a/n: Yay! I can finally update. Well for my reviewers here's your next chapter. Have fun!

Disclaimer: I own this story and all the characters.

Chapter 2 Test

Arianna and Tatiana reached the throne room along with a crowd of people who reverently made way for their princesses. They thanked all of the people and dashed to the raised dais where their father the Pharaoh of Egypt sat. On the right hand side sat his wife on a large silk pillow. And to his left sat Isalen with his harem behind him and some of the more brazen women were fawning over him.

Arianna shivered as he stared at her with a weird gleam in his eyes. Isalen was only five years older than her and had been made heir to the throne when their eldest brother had died in a chariot accident. Ever since then Isalen had risen in status and that's when he had started his own harem.

When he winked at her she felt her skin crawl. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome. In fact he was very handsome. He had shoulder length black hair and a dark complexion due to the raging sun of Egypt. He had a well-toned and muscled figure that many girls dreamed of. His brown eyes were lively and always full of mischief. He was tall, a little over six feet, making his toned body even more attractive.

Arianna just did not want his attention. Plain and simple. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that somewhere out there someone was coming to get her. (A/n: yes that sounded corny, but bear with me!)

The Pharaoh stood up and walked over to stand next to his adoptive daughter. A sudden hush swept throughout the room and all eyes turned to the two regal figures. "Today my daughter will perform the ceremony of the Gods. Her powers and fighting skills will be tested and judged by the Temple Priests. Once the ceremony is over she will go the Temple of Ra and see if the gods have favored her with a gift or guardian. Or maybe even both!"

Wild applause met his speech and he walked back to his throne. He clapped his hands and the entrance to the room swung open to reveal five priests.

Arianna calmly surveyed the priests in their white ceremonial robes and sighed. Only a few of these so-called Temple Priests had actually received a gift from the gods. When she was younger she had found out that she could detect a god's aura. They appeared to her as a color, which is why her eyes sometimes changed color when in a Temple.

No one ever seemed to notice the fakes from the truly gifted so she held her silence.

"Let the ceremony begin," exclaimed the Pharaoh.

Arianna sat on the floor as the Priests prepared themselves. One person's aura in particular was saturated in darkness and she was getting worried. If she could not find out which Priest held a token from Set then she was in trouble.

"Daughter of Pharaoh are you ready?" asked the Head Priest Akhmet.

Arianna nodded and stood up. Suddenly a wave of dizziness swept over her. What's happening? She thought. Sleep was starting to take over her body.

She reached behind her and fumbled with the lotus blossom clip. Dropping it swiftly on the floor she murmured something and fell next to it.

The clip suddenly started to grow until a huge golden lotus blossom surrounded her body.

Akhmet sent a blast of fire at the flower but it was abated when a strong gust of wind sent it back at him. I should've known. The daughter of Pharaoh and the gods has control over the desert and wind. Naturally the desert would protect its queen. He thought with a wry grin on his face.

He quickly squished the flame before it could hit him and bowed his head to the golden flower before him and stepped into the crowd. By the rules of the ceremony he was now eliminated.

Now only four Priests remained.

One by one the petals of the flower opened to reveal a fully regenerated Arianna. She stepped away from the flower and it shrank back into her hair clip. Picking it up and placing it back in her head she stared at the remaining Priests.

Now who's the lucky Priest with a gift from Set? She thought. Quickly scanning the objects held in their hands she tried to scan for the tainted aura.

A staff, mirror, statue of a cat and a knife.

The priest holding the knife was thickly saturated with the evil aura and she smirked. Of course Set chooses to house his aura in a knife. Oh well, time for a cleansing (a/n: this cleansing will be explained later. Continue reading.)

With that thought she blocked the audience with a barrier of wind and called in a sandstorm to surround the Priests. As they all struggled with the storm futilely she called on her crystal skills to trap them.

Two priests managed to get out while the other two disappeared into the crowd after being released from both the sandstorm and crystal.

Only the Priests with the staff and mirror had managed to escape and now were circling her slowly. Arianna checked for any godly auras coming from the objects and detected none. I wonder what kind of magic these two posses.

Her question was soon answered when both priests struck out at her.

The one with the mirror vanished while the other summoned cobras to attack her. Of course he has to summon snakes, she thought in disgust. Can any of these Priests get past elementary magic like this?

With an annoyed flick of her wrist the snakes vanished in a cloud of sand. The Priest bowed his head to her and vanished into the crowd.

"Gotcha!" shouted a voice from behind her. When she turned around she was met with her reflection. Her eyes widened in shock before turning a deadly black color.

"What is your magic Priest?" she asked with a deadly calm.

He didn't answer, but he started to chant. An image of Set appeared within the mirror in front of her face…and he was grinning. "Goodbye daughter of Ra," he hissed venomously before a black adder shot out of the mirror straight for her neck.

A hiss of pain escaped her lips when it bit her. With a cry she trapped the snake in a crystal and hurled it back at the Priest.

He tried to absorb the snake back into the mirror, but to late. It also bit him.

Arianna fell to her knees while the Priest collapsed and didn't stir. Her father rose from his seat and ordered guards to come and take her back to her chamber.

She stubbornly refused them and staggered to her feet. Looking into the crowd of shocked and fearful courtiers she searched for Set's aura. The Priest with the knife was still there. Good. The mirror lay on the floor next to her feet and now Set's aura was gone from it.

"Would the Priest who was gifted with a knife please step forward." She commanded. The crowd started to whisper when he stepped toward his Princess. "Yes princess, what is it that you wish for me to do?"

She extended her hand, palm up, and asked him to place his knife in it. He did so willingly and she started to whisper something. A crystal formed around the knife and it was carried away by a strong gust of wind. To where, even she didn't know.

Before anyone could ask her any questions she collapsed onto the floor and blacked out. Her last thought was simple.

Damn.

a/n: It's over. What will happen next...I know! Review! Review...please!