Page 66 of Sett and his King
I knew my brother. He was always confident but this was different. He had an ace up his sleeve.
"You'll give me the scarab, Sethie, or…" he grabbed a remote control from the desk and pressed a button. The TV behind him came to life. "I'm going to send your son to join his father in…oh wait. There is no afterlife on the blade of my axe."
The image on the TV was of an enclosed room. Probably the basement of this very building. A figure with a buzz cut and wearing glasses hunched over his lap and rocked back and forth.
I recognized him from the pictures all around Drew's home.
Gene.
But he wasn't alone.
There was also another kid with him. He was tall and dark with coily hair and he rubbed a hand along Gene's back, whispering something to him.
He looked nothing like my son. My son was big and strong, thousand years old and most importantly of all, he was in the Duat. His very own realm.
But despite all that I knew. I knew deep in my heart this was Anubis.
"You bastard," I spat.
I had to get him out. I had to get both boys out but now that Horus had revealed his ace, there was no telling what he would do.
And Drew and I? We'd lost the element of surprise.
I was back into a corner and Horus would get his scarab no matter what.
Unless…
Unless I did something stupid.
Something unpredictable. Something Horus couldn't control or stop.
I took a step forward, staring at the desk between us. I noticed something silver. It was sharp. It could work.
I took a deep breath and threw the scarab at Horus while I grabbed the paper knife with my other hand and ducked back toward Drew.
Just as Horus jumped into the air to grab the scarab, I sliced Drew's neck.
That should be enough, but just in case it wasn't…
I sliced my own too.
Sett
Ijumped up, back in the bed I'd claimed and awakened Drew not too long ago. The sheets were still damp from our combined efforts, my limbs were achy from being a subject of his control, but there was something else. A stinging pain where the blade sliced my neck.
Naturally, there's no scar. That part of the day never happened, but it didn't hurt any less. After all, only seconds before, I’d been holding the paper knife against my throat.
I turned around. Drew was lying next to me, eyes closed, face expressionless and for a second my breath caught and my heart raced. What if it hadn't worked? What if I'd killed him and there was no turning back?
But of course that was nonsense. There was no wound on his neck and no blood in sight. Besides, why would the house save me and not its master?
"Drew?" I grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently, leaning into his lips so I could plant a tender wake-up kiss.
He stirred and only when his eyes blinked open was I able to draw in a breath.
He stared at me for a moment. A smile crept across his face but a moment later he shot up in full panic.
"Wh-what happened?"
