Bringer of the River Waters Read online

  Bringer Of The River Waters

  Forgotten Gods: Origins #4

  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

  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

  Bringer Of The River Waters 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. Please note that my books are written in British English: 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

  When the river Nile doesn't flood like it's supposed to, the gods turn to hippo goddess, Taweret, to help with the problem.

  * * *

  Even with Taweret and Sobek's collective magic, they fail to find the problem, until they come across Isis on the side of the Nile.

  * * *

  Can they bring back the floods before it's too late?

  -

  Bringer Of The River Waters is a Forgotten Gods: Origins story which features Taweret and Sobek. It is based on myths from the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.

  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

  5 Years Ago...

  * * *

  The festival was in full swing, with gods and goddesses mingling with humans as they celebrated one thing or another. I'd lost track of what it's supposed to be for. That was always the case. A lot of the gods were still in the place where they were still trying to impress the humans, and that led to a lot of over the top celebrations. They weren't really my thing, but the younger gods seemed to like them.

  "You look as if you want to be anywhere but here," Nut said as she came to stand next to me.

  "Wouldn't you?"

  A small smile lifted at the corners of her lips. "I can think of worse things to be doing with my time."

  "Being cursed?"

  "Precisely. I'd take a festival rather than that."

  "You still haven't forgiven Ra for that, have you?" I asked.

  "Would you?"

  She had a point. Being cursed to be pregnant and unable to give birth took a toll on her, though she and Geb had found a solution with the help of a few other gods. I'd been lucky enough to be with her on the day she'd been able to give birth.

  "I'm not sure I've forgiven him for what he did to you."

  She chuckled. "It's been years, it might be time to."

  "He hasn't forgiven us."

  "That's because he's still worried about Osiris."

  My gaze slipped over to where her eldest son was talking to his wife.

  Osiris cut an imposing figure now that he was a grown man. I could see why Ra was worried about him. But that wasn't any excuse for what he'd done to Nut and Geb.

  "I think Ra is just the kind of god who holds grudges regardless of if there's any reason to," I said.

  "You might have a point there."

  "Hopefully, it will blow over."

  "He has been losing power ever since he lost control of Nehmetawy," Nut said.

  "That's true. But that might only make him more reckless in his pursuit of power," I warned her.

  She sighed and pushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. The glittering stars that dotted her dark blue skin shimmered even in the bright light of the sun.

  In the distance, Geb waved towards us, beckoning for his wife to come join him.

  "I need to go. But you should try to have fun, even if you don't want to be here."

  "You know me so well."

  "We've been friends for years, Taweret," Nut reminded me. "I'd like to think I know your likes and dislikes."

  I smiled reassuringly at her. "True."

  "So go, have some beer and celebrate whatever this is for."

  "You don't know what it's for either?"

  She laughed loudly. "I lost track a long time ago."

  "Me too. But still try to make the most of it. I'll see you in a bit."

  "Have fun with your husband," I told my friend.

  "I always do."

  She headed off in his direction, leaving me alone to watch once more. Maybe she was right, I should get myself some beer and try to make the most of everything. I might not want to celebrate things the same way as some of the other gods did, but the festival was happening, I should take part.

  I made my way over to the man handing out cups of beer. It wasn't anything fancy, mostly the same as we had with each of our meals, but it would be refreshing on a hot day.

  "Thank you," I said as I took it from him and made my way further into the festival grounds.

  No one stopped to talk to me, they were all too wrapped up in having a good time with their friends and loved ones. I didn't mind. If I could keep to myself for a while, it would get late enough that I could slip off and go do my own thing.

  I headed towards the Nile. It was an almost certainty that there would be people celebrating there. At least that way I could get a shot of power from the river waters.

  "Taweret, I didn't expect to see you today," a man said as I approached the bank.

  My heart skipped a beat as I recognised Sobek. I'd always found him handsome but the glint in his eyes always made me wary. It probably wasn't his fault that he resembled the crocodiles he was linked with. I was sure I resembled my sacred hippos to other people too.

  "It is the festival..."

  "You have no idea what it's for, do you?" he asked.

  "Would you believe me if I said I did?"

  A laugh boomed from the crocodile god. "No one has that good of a memory."

  I flashed him a smile. "So, what
are you doing here instead of at the main festival?"

  "I suspect the same thing you are. Getting away from everyone and coming to the Nile for some peace."

  Heat rose to my cheeks. Thank the river waters it wouldn’t show on my face. "Am I that obvious?"

  He shrugged. "I've noticed you don't seem to like many of the events. Especially since you lost Ra's favour."

  "I don't think I had it to begin with," I pointed out.

  "But you did cross him."

  I sighed. "I wouldn't go that far. I helped Nut give birth, but that's my job."

  "Ah, punished for something you should always have done. That sounds about right."

  "I didn't ask for it," I muttered.

  "I know. And for what it's worth, I don't think it's right that you're being punished for something like this."

  "Thanks, I appreciate it."

  "So, did you want to go for a swim?" He gestured towards the river.

  Indecision warred within me. Did I? Swimming in the Nile was always a pleasure for me, but it was something I'd always done alone, and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to change that. It felt like a deeply intimate activity and I barely knew Sobek other than a few conversations here and there during official functions.

  "Not today," I said, hoping I wasn't going to come to regret it.

  Sobek shrugged. "Perhaps another time."

  "Maybe." I didn't want to promise anything I wasn't sure I'd be able to give. But with eternity stretched out before us, another time could mean anything from tomorrow, to three thousand years from now.

  It would be interesting to see which it was.

  Chapter One

  Being banished was no fun. But then, I supposed that was the point. Despite how long it had been since I helped Nut give birth, I had to assume that was the reason behind Ra's choice. He wasn't the most rational of gods at the best of times, and when he was angry, that was even more true. I had no idea which deity I had to thank for this fit of anger, but I'd been the one who he'd chosen to take it out on. It was probably because Osiris had been named as the first Pharaoh. The power he had made Nut and Geb themselves untouchable, and considering Thoth had returned from Punt in a relationship with the extremely powerful Eye of Ra, I was the only one who had been involved in the whole affair who was easily punished at this point.

  I gazed out onto the Nile, enjoying the sight of a baby hippo bouncing up and down next to its mother in the shallows. It wasn't quite big enough to keep its nose above the water by standing, which meant it had to do the cutest little hops to get air.

  I knew Ra meant for this to be a punishment for me, but other than not seeing my friends as much as I'd want to, it wasn't too bad. And several of them had made an effort to come visit me. Hopefully in secret. I didn't want any of them getting into trouble for my sake.

  Two hippos ran at one another, their huge mouths open and roaring. The sound was deafening. From this distance, I couldn't tell if it was to do with one of the female hippos, or if it was a territory dispute. And I wasn't about to try and get closer to find out. Only a fool would get in between fighting hippos.

  I rose to my feet, deciding it was best if I left them in peace.

  Darkness was starting to fall and a bright twinkle in the sky caught my attention.

  I frowned and glanced back at the Nile. The inundation of the Nile should be happening and the waters should be flooding the banks and making them fertile for the year to come.

  So why weren't they? I'd never known them to be this late before. While there wouldn't be any problems in the next couple of weeks or so, but after that...

  A shudder ran down my spine. It wasn't worth thinking about what would happen if the flood didn't come.

  The urge to try and do something about it surged through me, but I had to push it away. I wasn't in any kind of position to do anything. I couldn't even enter Egypt without causing more problems for myself.

  Was this worth risking that?

  My gaze tugged back to the hippos.

  Yes.

  There was no way around it. I needed to find out what was wrong with the Nile, or there'd be consequences none of us would like very much. Which meant heading back to Egypt, no matter what Ra decided to do to me as punishment. He'd never been very clear about that part.

  I trekked away from my favourite spot by the river and headed towards the small hut I'd been calling home since I arrived in Nubia.

  The moment the hut came into view, I did a double-take. There was someone waiting outside it pacing back and forth. I wasn't expecting anyone, was I? None of my friends had sent a messenger ahead, and they always did to make sure I wasn't taken off guard.

  I approached cautiously. While whoever it was wouldn't be able to kill me, I could still get hurt, and I had no desire for that to be the case.

  Once I was close enough to make out the man's features, relief flooded through me. I had no idea what Sobek was doing here, but I was reasonably certain he wasn't going to hurt me. I'd never even heard rumours of him raising his voice.

  "Ah, you are here, I thought I was going to have to search the entirety of Nubia to find you," he said once I was in earshot.

  I chuckled lightly. "I was by the river."

  "That's probably where I should have started."

  "Probably. Would you like to come inside for some wine while you tell me what you're here for?" I asked, gesturing towards my hut. "Before you get your hopes up, it's not a fancy vintage like you'd get at Karnak."

  "I've had a long journey through the desert, anything you have is welcome."

  "Why didn't you travel by the Nile?" I asked as I entered the hut with him following behind me.

  "I didn't want to make the situation worse."

  "You're here because of the floods," I surmised.

  "How..."

  "I have eyes." I filled two clay cups with wine and handed one of them to him.

  Our fingers brushed as he took it and I glanced away, not wanting to see the intense expression in his eyes.

  "I noticed it when I was by the Nile earlier. I saw the star and knew what it meant."

  Sobek sighed. "I guess that makes my job easier."

  "Did Ra send you?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "He has absolutely no idea I'm here. He wasn't very interested in the problems with the Nile."

  "Let's guess, he's still obsessed over Osiris being the Pharaoh and not wanting it to be the case."

  "As far as I'm aware. I'm sure there's someone else who has annoyed him now."

  "It's going to be a long forever if this is how he wants to keep playing it," I muttered.

  A smirk lifted the corners of Sobek's lips. "I feel that's what everyone is worried about."

  "Maybe he'll get bored. Eventually."

  "We can hope."

  I take a sip of my wine and sit on one of the reed mats. I rearrange my loose-fitting linen dress over my crossed legs to at least keep some semblance of modesty.

  "What's this got to do with the Nile floods?" I asked. If that was really why he came, then he wasn't doing the best job at talking about it.

  He sighed. "We were hoping you'd be able to help."

  My eyebrows shot up. "With the floods?"

  He nodded. "You're associated with the Nile..."

  "Only very vaguely," I pointed out. "And not by magic." That wasn't my realm at all.

  "But you feel at one with it, right? You feel something from the waters. I've seen it in your face."

  I nodded slowly. "Yes. I feel at home there."

  "Then I think you can help. Come to Shedet with me and help us work out what the problem is."

  "You haven't specified who us is."

  "Oh. Right. Hapi and I are working on the problem now, but if we can't figure out what the problem is, we were thinking that we could head to Elephantine and speak to the triad."

  I nodded slowly. "I think we should go straight there," I admitted, grateful none of the plans involved going to Karnak. Elephan
tine was on the border between Nubia and Egypt, I could get away with going there without evoking Ra's anger. Shedet not so much. I wouldn't be able to feign innocence if I was found in Middle Egypt.

  "Why do you think that?"

  "There's more we can do with more help. Can you have Hapi meet us there?"

  He nodded. "If we go down to the Nile, I'll send a crocodile with a message for him."

  "That's a handy trick."

  He grinned broadly, clearly pleased with himself. "Isn't it?"

  "I wish I could do the same, the hippos are such grumps sometimes."

  He snorted. "I can't imagine it would go down well with them to suggest taking a message to someone."

  "If I ever pluck up the courage to try it, I'll make sure you're there."

  His face lit up at the suggestion. "I'd like that."

  "But now isn't the time. Especially not if we need to sort out the problems with the floods."

  He sighed. "Sadly, there is no time to waste sitting around and drinking wine here."

  "That's fine. There'll be better food and wine at Elephantine than I can provide, we'd both be much better there."

  "Then we should get going. We can probably be there by dawn." He was on his feet and brushing off his clothes within seconds.

  The muscles of his torso rippled with each and every moment, making my mouth go dry. But I pushed all thoughts of Sobek's appearance out of my mind. We had a problem to solve, and that had to be our focus.

  Chapter Two

  The lush banks of Elephantine rose up from the middle of the Nile as we approached, with the sandstone temple peeking out from between the greenery. It was a majestic sight, and one I welcomed.