Nefer Blue Phoenix

Chapter 1: A Desire to Die

“Mother... Are we going to die?”

The words rattled young Anuaka from her sleep. She sat up in bed, tucked locks of blue braids behind her gaudy gem earlobes, and looked around. Everything in her bedroom was as it always had been. The finest plush white bed linens for her and three siblings. Hieroglyphic walls were still as gold as the day they were painted. It was the only life she had ever known. But something was different in the air, leaving an eerie feeling in the midnight chill.

Her older sister, Audritti, was staring out the bedroom window, nervously twisting her own hip-length flow of blue locks between her fingers. She stood like a statue, stricken by an unbelievable sight holding her in place.

Anuaka looked to her mother, who was continually shifting her head in between the bedroom and the hallway. “What's going on?” Anuaka said.

“Get out of bed,” her mother demanded, with a quiver in her voice.

Anuaka eyed her oddly. Never had she witnessed fear in her mother's eyes. Karmitti was the ruler of a nation, famed for her strength and beauty. But tonight, her blue dreadlocks were disheveled. Her radiant brown skin was pale in color.

“Mother, what's going on?” Anuaka demanded to know.

Karmitti dug her eyes into Anuaka. “Just do as I say.”

“Mother!” Audritti screamed. The eldest sister turned away from the window and closed her eyes as their palace shook like the earth was quaking beneath them.

The eldest brother, Horus, tumbled out of his sleep and bed as baby Nebu erupted into a cry from his crib. Anuaka shuffled out of bed, getting to her feet as Horus scrambled to his.

“What was that?” Horus heaved out. He put his hand to his bald head, rubbing at a bruise from the fall.

"Grab your brother! We are under attack," Karmitti said.

Horus hurried to the crib, carefully cradling the one-year-old in the bulk of his arms. The siblings all turned to Karmitti, like the nation of Serenium had always done. Waiting for guidance by the supreme ruler. She was used to the stress of people needing an answer. Making the decision quick, she motioned with a hand for them to follow. She turned for the hallway, leading her children into a golden torch-lit corridor. An echo of footsteps pounded the distant hall. They stopped, gathered together, and anxiously waited to see whose footsteps were headed their way.

“Karmitti!” a familiar voice called.

“Koga!” she answered back, bringing the family to ease.

Their father caught up to them, leaking sweat from the top of his shaved head. His linen shirt was covered in moisture. He took a moment to breathe, dropping his view to Anuaka. Even with such danger outside their walls, he picked up his baby girl the same way he had done for the last eight years. Looking into the rare emerald eyes that matched his own. He placed her back on the floor and turned to his wife.

“We are being overrun. Come with me,” Koga said. He sprinted down the corridor, with his family behind, to a spiral set of stairs that lead to the outskirts of the palace walls. The royal officials and guards of Serenium were already gathered on the lawn, in discussion.

“Pharrah!” One of the officials said, relieved to see Karmitti. “Our city of Nebbell is taken. What is it you want us to do?”

“Who are the attackers?” Karmitti said.

“Rebels from underprivileged towns of Serenium,” another said.

Karmitti dimmed her eyelids. “Why have they come to attack us?”

“They claim it is a message from the gods.”

“The gods?” she lashed out. “The gods told them to do this to my family?”

Her grand vizier stepped forth, bowing his head. “My pharrah, we don't have much time to talk.”

She placed her nails under his chin and lifted his eyes to hers. "Where is the army?"

“Most of the army were poor men,” he stated, “Our enemies are the army.”

Native shrieks of Serenium shattered the night sky, bringing the conversation to a halt. The royal court glanced into the horizon of the mountain top field. A sea of rebels was headed in their direction.

“Live!” Karmitti shouted. “Get everyone to safety.”

“As you wish my pharrah, but we must get you to safety first,” an official said.

The royal court exchanged one look and knew what had to be done. Men and women of the most elegant luxury turned to the field and ran towards the attackers. Anuaka gripped her father's pants, watching as the court collided in battle with the rebels. The force from the native shrieks flung Serenians from both flanks across the lawn.

Koga placed his lips to Karmitti's cheek. “Get them out of here,” he said. He stared into her dark eyes. She feared what he was about to do. But understood his need to protect his family. Koga took off into battle.

Karmitti watched for a moment. Then turn to her children. They were standing, ready to move at her command. She motioned for them to follow and hurried them around the outer rim of the palace, away from the battle, to a small man-made forest. They trenched deep into the wooded area, coming to a small opening of flat grassland. A breath of relaxation spread among them before realizing… Someone was not with them.

Anuaka was still at the war zone. She couldn’t move. Her eyes were frozen on her father in battle. He was swift on the field, moving about as if his fighting was a kind of dance. His native shriek blew enemy after enemy, flying out of his path. But it was only so much he could do. The royal court was significantly outnumbered. Her father was overtaken by five rebels. Each stabbed a dagger into his body. They repeated the vicious blows until he fell to his knees.

“Daddy!” Anuaka screamed to deaf ears. She ran for him, only to be snatched by her dress strap.

“What are you doing?!” Horus yelled. He scooped her over his shoulder and ran back towards the forest.

Anuaka bounced on his shoulder, never removing her eyes from Koga's slain body. Tears broke through her glossy eyes as his image grew smaller. Horus brought them to the clearing within the woods. Karmitti and Audritti were sitting on a log, waiting patiently. The baby was in Audritti’s arms, slowly rocking away.

Karmitti jumped to her feet upon their arrival. “Thank the gods,” she said. “How did we get separated?” She placed her manicured nails to the high cheekbones she had bestowed onto Anuaka.

“Daddy! I watched - he - I watched.” Anuaka struggled to get the words out.

“What's wrong?” Karmitti said, trying to figure out what Anuaka was trying to say.

“Daddy!” she erupted. Anuaka dashed back into the woods.

“Anuaka!” Horus and Karmitti shouted.

They ran behind her. Horus gained the lead, thrashing through the brush, But Anuaka was fast for a young girl. He reached out to grab her, only a foot away, and his foot snagged under a tree stump. He tumbled to the ground like a boulder during an avalanche. Karmitti jumped over him to keep pursuit.

Anuaka emerged from the forest and headed straight into the warring chaos. Dead bodies were piling up fast. Blood bled red streams into the grasslands. Anuaka maneuvered through the sparring warriors, searching for her father within the fallen bodies. And there he was. His eyes were open, but his face had gone cold. Anuaka tossed her body over his corpse. Her dress soaked into his bloody wounds.

Karmitti ripped at Anuaka’s waist, snatching her up in one pull. “We have to go!” she shouted.

Anuaka frantically reached out, trying to fall back on him. She tussled with her mother, fighting to get loose. Finally, she broke her mother’s grip. She hurried back to Koga and fell over him as a thud hit the ground behind her. Her heart dropped just as loud. Anuaka slowly crept her eyes over her shoulder.

A rebel in symbolic priest leopard lion cloth was behind her. He stomped his foot into Karmitti’s back and ripped his sword from her body. Anuaka dove on to her mother’s body and flipped it over. The pharrah was no longer in this world. She raised her view to the attacker. His blade was coming down to deliver her the same fate.

Horus leaped in front of the sword, blocking the blow with a found weapon. He shoved his foot into the rebel, stumbling him back. The man swung back so swiftly he sliced the tip of his sword over Horus’ eyelid. Horus screamed out, quickly covered his eye with one hand, and refocused to block the man’s next attack.

Anuaka trembled at the sight of her mother. She looked back to the loss of her father, then to the rebel. Demented darkness surfaced in her face. She got to her feet and watched Horus trying his hardest to protect her. Anuaka stepped from behind her brother, opened her mouth, and let a native shriek bellow from the bottom of her throat. The sonic wave collided with the priest, blowing his eardrums out. Blood splattered from his ears like waterfalls crashing over rocks in the stream. He crumbled to the ground, clutching his earlobes. No longer able to hear his own cries.

Horus sighed out his relief. He pulled Anuaka close and looked over the diminishing battle. “Our people have lost.” He reached down and tore the leopard cloth from the squirming priest. “Put this around your head. Make sure no one sees your blue hair. They will target all blue-haired people who maybe royal.”

“Horus!” Anuaka yelled.

He spun around, just barely dodging a flying sword.

Present

Anuaka sprang up in bed, screaming out the horrors of her past. Beads of sweat rolled down her flesh as she tore the bed covers from her body. Not knowing whether it was the past or present. Anuaka flew out of bed, stumbling over the sheets. She dove for the ground and frantically searched the floor.

“Damn it, Anuaka!” Horus shouted.

She looked up at her siblings climbing out of bed. Horus stood over her, reflecting the moonlight from his shaved head.

“What are you doing?” he said.

Audritti dropped to Anuaka’s side, putting a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You were just having the dream again. Everything is fine. You are fine,” Audritti said.

“No, it is not! It has been ten years! Could you please get over it, so we don’t all have to keep reliving it too!” Horus said.

Audritti snapped her face up towards Horus so fast her long flow of blue tresses took to the wind. “Stop!” she said.

Horus grunted, “Tell her to stop! It’s the middle of the night and I am leaving shortly for the royal city.”

“Horus!” Audritti hushed him. He closed his mouth and flopped back on his bed. Audritti placed the other hand on Anuaka’s shoulder. “Go back to bed. It was only a dream.”

Anuaka reached under Horus’ bed and pulled out a golden blade. She held it to the light to make sure the handle was that of a bird on fire.

“What are you going to do with that?” Audritti’s voice cracked.

“She’s sending me a message,” Anuaka said.

“What are you talking about?” Horus mumbled from the bed, trying to keep his eyes shut.

Anuaka hopped to her feet, alarming everyone, and headed towards the door. “She wants me to kill them!”

Audritti scurried to jump in front of her and block the exit. She grabbed Anuaka’s head and tightly placed it into her chest. “Calm down! What are you talking about?” Audritti said.

Anuaka pushed her sister off and took a step back. She swung the blade up to her own neck, stopping just before ripping into her skin. “I can’t take this anymore. Mother won’t get out of my head. And if she doesn’t want to get out, I’ll take her out myself.”

Audritti grabbed Anuaka again, breaking her tense with a firm embrace. She gripped at the dark braids attached to Anuaka’s scalp, covering the blue that once represented her royal heritage.

“What about your family? How do you think we would feel if we lost you too?” Audritti whispered into her ear.

“If I can’t kill them. Our mother is going to kill me,” Anuaka said. Her tears soaked into Audritti’s dress. Horus slyly slipped the blade out of Anuaka’s hand. “Please just let me go to the palace,” Anuaka pleaded.

“No, our mother is dead. She would not want you to go there and get yourself killed,” Audritti said.

“Then why does she keep haunting me?” Anuaka said.

Audritti held her sister close, gently rubbing her back. She looked at Horus, not really knowing what to say. Then to little Nebu, just getting out of bed. He looked frightened by the disturbance.

“We’re alive and together. That’s all that matters,” Audritti said.

Anuaka withdrew from her. She penetrated her emerald eyes deep into Audritti. "I died a long time ago."