Nura knew the air moved because the torchlight flickered yet she felt smothered and drenched in perspiration. Her hands shook as she reached out to take the next jar from his strong hands. She dared not look up. Twas not her station. Still, she could see the bare muscles of his powerful arms and chest flexing, as the weight of the precious cargo was transferred to her. With all care and slow precision, she turned to set the jar silently in its prescribed place, just as she had done the others. Her feet shifted in the hot sand to turn her toward the proceedings again. Nura pressed her damp palms to her short white linen shift and waited respectfully for the master's next parcel or command.

The echo of whispered prayers and hissed chanting around the chamber soothed her nervousness in some small measure. His voice was so quiet, so warm and strong. His words were, as always, confident and knowing. He leaned to perform the next rite, to fill the next jar. She waited and watched. His hands worked deftly to capture their treasure but her gaze drifted to watch the echo of the motion shift along his back and across his broad shoulders. His bronze skin glistened with moisture in the wavering light of the torch. For a moment, she had forgotten that the others in the chamber might allow their eyes to drift as well. Nura's gaze dropped for she dare not be caught in her insolence. All her training knew this, though she had no notion what dire consequences there might be for even the slightest transgression.

While she looked down through the dusty haze onto the stone, honeyed scents of the spices came to her, wrapped in the rich sweet oil of myrrh. The cloth was being prepared. Crushed bark and buds of the cassia lent their cinnamon sharpness to her muddled mind. With a hint of bittersweet marjoram and a layer of musky cumin now drifting about, the dusty air of the chamber could be almost pleasant, though it calmed her very little. Still, twas her hope that she could use the heavily scented air to quell her errant thoughts and concentrate on her appointed task, rather than the taskmaster.

Just as she took a deep breath to drink in these distracting fragrances, he turned to her again, another jar sealed. Nura froze with the air caught up in her lungs and pressing at the back of her throat. She looked up, though she knew this should never be done. Nothing but the Jackal's silhouette looked back at her as his outstretched arms still held the jar for transfer.

She did not know how she managed to get her arms to move nor how her hands were ever steady enough to take the jar from him. She prayed for strength and steadiness as she turned to place the jar in the complete collection, only then daring to exhale. That was the last of the jars, Nura thought, she need be steady only to observe now.

As she turned, she saw him lift the most precious treasure and raise it into the light. Each of the Lords of Kau stepped in, preparing to speak their piece in turn and stirring the air enough to shift the torchlight and waft the barest breeze across her damp skin. But, she was not too distracted by this small relief to listen. Nura listened well and shall always hear their words echo in her dreams, for countless times has she relived that night in the chamber.

It was permissible for her to watch these proceedings openly, for all would gaze upon Anubis as the head of the Jackal lowered and he chanted his own prayer first. Though louder now, his voice was still gentle and even, "Pay good heed to the weighing of this heart against the Balance, against the virtuous heart of Osiris, against the singing woman of Ahmen Anhai, whose word is Truth, and place thou this heart in the seat of Truth... in the presence of the Great God."

As the first of the Lords recited his supplication with a more booming voice, Nura was startled but thankfully made no sound to distract from his prayer. "This one's word was true, holy and righteous. He hath not committed any sin and he hath done no evil against us. The devourer Ammut shall not be permitted to prevail over him. Meat offerings and admittance into the presence of the god Osiris shall be granted unto him, together with an abiding habitation in the Field of Offerings, as unto the Followers of Horus, thy great falcon."

Shortly on the heels of the last syllable, the next Lord began, "I have come to thee, O Un-Nefer, and I have brought unto thee this honest soul. His heart is righteous and it hath come forth from the Balance. It hath not sinned against any god nor any goddess. Would that Thoth weigh it, according to the decree, and pronounce him unto the Company of the Gods, that he is most true and righteous. Grant thou that he may appear in the presence of the god Osiris, and let him be like unto the Followers of Horus for ever and ever."

The thumping in Nura's chest abated as she listened to the Lords make their pleas for the soul which Anubis still held aloft. Though no beat was left in it, she knew twas a vital thing to convince the gods that this heart was worthy. She willed her thoughts not to drift. Twas difficult to look upon her master, her god, standing as a handsome statue, awaiting the moment of measure, and not see him as more than just his part in the ritual.

She waited too as the last of the Lords completed his testimony, using the words of Osiris himself. "Behold, I am in thy presence, O Lord of Amentet. There is no sin in this body nor has this soul spoken that which is not true knowingly, nor done anything with a false heart. Grant thou that this soul may be like unto those favored in thy following, and be greatly favored of the beautiful god, and beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands for he loveth thee and his word was true."

After the prayers were delivered, all the Lords stepped back into their places. All within the chamber focused on the final treasure. It would be restored to the body, but first, it must be weighed against the feather of Maat, testing the soul's truth. She prayed silently that none would be witness to the Devourer of the Dead this night.

As the last echo of the Lords' words faded from the chamber, there was hardly a breath in the room. There was no motion or sound at all from Anubis whilst the soul in his hands was weighed by the gods. Her heart was pounding in her ears as though her own soul was at risk. Nura had been well versed in the rituals. She had spent her whole life learning the methods and purpose for preserving. She had not been told what to expect should the soul be denied. None would discuss it. None of her rank who reportedly witnessed it had ever been seen again, or so the story had been told in many whispers through the initiates. Anubis himself had performed much of the latter training and he would not brook questions on such events. He simply said he would know, then shortly all within the chamber would know, whether the soul would pass into the Underworld or be consumed by the Eater of Souls, the Beast Ammut. So, she waited.

Nothing happened for an eternity then a sudden gust of air pushed through the chamber. It was not possible for this to happen! The small burial chamber was cut from solid stone. There was only the narrow ramp out and one very small shaft, cut for a soul to pass through, but not a wind such as this. The single torch was snuffed by a rapid swirl of sand and dust.

What followed was a raucous barrage of yells and screams, Nura's voice among them. Disoriented, she stood in place, until she was bumped by someone running past and pushed into the table of jars. The clatter echoed with the other noises in the room as jars toppled. She could hear shattering as a few of the heavy jars rolled from the table, precious contents lost to the stone. Her heart was locked with fear but beneath that was the sense of loss.

Before she had time to consider what was to be done, a hand roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her along to the narrow ramp passage out of the chamber. Her hysterical protests were muffled within the confinement and she had no defense against the painful grip that continued to move her ever upward. Her thin linen shift was hardly protection against encounters with the close stone walls. Her bare arms and legs were completely at their mercy.

Even as they approached the exit she hadn't realized it until they were out in the cooler night air. The night seemed without stars or moon. Again she began to question and protest but her voice was cut off as she was pulled suddenly to the right and they hurried along a narrow ledge. Nura had to concentrate on her quick and unsure footing, knowing that the drop from here was fraught with innumerable stone steps and she'd not likely live through a fall. Still so very dark it was that she could see nothing ahead if her but only follow whomever had such a pinching grip on her forearm.

Again they turned, upward this time, such that Nura stumbled on the steps and cried out. She was shushed with a hiss. Hands helped her to stand again. Then she was being pulled once more, higher into the dark sky. After so many steps she could not count, interminable and fearful moments, they ducked into another hole cut within the monument. She was pressed to the rough stone wall within this narrow space. A hand covered her mouth as she felt a shifting. Perhaps a look to see if the two of them had been followed, though Nura had no notion how either predator or prey could tell in this black night.

She felt the other go still again and then there was a whisper, "Nura..." The hand over her mouth eased up. The other released her arm. "Know you this voice?" Yes, she thought. How could she not know the warm fluid voice that whispered to her? As rattled as she was, the voice of Anubis was still soft and calming. More of his words came through the dark to her. "I shall no longer stay your voice nor you, if you've wish to go, but I'd warn that all outside this corridor is treacherous." She nodded, still against his hand until it slipped away. Now she felt alone in the dark, though she could hear him breathing and shifting.

"What--" her voice cracked. She swallowed to soothe her coarse throat and tried a second time. "What shall we do now? Shall the Beast follow?" Nura lost her voice again at this notion, though there were many other questions still to be asked.

"No, Nura, the Beast shall not follow." His voice seemed to be moving, perhaps he was pacing or looking this way and that. She could not tell. The next delivery of his voice was very close to her ear and whispered. "Twas not the Beast's doing. Come." Again his hand touched her and she jumped but he did not grasp her arm. Instead she felt his fingers slip down to find her hand and he led her down the ramp at a much more leisurely pace. She managed to avoid injury except on the palm of her other hand as she used it to help guide her safely after him.

This tunnel seemed steeper and longer. She kept telling herself it was only their slowed pace and prayed she was not being taken back to the chaos in the burial chamber. The air was again becoming thicker and warmer. She felt faint but forced her feet to keep pace with Anubis' long strides.

Finally Nura's guiding hand ran out of wall as they apparently arrived in a chamber. She was grateful that it was quiet and felt more open than the other. Perhaps it was only that the air was less stifling than in the passage. She felt Anubis stop and with some effort he released her hand. Only then did she realize she had been the one gripping in this case. With one hand securely on the cornered edge of stone, for it was her only reference, she took but one side step to lean heavily against the wall at this end of the passage. She barely heard his footfalls in the dust as he walked away into the darkness.

A sharp pain struck her eyes as a light blazed to life within the room. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the mask of the Jackal several paces away, looking back at her from behind the torch flame. Anubis motioned her to join him within the chamber. "We've naught to fear in this sanctuary. There is no other entrance and the passage is too long for this light or our voices to escape into the night air."

His voice was some comfort but the echo of it in this empty anteroom was haunting. She looked about the room, noting the glyphs upon the walls, as in the burial chamber. Across the room from the passage, was another doorway cut into the stone. Her eyes settled on it and the face of the Jackal turned to follow her gaze. "Yes, there are more rooms to this chamber, but this portion of the monument is otherwise sealed against entry."

Nura felt her knees weakening. All the events of this night were descending upon her and she could not stand against the weight of them. Added to this was a new thought, a new fear. She found voice to ask, albeit weakly, hardly a whisper. "Is this... a burial chamber as well?" She could not express her complete thought. Was her soul soon to be weighed before the gods and the Beast as well?

At first a chuckle then a hearty laugh came through the room to her. It was an odd sound, for she had not heard Anubis laugh before, ever. "Certainly not! Why go through the trouble of saving you from those clumsy fools if only to bring you here to die?"

That was the last of it for Nura. Her hand went to her stomach as she staggered one step into the antechamber, looking desperately for a place to sit, about to just drop to the stone floor, if need be. The Jackal and his torch crossed the room to her. She barely recalled being helped into the next chamber.

The dust began to clear from her mind as the strong scent of cinnamon drew the corner of her mouth into a weak grin. Her half-lidded eyes slowly drew up to look into the mask. Her perception was still muddled but she felt his one hand supporting her chin while the other passed a small bowl of the ground spice before her face. Another moment and she realized she was sitting on something, a table perhaps, she thought.

As Nura looked at the smooth black mask of the Jackal, the lines and lines of glyphs behind him began to waver. She tried to say something but it sounded like little more than a sleeper's mumbling, even to her. Anubis shushed her again, but not like before. This time it was more a manner of comfort and reassurance. "Nura... Stay with me, Little Light."

"Light?" she asked. What had he meant? "Light, yes... light. Torch. Wind. Dark... Beast." she knew her words were coming out slurred but she could not yet make them clearer. The cinnamon was working though; at least her thoughts seemed to be making sense, too much sense. The fear she had felt from the weighing of the soul and its aftermath was returning. "The Beast. The Beast shall not follow? Twas not the Beast's doing?"

Nura felt her head begin to ache sharply from the spice and without considering her actions, she roughly pushed the hands of the master and the bowl away from her. The bowl slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor, powdered cinnamon creating a darker, russet cloud in the disturbed dust. Immediately she gasped and drew her hands back, arms close to her chest. Nura was certainly fully aware now and trembling. She looked to his Jackal mask with wide eyes. How dare she be so brash?! Would Anubis take her life now for such offense? She surely had no hope of prayers being chanted over her worthless soul.

Again she heard the unfamiliar sound of his amusement as he stepped back. He knelt to pick up the bowl then rose again as the mask regarded her a long moment. She watched incredulously as he turned and walked away to heavily laden shelves along one wall of the chamber.

Nura's words spilled out all at once "I am so sorry. There can be no excuse for such willfulness, for-- I beg forgiveness. I should never... I... "

His back was still to her as he spoke calmly. "Hush now. We are not god and handmaiden here. This is not a ritual of preservation nor even a lesson of it." She could see him working at something on the shelves but not what exactly. Again she watched the graceful movement of his arms, the smooth flex across his back. She deserved to at least be punished for such thoughts! Even if Anubis would smite her not then surely Osiris would see to her final end or Horus would sweep her soul away and drop it into the mouth of Ammut!

Anubis turned back toward her again. The Jackal mask was focused on several items he held within a bowl as his free hand picked up a pitcher from a small stand. He set the bowl on the table next to her which she now saw was not at all a table but a cane bed with casts of the goddess Bastet upon its corners, feline tails curled up to meet another on the ends. Nura watched silently as Anubis separated and arranged the collection of cloth, vials of oils and such. She was afraid she could only add to her sins with any action or word. Her arms were still drawn up close, just covering her rapid heartbeat.

Anubis stirred clove and almond oils into the bottom of the bowl with a bit of water from the pitcher. While their fragrance still swirled, he dipped a segment of thick cloth into the mixture then wrapped this around his fingertips. He knelt before Nura, his free hand slipping behind one dangling ankle and only then did she see the trickle of blood running down the front of her left leg, from a gash beneath her knee. She had apparently acquired the injury when falling on the steps, too much on her mind to register it. Now of course his application of oil to clean and salve the area caused her to suck in a hiss. A soft apology was mumbled up to her, but he continued his work. While there, he addressed a few less serious scratches and cuts, gifts from the passage walls.

When he was through tending to the abrasions on her legs, the Jackal mask looked up and caught her watching him. She looked away, curling her arms and herself ever tighter. "I should not... please forgive a weak servant." She whispered.

"Nonsense. " He rose and swirled the oils in the bowl again, selecting a clean portion of the cloth to take up another measure of the balm. She flinched as he swabbed a raw patch on her elbow. His calm voice veered from his task. "You have many questions, Little Light. Feel free to ask them. I know you fear the Beast, or Osiris or that some other ill will befall us for what occurred tonight. But, you are blameless and I-- I am a god, say you, no? So whom shall we fear?"

Nura shivered slightly as Anubis' hand pushed her long raven hair back over her shoulder so he might tend a scrape there. If he took note of her reaction, he made no sign of it. She dared watch him from the corner of her eye as she spoke, still fearing she should ask and say nothing. "If... If the Beast did not do this thing in the burial chamber… then what was it? What ill wind blew and ruined the remains? What shall happen to his soul?"

Anubis stopped his application of the oils to her shoulder and leaned back. She could see no eyes to gauge his thoughts for the mask was solid. The features were only so much sculpture and paint. At times before she pondered how he could survive within it, or whether it was indeed a mask or part of him, but then she thought, he is a god and there is much she cannot know.

"Perhaps the disposition of souls we can discuss another time but you must trust me when I say that what happened this night has not changed his soul's destiny." Anubis leaned in again, dropped the cloth beside her and reached behind her neck to loosen the knot of her ceremonial collar. As he drew the collar over her head to remove it, he gasped lightly and again her heart thumped. The collar was dropped and his fingers slipped in beneath her still clenched fists, drawing her arms out so he might see them. She was surprised too when she looked down to see her right hand had turned darker, swollen. She gulped to see that, in leading her here, he had crushed her armband too hard against her skin.

Again the lines of glyphs seemed to move about on the wall as she looked over his shoulder while he tried to gently uncurl the golden asp from her wrist. She must have been wavering as well for he bid her lean forward which she did, forehead coming to rest against his shoulder.

"Patience, Little Light. I work as quickly as I dare." His fingers made the throbbing worse each time he had to slip them beneath a coil but at last she was free of the mangled gold. She heard the twisted metal hit the floor and it made her jump slightly. As she leaned back, her eye was drawn to a ridge on his shoulder. Anubis was working to restore circulation to her hand while Nura was trying to sort out the Jackal mask.

Carved from something solid, or pounded smooth from metal? She was uncertain, but the ridge upon his right shoulder had a twin upon his left. The helm itself, the mask by which he was known, appeared to be as much a yoke as a headdress. The smooth black face of the Jackal was brought down into a rather square base that sat heavily upon his shoulders. Never had she seen him without it. Never had she heard of him being without it.

Anubis drew her right hand up higher as his fingers gently rubbed her wrist, fingers and palm. She was still staring at the ridge upon his right shoulder when she felt his attention on her again. She looked up into the Jackal's face. There was no break in the material at all, no hole through which to speak or see or even breath.

"How is it that... " Her curiosity was greater than her fear of his reaction. "Is the mask... Is it a part of you?"

His fingers went still against her hand which was now circulating again. At least, most of the tingling had ceased. He squeezed her hand gently, then bid her hold it loosely up near her shoulder for a bit. She did as asked while he briefly took her other hand in his and looked at the scrapes from tracing the passage wall.

Seeming to ignore her question, Anubis' hands left her and stirred in the bowl of oils and water to coat his fingers. He picked up a comb of wax and began to work it in his hands as he paced the length of the chamber. She could but watch and wonder what thoughts were on him for even when the face of the Jackal paused to look at her, it told her nothing.

Finally quiet words came to her in the stillness of the room. "I do not live in it but am never seen without it except... " The Jackal mask lowered as if to study the wax in his hands as he made it more pliable. "...I only set it aside in my own chambers."

He seemed to shift suddenly from that train of thought. His shoulders straightened and once again he was the visage of the god who had performed the rites in the burial chamber. His back was straight as he stood before Nura again and took her scraped hand in his. She watched his fingers work the wax then set it aside as he caressed the heel of her hand, her palm, her fingertips, with the oil and wax from his own. She felt the warmth of his skin on hers, the gentle caring of his touch and marveled to see the scrapes fading back to healthy skin.

Nura was still looking at her open healed hand as Anubis knelt to apply the same care to the abrasion on her knee. Being a deeper wound though, there was considerable pain at his touch and she lurched forward. Her hand reached out to his shoulder to steady her. She should not have let it rest there, but she did. She should not have let her thumb brush across the ridge left by the heavy mask, but she did.

If he noticed, he made no sign of it until he spoke, "I can see more from behind this mask than you may think." The head of the Jackal did not raise up but continued to concentrate on her wound.

Nura swallowed hard and knew she should sit back, remove her hand from him, yet she didn't. She continued to let her hand rest upon him. "Can you?" she asked as innocently as she could manage. She had her own notions of what he meant, a source of both hope and fear, but no indication or right to think she could read the thoughts of one such as Anubis.

"Have you not wondered what lies beneath this Jackal? Behind this face of god?" His hands were still working the wax and oils onto her skin although she didn't feel that anymore.

She shook her head but rather absently at that. Her concentration was mostly on where her hand touched the bare skin of his shoulder and how it was warm, nearly burning. "I had thought about how one might be both man and jackal. Yet for a god, tis no great feat, I am certain." Her own words brought home her actions and she drew her hand back. Before she could rest it, however, his hand came up quickly and caught the asp coiled around this wrist. He held it loosely, but trapped it all the same. Her eyes drifted to the painted eyes of the Jackal mask and searched, but she saw nothing.

He slowly let her hand rest on her thigh then lay his hand over it while the face of the Jackal seemed to be looking at her with those unblinking eyes. His voice was so quiet she dared not breathe as he spoke. "They see nothing, but I see you." Could he read her thoughts? She wondered.

Nura was getting frightened and even angry with frustration. This whole night had been more than she could bear. She did not understand this at all. None of this god business was making sense. What is he and why will he not let her keep her wonderings to herself? How dare she speak her thoughts, her true thoughts? She felt angry with herself for even thinking such ridiculous things. She pulled her hand from beneath his and rubbed her recovering hand, looking down to see that the color was near normal again. "What do you see? What can you see? A foolish handmaiden whom you saved from a dark horror. A simple girl who..." Nura stopped short. She knew she could never voice that. She had to pause, collect her thoughts and swallowed hard to speak again. "I am no more than mortal and yet a servant to a god. I shall consider myself blessed for that. Surely that is all there is to see."

Anubis' hand slid away and he sighed. He rose slowly to his feet, but she was too ashamed to look up and perhaps afraid of what he might really see. Even when his gentle hands slipped to either side of her neck and oiled fingers softly caressed her skin, she could not relax. She was not there. She was away dreaming. She had been injured in the burial chamber after all, perhaps lying on the stone floor, perhaps dead. Something dire had happened to her because this was not happening to her.

When his hands left her again, Nura dared a glance. He was turning and stepped away to one end of the room facing the wall. He spoke as though to himself. "The clouds have gone." He reached out to the right then pressed his hand upon the wall. In a moment, a portion of the stone began to recede. It stopped then began to slide slowly downward until the block was flush with the chamber floor.

Nura watched and gasped lightly as a rush of cool night air blew into the chamber, gently stirring her hair and linen. The same breeze darkened the torchlight and of course the chamber. Anubis stood then in the secret opening, his Jackalman silhouette outlined by a deep sapphire night with stars once again visible and twinkling.

Nura stretched to let herself down from the cane bed and walked softly across to stand a few steps behind Anubis. "So you were the Beast?"

Slowly the Jackal mask nodded "There are times when I think so." He then turned and walked solemnly around her back into the chamber.

"No, I meant in the chamber, the wind and darkness, the---" Her thoughts were swept away on the night breeze, the sky's openness and beauty from this height. She stepped forward onto the block and further, walking slowly out into the air, the night, the stars. The breeze caught her hair up and let it flow out behind her. The light linen of her shift rippled in the air, cooling her skin.

Nura felt as though she stood at the edge of the world. The tapered walls of the monument were barely visible. There were a few lights upon the ground but they seemed little more than stars that had fallen to earth. With no moon, there was not enough light to see anything else but azure sky and small sparkles of light. "How beautiful it is when Thoth sleeps." Her whisper was hushed awe.

Anubis paced behind Nura then in the stillness and beneath the quiet breeze, she heard him closer behind her. She held very still and continued to stare out at the night. She fought the urge to turn as his hands touched her shoulders but he was bound to have heard her gulping swallow. He could surely feel her quickened pulse as his fingers brushed her long raven hair back from her shoulders and neck.

He asked quietly, calmly and knowingly, "Tell me you have not wondered whether I am god or man."

She closed her eyes and the pounding of her heart increased. Truth. Truth is that by which a soul is measured. "I... I cannot."

Again his voice slipped through her being. "Tell me you have no feelings for this jackal."

She made the barest shake of her head. She was trying so desperately to be what she had been raised to be, merely servant, merely handmaiden. Always it had been difficult but in this, impossible. "Yes." She hissed at last. "I love Anubis, god of Preservation, Lord of Embalming, Guide of the Underworld, Great Jackal god of Truth, Keeper of the Balance. May I be of service in the Rites of Burial." Was it enough to recite her conditioning? Nura closed her eyes and prayed he would not ask more for she was sure she would betray her heart or Truth, or both. Her arms closed around her own waist for suddenly, she felt chilled.

Anubis' warm hands drifted outward across her shoulders then down her arms. She felt him step in closer behind her then his hands moved further down til he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. She took in a quick breath as she felt his body against hers.

Now as he spoke, she felt his voice as well as heard it. His soft, smooth tone surrounded her, even as he was wrapped around her. Very close to her ear, he whispered. "Tell me you have not longed for this."

Nura slumped back against him. She was lost. She would be branded an infidel and killed for her truth or her soul would feed Ammut if she dared lie, especially to a god, especially to one whom she suspected might already know her heart. Tears slipped down across her cheeks. She took a shuddered breath. Her head began to slowly rock back and forth against Anubis' chest.

Nura shivered within his arms then her voice burst out an anguished cry "I cannot!" before she went completely slack. Anubis caught her up into his arms and turned to carry her back into the darkened chamber. He lay her gently on the cane bed with a sad sigh. His fingers brushed her silken hair away from her face and lingered a moment on her soft cheek.

The faint light from the star-filled sky still fell softly into the chamber when Nura's eyes drifted open some time later. She could only see vague traces of the glyphs on the ceiling. She then sat up quickly and looked around, squinting to see shadows on shadows. As Nura stretched to stand beside the bed, she noticed that the pain of the gash at her knee was gone, healed.

Anubis was standing again in a silhouette of night. His image was so dark, she could not tell which way he faced. She could not know if he looked at her or outward to the skies.

When he spoke, she was not sure if his words were for her or to himself. "I had thought... I had so hoped. So much promise, such bright understanding, always questing for more, a true hunger for knowledge..." He paused a moment then Nura saw him turn and now was certain he faced her.

Slowly Anubis stepped toward her. He came to a halt near the end of the cane bed, casting his night shadow over her. "Of all the initiates through the centuries, I had thought you were my best hope. I thought I saw in you a spark of understanding for what I intended the ritual to do. I thought you could see---" His shadow shifted with a long deep breath, which ended in a sigh. "I so wished for you to see more than the man but less than the god... for that is what I truly am."

Steeled by the darkness and only the shadow of him, not that stoic staring mask, Nura braved a response. "Have I not been taught all my life to revere you, to worship you, to serve you til my last breath? Have I not spent countless hours learning your ritual, the herbs and oils, the properties of all manner of things? Have I not studiously poured over how and why the preservation is to be performed?" She paused for a breath but could barely catch it as her heart was thumping wildly. "I have seen the jackal-headed god. I have not seen the man and no assurance that he even is. As for my understanding, Anubis would not answer my questions about the Eater of Souls nor many other questions not dealing directly with the tasks for which I am trained. Shall I have risked my welfare, even my very life, just to satisfy my cursed curiosity? Or..."

Her nerve was slipping but she had already determined she was likely lost. What difference now if she spoke all of her truth? "Or would you have me profess before the Hall of Initiates that I have loved Anubis more than for his rites. Shall I have shared that I think of him as I fall asleep and dreamed of him and he is still in my heart when I awaken? I see him though I close my eyes and tis not only the jackal-headed god who moves within my mind and my heart but... tis the figure of a mask and a man whose stride is grace, whose voice is warm honey, whose scent is rare spice, whose very presence can tempt my thoughts away from a lifetime of training and... and make it difficult for me to even breathe."

Nura paused again as her last sentiment whispered around the chamber. She softened her voice even more. "I see the compassion with which you care for the living and the dead, equally. I hear in your voice a great reverence for the Balance, which I feel as well. I know by your words that Truth reigns above all else and yes I have in a way lied to you for many years, for not professing my..." The word caught in her throat. There was no mending it.

To her ears a soft voice came, a voice she had not heard from him before, a voice unsure and choked with emotion. "Do you?"

Nura stepped forward, running her hand along the edge of the cane bed until she found the curled tail of Bastet's form at the corner. Her hand raised up into the dark, toward the shadow of the Jackal. If she were to die, if her soul was to be devoured and would not pass into the Underworld, then at least she would have this last touch of him on her fingertips. Her hand pressed over his chest. She was not entirely surprised now to feel his heart pounding beneath it.

Nura then heard a soft voice whisper on the light breeze of fading night. She was rather amazed to realize it was her own. "If there is a man beneath this god, then I do love him. If my soul is forfeit, then so shall I be, for I can no longer deny this truth… to you, nor to myself."

She withdrew her hand and watched the shadow, listening for some response. There was but a warning to guard her eyes, to which she closed them. As the torch came to life again her eyes drifted open and looked into the face of the Jackal. Anubis raised his hands to either side of the mask and began tilting its heaviness from his shoulders.

As the mask rose, long wavy black hair was released to fall about his neck and over his back. She watched as every portion was revealed. The perspiration beaded on his neck, a few droplets visible at the hollow of his throat. A fine strong chin appeared, solid jawline, high cheekbones, sculptured nose, a face as golden tan as the rest. His eyes were closed tightly, brows knit as though it pained him to do this, to reveal himself as he is behind the mask.

The Jackal mask was lowered and braced at his hip. Still his eyes were closed though he seemed to work at relaxing his expression til it was no expression at all. Neither did his voice bear any expression, though it was the same liquid voice, with or without the mask. "This is the face of Anubis."

Nura was spellbound for he was beautiful beyond any of her imaginings of what might lay behind the mask. She could not stay her hand from him. Anubis' lips parted in a soft gasp as Nura's fingers brushed his cheek. Ever curious, her fingers brushed over his brow as she wondered why he had not opened his eyes. She drew her hand away as her hushed whisper asked, "And what do you see, without the mask?"

Slowly his eyes opened and Nura's breathing stopped altogether for a moment. There was endless depth in eyes of polished onyx. There was no white to them, only fathomless blackness. She could see everything in them and still nothing. She could see the whole room reflected in those dark pools, but no light escaped them. Nor could he see through them apparently, not as she could see through her own eyes.

Anubis stepped to one side and set the mask upon the bed then turned his face to her again. As natural as his movements were, not at all in that time did his eyes appear to focus.

Nura dropped to the floor, curled over in a prayerful crouch. "You ARE a god! How foolish I have been! You must think me mad and perhaps I should be stricken dead!"

"No NO Never say such a thing." Anubis knelt to her and brushed his hand through her hair which now hung forward over her down turned face. "Please, Nura. This is not--- I am not like ordinary men but I am not a god. For that matter, neither are the others." He spoke quickly as he tried to reassure her but she was muttering, bits and pieces of hurried prayers. "We are simply different and possessed of rare powers but---"

Anubis sighed as he leaned forward and softly kissed the crown of her head. He whispered against it, "But what is a god if not that? Yes. A fine distinction. Quite a play we've staged here and all too convincing." He tilted his head, trying to see into her face. She was still muttering prayers and beginning to rock on her feet. Anubis softly shushed her and continued his attempts to convince her. "Please, Little Light, we've come so far. I cannot turn back now. I want you to come with me."

The rapid prayers were broken as again he called her this name. Nura shook her head, more perhaps to shake herself from the instinctive fear that had overwhelmed her. Still rocking on her feet, she spoke to the stone floor. "Why is it you call me this name… Little Light?"

A relieved chuckle made her look up. The black eyes were still startling but there was a touch of mirth at the corners. They were also watery and one blink sent a tear sliding down across his cheek. Without thinking, she reached up and wiped away the tear with her thumb. Anubis closed his eyes and pressed his face against her hand as he spoke. "My Little Light, Nura… Tis the meaning of your name but more than that. Since first seeing you in the Hall of the Initiates, you shone above the others. I listened. I watched. Your heart is open. Your treatment of all is fair and honorable. You value justice and truth. And your curiosity…" He smiled and opened his eyes to look into her face but again his brows furrowed. "Yours is a light I can see without pain and a rare light it is."

Nura made to stand. "I shall put out the torch if it troubles you."

Anubis slipped his hand to hers and stopped her, shaking his head. "Not if you will be frightened though I could manage it from here."

Now it was Nura's turn for knit brows. "Light or darkness without a touch?"

Anubis nodded and narrowed his eyes to shiny black slits then rose to stand. He turned his back to the torch and coincidentally to Nura. "Yes. One of those god-like powers many are so fond of." He audibly sighed as his eyes were somewhat relieved from the light.

Scrambling to get up and cross to him, she quickly stuttered out, "Please, I shall do my best not to be frightened but I cannot have the light if it hurts you." She had turned in front of him. He looked down to her, her own crisp reflection in his eyes. Anubis nodded and Nura had to choose which to watch, him or the torch. She leaned slightly though and caught sight of the torch some paces behind him, just as it dwindled to a small flame then went out.

"Tis a small matter of magic but not the sort one does with herbs and spices." His hand raised to brush her hair back across her shoulder. "Too much to take in for one evening?"

"Too many questions and I begin to fear the answers." She was standing very close to Anubis now and growing self-conscious of it. She could tell too that Ra was returning as the first hints of dawn were trying to peep into the chamber from the secret opening. "Perhaps you should--"

"Yes, I must close it before it can be seen." He walked around Nura to the same panel of glyphs as before. With a single hand-press, the large block began to shift and rise into position.

As the light and fresh air was gradually cut off, Nura found herself standing in the dark chamber without any reference whatsoever. Her voice seemed too loud as she shakily called to him, "Lord Anubis?"

From somewhere in the dark, he answered, "Yes, Little Light."

"Is this what you see from within the mask? Complete darkness?"

"No."

"Then what do you see?"

"With or without the mask… Everything. For some, there is more to vision than sight."

Anubis walked to her. Nura could barely hear his footsteps shifting in the sandy dust upon the stone. He shushed quietly as he stepped in close so she would know he was standing before her again. His fingers lightly touched her waist before his arms slipped around her. After a moment's hesitation, Nura's hands came up to rest on his arms before sliding up to his shoulders, fingertips finding again the ridges she had seen.

"Seeing everything weighs heavily upon you."

"Indeed."

Nura felt him curl over her. In the complete darkness, she felt the warmth of his face near hers, his breath across her ear. She melted against him as he whispered. "No more could I go on with the charade. Osiris seems to be enjoying his popularity. I've had my fill of it. I needed to end my part in the rituals. Let others wear the mask. I do nothing which they could not do."

She could only nod and hiss a quiet "Yes" against his shoulder. Her body was wrapped in his arms, a twinge of hunger more than curiosity sparked within her. She shivered and slipped her arms around Anubis' neck as he kissed her shoulder. Shortly she felt his embrace tighten. One hand slid down her back and continued until he lifted her then cradled her in his arms. They moved a few paces and she was being lowered again, onto the cane bed. She gasped lightly in the darkness as her shoulder bumped something else but relaxed again as she realized the Jackal mask had been left there.

There was nothing for a few moments. No light. His touch was gone. She lay breathless upon the cane and her heart quickened with a few sounds she was unable to decipher. Soon though, Nura felt his warmth radiating close to her again. She sighed relief as she felt his weight shift the cane bed.

"I know you can see nothing in this darkness, Nura, but your light shines for me. You were so easy to see in the chaos of the burial chamber." Anubis stretched out beside her on the cane, lying on his side; head propped on one hand while the other reached over to brush her cheek.

Nura's hands were draped across her waist, idly toying with her linen and the edge of her braided belt. The darkness was so profound. She closed her eyes so it would not feel as foreboding. It was also very difficult to think with him so close but the questions started to surface again. "What happened in the chamber? If you caused the interruption of the rites… why?"

Anubis sighed as his fingers traced over her shoulder. "I told Sekhmet and Bast some time ago that I wished Osiris would let Anubis slip quietly away. They offered to assist but he would hear none of it. He has begun to believe his own myth, I fear." His fingers traced along her arm and to her elbow then across to let his hand rest over her own. "Finally I spoke with Horus, who seems the only one able to get through to Osiris, owing mostly to their equal stature in the eyes of the masses, I suppose. Horus, Sek, Bast and I devised a plan--" Again he sighed "I tell more than you likely have wish to hear after such a night. The end of this plan you witnessed for yourself. I would disrupt the funereal rites and steal away. Word will travel quickly and before long, Anubis will be but faded legend. The tellers will think up some reason for the disappearance. They have been unerring in such pursuits thus far."

Nura felt his fingers tracing hers then he slipped them into her palm and drew her hand up to kiss the back of it. He lingered there and whispered against her skin. "I could not go without my Little Light. I am sorry I did not ask. Tis morning now and should you wish to part, I can see you safely from here so none will notice." He squeezed her hand gently. "In any case, I fear I have likely disrupted your life as well as the other's death."

She closed her fingers over his and let the back of her hand brush his cheek. She felt moisture upon it. "Do not weep for me, Lord Anubis. This night has been trying, I will not deny it, but I have learned much and feel the promise of more to come." Rolling onto her side toward him, she pressed her cheek against his chest, hearing his strong heartbeat.

Anubis released Nura's hand and drew his arm over her. A deep relaxing breath escaped him as he held her close. "Yes. I make you such a promise."

Muffled against his chest, she voiced the next curiosity, "Where shall we go?"

He chuckled lightly "Anywhere. I have things I need to gather at the temple near Abydos. After that, anywhere you might wish or even to parts of this world you did not know existed."

This excited Nura certainly. Already Anubis had expanded her vision, begun to make her think about how small her world was, despite the giant monuments, grand rituals and sprawling deserts. More over, she was discovering how little she really knew. All these things were whirling in her mind but one particular puzzle surfaced. She was not at all sure she even knew how to express it. "What of the jackal? Shall he come too? Not the mask, the hound. Where has he gone? What shall happen to him if you go?"

Anubis was silent for a long moment. His hand gently rubbed her back as he formulated his reply. "The mask shall stay. I have another at the temple. As for the jackal hound…" He swallowed. His heartbeat quickened.

Nura became concerned that she had walked him into something he had not wished to discuss. "Tis none of my concern. Not at all my place to ask such questions. Please, you needn't--"

His hand stopped against her back and she felt him curl to kiss the top of her head where she lay wrapped against him. "Your place is at my side for as long as you wish it. I only hesitate to tell you the truth of the jackal because… because I feel I have already asked for so much understanding."

Anubis' arm slipped away from her as he lay back onto the cane bed. Nura was confused and disturbed by his action, having no hint what could be troubling him. She drew her arms up close to her chest then lay very still, waiting.

Anubis made to speak then stopped himself short, only to attempt again. Finally he found an approach. "Sekhmet, the lion-headed god, she is both lioness and woman. Bastet, our beloved smaller feline, is both cat and woman. I don't mean the blend of the two as we are seen in... It is…" He took another few moments to continue then seemed bent on trying to convince himself. "If you are to come with me, you must know. You must know that I am not always in this human form."

It was Nura's turn to laugh. "Of course! I had thought in all your revelations you were about to tell me that the jackal was something else and not Anubis but now you confirm it is as I have always thought, as we were told in fact. You are at times the jackal and at times in human guise. This is the first thing since the rites that I feel I understand!"

Her laughter was infectious and Anubis joined in. He laughed at himself as well. Naturally she would be comfortable with this notion of changing forms among the gods. It was only he that knew it was not at all a god-thing, just the birthright of his ilk. "Yes. Yes, I sometimes forget that this is so easily accepted… for gods. In a way, that is how this entire mess began, but that is another tale for another day." Anubis yawned and rolled onto his side, once again taking Nura into his arms. He kissed the top of her head as they settled together. "For the moment, I am too weary to tell more. I am not a god so I need sleep. I assume you could do with a bit yourself?"

"Hmmm?" Was Nura's only response, otherwise her deep and even breathing answered the Jackal's question.

(Next in thread: Nura and Anubis)