Page 23 of Ra (The Scarab Prophecy #1)

The auditorium was dark, the only lights lit up the stage and the podium.

Dr. Weaver stood at the podium, making her customary welcome speech to all who attended this evening.

And many attended. Every seat in the building was filled.

Behind her on a raised dais, sat the throne of Ra.

The protective glass display case enclosing it had been removed, and red velvet ropes had been strung around it to keep anyone from touching it.

It was not only a beautiful artifact, it was the perfect artifact.

It spoke of royalty, luxury, order, and the standards of the day.

“You were right, Ra,” Azi whispered.

Ra didn’t answer.

She turned to look over her shoulder at the man who stood so close to her that she could feel him breathing. He was focused on Dr. Weaver — laser focused. “Ra?”

He didn’t seem to hear her, but his gaze was narrowed, his every sense not aware of anything else in the building but Dr. Weaver.

Azi gently raised a hand to caress his cheek.

Quickly his eyes shot to her and he forced a smile.

“I was just saying you were right. The throne is the only artifact that can do justice to the tomb.”

“Temple,” he reminded as his gaze wandered back to Dr. Weaver.

“Is there a problem?” she asked, looking back at Dr. Weaver before returning her attention to Ra.

“How well do you know that woman?” he asked.

“Fairly well, at least professionally. She’s my boss.”

“What name does she go by now?”

“Dr. Neti Weav… wait, what?”

“And now, if you’ll assist me in welcoming our own Dr. Azenath Clement to the stage, we’ll get to the reason you’re all here this evening — the Tomb of Ra,” Dr. Weaver said.

Dr. Weaver looked over to where Azi waited backstage, just out of sight, beckoning her with a graceful wave of her hand.

Azi was still looking at Ra, waiting for an explanation.

Ra, his gaze glued to Dr. Weaver’s, placed his hands on Azi’s waist and gently pushed her forward. “It’s time.”

Azi stumbled a bit for a few steps before she recovered, and realized she’d not be getting an explanation at this very moment.

The applause went up, filling the auditorium, and she forced a smile to her face as she made her way to the podium.

She took her place and smiled at everyone, reminding herself to make eye contact with everyone she could to make them feel more seen in the sea of faces.

“Good evening. Before I begin my presentation, please allow me to thank you all now for being here. Chances are that once I lose myself in the history of Ancient Egypt and the times that I probably should have been born into, I’ll forget to do so later, and you’ll all be making excuses to sneak out of the back while I stand here droning on and on and on about how magnificent it was. ”

The room filled with laughter.

Ra wasn’t one who laughed.

Neither was Dr. Weaver.

They were locked in a battle of wills, both having recognized the other for exactly who they were.

Ra’s expression had shifted into one of anger, and he was growing more angry by the second.

Dr. Weaver’s expression was one of amusement. It was almost as though she was trying his patience, his control, determined to see if he’d managed to learn anything in his eons of silence.

“And let’s thank Dr. Neti Weaver, as well. Without the assistance and support from the Department of Antiquities, none of the recent discoveries, the Temple of Ra included, would have ever been found.”

Everyone applauded again, and Dr. Weaver made a quick semi-bow before she exited the stage — on Ra’s side of the stage, as murmurs began to filter around the room.

“That’s right. You heard me correctly. What everyone, including me, has been calling the Tomb of Ra, I have long believed to be the Temple of Ra.”

Voices picked up as everyone whispered to whoever they’d attended with.

“Hello, Ra. Fancy seeing you here,” Dr. Weaver said haughtily backstage.

“I should have known you were behind this.”

“Behind what? Giving you a chance to redeem yourself? You’re welcome.”

“This is wrong, Neith.”

“What’s wrong with a prophecy coming to fruition?” she asked.

“You have no right to meddle in the lives and hearts of humans.”

“You didn’t have a problem with it when I laid it out for you when I locked you away.

Well, that might not be entirely true. You were quite upset with me.

Was it the prophecy that upset you? Or maybe it was the fact that you have to redeem yourself enough to have a human willingly fall in love with you before you could earn the right to walk among the living again?

I do know that you questioned the stipulation that you’d not be able to manipulate whoever the female was into falling in love with you.

She either loved you freely of her own choice, or you gave up any chance at living. ”

“I’m aware. But neither did you inform me that I’d be human!”

“That part didn’t occur to me until later. I thought it quite the twist of fate. But back to the point, you’ve not manipulated Dr. Clement now, have you?”

“You know damn well I haven’t.”

“Good. Very good. You should have no problem seeing the prophecy to its end successfully then.”

“She should be made aware of how you’ve used her.”

“How I’ve used her? I haven’t used her at all, other than giving her access to the temple. All the rest was her own free will. All of it, unless you used that charm you were so well known for.”

“You know I have not. I’m not allowed to. She should know, Neith. It’s not fair to involve her while not giving her all the pieces to make decisions with.”

“I must say, I like this new Ra much better. When did you become concerned with the needs of anyone but yourself?”

“I don’t want her hurt.”

“Azenath? She’s an academic. She’ll throw herself into her work and doubtlessly find another great temple, or tomb, or some such building. She does thrive on such things, you know.”

“I suppose you expect me to believe it’s a coincidence her name is associated with you.”

“One could make an argument either way. Regardless, I must say I’m very impressed with her. Had it been another time, I might have considered her for one of my sacred priestesses.”

“She’s not meant to belong to you,” he snarled.

Neith really looked closely at Ra. “Well, well. Isn’t this an interesting turn of events.”

“What are you talking about?”

Neith simply smiled. “Nothing at all, Ra. Nothing at all. Enjoy your evening. I have investors to see to.”

“When will you give me back my powers?” he asked, taking two steps to follow her when she walked away from him.

Neith turned only halfway toward him, a heavy dose of side-eye in her mannerisms as she didn’t quite look at him. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“It was completely unnecessary to make me human. I am not built to be human. And I can only guess the others will be exactly the same.”

“If they’re freed at all. Your actions have yet to be determined,” Neith reminded him. “And don’t forget, even given the chance, they must wait their turn and take their chances in order of release, or all will be forfeited.”

“You have made so many bad decisions with this prophecy,” he declared.

“I beg to differ.”

They stood there, each waiting for the other to speak.

Finally Neith decided to be the bigger person, or god, depending on your point of view.

“Just remember, Ra, no one can have everything. And there’s a reason for it all.

” She hesitated, then shrugged her delicate, perfect shoulders and laughed delightedly.

“Well, I can have everything,” she said, her laugh cutting short as she suddenly glared at him.

Ra made to follow her, but found himself frozen in place, his feet stuck to the floor.

“Neith!” he whisper-screamed. “Release me this instant!” he insisted as he struggled to move his feet.

Suddenly he fell forward as his feet were unexpectedly freed. In the back of his mind, he realized that Azi’s voice had come to a stop. He turned quickly back to her, and flashed her a quick smile.

“Apologies,” she said. “A little bit of noise from backstage. Even the security people are excited about the throne.”

The audience laughed, and Azi continued on with her presentation.

Questions were fired at her from all parts of the auditorium regarding her reassessment of the tomb as a temple.

And she patiently answered each as they were called out, before she finally got the chance to get back to the points she wanted to make.

“First, its layout is not that of a tomb. It’s huge with large columns supporting its ceiling just as those temples that have already been identified.

Everything is gilded and inlaid with precious stones.

While there is what we thought to be a sarcophagus, I’m now convinced that it’s an offering table.

There are no canopic jars. There is no evidence of funerary offerings.

There are no mummified remains. The walls are not inscribed with scenes of an occupant’s accomplishments in life, followed by the scenes of that occupant ascending to the level of the gods.

Rather the gods themselves are shown on the walls, the floor, the ceiling, in every available space.

This expansive building was built to be a temple, not a tomb.

For me, the throne seals it, wraps it all up nicely for us.

There were antiquities, as I’ve shown you.

Exquisite items the quality and value of which is unmatched to date, but the typical rites of the dead did not take place here. ”

“Isn’t it possible that its owner simply didn’t get to be buried in it for whatever reason?”