The Prophesy

Tutankhamun will fall, struck down by the god's fury. They have already punished him with lameness, but soon, one of his own people will show him what happens when the gods are angered!

Setha woke up in a cold sweat. Her dreams had always told of the future; never had they led her astray. Now, she prayed this was the first time they failed her.

Tutankhamun was only nineteen. He hadn't been given the chance to rule yet; this must be some mistake.

Going out to her star-charts on the balcony, Setha looked at the river of white that ran across the sky. She looked over the desert; outlines of Amun's temple were visible in the moonlight.

"Horus, grant me thy eyes so I can see," with her whispered spell she saw the white of the stars began to turn red. Red like blood. Obelisks fell, the palace crumbled, the desert began to claim the fertile banks of the Nile. Setha fell to her knees, head between her hands. Her vision hadn't been wrong. Her namesake, Seth, the god of chaos, was about to reign supreme. She looked up at the moon. It was just beginning to wain- the wheels of chaos were already in motion.

~~

"Please, you have to believe me!" Setha cried to the priests of Amun. "When have my visions ever lead Egypt wrong?"

Ank, the head priest, waved his hand. "In the past we have had three Dreamspeakers give the same story. We will not waist efforts on one young Dreamspeaker's flimsy visions."

She sucked in a breath. "Flimsy? Since when--"

"Silence!" a senior priest thundered. "Amun has spoken through his priests. Unless he sends us more word, you are not to speak of this again."

Setha wrung her hands. "Please, you must--"

"You have been warned once, Setha," Ank said coldly. "Do not try the gods' patience by speaking again."

Her face fell in despair. Slowly she bowed. "As you wish." Fighting tears, she didn't see a shadow disappear from the doorway.

Eyes widening, Akil quickly ducked out of the doorway. He knew he would be gravely punished for eavesdropping, but he couldn’t help himself. A dream, especially one fortelling the death of the Pharaoh, could not be ignored. No matter how inexperienced the Dreamspeaker, a dream always came true. Serapis had gifted all Dreamspeakers with Sight, and her judgement must be trusted.

But the Pharaoh’s death? Who could kill the Pharaoh? The palace was the most protected building in all of Egypt; it had never been broken into. The Pharaoh was surrounded by guards at all time. His food and drink were tested, lest somebody try and poison him. How could somebody just kill the Pharaoh?

The sound of footsteps quickly brought him out of his musings. He risked a peek and saw that it was Ank. Akil quickly scrambled away, trying to pretend he was doing something else. Ank gave him a cursory glance, before turning away. Akil sighed in relief and once again slunk towards the doorway.

“I know what you’re thinking,” a voice said from behind him. Akil started out of shock, and pun around to face Ank. Ank’s face was stern, the lines that marred it deepening as he frowned. Akil gulped. “You are not to associate with Setha. Do you understand?”

Meekly, Akil nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” With that, Ank quickly strode down the corridor, robes billowing out behind him. Akil slumped against the wall, waiting until Ank was gone. Once his loud footsteps faded, Akil looked around. He swept the corridor with his eyes, finding that he was alone. Taking one final deep breath, he ducked into the room.

*Do you know who murdured him? It was the head priest of Amun*

Setha closed the door to her room. Methodically she got out her charts: maps of Egypt, maps of the Stars, and finally, deep in her scroll-case, she dug out her final maps- the ones of the Gods' Realms. Amun normally protected his Pharaohs, even after the reign of Akanaten Amun shouldn't have turned his back on the Pharaoh so quickly. Tutankhamun's regents had done well for his people and the Gods.

She felt a snake twist in her heart. Seth was behind this. She knew it.

She wrapped her maps in oilcloth and put them in her sturdiest trunk. It was just big enough to hold everything, but light enough to carry. All Dreamspeakers got such trunks to travel with. It was said the materials came from the Gods themselves.

She tucked her trunk into a bundle with her clothes around it. It was said if a Dreamspeaker knew the Truth in their heart, they would be able to meet with Osiris to set things right. His temple was farther down the river. If the priests there still wouldn't listen to her, Luxor would be her last hope. There Serapis held audience for Dreamspeakers. Maybe her pleas would cause him to send down dreams to other Sighted ones, and the Pharaoh would be saved.

In the cover of night, she dashed out of the Dreamspeaker's complex and made we way towards the river.

Akil stood, head bowed, just like the other Prophets. Amun was pacing, apparently unaware of the three other priests standing in the room. Akil sighed inaudibly. The First Prophet, the High Priest, was always like this when he had something planned. This was usual. However, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind...

“High Priest Amun,” he said suddenly, sweeping down into a low bow. His eyes were focused on the ground, and he could hear Amun’s steps suddenly halt. “May I be excused?” Amun grumbled something, before finally saying,

“Fine. Get out.”

Sighing in relief, Akil just barely remembered saying, “Thank you, First Prophet,” before quickly striding out of the room. Quickly navigating the maze of long hallways and staying out of sight, he made it to the room where he last saw the Dreamspeaker, Setha.

When he peeked into the room, his thin eyebrows shot up in surprise. The room was bare, excepting the flickering candle. The desk was empty, no papers or maps to be seen. The large trunk that he remembered was gone, and little more than air was in its place. He felt like cursing out loud, but restrained himself. The Dreamspeaker was gone.

The next thing that came to his mind, after anger and confusion, was a lesson he had learned what seemed like eons ago. What was it? His father’s voice, deep and strong, floated into his mind, its source from the part of his past he had tried to lock away. It pained him to hear it once again, but he just knew he had to listen.

He was taken back in time, back to when he was still young, no more than seven or eight years. “You want to be a Dreamspeaker? Well, first you have to understand that all dreams are based on real events. Now, these events may or may not have happened, but it’s all real. Serapis has gifted the Dreamspeakers with Sight, and it is up to them to interpret the dreams however they see fit.

If a Dreamspeaker’s voice should go unheard, it will mean terrible things for our country. The Temple of Osiris is where they can get a chance to speak. Otherwise, Luxor is where Serapis descends, and there, the Dreamspeaker might get a chance to speak with him. There, if a Dreamspeaker is accompanied by a priest, the Dreamspeaker can communicate with Serapis to...”

The vioec slowly dissipated as Akil slowly contemplated what he had just heard. A Dreamspeaker needed a priest if they were to go speak to the Gods. If that was so, Setha alone would not be enough to convince them. She was probably headed to the Temple of Osiris, which was down the river. She couldn’t have left long ago, since the candle was still alight. He could catch up to her if he hurried!

Ecstatic at this realization, he immediately dashed to his room. He passed a few servants in the hallways, and was nearly spotted by Amun, but he made it. Grabbing his trunk, he tossed in a few clothes and an oil lamp, along with some oil. Heaving the trunk over his shoulder, he wove his way through the many corridors and met the door to the outside world.

Just for a second, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a large smile was proudly displayed on his face, though nobody was there to see it. The guards were asleep, curse their laziness, and all was quiet. Not making another sound, he strode out of the palace, leaving behind the only home he had ever known.

Setha let her trunk rest in the reeds and she unwound the tether for a boat. A small temple boat was what she'd need; one inscribed with hieroglyphs to ward against crocodiles and the most feared animal of the Nile, the hippopotamus. There were also blessings to Sobek, to ensure the god of the Nile would insure safe passage. Just to be sure, Setha scratched out a symbol to Hapi.

"Setha?" A quiet voice said behind her.

She spun to face a youth-- a Prophet by his clothes. "What do you want?" she hissed.

He held up his hands. "Nothing. I'm here to help."

She gripped the rope, making sure the boat didn't float away. "How?"

"You'll need a priest to speak to the Gods. Without one, you're powerless."

Setha ground her teeth. "I'm never powerless. And I can speak to the priests at the Temple of Osiris."

"They might not believe you," he said simply. "I do."

She was about to reply when her consciousness retreated inwards. She saw a web across Egypt, Ay, the head priest of Amun at it's center.

Deny all knowledge of any Dreamspeaker's vision. The Gods are angry that the Pharaoh for cutting off our riches for so long! Now he must feel the thunder! His voice rang out and all of the temples replied with a thundering Yes

Setha stirred, feeling a bed of reeds under her back. The Prophet was kneeling beside her.

She sat up. "Alright. You can come."