Pharai
The heavy, warm air of the cave suite smelled of black myrrh, cedarwood oil, and subterranean rock.
I gasped, my eyes snapping open as I sat bolt upright on the massive bed carved directly out of the mountain's living granite. Cold sweat soaked through my shirt, sticking the thin cotton fabric to my shoulder blades. The smooth, obsidian walls of Suetekh's hidden hotel deep in the Zagros cave complex reflected the soft, flickering light of copper braziers, instantly washing away the lingering memory of Amun-Ra's golden Nile.
I buried my face in my trembling hands, my heart hammering furiously against my ribs.
Two tethers.
Amun-Ra's terrifying command echoed inside my skull like a solemn bell: If you reveal the dual bond to the God of Storms right now... he will kill Anubis, and in doing so, he will kill you.
"Deep breaths, scholar. You look as though you've walked through the Halls of Ma'at and back."
