Collector of Sand and Tears Read online

  Collector Of Sand And Tears

  Forgotten Gods: Origins #2

  Laura Greenwood

  Contents

  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

  Author Note

  Read more from the Forgotten Gods series…

  Senet

  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; [email protected].

  Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:

  www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

  Cover by LSK Designs

  Collector Of Sand And Tears 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.

  If you find an error, you can report it via my website: https://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/report-error.html

  To keep up to date with new releases, sales, and other updates, you can join my mailing list via my website or The Paranormal Council Reader Group on Facebook.

  Blurb

  Despite her self-imposed exile, the gods want the Eye of Ra back.

  * * *

  But Nehmetawy doesn't want to be used as a weapon anymore and wants to stay free. When Thoth turns up to try and charm her into returning, she's determined to resist his advances.

  * * *

  Soon their conversations lead to more, and neither of them are able to ignore the connection between them.

  -

  Collector of Sand and Tears is a Forgotten Gods: Origins story which features Nehmetawy and Thoth. It is based on the Ancient Egyptian myth of The Distant Goddess and mythology surrounding the Eye of Ra.

  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 (as demonstrated in The Queen Of Gods Trilogy by Hathor's multitude of aspects). 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 or in the Ani’s Archives Facebook Reader Group.

  Prologue

  I didn't have a name. And no one was going to give me one. I was a tool to be used, not someone who deserved to have their own identity.

  But there was nothing I could do about it. I was bonded to Ra in a way no one else was. As far as I knew, he wasn't even aware that I had thoughts of my own. It probably wasn't his fault. I didn’t have a conventional form, mostly because I didn't dare to take one, I had no idea what would happen if I did.

  So I just kept on existing. Doing what Ra said whenever he wanted to smite some humans who didn't do as he commanded. It wasn't something I ever enjoyed, and if I could get away with not doing it, then I would.

  But crossing Ra was a bad idea. Nut and Geb had done it not long ago, and ended up cursed for their troubles. There were rumours he planned to do the same with Sekhmet too, who he liked to use in a similar way to me.

  Everyone was at his mercy, and he loved the power trip. One day, I was certain he'd lose his title as the first and foremost god. Already I heard mutterings about people shifting their allegiance to Amun and Osiris. If we weren't careful, we were going to end up at war with one another. I wouldn't like to take a bet on who would win. Ra, if he used me. But if I refused and sided with one of his enemies, I could change the tide of everything.

  The echo of a smile travelled through me at the thought of how much power that meant I had. Though not a real smile. That would include having a corporeal form when Ra wasn't commanding me to be one.

  The door creaked open, drawing my attention away from my thoughts.

  It was time to do Ra's bidding.

  "There you are," he said curtly, as if he hadn't expected me to be where he'd left me.

  Ra's imposing form filled the cold stone room I called home. It was something to do with the way he held himself, his back ramrod straight and his gaze piercing as if he knew everyone's secrets.

  He didn't know mine. I'd never let him see what I could feel.

  "I have a task for you."

  Obviously. He wouldn't be gracing me with his presence if he didn't want something. It never crossed his mind that I might desire some company once in a while.

  "You're to go South to Napata and smite those who refuse to do my bidding." He turned around and walked away, not waiting for me to confirm his instructions in any way.

  I supposed I'd never given him a reason to doubt I'd fulfil them.

  I summoned my magic and prepared myself for the journey to Napata. As the city furthest to the south, it would take a while for me to get there, even with the magic I had flowing through me.

  I left the room and flung myself into the sky, taking on the form of a crane as I did. No one would think twice if they looked up and saw me. They wouldn't shout and exclaim that one of the gods was blessing them with their presence. I doubted any of the humans knew I existed beyond that I was the Eye of Ra. The tool he used to scare them even if he wasn't around.

  I pushed the bitter thoughts to the side and focused my attention on enjoying the sense of freedom. While I wasn't going to enjoy smiting anyone, I loved travelling. It gave me a chance to take in the lush green banks of the Nile, and the stark contrast where it met the desert sands. Without the river, the country would be nothing. Thankfully, Taweret and Sobek did their part to make sure the annual flood came and went at the right time, making the land fertile and the people prosperous.

  And in Napata, I was going to destroy that.

  What if I didn't this time?

  I could keep on going. It would be a while before Ra realised I wasn't coming back, and what was he going to do if I didn't? He might send a search party after me, but I was powerful enough to be certain I could hide myself away. No one would have the ability to force me either.

  I could be free. I wasn't sure what I'd do with that freedom, but so long as it was something that wasn't destroying lives and being forced to collect the tears of Ra's enemies, it would be good for me.

  Napata rose in front of me before I was ready for it to. The idea of heading down onto the city and taking on a more menacing form filled me with dread. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I never had on my own terms, and I was tired of doing someone else's bidding. I deserved to be my own person as much as everyone else did.

  Without even realising what I was doing, I sped past Napata, not losing any height. For a moment, I faltered. I had no idea if there would be any consequences to me ignoring my instructions. Magic could be a fickle thing, for all I knew, I might drop out of the sky now I'd decided not to do as Ra commanded.

  But I didn't. I kept on flying past the boundaries of Egypt and beyond. The desert sands called to me. No one would think to look for me there. Who would want to live in a place without water or greenery?

  It was a good trade if I got to be free for the first time in my life.

  Chapter One

  Gods have come and gone. Each of them was sent by Ra for the express purpose of persuading me to return to Karnak and his control.

  Most of the time, I'd managed to avoid them completely, but in some cases, they'd found me and tried to command me to return.

  That had gotten them an earful. I wasn't going to be beholden to anyone ever again, especially not Ra.

  I transformed myself into a graceful lioness. If I felt like grandstanding, I'd say it was because I was ferocious and untameable, but in reality, it was mostly because no one around here would dare approach a lion on their own. A group of people big enough to take on a lion would be easy for me to hear coming and get away from.

  Which made it the perfect disguise to be roaming around in.

  The sun beat down on my golden coat, warming me through. I'd need to find shelter before the hottest part of the day, even magic couldn't save me from the burning heat. Well, it probably could. But I wasn't about to risk it. If I got sick or otherwise damaged myself beyond repair, then I was going to have to go back to Karnak with my tail between my legs whether I wanted to or not.

  I wasn't about to let that happen.

  The desert heat began to get to me. I slunk off back to the cave I'd made into my home. Not that there was a lot there. But it was mine and no one else knew about it. Just the way
I liked it.

  The scuffing of leather against stone reached my ears as I approached my cave. I froze, the fur all over my body standing on end. I wasn't sure whether that was a magical reaction, or one that mirrored the way a lion would respond to someone being in their territory. It probably didn't matter. Whatever the reason, I could sense there was someone in my space who shouldn't be there.

  I let out a loud growl. It would scare away whatever approaching human was brave enough to try and disturb me.

  The footsteps continued.

  Great. I was going to have to try even harder.

  I increased my size to make myself even more imposing.

  A man strode into view without a care in the world. He didn't act as if he was coming into a lion's den, even though I was reasonably sure he could see me.

  "Hello," he said.

  I glare at him, recognising the handsome features as those belonging to the god of wisdom.

  I shouldn't be surprised Ra had started to send the more important and powerful gods to come collect me. What I was surprised about was that someone like Thoth would come.

  "You weren't very easy to find," he said as he sat down on a boulder.

  The remains of my fire sat between us. I should have thought about hiding that better. Nothing said not a real lion like having made a fire when I had no hands. I supposed it was too late to worry about that now. The damage was already done.

  I cocked my head to the side. Did he think I wanted to be found? The whole point of coming this far away from home and hanging out in the desert with no one around was so that people wouldn't disturb me.

  Thoth chuckled and opened his pack, pulling out a jar. From the smell, it held wine. What I wouldn't give to drink some of it. "Yes, I get it, I know that's the point."

  Oops. I hadn't meant to project my thoughts. Too much time alone had made me lapse at not doing that.

  "I've been instructed to bring you back to Karnak."

  I'm not going. This time, I did mean to let him sense my thoughts. As far as I was aware, they didn't come across as words, just as the vague impression of the thoughts.

  "I thought you might say that."

  Then you can pack up and go tell Ra as much.

  He raised an eyebrow. "You don't know me."

  Correct. What's your point?

  "That I'm not going to give up so easily."

  A wave of amusement passed through me. So you've seen what Ra does to the people who fail.

  "I have," he admitted. "But how do you know, you haven't been back to Karnak in months?"

  Call it an educated guess, you aren't the only smart person in this cave.

  "I didn't think I was. You were clever enough to get around the containment spell Ra placed on you."

  There was no need, he sent me on an assignment.

  Thoth raised an eyebrow. "And you really think that was enough to break free of him? You have more power than you know."

  Hmm. Maybe he had a point. I'd thought about flying away before, but I'd never managed to go through with it. Perhaps there was something in what he was saying, though I honestly had no idea what.

  He got to his feet and dusted himself down. "Anyway, I'm going to find myself a place to stay. I don't want to seem like a rude guest, but your cave is lacking some of the comforts I've become used to."

  Sorry it couldn't be more accommodating.

  "Are you?"

  Not in the slightest. I don't want to encourage unwelcome visitors to overstay.

  He dipped his head in response. "Message received. I'll leave you to the rest of your day."

  His return the next day was promised in the words he didn't say. I chose not to comment on it. He'd do whatever it was he'd come here to do, I'd refuse to go with him, and then he'd return to Karnak and leave me to my peaceful life in Punt.

  After he'd gone, I was sure he'd be replaced by a new messenger. And when he was, I'd deal with that poor god or goddess. I knew it wasn't really their fault. They were as stuck in Ra's thrall as I had been, and I couldn't blame anyone for that when it had taken me so long to break free.

  Chapter Two

  I clambered over the rocks and to the ridge I liked to sit on while I watched the world pass me by. It was early in the day still, and the rocks were pleasantly warm from the heat of the sun.

  I laid down and put my head on my paws, letting my eyes fall closed as I basked.

  There was no doubt in my mind that Thoth would be back today, and I wanted to make the most of the time I had without him bothering me.

  The crunch of stones alerted me to his arrival. It had taken him less time than I'd expected for him to find me. Maybe I should have hidden myself better, but if I was honest, I wanted this over sooner rather than later. Most of the gods Ra sent barely lasted a couple of days before they gave up. There was no reason for me to suppose he was going to be any different. At some point, Ra was going to have to get bored of sending people after me. While they were here, they weren't doing whatever it is they were supposed to back at Karnak. I couldn’t imagine him being particularly happy with that. I wasn't worth enough to want back forever.

  "Good morning." He sat down beside me and leaned back against the rock.

  I opened an eye, but didn't move any more than that.

  "Can I tell you a story?"

  I made a non-committal noise that was something between a purr and a growl. He was easy to listen to, and it had been lonely to have so much time alone. Not that I'd had much company even before I'd come to Punt, but at least there had been other people for me to listen to there.

  But I also didn't want him to think that I was coming around to his way of thinking. I wasn't planning on going back to Karnak no matter what happened.

  "All right. Do you have any preference?"

  No.

  I didn't know any stories. It would be interesting to hear him tell me one.

  "There was a king who lived in the middle of nowhere with his wife and daughter he loved very much. But before the princess reached adulthood, her mother grew very sick and passed away..."

  That's not a very happy start to a story.

  "It has a happy ending," Thoth promised me.

  We'll see.

  He didn't say anything about me interrupting him, which was probably a good thing. I didn't imagine this would be the last time I did that.

  "The king was saddened by his wife's passing, and mourned her like he should by visiting her tomb. But after a year, he grew lonely..."

  Only a year? That isn't very long if she was the love of his life.

  "I don't know if she was," Thoth responded. "Maybe he married her for the wrong reasons."

  The poor woman.

  "Indeed. I'm sure she would have preferred a life with love."

  Wouldn't we all?

  "Yes," he agreed, a sadness entering his tone.

  Before I could ask him to elaborate, he cleared his throat to continue his tale.

  "One day, the king met a matchmaker, and the two discussed a second marriage. The king took an anklet from his deceased wife and declared the woman who it fit would be his new wife."

  I can't say that's a very good criterion for marriage.

  "I don't think it's supposed to be."

  Ah, so you're not telling me a romantic story?

  "It has romantic elements."

  I cocked my head to the side, which probably wasn't anywhere near as expressive when it was coming from a lion. But I had no human form, just like I had no name. Both would be useful in this situation.

  I pushed the thought aside. Why would I want to be human around Thoth?

  He was unsurprisingly oblivious to my thoughts, and continued on with his story.

  "Despite searching throughout the land, the matchmaker couldn't find a woman the anklet would fit, but even so, she refused to tell anyone that the man in question was the king."