While this was happening, Opacho was sitting in a hidden niche in the wall, making another clue for her fathers when she heard a faint whisper. She stiffened because it sounded like it was in her ear and yet echoing off the walls of the ruins. She sudden jumped when a snake slithered over her hand, but the cobra didn't react. It slithered over her clue, seemingly helping her sculpt it.
"Ah, there you are, love..." a woman spoke up, startling the girl.
"It it's not-" Opacho began.
"Calm down, little one, I am not here to punish you... but you do look quite tired, how are you feeling, child?" The woman asked, her kind stormy blue eyes looking concerned as she brushed a cool hand over Opacho's feverish forehead.
Opacho let out a soft purr, the coolness feeling heavenly, "A little better now, ma'am... but I feel so tired all the time, but I don't want THEM. knowing... can you help me?"
The woman sighed sadly and shook her head mournfully, the snake moving over Opacho's hand in a seemingly sad gesture as well before slithering up the woman's wrist to curl over her shoulders.
"I fear I cannot... I am only to make sure you are well enough to finish this journey... you had best sleep and eat what you can drink plenty of water for within the next 24 hours, this may be your last moments, but do not fear death, child, it is after all another beginning."
Opacho nodded, though she was still saddened and scared, but then she squared her shoulders and nodded her head with new vigor as the woman offered her a hide skin back with the freshest, coolest water she has ever tasted. After that she curled up on her cot, sleeping soundly as the woman walked away with her snake, movingnlike shadows through the encampment.
"She is weakening rapidly, love."
"Yes... I sensed it." Hissed the snake as it coiled tighter around the woman. "But not all is lost, beloved... she is very strong of heart. She may surprise you..."
"I see... well then we will just have to make sure all goes well then? Off we go..." the woman laughed as she sudden vanished beyond a sand dune, he chilling laugh echoing with the howls of desert cyoettes...
The following morning, Opacho was rudely awoken and moved, forced onto a cammel with Hang-Chang leading her, but the Asian had learned that letting her read meant she was less likely to annoy him to death. As they traveled along, Opacho would see a silver hawk from time to time, but she noted that Hang-Chang noticed it too. There were no tribes this far out so it wasn't a Nomadic prince on a hunt, and based on the near hourly spottings, she had to guess that her parents, if the bird belonged to them that is, was only about 2 and a half hours behind them. This filled her with hope and a bit of dread...
Opacho was sitting behind a boulder making yet another little clue when Hang-Chang surpised her.
"You little snake! Leaving bread crumbs are we!?"
"Hang-Chang; release her." Mar-ko ordered as he stepped into the water in only his shenti and sandals, walking until he was waist deep. "You are very clever, child. But you have just doomed your parents... shall I send them a Welcome to Ahm Shere?"
Opacho could only look on in horror as Mar-ko roared and threw up his hands, sending a geyser of water up into the air, hundreds of feet high. A face seemed to form in the water and her heart sank as the tidal wave was directed towards the balloon that was just visible on the horizon. She knew her parents were on it.
%&%&%&%
Hao hovered over Yoh, looking for any sign that he was going to have another spell. "Hao, you know I love you," Yoh said. "But I'm about ready to punch you, I'm fine, I told you."
"Fine, my ass." Hao growled. "You nearly fell off the balloon."
"Okay, besides that." Yoh said, waving off his concern. "Now I know though why I've been having these dreams about the past. I was there, I was a prince."
"I know, I saw." Hao said without thinking.
"You… saw?" Yoh repeated, brow furrowing in confusion. His eyes widened. "You were my lover in that other life, you died!"
"Can we not discuss this?" Hao asked. "I really don't like the bullshit about destiny."
"Why, because of that tattoo on your wrist?" Yoh asked gently.
"They told me I was meant for greatness." Hao said, looking over the edge of the balloon. "Me, an orphan in the worst slums. Seemed like a cruel joke, and all the bad stuff that happened to me, the first time I went to Hamunaptra, the prison, all seemed to emphasize that. The first time I believed in destiny was when I met you. I don't know how I feel if our love was pre-ordained, that we had no choice in the matter."
"Destiny is what we make of it." Yoh replied. "There are always different paths. Do you really believe that we would not have fallen in love anyways?"
"I like to think I would have." Hao replied. "You were after all, exactly my type."
"Were?" Yoh asked, mock-offended.
"You're a little too feisty for me these days." Hao teased. Yoh hit him on the shoulder. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I think Mar-ko was doing something and we got caught in the backlash." Yoh said. "Doubt it will happen again that badly."
"You doubt, but you don't know." Hao said.
"It's not as though there are books on how to deal with your past life coming back to haunt you, Hao." Yoh said.
"What's this about past lives?" Ren demanded, coming up behind them. "Hao, what exactly have you gotten me into?"
"Basically the whole world could fall into darkness." Ryu offered. Ren pinned him with a fierce look and he cringed against the side of the boat. "We've beat this guy once before." He added weakly.
"And you didn't think you should have told me this?" Ren asked of Hao.
"Didn't know how you'd react." Hao replied. "The whole life or death thing tends to make people want to run away."
"No, really?" Ren asked sarcastically. "Tell me everything, now, and don't leave anything else, or I really will shoot you."
"We unleashed an ancient undead mummy from his slumber a few years ago, now he's been released again." Yoh explained.
"We?" Hao asked. "As I remember, you read the book that brought him back to life."
"Details, details." Yoh said, waving a hand at his husband. "Anyways, this time he was brought back to take on the scorpion king, and if he does that he can take control of the army of Anubis. We need to get to the scorpion king before him and kill him and send the army back to the underworld. And our daughter is wearing a bracelet that is leading the mummy to the scorpion king, and if she isn't at the temple in one day she will die."
"Well, that's certainly a lot to take in." Ren said.
"Would you have taken us on if you'd known all that?" Hao asked.
"I probably would have asked for more money." Ren sniffed. "But, I owe you my life, so I probably would have done it anyways."
"Oh good, honour among thieves." Yoh muttered. Hao and Ren both gave him a disgusted look.
"You got my back?" Hao asked Ren.
"I always did." Ren said. "Don't let Horo get wind of this, you know how he gets."
"Yes, yes I do." Hao said with a heavy sigh.
"Um, guys?" Horohoro called. "There's something on the horizon, it doesn't look right."
"You're probably seeing things again." Ren said.
"Maybe not." Hao said, heading towards the front of the boat. There did seem to be something blue coming towards them in the cliffs they were flying through. His eyes widened after a moment. "Yoh, do you remember the sandstorm Mar-ko sent after me the last time?"
"Yes?" Yoh asked.
"This is going to be worse." Hao replied, staring at the tidal wave coming towards them.