Chapter 13
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Back at the Sphinx, Kiriana was starting to become restless. She paced back and forth anxiously through the main room, trying to let everything that Presley had told her sink in, fidgeting nervously with the fox-head amulet that dangled from a long black cord around her neck.

Suddenly she realized that Presley had entered the room and was approaching her with two cups of hot chocolate in his hands. He placed one down carefully on the table for himself, and handed the other one to Kiriana. Gratefully she took it from him, welcoming the warmth of it against her cold hands.

"Here, drink some of this. It might make you feel better," Presley said quietly.

She smiled faintly. "Thank you, Presley. You're such a sweetheart," she whispered, taking a sip of her drink before setting it down on the table in front of her.

Just then, Rath approached them, the look on his face on of deadly seriousness. Kiriana and Presley both exchanged confused glances, wondering what in the world could possibly be wrong now.

"Hey, what's going on, Rath? Is there something wrong?" Presley asked.

"I am not sure, Rapses. I sense a strange source of magic that seems to be coming from..." he started, then his voice trailed off as his emerald gaze fell upon the amulet that Kiriana wore.

Kiriana glanced from Rath to Presley and back again, finally realizing what the scribe was staring at. Slowly her hand went up to her pendant, clasping the fox-head charm tightly as she gazed into Rath's green eyes.

"Where did you get that amulet, my dear?" Rath asked.

Kiriana shrugged. "This thing? I don't really know for sure. I've had it ever since before I can remember, but I think my mother gave it to me before she died," she answered, her voice a barely audible whisper.

"May I see it?" the scribe asked.

"Sure," Kiriana replied. "Just don't drop it. It's all I have left of my mother."

With that, she carefully removed the pendant from around her neck and handed it to Rath, placing it gently into his hand. He held it up for a long moment, and immediately he felt the power that surged through the amulet, a power similar to that which coursed through Presley's talisman and those that Rath himself and the other Guardians possessed.

"By Thoth, I cannot believe it," Rath muttered softly to himself, handing the amulet back to Kiriana.

"Can't believe what?" Kiriana asked curiously, slipping her pendant around her neck again.

"You hold within you the reborn spirit of Princess Kiriana...Rapses' intended," Rath answered.

At that, Presley and Kiriana exchanged shocked glances. Her jaw dropped to the ground, her blue eyes again widening with pure shock. She backed away from them both, shaking her head in denial, her long red-gold curls flying around her face like wild flames.

"Whoa, whoa. Back the truck up and run that by me again please? Are you saying that my soul is actually the reborn spirit of an ancient Egyptian princess?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Rath nodded. "That is exactly what I am saying, my dear," he replied.

"I've heard of reincarnation, but this...this is crazy! I suppose now you're going to tell me that I have magical abilities or psychic powers or whatever," she scoffed doubtfully.

"Er...actually, you do possess extremely strong magical abilities..." Rath said.

Kiriana shook her head. "Oh, come on, Kiriana, wake up. I knew I should have seen this coming when I started hanging out with someone who was totally into the whole ancient Egyptian thing..." Presley shot her a wounded look. "This is just too much. It just sounds so crazy. I need to let this all sink in, so if it's all the same to anyone else, I'm going outside for some fresh air," she said, a little bit calmer now than she had been just a few moments before.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Presley asked.

"No thanks. I need to be alone for a little while," Kiriana said quietly.

Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out of the Sphinx. Rath moved as if to go after her, but Presley lay his hand on the scribe's arm, stopping him.

"No, let her go, Rath. There's really no use trying to talk to her when she's like this," Presley said quietly.

"Is she always this stubborn?" Rath inquired.

"She can be sometimes. But she's just really scared right now. I was the same way when I first found out about all this, remember?" Presley reminded him.

"Yes, my prince, I remember," Rath conceded with a sigh. "I only hope she has not wandered too far. It's still far too dangerous for both of you with Scarab still lurking around."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't think she went too far. Somehow I have the feeling I know exactly where she went," Presley said.

"What do you mean?" Rath asked, surprised.

"She's probably sitting up on the roof of the Sphinx. She always climbs up to the roof when she wants to be alone. She stays up there for hours, just staring at the sky. Hmm...I could try to talk to her. Maybe I could get through to her," Presley remarked.

"Good luck, my prince," Rath said.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it," Presley commented jokingly.



TBC...Yet again. ::Starts humming creepy tune:: And the plot thickens...also kind of explains how she knew about the Western Gate. Let me know what you think of this so far.