Gods and Queens

Chapter Forty

Addisu was lying under the white tree again, watching petals tumble softly to the ground. She liked it here. It was calm--beautiful. There was no pain, no terror and chief of all, no Thutmose. She sighed in satisfaction, lifting a palm in a bid to catch petals. She could do this forever, to remain here without a care in the world...just floating.

A hazy thought tugged at the back of her mind, trying to remind her of something important, but she resisted the pull. She was selfish of her new languid state, choosing to drift in her timeless haven.

"To sleep and sleep and sleep." She chuckled and threw the petals in the air.

"Sleeping is boring, I will rather be awake."

Addisu frowned and sat up. A white-haired boy was leaning against the trunk of the tree with arms casually folded across his chest. When she took in his dark skin and grey eyes, her frown deepened. "You look familiar."

"You think?" The young man laughed and cocked a brow. "It's me, the father."

"I don't understand. You are supposed to look like a child." Addisu stood to her feet and approached him with careful steps.

"Really? I didn't know there was a way we were to look."

Addisu turned just in time to see who she guessed was the word approach. She shook her head in confusion, trying to understand what was going on. "What's happening?"

"I assumed our unusual presence in your life would make you more open to the peculiar." The word pointed at himself and the father.

Addisu observed them for a while before letting a tentative smile replace her frown. Their presence still felt the same but the fact that they looked older played with her mind. "Where is the spirit?"

"Above you."

She looked up to see the spirit sitting on a branch, he waved at her and grinned. His white features nearly blended with the colour of the leaves. He wasn't ghostly white but he also wasn't ruddy. She returned his wave and shifted her gaze.

"Remember your son?" The father asked as he pushed himself off the tree and drew nearer.

Addisu covered her lips with the tip of her fingers as she remembered. Now she realised why her mind felt like it was being tugged. She had a son. Was he dead?

"I-is he dead?" She stammered.

"No, he isn't," the father answered immediately, shaking his head.

"Where is he? Oh no. Thutmose!" She gasped and began to pace. "We must do something. He has to be stopped. He is going to hurt Re'hotpe."

"Thutmose is dead and you need to wake up now. Your son is waiting for you."

Hearing the news, Addisu halted her frenzied movement. Thutmose was dead? The thought was nearly impossible to believe. From the serious look on the face of the father, Addisu knew it was no joke. She couldn't even bring herself to feel grief, all she felt was a relief--deep, deep relief. It filled her heart, making her sigh like a massive rock was lifted off her shoulder. Her tormentor was out of her life forever. Her son was safe, she was safe.

"He is waiting for me?" Addisu asked tentatively.

"Yes." The word nodded. "That's why you need to wake up."

"But, would I see you again if I woke up?"

She heard the spirit softly land on his feet then walked around to stand before her. "No, you would not."

"Why?" Addisu sat in a dejected pile.

"Because that's the way we want it."

All three of them joined her on the grass and the sudden need to burst into tears pressed at the back of her throat. She'd miss their company.