Read 24 Bones for Free Online Page A

Spittle flew from his lips. He focused his stare on Askari. “And I will kill the pharaoh.”
    “Bravely said, Haidar, and so we shall punish them for their act, but in acting swiftly we do not know what they may have accomplished which we do not see.”
    Haidar snorted. “You speak in a riddle.”
    “They have killed each of the youths of our deir as well as our high priest. Perhaps they were searching for someone, but with limited information.”
    “As I suspect too, Askari, but there is more.” The companions turned to the strong voice that carried through the Hall of Offerings. A white-bearded man entered. “They want the Spine of Osiris.” He wore brown robes with the gold embroidery of a falcon upon his hood. Faris knew him to be Michael of Deir Abd-al-Rahman. Each deir represented one of the original Companions of Horus, and each protected a portion of Osiris’s middle spine, the twelve thoracic vertebrae. Michael climbed the steps into the sanctum and clasped his hands to form the sun symbol of Re. Shutting his eyes, he basked in its light.
    “I am sorry to bring no better word. We lost a third of our companions last night, as well as the keeper and our portion of the Osiris.” Michael stared at Askari who paled. Grim understanding burned in Faris’s stomach. In a single night, the Shemsu Hor were gutted.
    Two new companions approached. “We have lost our high priest, but bring our portion of the spine.”
    The deirs’ high priests had been elected the descendents of the original companions and had oral knowledge of the prophecy and locations of Osiris’s thoracic vertebrae.
    Askari opened his mouth to speak, but Haidar interrupted.
    “I expect we will hear similar sad news from the others. Let us tend to the dead and eat. The bread bakes, and we must be strong if we are to fight.” Haidar’s voice rumbled in the sanctuary, and he led them out. Askari’s jaw snapped shut and he followed.
    Faris waited, gaze lingering over a depiction of the zodiac on the chamber’s roof. Horus stood on top of the water sign, Osiris’s head above him. Scanning the circle, Faris halted at Seth’s image. Seth too had been given a piece of Osiris, the lower spine. Above Seth, a man wrestled a serpent whose mouth clutched Seth’s phallus.
    “It is the youth who ask questions, Faris. I hope you stay young after today,” Shen said from the altar where he cradled his falcon.
    “Why is it called a zodiac?” Faris asked.
    “The word zodiac is not Egyptian, but Greek, and it means circle of animals. It is so because life is a circle, which is why I like to say that you should never be afraid to take a fork.”
    Faris smiled for the first time that morning.
    “Is Syf okay?” Shen asked. Faris’s falcon had been a gift from Shen when Faris entered the monastery as a designated watcher. He nodded. A smile briefly played at Shen’s lips, joy a bird temporarily lost in the sun. In some ways, Shen was like him; Shen couldn’t reach the Fullness either, and it gave them a special bond. There was one important difference, however. Shen couldn’t control the Void.
    “Shen, does it upset you that you did not pass the initiation and so became a watcher?” Faris asked tentatively. Shen, as keeper of the falcons, was an honorary companion, but without the ability to reach the Fullness, he could never be initiated even though he bore the compass-shaped baptismal scar on his shoulder.
    A flash of annoyance crossed Shen’s face before he hid it in an indulgent smile.
    “Few can reach the Fullness. It is not a defeat, Faris. I am glad to be a watcher and the keeper of falcons.”
    “Can everyone reach the Void?”
    Shen’s smile broadened. “Good, you are young still!” He chuckled. “In some ways, it is true that anyone can reach the Void. Anyone who has lost himself or herself in rage will have touched the Void. It has always been easier to do what is evil versus what is good.” Faris gritted his teeth at this slight.