Chapter 11: The Sword's Master
Atem expected it to be full of life and more welcoming.
The young prince and spellcaster had rode into the lower part of the kingdom, closer to the banks of the Nile. Along the way the two quickly discovered the thin line between classes. From fancier housing and great amount of celebratory chatter to a humble, austere environment where most of its residents were already fast asleep.
It was no wonder why Hesi loved coming after a long day of keeping the prince company and putting up with his never-ending curiosity. This was her escape from upper class worries.
"Which one's hers?" Mana leaned forward.
That was a very good question. Atem panicked, it had been years since he last visited Hesi's home. What made it worse was how similar the mudbrick houses looked from each other.
"If only there was something familiar…" He put a hand to his chin, eyes flicking between each foundation.
"You mean like a landmark?"
"Yes or something of hers in a window."
The children quietly trotted through the dead streets and lightly lit dwellings. Cows lowed at the passing strangers but gave no signs of irritation. On the other hand, guard dogs gnashed their teeth, fur sticking up at the presence of possible cow stealers.
"Talk about temperamental pooches," Mana stuck out her tongue.
"They are trained to kill anybody that tries to steal my father's cattle and please Mana, keep it down." Atem whispered, noticing a few pairs of eyes and silhouettes covering up candle lights.
Mana covered her arms, shivering.
"You cold?" Atem asked, dismounting his horse and helping her down.
"I just got a sudden chill and it wasn't from the wind." Mana pulled her cloak tighter around her skin, "Don't you feel it?"
The young prince could, there was something… Off…
"This place is certainly creepy at night, let's hurry and continue searching so we can get out of here."
With a nod, the two of them split to the opposite ends of the road and began politely intruding. In no time, the entire farming district was awake but unwilling to say anything helpful.
"Don't you kids know not to bother farmers?"
"We've had an exhausting day, you should go home."
"Go away."
"I've never heard of "Hesi", now go back to your mothers."
Those were the most common responses the children were given from the village.
"What's wrong with these people? Don't they know who they are talking to?" Mana huffed, scrunching up her nose, "I should turn them into frogs for being so rude."
A snivel came from nearby, Atem sat on a stool, beginning to cry.
"Atem? Are you crying?"
Mana wasted no time embracing her friend, "Don't be upset, crying isn't-"
"What if we don't find her?"
"We will! We just need to have hope that we'll find a lead," Mana assured, hugging around his shoulders.
"It's scary here and now I just want to go home!"
Now the tri-colored haired boy broke down, using the tops of his hands to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks.
"Atem. Don't cry anymore."
Sniffing, he looked up at her, "What?"
"Save your tears for another day."
Mana brought him to his feet, "Do you think Hesi will want to see you like this?"
He hesitated, wiping his eyes, "No, she'll want to see me smiling."
"Exactly," Mana smiled, proud of him for pulling himself together.
"Now, I don't think we should ask anymore locals around here."
"Good idea, they seem pretty introverted but if that's the case, how do we approach this now?"
Mana paced up and down, head lightly bobbing to her steps. Thinking too hard about this situation would only give her headache, "Oh, where do we go from here?"
The young prince had entered another trance, his eyes closed and nose pointed in the air. The air smelled different than before they were here last, "Myrrh…"
"Hmm?" Mana twirled her wand, watching him.
Atem stepped delicately on the road, following the scent much like a hunting hound. Before long, the smell was strongest at a house they passed a few times, they only ignored it because no one answered the door.
Without waiting for any confirmation, Atem opened the door with a squeal of protest from wood scraping against stone.
"Do you have a torch?"
"Hang on," Mana brought out her wand and thought of a spell, "What was it again? Maybe… Out of dark and into light… Burn through the midnight… Fire burn bright…?" Mana's wand spat sparks, exploded, and finally the tip lit up with a small flame.
"You did it!" Atem praised.
"Sort of, the flame is kind of small." She blushed, the flame sparking up again while he took her hand, holding her grip steady.
"We'll start here."
Atem and Mana stepped carefully around pottery that was scattered over the floor. Baskets filled with produce were stacked in one corner, two more separate rooms split left and right. The smell of myrrh burning their nostrils.
The prince pointed to the left, stepping down into the room. Adult clothes were strewn on the floor next to a large mat and a few pillows.
"This must be her parents' room." Mana rummaged through what little belongings were in the room, "I don't see any note or a letter, anything to where they might be."
Atem waved his hand, "Then we'll try the next room- ouch!"
He fell face-first on to the ground, clutching his foot in pain.
"Did a snake get you?"
Rubbing his foot, he answered, "I tripped over something."
Atem crawled, feeling around for the object he hit. His fingers grazed against a smooth, slick surface.
"Bring the light over."
Mana pointed her wand, keeping a fair distance from his face.
"It's a hilt."
"More than that, it's a sword," Atem hoisted the blade into his hands, holding it out. The hilt was decorated with shards of gold and blood-red stones. The blade itself had been tempered with an expert hand. Despite its older appearance, it was still sharp and glinted with unwavering craftsmanship.
"Wow, it's beautiful," Mana ran her hand over the top of the blade.
"I know this sword. These types of swords are made by the Royal blacksmith."
"How do you know?" Mana questioned, flinching back after the sharp side pinched her skin.
Atem stood up with the sword, now holding it in his open palms, "These types of blades can only be crafted at the palace and given to captains of the Royal Guard."
"No way! How did a farmer get his hands on this?"
Atem drifted into deep thought again for a few seconds then woke up, wrapping the sword in a blanket and carrying it with his left hand, "There's nothing here, next room."
The last room was Hesi's, the fragrance was strongest and it was filled with children's toys.
Mana picked up a stuffed toy in the shape of a cat, "Aww, it's so cute. I can't believe she would leave some of her possessions like this."
Atem's attention was on one of the walls, decorated with paintings and carvings.
"This one looks like me," He ran his fingers over the carving's curly eyes.
"There's papyrus everywhere too," Mana read a few of the scrolls, "Most of them are daily things like what food she'd like or how she's feeling."
"Any of them say where she went?" Atem walked along the wall, his hand bumping into a chiseled section; the Eye of Horus staring blankly at him.
The sound of furiously sweeping papyrus was the reply.
"Ka… Ah… Mit…"
Atem slowly picked out the individual words and vowels.
"Well, most of them said that she was thinking of leaving for a break, whatever that means," Mana chattered, eyes flicking back and forth through the hieroglyphs, "It's almost like they grabbed whatever they could and fled suddenly," She sighed in disappointment but quickly sucked it back up, "I look again, I might have missed something."
Atem's finger tips barely reached the etching of Ra and a sun-disked wearing cow beside it.
'They are born to hide…' His mother's words echoed in his head, "Everyone can hide, so what is this supposed to mean?" Puzzled, the prince sat down, sliding against the stone and putting both arms on top of his knees.
'Hiding… Hiding…' Atem thought, thinking that if he repeated the word the solution would just come to him. In that moment, the world disappeared around him. A memory of Atem running away from Mahad after trying to playfully steal the sorcerer's Millennium Ring. The images were clear as the water's surface, he could smell the hot air, hear the pounding of footsteps, and feel his heart thumping through his chest. If he remembered correctly, the small prince took refuge inside Mahad's temple behind a statue. Luckily, Mahad never even thought to look there and Atem was eventually able to… It hit him.
Jumping from the ground, Atem yanked Mana out of the room.
"Hey!" She protested, half-way tripping as he rushed her outside.
"Mana, we need to be silent. I have an idea."
Atem blew out Mana's flame and stomped away from the house they vacated moments ago, pulling their mount out of view, and waited behind a corner of another home.
Nothing happened at first. The streets remained silent, the wind nonexistent. Sweat beads dripped from Atem's right temple; his concentration unwavering.
Suddenly, a very faint glow came from one of the rooms.
A smile curled on Atem's lips.
Yasin kept his candle low to the ground, crawling around on the floor of his kitchen. His fingers fumbled with rubbish and dirt and found a basket filled with leeks and radishes. He turned on his knees back into his and Oma's room. Setting the flame down, he sat on his knees, searching for something else.
"Oh Mihos, where is it?" He whispered in a frustrated tone.
Yasin stood up, glimpsing the area, and lifted up the ceiling with a grunt. A cloud of dust and falling sand filled the air when a slab of rectangular stone groaned under the loss of weight. He reclaimed the candle, set it in the hole, and pulled his body using his upper arm strength.
"Nothing here… I set it down there…" His voice wavered; his eyes turning as far as his peripheral vision could go. Yasin backed up and slipped out of the secret compartment. He returned to the ground, flipped over his sleeping mat to reveal a wooden handled door. Wrapping the baskets of vegetables around his shoulders, Yasin dropped down into the hole in the floor, closing the door above him.
Wrapping a scarf over his mouth and nose, Yasin continued forward through the unpleasant stench in the man-made tunnel. The farmer walked in silence for sometime, his mind focused for any unusual movement and soon he arrived at a slit of light coming from above his head. He reached for another secret door. Yasin pushed on it very lightly to create a small crack and knocked on it three times with a long pause.
"Yasin?"
"It's me."
A pair of ebony hands opened the trap door with a swift yank.
"Did anyone follow you?" Hakim grabbed Yasin's upper arm and hauled him back to the surface.
"I don't think so, did anyone suspicious walk by?" Yasin asked, setting his goods in the kitchen.
"No, everything's been quiet," His friend opened the reed baskets, inspecting them for any rotten patches, "Although, the neighbors were stirred up earlier."
"From what?"
Hakim shrugged, taking a knife from his buckle and chopped up some leeks, "Can you start a fire? I want to make some soup for little Kamet."
Using two stones, Yasin clacked them together near the base of the wood.
"Hakim?"
The older man turned, acknowledging him.
"Thank you for bringing in my family, I just had a feeling about some things-"
Hakim stopped him midsentence, "Not a problem, we're all farmers here. We need to stick together since this is one big family," Hakim slapped his back, "Stop acting so somber too, you old soldier boy."
Yasin punched his arm, "Speaking of my girls, where are they?"
"Last time I checked, they were in the front room with the kids."
He walked past to the location and found Oma mending a skirt, her nimble but arthritic hands staying steady while the thread wove gracefully through the fabric.
"I'm back." Yasin crouched down, kissing her cheek.
Oma grinned, returning the action of affection, "I could hear you from here."
"How are you holding up?" His hand wrapped around her shoulders.
"Better now that our little girl is back. You should visit her, she's been waiting to see her father."
Yasin followed her instructions, limbs creaking under weight pressure, "I'm getting too old to bend down all the time."
"Oh Yasin, you're too old for anything!" A rather cackle-like voice answered in front of him.
"Good evening Libi,"
"And a gentleman as always," The fair-skinned woman pursued her lips, abruptly taking his hand and tracing his palm lines.
Yasin rolled his eyes, "My lines haven't changed, Libi."
"Nonsense, fate always changes. I could've sworn that line was over there yesterday."
Hakim had a unique or more like eccentric wife. Libi was a fair-skinned Babylonian, an entertainer who belonged to a group of gypsies. Her specialty was supposedly fortune-telling and hot-coal walking. With her traveling caravan, Libi visited Egypt to hopefully perform for the pharaoh but instead ended up entertaining for lower classmen where she met Hakim. One thing led to another and she stayed in Egypt to be him wife.
However, her habits didn't die so easily. Every morning, Libi would perform small magic tricks in public and earn a few coins. She especially had an obsession with partying too loud and drinking too much at a tavern. Yasin had to admit, she never failed to get people to laugh.
"By the way sweetie," Libi's hand flashed a fan of tiny stone tablets, "Would you like your fortune told?"
"No thank you, Libi. I'm just looking for Kamet."
"Ah, the young mute. She's in my son's room."
"I say again, I'm getting too old to go on treasure hunts," Yasin sighed, before walking off again.
"There's a storm!" Libi's son, Mered shifted a wooden boat in the air, "Row faster slaves!"
Kamet was next to him, rowing invisible oars and moving with the imaginary tide.
"Don't forget to put down the sails," Yasin piped up, strolling up to them.
Mered and Kamet perked up, "Hi Yasin, back from your pillage?"
"Indeed, I won without bloodshed," Kamet rushed to Yasin, jump hugging him around the waist, "It's nice to see you too." He stroked his daughter's greasy hair.
"I think it's time for both of you to go to sleep, Ra fell sometime ago."
Mered gave him a quirky stare, one that could rival his mother's, "I'm a full-grown man. I get to decide when I go to sleep," The boy yawned, releasing his breath in a heavy sigh.
"If you say so boy," Yasin shrugged, gesturing Kamet into another room filled with mats. However, she dug her heels into the floor, shaking her head at him.
"You have to sleep, little one," He gave her a quick look-over, "You look very tired, have you not been sleeping well?"
Kamet furiously jostled her head again, breathing in deeply to release a few pent-up notes.
"No, no more singing, they might hear you," Yasin hoisted Kamet into his arms while she looped her arms around his neck, rocking her back and forth just like how a baby would be. Later, he placed Kamet onto her mat and tucked her in with her ridiculously long robe.
"How about a story? The one about the Four Tribes from the Four Corners of Egypt?"
Kamet pulled her cover over her nose only leaving her two eyes peeking at him.
"Since the beginning, at the time when the mighty Pharaohs began to rule Egypt…" He began but was interrupted.
"Hey! What are you kids doing in here?" Libi's voice squealed loud enough for people outside to hear.
"Wait here," Yasin commanded firmly, his hand twitching toward a sheath near his waist. With his body spread across the wall, he slinked forward in smooth motions, becoming part of his surroundings; he listened when he was in ear-shot.
"Please!" A high-pitched, giddy girl exclaimed, "It's an emergency!"
"We came here looking for Hesi, my mother's sick and we need her help."
Yasin stalled, knowing who belonged to the voice. It took all of his strength not to retreat to Kamet and hide her in the secret tunnel.
"Slow down, how do we help the Queen?"
The two intruding children rapidly explained the situation, both telling the same story, Kamet had to sing for her.
"If she sings, my mother will get better."
"My daughter will do no such thing," Yasin's warrior-like voice came from behind his wall, revealing himself with a knife perched precariously in his palm, tossing it up and down.
"Darling…" Oma approached him up front, setting a hand on his armed hand.
"She is not a… "Chantress" as you put the term. Hesi is a normal child. A mute, nothing more or less," Yasin put it simply, leaving no room for argument, "Leave this place before I get really angry."
Atem and Mana gazed in fright at the intimidating glare he gave the two of them.
"Th-Those scars," The prince pointed to his lower legs and exposed chest, "You got those in the war, didn't you?"
Yasin wavered, grip tightening on the hilt, "You mean the war where the pharaoh called upon the shadow monsters, winning the war, but unleashing a new evil on Egypt? Then yes, I did." Yasin barely breathed throughout his explanation, leaving him panting.
Atem puffed out his chest, standing prouder. He conjured a wrapped package and unraveled it to reveal the blood-stoned sword.
Yasin stared in disbelief, "My- my…"
"A soldier never leaves without his sword, especially when he is Captain Yasin, commander of the entire Royal Guard." Atem kneeled down, offering up the sword.
Yasin sheathed his knife and ambled his way to the prince, his hands trembled with anticipation. It had been so long since he wielded his prized possession, the way the sword contoured to his arm strength, its sweeping slash looked like an interpretive dance, and when it sliced open its enemies, they always fell with shocked, terrified eyes. Oh, how he remembered the days when he would travel anywhere with his friend, a constant company that would never fail to disappoint. What the captain wouldn't give for a real battle with his trustworthy comrade.
"My father spoke highly about you. Even after you retired, you and your sword were always brought up at talks," Atem bowed his head, honored to be formally introduced to a famous person in Egypt's history.
"Thank you, Prince. I don't know what I'd do without him," Yasin bowed using his entire body, left foot out to face the prince.
"Hesi!" Atem shouted with delight, now focusing on the girl who was steadily lumbering toward the crowd.
"K- Hesi, I ordered you to stay in your room," Yasin snapped, eyes following her footsteps.
Kamet half-heartedly responded by merely moving her head before being smothered with hugs by her friends.
"Hesi we were all so worried about you! We thought you had disappeared forever!" Mana fussed over, "You don't look so good either…"
Atem nodded, checking her eyes and feeling her forehead, "Mana's right, you look awful," He acknowledged Yasin, "We need to get her to a healer at my palace right away."
Yasin scooped Kamet into his arms again, "I'm perfectly capable of caring for my daughter."
"You obviously don't. Just look at her!" Mana accused, wand pointing at her.
To humor the child, Yasin took a detailed scan of her. At first, he could see nothing but a confused but healthy-looking girl. The one he saw all the time, but this Kamet was different. There was something underneath, almost like a thick layer of mist coating what was really there. Kamet looked almost dead. It was unreal the way her hair turned into split-straw pieces, her olive skin emitted an unhealthy glow, and her pure, glorious eyes seem to scream out in agony and desperation.
"By the Gods…" Yasin gasped, pulling Kamet's head into his neck, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! I've disgraced you, child," He whispered a few words into her ears, inaudible to the other sin the room while squishing his eyes tight to keep the tears from coming out.
"My young prince," He addressed Atem, "I will only let her go on one condition. I am allowed to stay with her no matter where she goes."
It was clearly non-negotiable.
"I'd never deny a request like that."
Mana cut in between the two, "We can't wait anymore, we have to go now!"
Outside, Oma wrapped a shivering Kamet tighter with her robe and kissed her on the cheek, "May the Gods protect you all,"
"We will be back," Yasin firmly nodded once, carrying Kamet with both arms, "I won't fail you again. Just hold on."
Kamet didn't accede to any of the voices while she was hoisted onto Atem's horse, her body slouching forward into the stallion's neck. It wasn't long until Kamet passed out, resting her head on the steed's bulging muscles as it galloped.
A/N
Enjoy this longer chapter! Feel free to give me feedback. Until then, see everybody next week :)