A syzygy was a common-enough celestial occurrence. It happened when three celestial bodies in the same gravitational system, such as the Earth, the moon, and the sun, aligned. But Isis spoke of a true syzygy. This had never happened before. At least, not in the time he’d been alive.
A true syzygy still involved three celestial bodies, but the alignment was of a permanent nature. Once the alignment transpired, the three would be locked together, never to move again. If Isis could call forth the power of a true syzygy, then her spells could indeed rival Seth’s abilities. Now the vision he’d seen of Isis made more sense. Her entire body was filled with light.
As she concluded her spell, Isis smiled and Osiris thought she’d never looked so lovely or radiant. “Is it done, then?” he asked.
“Almost. There is just one more piece and then we will be yoked together eternally, bound in such a way that not even the stars will be able to separate us.”
“What must I do?” Osiris asked softly.
“You must take my heart into your own and then I will tell you my secret name.”
“You will do this, too?” he asked.
She nodded, her eyes bright. What she was asking him harnessed the most primal magic. To know someone’s true name was to have complete power over them. It required an unflinching level of trust in another person and was unlike any other commitment in the heavens or beneath it. Any dereliction of honor, any breach of loyalty, even a tiny moment of waning courage or selfishness would cause great suffering for both of them. After they did this, the two of them would be able to see into one another’s hearts and understand each other wholly, both the good and the bad.
Osiris didn’t hesitate. He cupped her heart in his hand and placed it over his chest. Amethyst light burst from the gemstone as it sank into his frame and disappeared, its wings fluttering slightly as it burrowed into him and settled next to his own heart. Isis repeated the process with the golden scarab. As it eased into its new position, Isis caught the rich scents of the forest and of distant fields of grain.
Isis reached out her hands and Osiris took them, drawing her close. Just as the dark sky began to lighten they whispered their secret names to one another and the world tilted on its axis.
They were one.
They were unbreakable.
They were yoked in a bond that would last for eternity.
In the circle of each other’s arms they stood for minutes or hours or millennia. They didn’t know how long they remained rooted in place, gazes fixed upon one another. They didn’t care, for in the shadows of Isis’s wings all was still and silent.
Then Osiris kissed her and the world around them exploded.
Chapter 6
Threshing
All at once, the great star of the sky, the all-seeing sun, cast its light over the mountain, and the impact of what they’d done was immediately felt. The mountaintop shook as Geb trembled in fear, causing an earthquake that almost broke apart the towering monoliths of the immense adder stone they stood upon.
The whispering of the stars became shouts. And the goddess Nut gathered the skirts of her clouds and drew them to her face, veiling herself as her giant teardrops fell upon all of Duat. Enormous tree limbs shifted their branches and hid in the shadows of one another, as if ashamed to have been caught shielding the couple.
From where they stood, clutching one another and gazing up into the heavens, Isis and Osiris could see the alteration they’d caused in the celestial law written among the stars. The shining orbs above, hidden by the light of the sun from all but the gods themselves, shifted and reorganized themselves, forming new constellations and groupings to allow for the spell Isis had wrought.
Both of them heard the summons that pealed through the sky like the call of a shrieking raptor. It was the time for reckoning, for Amun-Ra knew what had come to pass. Osiris squeezed his new wife’s hand. “We must go.”
Clutching her fingers, he turned to leave but paused when she drew back and pulled away. “They are distraught,” she said, referring to the stars.
“We knew they would be.”
The two of them looked up as the stars realigned. Some stars were extinguished while new stars ignited, bursting into glorious existence, their light burning bright as if to announce to anyone who glanced heavenward what Isis and Osiris had done.
Isis turned her gaze to her new husband and was troubled to see the worry on his face. “Do you regret it?” she asked, slightly afraid of his response.
Osiris touched his forehead to hers. “No, Little One. My only regret is that we must now face our elders instead of celebrating the vows we have made this night.”
Isis nodded, relieved at his answer, and all the love she felt for her him showed in the softness of her smile.
When Osiris started to make his way down the mountain, Isis took hold of his hand. “We are one now. Come. Fly with me.”
Isis stretched out her wings and placed her hand on his heart. “Feel the strength of my wings in the heart scarab you carry,” she said, and then, with a powerful thrust, Isis rose into the air.
Closing his eyes, Osiris sought out the second heart that beat within, the small amethyst that belonged to the one he had claimed, and embraced the surge of power he found there. The golden wings stirred in his chest. When he opened his eyes, to his delight, he was airborne, floating high above the mountain where Isis waited for him.
“Just think of me,” she called out across the expanse of sky, “and your heart will bring you to mine.”
The connection between them was amazing. It was unlike anything Osiris had ever felt before. Not only did he share in her power, he could now read her thoughts. Isis was hesitant to confront Amun-Ra, but she was not ashamed of their union. In fact, she was proud to belong to him. That she’d been able to accomplish a spell of such magnitude was startling, and yet it pleased her. A part of Isis longed to cast other spells that she’d been too apprehensive to attempt in the past.
As he explored her thoughts further, he realized just how dangerous a union such as theirs had been. She hadn’t shared everything with him. If it hadn’t worked, both of them would have been destroyed. If he had known this risk to her, he might have, at the very least, paused to consider the costs. Osiris didn’t care about the risks to himself, and he found he held no animosity that she’d kept silent. Ultimately, he still would have gone through with it.
Isis chided him through his thoughts. My love, she whispered. You are thinking too much. Try to let yourself enjoy the flight.