Atemu sighed, staring out over the sand at the distant city.
"What's on your mind 'Temu?" Mahaddo questioned. The young Pharaoh looked over his shoulder at his friend before answering.
"It's just…four years ago, I was just another child. But now…I have to keep an eye on an entire country."
"How many times are we going to have this conversation?"
"This will be the last, if what you said is true."
"Just smile please. Didn't we sneak out of the city to have fun?" Mahaddo grinned and stretched, then rolled over on the rock he was lying on. He dropped his head off the edge of the rock and let his tongue loll out of his mouth, an expression guaranteed to make Atemu smile. As always, it worked.
"Mahaddo, have you seen a boy about our age in the stables? He has white hair and brown eyes."
"No, I haven't. Why?"
"He's the twin of that Tomb Robber."
"No wonder I haven't seen him. Twins are often considered bad luck. He's probably pushed into the shadows and given the least visible jobs. Hmm…looks like the wind's picking up." Sure enough, a gust of wind sent a cloud of dust straight at the teenagers. Coughing, Atemu turned his back to the wind and waited for it to die down. It did, about ten minutes later. He could hear Mahaddo coughing.
"Are you okay?" he asked as soon as the wind lessened.
"Define okay." The tone his friend used was alarming, and the Pharaoh hurried over to Mahaddo's rock. The priest was still coughing, despite the fact that the wind had stopped altogether. An unnatural silence fell over the tiny oasis as Atemu saw the blood seeping between Mahaddo's fingers.
"Oh Ra. Come on, let's get back to the city." Mahaddo shook his head.
"I'd rather die out here, in our hiding place, than in the healers ward with a bunch of mourners crowding around me and wailing.
"But-"
"No buts."
"But-"
"It's my time 'Temu. There's nothing you, or anyone else, can do about it."
"But-"
"Just stay with me. And remember your promise."
"But-"
"And quit that. You sound like a parrot."
"But-"
"If you don't, I'll come back and haunt you. Am I clear?"
"Yes." Atemu sighed and scooted around Mahaddo so he could hold his friend's hand when he died. His mind wandered back to all the things they had done today, from dodging a very angry hippopotamus to nearly getting caught girl watching on the roof of a particularly mean old man's home. They'd dropped ants on Seth, run for dear life from the same angry priest when he figured out who was in the city today, and dodged the spells and jinxes the irate priest was throwing at every opportunity. True, getting rid of the donkey ears that Atemu acquired from one of these spells was simple, but it also required conjuring a giant rat to chase Seth around the market place as revenge. Since only Seth could see the beast, it made the scene so much more hilarious. After getting away from Seth, they'd played games with the local youth for hours before retreating to where they were now, a tiny oasis that no one else knew about. It was their hiding place. If, for example, Mahaddo had had it with Seth and mysteriously disappeared, Atemu could find him at the oasis, since both of them were much too big to fit into the big pots that decorated the bases of many of the pillars around the palace any more.
It was where they had first become friends and sworn to stick together, no matter what, be it injury, argument, or ticked off High Priests. From that moment on, from the age of six until now, 13 years later, they were never far from one another. Now, it seemed that it was also where they would be parted by the great divide between this life and the next.
"I want you to hold on to the Ring. When you find the next person to bear it, then you part with it. Remember. You promised to make me one of your Ka monsters."
"How could I forget? I just wish you didn't have to go." Atemu said. Mahaddo smiled slightly.
"It's my time Pharaoh. I can hear Osiris calling me. Farewell." The hand Atemu held went limp and lifeless. The bright blue eyes that had always seen both sides of a problem (with the exception of anything involving Seth) closed forever. Mahaddo died with a small smile on his lips. Atemu trembled, tears welling up to blur the gaze of those normally fierce ruby eyes. He fought the tears, remembering what Mahaddo had told him yesterday:
"Save your tears Pharaoh, for a time when they are really needed. I won't be going anywhere, not really. Just another form. Don't cry."
Shaking, he pulled the cord of the Ring gently over Mahaddo's head and tucked it into one of his saddlebags. He stood up and fixed the reigns of Mahaddo's horse so that he could lead it behind his own. Finally, he gathered Mahaddo up and strapped him firmly into his saddle. It was time for Mahaddo's last ride into the city.
"Pharaoh! What happened to Mahaddo?" Simun cried as Atemu walked into the palace with Mahaddo in his arms.
"He's passed on to the next life." The youth responded.
"Oh Ra…guide him on the path t- where are you going?"
"To fulfill a promise I made to him. I need a blank Ka tablet."
"Why do you need a-" Atemu turned his best 'are you questioning your Pharaoh?' look full force on his advisor. "Yes sir, right away." Simun hurried away to do as he was told.
By the time he returned, a crowd had gathered to see what was going on. Atemu didn't have the heart to chase them away. "Where do you want it?" Simun asked, gesturing at the tablet.
"Over there, at the end of the hall. Keep these people out of the way. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Of course." The short man herded the onlookers to the far end of the hall, at the same time giving instructions for the tablet to be moved to where the Pharaoh had ordered.
When it was in place, Atemu placed Mahaddo's body on the floor, and backed up several paces. There were cries of shock when others saw the lifeless form of the Priest. Ignoring his audience, Atemu turned his full attention on Mahaddo. He was going to have to play this by ear, because it was an extremely odd request. He decided to blend the symbols for sealing, rebirth, transformation, and strength together and pour the resulting magic into Mahaddo's body. First, however, he would have to put a spell of attraction, keyed to Mahaddo, on the tablet. If he didn't, it was likely that he would have a very angry demon from the Shadow Realm after him, or a reanimated corpse. Mahaddo had been his best friend, but he was dead, and his specific instructions were to be carried out. Ka monster, not zombie.
A golden glow enveloped the young ruler as he wove his net of magic. He tossed it over Mahaddo with a delicate flick of his wrist. Immediately, the body on the floor was attached to the tablet instead. Now, all Atemu had to do was release the spell on Mahaddo, and, if he'd guessed right, there would be a Ka monster etched into the tablet, and Mahaddo's lifeless shell would be gone.
"Go." He whispered. The gold light on the tablet turned dark, changing into black. There was a sharp crack that left ears ringing, followed by a strange buzzing sound. Dust and stone chips flew everywhere. People ducked or ran for cover, though Atemu stood his ground. When the dust had settled, the body was gone, and there was an image etched into the tablet. It was a man, tall and proud, wearing heavy shoulder armor and carrying a staff. One end of the staff was capped by a lethal looking blade, and the other by a crystal. He wore a proud smile. The words on the side read 'The Dark Magician, servant of the Pharaoh.'