overpass?”
Christian’s voice lowered to that silky tone. “Calm down.”
“Stop it. I know you’re doing some sort of strange mind-coercion thing. I need answers.”
“All right, sorry. Yeah, Khyan and I had a little complication getting home last night. Hashishins ambushed us and summoned a daemon.” Christian shifted to get comfortable. “This is exactly the reason we’re relocating to Mexico. I hate those annoying Hashishin bastards.”
“Really?” she asked skeptically. Khyan’s gaze caught hers in the rearview.
Khyan nodded. “Yeah, really. The fuckers road blocked us on the overpass that leads to home. While Christian and I fought the daemon, Hashishins rammed the car with you in it off the overpass onto the Interstate. You got front ended, rear ended, and pretty much crunched. In fact, I’m shocked you survived.”
“I can’t die.” Yet another lost death moment.
“What does that mean? You’re human. You can die,” Christian said.
Astrid slumped back into the seat. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve been injured by anything you can imagine over the past few years. Nothing will kill me. Is this a part of being a magus?”
“Maybe once you’re actually inducted,” Christian said.
“So it’s not normal. I figured that. Whatever. My life is a fun fest of weird.” The small blade in her right hand cut into her palm. She relaxed her grip.
“Why don’t you chill,” Christian suggested. “We’ll be home soon.”
She closed her eyes. Sleep hit instantly.
Chapter Five
Zannis massaged his forehead as he pushed to a sit. He peered into blinding brilliance.
Light? He expected the darkest pit of the underworld where the spirit soul-eaters were to hack his soul on a daily basis.
Lush farmed fields of green surrounded him for as far as he could see. A well-maintained dirt road stretched out behind him where he sat on the bank of an endless body of water. He shielded his eyes with a hand, squinting into the blazing sun’s hues of orange and red where it rested low on the horizon. For a moment he appreciated the sunset’s beauty.
An enormous wooden ship moved on the turbulent green waters, nearing. A myriad of colors glittered from its bejeweled sides, deck, and mast—amethyst, emerald, jasper, turquoise, lazuli, and gold.
As it neared, he fell to his knees in utter awe. The Mesektet Boat—the vessel that shunted the king of all gods, Amun-Ra, into and through the kingdom of Osiris. The father he’d never met could be upon that boat. As a magus, his eternal reincarnation dictated that he never be granted passage into the halls of Osiris’s afterlife, which meant he was not supposed to travel upon this vessel. But his situation had changed. Maybe he’d finally get the peace of death.
Would he be invited aboard? Perhaps, the gods had already decided which duat or region of the underworld they would deposit him to start his journey toward Osiris’s halls. Seven regions existed, at least according to myth. Each had horrors and a challenge to be faced before he could pass on to the next level. Once he had passed through all seven levels, then he’d arrive at Osiris’s Kingdom. Heaven. Realistically, this boat was but a vehicle to channel him to his torture.
The vessel halted close by as if a magikal anchor stopped it in its tracks. A tall deity appeared less than five feet in front of him. Zannis squinted into the being’s radiance to ascertain which god stood before him to judge. A striking multicolored wesekh adorned the deity’s otherwise naked chest. The tattoo upon the male’s left shoulder was an ankh , a T with a circle attached to the top. Identity mystery solved.
Zannis’s knees hit the rough rocks of the road, but he was too awed to bow his head.
“Zannis, son of Amun-Ra,” the god said, his voice booming inside Zannis’s head.
How did he address this multi-named god? Zannis thought.
The god chuckled. “I have gone by many names. Sheps, Lord of Khemennu,
Christian’s voice lowered to that silky tone. “Calm down.”
“Stop it. I know you’re doing some sort of strange mind-coercion thing. I need answers.”
“All right, sorry. Yeah, Khyan and I had a little complication getting home last night. Hashishins ambushed us and summoned a daemon.” Christian shifted to get comfortable. “This is exactly the reason we’re relocating to Mexico. I hate those annoying Hashishin bastards.”
“Really?” she asked skeptically. Khyan’s gaze caught hers in the rearview.
Khyan nodded. “Yeah, really. The fuckers road blocked us on the overpass that leads to home. While Christian and I fought the daemon, Hashishins rammed the car with you in it off the overpass onto the Interstate. You got front ended, rear ended, and pretty much crunched. In fact, I’m shocked you survived.”
“I can’t die.” Yet another lost death moment.
“What does that mean? You’re human. You can die,” Christian said.
Astrid slumped back into the seat. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve been injured by anything you can imagine over the past few years. Nothing will kill me. Is this a part of being a magus?”
“Maybe once you’re actually inducted,” Christian said.
“So it’s not normal. I figured that. Whatever. My life is a fun fest of weird.” The small blade in her right hand cut into her palm. She relaxed her grip.
“Why don’t you chill,” Christian suggested. “We’ll be home soon.”
She closed her eyes. Sleep hit instantly.
Chapter Five
Zannis massaged his forehead as he pushed to a sit. He peered into blinding brilliance.
Light? He expected the darkest pit of the underworld where the spirit soul-eaters were to hack his soul on a daily basis.
Lush farmed fields of green surrounded him for as far as he could see. A well-maintained dirt road stretched out behind him where he sat on the bank of an endless body of water. He shielded his eyes with a hand, squinting into the blazing sun’s hues of orange and red where it rested low on the horizon. For a moment he appreciated the sunset’s beauty.
An enormous wooden ship moved on the turbulent green waters, nearing. A myriad of colors glittered from its bejeweled sides, deck, and mast—amethyst, emerald, jasper, turquoise, lazuli, and gold.
As it neared, he fell to his knees in utter awe. The Mesektet Boat—the vessel that shunted the king of all gods, Amun-Ra, into and through the kingdom of Osiris. The father he’d never met could be upon that boat. As a magus, his eternal reincarnation dictated that he never be granted passage into the halls of Osiris’s afterlife, which meant he was not supposed to travel upon this vessel. But his situation had changed. Maybe he’d finally get the peace of death.
Would he be invited aboard? Perhaps, the gods had already decided which duat or region of the underworld they would deposit him to start his journey toward Osiris’s halls. Seven regions existed, at least according to myth. Each had horrors and a challenge to be faced before he could pass on to the next level. Once he had passed through all seven levels, then he’d arrive at Osiris’s Kingdom. Heaven. Realistically, this boat was but a vehicle to channel him to his torture.
The vessel halted close by as if a magikal anchor stopped it in its tracks. A tall deity appeared less than five feet in front of him. Zannis squinted into the being’s radiance to ascertain which god stood before him to judge. A striking multicolored wesekh adorned the deity’s otherwise naked chest. The tattoo upon the male’s left shoulder was an ankh , a T with a circle attached to the top. Identity mystery solved.
Zannis’s knees hit the rough rocks of the road, but he was too awed to bow his head.
“Zannis, son of Amun-Ra,” the god said, his voice booming inside Zannis’s head.
How did he address this multi-named god? Zannis thought.
The god chuckled. “I have gone by many names. Sheps, Lord of Khemennu,
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