As soon as Shimon entered Yami's suite, he went over and without a word poured himself a glass of wine, drank it straight off. "I'd hoped," he said heavily, "that I would die a very old man, seeing you well settled on the throne, with a wife and a child or even children. Twins do run in your family. That would have been the happiest memory that I could possibly carry with me into the Afterlife. I fear I will not have that blessing."
"I think it well past time for an explanation." Yami faced the old man squarely. "Shimon, we've known you for years. You have served in the Royal House since you yourself were small. My father trusted you implicitly, as did his father before him, and as I'm sure he meant me to trust you. What secrets do you hold that give you such despair?"
Shimon sat, staring at the floor for several seconds before finally looking up. In just those few seconds it seemed the weight of all of his years had fully settled on him, leaving him looking small and weary. "It begins with the war," he said, "which as you know began shortly before your birth, my Pharaoh. Ours has always been a kingdom founded on peace and enlightenment. None believed in that more than your father. To that end, he would not keep more than the smallest of standing troops, because he wished to meet all who came to our lands in friendship. That was to be his undoing.
"When the nations to the west and south of us began to cast their eyes upon our lands, the nomarchs of Upper Egypt, the Thebans, began to grow restless as well. They believed that your father should immediately raise armies to drive back and lay waste to all who would dare to threaten us. They found a ready advocate in your uncle, Aknadin. He too felt that only a strong show of force would suffice to settle the matter. He and your father were twins, but Akunamkanon was born first. It was he who would ascend the throne, and Aknadin who would serve as his High Priest, his most trusted advisor."
"Even as Seto serves now."
"Even so. The two brothers were close from childhood, but none of us imagined that Aknadin held a darker nature than his brother. We had no idea the depths to which he would go in order to protect this kingdom.
"When Akunamkanon refused the nomarchs, they vowed to take his throne from him, set one of their own in his place, and carry on with their plans of violence. Your father sought to reconcile with them, to find some other means of defending his kingdom, and could find none... Until..."
"The Shadow Monsters." Kage leaned on one wall. "Well, you have to admit, it's an elegant solution. Draw forth spirits from the darkness within us all, and turn them into engines of warfare. Let them do all the fighting for us, since there is no force on Earth that can stop them save for another such spirit creature. Any commander seeing that as his opposition would be sure to think twice." He shook the Ring. "So Pharaoh Akunamkanon had these created?"
Shimon's face twisted. "No," he whispered. "Akunamkanon was horrified when he learned of the Millennium Items. His first impulse was to have them destroyed; that proved to be impossible. Faced with the necessity of protecting his kingdom, and with the knowledge that these artifacts were too dangerous to be left unattended, he resolved to give them to men and women of his own choosing whom he felt had the strength of spirit and heart to bear their burden. I am certain that knowing he would have to leave their caretaking to you, Atem, hastened his death. He never wished this evil to haunt you as it haunted him."
"If he didn't order them crafted, then-" Seto stopped. "Father?"
"Yes, Seto. It was your father. I was there the day he came to Akunamkanon and told him he'd come across an ancient text of black magic. It was long untranslated; the dust lay thick on its leaves. Drawn to it, he pored over it night after night, and finally deciphered just enough of its incantations to realize it held a recipe for the forging of mystical items, items of unparalleled power. These could be used to defend our people, since Akunamkanon refused to even entertain the idea that the nomarchs were correct in their attitude.
"Aknadin assured his brother that he could craft these items speedily, and in a moment of weakness, Akunamkanon agreed. What Aknadin did not mention was the terrible price that the forging of these items demanded. That he kept to himself." Shimon poured another glass of wine and drained it.
Atem knelt besides the chair, took one of Shimon's hands in his own. "Go on, grandfather," he said softly, "tell us. Unburden yourself."
"You had just been born," Shimon continued. "Your mother, Queen Nefertari, struggled to bring you into the world, and passed away leaving you in your father's arms. I think that was what left your father vulnerable to his brother's suggestions; his reason was clouded by his grief.
"Aknadin took his men and rode into the plains, out into the desert, until he found a small village called Kul Elna. It was long known to be the habitat of thieves and graverobbers, and Aknadin felt sure that no one would object to what happened next, even if they learned of it.
"He ordered his men to slaughter each and every person in the village. From oldest to youngest, none were spared. Ninety-nine lives were lost that night, and their blood, their flesh, was poured into the ritual, into the crucibles, into the forging of the seven Millennium Items. It would have been a hundred, save that somehow Akunamkanon learned of his brother's treachery. Perhaps Khonsu, The Traveler, whispered in his ear that evil deeds were being done. He took his guard and followed to Kul Elna, arriving just in time to save one person. One small boy." Tears rolled down Shimon's face as he looked in Kage's direction. "That boy, Bakura, was you."
The color drained from Kage's face. Slowly he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, gazing into nothingness. "My village? My friends? My family? Aknadin killed them all?"
"Brother!" Atem stood and walked quickly over to kneel by Kage. "I'm sorry-" he put one hand to Kage's shoulder and immediately had it struck off.
"Don't touch me," Kage snarled, "this is your father's-" he halted. "No, I can't. I cannot blame the man who raised me as if I were his own. Still less can I bear the one I grew up beside any ill-will." He clasped Yami's hand in both of his, pressed it briefly to his forehead. "I'm sorry. That cut deeper than I imagined anything ever could."
"I can hardly believe this," Seto breathed. "I've always been told that my father was a great man who was lost in battle. He is a murderer? A blood mage?"
"Forgive me, Seto. And forgive your uncle as well," Shimon said. "He thought it better to let people think that Aknadin died a noble death rather than have you and your mother live with the shame of his deeds.
"Your father was banished the very night he created the Millennium Items. He freely admitted what he'd done, was proud of it. He seemed to believe that his brother would welcome him with open arms and praise him for saving the kingdom with his bold action. Instead, Akunamkanon himself stripped the robes from Aknadin and whipped him out into the desert, condemning him, telling him that he should never return to the city under pain of death."
"We know what became of the Millennium Items." Seto's face was grim. "What of the accursed text that told of their making?"
"That I don't know, Master Seto. The Pharaoh took it, but whether he destroyed it or simply hid it away none but he could tell."
"Why has he returned now?" Kage got up, began to pace restlessly. "What does he want, reconciliation?"
"I doubt it." Yami shook his head. "His words held hidden meanings, none of them friendly."
"Then let me go to him, my Pharaoh," suggested Seto. "I'll speak to him at length- perfectly natural I'd want to. Whatever he's planning, I'll unearth it."
"All right, Seto. Be careful. I'm inclined to believe your dreams were a warning about this man's arrival."
"It makes sense, given what Shimon's told us." Seto dropped a hand on the old man's shoulder in passing. "Thank you for the truth. Your heart's as honorable as always."