Vagabonds Ch 1

She’d spent a countless number of nights poring over every scrap of parchment and papyrus, analyzing every carving and relief. The room was packed to the brim with scrolls and tablets and jars, yet for the years and decades and centuries they’d been hers, there had been precious little progress on unraveling the mystery. Sekhmet’s gaze swept from wall to wall and she sighed, absently swirling her glass of wine. By now she’d spend so much time studying and agonizing over every little thing, she could close her eyes and form a perfect mental picture. From the shortest messages to the longest records of ancient battles and pharaohs’ reigns, she had it all memorized.

Almost everything, that is. At the center of the room, segregated from all else, were two ancient, alabaster cylinders. Unearthed only months ago from a long-forgotten and well-hidden temple of Ra, the pair of alabaster containers had, at first inspection, been dismissed as nothing of value. Indeed, if not for her sharp ears, she would have missed the subtle sloshing from within.

Later scans revealed a large hollow within the near-perfectly sealed vessels, each containing a scroll and a remarkably thin-walled glass tube filled with a liquid. Doubtless it served as an anti-tamper device and would destroy the scrolls if the cylinder was improperly opened. Knowledgeable as she may be about such matters, she’d never seen nor heard of something like this. If nothing else, the pair were marvels of craftsmanship, even to this day.

And, she hoped, their contents would provide the end of the string needed to unwind it all. While she lacked the equipment needed to perform the delicate surgery required to extract their secrets, she knew of one lab that could handle things without risking destruction of the contents. The only downside was that such high regard meant they were in high demand, and supply was short.

She took a long sip from the glass, her eyes fixed on the newest additions. Compared to a few thousands year of waiting to get to this point, what were another few weeks? But, before she could down the rest of her glass, a small red light on the far wall began to strobe softly.

“Oh?”

It’d been a rather long while since the last time the silent alarm was tripped. Far too long, even.

“Now who would come calling at this hour?” Sekhmet mused to herself, making for the security closet. Her eyed scanned a display panel, coming to a rest on an illuminated dot that signaled the alarm had been tripped at a new display – a mockup of a tomb.

“A stowaway, perhaps?” The poof on the end of her tail swished in little arcs as she skimmed through the camera feeds on the nearby monitor. Unfortunately, though maybe fortunately, the recent additions made it impossible to get a good look at the area. Pity, that. She’d just have to take a look personally.

--

The stowaway was itching to leave her less-than-roomy confines, which seeing as how it was little more than a coffin with a fancy veneer, was understandable. Fortunately her small size made things bearable and kept her from getting too cramped. Caution kept her still as she surveyed the area, listening and watching for any security on patrol. Satisfied that no one else was around, she slipped quietly from the box and carefully slid the lid back into position.

Though stuffy and a little morose, it at least gave her the opportunity to catch some sleep in a place that was warm, dry, and best of all, safe. Her usual sleeping arraignments typically only had two of the three.

Adjusting what passed for clothing if one stretched their definition of clothes, the stowaway stretched out her upper human-half, then her lower lion-half. Her vestigial wings fluttered before folding neatly across her back, but her care-free attitude came an abrupt halt.

In a flash nature had bypassed calling completely and went straight for yelling at the top of its lungs. Grimacing and crossing her rear legs, the sphinx tried desperately to remember where the bathrooms were. There’d been one somewhere on this floor. She’d passed it when surveying for an ideal hiding spot.

Shuffling this way and that in an awkward, running-but-desperately-trying-not-to-piss-herself stumble – there it was, a shining beacon of relief. Heedless of guards or whatever else, she bolted inside.

A few minutes later, she emerged like a new sphinx. Bright-eyed, poofy-tailed, and ready to take on the world. Well, perhaps not so much taking on the world, but without the crushing weight of desperate need on her shoulders she could get her mind back to the task on hand: Exploration and learning.

She didn’t know why she’d waited so long to do this, it wasn’t so hard. Slip in, find somewhere cozy, explore, then as morning came hide away again and disperse with the crowds. Though she did acknowledge it wouldn’t take very long to see everything there was to see, it was far better than her other options.

Choosing mostly at random, her paws carried her to the nearest set of displays running against the wall. Alone in the dim of the hushed museum, the sphinx felt there was no better way to take in the grandeur of all she saw. Jewelry and tapestries of the nobles, models and diagrams of the ancient wonders, including actual slabs and chunks of sandstorm and granite that’d once been part of something spectacular.

There was even a golden scale in a thick plexiglas case, claiming to have actually been used by Anubis. She was deeply suspicious of that claim, but still, it was fun to imagine the balance in front of her having been used to judge the souls of the dead.

So much to absorb and learn, and this was just the second floor!

And then she saw it, at the forefront of covered stone entryway. A magnificent statue of a sphinx, standing vigilant with spear and shield. Just beyond lay a mockup of what she assumed to be a temple of some sort, but that was as far removed from important as it could possibly be.

Excitedly she ran up to the imposing statue, several times her own height, and just stared for a good long while. Small exhibits nearby contained a smattering of artifacts, art depicting sphinxes shielding cities and pharaohs from harm, and a wealth of information. Information, that, for the most part, she already knew. But it didn’t matter, this was the first time she’d seen a whole statue like this.

She wondered if it was modeled after an actual sphinx. There was little information on the base, save for where it’d been found.

Dropping to her haunches, she sat in awe, letting her mind wander. They were steadfast guardians and stalwart protectors. It was said no town or city that possessed sphinxes at their walls were ever raided and its people were the safest in all the land. While maybe not to the extent of the gods themselves, her ancestors still commanded respect and were even revered.

Then the sparkle in her eyes began to dull. At what point did they stop being what they were? When did they – she – become so…

“Now what is someone like you doing here at this hour?”

Her heart boomed against her chest as instinct and habit took full control. She whirled around, both sizing up whomever had spoken and finding an escape route at the same time. But her mind, primed and ready to handle whatever she could think of, had stumbled out of the gate.

Her eyes had to adjust themselves upward, despite the distance, to meet the guard’s gaze. Huge was the only word that came to mind when confronted with the woman in front of her. Not the tallest she’d ever seen, nor the most muscular, but possibly the most imposing figure she’d ever laid eyes upon. Scolding herself for her hesitation, she took note of a large gap between the guard and the far wall.

Seizing her opportunity, banking on such a large opponent being a victim of their own inertia, the sphinx lunged into frenzied sprint. Two steps, four, six – the woman had only just begun to react and she was nearly past. Relief soared in her heart. Only to come crashing down into despair.

A massive paw slammed heavily against the wall, barring the way and forcing the sphinx to an emergency halt. Her paws struggled to find purchase on the tile flooring, but it was no use. In the same instant it was over as she collided with the guard and tumbled into an awkward heap.

All manner of thoughts raced through her head, hows and whys, but only one mattered. She was caught. Experience taught her that at this point, struggling would only make things far worse.

Hauling the sphinx up by her shirt, Sekhmet met with the little stowaway eye-to-eye. Once her mad dash to safety had been foiled, the young girl drooped in the particular way that those who have accepted their fate do.

“I believe I asked you a question.”

The sphinx’ ears perked up. Normally guards were very much the shouting, angry sort when they discover someone trespassing. Instead, the calm-yet-stern tone from the woman made it seem like she very much expected an answer to what the sphinx had assumed to be a rhetorical question.

“I was looking at the statue?” She said meekly, her mind grinding away to catch up to the present.

“Yes, I gathered as much,” Sekhmet said plainly. “And had you done more than just look we would not be having this conversation.”

The sphinx silently praised herself on following silly little rules for once. Heeding signs that say “Do not touch the displays,” for example.

“But let me ask you again. Why are you here?”

Sekhmet had a good idea in regards to certain aspects. The girl was filthy and her clothing little better than rags. The museum was, in contrast to alleyways or underpasses, a much better option for the night. This wasn’t the first time someone without a home had tried their luck at a free stay, but those sorts tended to regard the many pieces of history here as nothing more than valuable temptations. But ever since she shadowed the girl after she left the bathroom, she found the girl’s interest a most intriguing thing.

With the time needed to process all that’d happened, the sphinx realized there were two answers to this question. One would likely land her a trip to the local precinct, and the other… Well, she wasn’t sure what path that would lead down but it couldn’t be worse than another run in with the law.

“Uh, I like history,” said the sphinx, holding her breath as if waiting to hear if her answer was the correct one.

“Do you now?” Sekhmet said, cocking an eyebrow. “Then why not come during normal hours?”

She exhaled. More questions were usually a good thing. “They wouldn’t exactly let me in when I look like this,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as best as she could manage in the unusual position of being suspended by her shirt.

“So your solution, then, is to sneak in, hide in a box, then come out at night. When you know, given your attempt at flight, that you’d be trespassing.”

“You got a better idea?” The sphinx replied with a snort, and in the same breath her eyes went wide. Instantly the sphinx regretted her or more-or-less automatically generated quip. Snarky remarks were not quite the ideal thing to say to someone to whom you’re relying on their mercy. “I, uh mean, I didn’t know what else to do?” Her extremely forced, broad-toothed smile and awkward laughter did little to assure herself that she wasn’t, in fact, fucked.

Already she began to wonder if the one officer downtown who’d sneak her a snack or two would be working tonight.

Sekhmet’s first reaction to being spoken to so rudely was to smirk. “Several, really. There are a few different ways you could wash up. Even the sea would remove some of that grime. And if you hung around a thrift shop and offered to help unload donations as they came in, I’m sure they would be willing to part with a set of clothes in fair condition.”

The sphinx blinked a few times. Certainly those were options, and she had bathed in a public water way more than once under the cover of darkness. “But what about the entry fee?”

“There isn’t one.”

“Oh.” An awkward silence settled between the two. If only things had happened like they should have, the sphinx would’ve known what to say and do. Quietly accept things, only to turn on the waterworks and plead for mercy. There would have been long sighs and finger wagging before they let the poor little orphan slip through the cracks and out the door.

Her shirt was also starting to chafe and dig into her skin. “So what are you going to do with me?” She finally asked, the fear of the unfamiliar tinting her voice.

“A good question, and as of yet, undecided. But for now,” she said, lowering the sphinx to the ground, “I grow weary of holding you. I don’t believe there will be any issues?”

The sphinx nodded, and then found herself on solid ground once again. Sekhmet tilted her head slightly as she studied the youth. Rubbing at where the straps had left marks and having to look up to meet the guard’s gaze, she realized that the woman was missing a critical piece of what made a guard a guard: Instead of a uniform and badge, she wore a simple blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and black slacks.

“What’s your name?” Sekhmet asked.

“Sophia,” came the young sphinx’ reply. She looked down briefly, then met Sekhmet’s gaze. “What’s yours?”

“Jasmin,” replied Sekhmet. That was the name to which the museum and all its contents belonged to, and the name most people knew – save a few. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Sophia,” she said, extending her paw.

“Pleased to meet you,” Sophia mumbled, as if she couldn’t believe what was going on. Someone with such big meaty paws should’ve been threatening her and shouting with a big, angry voice. Not… whatever was going on.

“Well then Sophia,” Sekhmet began, clasping her paws at the small of her back. “What do you think I should do with you?”

When presented with such an offer, Sophia’s mind snapped off an immediate response. “Let me go?” she asked with a hopeful smile and tone.

Just as fast came the hard question. “Why?”

“It’d be kind of a waste of time to not let me go,” Sophia replied, then added “Don’t you think?”

Indeed, attempting to apply the law to… transients was often a futile effort. “Perhaps, but allowing you free would set a precedent, you understand.”

“But if I never told anyone else, they wouldn’t know you let me free, so there’s no problem!” Sophia clapped her hands together in enthusiasm, feeling herself on the cusp of freedom.

But Jasmin shook her head. “I meant for you,” she said, pointing towards the sphinx. “It wouldn’t do if you thought you could go where you pleased in the hopes of negotiating your way out, would it?”

Sophia’s stomach knotted and her heart sank. For a brief moment, anyways. It was one thing to be forcefully carted off, yet very much another to be told it was, essentially, for her own good. What good?! She forced a harsh laugh before sighing deeply. “Because that’s worked real great so far, right?”

To the sphinx’ surprise, Jasmin simply hummed in thought and then began to walk away from her at an easy, almost leisurely, pace. After a few steps she paused, motioning for Sophia to follow. With everything else that’d been going on and with nothing to lose, she went along with the lioness.

“Interestingly,” Sekhmet began, turning her gaze towards various displays as she went. “I find your current position remarkably similar to those of the homeless peasants in ancient Egypt.”

“That’s great,” Sophia remarked dryly. “I’ve got more in common with my ancestors than I thought.”

Turning to look over her shoulder, Sekhmet shot Sophia a side-long glance. “Though I don’t think you understand how, exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I hand you over to the police they will likely turn you loose by morning. Fining you would be an exercise in futility and I do not believe simple trespassing carries a jail sentence. Thus, despite the fact that you have broken a law, you face no substantial punishment for it.”

“Yeah, so?” Sophia scowled.

Sekhmet paused in front of case filled with a variety of texts and a golden insignia. The sphinx puzzled over what it all was, until she noticed a small sign that indicated these items both codified certain laws and the golden disc was stamped with a depiction of Ma’at.

She glanced at Jasmin, who took it as a sign to continue. “Long ago, small crimes were dealt with swiftly and, by modern standards, harshly. Losing a hand was the common punishment for theft – even of something like a loaf of bread. Trespassing or breaking and entering were grounds for jailing, even death in certain circumstances.”

There was a slight sinister edge to the woman’s voice, or so Sophia imagined. Not that she valued her position more after learning those little tidbits, but at least she didn’t have to worry about death or losing limbs – from the state, anyways. “So how exactly am I similar?”

“Most of them willingly became slaves,” Sekhmet said in the particular detached yet interested way people did when speaking of history while mostly ignoring Sophia’s question.

Yet, the way she turned to glance down at Sophia sent a shiver through her spine.  Her mind was quick to paint a most terrifying image of being trapped here in some cell or room from which there was no escape, forced to do Jasmin’s bidding. The small, knowing smile on Jasmin’s face did little to dispel that notion.

“W-why would anyone willingly become a slave?” She asked nervously, even forcing a little awkward laugh out.

Sekhmet enjoyed Sophia’s reaction far too much, but she managed to hold a straight face. “You see, slavery back then was a little different than we think of it now. Rather than a wage, they were more like people working to have a place to live and food to eat. It still was still a hard life, but it gave them certain rights and, well, they weren’t homeless.”

“Oh, I see,” Sophia said, still wary of being enslaved herself, then realization hit her. “But still, why would anyone choose that kind of life?”

“Because getting caught stealing food was not a mere inconvenience, and without any sort of protection you were at significant risk of being abducted and sold to places and people that did not grant slaves even basic rights,” Sekhmet said, ending on an unusually stern note. “To hang your head and submit was far better than risking being shipped off to a faraway land. Or worse.”

 “Could they buy their freedom back?”

“Depended on the family or person you sold yourself to,” Sekhmet said, crossing her arms across her chest. “Some would let you use any wages you earned to buy yourself back, others would not. Once you were a slave, that was that. Oh, and any children you had became slaves as well.”

“That’s…” Sophia trailed off, lost in thought. “That’s horrible. I can’t imagine ever doing anything like that.”

In response to her statement, Sekhmet grinned. “So you value freedom over life?”

“I…” Sophia rubbed at her arm. The nature and purpose of the conversation were beginning to put her ill at ease, and now the tip of the lioness’ tail was swishing. “Probably?” she finally said.

“Such strong convictions,” Sekhmet teased with a glint to her eye. “So, with that history lesson concluded, I have a question for you. Tell me, how would you like to work for me?”

She knew it! Her gut flopped and Sophia backed off, shrinking away from Jasmin. “I’m not gonna be a slave!”

“Of course not,” Sekhmet said with a chuckle, waving a paw in the air as if to dismiss the very notion. “I am merely giving you an opportunity. Whether you take it is up to you.”

Good things didn’t just fall into peoples’ laps. Her offer was too good to be true. It had to be. “Why?” She asked – no, demanded.

“Because I can,” Sekhmet answered plainly, as if she needed any other reason.

There was a reason behind this, but Sophia couldn’t put it together. Her mind raced through questions before coming to a stop on one. “Who are you, anyways?”

“Did I forget to mention that?” Sekhmet said in mock innocence. “Why, I am the owner of this museum.”

The gears in Sophia’s mind ground away, trying to make sense of Jasmin’s offer. There was too much that just didn’t add up, though if she’s the owner there was the possibility that she was just some eccentric rich type. But, as she searched Jasmin’s face, she thought the lioness was still rather young to be prone to such behavior. Sophia admitted to herself she had limited experience with the rich, but she’d dealt with the crazy for the better part of two years.

“I don’t get it,” Sophia began, shaking her head. “Can’t you just… hire people that aren’t dirty and homeless?”

Sekhmet shifted her weight to a leg, her tail in full swing. “I could, sure, but what fun would that be?”

Sophia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Fun? Really? Was this all just a game to her? She wanted to be angry, to laugh at the very idea! And yet, deep inside, she couldn’t totally reject the proposal. As Jasmin had said, it was an opportunity. Her eyes locked onto Jasmin’s.

“What would you make me do, anyways?”

“This and that,” Sekhmet said. “For the most part, you would serve as my aide.”

She wasn’t quite sure what aides did. Schedule calls and something with papers were the extent of Sophia’s knowledge on the subject. Probably mostly to do with the museum. She licked her lips. “And I could quit whenever I wanted?”

“Certainly,” Sekhmet said with a nod.

Sophia had begun to pace about in a small circle, wringing her hands and muttering to herself. While patient, Sekhmet did not wish to stand around forever. “You don’t have to decide now, but if you do not I’m afraid I will have to ask you to leave.”

The sphinx made a difficult face, then sucked in a deep breath. “Fine, I’ll do it!”

“Excellent,” Sekhmet said approvingly. “You’ve made the wise choice.”

Victory was hers. Inwardly, Sekhmet was thrilled – she was more than pleased with how things had turned out. For the most part she hadn’t left any major details out, except for the one. Perhaps her whim would turn into the piece they needed. There were some tricky matters to contend with, but those could be sorted later.

“So, what now?” Sophia asked rather timidly.

“First,” Sekhmet began, glancing at the time on her phone. “Or rather, last,” she corrected with an arch of her brow, “I believe it’s time to retire.”

“Retire?” Sophia asked.

“Bed,” Sekhmet clarified. “Late ended some time ago and now it’s rather early.”

“Oh,” Sophia mumbled, looking downcast.

The sphinx’ reaction puzzled Sekhmet. She expected her to be excited or perhaps anxious. Disheartened was something unexpected. “Is something the matter?”

“I, ah,” Sophia said, tapping the ends of her fingers together. “Would it be too much to ask if I can look around some more?”

Well, that was one of the reasons why Sekhmet had taken an interest in the youth. However, now that Sophia had agreed, Sekhmet was faced with a decision on how to handle her: Indulgence or discipline?

“Very well, but only for an hour,” Sekhmet said in that particular way a mother would to her child. Granting her a few favors early on could make Sophia more agreeable, but it also might spoil her, though given her situation she didn’t think that too likely.

Sure enough, Sophia brightened so much she practically sparkled.

“Is there anything in particular you’d like to see?” Sekhmet asked.

“Can we go back to the Sphinx statue?” Sophia asked in a sort of restrained excitement.

Little surprise there, Sekhmet mused to herself. “All right. Right back this way, then…”

Sophia listened intently as Jasmin explained details that went far beyond what could be found in the informationals as well as her own knowledge. She knew about the guardian aspects and the riddles, but she was surprised to learn that no sphinx actually ever ate someone for failing at said riddles.

“That never really happened. I mean, humans don’t even taste good,” Sekhmet said, making a face to emphasize her distaste of that particular foodstuff.

Sophia froze into place. “W-what?”

“Neither does lion, now that I think about it,” she added as she tapped her chin with a finger, letting her eyes wander to the shocked sphinx. “Just what I’ve read,” she added with a sly smile.

“R-right,” Sophia laughed nervously. Jasmin was just joking, no one was actually a cannibal. Right? She was rich…

Sekhmet continued, ignoring the wary eyes that were leveled on her as if trying to peel back the truth. “It didn’t take long for the man-eater label to stick, and while the majority of Sphinx took great insult to it at first, they eventually realized it made people far more leery of them. It’s easier to be a guard when people believe they’ll be eaten rather than simply chased off.”

Sophia had to admit, being eaten alive was probably one of the more gruesome, painful ways. She still couldn’t figure out if Jasmin was joking. For her own good, she forced herself to believe that yes, she was just being teased. Such a great joke!

“I believe that about covers the overview of your ancestors,” Sekhmet concluded. “We still have some time, if you’d like to see anything else.”

Grounding herself and pushing aside thoughts of being chomped and gobbled, Sophia made herself think of what she wanted to see. “Everything” was the first word that bubbled up, but that wasn’t quite plausible at the moment. Really, she was interested in everything that could be found here. Her eyes wandered past Jasmin towards the faux-temple that the Sphinx guarded. “What’s in there?”

“There?” Sekhmet repeated, looking behind her. “That’s our Temple of Osiris exhibit,” she said proudly. “It’s one of the newest we have.”

“Neat! I wanna look around it,” Sophia said, then added in a more reserved tone, “if you don’t mind.”

“It would be my pleasure…”

Inside the mock-up, Sekhmet was impressed how Sophia clung to every word she had to say. Whenever she’d decided to give a tour or two herself, she was always disappointed to see how many people got hazy-eyed whenever she spent more than a few minutes on any one topic.

“Do you know the story of how Osiris came to be lord of the underworld?” Sekhmet asked, standing beside a carved relief of the god in question that was slightly taller than she was.

Sophia shook her head. “No; I thought he was the god that made the Nile flood?”

Clasping her paws at the small of her back, Sekhmet nodded and proceeded to a replica mural that depicted the story. “Indeed he was. From his first days upon the Earth he could control the inundation and ensure good harvests. That didn’t last, however.”

As ever, Sophia was quick to ask the obvious question: “What happened?”

“Well, Osiris had two sisters - Isis and,” Sekhmet paused, “Set. Do you know who they are?”

“Uh, kind of,” Sophia replied after thinking a moment. “Isis was the mother of Horus and Set was some kind of evil war goddess, right?”

“Mostly correct. Originally Isis and Set were both goddesses of home and family and friend to all – even slaves,” Sekhmet said with a slight smile, letting her last few words sink in.

Sophia shared Sekhmet’s little smile. “So even a slave could pray to them for help?”

“That they could. If you were in Lower Egypt you might pray to Isis. Upper Egyptians, specifically from the western regions, would pray to Set.”

“So what happened that Set and Osiris became different gods?”

“Well, to start with the three of them were lovers.”

Sophia had the usual reaction most people did when told the gods were incestuous, though not quite to the degree of some. If anything, she seemed more curious. True, nothing made for juicier drama than love triangles. Even more so when it was between deities.

“Were they always… like that?” Sophia asked, edging slightly closer to Jasmin.

“As far as we know,” came Sekhmet’s response. “For a long while the three of them got along well, despite things being how they were. But, the longer Set spent away from Osiris and Isis, the closer those two grew until eventually they married and had Horus.”

“Set got jealous, didn’t she?” Sophia said flatly.

“Exceedingly,” Sekhmet answered. “Though there’s a gap in records, at some point Set left her lands and traveled to Lower Egypt. Once there, Set managed to seduce Osiris away from Isis over a period. As you can imagine, Isis did not take kindly to Set’s attempt to drive a wedge between her and Osiris. Their feud spread across several cities and was terribly destructive. And while Set initially had the upper hand, Isis came out the victor. But, Set wasn’t about to go quietly.”

Inching forward, Sophia’s eyes were wide with anticipation. “What, what’d she do?” By now Sophia’s interest in the matter was less historical and more along the lines of waiting for the thrilling conclusion to a soap opera.

Most people did find the tragedy fascinating, but to Sekhmet, it was a tragedy for very different reasons. There was what history remembered – what the victors had cast as fact – and what Sekhmet knew.

Moving further down the mural, Sekhmet motioned towards a relief of Set holding a blade above her brother. “Set did not simply drive a sword through his heart or cut off his head. No, she was much more thorough. She butchered him into dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces and threw them all into the Nile.” For a brief moment, Sophia could’ve swore she saw a look of admiration on Jasmin’s face.

It was a gory affair, but it was the only proper way for a story like that to end. “What next?” Sophia asked excitedly. She knew it wasn’t over; Set and Isis were still at large.

Moving towards the last two panels, one of a woman raining water upon a pile of body parts and the next showing Osiris whole again, Sekhmet continued. “Ultimately, it wasn’t enough; Isis was a very skilled healer. It took a lot of time and searching on her part to recover all the pieces, but she made him whole again. Mostly.”

Now was the second big reveal that always got people. “Mostly?” Sophia asked, as they always did.

“Mostly, except for his penis. Supposedly a catfish ate it before she could find it,” Sekhmet said with a bit of sigh, like someone who’d misplaced her keys.

There was a sympathetic cringe from the sphinx.

But there was more. “The story goes that she made him one out of gold….”

Sekhmet paused. Sophia seized the chance. “…Do you have it?”

“Sadly, I do not. Wherever he went, he took it with him,” Sekhmet said with a note of sadness – she wasn’t the only one disappointed, however. “Anyways, while Isis returned Osiris to the land of the living, he was unable to resume the role of life-bringer. So, as a solution he was given dominion over the underworld. So, that’s how Osiris went from Lord of the Nile to Lord of the Dead.”

Sophia had heard bits and pieces of the story, mostly from her parents, but this was the first time she’d gotten the whole. It was absolutely fascinating that the gods and goddesses weren’t perfect beings that lived above the people that prayed to them. In a morbid sort of way, she loved that even gods were victims of lovers’ spats that resulted in certain appendages being eaten by catfish. But, she realized, there was one glaring hole at the end.

“If Isis won, what happened to Set?”

Sekhmet sighed. She would ask that. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Sekhmet could vividly recall everything from her hiding places amongst the shadows. “Set and Horus fought, but Set fell to Horus. However, instead of killing Set, he and a group of others elected to do something far worse.”

“What’d they do,” Sophia asked uneasily.

“Set, like most gods, was very prideful,” Sekhmet began quietly. “So, instead of killing her, they humiliated her. They stripped her naked and paraded her through the streets of the capital for all to see, with Horus whipping her the entire time.” And far, far worse. A child didn’t need to hear those things, and besides, most of it was never recorded. “Once they were done, they exiled her from Egypt, to let her live with her shame.”

On one hand, Set had murdered her brother, but on the other, Sophia didn’t think anyone deserved that kind of punishment. It’d have been better to just kill her. Then again, she did chop her brother up like stew meat. Either way, she couldn’t imagine what an ordeal like that would’ve done to Set.

Before she could ask what happened next, a ringing came from Jasmin’s pocket. She fished around her pocket and brought out her phone, then tapped on the screen to disable the alarm. “Well, looks like time’s up. Ready to head home?

Sophia wanted to keep going, but elected to keep her peace. After all, she had agreed to become Jasmin’s not-slave or whatever she was now. Just letting her have an hour was rather unexpected. “Where do you live, anyways?”

Sekhmet grinned. “As it so happens, I live here. Top floor.”

“What, really?”

“Yes, really. It’s a penthouse of sorts.”

Without further question or objection, Sekhmet lead the way up the floors until they reached an elevator that was locked.  Sekhmet produced the matching key and the pair entered.

Sophia’s mind raced with possibility. What sort of lavish décor would she find? What luxuries awaited her? Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad gig after all. Provided she wasn’t forced to sleep on the floor like a dog or something. Wordlessly she shot Jasmin an anxious glance, to which she got a confused look in response. “Something wrong?”

“Er, I was just thinking about what your home looks like,” Sophia said, mostly honest.

“Expecting the lap of luxury? I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you,” Sekhmet said in a way that made Sophia even more nervous.

But, just as Sekhmet finished speaking the doors opened with a chime. Sophia was expecting another short walk, instead the doors opened straight into what she realized was her new home.

Sure enough, it wasn’t quite the sort of place she’d expect from someone who was wealthy enough to own such a massive museum. It was nice, nicer than anything she’d ever lived in, but it was… functional. White walls down the main hallway with a few pieces of art, a basic tile floor that lead into cushy carpet. There was a surprise when Sophia was about to walk onto the carpet and Jasmin told her to hold still.

“Paws,” she said, to Sophia’s confusion. From a small bin Sekhmet pulled a damp rag and wiped her feet, then held it out to the sphinx. In kind she wiped her feet, the entire time wondering what for, then followed Jasmin.

“Hungry?” Sekhmet asked.

“I could eat,” Sophia replied. In truth this was going on day two with no food. Three if one didn’t count the soup so thin it may have been dirty water.

Sekhmet hummed, then took a turn into an impressive kitchen. Yet, even to Sophia, it looked mostly unused.

“Here,” Sekhmet said, pulling a large cardboard box out of the refrigerator.

When she opened the box on the counter to reveal half of a left-over pizza, she may as well have been showing off a briefcase stuffed with money based on the sphinx’ reaction. Of course, learned habits meant that Sophia stared wordlessly at her.

“I figure you haven’t had a proper meal in a while. Pizza probably isn’t it, but I tend to order out…” Then she remembered a plate. She plucked one from the cabinet, but when she turned around it became apparent it wouldn’t be required. The sphinx had stuffed her face to the point of resembling a greedy chipmunk while wielding a slice in each hand.  There was an attempt at speech, or so Sekhmet assumed, which she took for approval that carry out was sufficient.

Once Sophia had finished the leftovers, complete with licking every crumb and smear of grease from her hands, Sekhmet ushered her towards the bathroom.

Sekhmet had expected a degree of resistance or aversion from Sophia. Children, in her experience, were often not fond of bath time. Sure they’d love to splash about in muddy puddles and create all manner of horrifying disasters involving liquids, but when it came time to add some soap they’d hardly be so eager.

Thus Sekhmet found it rather surprising when Sophia’s eyes sparkled. “Really? I haven’t had a bath in forever,” she commented, holding her arms and herself in that particular way people do when covered in nastiness.

“I can imagine,” Sekhmet said, glancing at the dirt covering the girl. “Right this way, then…”

“Wow, this is a huge bathroom!” Sophia looked around in awe before fixating intently on the sizeable tub situated against the wall. “Is that a hot tub, with the jets and stuff?”

“A Jacuzzi, you mean? Yes, it is,” Sekhmet said as she padded over and opened the taps to begin filling the tub. Then, to quell the oncoming question from her little follower, “And no, we’re going to get you cleaned up and then it’s time for bed.”

The prospect of a hot bath was more than enough to counter any disappointment from not being able to enjoy the Jacuzzi. Sophia was more than happy to just dip her fingers into the hot water, waiting for it to fill completely. Already she felt like she could melt away to nothing. How long had it been since she had such niceties? Months, at least. Even better, she didn’t have to pay for it this time.

There was just one small detail remaining. Sekhmet couldn’t very well let her keep those rags parading about as clothes, let alone put them back on once Sophia was nice and clean. The problem was she didn’t exactly have something that’d fit Sophia’s size and shape. She’d have to make do with an over-sized shirt and some shorts with a draw-string borrowed from her roommate, who was thankfully gone and would be yet for another few days.

“Strip out of those and I’ll… discard them,” Sekhmet said as if she was handling trash.

“Eh? But what will I wear?”

“I’ve got something in mind, don’t worry. I’ll step out in a moment, but you can find the shampoo, towels, and whatever else you need here,” she said, sliding open a door built into the wall just above the tub.

 “One more thing,” Sekhmet said, shifting between the tub and dirty sphinx. “It’d probably be best if you at least rinsed off in the shower first.”

If she got in there as-is, there was going to be such a ring.

“Oh, okay,” Sophia responded, following her gaze towards the stall.

“Very well. If you need anything let me know.”

“Thanks,” came her cheerful response. Then, before Sekhmet even had the chance to turn around, Sophia began to strip.

Several questions raised in Sekhmet’s mind, but she gave voice to none of them. She was more concerned about the marks and faint bruising on the girl’s body, but even that didn’t hold her notice for more than a moment. Previously hidden under her clothing, a small bronze medallion fell free as she hoisted her shirt up and off.

Suddenly aware of eyes upon her as she tossed her top to the ground, Sophia regained a small amount of modesty as she brought an arm up to cover herself. “W-what is it?”

“That medallion,” Sekhmet said, going straight to the point, her eyes practically boring holes through the girl’s chest, “Might I ask where you got it?”

Waiting a short time, as if trying to determine if it was an excuse to stare at her, Sophia finally dropped her guard and held the medallion up. “This? It was a gift from my parents,” she said quietly.

Sekhmet said nothing, but narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her chin. The small, circular disk bulged in the center and was adorned with fine etchings along the outside radius. Most peculiar, however, was the center glyph – something that was like the Eye of Ra, but not quite. There were two lines above the eye in place of one, and a small triangle situated below that could be likened to a tear drop.

“Why? What is it?” Sophia asked in an equal measure of worry and interest.

“Something potentially very… interesting,” Sekhmet said, choosing her words carefully.  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you about it some more tomorrow.”

Sophia grasped the thing with both hands, studying its surface. A smile crept across her face. For once, she had something that someone took interest in that wasn’t herself. “Sure, I can tell you alllll about it!”

“Good. Take your time,” Sekhmet said as she made for the door, but then paused to add: “But not too long.”

Closing the door behind her, she made for the study where her newest acquisitions rested. She was sure of it, so very sure. Indeed, the marks were the same. Amongst the symbols and hieroglyphs carved into the cylinders was an Eye-of-Ra-but-not-quite that matched the one on the sphinx’ necklace.

Carefully placing the cylinder back onto its pedestal, Sekhmet leaned against a nearby table. Fate wasn’t something she put much stock in, but sometimes – sometimes coincidences were simply too coincidental. If that medallion was anything like the cylinders, the bulge in the center was likely hollow. But what might be inside? Her fingers drummed against the surface of the table.  Even if the medallion itself turned out to be of little worth, the location from where it was obtained could be invaluable.

As much as she wanted to grill Sophia over it now, she wasn’t likely to get much information. She’d be too guarded or suspicious – she’d likely realize an unusual coincidence herself. In fact, Sekhmet lamented, she shouldn’t have made her interest so obvious in the first place. For the time being, she pushed aside thoughts of the medallion and resumed her mission to find something for Sophia to wear.

While there was a standing agreement between the two not to go into one another’s rooms, this was a special occasion. She was also pretty sure Sophia would find the massive bed that dominated the space a treat to sleep on. Sifting through the pile of clothes she believed to be clean, mostly because they weren’t wrinkled balls like those found in the other pile, Sekhmet extracted a few articles she found suitable and hastily folded them into something presentable.

Sekhmet poked her head inside the bathroom, entering when she discovered the sphinx all but melted into the tub with her eyes closed. Clearing her throat loudly as she left the clothes on the vanity, she caught the sphinx’ eye. “Try not to take too much longer,” she said sternly and left.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the newest resident appeared in the hallway, clean, slightly damp, and looking so very content.

“Enjoy yourself?” Sekhmet asked with the barest hints of a smile.

“Yeah,” Sophia said, somewhat embarrassedly. “Sorry for taking so long.”

“I can overlook this little transgression,” Sekhmet said, sporting the same smile which then morphed into yawn, which then infected Sophia. “Your room, for now, is this way.”

A quick zig-zag down and across the hall and Sophia followed Sekhmet inside the room.

“Wow! That’s a bed? For one person?”

“It is. She tends to flop around a lot in her sleep,” Sekhmet said, crossing her arms across her chest. More than once she’d come to wake her roommate up, only to discover a massive blanket roll where a person ought to be, albeit with two bushy tails and paws sticking out of one end.

“Nice!” Sophia gushed, bursting with enthusiasm. She broke into a run and hurled herself onto the bed, rolling a few times as she sank into the softness and buried herself into a heap of pillows. “This is awesome!”

“Try not to play for too long,” Sekhmet said with an exhale through her nose. “If you need anything like water or something to eat, don’t be afraid to help yourself.”

Sophia noted that she’d been told to help herself, rather than ask for help. Perhaps it was Jasmin’s way of telling her that this was her home now, rather than her being a simple guest.

“All right,” Sophia answered with a gleam in her eyes that was rapidly dulling as time spent amongst such fluff and warmth was dragging her to the depths of sleep in a hurry.

Without anything else to say, Sekhmet began to leave. However, halfway through closing the door, she paused. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” came an immediate response, moments before the light in the room flicked off.

Deep within the confines of blanket and pillow, Sophia found herself hanging just on the edge of sleep. Everything was quiet, silent, and still. And that, she realized, was the problem. Without all the sounds of the city around her, it was difficult to shake a sense of unease, of being somewhere she didn’t belong. Truly, she could scarcely believe everything that’d happened to her in one day. She didn’t know how to answer the question of her freedom, but right now, she didn’t care. Bit by bit, she began to understand something.

Lost in thought and wonder, she didn’t notice herself drift off to sleep. Which is why she failed to notice it until it was far too late. Nestled deep within the blankets, she woke to the unmistakable sensation of something on the bed that wasn’t her. Something big.

“J-jasmin?” She squeaked, looking down across the bed towards the door.

“Jasmin? Now who might that be?” Came a deep, yet feminine voice. From right beside her.

She’d shaken the sleep from her eyes too late; there was no escape now. Through the dark she could make her out, laying on her side. Piercing vermillion eyes and the hungry visage of a predator that’d just cornered its prey.

Sophia tried to scream for help, but a massive paw silenced her.

“Tsk, can’t have that now,” the woman said, clucking her unnaturally long tongue and making a pitying face before it broke into a twisted grin. “That’d end our fun far too soon.”

As the woman laughed, “Gakakaka!” all Sophia could do was brace herself for the coming darkness and pray.