Hello everyone, I'm currently working on my book "Shadow Earth" Its based on my Egyptian campaign that I started a couple years back. Well unfortunately my group fell apart, but my characters didn't. It's based in 1900s in a time of discovery and adventure, I'm looking for a Beta reader that I can send chapters to. I feel like the story is like a good scotch. The bottle is elegant, the color is pure, but it burns then slowly dissipates as it goes down. That could however just me being bias as it is my baby at the moment... I'll let you judge for yourself. here it is Chapter 1: Twisted Fate...

Twisted Fate


Seth’s lithe frame strained under the sheets, his black hair matted in locks together from sweat pouring from his forehead. He yelled out, from pain as his head pounded; the lights from the candles made it worse as they blurred and people moved around them. A figure approached his side, he was slender but defined man, dark robes tried at his waist held by a golden belt that widened as it draped in the front. His face was no longer his, but of something else.

It was a head of a white feathered bird with an elongated black beak. Seth tried to get away from the figure, but several hands began to hold him down. The bird began to speak, but what should have been squawks and squeaks where words instead, or perhaps they were words, but they filtered in his mind as squawks.

“My Lord?” A strong voice rang through the vast empty room.

The old pharaoh sat in the chair of the throne room pondering his thoughts, and what evil deed could he have possibly committed to have the God’s so angry at him, that they would take his eldest son.

“My Lord, Khufu.” The voice called again, this time shaking the thoughts of the king. The king wiped his hand across his face, hoping to cover his insecurity.

“Y-Yes?” The king responded back his voice trembled expecting to her the worst. He looked at his chief priest, whom was still locked in a slight bow. Wearing to tradition robes of a darkened purple tone with gold trimmings.
“My Lord, I fear the boy, he has begun to hallucinate. They are trying everything to bring his fever down; he has maybe hours if we cannot succeed.”
The King slumped further in his chair; the priest walked to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. His brown eyes lay upon the man before him, never seeing him in this state of frailty. “Brother, be strong. Not just for your family, prove to the Gods that they can’t beat you. There’s still time.”

He released his hand and walked across the vast room to the door, his shoes clicked along the floor. “Imhotep.” The King stood up his own white robes flowed down barely touching the floor. “Thoth, has given you knowledge brother, use it to save my son.” Imhotep nodded one last time before leaving his brother once again alone with his thoughts.

Khufu looked out the balcony, the sky began to turn. The skeletal structures around the monuments slowly began to from against the navy sky. Softly he prayed to the approaching God.

“Great sun, wheel of fire, Ra in your glory, hear me as I honor you.”

Imhotep found the priests in the pool with the boy, the ibis birds surrounding them on the pool’s rim, curiously looking on. Imhotep, bent down and listened to the boy’s breathing, his lungs were closing up, as a soft wheeze escaped.

“Imhotep, he’s drowning Ma’at has him, he’s gone.”
Imhotep snapped at the young man, “No! He’s still with me, there’s time.” Imhotep dragged the boy out of the pool and turned him on his side.

“Summer has gone, passed us by, the fields are dead and cold, all of earth sleeps in your absence.”

His hand pressed against the boy’s back, feeling the swelling rise with each weakening breath. He reached for an object wrapped in cloth from another priest. Imhotep, began to unwrap the linen cloth revealing an obsidian blade. “Seth, forgive me.”

“Even in the darkest times, you light the way for those who would need a beacon, of hope, of brightness, shining in the night.”

Apep, the youngest sought to help by holding the prince down. Imhotep, looked in to his eyes and sought to comfort when he saw the fear rise up. He slid the blade in nicking the buildup of fluid just below the lung. He slid out the carefully not to damage anything else. The yellow fluid quickly escaped, Imhotep grabbed at a cloth to now stop the wound. Apep looked at the silent prince. “Seth?” Apep looked at the unresponsive darkened eyes. “Seth?” Apep yelled, again.

“Winter is here, and colder days coming, the fields are bare and the livestock thin. We pray that you might gather your strength and bring life back to the world.”

Imhotep rolled the boy back on to his back, pressing his mouth against his nephew’s, forcing his own breath in to the boy’s. “Come on Seth, come back to us.” He clasped his hands over the boy’s chest pounding them in in to the chest.

“O Ra, mighty sun above us, we ask you to return, to bring back to us the light and the warmth of your fire. Bring life back to earth, Bring light back to earth."

“Imhotep, he’s gone.” Imhotep waived Apep’s cry, and forced the airway a final time.

“Hail Ra! Ruler of the sun!”

The Pharaoh adjusted his eyes as Ra appeared over the horizon. Instantly the warmth of the sun penetrated his skin. The sun was deep red, a shade that had not been seen in a long time. The king lowered his head, the tears swelled against his will. Imhotep took notice of his brother and walked out to the balcony. The sun was still red in color.

“You know he’s just red from anger right?”

The king looked at him curiously. “My boy is dying and you make jokes?” Imhotep smirked with a devious grin. “Was… I brought him back. It was close, but we won.” The king chocked harder and turned away from the city. “My Lord, your son still lives.”

His heavy hands clenched in a fist. “He was dead.” Imhotep was still feeling proud of his work. “Yes, and now he’s not.” Khufu, slammed is fist in to the heavy pillow beside him. “His life is forfeit! It means nothing now.”

Imhotep’s eyes widened. “Oh gods, he passed over…” Khufu held his now throbbing hand. “It would have been better if he hadn't come back.” Imhotep looked over his shoulder, sneering at the glowing sun, now bright yellow against the sands almost mocking him. “Ra, I hope you’re satisfied with this.”






***I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. please leave comments i love to read some ^_^