Things Unseen; Sequel to the Millennium Ritual
Disclaimer: . . . . Calcium Deficiency
Chapter 15: A Healer's Soul
Egypt: 3000 years ago
Priestess Maeve tapped the writing reed in her hand against the hard wood table, staring at the blank papyrus in front of her. Priest Set stared at her through his tent of fingers, his eyebrows slanted downwards. Pharaoh Atemu's lips were curled in a frown, his fingers twitching with anticipation. Slowly she lifted the writing reed and dipped it in the black ink, lifted, and pressed it against the ancient paper, writing a few hieroglyphics upon it surface, spelling out the word 'lioness'.
The moment she slipped the papyrus to her brother, Atemu took it in his hands and cried out, "Sekhmet! The Eye of Ra!"
"Sekhmet! Fed on the blood of mortals upon Ra's command!" Set finished as the men both heaved a sigh and leaned back against their chairs, satisfied. Maeve stared at them amusingly as the statue of Sekhmet stood at the center of the table, her fierce lion eyes peering straight at them as if they were the statues.
"Need you speak so loudly? 'Tis not a contest, friends," she murmured, sipping wine out of a goblet. Atemu and Set stared at each other competitively, their eyes whispering a dare. Maeve stopped and stared at them wryly, saying, "Brother, if you think of another chariot race this evening, I shall tear your arm in half."
"Oh, never Maeve," he replied in a teasing tone, grinning and sipping his own wine.
"Why would you possibly think that?" Set exclaimed, playing with one of the rings on his fingers. Maeve glanced at them angrily.
"Do you not remember the last chariot race you rode in? Poor Set was beaten terribly in the outcome. I had to clean his wounds for days, months even." She murmured, her eyes flashing a warning towards Atemu. He shrugged, smirking.
"I would have beaten you," Set said, "if I was not preoccupied at the time."
"My friend," Atemu replied, "I can beat you if I had a lion on my back and water beneath my feet." They continued arguing as Maeve sighed once more, but content with the way her life was going now.
'It is finally right,' she thought, smiling at the sight of her little brother. 'The killings have stopped, the priests of the Millennium Items have been found. My promise has finally been accomplished.' Maeve looked down upon her wrists, seeing those scars that were made from that strange Shadow Monster. 'My life here is over. Tis now the time to find that creature. . . and find out what he is.'
The double doors clicked open as the three stared up in surprise, seeing Maeve's servant, Ava, appear at its doorstep. She bowed and murmured, "Pharaoh Atemu, Priest Set, the throne room acquires your presence. Another ordering from the priests of the Millennium Items is needed."
Atemu's eyes widened, looking to his sister. She continued drinking her wine, that blank mask sliding into place. "Maeve. . ."
She placed the goblet down and smiled wryly at him, saying, "I will be fine Yami. I sealed the creature away in the Ritual long ago; you should know. I know you were there, hiding behind the obelisk." She grinned at him but Atemu frowned, not liking it at all.
"You will not come," he ordered, glaring at his sister. "Maeve, you are in no condition of healing right now!" Set nodded as he stood with the Pharaoh, the Priestess staring at them dumbfounded.
"The Pharaoh is right; you have been sick, Maeve, ever since that monster appeared out of your body, and that was years ago! We will not let you get hurt again." Set replied, his tone giving an air of superiority. Maeve's face flushed red with anger, standing to her feet.
"I am a healer! Of course I shall get hurt, it is my job! As a healer I must sacrifice myself!" she shouted out, servants from every side listening into the argument.
"Maeve, do not toy with me!" Atemu yelled out. "You are the only healer, in this entire kingdom – no, in this entire world - who uses her own ba to heal people! Do you not realize that with every person you heal you are killing yourself?!"
"I know I am killing myself!" Maeve cried out, her blank façade disappearing. "Do you take me for a fool, Atemu?! I do this not for fame; I do it because I can!"
"Enough! You will not attend this presence, do you understand? I command you!" Atemu ordered, his ruby eyes flaring. Set stared at Maeve with sad eyes, seeing her mask slowly breaking.
"You cannot control me, Atemu!" she yelled out as he walked away from her, Set following slowly behind. "You will not treat me the same way Father did!"
Atemu looked behind his shoulder, staring at her hard. Then, turning towards the old Ava, he murmured, "Do not let her leave her chambers." With those words he slammed the doors closed before Maeve had eye contact with Set, murmuring an apology towards his teacher.
Maeve's hands shook as they curled into fists, cursing under her breath. She slammed them against the wooden table, screaming, "You fiend! You will never understand!!" She crumbled to the floor as she wept tears, Ava walking forward and patting her back. "Ava, why won't anyone understand?" Ava hushed her, patting her back softly.
Suddenly Maeve shook, coughing violently. "Ava, the potion. . ." Immediately Ava stood and ran to the small table next to them, quickly grabbing an elixir and giving it to the Priestess. Maeve coughed once more, spewing out blood. Taking the elixir, she opened it quickly and dumped the contents inside her mouth, mixing in with the blood. Her body stopped shaking; the scars on her wrists eased of burning. She sighed and leaned back, her eyes filled with pain.
"Mistress," the old woman whispered, taking her on her back and walking to the bed, "you must rest." She rested Maeve on the piles of cloths and ushered her to sleep. As she was all prepared, Maeve stared to the balcony across from her.
"Ava," she murmured, her eyes closing, "I'm tired of living. . ."
With those words she fell asleep, never wanting to wake up.
Night
It was nighttime as the shadow crept up to the balcony, landing with a thud against the hard marble floor. His golden eyes stared at the sleeping figure in front of him as he silently approached Maeve, breathing in and out softly. The scar on his face itched as he brushed his white hair out of eyes, slowly taking her in his arms and backing away quietly. He jumped down the balcony and landed on his feet, walking towards the horse nearby.
As the man jumped on and began to ride, Maeve opened her eyes and stared up into the man's face wearily. He made no comment towards this; he knew she was going to wake. Sighing, Maeve whispered, "Atemu, I am sorry. . ." She thought that the man was the Pharaoh. Laughing, the man hiked the horse as it began galloping out into the desert.
Morning
Atemu stopped as he approached the doors to the Training Hall, where Maeve goes every morning to teach Set. He sighed as he stared at the doors, wondering how Maeve felt about their argument. 'We never fight. . . Tell her you are sorry.' Atemu nodded to himself, feeling that this was just a petty argument. Smiling, he opened the door and said happily, "Good morning Maeve, Set! How are you to--?"
Set was standing in the center of the hall in his battle tunic, pacing back and forth in the room. Atemu raised an eyebrow as he saw that Set was the only one in the room. Maeve was no where to be found. Set stopped as he saw Atemu, quickly bowing and asked slowly, "Have you seen Maeve? She has not appeared all morning." Atemu stared at his friend strangely; all morning? That's odd.
"She cannot be so bothered by our argument that she would not attend your lessons, would she?" wondered the Pharaoh, troubled. Suddenly he heard frantic cries outside the hall. Raising an eyebrow, he turned and stared as the old woman Ava began running back and forth, waving one hand in the air and holding an elixir in the other.
When she saw the Pharaoh, Ava dashed towards him and cried out, "Your highness! Has my mistress passed these halls?!"
The Pharaoh raised his eyebrows, saying, "Not that I know of. Is something amiss?" Ava's eyes widened; the elixir in her hand almost dropped to the floor.
"Slave," The Priest murmured, leaning on the heavy golden door, "has your mistress left her chambers? I have not seen her face since the day before." Ava began muttering under her breath, rubbing the strange symbol on her necklace continuously.
Finally she looked up, almost screaming, "My Pharaoh! Maeve, she's gone! She was not in her chambers where I left her!"
"Yes? My dear woman, Maeve is old enough to care for herself," Atemu said annoyingly, wanting to get the hag's nagging out of the way.
"You do not understand!" she pleaded, almost falling to her knees. "My mistress has been sick again during the night! She did not take her second dose of the elixir!"
Atemu's eyes widened in horror, feeling as if time had stopped. Set stood from his place and walked towards the woman, shaking her and screaming, but Atemu couldn't hear. 'In order for Maeve to survive these attacks, she must have two doses of the special elixir she made. If she does not take the second one, she will. . .' Atemu didn't even want to think it. Immediately he ran away to the courtyard, Set yelling out his name.
The moment he stepped outside he screamed to the top of his lungs, yelling, "Sister!! Where are you?!"
Later
"Unnh," Maeve groaned, staring at the strange man holding her body, taking her to a small hut. "Fool, unhand me. . ." He smirked at her as several dark skinned people passed, staring at the woman walking towards the sacred place. Painfully Maeve turned her head, sweat beading down her forehead. A Nubian village. 'I need my elixir. . .'
Suddenly he dropped her to the ground, Maeve's body curling in pain. She looked up angrily at the man, saying, "Tis unwise to drop a woman such as myself so easily. . ."
He smirked once more, looking at the elderly man across from her and bowing his head, saying, "Elder, she is here." Maeve looked up into the man's face in the sunlight, remembering who he was. Her eyes widened in surprise as she thought, 'The thief I healed long ago.'
The Elder nodded, saying in a dry, crackly voice, "Thank you, Bakura." The old man then turned toward Maeve on the ground, taking her hand and pleading, "Please help us, Healer."
Maeve stared at him, seeing the genuine sadness in his eyes. "But how can I--" she started as two Nubian woman took out a wrapped figure in front of her. Her green eyes widened and sparkled, staring at the Elder with surprise. "Thief. . . Is this what you brought me here for?" He nodded, the familiar smirk disappeared from his face. She turned her attention back to the Elder, saying, "Is this what you wish for me to do?"
He nodded. Maeve stared at the figure before her, seeing the dark pearl clutched in the boy's tiny hand. She could feel the dark aura enveloped around the pearl and the baby, so strong that in her condition, she may not be able to fight it. Maeve shivered, not wanting to feel that pain once more. But what choice did she have? With a trembling hand, she whispered, "I-I will try. . ."
A light enveloped from her body as her ba began seeping into the child's tainted body.
Egypt: Present
Bakura stared at the village with guilt as Maeve sat under a palm tree, biting into an apple she happened to brought on the way. Set played with his Millennium Rod, twirling it in his hand as the three men were tied up behind him, glaring at the people who imprisoned them. But Sadiki didn't understand as he stared at A's yami, just sitting there, eating. What is she doing? What is she planning?
The Millennium Orb glinted in the sunlight as Maeve stopped eating and stared at Set, murmuring, "When is the Master to arrive?"
Set turned from his little fun and stared at Maeve, his ice blue eyes flashing. Holding his Rod delicately, he replied, "He said he shall arrive as soon as it is appropriate." Maeve nodded to him, throwing the apple's core to the ground and playing with one of her arrows, Yami staring at her angrily.
"Just what are you doing?!" he yelled out, everyone caught in surprise. "Maeve, what in the world is wrong with you? Do you not remember who I am?! I am your brother!"
Maeve ignored him, now focusing her attention on Kaiba. He tried to ignore her, turning his head and trying not to stare into her eyes. She smirked and whispered loudly enough for him to hear, "The fool who dares to see the solution. . . is wiser than the man who fears the truth." Kaiba's head quickly went up and glared at her, attempting not to curse at her. But she knew what he was thinking; it was sad to see that Set did not see it as well.
"Aura," Sadiki whispered, staring at the three people of the past, "where is she? Did you. . . If you hurt her, I swear I'll tear your very ribs from your body. . ." Bakura and Set did not pay any attention to him; he was not of importance. Maeve however gazed at the man, pricking her finger against the arrow's sharp tip.
The Priestess then saw Bakura's pitiful form, staring at the village he tried so hard to protect before. Her eyes softened as she watched at him, only Set noticing this change. Yami couldn't understand, a mixture of rage and sadness spreading across his body. He thought that his sister and he were friends. She turned her head and murmured quietly, "No matter what you did, this village would not have survived without you, Bakura."
He didn't reply as he heard a rumbling in the distance, his ears pricking up and turning to see what it is. His eyes squinted at the growing dust cloud, walking forward and holding onto the curved sword at his hip. Kaiba noticed it too; he stared at the cloud and found something familiar. Set stood up, asking quietly, "Is it Enari?"
Bakura glared at the black limousine coming closer and closer, saying, "It's his limo, alright. But he's not slowing down. . ." Sadiki looked up, hope growing inside his chest. Maeve stood also, her green eyes following the approaching automobile like a cat. Silently, Yami struggled to untie the knots around his hands, heart beating fast.
The limousine skidded to a stop against the sand as it flew against Enari's spies, their weapons glinting in their hands. Bakura took out his curved sword, ready for an attack. Set took out his two circular chakrums as Maeve set her bow, unable to know whether this person was an ally or enemy.
A crash helmeted head suddenly popped out of the window, Raziya grinning and waving her hand, exclaiming, "Hey guys! What's up? Having a party, are ya? Nice weapons, where'd you steal it from, eh?" Bakura and Set almost dropped their weapons in disbelief, Maeve staring at the girl with a raised eyebrow.
Behind her a door opened, and Badru, Adio, Chike and Chuma stepped out, holding their heads and stomachs with a groan. "Let's never have her drive again," Badru muttered, his guns and swords all around his body. The moment Set's eyes were upon his weapons, he quickly took out his chakrums and swung them with all his might, flying fast towards Sadiki's men.
In horror Sadiki yelled, "Get out of the way, you fools! Get out!!"
To Be Continued. . .
Sorry for not updating. Things been hectic around here. Okay, so now that the big thing I've been waiting for has finally come, I can finally do some real fun stuff. Comments?