Soul Awakened (37 page)

She grabbed and clutched the spell book to her chest. Her skin tingled reminding her how dangerous it was. Why didn’t Nebt find it? She looked at Bakari. “You can’t kill Kepi without the daggers. She took possession of a goddess’ body right before her capture.”

“I may not be able to kill Kepi, but I can take care of the rest.”

Her thoughts immediately went to Ari and the other guardians he had killed upon wakening. Bakari had separated the souls from the bodies. For warriors their souls would return to the Underworld waters. For Kepi and Nebt, their souls would cease to be bonded to their hearts, but they would seek out another. The Mevt dagger would ensure the goddess’ souls would never bond with another heart. Ever.

“You could do that?” she asked, bile rising up her throat. Nebt was family regardless of her treachery.

“If it means keeping Aaru safe. Keeping you safe.” He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I want you to go someplace where no one can reach you. Protect it with a spell even Inpu cannot breach.”

“No–”

He silenced her with a finger against her lips. “They will target you. If they hurt you, they hurt me. Do you understand the limits of our blood-bond?” His fingers traced the pulse bounding in her neck.

She understood completely. If one died, the other went with them. She was the weak link in the bond. “I am not defenseless.” She looked at the spell book. Closing her eyes, she pictured how it first looked when she stole it from the vault.

She opened her eyes and met Bakari’s astonished gaze. “Gods, Kendra. That is the book. The one Nebt used against me.”

“I know. It’s from the vault. I needed it to open your tomb.” She turned the cover brown again. “I want to be there with you.” She prayed he didn’t think of her as Bomani did, something to be shielded behind a gilded cage. “Nebt doesn’t know the extent of what I can do.” Even Inpu didn’t see what she had practiced behind closed doors. The priest had taught her how to channel her power, but it had been muted at the time of their lessons. “I think the blood-bond released some of my powers, slowly. After last night, it’s even stronger.”

Bakari grasped her arm and pushed up her sleeve. Her arms were still bare.

“I know. I can’t explain it, but I feel it.” She tapped her chest where her scorpion mark lay.

“We go together then. Stay close to me.”

“What’s the plan?” God knows they needed one.

“To get reinforcements.”

***

Bakari searched room after room in the warrior village and came up empty. He had no need to verbalize his worry, it was written all over Kendra’s face. Even Bomani’s quarters were empty. The cots in the main billeting area abandoned. Same for the warrior hall.

There was only one place he had not checked. With her tucked safely behind him, he swung open the door and entered with his blade leading the way. He moved among the columns of statues toward the front of the temple. A loud scrapping sound brought him to a halt. Shrouded by a large statue, he peered around to the front. A large warrior with tattoos running from wrist and shoulder hefted a large piece of broken marble in his hands and placed it in a growing stack in the far corner. Another warrior appeared with white dust covered his chest and arms.

Bakari stepped out and lowered his weapon. “Sin.”

His brethren turned to face him.

“What the hell happened?” Bakari asked, scrutinizing the remnants of Kendra’s immortalized face in stone.

“You tell me,” Sin hissed.

Bakari dropped his arms lower, startled by Sin’s anger. The other fledglings advanced a few steps. They were not happy to see him, but he had no idea why. Did they believe what Bomani had said in the street? “I asked you, what happened here.”

“Are you going to stand there and act like you do not know? Do you think me a fool?”

“Sin, what the hell are you talking about?”

“She made her choice, but you could not leave well enough alone. You had to hurt her and destroy the temple.”

“Hurt who?”

Sin growled and launched himself forward. Kendra slipped under Bakari’s arm and put herself between him and the charging warrior. Sin staggered and Bakari slammed his hand into Sin’s chest bringing him to a halt inches from Kendra’s small body. Angered, Bakari shoved his bunkmate and pulled her tight against his body.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It wasn’t him, Sin,” she said over Bakari’s growl. The other fledglings looked as startled that Kendra and he were together. She frowned when she looked around. “You don’t think Bomani did this, do you?” Her haunted brown eyes lifted to meet his.

“I hope not, Parvana.”

“Sin?”

Horror painted Sin’s features. “I believed every word. Gods, Ari. Forgive me,” Sin pleaded.

Bakari looked away feeling like a hole had been blasted through his chest. Even the fledglings he counted as brothers believed he had done something horrible. “Tell us what happened,” Bakari said without meeting any of the warriors’ gazes.

Kendra leaned into him and squeezed his hand. She was the only one that truly believed he could change, and he loved her more because of it.

“Kit told me Kendra was there to speak to the Commander. I saw the look on your face, murderous it was. Then Kendra ran out with those marks on her shoulder.” Sin ran his hand over his scalp. “
Isis
, everyone saw you take her from the beach. So when goddess Nebt said you hurt her, I…”

Bakari laughed with the bitterness he felt in his soul. “You assumed it to be true? If that was not enough, I surely destroyed the only place I could find peace.” It sickened him to see all three statues desecrated in a multitude of pieces, not only Kendra’s but her sisters’, as well.

His own shame crashed around him. Would he ever escape its clutches? “Let us go.” He turned and pulled Kendra by the hand. She resisted and looked over her shoulder. He knew he was being an idiot, but he wanted to be done with all of this. Finally, he had found happiness with Kendra. His past was the last thing he wanted to be reminded of. He had a goddess to kill, maybe two. He had no room at this point to have anyone question his loyalty. Their doubts would put them at risk.  

“Ari, I am truly sorry.”

Sin’s apology halted him. Could he walk out of here a hypocrite? He turned to face the group. “
Isis
, Sin. I am many things, but I would never hurt Kendra.” Blood-bond or not, she had captured his heart. She was his savior, his destiny. He looked at the warriors who were his brothers. “I need your help.” He met each of their stares. “Everyone’s.”

Bakari held out his palm. Sin placed his hand on top and the other warriors followed suit for as many that could fit. The others formed a circle around the pair with Kendra tucked closely at his side.

“For blood and honor?” Bakari asked the group.

“For blood and honor,” the warriors yelled out, even Kendra’s soft voice joined in.

Sin smiled and bowed to Kendra. “We are honored to serve you, Hope.”

Bakari chuckled when Kendra’s brows furrowed. He met Sin’s gaze and squeezed his hand. “You were right, hope is worth fighting for.”

“It is.” Sin paused and looked at the wreckage of the temple. “Who are we fighting exactly?” 

Kendra explained an abridged version of the events that had come to pass. Sin’s color paled. “You said Bomani’s quarters were empty.”

Bakari nodded. “The legions are in the human realm. You are the only ones we found.”

“The Lord confined Bomani prior to leaving for the human realm. If he is out…” Sin’s words trailed off, letting everyone come to their own unanimous conclusion.

“Weapons, we need to arm ourselves. Sin, I need you to get the servants to a safe place within the palace and send the rest of our brothers to guard the gates to Aaru. If there is an invasion, it is the way they need to come.”

“That’s if they haven’t already,” Kendra added.

“Can you face Nebt alone?” Sin asked.

Bakari wrapped his arm around Kendra’s shoulder. “I will not be alone.”

“What about the Commander? He will be looking for you.”

“I will deal with him when the time comes.”

“That time is now,” Bomani’s dark voice vibrated from the dark. His enormous form shifted among the statues.

 Sin advanced on the Commander. Bakari reached out and placed a restraining hand on his bunkmate’s chest. “Do as I ask, Sin. Do it now.”

Despite the protest written in his eyes, Sin nodded. “Gods be with you.” His brothers in arms flashed out of the temple.

Bakari grabbed Kendra’s hand, feeling the sense of unity against someone they both loved. “Brother, you must stop this minute and listen to what we have to say.”

“We?” Bomani’s black glare came to rest on their joined hands. His brother clenched his fist around something white. He threw white lace panties at Kendra’s feet.

Kendra frowned, but kept her eyes locked on Bomani. “Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? This is not the warrior who rescued me all those months ago.”

Bomani laughed. “Funny, I’d say the same about you.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Well, get used to it. I have.”

“Nebt is the mole,” she blurted. “She is using your hatred to color your vision on what is really happening here.”

“Your vision is colored, Kendra. You let a traitor between your legs.”

“That’s enough,” Bakari barked. He pushed Kendra behind him and moved forward.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Bakari’s power resonated the minute the daggers came into view. His power to kill and the daggers were locked together in a symbiotic balance. The union of the two prohibited the daggers misuse by another god. Regardless, Bomani could inflict serious injury and incapacitate him. He would survive, but Kendra, would not survive even with her demi-god blood.

“We need to go, Bakari. He’s stalling us.” Kendra pulled on his belt, not seeing the danger being wielded by his brother.

“Going somewhere,” Bomani sneered.

Kendra stepped to the side and glared at Bomani. “Nebt is going to release Kepi, if we don’t do something soon.” Her eyes gravitated to the daggers. She gasped. “You wouldn’t. What has become of you?”

Bomani’s gravitated to the bruises on her shoulder. His brows furrowed.

Bakari could not wait for his brother to come to his senses. He launched forward grabbing both of Bomani’s wrists then torqued the bones until the daggers fell to the ground. He slammed his forehead into Bomani’s face.

Startled, Kendra yelped, but scrambled to grab the daggers. Not waiting for Bomani to recover, Bakari grabbed Kendra’s arm and dematerialized.

The room shifted and swirled when Bakari pulled her molecules together. She must be getting used to it because her head only wobbled. Thankfully. They had materialized at the bottom stairwell deep inside the dungeon. With the text clutched in one hand and Bakari’s hand in the other she ran forward through the dark tunnel. Pitch black, she couldn’t see, but trusted Bakari unconditionally to keep her from running into anything.

The darkness wasn’t so scary with him at her side. She drew strength from their connection. Even if they broke her grasp, she would always feel him.

A familiar scent of death permeated her senses. “Revens.”