Chapter Nineteen
"Wake up!" screeched Samira.
"Unnnng," groaned Seto, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. "What is it?"
"The last two priests have arrived!" Samira said. "Get into your ceremonial clothes and get to the throne room! We haven't much time!"
Ten hurried minutes later, Seto was up, washed and dressed, his Millennium Rod tucked into his belt.. He hastened into his place next to the throne, where Atem was sitting, being fanned by a slave, the wolf lazing at his feet.
"Glad you could make it," said Atem snidely.
Seto glared at him but did not answer.
Trumpets blared; the three priests lined up against the wall, also in ceremonial dress.
In came three soldiers, between them a rich-looking teenager who surveyed the throne room as if it weren't good enough for him. Seto didn't like him right from the start.
"Announcing Lord Baqir Akatar, priest of the Millennium Ring," said the herald.
They went though all the pleasantries, hello, how are you, welcome to Thebes, and so on. Seto wasn't really listening. He was too busy staring at the second priest, a female. Shackled between two soldiers and with a bruise on her cheek, she stood in a dejected way, as if the life had been beaten out of her.
The herald stepped forward again. "Announcing Lady Ishizu Ishtaari, priestess of the Millennium Necklace."
The soldiers tried to drag her forward, but she suddenly sprang to life, struggling and scratching. A third soldier pulled out a whip and began to lash her savagely, then push her headfirst onto the cold stone floor in front of Atem, who looked horrified. Her back was a mass of scars and cuts, bleeding ghastly amounts of blood, some turning black, others green: infected.
Something in Seto's heart jolted. He stepped forward angrily, drawing his Millennium Rod from his belt. Time seemed to freeze… He single-handedly took on all of the soldiers, beating them down with such a fury that the rest retreated, quailing under his rage.
He stopped in front of the fallen Ishizu, who was kneeling on the ground, her forehead pressed to the floor. Slowly he drew his sword… all was silent except for the cold ring of metal against metal…
With the flat side of the blade, he lifted Ishizu's chin upward so her eyes met his… and to his surprise, he saw no fear there… only a calm dignity, a kind of acceptance of her fate. One thrust of the sword, and she would be dead…
Ishizu leaned over and kissed the flat of the sword. This was a gesture that meant she was not afraid of death, she welcomed it…
Her life was in Seto's hands… he could spare it or end it…
He turned the blade so that it lined up vertically, and made a quick downward flicking motion. It cut right through the shackles, breaking the chain.
Seto offered her a hand. She took it weakly, and he pulled her to her feet. He took one look at her face and knew that he wanted her, wanted her so badly. Her eyes were the color of the ocean on a sunny day, her lips the ruby red of a sunset. Her face was accented by high cheekbones and a proud chin. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
"Well?" he demanded, looking around furiously. "Get this girl to a hospital! And do it quickly!"
Several slaves scurried forward. Street filth, he thought disgustedly. "Never mind, I'll carry her myself."
The festering sores on her back stained his shirt as he held her against him, but he didn't care. It was an outrage that such beauty and gentleness like this could be so marred, could be so abused… Fresh anger filled him as he realized how light she was. Her ribs were showing through the rags that she was wearing; she must have gone without food for days.
The palace physician hurriedly set to work, applying healing salve and bandages, washing and drying, and then Ishizu was asleep peacefully under a clean linen blanket.
Seto watched her a moment before turning to go. The Millennium Necklace glimmered in the moonlight coming in through the window. Her raven's wing hair took on an almost purple sheen.
She turned suddenly, kicking off the blankets. For a moment Seto admired her fine figure, then shook his head, shivering. No, I am not going to think like that. He walked over to the bed and carefully pulled the covers back over her so she would stay warm. Good night, Ishizu, he thought. Finally you are being treated like the princess you truly are.
Far off in the palace gardens, the falcon lay curled up under a bush, feeling very much alone.
"So I suppose its Mendu's, eh?" remarked Ramla as the group of ten departed the ship, which had landed in the Luxor Airport.
Marik nodded. "Yeah. It's the best we could get on short notice. Cheap, familiar-"
"Loud," said Ramla peevishly. Marik chuckled.
They caught a bus to a stop near Mendu's Inn. Each lugged their own suitcase, but one was heavier than usual…
"Aw man!" Joey exclaimed, straining under the weight of his bag. "This thing is killin' me!"
"Here, let me give you a hand," offered Tristan. "Ugh! What did you pack in there!"
They struggled to stay upright under the heavy suitcase. Samira rolled her eyes at them and trotted up to walk next to Seto, who was viewing the sidewalk with a closed expression.
"You all right, Seto?"
He gave her a burning glare that nonetheless suggested otherwise.
Samira lowered her voice. "If it's about leaving Mokuba on the ship-"
He shrugged and tried to walk faster. Samira had to jog to keep up with his long strides.
They did not get another chance for conversation until much later, after they had arrived at Mendu's in. It was reminiscent of a Las Vegas strip bar, without the strippers (thankfully). Everyone piled their things in their assigned rooms and went in different directions: some outside, some to the restaurant, and some, like Seto, up onto the roof.
It was much quieter up here, and strangely familiar. He had gotten that feeling of déjà vu a lot more frequently since he had arrived in Egypt…
He chose a chair near the edge of the roof, where he could view the city below but be concealed by the shade of several potted palms.
"I seen you before!" shrieked a voice.
Starting, he grabbed out with his hands toward the noise, and surfaced with a small child with unruly curls and an even unrulier attitude.
She struggled as she tried to free herself from the firm grip he had on the back of her cape. "Let go, nasty beast!" she screamed. He silenced her with a hand over her mouth.
"Mmmmfgh! Mgnnn, stmpnnn, mmvmm bmm!"
"Shut up," he hissed. "What the heck were you doing, shouting into my ear like that!"
She continued to struggle, not answering. She flailed outward like a fish on a hook, opening several gashes on his arm with her sharp fingernails. He swore and dropped her.
"Ha ha, nasty beast! I escape! Now, me Suzuko. Sparrow. Well, sparrow, but now human." She lowered her voice to a whisper and said. "'Preciate it if you keep secret, but… I not supposed to be human, really. Not supposed to change. But I change. No like being sparrow. Sparrow always et and killed by nasty beasts like that you have."
"What?" he said blankly, only understanding about half of what she had just said.
"The nasty beast you have," Suzuko repeated. "Big, flying thing… grabs me… scary! Nasty! Stupid!" She resumed her rant of stupid nasty beasts, jumping around as she did so.
"You mean… Samira?" Seto had always thought of Samira as small, but to a sparrow a falcon was certainly a giant.
"That one," nodded Suzuko. "I seen you before. In the island across the water. You and the nasty beast. I follow you here. This place nice. Warm. Good." She plopped down on the outer wall of the roof. "So, why you here, exactly?"
He shrugged, still grasping the fact that this little wench was a sparrow. But he had realized after meeting Samira that there were way more weird things in the world than he had thought before. "I… don't really know. Ask Samira."
Suzuko shuddered. "I no want go near that big nasty beast. She eat me."
Seto snorted. "I doubt that."
"Whatever, yes," said Suzuko, waving the comment away. "But wherever you go, I must go with you, or I get lost."
He stood up, wanting to get away from the shrieking menace. "I don't think so, shrimp," he said, walking back toward the staircase.
Suddenly something collided with the back of his knees, almost throwing him off his feet. "Ugh," he grunted, doubling over and glaring at Suzuko. "What was that for?"
She wagged a finger at him in admonishment. "You think you can get away from me. You wrong, big stupid beast. I always follow you."
"Oh, great," he muttered, trying to walk away. To his complete surprise, he felt a small hand reach for his. He tried to pull away, but Suzuko had a firm grip. When he looked down at her, his mouth open to yell at her, his stomach twisted painfully. She was looking up at him with tears in her large brown eyes.
"Please," she whispered. "I have no home… I… I am lost."
For the first time in Seto's life, he was truly touched.
It felt weird.
He sighed heavily. "All right. Come on downstairs. I'll see if you can share a room with Samira."
"Eek! Not the nasty beast!"
He looked at her sidelong. "For the last time, she will not eat you. You're both humans. Humans don't eat other humans. Unless they're cannibals."
"Cannon balls?"
"Never mind."