Chapter Sixteen
Kahmunrah stopped, bowed his head, and began to cough. "Brother?" Ahkmenrah asked, still supporting him.
"I'm fine," Kahmunrah managed, clearing his throat.
"Are you sure?"
"I'll be fine."
"You said you'll be fine that time." Kahmunrah looked at Ahkmenrah out of the corner of his eye. "I'm right here, Brother. I'm not leaving you, and I'll never forget you. Even if I'm the only person to do so, I'll remember your name and face. I love you, Kahmunrah, and nothing you've ever done or will ever do will change that. If ever you need someone, look to me, and I will give you a place to rest." Kahmunrah straightened and made no effort to conceal the emotion in his eyes. Ahkmenrah wrapped his arms around his brother, a gesture it took Kahmunrah a while to figure out how to return.
"Brother," he whispered. "Baby Brother, I...I am so sorry."
"It's okay, it's okay. I forgive you."
"That's a lot more than I could reasonably ask for."
Ahkmenrah pulled back and smiled. "You're my brother." He glanced over his shoulder at the snake. "Do you feel up to it?"
"As much as possible. How do you like your snake?" Ahkmenrah's grin broadened.
NATM
The brothers followed the length of the snake, and Ahkmenrah made a snide remark about being thankful for the monster's length. Kahmunrah chuckled in spite of himself, though he still kept one arm over his wound. Again, Ahkmenrah whispered a reassurance to his brother, regardless of whether he needed it or not.
The snake had wound through a door to a centrally-located building, so the brothers slipped inside through the doorway, keeping themselves low enough to not attract the snake's notice. The gods knew they had enough of that for the rest of their lives. The snake continued through hallway after hallway in an unsurprisingly chaotic fashion, though a destination was soon clear. Ahkmenrah turned to his brother and nodded. Once this gesture was confirmed, they slipped down a hall and in short order found themselves in the center of the building.
Standing in the center of the room was the familiar burn-marred face of Karahe. Kahmunrah pulled his brother behind a column, and they peered out into the atrium. Karahe was facing a floating snake head, of course attached to the miles-long body waiting outside. Karahe closed his eyes and began to chant. Ahkmenrah rushed forward and tackled Karahe to the floor. The snake reared up and shot even further into the room, though navigation and maneuvering quickly proved itself to be a very big problem.
Karahe wrestled himself free of Ahkmenrah and rolled over on top of him, pressing a freshly-conjured khopesh to his throat. "I told you this would be the last sight you ever saw if you told anyone about my secret," he said. "But you told it anyway." He shook his head. "Tisk, tisk, tisk. You impossibly naughty child."
Ahkmenrah grabbed the khopesh and rolled over, pinning the weapon next to Karahe's ear. "You weren't supposed to return," he said. "You are a disease, scum. You were to cease to exist."
"But here I am." Ahkmenrah smiled, but his moment was short-lived. Karahe threw him to the side and stood in one swift movement. Ahkmenrah struggled to stand, but with the flick of a wrist, he was pinned to the wall as bandages started to wrap themselves around his body and force his arms into position. Ahkmenrah had never been mummified alive, nor had he had the procedure attempted on him, but seeing it almost done to his brother was more than enough cause to fear.
Kahmunrah wrapped an arm around Karahe's neck and twisted as he squeezed. Ahkmenrah dropped to the floor, coughing and tossing the bandages aside. He looked from his brother, struggling with their father, to the snake, turning its head toward them. He smiled and looked at his brother again. Karahe was at work trying to free himself from Kahmunrah's grasp. His khopesh had fallen to the floor during the struggle.
Ahkmenrah dove for the weapon, and the floor started to crack, allowing golden light to shine through. His fingers wrapped securely around the handle of the khopesh, and he bit his tongue against the burn of his hand. He pulled himself to his feet and walked over to his brother, now pressed between a column and Karahe's body.
Ahkmenrah tilted his head in the direction of the snake. Kahmunrah nodded, and Ahkmenrah plunged the khopesh into Karahe's head. Kahmunrah ducked, and Ahkmenrah spent a moment shaking out his hand before turning to the snake. Karahe's dazed state made him much easier to lead to the snake's head. The snake opened its mouth, a sight neither brother thought they'd have to see twice in the same night, but they managed to throw Karahe just far enough to allow the snake to swallow him whole.
The floor crumbled away, and light engulfed the room.
NATM
Ahkmenrah gasped and instinctively tried to sit up. He settled back after making contact with the lid of his sarcophagus. Of course, he thought, working the lid open to find himself in the back of McPhee's van. A quick glance out the window revealed that he was now back in New York. For all intents and purposes, the events of the past two days had good results. He alighted from the van and walked around to the front stairway, and from there he entered the newly revitalized museum to innumerable questions from the other exhibits. Finally, after several moments, he held his hands up and said, "Enough. I will explain everything...later." This silenced everyone, and he walked down the hall into his tomb, where he found Kahmunrah, Larry, and an unconscious McPhee. "Is he okay?"
"He'll need a double shot and a cab home, but other than that, he'll be fine," Larry replied. Ahkmenrah chuckled and then looked at Kahmunrah, rubbing his abdomen. "You okay?" Ahkmenrah nodded. "They're, um, asking questions already."
"I know. I came through the front door." He paused, then added, "I'd better go set the record straight before everyone gangs up on my brother and locks him out." Larry waved to the young pharaoh and then watched him walk out of the tomb.