Chapter Nine
"This is ridiculous," Mai protested, brushing away Ayako's hand impatiently. The other woman glared hard at her before continuing trying to pin the protection charm she had created just for her onto her t-shirt.
"Are you trying to make me the bad guy here?" Ayako muttered, eyebrow furrowing slightly. "Because Naru is bound to bite my head off if you go off again without a charm and something happens to you, because let's not kid ourselves, something always happens to you."
Mai rolled her eyes at Ayako's theatrics. She rolled her shoulders back and winced at the sharp pain that shot up her arm. When the floorboards had caved under her feet she had frantically tried to grab a hold of something, of anything, but Naru had beaten her to it. He had gripped her arm so tightly and suddenly her body had jerked to a complete halt and she felt as though he had ripped her arm from its socket.
Not that she wasn't grateful for his quick actions. He had saved her life again, a fact she was uncomfortably aware of after her intense argument with him. She really needed to stop underestimating him. It was making her look like the biggest fool. She was so deep in thought she didn't notice the object of her musings walk into the base until his deep, low voice rang out.
"We have a serious problem."
Naru's ominous statement drew all movement in the base to a halt. All eyes were on him and the grim look on his face made the air grow thick with unwanted tension. Ayako had even stopped trying to pin the charm on her.
"What do you mean?"
The question came from Masako, who had made herself pretty scarce during the case. Her blue and white flower patterned kimono sleeved-clad hand covered her mouth but her dark eyes were uncomfortably locked on Naru.
"Ammit isn't what we're used to dealing with. We had a theory about this from the start but after the research Madoka and Yasu have turned up with, that theory has become a fact."
"So what you're saying is that Ammit is some sort of…demon?" Monk asked, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Every culture has their own accounts about the creatures that inhabit the darkness, and how to exterminate said creatures. Some creatures are only lower level demons that are easily disposed of. Those are the ones who cause chaos and are mostly driven by their baser needs. Ammit, on the other hand, is one of the most powerful upper level demons I have ever had the misfortune to cross."
He paused in his speech and every eye in the room was glued to him, baited breath being held in. Even Monk was silent and paying rapt attention to what Naru was saying. Mai herself was feeling a cloud of dread hanging over her. Every word out of his mouth just made the cloud heavier and heavier until she mentally felt her knees start to buckle under the weight.
The only other time they had come across some sort of demon was when SPR had taken on a case for the former Prime Minister to investigate the mysterious disappearances of young people around one of his homes. That case hadn't gone well, with one of their own almost being a victim. Even then they couldn't do anything to stop Urado. None of them were even associated with demons and the only thing that could be done was to burn the mansion down.
"Ammit isn't just any upper level demon either. In ancient Egyptian lore, Ammit was somewhat portrayed as a 'Devourer of Souls'. The Egyptians believed she was a funerary deity and a personification of divine retribution."
"A deity?" Mai said with astonishment. "You mean, like a god?"
Suddenly her theory about demons crumbled like old paper beneath her fingers. All she could think about was the last time they had gone up against a god. She raised shuttered eyes to Naru and all she could see was him lying in a hospital bed.
Naru's dark eyes flicked her way and he inclined his head slightly. "That's exactly what I'm saying." His gaze held hers longer than was necessary and caused a blush to crawl into her cheeks. She saw his gaze drop to her injured arm, the one he'd grabbed, and his gaze closed off.
"The Egyptians believed heavily in morality. It was a contest of good versus evil, with good always turning out victorious. They had an equity system after death called the Scales of Justice of Ma'at, the Goddess of Truth. Apparently whenever a person passed on, they were brought before said scales and their heart was weighed against an ostrich feather of Ma'at. If the heart was reasonably balanced against the feather the soul was passed on to the afterlife by Osiris, God of the Underworld. But if the heart was heavier than the feather the soul was then devoured by Ammit."
"That is some heavy shit right there," Monk muttered.
The enormity of the case was finally beginning to sink in. Mai had no doubt they were all thinking about what happened the last time Naru had gone up against a god. Monk shifted uneasily and Ayako was starting to rub her fingers together with apprehension.
"Is there any way to stop her?" John asked, his voice wrought with tension. "I mean, if Mai's dream is any indication to go by, someone managed to seal her in this house. If there's a way to trap her, there must be a way to stop her."
"You don't have to sugar coat it, John," Naru said, eyes closing. "We have to destroy her."
"When you say 'we' do you actually mean you?" Lin asked suddenly, anger tingeing his voice. "Because if that's the case I will haul you out of this house so fast you won't even have time to register it."
Naru's facial reaction was a blank mask but his gaze quickly shot to Mai before landing back on Lin. She could feel the tension growing between them, with Lin glaring at Naru and Naru pretending like he didn't give a damn.
"No, not me. Someone else."
Mai thought no one had caught Naru's quick glance but she was proven wrong when Monk took a step forward and slashed his arm through the air.
"No way. No bloody way! How can you even think of sending Mai to do something a grown adult wouldn't even consider doing?" he asked angrily.
"Once again, it's none of your concern." Naru's cold reply had more than one jaw dropping in the room.
"Are you insane? Of course it's my concern. I don't know what's gotten into you lately. You've been more than downright antagonizing and it's making me wonder if something is bothering you so much that it's warping your judgment."
Naru raised cold eyes to Monk and opened his mouth to no doubt deliver a stinging retort. Only he didn't get there.
"Stop it, the both of you," Mai said angrily. "What's gotten into the two of you lately? You're both usually nothing but politeness and yet every chance you get you guys are snapping at each other's throats. Get a grip on yourselves." She shot both of them disgusted looks. "As for Ammit, I'm the only one who can put a stop to her. Look, I've thought about it and I won't budge on this. Ammit may be a deity, a demon, whatever, but there is one way to stop her."
Mai took a deep breath and shot Naru a quick glance. His expression, as always, was unreadable, but he was staring back at her with a quiet intensity she felt slightly overwhelmed under. She knew he didn't want her to go through with what she had planned, but she also knew he wouldn't stop her. She appreciated that and was grateful for it. For all his faults, it felt satisfying that he was quietly supporting her on this.
Mai faced the others. They each had identical looks of disconsolation on their faces. It wasn't easy for her, telling the others who were like family to her that she was willingly putting her life in danger to stop Ammit. But it had to be done. It was a mantra she kept repeating to herself over and over again, hoping against all hope that eventually the words might seem true to her.
"We know Ammit can appear in our dreams whenever she wants to, right?" she started, looking each of them directly in the eye.
After their confirmation nods she continued. "She may be extremely powerful to do that, but she's also the most vulnerable there. I have no doubt that if I can lure her into my mind I can send her to the other side. If her soul, for lack of a better word, leaves her body, then she'll disintegrate into nothing."
"You don't know if that will even work, Mai," Monk said, holding out his hands in a placating manner. "Please see reason here. If you're wrong and you can't exorcise Ammit then who knows what she'll do to you before she absorbs your soul."
"I understand, Monk, believe me I do. But if I don't do this more innocent people will die. I won't have that on my conscious."
"How can you let her do this?" Ayako asked her beseeching gaze locked on Naru. "She's just a kid."
"I'm not a kid," Mai said. "Please let me do this. You guys know I'm the only one who can."
"She's made up her mind," Naru suddenly interrupted, eyes closed. "There's nothing I can do to stop her."
"No, you just don't want to stop her," Lin chimed in low voice.
Naru opened his eyes and pinned them onto Lin. "You're right. I don't. She's old enough to make her own decisions and experienced enough to know what's right and wrong."
Mai's heart swelled in her chest. Sure, Naru didn't exactly sound like the happiest person in the world right now, but the fact that he stood firm in the face of adversity strengthened her resolve. It made her believe she could do this.
"Maybe there's another way we could do this," Lin said quietly.
All eyes swivelled to him. His gaze was trained on the ground, eyeing the hardwood floor with suspicion.
"From Mai's vision we can determine that Ammit is buried somewhere beneath this house. We know that a Devil's Trap was placed over her grave. From what I know about those, they completely cut off a demon's abilities. Once one has been ensnared in it, they can't cross over or use their powers until the circle is broken."
He paused and waited for that to sink in. When it did a collective gasp echoed in the room. Mai instinctively knew what it meant. She had known deep down that the Devil's Trap was some serious magic and if Ammit still had free reign over her abilities it could only mean one thing.
"So you're saying the Devil's Trap hadn't been completed," Naru finished.
"Exactly. If it had, all those people she killed over the years would still be alive."
"Interesting. So one of the men who created the seal failed to finish it."
"That's the only explanation as to why Ammit has been active all these years. It still doesn't explain why she hasn't broken free of her grave. She could if she wanted to. So why didn't she?"
"If she wanted to…that's a very scary thought, Lin," Monk said. "Maybe she's trying to regain her former glory, so to speak. If she's been stuck in this house by choice she can't be all that powerful right now. I imagine her food source was cut off and with the limited amount of souls she absorbed, it somehow placed restrictions on her abilities."
"That makes sense to me," Mai said, clasping her fingers behind her back and staring thoughtfully into space. "If you think about it, the only time she's shown herself has been in my dreams. Maybe that's all she can do."
"That's an amateur thought at best," Naru said, shooting a dark glare her way. Mai clenched her teeth at his sudden change of mood and matched his glare.
"Excuse me but I don't hear you pitching in with any of your opinions."
"If you let me finish I can do just that. Just because Ammit has volunteered to show only that particular ability doesn't mean that's the only thing she can do. Underestimating your adversary is the most foolish thing you could ever do right now. Something so nonsensical is bound to get you killed."
"He's right, Mai," John said quietly. "You shouldn't assume dream hopping is the only thing she can do. It seems like she's completely aware of what we're doing here and she wants us to erroneously underestimate her."
"We should try finding her grave," Masako added. "Maybe if we can't completely exorcise her we can try completing the Devil's Trap."
"That's actually a better idea," Mai said with surprise, casting wide eyes toward the television medium. "I'm amazed no one else thought of that."
"I'm not just a pretty face, you know," the other teen said with arrogance.
"And she's back," Mai said, rolling her eyes.
"Can you complete a Devil's Trap, Lin?" Naru asked.
Lin nodded. "I can try. I also think it's a better idea to try first though. It cuts out putting Mai in any form of danger."
"So are we in agreement then?" Naru asked the room as a whole, his eyes landing on every individual, coming to rest last on Mai. "We locate the grave and finish what was started centuries ago?"
A chorus of agreement rang throughout the room and Mai felt strangely disappointed. Sure, she was relieved she didn't have to come face to face with one of her worst nightmares, but she had also been looking forward to testing out her latest ability. It was only natural that she would want to test her limits and Ammit had been the perfect subject.
"All right then. Lin, please see if you can get a blueprint of the house from Madoka and Yasu. The rest of you, prepare for the worst. Miss Matsuzaki and Miss Hara, please see if you both can amp up the protection charms for everyone. And make a double protection charm for Mai. She's probably going to need it."
Mai shot Naru a dirty look at that quip he managed to get in. She swore she saw a hint of a smile twist his mouth up before it was gone. It left her insides all soft and fuzzy. She even bit back a smile at his temerity.
"Monk, John, I'd like you two to go into town first thing in the morning and get some equipment we can use to easily pull up wooden planks. Also pick up some cement so we can use it to complete the Trap." He glanced at Mai to confirm the materials used to construct the Devil's Trap. At her slight nod he inclined his head at the two young men. "Try not to be too late. I'd like to finish this before sunset tomorrow. In the meantime it's best to get a good night's sleep tonight. We're probably going to need it come tomorrow."
Monk and John nodded and exited the room. Lin was already on the phone with Madoka and was informing her of their plan. Ayako and Masako were sitting on the couch, busy writing up charms. Mai was left staring at Naru, wondering what was going on in his head. She was chagrined to admit she wondered that a lot and started to turn away from him when a freak gust of wind howled through the house.
Everyone in the room paused what they were doing and tensed as one. With that sign they knew Ammit was aware of what they were planning. The wind gusted stronger, causing the lighter objects in the base to tremble. In between the wind Mai caught a voice whose words made goose bumps rise on her skin and cause her body to shudder. Not even Naru's comforting hand on her shoulder could erase her current feelings at the sinister words.
"I'm coming for you…"
