"If I do believe in gods, then that seems like a very reckless thing to do."
"You can say that again," I muttered though I hadn't known any other god's rule but Seth's. For all I knew, they were all like that. "We should make our way down there, though."
"Why?"
"We've done the work, we're damned well getting credit for it," I pointed out. I didn't add that I hoped someone in Ra's party would recognise her and answer some of the questions I had about where she'd come from. Most of the new slaves here came from birth, not from buying and selling. Mostly because there weren't open slave markets any more.
Which left a big question mark over Sophia's head. And I had a feeling there was something more beneath the surface. It just wasn't something I'd managed to work out yet. Unfortunately.
We made our way into the throng of slaves waiting. Many of them held golden platters of fruit or bowls of water, ready to receive the guests and offer them the traditional welcome they deserved. Absolutely none of which was modern. It would be so much easier to put the water in bottles of some description. But in this section of the world, we acted like nothing had changed in thousands of years. It was both enjoyably familiar, and achingly hard to deal with. A little part of me wanted to see the world, and not just spend my time locked up here.
I wasn't sure how long we waited for. I suspected it was something like half an hour. Other than the beating heat of the sun, there was no way to tell, and leaving to check one of the many sundials around would be frowned upon.
Large doors at the other end of the courtyard thudded as Seth flung them open and came striding out. Two of the harem girls followed him with feather fans, but he was walking too quickly for them to be any use to him. In all likelihood, he'd just brought them out with him as a show of power and nothing else.
"Open the gates," he commanded.
Two of his soldiers stepped forward, each grabbing one of the ornate golden handles, and pulling the gates open.
I tried to crane my neck, desperate to see what the visiting god and his party looked like, even though I knew it probably wasn't anything special.
Trumpets sounded and in strode a man who radiated power. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Ra. He commanded attention in a way that Seth completely lacked. I hoped no one risked pointing it out to our overlord. Seth wasn't the kind of man who'd take the comparison well. Most likely, it would end up with someone flayed.
"Welcome, Lord Ra." Seth's voice boomed around the courtyard. Too late. He'd noticed how Ra's presence filled the place.
"Thank you for hosting us, Lord Seth," Ra responded, quieter and less like he needed everyone to hear his words. A bolt of respect shot through me.
As did the realisation that Seth had never earned it from me. The only emotions I had about my god were fear and contempt, neither of which made me very loyal if I didn't have to be.
The rest of Ra's party filed in. Even without trying, I could pick out which people were gods, though I didn't recognise any from the wall paintings. No doubt they were all minor gods. That way, only Ra was at risk when he walked into enemy territory.
A man at the centre of the parade caught my attention, and even across the vast space, our gazes locked. His golden eyes shimmered in the sunlight, and my heart skipped a beat. I had no idea who he was, but there was something about him that made me want to know more.
Which meant I had to stay away from him. I couldn't risk the trouble he could cause.
CHAPTER FIVE
CHATTER from the feast filled the room, the din hurting my ears. I was surprised by the number of people who'd been invited to have a seat at the tables, though between the majority of Ra's party, and the gods who lived under Seth's protection, it added up to a fair few people.
I searched through the crowd, looking for the man with the golden eyes just so I could stay away from him. I knew that if he spotted me, he'd start a conversation. Mostly because all of Ra's other followers did the same. And a lot of them had probing questions that I didn't dare answer.
"Is this it?" Sophia demanded, surveying the hall.
"You really don't appreciate your position now, do you?" I asked.
"What is my position? Didn't you stop me from getting one?"
I sighed dramatically and set down the pitcher of wine I was carrying. "I stopped you from becoming a harem girl. A sex slave. If you have a problem with that, I'm sure they'll still take you."
"Oh."
One of the tables to our left indicated they wanted serving. Desperate to keep her out of the harem, I sent Sophia over to them with the pitcher of wine in hand. To my relief, she listened to me and hurried over with the pitcher. That was unexpected. Maybe pointing out what she could have been had done enough to convince her to tow the invisible line we were all forced to obey.
"Oi, slave!" a man shouted.
I picked up the wine flagon, knowing it was what he'd want. Swaying my hips as I walked in a way that I hated but knew was expected, I made my way over to the table. From what I could tell, these were all just priests of Ra. Half-gods like me, or mortals with special powers who now found they could live forever. No one I should be worried about.
"Would you like more wine, my lord?" I asked, the honorific grating on my tongue, even though I knew it didn't mean anything. They wouldn't
