**Hey! I'm SO sorry this took so long to post but you people have NO idea how busy I've been. Well, maybe some of you do...but anyway! I really appreciate all of the review their great, I can hardly believe that this many people actually reviewed. Well I won't talk up your time having you read this but PLEASE don't forget to review, thanks and enjoy! Oh wait! One more thing, this chapter does involve a little owies for a certain character (I can't give it away) so don't get too mad, I'm just warning ya! On with the story.**
Chapter 5- The Loss of Light
Upon waking Presley found that he was unable to stand or move his arms. Thick cords tied his feet and hands together. The room in which he had been taken was pitch black no light even entered through the crack underneath the door. His first reaction was to panic but when that feeling past questions began to run through his mind. `Where am I and why in the heck does it have to be so dark in here? Hasn't this person ever heard of a light bulb?' A throbbing pain brought his attention to his head. Presley tried to clutch his head with his right hand only to be reminded of his bonds. So he reached up with both hands and found a goose egg on the back of his head, evidence to where the Shapties had struck him. He groaned aloud as the throbbing turned into a pounding pain. "Ow, hasn't anyone ever heard of Tylenol?" After feeling sorry for himself Presley wiggled around and discovered a wall. He pushed himself up so that he sat with his back against it. Presley sighed and asked the
darkness. "What have I gotten myself into now?" Nobody answered him save for his own rhythmic breathing.
Presley sat in the dark listening to his own breathing lost in his own thoughts and fiddling with the impossible knots that held the cords when footsteps caught his notice, causing him to strain his ears as the sound grew closer. The steps that had at first seemed to belong to only one person betrayed themselves to belong to three different people. The footsteps finally reached the door and the door slid open blinding Presley in the brightest light that his green eyes had ever seen. When his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, which turned out only to be two torches, he saw three figures silhouetted against the doors dark frame. Initially his heart leapt when he imagined that it might be his old guardians come to rescue him like they always had done. Then common sense kicked in and it came back full force when he realized that they wouldn't even be able to know he was in danger because he know longer had any connection with them.
One of the mysterious figures stepped forward and this person's form jogged something in Presley's memory. When this person spoke it was with slow, evil familiar voice that Presley immediately remembered. "So how do you find your accommodations Prince Rapses?" It was when the figure moved more into the shadows that Presley's fears were confirmed.
Presley shifted so that he was in a better position from which to talk from. "Scarab. I thought it would be you because only you could have that ugly of a shadow."
The ancient advisor laughed in his drawled manner. "Still the ever saucy prince I see. Well, no matter that will change soon enough." He turned to the other motionless forms that had yet to move. "Take him and follow me." Scarab turned and walked out of the dark room disappearing from Presley's sight. The two Shapties marched over to where Presley lay and grabbed him by the shoulders roughly pulling him to his feet.
Presley cried out when the Shaptie holding his left arm bent it too far backwards. "Hey! Take it easy! I do break you know."
Neither one of his captures gave any sign of hearing him and they continued to drag Presley through the tunnels with his sneakers squeaking along the floor, echoing throughout the hallway. The stone grips on his shoulders were strong enough to keep Presley from saying anything and he knew that he would have bruises there to prove what had happened.
When the two stone slaves finally reached their destination they dropped Presley at the foot of a small flight of stairs as if he were no more than a bag of garbage. Presley landed on his stomach and because of the reflexes that he had developed from long hours of Egyp-tsu practice he managed not to hit his face. He rolled over onto his side so that he could have a better view of his surroundings.
Presley glared at the two stone slaves that had stopped moving once they had completed their task. "You could've been a little nicer you know." Presley sounded brave but on the inside he was trembling with fear because he knew that he was all alone.
While trying to control his own dread another order must had been made because Presley found that his feet were being untied. He was now able to stand on his own two feet and scrambled to stand feeling helpless lying on the floor.
He looked up the small flight of stairs to where a chair like thrown had been placed Seated on the thrown was a tall, sinister, older man who was garbed in purple robes that declared him to be a sorcerer. He grinned evilly as the young boy who was standing before him. "So Prince Rapses we meet again. Yet I feel there is no time for small talk. I've had an annoying urge to be young again."
From behind the thrown slithered a golden cobra. It slid over to Scarab's feet and coiled there ready to strike. "I don't know boss it may be those itchy clothes you wear."
Scarab looked down at his feet and glared at his interruption. "Do shut-up Hekka, I'm busy." His purple eyes returned to the boy at his feet. "Let's get this over with shall we?"
He bent down and picked up Hekka by the throat ignoring her protests at being treated so harshly. The snake turned stiff and then acted like a staff although she still spat out comments occasionally. Scarab walked down the steps to stand a foot away from Presley. Presley stepped back showing his discomfort at having the older man too close to him. Amenhotep's old advisor smiled, raised his arms and begun the incantation that Presley had heard before. It was the incantation that was able to draw out Prince Rapses spirit so that Scarab could achieve the immortality that he so badly desired.
"Spirit of Rapses, I..."Scarab began but broke off his chanting uncertainly when nothing happened. The spirit was exiting out of Presley's body as it was supposed to. The sorcerer dropped his arms in mild confusion. "What is going on here?"
Presley had known from the beginning that it wasn't going to work but laughed inwardly as he watched the sorcerer try. The former prince watched Scarab with amusement. "It's not going to work you know so you may as well just let me go."
Scarab looked at the boy that stood infront of him and snapped up his head staring at Presley suspiciously. "Why? Did that armature Rath figure out some way to keep Prince Rapses spirit hidden from me?"
When Presley merely shrugged his shoulders Scarab started to get outraged that such an upstart was denying him immortality. The sorcerer crossed the gap that was between him and the boy, picking Presley up by the shirt collar high enough so that only the tips of Presley's sneakers touched the floor. "Tell me why the Spirit of Rapses will not come to me or you will regret it."
Presley knew then that he was doomed and that whatever answer he told Scarab would be ignored resulting in him facing the advisor's wrath. In the back of his mind a thought crossed the boy's mind asking himself how such an old guy could lift a twelve year old boy this far off the ground. When he came back to the present circumstance he knew that his old guardians would never come, they were probably enjoying their time with their prince much more than they had with someone who knew almost nothing of their customs or ways. As the realization of his hopelessness dawned upon him he lost the fear that had been in him and instead he was filled with an emptiness that was streaked with sorrow. Presley bowed his head and said nothing to Scarab his depression was so great.
Scarab was now enraged that he had been thwarted too many times before and now to him, this insolent little brat wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. He was a patient man from his years of waiting to take the Pharaoh's thrown in ancient Egypt but it had just come to an end. He shouted in frustration and shook Presley hard enough that Presley's skin was raw where the collar of his T-shirt rubbed against his neck. Scarab threw Presley to the ground causing the boy to shout out in pain as he landed on his left ankle. Immediately the ankle began to throb and swell.
The sorcerer's purple eyes burned with anger as he balled his empty hand into a fist. "Listen well Rapses you will now regret your decision to stay you answer from me and when the pain becomes too great you will beg me to stop and cry out for mercy!" He whipped his head to order his minions. "Shapties I want you to make him talk. I know that you know how to do this."
Scarab grinned wickedly and laughed. It was a laugh that would have sent chills down the spine of the bravest warrior yet it didn't affect Presley in the slightest as he was carried away to the rear of the main chamber by the mobile statues. Scarab followed behind with an expression of pure pleasure on his face. Presley was already lost in the pain of losing his friends so he didn't take notice to his mistreatment. These friends that and meant more to him then he ever thought could.
Presley was dragged to the back of the main chamber and like the rest of the gigantic room it was lit by torches. He was dropped painfully to the ground and didn't move until one of the Shapties moved him into a position that was better for them to persuade their captive into speech. Their clay faces showed no expression as one of the Shapties came at Presley with a small leather rope. Presley stared at blankly at the ground as the Shaptie commenced wielding the whip so that it didn't break the skin but caused a bruised lump to rise where it had struck the flesh. Scarab watched this misery eagerly and with glee as the whip prepared for yet another strike. To Presley whose senses were dulled with depression he knew that he was being hurt but not nearly as badly as was the pain that was aching inside. After approximately the third strike with the whip Presley unconsciously began to cry. The tears were filled not only with the physical torture that his body was undertaking but
the emotional torment that he was dealing with spiritually.
After the seventh time the whip had descended on Presley Scarab ordered the Shapties to stop their torture. He was baffled by the boys' persistence. He didn't know that Presley was not only crying out of physical discomfort. He was, however, frustrated by his inability to obtain the knowledge that he yearned for so badly. He walked up to the boy that now lay on the ground, no longer crying but in a tremendous amount of pain from the lashings. The lashings had been gentle compared to what they could have been but to a young boy there were agonizingly painful. Scarab pulled Presley up to his feet but had to hold him there with his own power.
Scarab talked to Presley in a drawn out manner so that he wouldn't have to repeat himself. "Why won't Rapses spirit come to me?"
Presley hung from Scarab's grasp and remained silent with the tears rapidly drying on his face. He didn't care anymore and he knew that Scarab wouldn't kill him in fear that he would never become immortal. He also knew that Scarab didn't have to let him go until he got what he wanted.
Scarab was furious and shook the boy with the power that could have shaken the teeth out of a lion. "Tell me!!" The advisor was exasperated at this insect who withheld the information that he desired and he was determined to take any measure necessary to get it. He had waited over 3500 years and the gods be damned if he was going to wait even a moment longer.
* * * * * *
Prince Rapses had been directing the four mummies to where Presley was being held and as they got closer to his whereabouts Rapses began to feel sick. He knew that Presley was being put through some sort of physical torture because he was beginning to feel the effect himself. However, he dare not say anything to his preoccupied guardians because he didn't want them to be any worse off knowing that their friend was in even more danger. So he kept his mouth shut and simply followed his instincts. He was guided and drawn to Presley as easily as a thirsty man was to water and he felt more anxious with every passing moment. He knew that the rest of them felt the same way because of their complete silence. There were no comments on Nefer-tina's driving or Armon begging Ja-Kal to stop at the nearest Beefy Burger. Rath wasn't thinking aloud at the technology of the modern world and Ja-Kal, who was normally quiet anyway, it was as if he wasn't even there.
After searching for almost two hours they finally came to a glass and steel pyramid. Prince Rapses had been whispering the way the entire time and now he uttered his last direction. "Nefer-tina, stop here."
The Hot-Ra stopped directly infront of the building and four mummies climbed silently out of the car as Ja-Kal surveyed their surroundings. He pointed to the top of the pyramid. "We can enter from there and work our way down from the top. I will fly and rest of you will climb up there any way you can." Ja-Kal looked at his prince and spoke sternly. "My Prince you must stay in the Hot-Ra we cannot risk you getting into enemy hands."
The young prince merely nodded his head agreement and it was then that Ja-Kal noticed that he was unnaturally pale.
Ja-Kal walked back over to where the prince was seated. "What is the matter `o prince? Has something happened to you?"
Prince Rapses shook his head. "No Ja-Kal nothing is the matter with me but something is wrong with Presley. Something has happened to him." He looked first at Ja-Kal and then at the rest of them. The young princes' features were painted with fear and concern. "Hurry I'm not sure but we may already be too late."
With his princes' words the nauseating feeling in Ja-Kal's stomach doubled and if he would have been alive he would have paled considerably. The fear that they were too late was almost paralyzing and he unconsciously licked his lips in a worried, nervous manner. There was no time to spare for it had run out; the time to act was now.
Ja-Kal bowed his head to Prince Rapses saying in the motion that they would try their best but Ja-Kal knew that he would even give his life for his young friend. He turned around to face the building, squared his shoulders and said softly. "It's time."
The four guardians of Rapses turned and moved so that they stood in a straight line facing the building and shouted in unison the incantation to activate their amulets. "WITH THE STRENGTH OF RA!"
**Don't forget to review! I'm posting two chapters this time so there's no need to review after this one...unless you want, so it's okay if you don't. You can just save all of you comments to after next chapter. I hope you liked it and no, I'm not this mean but I thought it would make a good story. Have fun! Lilianna **
Chapter 5- The Loss of Light
Upon waking Presley found that he was unable to stand or move his arms. Thick cords tied his feet and hands together. The room in which he had been taken was pitch black no light even entered through the crack underneath the door. His first reaction was to panic but when that feeling past questions began to run through his mind. `Where am I and why in the heck does it have to be so dark in here? Hasn't this person ever heard of a light bulb?' A throbbing pain brought his attention to his head. Presley tried to clutch his head with his right hand only to be reminded of his bonds. So he reached up with both hands and found a goose egg on the back of his head, evidence to where the Shapties had struck him. He groaned aloud as the throbbing turned into a pounding pain. "Ow, hasn't anyone ever heard of Tylenol?" After feeling sorry for himself Presley wiggled around and discovered a wall. He pushed himself up so that he sat with his back against it. Presley sighed and asked the
darkness. "What have I gotten myself into now?" Nobody answered him save for his own rhythmic breathing.
Presley sat in the dark listening to his own breathing lost in his own thoughts and fiddling with the impossible knots that held the cords when footsteps caught his notice, causing him to strain his ears as the sound grew closer. The steps that had at first seemed to belong to only one person betrayed themselves to belong to three different people. The footsteps finally reached the door and the door slid open blinding Presley in the brightest light that his green eyes had ever seen. When his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, which turned out only to be two torches, he saw three figures silhouetted against the doors dark frame. Initially his heart leapt when he imagined that it might be his old guardians come to rescue him like they always had done. Then common sense kicked in and it came back full force when he realized that they wouldn't even be able to know he was in danger because he know longer had any connection with them.
One of the mysterious figures stepped forward and this person's form jogged something in Presley's memory. When this person spoke it was with slow, evil familiar voice that Presley immediately remembered. "So how do you find your accommodations Prince Rapses?" It was when the figure moved more into the shadows that Presley's fears were confirmed.
Presley shifted so that he was in a better position from which to talk from. "Scarab. I thought it would be you because only you could have that ugly of a shadow."
The ancient advisor laughed in his drawled manner. "Still the ever saucy prince I see. Well, no matter that will change soon enough." He turned to the other motionless forms that had yet to move. "Take him and follow me." Scarab turned and walked out of the dark room disappearing from Presley's sight. The two Shapties marched over to where Presley lay and grabbed him by the shoulders roughly pulling him to his feet.
Presley cried out when the Shaptie holding his left arm bent it too far backwards. "Hey! Take it easy! I do break you know."
Neither one of his captures gave any sign of hearing him and they continued to drag Presley through the tunnels with his sneakers squeaking along the floor, echoing throughout the hallway. The stone grips on his shoulders were strong enough to keep Presley from saying anything and he knew that he would have bruises there to prove what had happened.
When the two stone slaves finally reached their destination they dropped Presley at the foot of a small flight of stairs as if he were no more than a bag of garbage. Presley landed on his stomach and because of the reflexes that he had developed from long hours of Egyp-tsu practice he managed not to hit his face. He rolled over onto his side so that he could have a better view of his surroundings.
Presley glared at the two stone slaves that had stopped moving once they had completed their task. "You could've been a little nicer you know." Presley sounded brave but on the inside he was trembling with fear because he knew that he was all alone.
While trying to control his own dread another order must had been made because Presley found that his feet were being untied. He was now able to stand on his own two feet and scrambled to stand feeling helpless lying on the floor.
He looked up the small flight of stairs to where a chair like thrown had been placed Seated on the thrown was a tall, sinister, older man who was garbed in purple robes that declared him to be a sorcerer. He grinned evilly as the young boy who was standing before him. "So Prince Rapses we meet again. Yet I feel there is no time for small talk. I've had an annoying urge to be young again."
From behind the thrown slithered a golden cobra. It slid over to Scarab's feet and coiled there ready to strike. "I don't know boss it may be those itchy clothes you wear."
Scarab looked down at his feet and glared at his interruption. "Do shut-up Hekka, I'm busy." His purple eyes returned to the boy at his feet. "Let's get this over with shall we?"
He bent down and picked up Hekka by the throat ignoring her protests at being treated so harshly. The snake turned stiff and then acted like a staff although she still spat out comments occasionally. Scarab walked down the steps to stand a foot away from Presley. Presley stepped back showing his discomfort at having the older man too close to him. Amenhotep's old advisor smiled, raised his arms and begun the incantation that Presley had heard before. It was the incantation that was able to draw out Prince Rapses spirit so that Scarab could achieve the immortality that he so badly desired.
"Spirit of Rapses, I..."Scarab began but broke off his chanting uncertainly when nothing happened. The spirit was exiting out of Presley's body as it was supposed to. The sorcerer dropped his arms in mild confusion. "What is going on here?"
Presley had known from the beginning that it wasn't going to work but laughed inwardly as he watched the sorcerer try. The former prince watched Scarab with amusement. "It's not going to work you know so you may as well just let me go."
Scarab looked at the boy that stood infront of him and snapped up his head staring at Presley suspiciously. "Why? Did that armature Rath figure out some way to keep Prince Rapses spirit hidden from me?"
When Presley merely shrugged his shoulders Scarab started to get outraged that such an upstart was denying him immortality. The sorcerer crossed the gap that was between him and the boy, picking Presley up by the shirt collar high enough so that only the tips of Presley's sneakers touched the floor. "Tell me why the Spirit of Rapses will not come to me or you will regret it."
Presley knew then that he was doomed and that whatever answer he told Scarab would be ignored resulting in him facing the advisor's wrath. In the back of his mind a thought crossed the boy's mind asking himself how such an old guy could lift a twelve year old boy this far off the ground. When he came back to the present circumstance he knew that his old guardians would never come, they were probably enjoying their time with their prince much more than they had with someone who knew almost nothing of their customs or ways. As the realization of his hopelessness dawned upon him he lost the fear that had been in him and instead he was filled with an emptiness that was streaked with sorrow. Presley bowed his head and said nothing to Scarab his depression was so great.
Scarab was now enraged that he had been thwarted too many times before and now to him, this insolent little brat wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. He was a patient man from his years of waiting to take the Pharaoh's thrown in ancient Egypt but it had just come to an end. He shouted in frustration and shook Presley hard enough that Presley's skin was raw where the collar of his T-shirt rubbed against his neck. Scarab threw Presley to the ground causing the boy to shout out in pain as he landed on his left ankle. Immediately the ankle began to throb and swell.
The sorcerer's purple eyes burned with anger as he balled his empty hand into a fist. "Listen well Rapses you will now regret your decision to stay you answer from me and when the pain becomes too great you will beg me to stop and cry out for mercy!" He whipped his head to order his minions. "Shapties I want you to make him talk. I know that you know how to do this."
Scarab grinned wickedly and laughed. It was a laugh that would have sent chills down the spine of the bravest warrior yet it didn't affect Presley in the slightest as he was carried away to the rear of the main chamber by the mobile statues. Scarab followed behind with an expression of pure pleasure on his face. Presley was already lost in the pain of losing his friends so he didn't take notice to his mistreatment. These friends that and meant more to him then he ever thought could.
Presley was dragged to the back of the main chamber and like the rest of the gigantic room it was lit by torches. He was dropped painfully to the ground and didn't move until one of the Shapties moved him into a position that was better for them to persuade their captive into speech. Their clay faces showed no expression as one of the Shapties came at Presley with a small leather rope. Presley stared at blankly at the ground as the Shaptie commenced wielding the whip so that it didn't break the skin but caused a bruised lump to rise where it had struck the flesh. Scarab watched this misery eagerly and with glee as the whip prepared for yet another strike. To Presley whose senses were dulled with depression he knew that he was being hurt but not nearly as badly as was the pain that was aching inside. After approximately the third strike with the whip Presley unconsciously began to cry. The tears were filled not only with the physical torture that his body was undertaking but
the emotional torment that he was dealing with spiritually.
After the seventh time the whip had descended on Presley Scarab ordered the Shapties to stop their torture. He was baffled by the boys' persistence. He didn't know that Presley was not only crying out of physical discomfort. He was, however, frustrated by his inability to obtain the knowledge that he yearned for so badly. He walked up to the boy that now lay on the ground, no longer crying but in a tremendous amount of pain from the lashings. The lashings had been gentle compared to what they could have been but to a young boy there were agonizingly painful. Scarab pulled Presley up to his feet but had to hold him there with his own power.
Scarab talked to Presley in a drawn out manner so that he wouldn't have to repeat himself. "Why won't Rapses spirit come to me?"
Presley hung from Scarab's grasp and remained silent with the tears rapidly drying on his face. He didn't care anymore and he knew that Scarab wouldn't kill him in fear that he would never become immortal. He also knew that Scarab didn't have to let him go until he got what he wanted.
Scarab was furious and shook the boy with the power that could have shaken the teeth out of a lion. "Tell me!!" The advisor was exasperated at this insect who withheld the information that he desired and he was determined to take any measure necessary to get it. He had waited over 3500 years and the gods be damned if he was going to wait even a moment longer.
* * * * * *
Prince Rapses had been directing the four mummies to where Presley was being held and as they got closer to his whereabouts Rapses began to feel sick. He knew that Presley was being put through some sort of physical torture because he was beginning to feel the effect himself. However, he dare not say anything to his preoccupied guardians because he didn't want them to be any worse off knowing that their friend was in even more danger. So he kept his mouth shut and simply followed his instincts. He was guided and drawn to Presley as easily as a thirsty man was to water and he felt more anxious with every passing moment. He knew that the rest of them felt the same way because of their complete silence. There were no comments on Nefer-tina's driving or Armon begging Ja-Kal to stop at the nearest Beefy Burger. Rath wasn't thinking aloud at the technology of the modern world and Ja-Kal, who was normally quiet anyway, it was as if he wasn't even there.
After searching for almost two hours they finally came to a glass and steel pyramid. Prince Rapses had been whispering the way the entire time and now he uttered his last direction. "Nefer-tina, stop here."
The Hot-Ra stopped directly infront of the building and four mummies climbed silently out of the car as Ja-Kal surveyed their surroundings. He pointed to the top of the pyramid. "We can enter from there and work our way down from the top. I will fly and rest of you will climb up there any way you can." Ja-Kal looked at his prince and spoke sternly. "My Prince you must stay in the Hot-Ra we cannot risk you getting into enemy hands."
The young prince merely nodded his head agreement and it was then that Ja-Kal noticed that he was unnaturally pale.
Ja-Kal walked back over to where the prince was seated. "What is the matter `o prince? Has something happened to you?"
Prince Rapses shook his head. "No Ja-Kal nothing is the matter with me but something is wrong with Presley. Something has happened to him." He looked first at Ja-Kal and then at the rest of them. The young princes' features were painted with fear and concern. "Hurry I'm not sure but we may already be too late."
With his princes' words the nauseating feeling in Ja-Kal's stomach doubled and if he would have been alive he would have paled considerably. The fear that they were too late was almost paralyzing and he unconsciously licked his lips in a worried, nervous manner. There was no time to spare for it had run out; the time to act was now.
Ja-Kal bowed his head to Prince Rapses saying in the motion that they would try their best but Ja-Kal knew that he would even give his life for his young friend. He turned around to face the building, squared his shoulders and said softly. "It's time."
The four guardians of Rapses turned and moved so that they stood in a straight line facing the building and shouted in unison the incantation to activate their amulets. "WITH THE STRENGTH OF RA!"
**Don't forget to review! I'm posting two chapters this time so there's no need to review after this one...unless you want, so it's okay if you don't. You can just save all of you comments to after next chapter. I hope you liked it and no, I'm not this mean but I thought it would make a good story. Have fun! Lilianna **