Page 52 of My Master
“Isis.” A frantic whisper and strong hands shook her awake. “Isis, wake up!”
Isis opened her eyes and sat up in bed, staring face to face with the culprit who had awakened her from a pleasant dream. His black eyes shone with fear and she was instantly alert.
“What’s wrong,” she demanded, looking around their small home. Her mother was sleeping, her chest rising and falling easily.
“I thought I heard someone outside,” her brother told her.
She calmed down. “It was probably an animal, or someone sneaking off to do something they should not be doing. Do not fret over it. Go to sleep.”
He shook his head back and forth. “No, I know it wasn’t an animal. It was a person, no one from our village. I looked out and saw him. He had glowing eyes.”
Isis rolled her eyes. Her little brother had such an active imagination and once he got going with a story, it was hard to convince him that it wasn’t real. She lay back down, getting comfortable when he pulled her up again.
“What?” It was late and she wanted to get some sleep if she was to wake early in the morning and go out to sell the new perfumes she had made.
“I told you, there’s someone outside!”
“And I told you that it’s probably someone doing naughty things.”
His eyebrows scrunched together she could see them, even in the dark. He crossed his arms against his little twelve year old chest in a pout. “You never listen to me. Never.”
Isis felt a little guilty. He was a young boy without a father, dying to be heard, dying to become a man. She resisted the urge to mention that he would never be a man if he was crying all of the time, but didn’t. It had been hard for them when their father died of sickness. If anything, he was the man of the house now and it fell upon him to look after Isis and their mother. She supposed she could humor him and his imagination, if only for a moment.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll go look.”
“I’ll come with you!” He reached for his little bone handled dagger—the one that had been their father’s. He gripped it tightly and stepped out first. Isis muttered under her breath and followed, stepping out with him and into the night. A cool breeze wafted against her heated skin. If only it could have been that cold during the day, she thought bitterly as she followed her brother.
Sand seeped through her bare toes as he led her down by the river, by the darkness. “I saw it over here,” he whispered, poising the knife in front of him. Isis looked over his head, but saw nothing but darkness.
“What was it you said you saw?” She walked to the edge of the water and bent down, cupping her hands together and filling them with water; she splashed it against her face.
“Red eyes,” he mumbled in frustration. “It’s what I saw!!!”
“Keep your voice down.” She hushed him. She didn’t need everyone and their mother’s waking up to find them down there. “I bet it was just a snake.”
He groaned. “A snake that was very tall and looked human? I am not stupid, sister.”
Isis shrugged. “Whatever.” She stood up, wiping the remains of the water against the fabric of her clothes. “I’m going back to sleep. Stay out here in the dark if you want.” And she walked back without waiting to see if he would follow.
Crawling back into their home, Isis fell asleep instantly but she felt as though it didn’t last, because a little while later, screams woke her up. She found that she was alone in her home, the stench of fire burning into her nostrils. She burst outside and gaped in horror.
The people of her village were on fire, burning, running around screaming as the flames scorched their flesh, lighting up the night sky and filling it with an awful stench. She instinctively called for her brother.
There was no reply.
Running…running…feet carrying her as far as she could go. Darkness swallowed her whole, led her down an unknown path, an endless way into nothing…absolutely nothing. The flash of red beckoned her. Steady and uncontrollable as a flame, and as evil as snake eyes. But she had to follow it. She had to.
Arms pumping, breath shallow, chest squeezing as air left her lungs…Isis didn’t notice the figure on the ground until she tripped over it and fell.
She twisted awkwardly in the sand and sat up. Even in the darkness she would recognize her own brother’s shape, hear his cries. Relief coursed through her and she pulled him in to her arms. “My brother,” she cried, gripping him. “Are you hurt?” She pushed him back and patted down his arms, his sides, his face.
“I am fine,” he sniffled. “The village…”
Isis shook her head. “Worry about them later. Did mother come with you?” And why did you leave me alone? She wanted to ask, but couldn’t bring herself to. Not under the circumstances.
He shook his head. “It is why I want to get back to the village and find her.”
A rising lump prevented her from swallowing. “Why did you come all the way out here?” she asked, looking at her surroundings. There was nothing there but darkness and sand, probably snakes and scorpions as well.
