Apprentice Of The Dead (The Apprentice Of Anubis Book 1), page 1
Apprentice Of The Dead
The Apprentice Of Anubis #1
Laura Greenwood
Contents
A brief note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Author Note
Also by Laura Greenwood
About the Author
© 2021 Laura Greenwood
* * *
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; lauragreenwood@authorlauragreenwood.co.uk.
Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:
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Cover by Ryn Katerin
Apprentice Of The Dead is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Blurb
When Ani becomes the first apprentice to be Blessed by Anubis in years, she finds herself thrown into a world she only ever hoped to be part of.
* * *
Between learning how to an embalmer, being the new owner of a sacred jackal, and a budding rivalry turned friendship with the High Priest's son, Ani has her hands full.
* * *
But when she uncovers a plot that could bring the temple to its knees, she has to decide whether to risk her place at the temple, or let the injustice slide by unnoticed.
* * *
Can she stop the plot before it's too late?
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Apprentice Of The Dead is book one of The Apprentice Of Anubis modern low fantasy series with a romantic (m/f) sub-plot. It follows a new priestess in the Temple of Anubis, Ani, and her jackal familiar. It is set in an alternative world where the Ancient Egyptian Empire never fell, and set in alternate London.
A brief note
The Apprentice Of Anubis series is set in an alternative universe where the Egyptian Empire never fell and replaced the Roman Empire. The split in the timeline happened after the Ptolemaic dynasty and the final Cleopatra's infamous reign. Instead of Egypt falling into the hands of the Romans, they fought back and gained control of the budding Roman Empire. All religions still exist in the world, but many have been absorbed into the Egyptian religion (this was common practice during their ancient history, so is something I adopted into the series).
For the purposes of this series, the Egyptian Empire spans much of Africa and Europe, as well as some of the Middle East.
I made the decision to keep a lot of the words and systems we use today (including place names like London and the River Thames) to make the reading experience as smooth as possible. If this was the real progression of events, those things would likely have been named differently.
Things I have kept are the Ancient Egyptian concept of a week (10 days, including a 2 day "weekend"), month (3 weeks), season (4 months) and year (3 seasons plus 5 feast days). The currency they're using is debens (derived from the Ancient Egyptian word for bread - something workers were often paid in). Names have also been influenced by Ancient Egyptian history.
One
The grand Temple of Anubis stands in front of me, the stone columns outside covered in intricate carvings depicting the great journey of the god. Something about it calls to me, just like it does every other time I've passed it, though I've never understood why. Anubis' temple doesn't accept many priestesses, the chance of me ever becoming one of them is small.
"Ani, are you coming?" Nefertiti calls.
I tear my gaze away and turn to my best friend. "Sorry."
"We're going to be late, that's not going to get us a good placement."
More likely it wouldn't get us any. The gods aren't big fans of tardiness as our teachers have been fond of telling us our entire lives. I'm not sure how they'd know when the gods don't walk among us, they can't tell us what they want. Though I suppose they can influence the world around us. Maybe they'll send one of their legendary plagues down on London just because Neffie and I are late for the Day of Choosing.
She reaches out and grabs my hand, dragging me behind her and down the avenue of temples. Most of the major gods and goddesses have one on this street as it backs onto the Thames and they can move things back and forth using the river.
"I knew we should have gotten the bus," Neffie mutters.
"You hate the bus," I counter.
"But I don't want to be late. You know I want to serve Bastet. How am I going to do that if I'm too late to get a position there?"
"You know they've already chosen who they're going to take, right?" I ask. "They use our school reports..."
"Yes, but not if you're going to be Blessed."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Only a dozen people become Blessed every year. And normally not by Bastet."
Or Anubis.
Both of them tend to pick someone every few years at the most.
I ignore the thought. There's no point dwelling on whether or not a god is going to choose me to be their priestess. It'll either happen, or it won't. And it's not the end of the world if it doesn't, none of the current High Priests or Priestesses started out as Blessed, they rose through the ranks like those before them and now they're some of the most important people in the Egyptian Empire.
Neffie doesn't relax until we've joined a queue of other eighteen-year-olds attending the Day of Choosing. All of us are dressed in our formal wear, which is unfortunate given the light drizzle I can sense in the air. The thin linen shift dresses we're expected to wear aren't particularly practical when it comes to the weather here. But this is what the Pharaoh and his ministers insist we wear for the important occasion. They're all warm and cosy in Thebes while those of us at the far reaches of the Empire freeze on special occasions.
We shuffle forward, bouncing up and down to stop ourselves from getting too cold. The line is moving painfully slowly and I just want to get inside.
Nerves flutter in my stomach, though I'm not sure why. This is all decided well in advance. Sometimes, I wish they'd just send us a message rather than making us all line up. But this is the way it's been done for centuries, I doubt they're going to change it now.
"Next," a scribe calls.
The boy in front of us approaches the desk.
"Do you want to go first?" Neffie asks, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
At least I'm not alone, though that isn't surprising. This has been all she can talk about for weeks.
"Next."
"Good luck," Neffie says, pushing me forward.
I want to protest and say she should go first, but it's too late. The scribe is already there waiting for me to tell him my name. His stylus is poised over the screen of his tablet and I doubt he'll be happy with anyone wasting his time.
"Ankhesenamun, from Seshat Secondary School, London." To my surprise, my voice doesn't even shake.
He taps on the screen, but I can't see what he's writing. He holds the tablet up and glances between me and the photo on the screen.
He nods and gestures for me to continue inside.
This would all be so much easier if they let us bring our IDs with us, but nothing is allowed inside the temple except for us.
I walk slowly to give Neffie a chance to catch up. The jangle of her bracelets is a welcome sound, and she's soon linking her arm through mine.
Blissfully, the main courtyard has a roof covering it. No doubt they tried to have it be open-air, but decided against it when they realised how much it rains here.
Hundreds of eighteen-year-olds mill around and a low murmur fills the room from their chatter. Unsurprisingly, most people are standing with their friends and not using the opportunity to get to know some of the other attendees. With most of the population of London our age in the room, there's just too many people for small talk.
"What if I don't get to serve Bastet?" Neffie whispers.
"You will," I promise, though I have no idea if that's actually true. It seems unlikely they won't take her when she's been at the top of the class for three years running.
She grimaces, clearly not so sure about that.
I reach out and pat her arm. I wish I could do more, but honestly, I'm terrified myself. I've never felt a strong connection to any of the gods other than Anubis. I don't know what's going to happen at the end of the day when I'm assigned to serve one.
At least it's not a life sentence. I can drop out of the trainee priestess program at any point, but even that comes with complications. Not from the temples, obviously, but my parents are another matter. Mum has wanted nothing other than me entering priestesshood since I was old enough to walk.
A gong sounds, reverberating around the room and causing everyone to fall silent.
Without anyone saying a word, we all file into neat lines, standing too far away from one another to touch.
I hold my head up high and bunch my hands into fists, trying not to let my concerns show on my face. This is an official function, it won't be a good thing if I show how uncomfortable I am by it all.
Grand doors at the front of the room creak as they open up onto the raised dais at the front. They're flanked by ornate pillars carved and painted with all of the major gods, and several of the smaller ones too, a demonstration that this place is shared by all of them. The High Priests and Priestesses of London file onto the raised stage, draped in the finest linen and dripping with the best gold and jewels money can buy. Prestige isn't the only advantage to being the leader of a priesthood.
Despite the sheer number of people in the room, it's almost silent. Unnervingly so. But we're all waiting for the High Priest of Amun-Ra to step forward and officially open the ceremony. It's rare for him to be away from the Canterbury temple, but this is definitely classed as a special occasion.
I scan the line of officials on the stage, trying to pinpoint which of the group he is. I've only ever seen him from a distance, and when everyone is dressed up the way they currently are, it's hard to tell them apart.
A man close to the middle steps forward and opens his arms wide. "Good morning, all. Welcome to the Day of Choosing. May the gods in their infinite wisdom choose those who will serve them honourably and well."
Several of the priests on stage nod along with him.
"Let us commence the ceremony for the Blessed." He gestures to the side.
A smaller door opens, and through it comes a small black cat. She winds her way through the students, sniffing and trying to decide which of them she likes the most. Naysayers like to say the Blessed part of the ceremony is completely made up. It isn't the gods guiding the choices of the animals, it's all coincidence.
I'm not sure what to believe. The gods are real, there's no doubt in my mind about that. But I doubt they care very much about the ways of mortals. Especially not teenage ones who are prone to change their minds about things.
Neffie sucks in a deep breath as the cat passes her. I know she's hoping it will stop in front of her and she'll be Bastet's Blessed. It's the only way of changing the minds of the priests and priestesses. Otherwise, we end up at the places we've already been assigned, even if we're not aware of them.
Unsurprisingly, the cat passes Neffie by and heads back to the room it came from without choosing anyone. I've heard rumours this is what happens most of the time. The animals come out, walk around, and then go back to where they came from.
If they appear at all.
It's been a couple of years since one of Anubis' jackals has even made an appearance, and that was in a different country.
The process repeats with a few different creatures, including a cold looking ibis and a gangly deer.
At least we're only made to do this with some animals. Gods and goddesses with more dangerous sacred animals tend to show their feelings in other, safer, ways. Which I'm glad of. I don't like the idea of having a crocodile creeping between us to try and inform us of Sobek's will.
A soft murmur comes from the front of the hall.
"Ani, look," Neffie whispers, pointing to the front.
She needn't have bothered. My gaze is already fixated on the black form leaving the door and making its way amongst the assembled potential priests.
One of Anubis' jackals has made itself known.
Despite knowing how unlikely it is the god will choose me, I hold my breath, counting down the minutes until it passes and I know I'm not the one. I've done everything I can to make it possible, including taking the right classes and focusing on anatomy and the natural sciences at school, but I have to be realistic and accept that the chances of serving Anubis are slim. In all likelihood, I'll leave here as a trainee priestess from Isis, like Mum wants.
To my surprise, the jackal appears in front of me and sits down. It cocks its head to the side, a funny look on its face. I don't know if it's male or female, but I know that it's come for me.
Hundreds of eyes are on me. Which isn't enough to dissuade me from reaching out my hand and gently brushing it against the jackal's head.
Its eyes close, as if enjoying the scratches.
A man steps forward to join the High Priest of Amun-Ra and clears his throat. "Anubis has spoken. His sacred jackal, Matia, has made her choice."
That answers that one. The jackal is female. Somehow that feels right.
Another priest makes his way through the crowd towards me. "What's your name?" he asks.
"Ankhesenamun, but people call me Ani." My voice shakes ever so slightly, but I put that down to the amount of pressure there is from the various people watching.
He notes something down on his tablet. "Please make your way through the doors over there." He points to the left. "High Priest Ahmose will take you through everything you need to know."
I nod, not knowing what else I can possibly do.
Slowly, I turn and make my way to the doors, only noticing after a few steps that Matia is following me.
I wish I could tell Neffie that I'll message her later. But we've been friends long enough for me to be confident knowing she doesn't think I've abandoned her.
And that she'll want to hear everything about my conversation with the High Priest of Anubis.
Two
The room is smaller than I expect it to be, but beautiful nonetheless. There are ornate paintings on all of the walls which include far more detail than I'd expect from a room that's only used once a year.
I resist the urge to pace while I wait for the High Priest.
Matia has trotted in behind me and is still looking at me with an intrigued expression. There's something about the jackal that's both majestic and a little funny looking. But she seems good-natured, and I suppose that's what matters.
"Hello," I say to her.
She cocks her head to the side as if to return the greeting.
Do jackals normally make a noise? I have to admit to not being sure, she's the first one I've seen up close.
"Do you want more scratches?" I ask.
I take her stillness for assent and reach out to ruffle the top of her head. She makes a soft rumbling sound that I take to mean enjoyment.
Footsteps echo from down the corridor and I pull back, standing up straight so I look smart when I'm faced with High Priest Ahmose for the first time. I know enough about being Blessed to know it effectively makes him my boss, and I don't want to get off on the wrong foot.
Once he's in the room with me, it only takes a moment for me to realise how he became the High Priest. There's something about the way he holds himself and the air around him that just says authority.
I stand even straighter, which is surprising when I didn't even realise it was possible.
"Good morning, Ankhesenamun," he says.
"Good morning, High Priest." I dip my head as a sign of respect.
"I will admit that I wasn't expecting a Blessed for our temple today." He doesn't seem annoyed by it, just intrigued.
"I wasn't expecting to be Blessed either," I counter. Though there was a small part of me that always hoped I would be, I didn't really think it would happen.
There's still a voice in my head telling me that this isn't real and there's been a mistake. The High Priest is only here to tell me to go back to the hall and wait to be assigned to my real temple.
