Defender Of Spirits: Forgotten Gods, #13

By Laura Greenwood

A funerary goddess comes face-to-face with the one who got away during a mummification.

 

When Kebechet is asked for a favour by another goddess, she knows better than to say no, even if it means performing a duty she hasn't done for years.

 

And seeing a god she spent one night with and hasn't seen since.

 

Imsety has never forgotten his night with Kebechet and now their paths are crossing again, he's determined to make her remember it too.

 

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Defender Of Spirits is part of the Forgotten Gods series and is based on Egyptian mythology. It includes a dash of adventure, a m/f romance, and can be read as a standalone.

 

If you enjoy Egyptian mythology, gods and goddesses, quests and adventures, and a modern setting, then you should start the Forgotten Gods series!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Drowlgon Press
• Release date: Mar 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215360040

Laura Greenwood

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and fantasy romance. When she's not writing, she drinks a lot of tea, tries to resist French macarons, and works towards a diploma in Egyptology. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set. Laura specialises in quick reads, with healthy relationships and consent positive moments regardless of if she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-heavy urban fantasy, or anything in between. You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in The Paranormal Council Facebook Group. Happy Reading!

Book preview

One

I picked up the carafe of water and refilled Edrice's glass.

I think you're the only person who serves water instead of wine, she said as she picked it up.

I chuckled. I don't think that's true. There'll be plenty of others. I threw the senet sticks onto the table between us in the hope that they would land in the right way so that I could move my game piece onto the board. Sadly, they didn't seem to be on my side right now.

But is their water as good as yours? she asked.

It depends if they get it from the same place, I responded, taking a sip of my own. Even though I wasn't a soul waiting for judgement, I could still feel the refreshingness of the water as it slipped down my throat. I had no idea if it was actual magic, but it certainly felt like it.

You still haven't told me where that is.

And nor will I. It's a secret very few people are supposed to know, even gods.

Do you send your priestesses there? she asked, seeming curious more than anything. She picked up the senet sticks and tossed them, but didn't get what she needed either.

No. None of them.

Surprising.

I shrugged. Have you shown Menefer the door to the Hall of Judgement? I asked.

Of course not.

Exactly. You would trust him with your life, not that you have to do that anymore.

I suppose not. I hadn't considered that those things don't apply to the situation.

That's because you haven't been a goddess long. How much time has it been?

She frowned in concentration, presumably as she counted backwards. Almost two years, I think. I can't say that I had a great concept of time even before that.

Just one of the consequences of being immortal. The sticks showed the right number for me to add my pawn to the board and I gave a little smile of triumph as I put it on there. Is Menefer still training your High Priestess?

She nodded. I keep trying to tell him that it's fine. I used to be one of Ma'at's priestesses, it's not like I don't know what to do. But he insists. I know he's doing it because he loves me, but it can be a little frustrating sometimes.

I'm sure he'll go back to his old post soon.

And then I'll probably wish that he was still with him. It's nice that he's around all the time.

You say that now, but you might feel differently in fifty years.

She shrugged and moved her pawn onto the board. Maybe, but I don't think so. Have you ever had that feeling that you just connected with someone?

Not really. Though I supposed it was safe to say that I did have a couple of missed opportunities. I spent several thousand years with so many duties that I hardly slept. I moved my pawn forward the right amount of spaces and handed her the senet sticks.

She took them from me and did the same. What was it like? Edrice asked, gesturing to the room as if I didn't have any idea what she was talking about.

"There were days that I wished there was more time to myself, but it was a very rewarding situation. I got to see most of the acks who came through here to be judged. I glanced at the ornate doors that led to the Hall of Judgement. I know that there's nothing we can do about it, but it saddens me that there aren't as many people coming through. They'll never get to see Duat."

Have you been there yourself? Edrice asked.

No, but Geshtinanna has told me about it.

Have I met her?

I frowned. Maybe? She's a wine goddess but she only spends half the year at Karnak and I think she mostly keeps to her vineyards when she does. The rest of the year, she's in Duat.

By choice?

By necessity, I answered. She and her brother each spend half the year there. Some kind of agreement to stop him being there the entire time.

She must love her brother very much.

I let out a short laugh. Hardly. If anything, I'd say that she hates him. But she must have felt differently at some point.

It must be hard to have a life when you're torn between that and...

Death? I finished for her.

I wasn't going to be so blunt, but yes. That and death.

Geshtinanna does just fine. I picked up my pawn and moved it a few more spaces, but Edrice was somehow already beating me.

And what about you? Are you doing fine? She made her next move.

I am.

I rarely see you at any of the banquets.

I guess I got used to not having the time to attend those kinds of things, so I don't know.

Several thousand years have passed, Kebechet, she said sternly. Do you think most of the others had time to do this then? They've made the time to get to know one another now.

I sighed. Yeah, it just seems like a lot of work.

You're starting to sound like Anubis.

Have you ever known him any other way?

You know that I haven't, Edrice pointed out. I've only been one of the forty-two judges for the past couple of years, I don't exactly have a lot of experience with him.

He's been like that for a long time. He just enjoys doing his job.

She raises an eyebrow. Surely there must be more to it than that. Maybe he has someone he's spending time with.

I wouldn't know, there are things you don't ask your father.

She snorted. But you're not actually related, right?

"In the sense that none of us are really related, I suppose not. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel a lot of affection for him. I certainly feel as if he's my father, even if he technically isn't," I said.

Edrice picked up her pawn and deftly moved it off the end of the board. It appears that I have reached the afterlife.

Fitting, considering you've actually been there.

Do you think that makes me better at senet?

It's a board game, so I have to assume not.

Ah, but the aim of the board game is to get to Duat, she pointed out. Maybe it can sense that I know where I'm going.

I might be tempted to believe that, but you don't always win, and even if you wanted to return to the afterlife, you couldn't.

There must be other ways to get there. You said Geshtinanna spent half of every year there. A faraway expression crossed her face, and I knew she was thinking of her parents. It must be strange for her to be in this position when she was born human and only became a goddess later. It was a hard path to tread, but Ma'at wouldn't have suggested that she did it without thinking that she was capable.

I don't think it's possible for everyone, I responded. I can't enter the afterlife, and I suspect that you can't either.

She sighed. That's a pity.

You could ask one of the gods or goddesses who can go there to carry messages though, if you know them well enough.

Perhaps. I wouldn't know what to say, though. Seeing my parents when I crossed over was enough for me to put some of my grief to rest. Now if something happened to Menefer, I think it would be different.

"Perhaps.