Lilith's Shadow Omnibus: Volume 2, page 16
The man looked like he’d be tall when standing, and he was wearing black leather pants, sandals, and a black linen shirt that didn’t have any buttons she could see, instead being folded to form a double layer across his chest. He had black hair and darkly tanned skin, and she thought he was handsome… but there was also something else about him that bothered her. Not as much as the scales did, though.
The scales were odd, with the base made of some sort of dark wood Lilith didn’t recognize, but the upper portion was elaborately made gold, or was at least gilded. The pans were almost perfectly aligned, which was odd due to what they were holding. In one was a feather from a sort of large bird, while in the other was a glowing white marble over an inch across.
“It appears that you will live.” The man spoke suddenly, his gaze still on the scale. He continued without hesitation, his voice powerful, yet restrained at the same time. “I was not certain, but it appears that your technology stood you in good stead. I am afraid that you have cost me a bet, however.”
“Wh—” Lilith began, then paused as she coughed, then spat out some sand. She hadn’t even realized it was there until she tried to talk. Slowly she levered herself upright, wincing as still more pain washed through her. She took a breath, looking down to see she was still in her undersuit and her sand-encrusted purse was still at her side, then at the man again as she spoke. “What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you?”
The man seemed to ignore her questions for a few moments, then he turned his head toward her, revealing eyes that were bright and intense, like those of a wild animal, and the kohl around his eyes made the appearance even more startling. He stared at her for a few seconds before speaking. “Most of us believed that you would arrive quickly. I believed that you would take a long time before coming here, as did most of the remainder. Only a handful were willing to bet on your arrival at a point in between, such as now.”
There was something wrong about the man’s speech, Lilith realized a few words in. It took most of his explanation for her to pin down what the problem was, though. His words and lips didn’t match the words she was hearing. It was like he was speaking another language entirely, and Lilith was hearing English.
The man sighed and stood, startling her as he glared at her. “The problem with mortals is how easily distracted they are. As you are not going to die, I need to escort you elsewhere. Stand, Lilith Carpenter.”
“You know who I am?” Lilith asked, growing even more confused by his attitude. Even so, she forced herself to her feet, feeling somewhat unsteady as she did so.
A glance to either side revealed that to her left was the entrance into a building, while to her right was a gate leading out of the courtyard. She ran her right hand hesitantly over her back and flinched as it touched a bubble of some sort of sealant. Belatedly she remembered that the suits were intended to stabilize critical wounds, and when her fingers came away there was dried blood and sand on them.
“Of course I do,” the man replied sharply, looking at her pointedly, then gestured for the gate. “Come, your escort has arrived. Someone far beyond your station, if you ask me, but it was not my choice.”
“I… as you wish?” Lilith said questioningly, growing even more confused than she had been before. She stepped toward the gate slowly, regaining her balance quickly as she continued. “I just don’t know what is going on.”
“Ask your escort,” the man replied, and at his gesture the gate opened to reveal a scene that almost left Lilith’s mouth hanging open.
They were atop a hill, which provided an excellent overlook. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of islands could be seen as far as Lilith could see, each separated by what looked like flowing rivers and with reeds on their banks, palm trees, and boats moving back and forth, most of them being moved by people with poles. More impressive were the pyramids she could see, though, many of them looking like they were carved of alabaster, and at least as large as the ones she’d seen pictures of from Giza. One in particular drew her gaze, though. A pyramid that was sheathed in silver, save for the capstone of gold which was glowing like the sun itself. In the far distance she could see what looked like green mountains with waterfalls flowing from between them, making the scene impressive and idyllic.
She almost missed the woman waiting for her, with how she was staring, but when the woman shifted, Lilith’s attention snapped downward and she felt heat rise in her cheeks, embarrassed at having been so distracted.
The woman had straight black hair that reached the middle of her back, and the same deeply tanned skin as the man who’d just evicted Lilith along with kohl around her eyes, but her eyes were so dark they were almost black, and she had a warm smile on her face. She was wearing a red dress that covered her from the chest down, while in one hand she had a wooden staff, the top of it carved to resemble a scorpion’s tail, with the stinger ready to strike.
“You must be Lilith,” the woman said warmly, her lips also not forming the words that Lilith heard, and she offered a hand to Lilith. “I’ve been sent to escort you. How are you feeling?”
“I… am not in the best shape. I was stabbed not long ago, at least I don’t think it’s been long,” Lilith said, taking a couple of steps forward, and jumped as the doors slammed shut behind her. She glanced back as she took the woman’s hand. “I don’t know who any of you are, or even where I am. This doesn’t look like anywhere I’ve heard of on Earth.”
“Anubis didn’t tell you? That’s not very polite of him,” the woman said, prompting Lilith to do a double take. The name was one that had come up in passing during her lessons, but she didn’t know much about it. Before Lilith could consider it further, the woman continued. “As for me, I am Serket, and you are in Sekhet-Aaru, the divine realm of the ennead of what your people call Ancient Egypt. Welcome to Sekhet-Aaru, traveler. I have been sent to escort you to Ra.”
“What?” Lilith asked numbly, feeling like she’d been hit with a baseball bat.
In fact, maybe she had hit her head, and this was all a hallucination.
Chapter 21
Thursday, August 14th, 2031
Sekhet-Aaru
“I know, it must be hard for you to accept. From what I’ve heard, you haven’t had time to fully absorb the history of Earth, so you likely don’t know much about us. Even if you had, we haven’t interfered in the world much, unlike Zeus and his fellow deities,” Serket said, smiling warmly at Lilith as she nodded toward the scene before them. “However, you are correct that there is no place on Earth like this. If there was, you would have heard of it.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Lilith said, looking at Serket, then at the scenery once more, still not entirely believing what had happened. “Just… how? Why?”
Serket laughed and shook her head, starting down the path leading down the hillside. After a moment she spoke. “Do you mind if I heal you? If the knife had gone any deeper, you would have died.”
“…Sure?” Lilith replied hesitantly, still not entirely sure the entire situation wasn’t a fever dream.
“Excellent,” Serket said, and a faint red glow surrounded her, then flowed up Lilith’s arm before she could react.
It was warm as it flooded through her veins, and she stiffened for a moment involuntarily, as it almost felt like insects were crawling up her arm. Then the heat pooled in her neck and side, and things… shifted. In seconds the bloating sensation vanished, as did the throbbing pain from both injuries, and the heat slowly faded, leaving her feeling almost normal again.
“That felt strange,” Lilith said, letting out a breath, then breathing deep as she noticed how much easier it was now.
“I may be able to heal, but my powers focus on healing stings and bites, particularly of venomous creatures,” Serket explained, smiling at her. “Isis, Osiris, Anubis, any of them would have been able to heal you with less discomfort, but I was the one available.”
“Ah. I…” Lilith paused, then a hand rose to her throat as a thought occurred to her. She reached for the pendant… and found that it was missing.
“Yes, the pendant is what brought you here, when you were on the verge of death,” Serket confirmed without even looking.
They were entering an area with more people, Lilith noticed, and most of them had similar appearances to Serket and Anubis, though their eyes were relatively normal. Several bowed in Serket’s direction but went back to what they were doing. Some of them were farming, but in a somewhat jarring change, Lilith noticed that many of them were wearing watches, carrying phones, or other things of the sort. It didn’t fit the otherwise archaic surroundings, which confused her further.
“But why?” Lilith asked, feeling like she was standing out even more than before. “I… this confuses me. I’m not a worshipper of any of you, though I liked the ankh pendant… I don’t understand.”
“It isn’t my place to explain,” Serket replied simply. “I’m to escort you to Ra, and there you will receive answers. Whether they are answers you like is an entirely different matter.”
“If you say so,” Lilith said dubiously, growing a little frustrated, now. She was away from her friends, and—
Lilith stiffened suddenly as she realized what was missing. She couldn’t sense Gina or Rachel at all, and she stopped dead in the path as she mentally groped for the connections to them, searching more and more frantically, a hint of panic rushing through her.
“Is something the matter?” Serket asked, having stopped after a few steps. She didn’t seem that concerned, which was frustrating.
“It… normally I can sense a couple of my friends. We’re linked together, so I can just… reach out to them, after a fashion. I can’t sense them, though!” Lilith said, swallowing hard as she wondered if something had happened to them. “I think something might have happened to them, and—”
Serket’s soft laughter cut Lilith off, and Lilith flushed, a little embarrassed for an instant, though she wasn’t certain why she was embarrassed. She shrugged it off after a moment more, but at that point the woman stopped laughing and spoke.
“You can’t sense them because you are in Sekhet-Aaru. This is a divine realm, Lilith, and unlike the Olympians, we do not allow anyone access to it without our permission,” Serket explained, shaking her head gently. “No spell or link can find you here, nor can you sense others across its borders. Such would leave us more vulnerable to other deities, and we are not so arrogant as to believe that we could win against every other pantheon, should it come to war. We are more numerous than many, but not that numerous.”
“Oh,” Lilith said, pausing and considering what she’d been told, then swallowed her frustration. She still wasn’t happy about losing the link, but at least it explained things. As Serket continued down the path once more she followed, thinking for a few seconds. Then she asked, a bit nervously, “Ah… if you’re gods… aren’t you supposed to be omnipotent?”
“Nigh-omnipotent, perhaps, for some of our number. I, for instance, could likely face even the most powerful heroes of your world in single combat and attain victory,” Serket replied casually, shrugging slightly. “I am among the most powerful of the minor gods of the ennead, but I am nothing compared to Ra, Thoth, and the most powerful gods here. Yet even if they are nigh-omnipotent, so are other deities. If there is anyone who is invincible in the myriad worlds, I am not aware of them.”
Lilith’s eyes widened, mostly at the idea of the woman in front of her being able to match class S superhumans when she looked so… so normal. She didn’t seem anything like a goddess to Lilith, but she wasn’t going to disagree. Lilith didn’t know enough to do that. Instead, she followed Serket through lush fields where more people were farming, using simple tools.
“Who are these people?” Lilith asked, nodding toward one of the fields as they passed. “I keep seeing them farming like this, yet I also see signs of technology, which seems odd.”
“Immortality changes the perspective of many people. Many of our followers died long before humanity developed much in the way of technology, and the idea of being able to farm their own food and eat the same meals as the gods themselves was considered paradise. Habits are hard to change, and even if we have introduced many of humanity’s inventions, often they choose to use it in ways that are not how you would,” Serket said, glancing at the field and smiling. “For instance, you might look closely at the gondola once we’re aboard.”
Lilith nodded, growing a little more curious as they passed a row of palm trees, which she quickly corrected herself, as she noticed dates hanging from them when Serket casually plucked one in passing to eat, then they were to the dock itself. The holographic sign on the edge of the finely made stone docks startled her, though she couldn’t read the sign. There were several boats on the water, with multiple men and women standing near them, talking to one another. Still, the sign reminded her of something else.
“How are we communicating, anyway? Your words don’t match the way your mouth moves,” Lilith asked, glancing at the people again, and as she did she saw more signs of better technology. The stitching on their clothing was even, the sandals had some type of rubber soles, and one of them had glasses on, in which she could see the faintest glimmer of an augmented reality system.
“Ra decreed that all people should be able to communicate, and thus it was done. Most newcomers learn the language eventually, if only to be able to read the signs and scrolls, but you shouldn’t be here for long enough for that to matter,” Serket said, nodding to a gondolier politely as she walked toward one of the boats. “You have not died, and you are not a follower of ours. You are a guest, and as such your stay is limited by necessity.”
The gondolier smiled as he quickly darted to his boat ahead of Serket, while all of them looked at Lilith curiously. One of them had somewhat lighter skin than the others, but Lilith stood out like a sore thumb here, both from her skin tone and the way she was dressed.
“It would be nice to know what I’m even doing here. This is all extremely confusing,” Lilith said, letting out a sigh. Serket laughed as she stepped into the gondola, and Lilith followed, looking down at the vessel curiously.
She immediately saw what Serket had meant. The gondola looked like wood at first glance, but it was easy to see that it was actually made of a single, carefully formed piece, and she felt the whirr of a motor as the gondolier pushed them away from the pier.
“Where to, Lady Serket?” the man asked respectfully as he turned the gondola toward the main channel skillfully. He must have been doing this for a while, as experienced as he seemed to be.
“The temple of Ra,” Serket said simply, and glanced at Lilith as she added, “As to that, you will have to wait. We could move more swiftly, but all things must be done in proper sequence. I know little about you, just what has been spoken of in rumors.”
That caused Lilith to pause as a chill ran down her spine. At least this time she didn’t feel like she needed to keep her comments to herself, so she expressed them, a touch nervously. “I think that the idea of me being the subject of gossip where gods are concerned is… worrying.”
The gondolier laughed, and Serket smiled, shrugging as they steadily moved through the water. Lilith was about to trail her fingers through the clear water but stopped as a crocodile came swimming along. Suddenly the idea of putting her hand in the water felt like it was a poor one, so she folded them in her lap. The crocodile looked like it could swallow her whole.
“When you’re immortal, you sometimes find that almost anything is worth talking about, Lilith. Your creation wasn’t something that escaped our notice,” Serket replied, grinning broadly.
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Lilith muttered, glancing at the horizon, then did a double take.
She’d thought that it must be about noon, with how much light there was, but when she glanced over, she could see the sun sinking toward the horizon, as if it were about to set. Then she glanced at the pyramid, and Lilith realized that it was effectively a second sun illuminating the city.
Well, she supposed that Ra was a sun god.
Chapter 22
Friday, August 15th, 2031
Black Emerald Lair, Utah
Black Emerald studied the readings from Wren’s scanner curiously, and as she did so her lips pressed together tightly, a bit unhappy about what she was seeing.
It was after midnight, but she’d been studying the readings for the better part of twelve hours, going through every bit of data she had. Lilith’s biology wasn’t the issue, as that was something which Black Emerald could pick apart at her leisure and was quite straightforward in the end. Despite Shadowmind’s obvious brilliance in most subjects, when it came to biology she wasn’t as competent as Black Emerald was, and it showed. There were numerous tiny flaws that Black Emerald could see, but Lilith was still a most remarkable specimen, and one that would have interested her most of the time.
No, it was the magical readings that were making Black Emerald unhappy. Most people couldn’t detect the magic of the divine, and even if they could, the magic tended to fade into the background. Most people also hadn’t spent three years plotting how to break into Olympus to steal a tree from the gods there. Black Emerald stared at the schematic hard, debating what to do.
There were multiple magical readings from Lilith, though none were from active spells. She’d managed to scrub most of the ambient magic from the convention from the readings, but the aura from Morgan Le Fay and Warden had seeped into Lilith, leaving a slight residue of purple, gold, and blue. It was the ankh, blazing like a tiny white sun that concerned Black Emerald.
