Shades of Panic

Abby Ebon

Disclaimer: Once more this poor struggling individual must point out the cruel facts of life to be splashed upon the face like chilled water. I do not own "Harry Potter" or "The Mummy" or any scripts/products/plushy dolls there of.

Note; since I started this story a lot has obviously changed, my name for one- is different, and for a while this story's title was as well. In fact, it was once the three chaptered second version 'Scorched Sand', which deals in Egyptian mythology rather then mythology of my own making. That's now, obviously, a new story – and this won't be going anywhere if I can help it.

If something does somehow happen, again, check my LiveJournal account, it should be there.

I had put this story up on AdultFanfiction, and for a while, that was the only place this story could be found, then, one day – I don't know when – they deleted it. I found out only after certain individuals informed me of the fact. Then I realized I hadn't, as I thought, put it up on my LJ, and my own copy was fractured– the whole first chapter was gone as I rewrote from it "Scorched Sand", the second chapter I only recovered from my email account, and somewhere along the way I had lost chapter twenty five – making my story one chapter short.

Due mostly to the fact that lil_sis4556 kept a copy of the original from the start, and when I sent out my call for the original "Shades of Panic," answered; you have now the complete original from chapter one to chapter twenty seven, whatever worth it is to you. I think it's damn lucky, and I can take a hint from above when given one. I'll finish the story, I wish I could tell you I've been working on it all along, and somewhere – it's done, but it's not.

So, for the first time since 2008, I've a new chapter for my old story.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Sunrise of the Seventh Day

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The horizon sun on its heels, at a full gallop it entered the pyramid, only to trot tiredly out triumphantly, held proudly erect and wings held limp against its sides. Only then did Rick notice it was lathered, like a true horse would be, and bled where sand hand cut into the soft flesh above its hooves.

'It's…they are - mortal, in this place.' Rick realized, a surge of fear making his heart sick.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Dad…" Alex whispered his plea, past pained gritted teeth. Rick slid quickly off the winged back of the horse, plucking Alex from its back like a wilted and weathered plant. Hauntingly intelligent eyes glared into his, urging him onward, it was at once both daunting and reassuring, that solid look. It said more then human, but Rick had to wonder how much more then human? It was intelligent, this winged beast, a willing protector of his boy.

Hesitantly, Rick put his hands on each side of that head long and noble head, being them face to face – Rick was regarded by milky blue eyes – and said with sincere gratitude.

"Thank you, I don't know that you can understand me, but thank you so much." Soft looking nostrils twitched and a snort of warm air that smelled of not-horse let Rick know this winged steed thought him to be acting a fool.

I am aware and my name is Elektor The voice that accompanied those chilled blue eyes informed him gruffly, you are welcome – the boy is well? Rick let go that great head and nodded with a look to Alex who sat in the sand looking up at Rick and then to the winged horse as if he couldn't believe it all.

"You'll be alright Alex, I promise." Rick told his son, dropping an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"I know, Dad." Alex smiled up at him, and earned an equally earnest smile in return. Rick thought they might actually make it thought the day with things alright between them.

"You're still getting grounded." Rick ruffled his boy's hair with a grin; Alex tried to shove the hand away with a roll of his eyes.

"I know." Rick sort of dreaded the thought of when Alex would hit his teens. What was he doing, having a kid? Raising him? Rick didn't have the answers to those questions but he thinks it began with getting drunk, falling in love – and marriage to Evelyn Carnahan now O'Connell: one of the best ideas of his life – whoever's idea it had been in the start. (Jonathon sometimes joked that it had been his).

"Rick! Alex?" Evelyn's welcoming holler was like a balm of cold water in this stiflingly humid desert heat. Alex, hearing his mother's voice bolted for the pyramid's opening – waving his arms wildly above his head, a sure sight not to be missed.

"Over here!" Alex called, grinning ear to ear.

Rick got up more slowly behind him, and went to stand behind Alex, watching the arrival. At first he wasn't sure what he was seeing, but a glint of gold and a howl that had the winged horse trotting out of the shade made Rick sure that his wife and her brother were riding upon the backs of two waist-high giant gold hounds; the size of ponies, just about.

They would dwarf Alex, if the two hounds stood beside the boy, was for sure. Jonathan managed to wave acknowledgement at the sight of them: his own gold hound charging ahead with an eager bark.

Rick spared a glace for the silver horse whose wings fanned each side of it, discretely keeping them from the direct light of the sun.

Ahead is Auos, Elektor spoke, catching Rick's eye, behind is Tito. The winged silver horse seemed particularly amused with its own words.

A painful yelp startled Rick to look toward the hounds – Jonathon was only a few steps away, and the hound – Tito, had pricked up it's ears and turned to look over it's shoulders, it growled and Jonathon was so stunned he scrambled up and off as quick as he could – away from the hound, away from the sight of his sister crawling away on the sand from those coming forward from the wilds of Ame Shere.

The whine was a painfully keen sound to hear, and more painful by far was the sight of Tito, spear in its flank raising up from the dust to snarl and snap at Imhotep who Meela followed with quirked lips - someone behind them, a man with a red sash and a grin of delight at the sheer fighting will of the hound, threw another spear.

The first had hit its mark when thrown from behind, the second proved how formidable the hound were. Tito caught the spear in its powerful jaws – like a stick – and crunched down, splintering the shaft into two.

"Leave him alone!" Evelyn demanded of him, furious even as she kept behind the hound that protected her.

A flash of golden fur surged forward, and Auos was beside Tito, snapping at Evelyn to run – to get further back.

Meela stepped forward then, and the hounds snarled greetings that Rick wouldn't have liked to be on the receiving end of. She smiled at them, as if they shared a secret; her nod to them was obscenely respectful.

She notched a bow and let fly an arrow that Rick didn't see, so fast was it's speed.

Rick didn't blink, but it felt like he had to have missed some critical moment of sight, there were two arrows that dug into golden fur and threw the giant hounds to the ground. They whined, licking at the wounds as if expecting them to heal.

Overhead, Rick noticed feeling blinder still, was white winged Elektor – circling and looking enraged enough to dive onto Meela in a plunge to earth.

"Go back to the Arches, Gate-Keepers. You do not belong here." Meela commanded with a soft surety, and Rick didn't know how she could possess in face of what she had done. She seemed to expect to be obeyed, and to Rick's surprise – she was, overhead a Elektor flew into cloud cover that swallowed the silver winged horse whole – and in the flash of light of sun glinting down the golden hounds were gone, the only sign that they had been was dark golden blood on sand.

Meela turned her attention then to Evelyn backing still too slowly away – Meela started forward, too quickly to be human – and that was when Rick started to run forward: heedless of the fact that Jonathon held Alex back from doing the exact same thing.

Meela pulled her sword from a sheath on her back, and her smile was predatory.

"You will understand why I do what I do, Sister. Justice must be done. Discord must heed." In a smooth movement the sword sliced fatally into Evelyn, who gasped in pain and stared wide eyed up at her murderer: betrayed.

Meela smiled almost gently down at her, and then walked on – and faced with attacking Imhotep and Meela or going to his wife's side, Rick knew there was no choice. He cradled her head in his hands, begging, soft hair in his hands and dark eyes gazing up at him and unfocused to the sky above as if to see beyond him.

Nothing Rick said made a difference, Evelyn was dying in his arms, there was nothing he could do – no promise he could make that could bring her back healthy and whole.

Rick watched her die, the murder weapon in his hands, and he couldn't think beyond killing Meela who had killed his wife. A life for a life: a fair exchange.

Rick thought he told Jonathon to watch Alex, aware of his son's suffering but unable to see past his own red haze. The choking pain in his chest, where his heart wasn't anymore a living thing, but dying and twisted – yet was the only proof he had that he was still alive, his body and soul otherwise numb with rage and pain.

The blade in his hand was red – hot with his wife's life blood, and its handle was cold.

Rick O'Connell went into the pyramid at the heart of Ame Shere, and didn't expect to come out again alive.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Alex O'Connell was smart (not as smart as his mother, who was dead on the sand) but smart enough to take notice when her murderer – Meela, winked at him, the black Book of the Dead clutched in her fingers as she raised her hand to him as she passed him by.

Alex realized then that he could undo this – and Jonathon listened: took up the burden of his mother's body as Alex led the way into the pyramid – fully intending to bring his mother back to life. She gave him life, it was only right that he give her the same gift.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Justice now fully inhabited the body of Meela Nais, reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun: Chosen vessel of Justice. Imhotep was unaware of this, and Justice intended to keep him so ignorant. That he was pleased – even a little amused – that she had killed Evelyn, reincarnation of Nefertiri: Chosen vessel of Discord. It broke her heart to do so, but already she felt the curse of the Army of Chaos upon the desert.

A desert, which most deemed barren and inhospitable, was in her eyes beautiful and vivid with life. Yet Death was not the only Immortal to bless such a place of cruel beauty, Justice too favored it – and Chaos would see it ruined first among all the places of the world.

Imhotep did not truly understand – not what he was doing – and certainly not what he had done. Justice took the life of Evelyn to make it obvious to her son Alex that the only solution was to bring her back by the Book of the Dead: the same book Imhotep had used to call Justice into the body of her vessel.

Justice imagined that sister Discord would suffer the same fate as she, and Justice would be comforted by her presence and power.

Imhotep walked with her to the heart of Chaos's pyramid, and the powers that Imhotep possessed as Hom-Dai were swallowed up by Chaos. Such was the nature of Chaos, to give and to take.

Imhotep parted from her then, and Justice allowed Jonathon to take the Book of the Dead and pass it onto Alex, even helping with a slip of her hand from the mortal's throat so the boy could finish the spell.

Then Justice faced Discord- whose body was changed, and knew fear.

Chaos had breached the Arch, the Gate to the Mortal Realm stood open.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Note: so I really don't like the little fact that Maria Bello replaced Rachel Weisz in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, but for my need of "explanation" when Alex brought back Evelyn, Discord physically changed her body.