This chapter is dedicated to Akirys, who took the time to review each chapter - that really makes an author's day! - and to LightandShadow, who gave the most detailed review, including a prediction of what would happen. I hope this chapter does not disappoint.

Atem raised his head dizzily off the ground. At first he thought that he was dreaming; it was pitch black and impossibly cold for an Egyptian afternoon. Then his groggy mind snapped into focus, and he understood. Shadow Magic. A lot of it.

He struggled to bring the world into focus. At the end of the alley, backed against a wall, he could see the strange boy who had come to his rescue. His blue eyes were wide and terrified and his hand was raised in supplication.

Horror, stronger than the dizziness, infused Atem. The Shadows were all around him, trying to leech off his life force or invade his body. His Shadow Wards were fending them off. But that was not what horrified Atem; he had felt much the same thing dozens of times in his own trips to the Shadow Realm. No, what was terrifying now was that these Shadows were out of control.

He tried to get to his feet and failed; his head was swimming too much for even adrenaline or fear to overcome. Think! Think! Blearily, he touched the back of his head and his fingers came away wet with blood.

Blood.

He stretched out his bloody fingers and called to the Shadows. That much was easy. Attracted by the blood, they swarmed toward him, abandoning the bodies on the ground. Hopefully, the summoner would use their distraction to get rid of them.

It felt like the magic had suddenly turned its attention away from him. Its resistance abruptly weakened, and it abandoned the bodies of Ryuk and his group. Instead, arcs of magic sprang at the gang's would-be victim, who had managed to blearily lift his head, his fingers outstretched towards Seth. Seth cursed. Idiot! With all his might, he fought for control.

Even with the Shadows distracted by the lure of blood, it was almost an impossible task. Slowly, however, the day grew warm again and the sun returned. Seth slumped exhausted against a wall. He sat there for a moment, panting, before he risked a glance at the would-be victim. The other boy was unconscious again. Probably he had passed out before he had properly registered the magic, or at least before he had identified Seth as the source. Seth breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods for small mercies.

He had to steel himself before he could look at Ryuk and his gang. They were definitely dead. No one could survive with such devastating injuries. He could already hear people approaching, attracted by the noise. With great effort, he managed to drag the three attackers into a heap of refuse in the shadows lining the alley. Then he heard a groan.

There had been four, not three, who had attacked him. The first had been downed by the blow to the solar plexus and the kick to the head. He had been out of the way when the magic had responded, and therefore had avoided the same fate as his fellows. He was stirring now.

Seth hesitated, then picked up one of the knives his attackers had dropped. He walked to the waking boy's side and stood over him, holding the knife. This boy was a witness. He'd tell the guards, and Seth would be hunted down. One quick blow: that's all it would take. His fingers tightened on the knife…and then let it fall.

"Go," he said. "Go quickly."

The boy scrambled to his feet and did as he was told. In moments, he had disappeared into the busy street.

Seth watched him go, belatedly wondering if he should have tried to elicit a promise not to tell anyone what had happened. Then he gave it up for lost. Either the boy would already be too terrified to say a word, or, more likely, nothing on earth would be able to stop him from telling every boy in the city before the sun was down.

Without a word, Seth moved to the would-be victim's side and lifted him up onto his shoulders. He had to try twice, because by now his legs were shaking uncontrollably and his body felt cold and weak. But finally, with a great deal of effort, he managed to lift the other boy up. Staggering under the weight, he slipped into the door of an abandoned building and carried his burden up the stairs and onto the roof. From this vantage point, he would be able to see any people approaching and wait in relative safety for the boy to wake up. But until they could move on, Seth would be antsy; they were still too close to the scene of the fight.

Trying to control his restlessness, he settled down to wait.

"My king?"

Pharaoh looked up. Ramla looked as elegant and calm as usual, but Aknankamon knew her well enough to see the hint of worry in her eyes. Cautiously, he reached out with his magic. He knew the petty ambassador he was talking with wouldn't be able to detect it.

What's wrong?

It's the prince.

Pharaoh fought back a surge of incredibly un-kingly panic. Those words never boded well, with Atem's mischievous nature and his gift for magic.

"Ambassador," he said, interrupting whatever the man was saying. "My apologies, but might we continue this tomorrow?"

He felt the man's affront, but it was quickly hid under a smile. "Of course, Great Pharaoh." He bowed stiffly and departed.

The instant the man was gone, Ramla came forward. Aknankamon rose from his throne and met her halfway.

"What have you Seen?"

"Nothing, my king," she said. "That is what worries me. Shimon came to me because he could not find the prince for his lessons..."

"And he did not want to spend hours searching for Atem when he does not want to be found."

An answering smile ghosted across his face. "Precisely. I reached out with the magic of the Necklace. But when I tried to find him, my king, I saw only the face of a peasant boy in the city."

The Necklace honed in on the life force of a person, not the physical appearance of a person. Ramla had also spent enough time scrying after Atem that she would not mistake his life force for that of anyone else. Which meant...

"A Glamour."

"That's difficult magic."

Pharaoh sighed. "My son has always excelled at sorcery." Would that he also excelled at self-control. "Where in the city?"

"Perhaps an iteru* from the palace, though I did not see exactly where. I will Search immediately."

"No need." Aknankamon reached out for the Shadows. They came instantly at his command. With a slight effort of will, he sent them out again, this time in search of his son. He saw through their "eyes" as they swept out over the city. Soon enough, he felt the familiar life-force. He opened his eyes to see Ramla just opening hers. She had used her Necklace to follow him.

Before he even had to ask, she said, "I will take care of it, my king," and departed.

Right as Seth was about to conclude that the other boy would never wake, his head too severely damaged by the blow, the idiot woke up. He immediately tried to sit up, then fell back.

"Wheh..." he groaned.

"On the rooftop above the alley."

At the sound of his voice, the other boy sat up abruptly, wincing, but glaring at Seth. "Who are you?" he demanded. Though slightly slurred it was clearly a demand.

"The one who saved your life," Seth said. "You might try to be a bit more grateful."

He saw the other boy trying to work through this. His eyes weren't quite focusing, and he clearly had a headache. "Seth."

"Yes."

Another pause. "The other boys. The ones who attacked me. Where..."

"Fled," Seth said shortly. It rhymed with dead.

A look of disappointment flashed across the other boy's face. "Pity."

There was a slightly awkward silence. Then, quietly, the boy added, "My head hurts."

"Deal with it," Seth said ruthlessly. He thought he saw a glimmer of surprise and then fury in the other boy's eyes, but ignored it. "You're lucky to be alive at all. What is your name?

The boy was just about to respond angrily when they heard voices coming from the alley. With what looked like tremendous effort, he rolled over onto his stomach and crawled with Seth to the edge of the roof. They both peered down.

Two men with the spears, swords, and shields of the pharaoh's soldiers had entered the alley below. Had someone reported the disturbance? Seth had not expected the surviving boy to tell his story to soldiers. Their words were too quiet to be heard distinctly, but one of them pointed at the bloodstains in the dirt and - oh gods - on the walls. They seemed reluctant to advance any further.

Seth and the other boy lay very still. If the soldiers came up here, there wasn't anywhere to run to. But after a few minutes, both men departed. From their pace, they were glad to be gone.

"Kosey."

Seth turned towards him. "What?"

"Kosey," the boy repeated reluctantly. He squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his hands to cradle his head. "Call me Kosey."

"Lion?" Seth asked incredulously.

Was that a flush? "It's because...it's because of my...uh...my hair."

Seth looked at the feature in question, which was a very ordinary black. "I see."

The boy glared. "I can't stay here." He began to stagger to his feet. "People will be looking for m...for us."

That much they could agree on. The two guards from earlier might not have wanted to come into the alley, but they might bring reinforcements. Numbers would give them the courage to investigate. Seth rose to his feet and watched with some concern as Kosey tottered towards the stairs which led down from the roof. Then, abruptly, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

The creature was round, its coat roughly the color of Seth's hair. Its four green, scaly legs ended in wicked-looking claws. These it used to grip the roof. Most eerie of all, however, were its three gleaming, yellow eyes. Seth barely noticed. He was too busy trying to block out the strange shrieking noise that filled his head. His magic bucked and twisted.

Beside him, Kosey cursed. He made a slashing movement with his hand, and a bolt of something dark leapt from his fingers towards the monster. The missile struck it. But it was only a graze, not a serious wound. Yelping in anger, the thing jumped backwards off the roof and disappeared.

Seth stared at the other boy. He'd felt a burst of cold when the bolt had left Kosey's finger, exactly like the cold he felt when his own magic reacted. But Kosey hadn't looked like he was struggling to control it; in fact, there was something almost off-handed about its use.

"How did you do that?"

No sooner had the bolt of Shadows left his fingers than Atem regretted it. The attack had been instinctive. His head spun, and for a moment, the roof was just a blur of colors. It steadied, but Atem could feel his body still trying to rebel.

"How did you do that?" Seth demanded. The look in his eyes didn't look like the fear . It looked more like...excitement.

In that moment, Atem could not come up with a believable lie. His head was pounding steadily, and he still could not open his eyes all the way without feeling the light like stabbing knives. "It doesn't matter," he said thickly. "It'll be back. I have to go."

But Seth caught his arm. "Who are you?" he said. "No one...I've never...how can you have the magic? How can you control it?"

"Let go of me."

"Not until you answer my questions."

Furious, Atem leveled his best glare at him - how dare Seth keep him here against his will? But Seth didn't flinch. Furiously, Atem reached for the Shadows - I will make him let go - only to come up dry. That pulled him up short. What? A quick survey of his power reserves gave him the answer.

Oh. I'm still holding the Glamour.

His anger faded a bit. Seth thought he was just talking to another peasant. Of course he wouldn't speak like that to Atem if he knew. Sure that he had discovered the problem, Atem reached in and unhooked his magic.

The skin beneath Seth's fingers suddenly grew cold, and he let go from sheer surprise. Kosey's face rippled. The skin lightened, and the black hair shot up straight as though shot by lightning. Strands turned black, others gold. The boy took a deep breath, then lifted his head to regard Seth with eyes the color of blood.

For a moment, Seth just stared. The prince! "How did you do that?" he said again, eyes wide. Again, he'd felt the cold, but this was far beyond anything his own magic could...Then, abruptly, he remembered who he was and who he was talking to. Instantly, he dropped to his knees. "I'm..." Gods, the boy in front of him could have him executed. He cleared his throat miserably. "I'm sorry, my lord. I...I didn't know."

For a moment, he thought he saw disappointment in the prince's eyes. Then, after a moment, the other boy nodded regally. "You did not know."

The door which led up from the building slammed open. Seth, still on his knees, leapt to his feet as soldiers poured through the gap. He tensed, ready to run, but a pair of soldiers pointed their spear tips at his throat. Slowly, hands in the air, he sank back to his knees.

The prince paid him no attention. He was too busy staring at the stairs. The soldiers not guarding Seth had formed up in two straight lines, almost like a corridor. Advancing down this corridor was a tall woman clad in cream-colored robes. Gold adorned her wrists and hair. But though he had never seen any woman so beautiful before, Seth could not take his eyes from the golden necklace around her throat. It was carved in a shape he recognized as an eye of Horus, and his ears hummed uncomfortably as he looked at it.

Her attention, however, was not on him. "My prince," she said, and although she did not look angry, the prince shrank as though expecting a blow. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I wanted to see the city, and I..." He trailed off. "Um..."

The woman waited a moment, and when it was clear that the prince would not say anything else, she said, still softly, "Why did you attack Sangan when he came to find you?

"Instinct," the prince said miserably. "I'm sorry, Ramla, I..."

"Enough," she said, the first edge of sharpness in her voice. "It is time for us to return to the palace." For the first time, her eyes turned towards Seth. He shrank, completely understanding the prince's reaction for the first time. "And who is this?"

Now that her eyes were not fixed on him, the prince seemed to recover a little. "His name is Seth," he said, drawing himself up. "He...he saved my life."

Her eyes flicked back to him, and he winced. But she merely said, "Did he? The pharaoh would be glad to hear such a tale. Will you come with us to the palace, Seth?"

"Am I allowed to refuse?" he asked, then bit his lip and hastily dropped his head.

She laughed. "I think it would be best if you did not."

He swallowed. "Then...then lead the way. My lady."

Ramla stared at the strange boy as he followed the prince and soldiers from the rooftop. Something about him was familiar, though she knew she could not have seen the boy in person. The Millennium Necklace hummed slightly as he passed.

Who was he?

She had just put her first foot on the stairs when the Necklace pulsed again, and suddenly she was in a vision.

A young man stood on the rooftop of the palace, face turned away. He wore the robes of a High Priest, and his hair was hidden in an elaborate headdress. A dragon twined around him, scales sparkling in the sun. There was another brighter gleam from the belt around his waist. Ramla shifted so that she could see it better and caught her breath.

It was the Millennium Rod.

"Lady Ramla?" one of the soldiers asked in concern.

Ramla opened her eyes and looked around. She was back on the dim set of stairs in the abandoned building. Below her, Seth stared at her, eyes wide. Why had she had this vision now? Was that young man this same young boy?

"I am well," Ramla managed. "Let us continue to the palace." I have much to recount.

Author's Note: An iteru is roughly six and a half miles. Thebes was approximately thirty-six square miles in total.