Page 82 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Fire

“Khepria, no,” Isolarel whispered behind me, groaning as he moved into a seated position.

The way his voice croaked made my heart hurt, tears pricking my eyes as I continued to stand there in front of a god.

Mr. Redding stood canted in front of me, the book held firmly against him. Seth let out a chuckle as he stared at us both.

“An old man and a little female. Oh, how low you’ve sunken, Isolarel, to have these two think they could try and protect you?”

Mr. Redding looked over his shoulder at me, my face wet with doubt and hopelessness. "Khepria, is that this god that torments him?"

I nodded my head, knowing it was about to happen again.

Before Mr. Redding could turn to face him, Seth appeared right before us with the smirk on his face.

"Wretched mortals, stand aside before you face my wrath," he sneered, almost excited at the prospect of this threat.

"I won't let you take him!” I cried out, unafraid. “He has suffered enough, don't you see that?"

Isolarel shakily got to his feet and placed a hand on my shoulder. Lightning shot through me and it spurred my pride forth, refusing to let myself back down.

"Both of you have shown me a kindness I will never be able to repay, but this debt is mine and mine alone."

I audibly swallowed, angry at Isolarel for giving up so easily. I thought gods were supposed to be arrogant like Seth.

Like me, Mr. Redding stood defiantly in front of Seth before jerking the book forward and opening it. I carefully watched Seth’s expression, equally lost at what was about to happen. Mr. Redding then began reading a chant out loud in a language I was unfamiliar with. Some of the words were similar to Egyptian, but many of them were indecipherable to me. The result was akin to Mr. Redding speaking in tongues and goosebumps rose on my skin.

As Mr. Reddings' chants grew louder, the air crackled with energy. Seth continued to stand before us, his eyes filled with amusement. The longer Mr. Redding went, Seth let out a booming laugh that echoed through the desolate sands.

"The chant of the monks," Seth sneered. "You think your feeble spells can stop me?"

Mr. Reddings stood tall, his voice unwavering. "It may be feeble to you, but it is the only defense we have," he shot back without a hitch.

Seth raised an eyebrow, a smirk continuously playing on his lips. "You wish to use your own life energy to prevent me from moving? How noble."

With a swift motion, Seth shot his hand out and punched the barrier that was being created by Mr. Reddings' chants. The barrier shimmered, but held strong, pushing Seth back with an invisible energy.

Mr. Redding widened his stance and gritted his teeth, his face contorted with effort. The strain of maintaining the barrier was evident, but he refused to give in. I stood in awe, unsure of what I should be doing. All I could do was take a few steps back until my back hit Isolarel, soaking in our physical connection.

"The spell is complete," Mr. Redding gasped, sweat dripping down his brow. "As long as my strength holds, he can't move. Go, Khepria, get him out of here now!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he turned and looked at me, his eyes filled with a tenderness that sliced me to the core.

“You are the only daughter I have left. You were chosen for a reason, even if you don't understand it now. But you will. I believe in you.”

My heart stopped for a few seconds. Mr. Redding had lost his wife and daughter in a terrible freak accident. He chose to never remarry, isolating himself from the world with the help of his ever growing library and research. My lips trembled as I watched his tear stained face turn into a smirk right before he gave his attention back to Seth.

"This god will learn that even they have their limits."

I nodded, understanding the urgency in Mr. Reddings' voice.

“I love you too,” I whispered to his back, then turned to Isolarel who stood beside me, quiet in his confusion. "We have to go," I commanded, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the opposite direction. "We can't waste any more time."

Mr. Redding began chanting behind us once more, but the cadence of this one was much more aggressive than the last.

“Foolish mortal!” Seth roared.

When Isolarel and I came to the wall of the crater, I looked at him strategically and wondered how I was going to be able to carry him all the way up with his injuries. To my surprise, he rolled his neck and crouched down.

“Get on my back, it will be faster that way.”

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