Page 26 of Ra (The Scarab Prophecy #1)

“I did. But I didn’t force you to free him by inserting your scarab into the hollow in the wall. I didn’t force you to spend time with him. Those parts were you. It was instinct on your part.”

“You started tapping around the interior of the temple, looking for something, being sure that I would see it so that I’d be curious to do the same after you left.”

Abasi, lifted his hands ever so slightly into the air. “It was simply an unspoken suggestion. You didn’t have to follow it.”

“Apparently, I did,” Azi said. She looked at her father, tears slightly dampening her gaze. “Where did you get this scarab?”

“Abasi found it. He gifted it to me, suggested I could turn it into a piece of jewelry for you. He said he found it in the market, it wasn’t actually from ancient times.

I knew better, and told him so. That was when he told me of The Scarab Prophecy, and how he believed it would be you to free the gods of ancient Egypt.

The Egyptologist in me, couldn’t look away.

I had the scarab set on a brass band and gave it to you, knowing you were meant for greatness!

” Dr. Clement said excitedly. “I wanted so badly to meet them. I was consumed with a need to witness their existence for myself. And I knew that you would feel the same! It was a gift!”

“It wasn’t a gift. I stopped being your daughter and became a puzzle piece.”

“That’s not true, Azenath. I always knew you were my daughter. I did what I did for your future, too!”

Azi shook her head. “You are my father. You were supposed to protect me. Guide me. Not use me for some grandiose scheme to bring the gods of the ancient world back to life!”

“I am, and I did. Can you imagine being the Egyptologist to bring them all back to the world? The fame you would gain! The notoriety! Not to mention, the power! You'd be forever associated with the gods of Egypt, Azenath! Your name would live forever! I hope you can imagine it, because that is what’s about to happen! What better gift could a father give to his daughter? All the things you would gain as a result of fulfilling the prophecy would far outweigh the little white lies we all had to tell in order to nudge you toward the truth,” her father said.

“Little white lies? You structured my entire life to have me standing in this exact spot at this exact time. You influenced every interest I ever had. If I so much as glanced in a different direction you corralled me! You put your own grandiose dreams into play, using me to do it.”

“But aren’t you happy, Azenath? Aren’t you fulfilled? Do you not love him?” her father asked.

Azi closed her eyes as she tried to ground herself, doing her best to work through the emotions so that her decisions and actions wouldn’t be driven by hurt and deception.

In order to do that, she needed more facts.

“Did you know it would be me? Did you destine me for this particular task?” she asked Neith.

Neith considered any number of answers she could give, including none at all. Finally, she decided the truth, draped in a bit of a needs-to-know basis was best. “I knew it could be you.”

“How long have you known?” she asked, turning her attention to Ra.

He’d remained somewhat quiet, knowing that eventually she’d turn her hurt his way.

He’d already decided the only way to address this was with honesty.

None of the others had given her that until she’d already been made aware of what was going on, and still they made excuses for their behavior.

“I have always known the terms of the prophecy. I did not know of you personally until the day that you and your assistant stepped into the temple.”

Azi shook her head. “So, you’ve known that in order to live your life again, or still, you would have to make some unknowing human fall in love with you, and you never hesitated to do so.”

“No! That is absolutely wrong!”

“How so, Ra?” she asked, disgust practically dripping from her words. “You watched me. You knew it would be me! How much more planned could it have been?”

“I did watch you. I admired you. Your intelligence. Your curiosity. Your love of my culture. Your strength. Your determination. Your beauty. I watched you, for years. You treated every single inch of my temple with reverence. You whispered prayers to me and the others in thanks for allowing you into our midst. You protected and preserved everything you found, every single little thing you came across with the utmost care and respect. And that wasn’t all.

You spoke to those working for you with kindness and respect.

At the time I still believed they were your servants, and I’d never seen anyone display such a kindness and caring toward their servants.

You even worked alongside them, rather than simply giving direction and walking away.

You loved everything about my world, about my people, about my history.

I knew then that not only were you special, but that you were the one I’d waited for, for thousands of years.

The only one that could save me from the nothingness I’d been locked in.

But do you hear what I’m saying, Azi? I watched you and admired you long before I had no further doubts that you were the one I waited for. ”

“You behaved as though you didn’t know me when you first arrived,” Azi challenged.

“I couldn’t very well say, I’m here! I’ve been watching you!

Help me live forever! It would have gone against the rules Neith set out.

But I knew who you were. I knew what I thought of you already.

I knew the respect and regard I had already developed for you.

From the moment I chased you out of the temple, every single thing I did and said was real.

There was no pretense. The world and all its oddities, I didn’t know!

How could I? I was astounded, astonished, lost and even a little frightened after I figured out I was no more than a human myself.

But despite your own fear of me and everything you were experiencing, you guided me through it, you taught me, you took care of me.

” His eyes widened as he realized what had happened without either of them even noticing, even before they became more than friends.

“Azi, you opened your heart to me. You gave your heart willingly to help me, to protect me and show me how to live in your world.”

“Anyone would have,” she said resignedly.

“No, they wouldn’t. Please understand that not a single thing I’ve said or done has been false.

None of it has been untrue in any way. All I felt, all I did, all I’ve wanted, you’ve seen and witnessed.

It’s real, Azi. And the whole time, all I’ve needed has been you.

Ultimately, all I want is you. Life, with you. ”

“This is certainly an interesting turn of events. I must say, I never expected it,” Neith said.

“This is not one of your games, Neith. This is her life!” Ra bellowed.

Neith considered just how far she wanted to dig into the messiness that her fellow gods had created, not quite willing to admit her own part in it, but seeing for the first time how the actions of the gods, hers included, could impact the lives of the humans they surrounded themselves with.

She turned from Ra to Azi. “There is no rule that says you must free them, Azenath. Finding them was enough. You can simply walk away. The world has survived for eons without them. We do not need them now.”

“I did not find him. Had Abasi not pretended that he found the temple, he’d still be waiting. It’s Abasi that found him.” Azi turned toward the exit again, making her way down the steps that led from the stage to the main floor of the auditorium.

“Azi! Please!” Ra exclaimed, hurrying after her.

“Do not call me Azi, it implies a certain familiarity. If you must address me, use my full name. But even better yet, leave me alone.”

“I didn’t orchestrate this fiasco! Other than causing Neith to lock us away, I had no part in it. I’m as much a victim as you. I did not manipulate you.”

“Didn’t you, though?” she asked, turning on her heel suddenly to look at him. “By not telling me and allowing me to make my own decisions, didn’t you manipulate me into the position of helping you by playing the innocent one?”

He shook his head defiantly. “No! Of your world I was innocent. I needed help! I had no idea how to behave in this world. I needed you! And then it became a different kind of need. Everything between us is real. Had I told you the truth you’d have felt pressure to make sure I didn’t return to the temple.

I wanted you to follow your own heart, feel whatever it was you felt… ”

“Of my own free will,” Azi finished for him.

“Azenath!” her father called out, in his ‘dad’ voice, trying to intervene on Ra’s behalf.

Pointing her finger at her father, she narrowed her eyes.

“Do not even try to speak to me. I don’t want to talk to you.

What kind of father uses their daughter for their own personal gains, as you have?

And before you try to insert yourself, I don’t want to talk to you, either,” she said, shooting a glare toward Abasi.

“You, I haven’t decided about yet,” she said as her gaze shot over to Neith.

“You are technically my boss, for now.” She turned and stormed toward the exit, not giving a second thought to the man — or god — who followed her, pleading his case non-stop.

“Dear Azenath! Do not walk away from me!”

“Dear god wasn’t an homage to you. It was a plea for my own God to intercede and give me the patience to deal with your self-serving, self-loving, entirely self-focused, condescending point-of-view!”

“I knew it wasn’t what I thought it was!” he shouted accusingly.

Azi walked away from him.

“Wait! At least talk to me! I don’t know how to do this! How do you convey such a monumental emotion to another and have them understand it?”

“Trust is always a good place to start. But then, you’ve shattered all that to hell and back!

” she yelled at him, tried to slam the door behind her as she went.

Because of the hydraulic arm on the door, it didn’t slam, so she grabbed it and kicked at it, shoving it while kicking it a time to two until it finally closed.

Ra turned slowly and his gaze slowly swept the three of them there on the stage, watching him.

“You are correct, by the way. I didn’t say how she had to give her heart.

It didn’t have to be romance. It could have simply been assisting one in need.

She did that. You have earned your right to another life.

I will restore your powers, use them wisely, and secretly, or I will lock you away again,” Neith said.

“I don’t want them. I don’t want to be a god. I just want to be with Azenath,” Ra said.

“Clear your head, Ra! Who wouldn’t want to be a god?” Neith asked, shocked at the things Ra was saying.

“Being human is much more tolerable than the curse being a god was,” Ra said. He quickly left the room, and everyone in it without waiting to see if they even had a response.