River of the Sun, Chapter Eleven – Inundation

“Vessel of Sekhmet, take our chosen priest-to-be and show him the path of initiation that lies ahead.”

Firmly within the power of her magic, Amkhren felt the unspoken command to continue looking at the high priestess. His senses were so heightened that he could feel the approach of the severe Vessel of Sekhmet long before fingers that felt like claws came to rest on his shoulders. Her voice spoke through his skin, as though an animal ghost had entered his backbone and was playing him like an instrument. Wordlessly, with light-fingered touches, the lioness turned him. For a second, he gazed into the feral eyes, set into green flesh, then drank the wild beauty of the exotic fabrics flowing over her glowing skin. The red-gold orb with its descending cobra that topped the headdress inclined slightly towards him, and the slightest flicker of…