Three days had passed since the marshes. Ana?s’ bite had vanished from her skin by the following day, leaving behind only the trauma of the attack. More fear than harm. Her enhanced regenerative abilities were truly remarkable.

  The couple had been able to rest as much as they wanted and enjoy each other’s presence without the obligation of leaving bed shortly after dawn. She had gotten a glimpse of what her life in the Duat would be like now that she was an akh by Anubis’ side—assuming, of course, that they wouldn’t grow tired of each other. Or rather, that he wouldn’t grow tired of her—because her instincts told her that wouldn’t be the case. Being by this magnificent man’s side, able to touch his skin, and intertwine their beings and their magic, was starting to feel like an addiction she had no desire to break free from. She certainly wasn’t ready to give him up. Not after everything they had shared, even if, in the end, it hadn’t even been a month since they had met.

  She had felt far too many intense emotions in that short time, forming an attachment to him at record speed due to the extraordinary circumstances of their meeting. Deep down, even if she didn’t fundamentally believe in fate, she couldn’t shake the feeling that destiny had brought them together, that it wasn’t mere coincidence that things had unfolded the way they had. Or perhaps, it was just the fear that he had chosen her only because of the amulet and that any other woman in her place would have met the same fate…

  "Are you awake?" Anubis asked, turning toward her.

  "How do you know I’m not sleeping?" she replied in surprise.

  The room was bathed in the near-total darkness of the night, yet Ana?s couldn’t find sleep, lost in her trivial thoughts and theories. Or maybe, they were just a distraction to avoid thinking about what truly worried her: tomorrow night, they would head to the temple of Pilak, marking the end of their brief respite.

  With the cenotaphs nearly completed and the two goddesses finishing the ritual preparations, the couple had been granted a well-deserved rest before throwing themselves into the lion’s den. Soon, their quest would come to an end—but their existence might as well. Who knew what Seth had planned to stop them from resurrecting his brother…

  "You keep fidgeting," Anubis chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing his chest against her back. "I think that’s at least the fifteenth time you’ve turned over in the last ten minutes."

  "Sorry," she sighed at the contact of his body. "Did I wake you?"

  "No, I’m having trouble sleeping too…"

  "What are you thinking about?" she asked, turning in his arms to study his face in the faint moonlight.

  Her frequent transformations into a jackal had sharpened her senses, even in her human form. With this dim lighting, she could only make out the contours of his features and his open eyes gazing back at her, but it was enough. Just knowing he was there beside her was enough.

  "Maybe you should stay in Imentet tomorrow…" he murmured. "I can find the piece without the amulet’s power—you don’t technically need to come with me… You’d be safer here."

  Ana?s thought about it in silence for a few seconds. The prospect of avoiding a brush with death was tempting, but something deep inside her told her it wasn’t the right choice. Maybe she was afraid for Anubis and wanted to stay by his side, or perhaps her adventurous spirit simply refused to miss the climax of this story. Maybe her instincts were screaming that he would need her and that she had better go with him. She had plenty of reasons not to stay behind. Fear of danger was nothing compared to the intensity of her feelings, because…

  "You know, I think I’ve fallen in love with you," she said calmly, changing the subject, hoping he would understand why she was responding that way.

  "You think?" he teased, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "I’m certain I’ve fallen in love with you."

  A wave of warmth spread through her lower belly at his declaration, an intoxicating mix of desire and emotion. He was so certain, so sure of his feelings… The complete opposite of the somewhat stiff and distant image she had of him during their first days together. If this was their last night before the most dangerous part of their quest, and if they couldn’t sleep anyway, they might as well make the most of the few hours they had left.

  With that thought, Ana?s closed the last few centimeters between them and captured his lips with hunger. He responded with the same intensity. Their bodies moved as if driven by a shared desperation, and their minds, in perfect sync, were eager to unite once more. Yet, neither of them deepened the kiss. Anubis still held her waist, and Ana?s had slid her fingers against his nape, but they didn’t take things further.

  Her body burned, and she was breathless, but she didn’t want to break their passionate kiss—nor did he. She was impatient, yes, but she also wanted this moment to last forever. To engrave in her memory the feeling of his lips on hers, the love he poured into their embrace. She hoped for eternity at his side.

  Just a few hours to bask in his warmth before risking her life to help the man she had fallen in love with on his mythical quest. A few hours to feel whole again, to immerse herself in the fusion of their magic and essence. A few hours in which she drowned in his arms, her mind and body overwhelmed with pleasure and happiness as their breaths and whispers intertwined, until the sun rose to signal the beginning of the day that marked the end of their mission—and perhaps the beginning of their new life in peace. If she survived.

  After that fiery night, one she wouldn’t soon forget, Ana?s finally succumbed to sleep at dawn, exhausted from their expression of love. Her relaxed body and blissful mind allowed her to steal a few precious hours of rest before the decisive moment. Even Anubis eventually joined her in the realm of dreams.

  At nightfall, their final mission would begin, and Osiris would finally be reborn.

  * * *

  The day passed far too quickly for Ana?s' liking. After their late awakening and a hearty lunch to sustain them through the afternoon, they had gone to Isis’ residence to discuss the final preparations for their mission that night. It had been decided that the cenotaph used for the ritual would be that of Amenebis, an oasis west of Ouaset. It was a mountainous area surrounded by cliffs that concealed caves, allowing them to construct the monument in a secluded location, hidden from prying eyes. If everything went according to plan and the couple managed to flee quickly into the Duat after retrieving the final piece, no one would be able to discover the location of the ritual. At least, that was what they hoped when choosing this site.

  Anubis and Isis had each sent some of their attendants to scout the surroundings of the temple of Pilak to refine their approach. In addition to the intelligence Sobek had gathered, they discovered that all the necropolises were heavily guarded—unsurprising, considering they knew Seth was setting a trap for them. Their most logical option was to infiltrate through the temple’s catacombs. Since every entrance and exit was under surveillance, they might as well take the one closest to their goal. They would then discreetly retrieve the piece and escape through the same portal. Once inside the Duat, they would be safe and could travel calmly to the cenotaph of Amenebis.

  They were confident. Perhaps too confident.

  As if any plan always goes exactly as expected... This won’t be that easy.

  Now, she stood in the Kheret-Nedjer alongside Anubis, ready to pass through the portal to the temple of Pilak. The jackal-headed god gripped a dagger tightly in his right hand, prepared to use it. Killing in his beastly form was easy, but his fangs didn’t allow for a silent, quick death, and he was certain he would need to use his weapon the moment they stepped through the portal. On the other side, armed humans stood ready to stop them.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Wait," Ana?s suddenly exclaimed before they left the Duat. "I thought gods weren’t allowed to harm humans. Yet, you killed the bandits, and now you're about to kill human guards. What makes this different?"

  "It’s a moral restriction that we choose to follow," Anubis explained, tightening his grip around his dagger. "Even though we are immortal, we can still be wounded, weakened, even temporarily defeated. And if they attack us willingly, we have the right to retaliate."

  "Does that mean these soldiers will be banned from the Duat for fighting against us?"

  "That depends on the weight of their soul. Most are simply following orders or don’t even realize who they’re attacking—like the bandits. If they have led a good life, their transgression will be forgiven."

  Yeah, two different standards. That doesn't seem objective to me at all, she thought, refraining from voicing her critical opinion aloud. Now wasn’t the time.

  "Transform yourself," Anubis then ordered. "It will be easier for infiltration. Wait here and cross the portal after two minutes, just enough time for me to secure the passage."

  "Alright," she agreed with relief.

  She had no particular desire to kill anyone. If she could accompany him discreetly without encountering a single soul or having to fight, her conscience would feel much lighter.

  When Anubis finally stepped through the portal, his expression stern and determination burning in his eyes, Ana?s began counting the seconds. The closer she got to two minutes, the harder her heart pounded against her ribcage. She had no idea what she would find on the other side, but she was certain she wouldn’t escape the sight of a corpse. Usually, the portal allowed a glimpse of what lay beyond, but this time, Anubis had blurred the reflection. If they could see the world of the living from the Duat, that also meant the guards could observe the Necropolis and spot their presence. That was somewhat inconvenient for the execution of their plan.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the oppressive weight of silence around her. Her breath was shallow. Every second felt like an eternity. Had Anubis managed to eliminate the enemy without alerting the others? What if someone arrived before she could cross?

  One hundred eighteen… one hundred nineteen… one hundred twenty… she counted mentally before taking a deep breath and stepping through the magical veil.

  She couldn't stop her gaze from first landing on the lifeless body of the guard stationed at the portal. They were lucky—he had been alone here, which had allowed Anubis to assassinate him without a sound. Judging by the pool of blood seeping from his throat, staining his armor, the jackal god had discreetly slit his jugular or carotid artery. It had been a quick death, but certainly not a painless one. If he had managed to stifle the guard’s scream by covering his mouth, at least it had been a silent way to kill.

  Her jackal eyes then flicked to Anubis to make sure he wasn’t hurt. In that brief moment, the pool of blood spread insidiously, reaching the tip of her paw. She felt the sticky liquid clinging to her fur, and a shudder of revulsion ran down her spine. She leaped back to get away as quickly as possible.

  Anubis, however, seemed entirely unbothered by the scene he had caused—or he hid it well. He even dipped the torch into the blood to extinguish it. They wouldn’t need light at this point since they were about to descend into the catacombs in their jackal forms. If they were fast and quiet enough, they might even avoid any further confrontation.

  To their surprise, infiltrating the underground maze was easier than expected. The guards patrolled alone, limiting their field of vision to a small portion of the corridor. In their jackal forms, all they had to do was wait for the guards to look away for a moment to slip past them unnoticed, despite the flickering torchlight.

  A few minutes later, Ana?s finally spotted the beginning of the stairs leading inside the temple, thanks to her night vision. At the top, a wooden door blocked their path, and her sharpened sense of smell picked up the scent of a man guarding it. This time, avoiding confrontation was impossible—Anubis would have to kill again.

  The god returned to his human form and gripped his dagger firmly. He, too, had detected the scent of an enemy on the other side of the door.

  "Open it on my signal," he whispered to Ana?s, positioning himself against the wall, ready to pounce.

  Nervously, she abandoned her animal form to follow her partner’s instructions. Her hands trembled, but she did her best to hide it. Feelings of hesitation and doubt had no place in life-or-death situations. Yet, her stress did not escape Anubis’s attentive gaze.

  "Everything will be fine," he reassured her in a low voice. "Trust me."

  I know, she tried to express silently with a nod, stepping toward the door with determination.

  It looked heavy—if she wanted to open it quickly without alerting the guard and giving him time to react, she couldn't hesitate to use her strength. She trusted Anubis, but he needed to be able to count on her, too. She had a role to play. She had chosen to accompany him even when he had given her the option to stay in the Duat. She had to make herself useful in every possible way. Prove that she wasn’t a burden. Ana?s was no longer the little orphaned human doomed to spend her life cleaning up after others. She was an akh, a superior spiritual being with magical powers. She had no reason to tremble before mere mortals.

  The handle was a heavy metal ring, which she gripped with both hands to ensure she could pull it open in one swift motion. Her fingers clenched it so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she waited for Anubis’s signal. He gave her one last intense look before nodding, indicating that it was time to act.

  Ana?s used all her strength to push the door open, allowing the jackal god to slip through immediately. He leaped silently onto the back of the guard, covering his mouth to stifle any cries. The man struggled to scream, but only muffled grunts escaped as Anubis's grip tightened around his throat. With his other hand, he slit the guard’s throat, just as he had done to the first man.

  This time, however, Ana?s witnessed it.

  She didn’t watch for long, though—she quickly looked away. Their enemy was bleeding out fast, but his death took longer than she had expected.

  Nothing like in the movies… It felt slow. Terribly slow. And far more chilling.

  A minute later, no sound came from the murdered man. When she turned to make sure the fight was truly over, she was relieved to see that he had met his death—or had simply lost consciousness. Anubis gently lowered his lifeless body to the ground with the same care as if he were placing down a newborn. Not a single noise disturbed the temple entrance or the catacombs behind them. The torchlight flickered against the sand-colored stone, casting shadows of both the couple and the corpse that the jackal god had propped against the wall. Something told Ana?s this scene would haunt her nightmares for nights to come.

  The rest of their infiltration went on without further confrontation. The pair resumed their jackal forms to move more freely. The temple corridors were wide, and most were devoid of human presence. Their progress was relatively easy. Almost too easy. Their path was laid out before them as if they were being invited to proceed to the temple hall, which they soon entered.

  There, at the center of the room, Osiris’s leg rested atop a stone pedestal. A hole in the ceiling allowed moonlight to shine directly onto the display, giving it a mystical aura. The hall was empty. No noise, no shifting shadows. At first glance, there were no traps, no security mechanisms… and that was precisely what unsettled Ana?s.

  "Wait," she stopped him urgently as he approached his father’s flesh in human form.

  "I know. It’s an obvious trap. Seth wanted to lead us here. What do you feel? This isn’t the real piece, is it?"

  Ana?s closed her eyes for a moment, searching for the slightest vibration, the faintest magical resonance. Nothing. No pulse echoed within her. It wasn’t a divine fragment. The flesh was human. Someone had placed it there to deceive them. The real piece was a few meters away, in a chamber beyond the hall.

  "No, it’s a fake," she said, stepping away from the pedestal. "We shouldn’t even touch it. It could be an alarm system."

  "It probably is. Seth isn’t foolish enough to underestimate us and think we wouldn’t be able to tell the real piece from a fake. He expected me to touch it to check. The real leg must be guarded."

  A cold shiver ran down Ana?s’s spine. Her breath caught. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. Something… no, someone, was watching them from the shadows. And judging by the way Anubis slowly slid his hand toward his dagger, his instincts had warned him of the same.

  "Do not be afraid," murmured a soft, almost melodic voice. "God Anubis, Akh Anepout… I am High Priestess Diounout. And I offer you my life to fulfill your quest. We priestesses strongly condemn the actions of the god Seth, but I could not defy his orders without endangering the lives of all my sisters. The protectors of Osiris’s flesh trust me. Allow me to steal it."

  Anubis did not immediately sheath his dagger. Their gazes met in a silent exchange, heavy with uncertainty. Ana?s scrutinized Anubis, searching for a hint of his judgment. He remained impassive, carefully weighing each option. It was impossible to be sure if the priestess was trustworthy, but if she was, her help could prove invaluable.

  If they could retrieve the leg without raising the alarm and escape undetected, their ritual would be assured… And the real fragment had to be heavily guarded, not only by humans but also by magical protections. Seth would not let them leave so easily with Osiris’s flesh. All those defenses could likely be bypassed by the High Priestess, who must know the safeguards in place.

  On the other hand, if this was yet another trap… She would sound the alarm the moment their backs were turned, preventing them from retrieving the piece without a fight. No matter how Ana?s turned the situation over in her mind, every option seemed to lead to their presence being exposed the instant Anubis took hold of the leg. If the woman before them was truly an ally… she might save them precious time and make their escape easier.

  "Let’s give her a chance," Ana?s suggested, breaking the jackal god’s hesitation.

  "Very well," he finally exhaled, sliding his blade—still slick with their enemies’ blood—back into its sheath.