Soaring over Nile
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Please read Author's Note
The afternoon was already dawning as Atem finished another day's work. Time seemed to pass so quickly sitting with King Aeneas and his family. Of course, Alysa and Charissa were not exactly participating in the monarchs' discussion but Atem had already arranged for maids to provide entertainment.
"Oh yes, the taxes must be high," Aeneas had been booming with his hearty voice, taking another swig of wine, "But with such an advanced society such as ours, the monarchy can be assured several centuries of successful ruling."
It was then the King had winked at Atem. Atem had followed his gaze and was confused to find the King looking from Alysa to him and back again. He had been trying to control a little of the red creeping up his cheeks, realizing what the King meant.
"Sometimes, a little alliance can't hurt," the King had finished with a cheerful chortle, "You seem to be quite taken with my little Princess."
"Father, that is simply absurd," Alysa had smiled at him, "The Pharaoh should marry one of his own blood."
"Getting a little too old aren't we?" Aeneas had laughed, patting Atem on the back and forgetting all formalities, "Eighteen summers are we now and still no bride? You ought to have married six summers ago."
He had tried to keep a level tone, "Father promised me I would be able to choose. He never said anything about age."
"You'll have the palace swarming with children soon," Aeneas had said wisely, cheeks rather red, "But you should still take a few concubines. We have to preserve the Royal family don't we?"
It was then Charissa had intervened and had reprimanded her husband for his vulgar behaviour. The Queen had virtually dragged her husband out with several apologies to Atem and Alysa had followed them, throwing the still blushing Pharaoh an abashed grin.
But what King Aeneas said was true, Atem thought as he paced silently in his chambers, I am already eighteen summers and well past the age of marriage.
He frowned as his mind and heart began another debate. The idea of concubines…it just seems so fake! To marry is for love…not for blood or descendants…right?
Of course it wasn't. Pharaohs married for support and new land, support and money and all such, as were the customs. But his father had always told him to marry for love. It was just his father never told him he'd have to wait for so long…
But who did he love? Suddenly, an image of two narrowed eyes flitted into his mind. After that, there was a series of disordered pictures, flashes of gold and grey…and a figure… Atem blinked and was suddenly facing the walls of his chambers again.
Shaking his head slightly, the Pharaoh settled down for a rest. It was Isis, afterall, who was good at interpreting those things.
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It was definitely an oasis. Seth stared at the patch of crimson until his eyes began to water and the red and yellow picture began to blur. Blinking, the High Priest sank to his knees in front of the sand, feeling dizzy.
"Seth? What happened?"
Mahaado and Isis were behind him, Mana and the two servants in tow. Seth shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of foreboding in his mind. Why? There was just a patch of crimson in the sand!
"The blood could have been an animal's blood," Mahaado voiced his thoughts, sounding rather hesitant, "And there isn't a lot…"
His voice trailed off uncertainly. Seth gritted his teeth, wanting to believe the magician. But something told him there was more than that. Why else had the horses stopped dead at this particular oasis and refused to move?
"What is that?" Isis asked suddenly, pointing to the sand in front of Seth. Shuddering a little as he brushed away the crimson-dyed sand, Seth pulled out something brown. His eyes widened as he traced the outline of a bird.
It looked awfully familiar…
There was a sudden screech in the sky as a bird descended to them, shadowed by the setting sun. Seth dropped the necklace. There was a movement in front of Seth and the High Priest rose quickly to his feet. He tried to rub the crimson off his fingers but the blood stayed…it was…sticky.
"It's still wet!" Seth exclaimed, feeling the foreboding getting even stronger as his heart dropped with anxiety.
"Isn't that Paki?" Mana exclaimed.
"Paki?" Isis murmured worriedly, "Who is Paki?"
"Amuenet's friend's pet," Mana stammered, eyes wide, "What…what is he doing here?"
There was a snort and everyone jumped before realizing a dappled grey stallion was making its way to them. Seth glared at the stallion suspiciously as the falcon landed and perched ontop the stallion.
The falcon screeched several times, fluttering its wings and looking very distressed. It circled above the group, screeching worriedly. Seth scowled; the continuous screeching was annoying. But Mana walked forward worriedly, wincing as the falcon grazed her outstretched arm in his panic.
"Paki…wants to tell us something…" Mana murmured, as though in a strange trance.
The falcon screeched an affirmative and took off, wheeling in the sky and screeching. Seth scowled but obediently mounted his horse as the rest did the same. It really tugged at his pride to follow a bird but the bird was the best hope they had.
I hope she's alright, Seth thought grimly.
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It was dark. That was the, rather simplistic, thought that ran first through Amuenet's stream of consciousness. No, she didn't think of the exhausting battle that had taken place just before. And no, she didn't consider the fact thick ropes bound her to something uncomfortable, damp and hard. No, it was dark. And that was all that mattered.
Amuenet bit her lip until it hurt. Her entire body felt sapped of energy, purpose and will. Her hair was in a wild tangle; a mix of sand, dirt and water had become embedded in them. She was certain her face was no sight to behold either.
Before she had a chance to utter a stream of profanities, a wave of water washed over her face. Choking and spluttering, she squeezed her eyes shut until the stinging sensation of salty water had passed her eyes. Still, it was hard to open her eyes and even harder to adjust to the darkness.
"I was already awake," she grumbled out loud.
"Be thankful for that since that just was your only water for the day," Bakura's sardonic voice echoed strangely.
"And where are we exactly?" Amuenet asked, trying her best to maintain a bored, uninterested tone.
"In the desert," Bakura replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the word, "I knew you were idiotic but not this idiotic."
"You are not exactly a genius yourself," she shot back.
The Thief King laughed as though what she had said was the most amusing thing in the world. Even more infuriated now, Amuenet struggled to free her hands of its bonds. Her firmly bound fingers grasped the empty space her dagger usually went. Amuenet scowled at the Thief King, hoping to at least unnerve him.
"What do you want?" Amuenet snapped impatiently.
"Good question," Bakura said airily, "I want your ka."
"I thought that was what Akunadin and Neema wanted," Amuenet muttered and then added, in what she hoped to be a sarcastic tone, "I seem to be rather popular today."
"Well I suppose," Bakura said comfortably as though he and Amuenet were having a pleasant chat at a tea party, "Of course, only in the aspect of power. Now that little Princess Alysa"- he smiled, showing rather long, white teeth- "…appealing."
Rolling her eyes, although Bakura probably couldn't see them in the dark, Amuenet groaned. "Don't tell me the Thief King, of all people, could fall for Alysa too."
"Oh no, I think she's an airheaded brat," Bakura corrected.
"So we do agree on something," Amuenet cut in, a scowl on her face.
"It is merely the money," the white-haired thief said, grinning like a cat full of canary, "How much her parents would pay for ransom."
His greedy smile widened. "And we haven't even begun to consider what the idiot of a Pharaoh would give."
"Leave the Pharaoh out of this!" her loyalty blurted out sharply.
"Oh, have I hit a nerve? Life is unfair," Bakura suggested innocently and shrugged, "No matter, your life will be no more in a while. After I extract your ka, you're worthless like the rest of them."
Amuenet glared daggers at the Thief King as she struggled to make her fingers work around the knots. She looped a finger around the rope and struggled to pull. She was going to get out!
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Atem sighed, feeling another throbbing migraine in his head. He was half in mind to call a servant when the flashing sequence happened again. Groaning a little, he lay his head back and winced as the flashes hit him.
Another flash of gold and a despairing note; a shattering sound; a stallion's shrill whinny and a falcon's screech, echoing; a blurry figure tied up; and a flash of defiant brown eyes…
Atem's eyes shot open in wide alarm. Those eyes were so familiar! Who-? Who…who was it? Oh, why couldn't he think? Burying his face in his hands, Atem tried to make head or tail of the strange flashes. Where was Isis when you needed her?
"My Pharaoh?" Alysa's voice echoed in his chamber.
"Come in," Atem said distractedly, mumbling through his hands.
Alysa's footsteps approached him and he felt a light hand on his shoulder. Somehow, his neck tingled when she did that but a heavy drop of foreboding stole into his system, as though this was not right at all.
"I know you didn't know my Pharaoh but Amuenet will be fine. She will be in the afterlife now. You needn't worry."
Atem stood bolt upright, staring at Alysa. Disbelief swept over him. Alysa seemed to sense it and she quickly placed her hands over her mouth. Seth's voice came flying back to him, suddenly piecing together.
"Is everything alright?"
"No! Amuenet she-"
"What about her?"
"…nothing my Pharaoh."
But more importantly…
"You knew Amuenet was going to…pass away?" Atem hissed incredulously at Alysa, "You knew that but you didn't tell me?"
The girl seemed rather stunned before stammering, "I-I'm sorry my Pharaoh…I didn't know you were not informed-"
"You didn't know!" Atem struggled not to shout. It seemed so impossible someone…anyone could know someone else was dying and not tell anyone! Suddenly, the truth came slamming to the Pharaoh like a rampaging camel. He could not have fallen for someone like that. He knew that, if anything, about his feelings.
"Please leave Alysa," Atem said quickly, offering little explaination. The girl left without another word. He stared at the empty doorway. If he had been in her position…there would have been no way he would have left. And if Seth, Mahaado, Isis or Amuenet…
Amuenet!
She was dead. She was dead! Amuenet, third daughter of the Noble of Lower Egypt, was dead! Amuenet was the one he had ignored for the past weeks, the one who endured all that. And…if that warm, fluttery feeling hadn't been for Alysa that day…did that mean he had fallen for-
"Amuenet," he groaned, burying his face in his hands, "What have I done?"
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The horses seemed to thunder over the sand dunes, their hooves kicking up a sandstorm in their frenzied panic. Wiping his forehead, Seth realized the bird was slowing down. He pulled sharply at the reins, hearing the rest do the same.
The bird was wheeling and circling over a particularly large sand dune. Closer inspected proved the mound was not made of sand.
"It's a concealed cave," Seth muttered, running his hands across the rocky walls. Cleverly done but how did anyone manage to move so much sand to almost completely conceal the dark rocky mountain? Shaking his head, the High Priest gripped the Millennium Rod for comfort.
"Amuenet is in there?" Isis murmured, looking quite pale.
The Priestess's hand rose inquiringly to her Necklace. The golden Item flashed with a deep gonging sound and a narrow beam of light travelled directly into the side of the sand dune. Raising his Rod, Seth concentrated on lifting the sand away. It was like he was pushing through thick mud.
Seth almost cursed in frustration. There was a flash of purple light as the Dark Magician, Mahaado's ka, appeared before Seth. The ka held up its staff and green particles began charging to form a ball of power.
"Be caref-" Seth began but the Dark Magician had already let the attack loose. A bolt of green light penetrated the sand but also hit the rock beneath. Isis and Mana cried out in horror as, with a deep rumbling sound, the cave began collapsing.
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Amuenet was dead…Amuenet was dead…
Atem felt like he was drowning in his regret. Regret he didn't see how the country was deteriorating…regret he hadn't even spoken to Amuenet for so long…regret, regret, regret! There was a far off screech…a screech that seemed vaguely familiar. Rushing outside, Atem saw a bird, wheeling and circling above him. Looking up, Atem watched as the bird dipped lower…how the bird resembled Amuenet…
Then the screech seemed a lot closer…there was a flurry of feathers as the bird swooped down on him, screeching and poking at his arms with its beak. Flailing blindly, Atem took a deep breath as the bird came to a stop and hovered right before Atem.
The Pharaoh caught the reproachful glare in the bird's golden eyes and felt like shouting out of desperation. But the bird, a falcon, seemed to suddenly glow. Eyes widening, Atem watched as threads of golden light wound themselves around the bird.
There was a pause of suspenseful silence and then the threads seemed to lash out and wrap themselves around the Pharaoh. Atem tried to cry out in horror but the golden snakes of light weren't giving him much of a choice.
He felt light…like he was flying through a windy breeze. Pictures and colours swirled, disoriented, in his line of vision and there was a faint howling of wind. Just before the world came spinning up to meet him, Atem thought he heard a voice.
Save Amuenet!
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Rumbling. That was all she heard. Bits of rock began to tremble and break as the entire place shook. Amuenet struggled but the bonds were too tight. She looked up just in time to see a gigantic boulder loosen from the ceiling of stone above her.
Amuenet closed her eyes, waiting for the sickening pain of impact but it never came. Instead, she was facing the snakelike part of Diabound. With an inhuman hiss, the snake bared sharp fangs at her face. All she could do was scowl at it.
There was a sound of metal as the pressure in her arms was released and a rough hand gripped her wrist, threatening to break it. A falling stone grazed Amuenet's arm. There was a sharp pain and the feeling of flowing blood as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Stupid girl," Bakura growled, tugging her forcefully along, "Call out your ka. I'm not here to be your saviour."
Shaking, Amuenet tried to call out her Phoenix. But she stopped. Suddenly, the image of her ka shattering into millions of golden shards was too much. She collapsed onto her knees, feeling the fresh set of tears arrive and spill.
The darkness seemed to be lifting, Amuenet thought, smiling bitterly. She could almost see the village, whole and happy, and her family waiting for her…
She was dimly aware of Bakura's shout of exasperation and fury and the Thief King letting go of her wrist. Her head was swimming…how she wanted to lie down and sleep…perhaps when she woke up, her mother would be there to greet her…perhaps when she woke up…she'd wake up in paradise…
There was a flash of gold and then she felt another hand grip her arm. Blinking dimly in confusion, Amuenet tried to make out the dark looming shape before her. Had Bakura come back for her? No, that was impossible-in moments of danger, the Thief King only thought about himself, no matter how valuable his prize!
"Amuenet! Hold on!"
Mahaado?"We'll get you out of here Amuenet! Just stand up!"
Jarha?
"Come on Little Girl! Just stand up! Don't be a weakling."
Seth!A glorious moment of relief stole through her, as she singled out the voices of those people, no, her friends. Perhaps the best friends she would ever get in her unfortunate life. It was that thought that filled her up with a golden glow, feeling that energy seep to her legs as she rose.
"Come on then Little Girl. Just walk," Seth commanded firmly.
Wincing, she complied, feeling them support her as they made hasty progress. A ka monster was blasting rocks and debris that may have been a danger to them with green light. Squeezing her eyes shut, she blocked out Mahaado's voice, giving his ka commands. She wanted to block out the sound of the peaceful co-operation between human and ka.
Staggering, she heard a final blast of magic before the piercing light of the living greeted her with a welcome, golden glow.
Author's Note
Well another chapter finished. And Atem still hasn't arrived. Bad Pharaoh, baad. Anyway, that's some revelations. So what will happen next? We've exhausted our small supply of prewritten chapters so it's back from scratch. So the next update will be a little later. We're not working for reviews-we just want to finish the story-but some more reviews would be a lot more encouraging.
Review replies are, as usual, at Fading Reverie. Not much to say.
See you next update!
Ethereal Laeye and Moonlit Hikari