Dabria sat in the back of the car, hands still bloodied as she threaded the needle.
"For fuck's sake, Layla," She snapped. "Drive steady. I'm tryna stitch myself up back here."
"The roads here aren't even," Layla said. "I'm trying to drive steady but it's not working. Marc, help her already!"
Marc looked torn, not wanting to jolt the car as he carefully moved from the front seat to the back as Dabria moved over. He threaded the needle as Dabria sat back, looking at her bloody hands as a slight sting of the needle sewing her wound shut. It was deep but only needed stitches to close the wound because whatever little magic Anubis had left in the Ankh had healed it enough to not let her die.
"You're not fine," Marc said.
"Yes, I am." Her mouth was dry and everything tasted like sand. "I'm fine. Just a little bloodied, okay? Nothing more than I usually get fighting."
"You kicked serious ass back there," He said, sewing up the wound and finishing it with a neat knot and a gauze to keep it clean. "You're covered in blood. We took the bags so you can either change or wait."
"I'll wait."
It didn't take long for them to stop in the middle of the desert. Layla and Marc stood at the front of the car as Dabria was washing off the blood. It was mostly on her hands so she really only had to change clothes. She swapped her outfit to a pair of jeans and a thin shirt, pulling on a flimsy jacket to keep the cold air off her.
She pulled her dark hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her way, coming around the car as Layla and Marc tried to sort out the map.
Catching sight of Khonshu behind the car, she went over to him instead.
"I need a quick word," Dabria said.
"Anubis isn't here, child," He said.
She sighed. "I know and I don't know where he went. I can't speak to him or anything. Do you know where he is?"
"I have a feeling he is stuck in the Duat. It can happen when a soul takes too long to balance or not balance," He said. "Perhaps there were too many souls for him to judge?"
"This is the first time this happened," She said. "And even with the civil wars this world has had, there were never that many souls that it took him more than a couple of hours to come back. What could be taking him so long? I can't feel him."
"What do you mean?" Khonshu stepped forward, leaning towards her as his voice lowered. "You cannot feel your god? That… that is not right. Something is not right at all."
A loud crack and Dabria turned her head to the other adults, "Marc, don't break the fucking car and let Steven have a go at the shitty map."
He just stormed off with the map and side mirror, walking several paces away before he even thought of letting Steven have control. Steven began to do the puzzle of a map as Layla walked over to Dabria.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing," Dabria answered.
Layla gave her a look, "Don't lie. You look terrified."
"Fine. I can't feel Anubis," She said. "He's been trapped or something. I don't know but I can't feel him."
"But you felt him not long ago," Layla said.
"Yeah, but now I can't."
Layla frowned, looking at her. "Why can't you feel him?"
"I don't know and I'm scared he isn't alright." Dabria fiddled with her hands. "He might be a god but he's my god."
"While we cannot die, we can be trapped in a multitude of ways…. Or perhaps he left you,"
Dabria laughed darkly, staring at him like he was a child instead of an ancient god, "Would you leave him? Would you willingly leave them? I didn't think so, so don't speak of mine leaving me."
"Khonshu?" Layla asked, quickly following Dabria as she stormed away.
She nodded, both of them coming over to Steven to looking at the map.
He turned to Dabria, grinning, "You were fucking wicked!"
A lopsided smile appeared on her lips, "Cheers.
Steven held up the star map, gesturing to the sky with the folded map, "Et voilà."
"Good job," Dabria asked. "Now what?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but if," Steven stood up, looking at the sky. "Wait, hang on a minute. You see that? You see those little pinpricks there? That's a constellation. We should be able to triangulate the stars into coordinates, right?"
Layla brought up her tablet, "Let me just scan it."
"Well, um, actually. Unfortunately, it's not that simple." Steven looked sheepish at that.
Layla frowned, "Not working. Why isn't it working?
"Yeah, yeah, you see," Steven tilted his head side to side, "Well, Senfu marked that tomb, like, 2,000 years ago."
Dabria rolled her eyes, rubbing a hand down her face, "And, over time, stars drift, don't they?"
"Exactly!" Steven looked happy, seeing her interact with him on his favourite topics. "Not much as far as stars go, but it could mean the difference between us searching miles away from where we're supposed to be looking. So unless we know exactly what the sky looked like on that date, we're buggered."
"Khonshu," Dabria called out. "You're the god of the night. Do you remember?"
"I remember that night…." he appeared behind Steven, startling him. "I remember every night."
Khonshu disappeared again, appearing on a nearby hill and gesturing vaguely. They quickly followed him up the dune, standing on the top as they overlooked the areas around them.
"I can turn back the night sky."
Layla kneeled on the ground, fiddling with the tablet again as Steven spoke, "How?"
Khonshu was quiet for a second. "It will come at a cost, and I cannot do it alone. Steven, when the gods imprison me, tell Marc to free me."
"No!" Dabria snapped, "You can't let yourself be trapped!"
"It is the only way."
"At the cost of Steven and Marc losing you!" She shook her head. "I lost Anubis and I don't where he is. We can't lose you too."
"Only way…" He said, turning his head to her before looking away. "Steven, do what I do."
Khonshu lifted his hands, staff, in one hand as he traced the night sky with his fingers. Steven's white suit appeared, consuming him as he followed Khonshu's bidding and raised his hands
The wind picked up, chilling both women as they glanced at the tablet in Layla's hands and then up at Steven.
Layla couldn't see Khonshu but Dabria could, watching both of them as she shook her head in disbelief.
She felt the aching loss of her god so why would Steven let him and Marc feel it too. She tried to persuade them but it didn't work. They would be human after this, completely, utterly human with no healing or anything. Dabria was the same but the little Ankh necklace was laced with Anubis' powers, letting her have a sliver of his powers even if he wasn't there.
Dabria was used to Anubis being there, even as a tiny, nagging voice in the back of her head or as a jackal in her shadow. She couldn't deal with him not being here. He was a part of her, of her life. He was the reason she was alive.
Oh, how to find your god standing over you at your very own death.
She had barely been sixteen when the fire happened, burning as the ceiling fell and something impaled her straight through her heart. She had never been religious so to find a god standing above her was not something she was expecting.
Her father was in the next room over, trying to get her as he screamed and the smoke made him cough. He found her just as the firefighters came through the door, getting them both out of the burning building.
He screamed for her to stay awake as she was put on the gurney, getting into the ambulance with her. The paramedics had to try and keep her alive. As soon as they got into the hospital, she went into surgery as she was barely stable enough.
Anubis stood over her during the whole thing, watching. He helped Darbia's soul out of her body, letting her stand and watch the surgery as the doctors tried to save her. He got her heart, surprised to see the colour of black, beautiful and somehow still beating with life and magic in his hands.
It didn't turn to ash in his hands, refusing to go to the afterlife.
Anubis made her a deal.
If she left her mortal life behind and became his Avatar, his mortal form on earth, he would let her live. He would let her have the rest of her teenage years until she was twenty and then she would his.
He had to inform her that her father was dead, the smoke in his lungs was too much as he had stayed in the building to try and find her.
She would be Anubis' until the end of time.
Dabria took the deal and the next four years of freedom until her twentieth birthday when she took on the mantle of Jackal, Anubis' Avatar. It didn't take much for her to agree, after all her father was dead, and Anubis had sent his soul to the afterlife first. Why waste in the afterlife when she could do something for him instead?
This was what she told herself at least, refusing to comprehend the truth of what happened.
She grew to like Anubis and never regretted her choice of living. She couldn't imagine living without him and watching Khonshu let himself be trapped so his Avatar could save the world struck a chord in her.
She couldn't watch it, hearing Steven's body hit the ground as he passed out.
"He's fine," She muttered as Layla ran over to check him over. "He's just passed out because Khonshu left. He'll wake up in a few minutes."
"How do you know he'll be alright?"
"An Avatar's body is forever changed after taking a god in. He will almost be a little more tougher, steadier, healthier than a normal person," She said. "We need to start making ground since we got the location."
)(-)(
"He tried to lone wolf this whole thing, didn't he?" Layla asked as she drove. Dabria was in the passenger seat while Steven was laying in the backseat. He was barely waking up now.
Dabria hummed in agreement, looking into the only working side mirror to see Marc glaring at her from it. She winked at him, making him scowl before he snapped at Steven to give him the body back.
"Tried and failed," Dabria tapped her finger against her chin as she leaned her head on her arm on the window panel. "Khonshu asked Anubis for help. Anubis asked me and I accepted . There was the whole demon situation and then you left. Marc tried to leave me at the airport, bastard messed with my bag."
"Is that how he ended up with a massive bruise on his shoulder?" Layla asked.
"No," Dabria laughed. "It was from the first night. We shared a room because why not, we're both adults and it was cheaper, and he woke me up by shaking my shoulders. I punched him in the shoulder straight away."
"I would have loved to see that,"
"It wasn't that funny," Steven grumbled, sitting up in the back.
"But it fucking hurt!" Marc snapped through the mirror on Layla's side.
On the other mirror, Dabria saw a semi-familiar face with a deep scowl. That one was closer to her but the unnamed alter just winked before disappearing from her sight.
"Good, you're awake," Layla nodded to herself. "We're almost there. We're going on foot from here on."
Steven grumbled something about just waking up as the two women got out of the car.
"Move your ass, soldier," Dabria passed him his bag as she grabbed her own. Hers was slung over one shoulder as she walked around the car.
"Steven, give me the body," Marc asked from the mirror.
"No!"
Dabria lifted her left wrist, looking at the watch. It was still fairly early and they had a long trek through the desert. If she lifted it enough, she could get the third alter's reflection into the screen. He just smirked at her from there.
The trek to Harrow's little campsite was long, taking at least a few hours before they stopped at a large settlement of cars, camels and tents.
They split up to find some supplies there. Dabria found another knife or two, hiding them in her boots in case she needed them later.
Layla was putting the harness on Steven, trying not to laugh when he made a certain comment.
"I want to say, I feel like I've been waiting for this my whole life," He said, realising what he said when Layla stood up and gave him a look.
"I wouldn't complain," Dabria lifted her hands up in surrender when Layla glared at her. "You can't blame me, Layla. You've seen him. I've seen enough to know it would be a good time."
Layla sighed, shaking her head at Dabria. "You're talking about my best friend and his alter here, Dabria."
Steven just blushed and his eyes went wide. "I didn't mean it that way!"
Dabria grinned. "I did."
She secured the harness on the rope, standing by the edge before she sent a wink back and jumped down.
Layla whacked Steven over the head gently.
He rubbed the area sorely, "What was that for?!"
"For all the goddamn flirting. I've had enough. Keep it in until the end of all this and then you can see where it can go," Layla said, attaching herself to the rope before jumping to the bottom.
)(-)(
"That…" Marc began as he watched from the reflective surfaces of the tomb they were in. "Should not be as attractive as it is."
"Agreed," Steven muttered, walking over to Dabria who had her hand in the chest of Alexander the Great, rummaging around in there for something.
"What are you two muttering about?" She asked, already knowing what they said but wanting to tease them about it. She pulled her hand out, holding a statue of Ammit. "Hello, gorgeous."
"Oh my god, you found it!" Steven almost shouted, coming over and abruptly hugging her tightly.
"Layla?" Dabria looked over Steven's shoulders, staring at the torn woman as she walked over.
"Marc," Layla slowly strode over to him. "What happened to my father?"
Steven looked confused, "What?"
"I'm talking to you." Layla stood right in front of him. " I'm talking to you, Marc!"
She grabbed his arms to get his attention, scaring Steven into letting Marc take over. He did, his voice lowering a little as he looked back at Dabria and then at Layla.
"Come on," He muttered. "Let's go, let's go."
While they argued, Dabria went past them, getting to the exit of the room before she heard footsteps from either side. She swore, walking back to the two arguing about the past.
She stepped between them, interrupting, with a "We're not alone anymore".
"There must be another way out," He looked around.
They both nodded. Dabria handed Marc the statue thing, uncaring for it unlike him as he hid it on his body quickly. He gently pushed her, telling them both to go and find an exit.
"I'll hold them off," He said, grabbing a bejewelled but sharp axe from the body of Alexander the Great. "Come on!"
Layla and Dabria ran out just as the other people came in, guns bared and aimed at Marc. They hid behind a huge pillar, only listening to what was going on.
"Just you? The rest is silence," Harrow said. "I remember the first morning I woke up knowing that Khonshu was gone. The quiet was liberating. You're a free man. And, of course, with that freedom comes choice. And right now, you have a very important decision to make."
It took Marc a moment to answer, "Okay."
With the shuffling of feet, she heard them move, getting closer to Marc as they raised their guns.
Marc swung his axe, getting the man away from him as another came. Marc knocked them both away but Harrow raised a gun, not hesitating to shoot Marc in the chest.
Twice.
Two bullets.
Three souls.
Something in Dabria screamed, burning her mind as she reacted.
It wasn't like she wanted to suddenly jump out of her hiding spot, walking towards Harrow with intention in her step as her hands were stained black like Anubis'.
"You've got a choice too, Dabria," He said. "Don't be stupid."
"Take the damn statue and leave, Harrow," She kneeled next to the body, putting her hand on his chest as she felt the familiar tug in her chest. "I don't have any use for you."
From where she kneeled, she could see Layla's horrified look. All Dabria could do was hold up the statue so he could take it and leave.
"Pity," He said, taking the statue. "Nor I you."
He shot her three times in the chest, all aiming for her heart.
"Dumbass," She threw the axe Marc had dropped, effectively getting him in shoulder where her own hurt too.
He grunted, pulling his gun up again and aimed.
She kneeled, weaving Marc's hand into hers as she let Harrow take his final shot.
Dabria stared at him, unblinking, cold and full of godly rage.
Her end was a gunshot to the forehead.
