Balance (Book 9 )

A week later, Kebachet returned home, and Anubis called us both to his throne. He sat tall and magnificent on his chair. His commanding posture made me want to kneel before him. I was honored to know him so intimately. Kebachet was standing next to Anubis when I entered.

“Mother!” He rushed to me and embraced me. “Did father tell you about my adventure?”

“He took me to watch you. You were magnificent.” I smiled and held him. I looked into Anubis’s eyes. He slowly nodded his head. “Listen to me, Kebachet. There is something you must know.”

Worry crossed his face. “What is it?”

“I have been cursed. After the war is over, I will become blind. Eventually, someday in the far future, I will die.”

“What! Who did this?”

“Who is not important. Your father and I have accepted this, and so must you.”

“No! I will not allow it. This attack is unwarranted. Was it a demon? Did they find out we were destroying souls?”

“No, son.” Anubis spoke, “It is not for you to know why this has happened. We only tell you out of respect. Take your anger elsewhere. Your mother will be here a long time.”

“But your eyes.”

“I will adjust. It is only my eyesight. I will still be able to hear, smell, feel, and taste. The living has lived with blindness since the beginning of time. Blindness does not frighten me.” Kebachet nodded.

I looked at Anubis once again. A smile crossed my lips as I gazed upon his powerful frame. “In regards to the war, your father and I have a different itinerary. He says the three of us will take different parts of the world. I know of a way to expedite our task. I can control the earth. It does not have the power I need to do what must be done.”

“Tell us your idea, Anput.” Anubis’s deep voice vibrated around me.

“The earth was born of fire. Living plants sometimes need fire to open seeds. New islands are born from fire. The earth must burn to cleans itself. It’s heart is made of magma. The earth is a sphere, and so the magma can easily expand and reach every continent and burn the entire surface.”

“It would destroy the oceans and every source of water. The entire planet will become a big rock.”

“One of two options must happen. Atum said he would restore the earth. He made it. He can fix it. Or the two of you accompany me. We share the power we have, and you protect the waters of the world. Every living creature will die. Anubis, your army will have to work quickly to gather Atum’s followers.”

“Mother, what you are saying is not possible. You do not have such power.”

“She does, son. Your mother has always had a special bond with the earth. It was the earth’s cry that has caused her to distance herself from us.”

“I do not know about this. It sounds insane. Should we consult Atum? As I cleansed Egypt, a lot of people bow to Atum.”

“I will approach him on the matter. Do not expect help from him. Our agreement was that if I could get a tenth of the population to call out to him, he would restore balance. He does not negotiate. His word is law.” Anubis got down from his throne and left the room.

It took him four hours to return.

“Atum is unimpressed with our work. Less than one percent of the living has called to him. He will not help. We cannot rush through this. It is a delicate matter.”

“What if we only went from continent to continent. Allow the other cities to look at their demise? The Hawaiian islands would be easiest to burn. The volcano’s there are still active.”

Anubis approached me and took my jaw into his hand. I could sense amusement. He knew I would continue working out my options before I deferred to his plan.

“You refuse to submit to me?” He thought privately. I looked away, ashamed. “We will test your idea on the islands. If it does not go in your favor, you will defer to me.” He said seriously.

“Understood.”

“Then let us go.”

We all transformed into our human forms and teleported to the islands. My skin glowed, and Adrestia hummed with the promise of feeding. I took the blade and began to cut myself, then stopped. Gabriel jumped to stop me as well.

“I am aware, my mate.” Looking at father and son, I could not help smiling. They looked so much alike they could be brothers. Kebachet became self-conscious and looked around. “I am only admiring my family. Do not worry.”

I traveled along roads until I saw satellites and a news station. Screams broke out and warned others of my coming. No one came close to me to feed Death. I do not understand how these people could not bow to Ra as they saw the destruction. As I got further in town, my skin glowed brighter. A drunk was passed out on the curb. I allowed Death to take its fill on the human’s blood. People recognized Kebachet and began bowing.

“Bow to Ra. I will not show mercy.” Kebachet growled. It made my heart flutter. He was so much like Gabriel, I could not stand it.

A dark shadow quickly came in a streak and took the human. I began walking into a nearby building. A dagger tendril got stuck in my web and surprised me. I heard a scream as electricity burned the vampire, and my web fed on its life. Gabriel disappeared momentarily then came back.

“That vampire knew the old ways. He is safe for now.”

I went to the control room and found six humans standing with guns pointing at us. They fired their weapons as soon as they saw us. Gabriel quickly turned me around and shielded me. The comfort and warmth of his arms melted my heart. Kebachet started to throw his chakram.

“No, Kebachet! We will need them.”

Once the guns emptied, I walked around Gabriel.

“Turn on your cameras and go live on the air. I want everyone you can reach to see this.” The humans quickly got to work. Kebachet and Gabriel guarded the room while I moved to a camera.

“You may begin.” Gabriel projected. I allowed my skin to glow a little brighter for effect.

“I represent the ancient God, Horace, whom you have all forgotten. Ra creates life and has granted you all, life. You have forgotten Ra and so face judgment. No city or town or village will be safe. I will reign destruction on you and your cities. Those of you willing to follow Ra will be saved. Bow to him or perish. You have seen four cities fall. You know it to be true. This is your final warning.”

I walked away from the camera and began slaughtering the living souls within the building. People came forth outside of the building to confront me, shouting angrily. Gabriel stepped in front of me with his spear in his hand. Kebachet’s chakram burst into flames as he readied for battle.

“Let them come closer.” I said quietly.

My bodyguards did not give any indication they heard me. They concentrated on the hundreds of people cornering us. I put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. I loved to see his fierce posture and his willingness to protect me.

“My mate, please stand beside me. I am safe.” He reluctantly moved.

I tapped the ends to the hilts together, causing a shock wave and severing everyone in half. Kebachet’s chakram whizzed past me, killing those my shock wave did not. Putting Death over Life made the blades burst into flames. I touched the blades to a nearby building and pulsed power into the fire. Kebachet followed my lead and set fire to several of the buildings around us.

I allowed Gabriel to take the lead and watched his body move with is strikes. Memories of watching him fight in the vampire civil war came to me. He was magnificent and quick then. His body worked flawlessly under his command. His spear was quick and true. Nothing got past him. We walked along the road a long way, killing anyone foolish to be near.

“It is time to destroy these islands. Very little greenery is left. Gabriel, you go to the tallest point of the northern island. Kebachet, go to the southern island and stand on the tallest point. You must stand on soil. If there is a building there, bring it down and stand on the soil beneath it. You will hear my call. Stay connected to me.”

Kebachet disappeared. Gabriel looked worried.

“You will know where I am. This is exactly what I did not want. If you worry, you will cause something to happen.” Gabriel wordlessly kissed me and left.”

Knots formed in my stomach as I touched my lips. I shook it off and traveled to one of the center islands. The islands are still beautiful despite people living off it. There are still lush forests and wildlife that call the forest home. The humans have not completely destroyed the islands.

I tethered to the earth and looked for my family. Gabriel found his spot. I reached out and connected to him. Kebachet found his position and connected to me, I could feel their power, and they could feel mine, I connected to the volcano and commanded the earth to heat and raise its lava to the surface. I spoke through the earth so all could hear.

“Judgment is being passed. Kneel before Ra or burn!”

As lava oozed out of the ground, houses and tall buildings began to burn. Smoke clouded the sun creating an eerie scene. Screams and shouts for water came. Sirens sounded as fire trucks came to cool the lava. I summoned Gabriel’s and Kebachet’s power as they channeled my command of the lava flow. The islands began to smoke and glow red. I dug deeper into my power and commanded the earth to take her fill. A shadow came up behind me, and I heard Kyle’s voice.

“Stop the flow of lava.” He said softly.

I ignored Kyle. I was not to speak or see or touch them.

“My Queen, please here me. Put aside your anger and give me five minutes. There are innocents that are about to die.” His voice was smooth and respectful.

“Stop!” I called to Kebachet and Gabriel. “Kneel before Ra to save yourselves.” I spoke through the earth. Kyle left. I waited the five minutes as requested then began pulling on Gabriel and Kebachet and demanding the earth to burn. Once the lava reached the top of the island, I stopped it. Still tethered, I commanded the fires to die and the lava to cool, leaving behind black rocks. It took two days for it to cool. I slowly released Gabriel and Kebachet and crossed Life over Death. A wave of light pulsed from the sword. I touched it to the dirt beneath my feet, and vines and grass began to emerge. I lovingly touched the ground with my hand. I felt the world’s pleasure as it reached out to me. The veins came closer to me as I heard whispers of wanting to be intimate.

“Anput, no!” A deep vibrating voice shocked me out of meditation. Anubis stood over me taller than the skyscraper. Kebachet came to me and took my shoulders.

“Mother, do not give in to the earth’s call.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It is dangerous to touch the earth in such a way. What you did worked. The islands fell, and the earth is starting to heal.” Kebachet excitedly said.

“You can see the earth?”

“I can now. While we were connected, I felt what you felt. I saw what you saw and…” He looked up at Anubis.

“And what Kebachet?”

“I heard what you heard. You almost gave yourself to the earth. It still hungers.” I changed my form to meet Anubis. I touched his cheek, worried for him. Why was he not Gabriel? What was he protecting me from? Anubis looked away from me. His mind was closed from me.

“It has been a long day. Let us go home and rest.” I teleported back to our room. He did not follow. “Husband, please speak to me. Do not hide from me.” I called out.

He did not answer. I waited an entire day for him. When he did show himself, I ran to him and embraced him. He held me close and breathed in deeply, taking in my scent.

“Please tell me what scared you.”

“The death knights are toying with you.”

“You did not send Kyle?”

“No, they want your soul, Anput.”

“Kyle did not show himself to me. He stood behind me. Are they not working with you, saving the living who bows before Ra?”

“Do not ask me again, least I become angry with you.” He warned.

“I only mean to say you are overreacting. He did nothing wrong. I wish I knew what is upsetting you so much. I wish to lighten your burden, not make it worse.”

“There is nothing that can be done. We must move on.”

“Then let us think of other things. Our son did very well. You were right about his strength. He seemed to enjoy himself.” I saw a twinkle in Anubis’s eye.

“Yes, he did. Your plan works. You do not need to summon the core of the earth. Use your power to create friction. You have done this before. Between the three of us, it will be sufficient. You increased the people’s loyalty by getting on television. We should continue doing that as well.”

“Perfect! Get Kebachet and take us to the next continent.”

“Always working? You are beautiful, Anput. Always know how much you mean to me.”

“Do not do that! You save your goodbyes until the end. We are not there!” My hands balled into fists.

“We will be too far apart for me to protect you. I am not saying goodbye to you, I only want you to know I love you more than anything.”

“If you are that worried have your jackals guard me. Send your hybrids, but do not leave me. I am your wife. You vowed to provide and protect me for eternity. Last time I checked, eternity does not have an ending. Put your feelings of worry, sorrow, and anger aside Anubis. Love me while you can.” I said sternly.