Chapter Three: The Sacred Lake
Kiya stirred. Her limbs ached from the hardness of the stone floor. She opened her eyes and saw that she was still in the Temple of Amun-Ra. The pillars, so beautiful in daylight, were like massive tree trunks at night, their bulk menacing as if they were closing in on her.
She staggered to her feet and called out softly for her companions, but whispering echoes mocked her. It was too late, everyone had gone. By now, the other dancers would be back in their dormitories on the far side of the complex. With a pang, she remembered that Teos was waiting for her by the temple gate. Should she try to reach him? Would he still be there? She shook her head. The guards would let nobody enter or leave the complex at this time of night, she might even be arrested for trespass.
Far away, down an avenue of pillars, Kiya could see moonlight. Like a moth, she was drawn towards it. One nervous step after another, she emerged from the temple into the garden of the Sacred Lake.
The moon was full, and Kiya stared in wonder at the ethereal beauty of the garden. Then she shivered. Her flimsy dance tunic was scant defence against the night chill, but fear also made her tremble, for she was trespassing in a holy and forbidden place. She waited, hidden in the dark shadow of a jasmine bush. The night was silent. Above her head stretched the milky shape of the heavenly Nile. The boat of Amun-Ra would be travelling along its length, towed by gods through the twelve lands of the night past the terrors of the demon-serpent Apep.
Slowly, looking right and left for any that might accost her, Kiya crossed the wide, paved pathway that surrounded the lake and gazed at the vast sheet of water. It reflected the star-glittered sky like a mirror.
Bowing her head, Kiya prayed to the ancient kings, who had become gods and now lived beside the heavenly Nile. “Just as you protect Amun-Ra upon his journey, grant me protection, I beg of you, my Lords.” The reflected stars twinkled back and she hoped her prayer had been answered.
When Kiya raised her head she was alarmed to see a man standing at the far end of the lake. He was looking into the water but, as she moved to try to hide from him, he glanced up and noticed her. With relief, she saw that he wore the jackal-head mask of Anubis. A priest of the mummification rooms had no more right to be beside the Sacred Lake than she did.
He walked towards her, moving with catlike grace. She stood tall and tried to look confident as he approached. Despite the chill of the night he was clothed only in a pleated, linen kilt and the moonlight shimmered across the smooth muscles of his chest.
When he got near he said, “Be not afraid,” in a voice that was deeply resonant.
Kiya scarcely heard his words for she was in shock. When the man smiled, the thin lips of the mask curled and when he spoke, the mouth opened and she could see his teeth and the movement of his long, black tongue. The man was wearing no mask – he was Anubis himself. She turned to run, but terror made her knees buckle and she fell to the ground.
“My Lord, forgive me,” she moaned.
He stood looking down at her. His jackal face showed no emotion but his voice, when he spoke, was gentle. “Forgive you? For what? For being here, by the Sacred Lake? You have every right to be here, child. You are the chosen one.” His feet were a hand-span from her face. She had half expected them to be clawed like an animal but they were beautifully formed and his nails well manicured. “You are to be my companion for this special night,” Anubis said, stretching out a hand. “Come, you are shivering. Let me help you up.”
Kiya hesitated. Should she attack him? Should she flee? Fear sapped her resolve. Her legs felt weak as if they would barely support her weight let alone kick out at the fearful creature that reached for her. Overwhelmed, she accepted the hand he offered.
“Good girl.” He pulled her gently to her feet.
“Now, hold my arm and we will walk together, while I tell you of great wonders.” Kiya’s knees still shook and she clung to his arm, needing his support. “Thousands of years ago the western desert was a verdant landscape, with lakes and forests.” He started to stroll along the side of the lake and she, clutching his arm, was drawn along beside him.
As they progressed, Kiya’s fear subsided. She inhaled Anubis’s honeyed scent and listened to the thrilling timbre of his voice, while he described the beauty of the vanished world, full of herds of game and sweet pastures. His arm was well-muscled and surprisingly warm and his speech had a hypnotic quality that relaxed her.
“Years of drought destroyed the land. It was then that the wise men of our tribe researched ways of ensuring our survival. They discovered a substance that allowed cross fertilisation between humans and animals. Hybrid creatures were formed. Many died, for it was a crude process and the results variable. But in one thing the ancients succeeded – over time, some of their creations proved to be immortal.”
Despite her enchantment, Kiya was amazed. She let go of his arm and stared up at him. “Are you saying that the gods are the results of an experiment?”
“I had not said it, for such information is not for mortal ears. But you have a quick mind and have discerned the truth. Although I am half jackal, I am grateful for the humanity within me. Others were less fortunate, for they were born without intelligence or morals. Those beings are not gods but monsters.”
They were walking again and Kiya sank deeper into a waking sleep. The voice of Anubis was like gentle music and his warmth and scent intoxicated her senses. She wanted to stroll beside him in the magical garden forever.
“For years the monsters were allowed to terrorise mankind, then they were banished to a hidden goldmine in Nubia. There, they toil under the control of Molloch, the most terrifying of them all.”
“What if they were to escape?” asked Kiya.
“We must pray that they do not.” A chill wind blew in from the desert. She shivered and pressed against him, seeking protection, warmed by the marvellous heat of his body. He responded by holding her close. “You need have no worries about the Molloch Mine, dancing girl, you are with me now.”
He was everything she desired in a god – strong, loving and beautiful. She longed to fling herself to the ground and worship him but, pinioned within his embrace, she continued to walk. “It must be wonderful to be immortal,” she sighed.
“No.” His voice was low. “Never wish to live forever, pretty dancing girl. Your life may be as short as a lotus blossom, but it is full of love and beauty. My life is grey, an endless road that leads from nowhere to nowhere.”
“Have you never been in love?” Kiya said and could feel the warmth of a blush.
Anubis laughed, a rich, throaty sound that made her blush deepen. “I feel something like love tonight,” he said. “I hunger for you, dancing girl. I am no monster, but the beast within me yearns for human flesh.” Lulled by his voice, Kiya felt no fear at these terrible words and the gentle pace of their walk continued. “For eons I have battled with the conflicting desires of man and beast and have resolved never to take a life that was not freely given.”
They stopped walking and Anubis twisted her to face him, his hands firm upon her shoulders. “Will you give yourself to me willingly? It will hurt but for a moment.”
At last Kiya understood what she had been chosen for. Deep within her body the fear of death squirmed. But Anubis was a god and he exerted a power over her that she was unable to resist. Softly she answered, “Yes.”
He tilted her head back and stroked her neck with sensitive fingers.
Kiya closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain of his teeth, but he stopped.
“It breaks my heart to destroy such beauty. I sense something very special about you.”
She could feel him tremble as he fought his hunger. The pause continued and, wondering at the delay, Kiya opened her eyes to see that Anubis had raised his head to stare at the distant wall that bounded the complex. She looked but could see nothing except the trees and shrubs of the garden.
He dropped his hands from her shoulders and growled as a
man’s head appeared at the top of the wall.
“Let her go, you monster!” It was the voice of Teos. He flung a leg over the parapet and hauled himself into a sitting position then raised a spear. Kiya recognised the sharpened pole he kept to kill wild pigs that dared to raid his crops. The end was fire-hardened and it was a formidable weapon. “Get away from him, Kiya!” he shouted, and drew back his arm, ready to fling the spear.
Anubis snarled. A guttural sound came from deep within his throat and his curled lips revealed long canine teeth.
“No!” screamed Kiya. She stared in horror at the transformation that had come over her god. He looked like a wild beast crouched ready to do battle. “Please do not hurt my father, my Lord,” she cried. “Forgive him. He wants only my safety.”
He gave her an unfathomable look, then straightened up, spun around and dived into the lake. Kiya watched ripples radiate across the water, shattering the peace of the reflected heavens.
“Come here, Kiya! Quickly!”
Her father’s voice was urgent and, with instinctive obedience, Kiya turned away from the lake and ran to a palm tree that grew beside the high, stone wall. She climbed the rough trunk and, with Teos’s help, scrambled to the top of the wall.
He embraced her. “Thank the gods I got here in time.” She felt the coarse cloth of his tunic, and smelt his familiar, earthy smell. From the sublime to the mundane, from honey to earth. Still under Anubis’s spell, she knew that the door to paradise had closed. “Was that murderous monster Anubis? Oh, my poor daughter. I have angered the gods as well as the temple by rescuing you.”
As her father helped her down the ladder propped against the outside of the wall, Kiya knew that her troubles had only just begun.