Love, Lies & Immortal Ties - Whitby Shadows Series Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Five

Marcus was right about one thing—he did make mean chicken tikka wraps. Oh, they were delicious. Fresh crisp shredded iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, and tender chicken tikka strips, I could have eaten fifty of them in one sitting. I ate four whilst Marcus devoured three.

"I have dessert for you, by the way," Marcus said, giving me a mischievous grin.

"I like the sound of that."

He opened a cupboard behind him to reveal it stuffed full of packets of Snaps.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you being serious?"

"Of course. Anything that helps the lady feel more comfortable."

I grinned. "Thank you. That's really sweet."

"Before you go and get ready," Marcus said, handing me a packet of Snaps. "I have to ask if you looked into the myth of Isis and Osiris."

My heart froze. I felt like a schoolchild who hadn't done their homework. "I haven't. Sorry. It was all too much to take in last night. Couldn't quite process it enough to remember to research it."

"It's ok, you don't need to apologise. I just wanted you to have an understanding of our kind before this evening. The ball is going to be attended by my friends and family and there are a lot of us."

I nodded. "That makes sense. Of course. My phone is upstairs."

He smiled. "I won't make you read it. I'll just tell you the story. You'll find fifty different versions on the internet anyway."

"I'm all ears."

"Osiris was the first King of Egypt and the brother and husband of Isis."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's gross."

"It was an acceptable view all those years ago. Anyway, Osiris had a brother, Set, or Seth as some people know him as. Set was incredibly jealous about his brother being the King and strongly believed the throne belonged to him. Set was married to his sister, Nephthys, who of course was also the sister of Osiris and Isis."

"Wow. Proper little family incest thing going on there."

He smirked. "Yes. Anyway, Osiris had one true love—Isis. Nephthys also had one true love—Osiris. Jealous of the relationship between her brother and sister, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis one night and climbed into bed with Osiris. The result of their union was the God, Anubis."

"Him I've heard of."

Marcus nodded. "Isis couldn't be mad at her husband. He had been tricked at the end of the day. Set, when he heard of his wife's trickery, grew even more resentful towards his brother. Not only did he have the affections of his wife, he also still held the throne Set believed to be his. Set started to plan a fine celebration in honour of his fantastic brother. At this party, Set had a wooden chest lined with sheets of gold and highly decorated. He announced that whoever fit in the chest perfectly could keep it."

"Oh dear. I think I know where this is going."

"What no one knew was that Set had sneaked into his brothers bed chamber one night and measured his body as he lay sleeping. He'd then commissioned a carpenter to build the chest according to the measurements. Obviously when Osiris lay in the chest, it fit him like a glove. Set slammed the lid shut. Everyone at the party had been an accomplice of Set's and they all carried the chest down to the river Nile and threw it in."

I shuddered. I couldn't imagine drowning in a coffin. What a horrible way to go.

"When Isis heard what had happened to her husband, she scoured the banks of the Nile for days until she finally found the chest stuck against a tamarisk tree. She removed her husband's body from the chest and pushed the chest back into the river. She then hid the body amongst the river grass until she could return to perform the proper rituals to allow him to pass into the afterlife. However, that night Set returned to the river in search of the chest, making sure it hadn't gotten stuck anywhere. Whilst searching, he stumbled across his brother's body hidden in the river grass."