Chapter 11: Shipwrecked

"What?!" Sadie bellowed as she tore the papyrus from Setne's hands. The ghost blinked in confusion and shook his head. To Sadie's amazement, she scanned the lines of the text but to her dismay, discovered that she couldn't read them. "I can't read this!" She announced in a high pitch voice. This revelation shook Carter. Sadie had pretty much always been able to read everything they had come across, except for the names of the pharaohs protected inside the magical rope of a cartouche.

"Let me see," Mahaad said firmly and Sadie mutely handed him the note. "I can't believe this!" She ranted as he began to examine the writing. "This is in demotic," Mahaad noted. He made a disgusted face which was very uncharacteristic for him. "And bad demotic. Whoever wrote this was poorly educated. This is horrible," he said. As soon as he finished reading, he allowed the papyrus to drop to the floor and his expression hardened, and he flared his nostrils in anger. "What did it say?" The Pharaoh commanded sharply. Mahaad meet his king's gaze. "It was a note written by none other than the Tomb Robber," he spat. Yami narrowed his eyes. "Mahaad, that is not possible. Bakura lived during our time and Ramses II and consequently his son, lived almost a hundred years after we did. How could he have stolen something like this?" Yami demanded.

"He was trapped in the Ring, the same time you were sealed. He used his influence on some new host apparently, and stole the Book of Thoth," Mahaad explained. For further emphasis he handed Yami the note and the king quickly read it over. The Kane siblings watched the interchange with interest. "Um, guys. What is going on? Who is the Tomb Robber?" Sadie asked, folding her arms. She didn't like being out of the loop. "I'll explain in a moment," the Pharaoh turned to look at her briefly before returning his attention to the magician. "The most important question remains, where is the Book now?" Mahaad turned to look at the papyrus still clutched in the Pharaoh's hands. "The Tomb Robber stole it and took it to a place he thought no one would ever find it again. He took it to Kul Elna," Mahaad said heavily.

Yami rubbed his temples, as a feeling of dread washed over him. /Kul Elna! That place gives me the creeps!/

/I know Yugi. I don't want to go back their either./ Yugi saw Yami's mental image of his father sacrificing himself so his son and others could escape. Yugi sent reassurance down the link.

/We'll beat this threat, just like we always do./

/Thank you, Yugi./

"We must head there at once," the Pharaoh said, even though it was clear he didn't want to go anywhere near that place. The Pharaoh handed Carter the sheet of papyrus, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, his knuckles white. "Couldn't we just summon the Thief and force him to get the Book for us?" Mahaad asked. The Pharaoh shook his head in response. "Bakura isn't someone who can be forced," Yami replied. Ishizu looked around them worriedly. "Carter, I'm only going to say this once. So listen up. The Thief, who stole the book, was a Tomb Robber who raided tombs during my reign as pharaoh. As punishment, he was sealed inside a golden object called the Ring. He, as a spirit was able to influence other people to do his bidding, including stealing the Book of Thoth."

"Carter's ship is still damaged. We'll have to drag it along behind us," Ishizu said, drawing everyone's attention. Carter summoned the captain of the Egyptian Queen, and gave him orders to tie the Queen to the Pharaoh's barge. The demon bowed and ran off to do as he was told.

"We have to be careful," Carter said as everyone started boarding the Pharaoh's ship. "Set told us that there were hundreds of demons in the water, looking for us. They want to stop us," he said as he looked out in the Nile's blue green waters uneasily. "We'll be alright Carter," Mahaad reassured from behind him. "How can you be so sure?" he asked the question on his mind, even surprising himself. Mahaad smiled. "Believe it or not, I've been in worse situations than this one at the moment," he said smiling faintly. Carter looked a bit more hopeful. "You'll have to tell me sometime." Mahaad nodded. "I would love to," he affirmed. A sudden thought occurred to the teen. "If the Pharaoh was reincarnated into a Japanese boy, how did you get here?" Mahaad was spared from giving his reply, by the Pharaoh. "Mahaad, I need your help." The spiky haired teen was struggling to lift the gangplank and Mahaad rushed to his side to help him.

The ship set off and Mahaad took up his place at the back, steering with the oar. Ishizu stood a few feet away gazing over the side, at the calm current that was carrying them along. It was picture perfect and they should have known it was too good to last.

Without warning the wind picked up and the water began to churn beneath them. "What is going on?" Sadie demanded. Setne just cackled. "Look at the bright side, you'll die before Doomsday!. It is really a fun experience!' Setne said. "Shut up!" Carter snarled at the ghost. Yami took charge and began giving Mahaad orders, since he actually understood how a ship was supposed to operate. But as their luck would have it, the storm kept getting worse. The rain started pouring over the boat, making the deck wet and soaking all of them to the bone.

Ishizu and the others began bailing water out with a few empty clay jars they found on board. "Throw everything that isn't necessary off board!" Yami ordered. They began throwing all of the extra boxes and random other things over the side of the ship to lighten the load. The ship was still taking on water. All of the sudden it all seemed lost. "We're sinking!" Sadie shrieked over the howling wind. "Hold on!" The Pharaoh cried, almost yelling himself hoarse so he could be heard above the roar of the wind.

The boat got lower and lower in the water until it sank. Everyone was thrown into the water. The Pharaoh surfaced and started treading water, anxiously scanning the turbulent water for signs of his friends. The Pharaoh's blood ran cold as he saw something scaly in the water below him. A demon might have helped their ship to go down. Sadie surfaced next, and then the others emerged a few moments later. Setne looked miffed at their situation. "That was stupid! Look what you did, our boat sank!" he ranted.

Suddenly a giant wave loomed over them. Mahaad's heart was gripped with fear as the huge wave came down on top of them. He struggled against the water pushing him down, but he began to lose conciseness. He vision began to fade to black and he knew no more.

Mahaad opened his eyes slowly and saw the Pharaoh standing over him. Mahaad turned on his side and threw up the water that was in his stomach. He still looked a little green. "Are you alright?' the Pharaoh asked him, helping the magician into a sitting position. "What are we?" Mahaad asked in shock as he looked around at the sandy beach around him. There was no sign of the storm that had arisen so suddenly, and almost killed them all. "I don't know," Ishizu answered him from Mahaad's left side and she made her way over to him. Carter and Sadie were getting a better look at their surroundings; Zia was wringing the water out of her hair. Setne looked out at the water before them with a forlorn expression, pouting and lamenting the fact that they all hadn't all just died.

"I don't know,"Ishizu answered him. "But it appears we are on an island," she asserted. They spent the next little while scouting out the interior of the island. They found some food and water to their delight. "I feel like I'm in the Shadow Realm," Mahaad told the Pharaoh in Egyptian, from the back of the pack. That instantly made the Pharaoh nervous and he looked around at the surrounding trees as if something might attack them. "I feel like time flows differently here, than it does in the mortal realm. The way the storm came out of nowhere does not bode well for ma'at," the magician explained. The Pharaoh nodded to show he heard.

The sun was in a different position than it had been when they had first emerged from the serapum. It was now low in the sky. "We have no choice but to set up camp. We can't find our boat or build a new one in the dark," Carter acknowledged. Mahaad was too polite to point out that their chances of finding either boat were slim, considering the fact that the Pharaoh's barge had sunk. They didn't know the fate of the Egyptian Queen. The others reluctantly agreed to set up camp. Zia watched Setne like a hawk as they set out gathering supplies. Soon Mahaad had a nice campfire going. Yami was in charge of gathering food while Carter and Sadie set up a hut for them to stay in for the night. The Pharaoh came back with an armful of fruit he had picked. "Yugi said he wanted some figs, pomegranates, and grapes" the Pharaoh said by way of explanation.

Carter switched and took guard duty from Zia who went into the trees to gather more fruit for their group to eat. The Pharaoh sent Mahaad to find some water. The priest found some and brought it back in a clay vessel that had survived the trip with them. "The spring is just a little ways into the tree line," he reported as he set the pitcher down near the campfire. He sat down near the Pharaoh and Ishizu who were warming themselves by the fire. "This unsettles me," Ishizu admitted. "There is just something odd about this place. We get shipwrecked and land on an island paradise. It sounds too good to be true." Mahaad nodded as his blue eyes swept over their surroundings. "I know. It unsettles me as well. But it has to be for some reason that this happened to us. It is the gods' will for us," Mahaad said. Ishizu nodded, not as confident as Mahaad was at this conclusion.

As the blackness of the night overtook them, the others came back from gathering food and they ate dinner together. Everyone with the exception of Setne was given some grapes, two pomegranates and several figs. Mahaad was happy that this was all food he not only recognized but actually enjoyed. Even after the meal was finished, he sucked on some of the pomegranate seeds and savored the taste that still clung to his mouth.

Everyone else turned in to go to bed. "With my Pharaoh's permission, I would like to stand guard and update the star charts," Mahaad said, looking at the teen for permission. The Pharaoh was currently reclining on the beach, with his hands interlaced behind his head. At Mahaad's words, he cracked an eye open, and smiled playfully. "How can you stand guard if you are busy updating the charts?" he asked. The Pharaoh didn't give him a chance to say anything. "I will help you with the charts. Everyone else should get some sleep," he said. Carter and Zia were grateful. "Besides someone needs to keep an eye on Setne," Zia said. The ghost didn't say anything in response. Setne just laid down at the end of the row after he combed his hair for the last time.

The two Egyptians remained awake as everyone else drifted off. Even Yugi went to sleep in his soul room. Mahaad removed the papyrus he needed from the Duat as well as an ink palette and a reed pen. "If we can get a good read on where the stars are, we should be able to figure out where we are," Mahaad explained. "You mean, you don't think we are on the Nile?" Yami asked, in surprise. Mahaad shook his head. "We should be able to see the banks of the Nile on either side of us, but there is nothing but water," Mahaad said darkly. "That is true, but how could we have gotten here?"

"Someone sent us here, and I think we are going to find out soon, the reason behind it."

Mahaad pulled out a plumb line from his bag, and the Pharaoh extended his hand and Mahaad mutely handed it over. The Pharaoh held it up so Mahaad would have a straight line to use while he made his calculations. They worked for about two hours. "You should go to sleep my king. You need your rest," Mahaad encouraged. Yami was tired enough, he didn't protest. "I will, but you will wake me up in two hours when your watch is over," the Pharaoh responded and walked away to join the others in the makeshift hut. True to his word, two hours later Mahaad gently shook the Pharaoh, who stirred and sat up before joining Mahaad on the beach.

"I will stay up with you my king," Mahaad said. "No," the Pharaoh said flatly. Mahaad looked crestfallen. "Mahaad, there are four watches, and we only discussed you and I staying up for them. I won't have you stay away all night. You need sleep too. I will wake you up after my watch is over. Now go to bed," the Pharaoh said firmly. Mahaad looked like he might say something but decided against it. He simply inclined his head respectfully, and went and laid down. It seemed like only a few minutes before Yami shook Mahaad awake. "I'm sorry to disturb you my friend, but it is time." Mahaad smiled weakly and took his Pharaoh's place standing guard. "I will wake Lady Ishtar for the final watch, my Pharaoh," Mahaad said, unwilling to let his king only get four hours of sleep. "We didn't discuss this with her before," the Pharaoh said frowning. "I know, but she wouldn't want you to get so little sleep." The Pharaoh humored the magician with a smile. "Mahaad, Yugi is a teenage boy. He doesn't get very much sleep to begin with. But I can see that you want to be alone with Ishizu, so I will relent and let you wake her up," he said smiling mischievously before walking away, leaving a blushing priest behind.

Mahaad woke Ishizu four hours later. She stirred and her eyes fluttered. Upon seeing Mahaad kneeling next to her, she slowly sat up and looked around. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "Yes, I was just hoping you could take the last watch. Pharaoh offered to take another one, but I talked him out of it," Mahaad made a face. "I'm sure that must have been hard. The Pharaoh isn't one to be easily dissuaded," she said. Mahaad brushed it off, with a wave of his hand. Ishizu joined him on the beach a few feet away from camp and they sat together in the sand. Mahaad moved closer to Ishizu and put his arm around her. She cuddled up to him in response, both enjoying the warmth that the other provided.

Ishizu grabbed his hand and interlaced her long slender fingers with his. His hands were bigger than hers and he grasped hers too. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close to him. They could feel the other's heartbeat, at odds with the other. Mahaad relaxed, and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment on the beach with her.

"I am glad the Pharaoh gave you his permission," Ishizu whispered. "Me too," Mahaad agreed. They remained in one another's arms for awhile. "I had better get some more sleep. Pharaoh will be displeased with me if he finds out I disobeyed him and stayed up," Mahaad said sadly. Ishizu gave him a reassuring squeeze through their clasped hands. "I understand. Go. We don't want to deal with an angry Pharaoh in the morning," she coaxed him. As he moved to stand up, she stood with him.

Ishizu didn't drop his hand, but she stepped closer to him, and stepped on her tiptoes. She could see his warm kind expression as he looked at her fondly. She gave him a peck on the cheek, before stepping back and releasing his hand. "Good night, Mahaad," she said. "Good night," he replied. As he walked back to their hut, he touched the spot where Ishizu had kissed him and smiled before laying down and closing his eyes.

The world might end in a few days, but would die a happy man, if it did.

He didn't want to get up the next morning when the sun rose. He shut his eyes tighter against the offending light. "Mahaad, it is time to get up," Yami's voice broke through his thoughts. Mahaad opened his eyes and discovered to his horror that everyone else was already awake and eating breakfast. He quickly got up and apologized for oversleeping. "Ur hehen wenwetw uja? How late did you stay up?" the Pharaoh asked casually as he handed the magician his rations for breakfast. "Pesesh het res," Until halfway through the last watch," he admitted. The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "Pa hebed wi. This displeases me,"

"Mer-ib-eni Per-aai," Have compassion on me, my Pharaoh. Mahaad hung his head. "Iry, Yes. Hetepi Mahaad. em-Heper ky ahaw," I will have compassion Mahaad. Do not let it happen again. The Pharaoh had used command form with him, and Mahaad knew it. "Iry, Per-aai," Yes, my Pharaoh.

"Ki set heper, Ink hesefek. If it happens, I will punish you."

"Iry Per-aai."

They walked in silence for awhile. No one else talked either as they ventured further inland. They passed by a lot of food which made Mahaad uneasy again. "We should offer sacrifice," Mahaad said randomly. Ishizu who was walking next to him, looked at him. "We could have been killed yesterday," Yami nodded his agreement. "We should. Gather some fruit and we'll take it back to the beach." They did and Mahaad lit a new fire, claiming that the one they had used the previous night wasn't fit for burnt offerings.

Mahaad took some of the food they had collected and carefully put it in the flames. The assembled group watched as the flames licked it and eventually consumed it. Even Setne was impressed. None of them were prepared for what happened next. There was a rumbling sound that shook the ground under them, causing all of them to fall to the ground. The trees waved in the wind like paper. "What is going on?" Sadie demanded. No one answered her. The wind was too strong.

All at once the shaking stopped, and the group found themselves face to face with a very long snake. It was made of gold and had lapis lazuli for eyes and eyebrows, it also had a beard. Mahaad remained on the ground although he shifted his position into a more respectful bow. The Pharaoh knelt as well. He recognized the serpent, as he was sure Mahaad, and Setne did as well. "What is that?/" Zia asked. The question raked across the Pharaoh's ears, and he felt his stomach tighten. That was a massive breech in protocol to speak out of turn. The serpent snorted. "Silence mortal," the ground shook slightly at the power of his voice. Zia wisely shut up. "What brought you here?" the serpent demanded. None of them answered him. The serpent hissed in displeasure. "I will ask you only one more time. What has brought you here? Why are you on my island?" The Pharaoh tried to control his nerves as he spoke. "My lord, we were brought here by a wave of the sea. We did not intend to intrude on your domain," the Pharaoh said, his eyes still fixed on the ground at his feet. There was silence for a moment while the serpent considered this. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Pharaoh of Egypt," Yami replied calmly. The snake hissed in surprise. "I remember one of your people came to my island a long time ago, Pharaoh. He promised to remember me. Can you tell me how he well he kept his promise?" the snake asked. The Pharaoh snuck a look at Mahaad who was unhelpfully fully prostrate, and was thus not able to catch the Pharaoh's eye. The Pharaoh closed his eyes and a memory came over him.

In the memory Mahaad was seated with him in the library, with a scroll unrolled on his lap. Mahaad was reciting the Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor, for his homework. The Pharaoh fondly remembered Mahaad's soothing voice recounting the tale of the Sailor. Yami thought to the end of the story, where he hadn't paid much attention. The man had returned to Egypt and been rewarded by the king, he hadn't really paid attention if the serpent had even received his end of the deal.

"Yes, you were honored in Egypt," the Pharaoh replied. The snake nodded. "So I was," the snake confirmed. The snake looked at the rest of the group and his gaze rested on Setne. "What is the ghost doing here?" the snake demanded angrily. The Pharaoh knew that he and everyone else had to be very careful or they might never make it off this island. "He is a prisoner given to us by Lord Osiris. He is helping us locate the Book of Thoth." Yami explained.

"It is too dangerous for mortals to have the Book of Thoth. Perhaps this is why you were brought to my island so that I could destroy you," the snake said. "I could make to become ashes," he said in a contemplative voice. "My lord, I do not wish to know myself," Mahaad replied without raising his head. The snake hissed. "That is the same thing the Sailor said to me, the first time. You are wise, nejes. Little man. I think I will have mercy on all of you. I believe your story," he said.

Mahaad could hardly believe their luck. "I will aid you in the fight you have ahead of you with the Evil Serpent," the snake god said. "Thank you, my lord," Yami said fervently. "I will even send you where you need to go. I now you are going to the accursed thieves' village of Kul Elna. I will take you there." As custom dictated, they were all given provisions for the journey. The snake blew out his breath over them and they promptly passed out.

When Mahaad awoke, he found himself on the west bank of the Nile. The first thing he noticed, is that the felt like they were back in the mortal world. Time was flowing normally again. It was still early morning and the sun was in front of them, as they were on the west bank of the Nile. The thieves had been cursed not only because they robbed tombs, but they lived in the realm of the dead themselves.

The ruins of the village lay behind them. Mahaad turned around and he was instantly nervous. The place had unsettled him the first time he had been here, but now it made him even more nervous. He knew that one of the most powerful books ever written was somewhere in the accursed city of thieves. They would not give up their secrets easily. The buildings themselves were still miraculously partially intact, even after all the years that had passed. Even the ruins at Amarna had collapsed more than these had. That further unsettled Mahaad, the ruins really were cursed.

Yami gathered everyone together and the urged them to move cautiously forward. They had no idea what they might encounter, and it was unspoken among them, that they were walking head first into a very dangerous trap.

Author's Notes;

Please review! I like knowing what you guys think about this story, and I'm open to suggestions!