The Heir of Anpu

The book was black and smooth to the touch. Silver letters contrasted on the material as if to suggest it contains the mysteries of a dark cloudless night. Staring across the desk at the caramel skinned man with piercing green eyes she steadied her breath. His fingertips were poised together creating an arch of impatience as he leaned confidently back in his chair. Looking her up and down he sighed as his delicate neck shifted while his head cocked to the side to get a better view of her.

The chair she sat in was a smooth milk chocolate leather with brass adornments. It complemented the smooth black moleskine notebook that lay before her. For an afternoon in the summer his office was deceptively dark which made making out his details even more nerve raking. The man was lean, wearing a silver vest with a hot pink and silver tie. His flawless curls shaped into a perfect frame for his elven face. His cheekbones were sharp and as his full lips curled up into a smile he began to speak,

“You are probably wondering what it is you are doing here amid an L.A. heatwave with a billionaire recluse. I would have waited until night, but this matter was far to urgent to risk my assistant botching it up. You’ll forgive the darkness I should hope, considering my delicate condition.” His words flowed like sweet honey from his lips in a soft southern twang. Looking down at her tawny hands she could feel the sweat begin to gather on her brow as her mind raced for words to speak.

She looked up at him hands clenched in her lap she said “Well, my liege, I did not know what to expect. When I joined the order, I felt called to the coven but I never expected that I…”

With a wave of his hand, he silenced her, “Yes well, I do not need to know all the minute details from your point of view, I am well informed as the magistrate of the order of Anpu who is among our ranks. I called for you during the retrograde once we were able to track your family down. My, how far our descendants have fallen since the war. You know it is said that when the fire of life was taken from Africa that the Earth herself wept for it to return. Even now as the winds tear across the middle passage Africa calls her own. So many believe that magick came from Europe when really it was born in Africa. Even I had to fight in that wretched war and to what end? Civil war, ah yes, if they knew the truth it would destroy life as we know it. Everything you need is in this book; I have sealed it with my own words, and no one can open it that is not of the bloodline.”

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry from anxiety she mumbled, “You mean I am..”

He stood up and smoothed his tie as he walked to her side of the desk holding the smooth black book in his hand. Leaning up against the desk he looked down at her laughing softly, “A decedent of the order of the priests of Bast, yes of course, why else would you be here. Did you think you earned the right to appear before me? Yes, you are gifted child, but you have much to learn in the way of our people. You have much to unlearn in the way of this terrible land we call America.” Extending the book to her he sternly said “Here take this, you will need it if you are to carry out your task. We have a rebellion to start and a destiny to fulfill. In this book is the information for the account that you have inherited from my brother, Sinclair. As his heir you will need to attend to the affairs of his coven. See to it that you do not waste your inheritance payment as my descendent did. Las Vegan, what a shame. $20,000 does not go very far in a place like that.” Shaking his head he laid the book on top of her clenched hands. From the tone of his voice she could tell the money was a test, not a gift.

Slowly she moved her trembling hands from underneath the notebook. Four years ago, she set out to find out who her family was and now, in this dark office she had all the answers she sought. Fear paralyzed her as she began to think of all the ways she could spend the money.

There were the people in her neighborhood that needed help, the local reservation that needed PPE supplies, a black civil right group that could use it to start free programs for the kids in the city and so much more that could be done with it.

What about her? Could she spend this money on herself? She needed a home, a new car and money to pay for a lawyer to get custody of her kids back. The courts had taken her children after finding out she was a witch and now she could endlessly battle to get her children back into her arms.

Looking at his nails in boredom, he sighed “Yes, you can have all that and more, once you learn what is in that book, you will not need the money for any of those things. You see I will teach you how to manifest your desires. The money is a simple matter, for you to be more comfortable so you can focus on your studies. Exercise humility and wisdom. You will turn the direction of this new era in our favor. Now if you do not mind, I must get to sleep, the day is not my time to be awake and I have a long night ahead of me.”

He rose to escort her out of the office and she scrambled to pick up the black book and walk toward the door. Brushing her hands over her thick, soft black curls she sighed as she turned to say goodbye standing in the hallway.

“I will summon you again soon my dear, await my instruction.” With that he smiled warmly as his countenance softened, she noticed his canines were rather pronounced and sharp. In the light of the hall his skin had a pearlescent quality to it, and he grabbed her hand to shake it. His hand was a cold as ice. An image of Anpu flashed in her mind as she gazed at his likeness.

She stood frozen for more than a few moments as the door softly shut. An effeminate red-haired man appeared beside her, “Come now darling, it is time for the Liege to take his rest, I will show you to your car.”

His blue eyes reminded her of the ocean and as she walked beside him, he she could see the difference in his pale skin and that of her newly discovered relative.

The mansion she had just been in was a welcome relief from the heat of the afternoon. The sun created a blinding glare causing her to squint her eyes as she walked toward her car. The man opened her car door as she slid into the seat, she set the black book on her passenger seat.

The heat of the afternoon seemed to be intensely bright as she drove down the long driveway lined with hedges meticulously shaped into beautiful works of art.

She whispered to herself, “$20,000. Well then, so much for waiting on the stimulus check. Thanks DNA test.” Leaving the gate at the end of the magnolia lined private road, she glanced at the mysterious black book wondering what perils may be ahead of her.

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