While Nephthys and Amun-Ra talked of godly things as they sipped tea and sat in pools of sunshine streaming in through the latticed windows of Amun-Ra’s palace, Isis stood in the darkened stables peering at the curious animal that chewed oats lazily as it watched her. She was sure that the strange creature must be the reason Osiris had called her to the stables, and she let out an irritated breath.
It wasn’t going to work. He was likely hoping to distract her again. He’d done it often over the centuries she’d known him. When she was cross with him over one thing or another, he’d bring her a flower she’d never seen, or a fluffy rabbit or kitten. Soon she’d forget all the reasons she’d been upset and pepper him with questions about his adventures.
She had no idea what this animal was called or where he might have found it, but she had to admit it was interesting. In appearance its face resembled a dog or a jackal but with long, tufted, square-tipped ears that stood straight up. Its legs were also long and lean like that of a gazelle, but this creature was no dog.
In mannerism, it was more like a horse. It was gentle and was putting away oats faster than any animal she’d ever seen. “I guess you’re hungry,” she said with a laugh as she stretched out a hand. Isis touched the creature’s long neck and it moved closer, enjoying her caress. When she began scratching, it made a mewling sort of whine and angled its head so she could reach the best spots.
Long-lashed brown eyes blinked as it turned, wagging its bushy tail to sink its head back in the bucket of oats for another mouthful. At the same time, it angled its body so Isis could continue scratching. She obliged the animal with a fond pat. “You’re a sweet thing, aren’t you?”
“I like to think so,” a voice behind her said.
Isis twirled around. “Seth. What are you doing here?” Isis asked.
“Looking for you,” he said with a grin that looked a touch too intense.
“I’m waiting for Osiris, but you can stay until he arrives,” she offered.
The grin slipped from Seth’s face. “As you wish.” He inclined his head, and as he did so, he waved his fingers and unmade a rather significant section of Osiris’s garden, one that would be sorely missed by the god of weeds. Perhaps it would distract Osiris long enough to give him a chance to talk with Isis.
Stepping forward, he leaned over the stall where she watched the animal and wrinkled his nose at the smell. He’d rather take her to a different location, but he knew Isis wouldn’t leave, not when Mr. Too-Handsome-for-His-Own-Good was on his way. Perhaps, though, if he revealed his secret, she’d be shocked enough to agree to a demonstration elsewhere after he confessed.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Isis said, pointing to the animal.
Seth could see nothing remarkable in the creature. In fact, as far as he could tell, it served no purpose. It was too small to ride upon. It didn’t seem intelligent enough or soft enough to be a pet. It ate grain, which meant it needed to be fed. And as an herbivore, it was essentially useless in keeping the rodent population in check.
“Lovely,” he said drily, no longer looking at the creature. “Isis?” he began.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to speak with you.” Seth’s mouth suddenly went dry and, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember a single rehearsed line. Not when the lovely goddess trained her stormy eyes upon him.
“Go on,” she encouraged, standing up. Her body stiffened, as if bracing itself for what would come next.
Seth stood too, bristling at having to look up at her. He wasn’t short, at least not when compared with mortals, but Isis stood several inches above him. When he took her as a bride he’d make sure to set her throne lower than his. It would not do to have a wife who commanded more attention than he did. “I . . . I wanted to tell you that I’ve come into my power.” He hadn’t meant to state it so bluntly or with the awkward lack of confidence in his voice, but it was the best he seemed able to do. He was slightly mollified when Isis’s face lit with enthusiasm.
“Really? That is wonderful!”
“It is.” He grinned a bit sheepishly. “I wanted you to be the first to hear about it.”
“I’m honored. So?” Isis clasped his hand. “What is it?”
“It’s . . . well . . .” Seth cast his eyes about the stables, looking for something unimportant. He found a small milking stool and set it between them. “Just watch. It’s better if I show you.”
Seth raised his hand and the stool shimmered and then disappeared. Truthfully, it was painfully easy to unmake an inanimate object. He gleaned no additional power from doing such a thing, so he considered it a waste of his energy. Whatever life force the wood of the stool had at one time had long since vanished. Still, it impressed Isis. She clapped her hands.
“That’s amazing!” She spun around. “Where did it go? Can you move anything?” she asked. “What about people?”
“I didn’t move the stool,” Seth said, slightly uneasy. “I . . . unmade it.”
“Unmade? What does that mean?”
“It means it has now ceased to exist.”
“So you destroyed it?”
Seth shook his head. “To destroy is to break something apart. In a case like that, the matter still exists. I erased the thing from the cosmos. And the answer to your former question is yes, I can do it to anything.”
“But what happens when—”
He lifted a hand with a flourish. “Like I said, they cease to exist. If it’s a living thing like a tree or an animal, part of its life essence is transferred to me and the rest of it returns to the Waters of Chaos.”
“The Waters of . . . Are you sure?”
“Very sure. I’ve traveled there myself and tested it.”
“But that means you’ve killed—”
Seth interrupted, holding up a finger. “Unmade.”
Isis fluttered her wings and there was a telltale crease in her forehead that meant she was displeased with him. “Killed, unmade, what’s the difference?” she questioned.
Seth frowned. This conversation wasn’t headed in the direction he wanted. “I think you’re missing the bigger picture.”
“And what picture is that?” Isis asked.
“The Waters of Chaos are being refilled.” He took hold of her shoulder and gritted his teeth when she flinched. “Refilled, Isis. Do you know what that means?”
He paused and was rewarded with the widening of her eyes. “It means more beings can be created,” she answered soberly.
“Yes!” He nodded with overflowing enthusiasm.
The possibilities surged through Isis’s mind. With the Waters of Chaos refilled, she could have a child. Maybe even more than one. She could be a mother.
“Can you fill the Waters by unmaking things without life?” she asked. “Items like the stool?”
“No. Only unmaking the living adds to the Waters. The more potent the life, the more the Waters rise.”
“But to destroy the living is wrong,” she said.
He sighed impatiently. “Not destroy. Unmake. But don’t you see? You can help me.”
“Help you? How so?”