The Queen Of Gods

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

My whole body shook from the encounter with Amun, and from the stress of having to tend to the poor animals. The moment I'd returned to my own temple, I'd sent some of my priestesses to arrange for the poor cow to have the proper rites due to it as one of my sacred animals. They'd probably return it to the temple in Lower Egypt that it came from, my priestesses there knew what they should do. If I didn't have other things to do, then I might even have been tempted to go with it. I needed to know why my High Priestess there hadn't thought to inform me that one of the sacred cows had been stolen. With the human population barely believing in any of us any longer, it couldn't have been any of them, and should have raised at least some alarm bells. I was disappointed that it hadn't.

I should send someone else to get a bath ready for me again. It wasn't long since my last one, but as far as I was concerned, that didn't matter. I was filthy from dealing with dead animals, and sore from the movements. And, as Khonsu had so rightly put it, I always found baths soothing. It would be good to get rid of some of the tension which had filled me between then and now.

Khonsu.

My heart broke at the thought of filling my friend in about what happened. It would cause him so much pain. A small part of me still hoped Horus was off somewhere sulking about something, but I was starting to doubt that assessment myself. While it really did feel like something the god would do, it didn't feel like it was the right answer in this situation.

Something wasn't right about the whole thing, and I was going to work out what it was.

Hissssssss.

I stopped in my tracks.

"Ura?" What was my cobra doing outside my bed chambers? She only ever left if I took her with me. Not because I forced her to stay or anything like that, but she genuinely seemed to prefer staying in there.

The rattle of a pot a few feet away from me caught my attention. The lid fell off and clattered to the floor, thankfully not breaking. It was from the nineteenth dynasty, and a gift from Ramesses II's consort, Nefetari. Something I treasured dearly, and I would hate if it broke. The dark scales of Ura's body peeked out from the opening. I frowned. This was strange.

I closed the small distance to the pot and scooped out my poor snake. She curled herself around my arm, tighter than usual. I stroked her head, hoping it would help calm her down. I wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but leaving a frightened snake hanging around isn't a good thing. Not everyone is as immortal as I am, and the magic in her system might make her venom more potent.

"What's wrong?" I asked, even though she couldn't respond. I hated seeing her like this, but I'd need to find one of my followers if I was going to find any answers.

With Ura still wrapped tightly around my arm, I made my way through the corridors and into my antechamber. I gestured for one of the younger priestesses, and she came up to me, a worried expression on her face.

I forced a smile onto my own, I was probably scaring her with the way I was acting and making her think she'd done something wrong, which wasn't my intention at all.

"Has anyone been in my rooms while I was away?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of, Your Eminence, but I can check with the High Priestesses if you'd like." Her voice barely quivered while she spoke to me. That was a good sign. She had a lot of potential to rise through the ranks.

"There's no need," I assured her. "I can talk to them myself once I'm settled back in." I flashed her what I hoped was a reassuring smile, but might not have been.

"Thank you, Your Eminence." She dipped her head in a polite bow.

She was well trained. I wasn't sure whether that was Miane or Anku's doing, as both of my High Priestesses had their underlings with them here at Karnak since my Waset temple was destroyed.

"Thank you for your help." Just because she was here to serve me, it didn't mean I needed to be cold and unfeeling towards her. That wasn't good for my reputation. And it wasn't fair to anyone in my employ.

Ura hissed from her position on my arm, and swayed in time with my steps. It seemed as if she'd calmed down, but it was hard to tell. Once I'd found Horus, I should contact a snake charmer and learn a few tricks which would help me communicate with my beloved pet. Or better yet, I'd send a volunteer priestess out to learn about the creatures, then she could teach me in our own time. That sounded like a decent plan.

There were fewer people around than there normally were at this time of day. Was Ma'at planning another feast? Or was something else going on? There weren't many reasons for the temple to be as empty as this. At least that would give me time to deal with whatever had spooked Ura in peace.

I entered my chambers and scanned the room for any signs of intruders. The air had been disturbed, though it was impossible to pinpoint what had caused it.

"Is it safe?" I asked Ura.

She turned to me, her small eyes meeting mine. I waited for a few moments, wondering what she was going to do. She began to unwind, slowly at first, but then with more confidence. I sighed with relief. It was good to have her more settled.

She slithered away and towards the basket she saw as her own. There was still an edge to her movements, especially as she wound herself up tightly. Ura was waiting for some kind of attack. I'd been with her long enough to be able to recognise that from the way she was acting.

Having reassured myself that my snake was fine, if a bit spooked, I started to make my way around the room, checking for anything that was out of place. I had no idea what had chased her out of here in the first place, but if I had to take a guess, I would say it was related to the scene I'd found in Horus' bed.

Horror and relief washed through me at the same time. That could have easily been Ura lying there instead of a cow. It was bad enough that someone desecrated one of my sacred animals, but I didn't know the creature. Ura was different. She lived in my rooms, responded to me above anyone else, and had been with me for years. I couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

A small piece of papyrus caught my eye from where it lay on my bed. I didn't even need to open it to know who it was from, or that it was related to the scene in Horus' temple. But I had to see what it said, especially if I wanted to do anything about it. There was no way I was going to accept being blindsided by him.

I snatched it up, prepared for the worst.

Hathor, I hope you enjoyed my present. I thought it was rather inspired myself. Horus didn't agree. Though that might be the food my jailers are feeding him. He's a fussy one. Pass on my fondest greetings to Ma'at.

I scrunched the letter up in my fist, before realising that wasn't the best course of action. I needed to show the other gods, if I didn't, then we wouldn't be able to get Horus back. And while I wasn't about to do it for his sake, I would for humanity's. No matter what my personal feelings for him, or even how Khonsu felt, Horus was a major god. His opinion mattered to those who were still deciding on a side in the upcoming war. I wasn't about to give up on him just because of our personal differences.

There wasn't any time to waste. We had to make a plan to get Horus out of there. And sooner rather than later. If anyone found out that a major god had been kidnapped from his own temple, then we were going to be in serious trouble.