Isis
Shawn James
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011
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Chapter 1
The blue flames of the lake of fire light my way as I descend into the dark pit of Hell. The sweet smell of brimstone and the harmonic wails of tortured souls put a smile on my face. I miss this place. As a herald I spend most of my time on Earth collecting the souls of the damned and torturing the souls of the righteous. It's a job I enjoy and wish to return to. If I had to stay in that palace one more day I think I would have snapped. There's only so much torment a soul can take.
I cross the lake of fire walking across a bridge of dead men's bones. As I approach the cave of the crocodiles, the great Serpent Lord Seth slithers out to greet me. He's anxious to hear what I have to tell him. Ever since the elder gods banished him here, I have been his eyes and ears to the outside world. Without me all he'd know is darkness. Lucky for him, a lot happened during my visit to Heliopolis. Disguised as a servant, I was able to acquire some valuable information. This time we will finally destroy the gods.
It's been a long time since I've made someone suffer. I take a seat in his throne, cross my legs, and smile at him. He gets back at me by being polite.
“Greetings E'steem. Have you brought me more souls to torment?”
“I have something better than souls Master.”
“What could be better than a soul?”
“Information. I've been in the palace of the gods.”
“There's no way you can enter the palace of Heliopolis-”
“There are ways. Remember my father went into Heliopolis.”
“Your father was slain by Osiris.”
“Do you want to hear what I've learned or do you want to discuss ancient history?”
He scowls at me. “What have you learned?” He barks.
“There has been a trial among the gods. The daughter of Osiris has been banished to the Island of Solitude for crimes against the gods.”
“You lie, I have no niece. My brother's only children are his bastard sons.”
“Oh but you do have a niece. This is the child of Osiris and a Nubian slave whom he sired as concubine. Her name is Isis, the same as her stepmother.”
“I watched my brother for centuries. I would have known if he had left Heliopolis.”
“Perhaps not. He might have disguised himself to elude you.
“What were the charges against her?” Seth growls.
“She let hatred enter her heart. She betrayed the gods and went to worship another god.”
“I'm sure she was cleared on the latter charge. Osiris would have to punish ten thousand generations of Egyptians for not worshipping the gods.”
“Osiris didn't judge his daughter. Ra and the elders passed judgment on her. Remember, Osiris can't try a member of his own family. And you know Ra' s sentences are always harsher than Osiris'.”
“Hold on. If she has let evil into her heart why isn't she here?”
“She hasn't embraced the evil inside her as part of herself as you did. There's still hope that she can be redeemed.”
“Just like the elder gods to show mercy on one of Osiris' bastards. If she were my child she'd be rotting here.”
“What you have told me is of no use to me.” Seth continues. “So my brother has another bastard. I cannot harm a hair on his head.”
“That's where you're wrong.”
“How? I can't leave this place to take vengeance upon-”
“You can harm Osiris in a way far worse than slicing him to pieces. Now that Osiris is aware of his daughter he will surely want a relationship with the child.”
“True, nobility was always my brother's greatest flaw.”
“Think about it. There are two sides of her family she can embrace. She's halfway here.”
He thinks about it. “Yes, you're right. Perhaps I can harm my brother this way.”
Seth smiles in anticipation of my scheme.
“Go ahead with your plan E'steem. Go ahead and bring me the soul of Isis.”
Chapter 2
I am a prisoner of the gods.
They say I have hatred in my heart. With all that's transpired in my life these past few years, I'm inclined to agree with them. You can't experience what I've been through and even want good inside you. When everyone and everything you love and care about is destroyed all you have left is bitterness and anger.
It probably doesn't sound like much for someone to let hatred enter her heart, except I'm not an ordinary woman. I'm a goddess. We're held to a higher standard than humans; we're not supposed to give into our emotions the way humans do. My mistake was giving into my rage. I wanted to destroy a nation of people because they killed my family. I still do. So to save the world from me and me from myself, the elder gods stripped me of my powers and banished me to this uninhabited island to sort things out.
The elder gods don't call this island a prison. To them, this is an “island of solitude.” It's supposed to be a place where I can think about what I've done and why it was wrong. Personally, I’d rather be imprisoned in a traditional filthy rat-infested jail cell. At least I’d know what to expect. The first day I was here I ran right for the shore to swim off this rock. I wanted to spite the elder gods and show them they had no jurisdiction over me. I quickly learned not to challenge the power of the gods after experiencing their interpretation of iron bars. When I got close to the water, I couldn't see anything, but I felt like I slammed into a wall. A really hard wall. A really really hard wall. Strange thing is I skim rocks on the water all the time. I thought about it later on. It would be foolish to plan an escape by just swimming; where would I go? There's no land for miles. All I can see around me are the deep blue waters of the Pacific. That's when I realized I'm going to be here for a while and I better get used to it.
The Elders say I won't be allowed to leave this island until I'm redeemed. That's not going to happen any time soon. I have a lot of unresolved affairs I have to take care of before I can even think about getting back in the Elders good graces. Besides dealing with the death of my family, I just found out my father is Osiris, Pharaoh of New Heliopolis. King of the cowards is a better way to describe him. It makes me so angry to think about the way he treated me at the trial. He wants to start a relationship with me after I've been redeemed. I feel that's too little too late; I needed his help yesterday. If this is the way he parents his children I'm beginning to see why Egypt fell.
I'm mad at Osiris for abandoning me, but I don't hate him. He's not so bad; in his own way he tried to help me before I was banished here. Along with that empty promise to see me, he gave me some parting gifts. The first was a pair of smooth gold gauntlet bracers. They must be enchanted because I can't take them off no matter how hard I pull at them. They used to feel funny on my wrists, but I'm getting used to them. He says they'll give me hope. He might be right, every time I look at my reflection in them I feel like I might have a chance of leaving this island.
The second gift was a journal and a pen. Osiris says writing will help me deal with my feelings. I don't know, seeing my emotions written down on paper scared me. I never realized how dangerous my anger was until I saw it staring me in the face. Looking back at what I wrote in my journal when I first came here I've cursed every Heliopolitan deity at least twice and called my mother a few names I wouldn't repeat in church. If I were to say the things I wrote to anyone, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.
Since I've worked through most of my anger and grief, I've been trying to make a life for myself on my new home these past few months. In the beginning it was hard living here; the gods didn't provide me with any amenities. I was banished to this island a short white linen wrap kilt and a sleeveless blouse. I had to find everything else I needed to survive on the island on my own. After several days of exploring, I found food and water. On the fertile land in the center of the island, trees and bushes grow a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables. Oranges, bananas melons, that sort of thing. There's a spring on the South side of the island. I get my water and do my bathing there. So far I've been able to improvise with what I've been provided but, I can't seem to get a house built. Thank God it's only rained twice in the time I've been here.
Now that I've been here a while I've got a routine. Chores keep me busy from sunup to sundown. As soon as I get up, I say my prayers. I know it's strange for a goddess to serve God, but that's my religion. Osiris may be my Father but he's not the almighty in my eyes. I've served God for over a thousand years now and I'm not about to stop now. I know He's with me and he'll help me out of this mess.
After I pray, I jot down a few thoughts in my journal. Nowadays I write about the experiences I have on the island. It's not much, just a few paragraphs about what I've done for the day. I usually spend my afternoons gathering fruit and vegetables for my meals and fresh leaves for my bed.
Around sundown I take a bath and try to rest for the next day. I don't get much sleep, most nights I just stare up at the night sky. I'm afraid to sleep because when I dream it's always a nightmare. I keep seeing what happened to my family over and over again. Those memories make me so upset; I'm afraid to face them. I know what I did; I just don't think it was the only reason why I got this hatred inside me.
Chapter 3
I watch Isis from my window as she writes her thoughts in her journal. I still have reservations about the judgment Ra passed on her. She’s withdrawn so much since she's been imprisoned and the hatred can only grow inside her if she's left to herself again.
We made a promise to Keer-Sheba an eon ago to look out for her daughter. We haven't kept our word. We left Isis to the reprobate ways of humanity while we gods rebuilt New Heliopolis. Osiris and the elder gods are foolish to believe that he can have a relationship with Isis after she leaves the island. She'll never leave without our guidance.
I leave my bedchamber and head for the hall of judgment. Osiris is there with Thoth and Maat judging the endless stream of souls with the balance and feather of truth. They have waited a long time to be judged, they can wait awhile longer.
“Osiris, I must speak with you. It's important.”
“I am about my business. Can this wait until later?”
“No, this can't wait.”
He takes the feather of truth off the balances. “Isis, what is this about?”
“It's about our daughter. We can't leave her alone again.”
“Ra has passed judgment on her. When the hatred is purged from her soul we will-”
“I know what Ra said. But we can't wait until then. She'll never be redeemed without our help.”
“Isis, we're not supposed to interfere. She has to find her own way and we're supposed to go about our business.”
“And what's our business Osiris? To advise and protect man. Your daughter is of mortal flesh, worthy of our aid.”
“Those are no longer our duties. Long ago in Egypt yes, but not in these godless times.”
He reaches to put his feather on the balance. I snatch it away from him. He scowls at me. I'm not going to let him do this to Isis.
“I never thought you'd be a hypocrite. Who needs more help than our daughter?”
“I'm being practical. There are-”
“You can try the hearts of men but you won't try to face your own child. What kind of judge doesn't obey his own laws?”
“A fair and righteous one.”
“Do you want Isis to be one of these unworthy souls?”
He sighs and gestures to Thoth across the room. “Send for Horus. Tell him he is to govern in my stead until this affair is taken care of.”
Chapter 4
My plan is working perfectly. Just as I knew he would, Seth became excited upon hearing the name of his brother and quickly dispatched me to do him harm. Seth is such a fool. He's so obsessed with hurting his brother that he isn't aware of the subtle politics transpiring about him. His reckless decision to send me after the goddess will make me one of the most powerful she-demons in All Hell.
I didn't tell Seth everything; no herald would ever tell their master the whole truth. If he became aware of my ulterior reasons for pursuing Osiris’ daughter he would have sent his imps to sabotage my plans. According to the laws of Hell, the demon who slays a god becomes a Lord, one of Lucifer's Elect. In the past only men have acquired this title and wielded such great power. When I slay the goddess, I will become the first she-demon to attain Ladyship in All Hell.
It was a blessing that I happened upon the palace when I did. The daughter of Osiris has been raised in human culture; she has no understanding of the incredible power she possesses. It will be easy to lure her into this realm and kill her.
Chapter 5
Since I finished my chores early today, I have some free time this afternoon. I think I’ll pursue an old hobby I haven't enjoyed in a long while. I haven't shot an arrow in over fifty years. I hope I'm not rusty.
It was easy to make a bow from a strong vine and a sturdy branch. As I carved the tips for my arrows out of twigs, I reminisced about a happier time in my life. Back in Nubia I learned archery from Prince Ammon. The Prince was an expert marksman and after he trained me I was such a good shot I could split a mustard seed in two from a hundred paces.
I've always considered my friendship with Prince Ammon to be a blessing. If it weren’t for him I would have remained a slave working in the palace for what I thought was the rest of my life.
Okay time to stop dwelling on the past. Let's see if I still have the skills I had in ancient times. I back myself up fifty paces from the target, a small melon jammed on the tip of a bamboo reed. It's not a mustard seed, but I need to start somewhere.
I have the melon in sight. Now to aim the arrow. It's even; I let it fly.
Missed. It went wide. Well, I haven't done this in a couple of decades; of course I'm going to miss the first time. Try again.
Missed. Okay, this time I've got to hit it.
Blast! Missed again! But I’m getting closer.
I let the fourth arrow fly. It misses its mark by a hair, the fifth flies wide. I get mad at myself. I’m supposed to be good at this, why am I missing?
Okay last arrow. This one has to hit. I pull back on the bow. The arrow flies into the ocean. My frustrated huff ends the archery session.
I toss my makeshift bow over my shoulder and walk over to my target to pick up my arrows. Okay, what went wrong? Nothing. I just need practice. A whole lot of practice. Well, I've got an eternity to get back to where I was. It'll probably be that long before I'm off this island.
Let's see, I've got all my arrows except the one that landed in the Pacific. And there's no way I can get that one thanks to the magic barrier around the island. I'll have to carve up a new one.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Queen Isis asks.
I turn around and Queen Isis appears in a flash of light. The bronze-skinned goddess is dressed in a white pleated gown, gold tiara, jeweled collar, armlets and bracelets. When my stepmother smiles at me, I get nervous.
I still don’t understand why she stood up for me and showed me such compassion. Out of all the people at the trial I thought she’d be the one who would most want me dead. If it weren’t for her defending me, Ra would have judged me guilty and killed me on the spot.
Everything happened so fast I never did get to say thank you for all she's did for me. Now that I’ve got the chance I’m going to express my gratitude to her.
Chapter 6
Osiris and I were supposed to make this visit together. I don't know why he's been against re-establishing a relationship with our daughter; doesn't he understand she suffers every day we're not there for her? I don't know why he avoids her; he's making everything more difficult than it has to be. When I get home I'm going to tell that man about himself.
I get a good look at the child named after me. Isis a comely Nubian girl with golden brown skin and long kinky chestnut brown hair. Her bashful smirk reminds me of her father when he was younger. Whenever someone would approach Osiris he'd put on that awkward smile and try to talk to them. And just like her father the slender girl stands taller than she actually is. I'm impressed by her confidence. She shyly digs her toes in the sand and makes eye contact with me.
“Thanks.” She says taking the arrow from me.
“How are you doing?”
“I'm doing okay. Thanks for everything you did at the trial.”
“You're welcome.”
“I thought I was supposed to be alone on this island of solitude. What brings you by?”
“Ra's judgment was too harsh. I believe that the only way for you to find redemption is with our help.”
Isis puts her head down. “I think I can find my own way.”
“You've been left to your own way for too long. It's time for you to learn the ways of the gods.”
She turns away from me. “It's too late for me to learn that. I serve a different God now.”
“Isis, this isn't about religion. We want you to be a part of your family.”
“I don't think you can help me. Those times ended centuries ago. It's a different world out there.”
“It's never too late for you to learn how to have faith. The times of the Egyptian empire may have passed but we are always with the people as long as they believe.”
“You weren't with me.”
“You didn't know about us then. If you look up at the northern sky you can see the palace of New Heliopolis.”
Isis looks up at the sky. “The clouds must be blocking my view.” She snarls. I shake my head.
“You'll never leave this island if you keep thinking that way.”
“How am I supposed to think then?”
“Do you believe you'll leave this island?”
“Not unless I have a boat.”
“Do you believe you'll leave this island one day?”
“Yes. But there's got to be more to it than that.”
“That's all there is to it. Don't limit yourself with the foolish logic of mortals.”
“I'm being realistic. A lot of what you call foolish has gotten me to where I am today.”
“And where is that?”
“Point taken.” She sighs looking around.
“Have you thought about what you're going to do with your life?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’m taking it day-by-day.”
“You won't be a prisoner forever. What do you see yourself doing in the future?”
“I don't know; I figure I'll return to the world and try my hand at building a fortune.”
I huff a sigh. Now I understand why Ra banished her here. In all her years of living she still sees the world through mortal eyes. We were foolish to believe Keer-Sheba alone could prepare a goddess in the way she was supposed to go. Fortunately she is young and our error can be corrected.
“Why are you so determined to rebel against us?”
“Er…How am I supposed to eat?”
“Through faith.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you're the Queen of New Heliopolis. Anything you want you make with a gesture of your hand. In that world I have to work for what I get.”
“The rules of men no longer apply to you Isis. You're not a part of that world anymore. We are gods and we get what we need through faith.”
“Things aren't easy as you think.”
“They're a lot easier than you think they are.”
“Explain some things to me then.”
“You may be considered old in the world of mortals, but in the realm of the gods you’re still a youth.”
“Youth? I stopped aging the when I turned twenty or so-”
“You look about sixteen to me.”
Now I understand why she gave me these clothes and why she said they were for a girl my age the day before the trial. I’m not a goddess to them, I’m still a godling.
“Well, this revelation is gonna take some getting used to. Out in the world, I’m used to being a woman and doing woman things-”
“While you’ve had many experiences in the world, you still have not grown as a goddess. To us you’re still a youth. And just as you learned lessons in life in the mortal world, you’ll have to learn them again in our world.”
“So I have to grow up again. Great. Just great.”
“It isn't as bad as it sounds. As your mother I'm here to give you guidance.”
Isis' eyes grow wide. “Keer-Sheba is my mother!”
“Keer-Sheba is dead.”
“She was the one that bore me and raised me!”
“And Osiris is the one who planted your seed in her.”
“And where exactly does that leave you?”
“When Osiris and I wed, we became one flesh and one blood. You are as much my child as you are his or Keer-Sheba's.”
“So, I've got a mother now.” She snarls at me rolling her eyes.
“You will never address me in that tone ever again.”
She puts her head down. A long silence passes before she speaks. “Look, I'm sorry. It's just that my mother will always be my mother to me. When you say that you're my mother-”
“Isis, I didn't mean to offend you. But Keer-Sheba is gone from this world. She can't help you now. There are no fields here to till, no king to serve. You need my help to find redemption.”
“So how are you going to help me?”
“Is that your bow?” I inquire.
“Yes.”
“Might I have a look at it?”
Isis hands me the bow. It's a branch bent into a curve and a piece of strong vine tied to each end of it. Her arrows are twigs filed off at each end. This girl is very resourceful and I'm impressed by her creativity. I think I'll try my hand at archery. Perhaps I can teach her a lesson through something she understands.
“You're quite creative.”
“Thanks. I was just looking for something to do.”
“Were you a warrior?”
Her eyes light up. “It was more of a sport thing. I was one of the best archers in Nubia at one time. I could split a mustard seed in two from a hundred paces. Now I can't get it to go straight.”
“It's the hatred inside you that causes you to miss.”
“Hatred can't cause me to miss my targets. I'm just rusty.”
“Are you sure? Hatred can throw off your focus. And when you can't focus you'll always miss your mark.”
“You know a prince said that to me a long time ago.”
“He was a wise man. You see faith is like this arrow. It will always guide you in the right direction when you believe in yourself.”
Isis looks at me skeptically. I smile at her.
“I tell you what daughter.” I continue. “You shoot an arrow and I shall shoot an arrow. I assure you that I shall not miss.”
“Okay, I'm going to have to show you something Ms. Goddess. I'm still as good a marksman as I was years ago.”
“We shall see.”
Isis takes the bow and fires an arrow at the melon. It flies close to the target but misses. I try to suppress my laughter as she hands me the bow. Seeing her frown brings back memories of a time when Osiris was practicing archery and he couldn't get it to go right. I fire my arrow and it screams through the air splitting the melon in half. She pouts at the sight of my success.
“You were just lucky.” Isis snarls.
“I wasn't lucky, I believed without doubting. I let nothing cloud my judgment. You must do the same thing if you wish to be redeemed.”
“I'd have beaten you if it wasn't for this sore arm.”
When I reach for her right arm, she flinches at my touch. The skin is still tender on the surface. I grimace when I see the ankh burned into it. The black mark starts at her shoulder and ends at her forearm. I thought this part of her punishment was unnecessary. Sometimes we gods can be as sadistic as mortals are. Ra says the mark was to be a permanent reminder of her trial until her redemption; I don't believe that. He knows how I used to place an ankh on people to protect them. I always felt that he did this to mock me for defending her.
“Is your arm getting better?”
“It used to be sore awhile back, but I barely feel it now.”
“This was wrong. You being here is punishment enough.”
“I can live with it.”
“You have a strong spirit.”
She smiles at me. “It could be worse, he could have etched it on my butt.”
We laugh.
“How did you get the name Isis?”
“I guess Isis was the only goddess my Mother knew. With me being the daughter of Osiris, she had to give me a godly name. But tell me, if I'm a goddess how come I never got to enter New Heliopolis?”
“You were born of mortal flesh. And the laws of the Elders state that no mortals nor their works can dwell in New Heliopolis.”
“But what about Pharaoh? His things in the tombs were for his rule in the afterlife.”
I laugh. “That's a misconception. Pharaoh was a servant who we chose to rule over the people. Our words were his laws. When his service was done and he left this world he returned to serve us. The great works in the tombs are only a tribute to us. But I tell you this: Your mother Keer-Sheba is higher than any of the Pharaohs.”
“Why?”
“Because she faithfully served us and bore us a daughter.”
“I'm confused. I always thought when Pharaoh died he ruled over the Afterlife.”
“Not everything you've learned from legend is the truth. If all the Pharaohs who ever died were to rule in the Afterlife, wouldn't it be chaos?”
“Probably.”
“In New Heliolopolis, I am Queen and Osiris is Pharaoh. Horus is Prince.”
“And I'm a Princess?” She asks curiously.
“In the technical sense.”
“I know I’m not born of two royals, but there has to be a tiara with my name on it-”
“You’re a princess but you just can’t have your title yet. It’s complicated.”
“How complicated is it?”