War Of Egypt II • The Persians

Chapter 1: Gods Pass Judgement

   "Prince Ahmes! Prince Ahmes, is something wrong?"

   "Huh?" Muttered the Prince as he glanced back up from his armlet and scanned the gathering of gods before him. The last thing he wanted was to be interrogated for the third time on the unusual ordeal caused by his brother that led to both him and their parents' departure from Egypt. He looked to his right and saw the huge doors opening slightly as the white-clad Nubian goddess discretely wandered in and glanced at him. She took a seat in the back row and watched him with her gold-grey eyes, hands folded elegantly in her lap. The goddess Sanhir gave him a reassuring nod and smile. Prince Ahmes smiled back.

   "My Prince you realized your twin brother, Prince Atenosis, god of the underworld spirits and Death has forged a crime against nature," the inquisitive god continued on. He was a follower under Thoth, the god of Widsom and Knowledge, but even now Thoth did not look at all impressed. He stood glaring at the other god from where he sat with the royal family.

    Ahmes looked at Sanhir under the loose light brown waves of his hair, "a crime against nature? He was doing his duty as god of the Underworld, was he not?"

   "He abused his power, that is what!" The god screeched back in response, he hammered his bronze staff into the marble floors. "No one has done this since the beginning of the world. It does not make a difference whether the god resurrected was the god of War—a son of Set—or the cabbage man by the canals! We. Do. Not. Resurrect. The. Dead! Your brother surely must have known that. And his duty? His duty is to see to the dead and living souls, not go around smacking them over till they become alive again. If that was possible, what stopped Anubis from doing so? Hmm?"

   "My brother did not 'smack about' anyone, especially not our own father!" Ahmes was now on his feet, hands balled up into tight fists as he glared back at the god. The god moved back, recollected himself and continued on. He had serious guts to do so, because Ahmes looked like he was done with the questions and accusations.

   "Your father almost destroyed Egypt," he said with an air of confidence and stared at all the other gods. "Kha would have succeeded if it was not for the reigning Queen's...love for him that saved us. He proved himself worthy of our forgiveness, however faith had chosen a path for him, what your brother did was alter it! Now Kha lives, he is out there with Queen Ametis and your brother Atenosis can not atone for his sins. One can not simply punish a powerful god of the Underword."

    Suddenly out of the royal family, Nephthys, the mother of Kha and Anubis, former bride of Set, stood up and lifted her hand against him. "So what is the point of this gathering? The gods cannot punish either of my grandsons or their parents. You are at a loss, Imenpat. Look at you!"

    At this, commotion rose until the entire sacred hall of the gods was buzzing alive with opinions and comments. Nephthys sat back down in her chair with a huff and folded her blue silk cloak over her arm. She glanced at Ahmes and winked. Thanks to Queen Ametis and her two sons, Lady Nephthys would once against be in the presence of her younger son Kha. She had lost him more than once, never again must she suffer that fate.

    There was one sharp whistle that silenced everyone. Out of nowhere stood Anubis, Nephthy's eldest son, and the first god of the Dead, anointed by Osiris during the creation of the immortals. The tall, grim, most palest but handsome god walked forward and towered over Imenpat. He blew a deathly wisp of air into the god's locks and watched them shrivel down for a moment before rejuvenating. Anubis grinned darkly and turned to face the gathering of gods.

    He held up a finger, "for my part, I should tell that I do not possess my nephew's gift of necromancy—should we begin to call it that. That is the reason I have not coerced myself into awakening the dead and bargaining with the scales of fate."