Balance (Book 9 )

After Anubis teleported to meet his father, I walked to his throne chair and sat in it. I knew he would be gone for a long time. It would be a delicate process. Set is Anubis’s father, and there is a hierarchy among the gods. If Anubis could charm a vampire queen, twice, he could charm his parents.

Time became irrelevant. I could not see or hear, so I did not know whether it was daylight or nighttime. I was unable to project my mind out to view the world or use my mind’s eye to see my surroundings. The only comfort I had was the knowledge I was inside Anubis’s throne.

Each throne is connected to the individual god it belongs to. It is how they are summoned. I have used Anubis’s throne to summon him in the past.

I decided to speak to Anubis as if I was summoning him for an audience. I knew he would hear me. I told him how deeply I loved him and reminisced of days of old. I feared he would be in danger or imprisoned. Reminding him of our time would give comfort to him and give him a reason to fight. I hoped hearing my voice would bring him comfort.

After a while, I left the throne room and attempted to walk in the vast underworld. It has been my home for close to millennia. I thought I would be able to travel from memory. It was no use. The underworld is too vast for me to feel any vibrations, and my sense of direction was unreliable. I am truly blind.

I assumed Atum began harvesting souls and reincarnating lives for his pleasure. I wish to know if a certain soul lived or died during the cleansing. I regretted my actions toward the fiery red headed vampire called Casandra. She was an ancient soul and would have been sent into Bardo if Anubis found her worthy. Did she accept Ra, or does she walk in her dream-filled sleep, or worse, does she altogether exist?

I returned to the throne room and continued to talk to Anubis, hoping he would return soon. With the balance between life and death restored, we would be able to nurture the world and walk among the people as the gods did when the earth was still new. New adventures could begin again. I would fantasize out loud of our lovemaking, wishing he was with me. I could almost feel his hands on my skin and his lips on mine. I wished we were still connected through our bond. I would reach out to him and caress his life force.

The silence continued with no contact with any creature. The gods did not visit me. Anubis’s army did not seek me out. The death knights have not come to claim me. I began to become worried about his well being.

“Anubis, please let me know you are well. You do not need to come to me. Only speak and let me know you are in no danger.” The gods do not have to appear when they are summoned. They have the ability to speak through their link as I could command humans through the earth.

The room vibrated. I was unsure why. I stood from the throne, looking for any vibrations. Footprints approached me. I waited for an attack. I was still not safe from the death knights. Kebachet and Set still had command over Anubis’s army. The footprints stopped, and my world became silent and dark once again.

“Speak.” I called out. I walked toward where the figure disappeared from my vision. I could not hear it. I reached out to touch the figure, and a clawed hand grabbed my wrist. I yanked back and took my staff.

“Speak or leave.”

The figure took a step toward me. The room pulsed. I could see an outline of a spear going up and down, hitting the floor.

“Tap once for yes and twice for no.” The spear tapped once.

“Did Anubis send you?” One tap. Anubis heard me. My heart lifted.

“Is he well?” One tap.

“Did he tell you how long he will be gone?” two taps.

“Does He need me?” two taps.

We were silent for a moment. The jackal did not move.

“Is there something else you wish to tell me?” One tap.

I walked around, trying to think of a way to hear what he has to say. There must be a way to hear the jackal.

“Do I have your medallion?” One tap.

I took the medallion and rubbed it. It became hot in my hand. I tried connecting to it as I do with the earth or the sword. It pulsed in my mind. I could see. I looked through the jackal’s eyes and saw Lara standing before him looking at his medallion.

‘Can you hear my thought?’ I asked.

‘Yes, goddess.’

‘What is your message?’

‘My god says to remain in his throne. He is soon done and will meet you here. He appreciated your conversations.’

I thanked him left the jackal’s minds. My heart raced with joy. I felt a tiny connection to my husband in the jackal’s words. I will keep his message close to my heart and wait for him.

“Thank you, husband. I wait for you.” I said as I sat in his chair.

I continued talking of hopes and dreams of our future together. Time seemed to go slowly for me. I began to become restless and wanted to leave.

I walked around the room and practiced my attacks and defense with my spear. It felt good to stretch my muscles. Something felt different within me. I concentrated on my body and examined my heartbeat, my emotions, even the way my muscles felt. I could not feel the chill of death’s grip. I assumed I finally became accustomed to it. It was definitely gone. Was Anubis successful? Why was I still blind and deaf? Why did I still feel weakened? Anubis will have to answer to me when he returns.

I continued creating scenarios in my mind and interacting with invisible enemies. I swung my spear and lost hold of it mid-strike. I quickly unsheathed Adrestia and waited for an attack. Without the spear, I could not see vibrations. I sent power to my skin and felt any disturbance in the air. I felt the air thicken, and I raised Life up to defend and Death to strike. Something hit Life and blocked Death.

“Who are you?”

The air thickened as the enemy’s weapon swung again, and again I blocked it and sent Death for blood. I felt the connection and commanded it to feed. The power that came into Death was familiar. I stopped the siphon.

“Anubis?” There was no answer. “Show yourself. I have tasted blood, and I will finish you!” I growled.

My heart beat heavily in my chest. I tried to control my fear. Did Kebachet free himself?

A hand tapped my shoulder. I took Life and thrust it behind me, looking for a gut stab. A hand grabbed my wrist and tore Life from my grasp. I swung Death and connected again. This time, I allowed it to feed its fill. The hand let go. I felt the air thicken again, and I blocked it with Death and grabbed the spear with my free hand. My attacker let go of the staff. Vibrations came to me.

“Anput, lower your defense.”

The low vibrations seemed familiar. I would not be distracted. I had no one to help defend me. I continued feeding the life force into Death.

“Rebuilding pyramids in Egypt sounds nice.”

Anubis! I stopped the siphon and dropped both weapons and embraced his massive body. I breathed deeply, taking in his honey scent. His muscular frame felt good in my hands.

“I have missed you. Did I hurt you?” Anubis’s body rumbled. “Are you laughing?”

“You are formidable, even blind.”

“There were several times you could have killed me. I am not undefeatable in this state.”

“You would be surprised, wife. Words cannot express my love for you.”

I released my embrace and bent down, looking for my spear. It seemed to jump in my hands as Anubis helped me retrieve it.

“How long has it been?” I asked.

“Two long years.”

“Was your father in league with Kebachet?”

“No.”

“What took you so long?”

“Simply put, I had a task to perform for Set. The details are unimportant. Come with me.” He took my hand, and the vibrations of the room changed. They became more visible as Anubis teleported us to our bedroom.

“Husband, I no longer feel death’s grip. Why am I still crippled?”

“That is a question I cannot answer. Stand before me a moment.” He said as he approached me.

He took my spear and sword, leaving me completely blind and deaf. I felt his hand reach in my pocket and retrieve the jackal’s medallion. I stood still for a long moment and began to wonder if Anubis was still in the room. His hand finally touched my chest. My body hummed in response to its master. I longed for him to embrace me and to feel his power caress my soul.

As if he could hear my thoughts, I felt his power course through me. It was warm and comforting. I found I could feel his love for me. My mind opened, and a rush of Anubis’s emotions exploded in my mind. Love, anger, sadness, and shame. I wanted to run to him and comfort him. My heart jumped at the realization I was once again connected to my husband.

My ears popped, and the room’s sounds came to me all at once- the hiss of the scones, Anubis’s heartbeat, the soft breeze from outside. It reminded me of the day I woke in my new body. Everything was too loud and hurt my ears. I resisted covering my ears with my hands as I allowed Anubis to continue his work.

My vision slowly came back. A large shadow began to form. It was like seeing a black shadow move in the dark. Only a quick outline could be seen before it faded.

The shadow began slowly presenting itself. The outline was that of a tall jackal, and then I could see color and blurred images. The sandy walls in the background, the midnight black skin of Anubis, gold jewelry that hung from his neck all began to present themselves to me.

My vision began to focus, and I could see the defined muscles on Anubis’s chest and arms. I could see the familiar design and gems on the Egyptian collar he wore.

Anubis’s power gradually left me, and I realized I was in my true form. His hand lifted my jaw to make my eyes meet his. They were the most beautiful green I have ever seen. The familiarity of them weakened my knees. They were deep and commanding. I could get lost in their depths. I smiled to myself, remembering on occasion, I have gotten lost in his gaze.

“You are free, Anput.” His deep voice rumbled and caressed my soul.

I heard him! I not only heard him, I felt him as well! My heart raced in my chest as pure joy escaped me. Tears started to blur my vision. I blinked them back and looked away from Anubis. Tears were a sign of weakness. My spear laid against the wall behind Anubis. I had forgotten its beauty- The deep red and blue metal that ran the shaft and the long antenna spearhead that gave it wonderment. Despite its looks, it was a perilous weapon.

I could feel Anubis’s joy flow to me. He took pleasure in seeing my joy and being able to connect to me. My tears tugged at his heart.

I looked up at him and smiled. I could not help it. Anubis laughed hard at my smile. His laughter was music to my ears. It rumbled deep within and vibrated my body. The room shook slightly.

“I have missed you, wife.” His longing for me was powerful and ignited my loins. I desired to be intimate with him as well. It has been two long years since I heard his voice or even felt our bond. To be connected to him would finalize our reunion.