Cascadia

8. The Book of the Dead

The holy Temple of Anubis.

The Black Guardian of the Necropolis was waiting for them at the gates, half-hidden beneath the shadows of the ancient myrrh trees that grew between towering columns of quartzite. He was tall, with skin darker than the Nubian kings of the south. He wore a headdress of linen and papyrus, and his face remained hidden behind an obsidian mask with a long, carved snout that resembled a giant dog. A menagerie of his own priests stood all around him, each wearing a similar dog-faced mask beneath the droop of their black hoods.

"It is good to see you again, my queen." Anubis greeted her with a gentle bow, a gesture of respect. "I regret that our reunion comes as a result of such misfortune."

"As do I. Please accept my gratitude for the sacrifice you've chosen to make for my husband."

"It is but the least I can do," he replied in earnest, reaching out to place a comforting hand upon the queen's shoulder. "Your husband was not only my king, but he was as a father to me. I will forever be his loyal servant. It is a great honor to step down so that he might ascend. From now unto eternity, I shall serve him faithfully."

"And for that, you have my utmost thanks. What is to be done with his body?"

Anubis raised his voice so his commands would carry into the ears of the priests. "Bring him into the inner sanctum and place him upon the altar I have prepared. Depart then. Do not look back. To look upon our king in his condition is to gaze into the very abyss of death itself. Hear my words and heed my warning."

With silent affirmation, the priests carried the stretcher through the stone archway leading into the courtyard. The queen remained planted beside her friend, watching as the procession carried her husband's body out of view.

"It will work," Anubis reassured her. "You have my word. If you wish to remain close, I will grant you full access to my temple. Feel free to explore the grounds and commune in the gardens. No room shall be denied to you, but I fear that I must take my leave now. There is much work to be done if we hope to be successful in this great work."

"Please, go. Help him." The queen feigned a smile.

With a bow, Anubis hurried off and left her standing alone in the shadow of the fragrant myrrh tree. He'd promised to give her husband a new life – had promised to prepare his body and soul for the next stage – but what horrible transformations would her beloved be forced to endure in the process? What horrors existed between death and resurrection? It was impossible to know for sure. There were things even the gods themselves couldn't see.

She wandered beyond the first pylon, inspecting the various statues carved into the likeness of her husband's illegitimate son. It had been this very child that had led her brother to conspire against the king, trapping him in an ornate sarcophagus before hacking him into pieces to be scattered throughout the upper and lower kingdoms. The queen had spent the last decade in search of these pieces, and now that she'd found them, it was Anubis who had the gift to bring her husband back from the dead. As she strolled along the colonnade, she placed a gentle hand over her belly and prayed a solemn hymn to the unborn child growing inside her womb.

'How will I keep this child hidden from my brother?' she pondered. Her brother was clever and vile and capable of all manner of wickedness and treachery. Where once she'd felt confidence, she now felt a sense of dread. She feared for her son. She feared for the people of Kemet who would suffer greatly under Seth's rule. If there was to be any hope for her or her people, she would have to find a way to establish her son upon the throne.