Forgotten Gods, page 1
FORGOTTEN GODS VOLUME 1
LAURA GREENWOOD
Contents
Feather Of Balance
A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe
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
Author Note
Protectors Of Poison
A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe
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
Author’s Note
Daughter Of The Sun
A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Author Note
Servant Of Chaos
A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe
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
Epilogue
Author’s Note
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Feather Of Balance
FORGOTTEN GODS BOOK 1
A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe
Due to the span of Ancient Egyptian history, many gods and goddesses took on multiple roles over the span of time. In most cases, the gods and goddesses in the fictional Forgotten Gods Universe have been given one of their various aspects. The family links the Ancient Egyptians formed between their gods weren't meant to represent blood family, but aspect ties. This is why many of the gods and goddesses are consorts with their siblings. In the context of the Forgotten Gods Universe, none of the gods are related to one another by blood, but many choose to create family bonds.
You can see a full list of Gods & Goddesses in the Forgotten Gods Universe, as well as other definitions and information, on my website.
Chapter 1
I passed down the corridor that led to the Hall of Judgement, feeling a sense of peace and calm wash over me the closer I got. Even if most of the humans had forgotten about us, getting the call to the Hall was a good reminder that there were still some among the living who revered our names and worshipped us the way people used to.
The ornate doorway that led into the Hall was nothing compared to the inside. The Hall of Judgement was timeless in its beauty. Unlike most of our temples and monuments, it hadn't been touched by the ravages of the years. Everything shone gold with intricately carved walls depicting scenes of the dead, and a sense of grandeur that couldn't be matched by anything, though perhaps that wasn't as true in the afterlife.
I wouldn't actually know. While some of the gods could make the journey to Duat, I wasn't among their number and had always remained in the land of the living. And without being able to die, I would never find out what lay on the other side of the door leaving the Hall.
Most of the judges were already in position, though my gaze lingered on the empty seat next to Isis. It would seem that her sister had not heeded the call to come, which was unusual. Nephthys was many things, but I knew the goddess well enough to be certain she'd never shirk her duty without good reason.
I took my seat at the front of the tiered benches but didn't speak to any of the forty other gods in attendance. This was a solemn occasion, and socialising would come afterwards.
I checked the walls again, my gaze lingering on the depiction of me in full ceremonial dress and holding out the feather that represented the concepts I was the goddess of. Even after all this time, it was somewhat strange to see myself the way artists saw me.
Large golden scales dominated the middle of the room, presided over by Osiris on his imposing throne. A stoic expression rested on the green-skinned god's face, one that didn't quite match the more relaxed man I vaguely knew from social events.
A little further back, Ammit waited with her huge crocodile jaws and her body made from a hippo and a lion. Even though I knew she was going to be here, it was still a surprise to see her. It always was. She kept to herself in the caves adjoining the Nile and rarely ventured out in either her demon or human form. It was hard to tell given her twisted appearance, but I'd almost say she looked bored. Probably because she knew how unlikely it was that she'd be needed to eat the heart of an unworthy soul. It had been fairly rare even before, and now we only got a few souls a year through the Hall, it was even less so.
The faint sounds of fidgeting filled the air, and I suspected that meant Ammit wasn't the only one who was bored of waiting. It wasn't until Anubis lifted his head and made his way towards the ceremonial door that the feeling lifted and everyone grew still while we waited for the ack of the deceased being judged to enter.
Anubis led the ack inside the room, and I took a moment to appraise the dead. The man clutched his heart in his hands, an expression of pure awe on his face. I didn't blame him for that, I still felt the same sense of amazement when I walked into this room and I'd been here more times than I could even care to count.
"What's your name?" Osiris asked in a deep powerful voice.
"Gabal," the man responded.
Osiris nodded and waited for the man to start the traditional prayers.
When we'd been dealing with hundreds of souls a day, I'd never noticed how long all of this dragged out for, but there was no denying it when it was pulling us all from our daily lives. I supposed before this, none of us had any time for developing our own interests, or working out how we personally wanted to spend our time, so it was still a little alien to us to get used to being pulled from our entertainment at inopportune times. Not that I personally minded. I liked being able to fulfil my purpose, even if some of the others found it frustrating.
The man reached the end of the prayers and turned to face me and the other judges. His fingers tightened around his heart as he started to speak. No doubt he was nervous about making the right promise to the right god. Not that it mattered too much. So long as the negative proclamations were spoken aloud, they would do what they needed to.
"I have not slain another man," the man said. "I have not stolen...I have not caused terror. I have not learnt that which is not." He carried on through each of them, his voice becoming stronger as he settled into the rhythm.
Around me, I could feel the power of the other gods building as he spoke with them. I felt a flicker of power in myself in response to his belief in me as a goddess.
"I am pure, I am pure, I am pure," he finished. The man looked around to work out what to do next.
"Your heart?" Anubis requested.
Gabal passed it over to the god. Anubis took it and knelt in front of Osiris' throne to present the heart to him. I wasn't sure why this part was so convoluted when Osiris could just have taken the heart for himself and not made Anubis do the work for him, but tradition dictated a lot of how we acted in this room and no one was about to suggest that we did it another way.
Osiris rose to his feet and took the heart, making his way over to the ornate golden scales dominating the middle of the room.
I dismissed the feeling. Maybe I was nervous after all, it had been a while since I'd done this and getting it wrong could have dire consequences for the dead man's soul.
The feather flickered.
It was the light in the Hall playing tricks on me, it couldn't be anything else. I was used to the more modern electric lighting now and so the magical stuff in the Hall was playing with my vision.
Deep down, I knew that wasn't the truth, but I also had to get through the next ten minutes without betraying what was going on. I was certain that some of the gods would understand, but others might see it as a weakness that wasn't there.
I made my way to the right side of the scales and looked at Osiris to make sure he was ready. He gave me a minute nod and the two of us placed our respective objects on the scales in front of us. My feather shone gold, filling the room with a soft glow. It didn't seem as bright as normal, but perhaps I was imagining it because I was worrying about it.
The scales creaked as they settled and did their duty in weighing Gabal's heart. I wasn't surprised when they stopped moving, having balanced perfectly, though there was still a hint of relief within me that we wouldn't be witnessing Ammit devour his heart. The ack's never responded well to it, which was to be expected, even if they knew the consequences of living an amoral life and they knew the risks from the various wall paintings and stories of this very moment.
Osiris picked up the heart and handed it back to the man, signalling that the weighing of the heart part of the ceremony was over.
I ignored Osiris giving instructions to Gabal so I could focus on picking up my feather. The weighing had gone to plan, which hopefully meant I had nothing to worry about. I scooped it up into my hands, my breath catching in my throat as it flickered, the golden light around it almost dimming.
I glanced over at where the other forty judges were sitting, hoping that none of them had noticed, though thankfully, their attention was elsewhere.
Satisfied that no one had noticed, I took a deep breath and dismissed the feather, sending it back to where it would be safe. As much as I wanted it to, it didn't do anything to belay the feelings of unease rising within me. I put a serene expression on my face and tried to hide my concern. It was probably all in my head, and I needed the time to properly process what was happening so I could figure this out without getting any of the other gods involved.
Because I dreaded to think what would happen if news got out that I wasn't at full strength.
Chapter 2
The loud noises coming from the banquet hall didn't fill me with any particular desire to make my way inside, even if it was what was expected of me, especially after an ack had made the journey to the afterlife. Once the soul's journey was complete, the gods in Duat would hold a feast of their own to welcome them, as was the custom. If one thing remained constant with us gods, it was that we liked to celebrate.
After seeing my feather flicker, this was the last place I wanted to be, but I knew that my presence was expected. I was important enough that people would notice if I wasn't here, but not important enough that anyone would think that I had a good reason not to attend.
I shook my head. I could lament about it all I wanted, but this was part of what I had to do if I wanted to maintain my position amongst the gods still living in Karnak.
I passed through the archway and into the magnificent banquet hall that looked as if no time had passed at all. I knew it was a different story for the mirroring hall on the other side of Karnak, that was in ruins and the host to tourists most days of the year while they gawked at what remained of the majesty of Ancient Egypt. It was a shame that we'd had to give up so much of our temple to them.
I bumped into someone, their hand coming to my arm to steady me. I looked up.
"Maahes," I said.
His lips curled up into a smile. "Ma'at," he responded.
"I didn't realise you were back at Karnak."
He nodded. "I've been back for a few months."
"Oh." I should have noticed. While I didn't know the war god very well, we'd spent several banquets talking to one another and I found him a particularly charming dinner companion. "Are you back for long?"
"I thought I'd make Karnak my main base now. The temple I was using before had some structural issues."
I let out a small laugh. "Isn't that code for archaeologists found it?"
"You see right through me." His accompanying smile made me forget that we were in the middle of a room full of other people.
"I hate it when that happens. They haven't found my temple at Deir el-Medina yet, but they know it exists, so it's only going to be a matter of time. I'm not sure how to feel about it."
"I know what you mean. I'm stronger because they found it," Maahes said.
I nodded. "Having more humans say your name will have that effect."
"It would be even better if they were worshipping me," he joked.
"We can't have everything."
"No, I suppose not." He sighed. "It's still a shame they had to dig it up."
"Because you also lost a home?"
"Precisely. I suppose we're lucky that somewhere like Karnak has room to house us all."
"For now," I muttered.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Ignore me. I'm not good at being around so many people. It's getting crowded around here."
"There are fewer people than thousands of years ago," he pointed out.
"Thousands of years ago, I had no time to think about what I did and didn't like," I responded.
"And now?"
Was it me, or was there a hint of interest in his voice? Without meaning to, my gaze strayed to the toned chest he had on display. The traditional kilt he'd opted to wear instead of more modern fashions accentuating every muscle.
"Now I have time." My voice cracked as I said the words.
Judging from the smile at the corner of his lips, he knew exactly what I'd been distracted by. "And have you found anything you like?"
"A few things."
"I hope you find a few more," he said.
"You too." I lingered for a moment, part of me wanting to ask him if he wanted to join me now, but another god called his name from a few tables down. "I should..." I waved vaguely in the direction of one of the tables, not really knowing what else to do. I didn't want to take him from his friends.
He nodded, a small flash of disappointment flitting over his face. "Enjoy your evening."
"You too."
He stepped away and walked off.
I watched him leave, weirdly captivated by the war god. The way he moved reminded me of the lion I knew he could shift into. It was power and grace all rolled into one.
He stopped to exchange a few words with Sobek on the way to his table. He turned and caught my eye. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he nodded in my direction.
A flustered feeling arose within me, but I had no idea why. It certainly wasn't anything I'd felt in a long time.
