Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“It’s time.” The sound of the sky, the music, the voices lift around the cave.
It has begun.
Cleo lowers her hand to her side and turns to face me. “Alright.”
Her eyes are expectant, like she wants me to be the hero, throw her over my shoulder and save her.
I am no savior.
I am only her impending doom.
A nightmare.
I am the monster who will hold her hand through life and death while Anubis escorts her to the depths.
I set the metal bowl of blue paint on the table and undo the sash on her robe, my fingers move to her shoulders as I drop it to the floor.
“And the gods,” I say in a low voice, “will worship what is sacrificed to them.” I dip my hands into the bowl and start rubbing it across her chest in one streak, the gold shimmers over her while the blue dyes her skin where I touched.
“This represents the beginning of the world, the start of creation, nothing but a streak across the sky with stars illuminating the earth.” I move the paint and cup one breast, then the other. “The creation of humans.” Her breath hitches as I trail one painted finger around and around her breast, creating a circle. I do the same to each breast, gather more paint along with courage, and drag my hand down her stomach in one solid line until I’m at her belly button. “Sexual pleasure.” I take a deep breath and cup between her legs.
She gives a jolt, her eyes widening as if to ask what’s happening.
“And the gift of pleasure from the stars.”
The stars will invade her body, make her warm, receptive, and needy, she will have one night of pure passion incomparable to anything she’s ever experienced in her lifetime.
She sways toward me.
I dip my hands once more and create a streak down each leg with my hands. I dip both hands into the paint and press down on the tops of her feet, kneeling before her. “And now, we the gods, worship you.”
I get up while her eyes continue to get lazier and lazier like she’s so caught up in her own lust that she can’t think straight.
I grab her golden tunic and dress her and reach for her hand, I realize too late that I shouldn’t have turned to the left.
Because the sole mirror in that cave is to the left, and what I see in it, is her by my side.
And we match.
It’s a bad omen to see what could be if only you gave up everything, including your soul. Blue still stains my hands. I keep it on my palms as we walk out of the cave to the waiting gods.
“You may turn,” I say in a loud voice.
The gods fall to their knees, hands dig into the dirt representing where she will return after she sinks into the Nile.
The gods voices shout.
“May your sacrifice be worthy of the gods. You shall return to where you came. Blood to ground, spirit to the water. May you ascend to the Nile and return to this realm blessed. Tonight, we honor you.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. Everyone stands and turns back toward the water. I twist my hands to the right and left, unleashing the ice bridge to the island. “Stay by my side.”
Enki sighs like he’s bored. “He doesn’t want you getting pulled in because then all our hard work will have been for nothing, right, Cyrus?”
I shoot him a glare.
“I’ll stay in the middle,” comes her timid voice.
Immortals from Olympus—ones who have failed—walk to the left, newer immortals from fae to vampires and werewolves to the right, with me in the back watching her walk away from me and not being able to reach her even if I had the will to do so. I refuse to call it cowardice.
She holds her head high.
Torches light a path through the forest once we’re on the island. We stroll a few more feet and walk beneath the wooden overhang with its many flowers that never die in all of our colors, red, gold, white, blue, and finally black.
Music rises from beyond the trees. The smell of food fills the air when we reach the bonfire.
People sing and clap around the fire. Some are still wearing their gold masks, others have already taken them off and are on one of the many large white beds scattered around the area.
Some are already deciding to escape into the trees together while others are feeding each other on the beds or dancing for one another. The white sheets glow in the moonlight. More drinks are brought to a table to the left. One of the goddesses bows to the fire and holds her hands up to the sky and starts to sing the song of the Nile.