七転び八起き
Nanakorobi yaoki
“Stumbling seven times but standing up eight”
However many setbacks you face, never give up and always keep trying.
~Japanese proverb
Kit
I dream of the forest and the moonlight, of cuddling with someone who has warm hands and deep laughter, but my dream quickly disappears into a nightmare. I remember going to sleep so content and happy one minute, then screaming through the forest, running, and falling as something wrapped around my ankle, dragging my body across the hard soil. I hit the bumps over and over again, digging my nails into the cold hard dirt before I’m pulled into a dark cave.
“What will you trade?”
I look up at the darkness and hear the sound of hissing, but I don’t live near a place native to large snakes.
At least, I don’t think so.
“I have nothing of value,” I finally admit, knowing death is coming. The stench of rotting corpses is so strong, surely my time to join them is next.
She laughs. “I don’t need money.”
I stare out of the mouth of the cave at the moonlight trickling in. “I don’t even have someone to give you.”
My family is gone.
The warmth was stolen from me, or maybe I just got lost? I cannot remember anything but the warmth and then the stark reality of cold.
“I value… treasure,” she finally says. “What are you willing to exchange with me for your life?”
“You’ll spare me if I exchange?” I whimpered, already bleeding all over the place, and not sure how I even got the bruises already.
More dark laughter. “Of course. Shall I take your pretty hair? Maybe a tail?”
Tail? What tail?
I say nothing.
She snaps her fingers. “I’ve got it! If you truly want to trade what’s most precious, then if you survive—which I hope you do—the three tests and manage to make it through until the end, I’ll give what’s most precious to you back.
I still have no clue what that is. I stay silent.
“Now,” the mesmerizing female voice whispers, “open your pretty little mouth.”
I hesitate.
A low hum builds up in my throat, making it impossible to keep my mouth closed. My lips part and something is pulled from my body, something necessary. It is everything important to me. I know this the minute it starts leaving me.
It is memories.
It is my life.
It is everything that makes me, me.
And it is gone in a flash of light, leaving me alone, naked in the darkness of that cave, wondering where I am, who I am, and wishing someone would just tell me so I can go to sleep.
Tears stream down my face as my eyes flicker open, and I stare up at Horus. He doesn’t look concerned so much as curious.
I quickly sit up and swipe at my cheeks. “How long was I out?”
“A while.” He hands me a mug of hot tea. I take it instantly and drink it, then start to choke, remembering all the weird things I saw before passing out.
Horus stays still and silent. Maybe he’s waiting for me to ask or burst into tears, scream, and run away.
I glance at the door. It’s partially opened. And then it fully opens when a gorgeous man with jet-black hair and green eyes strolls in. He takes one look at me, cocks his head to the side, and frowns. “Is she broken? She’s not even screaming?”
The sound of someone eating chips breaks the silence before another voice speaks. “Maybe she is broken.” It’s one of the beautiful guys from the bar, and he brings out chips and salsa and sets them on the coffee table. “I’m missing House of the Dragon for this.”
“You’ll live,” the other hot guy says before sitting across from me in a large leather chair. “I’m Ethan.”
Horus looks irritated. “Didn’t I tell you guys to leave?”
I shakily look from Horus to both guys, then focus on Ethan. Something about his eyes pulls me in.
“H-hi, Ethan, I’m Kit.” I don’t hold out my hand; something tells me deep in my soul that it would be dangerous to do so.
The corners of his mouth lift into a seductive smile. “Interesting, she’s not afraid, but her mind tells her she needs to be.” He flashes seriously long fangs and then leans forward. “What do you remember?”
My throat is dry, so I drink more tea before I answer. “Magic. Horus doing magic, and then you guys trying to erase memories or something, and then a lot of pain. I had a weird dream about a cave and woke up on the couch.”
“Good.” He nods. “I’m just here to grab this one.” He pulls the other guy up from the chair and shoves him toward the door. “He’s like a disease you can’t cure. You’d be stuck with him all night.” He looks over his shoulder. “Have fun, Horus. Try not to scare her too much.”
“I’m not scary,” Horus grumbles.
He’s huge.
Beautiful.
And currently sitting close to me.
Scary? Yes.
Tempting. Even more so.
He clears his throat and motions for me to drink more tea, which I do, then the awkward silence fills with this weird buzz as we stare at each other.
He clears his throat twice and looks away. “I’m not normal.”
“Is anyone?”
He smiles down at his massive hands. “Yeah well, I’m a bit more different.”
“Werewolf?” I guess trying to amuse myself and keep myself from freaking out because how was any of this real? My dreams? The reality I just witnessed?
I touch my neck. Nothing’s there, but I could have sworn something bit me.
Was it Horus?
Someone else?
The door shuts with a weird finality as I’m stuck with this man sitting in front of me, looking bigger than life.
He gets up. “Not a werewolf.”
“Bummer.”
His eyes burn freaky bright, I should be scared, but I figure running means he might chase, so I go very still and just wait. “Sorry.”
“A mere werewolf?” He laughs. “No, I’m not a werewolf.”
“I’m not so sure how that’s supposed to make me feel better,” I mutter.
He puts his hands on his hips and starts pacing. “Why aren’t you running?”
I gulp. “Mainly because I’m hoping it’s a bad dream and also because predators chase.”
“I haven’t chased in centuries.” He says it so seriously I’m not sure if he’s crazy or if I am.
“Okay.” I stand on wobbly legs. “So, what are you?”
He’s silent, his eyes narrow. “I don’t think you want to know.”
“Try me.”
“You should eat.”
“I have zero appetite after my nightmare and whatever the hell you did in the bathroom and then here in the living room. Plus, I’m exhausted and need to go home.”
“No!” he blurts, holding out his hands, then dropping them. “I mean, you can’t go home, you could get hurt.”
Fear trickles down my spine. “From whom?”
“It doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head. “I can protect you here.”
“I don’t know you!” I clench my fists. “All I know is you did some weird voodoo, and you have weird voodoo friends!”
He smirks. “It’s not voodoo, human.”
“Stop calling me human!”
“It’s what you are!”
“So are you!” I yell.
“NO!” His voice seems to reverberate inside me on a visceral level. He takes a stride toward me and grabs my arm; his eyes burn bright yellow, then gleam sapphire blue. “I’m a god!”
I stumble back and fall onto the couch again. “Your eyes!”
The air around me smells like fresh grass and flowers, and his eyes become blue like the sky. His hands are clenched into fists, and pieces of dirt fall from them onto the floor like he’s crushing the earth. The minute the dirt lands, it explodes into a blue star, only to disappear. I wonder if he even realizes he’s freaking me the hell out and also doing that.
“Oh, shit!” someone says from the door.
I turn, petrified out of my mind, and see Tarek sipping on a cocktail and shaking his head like he’s disappointed. “You can’t just go full god on someone like that, Horus. Swear it’s like you’re the worst managed immortal I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen things, bro, so many things.” He sips the rest of his drink and waves with his other hand. “Hey, there.”
“Hi.” The word squeezes out in a terrified rasp. I don’t even lift my hand.
He waves me off. “I got this.” He walks over to Horus and snaps his fingers in front of his face, then slaps him. “Wake up, big guy.”
Horus shakes his head. His eyes go back to normal, and he stares down at his hands. “Impossible. I’m limited in this timeline.”
I raise my hand. “Did someone slip mushrooms into something I ate or drank today?”
“’Shrooms.” Tarek laughs. “Classic.”
“No, not classic, scared.” I point at myself. “Can I go home now and pretend none of this ever happened?”
Horus waves his hand at the door; it shuts and locks.
Tarek grins. “I think that was a no. Not sure, but based on the all-around feel of the room, the look on his face, and the fact that he just slammed the door, you’re stuck with an angry god. Good luck, cheers.” He freaking starts whistling as he walks off, then enters what must be a bedroom and shuts that door.
“Seriously?” I’m more pissed than scared now.
“That,” Horus says, pointing behind him, “was a werewolf.” He shakes his head. “Amateur.”
“Like I would know!” I yell.
“They are inferior!” He yells right back.
Tarek pokes his head out of the door. “Actually, we’re literally the gods of the earth, and I’m a prince. You’re the inferior dude who is stuck out of his timeline. Okay, byeeeee.”
He closes the door again.
I glance from the door to Horus, then back to the door, then to Horus. “Out of your timeline?”
He runs his hands through his gorgeous blond locks. “It’s a long story about saving the world. Care to hear it?”
“You?” I point at him.
He glares. “What do you mean me? Yes, me!”
“You yell a lot.”
“You’re disrespectful! People used to worship me!”
I snort out a laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, you were serious.”
His skin turns a funny shade of pink. “On your knees.”
I laugh. “Oh no, I’m not doing that, even if you are a god.”
“I meant in worship, but the alternative doesn’t sound so bad either.”
I slap him across the face so hard my hand stings, then immediately use the same hands to cover my face, so he doesn’t reciprocate.
When nothing happens, I peek through my fingers. He’s staring at me, jaw hanging open, eyes wide. “You slapped me.”
“You were being rude,” I whisper.
He hangs his head, then turns around and mutters, “I need a drink.”
I follow him into the modern kitchen. Ignoring me, he grabs a bottle of whiskey, starts chugging it directly, and then puts it down like he’s disappointed. “Can’t even get drunk here; the best is a light buzz that fades after ten minutes.”
“Sorry?”
He looks over his shoulder. “What are you?”
“Human, apparently.” I cross my arms.
“You’re staying here. You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch. But first things first, you get a little history lesson since we can’t erase your memories.”
“Something tells me this won’t be a fun lesson.”
“You get spanked if you get answers wrong.” He winks.
My entire body buzzes. “Wh-what?”
He breezes by me with his bottle. “You’re blushing.”
“No! I mean, I was just taken back.”
I follow him back into the living room, confused like crazy but unable to leave, afraid to say something wrong, and still under the impression something weird is going on. I mean, obviously, or maybe I’ve completely lost it.
Wouldn’t that be just great?
Horus sits down on the couch. I sit down far away from him on the same couch, he stares down into the whiskey bottle, and his next words might stay with me for the rest of my life. “I’m Horus, the Egyptian god of the sky.”