Anubis walked through the Field of Reeds, barely noticing the beauty around him. He was lost in thought, wonder what words he would use to sway the Ennead this day. In time, he came to a gleaming white building – the court of Osiris. Passing the guards without a glance, he stepped through the massive doors and made his way to the throne on the other end of the huge room. The jackal lord bowed low to the figure on the throne. "Greetings, Osiris. Praise to you eternal one, judge of the dead, mighty of strength and fair of judgment."
"Hail, Anubis. We will hear you speak yet again this day." The formal voice carried a hint of weariness.
Anubis bowed again and took his seat. He waited patiently as the other Gods arrived. When all had gathered, Osiris addressed the court. "O Great Ones of the Ennead, we gather this day once again so that Anubis may plead his case. He wishes to return life to two mortals in his care. We know your words well, O Foremost of Westerners. We know that which you ask of us. What new have you to say?"
Slowly, Anubis got to his feet. "O Mighty Gods of the Ennead, long have you heard me speak the case of these mortals. Of the injustice that they have suffered. Today I say to you: there is a living mortal, a young man who now serves me. Let him take some of the burden from the souls in my care. His heart is light and he could carry much. Let him share in their evil deeds so that they may share in his good."
Ma'at, goddess of the balance, spoke, "It could be done thus."
"But the young man would need to accept this burden." Osiris said.
"He will accept it." Anubis said.
Osiris pondered for a moment. "Very well. You may have the soul of the man." He would not speak his name. A name carried power, and he did not wish to give this being power.
"What of the woman?" Anubis asked.
"She has lived and died twice as a mortal. Let her be judged on her deeds."
Anubis sighed. It was going to be another long day.
Nearly three years had come and gone since Zane had first seen the two Egyptians in his dream. He had learned much of ancient Egypt since that time, and much about the legends surrounding that land. He had served Anubis well, sending lost spirits to find their peace in the afterlife. Zane's power and confidence grew with every sending.
And now, school was coming to an end. Zane studied over the remaining months of the school year, cramming for his finals. He passed his tests, turned in his assignments and earned his last few credits. The years of classes, teachers, stress and deadlines were suddenly over. They handed him a piece of paper and sent him on his way. Late into the night he celebrated with his classmates: drinking, dancing, and reminiscing.
"So, what are you going to do with yourself?" His friend Jack asked him.
"Next month I'm going on a trip to Egypt." The trip had been Anubis's idea. Zane had always wanted to see the land of the pharaoh's, so he made no objection.
"That sounds cool. What are you going to do after that?"
Zane shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll get a job or something." Professional Necromancer didn't seem like a realistic job choice, but he would worry about his future employment when he got back.
When it got to the point that he was either going to pass out there or go home, he called a cab to take him back to his house. He was nauseous on the ride, but was able to keep control of his stomach. Not long after he got home, Zane threw up into the toilet, forced himself to brush his teeth, and stumbled off to bed. He barely had time to take off his clothes before falling asleep.
The darkness was as smooth as silk and littered with a thousand stars. The desert was empty and stretched on for miles on every side. "Where am I?" Zane wondered aloud.
"One of my places." A voice said from everywhere and nowhere at once. The sand before him swirled into a column and condensed into the form of Anubis. Behind him, as insubstantial as mist, were the two figures he had seen in his dream almost three years ago. "You will make your decision today."
And Zane woke, a dull ache in his head and his mouth as dry as the desert sands.
Downstairs, the doorbell rang. He groaned and slipped on a pair of pants. Who would be visiting him at this time of the day? If it was Jehovah's Witnesses, he was going to give them hell. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rang again. At this distance, the noise was loud enough to be painful. Zane clutched his head, "I'm coming!" He called.
When he opened the door, he saw a man he didn't recognize standing there. He was tall, with blond hair and a few days' worth of stubble on his face. The man was holding a small box in front of him. "Hello, friend. Are you the follower of Anubis that I seek?"
"What?" Zane's hung-over mind was not prepared to deal with this. "I mean, I'm a follower of Anubis, but who are you?"
The man made a short bow. "My name is Michael. I'm a priest of Amon-Ra. I was told to give you this book." He held the box out to Zane.
Still confused, Zane took the box. Immediately he knew what was in it: The Book of Amon-Ra. The energy that was coming from the box was too strong for it to be anything else. "Thank you." He said awkwardly. He didn't know what else to say.
Michael smiled. "Don't thank me. Thank Lord Amon-Ra. He wishes you and Anubis well."
"How did you get this book?" Zane asked.
Michael shook his head, "It's a long story. I need to head home now. Good luck." With that, the man turned and left, leaving Zane to stand in confusion on his doorstep. His curiosity overcame him and he went back inside to open the box.
The Book of Amon-Ra was glorious. It was solid gold and etched deep with hieroglyphics. And the power . . .this was no mere book. Try as he might, Zane could not get the book open. After studying the strange scarab within a star design on the cover, he realized it must need some kind of key. A key which he obviously did not have. Defeated, he put the book back in the box and went to speak with Anubis.
Zane stood before his altar, eyes closed and breathing deeply. He imagined himself inside a cool temple, in an empty room lined with columns. This is what he thought of as his meeting place, neutral ground where he and Anubis could speak. A few seconds passed and Zane felt the presence of Anubis behind him. Zane turned and bowed to his God. "Lord Anubis, I have the Book of Amon-Ra, now what?"
"Now, there are things I must show you." Anubis beckoned to him. Zane drew nearer to the God, and Anubis laid his hand against his cheek. His hand was warm and soft, as if it were covered in fine fur. For a moment Zane simply enjoyed the touch of his patron. And then his mind was flooded with visions.
They seemed to come all at once and yet last a long time. He saw the priest again and learned his name – Imhotep. He also saw the beautiful woman and heard her name spoken: Anck-su-namon. He saw their love for each other, the murder of the Pharaoh, the attempt at resurrection. He saw mercifully little of the Hom-dai being enacted, but wept anyway. He recognized it from his more obscure readings and was horrified that it had been used. He saw also Imhotep's resurrection and the damage he had caused. It was not his fault, but the curse being fulfilled. But as Zane saw, Imhotep himself was not without blame. When he was defeated and drowned within the black pool, Zane thought it was over. But more visions invaded his mind. Anck-su-namon, reborn into another body, remembered her past and brought Imhotep back to life once more. Zane had read the legend of the Scorpion King and knew what they were up to. The same people who had brought Imhotep back the first time were again in the priest's path. Zane saw every evil act Imhotep and Anck-su-namon did, every person they killed. But still he felt their love for each other, and he was torn. He saw them defeated again at the hands of the O'Connells and witnessed their deaths. He watched Ahm Shere sink into the sand, covered and forgotten.
Then Zane was back in his altar room, lying on the floor, shaking and covered in sweat. The visions were running through his head like living things. But one image above all haunted him: the look of hopelessness on Imhotep's face as Anck-su-namon left him to die. For all the wrong he had done, there was still something left, something human.
A few minutes passed and Zane's head began to clear. Anubis spoke to him again, "The Ennead has debated long, but it has been decided that Imhotep and Anck-su-namon will be brought back to live out their lives as mortals." They were once again in the meeting place in Zane's mind. Zane and Anubis were facing each other across the space of a few feet. "Your choice is this: you can either go to Egypt and raise them from the dead, or you can choose not to."
Zane thought for a moment. "What happens if I say no?"
"Then I will need to find another way."
So it could be done without him. It would be so much easier to say no and let someone else worry about it. But Imhotep's tear-filled eyes kept returning to him. Zane had a hundred questions he wanted to ask about why this had been decided, why he was being asked, and what he was supposed to do.
"I must warn you, though. If you accept, you will take on the burden of their hearts. Through them, you will be weighed down by their evil deeds, and through you, their hearts will be lightened."
These people had stolen, killed, planned to take the world by force, and even defied the gods, things that Zane found terrible. But they had also loved, and they'd had that taken from them twice. If he could to something to restore the balance and give them another chance, he would.
"Yes." Zane said, "My answer is yes. I'll bring them back."
"It won't be easy." Anubis warned.
"Is it ever?"
Anubis laughed. "Sometimes." He said, "Sometimes it is."