Page 19 of Sett and his King
"It's okay," I said. "Let's…let's just get on with it. We don't know how much time we have."
I walked out of the kitchen and turned to see if he was behind me. He wasn't. He stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at me and it took everything in me not to forget my resolve and give him a big hug.
"What?" I asked.
"What did your yaya mean about history?"
"You're still on that?" I walked back into the kitchen but kept my distance from him.
Just because he looked like a wounded bird, didn't mean he was.
"Your history lives on in legends and tales," I said. "You're infamous for being a trickster god who had it out for Horus."
"What?" he cocked his head and set the glass down. He started walking toward me but I put my hand up. "What do you mean? I…I need to know."
"We don't have time for fairy tales?—"
"Please, Drew. Please help me understand. It-it's important to me."
There it was again. Those puppy dog eyes. That quiver in his lip. I didn't even know if it was intentional or if he was putting on an act, but whatever it was was convincing.
"Fine. Follow me," I said and walked out of the kitchen with a sigh.
I walked straight into Dad's office and Sett appeared right behind me.
"Get Sett his answers," I said to the house. "And be quick about it."
Immediately the room started reorganizing itself before our very eyes, expanding into a vast space, a library full of endless books. Some of them started falling off the shelves but before they hit the floor the room shrank back down again leaving those books stacked on the desk. The old computer blinked into life and the chair rolled back, welcoming Sett into its arms. He took a seat like a king on his throne.
He opened the books and started reading while I watched. I knew we didn't have much time. I knew we should be getting on with the search and yet I couldn't stop staring at him and how careful he was being with the books, how engrossed he became in the task of reading his story. He even used the computer after a while, first with some hesitation as if unsure what to do with it but then he clicked and scrolled like a pro.
I didn't know how much time passed before he was done. Time was so...arbitrary in this house. But when he finished, he pushed the chair back, stood and glanced at me.
"I…I see," he said.
He'd turned from a pleading god into a sad god and I hated seeing it.
What I hated more?
My body's reaction to his sadness.
"Are…are you okay?" I asked before I could help myself.
He nodded. "I see my brother's propaganda persisted. He erased me. He erased us all."
"Erased who?" I asked.
Sett took a deep breath and smiled.
"No one. It's okay."
He was protecting himself. But it wasn't from me. It was from his feelings. And for some reason it made me upset to see it.
"You know…you can talk to me. I…I'm a good listener," I said and took two steps so I could squeeze his arm.
His big, strong, defined arm.
I pulled back as if I'd burned myself and he stared at me but didn't comment on my reaction.
