Infinite Sacrifice (4 page)

I wake, thrashing and breathing
hard.

The same dream again and
again!

I write on my papyrus: GET
SEHKET!

Chapter 3

Bastet wakes in the morning and
hands me her night vision to interpret. She walks away from me, her
hips swaying in a beaded wrap as it plays a mesmerizing song.
Regardless of what foretelling I hold in my hands, I know I’ll
create my own to keep her in my life. Yet I am curious and open her
scroll to read:

I was on the rooftop of the temple
and walked to a well in the center. I looked into the deep hole and
saw in the reflection Nebu, holding the scales, weighing my heart
against a feather. I was frightened by a sound behind me. I turned
to see a giant ostrich run by.

I roll the scroll back up and burn
it in the fire above the altar.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Later that night, after the last
purification of the day, Nebu inquires, “I am relieved to hear
Bastet passed your palm reading, but I am anxious to hear of her
dream.”

“Yes, she has truly been a
remarkable subject.” I lie, “She displayed an amazing ability to
connect with the spirit world.”

Nebu raises her painted eyebrows in
interest. “What have you interpreted?”

“There is no need for me to
interpret since she had direct communication facilitated by
Serapis.”

She pulls back in surprise, never
having had direct contact with him herself. I unroll the scroll and
let her read:

I was walking up to the statue of
Serapis and saw my own dead form laid out as an offering. The
statue of Serapis came alive, took his sacred offering of donkey
meat, and put it in front of me. I came to life and ate the
flesh.

Nebu rolls the scroll back up and
hands it to me. I don’t need to tell her that those are the
portents of long life, promotion, and divine acceptance.

“Serapis has spoken, then, and
picked for us. I, his dutiful wife, will make sure his will is
granted.”

She humbly bows and walks off to
notify her apprentices in the harem room.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

I’ve never wanted a woman more. My
own wife, chosen by my father to secure our lands to the east of
Memphis, thought to be attractive by most standards, is a wife for
a man; Bastet is a wife for a god! In moments, I disregard all that
is sacred to me, worshipping only Bastet.

That evening I retire to my own
quarters provided beside the temple. I walk past the peasants
putting their livestock safely away for the night, the farmers
digging the grime from under their fingernails before supper, and
the serenely empty crop fields. As I make my way down the row of
simple sandstone dwellings, I watch the smoke lift from cooking
fires on rooftops and blend into the darkening sky. Nun rushes to
open the gate to the courtyard, and I wave away the plate of food
offered as I head straight into my room.

Earlier that morning, I sent Nun on
the half-day’s walk back outside Memphis to fetch my tailless black
cat, Sehket. All the wooden lamps were lit within, and I search the
sparse room. My soul is finally at ease once Sehket’s large, golden
eyes stare up at me. I find Nun outside rubbing honey on blisters
he acquired from his errand. I strike the small gong at the
entranceway for him to serve me, and he limps inside carrying warm
water from the fire. Nun washes, oils, and dries my feet, then
retires to his woolen blanket beside the mud-baked firepot outside.
Before getting into bed, I throw back the sheet and am relieved to
find the bed empty. Sehket takes her usual place on my chest as I
fall asleep to her loud purr, secure she’d protect me from the
serpents that plague me.

It’s a glorious dawn, and I’m
sitting in an orchard in the sun when something catches my eye. A
flashing light surges out from an unfamiliar temple. Dark clouds
start to gather, so I run to the temple for shelter. I enter and
stand before a large statue of Edjo. The statue comes to life and
hands me a deep cup. I drink from it, seeking refreshment, yet find
it is warm beer, and I spit it out.

I awake, nudge Sehket off of me,
and drop to my knees by my bed. After such a nightmare, I recite
the prayer: “Hail to thee, Isis my mother, thou good dream which
art seen by night or by day. Driven forth are all evil filthy
things which Seth, the son of Nut, has made. Even as Ra is
vindicated against his enemies, so I am vindicated against my
enemies.”

The next
afternoon, coming from my midday purification and heading to the
dream chamber, I hear a faint noise within and pause outside the
entranceway to listen. It is
her
voice. A voice I imprinted on days ago,
chanting:

“Hathor, Goddess of Love

Make him think only of
me.

My lovely charms he can’t
resist.

My lover coax him to be.

The first part of my prayer
fulfilled,

Hathor, you healed my
strife,

Removed Edjo from Nebu’s
favor,

Secured me in line for
wife.

The second, I prayed to
pass.

He helped me in my quest.

Now that I am honored,

Hathor, fulfill the
rest.”

She whispers the last line a few
times sharply, and I try to disappear into the dark corner beside
the doorway as I hear her rush out. I hold my breath as she whips
past me, too concerned with escape to look around. I hurry into the
chamber to see a thin scroll ignited in one of my altar fire pits.
Using the fire tender, I quickly sweep it from the fire onto the
floor and blow it out. Once the embers dancing on the edges darken,
I open up the charred paper to see my name intertwined with hers,
bound with crimson blood—a conjured love spell. Bastet is more
powerful than I gave her credit for, and I find her all the more
seductive for it.

That night, as I arrive for the
evening purification, Bastet stands at the edge of the glimmering
cleansing pool bare, her skin glistening with oil. I try to take in
her beauty, but the stolists disrupt my view, tying her dress
around her waist. I stand beside her while she’s painted with kohl.
Disrobing in front of her, I notice she doesn’t turn
away.

Fully immersed in the pool, I bring
only my eyes out of the water, and I see she’s still watching me. I
disappear beneath the surface once again, and my heart sinks when I
reemerge as she’s walking away. Right before she rounds the corner,
she extends her arm out, curling her finger for me to follow.
Rising from the pool and ripping the loincloth from the stolist’s
extended hands, I hurry to catch her, slipping as I secure the
linen around my waist. She’s waiting, leaning back in the shadows,
shimmering. I grab her in the corridor outside the dream chamber,
pin her to the wall, and kiss her.

She pulls her lips away after too
short a moment but stays within my embrace.

“You must tell Nebu you need to
come for dream incubation. I will make sure we are alone by having
my slave watch the door. We will have no interruption. No one will
ever know of our bliss.”

“There are consequences that can
come from such bliss, consequences that the Royal Daughter is not
allowed.”

I look into her darkened eyes.
“There are trusted potions for such things.”

She hesitates as I kiss down her
neck. “But will we never get into the afterlife if we continue
further?”

“Don’t we priests feast from the
gods’ morning offerings after they have taken their spiritual fill?
How is this not different?”

She kisses me back in passionate
agreement and hurries back to Nebu. I turn to go into the
incubation room, and Khons, the house scribe, is standing there
leaning on the altar where his son left him. His failing body, so
riddled with stiffness, renders him utterly dependent on his son’s
assistance.

“Khons, you got here so fast.” I
check to see the distance between where he’s standing and where I
exchanged with Bastet.

He laughs. “I do not think I get
anywhere fast anymore.”

I’m relieved at how jovial he is,
assured he hadn’t overheard. In his advanced years, he must be
somewhat deaf by now.

“That may be so, but your wisdom is
priceless to the House of Life. What new fascinating topic are you
writing about today?”

“Oh, you would not believe the
magic that surrounds us, Sokaris! Each day I wake up in pain and
wonder why I want to trudge through another day, and by every
night, I am mystified and charged by all the charms that encircle
us.” He swirls his hands above his head to illustrate before
continuing. “Today I met with a man from Thebes who swears he is a
master of rain charms. He showed me the very documents from the
King’s Library of Periods of Drought. He performed his
enchantments, and sure enough, it rained! Amazing, what an amazing
world.”

His sagging brown eyes glisten with
excitement.

I smile. “What answers do you seek
tonight?”

“I suddenly need some clarification
on a topic I am trying to understand better.” He sighs.

“By all means, let me assist you to
your chamber.” I help him to the bed and lay him down on the linen
sheets. After lighting his lamp for him, I ask him again if he
needs anything, and he shakes his head. I walk out on the rooftop
terrace before retiring in the dream chamber. The sky is burning
red on the horizon.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Bastet and I are feasting at a
table displaying an assortment of fruits, breads, and meats. I turn
and see she has both her hands full of a large melon. She gorges on
it; the juices drip down her perfect face.

I awake and shake Nun’s scrawny
form to his feet. “I expect you to come inside the temple to assist
me tonight.”

“
Inside
the temple, Master? Slaves are
forbidden.”

“Yes, I am aware of that, which is
why you will need to purify yourself at the public bath and enter
through the workshop entrance. You will wear this.”

I throw him my fine linen
loincloth. He holds it gingerly, since slaves are not allowed
clothes, let alone linen.

“What if someone catches me? I
could be killed for an offense such as this?”

“Do not question me! You must obey
my wishes. If you do not obey me, I will cast out those who depend
on you!”

I knew that threatening to throw
out his useless, ailing mother would put an end to his
misbehaving.

He looks down. “I beg forgiveness,
Master. Please tell me where to meet you.”

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

On my way into the temple, I see a
slight movement on the rooftop. There, swallowed by the darkness,
stands an astronomer-priest squinting to the starlit sky, solving
some perplexing mystery of the cosmos. I walk into the grand
library, where I bow to Khons, busy writing at his desk.

“Sokaris.” He replaces his reed
into his ink flask and asks, “How can I assist you?”

“I did not mean to interrupt you.”
I bow.

“Oh no, I was simply writing a
draft on the periodic returns of the two heavenly bodies, the moon
and the sun.” He stretches and straightens his gnarled legs. “What
are you in search of?”

“I request the use of the library.
I am in search of fertility concerns and rituals.”

He looks up, squinting as he
searches his personal archives within his mind, then beckons me to
follow. I slowly walk behind his hunched form earned from many
years of slumping over a desk, writing volume upon volume. We walk
into the cavernous adjoining room, where shelves filled with books
reach to an extreme height and tables are stacked with giant rolls
of pure leather.

He makes his way through the
shelves, holding onto them for support. “This library is shrouded
in great secrecy, as it holds many sacred rituals, writings, and
secrets of the inner sanctum of religion itself. These secrets
could harm the Pharaoh, the priests, and all of Egypt.” He pauses
and opens his arms around him, drawing attention to the
never-ending sea of books. “This is for all of
posterity!”