A Clockwork Sphinx

Iunu stretched in the morning sun, luxuriating in the warmth of its patron God, Ra. The city was already baking, but the temperature continued to rise as the sun approached its apex. The high priest of Ra, Renakhti, blinked as he stepped into the sunlight from the shadows of his offices. The small balcony gave him one of the nicer views of the entire city and caught a nice breeze.

"Well, it's a lovely day, isn't it?" The speaker was a large serpent with flecks of black standing out among mostly golden scales. The highly cultured voice of the great serpent frightened and confused many visitors to the high priest's offices. After nearly seven decades, Renakhti was quite used to his familiar's speech. The falcon-headed priest nodded agreement and gazed into the perfect azure sky, briefly considering an aerial tour of the city before his daily meetings. The sound of running feet drew his attention back towards the building.

"Well, I wonder who that is?" the serpent muttered, then slithered off his warm perch on the wide stone railing and over to the priest, taking his place dutifully at Renakhti's side. He spread his hood imposingly and assumed a cool gaze. A young woman sprinted out of the building and, seeing the person she was seeking, came to an abrupt stop. She gasped for breath and clutched her side with one hand and the doorframe with the other. Seeing whom it was, the serpent dropped the impressive-gaze act, rolled his eyes and huffed a small sigh. It was always something with Pedire. Renakhti afforded himself a small, wheezing, birdlike chuckle as he waited for the woman to collect herself.

A scant second later, an annoyed bodyguard arrived carrying a single beaded sandal. Seeing the piercing gaze of the priest, he stepped back a few paces and bowed before taking up a relaxed position by the door. Nothing could hurt his charge here (except perhaps herself) so he waited patiently.

"Sir!" the woman gasped, "Sir! He's here. Blessed be the Gods, he's here." She finally managed to get out, eyes wide with excitement and perhaps a little fear.

"Who's here?" the serpent asked.

"The one I saw," she gasped. "The one with the hair!" Having sprinted from the other side of the rather extensive temple complex, Pedire was justifiably short winded.

"Lots of people have hair, Pedire," the serpent chided wryly, shaking his head slightly. His amused tone was echoed in the friendly glint in the falcon eyes of the priest.

"Yes I know!" Pedire snapped in exasperation. "But this is the one I saw in the vision! The one with hair like a Benu bird! He's come! I know it!"

Pedire was the youngest daughter of the previous Pharaoh, and one of the amazingly few with the true gift of Sight. When she spoke of visions, only a very stupid person would ignore her. Falcon eyes met serpentine for a moment as the two spoke wordlessly. The Priest tilted his head in a movement that was both eerily human and yet also animal as he regarded the woman. Pedire shuddered slightly under the gaze and tried smoothing her rumpled dress so it looked more presentable. It was far too long to run in. She was immensely grateful when the high priest walked past her, inside. Examination by Renakhti always made her feel as if the God himself were examining her very soul, however mild mannered the priest actually was.

"Come along, inside," the serpent said as he slithered past, following his wizard. Pedire nodded and followed, stopping only to send an apologetic look to Tef who had the misfortune of guarding her today. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as Tef wordlessly handed her sandal back. His dark eyes glinted in amusement when he realized she hadn't even noticed she'd lost it. Pedire shot him a dirty look as she shoved the footgear on. They'd have words later. But now was a time for business.

Renakhti bade the Seer sit across from him and bade a waiting apprentice go fetch cools drinks. The serpent, Djtre, coiled himself next to the priest on a low bench.

"How do you know this?" Djtre asked even as Renakhti made a questioning gesture.

"I had another vision," the seer stated. "I saw a bright white light and then I heard a man yell in surprise. It wasn't a very clear vision," she said. Both familiar and wizard looked skeptical. "I didn't see much, but only twice before have I felt this completely sure of what a vision means," Pedire told them sincerely. The falcon-headed priest took a deep breath and released it slowly.

The first time Pedire had seen a vision, she'd been a mere five years old. She'd seen an assassination attempt on the Pharaoh's life. Luckily her nursemaid had been so frightened by the child's behavior she'd gone right to her husband, who just happened to be the head of the palace guard. Few visions since had been as strong, but all had been accurate and none had ever been ignored. Not even the odd one five years before, about a man whose hair looked like the flaming feathers of the sacred benu bird. This was the second vision she'd been certain of.

Her rare ability also was the reason for Tef and the others of her guard. A Seer was a priceless gift from the Gods, and was well guarded. Slowly, Renakhti nodded. Pedire looked immensely relieved. She sighed and sank a little into her chair. There was always the nagging worry that someone wouldn't believe her. The apprentice returned and placed his tray on the low table then left quietly. Renakhti waited until the teenager was out of hearing before Djitre spoke again.

"Do you know where he is?" As it always did, hearing the voice of the serpent speaking in place of the immensely powerful high priest of Re, made Pedire uncomfortable. But today, her conviction gave her a sense of security she'd rarely known in their presence.

"Mennefer," she stated. Again, the falcon head nodded. "We must go get him! There is so much to do! He looked like a foreigner. He might not know his way around our land. The city might have changed. He needs a guide." Her exclamations came out in an excited rush.

"Patience," Djtre told her. Renakhti's lower jaw had dropped into an avian grin. The woman let out a puff of air then nodded.

"I worry! He's very important," she said in her defense. As if on cue, a falcon, a real one, winged into the room. It carried a message. The bird landed on the arm of the priest's chair and waited as she was relieved of her burden. The bird then flew to the far side of the room where water and food were always kept. Renakhti read the message, showed the scroll to Djtre and then passed it across the table to Pedire.

"It seems that he indeed arrived in a flash of light during the daily service to Ptah, in the main temple. He gave the priests there quite an understandable shock," Djtre repeated the message on the scroll, "As per our request, the high priest there has informed us of his arrival. Well, it looks like it's begun. I can't say I'm glad to see it, but I suppose that's the way things are," the serpent sighed then grew gravely serious. "You know what to do."

"I do," Pedire said as she rose, "I will go to Mennefer as soon as I am able."

"Good, good. May Re stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk," the serpent intoned as the priest blessed the journey with upraised arms. Pedire bowed her head then walked briskly from the room, Tef at her heels.

"I would appreciate it, if the next time you are struck by something like this, you would pause a moment and let me have a running start?" Tef was nearly two meters tall, had a deep voice, and an annoying habit of teasing his charge. He towered over Pedire when she stopped to glare at him.

"Maybe you should be faster. And if you couldn't catch me then the chances are good that a kidnapper couldn't either," she sniffed and turned on her heel, beaded braids swinging with the sudden movement.

"I wouldn't count on that," he replied seriously. Pedire's scowl disappeared and she nodded agreement.

"Yeah, yeah. We're going to Mennefer. No doubt you are jumping for joy."

"We will manage," he shrugged. When they arrived at her quarters, she made a beeline for her travel gear.

"My lady?" her personal maid, Seri, questioned as her charge stalked into the room.

"We leave for Mennefer as soon as we are able," she explained as she hauled out her wooden trunk. "The vision I saw five years ago is coming true and we have no time to waste."

"Yes." Seri nodded and began efficiently packing the essentials for travel. Pedire entered her personal chambers and was met by six scowling faces. Tef, Ndjet, Ay, Den, Iawy and Siptah, her personal guards, were not pleased by sudden trips. No doubt, Tef had filled them all in by now.

"Look, you know I have to go," she said simply and began pulling assorted scrolls from their holding places, and rolling star charts. The men exchanged exasperated looks. Two shrugged and left, leaving the rest to begin helping her pack.

"We understand that you must go," Ndjet told her as he handed her a detailed map of the southern stars, "but that does not mean we like it any more. Ay and Iawy will be going ahead to check the city. We must insist that you be accompanied by either Tef, myself or Siptah wherever you go."

"Fine, fine!" she muttered, already losing patience with their mothering. "It's your heads and mine if we screw up security. I know that. I've known the drill since I was five! Hand me that!"

"Yes ma'am," Siptah said demurely. Pedire scowled at him and snatched the scroll.

She chewed her lower lip as she watched her bodyguards assemble her packs. She understood the need for her security even if she hated being followed around all the time. There had been a number of attempted kidnappings in her past and she would never forget the night when she'd been eight and one of her bodyguards had died for her. She made an elaborate offering to the memory of Setau once a year. Pedire shook herself from memory and continued to pack.

Djtre watched as the Seer's boat caught the wind and began moving up the Nile. He spared a glance at his wizard. Renakhti's falcon-headed face was impassive, the picture of serenity to the causal observer. The serpent noticed a slight tension however.

"Well," he said, "there she goes."

"What do you think?" the priest asked. His voice was raspy from disuse since he spoke so rarely.

"I'm not sure what I think at this point." Djtre tilted his head, the closest he could get to a shrug since he lacked shoulders. "Big things are happening. Will happen. Her vision has not sat well with me at all."

"It has unsettled me as well, my friend," Renakhti sighed. "But even as she prophesized doom for us, for our way of life, she gave me hope."

"Hope?" the serpent questioned. How his wizard could see hope in that situation was beyond him.

"Yes, hope. The stranger is a gift, Djtre. He will see us through these times even as Set does. I am sure of it. His hair is a sign."

"Set? Deserts and Chaos will help us?" the serpent asked skeptically. The falcon wheezed a chuckle.

"Remember, the ancient teachings say that it is he who protects the sun as it travels in the underworld."

"That is true, and against the dark one, no less. I was there when those were written, remember."

"I remember. And you will be here to see the results of today. Journey to my tomb and tell me won't you?"

"Of course."

The two were silent as they watched the boat fade into the distance, each thinking their own thoughts. The serpent rose up so he was eye to eye with the wizard.

"So, you are suggesting that we will fight chaos with chaos? Destruction with destruction? Oh I like that." The serpent's jaw dropped in a grin. "I like that a lot. It shall go in my book, I think." He sank down again.

"I thought you might approve. Occasionally we people are good for things other than writing books for you to read and being the occasional snack."

The serpent snorted. "I haven't eaten a human in ages. If I didn't know you were possessed of bad humor, I'd be insulted."

"Think what you will."

"I will. Thank you. So, have the Gods sent to us a great warmonger to defeat our enemies, then?"

"I do not think so. I think he sent us a protector who is familiar with the ways of chaos."

"I look forward to meeting him," Djtre said. Renakhti grunted what might have been an agreement. "Silent once again? Well then, let me tell you this idea I have for a Library."

As the boat caught the wind and began to move up the river towards Mennefer, Pedire couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Iunu dwindled in the distance, soon to be lost completely by the curve of the Nile. The soft rocking of the boat on the water was normally calming, but tonight she felt exposed. She made her way back to Tef and the others as the sun set.

"I feel uneasy out here," She admitted, feeling very small standing next to such tall men. They exchanged looks and casually took up guarding positions around her. The anxious feeling abated slightly, but Pedire couldn't help scanning the area for signs of danger. A soft music floated on the air, growing louder so gradually it took a moment to notice. It was like the music had always been there; rich, vibrant, and complex like life itself. Pedire was not the only one whose breath caught as the haunting sounds floated along the water. She looked up, as did all the other passengers, the crew and her guards. The tense mood seemed to melt away and be replaced by a sense of joy and well-being. The music slowly faded away into the background as night fell.

"Benu," one of the older sailors whispered to his companions, breaking the almost holy silence. They nodded and resumed their tasks.

A silent figure stood on the western shore and watched the boat pass. The Seer was on that ship. The Seer would lead to the stranger. The stranger would unlock the power and information of the false gods. The master would see the false ones brought to their knees and then the kingdom would be right again. A soft sound rose on the air. The figure hissed and hunched over in pain. The Seer would not arrive until morning. There was no point in being here. The figure drew its cloak tighter and then disappeared.