Author's Warning: English isn't my first language (it's German) so there are grammatical errors here for sure. Whoever finds one can keep it ;)
Copyrights don't belong to me (wish they would!), except for Morrigan O'Connor. :P
Now have fun! Comments welcome, flames will come in handy at the next bbq ;)
by Birgit Staebler
mac@gno.de
He was free! With a triumphant cry he wriggled through
the narrow opening, which barely wide enough to let his bulky form through.
The opening snapped shut with an audible, popping noise, closing the dimension
of the Eye of Darkness, locking it away for the next 3500 years to come.
Set growled darkly at the memories of what had occurred
in the other dimension. He called himself lucky that he had come away almost
unscathed. The monster had first turned on the weaker of the two gods it
had imprisoned to seek revenge on, and this weaker one had been Anubis.
That Set had shoved his friend in front of him, fleeing as soon as the
monster had made a grab for the hapless jackal, was secondary. Set had
no idea whether or not Anubis had survived and escaped or was still inside
the Eye. It didn't matter. He had something else to finish first: his revenge
on prince Rapses! Set stretched out his feelers to seek the human he wanted
to find; the human who had defied and defeated him one too often....
* * *
Presley ran out of the school building, backpack in one
hand, skateboard in the other. Last day of school! Weekend! He could hang
out with his friends, help Rath, have fun with Nefer-tina and beat Ja-kal
at Nintendo again. And then there were always the Beefy Burger trips with
Armon. Yup, weekend would be a lot of fun, mainly because his mother was
busy in the museum and wouldn't be home throughout the day and maybe not
even very often at night.
"Hey, Presley!"
He turned and waved at Walter Lu, who was running out
of the school building as well. "Hi, Walter."
"We are going to Yosemite for the weekend," Walter said
as they walked down the street to the car park where Walter's father was
already waiting. Presley briefly wondered where Cynthia was, then chased
that thought away. He told himself that he was over his crush on Cynthia,
and if he repeated it over and over again he might just believe it himself.
"Oh, great," he now said a bit absent-mindedly. He had
discovered his 'chariot'. "Have fun!"
Walter climbed into the car and his father drove off.
Presley walked over to where the Hot-Ra was parked in the shade of some
trees.
"Hi, guys! What's up?"
The four Guardians looked at the sky, a puzzled look
on their faces. "Up?" Rath echoed. "The sky...."
Presley rolled his eyes and jumped into the dragster-like
car. "Forget it. So, what have you planned?"
"Beefy Burger!" Armon announced. "I'm hungry."
"You just had breakfast!" Nefer-tina told him. "Twice!
And you ate all the chocolate chip ice cream!"
Armon smiled broadly. "Yeah, but that was over an hour
ago."
Ja-kal decided not to comment and Nefer-tina floored
the accelerator. The Hot-Ra shot off with Armon calling directions to the
nearest fast food joint. Neither of them saw the wolf-like creature hiding
in the bushes and which now raised its head, gazing after the Hot-Ra. It
pulled out a mobile phone and dialed.
"The Guardians have picked up the prince," it growled
into the speaker when the connection had been established.
"Good. Follow them," was the response. "Don't lose them."
"I will not."
With that the wolf snapped the cell phone shut and secretly
followed the car.
* * *
The airport had been as crowded as always and it had taken
her five hours from leaving the plane to getting home. Morrigan O'Connor
was exhausted and ready to strangle the next person who crossed her path.
She paid the cabby, grabbed her luggage and dragged it into her house.
She closed the door and basked in the warm silence of familiar surroundings.
Two weeks in Europe had been more stress than the vacation-like trip her
boss had mentioned. Just a few appearances at the branch of the company
in Paris and then a short trip to Edinburgh to see after a newly installed
control program. Nothing major. Her physical presence had been requested
since she had designed some of the virus killers and the section chief
of the Edinburgh office wanted to meet her in person.
Morrigan harrumphed. He had been a slimy bureaucrat who
had no clue of computer engineering, and a lousy conversationalist. Then
her flight had been rescheduled, she had spent three hours at the airport
in London waiting for the transfer to the connecting flight, which had
been late coming in from Frankfurt because of a snow storm, and when she
had finally landed in San Francisco she had been awake for more than 24
hours, and she was in no mood to take any crap anymore.
"Welcome home."
Morrigan spun around and nearly screamed. It was less
out of fright or surprise; it was more the exhaustion and frustration leaking
through. The backpack she had raised and was flinging at the 'attacker'
was easily deflected by a taloned paw.
"Anubis!" she exclaimed.
The ebony-colored Egyptian god smiled, then his smile
dropped and he gave her a critical look. "You look... terrible."
"Thank you!" she snarled, throwing her luggage to the
floor and thrusting the backpack into his hands. Morrigan stalked into
the kitchen, aiming for the coffee machine. She knew she should sleep,
but she didn't feel like it at all. And since she had a guest over as well
it wouldn't do to fall asleep right away.
"Uhm, long flight?" Anubis asked carefully and placed
the rather heavy backpack onto a kitchen stool.
Morrigan snorted and piled coffee into the filter, then
shoved the coffee pot under it and pushed the start button. "What are you
doing here, Nu?" she then asked, rather unfriendly.
Anubis had left her place about two months ago, muttering
something about needing time alone, needing to get a grip on his life again.
He had lived in the guest room for nearly three months, had recovered,
had tried to learn more about who he had been before Set had struck him
with the Scepter of Forgetting, but he had grown more and more restless.
Finally he had left. Strangely enough Morrigan had started to miss her
'room mate', though she should have been glad her life was now taking on
a kind of normality again. No more empathic flashes of a life she had no
clue about, no more lying to her friends, no more nights without sleep
because Anubis had woken with a terrible nightmare that had touched her
mind as well. He had managed to get a grip on his dreams, but she knew
he was still haunted by the events in the mirror. But all in all he had
been a pleasant guest and if he ever got over his fascination with electronics
and technical stuff, she might even let him into the computer room again......
Still, now and then Morrigan got flashes. It was nothing
major, just a tickle at the outmost areas of her Other Senses, a strange
kind of echo from Anubis' mind, like a reassurance that he was fine and
alive. Neither of them had an idea just why she was suddenly so receptive;
she never had been before – at least not this long and this intense.
"The name is Anubis," Anubis now corrected her.
"Whatever floats your boat. So... reason?"
"Paying you a friendly visit?"
Morrigan gave him a dark look. "Nice try."
Anubis sighed. "Set has returned."
Morrigan closed her eyes, feeling tired and wide awake
in one. "Oh, fun," was all she muttered.
* * *
Presley was having fun in the video arcade, Armon was
trying out all the restaurants in the Food Court and the other three Guardians
were watching their young protégé. Nefer-tina had grasped
the opportunity to try out her skills at one of the racing games and was
currently winning against several of the teenagers playing it as well.
Rath was studying the game machines, trying to discover the magic behind
them and inexpertly trying out the functions. Ja-kal was on guard outside
the arcade, keeping Presley in his line of sight, trying not to be too
much of a 'mother hen', as the boy had once called him. But it was hard
jumping past his own shadow. Ja-kal's duty was to protect prince Rapses,
to guard him with his life, and he had done so countless times in the past,
and he would again in the future. Relaxing, having fun, 'chilling out',
all the terms Presley used to get him to join in held no meaning to him.
Guardians had no off-time; their duty was around the clock, being at their
prince's disposal, answering his every call. Ja-kal sighed softly.
Suddenly there was a commotion at the end of the corridor
leading to the arcade and Ja-kal turned his head, scanning the crowds.
Someone screamed, the scream was echoed by another person, and then panic
broke loose.
"Hey, what's going...ouff!"
Armon was bowled over by the hysteric people and lost
the carry-out bag he had held in his hand. Chinese food splattered all
over the floor.
"Protect the prince!" Ja-kal shouted over the hubbub,
trying to get through the throng of fleeing people. He heard a roar, like
that of a large, predatory animal, then he was nearly run over by the humans.
Fighting the panicked people he finally made it to the
video arcade, which was eerily empty. The games were flashing their bright
colors, the weird noises that accompanied them the only sound.
"Rapses!" Ja-kal shouted.
Nefer-tina and Armon appeared next to him. Rath was picking
himself up from where the fleeing people had thrown him.
"Of all the...." he muttered, dusting himself off. "What
happened? Where is the prince?"
Ja-kal's face held an angry and determined expression.
"Find Rapses!" he ordered and the Guardians spread out.
From not too far away came another roar, followed by
a howl. Further away the screams of the shoppers could still be heard.
No one had remained on this level and Ja-kal guessed that the modern security
forces would soon be here. He had to find him!
* * *
Morrigan sat on the couch and watched her visitor stand
at the window overlooking the hill sloping down toward the bay. She yawned,
exhaustion now finally catching up with her as the adrenaline level dropped.
Three mugs of coffee couldn't battle her body's need for rest anymore.
Anubis hadn't moved for hours and after she had finished her work report,
something she liked doing right after she got home from 'field trips',
she had settled onto the couch with a mug of rhubarb tea Danny had given
her to try out. Anubis still looked like the last time she had seen him.
No big deal; he was a god. He had powers. But what surprised her was the
fact that he had chosen to appear in the 'mundane' outfit, not in his Egyptian-style
clothes. Sipping at the mug she thought about what to do next. Apparently
Set had somehow managed to get out of the Eye of Darkness as well and Anubis
had felt it. Whatever Set was up to now, most likely going after young
prince Rapses, Anubis was there to stop him – and do whatever else he intended
to inflict on the other god. 3600 years of being some kind of laughing
stock and slave to Set had piled up and turned into pure anger.
Morrigan had caught up on Egyptian history throughout
the last months, had paid close attention to the news reports and sightings
of the paranormal, and had attended the meetings of the Community more
regularly, interviewing Gary about what he knew. Gary kept close track
of the mummy appearances and he had happily told her everything about it.
Together with the images she had had before, the empathic spells from Anubis,
she had formed her own picture of the events.
Suddenly Anubis' ears twitched and a soft growl emerged
from his throat. Morrigan set down her mug and watched as the jackal-headed
god turned. His pupilless eyes had a familiar glow to them.
"Got something?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. I have to go." Anubis phased out of existence in
front of her eyes and she sighed.
"Drop in whenever you are in town," Morrigan muttered,
wondering what the purpose of this visit had been in the first place. She
yawned again and trudged off to the bedroom. A minute later she was asleep.
* * *
When the panic had started, for whatever reason, Presley
had been pulled along with the fleeing shoppers, unable to get out of the
crowd. He had finally managed to push through he was quite a way down from
the arcade, feeling slightly bruised.
"What's going on?" he exclaimed. "Guys?"
Everything around him was deserted. He had heard the
howls and roars, but were a few stray dogs reason enough for a fully-fledged
panic? Presley shrugged and started to jog back to the arcade when something
blocked his way. He looked up a hairy body, clad in Egyptian-style clothes
and swallowed. A snarling, dog-like face looked back.
"Uhm, wrong way," he muttered and darted off into the
opposite direction.
The creature howled and chased after him. Presley's hand
closed around the amulet.
"Guys!" he yelled.
*
Ja-kal stood in the middle of the shopping plaza, breathing
hard, eyes alight with anger. Some of the bandages of his upper, right
arm were torn, as if some large paw had swiped at him. The other three
Guardians were forming a half circle behind him.
"Ja-kal? Where's Presley?" Nefer-tina asked, already
dreading the answer.
"Set has him," was all Ja-kal answered through clenched
teeth.
"We have to go after him!" Armon exclaimed.
"No. We need to recharge and prepare for battle," the
other Guardian decided. "Set won't harm the prince. He wants us as well."
Rath's green eyes were dark with foreboding knowledge.
"Set managed to free himself of the Eye of Darkness. It must have taken
him a lot of power to get out, more than he can possibly have. The only
explanation I have is that he tapped into the Eye's power and used it,
maybe even retained some as he got out."
Ja-kal rubbed his arm where one of Set's lackey's had
caught him. "I don't care how strong he is; we have to free our prince!"
Nefer-tina nodded supportively. "I'm with you!"
"After we have recharged," Ja-kal added. "Let's go back.
We need to locate Presley, plan our attack and then sleep."
The group headed back through the mall to the parking
lot. Police cruisers had already appeared and they shed their armor, hiding
in one of the bathrooms close to the emergency exit, waiting until the
first batch of police officers had gone past to where most of the destruction
had occurred. Ten minutes later the mummies were on their way to the Sphinx.
No one saw the black figure, a mere shadow among other shadows, as it sneaked through the destruction everywhere. Anubis' eyes narrowed as he took in the scent of two spirits he knew well, two spirits who had served Set before. He briefly bared his teeth, then disappeared in the darkness.
* * *
Anubis was fuming with anger. He was pacing Morrigan's
living room, hands clenched into fists. Darkness seemed to radiate off
his black coat like a living creature and the effect was only spoiled by
the fact that he still wore rather mundane clothes.
"I take it things didn't work the way you had planned?"
she asked casually. Anubis had returned a few minutes ago, startling her
slightly since she had just been waking up again.
The black humanoid jackal glared at her, then whirled
around and drove his fist in – and through – the wall. Morrigan winced.
Anubis withdrew his fist from the hole in the brick wall.
"And I just had everything repaired," she muttered. "How
am I going to explain this to Howard?"
"Set got to Rapses!" Anubis finally snarled. "I was too
late." His long ears flattened to his head and the artificial light of
the halogen lamps reflected off his long canines.
"He kidnapped the boy?"
"Yes."
"What about his Guardians?" Morrigan asked. "I thought
he had bodyguards who kept an eye on him all the time."
"They failed," was the growled answer.
"Ah."
Anubis breathed heavily, eyes aglow. This was clearly
upsetting him, though it was probably less the fact that young Rapses had
been kidnapped but who the kidnapper was. Morrigan still hadn't worked
him out. On one side Anubis was one of the good guys, a benevolent god,
and as such he was entitled to being angry about a kidnapping done by a
darker god. Especially when it came to Rapses. Then again, why was he involving
himself so much in mundane, human matters? He should be happily at home
beyond the Western Gate, regain his powers, be who he had always been.
Morrigan shook her head. "So what do you plan on doing
now?"
"Kick his hide across the Western Gate!" was the hissed
answer.
"Ah," was all she said again. "Revenge."
"Yes, revenge." His eyes narrowed on her critical frown.
"Anything wrong with that?"
"No, not really. I'm just wondering why you are going
through so much trouble. Rapses has four Guardians and it's their job to
fight Set and free their prince. You can wipe the floor with Set afterwards."
She shrugged. "Would be a lot easier."
"Set is too powerful right now," Anubis told her. "He
has retained powers from the Eye of Darkness. I felt it. They won't succeed
in freeing him on their own."
"Ah, but may I point out that when you pop up at this
particular party you will be shot on sight by the Guardians? Those you
want to help.....?"
"I'm not planning on working with them."
Morrigan's frown deepened. "I thought that was the very
idea."
Anubis shook his head. "I have no interest in Rapses.
All I want is Set."
She raised her hand and he stopped, giving her an annoyed
look. "Team work is much better than the maverick routine," the woman pointed
out.
"Team work would get me four Guardians blasting away
at me, Morrigan. It's out of the question to work with them."
"Well, it was just a thought," she muttered. She rubbed
her chin. "Nu? What makes you think you can defeat Set if he has these
powers?"
He gave a wry look. "I can try."
"Oh, very good plan." Morrigan rolled her eyes heavenwards.
"He has locked the prince away in an abandoned warehouse,"
Anubis went on, pacing again. Morrigan watched him silently, wondering
if he would add a ditch in the carpet to the hole in the wall. "He doesn't
know I'm back from the Eye and he has no idea that I am free of his control
or that I'm planning to fight him." He stopped. "That's why I need help."
"Ohhhh, no!" Morrigan said immediately, shaking her head.
"No, no, and no again. I'm not volunteering. Don't even think about it!
Ask the mummies, but count me out!"
The jackal-headed immortal walked over to her. "It's
not dangerous."
Morrigan's brows drew a steep line and her mouth curled
into a cynical smile. "Aha."
Anubis spread his hands. "All I need is your help distracting
Set so he won't see me coming."
The frown and smile stayed; arms crossed in front of
her chest were added. "Ah. I thought you weren't into the team work stuff?"
"Set has set up a barrier around his stronghold and it
will detect every drop of magic; and every aura. He would see me the moment
I entered."
Morrigan tapped her foot now. "So?"
Anubis sighed and walked up to her, looking down at the
smaller human, then held out one hand. In his palm lay pendant. It was
shaped in the form of a tear drop, gold encasing a dark blue gem. There
were hieroglyphs etched into the gold.
"What's that?" Morrigan asked, not about to be lured
into this by some kind of jewelry. She didn't want to play hero.
"Protection."
She picked the pendant up between thumb and forefinger,
giving it a closer inspection. "What am I supposed to do? Hit him over
the head with it?"
Anubis smiled slightly. "No. It states that you are under
my protection and it also will be a way of entry for me. Your powers as
a Shield will mask my aura. You would be invisible to Set too, but since
you create an area of non-magic, he'll find you."
"Oh, great," she muttered, sounding not at all amused.
"So you will help me?"
Morrigan rolled her eyes. "Do I look so stupid?"
"Do you want an answer?"
"Oh, shut up! Why should I help you? I'm not suicidal!"
"I never said so."
Morrigan shot the Egyptian god a dark look. "Why me?"
she then asked.
Anubis shrugged. "I didn't have many choices. None of
the other gods would help, even if I asked and I won't, and you are the
only human I know who would help me. And your powers are unique."
"Think again," she growled.
"Morrigan, please."
She rolled her eyes at the puppy-dog expression. "Oh,
stop this! I'm not susceptible to..." Anubis whined. Morrigan buried her
face in one hand. "You are supposed to be a powerful Egyptian deity!" she
reminded him. "Behave like one, Nu!"
"Only if you stop calling me Nu. And I really need your
help. As a mortal you should consider yourself privileged and honored."
Morrigan gave him a narrow-eyed look and Anubis raised his hands as if
to ward her off. "Okay, okay, but I really do need help with it, Morrigan.
Please?"
She sighed deeply. "All I have to do is....?" she finally
asked.
"Distract Set. He will most assuredly pick up your presence
– or non-presence -- but he won't harm you, Morrigan. Leave the rest to
me."
Morrigan chewed on her lower lip, studying the jackal-headed
being before her. Anubis looked expectantly at her, a hopeful expression
on his features. A few hours of sleep and a croissant didn't really suffice
when faced with this decision, but something inside her gave her a kick.
Anubis needed her help and she considered him a friend. Friends helped
one another, though fighting alongside a god against another of his kind
was not exactly what the manual of friendships dealt with.
"If I so much as break a nail because of your 'friend',
I'll use you to scrub the floor!" she finally growled.
Anubis smiled in relief. "Nothing will happen. I promise.
And thank you."
Morrigan just muttered something under her breath.
* * *
Four armor-clad figures crouched outside the abandoned
warehouse building.
"How long do we have to wait until we finally get our
prince out of there!" Nefer-tina exclaimed.
The building they were observing was located along the
docks in the old harbor area. Similar warehouses were all around them,
old, sturdy brick buildings with giant entry doors, three or four stories
high. There was no traffic around here, except when a company was removing
stock from a warehouse they owned or had rented, but since no ships came
here - the new harbor offering a wider range of machines and better access
- it was a quiet area.
"The lion observes his prey before he strikes," Ja-kal
lectured.
"I'm not a lion," Nefer-tina muttered.
"We have to be prepared for traps," Ja-kal added with
a frown at the female Guardian. Nefer-tina simply ignored him. "We go in
now."
Rath nodded and the mummies slipped off into the darkness.
They slowly closing in on the main entrance doors. To their surprise and
suspicion the doors were open. Nefer-tina shot her friends a look.
"Be careful," Ja-kal mouthed.
Then they went inside.
* * *
"Stupid idea. Absolutely stupid idea! Whatever made me
agree to this?"
The low, constant cursing and muttering floated through
the silent, dark tunnel. Morrigan O'Connor stood on a narrow metal catwalk,
looking down at the sluggishly moving sewage about two feet below. It stank!
Using her high-powered torchlight she carefully moved across the River
of Stink and then continued down a moldy, dim and very much garbage-ridden
tunnel to where she was supposed to get out.
"I'm gonna strangle him for this. I'm gonna rip every
single hair off his body," she growled. "Volunteered. Hah! Sneaky bastard!
Never trust a jackal! Never trust a god!"
Here and there she circumvented unidentifiable things
lying on the ground, washed through the sewer by the latest rainstorm,
half-rotten and very much disgusting. She didn't even want to know what
she had stepped in already.
"I'm a computer engineer, not Indiana Jones! I don't
usually climb around dark tunnels in search of kidnapped boys! I'll disembowel
him!" she swore. "I'll cut off more than his claws this time! The sewer!
He never ever mentioned the sewer system!"
Morrigan knew she had an important job to do: help freeing
prince Rapses, but didn't the boy have Guardians to keep him out of trouble?
No, she had to come and play decoy so they could rescue him. Well, supposedly
rescue him. Morrigan had no idea what to do, other than get out of this
stinking mess of decaying materials and into fresh air. Anubis had mentioned
playing decoy and that it might be dangerous, but he hadn't lost a syllable
about how exactly she was supposed to distract Set. Morrigan sighed. Distract
an Egyptian god who could swipe her with a single strike.
"I must be out of my mind!" she growled under her breath.
"If I get out of this in one piece I'm gonna use him as a throw rug!"
She finally reached the spot where an old, slightly rusty
ladder led up to the sewer cover. Morrigan thanked her intuition for bringing
a pair of gloves along. She climbed up and lifted the cover carefully,
peeking into the room. It was dark, it was dusty and it smelled slightly
better than the sewer; that was her first impression. She managed, with
a lot of low cursing, to shove the cover aside and then pulled herself
out of the manhole.
* * *
"You'll pay for this when my friends get here!" Presley
faced the much larger creature with defiance written clearly on his face.
Set smiled darkly. "Oh, I hope they get here. I'm planning
on entertaining myself before I deliver you to the underworld. Your four
Guardians will be a nice gift along the way."
Presley fumed, rattling the bars of his prison. It was
a futile gesture. The cage was solidly constructed. "You won't get them
that easily!" he promised.
"I was counting on some resistance." Set inspected his
claws, polishing the long talons. "I have waited for this moment a long,
long time, ever since you defeated me the first time, young prince. The
time in the mirror gave me a lot to think about, plan my revenge on you
and your Guardians." Set lowered his head and gave Presley a dark smile.
"They will die before your eyes, and you will follow them."
Presley shivered and moved back. Set was dead-serious,
he knew, and it was as if he could feel the strength and power radiate
off the dog spirit. "Guys.... it would be a good moment to come and bail
me out," he muttered, hand clenched around the amulet. "But be careful."
Suddenly the Underworld god turned, lips curling into
a grin. "They are here!" he announced.
Presley felt very cold all of a sudden.
Set was aware of the mummies the moment their magical
armor touched his security field. He smiled evilly, turning to his two
helpers.
"Attack," he ordered.
The dog spirits moved out noiselessly
* * *
The first wave of the attack came swiftly. Two demons
they had encountered only once before charged and Rath raised his sword,
deflecting blows and shots. Nefer-tina's whip cracked several times while
Ja-kal shot his flaming arrows at the wolf-headed attacker coming for them.
"Rath, Nefer-tina, go search for the prince!" Ja-kal
ordered. "Armon and I will deal with those two!"
Rath nodded and Nefer-tina was already performing a flawless
flic-flac over one of their attackers. "Let's go, Rath!" she called.
The scribe followed swiftly. As they ran into the next
room, a gigantic, almost empty hall, he became aware of two things immediately:
an incredible amount of raw power permeating everything and Set standing
like a statue in the middle of the room. The evil grin on his face and
the softly glowing scepter spoke volumes.
"Nefer-tina....." Rath started, but the other Guardian
didn't stop.
"Let our prince go!" she demanded, already raising her
whip.
"Or what?" Set taunted.
"Or I'll show you the sting of Nefer-tina's whip. Hiiii-ya!"
The whip lashed toward Set, but he only raised the scepter
and Nefer-tina was thrown into a few boxes that lay scattered around the
room. She coughed, rubbing her middle. Rath's grip on his sword tightened.
"Give up, Set. You have no chance against us."
"Correction, Guardian. You have no chance against me!"
Set called cheerfully and let lose another blast.
Rath deflected it, the power of this one shot reverberating
through him. Set advanced on him and the scribe was hard pressed to deflect
every blast, his arms starting to hurt from the strain. This was impossible!
Set couldn't be so strong! They had fought him before, they had won before,
so what had changed in the meantime!?
A flaming arrow struck the large dog demon and Set gave
a snarl of annoyance. "Ja-kal!" he growled. "How nice of you to drop in!"
Ja-kal had no time to react as the fiery blast came at
him, enveloping his body. He felt the magical field that enabled him to
fly waver, then he fell, slamming into the ground. Set chuckled briefly,
then turned to the other Guardians.
"Who's next? How about everyone?"
Small magical storms twisted out of the very ground and
fused into one gigantic whirlpool, roaring in the confines of the abandoned
warehouse, sucking everything that wasn't nailed down into the gigantic
maw. Rath buried his sword in the cement floor, holding on to his anchor,
feeling the incredible suction tearing at his body. Armon gave a cry of
surprise as he was lifted off the ground and Nefer-tina battled to secure
him to her with the whip. The twister came closer and Rath's mind raced.
How could he counter-act this magic?! And then he was enveloped by the
raw power, flung across the room with the others, landing hard against
old steel bars and containers.
Rath blinked several times to chase away the colorful
lights dancing in front of his eyes. He was breathing heavily, everything
hurt, and he was dangerously low on power. Grabbing his sword he used it
to get himself to his feet, though his stand was shaky at best. Ja-kal
was already on his feet again, determination written on his pale features.
"Nefer-tina, Armon, keep him busy!" he ordered.
"I think he is keeping us busy," Armon muttered. "Ow,
my head!"
Nefer-tina's face showed the same determination as Ja-kal's
as she advanced on Set. "Time to stop playing around!" she announced. "It's
time this cat showed you what bad dogs get!"
Set only bestowed an amused look on her as she charged,
claws flashing, whip ready. "Puny Guardian!" he rumbled and struck her.
Ja-kal was dashing for the cage holding the young prince.
He didn't get far. The dog spirit threw the two other Guardians aside with
one swipe and pointed his scepter at Ja-kal. Rath opened his mouth to warn
his leader as the purple crystal glowed brightly with the power to be unleashed
in a second, but it was too late. Ja-kal was flung forward with a cry,
the back of his armor steaming with the blast he had received, the gold
blackened by the primeval force. Rath gasped. Set turned and grinned maliciously
as he discovered Armon coming at him, ready to strike.
"When did he grow so powerful?" Rath wondered softly,
clenching his teeth as his ribs protested every movement. "He can't have
taken this much energy with him from the Eye! It's impossible!"
But apparently it wasn't. Set might be running out of
his powers sooner or later, but right now....
"You can't win!" Set proclaimed and threw Armon into
a wall.
"Retreat and regroup!" Rath heard Ja-kal order as he
staggered to his feet.
"Leaving already?" Set mocked and blasted Ja-kal again
before he had any time to react. He then grabbed the half-unconscious Guardian
by his neck armor and hurled him into the wall. Ja-kal didn't move any
more.
"No!" Nefer-tina screamed. "Ja-kal!"
Set laughed and pointed his staff at them.
"Retreat!" Rath yelled, running as well. He knew they
had to develop a new attack strategy. Set was way too powerful!
"But, Rath!" Armon protested, staggering out of the way
of a new blast, raising his golden arm to deflect it.
"I said, we retreat!"
And they followed his order, though reluctantly. Set's
evil, triumphant laughter followed them as they ran for a place to recover.
* * *
Morrigan prowled around the dark warehouse, encountering
rows of old boxes and a lot of debris and garbage. Old conveyer belts stood
inside the cavernous room and gathering dust, the smell of grease and oil
hanging in the air, mixed with decay. One wall was hidden behind stacks
of crates.
"Okay, here I am," she muttered. "What now?"
Low, deep thunder from further down the hall made her
flinch. It was followed by an explosion and screams of pain. Morrigan froze,
swallowing.
"I'm protected," she whispered. "He told me I'm protected."
She glanced at the amulet. "I'm too far gone to be just insane now," she
added cynically. "Protected by an amulet! Hah!"
Squaring her shoulders Morrigan started off down the
warehouse, in her mind dismembering a certain jackal-headed god and frying
him slowly. She was a Shield, okay, but it didn't mean she was invincible!
And she had no idea how her powers worked anyway. She had to find the four
Guardians of Rapses. Anubis had said they would be here and they were probably
fighting Set right now.
"Hope he hasn't dismembered them by now," she mumbled
darkly.
* * *
Anubis stood outside the warehouse, stretching all his
senses, taking in the little traps Set had sat up to detect a paranormal
presence coming closer. The mummies were paranormal in a way, brought back
to life through magic and their eternal vow to protect prince Rapses wherever
and whenever. Anubis could see the shimmering field surrounding the warehouse,
though it didn't reach under the first floor, leaving the basement open.
Still, it wasn't a way to get in for him either because the moment he touched
the magical field it would scream in alarm and Set would know. No, he had
to wait for Morrigan to be close to the other dog spirit. Through the crystal
in the amulet he would be able to enter.
The Egyptian god stretched his senses a bit further and
picked up the disgruntled appearing aura that was Morrigan O'Connor. He
had to smile as her emotions washed over him. As frightening and strange
it still was to be so receptive to a human's empathic state of mind, it
was tremendously helpful right now. He could track her progress as far
as the shields let him.
And then energies he knew only too well exploded inside
the warehouse. Set had encountered the Guardians......
* * *
Rath stared at the woman. She was dressed in smudged,
dark clothes, hands covered by gloves, hair bound back into a tight tail.
She looked at them with a mixture of relief and worry.
"Who are you?" Rath asked sharply in return. "How did
you get in here?" His eyes fell on the amulet around her neck and he gasped.
"And where did you get that amulet from?" he demanded.
"And hello to you too," was the answer and an angry frown
crossed the woman's features. "You must be the mummies, right?"
"What gave it away?" Nefer-tina muttered.
"Listen, I'm here to help you, well, kinda. I'm not sure
how, but ...." She shrugged, smiling.
"Who are you?" Rath repeated. Set and the danger they
were in forgotten for a moment. "And who gave you this amulet?"
"Okay, first: I'm Morrigan O'Connor. Second, the amulet
was given to me by a friend."
"What is it, Rath?" Nefer-tina wanted to know. She had
noticed the expression on his face.
"It's an amulet of Anubis," Rath said levelly. "It identifies
the bearer as being protected by the god."
"She is protected by Anubis?!" Nefer-tina exclaimed.
"Well, I could think of better guardians than this mutt."
Morrigan shrugged again as Rath cast her look. "Hey,
I didn't ask for it."
"He is her patron god?" Armon wanted to know, looking
at Morrigan and adding, "Are you a Guardian?"
"Uhm, no, actually I'm a computer engineer," Morrigan
answered. At the puzzled look they cast her, she sighed. "Never mind. And
no, Anubis is not my patron god."
"Who gave the amulet to you?"
"A friend," was all she answered. "Listen, I haven't
come to explain myself. I'm here to help."
Rath sniffed. "You? Help us? How?"
"Errr... I'm here to distract Set."
"Distract him? How?" Armon wanted to know.
A roar could be heard from not too far away and the two
men and two women winced.
"Ah, well, that is still a mystery to me," Morrigan muttered,
looking a bit pale. "Geez, I must have been braindead when I agreed!" Then
she straightened her shoulders. "Okay, where is he?"
Rath was perplexed. He could see that this woman was
unwilling to continue to wherever she was going, but something about her
radiated determination. And then there was the pendant. He hadn't seen
it since his days as a scribe in the palace of Amenhotep and even then
it had been nothing but a picture on a scroll. The amulet was rumored to
be a portal for the jackal-headed god and its bearer was not only protected
by his powers but also personally chosen by the god to serve him.
"You are here to fight Set?" Armon asked with disbelief
most prominent in his voice.
"Yeah, well, not really *fight*. More like... I don't
know." Morrigan chewed her lower lip. "A decoy, a distraction, whatever
you want to call it. You get your prince out, I'll keep Set off your backs."
"What?" all three chorused.
"Okay, for the completely deaf," Morrigan said, sounding
slightly strained. "You – hide and wait. I – go in there. I'll keep Set
busy, you sneak in and get your pharaoh. Capice?"
She briefly touched the amulet and Rath thought he saw
it glint. Then she walked past them.
"Hey, wait!" Armon called. He turned to Rath. "What is
she doing?"
Rath shook his head, stunned. She was no reborn ancient
soul, so much he could feel, and she held no magic he could detect, so
who was she and why was she wearing an amulet of Anubis? And what was this
about being a distraction?
"We can't let her do this alone!" Nefer-tina called.
Rath stopped her, holding up his hand. "We have to rescue
the prince," he decided. "Spread out and prepare for attack."
"But....." she gestured at the woman, who was now closing
in on the room where Set held not only Rapses but also Ja-kal.
Rath sighed, ignoring all the stings of pain from his
left side. "We are the Guardians of prince Rapses. We have a duty to fulfill."
With that he moved off into the twilight to be ready for the attack.
*
Morrigan felt like all her hair was standing on end and
she knew she was completely out of place. She was no hero and she had no
super-powers. All she had was some kind of old relic hanging around her
neck, an Egyptian god trying to sneak past Set's paranormal security system
and four, well, three, mummies who might or might not be able to fight
Set. From their battered appearance they had already encountered the dog
spirit and had not come away with flying colors.
"I must be insane," she muttered.
Suddenly here was a low rumble and then half of the wall
in front of her caved in.
"Who challenges me?" Set roared.
Morrigan froze, her eyes went wide and she paled dramatically.
Her gaze traveled up the muscular, bulky body, covered in brown fur, taking
in the taloned hands, the raw muscle power under the hide, and came to
rest on the canines sticking out from his lower jaw. Set was taller than
Anubis and much more vicious looking.
"Bad idea, really bad idea," she breathed. "Oh, he's
gonna be very sorry if I get out of this alive. Slightly dangerous, hah!"
Set's head swiveled and his dark gaze came to rest on
the slender woman. "A human?" He bellowed. "A woman even! You dare to challenge
me?!"
"Wish I knew," Morrigan sighed. "You are Set, right?"
she then asked out loud.
"Yes. I am Set, God of the Underworld, Ruler of all!"
he proclaimed.
"How nice."
"Who are you, mortal?"
"The name's Morrigan O'Connor. Can't say I'm pleased
to meet you."
"You dare to challenge a god?" Set roared.
"It wasn't exactly a challenge....." He lowered his head
and Morrigan tried not to flinch back. "I was only asked to come here to
deliver something to you."
Set's heavy brows drew into a dark frown. He didn't detect
the three mummy Guardians sneaking into the room and moving in on where
Rapses was locked in a cage, now hanging onto the bars and trying to get
a good look at what was going on. Ja-kal had been secured to the wall and
he appeared unconscious.
"Deliver?" he asked. Then his eyes narrowed on the amulet.
"Where did you get this from?" His large paw closed around the blue stone,
but a sudden sizzle made him yelp and let go. Smoke curled off his fur.
"Who gave it to you?!"
"Geez, a lot of people have asked me that lately."
"I warn you, human! Don't make me angry!"
"It's O'Connor. Ms O'Connor to you!"
"You are a child of Anubis?" Set demanded.
"Child? I can't say there is any resemblance," Morrigan
muttered.
Armon had reached Ja-kal while Rath was fiddling with
the lock holding Presley. It opened with a soft click, but it was loud
enough to alert Set who had looked about ready to strike Morrigan. The
dog spirit whirled around and snarled.
"A trick!" he growled. "But you can't win, Guardians!"
Morrigan went for cover as he blasted away at the mummies.
Shrapnel of exploding wall washed over her, stinging her face. She cursed
and closed her hand around the amulet.
"Now would be a *very* good time to pop up and save the
day!" she hissed under her breath.
Armon had managed to free Ja-kal, but the hawk guardian
was unable to stand on his own two feet and collapsed into his friend's
arms. Rath had grabbed the boy and was shielding him from the brunt of
the blast.
"Hiiii-ya!"
There was the crack of a whip and Set gave a roar of
annoyance as Nefer-tina's whip left a stringing trail in his fur. He grabbed
the whip's end as she tried to hit him again and flung her into the empty
cage. Dazed, the Guardian tried to rise.
And then Morrigan felt it. It was so familiar but also
different than before. Something washed over her, seeming to concentrate
around the amulet. She rose without even wanting to, her body covered in
bluish flames. A whoosh of energy exploded out of the amulet, hitting the
ground. A tongue of cold, blue flames shot from the cemented floor. The
flames coalesced into a new form......
"Anubis!" Set called out, a wide, evil smile on his face
as he recognized the visitor. "You have come just in time!"
Ja-kal tried to get to his feet, but he was too weak
and he knew the power of his amulet was running out. Armon lay against
the wall, just now coming around. He had no idea where the others were
and he didn't know what had happened to the prince.
"I see you managed to free yourself of the Eye of Darkness,"
Anubis said, sounding calm. "Too bad. You should have stayed inside. It's
saver – compared to where you are right now."
Set frowned slightly as if he wasn't sure who he was
facing all of a sudden. "Stop prattling and help me! The mummies are at
our mercy! We can finally take revenge on this cursed boy."
"You have grown stronger," Anubis stated, still not moving
from where he stood. His hands hung loosely at his side, fingers spread
slightly.
Set's smile widened even more. "Thanks to the Eye of
Darkness. I managed to draw some of its power with me as I escaped. It
won't last long, but for my revenge it will be enough! Now join me in ridding
the world of these dead corpses forever!"
A strange expression floated over Anubis' features. "No."
"What did you say?" Set demanded.
"I said no. I'm not helping you. Actually, I have come
to stop you."
Rath, who was slowly picking himself up, blinked and
stared at the jackal-headed god. Not only was he dressed a lot differently
from what he remembered seeing him in the last time, he also appeared...
stronger? More powerful? Intriguing. Presley got to his feet as well, appearing
unharmed, and he seemed just as puzzled as Rath.
"Did he say he wanted to help?"
"I...." Rath was at a loss.
"Stop me?" Set echoed, sounding amused. "You? Don't make
me laugh! You are a puny dog spirit!"
"Maybe I was, because you made me into this cowardly
creature, but I have to inform you that things changed." Anubis raised
his arms, hands as fists, so they were in front of his chest, then slammed
the outsides of his fists together. There was a flash of blue light and
the jackal-headed god stood in his Egyptian garb.
"No," Set growled. "This can't be!"
"It can. It happened. I finally freed myself of your
control!" Anubis told him levelly.
"I will kill you," Set hissed. "I will scatter your very
last molecule over the seven plains!"
He raised his hands and the energy appeared again. A
lightning bolt sped at Anubis, who didn't move. Suddenly he raised a hand,
deflecting the bolt.
"You deluded yourself concerning the power of the Eye
of Darkness, Set," Anubis said coolly, the expression on his face a far
cry from friendly. "It's nothing but a fleeting image of the real thing,
and you have expended too much on trying to destroy the Guardians already.
This weak display of energy can't harm me."
Set bristled and his eyes glowed red. "Weak?" he raged.
"I will utterly destroy you, Anubis! I will take your powers and your scepter
and I will rule!"
And then all hell exploded.
Rath shielded his eyes as the magical energies exploded.
Every molecule of his body felt the power displayed here. This wasn't some
kind of light show; it was pure magic. Set howled in pain and was suddenly
thrown into the wall, crashing through it and lying limp among the rubble,
but the magic he had set free when fighting off Anubis' attack was still
alive and it raged through the room. Armon scrambled to his feet, jumping
for cover, pulling Nefer-tina with him. Ja-kal was blown off his feet and
landed at Rath's side, breathing hard, Presley held protectively close
to him. The boy seemed a little stunned. Rath saw cracks all over Ja-kal's
armor and he knew his friend and leader was on the last drops of his amulet's
energy. As if to prove him right, the amulet beeped constantly, flashing
a warning. Ja-kal touched the blue triangle on his chest, then the armor
faded out of existence, its power depleted, leaving him vulnerable and
without protection.
"What is going on?" the leader of the mummies wheezed
weakly.
"I don't know, Ja-kal," Rath answered. "It seems we are
in the middle of a godly dispute right now."
"Anubis and Set?" Presley asked. "What are they fighting
over? Their chew toy?"
A loud explosion left them half-deafened, their ears
ringing with the after-effects.
"Didn't he say something about control?" Nefer-tina asked
loudly.
"I heard that too," Armon rumbled.
"Yes, and that he is free now." Rath frowned. Then he
saw a lithe, slender form effortlessly jump over the steel bars they were
hiding behind, landing in a crouch. Anubis' black form seemed suddenly
very much threatening, his thin body harboring a power Rath had never seen
him display before. The white eyes glowed from inside, their light reflecting
off the gold around them. The ebony jackal had his teeth bared in a snarl,
white canines gleaming.
"Get him out of here!" he growled. "This won't keep Set
down for very long! He's still too strong!"
Rath swallowed hard. This was definitely not the dumb
mutt they all remembered from previous encounters. Before he had only smiled
at the 'mastery' Anubis had displayed when it came to magic. The god was
strong, granted, stronger than Rath any time, but he had had one disadvantage.
He was too easily distracted, too slow sometimes, though still an opponent
to take seriously when it came to magical strength. But now....
As if to add to Anubis' words there was a howl from across
the room. "Anubis!"
Anubis turned his head, a dark, evil smile on his features.
"Ah, the big guy's calling. Can't let him wait." He fixed his white gaze
on the Guardians again. "Get Rapses out of here. Now!"
"What about Set?" Ja-kal asked as he tried to get to
his feet. He was holding his ribs and his face was lined with pain. The
bandages on his back were singed and lay in tatters, held together by the
last ounces of magical energy that permeated this area on his body.
"Set is my problem," Anubis growled darkly.
"But...."
Morrigan crawled over to the group's hiding place, an
annoyed expression on her face. There was blood on her face, coming from
two long cuts along her cheek where splinters had grazed her.
"I don't want to crash the party, guys, but how about
we let Nu here duke it out with Set and just leave?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I, for one, would like to survive this!"
Anubis directed a smile at her. "Go," was all he said,
then he left swiftly and silently.
The four Guardians gaped after their former enemy, disbelief
in their faces. A roar from Set made them flinch and Ja-kal straightened,
face lined deeply with pain. "Let's go!" he ordered hoarsely. "Armon, get
the prince to the Hot-Ra! Rath, cover our backs! Nefer-tina, the car!"
"Gotcha!" Nefer-tina dashed for the exit, ignoring the
pandemonium behind her, and the others followed.
Rath cast a last look at the battle, seeing Set and Anubis
locked in a vicious struggle, both bearing wounds of the encounter, both
unwilling to give in to the other. It was a dog fight, pure and simple,
and it was very single-minded in purpose: destroy the other. The scribe
whirled around and followed his friends, helping Ja-kal along the way as
their leader stumbled and nearly fell. Ja-kal weakly warded him off, then
surrendered, unable to do much more than let himself be dragged to safety.
He was fading fast and needed to rest in the sarcophagus.
"You can't win, Set," Anubis said coldly, watching his
opponent as Set gasped for air. "You are delusional. I'm no longer the
weak and cowardly creature you made me into. I have regained my strength
and I know who I am. And I was within the Eye as well; I know its powers."
He wasn't feeling a hundred percent strong anymore either,
deep gashes along his arms and ribs showing where Set had managed to land
punches, but Set looked the same. As for the Eye, yes, he had been inside
and he knew its powers, but it had taken everything he had had at the time
to get out in more or less one piece. Set had only a small fraction of
the Eye's powers, but even this fraction was very dangerous,
"You will be the crowning of my revenge," Set called,
breathing hard.
Anubis smiled humorlessly. "You defeated me in the past
because you used the Scepter of Forgetting on me. You never dared to challenge
me directly before because you knew what it would get you. I haven't lost
my powers, only forgotten them for a long, long time."
Set brandished his scepter. "I have the power of the
Eye of Darkness, the mightiest weapon of all. You have nothing!"
Anubis didn't twitch a muscle. "You'd be surprised,"
he said in a near whisper.
Set laughed -- mockingly, loudly. Then he pointed the
scepter at his enemy and an energy bolt lashed toward the jackal-headed
god. Anubis jumped, performing a flawless somersault and landing gracefully
several feet ahead in a crouch. His ears flattened to his head, teeth bared.
"Is that all you can do?" he asked as he straightened.
Set seethed with anger. "You haven't even begun to taste
my power, Anubis!" he hissed between gritted teeth.
Bolt after bolt of deadly energy shot at Anubis, but
he dodged, deflected or evaded every single one of them. Two came very
close and one singed his shoulder, but otherwise Set was not able to land
a hit on him directly.
"Like I told you before," Anubis said, panting now. "You
cannot win."
Set screamed with rage, lifting both hands and summoning
all his remaining powers. "Die!" he demanded and then unleashed the energy.
It crackled through the room, scorching the floor and walls it touched,
obliterating the boxes stacked against one wall, and blackening the stone.
In the center of the energy storm stood Anubis, a dark,
sinister figure, his eyes aglow in the blackness. His lips drew back over
his canines and then he called a scepter. It looked very much like the
Scepter of Forgetting, but it had a longer staff and the crystal on top
was translucent. He concentrated, knowing he had only this one shot and
if it didn't work, he'd be flat as a pancake against the wall behind him.
He rammed the staff into the ground, channeling what powers he had into
it, draining his body of every single droplet, breaking the storm around
him. Some of the waves of energy flooded back to where Set stood, hitting
him instead, but most were sucked into the staff.
"My turn," Anubis whispered, though his voice echoed
through the room as if he had spoken out loud. The crystal on top of his
staff glowed eerily, charged with his powers, as well as the absorbed magic
of the Eye of Darkness.
Set gave a yelp of surprise and suddenly his eyes went
wide. Realization hit him. "Uhm, Anubis, listen...." he started.
Anubis' white eyes locked with his. "Good-bye," was all
he said, then released the magical power within the crystal.
Outside, the four Guardians, Presley and Morrigan heard
a deafening boom, followed by an explosion of light. It washed over them,
throwing them to the ground, then there was a howl of pain and denial.
Part of the roof was blasted off, then the rest caved in on the room, collapsing
into the energy storm abrading everything in the room, being obliterated.
Ja-kal, supported by Rath because he was unable to stand on his own, stared
at the display with wide eyes. Rath's mouth hung open, his senses feeling
an overload of magic, one unleashed by raw, deep anger, an anger so intense
that it overrode ever safety spell magicians and even sorcerers used, at
least the sane ones, that they wouldn't be dragged into the whirlpool of
power. Morrigan had a slightly dazed expression on her face, then touched
the amulet around her neck, staring in awe at the spectacle before her.
She whispered something under her breath.
Just as quickly as it had exploded into existence the
inferno died down again. Silence settled over them, only broken by the
popping noises of cooling metal and stone.
"Wow!" Presley breathed.
The four Guardians, all looking very much singed, beaten
and exhausted, could only agree.
"Why did he help us?" he boy asked.
"I don't know, my prince," Rath muttered, just as perplexed.
Anubis had always been their enemy, helping Set in trying to capture the
spirit of prince Rapses. He had last seen the two when the Eye of Darkness
had nearly opened. After that..... He turned to the woman with the amulet.
"Maybe you would be kind enough to explain now?"
Morrigan's eyes were still fixed on the now ruined building.
"Redemption," was all she said.
Before any of the others could ask, a figure materialized
out of the dust billowing around the ruin. The mummies moved protectively
in front of their prince, ready to fight the jackal-headed god if he attacked,
but Morrigan was first. Her eyes were lit up with anger as she closed in
on Anubis who was no longer dressed in his Egyptian clothes.
"You owe me, Nu!" she told him, voice laced with rage,
tapping her finger against his chest. "Big time! And it's nothing a simple
dinner can make up tome! Not dangerous, you said! Protection, you told
me! Hah! Do you see this?" She pointed at the two scratches on her cheek.
"This is the last time I'll do you a favor, god or no god!"
"This was the first favor I asked of you," Anubis answered,
his tone of voice slightly bemused, brushing some dust off his black coat.
They could see blood-crusted gashes and cuts all over his body, one running
very close by his right eye. Blood matted his fur and some areas had a
decidedly singed look.
"And it will be the last!" Morrigan glowered at him.
"What happened to Set?"
"He's gone."
"For good?"
"For now."
"Oh, great." She didn't sound enthused.
Anubis looked at the group of mummies, a neutral expression
on his face. Rath tried to read anything in those white eyes, but he couldn't
tell what was going on. This was new to him. Anubis.... on their side?
The god, now dressed in normal street clothes, though they looked slightly
smudged and singed, didn't seem to prepare an attack, but former experiences
with him made them all wary.
"What do you want?" Ja-kal now demanded.
Anubis remained where he was, showing no sign of animosity
towards them, and come to think of it, he appeared different. Not only
was he dressed in the clothes of the modern world, he also seemed to radiate
more confidence and strength. And, Rath thought, deeply intrigued, he had
defeated Set who had been armed with a formidable fraction of the powers
of the Eye of Darkness. So he hadn't misread the first whiff he had gotten
of this aura when Anubis had told them to go. He was different!
"I don't want to fight you," Anubis now said calmly.
His voice had changed as well. The whine was gone. He sounded more controlled,
calmer, almost serene.
"What do you want?" Ja-kal repeated, not about to be
lured into a trap because he let his guard down. Maybe this had been a
ploy of Set, give them a feeling of safety and then strike once again.
Anubis' white eyes fixed on Presley. "I have come because
of the past, of what I did, to all of you and especially to prince Rapses."
The four Guardians exchanged puzzled looks.
"I can never undo what I did with words, prince Rapses,"
Anubis now addressed Presley. "I can only ask for your forgiveness for
my failures." He bowed his head once; not in a gesture of submission, more
like one of respect between equals.
"Uhm," Presley stuttered, totally baffled.
"What in Ra's name is going on here?" Nefer-tina hissed.
"Is this the guy we know or does Anubis now have a twin?"
Rath shrugged, just as confused.
"What trick is this?" Ja-kal demanded.
"No trick, Guardian. Something.... happened and I realized
my mistakes." Anubis spread his hands. "I cannot expect you to trust me,
but I will do whatever is in my powers to undo the evil I have done while
under Set's control."
At the word 'control', Rath frowned slightly and Ja-kal
made a mental note to ask his friend about it. Anubis had used it before
when challenging Set. What had gone on between those two?
"Set is gone for now. He will no longer be a danger to
you, prince," Anubis continued. "And neither will I."
"Yes, because I'm going to skin you alive the moment
we are out of here," Morrigan muttered under her breath.
Anubis cast her an amused look and his lips curled into
a smile. "I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," he muttered back.
It got him a glare, lightning bolts lancing from Morrigan's
eyes. His smile widened, much to the heightened confusion of the Guardians,
then he raised his arms, slamming his fists together in front of his chest.
He and the woman disappeared.
"Talk about major weird!"" Presley exclaimed. "He's a
good guy now?"
Rath rubbed his chin. "I don't know," he answered slowly.
* * *
Morrigan woke slowly, her mind a woozy mess, her body
aching in all the wrong places. She was a computer engineer; she spent
most of her time in front of the computer. She rarely went for exercises,
and pacing around and thinking about a particularly nasty engineering problem
was about as much aerobics as she usually did. Now and then climbing around
the Mystique Shoppe and helping Danny relocate items added to that, but
not more. Now her head hurt abominably and she felt all those light abrasions
from evading Set's attacks. Her forehead was throbbing dully. Morrigan
carefully opened her eyes and groaned as the bright light coming through
her window hurt her all-of-a-sudden too sensitive eyes. Who had forgotten
to close the darn blinds? For that matter, who had gotten her to her house
and into the bedroom – and into bed? Morrigan's head ached with the questions
and a last one wormed its way through: who had put her into her pajamas?!
"Oh, damn," she whispered as she tried to sit up and
her whole world tilted sideways.
"You should take it easy," a male voice said and she
squinted into the direction it had come from.
"Anubis?" she asked hoarsely.
"Who else?" he asked lightly.
Yeah, right, who else? Morrigan clenched her teeth as
every syllable evoked a throb. But did he have to sound so cheerful? Memories
of how she had gotten here trickled back. Something involving bright blue
flames had been involved. She faintly recalled being in home, then there
was nothing. She must have dropped dead the moment her body had touched
the mattress.
"Got an aspirin?" she groaned.
Anubis walked over to her. "Aspirin?"
"Forget it."
"I'm sorry," he now said.
Morrigan squinted at him. "Oh?"
Anubis squirmed under her gaze. "I thought it would go
better," he muttered, half-apologetically.
The squint turned into a narrow-eyed glare. "You thought
so, eh?" she echoed. "Well, think again. I feel like I partied all night!"
Morrigan rose carefully and padded over to the bathroom, glancing into
the mirror. She was greeted by a pale, exhausted reflection of herself.
"Hello, stranger," she muttered and splashed water into her face. It helped
to rouse her a bit, but not much.
Anubis leaned against the door's frame, regarding her
with a smile, arms loosely crossed in front of his chest. "You did well,
by the way."
"Oh, thanks," was the sarcastic reply.
Morrigan's eyes fell on the amulet still around her neck.
Her first instinct was to give it back, then a nasty part of her mind told
her to keep it for all the trouble she had had. And it was beautiful. The
blue of the stone seemed to deepen momentarily and she felt a tingle in
the back of her neck.
"I mean it, Morrigan."
"As long as you are happy," she muttered, thinking that
a coffee might be in order, then a long bath and maybe a day just lying
on the couch. Yes, that sounded fine. She turned and nearly bumped into
the ebony-colored jackal. Now that she had a look at him up close, Morrigan
discovered a dozen half-healed wounds.
"I think I'm running out of disinfectant," she mumbled
and grabbed his arm, pulling him unceremoniously with her.
"I'm fine!" the Egyptian god protested, eyes wide. "It'll
heal."
"Yeah, yeah. Sit!"
He obediently sat on the chair and watched her rummage
through the first aid box with interest. "You know my healing powers are
back," Anubis pointed out.
"So why do you look like you had an argument with a mob
of angry hedgehogs?" Morrigan shoved some cloths into his hands. "Hold
that."
Anubis shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I used up most
of my energies to send Set back through the Western Gate," he then mumbled,
fumbling with the cloths.
"Ah." Morrigan dabbed some disinfectant on a gash at
his upper arm. Anubis yelped and pulled back. "Oh, don't be such a baby,
Nu!" He glared at her. "And you can stop with the evil looks. I'm immune."
After she had tortured him for a while, spreading the
disinfectant graciously all over the injuries, she threw the now dirty
cloths away and went to wash her hands. She made a mental shopping list
that included a big bottle of disinfectant. Anubis regarded the stinging
areas all over his body with a pathetic expression.
"You could have been more gentle," he said plaintively.
"I was."
He grimaced, flexing one hand.
"So, what's next on your agenda?"
"Nothing much. Set is beyond the Western Gate and I doubt
we'll see him again quite that soon. He will be busy licking his wounds."
Anubis followed her to the kitchen as Morrigan went downstairs for a much
needed wake-up coffee.
Morrigan raised both eyebrows. "Well, I do hope so. I
don't want to do this ever again."
Anubis sat down on one of the kitchen stools, forearms
resting on the table. "Neither do I," he told her seriously.
"I thought you would return home as well?" she asked
after a while, watching the coffee machine work.
Anubis shrugged. "Not yet. I have a lot to make up and
I have just started. And there is no place for me behind the Gate yet."
Morrigan grinned. "Applying for a job as Rapses' fifth
guardian?"
"Gods don't guard pharaohs," the jackal-headed god told
her haughtily.
She laughed. "Of course not."
"But we do move in as sub-tenants when we are invited."
He raised one brow.
Morrigan poured herself a cup of coffee, hen regarded
the ebony-colored jackal over the steaming mug. Sub-tenant.... An Egyptian
god! Grandma Winters would have thrown a fit – were she still alive. And
what else would happen if he moved in? Reappearances of Set? Other gods
coming to visit? Mummies piling up in the living room? How could she keep
her friends from finding out she had an ancient god living with her? She
could already hear Em and her constant nagging that Morrigan needed to
find a man in her life. She snorted. Man?
"As long as you don't shed hair on the carpet...." she
finally answered.
Anubis only smiled and his eyes glinted.
"Oh, I just know I'm going to regret this," Morrigan
sighed.