“I have no idea when nor how we began to express our love for each other physically,” she continued. “I can’t even answer the question of why.”
“You didn’t know any other way,” he offered.
“True,” she said, crossing her legs beneath the black ripples of her skirt. “And most importantly, I cannot recall when that stopped being enough.” THE BEGINNING
morrigan
“Nephthys, where have you been?”
Morrigan turned to see her sister, hands folded tight with apprehension. She looked every bit a proper queen, gold jewelry and gemstones sparkling against her skin, her bright white tunic wrapped tightly around her curves, revealing slivers of bronze legs as she moved. Her heavily kohled lids made her green eyes impossibly vivid as the wind tossed her straight black hair. Morrigan wondered what she must look like in return: the rambunctious twin, dried mud underneath her toenails and splattered up her legs, sweat clinging to her back even though she’d ripped up her tunic to allow for breeze. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d combed her hair, nor the last time she’d scrubbed the dirt from her face. “I was helping the humans finish the harvest before dry season,” she explained.
“They found a way to create life,” Isis said quickly. “Osiris told me this afternoon. I have been searching for you since.”
Morrigan blinked, openly stunned. “How is that possible?”
“Do you remember telling the women stories of you and Set as you helped them wash their clothes in their river?”
“Yes, but we do not create life that way. Only pleasure.”
“It is another one of Earth’s mysteries,” Isis decided. “When the humans perform that act, a child grows inside the woman, just like it happens for the animals.”
“Does that mean they do not need us anymore?” Morrigan wondered.
“I think they need us even more now,” Isis replied. “Especially their death gods. When the humans begin to steadily procreate, they will populate the Earth faster than ever before. There will be just as many deaths as there will be new births. Perhaps you and Set could reinvest your time back in the Underworld?” A bit of hope clung to her words.
Morrigan frowned at the mention of her arranged husband’s name as she thought of the dank lower realm they had been forced to inhabit. It was a suffocating, dismal place that filled her with dread. She much preferred to spend her days running free under the rays of the sun or working amongst the humans in the dirt.
“You never gave it a chance.” Isis gently took her hands. They read each other’s minds so often that neither of them questioned it when it occurred. “You have been so angry you were forced to have a husband that you let it spill out into the entire realm. Over time, you have come to enjoy his company—why let it upset you still?”
Morrigan sighed as she thought of him, wondering where he’d disappeared to. Unbeknownst to the others, neither one of them spent much time in the Underworld, nor with each other, meeting for the occasional romp before promptly going their separate ways. She did enjoy that part of their interaction, but other than physical pleasure, their connection was nonexistent. “He is away.”
Isis shook her head. “Osiris spoke with him earlier. He is in your realm now.”
Morrigan sighed again, looking down at her tattered, dusty clothes. “I am taking a bath, then I will join him.”
Isis smiled and wrapped her in a hug. The fragrance of lilies drifted up from her hair. “Thank you, sister.”
Morrigan waited until she was back at the palace before she walked down to the edge of the Nile, peeling off her clothes along the way. She wasn’t worried anyone would see—the humans were unaware of the hidden stretch of river she swam in, bordered by lush palms and flowering bushes. The water was deliciously cool and crisp as she dove into it, soothing her sunburnt skin. She let the current carry her as she floated, thinking of her sister’s words and weighing their implications. It wasn’t that she hated the Underworld, she just loved the Earth more. It felt as if it was an extension of her own body—the mountains, her curves, the trees, her bones, the water, her blood, the birds, her children. She couldn’t imagine life apart from something so integral to her being.
But as much as she adored the colorful light of day, there was something captivating about the night, the way the air suddenly cooled and sharpened, inviting the owls, the bats, and the cobras to come out and play beneath a dome of starlight and silver moon. Perhaps if she looked at the Underworld like it was simply the night to the Earth’s day, she could learn to love it in the same way. She swam for a bit longer, procrastinating, until finally she stood in the shallow end, letting the water stream off her body as the fiery rays of the setting sun dried her skin. She closed her eyes, filling her lungs with a few last breaths of fresh air before she would have to return to the stale realm of the dead.
She heard rustling in the leaves. Startled, she whipped around to behold her brother-in-law, Osiris, his eyes wide as he stared. She wasn’t sure why she’d never recognized how handsome he was before that moment, but she found herself admiring eyes the same shade as her sister’s, and light hair with flecks of gold. Her eyes traced a distinct jaw that managed to construct a face that was strong, innocent, and kind, all at the same time. She realized he was admiring her in similar fashion, his eyes sweeping over her exposed breasts, her stomach, down to her legs. The look in them thrilled her, bringing color into her cheeks as she watched him nervously lick his lips. She smiled and gave a gentle wave of her fingers before disappearing under the water’s surface, letting it pull her down into the realm of the Underworld.
She dropped easily to the ground, right in the middle of her neglected bedroom. She squeezed the water out of her hair as she searched for something to wear, sorting through the hundreds of tunics Isis sent her until she settled on one that felt right—a shade of ebony that matched her long waves. Just like the night.
Set was waiting for her in the throne room, slumped over his chair wearing a look of annoyance. He was free of the headdress he’d had fashioned into an intimidating jackal, allowing his own black hair to cascade down his shoulders, pulling out the color of his amber eyes. They brightened when he saw her, though his expression stayed grim. “Did Isis find you?”
“Yes,” Morrigan sighed as she approached him. “They want us to recommit to our roles as death gods.”
“The audacity,” he growled. “Who are they to tell us what we must do—we are their equals.”
“It is not their fault,” Morrigan said as she tried to push away the vision of Osiris creeping back into her mind. “It was the humans who decided what sort of gods they required.”
“Yes, the humans,” Set pronounced the last word with open disdain. “The insignificant creatures whom we should have dominion over are the ones who decide our fate.”
“It does not have to be so bad,” she insisted. “We can create our own home here.”
“We?” He raised an eyebrow. “When have you spent more than fleeting moments here?”
“I will help you,” she promised. “But if I must rule the dead alongside you, I want a say in how. There will be no more harrowing challenges for them to fight their way through. If they pass the Weighing of the Heart, they will be allowed to rest peacefully until their souls want to return to Earth. I will keep track of it all, but I need to build something to help me organize the records.”
Set softened as he listened to her talk. “I will make you whatever you wish,” he told her.
“Good,” Morrigan said, pleased. “And I want us to have a palace like the one on Earth, but it will be ours, with rivers, lakes, ponds and fountains, painted in colors that match the evening sky with flowers that only bloom when the moon rises. I want it to be like the night.” She realized her words were coming into fruition as she spoke them, Set’s eyes and hands building in sync with the cadence of her voice. The pressing vision of Osiris slipped out of her mind to be firmly replaced by him, suddenly beautiful to her as he created a world for them, the action pulling forward the smoldering appeal that lay beneath his hard exterior. Although she had always been attracted to him, knowing he could fill her entire body with pleasure, he was even more so now, surprising her by how gentle he looked when separated from his hatred. She bit the inside of her lip, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before they finished so she could pull him into her bed.
Perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Morrigan was miserable.
“You are not leaving,” he snarled, crossing his arms as he stood in front of her.
“You cannot control what I do,” she argued. Though she had tried to make good on her promise to stay planted, she had grown utterly bored, longing for fresh air and sunshine. She’d managed to keep it at bay, up until the moment he strode into her room to tell her that he was leaving.
“Yes, I can,” he told her. “You are my wife and you belong down here with me. I created this entire realm for us—for you. I made it exactly how you wanted—there is simply no reason why you need to go to Earth.”
Morrigan laughed in his face. “If you think that is going to convince me to stay, then you are sorely mistaken.”
