Ankhutenshi: Thanks for inspiring me with the Gollum-like voice last chapter! The insanity spreads! Kudos!
Penny: If you'd like to know, kudos is my way of congratulating / praising someone for doing something I like. And as to future characters... well, I've no idea what you're talking about. *evil grin* Kudos!
Wolf: Here's another "trial" set forth by an item, so I suppose you'll find out. And kudos!
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The fever did not lessen nearly as quickly as it had on previous occasions. By midday, it still burned within his veins. What grace he was still possessed of allowed him to sleep so deeply as to be unaware of the heat raging through him.
The sleep worked against him in several ways, however. Feeding him was a difficult task for the servants. All they had to work with were his reflexes. They gave him much more drink than food, and what food they gave him was ground into bits so as not to choke him. Mixed in with the food were several herbs reputed to be medicinal. Both the food and the herbs were easily washed down with water.
Adjedaa's visits were more frequent. She'd been instructed by the court to maintain regular surveillance of his condition, and she found that it was easier to be by his side and diagnose his condition herself, rather than have a servant report back to her at "a convenient time". She spent more time at his bedside, as well, at times even helping the servants change the wet cloths on him. She felt almost as useless as the servants did, although she wouldn't acknowledge such feelings, either aloud or even to herself.
She refused to believe there was nothing she could do.
That was always the philosophy of the Pharaoh, to believe there is something to be done even where there appears to be no hope left. I must undertake it if I am to hold on to any shred of faith.
It was that philosophy that kept Adjedaa at Theoris's side through the afternoon and into the evening hours as he continued to sleep.
When darkness began to creep over the eastern horizon, Theoris had still not awakened. Adjedaa began to wonder if going through the processes this quickly -- one item every day -- was far too much for the former soldier. After all, every man has his breaking point, and while Theoris had a reputation for holding fast, she knew that he must have been approaching his.
But as the darkness began to settle over the west, Theoris began to stir. His eyes cracked open, and his breath became deeper.
Adjedaa heard footsteps outside the chamber, and she glanced up at the doorway, to see Kenamun. The stout mage moved to the bedside and looked down at Theoris for several moments.
She saw a mixture of emotions playing across Kenamun's features, and a small crease split her brow. "Kenamun? Is there something wrong?"
"Many things," the older mage sighed. "The other members of the court are still quite suspicious of what is happening, despite the judgment passed down onto him by the first item." He glanced at the two servants for a moment, wary of their ears. "They are also not sure what to make of his sickness."
"He is losing his spirit every time he proceeds," she answered. "Is there any way to increase the time he is allowed to rest before proceeding again?"
"The court has decreed it so, and therefore, it must be carried out. If we deliberated on the matter, his task would already be finished before we made the decision."
Adjedaa's response was barely a whisper. "He is dying, Kenamun."
"For a cause which we know little to nothing about."
She got to her feet. "A will to die, in itself, should demonstrate the nobility of the cause."
"Egypt has warred with those who had just as much nobility, Adjedaa," Kenamun answered. "But faith in the cause does not validate the cause."
"Then let us hope that the cause is valid enough to warrant the possibility of his death."
Kenamun looked at Theoris once more. "Yes... let us hope, indeed." He looked back up at Adjedaa. "The item will be ready whenever Theoris is ready."
She gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. He left the room.
"Adjedaa..."
The young mage turned and knelt at Theoris's side. The soldier's eyes were half-open and staring directly into hers. He smiled slightly. "There is little need to pamper me with your constant presence."
"There is more need than you may believe," she replied.
"Why still do you?"
"Because there is no reason to give up hope. Simply because we have not found a way to quench the fire does not mean a way does not exist."
"Restoration of my spirit requires more than a few wet strips of cloth."
She gave him a look that held a mixture of apology and helplessness. "I know not what else to do."
"Then search for a way you have not attempted yet."
"That could harm you."
"There is no known way I can be helped. All that is left is harm. Better to be harmed in the pursuit of help than to continue to do nothing."
She frowned. "I do not believe in harming those I am trying to help."
"If you wish to help, you have no other choice. The possibility for harm exists. So does the possibility of help, if you at least try."
She sighed. "Very well. I will do what I can."
"That is all I ask." Theoris tried to arch his back and groaned. He offered an awkward smile. "Well, that, and... some assistance in rising from bed."
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The only way they could be referred to as "guards" now was in relation to Theoris and his need for protection. He was barely able to stand, let alone walk. They were closer to the word "crutch" this evening; each of them had one of Theoris's arms across his shoulders.
The court mage bearing the Millennium item tonight was Akunosh. Akunosh was a shorter man whose head was bereft of hair, but whose eyes were full of spirit. He was of a middling age, considered to be at the prime of his life.
The item he bore seemed to be a simple enough affair. It was a small orb made of solid gold. The one thing that identified it as a Millennium item was the small Eye of Horus that stretched across it. He still bore it with two hands, however.
"The Millennium Eye," Akunosh quietly uttered, "has the power to see into the minds of men and read their thoughts. It must be protected if the items are never to be found by this clan of magicians."
I can only hope there is no spirit present within this item, as well...
Theoris's guards slowly stepped away from him as he gained his footing. He locked his knees in place and hoped they would hold out for as long as he needed in order to do what he had to.
He moved with deliberation. His vision was blurry, and his body was still on fire. I suppose it is a cumulative effect. He hefted the Millennium Shield -- a task that became more daunting every night -- and poised it to "look" into the Millennium Eye.
The golden glow extended from the shield and surrounded the small orb... then continued to extend around Akunosh.
The bald mage's first instinct was to recoil, but he repressed it, because he had no idea what would happen if he did so. The others hadn't recoiled, so either they'd repressed a similar instinct...
Or they were all insane.
Akunosh shook his head. No, no, I must place more faith in my comrades.
He felt himself being drawn in... though what he was being drawn into, he couldn't say. He shuddered and clenched his eyes shut.
And at that precise moment, his entire perspective was forever altered.
In his mind's eye, Akunosh found himself standing on a sand-covered dune, looking up into a night sky. The sky was clouded over; lightning flashed across the dark horizon. A light breeze blew across the sand, causing his tunic to quiver around him.
It happened almost too quickly for him to notice, but he glanced to one side just in time to see a stream of lightning shoot straight at him. There was nothing he could do, either to stop it or jump out of the way.
The lightning engulfed him.
He sensed no pain... only a flash of heat and light.
His location had changed again; now he was standing in a modest home, amidst a family of three. The father was just coming through the doorway, carrying a large, full sack. Akunosh couldn't tell what it was. The mother was cleaning the place, putting various things away.
Akunosh couldn't help but smile slightly at the boy, who seemed to be occupied with playing with a couple handfuls of clay.
But then his eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the boy.
Theoris...?
A strange paradox happened then. Akunosh felt himself being pulled through Theoris's memories, experiencing everything that the former soldier had ever thought and felt. Every ounce of sense within Akunosh told him that this would take an entire lifetime, to receive the full experience.
Yet, time seemed to move both at a normal pace and an accelerated one. Though Akunosh felt/saw/heard everything Theoris had ever remembered, it only seemed to take a fraction of a second. Akunosh was assaulted by memory after memory, knew everything Theoris knew, felt everything Theoris felt...
Became Theoris...
The lightning returned him to the sandy plain, and the clouds cleared.
Akunosh's eyes snapped open, and the first thing they saw was Theoris slumping to his knees in the middle of the throne room.
That is me... wait, that is Theoris... I am Akunosh... or am I...?
Two guards quickly stepped forward and took Theoris's arms, then lifted him up and carried him out of the throne room. Once again, the throne room was filled with muttering and murmurs.
Akunosh could barely pay attention to the goings on around him... he could hardly make sense of all the memories he'd suddenly been infused with.
A sudden pain shot through his head, and he nearly dropped the Millennium Eye as he stumbled backward. He put the eye in one hand and clutched his head with the other, then groaned and slumped to his knees, much as Theoris had.
General Khensthoth... you still remain...
Amidst gasping mages and soldiers, Akunosh fell face-first to the floor.
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Two truncated screams pierced the silence of the night.
Four men shrouded in cloaks of midnight blue strode purposefully through the door. The two guards within snarled, got to their feet, and raised their weapons, knowing that their comrades outside were permanently unable to assist.
A shuffling noise behind the guards was the only warning they received before ice-cold pain lanced into their backs. They cried out.
Two blinding flashes lit the interior.
The cries stopped.
A low chuckle. "They never saw it coming. Khensthoth trained them poorly."
"The Millennium Eye has been protected. We can no longer sense it."
"Not to worry. Akunosh undoubtedly found use for its power, to look into the mind of the very man who seeks to protect them all."
"Four have been protected. Only four remain."
"I have plans."
"Then act quickly."
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Theoris's fever was less severe during this night than during the last. He hadn't required prolonged contact with the Millennium Eye in order to cast his protection on it, and not encountering a spirit within it could only be considered a bonus. However, he was still quite weak, and his body still burned.
Adjedaa spent the rest of the night trying to find a way to help Theoris heal more quickly. But despite her vast knowledge of medicines and curative magic, she was dumbfounded by his condition. The only cure she'd ever known of to heal his malady was time and rest, but he obviously wasn't being granted enough of either one.
She sighed and let her head drop into her hands. "The court is pushing him too hard," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
She got to her feet and decided to go visit Akunosh. Perhaps he might shed some light on this dark matter.
When she reached his quarters, she found him tossing and turning in bed. At first glance, it seemed as though he was in the throes of a nightmare, but as she moved closer, she could see that his eyes were wide open.
His eyes landed on her.
"Adjedaa," he whispered.
She knelt down by his side. "Akunosh... can you tell me what happened?"
"I... I saw, Adjedaa." A look of awe passed over his face. "I saw... everything..."
"What did you see?"
"Everything... everything Theoris has ever known, it is all within me, now..."
She frowned. "You used the power of the Millennium Eye?"
"No... at least, I do not believe I did... or if I did, it was not on purpose. But I saw!" He stared up at the ceiling. "I saw what happened to General Khensthoth and his men, I saw Theoris take up the Millennium Shield..."
He looked back at her. "Theoris is telling you the truth, Adjedaa. He told us all the truth. We did not believe him when he told us, but it was and is the truth. The magicians are real... they want the power of the Millennium items."
He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Theoris must be allowed to protect them all. Every one. No matter what happens."
She stared into his eyes for a moment. Could he really have seen everything Theoris has ever known? Does he understand what he is saying?
She nodded slowly, as if both acknowledging Akunosh's statement and answering her own questions.
"Do you understand that, Adjedaa? Nothing must get in the way of what he is doing. He is doing the right thing."
She nodded again. "I understand."
He released her, fell back to his bed, and closed his eyes. "I must rest... I will tell the court everything in the morning, but for now, I must rest."
Adjedaa nodded once more. "Very well." She rose and left the room, sparing one last glance at Akunosh.
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