Sands of Time: Fate of the True Vampires

Christine Church

SOT-frontcover

 

“Queen of the Nile”

 

Entries found on Papyrus sealed and preserved within a tomb in Egypt
Circa 20th Dynasty
English Translation, 1958
Believed to be written by Kesi, who lived in a village near Giza, and is later known as Kesi Akhede.

Wind over the desert creates a sandstorm that has left all in ruin. The days of old. Eras long past. Will he believe that I existed long ago and was dubbed “The Nile’s Graceful Queen” by pharaohs and kings? Will he believe that, to Amenhotep I in the eighteenth dynasty, I was viewed as an “exquisite work of art?”

I pray now. Not to the gods the desert people bow to, but to my ancestors and my family. I pray that he will understand what it is I must tell him. Who I am. Where I come from. And where I must go.

I think about the time that has passed so quickly. My heart swells with love for my family, for the desert so cruel yet forgiving, the people, and most of all for Jabari.

Life was once simple yet elegant and my people worshiped. When I was young, I heard say that all of the gods had blessed me with a part of themselves. The grace of Bast, the eyes of Horus, the wisdom of Thoth, and even the cruelties of Seth made me who I am. Perhaps this is true still. And yet I remain as I always have and life around me continues to weave its gradual yet inevitable web anew.

Now, the sands of the Sahara have drifted, propelling the destiny of the Pet Mer in a new direction, forcing me to choose, to make the most difficult decision of my life. A decision on which I have procrastinated for too long. A decision, I know, I must make on this night. And so, I prepare my journey with a questionable destination.

Entry One

Tonight the desert was cruel, and armed with its own weapons as the sharp winds howled, whistling past Khufu’s grand pyramid and whipping sand into my face, making concentration difficult. I could smell it in the air—even the fresh scent of evening was not the same.

Shomu had only begun, the inundation waned, harvest well on its way, when the news had come to me and the decision set uncomfortably upon my shoulders. Father and our people would leave this place forever, removing all family and connection to blood ties. The land and desert would be empty, cold and desolate; as it had been thousands of years before when my relatives had first arrived. Without the winsomeness, grace and eccentricities my people laid here, there will be only dust and wind, and life for the desert people will go on as fate meant it.

But what did it matter? For the gods that had once taken physical form were no longer revered. A new era had dawned, a fearful era, and mankind now shunned those they once worshiped. Fleeing is the only way to avoid persecution and eventual starvation.

But for me it is not so simple, the decision to run not as easily made. For me there is a divide in the road ahead, and I am chained to a chariot that races down each one.

Tethered by honor and family is the desire to leave and start anew. Yet bound to this place by way of tradition and birth. And by way of heart in the form of a sweet and wonderful man.

I hugged my linen shawl more tightly around my shoulders and moved to the eastern wall of the pyramid where the massive triangular structure could form a better shield against the harsh wind. I leaned against the smooth limestone that, even after all the withering years, still shone like silver in the light of the full moon as if the power of Ra kept the sun harnessed within its rocks. Ah, to witness the miracle of the sun, just once to walk beneath its great rays, to feel its warmth on my flesh.

Sands of Time: Fate of the True Vampires Description:

Kesi was raised in an age when her people were worshiped as gods, peasants and kings alike offered protection, and blood was easy to come by without having to kill. But times changed, people began to grow afraid. And so, her family and most of her kind fled from earth back into the skies from where they had come. Kesi, however, remained behind, bound by her love for a mortal man.

After his death, she begins to search for a way to have a family of her own. Unable to bear children, she searches the world for an answer, a way for her hybrid species to continue her blood line. What she finds is an alchemist named Yin, who is of her species, yet is determined to put an end to the “children” others of their kind have created. Kesi wants his secret to creation.

Kidnapping Yin’s only progeny, she runs. But Yin is never far behind. Time comes for Kesi to stop running, create the children she’s dreamt of for thousands of years, and find a way to end Yin’s reign of killing her family’s progeny. This novella is the first installment of a series that will grow and involve many interesting characters, who either aid Kesi or become part of her blood thirsty quest. This book is Book One in the “Fate of the True Vampires” series.

If you are a writer or a publisher who wants to be featured visit BGSAuthors - our dedicated site for authors and publishers.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This