Gods and Queens

Chapter Four

"That's all they said?" Pharaoh asked Rai. Was the woman joking?

"Yes, o great Pharaoh. The gods said all your firstborn sons from all your wives and concubines must sleep in a single room before midnight."

"No. Tell the gods that I wouldn't accept it. Do you know what is happening at Goshen right now? They are slaughtering animals and smearing the blood on their doorpost, but all you tell me is sleep. Where is the assurance in that?!"  Pharaoh asked, fury making his earshot.

The priestess refused to speak, instead, she stared straight ahead and maintained a stoic expression he itched to slap off her face. Save for two palace guards, they were the only ones present in the throne room.

"I can only tell you what the gods told me to, o great Phara--"

"Silence!" Pharaoh waved his golden sceptre.

"I need something tangible. Do you hear me? There must be something I can do."

The priestess remained silent. That same stoic expression.

"Don't play with me! If this threat of Moses comes to pass I will kill you. I swear it. Then we'll see if those impotent gods will save you," Pharaoh said as he looked away in disgust.

As the words left Thutmose lips, a cold breeze swept through the throne room. When he turned to look at the priestess, he nearly jumped from his seated position.

The woman's appearance had morphed into a rather disturbing sight. Her complexion appeared cotton white, and her tall frame was twisted in an awkward stance. As she turned to face him, he noticed her face was contorted in an ugly scowl. How did her eyes turn blood red?

Pharaoh shifted in his seat; he found it uncomfortable to look at her. It seemed her exquisite beauty had vanished in a flash and in its place was true hideousness. When she spoke, it was like a thousand voices were speaking at the same time.

"Thutmose the second."

Pharaoh raised a brow at the priestess's use of his name. Or was it the priestess? Looking into her eyes was like staring into twin holes of death, he didn't even notice when his sceptre fell to the ground.

"Do not speak of us in such a manner, Thutmose. We have been very kind to your lineage and the people of Egypt. How dare you call us impotent?"

The priestess circled a pillar and released a sound that resembled the growl of a lion--an angry lion. She shook her head from side to side as she scraped sharp nails across a frescoed column. Pharaoh watched in disbelief as her nails left deep scratch marks on the smooth surface.

"Do not be foolish. We can end your life in a snap." The priestess snapped her fingers and chuckled.

To the pharaoh, it was like a thousand men chuckling and there was nothing humorous about the sound. He shook his head as if to clear it. Was this happening?

The two guards present looked at him with questions in their eyes. He ignored them as he forced himself to think. Suddenly he realized what was happening. The gods were speaking through the priestess. He allowed a small smile to play on his lips as an idea blossomed in his mind. Now was his chance to ask the questions that had tortured his soul for the past six months.

"If you are not impotent, why didn't you stop the plagues? Why did you let your people suffer? You stood by as Moses and his god came and brought us to our knees! What did you expect us to think? Believe me, it is only normal for us to doubt your power at a time like this." Thutmose spat the words, accusation burning in his eyes.

The priestess threw back her head and laughed. Her laughter died almost immediately, and then she turned and leered at him.

"You are so full of pride and you think you are the wisest thing on earth. You even refer to yourself as a god. But tell us, Thutmose, do you feel like a god now?"

 Not being able to stand the words of the priestess anymore, he stood and signalled for his guards to kill her. The priestess didn't seem perturbed, if anything, she stood as tall as a palm tree with a wide grin on her colourless face.

One of the guards rushed forward, swinging his sword as he aimed for her throat. As one caught in a trance, Thutmose stared as the weapon shattered like a clay pot upon impact. He blinked rapidly, mouth hanging open in undiluted terror and disbelief.

Not wasting a single second, the priestess lifted the guard off his feet like he weighed nothing more than a sack of cotton. With a guttural roar, she slammed him to the floor.

Thutmose cringed as the marble tile cracked beneath the stunned guard's weight. Still roaring in rage, she ripped out his trachea as easily as a farmer would uproot a weed. Gripping the bloody mess in her hand, she threw back her head and laughed again. The other guard stood motionless, eyes budged as he stared at the lifeless body of his comrade.

"Guards!" Thutmose called out, leaning heavily against a column. He was weak with fear from what he just witnessed.

The priestess flung the trachea aside and licked the blood off her fingers as though it was honey. "There is no use calling them, they can't hear you." The voices mocked as a twisted grin stretched her face. 

"Kill her!" He commanded the other guard who was still staring at the body on the floor. He looked from Thutmose to the priestess, his battle axe trembling in his hand.

 "You are such a stubborn man." The priestess shook her head as if she truly felt sorry for him.

He refused to regard her as he barked at the guard, "Kill her now!"

Choosing to obey orders, the guard rushed forward with his weapon aimed at her midsection. With a quick precise movement, she easily snatched the axe from his grip and head-butted him as a ram would. Not expecting the forceful collision, the guard flew backwards, crashing headfirst into one of the giant vases that lined the wall. The resulting sound was a sickening shatter and a heavy thump. Thutmose's eyes were wide with horror now.

The priestess took lazy steps in the direction of the dazed guard. "We hope you are beginning to see the extent of your foolishness."

The guard struggled to crawl away but the priestess was fast. She grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him with ease to the centre of the throne room.

"Don't fight the pain," the priestess purred as she made him kneel.  She caressed his head like she would a cat then she continued speaking. "We must use you as an example for your stubborn king, yes?"

The guard groaned as blood poured from all his facial orifices.

Thutmose stumbled to his throne and sat heavily, eyes still glued to the scene before him.

"You are such a clueless mortal. Your life is just like this guard. You are at our mercy and we can kill you as easily as this." In one swift move, she snapped the neck of the guard.

Thutmose gulped as the lifeless body fell forward.

"You are not indispensable!" the priestess shouted.

As the terrifying sound bounced off the walls, Thutmose felt the force of it attack him. His breath came out in short gasps. What was happening?

"You will do exactly what the priestess told you and you would never speak of us in such an arrogant manner. Do you understand, o wise Thutmose?"

Thutmose nodded, he was unable to find his voice amidst his painful wheezing.

"Very well."

With one last condescending glare, the priestess turned to leave. As she walked out, every lamp extinguished in her wake and a deathly silence greeted her exit.

It was only after a brief moment that a dozen guards rushed in with lit torches and swords. At first, they stopped short at the sight of the bodies, but they dared not question their king about them.

Thutmose refused to utter a word as he walked out of the room. It was nearly midnight, he had to do what the gods ordered.

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