Set by Alessa Thorn

23

Set could smell the cloying incense over the musty earth and green growing plants. Clear water flowed around them, stones paved paths through the lush gardens and islands of the oasis. Lanterns and luminescent flowers filled the halls of Osiris with light.

Animals roamed through the trees and waters, leopards and fantastical beasts with falcon heads and lion bodies hunted and lazed in the underbrush. Birds sang overhead, flamingos and herons dipping in the waters to snatch a fish.

It was a paradise oasis, heavy with beauty and magic and a complete illusion.

"He's getting more flamboyant with age," Set murmured.

"He's got to keep himself amused down here somehow. Ah, my point exactly." Thoth nodded through the trees. Scantily clad people lounged on couches and cushions, sipping wine, frolicking in the water, or fucking under the trees.

"And you all wondered why I couldn't put up with him," Set said. It was the same old tedious shit over and over. Even an orgy got boring when it was endless.

As they cleared the trees, halls spread out to accommodate an ongoing feast that was lit brightly with braziers and miniature floating suns.

At the end of the hall, on an onyx and golden throne, sat Osiris.

Set had been created to be strong, but Osiris was created to be beautiful. He always wanted aesthetically pleasing things around him, and even after being beheaded and resurrected, Osiris was still male perfection.

The faint metallic emerald sheen of his magic on his skin and the soft scars of where Isis had put him back together didn't diminish his looks in any way. He radiated power and magic and made you want to bow before him.

Osiris smiled, a lazy, indulgent smile as he looked Set over.

Set's right hand twitched, wanting to pull the sword from his back and cut his pretty head from his shoulders.

If only.

"Deep breaths, Set. Remember why you are here," Thoth whispered.

Ayla. She was worth suffering through this audience.

"Hello, brother," Osiris greeted. He noticed Thoth, and his smile slipped a little. "And Thoth too, this is momentous."

"Love what you've done with the place," Set replied, folding his arms.

"Thank you. What are you doing here? You made it clear last time that you were never coming back. What was it you called me again?"

"I believe it was an impotent fish dick, my lord," Thoth said.

Set cast a glare over his shoulder. "Stop helping me." The sorcerer grinned.

"That was it. So I'll ask you again. What do you want?"

"The soul of a woman. Ayla Neilos. I owe her a debt, and I'd like to restore her to her mortal life," Set replied, wanting this audience over with.

Osiris lifted his goblet to his lips. "No. Now, go away."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. I knew you would be difficult about this."

"You killed me and bound me to this place. Why should I do anything for you?" Osiris snarled.

"Because if you want to tally up crimes, brother, you broke us first. Or did you forget that? It was you that couldn't keep your dick in your pants and away from my wife. You had your pick of all of Egypt, but you had to have her too," Set replied. Thoth poked him hard in the back to shut him up.

"As much as you've never been able to admit the truth to yourself, Set, it remains the same. Nephthys came to me, not the other way around."

"You still could have been honorable and sent her away."

"Why would I? I wanted to hurt you."

Set clenched his fists together. "I don't care about the past anymore, Osiris. I want Ayla Neilos's soul. Please give her to me. Do this one decent thing, and let us be at peace from now on."

"Peace? The god of war comes into my halls where thousands of his victims have passed through and speaks of peace? Who is this woman, Thoth? Why is she important?" Osiris demanded.

Thoth moved Set out of the way. "She's not important, my lord. She has no magic or great beauty. She is his charge, and she got killed by accident. Set only wants to set it straight."

"You love her." Osiris laughed, a deep rich sound that had the courtiers tittering with him.

"Yes," Set replied, unable to lie about that fact.

"This is too amusing. I wonder if she feels the same and if she would even want to go back to living?" Osiris's power spiked, and the doors behind him opened. Ayla walked through them, wearing one of the pale green, gauzy dresses the other courtiers wore. Set hated seeing her in Osiris's colors.

"Look at her, and I'll gouge your eyes out," Set whispered to Thoth.

"Set?" Ayla recognized him and raced towards him. Just when her fingers were about to touch his, she was lifted in the air and pulled back to Osiris with invisible chains.

"Not so fast, my flower. This pathetic excuse of a god says that he's here because he loves you," Osiris said.

Ayla's eyes went wide as she looked at Set. "You do?"

"Yeah, malikati, I do. I'm so sorry I didn't get to you soon enough," Set replied, ignoring Osiris's amused face.

Osiris placed a pale green hand on Ayla's shoulder. "He's come to save you and take you back to the human world. I want to know if you would like to leave paradise in the Field of Reeds, to go back to a place of pain and suffering—"

"Yes. If it means I can go with Set, I will," Ayla replied. Set fought to keep the smile from his face.

"Well, that's going to be a problem because the only way I'll release a soul is in exchange for a soul," Osiris purred.

"Have mine," Set said, and the entire court went silent. He knew Osiris would pull this game and was ready for it. "Ayla goes free with Thoth to be restored to her body, and you can feed me to Apep like you've always wanted."

Osiris gave a disbelieving laugh. "What? No, surely you can't be serious. You would give up your immortal soul for a nobody human woman?"

Set didn't look away from Ayla, trying to memorize every beautiful line of her. He wanted to be able to remember her for as long as possible while Apep or the other demons tore him apart piece by piece.

"I will give myself to the Devourer of Souls if I have to. Just let her go, Osiris. Please…brother," Set begged.

"Well, this has turned out better than I hoped. Thoth, take her away," Osiris commanded, sending Ayla's soul to his side with a flick of his wrist. Set went to touch her when Osiris's power slammed into him, binding him in chains and dragging him to the floor.

"No, no, you can't do this, Set," Ayla said, trying to reach for him. "I can't let you go. I love you too much, please."

"How touching. Take her away, Thoth, I won't ask again."

Thoth cleared his throat. "Forgive me, my lord, but may I offer an alternative plan to hauling Set off to be eaten and regurgitated for all eternity? Amusing as that may be."

"Why would I change my mind? I've always wanted to see him suffer—"

"Anubis," Thoth interrupted. With that one name, the whole of the Duat stilled and listened.

"Osiris, he's been gone too long from this place. I myself have been unable to track him down. Hunting has always been what Set is good at, what he was created for. Let him go on condition that he finds and restores Anubis."

Anubis is missing?Set kept this face down. No wonder the Duat was slowly falling apart. Osiris may have been the ruler of the dead, but Anubis was their god. Both of their power balanced the Afterlife, and without one….everyone was just stuck with Osiris.

"Surely there's another way to find him?" Osiris demanded irritably.

"There isn't. I have searched for him by magic as well as human technologies. There is no trace of him or his power. We have to find him because the Duat needs him. You can feel it breaking apart, and Osiris, if there is no Duat, there is nowhere for you to exist as you are," Thoth pressed.

Set looked up as Osiris's power dragged him to his feet. His beautiful face hovered above him. Set had never seen him so pissed. He knew what Thoth said was right, and he hated it.

"You will find my son and restore him to his place in one year, or I will have Apep rip apart your bitch piece by screaming piece, do you understand?" he hissed.

"I will, I swear it. He will be returned to you," Set promised, trying to appear thankful. "You are merciful, as always."

"I am, Set. But only until you fail, and then I will delight in finishing you forever."

"Thank you, brother."

"Oh, shut up and get out of my sight." Osiris flicked his hand, and Set was hurled through the oasis and crashed into the gates.

Thoth strode through the trees moments later with Ayla hurrying beside him.

"I can't believe you were going to do that!" she snarled, pounding Set's chest with her fists. Set only lifted up and kissed her until she stopped struggling.

Thoth cleared his throat. "I do hate to be a nuisance, but we need to start this process before Osiris changes his mind. Where are your bodies?"

"Cairo prison, in the cell of a man named Kader Ayad," Set said.

"Kader fucking Ayad has your bodies?" Thoth pinched the bridge of his nose and hissed through his clenched teeth. "You are going to owe me, just… so… fucking… much."

Set grinned. "You're a good friend, Thoth."

"I'm not your fucking friend," he snapped.

Thoth clapped his hands twice, turning the souls in front of him into two gold scarab beetles.

He lifted them up in his palm as he opened the doors between worlds and stepped back into the land of the living.