She wrung her hands. “I . . . I’ve been speaking to the stars.”
“Yes?” The others thought Nephthys a touch mad when she spoke of her visions, but Seth always took what she said seriously. He knew what it was like to be misunderstood, and now that he thought about it, they had much in common. Her abilities frightened the others. When he revealed his, they would be equally concerned, if not more so. “What did the stars tell you?” he asked.
“I’m to warn you.”
“Warn me of what?”
“That the path you’re taking is a dangerous one.”
Seth laughed. “My path to the stables?”
“No. Your life path.”
“I see. And what would the correct path be?” At first he meant the question as a joke, but the tone of her voice coupled with the expression on her face twisted inside him; he now earnestly wanted to know.
Nephthys pulled a clear stone from her pocket and rubbed her fingers over it. She then cupped it in her hands and held it up to her ear. “There are several you could take,” she said. “Your path has so many twists and turns. So many possibilities. And an important choice comes soon.”
“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the stone.
The corner of her mouth quirked up. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Seth leaned in, took hold of her shoulder, and squeezed, trying to evoke an air of confidence between them. Winking, he said, “Try me.”
Wetting her lips, Nephthys answered, “I call it the Eye of Prophecy. When the messages from the stars are unclear, I set it to wandering. It’s recently returned, and the things it’s shown are both wonderful and frightening.”
“Will it speak to me?” Seth asked, opening his hand. When she hesitated, he pried the stone from her fingers and lifted it to his ear. That she didn’t seem to mind his taking the stone filled him with a heady sense of power. It was exactly the opposite of what he’d felt during his encounter with Anubis.
Seth didn’t know if she was charmed by him, fearful of him, or was just being polite. It didn’t matter really what her motivation might be. That she knew her place made him appreciate her all the more. Briefly, he wondered just how much Nephthys would allow him to push her.
“No.” Nephthys shook her head sadly. “I wish it would. There’s so much to tell you. So much you need to know. But . . . the time isn’t right.”
“How convenient,” Seth said, allowing a glimmer of his cruelty to show. When he saw her fallen expression, it made him angry. He didn’t like when people were disappointed with him. “Don’t bother me with such things if you don’t have anything concrete to share.”
“But I do have something concrete.”
“Then say it, Nephthys,” he demanded impatiently.
“It’s about your path.” She lowered her eyes. “I mean, our path.” She swallowed and peeked up at him through her lashes.
“Our path?” Seth said with a start. “Do you mean to tell me that we . . . ?”
Nephthys nodded slightly. “It is one of the possibilities. One of the happier ones.” She frowned. “But also one of the terrible ones.”
Seth stood frozen, his hands now gripping her shoulders. He’d never considered taking a woman other than Isis as his companion, but standing there with Nephthys looking at him with a mixture of trust and fear felt somehow right. There was no doubt in his mind that Nephthys’s power was real. She knew too many things.
It reminded him of his mother in some ways. But unlike his mother, Nephthys at least trusted him enough to tell him of the things she’d seen. Nephthys didn’t hold back. Even if what she told him was met with anger. He took a moment to consider what she’d said. That he had the potential for many paths was a good thing. It meant he had choices. That fate hadn’t decided who or what he was to be. He liked that.
Perhaps her visions even meant that he could have both women—one to cast his spells and one to see the future. A man could do much worse. And wouldn’t the other gods be jealous at seeing him toy with the affections of both goddesses while they all remained steadfastly alone? Old bachelors doomed to a life of envy? He imagined the handsome Osiris kneeling before his throne, gazing jealously upon him as his powerful queens sat one on each side competing for his attention. It was a dream potent enough that Seth could almost taste it.
Whether he chose Nephthys now or later was immaterial to him. It couldn’t hurt to keep the goddess on a baited hook for a few centuries. At the very least he wanted to keep the channel of communication open between them. Finally, he spoke. “It is good that you have told me of this.”
“Are you sure?” she asked timidly. “The gods don’t like it when I share too much. It makes them nervous.”
“That will never be the case with me, dear one. I want you to tell me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Absolutely. But first, there is something I need to attend to. Will you meet me later?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll come find you this afternoon. Until then you’ll keep this between us?”
Nephthys nodded. “I will.”
Seth beamed at her, and in his smile Nephthys saw a glimpse of what they could be together. The timing was wrong, she knew, but she also knew of his unhappiness. By telling him what she’d learned, she wanted to offer him something to look forward to and to focus on. If she was successful, she might be able to sway him toward the path she hoped he’d take.
As Nephthys walked away, the stars whispered that she had no control over Seth’s choices and that he’d do what he was going to do anyway. She could only wish he wouldn’t. If he could just see the things she could . . . but none of them did. Not even Isis, her beloved sister.
Nephthys hummed to herself as she made her way through the halls toward Amun-Ra. He was as hardheaded as Seth, and it was a challenge to rouse him to speak of anything other than duty. His dreams were locked away so tightly that no one, not even she, as soft-spoken and perceptive as she was, could bring them to the surface. It didn’t stop her from trying, though. He felt so alone in his responsibilities, and she knew her presence offered him peace and a pleasant distraction.
She signaled a servant to bring tea and settled in the chair where they met each morning. Amun-Ra nodded as he entered and she smiled, her lips hidden behind her steaming teacup as he took the seat next to her. The stars whispered again, but she knew there was no manipulating Amun-Ra. Unlike Seth, there was no swaying him toward one course or another. He’d need to come to the decision on his own and in the time that felt right to him. Nephthys sighed. The wait would be long and tiresome, but it would be worth it. She had to believe that.