Page 47 of Pandora: Alien Games

“When they trapped the old Gods inside, they also trapped Demons. You are going to have to face your fears to save us all. What the rulers don’t know is that the Pyramid is a time bomb. If they don’t solve the riddles soon, this civilization will be erased down to the last of the people who draw a breath.”

“Shit.”

“Let me show you something. Run and jump.”

There was no ramp I could use. I was alone outside in the desert under the light of the two moons.

“Run and jump where?”

The voice laughed. Nephthys. I should get used to calling her by her name.

“Give me some credit. Try.”

I looked up toward the sky. It was dark but didn’t feel cold and oppressive the way it was up there on the space station. Quite the contrary, it felt like freedom, as if there was no limit to what I could accomplish.

I did as Nephthys said. I ran and, when I felt that I had built up enough speed, I jumped. Wings opened on my back, growing out of the armor like steel feathers, propelling me over the sand, floating.

“Oh, my Gods, oh my Gods. Aaawaaaaaa!”

I spent my life on the space station that technically floated but never experienced flying, not this way. My stomach jumped when my feet left the ground. I felt as if everything melted away under my eyes, becoming a blurb of shapes and different shades of grey, like a negative kaleidoscope. I took a deep breath, trying to force all my organs to slide back into place. A few deep breaths with my eyes closed did the trick. When I cracked my eye lids again, I wiped away the tears of happiness from the corner of my eyes. It was so beautiful. Nothing in my life compared to this. I felt as if I had spent my entire life preparing myself for this exact moment.

Freedom.

It tasted like cinnamon and night air. There was a sweet fragrance to it, something I couldn’t explain.

“You can control them,” said Nephthys in her calm voice. “You can will them to do as you say.”

I moved with the air current, feeling as if the wings connected to my own spine and body. The armor held my body in a comfortable position as I flew, my body parallel to the ground.

“Can I touch the moons?” I asked with a laugh, my heart filled with the happiness connected to this new feeling.

“Let’s see how far up you can go.”

My heart was calm and my body experienced a borderless freedom that pushed me up, further and further into the stratosphere. When my breathing became difficult, a mask appeared over my mouth and nose, filling my lungs with oxygen. Everything looked so tiny from up here.

“What are we really looking for inside the Pyramid of Doom?” I did not ask the question aloud. It was just a thought I directed toward Nephthys.

“My mate.”

“You can hear my thoughts?”

“Only when you want me to. Like now when you focused on sending me a message. This is a sign you and I have perfect balance and are connected.”

“Tell me about your mate.”

“He is amazing. We have been apart for so long my heart aches for him. He is Anubis, the first one, the God of the Underworld.”

“If he is a God, how is it possible he’s trapped? Aren’t they super powerful?”

“He is. He hid inside the Pyramid to protect the progress of his people and uses his power to shield the knowledge from destruction. So much time has passed since we last saw each other. Still, I can feel the taste of his lips on mine. I can feel his fingers stroking my hair.”

“Do you have a body?”

“Yes. My body was inside the Pyramid with him. We planned to stay together but something happened. The Fates did something I couldn’t understand. My soul is fused with the armor while my body sleeps in a sarcophagus next to the body of my beloved.”

Nephthys’ story hit me in my chest. It hurt, made me inwardly break with all her pain. But it was not only pain. It was love. I felt her love for Anubis and sensed his heat and passion for her. I saw them together, melted in a deep lovers’ embrace that was meant to exist longer than time itself.

It was so beautiful it made me cry.

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