Infinite 01 - Infinite Sacrifice

Esteemed Vizier,
I write to you with heavy guilt and shame that I did not have the courage or pure heart to speak out in court yesterday. I had a difficult time deciding if the life of a slave was equal to the life of a skilled and trusted priest. It took a night of soul-searching and much lamenting to realize that my heart would not be light on Anubis’s scales if an innocent slave were put to death, wrongly accused. I was present in the dream chamber awaiting my incubation when I overheard two lovers talking of a secret and forbidden meeting.
The male, who I can identify as Sokaris, Dream Magician of the House of Life, reassured the female, the Royal Daughter, that all would be well with his slave watching out for them. I have to confess, at risk of punishment on my own part, that I thought little of this lustful crime. I respect Sokaris, feel he is a valuable member to the House of Life, and thought so little of the offense taken so seriously by the righteous temple priests. I only felt a crime occurred when this slave, Nun, was unjustly accused and scheduled to die this new morning. Please spare the slave’s life and have mercy on these young lovers’ sin.
Khons, son of Thutmose
    I burn the letter in the fire and think of how well I averted disaster as the papyrus curls in movements that remind me of Bastet. She should be at the temple now, getting ready to watch Nun’s execution. I have to speak to her.
    ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
    The sun is rising, and the land is golden with its renewed energy. People are all gathering at the temple square, as children stand on stonewalls trying to see over tall figures. I search the crowd for Bastet, but even a diamond can’t be found in such dull chaos. The drumming begins, and the people part for the procession of guards. In the middle of the guards walks Nun, his hands tied in front of him. As he passes, I can see the brand of my family—a falcon, seared into his flesh with its wings spread. Sokaris, the falcon god I am named after. They lead him to the execution altar and lay him out on the tablet.
    A lector priest starts reading him holy rites, preparing him for his death. I grow bored watching and scan the crowd, searching for my star. In the background, the drums start to roll and abruptly cease with the quick cracking sound of the spear going into Nun’s head. He twitches for a few moments, and the crowd cheers. With all the movement of the crowd, there’s no way to find her. I decide I’ll have better luck if I go back to the temple to meet her, but I’m distracted by a loud and piercing woman’s scream. The sea of people surges toward the sound.
    I too go to see what happened, and my heart beats cold as I look over the steep temple stairs to see my diamond lying in a puddle of blood at the bottom. I rush to her and turn her around in my arms, but she slumps lifeless in my embrace. I pull back to see her once-flawless features ruined by a deep gash in the middle of her forehead, from which thick blood paints her whole face. I hold her for a few moments more until she is gone. There is a murmur throughout the crowd that she was pushed.
    A commoner shouts above the masses, “It was a man. Came up right behind her and shoved her down the steps. He ran back through the crowd.”
    The temple guards rush to break up the hovering crowd, and when they see Bastet, they call for the temple priests. Knowing it will not bode well to be found crying over her, I place her body on the ground and wipe away my tears. I head to pray the rest of the day for her soul in the temple, ending the terrible day in the comfort of my dream chamber.
    I get back into bed and fix the scroll with my god’s name on it, when I call for Sehket. She doesn’t come like she usually does, so I call again. Instead, Nun comes walking in, chuckling, and hurls Sehket’s lifeless body next to my bed. I feel something move by my leg under the sheet. I throw back the sheet to expose a writhing mass of vipers, all crawling and hissing on top of me. I scream as they bite into my flesh and my body bursts into flame .
    I recite the prayer to undo misfortunes predicted in inauspicious dreams but still feel unsettled and uneasy. I need to be sure Nun is, in fact, dead. I can’t understand why I would dream of him killing me if he is gone in this life.
    I find the lector priest who presided over the execution and ask, “Where did they dispose of the slave’s body?
    “One of the priests