Set by Alessa Thorn

17

Set had been a general to kings, an advisor to pharaohs, and the nemesis of powerful gods, but none of that prepared him for Ayla Neilos when she wanted something.

She didn't use begging or pleading or persuasive arguments. She went curiously soft and affectionate, and it made Set wish to give her whatever the hell she asked for on a silver platter.

They had returned home late, and Ayla was now curled around him in his bed. She was quiet, in a deeply thoughtful silence.

"I don't like the idea of taking you into a conflict zone. I'm trying to keep you protected, remember?" Set said, his hand running over the curve of her hip.

"I know."

"If there is trouble there, I don't want you seeing what I'll do to them either."

"I have seen what you can do more than once," Ayla reminded him. "There must be a way to find out if we are walking into danger or not. The bandits may have already moved on."

"I doubt it. If there's plenty of water and things to entertain them, they would've made it their base." Set's hand traveled up her spine as he thought. "I could ring Bellona and see if she can have a look at it for me."

"Bellona, the Roman goddess?" Ayla said, and Set could hear her thousand thoughts. "The same goddess who fought naked through the streets of Beirut?"

Set chuckled. "The very one. She's better at making friends than I am. She might be able to get us some satellite shots of Kharga so we can see what's happening." Ayla made a happy sound and kissed his chest. "Wait, I didn't promise that we'll go, only that I'd see if there's trouble there."

"And if there is, are you really going to let those poor women go back there all alone and defenseless?"

"For one thing, they took all of Moussa's money, so they aren't poor," Set tried to argue, knowing full well he had already lost the fight.

Ayla leaned up, her breasts pressing into his chest in a seriously unfair advantage. "There's that god of protection side coming out again."

Set was glad it was dark so she wouldn't see the no doubt ridiculous smile on his face. "You don't play fair, doctor."

"I don't know what you mean." Ayla kissed his lips. "Now, don't you have a call you need to make?"

It took a good fifteen minutes of rummaging through his desk for Set to find the thick white business card embossed with the head of a woman wearing a helm. On the back was a single line of numbers.

Set dialed and waited. He didn't know what time it was in Sicily, the last place he knew that Bellona had lived, but he doubted the goddess was asleep.

"Pronto," a deep, feminine voice answered.

"Angela della Morte, I do hope this isn't a bad time," Set replied.

"Set, mio amico, is that you?"

"How are you, Bells?"

"Un momento, while I recover from the shock of you finally calling me." There was a rustle of satin and the pop of a cork. Set could just about see the powerful blonde goddess pouring out a glass of red wine. "I have recovered. What do I owe the honor of your call?"

"A favor. I don't suppose any of those wonderfully lucrative government contracts you take come with access to a satellite?"

There was a tapping of nails against a keyboard. "And where would you like me to look with my satellite?"

"An oasis called Kharga here in Egypt."

"What mischief are you up to now, Set?"

"The kind that involves good deeds."

Bellona's laugh was a sultry chuckle. "That doesn't sound like you at all. Who or what has brought about this change of heart?"

"A woman, of course."

"Set, amico, I'm speechless. You're doing good deeds for a woman? What happened to you? If you say love, I might vomit in disgust."

"We all have to fall prey to it at some point. Even gods of war need love."

"Only the male ones, evidently."

"You are as savage as you are beautiful, as always, Bellona."

She laughed. "And that's why we get along so well, Set, my dear. I'm surprised that you're reaching out for help like this. It's so unlike you."

"It's not that I don't like you, Bells. It's just now I have a reason to call," Set replied. He had been alone for so long that Ayla’s arrival was like a storm he couldn't control.

"Better be careful. This woman of yours will drag you back to enjoying living again," Bellona replied, the tinkle of laughter in her voice. "Well, well, it looks like your oasis has a rat problem."

"How bad is it?"

"Nothing you can't handle. I'll email you through some happy snaps if you are still using the same address?"

"I am. I owe you for this, Bells."

"Yes, you do, and unlike others, I call in my debts, so be ready for it when I do," Bellona replied, sounding like the steely goddess he knew. "And Set? Do be careful with that heart of yours. I would hate to have to come and take you out because you're on a heartbroken rampage."

"Yes, you would." Set laughed. "You're still bitter about Beirut."

"That may be, but if I recall correctly, it was your piccolo pene that was flapping about in the breeze in Tangiers."

"For a start, there is nothing small about my penis, and if memory serves, the fight count is still in my favor."

"For now, amico, for now. Ciao," Bellona purred before hanging up on him. Set was still laughing when he looked up and saw Ayla in the doorway.

"Do I want to know why you were talking about your penis with the goddess of war?" she asked, her eyebrows arching in a perfect picture of displeasure.

"I lost a bet in Tangiers."

"Ah, I see." Ayla allowed Set to pull her into his lap. "Was she helpful at least?"

"She hasn't let me down yet." Set opened his laptop and checked his emails. There was a new one flashing from Bellona. He opened it and started to flick through the black and white images. "A rat problem indeed. You see these outposts around the oasis? They are guard towers. I told you they would be settling in."

"What have they done with all the people?" Ayla asked, studying the pictures. Set flicked through the other files until he found an aerial shot of a large building and heat signatures for at least fifty people inside.

"They are keeping them locked up by the looks of things. It might be so no one sneaks out to get help," Set said thoughtfully.

They were most likely waiting for buyers for them, but he didn't want to tell Ayla that. She would be worrying about them enough because that was just her nature.

"Okay, so you start at the watch posts and work your way in. That way, they can't go for reinforcements either," Ayla said, taking over his laptop and studying the pictures. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you're giving me a plan of attack."

Ayla flushed. "Would it surprise you to learn I lived with gamers in university? They were all keen on war games, and it rubbed off a bit. Why? Do you disagree with taking out the outer watchmen first?"

"Not at all. It's exactly what I would do. It means no one will be sneaking up behind me either," Set replied. He kissed her cheek and the tip of her ear. "You helping me plan a fight makes me all hot and bothered."

"I can tell," Ayla said, softly moving her ass against his growing erection. "But you need to focus. The sooner we can get rid of these bandits, the better." The 'we' she used was like a bucket of ice water.

"You're not coming, Ayla. If I do this, I do it alone. I can't be worried about you getting caught in the crossfire," he said.

"Those people," Ayla said, tapping the photo, "are going to need a doctor, Set. I promise to wait with Tafida and the others until you think it's safe, but I'm not staying behind."

Set groaned. "Why do you have to stress me out like this?"

"Because it's good for you. Let me help you do this one thing, then I promise to be a boring captive who reads all day in perfect safety."

Set raised a brow. "You promise?" Ayla pulled his arms tighter around her.

"I promise."

"Okay, then let's have another of these photos and make a plan."

* * *

The followingevening Ayla sat on the bull bar of a Jeep, a pair of binoculars in her hands and a flutter of excitement in her belly.

If she had been told by someone a week ago that she would be hiding out in the ruins of the ancient temple of Amun, waiting for the god of war to strike a nearby village, she would have laughed and tried to have the person committed.

Now, dressed in dark gear, a bulletproof vest and a gun at her belt, that's exactly what she was doing.

"How long do you think he will be?" Tafida whispered anxiously beside her. Out of the three women, she was the only one willing to come back to witness the fight.

"I think we will know when it begins. Set is going to make sure we are going to be safe first," Ayla assured her. It was one of the many conditions he'd had.

First, she had to show him she was capable of handling a gun. He had given her the handgun and demanded she carry and use it if she had to.

The second condition was that she waited at the temple while he made sure they were safe. When he was fully satisfied, then and only then, would he start liberating Kharga.

Ayla would be ready when Set was done. The Jeep was full of medical supplies and food that she would use to help the villagers.

When the wind began to pick up, Ayla snapped to attention. The air crackled with energy around her, and a familiar feeling settled in her chest. Set had just summoned his power.

Be safe, she wanted to whisper on the wind. He would probably laugh at her concern, but she still didn't want to see him hurt.

Golden light flared on the dark horizon, and Ayla lifted her binoculars. The glow was coming of Set's khopesh, the curved blade shining as it rose up and down.

Gunfire peppered the night sky, but it was too dark for Ayla to make out what was happening. She followed the glow of Set's magic as he took out the watches around the village and began to move his way through the streets. Two bombs went off, sending rubble, dust, and fire everywhere.

"What's happening?" Tafida asked, hopping from foot to foot.

"Set is sticking to the plan. Try to be calm. He knows what he is doing," Ayla replied, sounding more confident than she felt.

Twenty tense minutes later, magic and wind sliced the air, and Set was standing in front of them, blood-stained and radiating power.

"It is done," he said, his voice deep and far away.

Ayla took a step toward him and rested her hand on the ankh glowing under his shirt. "Thank you, Set. You can let the power go."

A low growl rumbled through him, his hand tightening on his sword.

"You did really well, but I need you back and thinking straight. Come back," Ayla whispered and kissed him.

Set shuddered all over, the khopesh falling to the sand as he grabbed Ayla and deepened the embrace. She could taste the burning power riding him, felt the control that he was fighting to regain. Then the golden light was gone, and it was only Set in her arms.

"You're getting suspiciously good at that," he said against her lips.

"Maybe you just need practice."

Tafida cleared her throat. "Is it safe to go into the village yet?"

"Yes." Set bent down and picked up his sword, sliding it into the sheath on his back. "The place is a mess, but nothing that can't be rebuilt."

Ayla squeezed Set's hand before letting it go and climbed into the Jeep next to Tafida. "Let's go and find your family."

Set's assessment of the village was an understatement. Ayla didn't know if the bandits or the fight had caused the damage, but whole buildings had been reduced to rubble. She looked away from the dark streaks of blood and bodies carrying guns, knowing that Set had done the damage.

The building they had seen in the photos turned out to be an old granary. Set busted the padlocks on the doors, and Tafida hurried inside, calling out to people by name.

Ayla worked for hours in a blur. Most of the people were only suffering from minor injuries, but severe dehydration and hunger weakened them. The supplies from the Jeep disappeared as Set and other able-bodied people unloaded food and water.

Ayla took the medical supplies and set up to treat people on one side of the building. She knew that her work with Panacea mattered, but this was something else. Raw and personal, people hugged her, weeping in relief. They kept a respectful distance from Set, but some of the bolder children hung around him until mothers shooed them away.

By the time dawn broke, everyone had settled and was sleeping. Set and some of the other men had piled the bodies of the bandits into a pit and buried them so the children wouldn't see the next day.

They were filthy and exhausted by the time Ayla hugged Tafida goodbye, and she and Set got back in the Jeep. They would send another shipment of food and supplies with Miryam and the other women once they got back to Naqada. Ayla took Set's hand and hung tight to it.

"This was a good thing you did, Ayla," Set said as they drove with the sunrise glare hitting their windshield.

"I couldn't have done it without you, and you know it. You saved these people's lives, Set."

"Well, don't tell anyone. I've got a reputation to keep," he replied, lifting their hands so he could kiss the back of her palm.

Ayla may have imagined it as she drifted off to sleep, but there might have been the slightest smile of contentment on his lips.