Ascension [A Yu-Gi-Oh! FanFiction]

34: Mercy

Atem felt as if his body were on fire as he trailed after Mahad toward the temple gate — half from anticipation, half from the lingering animosity between him and Satiah. He wondered if perhaps it was Satiah herself who was giving off the heat he felt, her feet treading loudly on the tiles as she walked only a fraction of a pace behind him.

He was no stranger to the presence of venom in Satiah's voice — after all, it had been dripping from her words the very first time he'd ever heard her speak. But for some reason, her last diatribe had infected him particularly deep. He'd felt it, somewhere between the lashing of her tongue and her strangled intonation — the subtle but ever so distinct reminder that their marriage had been built on a foundation of coercion.

Atem forced himself to swallow his unease as they rounded the corner into the rear courtyard of the temple, where Seto and Aknadin were waiting just inside the westernmost gate, along with a handful of lesser priests. Mahad hurried forward to join the other Guardians, who all turned to face Satiah and Atem as they approached.

"They arrived just moments ago," Seto explained, his voice grave. "They have asked for nothing but an audience with the king and queen."

Atem looked hard at his Guardians. "Who?"

Seto lowered his head, then gestured through the temple gate. Atem stepped into the shadow of the pylon, his gaze sweeping up the western ridge that grew overhead. His eyes went wide at the sight — there, dotted like locusts along the rocky slopes, were dozens and dozens of people — all mounted on horseback and dressed in the unmistakable robes of priesthood.

Atem traced his gaze further down to the base of the mountain, where two shapes stood side-by-side in the rippling heat, no more than twenty yards away. Shielding his eyes from the sinking sun, Atem's heart thundered as the foremost man came into view — Metjen stumbled to his knees, his mouth gagged and hands tied behind his back.

"Father!"

Before Atem could protest, Satiah was already setting off toward the foot of the slope. He opened his mouth to call for her, but she drew to a sudden stop on her own a moment later, when the second man took shape.

Into the heavy evening air, Satiah whispered: "...Jahar?"

Atem knew well this name, though he'd never met the man it belonged to. Jahar was none other than the disgraced Chief Priest of the Memphis Conclave, and Satiah's former mentor.

Not long after his father's death, Atem had been briefed on Jahar's attempts at stirring rebellion in the north. Predictably, Aknadin had been eager to root out the traitor, but in the weeks since Atem rose to the throne, it seemed as though Jahar and his followers had gone completely silent. Without any new intelligence to act on, and with so many other distractions arising, Atem had let the matter be swept from his mind like a wisp of dust in the desert.

But now, that wisp had returned — and in the form of a great sandstorm. Just from his cursory glance, Atem estimated at least thirty priests were dug in along the western ridge, and with the high ground on their side, they would be at a distinct advantage if they decided to strike first.

Quickly and quietly, Atem looked over his shoulder to his Guardians. "No one is to address this man except myself and the Queen," he whispered. "Am I understood?" They nodded, some more firmly than others.

When Atem turned back, a flash of movement caught his eye — Jahar had surged forward and grabbed Metjen beneath the arm, forcing him onward. Atem studied the priest as he slowly approached. Though Jahar was an elderly man — nearing seventy from what Atem could remember from Aknadin's briefings — he had a youthful vigor about him that made him appear much younger. He was completely clean-shaven, even his eyebrows, and he'd painted his lids with so much ink and ash that it seemed his eyes were peering out from the very depths of his soul. He was wearing a bright blue skullcap and a false beard — a tribute to the creator god, Ptah, one of the patron deities of Memphis.