Then, everything changed.
The sun was low on the eastern horizon, and a morning chill hung in the air. A man stood beside him, pointing out landmarks in the distance. Below, at the base of the spire, he could see a large caravan—servants, pack animals, men in white robes surveying the land and noting details on rolls of papyrus. They were clearly Khetaran, but their style of clothing was unrefined, the colors muted.
Karim couldn’t move or speak, only watch as the scene played out before him.
“There are several areas of interest in this region,” the man said. “Particularly to the south. There are no landforms to speak of, and the ground is relatively flat. Most importantly, we’ve discovered a water source nearby. It’s the perfect location for development.”
“And what is that area there?” The voice came from Karim’s throat, though neither it nor the words were his. A bejeweled hand that also wasn’t his pointed south.
“That is the Red Desert, my king. It is not large, but the sand thereis heavy in minerals that give it that color.”
Karim felt a rumble of approval in his chest. “Then that is where we build. For Set is the red god, and my city shall be his House.”
Karim gasped as he tumbled forward in time. The world righted around him, the sun dropping west, the afternoon air hot and dry, just as he had left it.
He stared at his hand that had touched the spire. The vision had left him breathless. It was like he’d been thrust inside someone else’s memory, someone who had once stood in that very spot, steadying himself on that same stone.
Not “someone,”Karim thought.Him.
Karim ran a finger along the scarab-shaped scar on his chest, fearing afresh the consequences of what thrummed beneath his skin.
This is the heart of a king.
Sita was dozing in the shade of the peak when he returned, Behkai curled beside her, keeping watch.
“Wake up, sena,” Karim said. “We don’t need Aya’s tribe after all. I can see the lost city. It’s south of here.”
The princess’s face lit up in a way that made Karim’s traitorous heart leap. “That’s wonderful! Let’s go!”
He hadn’t really seen it, of course. But fear had grabbed hold of him and Karim dared not speak the truth. If he and Setnakht were connected in some way, how deep did that connection go? If Karim could see the pharaoh’s memories, did that mean the monster could see his?
Karim rubbed his hand on his robes, feeling as if he had touched something foul, and together, he and Sita set off toward the Red Desert.
***
It was early evening by the time they reached the place where thesand gradually turned from gold to red. They hiked up a steep rise, pausing halfway to catch their breath.
Sita was drinking from her waterskin when she stopped and cocked her head. “Did you hear something?”
Karim listened. “Not me, sena. It’s probably another herd of addax passing through.”
They pressed on. When they finally arrived at the top, rosy-cheeked and streaming with sweat, Karim peered over the edge of the ridge and was faced with an extraordinary sight.
Below them, built at the bottom of a vast, crescent-shaped valley, was a crumbling Khetaran city. It looked to be about the size of a large village, but in its heyday, it must have been as glorious as Thonis itself. About a hundred mud-brick houses—many in various stages of collapse—congregated around what had once been a lengthy courtyard, which over a millennia had become a wilderness of palm trees and overgrown shrubs. The courtyard led through several gateways, their doors long since broken and turned to dust. Beyond the final gateway was a grand, flat-topped structure supported by towering columns that still retained the shadows of once-vivid paintings. A palace, perhaps, or a temple.
Or maybe both.
Alongside the palace, Karim spied a cluster of verdant trees and ground cover surrounding a dark, telltale glitter.
An oasis! That must be the water source the man spoke of in my vision.
A massive statue stood guard to the left of the palace’s arched entrance. Even from a distance, Karim could see the statue had suffered significant damage from the elements. Its arm, held out in a welcoming gesture, was severed at the wrist, and one of its tall, blunted ears had fallen from its head. Still, Karim had no trouble distinguishing who it was.
“A red desert for a red god,” he said, echoing Setnakht’s words.
Sita clasped her hands in amazement. “The House of Set,” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe we found it!”
Behkai’s tall ears perked with interest, and he sniffed the air before loping down the other side of the ridge toward the abandoned city.
