Chapter 20
Charlotte
After we finish our tea and scones, we walk around to the employee entrance of the museum. Like on any normal day, Harry is the security guard on duty and he gives a big smile when he sees me round the corner.
“I was starting to get worried about you, little lady! People were wondering where you might have run off to!” He gives a glance at the tall, broad god at my side and gives me a sly smile. “I had a bet that someone finally swept you off your feet. It looks like Old Harry was right.”
I fight a smile but before I can reply Horus says, “I literally did have to sweep her off her feet, sir.” He looks down and gives me a winning smile. “She tends to get too in her own head to look out for trouble.”
Harry looks between the two of us and he must like what he sees because he says with a wink, “You’ve found a good one, Ms. Fletcher. Don’t let him fly away.”
“No promises, Harry. He loves to spread his wings.” Horus’s eyes light up at my innuendo. As I scan my badge and walk through the security, my stomach drops as I remember Horus’s shoulder holsters. Theres no way he is going to get through the security detector without them being flagged.
My worries were apparently unfounded because the cocky god just walks on through and no alarms are sounded. He winks at me and whispers, “Magic cloaking spell, doe eyes. Thank Thoth.”
He puts his hand on my lower back and guides me to the employee entree door. Before we enter he turns his head back. “Have a great day, Harry. Ill make sure to take care of your girl!”
The door closes and I look up at Horus. His whole face is lit up in a smile.
“I like him. He’s a good mortal.”
“You met him for all of two minutes and you think he’s great?”
“Yup, he cares about your wellbeing, which is good enough for me.” He gives me a wink and he continues to guide me down the employee hallway.
“Before we go to the main atrium to retrace our steps, can we stop in the intern office? I want to check if anyone has left anything for me on my desk.”
He nods and I continue to walk down the series of hallways that will lead to the large communal intern room. After a couple of seconds, I realize that Horus is no longer beside me. When I turn around to look, he is stopped in front of one of the many pictures of staff that are lining the hallways.
When I walk back towards him, I realize Horus is stopped in front of a professional plaque of Dr. Peribsen announcing him as one of the new curators at the museum. All of the blood seems to have rushed out of Horus’s goldenly tanned face. Instead of that steady smile that I’ve grown used to, he is back to the brooding tactician.
“Do you know this Dr. Peribsen?” he almost growls. I’ve never heard him take this tone with me. I clasp my hands together and take a small step back. Something has clearly angered him.
“Yes, he is the curator that manages the project I’m working on. Normally, I should be working under the curator for Roman studies, but he hand selected me to be put under his management.”
“Of course he would.” Horus punches the plaque in a sudden burst of violence that sends pieces flying all over the hallway. His golden eyes start to glow with magic and his wings snap out of his back and extend.
I make a choked noise as the hairs on my arms raise at his power coming to the surface. He must hear me, because he jerks his head in my direction. With all of that power and attention on me, it takes all of my willpower to stay standing and not get on my knees in supplication.
“Horus?” I whisper in a trembling voice. There’s no hiding it because all of this power is scaring me.
His eyes come back into focus and the magic seems to dim around him at my plea. Once his eyes stop glowing completely, they go wide in realization of what he just did and the power he left unchecked. “Gods, Charlotte! I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me. I would never hurt you. I might have a lot of lives to account for, but yours will always be safe with me.”
His pleading eyes are on me as he holds out a tentative hand. I take a small step forward and slowly place my hand in his. His whole body softens at my touch and he releases a huge breath that I didn’t realize he was holding.
He steps into me, pulls me to his chest, and I wrap my arms around his middle. His wings wrap us in a golden cocoon of warmth. “Forgive me, Charlotte. Again, I would never hurt you, but I need to tell you something.”
“Will this make you god-out again?” I mumble into his chest.
His upper body shakes sharply as he lets out a quick laugh. He then pulls back slightly and tilts my head up with his hand under my chin. His eyes are vulnerable and a bit fearful. “This Dr. Peribsen, as you know him, is a fraud.”
I wrinkle my brows in confusion. “I don’t understand. How did he get the position of curator if he knows nothing of ancient Egyptian history?”
“No, you misunderstand me. He is actually extremely qualified for that position… because like me, he has lived it.”
“Horus, please just tell me plainly. I don’t understand,” I plead.
“He is the god Set, Charlotte. Your Dr. Peribsen is who we have been up against this whole time.”
Horus’s embrace tightens. I realize it’s because I momentarily lost function in my legs. This cannot be right. I’ve always felt intimidated by Dr. Peribsen, but not in any other way than an intern is normally intimidated by a superior. “How can you be sure?”
“I’ve known my uncle since birth, Charlotte. That’s definitely him. It’s no coincidence that he put you under his management. He has a sense of knowing people’s intentions and potential for greatness. He knew you would lead him to one of the pieces.”
It hits me fully that I’ve been a pawn in this game of gods for far longer than I realized. I start to pull away from his embrace but he grabs my hand in reassurance and does not let go. “Let’s go check the intern office and get this search started. The more we can stay out of Dr. Per… Set’s notice, the better.”
He nods and I lead him down the rest of the hallway to the office spaces. As we near the large double doors that open into the intern office space, I hear a loud crash. That stops us both in our tracks.
Another bang of a filing cabinet and the thud of a desk drawer closing fills the hallway. I look at Horus, but his eyes have started to glow and he pushes me behind his wings to shield me from whatever is happening in that office.
Horus creeps forward on light feet and puts his hand within reach of the gun on his right shoulder holster. I creep with him but stay a couple feet back.
He makes it to the double doors and quickly peeks through the glass. Whatever he sees makes him jolt and immediately go into a defensive position. “We need to leave. Now,” he whispers.
“What’s going on in there?” I whisper back as I try to crane my head around his wings.
That’s when I hear the scratchy, deep female voice that haunts my nightmares. “Where are you, little trinket?” Another bang of a drawer. “Master needs me to find you and he promised us souls if we find you first. Ohhhh, I so long for more souls to taste, little trinket.”
Ammit is tearing the office apart trying to find something. If we are lucky, she still hasn’t found the missing tablet piece either. I start to slowly back away, but I’m starting to see stars and my vision is hollowing out.
Horus’s golden face comes into my field of vision and he is saying something, but I can’t hear him. After taking a second to focus, it’s like his voice is in a tunnel when I hear him whisper shout, “Take a deep breath, Charlotte! Breathe or you are gonna pass out!”
Right. Need to breathe. That’s why everything is looking far off. I start my breathing exercises with five count in and five count out, all while Horus’s hands are on my hips slowly stepping me back the way we came.
“You’re doing great, Charlotte. We just need to go a little farther,” he whispers as he looks back when another bang sounds down the hallway.
Before we turn the corner, the double doors of the intern office crash open and out walks Ammit. She is agitated and muttering something under her breath. She doesn’t seem to realize we are here until she sniffs the air and her eyes begin to glow. Slowly her glowing eyes swivel to where we are stopped dead at the end of the hallway.
“Oh, little prince,” she croons. “You made a grave mistake coming back with her.” She starts prowling in our direction with her head tilted, assessing her prey.
Before my brain can catch up, I’m cradled in Horus’s arms. He turns the corner and is speeding down the hallway towards a service entrance. He shoulders the door open and I have to close my eyes at the sudden burst of sunlight.
“We need to get somewhere safe! I’ll take us back to your flat.” He’s about to kick off the ground and fly us there, but I push on his shoulder to get his attention.
“No! They know where I live!” I scramble out of his arms and grab his hand as we start running down a side street. “Let’s get to Charlie’s flat. I have a spare key and she’s not home.”
He pulls me to a stop and his alarmed eyes look into mine. He puts both hands on the sides of my face and says, “I left the portal-key on your kitchen counter. We need to go back there so that I can get you to safety.”
I put my hands over his as he still cradles my face. “There’s a chance there is already someone there, Horus. There’s no way they would know about Charlie’s apartment. We can lie low there until we come up with a better plan.”
Before I can second guess this plan, I grab one of Horus’s hands and pull him into a run with me down the street. Hopefully, Charlie won’t care if we crash there for the night.