23. Sett
Sett
I held my breath.
My heart ached so much I couldn't take the pain. It was too much. Too strong.
But a second later, I blinked and I was back at the house standing by the front door with Drew right in front of me.
We both clasped our chests as soon as we came to our full senses and I leaned against his forehead as we both steadied our bodies and souls from the shock of dying and coming back to life in an instant.
"That was horrible," Drew panted.
"Yeah, let's not do that again," I said.
I looked up at him and I almost burst into laughter from the relief. Almost. I held back because this was no laughing matter.
My brother had gotten the better of us once again. It seemed whatever we did he was one step ahead at all times. I didn't know how he did it. How he knew what we were going to do and when. Time kept resetting so by all accounts he should have no clue we were coming. But it was as if…
"He was waiting for us," Drew said. "How?"
"I don't know, sweetheart. I don't know. But now we know so we can make different decisions."
Drew nodded.
"This time I'll clear Ani's mind so Horus's command doesn't work on him and we can get both of them out of there."
“At least the necklace worked. That’s something right?”
“Of course it is,” I said and cupped his cheek. “We’ve got this.”
Drew nodded and he grabbed the door handle bracing ourselves for another fight.
"Andrea, what is going on?" Yaya appeared at the landing of the hallway up the stairs, staring at her grandson.
Drew kept his gaze on the door, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed the door knob a little tighter.
"What do you mean, Yaya? Nothing is going on."
Yaya put her hands to her hips and her expression turned serious.
"Andrea, you better stop right now and explain what's happening or I'll ground you from here to eternity."
Drew rolled his eyes. "You can't ground me, Yaya," he started when the door and the door knob he was holding onto disappeared right before our very eyes.
"Want to try that again?" Yaya said.
Drew turned to face his grandmother and huffed. "Come on, Yaya. I don't have time for games."
"Really? It seems to me you have all the time in the world, considering how many times this day has reset."
Drew swallowed and I stood a little straighter, turning to the woman of the house.
I didn't know why I didn't think she'd know when the house looped us back but it made sense. She was a member of this family, she belonged in this house. She was even a part of this house in a way. Of course she would know. I could only imagine the questions she had.
"We're so sorry," I said and Drew turned to stare at me in shock. "What? I may be a god but even I know to respect a woman. Especially when she's right."
"I knew you were a good boy. You, on the other hand!" She turned to Drew and glowered. "Come on. I'm not going to wait forever. I could, but I'm not going to. I've got better things to do."
She spun around and walked into the kitchen. Drew glanced at me and with a heavy sigh climbed up the steps and followed his grandma into the next room.
When I walked in she was already over the stove splitting peppers and tomatoes stuffed with rice and ground beef and roast potatoes into three plates. She only sat down when she'd cut a generous amount of feta cheese and served it on a side plate.
"So," she started cutting through a chunky part of the feta with her spoon before dipping it in the rice. "What's been going on? Where is Evgenios? Why are you hiding things from me?"
Drew stared at his plate instead of his yaya.
"Because. I…it's going to be okay. I've got this."
"If time is resetting, it means you're dying. If you're dying you don't 'got this'. You know it's not unlimited right?"
"What?" Drew looked up. "What do you mean?"
Yaya frowned.
"You think the house can keep saving you forever and ever? It doesn't work that way. If it was, your mom and dad would still be alive. Even the house has its limits. There comes a time when death becomes your fate and when that happens there's nothing the house or anyone can do to save you."
"But you're still alive."
"Yeah and look how that works out. I can't step out of the house or I'll turn to dust."
Drew pressed his lips together and pushed them from side to side and then took a bite of the stuffed pepper.
"So, want to tell me the truth or do you expect me to pull it out of you?"
"I'm ashamed."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," I said and covered his hand with mine. "It wasn't your fault you fell victim to my brother."
Yaya raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Instead, it was Drew who spoke. And once he started he didn't stop until he'd told her everything that had happened in the last few days.
"Are you mad?" he asked her.
She glared at him. "What do you think? Your brother was taken by a cruel god, you've been enslaved to him all this time, Sett here freed you and instead of coming to me and telling me everything you decided to keep things from me as if I'm what? Weak? Stupid? You think I can't take the truth? Do you have any idea what I've been through in my life? What I've seen?”
"Yaya?" Drew said, almost in a whisper.
"No. I wasn't abused, but I've seen others abused. I've rescued others from horrible, horrible creatures, from fellow witches, from helldemons that think they can do whatever they want. You should have told me sooner."
Drew apologized and Yaya returned to her meal as if this was nothing more than a casual family dinner. We both stared at her as she ate her food but I couldn't touch anything. Nothing would go down. Not until my brother was defeated and my son and Gene were free.
"I wish I could help you," she said after what felt like forever. "But I know I can't," she added before Drew could interject. "At least not physically, but…"
She pushed her chair back, took her plate to the sink and returned to the stove with a fresh pot.
Watching her at work, it wasn't hard to see who Drew had taken after. They both moved effortlessly around the cauldron as if they were born to brew potions. Ingredients flew from shelves and cupboards under Yaya Penelope's telekinesis and she added them into her pot with mastery and focus until the mix bubbled and the magic emanating from it was so potent I could feel it all the way to my toes.
She used a ladle to pour the black liquid into two vials and returned to her seat, placing the vials in front of us.
"Here. That should help you cheat death a little while longer," she said.
Drew studied the liquid for a moment before he murmured, "Athanation."
"Immortality," I said.
"Don't get too excited. It only lasts so long. But it should help you avoid dying until you can rescue our boys."
Drew looked up at his grandma and pressed his lips together.
"I'm so sorry, Yaya. I...I shouldn't have hidden things from you. Thank you for this. You'll have to show me how to make it one day."
Yaya raised an eyebrow. "I'm hoping after today you won't need it ever again," she said.
"Me too," he mumbled and lifted the vial, clinked it to mine and brought it to his lips a second before I did.
It was bitter at first then it turned sweet, just like death, and it went down like lead, its presence felt over every inch of my body like a shield worn on the inside.
Even if I hadn't known what it was, after drinking it I'd be certain.
But it didn't make me feel invincible just yet.
No. I only felt that when Drew took my hand and kissed the back of it like I'd done to him so many times since we met.
"What do you say? Should we go save our family?"
I smiled and kissed him back.
"One final time," I said.
And it would be. I'd make sure of it.