Ennead: Goddess of Sand

Warriors of The Sand

- 70 years before-

"My Queen."

Seutekh nonchalantly opened her eyes as she stared right back at the shadows of her chambers. 

"Kek, Is that you?" she asked the shadows as they danced in her vision. Not long had a man with a dark cloak appeared before her, only the moonlight expressing his morbid features.

"Please. You mustn't  drink this much." The mans position hasn't changed but his voice expressed a speck of sincereness. Seutekh hasn't changed her position as she sat on the cold floor with a urn full of wine on her hand. She simply took another gulp of pleasurable wine. Kek couldn't stop his master so instead, he solemnly inspected her body. What caught his eye so many times are her thighs and arms being covered with wounds. The wounds looked a lot like claws being inflicted in her body. At first he thought she was fighting a beast. But the more he observed, the more he convinced himself that she was the one responsible for it. He didn't know why she weeped every night, why she drowned herself with wine, why she isolates herself from everyone. He didn't know, but he did know his place, so he didn't intervene.

Seutekh glared intensely at the disfigured man.

"Know your place, Kek. Speak like that to me again and I shall have your tongue." Seutekh warned the hooded man as she barely stood up, trying to keep her poise. She placed the urn on the table before speaking again.

"Did you prepare everything I asked of you?" She looked back at Kek, waiting for an answer.

"Everything is ready my queen." he responded. Seutekh was in a little trans again, as if she was in deep thoughts. The sand appeared before her and engulfed her long scarlet hair to form her nemes.

"Let us go." she ordered as she walked towards the door. Kek compliantly did so as he disappeared within the shadows.

Seutekh walked in the dark halls of the palace. The torch that was lighting her path was slowly diminishing. The goddess kept walking. These anomalous halls were created by her after all. She knew every path and every speck of it, like her sixth sense.

The Goddess stopped abruptly as she turned to her left side. On the wall stood a painting with her whole family in it, the time where everything was perfect. The hand that was tracing the wall has clenched into a fist. The fought back the urge of breaking again, she knew now is not the time to do so. There is something much greater awaiting her behind those walls.

Taking a moment to calm herself she abruptly pressed the lotus symbol from the painting. The painting sank away from her and slowly created a door. She entered without a second thought. The door led her to the dark staircase with only went down.

She walked for quite some time before a huge hall appeared before her. The moment she stepped into that hall the fire urns lit themselves. the light illuminating from them expressed features of various woman, they all surrounded the hall. Seutekh calmly stood by the hall's entrance, she concluded that there are approximately 366 woman. They all stood there, motionless, the full armor covering their bodies and spears on their hands. All of their eyes seemed dull and lamented, as if they were in some kind of a trans.

"I hope you like what you see, my queen." Kek appeared out the shadows of his master. Seutekh remained where she was, without turning around to look at him.

"They're all dead. Aren't they?" Seutekh staidly questioned the man behind her. She gazed at the women in front of her. She remembered them, every one of them.

"They're bodies have been cemented into something powerful. They can achieve far greater things than if they were alive. There is no need to worry" Kek tried to assure his master. He understood why she was disturbed by this scenery, even when she didn't express it. But now is not the time to be wavered by doubts. They are at war after all.

"But was that really necessary? To kill them?" She asked Kek, more sincere than before. The disfigured man stood silent and slowly approached beside her.

"They would still have to suffer either way. it is best that they died without much pain. Besides, a human emotion can make even the most wise being into something foolish. At least, in this state they will listen to all your command." But even so, Seutekh couldn't shake that feeling, a feeling of guilt. The woman who stood before her, still and lifeless, were her sisters in armor. Most of them were of course abused woman who seeked asylum from the tyranny of their family or slave masters.

She accepted them. To make them stronger and fight the injustice that was caused against them. However a lot of them decided to stay with her. To protect them and not make others question their disappearance she decided to ruin her own reputation. She spread the rumor that she murders the innocent, seeking their blood and yearning their suffering.

But in the end, it was all for nothing. They all died and she is still the monster that many know her as. She can't cry over something that was destined to happen.

Unfortunately, this fact didn't help her turbulence. Her eyebrows grimaced into a brow, but her eyes were filled with affliction. She couldn't put any words in her mouth.

"Forgive me.......my sisters..." She whimpered a bit. She clenched her fists tightly. Kek as always did not interfere, he understood that she needed some time to digest the situation. It is not easy to sacrifice the people who believed and followed you, when in the end you use them as a mere puppet.

"Great work." Is all she said towards Kek before commenting again

"But there are still things we must do. My authority will be challenged soon. We must be prepared by then." Seutekh knew perfectly that the gods are no feeble creatures. They will find something against her eventually. When that day comes she will be prepared.

She gave a last quick look into these lifeless women before turning around and exiting the hall. Kek gave a small smile towards his master before disappearing once again.

"As you wish, my queen."