No one knew his true form, not even Gahiji, who had
been with him for almost two thousand human years.
Though Kemetic depictions were of a man with a
forked tail and doglike head, squared ears and a snout
like an aardvark, long and downturned, Gahiji had
never seen his master take that form. He thought
Sutekh’s true appearance must be something darker,
something more frightening.
“Anyone of interest?” Sutekh asked, helping himself to a morsel of honeyed sweets that sat on a table
by his right hand.
“The usual emissaries from other territories looking
for your support.” Neighboring gods and demigods,
EVE SILVER
23
each jockeying for position in the Underworld, each
trying to cement an alliance with the most powerful of
them all, were always sending underlings bearing gifts.
Gahiji glanced at the list in his hand and read off several names.
Listening intently, Sutekh appeared to weigh each
one. “No,” he interjected, and again, “No.” Then, “Yes,
he has Hades’ ear. He may have a proposition I am interested in. Put him last.”
And so he arranged the visits, until Gahiji murmured, “Abasi Abubakar, High Reverend of the mortal
cult Setnakht, worshippers of Sutekh. He forfeited his
life as a means to speak with you.”
Sutekh turned his head and glanced to his right.
There, in a dim corner, back against the far wall, face
to the room, sat Lokan, Sutekh’s youngest son.
He was Sutekh’s emissary, his ambassador to the
other territories. Often, it was Lokan standing in an
endless line, waiting for his chance to present his
