Cursed Times - Only Yesterday! Sequel to Wattys 2015 winner!

Chapter 15: Trueth - Comeback Part 1

A bellow penetrated the foggy shreds of her semi-consciousness. Trueth fought her way back from disjointed dreams featuring stars-the galactic, not the human variety, the coldness of outer space and a pair of sightless hazel eyes.

Another bellow.

As long as she lived, she would never forget the clamour caused by the hippopotamus bulls as they roared their territorial rage over the banks of the Nile. Nothing in the world compared to it, Trueth thought, while staggering towards her pathetic excuse for a shower. She nearly stumbled over two furry bodies en route. For reasons as yet unknown to herself, Metjen's pets had decided to take up residence and she had spent the night with one warm little body glued to her side while the bigger one had taken possession of her pillow. She had not minded, did not now; they were company, comfort and memorial all rolled into two living, purring mammals. If they only refrained from turning her bed into a grooming parlour, their morning breath was a lot worse than hers ... .

A few buckets of lukewarm water later, a knock cracked the silence of her apartment.

'Yes?' She hollered into the corridor, hoping her visitor would hear.

Apparently he did, for Seisi yelled back. 'It is I. We have been called by the holy circle to join them in the temple of Osiris. They are preparing for the ceremony to contact Iseret in the fields of the rushes.'

A jolt of wild hope shot up from Trueth's diaphragm, making her so dizzy she had to steady herself on the sea-green tiled wall. Imhotep had come through, had listened and not only that, had acted with the efficiency and lightning speed that was his trademark. Maybe all was not lost yet.

'What are we supposed to be doing? Oh, tell me later.' She raced towards her dressing room, then stopped. Her little maid was curled up on the space in front of the door, fast asleep. The fact was; Trueth did not require a servant, did not want one, but felt sorry for the little sprite. So she nudged the girl awake and sent her off to find a dress suitable for the occasion while Trueth knotted the strings of her loincloth, applied the bandage that stopped her breasts from bouncing around. Her maid returned, nearly drowning in the voluminous pleated folds of a flowing white linen robe. Once dressed, Trueth still had to put on her face. Eye liner she avoided, but she could not resist using a dash of the cassia oil Metjen had given her; most likely he had felt guilty at the time.

Trueth waved off further ministrations from the maid and proceeded towards the door among the girl's noisy need to be useful. Seisi had been waiting patiently on the balustrade following the antics of some falcons wheeling through the skies. Or maybe those were the vultures gathering, one never knew.

Trueth was impressed, never before had he presented himself in his full regalia as priest of the sun god. He did not wear the long robes Metjen hated with a passion. Instead, an ankle-length yellow shendyt covered most of Seisi's legs but revealed his well-sculpted upper body. Golden anklets, armbands and collar denoted his rank, as did the white skull-cap bearing a winged sun-disk embroidered in gold. His eyes were soothing pools of green in a bronzed face, shaded by the type of curvy lashes that should be forbidden to men. He could have climbed straight out of one of these wall paintings, yet he was real and she was only too glad for his spicy presence.

Seisi grinned. 'You seem to approve of my appearance.'

'May the hippos deal with hyper-perceptive priests.'

He burst out laughing but got serious again quickly. 'They are waiting for us. We shall not dally.'

'To come back to my question, why us?'

'You called out to the deities, we both knew Iseret in her later years, you even were an initiate in her sanctuary. Come now, Imhotep has readied his barge for us, we shall make good speed to the temple.'