The Howling Tower
Summary: Atem's rather hopeless attempt to get Seth to maybe hate him just a tiny bit less lands him in serious trouble, and now his reluctant and neurotic priest must face untrustworthy guides, falling masonry, and vengeful ghosts to bail him out.
Author's notes: The plot is taken from the awesome Fritz Leiber story of the same name. Italics are thought for those that couldn't work it out themselves.
Warning: If you find Atem/Seto, that's your own sick mind. A sword is a sword and not a double entendre.
Disclaimer: Not my characters or my plot. I'm just responsible for the glorious amalgamation of the two.
"Isn't it great to get away from the court? All those petty squabbles and pathetic intrigues really get me down," Atem proclaimed. Seth, who enjoyed and had personally orchestrated the majority of them, said nothing. "But being out here in the majesty of nature, it just takes all my troubles away," he continued. "Don't you just feel…?"
Bored? Hot? Thirsty? Bored?
"…inspired?"
"Yes, oh light of the eastern sky, a massive expanse of sand never fails to fill me with wonder."
Atem caught the sarcasm and gave the priest a dirty look, but didn't rise to the bait. Seth sighed. It had only been a few hours, and already his natural offensiveness had been dulled. But what could he do? It was all very well if the pharaoh wanted to go traipsing off into the wilderness for reasons beyond the understanding of a humble priest, but why did he insist on bringing Seth with him? Sure, he said it was to pay a visit to a major trading town in the north, whose tributes had been oddly small of late, but that was something a minor official could deal with. It didn't require a personal visit from the pharaoh. And there was the matter of the missing retinue. One priest and a local guide was hardly befitting of the ruler of all of Egypt. All in all it was rather suspicious.
He guessed it was supposed to be some kind of bonding thing. The pharaoh had always been vaguely disappointed that they hadn't hit it off. Unsurprising really, considering Seth always made a pointed effort to be as unpleasant as possible to him. The fact that the idiot thought he could actually do something about it just showed how badly he failed to grasp Seth's view of the world i.e. he hated it. Seth would grudgingly tolerate his orders, and wouldn't openly undermine him, because if he didn't, he would probably be tortured to death. But that was the extent of their relationship, and Seth simply couldn't grasp why the pharaoh cared whether his underlings liked him or not. Perhaps he thought it would make a rebellion less likely or something. Anyway, speculation on the cause was irrelevant now. They were here, in the desert with what was probably an insufficient supply of water, and a decidedly untrustworthy guide.
The next few hours were spent in awkward silence, as they rode single file Atem trying to think of something to say, Seth sulking, and the guide slouching wearily in his saddle, even less talkative that the taciturn priest.
By nightfall, Seth had resigned himself to an unpleasant and tedious week of travel, but he hadn't expected danger until the howling began.
It started as soon as the sun sank bellow the horizon, a keening, mournful wail that raised the hairs on the back of the neck, and sent Seth scrabbling for his sword.
"What the hell is that?" He hissed.
"Calm down, Seth. It's probably just jackals."
"…That doesn't sound like any jackal I've ever heard. You said you'd travelled this way often," he said, turning to the guide. "You must know this country well…"
The guide, a lanky, scrawny man with a grizzled beard and a pinched, leathery face, nodded jerkily. "I've hear it before, but never so loud, and not this time of year…"
"What's making it?"
"There's a ruined tower not far from here. The howling is louder near there. They say men hear it and vanish. They say it calls to you in your dreams. Men follow it and they do not return…"
"But what's making it?" Seth insisted.
The man started to tremble and turned away. Seth opened his mouth to demand a reply, but Atem shook his head, forcing Seth to back down.
"No matter. Whatever animal it is, I doubt it will come near our fire," Atem said, with forced cheerfulness.
Seth felt none of the same conviction, however, and resigned himself to a miserable night keeping watch. Atem eventually agreed that that was sensible, but said that they should each take a shift. Seth pointed out that part of the reason he planed to stay awake was to keep an eye on the guide, and letting the man watch himself was frankly rather stupid. Atem berated him for being so untrusting, and ordered him to go to sleep. And no, not with his sword in his hand. Someone could get hurt. Seth told him that was the point of a sword. Atem told him to shut up and put it away. Seth said that the sword was like a comfort blanket for him and he couldn't sleep without it. Atem threw a rock at him and stormed off.
Still got it, Seth thought smugly as he dozed off.
In the morning, the guide was gone.
"Don't even think it, Seth."
"Well I did."
"Seriously, if you say 'I told you so,' I will have you beheaded."
"Well, at least he didn't slit our throats before he left. So now what? Should we head back, divine lord of the Nile?"
Atem looked ready to hit him. Seth was impressed at the man's self control. If he'd been Atem, then he would have broken his (Seth's) nose last night.
"We aren't turning back," Atem snarled.
"As you command, oh great…shiny…spangley one." Seth muttered, running out of patronising names. "But I don't know this area well, and I'm not sure I can guide us through…"
"I'm sure I can find the way." Atem stalked off.
"….Uh, radiant lord of the sun, north is thataway," Seth said, trying very hard not to smirk. He very nearly succeeded.
"Shove it, Seth."
The howling started even earlier that night, and seemed to surround them. A hopeless wail, filled with grief and anger, fear and hate. Seth shivered, and this time Atem did not object when he drew his sword and laid it across his lap.
Before they set up camp, he had climbed to the top of the nearest dune, and surveyed the surrounding land. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see, except for to the west, a black shadow silhouetted against the setting sun. Not a tree, for nothing grew in this land. It was manmade. The tower the guide had spoken of? Seth was not superstitious, in fact, for a man living in a world governed by magic and gods, he was positively a sceptic, but there was something about that shadow that made his skin crawl.
He and Atem agreed to take turns keeping watch, Atem taking the first half of the night, Seth the second, but when the first rays of light appeared in the east, Seth woke, ready to berate Atem for letting him sleep all night, only to find the campsite empty, but for their horses.
And Atem's tracks, leading in the direction of the tower.
Shit.
To be continued
What's happened to Atem? What's the deal with the howling and the creepy tower? Will our hero's ever reconcile? Well, I wouldn't count on the last one…