Shattered Bonds [Book Three]

Prologue Pt. 1: Set in Stone

Sequel to Fatal Attractions & Broken Promises

. . . Mutants. Born with extraordinary abilities. And yet, still, they are children stumbling in the dark. Searching for guidance. A gift can often be a curse. Give someone wings, and they may fly too close to the sun. Give them the power of prophecy, and they may live in fear of the future. Give them the greatest gifts of all—powers beyond imagination—and they may think they are meant to rule the world. . . 

Nile Valley
3600 BCE

        The sun hangs high over the Egyptian valley, bathing the civilization there with its golden hues. The people there are gathered in the streets, watching on as the parade begins marching through their city. This is a special day; a day of celebration, of renewal for their ruler. The vast majority of the people grovel to their knees, openly bowing and praising as he makes his way through the one empty pathway— one which leads to his sacred temple, where the ceremony must take place. Guards stand amongst the people, armed with spears and shields gifted to them by their god himself.

        "En Sabah Nur!" The crowd chants his title to him in a repeating mantra. "En Sabah Nur. En Sabah Nur."

        They cannot see their ruler's face, for he is blanketed in sheets of gold where he sits in his carrying chair. The only glimpse they will get of his face is through the ruby eyes of the golden helmet he wears, but none are close enough to see within. Closest to him are the dozens of disciples that gather beneath his chair, carrying him by the wooden planks they settle on their shoulders. Beyond them are four other masked figures on black horses, trotting at the same pace as their master is carried. Behind them is the rest of the parade, those meant to bring about celebration behind their tracks.

        The temple towers above all of their civilization, taller than all the sand dunes that surround their vast community. This pyramid—built by the gods themselves upon their arrival to their land—is the greatest piece of architecture these people have ever known. The great pyramid comes to a point that very well seems to touch the sky, only its very tip is blanketed on all four sides with a dark cloth, painted only with the golden symbol that represents their rulers.

          Inside the temple and away from the prying eyes of the people, their ruler steps down from his high chair as the horsemen abandon their horses. Together, the four of them gather around him to lead him further inside, with only the most trusted of guards leading in behind them. 

        The temple has been prepared for this sacred day. The only light to them comes from pits of fire that light the inner walls with their golden flames, while the sun beyond them shines only enough to leak across the floor of the entrance.

        One by one, the horsemen remove their helmets of gold, revealing three mutant men and one woman with hair as white as the moon. This woman shrugs off her robes before she makes her way to their ruler, personally reaching up to grasp his helmet and removing it from his head, handing it to a guard to be placed by his throne. 

        It is the face of the man beneath that gives it away, the very reason it has come to this. His skin is blue yet incredibly aged, wrinkles overtaking his features from the many years he has ruled in his body. Finally, the horseman grasps his robes and gently lifts them away, revealing his body armor that is marked with their symbol, as well. 

         This is one of the few times the other horsemen have seen his face; she can feel how it moves them inside, their emotions hidden well with their features, yet not from her empathetic mind.