The easiest way to thwart their burgeoning relationship would be to approach Amun-Ra. Seth rubbed his jaw. No. Reporting their activities would hamper his own agenda. If he was going to bind Isis to himself, he needed to keep Amun-Ra as ignorant as possible about Isis’s current feelings of wanting something more than she was allotted.
In truth, that was something Seth admired about her. In a way, it was a relief to know that she was just as discontented with her lot in life as he was. Spying on her was useful in more ways than one. He could use that to his advantage. Seth spent the entire night rehearsing what he would do and say to sway Isis. To have Isis look at him as a more viable choice than Osiris. Then, as the sun rose over the mountain, casting all of Heliopolis in its golden glow, he called to his mother, asking if he could borrow her comet to send a message.
The sky rumbled in response and the whisper of wind tickled his cheek. “I would,” Nut said to her son, “but Osiris asked for just the same thing before you did. When the comet returns, I would be happy to pass along a message for you.”
Seth clenched his fist as his jaw tightened. “That won’t be necessary, Mother,” he snapped. He then quickly apologized, explaining that he was wearied, and added, “Did you happen to overhear his message?”
“You know I don’t listen in on my children.”
“So you don’t know what he said to her?” Seth pressed.
The wind stilled, and then stirred around his feet so subtly that if he hadn’t been a god, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. “It was not meant for you, son,” he heard her softly admit.
Seth’s body shook with frustration. “Could you not this once . . . .” he began, struggling to show his mother the respect her position demanded. Nut interrupted with a sudden stir of the clouds overhead. They roiled and churned, but as quickly as they had formed, the thick mass broke apart. It stretched out thin fingers that dissipated in the heat of the morning sun until they were gone.
“I don’t normally do this,” she said finally, “but I know you’ve had a difficult time of late, and the other gods haven’t been as patient with you as I wish they’d be.” She sighed. Her breath on his face was as cold as the space in which she made her home. “Osiris has asked Isis to meet him at the stables of Amun-Ra. I do not know if she intends to go, only that the message was delivered.”
Seth inclined his head. “Thank you, Mother.”
On his way to the stables Seth was stopped twice, first by Anubis. “Seth,” Anubis said. “Just the boy I’ve been looking for.”
Seth wrenched his arm from Anubis’s grip and glared at the god with open contempt. “I don’t see any boys here. You’d best keep looking.” He turned to go, but Anubis’s black dog leapt in his path and growled. Almost, almost, he unmade the dog then and there. Unmaking a creature as ancient as the first dog would imbue him with a great deal of power, but he couldn’t risk such a thing. Not yet. Without turning to look at him, Seth asked, “What do you want, Anubis?”
“It seems that there have been some interesting deaths as of late—animals, trees, mortals, and even some of the lesser immortals as well. I’ve had to escort several people to the afterlife, several young people,” he emphasized. “Youth who weren’t remotely close to death. And the stories they tell, well . . .” Anubis had repositioned himself alongside his dog and peered into Seth’s face with his not-so-subtle accusations. “Let’s just say they weren’t entirely . . . natural.”
“How fascinating that must be for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have pressing business.”
Anubis lifted an eyebrow. “Business? Really? What business could you possibly have?”
Seth raised his chin and narrowed his eyes. “I’ll have you know that Amun-Ra has sent me out on a mission of great import.”
Anubis folded his arms across his chest. “I see. Well, lucky for him he has such a dedicated man to do the job.”
“Yes.”
“Best move along then, Seth.” The god of the afterlife smirked. “I’ll just go speak to Amun-Ra about my concerns regarding the sudden influx of souls to the afterlife and my suspicions as to what has caused them.”
“You do that,” Seth said confidently, despite his inner turmoil that his secret had been discovered. Then he calmed himself. Even if Anubis suspected him in the deaths, Amun-Ra wouldn’t necessarily attribute them to the supernatural. He’d caused mortal death before—many deaths, in fact.
Anubis might believe these deaths were different, but he couldn’t know why. The transition between life and death was a terrible enough thing that the mind encapsulated the pain of it. Most souls couldn’t even remember how they died. It was like remembering the pain of a skinned knee as a toddler. Even if they could, it wouldn’t be an immediate concern. He’d been careful to make sure the mortals he tested his power on never saw his face. Besides, they were more focused on the next phase of their existence and their upcoming judgment. At best the mind was clouded, confused about the experience of dying, which was why Anubis was often sent as a guide.
For the time being, his secret was safe. No one would believe that the one god without power, the one nobody, including his parents, thought would amount to much, could possess such an important ability. There was still time. Time for him to reveal his news in his own way and to those he sought out. But first, he needed to get to Isis.
Anubis leaned forward, almost touching his nose to Seth’s. “Oh, I will,” he breathed before he walked past him, knocking into Seth’s shoulder so hard that the shorter god almost fell. The fury that swept through Seth was quick and burning. Mostly he was angry at how Anubis had spoken to him, but he was also upset with his own reaction to the god. During their conversation Seth had felt . . . intimidated, fearful, and less-than.
He hated that the old inadequacies of his youth still plagued his mind, even though he’d now come into his own. How he ached with righteous vengeance. He would show them. He would show them all just what he was. What he could be. He was more powerful than all of them. They wouldn’t dare talk to him like that after they saw what he could do.
Seth stormed off, once again headed to the stables, but then he ran into Nephthys, who also clearly desired his attention. At first, he thought to ignore her, but her soft eyes and demure smile charmed him. Though Nephthys had always grouped herself with the others, leaving him out, she’d never been unkind to him. Stifling his impatience, he feigned interest in whatever it was she wanted to talk to him about. “What can I help you with, my dear?”