Page 4 of Stone
A blackened eyelid opened to stare up at her. She smiled.
“There is a small amount left. You must drink it.”
He didn’t argue or try to pull away fromher. She guessed he was far too weak to do either.
Once she’d emptied the vial, she recapped it and pressed it into his palm, curling his fingers around it. “I amMinbar.Hanashepwas my niece.”
The man’s expression never wavered, but she could sense his sadness. He’d understood her referring to the young woman in the past tense.
“You are wondering whyI am here, correct? And how I was able to reach you. I do not know ifHanashepmentioned me. I am a Priestess of the Temple ofMontu. She told me much about you. About how you have been a good and trusted friend. How you helped her when she was most in need.
“WhenHanashepdisappeared, I knewSerasinhad to be behind it. I eventually was able to discover what had happened to her.I also found out she had been forced to give false testimony against you so thatSerasincould have you arrested for treason against the pharaoh.”
She ran her fingertips over the man’s brow. “I prayed toMontu. I beseeched the god to save you because you have served him faithfully all these years, and he answered. He told me to pray toPetbe. So I went over to the temple of the godof revenge and prayed. I burnt offerings to him and explainedSerasin’streachery. AndPetbeanswered. He told me to make this draught and to bring it to you. He showed me how to make the vial in the image of his mother, Oka, in which to put the draught. He gave his blessings, and I have brought them to you.”
Minbarran a soothing hand over his face, taking great care not to causehim any further pain or discomfort. “You can already feel it working, can’t you?”
The single eye blinked in answer.
“You will not die bySerasin’shand. You will live.Petbetold me you will take on a form of stone that will endure for thousands of years.” Leaning closer, she added in a very strict voice, “As long as you retain possession of the vial I’ve placed inyour hand, you will live. Do you understand?”
She may have imagined it, but she thought she saw his fist tighten slightly. He also blinked in acknowledgement. Already she could see a transformation coming over his countenance. His jaw was beginning to protrude as his forehead took on a noticeable slope. The fingers of the hand grasping the vial were thickening, the tips growing intothick, claw-like nails. At the same time, the man’s body altered, growing bulkier as the muscles in his arms and legs became thicker.
Minbarsmiled. “I give praises toPetbe. You are changing. Can you feel it?”
A small, almost tremulous smile lifted the corners of his widening mouth. She noticed the elongation of his lower teeth, until they jutted upward from his jaw,giving him an almost demonic appearance.
Getting to her feet, she backed away from him. The man continued to grow, to change. At one point he flexed his arms, and the strain on his shackles broke them from his wrists and ankles. Slowly, he managed to sit up, and a pair of leathery wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, surprising him.
Garenthstared at her. “Whatis happening to me?” His voice was grating, like metal on stone.
“Petbehas given you his blessings. He has found you and your cause worthy. Rejoice,Garenthbin Al-Emin. You will have your moment to avenge the evil done to you, and the death of my beloved niece. Promise me you will seek both.”
An enormous hand reached out to touch her cheek with a feather-light caress.“I will make you andPetbeproud,” he promised.
