The Golden Scarab (Book One of Chasing Chaos)

PROLOGUE

There was blood and carnage all around him. Ra nearly wept as he took in the devastating sight, but he knew he must remain strong. Too many members of his pantheon had already fallen. Over the years, he'd lost his wife, his son, and two of his daughters. He refused to lose anyone else.

"Look out!" Horus cried, getting Ra's attention just in time for him to duck out of the way of Apep's fangs. The evil God of Chaos had nearly swallowed the head of his pantheon whole.

Horus impaled the giant serpent with his sword. It wouldn't kill him, for it was impossible to kill Apep. As the embodiment of chaos itself, all he needed to survive was for chaos to continue to exist, and that was an inevitable consequence of living. Still, it did enough damage that he was forced to retreat for a bit.

"Ra, are you alright?" Horus asked in concern.

"I'll be fine," Ra replied. "Where is Isis?"

"My mother is on the other side of the battle tending to the wounded. Heket was nearly killed, and Hathor was bitten."

"Has she been cured of the venom?" Ra asked in alarm.

"Serqet is with them. She should be able to cure Hathor." He kept up a strong front, but Ra sensed his grief peaking through.

"I miss her, too, Horus," he said gently.

"I can resume grieving my consort later, Ra. We are in the middle of a battle."

Khonsu came running toward them. He was gravely injured, but that didn't stop him from carrying someone in his arms.

"Set..." Ra said in surprise. The younger God of Chaos was bleeding from too many places. He looked at Ra weakly, his eyes barely able to remain open.

"Why the hell did you bring that bastard here?" Horus demanded.

"He saved my life," Khonsu replied. "He dove between me and the snake... He's dying, Ra. I didn't know how else to save him, and I refuse to let anyone else die for me... Losing Satis was traumatic enough."

"Put him down carefully," Ra said urgently. "Horus, get Anubis. Set requires the Elixir."

"Why should we help him? He killed her, Ra!" Horus snapped.

"I know what he did, Horus," Ra said far too softly. It took everything he had not to scream. "She was my daughter. However, I also understand the complexity of the situation. Set was not entirely at fault. His actions were heavily influenced by Apep."

"I refuse to help this beast," Horus said firmly.

"Then help me, Horus. It is what she would have wanted, and it is what I am asking as the head of the pantheon."

Horus sighed. "My apologies, Ra... That was my grief speaking."

"I know. Go. Retrieve the Elixir. I will tend to Khonsu in the meantime."

"I'm alright," Khonsu lied. For once, he was not convincing.

"You did well bringing Set to me. Let me take care of your injuries," Ra insisted as Horus headed off.

He examined the Moon God's wounds and began to mend what he could. There was no venom, so he knew that Khonsu would survive.

"Thank you, Ra," Khonsu said softly. "Do you think we can count on Horus to return in time to save Set?"

"I hope so. Horus is hurting... We both are... However, Ta-Bitjet would not want us to leave Set to die, and he knows that. My daughter adored Set right to the end... And he has done nothing but show remorse ever since her death. He nearly destroyed himself in his grief."

"I know. I had to stop him from ending his existence on two different occasions. He hates himself for what he did to her."

"And that is why I cannot bring myself to hate him. It wasn't Set's fault... Even Horus knows that on some level."

"Set may be dark, and he may get into more than his fair share of mischief, but he's not evil, Ra... And even when he does choose to do evil things, he would never hurt her. She was the only one who never gave up on him."

"I know... My daughter always saw the good in everyone." Ra sighed as he examined Set's injuries and tried to keep his energy stable.

"Tabby..." Set whimpered in his delirium. "Tabby, I'm sorry..."

"Easy, Set," Ra said soothingly. "Help is coming. Stay with us."

Anubis arrived minutes later with Bastet at his side. Bastet glared at Set. "Do we have to help him?" She asked.

"Yes," Ra replied firmly. "He is injured because he saved Khonsu's life. This is the least we can do for him."

Anubis tried to give Set the Elixir of Life. Set pushed his hand away. "No," he mumbled.

"Set, you need this to survive," Anubis pointed out. "Let me help you."

"I don't deserve it!"

"That's true," Sekhmet mumbled as she joined them. She wrapped an arm around Bastet's shoulder protectively as she added, "I could kill him quickly and put him out of his misery." She smirked at Ra, waiting for him to approve her plan.

"Stand down, Sekhmet," Ra said firmly. "Set has made it clear that he is back on our side."

"Take the damn Elixir, Set," Anubis insisted. "You'll die without it."

"Let me perish... It's justice," Set said weakly.

"No," a new replied said. Ma'at extended her wings as she glided toward them. "It is not justice, Set. Justice is allowing you to make up for your past mistakes."

He looked at her with tears in his eyes. Ra was surprised, but it only served to prove that Set was not evil despite what Apep had forced him to do.

Screams came from nearby. A pair of deities ran toward them covered in blood as they clung to each other's hands. "Khnum has fallen," Nut said with tears in her eyes.

"He saved us," Geb added. "We stopped to embrace... It has been so long since we could see each other in our true forms. Chaos caught us by surprise."

Bastet covered her mouth in horror and buried her face in Sekhmet's shoulder. Sekhmet roared in rage as she held her. Anubis looked lost as he asked, "Can the Elixir help?"

"There's nothing left of him," Nut sobbed. "It was horrible."

"You are safe with us," Ra said. "I will move those of you who need it into a sanctuary until this battle ends. I refuse to lose any more Gods."

"Neith was destroyed, too," Khonsu said. "My brother told me before he ran off in a rage."

"Neith was one of our strongest," Anubis said with a sigh. "We're going to lose."

"No, we aren't," Horus said firmly as he reappeared. "Save Set, whether he wants it or not, and then we must continue this fight."

"Set... We still need you," Ra said gently. "Please allow Anubis to help you."

Set was seemingly too exhausted to continue to protest. This time, he allowed Anubis to pour the Elixir into his mouth. He began to heal quickly.

"We need a plan," Isis said as she arrived with several others. Heket was hysterical, letting out an occasional ribbit between her sobs. The Frog Goddess was being comforted by Hathor.

"You must breathe, Heket," Hathor said soothingly.

"How can I?" Heket demanded. "He's gone. My consort is gone! I can feel it. I've lost him!" She ribbitted again.

"Is it true? Is Khnum dead?" Nephthys asked in horror. She ignored Set as he continued healing on the ground. Apparently she was not concerned with whether or not her consort survived.

"Yes," Geb said sadly as he clung to his own consort. "He saved us both." Nut sniffled to confirm his statement.

Serqet walked over to Set and immediately pricked her finger and shoved it into his mouth. "Elixir can do a lot," she said, "but it won't cure venom. My blood will finish saving you."

He looked at her in surprise as she took care of him. "Thank you," he said as he finally regained his strength.

"You're our strongest asset against him," she replied. "As the only other God of Chaos in the pantheon, we need you on our side. It's time we finish this."

The Gods began discussing their strategy. They didn't have much time, and they were all painfully aware that they wouldn't get more than one chance to defeat their enemy.

As the final battle began, the Gods knew what they had to do. Apep slithered toward them. He set his sights on Ma'at, but the other Gods moved in front of her. Ra stood at the head of the line.

"You cannot win this, Apep," Ra said firmly. "We may not be able to destroy you, but together, we can bind you."

That was the only warning Apep received before the entire pantheon united against him. Isis took the lead on the magical end, strengthening the cage they'd created to imprison him with every spell she knew. Horus, Ra, Wadjet, and Sekhmet battled fiercely, leading the others in a brutal assault.

Tawaret stood on the sidelines, her eyes glistening with tears. Apep was her consort, but even she had agreed to help the other deities put an end to his reign of terror before he could destroy them all. She finally moved, offering her hand to Isis and helping her create the final lock that would seal the cage for eternity.

"Now!" Horus shouted.

The deities who were engaged in the physical side of the battle used all of their strength to assault Apep. Swords pierced his scales. His blood painted the sand red, but he refused to stop fighting. Horus and Wadjet continued slashing him open. Sekhmet sank her fangs into him, determined to do as much damage as possible to his body. Finally, with a burst of blinding sunlight, Ra shoved him into the cage.

"Apep, God of Chaos, we hereby seal you in this cage for all of time and beyond!" Ra proclaimed. "This is the sentence you must serve for the crimes you have committed against the Egyptian pantheon as well as all others."

"Justice must be served," Ma'at declared. "This sentence is fair and shall be upheld."

"So it is sealed!" Isis finished. She activated the many locks on the cage in one final burst of power.

Apep thrashed against the cage. He recoiled as the cage attacked him, shocking him and draining the last of his strength. He hissed in rage, but he said nothing.

Thoth put a hand on Ra's shoulder as the cage vanished into the darkest part of the Duat, where it would remain for eternity. "You have done well, my Lord," he said. "This cage will hold him and serve its purpose. It is strong."

Hapi washed the blood away from the sand with a wave from the Nile, cleansing the battlefield.

"Rejoice, my friends," Ra said. "We are victorious. Soon, we shall gather our fallen, honor their sacrifice, and mourn together. For now, take solace in the fact that the threat has been contained and no more harm shall come to the innocent."

The deities walked away, preparing to begin the process of healing from a war that had stretched on for far too long. No one noticed two scrolls unfurling as they left. They didn't witness the quills moving as they began to write furiously, recording two urgent prophecies which would not be seen by anyone for centuries:

Three fallen Gods shall return once more, revived and reunited by an unknown force in a time not their own. Their arrival heralds the resumption of a bitter battle believed to have already been won. When the snake returns, a new journey shall begin in a new land. The Gods must unite or all shall be lost. So it is written. So it shall be.

In the darkest hour, when hope is lost, the golden scarab must rise.