Soul Awakened (42 page)

The Mother of the Gods in her infinite wisdom was right. Kendra deserved a god at peace with himself. He had made great strides, but like his brother he was reluctant to let go. In death he had relieved himself of such burdens, but now that he returned among the living he was more keenly aware of the yolk around his neck. He would saddle Kendra in the same way.

His father stepped forward and placed his hand on Bakari’s shoulder. “Take it from me, son, it is not an easy task and Lilly suffers with me.” Asar tapped his chest. “She feels my pain and guilt, as clearly as if it was her own. For her and myself, I needed to let go of my mistakes. It does not mean they will not rise up on occasion, but I know there is nothing I can do to change what has come to pass. If you cannot find forgiveness, you can never truly look forward to the future.”

The Mother Goddess smiled, her radiant glow penetrating the darkness of the Underworld, like rays of bright sunlight. It reminded Bakari of the effect Kendra’s smile had on his soul. “If you find a way to let go, Bakari, I will personally oversee your union with my daughter.”

Bakari covered his heart with his palm, overwhelmed by the goddess’ offer. “Now, if she will only have me.”

The Mother Goddess laughed and glanced at Asar. “Find your peace, young god.”

“Yes, Madame.” Bakari bowed and turned to leave but his father’s grasp halted him.

“I have something of yours.”

Confused, Bakari narrowed his eyes at his father. Asar removed one of three pectoral necklaces and placed it around Bakari’s neck.

“You have found your honor, son. It is time to reclaim your identity.”

Bakari grasped the lion and moon medallion that lay against his chest. He was a warrior and a god, and thankfully had been given a second chance to define who and what he was meant to be. “Thank you, father.” 

Bakari took his leave, but stopped at the door. He turned to look at the pair of Pantheon Principals, the most powerful of their kind. “Father.” Asar looked up from his conversation with the Mother Goddess.

“At your convenience I need to speak to you about Duat. Things are not well there.” He met Mut’s gaze. “The souls are stagnant, infesting the banks of the river, but never crossing. They will never find Aaru.”

The Mother Goddess whispered an ancient prayer. “That is why Kendra saw her father.” Mut turned to Asar. “Kit is the key. Only with her will the souls find peace.”  

Bakari cringed. Duat was no place for a soul to linger. Not unlike the torture of his confinement, the soul needed to answer the call of the afterlife or go mad. Demons would grow stronger off their pain and suffering.

He pushed through the door with renewed purpose. As the God of Death he would answer his call to duty, but first to purge himself of everything else.

The warrior village exploded with black smoke, as the legions solidified out of the darkness. Their black skin marred and burnt. Bakari strode forward to Toben whose entire face was covered in large blisters. The legion had stayed through the breaking of dawn.

Despite his obvious pain, the general bowed.

“Did they find Nebt?”

“We stayed as long as we could.” Toben shook his head. “Your goddess, how is she fairing?”

“Resting.” Bakari could say no more without choking up. He had grown comfortable knowing how she was feeling through the blood-bond. Now the silence gnawed at him. 

 “My uncle?”

“Kamen ordered us to return, but refused to leave.”

“He cannot stay too long,” Bakari said. His uncle could not go without feeding. The beast would demand it.

“Leave it for your father to handle. Kamen will listen to him.”

Bakari nodded. Kamen was known for his unwavering control. Any lesser god would have succumbed to the curse of the soul-eater long ago. “Toben, the fledglings are guarding the gates. I hate to ask when you have just returned, but do you have a runner who could check on them?”

Toben narrowed his eyes. “I do. Where is the Commander?”

Bakari met the general’s hard gaze. The silence hung like an oppressive fog. “Let me know if you see Bomani. I need to speak with him. In the meantime, make sure your men tend their wounds.”

A weighted understanding formed in the lines of Toben’s face. “Very well. With your permission I will command in his absence?”

“You do not need my permission. I’m a fledgling, remember.”

“Hardly,” Toben said, eyeing Bakari’s pectoral necklace and then
turning to direct his troops.

Bakari walked to his brother’s office and quarters. Empty. Not so much of a surprise. Bomani did not want to be found. He paused a moment and admired his brother’s sparsely furnished quarters. Despite its lack luster appearance, it was immaculate with everything methodically in its assigned place.

He ran his fingers over the cold metal of the Legion’s shield and sword mounted on the wall. The shield’s dome gleamed bright with meticulous care and cleaning. Divots of battle riddled the hard titanium, voicing the long history of Bomani’s leadership and that of his predecessor. Only two Commanders stood watch in the course of their existence.   

The only thing out of sorts was a blanket that had slipped off the bed. He walked over and picked up the throw. Wool, not silk like in the palace. How differently they had grown up. One in luxury. One in squalor by gods’ standards. If only he had realized at the time, maybe things could have been different between them.

He folded the blanket and set it neatly onto the bed. “Maybe someday brother, you will find it in your soul to forgive me.” Sadness filled his chest knowing that day may never come, but he would never give up on Bomani. Despite all that had happened between them, he admired his brother’s loyalty to their father.   

He glanced one last time around the empty room. With one more stop to make, he pulled the energy in and dematerialized. He reappeared outside the barred doors of his cell. He yanked the cold steel open and stepped across the threshold. The area had been cleaned of all the books. His eyes gravitated to his sarcophagus. His last visit replayed in his head in painful detail.

He palmed the surface of the wood. A kinship of sorts resonated through the carved hieroglyphics. A history he needed to purge from his life. The remnants of that male he had been would be forever with him. Beyond the scars of his body and mind, his sarcophagus was the only remaining symbol of Kepi’s hold on him. The sarcophagus, he could destroy, just as he did Kepi.

He struggled to load the tomb upon his shoulders. He staggered, but forced his legs forward and out the cell. It would be easy to dematerialize and shorten his journey, but he refused, even when his legs threatened to buckle during the ascent out of the dungeon.

This was his penance to bear. More importantly, a trial he needed to pass of his own accord without anyone’s help. The wood dug into his muscles and pinched the nerves in his neck and shoulders. He pushed past the pain and stalked down the palace hall to the stairs that led to the beach.

The soft sand compressed underneath the enormous weight. The tomb shifted and sent him to his knees. His lungs burned with the effort, but he had finally made it. With a shove, the sarcophagus toppled onto the sand.

He stared at his prison for five long years.

“Tonight, we say goodbye.”

***

Bruises marred Bakari’s back, shoulders and arms. Not wanting to worry Kendra he threw on a long sleeve shirt and went to her room. He rapped his knuckles on the wood, loud enough to be heard but low enough not to disturb Kendra if she was sleeping.

Lilly greeted him with fresh tears in her eyes. Alarmed, Bakari barged past without asking what was wrong. Kendra’s small frame was propped up on the pillows. A red angry scar highlighted against her pale skin.

He must have looked horrified, because Kendra pulled up the sheet to cover the wound. Gods, it was not the wound that startled him. Based on Lilly’s appearance, he had feared the worse. “Is everything okay?” He asked quietly.

Lilly nodded and wiped her cheek dry. “I can’t believe I almost lost her.”

He knew the emotion all too well. “Could you give us a minute alone?”

“Yes, of course,” Lilly said. A soft click announced her departure.

He did not know what to say. They had been through so much. Worse, Kendra’s emotions were lost to him. He walked up to the bed and sat at the edge. Her pale skin blended into the white sheets. He reached out and enveloped her hand in his own. It was so cool, much colder than it should be. “Are you still in pain?” He could not help but look at her chest where the sheet had slipped and exposed the scarlet line.

She went to cover it again, but he caught her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips. He brought her other hand up and kissed the scar on her palm. “Tell me what you are thinking.”

“The blood-bond is gone, isn’t it?”

He was surprised by the amount of sadness in her voice. “Yes, but I thought…” He looked at their joined hands. He had never considered she would want the blood-bond.

“That I wouldn’t want to be bound to you after all that has happened?” She slouched deeper into the pillow. “I hate that I can’t feel you. I woke up and you were gone. It scares me not knowing you are okay.”

He chuckled at the irony of the circumstances. She had a mortal wound to her chest and she was the one worrying.

“You find that funny,” she said angrily.

He placed his hands on either side of her hips and hovered over her. He did not like this separation between them either, and if he could do as the Mother Goddess asked he would remedy the situation. “No, I do not think it funny, my sweet Parvana.”

The gold flecks in her eyes twinkled and her breath quickened.

“I feel the emptiness like a pit in my soul.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Since I can no longer feel your emotions, you need to tell me what you want.” 

“What I want?”

Bakari knew he was putting her on the spot, but he needed to hear it. She was not used to being in charge of her destiny, but ultimately it was her choice.

“I want our field of reeds without interruption and for a very, very long time.”

He tried to suppress the smile that curled up his lips. “I was hoping you would say that.” He leaned in and kissed her. A fever burned through him the minute their lips touched again. The same powerful craving. The blood-bond may have been broken, but his devotion expanded with each loving kiss.

It took all his fortitude to break from her sweet lips. “I have something I need to do first. I would like you to be there, if you feel up to it.” He did not want to push her, but she was such a pivotal focal point in his journey. Not to mention, she needed closure as well. He was not the only one who had suffered under Kepi’s hand.

Kendra nodded.

“Are you sure?” He asked, worried it was too soon.

“I need to get out of this bed, or I’m going to go crazy.”

“Very well.” He slipped his arms under her legs and shoulders and lifted her into his arms. Kendra rested her head on his shoulder. He hoped their physical contact would lessen her pain on some level, not unlike how she had relieved his.

“Where are we going?” Kendra asked, turning her head to stare out over the balcony. The stars twinkled brightly against the night sky.

“Down to the beach.” He eased down the steps from the palace, careful not to jostle his precious package. Soon she would see the reason he had brought her here. The stars’ light illuminated the shape in the distance.

Kendra inhaled sharply. “What’s
that
doing here?”