Kane Chronicles: Bloody Sands

Chapter 7 of my Kane Chronicles story, enjoy.

Reviews

Guest: Glad you liked it; well, the answers will be revealed eventually :)
divergentlover5: Well, all I can say is, wait and see, we'll have answers soon.
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.
TesaRose: Well, she'll live; you'll soon see as they will begin to plan in this chapter. I think it's pretty obvious Zia is terrified.
Guest 2: Thanks, here you go.

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Kane Chronicles belongs to Rick Riordan.

Chapter 7: Admitted Truths

Carter let out a soft sigh as he stepped back inside. He had just finished speaking to his uncle Amos. He had told him everything that had happened and Amos had agreed to come so they could sort it out. Carter couldn't but feel strangely hollow, as a feeling of melancholy settled over him. Zia noticed this and walked over to him.

"Carter?" she asked, worried.

He shook his head. "I just...I can't believe this happened. I feel...I feel like, like I failed."

Zia tilted her head, confused. "Failed?"

"As an older brother," he elaborated. "I feel like I should've been able to do something, to save…to protect Sadie, but I…"

He broke off there, shaking his head. He was taken aback however when Zia hugged him.

"Oh, Carter," she said softly. "You didn't fail anyone, you took every precaution you could. Trust me, you're not at fault, Sadie doesn't blame you for this. None of us do."

She felt the tension leave Carter's body as he returned the hug and kissed the top of her head.

He then let out a long slow breath before replying. "Thanks Zia, I…I guess you're right. I guess all we can do now is catch this monster, before he strikes again."

Zia shuddered at the mere thought of that. She was the next target; whoever had violated Sadie was intent on doing the same to her. Something about it all disturbed Zia however, beyond the whole feeling afraid, knowing she was being targeted.

"Carter." She said suddenly, catching his attention. "Doesn't this feel like it's…what's the phrase, hitting close to home?"

Carter froze as she said that, pondering carefully. "What exactly do you mean?"

She explained, "Think about it. Whoever this is, they attacked Sadie, they plan to attack me. Apart from me and Sadie, who suffers the most from that? You do."

Carter let out a sharp exhalation. "You're right; could this be…I think this must be it." He said suddenly. "This is what he meant, that bastard."

Zia bit her lip. "So, this is Setne's revenge. This is how he intends to get revenge on you."

Carter nodded, suddenly tense and serious. Things had just changed, he realized. Now he had to be prepared for the worst. Just then they heard the sounds and knew Amos had arrived. They hurried out to meet with him. He walked over to meet them halfway.

"Carter, Zia, I came as fast as I could." He said, already very aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Carter nodded. "Thank you. Zia and I have just realized something; it might explain this."

They told him about their theory regarding Setne and his revenge. Amos nodded slowly as he considered it.

"This would certainly explain a lot and might add some credibility to your theory," he said finally. "I need to take a look around and be sure of everything. I'd also like to talk to Sadie, if she's feeling up to it."

Carter nodded and together with Zia, he and Amos headed to the medical rooms.

Once there Carter knocked on the door and entered. He approached the bed, noting Anubis had not moved from the chair he was sitting in. Jaz, however, was no longer in the room. He took that as a good sign however, hoping it meant Sadie didn't need to be constantly checked and she had been healed as much as possible. He stopped next to the bed; Sadie was awake and looking rather pale. But there was no other visible sign of injury.

"Carter, what are you doing back here?" she asked, her voice still sounding weak.

Carter quickly explained, "Amos is here; he needs to talk to you. Just tell him what happened, this might help us work out a means to put a stop to this. Before anyone else gets hurt."

Sadie swallowed nervously but then nodded in acceptance. With Anubis' help she sat up and Carter informed Amos that Sadie had agreed to talk. Amos came in and sat with Sadie, talking quietly with her. They spoke of what had happened to her and Amos gently asked about any detail she could remember. Anubis added in his statements where necessary. Finally Amos nodded.

"Okay, thank you Sadie; I know this was hard, but you've done really well." He told her. "We'll let you rest now; we'll take care of this, I promise."

Sadie merely nodded and then Amos, Carter and Zia all left the room.

When the three of the left, Sadie turned her head at Anubis. Though she'd mostly slipped in and out of a troubled sleep, he had been there constantly, calming her down when she woke from repetitive dreams of her attack and always asking Jaz if there was anything more he could do. Now he was staring at her, his beautiful brown eyes filled with worry and concern. Weakly, Sadie reached put a hand to him; immediately he grabbed it in one of his.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with nervousness. She nodded.

"For now, yeah, I guess," she replied. "I just...I just wanted to...thank you. For all you're doing. For what you did."

"Of course, Sadie," he exclaimed softly. "I'll be here for as long as you need, I promise. I won't leave your side."

She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling sleepy once more. She was slightly afraid that she would have nightmares again, but at least she knew her knight in back would be there to chase them away when she woke up.

Carter, Zia, and Amos, meanwhile, had been checking and re-checking all the locks and wards. Finally, after heading through the whole house, examining things here and there closely, Amos led Carter and Zia back to Carter's room. Carter closed the door and turned to Amos who was now seated on a chair. He and Zia sat together on the bed and waited for him to speak.

Finally Amos nodded. "Yes, it's all as I thought. It seems your theory is right, Carter. Whoever is behind this is one of your initiates and they've been possessed by a malevolent spirit."

"Setne?" Carter gasped.

Amos shook his head. "No, not him; you set up protection against him. This is a spirit he's convinced to help him," Amos explained. "It's likely the person possessed, doesn't know they are, and isn't aware of their actions while possessed."

Carter nodded slowly. "So, we need to stop them, and free them from the possession somehow, right?"

Amos agreed. "Yes. The trouble is, we don't know who is possessed and if we try to find out…The spirit will know and then, anything could happen. He might make good on his threat to attack the other initiates."

Carter groaned.

"But then what should we do?" he exclaimed. "We have to stop him somehow."

Amos nodded again. "Yes, we'll need to come up with a plan. It has to be thought out carefully, meticulous. We can't leave anything to chance."

Carter bit his lip, trying to think. Zia, however, had been quiet up until now, her head bowed as she concentrated. Suddenly she raised her head and spoke,

"I have an idea, I'm pretty sure it'll work."

End of chapter, things are reaching a head now, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.