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“I think the best choice is to let Imsety return to Kemet…”
“Husband-”
“I can feel it, Horus. Her curse follows me, endlessly weeping in blood. I can’t keep them both for long. How else can I combat this? Please… Please don’t take Qebehsenuef away from me right now. N-not yet.”
Horus cupped Seth’s face, wincing at the contact. “I would never dream of depriving my son away from his mother on the day of his birth.”
Seth pulled the hands from his face. Red splotches and blisters were scattered along the palms of Horus’ hands. His lips brushed against the injuries, careful to not disturb the wounds. He kissed the unharmed wrists. “Even if you wanted, you can’t take him without consequence.”
“I want to hold him.” Horus’ voice choked.
“Dry your eyes.” Seth rubbed his beloved’s tears away. “You’ll hold him one day.”
Bathing, Seth replayed this conversation with his husband over and over. Horus wept silently against his shoulder until he finally let go and allowed Seth to clean himself. They were both surprised at Seth’s decision to relinquish Imsety for more time with Qebehsenuef. And yet, it made sense. Horus couldn’t hold their newborn for long and the gods of Kemet would be suspicious of his injuries, possibly pondering how he found a cure for the ailing scorpion goddess. Isis or another god would likely follow Horus to Canaan and anger Asherah. The very last thing any side needed was to start a war.
He cleaned Qebehsenuef in a shallow container with imported water. Asherah said the water from the Salt Sea was excellent for purifying and shedding poisons. If it was enough to let Horus cherish their son in his arms, then so be it.
Small bubbles fluttered above the container. Curious, Seth noticed a difference in the water. Foam floated on the top. The water neither murky or clear in color, but of a faint gold. A familiar scent flooded his nose.
Dipping his finger into the water, Seth sampled the liquid.
“...Beer?”
Seth jumped back. What was he doing tasting his son’s bath water!?
Though, how the hell did the saltiest waters turn into beer?
“Qebehsenuef, what in the world are you?” He inspected the infant again. “You have your name because of how calm you’ve made your big brother. I never expected you to literally provide drink.”
After a much needed cleansing, Seth and Qebehsenuef returned to the guest area in Asherah’s temple. Imsety laid on the bed, curled up between the soft blankets and fluffy pillows. Trails of dried tears stained his cheeks as he sucked on his thumb in his sleep. Seth brushed his fingers against his older son’s hair and kissed his forehead. The stress of everything must have started to affect him.
Imsety held on like a warrior, unyielding and trying to lay low during the worst times. Seth bit his lip and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was too young to be undergoing these sorts of anxieties. If he wanted to cry out in the open, he should. He remembered how Horus said he had to take their son out of the palace to cry in peace. How awful it must have been to hold his emotions and not be allowed to cry or else be caught by another god or Isis. The unbearable fear of never to see his mother or have his father hold him in his arms for the rest of his life?
Unfathomable.
Seth shuddered and sat beside Imsety.
“Maybe it was for the better that Isis discovered you after all…”
Qebehsenuef yawned against his mother. A sweet scent wafted from his body, smelling of lotus, almonds, and honey. Strong and tempting, inviting for anyone to have a closer look at its origin. A gentle flower, a fine perfume, an irresistible pastry garnished in dried fruits and dripped in fresh honey gathered from the hive.
Seth inhaled his child’s head, the strongest site of the aroma. Expiring his breath, he instantly regretted the action. But it smelled nice and welcoming. Nothing he had ever smelled before yet pricked at his memory. He sniffed Qebehsenuef again. Beautiful. Lushous. Addicting. He pressed his lips against the fontanelle and inhaled deep. Spectacular. Amazing. No matter how many times he tried to tire himself from the odor, Qebehsenuef’s natural scent remained fresh and lovely.
Was this how the god Nefertum smelled like?
Asherah’s attendants must have thought him crazy, but he didn’t care. He smelled the baby again. Delicious.
His mouth salivated. Dread spread over his face. Qebehsenuef slept on while Seth slapped his inner self for responding inappropriately. He wasn’t a rodent, he was a god - a former god in the shape of a human, but still a god! Sha were sacred mystical creatures, worthy of praise and mimic.
Seth gulped. His stomach growled from the delicious smell. No, he couldn’t do it. It would be wrong and disgusting. Why would anyone want to...
Just a taste.
No, he was full of poison!
He could bathe Qebehsenuef again.
But that would be too weird, plus a toxic baby. No, it was insane.
Was it?
Qebehsenuef smelled incredible.
An underlying bitter beneath the sweet. The poison hid itself well.
Perhaps yes- NO.
His tongue lapped against smooth skin. No flavor, not a trace of salt from his bath. Yet his scent promised a different taste. Beneath the mild taste of nothing, a benign aftertaste lingered, hinting at his poisonous nature.
“I can’t believe I licked my baby.”
Recently brought into the world, the child already carried a strange power. Imsety had been blessed with power at birth, but it wasn’t apparent until several weeks after. With Qebehsenuef, Asherah’s hands scalded and demanded for her attendants to bring her water from the Salt Sea. Flinching, she placed the baby over Seth’s chest and watched for any signs of poisoning.
“Ba’alah Asherah, Mother Goddess,” an priestess asked, “shall I place the baby in a tub?”
“Don’t touch him!” Asherah hissed and cradled her bright red hands against her chest. “Ba’al Seth are you well?”
Seth wrapped his arms around the newborn. Why was the mother goddess injured? His heart roared. Horror seeped into his blood. It happened all too fast. “What’s wrong with my son?”
Asherah observed Seth’s movements. No bluing skin. No choking or dry mouth. His heart spun wildly, but any mother would fly into a panic at the idea of their child’s life being in jeopardy. The sweat was expected. She grabbed his upper arm, careful not to touch the child with her naked hands. Warm, but not too warm. The lord was fine.
“It seems you have been blessed with a venomous child.”
He held the baby closer. “He’s cursed?”
“Not cursed.” Asherah shook her head, dipping her hands into a dish filled with imported water. “Your child naturally produces poison and venom.”
“But why?”
“How does a mother goddess produce the god of death? One simply cannot say or have a choice in the matter, but I birthed Mot. And you have birthed a demigod with a natural talent for poison.”
The former god examined his hands. No scalding or blisters. His body felt tired yet elated as when he birthed Imsety. “It has no effect on me.”
“Yes, and that is a very good thing.” She patted a cool cloth against Seth’s forehead and combed his sweat-drenched hair with her fingers. Her attendants could come later to assist him with a bath to make feel at ease, however for now her job was to put his worried mind to rest. The child would be fine, a little poisonous to the touch, but still healthy and strong. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ba’al Seth? You did gestate your son after all. It would make sense you’d become immune to his toxins.”
“Mmm,” he hummed against the gentle touch. “That is good, isn’t it?”
And good it was for him.
Except that he just licked his child.
Again.
Tongue lifted from the skin. What a horrible parent he was!
But he wasn’t poisoned? Seth held the falcon chick up, examining his features once more. Nothing out of the ordinary. If anyone saw him, they’d assume he was a normal newborn that smelled nice. Too nice. Maybe that hadn’t been normal.
Qebehsenuef opened his eyes with a yawn. Deep red against his mother’s brilliant red. His smell pervaded the room, unaware of the effect it had on his mother.
Seth kissed his forehead. His tongue darted out for a split second then lapped into the top of the child’s head.
“I really needed to stop licking you.”
Asherah entered the chambers with clean clothes and attendants carrying large vessels of water. She sniffed the atmosphere, paused with her entourage, and ordered an attendant to retrieve a jar of resin. Once the maiden returned, Asherah wiped the resin above her lips and under her nose. The attendants copied their goddess before approaching Seth and his son.
The goddess sat beside Seth and rubbed the resin on his upper lip.
“Blech! What is that?” A pungent aroma punched his senses. “I don’t need to smell this.”
“It’s frankincense, poppet,” she said, ignoring his complaints like an experienced mother to their whining child. “You may be immune to the poison, but it’s quite obvious you’re not immune to the effects of the smell. Some poisons are known to have a pleasant fragrance, almost making the host good enough to eat. Or lick.”
Seth’s face lit itself on fire.
Asherah winked, beckoning an attendant with a hair brush.
Seth looked at Imsety, who continued to sleep, and rubbed the dried tears from his cheeks.
“Act like a child,” he whispered.
Asherah stood silent, brushing Seth’s hair while observing his interactions with his children. This was the sha who cried and brought chaos all throughout Canaan. The one whose tears and sorrow spurned her heart and incited weeping. She swallowed hard. Those sobs were carved deep into her soul. Tears threatened to spill behind her burning, prickled eyes. To think the all-powerful god of war who drew his weapon countless of times against Canaan would be the same being who called out to their lost child. The very man who bathed in the blood of the Canaanites was resting in her temple, lamenting his son’s selflessness and his newborn’s condition.
Carefully, Seth laid Qebehsenuef on his lap. He really did look like Horus. Not that he hated it, in fact he took comfort knowing his son would grow up to be handsome like his father. And the throne would never be contested either. Only a fool would argue against Qebehsenuef’s paternity.
Not to be a king, Seth accepted his punishment to be stripped of his ruling titles. Yet he took satisfaction his sons were exempt from Maat’s decree. At least that was one good thing that came out from these unexpected pregnancies: his sons would be princes. And knowing Isis, she was already planning all kinds of ceremonies for Imsety.
He breathed deep. The scent of frankincense blocked the odorous poison Qebehsenuef emitted. He frowned then sighed, touching his baby’s face. If he were the solution to Serket’s ailment, would it mean he’d become less poisonous? Or would he compensate and produce more? What if the toxins were too much for anyone to handle?
What if… No, it couldn’t be. Seth shook his head and bit his lip. These thoughts were not anything any parent should ever think about, and yet there he was, not even a day after bringing Qebehsenuef into the world, questioning a probable lonesome future.
A needle pierced the back of his throat. Qebehsenuef’s figure warped behind the heat in his eyes.
Did he share the same destiny as him?
Being declared an evil god hurt, yet Seth found comfort with Horus and his children. His glories and achievements were permanently erased, but his future was an open slate. A time for repentance and redemption, to carve a new life on his terms. The solar boat awaited him at the end of the journey, yet he was free to write the story in between. And he could - no, he found love despite the predestined end.
For Qebehsenuef, he had all the freedom in the world. No curse or punishment to keep him shackled to its whims. But his poison, this “condition” was a malady to his happiness. No matter the effort to reduce it, the venom had the potency to harm a god. Had Asherah held onto him for longer, surely she’d have fallen prey to its effects.
Was this also a part of his own curse, passed along to his child? An innocent who had nothing to do with his sins? Why should Qebehsenuef suffer? Seth couldn’t have what he craved and he craved another child. The feelings of revenge to his sister were said in jest - to tempt Horus to take him as a husband for reconciliation of Imsety’s discovery. Imsety deserved to have someone at his side, and Seth wanted his third child to be that person.
But… what if in spite of the jest, his infant was punished?
What if his son was cursed to never know the touch of another?
Tears fell onto Qebehsenuef.
I’ve ruined you…
“M-mama?” His shaking voice near the verge of sobs. “Is this permanent?”
Asherah cleared her throat, the sorrow laid stuck in her throat no matter how much she tried to suppress it. “Turn off your wandering thoughts, poppet.”
“But I-”
“There, there.” She massaged his scalp. Her eyes wandered to an opening door. Two of her priestesses fled the room, clutching their faces to prevent the tears from spilling. Asherah knew to tread carefully lest Seth cause another accidental mass panic. “I do not think you’re giving your son enough credit.”
“The evidence is right in your flayed hands,” he growled. “My son is born of poison!”
Imsety stirred.
Asherah tugged on his hair to keep his voice down. “He is only a day old. And you’ve already decided his fate without ever giving him a chance?”
“The path is clear.”
“These are the ramblings of a worried mother. It shall come to pass once you see your son take the reins of his life. There is no such thing as a clear path.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Neither can I, poppet. You and I both know the pain and despair parents experience with their children. One never ceases to worry even when they’ve grown up and left their home. At times, it is best to let go and have faith in our precious one’s judgement.”
“But what if I am the reason for their poor judgment? What if in their rage and hatred, for all the abuse and neglect endured, they’ve come to choose a darker path?”
“This isn’t about Qebehsenuef anymore, is it?”
“It’s about all of them!”
“Shh, shh, keep your voice low.” Grabbing Seth’s chin, she turned his head to face her. Drowning eyes, quivering lips, despair emitting from his trembles. The former god was one thread away from winding into an abyss of thorns.
“Asherah, I am usele-”
“You will not finish that sentence.” Her face was stern and steady. A mother who prepared a speech to lecture her child, yet the expected look of disappointment never came. No pity or prejudging, only the anguish of a grieving mother at their child’s pain. “And you will call me ‘Mama,’ you understand Ba’al Seth?”
“Ash-”
“Do not test me, child.”
Head hung low, Seth mumbled, “I’m not a child anymore, Mama.”
“That’s the Seth I know.” Asherah beamed, lifting Seth’s head once again and kissed Seth’s forehead. “If you were truly as what you think you are, you wouldn’t be here. The souls you saved wouldn’t have found peace. And you certainly wouldn’t have been blessed by me centuries ago. Look at me, poppet.”
Seth avoided her gaze. Every time he saw Asherah during war or peace, it was as if she saw his own mother. Beautiful, graceful, powerful. Motherly. This time had been no different from the others. When they were enemies, her eyes were harsh and disappointed, like she caught her son doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. Though, she never lashed out or castigated him for his violent behavior against her kingdom. And during times of a stalemate or peace, Asherah showered him with hugs and small trinkets from her land. Welcome to my land, welcome to your home!
He looked into her amber eyes, warm and gentle as the rising sun.
“As long as you realize your mistakes and acknowledge their gravity, you will find the right path. Even if those who you have wronged do not wish to see you, then you must hold your head high and continue your journey. It is never easy, and often painful. As gods, we are blessed and cursed with longevity, but we must be cognizant of the undeniable truth: relationships die, some permanently. Yet it is never too late to make new ones that may flourish. Do not take that opportunity away from yourself.
“And do not decide your newborn’s fate on the day of his birth!”
Seth chuckled with Asherah.
“After all, nothing about our fates is truly set in stone.” Her eyes wandered to the sound of an opening door. Horus had returned with Anat. “There is a solution to everything.”
“Mother.” Anat bowed. She smacked Horus’ arm when he didn’t follow her cue.
Horus bowed.
“You may enter,” said Asherah, signaling an attendant to provide them resin. “I advise you to not raise your voices; the children are sleeping.”
“King Horus wishes to take his departure soon,” said Anat. “He shall take his oldest to Kemet.”
Seth bent over to kiss Imsety and nodded.
“I will return with Serket,” answered Horus.
“How presumptuous of you,” scoffed Asherah.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Making commitments in my temple, in my presence. You are just as haughty as your mother.”
Anat side-eyed Horus and took a long step away from him.
“I didn't mean to assume, Mother Goddess.” Horus shifted uncomfortably. His eyes met with Seth, who had the most amused glow. Did his husband enjoy him getting scolded by Asherah? “My intent was to make the most sage decision. One that would cause my husband the least grief.”
“Ah yes, and I suppose taking Prince Imsety back to your lands wouldn’t cause him grief?”
“It’s only temporary. Until I can secure and return the scorpion goddess.”
Asherah rose from the bed, slowly walking towards the foreign demigod. The priestess scurried to the furthest wall in the room. Anat took another sidestep away from Horus.
The mother goddess’ eyes glowed. An aura arose from her body. Each step was a rumbling of the earth. “Did you make a deal, King Horus?”
“It’s not a deal, Mother Goddess.”
“Not a deal? Then why don’t you tell me what you’ve been scheming.”
“I’m not scheming.”
Asherah laughed.
Anat bit her lip.
“I have no guarantee I will not be followed. Everyone in Heliopolis knows Serket is dying and knows I have found a solution. There are those who have taken a keen interest in me.” He stared straight into Asherah. “If I am followed, you will have to deal with Kemet gods in your temple. That is why I will bring Imsety to Kemet to appease my mother and bring Serket-”
“The only reason you stand on my sacred temple is because I allowed you. Do not mistake your ability to walk freely in my abode as a sign of weakness.”
“Mama, wait-”
“I don’t want to hear it, Ba’al Seth.”
Horus breathed deep. The atmosphere around the goddess was thick and heavy. If he said the wrong thing, his kingdom could lose its monarch. Facing her was like contesting against his own mother. “Mother Goddess, I only have two wishes.”
She crossed her arms and leaned over Horus. “State them.”
“One, I wish for the happiness of my husband, Seth.”
“And the second?”
“To hold Qebehsenuef in my arms as I do with Imsety.” Raising his arms, Horus revealed his hands to Asherah.
The mother goddess clasped her hands over his and healed his injuries. “Bring the scorpion goddess to Bab edh Dhra near the Salt Sea. No one else is to accompany you.”
Outside the temple, Seth held Qebehsenuef and walked along with Imsety. Anat followed, speaking foreign words to Seth in earshot of Horus. Seth answered back in her own language.
Horus didn’t have it in him to be upset. Seth may have suggested taking their eldest back to Kemet, but it didn’t mean he was happy about it either. Anyone would be disheartened to make a choice between their two children.
“It feels like this will never end,” sighed Seth. “So if this works, what’s next?”
“I bring Imsety back.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m wondering how you’re going to bring Serket back.”
“She will walk back to Kemet,” interrupted Anat. “On her own.”
Horus hesitated. “That is rather-”
Seth frowned. “No one told the fool to pick lotuses.”
“I agree with Ba’al Seth. The fault is of her own. And now this is the consequence: another separation. Tread carefully with how you’ll answer, King.” Anat grinned. “Mother is listening.”
“Anat, stop scaring him.”
“I’m not scared, Husband.”
“Don’t you lie either,” snapped Seth. “I know you were ready to shrink into a corner when Asherah got mad at you.”
“I will never falter in front of my family. Even if I wind up as a puddle of blood.”
“You have to admit, that is very romantic. You picked a fine husband, Ba’al Seth.”
“Now don’t you take his side!” He felt a tug on his shendyt and looked down. “Imsety?”
“Sn?” the toddler asked, his bright azure eyes watering.
“Yes, your brother is here.” Seth knelt beside his son, opening the blanket to reveal a sleeping baby. “Will you be a good boy and be a child for me?”
“Mut?”
He embraced Imsety with his other arm, snuggling against his son’s red hair. Separating his children only a day after the other’s birth. It was painful, and it was the right thing to do. “I want you to act like a child.”
“Ba’al Seth…”
Imsety gazed at his mother and father, then his brother. “Sn? Go?”
“I’m… so sorry, Imsety.”
The child sniffed, touching Qebehsenuef’s head and kissing his cheek. He babbled against his brother’s ear and giggled. He kissed him some more and held his hand, swinging the arm gently. His frown turned into a smile, looking up at Seth with hopeful eyes. “Sn go?”
Horus stepped in. “Come along, Imsety.”
The child’s face fell at an instant. Red, angry, confused. His balled fists covered his eyes and sobbed. “Sn go!”
Horus held out his arms.
“NO!” Imsety slapped them away and wrapped his arms around Seth’s neck. “Yt no!”
“Imsety, please listen to your father.”
“Mut no! No!” he cried.
The hot tears smeared onto Seth’s skin. The night he gave up Imsety ran through his head. He closed his eyes and opened them in hopes history didn’t have to repeat itself. Muffled cries against his shoulders and the tiny arms refusing to let go slapped him back to reality. Why did his son have to suffer like this?
Horus pulled his son away from Seth. Imsety thrashed in Horus’ arms. Punching, scratching, biting, pushing frantically from his father’s firm grasp. The child reached out to his mother. “Sn! Mut!”
Seth stood up. Silent tears rolling down his face.
Be selfish. Don’t sacrifice your desires for my sake.
His smile was sad and proud; his son was behaving like a child. Placing his hand on Imsety’s head, Seth replied, “We’ll see each other once again.”
Asherah’s hand covered Seth’s. Imsety’s eyes grew heavy and drifted into a deep slumber. “Sleep well on your journey, Prince Imsety.”
“Mother will keep him safe,” said Horus, cradling his sleeping son.
Seth smiled against Imsety’s forehead and bid him farewell with a kiss. “I know she will.”
Horus returned to Bab edh Dhra several days later, longer than he had anticipated. The goddess Serket had deteriorated beyond recognition. A gaunt body of bones and sunken eyes. Brittle hair came loose at the slightest touch. The once proud goddess of medicine and poison fell into ruin. Scorpions perished. Pests flourished. Swarms devoured the fields. The people of Kemet suffered and died, succumbing to their wounds and disease. A plague neared on the horizon.
On her first visit to Heliopolis, Isis mocked her for her weakness, and reviled her for casting her aside when Seth ruled and destroyed the lands. But she did not come to apologize to the goddess of magic or attempt to make any amends. It was not for herself she sought help, but for the humans and the state of Kemet. To be indebted to a vindictive goddess bruised the ego of the scorpion goddess, yet to allow herself to hold onto the senseless pride would bring the demise of ma’at.
A miracle goddess was only as good as the people among her. Serket would make Isis realize it whether she wanted it or not.
“We’re almost there, Serket.”
Despite her nearing death, Serket rolled her eyes. “I’m in no rush.”
“I know you’re upset.”
She crowed bitterly, laughter almost too painful. “It’s not about you.”
“But it was my child-”
“I do not blame an innocent babe, and I do not blame myself for my curiosity. Your lotus child was truly beautiful.”
“I cannot help but to apologize on behalf of my son.”
“Don’t bother.” Serket clutched her chest and flinched. The crack of ribs were loud enough to hear in flight. “I am actually grateful to you.”
“Why?”
“Thanks to your son…” She gasped. Her lungs were on the verge of failing. “Isis can begin to realize the good that the rest of us do… We all care for ma’at. We all care for the humans.”
“You have a point.”
“And… I can rest well knowing I will… not be in her… debt.”
“Please don’t speak. We’re almost there.”
“Horus… if this works… I will gladly serve you and your wife…”
“Ah, well, my wife isn’t what you think.”
Serket weakly shook her head. “No… matter.”
Landing in front of a temple, Asherah and her priestesses were outside standing beside a large pool. Holding Qebehsenuef, Seth pulled himself out from the pool. An attendant wrapped his body with a towel.
Asherah raised her arm. “Let the goddess walk to her savior.”
“Mother Goddess, she is too we-”
“Silence!” The earth rumbled. Birds squawked and flew in panic.
Serket squirmed faintly in Horus’ arms. “I… can… do it.”
With the help of Horus, Serket stood on her feet. They wobbled and buckled. Each step was unmerciful and knocked the breath from her lungs. But she would not give up. She was not like Isis. In the face of danger and death, she’d face whatever came her way. No running away to let destruction and blood fester and ferment into rot and hatred. The cries of humans were heard loud and clear. This was her answer to them.
Her bony knees hit the hot dirt. Rubble and grit chafing her vulnerable flesh. The intense sun rays burned her balding head. Gasping and wheezing the fine dust from her collapse. If she died, she’d be satisfied knowing she tried.
A shadow cooled her smoldering body. It knelt in front of her. A hand reached out touching her parched and wrinkled cheek. Her eyes gazed at the figure who provided her the refreshing warmth in spite of the commands of the mother goddess of the foreign lands.
The wind blew. Locks of blood red swirled before the goddess’ weary eyes revealing an infant with eyes as red as the desert.
“S-Seth…”
“Don’t speak.”
“Haha… So you are... the beloved of the king…”
“That doesn’t matter right now.” He brushed her waterless tears with his thumb. “I can’t allow the goddess of medicine and healing to die. Too many humans will suffer.”
“Seth… You have never... been told… the desert… it is not… without life. I would… know.”
“Serket you’re delirious.”
A trembling hand struggled to lift itself to touch Seth’s face. “I just wanted… you to know… should I… not survive this ordeal.” She gasped.
Delicately, Seth guided her weak hand to Qebehsenuef’s head. “Breathe deeply.”
For the first time in weeks, water formed in her eyes. She closed her eyes, lungs filled with a sweetness unlike no other. A delicious poison of extreme potency. She could breathe, she could finally breathe again.
She held up her arms, unshaking and confident with her renewed strength. “Please let me…”
“His name is Qebehsenuef.” He placed his son in Serket’s hands but did not let go of his weight. “Will you protect my son?”
“Yes!” She bowed her head. Every moment her body was in contact with the baby’s, her strength regained itself. “I shall protect your son, Qebehsenuef!”
Letting go of the falcon baby, Seth watched as Serket sobbed against the child in her arms. Prayers of protection and adoration escaped her lips. Blessings and praises uttered and branded. The child’s poison and venom were an ambrosia to the scorpion goddess. Her aura drank the toxins greedily yet careful to not cause any harm to the baby. Imsety’s purification broke and was replaced with Qebehsenuef’s lethal miasma.
“Regain your body, goddess of Kemet,” declared Asherah. “You shall drink the entire pool blessed by Ba’al Qebehsenuef’s poison. Consume every drop and your form shall return.”
Rising, Serket’s corpse-like body stood with the strength of a god. She kissed the child she swore to protect and held her face to the sky, the sun and the mother goddess as her witness. “I swear my loyalty to Horus and Seth. Prince Qebehsenuef shall have my protection for the rest of his life and the next!”
She turned to Horus, who stood quiet and hesitant. Unsure if it was his place to interfere, especially with Seth nearby and Asherah watching.
“Come my king!” She laughed mirthfully. “Hold your son!”
Horus jumped. Hold his son?
He found himself walking faster and faster to Serket and Seth. Could this be what Qebehsenuef needed? Was the prophecy two-sided? Qebehsenuef, wait for your father!
“At ease, my king.” She winked and surrendered the child to a shaking Horus. “Qebehsenuef isn’t going anywhere.”
Serket placed her hand over Seth’s shoulder before walking to the pool of concentrated poison. “I shall teach him how to harness his power. Your son will know the touch of others.”
Seth sighed in relief. Mama wasn’t wrong; there was always a solution.
Horus was amazed by the child in his hands.
A warm, squishy body cooing with wide scarlet eyes. Legs entangled in a blanket and flailing arms searching for his father. Horus rubbed his face against his baby’s cheek. No singing or boiling, the king’s skin remained unharmed. He breathed without any disturbances. The sweet almond smell dissipated, though the lotus remained as strong as ever, just like Imsety. Removing the blanket, Horus pressed Qebehsenuef against his chest.
Their hearts beat together.
“Let’s get your big brother back, my burning sun.”
In that moment, Qebehsenuef received his first kiss from his father.