WHEN MEMORIES WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH
Chapter Ten: Half-Truths
"Brother Narmer...."
There was no answer from the telepathic and mute mage.
Xandra's heart froze, as she stared at the jeweled dagger in her hand. She absent-mindedly muttered, "I tried to communicate with him, but to no avail...."
Atemu, on the other hand, kept his silence and frowned as he also feared for the worst. Minutes later, he rested his hand on her shoulder. "What do you think this means, Sister?"
A tightlipped Xandra tightly closed her eyes, deeply sighed, slightly faced him, and intently gazed into his amethyst eyes. "They either have been infiltrated by Hyperion and his group, or there is a traitor within the Mages' Council. Either way, it does not bode well."
After confirming that they were in the same wavelength of thinking, he suggested, "We need Shimon's advice to -"
Hazel eyes widened, and its owner's blood froze once more. "No, Brother! What about our covenant with the gods?"
The young Pharaoh gave his wife a reassuring smirk, as he had his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I have never known you to have so little faith in me."
Slightly relieved from the tension, she shook her head and chuckled. "I just could not see how you can tell Shimon about our predicament without disclosing any matter pertaining to the covenant."
As his wry grin deepened, the young monarch with the tri-colored mane remarked, "Ye of little faith, you really need to watch the master in action. There are ways around this matter, so that we can still obtain Shimon's advice tomorrow and still keep our secret safe."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"An assassin?"
"Yes, Isis. An Atlantean assassin tried to kill the Queen last night, but ended up injuring me," explained a somber Atemu, as he addressed the stunned audience consisting of Shimon, Xandra, and the six high priests.
Shimon, who stood beside the Pharaoh's throne, kept his silence as he knew full well the repercussions of the Atlanteans' involvements. Akunadin, as stunned as he was, had his mind running clockwork. The other four priests were stupefied from the revelation.
Set, on the other hand, kept an intense demeanor. His azure eyes quietly burned, as he and his peers stood before the royal thrones. In a calculated and chilling tone, he said, "First, our citizens. Second, the former Pharaoh's sacred mummy. Now, it is our Pharaoh and his Queen. What is next?"
Xandra interjected, "The two incidents are mutually exclusive, Priest Set. The slaughter of our innocent citizens, the attempt on my life, and the Pharaoh's injury were the Atlanteans' doing. The disturbance of the former Pharaoh's rest is Thief Bakura's sole deed."
"At least all of Egypt can rest easier, now that their leader will be executed by sunset," Mahado remarked.
With clenched fists, Set added, "And the thief will pay dearly for what he did."
The amethyst-eyed Pharaoh quietly shook his head, and said, "My dear Uncle and friends, we now face a different breed of enemy with the Atlanteans. Aside from savagery, they practice the black arts. They also wield ka to have duel monsters do their bidding. As with Thief Bakura, we must find out how he could wield such strong ka without the aid of a Millennium Item."
Akunadin cleared his throat. "The priests have mutually agreed to once again practice in teams this afternoon. Brother Mahado will ensure the re-interment of Brother Pharaoh. Set and Shadah will scour the town for more information regarding the thief. The rest of us will remain in the palace to arrange for this afternoon's practice."
Giving everyone before him a gracious smile, Atemu commented, "I thank you all for your hard work. With the exception of Counselor Shimon, you are all dismissed...."
The six priests respectfully bowed before the throne, and then left for their respective tasks - leaving the elderly counselor, and his two charges. Once the throne room was empty, the three dropped all formalities and conversed the way that they normally did since they were children.
The young Pharaoh narrated to his trusted counselor regarding Hyperion's infiltration inside their bedchambers. She, on the other hand, quietly observed and listened intently as to how the elderly man would react.
After giving as much information, but innovatively excluding any matter regarding the Mages' Council and Xandra's membership, he then said, "The Atlantean in our custody has darker ties - both politically and supernaturally. This problem goes beyond warfare, strategies, and diplomacy. Moreover, we have another problem in our hands - Thief Bakura. Everything just seems to be happening all at once."
"It is a problem," said Shimon, as he thoughtfully rubbed his beard underneath the linen that covered the lower part of his face. "Our mystical knowledge, most of it at least, came from our Atlantean friends. We have managed to tap only a fraction of that secret through the Millennium Items. It will be just a matter of time when the others uncover a force that supercedes the Items. Once that occurs, only the grace of the gods will protect us from them."
Once minutes' worth of bone-chilling silence had passed, the elderly man focused on her. Recalling the very first day that she arrived in Egypt, he asked, "Do you have any idea as to how we could stop them?"
She pursed her lips, as she frowned. Hazel eyes then landed on the inquirer. "Why do you ask me, Elder Shimon? This problem borders beyond warfare and politics."
"You, my dear, are Atlantean. You still hold the collective knowledge and mystical secrets of your race, especially since it is your birthright as its next ruler...."
Remembering Hyperion's stinging words and the hatred that it produced, she said, "It was my birthright, and it sank at the bottom of the ocean many years ago."
Shimon gave a wry grin, as he shook his head. "If that is true, then why do your kinsfolk continue to pursue you? Whatever you have brought from your land during your exile, or whatever knowledge and power you have accumulated throughout the years, you have not tapped into your fullest potential yet. Atemu also has not unlocked all the secrets of the Millennium Items, either. However, our enemies' desperate and bold moves indicate that you and the Pharaoh are close to uncovering all your gifts."
Husband and wife exchanged meaningful glances.
The wizened man gave them a rather scolding and probing frown. "Is there something that you two would like to share with me?"
A rather amused Atemu blinked twice. He chuckled, shook his head, and then gave his counselor a sly smirk. "If either Xandra or I tell you everything, then the three of us will be killed for it - with you being top of the list."
With eyes narrowing, the annoyed Shimon remarked, "This is no time for games, young man! This is serious!"
Without moving or blinking, the Pharaoh deadpanned, "Who told you, old friend, that I am joking around or playing games with you?"
Totally understanding the gist of Atemu's words, Shimon's eyes widened. After minutes' worth of silence, he then sternly asked her, "Are you also aware of this secret, young lady?" Upon seeing her grimly nod her head, he once again kept his mouth shut.
As the counselor's mood became more somber, the two felt respective pangs of guilt creep within their hearts.
Xandra then shifted from her throne, rested her right elbow on the throne's arm, and then rested her chin on her open palm. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she said, "I am sorry, dear Shimon, but we are not at liberty to say anything at this moment. Rest assured that keeping this information from you - or anyone else - will not jeopardize Egypt and her citizens. Spilling that secret, however, would...."
The counselor closed his eyes and rested his right hand behind the nape of his neck. "By the gods, why did you both enter into such a compromising agreement."
"For the good of Egypt, my old friend," said a serious Atemu, as he tightly held Xandra's hand and glanced over to her. "We have made a promise to each other years ago. Every sacrifice that we have made since then is primarily for the good of Egypt...."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As the sun began to set from the horizon, Isis and Karim saw Shadah walk inside his bedchambers and quietly close the door. Knowing that he left with Set to scour some of the neighboring towns for Thief Bakura, the two stared at each other and sensed that something was definitely wrong.
The two high priests walked together, acknowledged the sentries guarding the door, and knocked. Its rather disturbed occupant peered, and then opened the door wide for the two new arrivals to come in.
"How was your search?" cautiously asked Isis while closely studying Shadah's expression.
"Uneventful," he said rather absent-mindedly, as he sat down on his lounging chair, rested his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands in front of him.
After grueling minutes of silence and increasing tension, he looked at his peers. Sensing that the two would like an answer, but were considerate of his privacy and space, he then commented, "As much as I admire Brother Set's persistence, drive, and ambition, I feel that he is crossing the line."
His two peers respectively raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances.
Looking more grim than a second ago, he then continued, "He had talked too much on exacting revenge and amassing power, and he had never been so brutally aggressive.... I have never seen him like that, until today...."
"You could not blame Brother Set," Karim interjected, as he tried to find a middle ground between Shadah and Set's perspectives. "Too many unfortunate events happened for the past three days. If it were not for the citizens' trust on the throne and the priesthood, then the people would be clamoring for justice and protection."
With her customary frown, Isis inquired, "Well, what did he do that -"
After frantically knocking, Akunadin opened the door without waiting for acknowledgement. With a perplexed look, the eldest high priest said to the three, "The Pharaoh requires our immediate presence."
Without question, the three went outside the room - meeting Akunadin who marched towards the throne room.
Hastening his steps to keep up with his elderly peer, Shadah frowned and asked once they had less than one-fourth of a ways towards the throne room, "Where is Brother Mahado? He is supposed to be with us...."
Once the guards saw the high priests, they opened the heavy doors and allowed them inside. Shadah, Isis, and Karim were surprised that Set and Mana had already been waiting for them, as they stood before the Pharaoh, the Queen, and Shimon.
The tension inside the throne room was suffocating.
The new arrivals braced themselves knowing that something disastrous must have happened. Set, Xandra, and Shimon were exceptionally upset while Atemu was stunned and speechless beyond words. Mana, who was Mahado's star pupil and apprentice, stood right beside Xandra as she remained eerily quiet. If there was a common denominator between the five, it was the tears that each of them fought back - particularly Atemu and Mana.
"Where is Brother Mahado?" Karim asked, as his heart raced.
Some drops of silent tears flowed down to Atemu's cheeks, as he replied with a trembling and controlled voice, "The gods have already taken Priest Mahado to the Afterlife. Thief Bakura dueled against him and he lost the duel, his life, and the Millennium Ring...."
Mana's sobbing, at this instance, became uncontrolled - prompting Xandra to stand up and console the younger girl with an embrace. As she did this, the Queen controlled her own tears and closed her eyes to lock the sadness and anger welling inside her.
Isis turned pale, as she stood and stared at the others. "Mahado's death and defeat means that Thief Bakura is the Ring's new master."
"The dark times have arisen," said Akunadin with such ominous dread. "If a common thief already had the ka to control a strong monster, then just imagine how much power he could harness with the Millennium Ring. Now that the Thief had tipped the scales in his favor, there is nothing more that we could do...."
End of Chapter Ten
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Author's Notes
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Emrys / Xandra, Hyperion, and this fanfic are the author's property.
This fanfiction was written for entertainment purposes only, thereby releasing the author from all liabilities.