“Seth didn’t technically break his vow,” Amun-Ra said. “He just sees things a little differently.”
“A little differently?” Horus exclaimed. “He seeks our demise!”
Amun-Ra sighed. “Seth has a different definition for caring for the cosmos. You see, he came into his powers much later than his siblings. Isis was a powerful spell maker. Osiris ruled over things unseen and could call upon the elements to do his bidding. Nephthys’s power was quiet, subdued. She could see into the very heart of a person and understand them fully, truly, in a way no one else could. This is why she became Seth’s wife.”
“But he didn’t love her,” I said. “He wanted Isis.”
“Yes. He wanted her but he didn’t love her. At least, not in the way Osiris did. Seth was obsessed with Isis and her power. He wanted to use her to make his spells. His wife, Nephthys, became intensely jealous, not because she didn’t love her sister, for she did, but she needed and craved the love Osiris shared with his wife. She wanted that with Seth. Unfortunately, he was not in the correct frame of mind to offer that.”
“He never will be either,” Horus interjected.
“I’m afraid I still don’t understand,” I said.
“That’s because I’ve gotten ahead of myself. The only reason I even bring up Seth’s relationship with his siblings is balance.”
“Balance,” I echoed.
“Yes. Each god was given a gift, every one of them important in a different way. Seth’s gift was perhaps the most important of all because he is how the universe maintains balance.”
“How so?” I asked.
“He’s evil,” Horus explained. “He balances out our goodness.” Amun-Ra frowned but he didn’t contradict his nephew, who, emboldened by his uncle’s pause, continued. “Seth was created to stir up trouble. The cosmos needs that spark of dissonance, that cord of uncertainty to create. Without it there is only perfection. How do you understand up if there isn’t a down? Or comprehend love without hate?”
“So let me make sure I’m getting this. Seth’s job was to cause contention, purposely, so that…what? Mortals don’t get too complacent? Too happy?” I asked.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Amun-Ra said. “There is a place for chaos. Humans understand and appreciate peace only if they know the horrors of war. They can only grow if there is an obstacle to overcome. The cosmos is only balanced if there is a way to experience the bad along with the good.”
“Okay.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Then what went wrong? Why is he locked up?”
Horus seemed unwilling to answer this time and deferred to Amun-Ra, who sucked in a breath. “Seth is imprisoned not because of causing chaos but because he wants to unmake all that we have created.”
“Including us,” Horus added.
“What? Why would he want to do that?”
“He’s jealous,” Horus said pettily. “He wants to rule it all.”
Amun-Ra narrowed his eyes at his nephew. “Seth seems to have determined that the only way to truly bring balance back to the cosmos is to attempt to refill the Waters of Chaos.”
I tilted my head. “But I thought you said they’d been completely drained.”
“They have been,” he answered.
“Then how would he refill them?”
“He’d destroy us all in the hope that when we died, our energies would return to the place they originated from,” Horus said. “The only exception in his mind would be him and his chosen mate, Isis. With Isis at his side and the Waters of Chaos filled with our life energies, he believes that the balance would be restored with one perfect god and one perfect goddess to rule it all.”
“That’s a long shot. Isn’t it?” I asked. “I mean, there’s no guarantee that your life energies would refill the Waters of Chaos, is there?” Horus glanced at Amun-Ra and a long, meaningful look passed between them. “What?” I pressed.
“When Seth made his first move, the attempt that took Osiris’s life, a part of the power that Osiris had been endowed with returned to the Waters and another portion, we are unsure as to how much, remained with the one who murdered him.”
“Seth,” I declared, blowing out a breath.
Amun-Ra nodded. “Isis stopped the process before it was fully realized and used a powerful spell to remake her husband, but he was not the same as he once was. He was lesser somehow. Isis made it clear to all of us then that she wanted no part of Seth’s plan and that she considered him her enemy.”
“Yes, Osiris, her husband, was the first mummy. Right?” I shifted forward in my seat and sipped from my goblet.
“Correct,” Amun-Ra said. “When Isis became pregnant, a thing that was forbidden, there was very little energy in the Waters of Chaos to create a god. I had to bestow their child with some of my powers so that he might live.
“Because of this, we learned that our powers could be freely offered to another. That is how you became a sphinx, after all. Isis gifted her lions with a portion of her power, and now that energy resides in the two of you.”
I folded my arms. “I’m surprised you didn’t punish her for creating the sphinx spell like you did when she tried to save her husband. It’s cruel to keep them apart.”
“Isis misunderstands my intentions. What you see as cruel, I see as necessary. Isis broke the law and a consequence had to follow. Despite the law, I am merciful. They are allowed to see one another. As often as her duties allow, I grant her permission to visit the afterlife.”
“Still, it seems wrong to separate two people who love each other like that.”
Amun-Ra steepled his fingers and considered me. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made and we must give up the thing we want most in the world so that others might live contented and happy. Isn’t that right, Nephew?”
“Wouldn’t he actually be your great-grandson, not a nephew?” I asked.
“The life I instilled within him called for a reevaluation of our relationship,” he said with a frown. “He is actually closer to a son to me now than anything else, but Osiris chafes at the mere suggestion of it, so I took on the role of his uncle instead. Willful though my charge may be.”
Horus righted himself in his chair with as much dignity as he could muster. “I had to grow up quickly and try to protect myself. Seth came after me at a young age,” he said with a yearning look in my direction.
“You fought with him. Amon told me,” I said.
“Yes. Seth saw me as the weakest of the gods and therefore the easiest to destroy. He knew Amun-Ra was much too powerful to come after him directly, so his plan was to siphon off the energy of the lesser gods first, starting with me. I also represented his defeat, for I was the product of the union he failed to extinguish. He declared my birth an illegal act willfully realized by my corrupted parents, and one that deserved the ultimate punishment. I was the embodiment of the very thing he despised the most, and he was determined to kill me until Amun-Ra intervened.”
“Isis became naturally distraught after Seth made several attempts to kill Horus,” Amun-Ra added. “She poisoned me in an effort to learn Seth’s true name so that she might destroy him before he killed her son.”
“Hold on. Amon told me that Isis poisoned you so that she could find out your true name so that you would help Horus. He said she wanted Horus to be your heir.”
“Either one would have served her purpose,” Amun-Ra went on. “If she obtained Seth’s true name, she could put an end to him, and if she had mine, then she could control me and make me destroy him for her. I am the only one powerful enough to do it, not having given birth to any children of my own. And being the first god to come forth from the Waters of Chaos afforded me the opportunity to learn the true names of all the members in my family. Isis wanted to stop Seth once and for all. If any of us survived the unmaking Seth was attempting, she wanted it to be Horus. When I refused to give up either of our names, she asked me to take Horus under my protection instead, and I did.”
“
So you made him your heir?”
“I don’t see my relationships with my family members in that way. We are all equal in my mind. Even those gods who have more limited powers have duties that are vitally important in the creation and maintenance of the universe.”
“I disagree, Uncle.”
“I know you do. But I cannot help loving Seth as much as I love you or your mother.” He turned to me. “To soothe her, I told Isis that Horus would receive the opportunity to win a special gift, one that would make him powerful enough to ensure that Seth could not destroy him, but that Horus would need to pass a series of challenges before winning it. It was not a gift I gave away lightly.”
“You’re talking about the Eye of Horus, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Yes. When I presented Horus with the three trials to test his worthiness, Seth appeared and demanded that he be included. I thought a supervised competition between the two gods might go a long way toward helping Seth return to the fold, to give Seth a chance to prove himself and show the others that he was not the man they thought he was. But Seth used his powers to unmake Horus’s eyes. In losing his vision, Horus saw clearly for the first time. His suffering helped him to understand the needs of others. And I knew then that he was truly worthy of the prize.”
“I found Nebu,” he said. “Even blind I was able to defeat Seth, thanks to the falcon who kept me alive.”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “Amon told me you never found Nebu, that the one who did would become the heir of the sun god.”
“Nebu and I disagree on the matter of who found who,” Horus answered with a cocky smile. “Even so, Seth didn’t like what happened next.”
Amun-Ra grunted. “Seth was angry, but even he could not find fault with my decision. Horus was given new eyes, including my most powerful gift, currently in use by your young man, Amon. Despite outward appearances, Horus does make sacrifices for the greater good from time to time.”
“Amon is currently in possession of my golden falcon and the Eye,” Horus groused. “That’s why I’ve been grounded here for so long. Without the Eye, I’m vulnerable. Perhaps the company of a beautiful woman—women,” he corrected with a wave of his hand to indicate both me and Tia, “will help me forget my troubles.”
I completely ignored him while Amun-Ra twitched, clearly at his wits’ end with Horus’s lovesickness. “Insufferable as your manners are, you have earned the right to live under my protection for as long as I have the power to keep Seth at bay. And I would remind you that he is contained. Your exile in Heliopolis is self-imposed.”
I spoke up. “So when did that happen? Imprisoning Seth, I mean.”
“Despite my feelings on the subject,” Amun-Ra said, “the gods rallied against Seth after he nearly killed Horus, and he was cast out from our home. For a while, he left us in peace. But then Seth realized that if he destroyed the things we’d wrought, the energies of our designs, as feeble and as mortal as they were, would also return to the Waters of Chaos. Those energies would then be refashioned, and a portion, regardless of how minuscule it was, would remain with him. Wars erupted. Murderers thrived. Bloodthirsty men took power. We did what we could to counteract it, but the vow we’d made to use our powers for the benefit of others kept our hands tied. We were unable to contain him. All we could do was try to fix what he destroyed. But he became so skillful at wreaking devastation that there was often nothing left to repair.
“This was when Nephthys presented the idea of imbuing humans with our powers. She sought out three worthy young men who were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their loved ones, and we gifted the striplings with the power to keep Seth contained. Because they were not limited by our vow, they were able to do what we could not.”
“Not all of the gifts were willingly given, I’ll remind you,” Horus murmured.
Arching a brow, Amun-Ra said, “Some were reluctant, and I’ll admit I was one of them. I was certain we could talk to Seth and figure out a way to resolve his concerns.”
“That’s why I had to step up,” Horus said. “The Ennead approached us for help, and when Amun-Ra wouldn’t comply, I had to offer my powers, as well as the golden falcon, to your Amon.”
I reached across the table and took his hand, and so incredulously happy was his expression, you would think I’d just agreed to marry him. “I’ve ridden on the back of the falcon,” I said. “He’s beautiful. I can see why you miss him.”
Horus wrapped his fingers around mine and squeezed lightly, giving me a genuine smile for the first time, and not one glazed by lust. “He’s been my truest companion since he saved me in the desert,” Horus said earnestly.
I half smiled in return and slowly removed my hand from his. “So Amon and his brothers keep Seth locked up for you, then, by performing the rite they do every thousand years?” I asked.
“Yes. They are the…How should I put it so that you can understand? They are the gatekeepers, the guardians of the prison,” Amun-Ra answered. “But they did not create its walls. A bigger sacrifice was necessary before we could contain him.”
My fingertips tightened on the table edge. “A bigger sacrifice than the Sons of Egypt giving up their lives time and time again? Not being able to live or love freely? Never being able to find happiness for themselves or having a family of their own?”
“Yes,” Amun-Ra answered frankly.
“What’s a bigger sacrifice than that?” I demanded.
“We lost our grandparents,” Horus murmured.
“What?”
“Our grandparents, Shu and Tefnut, willingly gave up their corporeal forms and created a place in the cosmos, a prison made of wind and water that confines Seth. Every millennium, bits and pieces of the beings they once were siphon off and return to the Waters of Chaos. The Sons of Egypt provide reinforcement but it’s really only a matter of time until the prison is weakened enough that he will break through,” Horus said.
Stunned, I asked, “Well, what will you do then?”
“Amun-Ra thinks we should just let it happen. Let Seth come for us.”
“But that means he’ll kill you all,” I said.
“Probably,” Horus answered. “What’s worse, though, is that he’ll destroy everything we’ve created. Including your world.”
“Anubis said he’d enslave us if he got free,” I murmured.
“That’s likely,” Horus said. “Either that or he’d just unmake the entire planet.”
“Look, if there’s one thing in the universe worth living for, worth fighting for, it’s love. I love Amon. He’s suffering and I want to stop his suffering, plain and simple. If that helps the world, even better. If that means Seth stays incarcerated for another couple thousand years, then I’m good with that. I consider him your problem, not mine. Now, the two of you can either help us find Amon or we’ll figure out a way to do it ourselves.
“I’m not asking for you to watch over me, lend me power, or even protect me from what awaits us. Odds are we won’t even survive, but we’ve got to try. All I want is permission to travel to the netherworld. Nothing more. I appreciate your story. I understand your dilemma. But we’ve been sitting here rehashing the past long enough. It’s time to take action.
“So I guess the real question is, Are you two gods going to stand up and act like the omnipotent, omniscient beings you’re supposed to be? Or are you going to sit here and wallow in the past until it’s too late to accomplish anything meaningful and, as a result, relegate the innocent who have done nothing to deserve your disregard to a fate worse than death?”
Amun-Ra tapped his lip with a forefinger, contemplating what he was going to do with me, while Horus smiled broadly. “Oh, I like her, Uncle. Please say I can keep her.”
The sun god ignored his nephew and instead studied me. Finally, he shook his head. “I cannot help you.” When I opened my mouth to protest, he held up his finger. “It goes against everything I believe to assist any member of my family in the overthrowing of another. If Seth escape
s, he escapes, and I will use the opportunity to guide him in the correct path as I did before. I must remain neutral, no matter the consequences, no matter the cost.”
“But—” I managed to get out before he cut me off.
“However, I will make no attempt to stop you should you wish to travel to the netherworld.”
“You know he’ll never agree to take her without your approval,” Horus protested.
“Lily and Tia have a pronounced ability to talk immortals into supporting their agenda. I have no doubt they’ll convince him.”
“Who’s him?” I asked, but both gods disregarded my question.
Amun-Ra rose from his chair and a servant girl immediately appeared. “Please escort this young sphinx to a sleeping chamber,” he instructed her, “and do not allow Horus to know which one.”
The girl nodded and indicated I should follow. Horus cried out in surprise, making a fumbling attempt to jostle his way around Amun-Ra to join me. “Relax, Nephew, you shall see her again before she departs on the morrow.”
After we turned down several hallways and smooth-tiled corridors, the girl came to a stop.
“Here is your chamber,” she said. “I’ll return just before dawn to help you with your ritual bath.”
“Ritual bath?” I echoed.
“Yes. You do wish to enter the netherworld, correct?”
“I do. I just didn’t know there was a special bath involved.”
“To enter the afterlife as a mortal, you must first cross the sky river and present yourself for judgment. If accepted, you will then be granted access to the netherworld.”
“Judgment? Who will be judging us?” I asked.
“Ma’at, of course. Your heart must be weighed. That is why you must prepare yourself ahead of time.”
The object that was now the subject of our discussion began thumping wildly. Are they going to rip it out of my chest? Was I going to have to die before walking the pathways of the afterlife and the netherworld?