War Of Egypt II • The Persians

Chapter 15: Darkening Deeds

   "I am frightened, Kha—frightened of you." When the words finally left her mouth, she thought the weight of her thoughts and emotions would lessen, but a new pressure brought itself upon her shoulders. She could feel it edging closer and closer to the moment where it would finally overwhelm her.

    His breathing simmered behind her, cold as the winter winds and she could feel his shadow looming behind him even in the dimness of the kingdom. Then a hand slipped under her arms and curled around her hips, a gasp threatened to slip her lips but she managed to contain it to the point no sound passed when her lips parted. Ametis peered down to where Kha's fingers lightly dug into the material of her dress, pressing against her pale honey-colored flesh.

   "I know you are," he whispered to her, the waves of his icy breath tickling the right side of her face from behind. "But...I know you still love me and will never leave me. Why? Because I am the person you fell in love with—the one before redemption."

    Ametis closed her eyes and winced as if in pain; it made Kha hold her tighter. "Do not say such things, that is the past."

   "You fell in love with my past!" He suddenly growled out loud, "then you pushed me forth from it. But I know somewhere inside of you, you loved it when I was eaten by the darkness, I saw it in your eyes. You loved my power."

    That made Ametis angry and confused, she spun around in his arms and latched onto his forearms. Her fingers dug into his skin to the extent that the veins in his already 'veiny' arms became more define. Kha held back a taunt that would have gone well with what she did and instead watched as her eyes burned, "power? I never loved your power—never needed it. Why would I when I was daughter of one of the greatest gods ever? I had power and your darkness was sickening."

   "You were intoxicated by it. Something you were never used to and were told to stay away from. Tell me otherwise...Queen."

   "I did not! What is going on with you? Did—did Set do this to you?"

   Kha clenched his jaws and stared back intensely at the girl before him. "Do not blame my father for anything. Why is it hard for you to admit it; you loved my darkness! Admit it!" Kha's voice broke out and bounced off the walls, attacking Ametis in the process. She shook.

    A sob broke through Ametis' throat and she turned away from his face to look at the ground beside her. Her fingers digging into Kha's arm trembled, "why? Why are you doing this?"

    The son of Set moved his bottom jaw, staring at her in her pain. This was what he wanted to stop, to avoid and instead he was just giving into it. His voice softened, "I want to ask you a question...look at me. Look into my eyes, my Queen."

    Hesitantly, Ametis lifted her teary gold and black eyes and searched his face for an answer. "Yes?"

   "Why did you fall in love with me?" He asked quietly. "Do not say fate like we believed before, fate only showed you the way, you chose to fall in love with me
You could have killed me in the nights you were in my bed. I want to know why."

   "I-I...do not know. You are handsome but I also thought that..."

   "Go on."

   "I thought...you were magnificent." The next words slipped out through the cracks in her throat, "as y-you were."

    Kha shrugged, "it was not that hard to admit it. If only your parents could see you now, especially Hathor."

    Ametis' blinked her tears away furiously and focused in on his face. What about her family? Since they had been together this was one of those rare moments that Kha actually got to acknowledge their existence. She was on guard, ready to fight whatever explanation or statement he had come up with to toy with her. "What about my parents?"