Thoth was sat in the wicker chair outside, watching his beloved Ibises with a glass of ruby wine at his side. A small smile was cemented on his face, the adoration for the creatures clear.
He barely looked away as Shu arrived, creating a flurry of sand as he did so.
"Wine?" Thoth gestured to a covered pitcher on the window sill. "It's homemade, rather more potent than most." He gave a sheepish chuckle. "Truthfully I really ought to keep to tea or water but I thought in such circumstances I've earned it."
"I'd best not, flying and alcohol rarely mix," Shu smiled. "I've done it once before and I ended up marooned on some island in the pacific. Nice area, but not when you've somewhere to be or when you've a shocking headache."
Thoth laughed softly. "Indeed, but anyway, enough of the idle chitter chatter. What is it you've come for? I take it Atum is in need of my help?" He pressed his hands together with subdued excitement. "Anything I have to offer is at your disposal."
"And we are grateful for it," Shu gave a small bow of his head. "Atum has requested something that will call forth lucid dreams, dream to release locked away memories with as little distress to the mortal as possible. Awakening these recollections from their slumber might lead to some clarity about what we face, and perhaps what we can do."
"He believes the human is part of the key to this?" Thoth got to his feet with a brief, wistful look to his birds, before heading inside.
"Yes, at least the humans reply seems to indicate that his being taken is for more than just shielding."
"Am Heh hardly needs a shield," Thoth sighed and went directly to his medicine cupboard where vials and jars were kept in relative coolness. Outside they stood no chance, the sun moved all about the homestead and nowhere remained in complete shade. "No one dared approach him without needing protection themselves. Not the other way about."
He scanned the labels briefly, barely needing to read them before plucking several out and placing them on the table.
"Get me a teaspoon, I find it easier to gauge weight that way than using scales. Scales judge the weight of sin; my hands judge the weight of aid."
Shu smiled but said nothing as Thoth's eyes glazed with rigid focus, his brow furrowing as he painstakingly mixed granules and oils. Shu barely breathed lest he break the concentration.
Minutes passed. Each feeling as if he were standing on a crumbling glacier, awaiting rescue or woe.
After what felt like hours, Thoth set down a tiny vial, barely a quarter full of sparkling but murky paste. A sheen of sweat clung to his skin and his hands finally allowed themselves to shake, realising the tautness that had taken over.
"He simply needs to add water and swallow it. I shall send you with another of my birds, Panya. She is shy but swift. Bring the vial back otherwise Am Heh will know."
"Water, what if...?"
"He will not leave him without water. From my recollection his slaves were treated decently enough and were never denied fluid. I cannot see that will have changed, even in this rage of his."
He pushed open the window, allowing the sparse breeze to blow away what residues he couldn't collect, and gave a whistle towards the flock. Several heads glanced up but soon returned to spooning the mud, turning it over in their search for the small grubs and crustaceans that hid in the folds.
Thoth tapped his foot patiently and gave a small smile. "I told you she was shy," he explained lamely. "Give her a moment though."
A moment passed and slowly one of the birds edged its way from the hub, her legs shaking. Grey in colour she blended well and was glad of it. She preferred the quiet and seldom even joined the morning chorus of the others, occasionally giving the soft puppy-like growl when addressed.
Thoth moved to the porch and crouched down, bringing himself lower so as not to lower over like a titan ready to crush her.
He whispered something as she came within earshot and her poise seemed to relax, bowing her head with understanding.
Looking over he held the vial out. "Take it, you can give it to her to take in when you reach there. She broke her leg some years back and I don't want to tie anything too tightly. At the same token I don't want to lose the potion either. I have told her to indicate to any water. If the human has the brains, he was born with then he will understand that gesture. Once he has taken it then she will take it back to you."
Shu looked at the potion as it was passed to him, deciding to hold it in his hand rather than risk losing it in his sleeve or pocket. He smiled at Panya who eyed him cautiously.
"I often say ladies first but I will lead the way," he said to her softly. "Do not fear, nothing will happen to you and I will lead you on a quiet route."
The increase of air travel made movement with birds difficult and hazardous. He'd seen all too many pulled into the roaring engines, their blood staining the mechanics.
Over time he had worked out the routes and found some safe passages even though it may take longer to reach his destination.
Panya stood, frozen in place, as Shu vanished, looking at Thoth pleadingly. She was satisfied when the God gave her a nod and bade her follow. She never wanted to displease him and the permission was crucial, a strange personality for such a large, grand bird.
Thoth watched her go with an amused chuckle and yet his emotions were in turmoil and anything but amused. Unconsciously he knotted his fingers together as her silhouette faded in the midday sky.
________________
Isaac had little to do but pace idly about the room, pausing only to look down through that clear pane to see the world he knew slipping ever closer to chaos.
The gnawing sense of familiarity still griped in his head and was on the brink of causing a far worse migraine that he knew would be pulsating violently across the side of his skull for hours.
Days if he was unlucky.
"This is worse than that camp trip I went on with the school," he muttered, hiding his face in his hands in an effort to calm his breathing which had slowly been getting more ragged as time passed. "The only good thing here is that it's clean, I don't have to worry about woodlice or cockroaches getting in my trousers." He gave a hum. "Or red ants. Lord knows that taught me to look before I sat down."
The mere thought of those acidic bites caused him to glance behind him as if half expecting a sandy looking mound to rise out of the floor.
It seemed highly unlikely though, Am Heh would certainly see ants as beneath his powers.
The sound of strong wings beating the air mercilessly outside caught his attention as he lapsed into silence and cautiously, he got to his feet and approached the window.
Panya seemed to flinch and Isaac paused, waiting instead for her to move. She gazed at him for several moments before reticently lowering her head and dropping a small object to the floor. It rolled over easily, stopping when it hit his foot.
"What's this?" Isaac knelt to retrieve it, looking over the strange contents. The paste within didn't look pleasant and the thought of swallowing it never once crossed his mind.
He looked up inquiringly at the bird and frowned as she seemed to motion to the water. He pointed at the vial and received an odd growl in response.
"I suppose that's a yes?" He sighed and moved to the jug, grimacing as he uncorked the vial. The smell was subtle but still unpleasant, a mingled odour of swamp and soil. It brought to mind the breaks he'd taken in the country as a child and had gone rambling in the marshes.
Even so, the Ibis had been sent for a reason and he would do as required even if it churned his stomach.
The paste fizzed as he added a tiny quantity of water, bubbling up like a witch’s brew to the rim before slowly settling down again. Still, it hissed as he lifted it to his lips, bolstering himself before drinking it in one, practically throwing it down his throat to avoid tasting it.
It was thick as it slipped down, the feeling worse than the mouldy taste that inevitably touched his palate.
The bird flapped its wings impatiently and moved its head towards the vial as the last droplet slithered away, anxious to be away from the place. It had a strange, foreboding atmosphere despite the lightness and heightened her desire to get back to her roost near the lakes.
"One second," Isaac grabbed the jug, trying to wash away the rancid taste. "You might be used to swallowing things like this but I'm not and I don't think you want me to vomit on you."
Panya growled indignantly, making her displeasure and impatience clear. She refused to cease her scraping and fluttering until Isaac nearer enough for her to take the now empty container.
She practically snatched it back, catching his fingers in her haste, and escaping the sill before the yelp of pain left him.
Cradling his red fingers Isaac gazed after her as she disappeared into the mist that surrounded them, slowing when the shield rippled and fought against her exit. He felt his heart sink as he watched the brief struggle, as it proved how hopeless it would be for him to attempt anything.
"Maybe they don't want me to," he muttered as his stomach grumbled angrily. "Maybe that's the point of that potion, I suppose I'm just going to have to wait and see."
Sighing despondently, he moved to examine the books on the walls, recognising some of the titles immediately. Grimoires and ancient scripts that all had believed as lost.
Reeling sickness struck his stomach and he staggered to lean against the desk, knowing it was not just due to the potion he'd consumed.
"I just hope whatever they are planning works," he breathed, dropping back down to the floor. The cool of the marble was calming. At least it took his mind from the nausea. "If it doesn't then the only option is, I try and use those myself and that isn't a risk I want."
Pain throbbed through Cherie's skull, reverberating down her neck and into her upper spine. The blow had been hard and blood coagulated on the back of her head.Her vision was skewed. The world around her was hazy and rocking as if she was a baby in its arms but it was not comforting, instead it was terrifying.Trying to move her arms and legs she found them bound, the wire tight and wickedly sharp. Struggling too much meant it would pierce her flesh with the ease of cutting through butter. Already it was digging in menacingly and creating scarlet ditches.The room was dark, the blinds concealing the outside world, and a smell of burning wax highlighted the air. The only light was coming from behind her, a warm glow from three candles stood on the cabinet.In the centre sat the strange statue, seeming more sinister as the glow highlighted the vacant eyes and illuminated the malign grin on its apish face.&n
The moon was high outside and casting its cold glow on the exotic gardens and fountains of marble and stone.Peacocks had finished their nightly preening and had settled for the night near the high walls built to prevent intruders from breaching the rich interiors. Marble and sandstone and without flaw.Behind the grandeur, guarded by two large hounds, was an entirely different view.A small path from a less kempt area led to landscape of fire when the blooms were tongues of flame and the waters were molten lava.Even the grass seemed to hiss with infernal fury as heat rose through the charred earth into a rufescent sky. Only if one walked with the Gods or their guardians was is possible to bear such a vista.
Am Heh barely looked up when he heard the knock, continuing to read over the scroll with even less interest. It was the pause before entry that caused him to lower the papyrus,his dark eyes observing the meek entrance of the young man. The face was not one he recognised but, unlike the others, the aura emanating from the mortal was calmer, perhaps nerves.He gestured to the table nearby, half judging each movement the new slave made."Put it there," he instructed placidly, unable to look back to the papers he was reading, the mortal having piqued his curiosity. "And wait for a moment, there may be other things I need you to do..."Ishaq opened his mouth to reply, snapping it shut quickly as he remembered his instructions. He gave an awkward bow instead, faltering under the weight of the jug again before making his way over and relieving himself of the burden. Automatically he rolled his shoulders, cramped from tens
Am-Heh kept to his word and, as the sun started to sink into its wearing bed, he entered the stone courtyard that housed the dogs overnight.The cobblestones were delightfully chill against his bare feet and the high walls gave shelter from both heat and wind should it ever blight the realm.A slim mist rose up from behind, the mighty structure built to hide the lakes that were beyond them. Hidden from view, they were not erased from the ear or other senses. The dull scent of brimstone flowed like a dying river about them and the hiss as the flames fought each other was often heard.The dogs were a fine sight.Elegant and athletic, their large upright ears heard every minute sound about them. They romped playfully, delighting in each other's company and few rounded stones that had been placed for their amusement.Eight pairs of amber eyes turned on Ishaq as he slipped through the gate, looking him up and down
As Isaac continued to dream, the world below continued to move. The shadow of Am Heh's anger was spreading further, his crow had given him a wide range of ideas and options.The ground shook, shattering any windows that still remained and cracks splintered weaker buildings, opening the earth beneath them. The lower storeys subsided, sinking dangerously and leaving the structures weak; impelling people to face the outside.The cemetery earth opened, and the scent of death and decay flowed freely. The groan of the tombs as they were forced apart resembling the cries and moans of those beneath them. It would be easy for any nearby to think that, as the newly deceased were exposed to the world, jaws slack and gaping in silent screams.A bolt of crimson lightening tore the sky, shredding the clouds and scattering fiery pebbles down below.Cowering in the shade of the skip a hapless vagrant moved as the co
The deluge had receded. The drains bloated with the copious liquid they had swallowed. Puddles lingered, the lasting remains that they couldn't digest.Kyle stayed some way behind Babi as they ascended out on the streets, feeling strangely self-conscious at the possibility of being seen with the dwarfish, misshapen brute.His own fair-weather friends had always pulled the eyes with their numerous tattoos and piercings, not the mention the coarse vocabulary they weren't afraid of using. But he had always blended well, it was a way of life and none of them were strange enough to belong to a sideshow, whatever his grandmother might have said.The humiliation of being put down was still strong also, slowing his step as he seethed.Babi didn't notice. His slaves always remained behind him on at his feet, the latter he made some allowances for considering his diminutive size. To tell someone they were not to be higher w
"Where are you going?"Marie sighed and hurried down the corridor as Mr Montford strode down. The tiles were cracked and the lights hanging dangerously from weak wires but he wasn't fazed."You wanted to move, didn't you?" He said bluntly, focused on avoiding the pits and on the concaved door at the end. "Well, I decided you were right and I shall take a few matters into my own hands. The papyrus might not have given much away but it has enough imagery for me to form some conclusions.""What conclusions?" Ash huffed. For a man who was so much older and whose injuries should have rendered him incapable of moving, he had an amazing endurance."Hieroglyphics can be interpreted many was," Mr Montford answered with a smile. "Sometimes just one picture can give you a lot of information. A picture does speak a thousand words after all. And why risk remaining like sitting ducks when we can perhaps help our d
Isaac tossed uncomfortably in the depth of his sleep. It was heavy, as though he was being pushed into the bed by some unseen force, pressing his heart to release the emotions of the life he was dreaming of.The memories too were weighty, painful when he finally awoke.That seemed to be some way away as he continued to see the ancient world play out before him, looking out from a body he knew but was not in control of. Not anyone, he was simply an observer, watching a replay and unable to change what had already passed.The dogs' coats shimmered as he combed them, rewarded by happy wags of their crinkled tails and the occasional excitable lick of their satin tongues.Ishaq chuckled, batting them away as he tried to brush their ears, feeling they were trying their best to distract him from his duty rather than show any thanks."I might prefer this to biting," he laughed, pushing the hounds head back gently a