Chapter ~ Trapped Again

The flames flickered low in the great chamber, casting elongated shadows against the sandstone walls, the scent of burning incense thick in the air. Beyond the grand balcony, the Nile stretched in an endless black ribbon under the night sky, its waters whispering secrets older than any empire. But inside, where the golden cage gleamed like an untouchable relic, there was only silence.

Azech-I remained by the bars, his fingers idly tracing the cool metal, his gaze never straying from the man within.

Nofri-it refused to meet his eyes.

Every night was the same. The Pharaoh would sit upon his throne, wine in hand, watching. He would offer food, drink, warmth—all the things Nofri-it lacked. And every night, Nofri-it refused.

But tonight, Azech-I seemed different. There was something in the way he leaned forward, something darker in his patience.

"I wonder," Azech-I mused, his voice smooth as silk, "how long you plan to keep up this defiance."

Nofri-it exhaled slowly, his body aching from sitting in the same position for hours. "As long as it takes."

Azech-I chuckled. "Five years in Cairo's dungeons, and you still dream of resistance?"

Nofri-it clenched his jaw, his body reacting before his mind could stop it.

"Ah." Azech-I's lips curled. "Still sensitive to that name."

The way he spoke of Cairo-IV—of the man who had ruined him—was infuriatingly casual.

"He took from me," Nofri-it hissed. "Everything."

"And yet," Azech-I said, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable, "you still hold his name on your lips more often than mine."

The words struck deeper than they should have.

Nofri-it looked away.

He would not let Azech-I get into his mind, no matter how skillfully he chipped away at his walls.

But Azech-I had already seen the flicker of vulnerability. He stepped back, walking toward a low table where a golden tray of fruit and wine sat untouched. He plucked a fig from the tray, inspecting it with lazy amusement before taking a bite.

"You refuse to eat, yet you look at food as though it might save you."

Nofri-it remained silent.

Azech-I poured another goblet of wine, swirling it before taking a slow sip. "Perhaps you are waiting," he mused. "For some imagined moment where I will falter. Where you will strike me down as you should have five years ago."

The words dug into Nofri-it's skin like sharpened claws.

Five years ago.

The night the mission failed.

The night he should have ended Azech-I.

But instead—

No.

He could not allow himself to remember.

Azech-I watched him, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he let out a soft hum of approval. "You know, there was a time when I thought you were dead."

Nofri-it's breath hitched.

Azech-I turned back toward him, his kohl-lined eyes unreadable. "I searched for you," he continued, voice softer now, almost thoughtful. "Everywhere. When you vanished, I did not sleep for weeks. I overturned cities, tore apart temples, burned villages to the ground in search of you."

A shiver ran down Nofri-it's spine.

Because he knew it was true.

Azech-I had always been relentless. If he wanted something, he took it. No force, no god, no kingdom could stop him.

And once upon a time, Azech-I had wanted him.

But five years in Cairo's dungeons had stripped Nofri-it of everything—his pride, his strength, his name. He was not the same man Azech-I had once chased through Thebes' moonlit corridors, pressing him against marble columns, whispering promises laced with forbidden desire.

That man was dead.

Azech-I took another sip of wine before setting the goblet down. "I should have known Cairo-IV had taken you," he said. "I should have realized that he would rather break you than let you return to me."

Nofri-it's fingers curled into his lap.

"If you cared so much," he said, his voice raw, "why did you stop searching?"

Azech-I's gaze darkened. "Who said I stopped?"

Silence fell between them.

The Pharaoh leaned closer, gripping the cage bars once more. "I would have burned all of Memphis to the ground for you." His voice was a low whisper, almost tender. "But it seems you already burned for me instead."

The words sent a sharp pang through Nofri-it's chest.

Because he had.

For five long years, he had burned.

And now, after everything, after the suffering, the betrayal, the endless nights spent in the darkness of Cairo's dungeons—he was here. Trapped again.

But this time, it was different.

This time, he was caged before the man he had once loved.

And Azech-I was going to make sure he never forgot it.

To Be Continued...