Avatre let out a sigh of annoyance.
She had been told of the false gods that had arrived from the sky and enslaved everyone, but she honestly never thought that someone would dig out the Stargate out of the sands.
Ardeth looked a tad nervous after he received the report from his cousins in the Tomb Keepers tribe.
"This is the problem with not writing information down accurately. We could have guarded it better. At least we don't have to worry about the fools who dug it up using it... he assured me the control device was destroyed as a precaution," said Avatre.
Ardeth relaxed. Even though he was no longer a young boy who had foolishly broken into her sleeping chambers, he still felt slightly intimidated by his ancestor.
"What do we do now?"
"Right now technology isn't advanced enough for them to use it. And since it's been recovered, we need to have someone close by keeping an eye on it in case the false gods find out it's been found," said Avatre firmly.
The Medjai had sent one of their best infiltrators to insure that they knew where the Stargate was at all times. It was too dangerous a risk, even if it wasn't usable at the moment.
Humanity was ill-prepared to deal with the false gods, particularly if the stories he had told her about the pyramids being landing sites for their great ships.
Even in her time, they had barely gotten to the moon and were still very far away from properly colonizing the only other potentially inhabitable planet in their own solar system. Atem had assured her that the false gods had colonized other planets.
It didn't help that she still had the lone device he had shown her that remained of the false gods. One of the higher ups, a being known as the 'first prime' had been killed at great cost to the enslaved. The false gods had to flee very quickly and didn't bother retrieving it.
It had taken her months to figure out how to use the bloody thing, and to realize how dangerous it was.
The weapon alone was enough proof that humanity was ill-prepared for the false gods to return. They still used bullets...an energy weapon that disintegrated with two hits was beyond their level of technology and would make mincemeat of any physical shields they had.
Terence looked at the disaster Evelyn Carnahan left of his poor library. So you could imagine the dismay he felt when the honored ancestor walked into it before Evelyn had a proper chance to clean the mess up.
"Oh dear. It seems you've had a very bad day, young one," said Avatre chuckling.
"Apologies, honored ancestor. I had hoped you would see my library in a better state than this," he replied.
He carefully hid the relief when the queen used her magic to discreetly right the shelves and place the books in their proper place in seconds, rather than the days it would have taken by hand.
"I'm afraid I've come with some rather unpleasant tidings. One the tribe will need to know about immediately, if only to curtail the damage that will be done," said Avatre.
Terence listened respectfully to the 'young' woman before him.
"Imhotep will awaken. Within the next month at the most and with a few weeks at the least."
"Are you certain of this?" he said with horror.
Avatre nodded.
"The seer of the Tomb Keepers alerted me. They said it was a predestined event that will proceed the return of the Supreme Medjai and must occur. The fact I distinctly remember my great-grandmother meeting her husband during this ill-fated treasure hunt doesn't hurt either," said Avatre.
Time travel sounded like great fun...right up until you literally ended up as your own ancestor. Avatre and the Medjai tribes kept a very close eye on the bloodline, regardless of what country it ended up in.
It was a security thing, if only so they could rescue the descendants in case of trouble...such as in the event of any children suddenly being orphaned.
And as it so happened, Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathan were both her descendants and her great grandmother and great uncle respectively.
And yes, she knew better than to try and contemplate what that meant as she preferred not to get a headache from it all.
Terence looked very unhappy about the news, and also knew better than to think too hard about his least favorite librarian also being the great ancestors great-grandmother.
There were some headaches you were better off without.
Still at least they had warning.
Avatre hid her existence among the Medjai. It was simple enough to join their group as Ardeth wisely kept his mouth shut about the ancestor being with them. As far as any of them needed to know, she was a 'mere' female warrior by the name of Lotus.
Considering what she knew of the events to come, as limited as they were from talking with Bill Weasley several decades in the near future, Hamunaptra would no longer be protected once Imhotep had risen. All the old protections would be destroyed trying to contain him (and fail in the process), which meant wizards and mundanes would descend upon the site for riches and spells. While the wizards would claim several chunks of the gold, the mundanes would finish it off...and find Imhotep in the process to challenge the Scorpion King.
The only reason Avatre wasn't dealing with the pest himself was because she needed him to rise twice. The awakening of the Scorpion King would precede the countdown towards the reincarnated form of Atem. Specifically his oldest advisor would be born, and later retrieve the Millennium Puzzle, which would sit for a few decades before being solved.
He would be drawn by natural magics of Egypt to protect itself from the infestation of the cursed king.
However that didn't mean she couldn't loot the place for the best parts herself. Some things the world was better off without, and she finally had an excuse to remove the objects without anyone getting in her way.
Ardeth ignored her presence, going after Imhotep first. Just because he would rise twice didn't mean they would allow him to do as he pleased.
Particularly since they had spent the past 3,000 years keeping this abomination buried and dead!
Avatre slipped into the treasury, not wasting any time. She had a few days before Imhotep returned and the city disappeared into the sands. She had to make the most of it.
At least she didn't have to deal with those blasted scarabs. It had taken her two deaths before she found a way to create a spell that warded them far, far away from her and another to seal those pests permanently so that not even the sacred sands of Egypt could remove them from their deceptive shells.
She would have to reclaim the two books after this was over. She didn't see any point for them to be in the hands of mortals again once their purpose was fulfilled, and the gods had already given her permission to claim them as her own. So long as a suitable copy was made, it was unlikely anyone would know the true ones had been taken.
She, at least, could be trusted to protect them and not try to use them without a damn good reason.
"What of the O'Connells?" asked Avatre.
"They have returned to England," said Ardeth.
"Hmm. From what I recall the events of the mad tyrant Matthias being resurrected along with Imhotep will occur at least nine to ten years from now. More than enough time to prepare the tribes to hinder the Army of Anubis. As I recall from my great-grandmother's journals, the Medjai were instrumental in holding them back at great cost to themselves...however it bought them time for Rick to kill the Scorpion King. Though considering the trouble Imhotep keeps causing us, it may be useful for us to bring him to our side," said Avatre.
"Honored mother, what do you mean?" asked one of the chiefs.
"According to the journal, Imhotep was stripped of his powers as an immortal by a trap laid by the true Anubis. Which means he will be vulnerable and may listen to reason. The concubine that caused this mess was reincarnated along with Nefertiri, though their memories were incomplete. She will not stand by her lover after he loses his powers," said Avatre flatly.
"The princess was resurrected?" said Ardeth.
Avatre laughed.
"How did you think Evelyn managed to find the bracelet of Anubis? She's the reincarnation of Nefertiri, right down to the appearance!"
There was a reason why Avatre had kept to the shadows while Evelyn and the others dealt with Imhotep. The siblings would have recognized her too quickly as the same grandmother who had taught Evelyn how to speak Ancient Egyptian and read the ancient writing.
Avatre waited until Evelyn was about to give birth before she made an appearance...in her much older guise. By this point she had disguise magic down pat.
It made hiding so much easier, particularly when the fools at the Church got involved. If she had to face one more inquisition just because she had a knowledge of potions and some idiot got ideas about using her as an example against "witchcraft" or the fact that a woman held more power than a man, she was going to gut someone very publicly and damn the consequences.
Evelyn was delighted to see her again, Jonathan more so. The poor boy always did have the most terrible luck at gambling.
Once the placed her marker on young Alex for security reasons, Avatre left. She briefly considered visiting Hogwarts again, but that often became both too boring and too painful as she kept trying to see her old friends in the people who could very well be their grandparents.
Instead she decided to visit New York for a while, as she did recall an incident involving a certain magiozoologist.
Poor Credence looked very befuddled when he removed him from that orphanage.
A few years later...
"Grandmother, what are you doing here?" asked Evelyn in surprise.
Avatre smiled at her.
"When the tracking spell I placed on Alex went off, I knew something was wrong. Besides, Ardeth alerted me to the fact that Imhotep was about to be set loose again. He's caused us enough headaches as it is," said Avatre.
"Wait, you know him?" said Rick in disbelief.
"Actually he's your third cousin twice removed," said Avatre to Evelyn and Jonathan. "Your mother was descended from his great-great grandmother who happened to meet someone outside the tribes and decided they liked living with the rest of the world rather than the deep desert."
"...Is he like us?" asked Evelyn.
"Most of the Medjai know about magic," confirmed Avatre. "Unlike western society, they don't bother to separate magical from non-magical learning. In the deep desert it's ridiculous to try and keep people apart simply because one has a power and the other doesn't."
"Makes sense to me," said Rick. Then again, he was a hedge-wizard who had opted to join the French Legionnaires rather than bother furthering his magical schooling once he graduated.
"Should the army of Anubis arise, the Medjai will do everything in their power to halt their progress," said Ardeth.
"Which is where I come in. I'm going to be dealing with Imhotep, since I have the most experience with ancient Egyptian magics," said Avatre.
Mostly because she created over half of it and assisted in the creation of others, she neglected to add.
"Can't we simply use the tracker to get Alex back directly?" asked Jonathan.
Avatre shook her head.
"He needs to find the temple before a week is out since he has the bracelet on. Otherwise it will claim his life. And while I do know where the oasis is, my memory of it's location is a bit rusty...and that's before you get into the fact I had added new warding around the place after last time," said Avatre.
Last time being her annoyance with people actually FINDING the place and adding a special ward to direct people away from it. It was a little known fact that the army of Anubis gained power from the dead and everyone who died in the Oasis became new ones.
They were already powerful enough...they didn't need extra recruits.
Rick looked at Avatre distrustingly.
"If you knew about Imhotep then why..."
"Why didn't interfere at Hamunaptra?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I was too busy robbing the place," she said bluntly. "I was already there with the Medjai when you woke him up, and I knew where the treasury was. There are far too many artifacts and scrolls stored there that would cause an untold amount of headaches if anyone got their hands on them."
"Wait, you robbed it? How much gold did you..." started Jonathan eagerly.
"Enough to handle your gambling debts twenty times over, dearie," said Avatre with a laugh. "If you give me a good investment idea for something to keep you out of trouble, I'll fund it directly. But it has to be a sound idea first."
"That still doesn't explain why Grandmother is here," said Evelyn frowning.
Avatre sighed.
"Evelyn, have you ever wondered why you were born with magic in your bloodline?"
Evelyn turned her full attention to her grandmother.
Avatre dropped her disguise, revealing her 'current' age. Everyone save Ardeth gaped.
"My animagus form is a phoenix, and due to an agreement with the gods I am reborn every time my lifespan ends...or I die prematurely."
Evelyn put two and two together and her eyes grew wide.
"Dear sweet Merlin... you're the Undying Queen that you told us about as children! The amount of history you could tell us..." said Evelyn.
"Not as much as you think. Whenever one of my female lovers dies, I generally sleep for a few centuries."
"Wait...female?" said Rick.
"I performed a hand-fasting ceremony with a pharaoh who's name was lost to the sands of time because he used it to seal an evil as bad as Imhotep when he first woke up. In order to see him again, I made a deal with the gods that I would never share another man's bed until he was resurrected or put to rest. I have less than a hundred years to go before I have a chance to see him again, or my own personal timeline catches up with me. I will say this though...Salazar was not as bigoted as those idiotic purebloods have been making him out to be."
Evelyn's eyes gleamed. Avatre had little doubt her descendant/ancestor would be bursting with questions about history...she was a more adventurous and less rule-abiding version of Hermione.
Actually, she had to wonder if Evelyn might be related to the Grangers. It would certainly explain quite a bit about Hermione's personality.
(And it later turned out that yes, Hermione was related to her...through Jonathan of all people. That was going to be awkward as hell to explain to her friend...)
"Can you help us save Alex or not?" asked Rick.
"He's of my blood. Why wouldn't I rescue a child?" said Avatre, baffled he had to ask.
"That's all I need to know," said Rick.
"Good, because if you irritate me enough I'll give you a migraine over a time travel paradox that you'll need alcohol to fully explain."
Alex gaped when he saw his grandmother there. Looking almost younger than his mother.
"Grandma Lotus?" he said in disbelief.
Avatre winced when she felt Evie's death, but it was necessary to draw Nefertiri out properly.
"I swear I am going to slap that spoiled brat. If that fool had thought with more than his lower half he could have found a much better consort than that spider," said Avatre in disgust. She liked snakes, and comparing that spoiled Ankh-su-Namen to one went against her principles.
"Can't you do something?" demanded Rick, heartbroken.
"This is a good time to test Alex's skills in reading Ancient Egyptian, wouldn't you agree? After all, we still have the copy of the Book of the Dead present, and it's only good for one more resurrection," said Avatre smiling.
Alex brightened.
"Of course, the book!"
"I will help you acquire it and keep that brat at bay. However your mother will have to confront her if she is to ever settle her past."
Ankh-su-Namen looked openly horrified when she recognized Avatre.
"You! You should be..." she said in shock.
"Hello, Ankh-Su-Namen," said Avatre, her voice full of vindictiveness. "You really shouldn't have killed my descendant twice."
The former consort knew she was screwed. Avatre had appeared before Nefertiri before, and had been the one to train her in how to defend the bracelet. She had disliked Ankh-Su-Namen immensely after the first five minutes, though the woman had never overtly said anything to piss her off.
Avatre waited patiently for the others to deal with this mess. Seeing Imhotep about to fall to his death because his fool of a lover cared more about herself than she did him, she strode confidently past the falling rocks and debris to yank him up out of the pit.
"Oh no you don't. You still have to pay for all the trouble you caused and that won't happen if the gods make you a wandering ghost," she said firmly.
Imhotep's expression upon recognizing her was downright comical.
The fact she had a firm grip on his ear, more so.
"Grandma is awesome," said Alex, in awe of how easily his grandmother Lotus was handily Imhotep.
An hour later...
Imhotep looked suitably chastised in front of the Undying Queen herself. Not even he was stupid enough to piss her off.
Ardeth and the other chiefs gave him a Look. If anyone else had told them that Imhotep would be cowed by another, they would have laughed themselves sick. But this was the Honored Ancestor, the Undying Queen of Magic.
"Imhotep, high priest of Egypt. For your crime of violating the laws of life and death, and the theft of the books, you were condemned to the Hom-Dai. I do not think that allowing you to slip back into the afterlife is a suitable enough punishment, as you clearly did not learn from your mistakes the last time," said Avatre. She was in one of her more regal outfits, complete with the crown her beloved Atem had given her so long ago.
There were quite a number of wizards who would happily kill their first born to acquire it, as they honestly believed that the crown was the source her immortality, rather than the fact she was a natural phoenix animagus.
Imhotep behaved suitably cowed in front of her. He kept his head bowed before her, his very posture submissive.
"Which is why we are going to attempt a more suitable punishment in the hopes you learn the lesson. Your immortal soul will be bound to mine in service, until you give us suitable cause to prove you have redeemed yourself in the eyes of the gods. Your magic and your immortal gifts will be bound to me by form of a life debt until I deem that you have fulfilled your end of the deal. If you reject my kindness, your soul will forever remain wandering the earth, a spirit that will never know rest or peace."
Imhotep silently contemplated his options. However he suffered every time he was forcibly brought back from the dead. He hated it, no matter what sort of powers he gained from the process. And finding out that his beloved Ankh-Su-Namen didn't truly love him like he believed had been an even worse blow.
He dared to lift his head, and saw only compassion and understanding. Then again, legends said that the undying queen was just as cursed as he was, save that she had chosen it voluntarily. He had been lucky enough to be asleep for most of the centuries...he knew the queen slept off and on this entire time.
"I would serve the Queen as her humble servant," he said formally.
He felt the magic of the gods settle over him, binding him more thoroughly than any spell a mortal could hope to cast.
Imhotep knew he was lucky the undying Queen was so kind...any other queen would have condemned him for being the cause of their descendant's death twice over.