Reincarnated

Chapter Twenty

Three days, four hours and thirteen minutes is a long time to walk for anybody. It's an even longer time to walk when the person you're walking with would be beaten by Serverus Snape in a 'who holds the better conversation' battle. Even though Ahmose insisted that he was fine, that everything was fine, even at one point insisting for me that I was fine, everything was all but fine between us. The remnants of our argument still clouded the air like ash after a volcanic eruption, and they were made obstinately more obnoxious after our near kiss. After being around Ahmose for over a month straight, I thought I had worked him out, and I'd prided myself on how well I thought I had broken down the sky-high walls he'd built around himself. But he'd thrown all my work into the proverbial fire when he'd pulled away from that kiss, and suddenly his walls were higher and more fortified than ever. And as hard as I tried, I couldn't disguise how much that had hurt me. I thought he had feelings for me — even Hazel had been convinced that he had feelings for me — but now, I wasn't so sure. He said that he was trying to break the curse for me, but if he was breaking the curse for me, then why was he acting like I was the last person on the earth that he wanted to be with? Something had caused him to lock me out again, and I couldn't help but think that that something was our almost kiss.

What had I done wrong?

When we arrive at the temple, hidden away from public eye just outside of Mût, a sombre silence falls across the two of us. This time, though, it's for a completely different reason: the last time we were at a temple of Osiris, we had another member of our party with us. I swallow hard, digging my fingernails into my palm as I stare at the ruins in front of us.

Hazel would have loved this. An old temple the world hadn't found yet? She'd be frothing with excitement right now.

I feel a warm presence next to me, and a moment later a hand engulfs my clenched palm. Ahmose slowly unfurls my fingers, his thumb softly thrumming the angry red half-moon crescents dotting my palm. He squeezes softly.

"I know." He whispers. "She will not be forgotten. She is not irrelevant."

I clutch his fingers tighter and nod several times, blinking back tears. "I know."

Ahmose opens his mouth, like there's something he wants to say. I visibly watch as he decides against it and instead clears his throat, ripping his hand out of my grip and stepping forward. My hand falls limply to my side. Ahmose very obviously avoids my gaze, keeping his fixed on the temple entrance in front of us.

"Are you ready?"

My expression hardens. I fold my arms tightly over my chest and step up next to him. "Yes."

Ahmose glances over at me. If he notices the change in my demeanor, he doesn't comment on it. "Then let us commune with the gods."

We step through the threshold together. Just like last time, the temple springs to life.
This time, the temple that pops up is much smaller, with the walls around us reconstructing a singular room held up by four rounded sandstone columns. While the walls are just as heavily decorated with hieroglyphs and stories of Osiris' exploits, they are much less detailed, painted only in hues of yellow, red and orange. Osiris' statue, however, is still by far the most splendid part of the temple, towering over the dais at well over seven feet in glittering marble. A smattering of candles burst into life at his feet, casting a flickering shadow over the statue's ethereal face. It's eyes follow us as we slowly walk up to the altar, the hooded gaze staring straight into my soul. I grimace, guilt warming my veins.

Oh man, is he going to be pissed we're late? And that I basically said 'screw Osiris'?

I so need to think before I speak.