Page 94 of Sett and his King
I couldn't warn them. I couldn't save them. Everything we'd done was pointless because we'd managed to let him into our inner sanctum.
I'd managed to do that, all on my own. Because I’d acted before I thought and now everyone would pay the price. It didn't matter that we'd rescued Gene and Anubis. It was all pointless. They'd be back under his control in no time. And so would Yaya.
He turned the key and pushed the door open but it didn't budge.
A little sliver of hope pulsed through me. Maybe Spiti was stronger, smarter, than I thought.
But my hope only lasted for a second before Horus turned and glared at me.
"Come on, boy. Give me a hand."
I moved swiftly and decisively toward the door and put my hand over Horus's as if he was my friend and not my mortal enemy, and together we pushed the door open.
Of course it let us through. No matter what, Spiti wasn't alive. It wasn't human. It couldn't think. It could only obey its inhabitants. Even if letting one of them in meant bringing chaos.
The familiar square landing welcomed me in its bosom only we weren't alone. Sett was halfway down the stairs. Yaya and the young men were at the top turning from Sett to us with shock in their eyes.
"What the…" Yaya started when the floor gave way under me and I started falling.
My guts twisted and my throat tightened, the tumble dark, never-ending and headache-inducing. Until I landed on something hard and a faint light illuminated both Horus and Sett.
"What-what is this?" Horus asked as Sett stepped up held out a vial and tipped it upside down.
Gold grains fell down and swirled around him like little sparks of light that intensified with every passing second until the room was so bright it blinded me and the grains poured down on me like torrential rain.
"Oh this? This is my playground," Sett said with a smirk.
Sand. It was sand. It was everywhere. It covered the floor. It covered my clothes. And it still wrapped around Sett like a storm, like sheets of velvet and glitter. And then it swirled around me like a bright light that reached all the way into the darkest parts of my soul and eradicated any trace within that wasn't mine.
"No. That's not supposed to happen. This isn't fair!" I heard Horus but he sounded far away. When I opened my eyes, or when my vision cleared, he was right there, his face a work of art.
A work of art that I couldn't wait to smudge into oblivion.
"You. Freeze him. Now," he said.
I smirked and took a deep breath. Horus's actions slowed down to a halt and filled my lungs again, knowing that whatever happened next, he couldn't take control of me again. Never again. Not with all this sand around.
I never needed a necklace to bind me to another god instead of my cruel master. All I needed was a room full of sand and my Sett.
He'd protect me. He'd free me. He'd love me. Always.
Sett stepped through the sandstorm like the king he was, his skin appeared darker but shone as if cast in gold. His hair set in the shape of a crown and every muscle in his body flexed as if they struggled to contain the man and his power.
He knelt before me and placed his fingers under my chin, piercing me with his gaze. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head and wrapped my arms around him before I was able to articulate any words. "I'm okay. I promise, I'm okay. You saved me."
Sett held me close and I reciprocated. I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to break this moment. It was as if it was a spell and letting go would unwind and take me back to square one.
"I'm sorry I abandoned you. I'm sorry I left you behind."
I pressed the side of my head to his and breathed in as if clear for the first time in my life.
"You didn't. I sacrificed myself to save all of you."
"And I'll live with that regret for the rest of my life," he said.
I pulled back and stared at him. "Don't say that. Don't think that. You have nothing to regret, okay?" I said but before he could answer my gaze landed on Horus. "Do you have the scarab?"
