This week's excerpt is from Daughter Of The Sun, which follows the goddess Sekhmet as she rejoins the world after years of being cursed!
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Copyright 2019 Laura Greenwood
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"I'll show you around..."
"Don’t," I cut him off. "Just show me where I can sleep and leave it at that." I had no desire to make small talk with my father's priests. They'd probably ask all kinds of questions I didn't want to answer. Or try and sleep with me. It had happened too many times for me to even pretend it wasn't the case. They were under some delusion that it would curry favour with my father to be seen with me.
They were fools. It didn't work that way.
Fet sighed. "Alright."
"You don't seem too pleased with my decision," I observed.
"You're not making yourself very likeable."
"I'm the goddess of vengeance. I don't need to be liked."
"I hate to be the one to point this out..."
"Probably because you're scared of my reaction," I muttered.
"I'm not scared of you, Sekhmet. Maybe I should be. Maybe I should be cowering in fear and begging you for mercy. But I think not. You're not going to take your revenge on someone as lowly as me, certainly not when I have the key to answers about your curse and a way to make the effects less severe."
"Hmm."
"The world has changed, Sekhmet. You can't just go around assuming it's the same. People won't respond the same way they used to. And that's the people who remember who you are."
I crossed my arms and tried to think of a good come back. I knew the world had changed. I'd spent all my time just watching that happen in front of me without being able to participate in it.
"I know it's hard..."
"I don't want to have this conversation, thank you. Now, which one is mine?" I gestured to the multitude of golden doors in front of us. They each had my father's likeness embossed into them. His hawk eyes staring straight at me, even as the sun disk on top of his head promised to light the world.
"The one on the far left."
"Great. Thank you." If I'd not been so shaken by the events of the day, he wouldn't even have gotten a thank you. He had been helpful though, and it was polite for me to recognise that. Despite everything, my father had taught me well. I could be polite even when I was angry.
Much to a lot of other gods' annoyance.
I let myself into the room, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw it was empty. The last thing I needed was a simpering priestess eager to please and just getting in the way. I'd never had much patience for that type of woman.
This was probably the part where I unpacked my bag. Except that I didn't have one. I didn't know where any of my possessions were since being cursed. If I was lucky, they might have ended up in the rooms here that were dedicated to me. But I doubted that. No one would have thought to save my things for thousands of years. And I wouldn't have thought to save anyone else's either.
I perched on the edge of the bed, unsure what to do with myself now. I'd been so convinced that I just wanted to be alone again, that now I was, I had no idea what I should be doing. My hand bumped against something, and I turned to look, finding a small linen wrapped package next to me.
Gingerly, I picked it up, carefully unwrapping it and revealing a beautiful beaded collar. And a note. Oh no. He was not doing this to me. I read the hieroglyphics twice, not wanting to accept what my father was trying to do. He thought just by returning a piece of jewellery to me and making sure the linen closet was filled with the styles of dresses I liked, I'd fall back at his feet ready to forgive everything?
That wasn't happening. Not. At. All.
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