The Zodiacs

25. Familial Record

"You called for me, your Majesty," Omari came to an orderly halt in front of the lounging King. He briefly bowed his head forward in an attempt to appear confident and unbothered as usual; it had only been two days since he'd crossed paths with Seven in a Southern Village. When he'd been summoned to the Pharaoh's Throne Room, Omari couldn't help worry that someone had seen their interaction after the loud boom that resulted from the lightning blast he'd suffered.

The Knight unintentionally stretched his fingers with the memory. His arm was still sore with the burns hidden beneath his uniform that had yet to heal. An electrified scar blossomed in tree-like branches all around his forearm --it didn't seem like it would fade any time soon.

Still, his thoughts slipped back to the look of panic on Seven's face when she raced toward him. She'd worried about him. The realization built an unfamiliar feeling in his chest.

"I did," the Pharaoh nodded, the queen sitting at his side. Omari was a common visitor to these chambers, but he'd rarely seen the Great Royal Wife sitting in her own seat alongside him. He only spared her a single no of respect, refusing to keep his eyes trained on the queen for as long as others often did to admire her effortless beauty.

Her thin blue eyes watched him, a long line of Kohl lining the base of her eyes before extending further past their edges. Nothing about her features pulled attention away from the others with narrow eyebrows, a petite nose, and perfectly lined lips. But that must have been her point of beauty --the precise balance of every aspect found in her high cheekbones, strong jawline, and unblemished pale skin --it's why all the men who caught a glimpse of her seemed to fall helplessly in love.

A golden Nemes crown covered the top, back, and sides of her head like a rich wig of carved hair. It exaggerated the black lining her waterline and dark shadows above her eye, making the Great Royal Wife look much more threatening than she would without such touch-ups.

She sat with her legs crossed in a simple blue dress that fell all the way to her ankles, hugging her body in a way that drew unconscious attention to each one of her curves. A golden bracelet sat in the middle of her right upper arm, matching both anklets on each of her feet. Her hands were decorated in expensive jewelry to reassert the power the single lady held over the kingdom and its subjects.

"I would like you to gather a group of Knights --each with their own collection of lower level Soldiers --and go collect the families of the Zodiac individuals," the Pharaoh spoke slowly and eloquently, emphasizing every word that dripped dominance over Omari. "You are to bring them all to the Basement Chambers and hold them there."

Omari's eyebrow perked ever so slightly in curious interest. How were they to collect the Zodiacs family members if they had no idea who the Zodiacs even were? "Of course, my King," the Knight nodded, pushing the question aside for the time being because he had something of more importance to ask. "If you don't mind," he dared. "May I ask about the reason for such a seizure?"

"You may," the Pharaoh nodded.

But it was the Royal Wife who answered his question with content pride in their decision. "Well, we're going to slaughter them," she raised a confident eyebrow, one corner of her lips turning up.

A loud boom sounded in Omari's chest, his lungs no longer pulling in the necessary breaths to keep him alive. Slaughter them? His mouth mumbled the words before he could process his own thoughts. "But... they're innocent...," he whispered.

"Of course they are," the Pharaoh passively waved his fingers in the air, not seeming to care about the families' innocence or guilt as much as he cared to kill them. "We won't murder the families just yet. Instead, we plan on using them to threaten the Zodiac individuals into surrendering themselves. If they do not, then we will begin the death sentencing of each related family member."