“Why did the Roman emperors seek to expand their empire?” Orcus asked with a glint in his eyes. “To share our culture and bounty with others of course.”
I was no expert on antiquity, but I was pretty sure Orcus was being facetious, and your hooded brow confirmed it. We arrived then at a wide-open marsh where more shadowy figures appeared in the distance, still cloaked by a dense fog. The Ferryman navigated us through the tall reeds until we reached a grassy bank, this one more like a prairie. The colors were slightly muted, but even still, the field was covered in wildflowers that swayed in the mists.
“The meadows,” Orcus said. “We do our best to simulate the natural world, ideal for spiritual healing.”
We disembarked and waited while Orcus murmured in a language I didn’t recognize. Time was impossible to track, but I wasn’t bored or restless. And I didn’t feel threatened by the beings in our midst. Their energy was more curious than menacing. Overall, it was peaceful, though from the way you were surveying our surroundings, I doubted you felt the same.
I glanced to my other side to find that Spooky had transformed into a young woman, only still with the facial features of a cat. Her skin, too, glowed golden in the dim lighting, as did my own.
“Your familiar is a handmaiden to Bastet.” Orcus said.
“What does that mean?” you demanded.
“No wonder I was told to bring you here,” Orcus mused.
“Told by who?” you barked but Orcus seemed to fade before our very eyes.
“Henri?” I reached out to you, but your spirit was vanishing as well. I glanced around frantically to find myself alone, except for Spooky, who stared at me curiously but said nothing. And then another figure materialized from the fog. With the exception of her elaborate headdress, she and Spooky could have been twins. Could this be Bastet herself?
I knelt with reverence as I’d been taught by Mater when greeting a demon of distinction.
“Rise, child of Ra. Why have you come to my kingdom?” Bastet asked, never taking her eyes off of me.
My confidence was shaky without you and Orcus by my side, but I gathered up my courage and soldiered on. “I was sent here on an errand from the Thrones to retrieve the Potesta angel Thirran’s everlasting soul. I was told that you are its keeper.”
Bastet’s head tilted as Spooky’s often did when she was batting a string of yarn. Or her prey.
“An angel’s soul is precious and rare. If I were to possess such a treasure, why should I oblige you?”
“Because the Angel of Death is corrupt and has wreaked havoc on the earthen realm. I seek to end his tyrannic rule, but I need the Thrones’ blessing to do so. They demanded Thirran’s soul as proof of Azrael’s treachery.”
Bastet did not seem moved in the slightest. “The Thrones banished my god from the holy realms and slaughtered our people in the earthen realm. Now you wish to involve the sunborn in your holy war?” Bastet turned her black-rimmed eyes on Spooky. “But you were wise to bring him to me as an offering.”
An offering? I didn’t like the sound of it. “Have you been with me my whole life?” I asked Spooky, who only nodded. I turned back toward Bastet. “Why?”
“Your blood is mingled with that of the bloodborn witch, so I sent my handmaiden to watch over you. To better know your soul and to see if you are worthy.”
“Worthy? Of what?”
“Salvation.” Bastet captivated me with her lioness gaze. “But there is someone who tethers your soul to the earthen realm.”
“Henri.”
“He is the bloodborn warrior who watches over you?”
“Yes. He’s my… my everything.” I swept all horizons, searching the shadowy mists for you in vain. “Please, will you bring him back to me?”
Bastet lifted her hand, and the fog cleared to reveal pyramids gleaming gold in the distance. “The earthen realm is temporary, but we are your eternity. Come, child of Ra, let me show you to our homeland.”
