Soul Reborn (Key to the Cursed Book 1) (22 page)

Although their
relationship wasn’t normal by any means, she had more than proven her loyalty
to him. Whatever he may have thought, he was wrong to leave her here. She
needed to be with him. Every cell of her body was telling her so. Damn him!

“There is one way to
find out.”

Asar materialized
with the echoes of Lilly’s voice chasing after him like swarm of locust. He
regretted his words as soon as they formed on his lips. She had worked her way
under his skin to the point that she was part of him, not just his soul, but
every dead cell of his existence. His cruelty was premeditated and executed
like a precision strike. He wanted to distance himself from her so he could
think straight, but he had only made his thoughts of her torturous.

With Kamen at his
side, he looked out over Thebes. His dark warriors solidified in the shadows of
the desert. Nehebkau approached. The Snake god’s warriors slithered and flowed
like a black river across the baked desert floor.

“Gods are with you,
Nehebkau,” Asar said in a low tone.

“And with you,
Asar.” The Snake god nodded his acknowledgement to Kamen. His brother started
to pace the small patch of earth.

Asar hated to admit
it, but he had grown fond of the Snake god. They were not that dissimilar. He
had great respect for any commander with a battle history like Nehebkau.
Although both men were of few words, there was understanding in their silence.
No need for idle conversation or posturing themselves before the other.

As if anticipating
Asar’s question, Nehebkau spoke. “Bast and her cadre of protectors have not
arrived. I cannot speak for them, but it would be best to assume that it will
be the two of us.”

“Would I expect
anything less?”

Nehebkau shifted
his heavy sword in his hands. “These are strange times, friend. It is difficult
to determine what to expect, but the Mother Goddess has a plan that will no
doubt come to light.”

Asar glanced over
to his counterpart, admiring the weight and balance of his weapon. “May I see
it?”

Nehebkau turned the
blade and presented the hilt to him. Asar noted the elaborate detail of the
handle that had an Egyptian asp finely honed into the steel. The thick handle
had surprising weight, but not enough to fatigue a fighter. It required a
skilled hand to wield a weapon with such heavy striking power. “This is a fine
instrument.”

“I know a master
blacksmith. Perhaps when and if we get out of this ordeal, I can have a blade
fired for your mate,” Nehebkau said, cautiously. “She prefers a katana,
correct?”

Asar regarded his
friend. “Yes, she does.” He paused silently for a few minutes before he spoke
again. “That is a very generous offering. Lilly would be appreciative.”

“I know it is none
of my business.”

“You are correct.
It is none of your business.”

Ignoring Asar’s
obvious warning, Nehebkau stared straight ahead, as he spoke. “I am surprised
she is not by your side this night. She is a fine fighter, and would be an
asset.”

Asar’s fists
tightened around the grips of his blades. The custom of the Pantheons was such
that bonded gods fought side by side, even in the face of certain death. A god
would not go into battle without his goddess. And, if either died in battle,
the other would fight until they succumbed to the same fate.

A fate he would not
allow Lilly to face. To expect her to enter into battle without knowledge of
their traditions would be reprehensible. He did not need the Snake god to
remind him that he was breaking an oath. He could feel the ache all the way
into his soul, a true physical pain he knew she would feel as well. If he was
lucky and made it out of here alive, he hoped Lilly would forgive him enough to
explain his actions.

“I will not put her
in harm’s way in this battle or let the Protector gods get their hands on her.”

“You think Bast
will take her?”

Fear burned in
Asar's gut. Though he did not know it at the time, he had broken a cardinal
rule between the Pantheons when he took a Creation goddess for a mate. Their
bond could not be reversed, but it could be taken from him. Bast and her cadre
would never permit Lilly to stay with him, regardless if she wanted to or not.
Asar would fight to the death to keep her. It would be a blood bath—something
they did not need right now, considering they already faced war with a
formidable foe.

“Well, if the Mother
Goddess ordained Lilly in some way in her absence…” Nehebkau shrugged. “Then
they would be forced to follow Lilly’s orders. She would be representing the Mother
Goddess, after all.”

Asar scanned the
battlefield in a feeble attempt to hide his surprise.

“But that would
take a significant symbol or vision from the Mother Goddess, herself."
Nehebkau chuckled. "From the look on your face, I assume she already has. You
do realize Lilly could order you around, as well?”

“Not where her
safety is concerned,” Asar growled. He had not considered the significance and
power Lilly’s pectoral necklace would have over the Pantheons, including those
of the Underworld. His relationship with the Mother Goddess had always been one
of mutual respect and admiration, despite the tension with the other Creation
gods. Lilly’s mother never countermanded his position or judgments that came to
pass, even when it dealt with one of her own gods. She had asked for few favors
from him, but when she did ask, he complied without question. Despite this, he
was still stunned the Mother Goddess would select him to protect her offspring,
let alone allow him to mate with one.

Gods, help him
.

Asar rubbed the
back of his neck. The weight of their worlds rested squarely on his shoulders,
which only made the ache in his soul grow. He wanted nothing more than to
smother himself in Lilly’s hair and feed on her energy, calming the beast
inside him like a sweet drug. He could use a bit of her essence right now, but
would have to do without.

Shadows danced between
the stone columns of the Temple Precincts. Large swarms of revens. Asar turned
to Kamen, whose eyes glowed fiery orange in the darkness. “It is time,
brother.”

A low growl
vibrated the air. Kamen charged into the darkness of the desert. Asar met the
gaze of Nehebkau, his comrade in arms, and smiled tightly. The hour had come to
confront the traitors. The goddess Kepi was just an afterthought at this point.

His sights were set much
higher.

Lilly pushed open
the gold doors to Underworld goddess’ personal quarters. “Nebt!” Lilly yelled.
A few servants approached, but shirked away.

She rounded the
corner to find Nebt sitting at her dressing table. The Underworld goddess
slipped her necklace on under her robe. “Really, Lilly. It is not good manners
to barge into another god’s room. If you are to stay here, I must insist on
some privacy.”

Nebt remained
seated with her back turned to the door. Although her voice was biting, Lilly
could not help but notice her posture. The goddess slumped forward and leaned
her arms on the table. She dabbed her eyes before she looked over her shoulder.
“If you came here for transport, I cannot help you.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Something changed
in Nebt’s voice that resonated defeat. “Cannot, if you must know.”

Lilly stalked
forward. “What do you mean you can’t?” Lilly’s anger faltered. Despite her
attempt to hide it, Nebt had been crying, and hard. Her cheeks were pink and
swollen, and crumpled tissues covered the front of her dressing table. Her
black eyes looked up with such anguish Lilly fell to her knees and clasped her
hands. “What happened? Please tell me.”

Nebt kissed Lilly’s
hands and touched her face. “I cannot take you to Asar. He has banished my
powers for two suns.”

“God no!” Asar
removed any means for her to travel back to the human world for forty-eight
hours. It was daylight in Aaru at the moment, which meant it was night in
Egypt. By then, the battle would be over.

There was more,
though. She knew being stripped of power would be painful, but that couldn’t
explain the torment she saw in Nebt’s black gaze.

She squeezed Nebt’s
hands. “What did Asar not tell me?”

Nebt’s robe opened
up displaying her pectoral necklaces. Lilly froze. Asar’s necklace hung from her
neck.

Lilly clasped the
lion and moon medallion. Pain ripped across her gut. So this is what the
goddess had been crying about. “He isn’t coming back?”

Nebt shook her
head. “No, he is coming back. He has to come back.” Her tears started to flow
again.

Asar had made plans
for his death. The anguish had been evident in his eyes minutes before he
disappeared. Lilly sat back hard, remembering the last words she said to him.
She placed her hand over the ache in her chest. The pain and longing worsened
with each pulsating beat of her heart. “I need to be with him.” The feeling
tore through her insides. An internal calling that couldn’t be silenced without
his touch.

The inner boil of
Lilly's anger overrode her feelings of guilt. She forcefully grabbed Nebt.
“Take it off,” Lilly hissed.

Nebt yelped and
leaned back away from her. “What? No!”

Lilly flashed her
fanged teeth. “Take it off, before I rip it off.”

Nebt’s hands shook
as she pulled the thick gold cord off. Lilly grabbed it and stalked out to the
door. The goddess stood up in protest. “What do you expect to do, Lilly? You
are stuck here, whether you like or not. We all are.”

Lilly paused at the
door and looked down. “I’m going to Asar, even if I have to sell my soul.”

Nehebkau recited an
ancient prayer and extended his hand toward the desert floor. His rapid speech
melded with a low hum and rumble. A large column of sand covered in the
writhing snakes punched up from the earth into the heavens. The mound bubbled
and spewed sand and debris into the air. Asar stepped back to accommodate the
undulating mass, which grew to a size of a small building.

The snakes thrashed
against the earth in a race to burrow into the center mass. When the last black
serpent was consumed, a tombed silence fell upon the earth. Asar knew this was
only the prelude of what was to come. The outside of the column started to
vibrate. The low hum returned and built rapidly. The explosion sent dirt and
debris shooting out in all directions.

Asar raised his
hand to shield his eyes from the blast. Dirt rained down around him and settled
at his feet. Over a thousand Nehebkau warriors solidified from the mix of
serpents and earth. Despite their cement-like appearance, they moved with fluid
grace. Well worth the theatrics.

Asar chuckled. He
envied the Snake god’s ability to create such beings. His dark warriors
required more time and nurturing to grow from the primordial waters of the
underworld.

One thing his
warriors had that Nehebkau’s forces lacked was intelligence. The Snake god’s
warriors were expendable clumps of sand which could be reproduced as soon as
the snake was freed. Conversely, the dark warriors could withstand a
significant amount of injury and had self-healing capabilities, which made them
a powerfully indestructible force.

Bomani materialized
next to Asar. “Kepi has summoned her reven army in significant numbers. She no
doubt knows of Rebecca’s failure to capture Lilly. What do you want done with
her once we find her?”

Asar grunted. He
would prefer to dismember the goddess with his own hands. “She is to be taken
alive until we can locate my son.”

“These revens are
just a mere distraction. Her collaborator will no doubt save his soldiers to the
end. We could use one more legion to mitigate the revens, so that we can save
our resources for the bigger fight.”

Asar nodded and
narrowed his eyes on the dark landscape. He could sense the enemy’s soldiers
shifting among the shadows below. He agreed. The revens were a waste of their
energy, but they would be a continued menace to their battle, if they were not
terminated immediately. “Your assessment is correct, Commander. Unfortunately,
our relatives have seen it beneath them to help, so we will face this as any
warrior would.”

“Blood and fury,”
Bomani recited. The dark warrior mantra.

“Watch your back,”
Asar said, pulling out his two curved blades. “Menthu is not a god that plays
by our code of ethics.”

“I have no problem
breaking our code for this bastard. I still cannot believe one of our gods
would turn against the Mother Goddess, especially considering the
circumstances.”

Asar nodded. Menthu
was an orphaned god that the Mother Goddess adopted, hoping to save him from a
life of excommunication. Despite her love and nurturing, she was unable to
change the evil that ran deep within Menthu’s blood. Asar knew all too well. The
same blood ran through his veins. It screamed and clawed to get out, pleading
to be set free. The only difference between him and Menthu was the mentor who
taught him how to manage the raging beast. As the God of War, Menthu was as
confrontational as him, but had no level of reason or empathy, which made him
extremely dangerous.

“See you in the
afterlife, brothers,” Asar said, clasping Nehebkau’s and then his commander’s
forearm. He nodded to Bomani who raised his sword to the legion and signaled
the charge upon the holy ground of Thebes.