Little Miss Bump-Yep, that they are. Aw, you're making me blush again! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yep, he is very stubborn. I agree, that is the best thing about them. XD Which is exactly why I included it. Oh yeah, things go from bad to worse in this chapter. Alan get's his owies in this chapter, and they are going to be serious. XD I'm glad you're intrigued. Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. XD
err... who am i?-XD Yep, cool and very handy. Ha-ha. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it is a bit unfair but they are captured. Yep, she is ready to fight but it won't happen for a few chapters yet. Can't say, it'll give too much away.
I'm defiantly going to have to look for those the next time I go to Barnes & Noble.
Digi-Girl101- XD I'm glad you like it. As always, I update as soon as I can. Yep, Evelyn and John are missing their family and their family is missing them. XD I'm glad you liked that. I too am a chocoholic. I see dark chocolate and I go nuts. :P
Pinkranger888- I'm glad you enjoyed it, and John's addiction to chocolate. XD I agree, they do make a cute couple. Oh she will once this is all over, and so will he. We'll be getting some of his POV in a few chapters. XD I think you have, good for you. I try to review every story I read but it doesn't work when I often have to shut down on short notice. :P
oceansand588- XD I'm glad you enjoy it. I hope to. And welcome to the story!
Chapter Twenty Three- Visions of the Past
September 12th, 2024
The pillars lining the outer walls of the old, decaying temple were the only part of it that was in decent shape. The hieroglyphs had been worn away by years of sandstorms and several of the pillars had toppled over. This is where the captured Tracy's, Kyleigh and Narmer found themselves being led as the sun began to set in the west behind the temple, throwing them into its shadow.
Yuja and Saadia had disappeared into its depths when they had arrived, taking none with them. Narmer had translated the orders that Yuja had given and for some reason, he had told them that whatever they heard, not to come near them.
"Any idea where we are?" Jeff asked as those captured were given their nightly loaf of bread and jug of water and forced to sit down near one of the fallen pillars.
"None," Narmer replied, tearing into his stale loaf of bread. "But I can guarantee you that whatever Yuja and Saadia are doing in the temple, can't be good."
The group stopped eating and the guards around them stilled as they heard Yuja's voice echoing within the temple, followed shortly by Saadia shouting in Egyptian. Narmer set down the bread in his lap, his brow furrowing as he listened intently to Yuja's chanting.
"It's difficult to decipher. 'Memory.' 'Soul,'" he informed them as Yuja's chanting grew louder and Saadia continued to shout. "I think it is some sort of incantation."
"Like the one Evie was tricked into reading?" Gordon asked. The first incantation that he had heard about from the Book of the Dead had brought a three thousand year old mummy to life. If it was another incantation from the Book that Yuja was currently chanting, then Gordon was positive that nothing good could come of it and that his twin would somehow be involved.
Narmer nodded slowly, his expression grim as he continued to listening to Yuja's voice echoing through the temple.
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Evelyn bit her lip as she looked around the landscape below her, searching for a good spot to land for the night. She smiled as she spotted a fairly flat area to land. "Guys, 10 o'clock. Looks flat enough," she stated as she pulled back on the bar and the small craft began its descent. "Heading down."
As she leveled out and began to make a large oval around the area, the sand around her and the sound of the engine and the confirmation of those flying with her faded and was replaced with the throne room of the Royal Palace in Amarna.
The room was once more filled those of higher status, along with her siblings and of course, her parents up of their thrones. Her golden mask was up over her face and she gripped her sai tightly in her hands as she glared at the women across from her and she knew that underneath her own mask, Meritaten was smirking at the princess. Her attention was torn away from her opponent as he father stood up from his throne. All eyes in the room turned towards the Pharaoh.
"We are gathered here today, to witness an historic event,"Ramesses began, smiling around at the people before him. "These two women before us are both the best at wielding the sai. The both have experience and skill with sai and are widely known for it. Now it is time to see which of them is truly the better fighter by having them spare."
As he finished, those in the room applauded the Pharaoh as he sat back down. He gave a slight nod towards Henuttawy, who smiled beneath her mask as she once more turned to face her opponent. Meritaten's cold eyes glimmered beneath her mask. She had caught the small exchanged between the pharaoh and his daughter and it only fueled her hatred for the princess. Soon all in Egypt would know was better with the sai, and it would not be Henuttawy.
Ramesses clapped once and the two women took up a fighting stance. Beneath the mask, the smile disappeared from Henuttawy's face and was replaced with determination. She loathed the women before her, and her friend Yuja, with every fiber of her being. The man had been a nuisance since she was proclaimed a woman, always vying for her affections, and always being turned down. Though the more she turned him down, the more desperate he became in his attempts to win her hand in marriage. She knew that when her father announced her engagement to Rekhimre after one of the two women was proclaimed the best at wielding the sai, she would have to watch her back. Yuja was unstable, and she knew that he would be furious over the news.
Henuttawy forced herself from her thoughts as her father clapped twice, signaling them to start. Meritaten growled and ran towards Henuttawy. The princess brought up her blades and blocked the attack and with a grunt pushed the women away before rushing at the women herself.
Clang after clang rang through the throne room as the blades met in quick succession, neither of the two fighters able to gain any ground against each other for a few minutes. Henuttawy pushed Meritaten back and then swung her blade towards the women's chest. Meritaten leaned far back to where the floor seemed to be above her head as the blade swung past her before righting herself and blocking then oncoming blades.
Meritaten then swung her leg around as Henuttawy charged towards he, causing the other women to fall backwards and land hard on the ground. She went to push herself up only to stop when Meritaten's blades crossed inches above her throat. Henuttawy panted as she glared up at the women through her mask. Those watching applauded.
"You need to be more flexible, Henuttawy," Meritaten sneered as removed the blades from Henuttawy's neck. Ramesses stood from the throne as Meritaten removed her mask and stepped away from the princess.
"Bravo, Meritaten. You will go down in history as the best at wielding the sai," he stated as Meritaten bowed towards the Pharaoh. Henuttawy pushed her mask back and stood to her feet as her father smiled towards Meritaten.
"Thank you, my lord," she replied, putting on a fake smile for her ruler until he turned his back to smile at her daughter. The glare that was now being sent her way was not missed as Ramesses hugged his eldest daughter.
"Well done, Henuttawy," he whispered as he hugged her tightly for a few moments. He then released her and turned to the audience. He motioned for Rekhimre to stand and the young soldier did so, being clapped on the back by Henuttawy's brother as he stood. He walked forward and stood beside Henuttawy. "Now that the match is over, I have an important announcement to make. My lovely daughter Henuttawy has decided that tomorrow, she will take Rekhimre as her husband."
As the room burst into applause and the women squealed in delight. Where he stood beside Meritaten, Yuja looked murderous.
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John's brow furrowed as he watched as Evelyn continued to circle around the area she had spotted for them to land.
"Evie, is something wrong with the spot?" he asked. Nothing but silence met the airways. His heartbeat quickened. "Evie? Can you hear me?"
"John, something's happening. Look at her in the monitor," Tin-Tin instructed. John glanced down at the small image of his sister on the screen. She was simply staring into the air in front of her, not even blinking.
"It's as if she's in a trance," Lady Penelope stated softly. "Tin-Tin, could it possibly be the Hood doing this?"
"It could be," she replied with a small shrug.
"Do you think you can b-b-br-snap her out of it?" Fermat asked. John glanced down at the monitor. Beside the small image of his sister, who simply continued to stare into the air before her, Tin-Tin bit her lip, looking uncomfortable with the idea of using her powers on a friend. "Tin-Tin?"
He watched as Tin-Tin glanced up from the monitor, most likely towards Evelyn's craft, before looking back down and nodding hesitantly. John watched as she adjusted her craft for a moment before sliding her right hand out of the glove attached to the bar. She pulled down the zipper a little and grasped the chain around her neck, pulling her necklace out from underneath the flight suit. Grasping the crystal tightly in one hand, the other keeping her craft going straight, John watched on the screen as he pupil's turned into slit's like that of a cat and her eyes turned gold.
'EVELYN! SNAP OUT OF IT!' John winced at the strength of the yell reverberating through his skull. From the way Fermat and Lady Penelope had winced, he wasn't the only one that had heard the mental yell emitted from the Malaysian girl. Though the radio, he heard a sharp gasp as Evelyn blinked and came out of the trance, panting heavily. Her heard a sigh of relief from Tin-Tin and saw her eyes return to normal and she had replaced her hand into the glove, the necklace still visible.
"Evie, you alright?" John asked, glancing up from the monitor to see that her craft was now lower to the ground as she prepared to land.
"Yeah," she replied breathlessly as her craft touched the ground. She then reached forward and hit the switch to kill the engine, before leaning back in her seat as the craft slowed to a stop. "Thanks Tin."
Tin-Tin said nothing but gave her a small smile in response as Evelyn looked towards the screen. John removed his gaze from the screen as he guided his ultra light to the ground, shaking as it touched the ground.
"Evie, what happened?" John asked as he leaned forward at hit the switch to turn off the engine, looking at his sister's image on the monitor as he did.
"Vision. Everything just faded from around me," she replied, pulling down the zipper on her flight suit as she sat back in the seat. "I'll explain more once all of you are on the ground."
John nodded just before her image on the screen went black. He then reached forward and pushed the button on his own monitor, turning it off. He stepped out of the craft, undid the fastening beneath his chin and pulled off his helmet, setting it down on the second seat of the ultra light. He then leaned against the seat, running a hand through his light blond hair.
What in the world is going on? As if her dreams were bad enough, but now she's having them during the day and can't snap out of them. I know that one that Scott told me about really freaked him out, though luckily he was able to keep a cool head and help Evie and save the freaking out till he told me about it. Why is this happening to Evie? As if life wasn't difficult enough without having to worry about mummies of all things. But according to Alex, raising the dead is apparently a family trait.
"Hey."
John started slightly and looked up to see his sister standing before him. Though she wore a small smile, John could see that the vision had taken its toll. Her skin was pale and had a slight green tinge to it. John pushed himself away from the ultra light.
"You alright?" he asked softly, setting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.
Evelyn looked down and shrugged. "I - I don't know anymore," she replied. "I thought I was done with them, because I haven't had a dream or vision since I left Amarna. Apparently I was wrong."
John looked up as he heard footsteps to see Tin-Tin and Fermat approaching them with Lady Penelope not far behind them. Evelyn smiled towards Tin-Tin. "Thanks for snapping me out of it."
"You're welcome," she replied softly.
"So it was another vision?" Lady Penelope inquired. Evelyn nodded, crossing her arms over chest. "Any idea why it happened now?"
Evelyn shook her head. "No."
"Evie, what happened?" John asked, squeezing her shoulder gently as he looked at her.
"I saw the last few hours of Henuttawy's life," she replied. "I know why Yuja and Meritaten killed her."
"What-" John began to ask, only to be interrupted by the sound of approaching horses. They all looked past Fermat's ultra light to see the Medjai riding towards them, their group even larger than it had been when they had meet up with them the night before.
As they moved away from John's ultra light to greet the Medjai, John shot Evelyn a look that clearly told her 'we'll finish this conversation later.' When they reached the Medjai, they were already beginning to dismount. Beside Taymullah, a familiar face smiled towards them as he dismounted.
"Kaphiri? How did you manage to catch up?" Evelyn inquired as walked forward to greet the Medjai, John, Tin-Tin, Fermat, and Lady Penelope a few steps behind her, all looking surprised to see him again so soon. Kaphiri smiled towards them.
"Rode through the night," he replied. "Caught up with them a few hours ago."
"Well, you have a very fine horse then," she smiled. Kaphiri nodded and patted the horse on the neck, a fond smile on his face.
"Yes, Qetesh has been my companion since I was a young boy," he explained. Around them the Medjai began setting up camp for the night. Kaphiri patted his horse once more before waving his hand as he looked back towards Evelyn. "Anyway, what exactly kept you in the air so long as we approached. You were circling for a good bit of time."
"I had another vision, one that I couldn't snap out of," Evelyn replied, reaching back and scratching the back of her neck. "Luckily Tin-Tin was able to snap me out of it, or we would probably still be circling."
"I will want to hear about this later," he stated, his expression serious for a moment before his smile returned. "But it has obviously taken a lot out of you, so we will talk after dinner. Once you've explained it to me, I am going to sleep, something I haven't done since I left Cairo."
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"You hear that?" Narmer asked, sitting up a bit straighter as he glanced at the guards around them. Yuja and Saadia had been in the temple for over an hour, the chanting and shouting never ceasing. Kyleigh was asleep beside him while the Tracy's sat around them, all but Alan that is.
Alan lay a few feet behind his father, back resting against one of the fallen pillars as he slept. The blond blinked several times to shake off the last ruminants of sleep. He stayed silent and watched his family before him. Even though they were captured, at least they were together.
"Hear what?" he heard Gordon asked as Alan closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to become more alert.
"Nothing," Virgil stated, looking towards the temple, which was no silent. "They've stopped."
Alan opened his eyes as he listened and sure enough, the chanting and shouting had stopped. Perhaps it was the absence of it that had awoken him. Alan sighed and leaned his head back against the pillar, looking up at the night sky above him. With all the time that they had spent so far treading through the desert, home was beginning to seem like a distant memory.
'HISS'
Alan's head snapped up and he glanced around for the source of the noise. He spotted its perpetrator just to the left of leg. His blue eyes widened as they landed on the brown scales on the cobra that had slithered up beside his leg. The large snake hissed at him and reared, extending its hood.
"Dad!" Alan called, glancing up from the snake to see his family turn towards him as the snake lunged at his ankle.
He screamed as he felt the fangs pierce the flesh of his ankle. He heard his family yell as he leaned his head back against the pillar, his eyes screwed shut as he arched his back. He felt the presence of the snake removed and Narmer and several unfamiliar voices yelling in Egyptian as he sensed movement on either side of him.
He opened his eyes as he felt a hand reach back and support his head. His father was on his right with Scott at his shoulder, while Gordon and Virgil were on his left, all of their eyes filled with concern, worry, and fear as they looked down at him. While his father's left hand supported his head and soothingly rubbed the back of his neck, his right went up to cup his cheek.
"Alan, Virgil's going to take a look at it, alright?" he stated, glancing up towards Virgil as he moved from where he had been kneeling beside Gordon to kneel before Alan's ankle. He felt Scott and Gordon each take one of his hands and gripped them tightly. Alan cried out as he felt the leg of his uniform being pushed up.
"It's alright. You'll be fine," Jeff whispered, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that fallen from Alan's eyes.
Virgil inspected the bite for a few moments before looking towards where his family knelt. "It's not as deep as it could have been, seeing as the fangs had to go through the leg of his uniform," he remarked. "But it still got him. It's already beginning to swell."
"Ah, I see Uto has done her job," an cold, female voice stated in Egyptian as Saadia stepped out of the shadow's of the temple and grinned triumphantly towards the Tracy's. Yuja stood behind her, smiling. Saadia looked the same, but her stance and the air about her was different, colder. The snake that Narmer had kicked into the temple slithered up beside her as the Hood also stepped out of the shadows, looking slightly confused as to what had happened.
"You mean you set that snake on him?" Narmer cried in disbelief. The women smiled cruelly towards him.
"Indeed," she replied, reaching down and lifted the snake off of the ground, and began to gently stroke the creature's neck. "I cannot have Henuttawy's family happy."
"Henuttawy?" Narmer repeated, looking slightly confused for a moment before being replaced with understanding, followed by horror. The incantation and the few words he had been able to make out suddenly made sense. "My God."
The women before him grinned as he stumbled back and collapsed to the ground a few feet away from the Tracy's. Kyleigh moved to kneel beside him and set a hand on his shoulder, her eyes full of concern for the man she loved.
"Narmer," Jeff called. The Egyptian turned towards him to see the Tracy's patriarch running a hand through his youngest son's blond hair, whose face was lined with pain as they all looked towards Narmer. "What did Saadia say?"
Narmer swallowed. "She set the snake on him. Seems it is her pet. And that is not Saadia," he paused, glancing over his shoulder to see her still smiling towards them. He swallowed once more and looked back towards the Tracy's. "It's Meritaten. The incantation, it somehow brought her back. She's no longer just the reincarnation of the women, she is the women."