A bitter laugh slipped from me. "I think if I was a god, I'd know. Wouldn't I be able to do some kind of magic?"
"Not necessarily. We're only able to use our powers if people remember our names. If you didn't even realise you were a goddess, then it's likely no one believes in you as one. Demi-gods are far rarer than the number of slaves Seth has here. There’s no way that all of you are only demi-gods."
My mouth fell open, trying to make sense of what he was saying.
"And who are you?" I asked, not sure what else to ask. I could probably have come up with something better if I hadn't been so off guard by what he was trying to tell me.
"Abu."
"Why do I know that name?" I was sure there was something in it.
"I'm a minor god." He shrugged. "Not that it matters any more. I'm as powerless as those of you who have never discovered your true nature."
"Oh." I looked him up and down, trying to work out if he looked like a god to me. But then again, what did a god look like? The only ones I knew were the bigger names. Seth, Amun, Nephthys. Though she'd left long ago, done with Seth's insistence on taking over the world.
"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked.
"How can I? It changes everything I thought I knew about myself."
He was so close to me now that I could almost feel his breath against my cheek, and for some reason, even though he was telling me things I wasn't sure I wanted to hear, I felt like I needed him.
Abu leaned in, his eyes fluttering closed, and I knew what was about to happen.
"I can't." I pushed on his chest and pulled away, making my way as swiftly as I could towards the edge of the bath, which was no mean feat with the water working against me. Luckily, it would do the same for him anyway.
"Rhodopis..."
I almost turned back at the sound of my name on his lips. But I couldn't. I didn't dare.
Now out of the bath, I grabbed my clothing and hurried back to the only place here that I could call my own. Somewhere Abu wouldn't dare follow me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE MOMENT THE MUSIC STARTED, I stopped resenting the fact I had to dance. It had been so long since I'd done it, that I'd forgotten the joy I used to feel at the music filling every part of my body. I swayed back and forth, my arms and legs moving naturally along with the beat. Everyone's eyes were on us, but no one saw individuals. They just saw the dance itself.
All except one.
Golden eyes skimmed up and down my body with every dance move. I didn't want to admit that I enjoyed it, but his attention made me feel special. Even more so than when we were in the pool the night before. This time, there were people all around. I wasn't the only option, and yet Abu's eyes were trained on me.
The music came to a stop, and all of the dancers followed suit, me included.
Seth rose from his seat, clapping slowly. "What wonderful symmetry."
Oh no. What was he going to do? I'd seen this happen before. When some kind of entertainment wasn't chaotic enough for him, he'd do something to change that. Sometimes, he took his role as the god of chaos a little too seriously.
"Charaxos, bring me the golden whip," he instructed.
Murmurs went around the courtyard. None of Ra's contingent could have suspected this. But anyone who'd lived in Seth's compound for longer than a few weeks knew to fear the whip, or any of Seth’s other punishments, and we all stood as still as we could, hoping that today, the god's wrath wouldn't fall on us.
Seth walked between the dancers, touching them where he pleased and trying to decide which of them he was going to torture. I'd seen girls the morning after a whipping, and it was never pretty. More than one of them had died as a result, but he didn't care.
"I think you'll do." He stroked a finger down the face of the youngest dancer.
Charaxos chose that moment to reappear, the golden whip in his hand, complete with the cruel barbs that made it a hard punishment to bear.
Seth coaxed the girl forward by tying the scarf she'd been dancing with around her wrists and giving it a tug.
Indecision warred within me. A part of me wanted to stop it, but the rest of me was used to staying out of the way and not getting involved. This was one of the reasons I tried to avoid getting to know the harem girls. It was dangerous to catch emotions around them.
Ra's priests and gods had fallen into silence, no doubt terrified that Seth's wrath might fall on them. That was the wise thing to do, which was why it wasn't going to be what I did. Something had snapped within me, and now I couldn't bear the thought of watching the girl in pain.
"Take me instead," I said, loud enough that the whole courtyard heard me easily.
Seth whipped his head around and stared at me. His eyes pierced into my soul in a way I wasn't fond of at all.
"You want to take her punishment for her, Rhodopis?" He sneered.
"Yes." She wasn't being punished for anything real, so it wasn't even unfair that I took it for her. At least, that was what I told myself.
"Very well. As you're being so willing, there'll be no binds around your arms and legs." Enjoyment danced over his face. He knew this was unnecessary, and he was going to make me pay for standing up for an innocent. "You'll hold them in position."
"Yes, my lord." I held my head steady, refusing to bow under his gaze. He could destroy my body, but he'd never
