save you from this agony right now.”

The smirk on his face was disgusting. Some of the gods snickered and others tried to hide their amusement. She couldn’t really scold or chastise anyone, but she can kill that bastard or at least try.

With a harsh breath, she shifted into her warrior form. Her crimson armor gleamed under the sun, and her flaming sword burst through the air and settled in her right hand. Her face wore a sneer that could kill whoever looked her in the eye, and she stood above all.

She knew she looked intimidating; she knew her lover would be afraid of her because right now she wasn’t Sekhmet; no she was the goddess of war.

The only goddess that was feared by all, even Ra himself. She took a few steps to her prey, her breath harsh, her body shaking with rage, and raised her sword to his head.

“How dare you disrespect me, minor god? You think that you are my match? You think that you can humiliate me with no consequences? You think that I won’t kill you, lesser?”

The earth shook with the power of her voice. The other gods shied away from her. Some of them took a protective stance in front of their significant other, but she has eyes only on Horus, who shifted in his pathetic war form.

But it was nothing compared to her. She chuckled when he flinched after taking another step to be flushed against him.

“You are a monster. Did he know what you did? Does he know how you killed millions of innocent people and drank their blood? How you got drunk on the killing that you went on a kill spree. That we had to drug you so we could save the rest of the people of Egypt?”

Even though his voice was quivering, everyone heard him clearly. She swallowed harshly and faltered, thinking about Urmah’s reaction and what he would think of her.

Now he also will think of her as a monster. For what felt like eternity, she stood in a trance there, her sword sharp and ready to cut the god’s head, but her lover’s voice broke the spell. Especially when his warm hand gripped her fisted one.

“Digir_gu let me show you my love by defending your honor. You don’t need to dirty your hands with filth.‘‘

He sheathed his sword and swung, aiming for the god’s head. She blocked his move and shifted back to her normal self.

“He is not worth the effort. He was nothing and still nothing. Just a minor god who has no honor.” He stood glaring at Horus, not flinching, not trying to intimidate him, but was giving him a silent promise. That next time, if there was one, it would be his last.

“You have my word, Lord Horus. Next time when we meet again, I swear by all the gods here, I will cut off your head and present it to nam kianga_gu as a proof of my love. And every time you rise from the dead, I will do it all over again.”

He bowed his head respectfully and pulled her to where Anubis stood silently. Her heart fluttered, and she held his hand tighter.

“Why did they decide to meet today, Anubis? What is the object of this meeting as I can see all the pantheons are here, even the small one?” The young god turned to face her.

“They are discussing the possibility of creating new worshippers. They got bored with humans and their insolence. They are thinking of creating new mortals but in our form.” she asked him questioningly.

“But humans are indeed in our form?”

He shook his head. “No my lady, they want to make new mortals with two forms who can shift like us.”

She cocked her head, trying to understand the reasons behind this and how the mortal realm would be different. More dangerous, more like a jungle. It will be a predator life, survival of the fittest.