Page 7 of Queen Takes Sunfires 2
Privacy. Peace. Comfort. I couldn’t remember such a luxury. I checked the sky first through the curtains, relieved to see the sun was almost completely set. I should be mostly safe throughout the night, whether the nest held out sunfires or not. They could certainly appear at night, but it took an extreme amount of power for them to do so. They’d be at their strongest at high noon.
I wandered about the space, touching and exploring. A soft quilt. A raised bed with a comfortable, large cushion, rather than a sunken golden monstrosity barely softened with a few pillows. A small attached room like the one at the hotel where Eivind had stopped on the way from Chicago. I thought about breaking the mirror for protection, but I didn’t want to upset my host. I wasn’t sure what most of the items were for, but I appreciated them just the same.
Not a single gold item. Absolutely beautiful and marvelous.
Inside a tall wooden box, I found neat stacks of clothing and a few hanging items. I flashed back to what Helayna had been wearing—simple blue pants and a soft, fluffy looking shirt. I didn’t see the same kind of pants, but there were loose gray pants that were a bit long but worked fine, and a matching oversized shirt that was almost the same color as the sky.
It dawned on me that this clothing could be Eivind’s. His petite sister likely wouldn’t wear such long pants. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the idea of wearing his clothing. The man who’d abandoned me.
Unfair. He had no reason to stay. Other than the silent pull between us.
I wandered about the space again, trying to remember the words for basic items that I hadn’t seen or used in forever. Simple things, like a hairbrush. I hadn’t been allowed any kind of implement that I might use to harm myself. Ra had slaves that dressed me. I had no say in my clothing or how I wore my hair.
Pausing in front of the mirror again, I stared at my image, trying to remember who I was outside of Heliopolis. What my life had been like. Surely it hadn’t all been horrible. But I didn’t even recognize my own image. I might as well have been staring at a stranger.
I twisted some of the handles, discovering that hot and cold water flowed out. I wasn’t familiar with any of this. I hadn’t consumed or used water in centuries, so why did Helayna have flowing water inside her house? Overwhelmed and annoyed at my own ignorance, I decided to go downstairs and see what she had to say. At least my own thoughts wouldn’t be clamoring in my head so loudly, and even having another person to talk to would be a luxury.
2
Karmen
As I came down the stairs, I looked around the room more openly since no one was there to watch me gawk. The far wall was covered in stone slabs with a dark square hole at the bottom. Two long brown chairs faced each other with lots of pillows. A colorful rug covered the wooden floor. I could imagine lounging on one of those chairs, so much more comfortable looking than Ra’s golden monstrosities. All very warm and homey. Though the giant winged statue near the front door seemed an odd choice.
I stepped into the adjacent room, and Helayna smiled, gesturing to a chair opposite her at a small round table. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
I wasn’t sure what that was, but I nodded anyway. I sat down, glancing around the room to see where the men were. One stood near another door that must lead outside, and the big one stood behind her, tucked away in the shadows. If I hadn’t looked for him, I doubt I would have even noticed his presence. I didn’t see the third.
She picked up a small white pot with blue markings on it, then offered me a matching cup. I mirrored her, watching the way she sipped the liquid. It was hot, slightly bitter and earthy.
I must have made a slight face at the taste, because she said, “Sugar or milk might help. I usually add a splash of milk to mine, especially if I brewed it too strong.”
Again, I wasn’t sure what those things were. I hesitated, trying to decide the best course of action. Be honest? Or pretend like I knew what was going on? So far, I had no reason to doubt her honesty or kindness. She could have trapped me earlier without me knowing any better. “This is all unknown to me. Everything. I don’t know what tea, milk, or sugar are. I barely remember the words for lake and house. I don’t even know the appropriate word for these clothes you provided. I don’t know how nests work, or these bonds you spoke of. Pretend like I know absolutely nothing, like I’m a babe to this world. Because I am.”
“Where were you before Eivind found you?”
I watched her face, trying to judge her reaction. “Heliopolis.”
Her brow furrowed, her head tipping slightly to the side. “I don’t think I know that name. Is it Egyptian?”
I shrugged slightly, unsure how to explain without sounding crazy. Eivind sure hadn’t believed me… until he saw the skeletons for himself. “It wasn’t a part of this world. I was taken there as a child.”
I didn’t think she’d understand, but she shuddered slightly, curling her hands around the cup as if it could warm her. “I was taken to Hvergelmir, a realm of Hel at the base of Yggdrasil. Do you know it?”
Silently, I shook my head. The name was as unfamiliar to me as Chicago.
“It was completely dark. I couldn’t see anything. No warmth, light, or living things, so I thought, other than a gigantic snake, Jörmungandr. The snake is so massive that he encompasses the world, holding his own tail in his mouth. Legends say when he releases his tail that the world will be destroyed in war. When I woke up, I was inside the snake.”
I shuddered at the thought. “Ra was scared of snakes.” Startled at my own words, I froze, trying to keep my calm, serene face that hid all my thoughts.
She noticed, though. “Did you remember something?”
“I guess,” I replied slowly. “The snake is important. Something that Ra was scared of. I don’t know why, but it sort of echoed in my head when I said it. Like a gong reverberating.”
“I only know Nordic mythology, but world snakes play an important part in many of the ancient cultures. There’s even a snake in the Garden of Eden in the Bible.”
We sipped our tea silently for a few moments. My mind whirled, trying to remember where I had heard about Ra and the snake. Had he told me himself? Most of the time, he used me like I was an object. A piece of furniture. Not a person. One did not speak to his table. But every once in a while, even a god desired some interaction. An ear, someone who was powerless to act on anything he said or did. Where he could pretend to be… rational. Empathetic to a point. Like he cared whether the worlds lived or died.
Those moments were few and far between. His punishing rages were much more frequent. Nearly constant by the time I woke up in Chicago.
