Spell Bound (A Fairy Retelling #3) (5 page)

“And all the items I requested, too?”

“Yes, all the items you requested to start weaving.”

Nehi sets the armload of papyrus reeds on the floor and turns to face Aniya. “I will come check on you later. I have some duties to attend to now, but I’ll make sure that you have everything you need and are taken care of.”

“Thank you. I hope it won’t take too long to work off my father’s debt so I can go home. I miss my family. Besides, my brothers and sisters need me. They can’t really depend on my father to take care of them very well. I need to get home.”

“I understand. Well then, I’ll leave you to your work.”

Nehi doesn’t miss the hurt on Aniya’s face as the door closes between them. He knows his words were short and brusque, but he needed to get out of there quickly, before she saw. He walks up the narrow hallway and pulls the golden basket from behind his back. He needs to get it hidden before his master sees it. If Rahotep knew that Aniya could channel magic, he’d fill her with so much of it she’d be dead by morning.

Thinking of his master’s deeds makes his stomach turn. He hated watching what Rahotep did to the unfortunate souls who became vessels to satisfy the high priest’s lust for power. Nehi had seen it only a few times, but the memory of those few occasions was enough to haunt his dreams and every waking moment.

Rahotep had no mercy. He filled the vessels with so much magic their bodies burned up from the sheer force of the power inside them. As they burned, Rahotep siphoned it out, spinning the magic into spells and potions that he could later use to impress Pharaoh. By the time he was done, only ashes remained to show the vessels were ever there.

That could be me.

Nehi’s thoughts return to the present when he reaches his quarters. He hides the basket as well as he can underneath his bedding. Although his stomach rolls with fear and loathing for the high priest, he nonetheless must return to his work as the priest’s apprentice. His magic is all gone and Rahotep will call for him to again be filled with magic when the sun goes down. Until then, he has duties to carry out and Nehi must get to them quickly or face the wrath of the high priest.

The last of the sun’s rays bathe the temple of Aten in a glow of crimson as Nehi makes his way through the entrance and deep into the heart of the sacred house.

“Where have you been?” Rahotep accosts him as soon as he enters. “Sunset is nearly here. The ceremony needs to take place in just moments.”

“Yes, Master. My humblest apologies,” Nehi answers, his eyes kept to the ground.

“It’s the One God, to whom your apologies will need to be directed if you waste any more time. The One God does not wait for a mere priest’s apprentice to unleash his powers.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take your position then.”

Nehi crosses to the center of the sacred room. He’s been here before, many times even, but the details of what will happen have left him. He remembers watching others. He remembers being in this room, but after that is darkness.

No one beside the high priest and his vessels have ever seen this room hidden deep within the temple’s caves.
Besides him, I’m the only living soul who knows about this place.
He kicks away remaining ashes littering the floor. The previous vessel filled with so much magic she burned alive from the inside out. She was just a lowly servant girl of the palace. No family to miss her. At least, as far as he knew. No one came asking about her once she was gone. Even the palace staff she worked with barely seemed to notice that she disappeared.
Will this be my ending when Rahotep decides he’s done with me?

“Quickly now! Make the sacrifice,” Rahotep yells at him from the entrance.

Next to Nehi stands a shallow bowl on a pedestal. Beside it is a knife. Nehi takes it in his hand and winces as he cuts the flesh of his palm, letting the blood drip into the bowl. The last rays of daylight make their way through a hole cut into the wall in the shape of a snake. The light shines on Nehi’s hand, illuminating his blood in red light.

Rahotep’s deep voice fills the chamber as he begins to chant the words that bring forth the magic. Nehi clutches his hand to his chest. The pain is great, though he instinctively knows there is even greater pain to come.

All around the room, hieroglyphs of the ancient gods shine and spark to life. They move. Dance. No, they’re being shaken, as if the ground beneath them trembles. Nehi knows he’s seen this before, but his mind is a blank. Beneath the gods a giant snake uncoils and slithers through through the pictures. Nehi watches in horror as the snake bursts up and devours the gods. They try to run from the great snake, but he catches every one. When the last of the gods has been taken, the snake turns its face to Nehi and opens its massive jaws.

Nehi tries to ready himself, but the onslaught of power still catches him off guard. Waves of magic flood over him from every direction, filling, drowning, burning. Nehi’s back arches. He tries to close his eyes to the pain, but he can not even do this. The seam that keeps the waking world of the living safe from the burning world of magic has ripped open around him and courses through him. Unseen fire burns throughout every cell of his being, and he knows that in a moment he will be entirely consumed. His ears no longer hear the high priest’s chants. There is only the roaring onslaught of the magic. Maybe it would be easier to just let it take him completely. Let it wash over him once and for all. Bring him to ashes.

“Master, please! Enough!” he cries.

The magic comes to an abrupt halt with a slam to his chest. Nehi doubles over and falls to his hands and knees. The image of the snake devouring all of the ancient gods burns in his memory. He knows this snake is Aten, the One God. But, he is someone else, also.

Rahotep’s chanting continues as the high priest walks across the dark room. The sunlight is gone completely now, and only a single burning torch at the entrance of the room provides any light. It shines behind the high priest, and his silhouette looms over Nehi as he lifts his eyes up to meet his master’s. He has seen the two-faced god, and knows who the high priest truly serves.

Rahotep puts a hand on Nehi’s head and pulls a bit of the magic out of him. His first enchantment follows quickly.

“Forget.”

Nehi awakens to see the sun has already risen. His groans fill his small chamber as he sits up on his bedding and tries to recall the previous evening. He was filled last night. He remembers that much. But as for the details of what exactly transpired, they elude him again as they do every time the high priest fills him with magic. He knows there is something important that he should remember, but every time he tries to hold on to memory, it slithers back into the recesses of his mind.

He shakes his head. Maybe if he concentrated on something else it would come back to him.

The girl. He needs to check on her. That should keep him occupied for awhile.

“You’ve been very busy!” he says when he opens the door to her cell and finds her surrounded by baskets, shoes, fans and decorations made from the river reeds they cut the day before.

“Yes, well...they’re not done yet. They need to dry in the sun. Is there any way that we can take them outside? They’ll have to sit in direct sunlight for a bit, and then be moved to the shade so they don’t dry out too quickly. I’ll have to monitor them,” Aniya says as she begins to pile the items together.

“I think that might be possible. Here, let me help you.” Nehi reaches down for a pair of artfully woven shoes and crashes to the floor.

Aniya rushes to his side and helps him lean against the wall. “Nehi, what’s wrong?” she asks, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the skin pulled taut over sharp cheekbones. “You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

“It’s nothing.”

“This is not nothing. Tell me what’s happened to you.”

“It’s just part of my duties as the high priest’s apprentice. Please, don’t worry about it,” Nehi answers and tries to stand.

“No. You need to sit and rest,” Aniya says, pushing him back down to the floor. A spark of magic flows through her fingers and she yanks them away from Nehi’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Can I give it back to you somehow?”

“No,” Nehi says with a tired sigh, “That’s not possible.”

Aniya studies her fingers and then points her hand down at him. She says no words. There is no chanting as Rahotep would need to use to manipulate the magic, but Nehi doesn’t need to hear anything. He can feel the magic entering back into him. His breath catches in his throat. Instead of a burning wave of pain, the sensation is cool and refreshing. When Aniya is done, he feels better than when he entered the room.

Nehi’s voice shakes as he says, “That...that shouldn’t happen. It shouldn’t be possible for you to do that without the help of Aten, the One God. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know. I just thought I should return it. It felt like I was just handing something back to you. I really didn’t think too much about it.”

“Can you try something for me?” he asks.

“Yes?”

“See if you have any magic left to turn one of your weavings into gold.”

Aniya picks up a pair of woven sandals and whispers to them. They remain the bright green of young river reed.

“You truly did return the magic. That’s unbelievable. I didn’t think anything like that was possible. Quick, let’s try that again.”

Nehi holds his hand out to Aniya. She reaches out to touch her fingers against his but before they can touch, a spark of magic jumps from him to her. Both of their eyes widen with unspoken surprise.

“How…” Nehi starts, but his words cut short as he watches Aniya put the slippers down on the floor. This time her lips don’t even move as she whispers the words in her mind. The sandals shine in the dim light of the room. Gold.

“This can’t be,” Nehi says in disbelief as he plucks the sandals up from the floor to inspect them. Every inch is pure gold.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t this how magic works?” Aniya looks down at her hands as if searching for the magic flowing from her fingers. “I can hardly tell that I’m doing anything. It all feels so natural,” she says as a woven fan sitting next to Nehi’s feet turns to gold with just a glance from her.

Nehi’s feet pull away from the golden fan. “There must be physical contact for magic to transfer from one place to another, but you’re using magic with only your mind. I don’t understand how this can be. Not even Rahotep can do that.”

“Really?” Aniya asks. She slides down next to Nehi and clutches her hands around her knees, pulling them close. “I could use this magic to escape,” she whispers.

“Yes, but what then?” Nehi says. She’s sitting so close to him, it’s almost uncomfortable, yet his fingers itch to touch her. “Rahotep knows where to find you. What will he do with you and your family when he does?”

“Well, at least I could use it to turn more straw into gold. Surely that would repay my father’s debts.”

“No, you can’t. Please don’t turn anything else into gold. Believe me, it’s for your own good.”

Aniya’s head snaps up. “Why? I don’t understand.”

Nehi takes a big breath. It’s time to tell her the truth. She deserves to know the plans the high priest has for her. “If Rahotep finds out what you can do, he’ll never let go of you no matter how many things you turn to gold. Or…” Nehi looks away. He can’t stand to see the disappointment in her eyes. “He’ll do something even worse.”

“What could be worse than keeping me prisoner indefinitely?”

“Believe me, there are worse things he could do with you.”

“Okay then. I can’t escape, and I can’t turn anything to gold without something terrible happening to me.” She sighs and leans her head back against the wall. “Will Rahotep ever let me go if he doesn’t know about the magic? Even if I do repay my father’s debt?”

Nehi pauses for a moment. Should he tell her what will happen if the high priest finds out she can do magic? He decides to keep that to himself for now. No need to unduly frighten her, not if he can keep it from happening. “No. He has other plans for you.”

“Other plans? What do you mean? I thought I was here to work off my father’s debt.”

“Rahotep knows he can make more off of you than just that. He plans to sell you when the next slave caravan comes through.”

“Sell me?” she yells, her voice echoing off the walls of the cell.

Nehi shushes her, and glances at the door. “Yes.”

“To who?”

“The highest bidder.”

“Did you know about this when I first came here?”

Nehi looks down, a piece of straw capturing his attention.

“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” she asks, her voice low.

The straw bends and then breaks in his hand. “I don’t know. I should have. I just...I didn’t know you. And it’s not the first time that Rahotep has done this. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t think we would…” his voice trails off.

“We would what?” Red, angry splotches rise up her neck and cover her cheeks.

“Become friends.”

“Some friend you are. I don’t need friends who keep secrets from me.”