AllFreeNovel
Share Us
23
Zanika
I dozeoff a few times during the night, but I am too nervous to fall into any kind of real sleep. Day breaks and Neb has still not returned, and my nerves turn into a full-fledged panic. My mind wanders to all sorts of different morbid scenarios. Of course, logically, I know that Neb can handle himself, and it’s not like he’s off to war; it’s a simple meeting with his own people. Just the way Neb himself was acting before he left makes me wonder whether he was telling me everything.
I decide to get out of the room. If I stay inside all day, I’ll drive myself mad. The best way to get over anxiety is to distract yourself. Besides, I haven’t actually done any work for quite a while. People will be wondering where the hell I am. By now, I have to assume that there are rumors about me and Neb, or Anubis to them. It’s unlikely that no one noticed us creeping around, despite our attempts at discretion. We all live and sleep in the same place, after all, and me not being in my bunk at night is a pretty clear sign that I am off with someone. It might be more likely that they think I have found myself a man in the city or am working nights or something. Fucking the lord of the underworld might be a stretch for the imaginations of many here.
At this point, I don’t really care what anyone thinks, though. Neb and I have a deep connection that goes beyond the physical. It’s like we are the same person but come from different planets. I just can’t believe it’s a coincidence that we would meet each other in these most unlikely of circumstances and hit it off so well. I know the gods aren’t real—that has been difficult to accept, and I find myself still praying to Ra now and again—but maybe there is some force in the world that drives people together, I don’t know. In a way, the mystery of it makes life beautiful. At the moment, the mystery of where Neb is is killing me, though.
I pull on my dress and make my way out of Neb’s quarters. It is still early in the morning, so many are asleep. I creep back into my own quarters and pick up my wicker basket. I decide to start the morning’s work by taking down the linens that have been drying in the night. Unfortunately, this is quite an easy task and I find myself still preoccupied by Neb’s absence. I realize that I need something a little more full-on.
I don’t usually spend too much time in the kitchen, but I decide to get an early start on breakfast. Two other girls are in here as well, and they seem quite surprised to see me. The whisper something to each other, but I pay them no mind. I pick up a couple of buckets and make my way to the river to fetch water. Breakfast in the palace consists of basically bread and beer. In the evenings we will have a heartier meal, often including vegetables and sometimes meat or fish. Meat is generally scarce, but there are hunters who can bring down geese and cranes with bow and arrow. We constantly have nets in the river to catch fish and have much more luck with this.
I gently place the first wooden bucket in the river and wait for it to fill up. I lift it out and place it on the bank and repeat the same action with the other. The sun is now fully visible as its orange rays begin to fill the air with light and heat. I make my way back to the kitchen, struggling a little to carry both heavy buckets without spilling.
I place them on the floor at my feet and pour some flour into a bowl. I scoop some water out with a ladle and put some in. I start kneading the batter with my hands, flouring as needed. I get lost in the process and before I know it, I have made a dozen raw loaves ready for baking.
In the meantime, the other two girls, I think their names are Amunta and Pasht, have heated up the clay oven. I place four loaves on a large clay tray and carry them over to the fire. I slide them in and sit down next to the heat. It will take a moment for the bread to be ready, but staring at the dough slowly browning clams me a little.
Although, before long, I find that my thoughts are utterly absorbed by Neb. I promised myself I wouldn’t go check if he is back so soon because it might end in bitter disappointment, but I can’t help myself. I make my way out of the kitchen and walk through the courtyard back to the main building of the palace. On my way, I see the others getting to their duties all around me. They will be wanting their breakfast in an hour or two, but I got an early start, so that should not be a problem. We always have beer aplenty since there is some brewing at all times. We finish one batch and there are two more waiting to go. Bread is best when eaten fresh, so we tend to bake it each morning.
As I am about to enter the main hall of the palace, to my astonishment, I see a gathering of at least ten cult members in the courtyard, easily recognized by their bizarrely inked skin. Instinctively, I stop in my tracks and turn back around the corner. I don’t think they saw me. I stand behind the corner of a building wondering what the hell they could possibly be doing here. I get a little scared when I realize that maybe they know that Anubis is not here, maybe they have been watching the palace and saw him leave in the night and now have come back to claim the palace for themselves. Thinking of what the place looked like with them in power makes my stomach twist with nerves. We would not be able to defend ourselves against them without Neb here.
Then, Neb walks out of the palace and addresses the members. I breathe a huge sigh of relief as I realize that he has summoned them here for some purpose. They are still completely under control. My heart also starts beating wildly as I see that tall, black god of a man return. I knew that I was worrying in vain. Then I realize that he must be wondering where I have gone. I don’t want to bother him while he is working with these cretins, so I duck around the other side of the palace and make my way into his chamber. I decide that I will surprise him by being naked when he arrives. Fuck the bread; I crave him. I ease the door to the chamber closed and take off my dress. I set myself in the bed in a seductive pose on my stomach, showing off my ass to him. The thought of him taking me the moment he gets in is already making me wet. I hope he isn’t too busy, but I know that he would drop everything to have me.
I hear some ruckus out in the hall, and then the unmistakable heavy footsteps of my lover making his way toward the chamber. My heart races as I get ready for a beautiful reunion with the man I am growing to love more and more.
* * *
The door is eased open,and Neb steps into the room. He sees me immediately, and I see shock in his eyes—wait, his eyes are blue. His expression slowly turns into a starkly different smile than the one I have become accustomed to. It dawns on me as he looks down on me that I am not looking at Neb; this is someone else. I quickly throw the sheet over myself and get out of the bed on the other side. My heart is racing out of panic and fear this time.
“Who are you?” I blurt out, covering myself with the sheet.
He says nothing, just slowly circles around, keeping his eyes directly on me. He picks up my dress off the floor and runs it through his fingers. “Why, I’m Anubis, lord of the underworld, and you must be… Zanika.”
A million thoughts are running through my head. I don’t have the slightest idea what I should do. I have no idea what is even going on. Why isn’t my Neb here!?
“Where’sthe realAnubis?” I ask, trying to seem cool. “Neb-en-khata,” I clarify with undoubtedly terrible pronunciation.
Out of nowhere, I feel a stinging sensation on my cheek, and I fall to the ground with the wind knocked out of me. I feel dizzy and disoriented as I look up at this new Anubis towering over me.
“How dare you question me—filthy human.”
He takes me by the throat and lifts me against the wall. My sheet has fallen to the ground, and I am completely naked, gasping for air. He leans forward and angrily says, “You may have had special privileges with that fucking pervert, but there is a new god in town. I am going to let you live for now, but if you put one toe out of line, I will make sure you suffer a very, very painful death. The fact that you’re a disgusting savage is the only thing that is saving you. If you were Dhaarrir, and it was up to me, I would choke you to death right here and now.”
He then leans back and lets go of my throat. I fall to the floor, sucking in the air as hard as I can. He throws my dress on me and adds, disdainfully, “Get the fuck out of my chambers, slave.”
I quickly throw on my dress and dash to the door before he changes his mind. I rush out with tears streaming down my face and just keep on running until I reach the river and there is no one else around. I don’t care who saw me. I look up into the sky in complete bewilderment, choking on cries of anguish.
“You promised you would come back!” I scream up into the cloudless blue sky. I fall to my knees and weep uncontrollably into my hands, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.
