Crucible of Fate (21 page)

I was reeling. “No one can expect me to rule over men who know more about everything than I do.”

“You were born to be a semel, my lord; none of these men were. You must always remember that.”

“Why me?”

“Because you are changing everything, my lord,” he said bluntly. “Your plan is to remake Sobek; no one has gazed outward in over a hundred years. They become semel-aten and look inward at what they can have, and much like Hakkan Tarek, their greed and gluttony and depravity eats them from the inside out.”

I searched his face for some sign that this was all a huge joke.

“But you, you who appear to be floundering, every day you change something. Every moment you are semel-aten, and now akhen-aten, you alter a law or enforce another. You have dispatched the Shu, as I said before, four times already in only six months. You want to help everyone, make certain that everyone is safe, and now, with our resources, you can.”

“I doubt that these men are going to listen to me.”

“They want nothing more. Right now they simply react; you will allow them to be proactive as they put your new laws and plans into action,” Kabore explained. “All of them want to be directed by you, and the seven-man tribunal is there to convene or not. They would only offer advice, my lord, much like the old council of Ennead now advises your sylvan. It’s a new day, my lord, but everyone knows that it is your rule and that you will lead us to the future.”

“I feel like I’m gonna pass out.”

“Please, no, you’ve scared me enough for one day.”

“Who else knows about the Iusaaset?”

“No one except those that work for us and the tribunal.”

“And how do you get a place on the tribunal?”

“You’re invited.”

“How many are on it now?”

“Six. Since Hamid Shamon died, his seat has not been filled.”

“The priest,” I said.

“It was why he wanted Logan Church to be semel-aten; he felt that Logan would be the kind of man that the Iusaaset could follow.”

“And he would.”

Kabore shook his head. “I respect the semel-netjer, but Jin Church is far too unpredictable a mate for a semel-aten. Had Ammon been a different sort of man, with Ebere El Masry as his mate, he would have been an excellent candidate. And this is what happens, you understand? Good semel, questionable mate, or vice versa.”

“Why would the mate matter?”

“A good mate is key for the health and well-being of the semel. They are the person who you first seek counsel from, the person with whom secrets are shared in the bedroom, either on purpose or unwittingly. And they are the one who simply sleeps beside you at night.”

“Jin is the best mate Logan could ever have.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. We’ve watched the semel-netjer and his mate, seen trials of separation that we could have prevented or ended but had to watch play out. We have seen the growth in both, but again, while there is no better mate for a semel than his destined reah, the nekhene that Jin Church is, is not a good mate for a semel-aten. The nekhene cat is safest in that small town up on that mountain, away from prying eyes. To have Jin here for an extended amount of time invites danger,” he said ruefully. “I once listened to Ammon rant and rave about how dangerous Jin Church is. And while I disagreed with what he thought should be done, I couldn’t fault his logic. As Jin’s power grows, how combustible will it become?”

“Jin will never hurt anyone as long as he has Logan there beside him.”

“Precisely,” he agreed. “So the semel-netjer can do only that for the rest of his life. He will lead his tribe and love his mate. The fact is, that’s all he wants to do—he has no desire for power. It’s a great blessing that the nekhene cat wound up with a mate like Logan Church and not a madman. Think of the horror that could have been.”

“Now I understand why the priest wanted Logan.”

“Did want.” Kabore exhaled. “In the end, he agreed with me that fate had stepped in and given us the gift of you. You must know that he truly embraced your reign before he passed.”

“Yes, I know.”

“When I suggested to him that we reveal ourselves to you, he agreed that it was for the best. And he also proposed that we offer his seat on the tribunal to the semel-netjer.”

I could have Logan with me? My safety net intact? “Is that an option?”

“Yes, it is. We’ve all agreed that he would make a fine addition.”

“As my counsel, I would want you.”

He was surprised. “My lord, I am only a steward. Simply a vehicle to help you reach your destiny and no—”

“It’s you, Kabore. Tell them.”

He was nodding. “Thank you, my lord. The trust and faith is—” He was touched, it was evident in his tone. “You honor me.”

But I didn’t have time to wallow in sentiment; my mind was racing. “If you police the world, how was Jin ever kidnapped? How was the sepat allowed to go on? How was Ammon El Masry allowed to abuse Ebere? How was the travesty I just interrupted allowed to continue? I don’t understand.”

He shook his head. “Just like any military operation. I mean, are soldiers sent to stop domestic violence? Are they sent to punish corrupt politicians or find missing children? This is what we’re talking about. We prevent someone from going on the news to out themselves on live TV as a werepanther, but we don’t investigate a semel using his power to defile young girls.”

“That’s why the priest had to call the sepat, the honor challenge, against Ammon El Masry, when all those parents came to him for justice after what Ammon did to their daughters?”

“Yes. We could do nothing. Not then. But if you will take the reins, then we will do as we do now and serve you and your cause of change and rebuilding. There are so many things that need to be ratified, but there are also laws that are set in stone, and both must be upheld.”

I was starting to get it. “You want to be like Yuri, an extension of me, so panthers the world over will see the office of the semel-aten and truly believe I am the most powerful werepanther in the world. It won’t just be in name, it will be because if I say something, it will happen, because I have the muscle to back it up.”

“Yes.”

“And what if the power goes to my head and I go nuts?”

He tipped his head to one side. “It seems to me that you’ve already had your epiphany, have you not, my lord?”

“In having my original tribe ended, you mean?”

“Yes. Your original line, your original house, was ended by a man who you call brother. The tribe of Menhit can never rise again. If you were to fall into darkness, would it not have happened then?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Your mother died when you were still an infant. Your father was abusive, he controlled his tribe through rage and jealousy, and when you came to power, all you had to try to hold it together with was a feud with your friend’s tribe. You were different then, vengeful and mean, bitter and full of self-loathing. That you are now able to still think selfish thoughts or tell yourself you don’t care and then act in a completely opposite way, in a way that has been—from the time Logan Church pronounced you maahes to now—one of thoughtful introspection and faith, is to me a miraculous thing. You lifted yourself from—”

I cut him off. “Stop, I’m gonna throw up. I am not that good. I do a lot of stupid crap, and you know I do. But I have Yuri, I have you and Taj and Mikhail and Ebere to keep me on track.”

He cleared his throat. “Do you know how many men who lead listen to those around them every single time, my lord?”

“All of them?”

“None of them. Most men in power listen but don’t hear and do what they want anyway. You actually listen, mull things over, and sometimes you do what you think is best anyway, but a lot of times you change what you thought or you temper your response based on what one of us in your inner circles has recommended. It is a rare and excellent quality in a leader, to know his own mind but to allow counsel. Don’t ever second-guess your true quality, Domin Thorne. You are remarkable.”

I was quiet and so was he.

“I think you would need to travel.”

We both focused on Yuri, who was awake and listening in.

I was so happy to see his eyes open. “How long have you been awake?”

“Since Kabore asked the doctor to step out.”

“You’re such a jerk,” I said softly, reaching for him and sliding my hand into his hair, then pushing it away from his dark eyes. “So you heard all that stuff about a good mate, huh?”

“I did,” he murmured, so very pleased.

“And?”

“And could you have picked better?” He scoffed. “I don’t think so. Man, did you hit the jackpot with me. You couldn’t ask for steadier or more loyal.”

I had to smile. “No, I couldn’t.”

He winked at me and I groaned.

“Okay, so, where the hell am I going?” I checked with Kabore.

“You have to travel the world. Instead of there being a Feast of the Valley, it should be you, Egypt, going to them.”

Obviously he was having some sort of psychotic break. “What?”

“You need to name a new maahes and leave that person there in Sobek to lead with Mikhail and Jamal and Taj. Then you, Yuri, and I hit the road with Dr. Pakhom and her team, and maybe twenty-five of your khatyu, and we go and visit every tribe in the world.”

It took a second for what he’d said to sink in. “Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?”

“I think he does.” Yuri was nodding. “You would never be at home, not in your lifetime. You would be meeting people, bonding with them, bringing together the whole world of werepanthers. If there was a problem, you would be there to handle it, and if it was more than you could handle, you’d call in the Iusaaset. You can talk with the tribunal; check in all the time with your new maahes and visit your own tribe once a year. But if you did this, if you traveled—Domin, just think of all you could accomplish.”

“What would I accomplish?”

“You could bring everyone together. I’ve always said that there are a lot of lost panthers out there, like Jin used to be, like Crane, and we could make sure that everyone knows that the akhen-aten is there for them.”

“Yuri—”

“I think it’s what we’re supposed to do.”

“What about all my changes for Sobek?”

“That’s for your maahes to do.”

It was, and I needed a new one. I needed a second-in-command who would be with me going forward, and the answer had been right in front of me the entire time. “Yes, it is Kabore.”

“Oh,” I heard Yuri say. “That’s brilliant.”

“Pardon?” Kabore’s eyes went to my mate. “What is brilliant, sekhem?”

“Your semel’s mind.”

“Every now and then,” I agreed.

“My lord?” He was confused.

I cleared my throat, which brought my steward’s attention back to me. “Sometimes I miss things that are right in front of me.”

His face was so easy to read; I saw the exact moment of understanding. “Oh no.” Kabore stood up and put up his hands. “I am far too old to—”

“You know everything I know.” I waggled my eyebrows. “You speak every language that is spoken in Sobek, and you know about me and about the Iusaaset, and you’ll be my counsel and my maahes. You’ll be wonderful, Kabore Nour, and you will have Mikhail and Taj there to back you up, plus Jamal and Ebere.”

“My lord, I would need to accompany—”

“We all have to step up.” I smirked at him.

“It’s gonna be great.” Yuri grinned at him, sealing the deal.

“He really does complement you well,” Kabore snapped, giving up, scowling at me and then tipping his head at my mate.

“I know.”

Chapter 10

I
T
WAS
late, but I was on a roll. Outside the medical tent in the courtyard of Ipis, I sat down with the others to eat while I called Jamal. The newly appointed menthu agreed wholeheartedly with me appointing Kabore to be maahes and then warned me that Logan Church had not been happy to arrive and find his mate absent from the villa.

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“He was a fifteen, my lord,” Jamal deadpanned.

I groaned. “Did he leave already?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Who was with him?”

“He has his sylvan with him.”

“His maahen was not with him?

“She arrived with him, yes, but she remained behind to stay with Crane.”

“Yusuke Narae, the princess of the tribe of Mafdet, is there with my maahes?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to name Kabore as my new maahes when I return.”

“That is excellent news, my lord, as from the way the lady greeted Crane Adams, I suspect that she will be taking him with her.”

“She was all over him, huh?”

He coughed. “She was, my lord.”

I hit the End button on the satellite phone and leaned sideways against Yuri, now sitting beside me. We could see across the courtyard to where Jin and Koren were meeting with the djehus of the two factions, the peq and the shen. Of course it made sense that they would be sitting with the reah, and that he would be mediating their conversation. I had planned to have a seat with them myself, but Alana had brought me and Yuri food, and when the yareah of a tribe served you, you ate.