Chapter 6
There was no funeral procession for her father.
They stood in the memory of young Dabria Voltaire, watching as the teenager watched her father's body be cremated. It went ablaze, burning until everything was gone. The funeral directors tried to comfort her as she stood alone, no one else to watch this besides the staff.
"There isn't anyone I need, sir," She said, stuffing her hands into the leather pockets of her jacket. "Nor do I need comfort. Thank you."
Anubis stood behind her, unseen by both Dabria and the staff. They hadn't a deal yet, so she couldn't see him but she felt his presence, he knew. He stayed with her, watching as her heart beat inside her chest, cold and black yet full of life. There was a thick scar over her chest, healed too quickly by the doctors' words.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." Dabria turned to find the door, suddenly watching it disappear and swearing her head off as she tried to find it. "Where the fuck is it? Where? Where? Where? Where?!"
Dabria couldn't stop pacing the length of where the door used to be. She was panicking, quick and quiet as she tried to find any way out of here. Running didn't work, she just ended up back here again and again and again.
Jake already knew they would need to see this memory through before they could leave, so he waited until she tried to run again. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close before she could leave again.
Of course, she struggled. It was the fighter in her. She wouldn't go down without a fight but Jake was stronger.
Both of her wrists in one hand, he pulled them away and brought her shoulder closer to him until he could anchor a hand on her waist.
She almost dropped to the ground in tears, sobbing lightly as he went down with her so she didn't suddenly crash. She tried to get out of his grip but he didn't let go, knowing she would just run again.
It was useless. They were stuck in here until the memory was finished.
Next, young Dabria sat on the ground before a headstone, no longer in England but instead in Lithuania where her father was from. The ground was cold but she didn't complain, sitting there with a decanter of beautiful alcohol and two cups. She filled both, drinking one even though she was underage.
No one would come for her here, not even her own, forgotten mother.
She sat for hours, eventually finishing the whole thing before she just stared at the headstone.
"What do you want?" She asked the dark figure behind her, not even looking back to speak to it. "You've been following me since the accident."
"Hmm, yes, I have," Anubis said, "You're an interesting one, Dabria Voltaire. You are not scared of me."
"No, why would I?" She said, turning her head and tilting it as she glanced at him. "I died already, haven't I?"
"Yes," He said. "You have. Yet you still live. You died and came to life. Do you ever wonder why?"
"No, no I don't. I don't want to wonder."
"Pity…" He trailed off, disappearing.
Around the crystal decanter, now empty of alcohol, sat a single charm on a long necklace. It was twisted around the neck of the decanter, letting the charm, the symbol, be seen to her. It was beautiful and strong in its protective aura. Something in her told her to take it, so she did, letting the Ankh sit between the top of her cleavage.
She hadn't realised it was from Anubis until she looked at the symbol, but she didn't take it off.
The real Dabria shook her head, her words jumbling in places but he understood as they both sat on the ground. Jake still held her close. "Out of twenty three people, I was the only one to survive the fire. I didn't meet Anubis at the accident."
"When did you meet 'im then?"
It changed again, this time young Dabria stood on the ledge of a tall building. It was dark, the only light coming from the city below and the full moon. No stars shone that night as she contemplated taking a final step.
"I wanted to jump," She stood up, going towards her younger self as she dried her tears. "And I did."
She took it, letting her back go to the scenery below her. There was nothing she could do. She ignored Anubis' hand as he fell with her. He tried to convince her, to live, to do her part in life.
"Why should I trust you?" She shouted, clawing at the air suddenly to catch his sheer clothing. "I'm dead! I'm supposed to be dead! I'm alone. I'm alone and you won't let me die!"
"Because there is no afterlife for you, Dabria," Anubis told her as they fell. "There is no Heaven, no paradise. You died and your heart was shredded. Even if I let you die now, without a heart, without an anchor to your soul, you would be sent straight to the depths of suffering because you cannot be judged."
"That's not fair!"
His voice was warm yet cool, telling her justly, "But you can make sure it is for everyone else."
Jake looked at her, watching her eyes as she refused to look up, "You told Marc and Steven that you almost died in the fire. You said Anubis came to you then? You lied?"
"Yes, I lied!" She snapped, glaring at him. "I tried to off myself. Do you think I want to admit that willingly?"
"So did Marc," He said calmly, not letting her anger at him get a rise. "He held a gun to his throat, ready to shoot up and into his brain when Khonshu stopped him. Marc was bleeding out already so he would have been dead in a couple hours. Only reason he's alive is because of Khonshu. If you're so tormented, why did you accept Anubis in the first place?"
She stayed silent for a second, "When you first jump, you think it's a great idea. The higher the height, the more likely you'll die. But when it's so far up that it takes you a while to fall, you begin to think and panic. I regretted jumping. I was only sixteen and very impulsive, but I accepted his request of being his Avatar. Or I'd have died and gone to hell or whatever."
This time, Jake let them go quiet, watching as young Dabria took Anubis' offer and her body was suddenly developed in the suit. It came up and around her, letting the teenager land on her feet without a problem.
He saw his Dabria go soft at the sight of Anubis, "You miss him, don't you? You miss your meddlesome god."
She sighed, leaning against the edge of the ledge, "Of course I do. He grew on me like a parasite. First couple years, I tried to ignore him. But when I turned eighteen and…"
"And?"
"And killed my first person, I understood my duties better,"
"Killing ain't easy, but you get used to it,"
"I realised that," She said. "But it seems like Marc and Steven haven't. It's not something you want to do, it's something you have to do. I got used to it and… and began to enjoy it a little too much. It can't be helped."
Her head suddenly ached, turning stronger and stronger until it hurt. She clutched her head, hissing.
"Careful," Jake said, coming over to her as she dropped to her knees. "Marc and Steven did something."
"They're…" She trailed off. "They've done it. Alive."
)(-)(
The first thing she felt was the warmth of her Ankh and the pain of a headache.
Next, was the warmth of hands shaking her awake.
They were alright, alive and well. Jake hid back in the mind again, keeping away from the front as Marc fronted and let his suit come alive. The wrappings come to life around him. It was skintight and looked good on him, and she appreciated the view to wake up to.
"Good to have you back, love," Steven grinned from the reflection of the crescents in the suit.
She just grumbled as Marc helped sit her up, groaning as she felt the bullet being pushed out of her brain. Her arm didn't heal straight away, it wouldn't but the pain was dulled for now.
"Never again," She muttered. "Dying is not worth it."
"You've been out a bit longer than us," He said, crouching down next to her. "How do you feel?"
"Like I've been shot," Dabria laughed, making him shake his head in disbelief at her.
"Has Anubis come back yet?" Marc looked hopeful but it fell at her sad pout.
"No. Not yet," She shrugged, letting the sadness leave her. "Come on. Khonshu's probably outside. His dramatics for making us walk to him is annoying."
He laughed, almost in relief at getting to hear her humour again, "That he is. Come on, don't want to piss off the birdman again."
It was true. When they left the tomb of Alexander the Great, Khonshu was waiting on a hill nearby but it was still a little walk to get to him. It was a steep hill and Dabria had already tripped up it once, laughing it off.
"Khonshu," Moon Knight greeted.
"I knew you'd miss me," Khonshu would have grinned if he could have.
"Layla turned you down, didn't she?" He asked.
Khonshu shook his head, "I didn't even ask her. I knew little miss jackal would find a way. Ammit has been freed. I was not strong enough to stop her. Marc Spector, Steven Grant, I need your help."
Moon Knight turned to Mr Knight, letting Steven take over. He quickly hugged Dabria before going back to Khonshu again.
"New deal, right?" He asked. "Good. Cause I'm not gonna be having this abuse bullshite that Marc let happen. We're human, it doesn't matter that we're your Avatar. We need sleep, food and rest. You just need to respect certain boundaries we put up and we'll be aces, right?"
"Fine," Khonshu nodded. "I will respect the boundaries you have but, much like Anubis has a clause that allows him to take over in emergencies, I wish the same. I do not wish to have you both killed again. I have grown fond of you, like a parasite that keeps coming back."
"Thanks," Steven said, confused. "I think? Okay. Good. Glad we got all that sorted out."
"Okay," Dabria said, interrupting. "How the fuck are we getting to Cairo?"
Khonshu almost laughed, "You forget, little jackal, that I am still the god of the night sky."
"And that means?" She frowned as air picked up around both her and Mr Knight.
"You know what?" Steven said. "I think you can take this one, Marc."
Dabria shook her head, "What are you doing, Khonshu?"
He leaned towards her, looking to Marc, "Hold on tight."
"What do you—" She began, feeling Marc's arms quickly wrapped around her waist before he hugged her close.
When her arms were around his neck, he jumped. She muffled her screams into his chest, wrapping her legs around him as they flew.
She didn't mind heights when she could control them.
"Having fun?" Marc asked, his arms out like a bat as he used his cape as wings. "Because you look terrified."
"Because I fucking am!" She almost yelled, opening her eyes to glare at his white ones before she accidentally looked down. "Oh god."
"You'll be fine," He said. "Just hold on tight."
"Or what? You think I'd willingly fall from this height?"
She shivered, feeling the familiar chills of magic go down her back. Closing her eyes, she let it go over her in waves. She almost laughed in relief, the familiar magic of her Ankh warm on her chest. It activated the protection protocol that Anubis had embedded in her Ankh.
They were nearing the pyramid, barely metres away from the beginning when Dabria put a tiny peck on his cheek, winking before she said, "See you on the ground."
"What? Wait!" Marc half screamed as she let go, watching her wink again as she let herself begin to fall. She went down head first, letting the cold air consume her before she felt the warmth of her armour replace her clothes.
Landing in a crouch on the bottom steps of the pyramid, she flexed her hands as she watched her claws appear.
"Oh, I missed you," She was half tempted to kiss the claws but reframed as she began to run up the stones to where Moon Knight was with Harrow.
She had not realised a big crocodile was standing in the desert until she was near the top, watching Ammit begin to fight with Khonshu.
Dabria couldn't concentrate on that though, she had to help stop the followers from judging the other people before their time. It didn't take long to find many of them begin to try and scurry away.
Oh, to try to run from a jackal was a dangerous thing.
She only hunted them down like Anubis would a stray soul, taking them to their afterlife with an easy swipe through their chests to get their hearts. Oh, how she missed hunting. It was her favourite pastime, getting to find souls and people who tried to run from their fates.
It always ended badly for them and well for her.
A bit of blood never bothered her.
"Dabria!" Layla called from a rooftop, watching as she plunged her hand into another's chest again. Layla nodded towards an area a couple of roads over but insight, Harrow standing over Moon Knight.
Layla swiped down with her new wings, kicking him away from the Avatar and landing in front of Moon Knight. Dabria was quick to come over, blocking Harrow's next attack with her armbands, reflecting it off her and back to Harrow.
Layla helped Marc up as Marc sighed in relief at the sight of both women.
He hugged Layla tightly, looking at her outfit.
"Thank fuck you're fine," Dabria said, coming to stand near them but not expecting to be hugged by the other women. She was shocked but returned it. "I'm glad you're fine."
Steven appeared, "Oh, wow. You look amazing, Layla! Dabria, you're back to normal and dashing as ever in that armour! Oh, and covered in a little bit of blood."
"Blood doesn't bother me," Dabria said, wiping her claws. "I've been dispatching some of Harrow's people. Easier to chase a heartless soul than anything else."
"You've been ripping their hearts out?" He asked, before shrugging. "I'm not even surprised anymore. Oh, I'm real jazzed about showing off these new skill sets I and Marc have. They're amazing."
"Come on, big boy," She teased. "Show 'em off. I've got my own little weapon to show off too."
She reached above her head, putting her hand to her back and finding the rod of the flail. She pulled it away, letting it settle in her hands. It was like a golden staff, long with a height of about a metre and a half while one end held the beads of shiny wood and gems. It was beautiful and it worked well for her.
"Wicked!" Steven hissed
"You two focus on Harrow, I've got his disciples," Dabria said, wrapping her hands around the staff before they walked towards the followers of Ammit.
The two go through the small crowd of followers, letting her deal with them two by two. She hit them with the flail, getting their attention before putting her hand through their chest, letting their hearts turn to ash in her hand and drifting away.
Three worked together, Marc and Steven switched in perfect harmony with each other as they worked around Layla. With each new person down, Dabria brought them death and took their souls.
Dabria didn't have time to start fighting Harrow with them, she had to sort out the followers and their souls first, killing their hearts and bringing them instantly to the afterlife where Anubis would waiting for them.
When Harrow slammed his staff against the ground, she dug her claws into the ground, preventing her from flying. Both Moon Knight and Layla went flying.
Harrow moved to stalk over to Layla but Dabria got to her feet, shoving him away as soon as he tried to touch her, letting Mr Knight deal with him.
"You good?" She asked, giving Layla a hand up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Layla said.
"Good. I love the outfit though. Looks amazing,"
"Thanks, yours isn't so bad either," She laughed, groaning when she heard a loud thud and crash. "And that was probably Steven being thrown and Marc coming back. Come on."
"I can't," Dabria said. "I've got a couple more followers to sort out and then I can join you."
Layla nodded. "Alright. Be quick."
Dabria tried but there were more than she thought, getting to them in time. More came and she had to try and keep them away from Layla and Marc and Steven as they fought Harrow. It didn't always work but she got most of them.
Hearing vile words come from Harrow made her angry, "If Ammit was allowed to rule, young Randall's life would've been saved, your family would've been happy."
Standing behind him as he got Moon Knight onto the ground wasn't hard, he was distracted but her claws wrapping around his throat and another grabbing his staff got his attention.
She kicked him in the back hard, holding onto his staff so he couldn't take that. She snapped it in half over her knee, letting Marc grab Harrow and headbutt him hard enough to make him pass out.
"Layla!" Dabria called. "How do we put Ammit away?"
"Grab Harrow," She said.
)(-)(
They were back in the pyramid, standing in the circle with Harrow laying in the middle.
"Grab my hands so we can start the spell," Layla said, watching as Marc held out a hand for her and another to Dabria.
Their hands glowed purple as they began to chant, feeling the magic begin to pulse through them. The purple ring went around until it expanded out of the pyramid, going out and finding Ammit as it quickly dissolved her vessel in this world and brought her back in here to her human Avatar.
"You can never contain me!" Ammit said through Harrow's body. "I'll never stop."
"Finish it," Khonshu said, standing next to them.
Dabria stepped forward, only to be stopped by Marc's hand.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Killing him," She said it like a fact. "I have to. Letting him live means letting Ammit live. Don't you understand? Killing them will save everyone from Ammit's wrath in the future."
She pulled her arm out of his hands, walking over to Harrow to look Ammit in the eyes, "You just make my job so much harder."
Dabria plunged her hand into his chest, grabbing his dead heart and watching it turn to ash.
That was the end of Harrow and Ammit.
