The Queen Of Gods

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I really wished they'd do something about the people. But no matter where I turned, there they were, snapping pictures and chattering excitedly in multiple languages about how much there was still left to see. It was unfortunate that one of my gifts meant I was capable of understanding them all. I assumed it was one linked to the motherhood aspect of me. I had to be able to understand all of my children, and that was what humans were.

I pushed through the crowd, trying not to think about how they were desecrating a holy site from years gone by. No wonder Amun wasn't here. I wouldn't be either if my temple had been turned into a tourist destination.

Once I was inside the main complex, I focused my search on the corners of the rooms, where someone was most likely to have hidden a secret door that led to the still active part of the temple. Perhaps one of the priests would take pity on me and let me in. Khonsu wasn't wrong about there being a lot of portraits of me. I could spot three from where I was standing now.

This happened at the temples of my supposed consorts sometimes. People used to worship me at them. I didn't understand why. I was always too busy watching over the people who asked for my help to ever find out. And now it was too late. It was one of the many things I'd never have the answer to.

"Your Eminence?" a portly man asked from beside me.

"Can I help you?" I responded, knowing full well that it was likely to be one of Amun's priests. No one else would know what to call me.

"I'm looking for Amun."

His eyes widened, and he glanced around, no doubt trying to make sure no one could have overheard us.

"Come with me." He gestured me towards the back wall. That must be where the secret door is. I knew there had to be one.

Within moments, we'd disappeared from the busy tourist attraction and entered into the true temple. The walls were awash with colour, not having faded due to a lack of care. I hated what we'd had to do to keep ourselves secret, but after the people who worshipped us became less numerous, we'd had to do it. Some of the followers of other gods would have tried to kill us if they could. Of course, they'd have failed. We couldn't actually die. But that didn't mean they couldn't make us feel pain.

"Is he here?" I asked the priest.

He shook his head. "But I'm the High Priest for Amun. How may I be of service?"

I grimaced. What did I say to that? The help I sought wouldn't be the same if it came from anyone other than Amun, and I wasn't sure how much I could let his priests know without talking to him first. Some gods were particularly private about their affairs, and given that my only interaction with Amun so far in life had been a flirty conversation when we were both a lot younger, I couldn't make any assumptions.

"Is there somewhere I could leave a message for him?" I asked.

"You can if you'd like, Your Eminence," he said with a dip of his head. "But I'm not sure what good it would do. We haven't seen our leader in several hundred years."

I groaned. Of course, that was going to be the case. I was as guilty of abandoning my own temple as he was. Though I needed to visit to make sure my priestesses were okay and start repair work.

"I suppose he doesn't have much work to do these days."

"No, Your Eminence. This is only a smaller temple too, after the main one..." he trailed off.

"I know. I'm sorry about what happened."

A pang of sadness ran through me. Not at the loss of Amun's temple per-say, but at the loss of what Waset had been. As the deity of the capital city, he'd had plenty to do with his time, but that would have lessened the moment Waset became part of Luxor. I supposed he could have transferred his attention to the newer city, but that wasn't exactly how it worked.

Really, I was still surprised people remembered his name, given that his main temple, and the city he was the god of, were both things of the past.

"It was a sad day, but we live and prosper still," the High Priest assured me, more than a small hint of pride in his voice.

A genuine smile spread over my face. "As we all do. We've survived worse than this."

"Perhaps one day, Your Eminences will rule again," he said, a look of awe on his face.

My smile turned sad. I doubted that would happen. Our followers had turned from us before, it wasn't a new thing. We all still smarted from Akenaten's reign and his attempt to worship a god who never existed. But it had never gone on for as long as this, and I feared things would never change.

"Is there somewhere I can write a message for Amun in case he comes back here?" I asked. It was better to be safe than sorry, and I didn't want to have wasted a journey, especially when I could have used the time to check on the mess Seth had made of my temple here.

"Of course. If you'd like to follow me again?" He gestured for me to follow, and I did without question. I'd never been here before, and didn't know my way around.

For a smaller temple, it was so grand. Even some of mine didn't compare to the splendour of the walls, or the treasures hidden within this place. The humans of the world thought they'd found the most beautiful things that Egypt had to offer. They were wrong. Those objects still resided with us gods. And we cherished them more and more with each passing year.

"Here you are, Your Eminence. Can I get anything for you? Any wine? Refreshments?"

"No, thank you," I assured him. "I won't be here long. I have other people to visit."

He nodded, then stepped back, leaving me to examine the scribe's desk in front of me. I took a deep breath, and pulled up a seat, before going through the steps I needed to use the reeds and pigments correctly. For quick notes, I often used modern methods of writing, but they still felt crass and unartful compared to the way a reed glided across parchment.

Perhaps I was too stuck in the past to appreciate the way technology had moved forward, but I didn't think so. With practised ease, I traced the hieroglyphics across the page, making sure to put nothing in them that could get into the wrong hands. All Amun needed to know was that I was looking for him. I was certain he'd have heard the gossip about Ma'at going around, but he could grow his own conclusions about that and what I wanted.

I sprinkled sand across the sheet and let the inks dry.

"There. Thank you. If I see Amun, I'll be sure to tell him how helpful you've been today," I assured the High Priest. If Amun wasn't here to see it, then I needed to make sure he knew. Selecting the person to be in charge of the rest of the followers was always a tough job. I'd gone through ten years without a High Priestess at one point because none of the candidates had felt right for the position. But that meant a good High Priest should be commended.

"Your Eminence is too kind. Do you need help finding your way out?" he asked.

"No, thank you. I believe I can remember the way. I might stop and look at some of the wall carvings on the way, and don't want to keep you from your work." Which I was already very aware of doing. But in truth, I just needed a moment to prepare myself before going out among the tourists again. If only my magic included the ability to teleport. This wasn't the first time I'd wished that, and I imagined it wouldn't be the last either.

I made my way back through the temple, doing exactly what I said. It was odd, I never stopped and looked at the artwork on the walls in the main temple, it was only now I was here in one I didn't normally frequent that I found it interesting.

Without properly meaning to, I stopped at one that pictured me besides Amun. I had to admit, we looked good together, though I had no idea who'd decided to paint this, or why. I supposed it was an honour to have been linked to such a powerful god. And yet, I didn't feel grateful. I hadn't chosen this. It wasn't even a reflection of a part of my life I'd rather forget. This was something that had been decided for me by someone.

And Amun had probably agreed with it. Frustration welled up within me. When I did find him, he'd have some questions to answer. Because unlike Khonsu, I had met Amun before. And he'd been charming, older, more powerful. Though I supposed the middle one didn't matter too much any more. But to the young goddess I had been, it sure had.