Age of Majesty
Chapter 16
Seto felt incredibly disoriented when he woke. The Light Mage moved back a little as he blinked his vision into focus. Where was he? Why is a Light Mage there? For a moment he even forgot himself, forgot how to speak, forgot how things were. He took a moment to collect his bearings.
" He is awake." Kisara told Amisi. " Let us hope he is lucid."
Their wish was granted; Seto felt a quick rush of memories and instantly remembered everything. It was not a violent rush though, and it did not startle him. He paused, this time to figure out where he was and what situation he was in. The High Priest sat up a little. He was on a cot, covered in blankets. The room was small but there were about twenty people crowding in it, all anxiously watching him. No doubt they were all curious, the boy thought grimly. This is, perhaps, the first time they were in such close proximity with royalty.
He turned his head. So far it seemed like he was a guest here, not a prisoner. " Can I have some water?" He asked, feeling how dry his throat was.
Some water had already been prepared. Kisara handed it to him wordlessly. Seto drank. It felt cool against his throat, and very comforting.
" Do you remember who you are?" Kisara asked, when Seto finished and she took the cup back.
Ah, yes. He remembered everything, even the memories he should not have by now. Those wanderings with the Thief King certainly put life in a new perspective. Seto was not sure whether to be disgusted with himself, or…well really, what should he feel about gallivanting with a criminal? Adjo. What an odd name. But he cannot ignore how deeply Bakura had cared for him, how carefree his days had been when he truly believed there was someone to take care of everything, who would look out for him, who wanted only the best for him. At least, he thought grimly, his royal cousin had not held it against him.
" I know who I am." He said finally, then considered. " You know who I am as well, I gather."
" High Priest Seto." Kisara said without hesitation.
Hm. This is actually an interesting development. " Is there something you want?" Seto asked.
Amisi stepped forward, a large woman compared to young Kisara. " Many events occurred between the time you left the palace and the time we found you."
Seto looked at her. " I am listening." He had little choice. There were thirty Light Mages in the room, and only him. What happened to Bakura?
Kisara and Amisi explained the history of Zorc Necrophades and the circumstances of his return. At the end of it all, Seto showed no real reaction. Silence descended.
" Where is Bakura?" Seto asked.
" He is in the room next to this one." Amisi replied.
Seto sat up more fully. " Can I see him?"
oO
Bakura woke to a searing headache. He did not register Seto's presence at first. The young priest waited until the Tomb Robber came to his senses.
" Adjo." Bakura whispered. By that time he had remembered what had transpired. It seemed like Seto was alright, at least, but the Light Mages around them were not as comforting.
" Tomb Robber," Seto replied, showing that he had regained all his memories, or at least enough so that the familiar trusting tone was gone. It was not replaced by a rather impassive, professional tone. The real High Priest Seto had a kind of regal elegance Adjo had lacked.
" High Priest," Kisara said coldly, " If you are quite done,"
" From what I see," Seto said smoothly, " You need me. I require time."
" You can see he is alright." Kisara insisted.
" Is he?" Seto turned to her.
Bakura sat up and saw the match. Seto and Kisara—two formidable people in their own right—but in the end Kisara lowered her eyes and looked away. For all his youth, Seto was still the greater of the two.
" You are unhurt?" Seto asked, the question more like a statement.
" Other than my pounding head." Bakura complained. " Stupid Light Magic."
" I fear you will have to get use to it, in the coming days." Seto replied, raising his hand to soothe away the pain. Bakura grabbed his thin wrist. The priest froze.
" Don't bother." Bakura said quietly. " Save it for when you need it."
He released his wrist. Seto lowered his hand.
" What's going on?" Asked the robber.
Seto rose. " We have trouble." He said simply. " More major than anything your kind can come up with." He said it with some distaste, but Bakura had half expected it and did not complain.
" What kind of trouble?"
" Immortals." Seto replied. " Have you ever heard of Zorc Necrophades?"
Zorc Necrophades!
Some part of him, the part that had gone to rest when he first realized how much Seto had meant to him, that thieving instinct that lusts for gold and riches, woke at the name. Zorc Necrophades; every true thief's ultimate goal, to find the gold that traps the great spirit and unleash its power.
" You have heard of him." Said the other, noting his look.
" No doubt he tried to find him himself," Amisi guessed correctly, with contempt. " The famous Tomb Robber, Bakura, King of Thieves."
Bakura found himself hissing, incensed. " Oh, but he is your god, is he not, Light Mage?"
" Enough." Seto cut him off abruptly. " Zorc Necrophades is of the Shadow, Wati." Wati. But Bakura was not sure if he was calling him that as a nickname, or literally meaning 'rebel'. " And if unleashed, Egypt will not be the only one to fall."
" What do you want me to do?" Bakura exclaimed, feeling desperate. He had lost Adjo, he could tell. He had lost him—" I certainly unleashed no Lord of the Shadow! What do you want from me? Locations? I do not know anything!"
" Peace," And Seto rested his hand against Bakura's, a gesture so tender it unnerved the Tomb Robber. " Be sensible."
Such quiet entreaty. Seto should have been Pharaoh. In a sudden rage, Bakura threw off that divine hand and struggled not to burst into tears. Ra, Seto had turned him into such a weakling. Such a weakling!
" Can I talk to him alone?" He heard Seto request, his voice seeming far away.
" To plot your escape, no doubt."
" I have no reason to escape, nor to help him escape." Seto replied calmly. " I am half Light Mage. For that, I am as eager to return to the capital as you."
" Let him talk to the blasted thief." Kisara urged. " If the High Priest wishes to leave, he would no doubt do so without having to consult his sidekick."
" You seem so sure, Kisara."
" Just you know," Kisara warned Seto, ignoring Amisi for the moment, " I spared you this time around. You owe me."
Seto inclined his head. " I shall not forget, my lady."
Unnerved by his response, Kisara stared at him for a moment, before, frowning, she whirled away. " Everyone, out!"
Bakura barely registered it when the two of them were finally alone in the room. He held his head in his hands. He was being such a baby, really. Seto sat down on the bed next to him, his presence radiating a confidence Bakura had never sensed from him before. All of the sudden, Seto was the anchor, and Bakura was the lost child.
Snap out of it!
" Wati," Seto called to him, obviously sensing his distress and deciding the more familiar name would put the thief at ease, " Wati look at me."
" I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
" I know." Seto said quietly. " You meant to steal the Millennium Rod. To you it had just been a political symbol, nothing more."
How ironic, Bakura thought, that he had decided to try to steal its owner instead. Typical of the gods, to play such a joke on him.
" I had nothing to do with this Zorc Necrophades."
" No, you did not." Seto agreed, sounding very much like a parent humoring a child.
" I need to get out of here." Bakura hissed. Indeed, all this Light Magic is making him incredibly uneasy. " Are you coming with me?"
Seto looked at him with a strange light in his eyes. His eyes were so blue and piercing, Bakura found he could not look away once he made eye contact. For a long moment the High Priest regarded the thief.
" I don't need you lording over me!" Bakura cried out, snapping and feeling like he was being strangled.
Seto took his hand again, but Bakura withdrew it harshly. " Don't touch me!"
" Wati," Seto said with a long suffering tone, " Try to calm down. They left us now, I doubt they will give me all day to bring you to your senses."
He was right. Bakura really had to get a grip on himself. The Tomb Robber took a deep breath. This is just like sneaking, no sound, no panic. Stay steady and calm and think things through; it was the only way to make it out alive.
" Zorc Necrophades," Seto began, when he saw that Bakura had composed himself enough to listen, " Was a demon long ago who tricked the Egyptians of old into worshipping him instead of the true gods. Angered, the gods commanded the Egyptian sorcerers to destroy him. According to Kisara, they used Necrophades' own magic, shadow magic, against him, and locked him away in the most remote parts of the Shadow Realm. Since we had lacked the ability to destroy him completely, the gods granted sorcerers of this land the power to continue training and refining our abilities in that art, such that when the demon returns, we can finish what we started. That time has come."
" What does this have to do with me?" Bakura muttered.
" The refinement they spoke of," Seto replied, voice quieter and more glum, " Is to be able to merge the greatest of shadow magic with the greatest of light craft." Bakura looked up at that, but Seto continued without interruption, " There is no way we can possibly use what Zorc Necraphades himself is made of, against him. He is Shadow magic, he is the Shadow realm. However, Light Magic alone cannot defeat him, so the best alternative is to be capable of weilding both at will."
Bakura laughed, thinking he was losing his mind. " You're the one then. You have to defeat Zorc Necrophades."
Seto did not respond.
" Don't do it."
" If he has returned, as the Light Mages claim, then I have no choice."
" You are a prince! Let someone else do it!"
" There is no one else."
" God damn it!" Bakura screamed. This is so wrong! Everything is going wrong! He is at the mercy of Light Mages, and Seto has to fight Zorc Necrophades!
" Wati," Seto took his hand again. This time Bakura did not pull away. Then, with an uncertain frown, " I will be alright."
Bakura huffed, but he did calm down a little at that. This was no longer Adjo, who relied solely on Bakura to protect him. This was High Priest Seto, who was renowned for his majestic Blue Eyes White Dragons and his cunning and strategizing skill. High Priest Seto, for all his weak physique, was not defenseless when it came to magic.
High Priest Seto also probably owed him nothing, although Bakura had to admit, so far the priest seemed to be treating him far more civilly than he otherwise would have.
" I need you to do something for me, alright?"
What? Bakura looked at him. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he was startled by the sudden request.
" I need to write a letter to my cousin." Seto implored him. " I need to tell him what is going on. I would deliver it myself, but I need to stay here to train. I have already trained my shadow magic. It is time I trained light magic as well. Time is of essence now."
Seto wants him…to deliver…
" He will kill me."
" Not if he does not find you." Seto replied. " And if he does…I cannot promise much, but,"
He raised his hand, and Bakura could feel him weakening as the tendrils of Shadow magic materialized.
" Hm." Seto remarked. " I can use it again."
Before Bakura could react to that comment, Seto was handing to him a small, blue pyramid. It looked a little bit like the Millennium Puzzle.
" My royal cousin should recognize this." Seto said. " This was something he gave to me, a long time ago. I was told, my father gave it, as a gift, to him back when he was born, and my uncle had hidden it in the Shadow Realm for safekeeping. There is no way you could have stolen this from me, or take it by force. He would know I sent you, and that I wrote the letter of my own free will."
Bakura stared at the pyramid. So this is how Seto was going to get rid of him, he thought, a little irrationally. Part of him, the cunning, plotting side, felt distinctly like he was being used. For a long time his world narrowed down to that single blue pyramid, with the hieroglyphics on its sides. The pyramid was placed on his lap, but he made no move to pick it up.
Warm lips pressed against his forehead. Bakura gasped in surprise, and closed his eyes. Seto was a priest, and within that gesture of blessing was the feeling of true cleansing. Here was a pure creature, a pure being, a messenger of the gods and the Chosen One.
Seto withdrew. " Come back to me." His voice was so quiet and noble. " Come back quickly."
He was still holding Bakura's hands. He was not going to abandon Bakura. He was not going to throw him away.
Bakura took the pyramid.
oO
" No."
" What?"
" I said no." Kisara spat. " Curse the day I decided to accept your gold. Had I known you would be leeching off of me, I would have sooner sent you to the snake pits."
Akenadon slammed the table. " Curse though you may, I will see my son."
" No."
Akenadon whirled around, flinging up his hands. " What do you want, wench?" He demanded. " What more do you want, that you may keep a father from his son?"
" Sense, in you, for one," Kisara hissed back, glad that Amisi and the other Light Mages were keeping Bakura and the High Priest well-guarded. " For all your shadow talents, old man, you lack the ability to suppress your foul aura. We do not need the High Priest to be any weaker than he already is."
" I will not have my son's fate in your hands!"
" Tough!" Kisara stood. " We are done here."
" No, we are not—" And he actually dared to throw a spell towards her!
Side-stepping it, ignoring the wave of nausea spreading through her, Kisara sneered as the Light Mages came out, spells ready.
" You mad fool." She spat, voice laced with contempt. " You pathetic imbecile." Seriously, how stupid can one get?
But Akenadon was not finished, and he was of royal blood and it showed through his magic. A heavy wave of black magic tingled through the air, as the priest summoned the monsters bound to his will.
" I will see my son!" He cried.
" You are in no position to make demands." Amisi said from beside Kisara. " We will not tolerate this behavior. Gentlemen, ladies, dispose of him."
Kisara left the others to 'escort' Akenadon out. She headed toward where they had been guarding Bakura's door. Surprisingly, both Seto and Bakura were standing outside, waiting for her. No doubt both had witnessed what transpired.
She paused, not sure how the High Priest would react, if his understanding was as great as his strategizing wisdom.
" Light Mage," Seto acknowledged neutrally; he did not know her name yet, as Kisara had not seen fit to give him such leverage, " That was my father?"
She paused again. No trace of accusation. The priest had merely asked out of necessity, not out of spite. " Yes." She said, and bit her tongue to avoid insulting him to his son.
" So he is not dead." Seto said quietly. " Will I see him in the future?"
" Oh no doubt about that." Kisara could not help but spit at that. " He would not be making himself scarce on our account."
" We will need him." Seto replied. " Thank you." He added, and actually sounded very sincere. Even the Tomb Robber turned to him in surprise.
But Kisara was a little more perceptive of what Seto meant than the thief was. The High Priest was wiser than his father; he knew that the Light Mages had actually done Akenadon a courtesy by simply moving him out rather than killing him. Killing was the norm in these days, and Seto knew that there was nothing, really, except a compliment to him, to prevent the Light Mages from killing his father. She nodded grimly, then turned to Bakura.
" Where are you going?" She asked, noting that he carried with him a scroll.
" He is going back to the Pharaoh." Seto took the papyrus from Bakura's hand and handed it to Kisara for her to read. " I merely requested the Pharaoh's aid."
Kisara's lip curled at that; the Pharaoh she could not disrespect, overly much, but she was not fond of the idea. Still, the gesture of trust from the High Priest touched her, and she did not read very carefully, only enough to realize why he had given it to her to see; the High Priest had not written his location, therefore should the Pharaoh not comply with the request, he cannot find the Light Mages.
She handed the scroll back to Bakura and looked at both with a new respect. " Is there anything you need?"
" A good horse." Seto said immediately. " And some provisions for my friend."
His friend. Well. The High Priest conspiring with the Tomb Robber—it sounded very much like treachery in the wrong eyes. Seto is risking a lot, to be writing such a letter and hiring such a messenger. " Done." Kisara replied. " You should go rest."
Seto wore a rueful look, but he did need to rest, and he nodded to her a little as Bakura went past Kisara before turning and retiring to the chamber they had originally kept him in.
When this is over…when this is over there will probably be no more shadow magic left in the land. Kisara wondered if the Pharaoh understood that. He would have no choice, as the letter clearly indicates, but that had never stopped anyone before. In the meantime, however…
In the meantime they had the High Priest Seto on their side. The Chosen One. And did not his insipid father mention the promise of Isis, long ago? The one to inspire the Pharaoh to bring greatness to the land—this must be it.
Feeling more optimistic about the future than Kisara could ever remember, she headed back to join the rest of the Light Mages.