Author's Notes: So, apparently, even when I've spent several years away from it, The Mummy fandom is one I can't quite leave behind. I've been mulling over some ideas for the last six months, but for some reason, it coalesced recently into something resembling a plot. It could be my visits to the Museums of Fine Arts and of Natural Sciences in Houston back in December, or it could be watching the first two Mummy movies when I got home from Texas. Either way, here is a new offering. It is not in the same universe as my Ardeth/Celia series (although I briefly toyed with the idea of Celia being the grandmother of Ardeth 2.0). Please be aware that updates will be fitful, as most of my focus is on my Adventures of Deathstroke series in the Arrow fandom at the moment. And yes, this is a story that deals with the descendants of the characters we love: Jason Carnahan, the grandson of Jonathan Carnahan; Ardeth Bey II, the grandson and namesake of the Med-jai chieftain; and Rani O'Connell, the daughter of Alexander O'Connell (a late in life child with Alex's third wife).. Imhotep and Anck-su-namun will be returning as themselves (sort of … you'll understand when you get there). So, dear readers, I present to you, the introduction and prologue of The Osiran Amulet.
Disclaimer: I do not own the ancient gods of Egypt (or any other pantheon, for that matter). I am an American Catholic who has never lost her fascination for those pantheons, and try to respect the source material from which they came. That means I will probably get something wrong according to someone's perspective, because stories change over the millennia (and according to various traditions). I also do not own the characters of Imhotep, Anck-su-namun, Rick & Evy Carnahan O'Connell, their son Alex, his first wife Lin, Evy's brother Jonathan, or Ardeth Bey. They all belong to Universal. I do, however, own their descendants: Jason Carnahan, his cousin Rani O'Connell, Ardeth Bey II, as well as Carolina Fenix, and any other characters you don't recognize.
Prologue
The Veils of Time and Legend
At the beginning of time, there were the gods: Re, first among gods; his children, Shu, Tefnut, Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet, Satet, and Ma'at; his grandchildren, Nut and Geb; their children, Osiris, Set, Nepthys, and Isis; their grandchildren Horus and Anubis. As time passed, kingship passed down through Ra's line without issue. That changed several generations later, when Geb stepped down, and Osiris ascended the throne. Despite the wise and compassionate rule of Osiris, his jealous younger brother Set began scheming to take the throne … by force necessary. He murdered Osiris and took for himself the throne.
Isis, upon returning to Egypt to find her husband dead, began the long process of returning him to life … a process complicated by Set tearing his brother's body into fourteen pieces and scattering them. But Isis was determined to restore her beloved … and restore him she did, using the legendary Amulet of the Tet. Since that time, the Amulet of the Tet has become a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, a familiar item for all mummies … and the original Amulet slipped into the veils of time and legend. Until now.
TMTMTMTMTMTM
Rice University
Houston, Texas
December 2018
"The Amulet of the Tet has been found."
Upon receiving the information he just verbalized, he wasn't entirely sure what, if anything, they should do about it. He had a carefully cultivated reputation, one that he spent years honing, to the point that most of his family believed it was true. As much as he trusted the person who brought this to him … was it really worth blowing his cover? But as he stood in the threshold of his cousin's office, watching the familiar dark head bob up and down as she read papers, another question came to mind … could he afford to sit on this? And the answer was … no. Regardless of what happened in the next few minutes with his cousin (his best friend, his sister in all but name, the only person who believed in him) … he had to see this through.
"There are many Amulets of the Tet, Jay … they're anywhere a mummy is," came the disinterested reply. Jason Carnahan rolled his eyes in exasperation, not just at the dismissive tone (although that was never a good sign), but at the fact that his cousin hadn't even looked up from her paperwork. Knowing Rani, she was probably grading exams or something equally boring. She was so horribly dependable in that respect. Then again, that dependable streak of hers saved his life more than once, so he supposed he really shouldn't complain too much. Still, at the moment, he wanted her attention. So, he said the one thing that he knew would get him what he wanted from Dr. Rani O'Connell.
"Not an Amulet of the Tet … THE Amulet of the Tet, the original. The one Isis used," Jay clarified and Rani's head did come up at that. For just a moment, Jay hoped that she would tell him that was impossible, that it was just a myth. But Rani was an O'Connell, and 'impossible' lost meaning for their family sometime back. And since he had his cousin's complete and undivided attention, Jay went on, "I heard from one of my more unsavory friends, who has never provided me with inaccurate information. The Amulet was found … and tested."
Now Rani's expression reflected not just interest, but a healthy dose of fear. She asked quietly, "I'm guessing that this individual got close enough to see it? The resurrection, I mean?" Jay nodded, remembering once more why he loved his cousin so much. Much of the family didn't have use for him because of his friends in low places. Rani, however, tended to regard those friends as issues only if they caused harm to someone else … or betrayed her trust. There were no do-overs or second chances for people who betrayed her. Rani paused, and then asked the question that anyone from their family had to ask when it came to Egyptian curses, "Did your friend tell you if the Med-jai were involved?"
Opting not to tell his cousin that his contact was technically a disgraced Med-jai, Jay chose instead to respond, "They are aware of the situation. But considering we don't know what the current capacity of the Med-jai is …" He let his voice trail off, allowing his cousin to draw the conclusions that he needed her to. Rani sat back with a sigh, eyeing the paperwork in front of her. Jay didn't hold his breath, much as he wanted to. Rani couldn't be pushed … he'd learned that the hard way. He wasn't ready to answer the questions he knew would come. Manipulative, he knew, but there were too many variables in play, including people whom his cousin knew and trusted. Jay was the last person who believed in judging people because of their past, but in this particular case, he was protecting Rani as much as he was protecting his … sources.
At last, she said, "Okay. The semester is over, and as soon as I submit the grades, I can be ready to go. But I need information from you, Jay, and I need you to make the travel arrangements." Jay nodded, because he'd been expecting that. A moment later, she added another question he'd been expecting, "Where did they find it? I assumed it was Egypt, but the borders have shifted so much over the ages … well, that's likely a dangerous assumption to make." Jay forced himself not to smile, because yes, his cousin would consider that.
"It wasn't found in Egypt, or North Africa, at all … it was discovered in Rome," he smugly informed his cousin. Her dark brows winged up into her hairline, and Jay privately enjoyed her reaction, before explaining, "It was found in Egypt during the Roman occupation and taken to Rome by one of her centurions. It's been passed down through the generations, and the family had no idea what they had. It was just an heirloom." Rani whistled under her breath, but then her eyes narrowed in a way that had Jay silently groaning. Oh, damn … here it came.
However, rather than asking that final, damning question he feared, his cousin said, "It sounds to me like it's already in the wrong hands. So, we need to hurry. If it falls into the hands of someone who knows the proper spells, there are so many people from history they could resurrect. That's way too dangerous. Is the item still in Rome?" That … was a question he didn't expect her to answer. Which just proved that even after nearly forty years, Rani could still surprise him.
"No," he answered, "the intel I received said that it's now in England … which was also a Roman province at one time." Also, the home of the O'Connell family for many years, and Rani's lips tightened at that. She hadn't been back to England since she was sixteen years old, when Alex O'Connell took his youngest child to the United States. Uncle Alex never talked about what provoked that particular change, and Rani always said she didn't know either. One thing was sure, though … his cousin didn't have fond memories of the family home. Neither did he, come to that.
"Well," she said tightly, "At least my passport is up to date." And with those words, the die was cast … at least it wasn't the infamous 'whatever harm came from' that her grandmother was known for.
TBC