Penny: Usted goza? Muy bueno. Yo no hablo a japonés. Hable conmigo en inglés, por favor.
Wolf: You call it a promise, I call it a threat. And since I'm the one writing the story... *evil grin* Deal with it.
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Theoris stepped slowly into the throne room, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind if perhaps he should savor the moment.
It really would be better if I did not, he mused. As much as this moment means to me... I must see my family, must at least exit the palace, before I am driven to madness.
There has been plenty opportunity for that to occur, Theoris. Do not let this night be different from any of the others.
But it is different, Theoris responded, as he approached the circle of guards and mages. This is the last time I shall need to perform this task... it is the only task before me now that separates me from my family.
Then complete the task as you have completed previous tasks... with the same haste. No more, no less.
Theoris took his place. He found himself standing opposite Kenamun this evening, which he supposed was appropriate; the stout mage would have needed to be involved at some point. He could not simply be one to sit back and watch as the policy-making became manifested in ruling. He was one to be "hands-on".
Kenamun was bearing a small box. The box had small hieroglyphs etched into it, was painted and decorated in shades of sapphire and gold, and bore a gold Eye of Horus across one side.
Theoris cocked his head but said nothing. The Millennium item was a box?
Kenamun caught the motion and responded to the unasked question. "This is not the Millennium item. The item is within the box."
He pulled the lid away, to reveal strangely shaped, sharply angled blocks of gold. Each one was thick, but none of them was much longer than two joined segments of a finger.
"We know not what power the Millennium Puzzle contains," Kenamun announced. "We know only that its power is unmatched by any of the other items. It is perhaps the most volatile, most potentially destructive of them all. We know thismuch: if it were to fall into the hands of the wrong person... the world would be in grave peril."
He handed the lid to one of the guards, and then brought his now-free hand up to hover over the top of the open box.
The powers he had been gifted with took over, and plucked the pieces from the box. The pieces were deposited in midair and hung there, as if on invisible wires.
One piece, the most jagged of the many hanging there, bore an Eye of Horus that seemed to stare directly at Theoris.
For some reason, Theoris found himself unnerved by this Eye. Strange...I have not felt particularly anxious just from the stare of an inanimate eye, not even an Eye of Horus... but this one...
This Millennium item is a relic of the royal family, Theoris. I remember the Pharaoh Himself showing favor to this item. You must be more cautious than you have been for any other item; there is no doubt in my mind that what Kenamun says is true.
Then come with me. You know how to cast the protection as well as I do, and if you go with me, we can be that much more cautious. You can help rein me in, pull me back if necessary.
If I go with you, I cannot be an anchor. You will not be able to find your way back by calling on me, should you lose yourself. And I might lose myself, as well.
Would the protection be cast even if we did lose ourselves?
I know not. And it would be best, I think, if we did not consider this.
Come with me, Khensthoth. If nothing else,we will be more cautious for our own sakes.
...Very well.
Kenamun stared across the distance, between the floating pieces, and into Theoris's eyes. His expression told Theoris that he was as ready as he was ever going to be.
Theoris glanced one more time around the circle. Guards he barely knew, guards he'd become acquainted with, court mages... Adjedaa, leaning on a pair of guards, watching patiently.
He nodded silent thanks to her for coming.
He hoped it would not be the last time he saw any of these people.
He brought the shield up into ready position, and let his eyes drift closed.
The shield reached out and touched the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle.
-------
Theoris appeared in the midst of an endless void. When he looked down, he saw that he seemed to be floating; his legs dangled over nothingness.
That was not the only strange thing. Upon glancing down at his feet, he saw that they were somehow... darker than usual. It was almost like they were transparent... visible, yet invisible at the same time. As if he were only halfway there.
"Theoris."
He twisted around -- though without pruchase under him; some part of him vaguely wondered about this -- to see who had spoken.
His surprise was only minimal at the sight of his old commander. Khensthoth was floating there, wearing clothing similar to what Theoris had: a white robe with thin gold trim. He also had the Millennium Shield mounted on his arm.
On instinct, Theoris glanced down at his own arm, and felt somewhat confused when he saw that another Millennium Shield hung there. He looked back up at Khensthoth, a questioning look on his face.
Khensthoth emitted a low chuckle. "It is symbolic, Theoris. We both bear and control the power of the Millennium Shield."
"Ah."
"We should get this over and done with, Theoris. Let us go."
Theoris nodded in agreement. The two men focused their concentration on the Millennium Puzzle.
The pieces appeared in front of them, in the midst of the void. Each piece glowed a bright, alluring yellow.
Theoris and Khensthoth glanced at each other a last time, then brought their shields up and concentrated further.
The pieces of the puzzle began to spin in place.
Theoris and Khensthoth sharpened their focus.
The pieces began to converge towards the segment bearing the Eye of Horus -- which was, appropriately, at the center of the mass.
They pushed.
The pieces began revolving around the Eye-piece, still rotating... the effect was akin to planets moving around the sun, although such an analogy would not be made for thousands of years.
The pieces spiraled closer and closer to the Eye, their shapes now all but impossble to determine because of their rapid spinning.
A loud rumble, like the sound of a temple collapsing, roared through the void, but Theoris and Khensthoth ignored it, continuing instead to sharpen their focus until further clarity could no longer be achieved.
With the sound of boulders crashing against each other...
The pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place.
Theoris and Khensthoth stared at it for a moment. It was pyramidal in shape, though upside-down, and bore a slot protruding from the top, presumably for some sort of rope or chain to slip through.
The Eye of Horus adorning the puzzle glimmered at them, then emitted two golden beams of light. The beams struck Khensthoth and Theoris--
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In the throne room, the Millennium Puzzle had mysteriously formed itself. The soldiers permitted themselves noreaction, but the mages gasped... they had not counted on this to happen.
The puzzle now floated between Kenamun and Theoris. Kenamun stared in amazement, but Theoris had a vacant look in his eyes; he had gone beyond being able to see the events in the throne room, to another place.
The glow between the shield and the puzzle blazed.
-------
They felt themselves being pulled somewhere.
Stone walls arose out of nowhere. A stone floor appeared underneath them.
They found themselves facing a virtual palace.
A palace of darkness.
The place was dank and damp. Both men felt chills, even though logically, they should not have been able to sense temperature on this plane of existence.
Khensthoth shifted his jaw. "It is as I feared."
"What? What has happened? Where are we?" Theoris asked.
"The Millennium Puzzle has taken us into itself. We are lost from your body and from the Millennium Shield... and unless we are expelled from this place, there is no hope for our return."
...return...
They looked up at the sound of the new voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but neither one was sure from where. Khensthoth frowned slightly. "Is this how I sound to you when I speak to you?"
"It is something akin to that," Theoris answered. "Hello? Is someone here?"
...someone...?
"Where are you?" Khensthoth called out.
...where... puzzle... palace... betrayal...
Their stone surroundings flickered around them, and turned transparent, like Theoris and Khensthoth were. The men frowned more deeply.
"Is this a spirit? A soul trapped within the puzzle?" Theoris asked.
"It can only be that," Khensthoth answered. "But the question is... whose spirit?"
"That question remains for the other two," Theoris reminded his former commander.
"Yet this one is different. Stronger, somehow... not angry, like the first, or insane, like the second... I feel some sort of great power here, in this voice."
...power... overwhelming...
A ghostly form apppeared in front of them, more ghostly than either their stone surroundings or even the two men themselves. All that could be made out was an outline.
Khensthoth started. He knew who this was. The last time he had seen this person, it was the night he had lost his body... the night he'd entered the Millennium Shield.
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Theoris's forehead blazed suddenly with a glowing Eye of Horus. More gasping and alarmed shouting ensued.
"Pharaoh...?"
A droning hum arose and echoed through the throne room. The glowing link connecting the shield and the puzzle grew twice as bright, three times, so bright that the assembled crowd of soldiers and mages had to turn away. They threw their hands up at the light, trying to spare their eyes and remain in place at the same time.
The Millennium Puzzle spun in place, almost too swiftly for any mortal eye to see.
The Eye of Horus that adorned it glimmered brightly at Kenamun, shining so brightly that he could barely stand to watch.
And then the expression on his face went vacant.
His eyes began to glow yellow.
And a glowing Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead.
The Millennium Puzzle had long stopped floating due to Kenamun's power. Now it hovered there under its own... as if of its own sheer volition.
"...Khensthoth?"
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"Pharaoh!" Khensthoth exclaimed. He tried to move forward, but floating in semi-space, that wasn't an option. Then he tried to bow down before the shadow that loomed before them, but that also was not possible.
Theoris blinked at the shadow. On rare occasion, he had spied the Crown Prince that eventually became Pharaoh; the boy, for some strange reason, wore his hair unlike most Egyptians. Instead of having a shaven head, or even letting his hair hang limply, he had chosen to have his peculiar purple hair brushed upwards, so that his head almost seemed to carry huge, flat, double-edged blades. Half the sprig of golden locks above the very center of his forehead had been allowed to dangle freely, while the other half had gone up with the rest of his dark hair almost in the shape of lightning.
Theoris, possessed of only a short ponytail at the base of his neck and a thin braid on his left temple, had remembered the exotic hairstyle, for no other reason than that it so sharply contrasted his own.
The shadow shimmered and warped. Ungh... It sounded as though even maintaining its presence there was a great strain for it... whatever it was.
"Pharaoh!" Khensthoth said again, his voice filled with both awe and horror at the same time. "You are... still alive?"
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"...alive?"
Kenamun stared blankly at Theoris. The Eyes of Horus on their foreheads blazed with golden fire. Surero began to step forward, though what good he could do, he wasn't sure.
Adjedaa grabbed his shoulder. "No, Surero! Do not distract them!"
"I must do something!" he responded, scowling at her.
"There is nothing to be done," she said. "Not until the ceremony is complete."
"What if it never completes? What if Theoris and Kenamun are doomed to stand here forever?"
"Then they shall stand here forever, under the protection of those who would ensure the safety of the Millennium items," she answered grimly.
Tasetmerydjehuty and Djedhor both ground their teeth in frustration at the truth of Adjedaa's words as they continued to watch. There truly was nothing they could do. They knew that to attempt interruption was to end the ceremony in tragedy.
"Pharaoh?" Theoris asked again, only it wasn't Theoris. Adjedaa knew that much. Djedhor, Tasetmerydjehuty, and Surero could feel as dubious about it as they pleased, but she knew that it wasn't Theoris.
Khensthoth... you truly are here, she thought.
She looked over at Kenamun. And as for you... are you truly our Pharaoh?
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...alive... Khensthoth... Pharaoh... I was... Pharaoh...!
The shadow flickered again, and seemed to grow more transparent. Khensthoth tried to leap forward, tried to find some way to reach it... but there was nothing he could do.
Theoris sighed sadly. "We came here to protect the Millennium Puzzle, Khensthoth. Let us do that. Let us use the powers of the shield to protect the puzzle and this spirit that lives within it."
"This spirit is the Pharaoh!" Khensthoth virtually yelled. "We cannot simply leave Him here!"
"To take Him with us is not our mission, Khensthoth."
"Theoris!"
"Listen to me. We are nobody to hold the fate of the Pharaoh's spirit in our hands. That must be left to greater forces."
"You do believe me, do you not, that He is the Pharaoh? Somehow trapped within the puzzle?"
"Even if I did not, what I have just said would be no different. I did not take the other spirits out of their items... I shall not be accomplice to removing this one, either."
Khensthoth looked at Theoris disbelievingly. "He would bring order to the chaos that still lives within Egypt... He would rally the people and ensure the nation's survival!"
"The nation of Egypt will survive without Him, for now," said Theoris. "It has done so this long. It can continue to do so."
Theoris brought his Millennium Shield up and allowed it to do its work. A golden streak of light shot out and engulfed the shadow.
"Theoris, no!" Khensthoth shouted. "Do not do this!"
"I must, Khensthoth," the soldier quietly replied. "I must. You set this task before me. We have fought hard to come this far. Now I must see it through all the way."
The shadow was outlined in a golden light, and its outline seemed to shrink. ...Khensthoth...?
"Pharaoh!" Khensthoth turned to Theoris and growled, and did something that almost made Theoris stop.
He brought up his Millennium Shield and aimed it at Theoris.
"Stop, Theoris! Stop now!"
But Theoris could not – and even if he could, would not – stop. The shadow grew smaller and smaller, its voice fainter and fainter... until, finally, it disappeared altogether.
As did their semi-solid stone surroundings.
"NO!" Khensthoth shouted.
Theoris sighed sadly. "I am sorry, Khensthoth... it was not my mission. The Millennium Puzzle is safe now."
Khensthoth's shouting became incoherent...
And a beam of gold light burst from his shield to strike Theoris.
-------
The light in the throne room faded; the beam between the shield and the puzzle dissipated. The Millennium Puzzle fell apart and its pieces clattered loudly to the floor. The Eye of Horus on Kenamun's forehead faded, and the stout mage slumped to the floor, knocked unconscious.
Theoris remained on his feet, but the Eye of Horus upon his head had not faded. It still blazed brightly, and his eyes shone the same color. He was grimacing, grinding his teeth, even.
"No!" he suddenly shouted. "No! I must save the Pharaoh! He lives! The Pharaoh lives! I must bring Him back!"
Adjedaa gasped; one of her hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. She didn't need to bother, as there was a considerable amount of gasping occurring within the throne room as it was, more than enough to cover the sound of her own.
It is Khensthoth–!
Theoris – or rather, Khensthoth – charged forward, reaching out to the puzzle. The guards were quick in their response to this; they moved swiftly upon him and grabbed his arms before he could proceed further. He growled and gnashed his teeth in much the same manner as a caged tiger, then wrestled one of his arms free of their grip and used it to strike them both away.
Surero and Djedhor both advanced on Khensthoth and called upon the power that had been gifted them; the soldier was thrown across the throne room, and a marble pillar was what stopped his flight.
He landed hard on the floor – a loud smack resounded through the chamber – but then got back to his feet and ran forward again. Blood dripped from his mouth, and Adjedaa began to wonder just how far they would have to go to ensure Khensthoth did not reach the puzzle.
Surero and Djedhor again called on their power, but this time, Khensthoth was ready for them. He brought up the Millennium Shield to block them, and this time, they were the ones to fly across the room. They landed on the floor and skidded hard, then rolled to a stop. Both groaned in pain.
Adjedaa's eyes darkened. Enough. She turned to one of the guards, held out her hand, and demanded, "Give me your dagger."
Without question, he obeyed. Adjedaa's fingers curled around the handle, and her gaze turned back on Khensthoth; now he was fighting three guards at once, using his shield as a bludgeon.
She held the dagger in such a way that her wrist hid the blade, and she called out, "Khensthoth, stop!"
The soldier looked up at the mention of his name. He frowned slightly. "Adjedaa?"
She moved toward him, then positioned herself between him and the puzzle. Her gaze was set, and though she felt terribly afraid of what now stood before her, she also knew that something had to be done about it... thus she kept her wits and courage about her. "Khensthoth... is the Millennium Puzzle safe?"
Khensthoth's frown grew deeper. "That is all you care for? The Pharaoh lives, Adjedaa! I must have the puzzle to bring Him back!"
"Is it safe, Khensthoth?"
His glowing eyes narrowed. "It is."
"Where is Theoris?"
"He is no longer here."
"What have you done with him?"
"I have done what must be done to traitors... I have locked him away."
This time it was Adjedaa's turn to frown. "Traitors? What do you speak of?"
"He cast the protection on the puzzle when I instructed him not to... when his Pharaoh was standing there in front of him!"
"You are not in a position to give orders to him, Khensthoth."
"Incorrect... otherwise I would not be here."
Adjedaa inched closer to Khensthoth. "Why would you instruct him not to cast protection on the Millennium Puzzle? What does it have to do with the Pharaoh? The Pharaoh is gone."
"No! The Pharaoh lives! He lives within the puzzle! When Theoris cast his protection, he sealed the Pharaoh away! Now there is no way of knowing if He shall ever be able to return! With the puzzle, I can remove the protection, and He may be brought back!"
She stood speechless at this revelation. The Pharaoh? Alive within the puzzle...?
"What of the magicians?" she asked.
"The Pharaoh dispensed with the corrupted mages of His court... He can do the same for these magicians!"
Adjedaa simply stood there in silence.
The Eye of Horus – and his glowing eyes – flickered, as if the power that fueled them was bleeding away. He grunted and stumbled slightly. "Get out of my way, Adjedaa..."
She shook her head firmly. "I will not."
The eyes flickered again, and he roared in frustration. Left with no other option, he lowered his head and charged Adjedaa.
He struck her squarely in the midsection, just under the diaphragm.
She was violently deprived of breath, but she refused to let him simply toss her aside.
She pulled the dagger back...
And stabbed him in the side.
He roared in agony and fell to the ground, taking her with him. She lost her grip on the knife, and it remained buried in his flesh.
The next moment, she found herself splayed out on the floor; Khensthoth was just beyond her, also on the floor, struggling with the knife. He grabbed at the hilt and wrenched it out, which only caused him to yell in pain again. He glared down at Adjedaa; she had stabbed him in such a way that she had deprived him of the ability to walk, and so running to the puzzle was out of the question.
She had him beaten, and they both knew it.
He roared again, and raised the knife high over his head; there was no question as to its target.
Adjedaa looked on in terror.
The knife came down...
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Cliffhanger! *insane laugh* Once again, if I am harmed, abducted, killed, maliciously touched in any manner by any objects (animate or otherwise), or threatened/promised (*coughWolfcough*), you'll run the risk of waiting that much longer for the next chapter! Meantime, please let me know how I'm doing!