"Amber, stop squealing!" Patricia crossed her arms and glared at the blonde who was currently clapping her hands and shrieking with excitement at the news that Patricia and Eddie had gotten back together.
"How did it happen? What did he say? What were you wearing?" Amber eyed her critically and Patricia turned exasperated eyes on Nina and Mara who were watching the exchange with amusement.
"Look, the only reason I'm telling all of you at one time is so you can help make everything less awkward during the Sibuna meeting. Despite what I say, the boys aren't complete idiots and they're gonna notice that Eddie and I are together." Patricia couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto her face at that last part.
"I think we can do that. Right, Amber?" Nina shot her best friend a look and Amber quickly composed herself.
"Of course. I still want details later, though."
"Have you told Joy yet? She was pretty invested in getting you guys back together," Mara grinned at Patricia, who couldn't contain a snort of laughter at all the things Joy had orchestrated on her behalf.
"I told her this morning," Patricia turned her head towards the door at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. "Okay, they're coming. Please don't make a big deal out of everything," Patricia said this last part while looking at Amber.
The girls all took their seats around Nina and Amber's room just as the door opened. Jerome, Alfie, and Fabian quickly took their usual spots beside the other girls and Eddie casually positioned himself next to Patricia. She shot a quick look at him and felt her heart give a leap at his handsome face.
Luckily, the sound of Alfie's voice forced her to turn away before she could do something to embarrass herself, "So what's with the emergency Sibuna meeting, Nina?"
"Well I took Amber's suggestion last night and I asked for some help with finding the second scepter." Patricia saw Eddie sit up straighter at this announcement and she shifted so that she could place a reassuring hand on his arm without the others noticing.
"Nins, you didn't tell me that! Did it work?" Amber leaned forward excitedly.
A nervous look crossed Nina's face and she nodded her head, "Yeah, it did. I had a dream that we were all in the tunnels and Cepos was saying the spell that Mara translated."
"Did you see who the, um, sacrifice was?" Mara asked quietly.
"No, I just saw a figure on the table but I couldn't tell who it was."
Fabian gave Nina's hand a squeeze, "What else happened?"
"When Cepos was getting to the end of the spell, the second scepter appeared in the next chamber. The one with the fake writing and pictures."
"I had a dream last night, too," Eddie admitted, receiving shocked looks from several members of the group.
"What happened in yours?" Nina asked.
"It was similar to the one you had but a little different. I don't think any of it will be much help."
"We need to know what you saw, Eddie. It might be the only way to stop Cepos," Fabian could see that the other boy was unsettled by something but they needed every piece of information they could get.
Eddie took a deep breath, "It started in the chamber with the table, like Nina's did, but I didn't see the second scepter."
"You saw who was being sacrificed, didn't you?" Jerome's gaze was unwavering as he looked at Eddie, all of the fear Eddie felt was written across the taller boy's face.
Nodding his head, Eddie swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat and willed his eyes to stop burning, "It...uh...it was Patricia." Nina, Mara, and Amber let out small gasps and Eddie could see the way the boys were shooting nervous looks at one another, though Jerome ashamedly admitted to himself that he felt the slightest bit of relief that it hadn't been Mara that Eddie had seen.
"What else, Eddie?" Nina looked at him.
"While he was still talking, Cepos pulled out a dagger and as he said the last line of the spell he brought the knife down...I couldn't watch the rest...I had to look away. That's when I woke up," Eddie was quiet then, lost in the memory of the dream and drowning in the realization that it was going to come true. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Patricia cover his hand with her own in a silent offering of comfort.
Fabian tried to offer as much reassurance as he could to the group even though he knew it might only distract them for a little while, "Look, even though Nina and Eddie had these dreams it doesn't mean everything in them is going to come true. We need to figure out why they were given those specific visions."
"Nina's dream showed her the scepter," Amber offered, trying to do as Fabian asked.
"And Cepos was doing the spell when the staff appeared, right?" Patricia looked to Nina, who nodded.
"He was saying the spell in Eddie's dream, too," Alfie threw in.
"Okay, so maybe we'll only be able to get the staff when he's reciting it," Nina considered this.
"And that means we're the ones who told it to him, because how would he know it otherwise?" Mara shifted her position and winced when her back scraped against Amber's bedframe.
The group was quiet as they compared the dreams in their heads and Fabian took out the paper copies of the pictures he'd taken in the tunnels, "There's something else I have to show you guys."
"Dude, we've already seen these," Alfie raised an eyebrow.
"I know but I've been doing some research and I think Cepos lied to us. He said these pictures depicted someone being prepared for their burial but they didn't look like any of the other pictures I've seen of that."
"And what do you think these are?" Patricia waved her hand at the images.
"They look like the pictures used in Egyptian spellbooks to show what happens during a ritual to bring someone back to life. And after Eddie described his vision, I think they're the same."
Patricia's eyes refocused on the pictures in front of her and she looked at them from the perspective of Eddie's dream. The first image showed a man standing beside a table with someone laying on it. Then there was one of him reading from a book. The third showed the same man holding a long dagger and the last depicted the appearance of someone new standing beside the man while the dagger stuck out of the person's chest on the table.
Alfie's eyes widened, "I thought you said they didn't believe in that stuff?"
"It's not that they didn't believe it could happen, they just didn't think it should. They thought it went against the laws of the Gods and it was considered dark magic," Fabian collected the pictures and put them back in his bag so the group didn't have to look at them anymore.
Amber turned pale and looked at Nina and Fabian, "Wh–what are we going to do?"
Nina's eyes showed resolve, "We make a plan."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"No way!" Eddie shouted.
"Absolutely not!" Jerome said furiously.
"You can't be serious," Alfie looked from Nina to Fabian and back.
The group had ended their emergency meeting the day before where they'd learned about Nina and Eddie's dreams and Fabian's discovery of the true meaning of the pictures from the chamber. Nina and Fabian had spent much of the rest of the night and the next morning coming up with a plan to defeat Cepos. They had just revealed their plan to the others during another Sibuna meeting, earning a combination of incredulity and anger in response.
"We don't have a choice," Nina turned apologetic eyes to Amber, Mara, and Patricia.
Jerome turned on Fabian, "You're asking us to go down to the tunnels and let Cepos choose one of them," he pointed at the girls, "to be his sacrifice in the hope that you find the scepter before he kills them? You're okay with Nina being a part of that?"
Fabian's eyes flashed, "No, I'm not. I don't like it at all but we don't have any other option."
"It's our only chance," Nina said.
There was silence for a minute before Patricia stepped forward. She was tired of being at Cepos' mercy and wasn't sure how many more attacks from him they'd survive, "Count me in."
"And me" Mara agreed even as the fear began building in her heart.
Amber hesitated, "I'm really scared, Nins."
Nina's lips trembled as she gave a small smile, "I know. Me too." Amber looked at her best friend before she nodded her agreement to the plan.
Eddie stayed silent as he turned and left the room, shutting the door loudly behind him. Patricia ran after him, hesitating outside of his room for only a second before she knocked on the door and went in. Eddie was sitting on the edge of his bed and staring at the floor. Shutting the door softly behind her, Patricia walked closer.
"Eddie?" When she got no response she tried again, "I know it's not the best plan but–"
"Do you have any idea what it was like for me to watch you die?" Eddie interrupted her and she saw a tear slide down his cheek. When she didn't answer he continued, "You were gone and I couldn't bring you back. For a few minutes, you were dead and I died, too. I'm the Osirion and I couldn't protect the only person that matters."
Patricia swiped her hand across her eyes and took a breath to calm the shaking she knew would be in her voice, "I have to do this, Eddie. Cepos won't stop until he gets what he wants and that means he'll do whatever it takes. He'll hurt whoever he has to. What if he goes after you next? I can't let that happen."
"There has to be something else we can do. We'll find another way."
"There is no other way. And I need you there with me, Eddie," Patricia choked out. "I can't do this without you."
Eddie closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, holding her securely against him like he had the night before. Patricia returned the embrace, turning her head so she could breathe in his warm scent. Without letting her go, Eddie said hoarsely, "I love you."
"I love you, too," She said against his shoulder.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Everyone knows the plan, right?" Nina looked over her shoulder at the rest of the group. It had taken a little while for everyone to be in agreement with the girls allowing Cepos to choose one of them as his sacrifice but once that had been decided on they spent the rest of the night figuring out the rest of the plan. They chose to go back to the tunnels the next night and were now standing outside the entrance to the chambers. When everyone silently acknowledged that they knew their role in what was to come, Nina and Fabian led the way through the different rooms until they all stood in the chamber with the stone table.
As soon as they were all in the room, Cepos appeared in a wall of black smoke, "I see you are back which can only mean that you have completed the translation." Though he spoke to everyone, Cepos had trained his eyes on Mara.
"Yes, I finished it," Mara took a breath to steady her nerves.
"Very good. Would you be so kind as to read it out loud?"
Mara's quiet voice echoed in the chamber, "I call on thee, God of Death, to bring them back from their eternal rest. Heal the mind and release the soul, only you can make them whole. Use your power, change the fates. Tip the scales and open the gates. A soul for a soul, the debt will be paid."
After a minute of silence, Cepos swept his gaze over each of them, "You may have surmised that this is not a riddle for you to solve. Do you know what it is?"
Nina looked him in the eye, "It's a spell to bring someone back to life."
"You are not as simple-minded as I thought you to be," Cepos smirked. "Now there is only one more thing I need."
"What's that?" Fabian asked though he already knew the answer.
"One of you," Cepos flung his scepter in an arch, forcing the boys to one side. He walked forward until he stood directly in front of the girls. "You see, the ritual requires a sacrifice...a trade if you will."
The girls moved closer to one another as Cepos walked in a circle around them. He paused briefly and waved his scepter to the side. As he did this, Nina was pushed by an unseen force and stumbled into Fabian's arms. Cepos turned his back on her but not before saying, "You will not do."
Amber trembled as Cepos looked her up and down, "Not you." Amber was shoved to the side and after regaining her balance she ran to Alfie and threw her arms around him.
"Now," Cepos smiled evilly, "Which one of you shall I choose? The Osirion or the one who understands the language of the royals?"
Patricia could feel her heart beating erratically with fear but she knew what she was going to do. Mara still hadn't healed from her last encounter with Cepos and Patricia suspected she, herself, would have a better chance at surviving whatever he had planned. Taking one long look at Eddie, Patricia straightened her shoulders, "Take me."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Eddie watched as Cepos sorted through the girls one by one until only Mara and Patricia were left. He saw Patricia seeming to come to a decision as she looked between Mara and Cepos and he silently begged her not to do what he knew she would.
"Take me," Patricia's voice rang out and Cepos looked at her with amusement.
"I expected nothing less from the Osirion," Throwing Mara out of the way with a wave of his hand, Cepos turned his staff towards Patricia. As though a pair of hands had grabbed hold of her, she was yanked into the air and slammed down onto the table with a sickening thud.
"Stop!" Eddie screamed as Patricia lay on her back and tried to catch her breath.
"Stay if you like but I have no further use for the rest of you," Cepos moved to stand along the length of the table. Striking his scepter twice against the ground in quick succession, the group watched as Patricia's hands were pulled straight and seemingly bound by something they couldn't see.
Eddie felt the blood draining from his face as the scene before him matched perfectly with the dream he'd had. He ran to the table but as he reached out to grab Patricia he was stopped mere inches from her by what he could only describe as a wall. He banged his fists against it, trying every angle he could think of but Cepos and Patricia remained within the protected circle of whatever boundaries Cepos had created.
Patricia turned her head to look at him, tears falling from the corners of her eyes and Eddie crashed his fist against the barrier over and over, "Patricia!"
"I call on thee, God of Death, to bring Meritaten back from her eternal rest," Cepos remained unperturbed by Eddie's cries and reached into his robes, removing a dagger with a single red stone embedded in the hilt.
Eddie felt someone pull on his arm and he looked to see Nina standing there with Alfie. She gestured him to follow her and with one last tortured glance at Patricia, he complied. Cepos was absorbed in the ritual and was moving his hands in structured patterns.
Eddie and Alfie followed Nina into the next chamber and she guided them to stand against the wall, "The others are going to distract Cepos so we can watch for the scepter." Almost as if on cue, Eddie heard the voices of his friends trying to plead with Cepos.
"Please, you don't have to do this!"
"Just let her go!"
"Heal the mind and release the soul, only you can make her whole," Cepos voice held steady.
"Quick!" Nina's voice pulled Eddie's attention back to her. "This is where the scepter came from in my dream." She pointed to the center of the room where a small mound had begun forming in the sand.
"Use your power, change the fates," As Cepos spoke, the mound of sand grew larger and Alfie threw a nervous look at Nina.
"This isn't going to be like the part in that movie where all those people-eating bugs come crawling out, is it?" Nina ignored him, her eyes glued to the spot. A golden light began to emanate from the sand and twist its way upward.
"Tip the scales and open the gates," Cepos voice became louder and Eddie stopped breathing as he saw that Cepos now held the dagger above Patricia.
"Eddie," Alfie's urgent whisper caused Eddie to shoot a quick glance his way. When he did he saw that Nina was holding a golden scepter identical to the one in Cepos' possession, except the gems were blue and green. As if in a trance Nina walked forward, the shimmering golden light now encasing her.
Eddie turned to run towards Patricia as Cepos uttered the final line of the spell, "A soul for a soul, the debt will be paid!"
"No!" Eddie screamed as Cepos started to plunge the knife through the air. He saw Nina's lips moving and then a burst of light shot from her staff and placed itself between Cepos' dagger and Patricia. Cepos' face registered his shock and he whipped around when Nina began to speak in a voice that wasn't her own. With his focus on the ritual broken, the protective barrier keeping the others away disappeared and Eddie ran to Patricia, throwing himself over her to shield her from the ongoing battle.
Nina's back and shoulders were straight and her head held high, and though the tone she spoke in was decidedly feminine it was deeper with the hint of an accent, "I call on the Gods of goodness, light, wisdom, and protection." Sweeping her staff in a circle above her head, Nina ceased to speak in a language the others could understand.
Cepos held his scepter as a shield as Nina shot spell after spell at him. His face showed his anger at the turn of events but fear and nervousness were evident in his eyes. With each burst of power and light from Nina's staff, Cepos was losing ground. Finally, holding her scepter above her head, Nina brought it down to create a connection between her staff and Cepos'. Raising her voice and speaking faster than before, the group watched as the gems in Cepos' staff became black and then turned to dust. Cepos let out a cry of anger and despair before the power of Nina's staff struck him in the chest. A swirling pit of fire opened up beneath his feet...and then he was gone.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Eddie slowly pulled away from the table and hurriedly looked at Patricia's face. Her eyes were closed and for a second he began to panic until she took a deep breath and her lashes fluttered open.
"Patricia, are you okay?" He ran his hands the length of her arms and legs to look for any injuries, sighing with relief when there were none to find.
"I think I'm alright," Patricia tentatively moved her wrists and ankles and found that they were no longer pinned down by invisible shackles. She swung her legs over the edge of the table and hopped down, stumbling a little. Eddie lurched forward and caught her and she quickly pulled him into a hug. Leaning back, Patricia sent him a radiant smile, "I knew you could do it."
Though he wished to be able to take all of the credit and keep Patricia's smile for himself, Eddie shook his head, "Everyone helped, but Nina deserves a lot of credit." He grabbed her hand and led her to where the others stood.
"Wh–where did he go?" Amber peered down at the spot where Cepos had been standing.
"Nina!" The group turned to see that Nina had fallen to her knees, the scepter having dropped from her hand. She was no longer surrounded by glittering light and her voice had returned to normal but the experience had left her slightly weak.
"I'm okay," She gave a small smile to Fabian and let him help her to her feet. He placed an arm around her waist to help steady her while she looked at Amber and answered her previous question, "He was banished to the underworld."
Alfie grinned in relief, "So it's over?"
Nina smiled, "Yeah."
"Well," Jerome tacked on, "At least until the next time Frobisher tries to get us all killed."
"Jerome!" Mara shot him an 'are you serious' look and he smiled widely at her before stealing a kiss.
"Let's get out of here and celebrate," Amber looked at each of them, her face sparkling with excitement instead of the fear that had been present until just a few minutes before.
"Sorry, no can do, Ambs," Alfie shook his head. "I've already got plans."
Amber's face clouded with disappointment, "You do?"
"Yep, I've got a date."
The girls quickly shot concerned glances at Amber, who nodded sadly in understanding, "Oh, okay."
"You've got plans, too, though Amber," Alfie smiled at her.
Amber's eyes showed her confusion, "I do?"
"Yep. Who do you think my date is?" Alfie extended his arm out in a gentlemanly gesture. Amber's frown became a dazzling smile and she happily took Alfie's arm as the boys rolled their eyes at the chorus of 'awws' from the girls.
"Where are we going?" Amber asked.
"Before I say anything, I have some rules of my own to give you." The group raised their eyebrows at this statement.
"Rules?" Amber eyed him apprehensively.
"Yes. Rule number one, you can't back out on a date I plan if you don't like it."
"Okay," Amber said slowly.
"Rule number two, I want to have an actual relationship, not just me doing whatever you say."
"And rule number three?"
"Rule number three, we have a standing date at least once a week."
Amber's smile returned full force and she threw her arms around Alfie in a quick hug before dragging him from the room. The others followed behind, some still thinking about Alfie's newfound ability to stand up to Amber and the rest were glad to see their friends so happy. They made their way out of the tunnels for what would hopefully be the last time for a while and separated once back in Anubis House to go shower and change.
Amber spent the rest of the evening pestering Alfie for hints about their date which he refused to give. After dinner, he enlisted Nina's help at one point and told Amber that Nina had laid out her outfit on her bed. The others watched in amusement as Amber flew up the stairs and returned a few minutes later in a pair of comfortable pajamas, her hands on her hips.
"Alfie Lewis, I am not wearing this to a restaurant," She gestured up the length of her body.
"I guess it's a good thing we aren't going to one then," He smirked at her before displaying a large bowl of popcorn. "We are having a pajama popcorn movie night."
Amber seemed to consider this, "What are we watching?"
"I've been inspired by our recent exploits. Our movie has action, adventure, romance, comedy, and a hint of Egyptian curses." Amber groaned reluctantly but let Alfie pull her towards his room where he had set everything up.
"Fabian, you owe me and Joy five pounds!" Patricia called over her shoulder.
Fabian hung his head in defeat as Joy and Tom stepped through the front door, "Why does Fabian owe us five pounds?"
"Amber and Alfie are on a date tonight," Patricia pointed down the hall at the closed door.
"Took them long enough," Joy smiled.
Tom grinned at them before coming to throw an arm around Patricia's shoulders, "So, what are our plans for the weekend, Trixie?"
Eddie, who had gone to get a drink from the kitchen, stormed into the room and looked at Tom murderously. Patricia shot a bewildered look at Joy who covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She quickly regained control and moved to stand beside Tom, "Sorry, I forgot to tell him." Looking up at the tall boy at her side, Joy smiled, "Eddie and Patricia got back together a couple of days ago."
"That's great! Congratulations," Tom gave a sincere smile to Patricia and Eddie as he removed his arm from Patricia and placed it around Joy.
"If you play your cards right, I might just take you on another date and make you my girlfriend," Tom wiggled his eyebrows at Joy who simply hopped up to place a kiss on his cheek.
"Maybe if your lucky," She shot him a cheeky grin and he laughed as he followed her into the kitchen. Jerome shot a confused look to Mara who simply smiled and pulled him to one side of the room to explain.
Eddie had been watching this exchange with a shift in his emotions, going from absolute rage to complete confusion. Walking over to Patricia, he pulled her down to sit beside him on the couch, "Can you tell me what just happened?"
Patricia laughed and kissed him softly before leaning back and entwining their hands together, "Well, remember when…" And she told him the entire story, their hands clasped together from beginning to end.
The End