Chapter 8, Modern Day, Egypt
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Cont. Imhotep's Train Car:
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Imhotep's eyes raked over the female's face. The longer nose, the curly dark hair, wide brown eyes that looked up at him as if he were the shining sun. "…the slave, Katriel?"
Kat stared, the image of the grotesque mummified face had dissolved into a man's face. He had smooth, plump golden skin. High rounded cheekbones. Long, dark eyelashes outlining his deep, shinning eyes. A strong jawline that curved inwards just enough to make it clear his birth was from a solidly Egyptian lineage. Dark eyebrows raised just a hint as his lips, full and colored curled into a smirking smile. A smile that Kat knew from…somewhere. A beautiful smile. The smile of my master.
Master? Since when did she have a master? She blinked and the face disappeared, the grotesque face of the mummy before her. The wrinkled, dried-up, brown skin pulled back in a smirk as familiar shining eyes watched her.
Kat jerked backwards, realizing the proximity of the inhuman face to hers, nose scrunching up at the sudden change of appearance. His words finally registering, she stared at him in horror, "Slave?"
"Hmm…" Imhotep said, pulling away from her and standing tall again. He raised a black-gloved finger to Lock-nah before casually turning away. Lock-nah, understanding that the visit was over, grabbed Kat by the shoulder and hoisted her up off the floor. Wincing from his grip, Kat stood now, whatever had overcome her before was now gone and she wanted nothing more than to leave.
...
Lock-nah pushed the two captives back through the door in which they came and out through the train compartments until they were sitting again in their old seats, hot, empty dessert whisking by through the rattling windows.
Kat could barely feel the temperature change as the sun rose up over the landscape, everything felt cold as she gripped Alex's shoulder in the seat.
She shivered as the brown, withered face loomed in her thoughts. The man-no- the creature Imhotep, had called her a name…a strange name. Like he recognized her. It sounded close to her name, what had he said? Katree…Katelle…Katriel. Kat stared into the back of the next seat, its loose, worn upholstery vibrating gently from the wheels of the train. The name somehow sounded…right.
Vaguely aware of anything, she almost failed to notice Lock-nah standing directly over her as she sat. She looked up.
Lock-nah's mouth was open already, but the moment he saw her face it closed and his dark furrowed eyebrows relaxed. She could feel her bloodless face, and knew it must be very pale at the moment. Lock-nah must have been angry before, but the anger dissipated now. No doubt he was unhappy for how she had ignored him in front of Imhotep, the creature in charge of them all. But as his eyes searched her pale face, the anger changed and with a soft voice he smirked, "I don't suppose you'll be asking to see lord Imhotep again, after all that?"
Kat looked down slowly, the memory of the face drifting like a cloud in front of her eyes-not the mummified one now, but the beautifully, impossibly handsome one that she knew from somewhere. His words lingering: 'Can it be? The slave, Katriel?'
And her thoughts at the exact moment had been a recognition of him: 'Master'
His faces, the mummified one and the golden one twirled around her. Feeling queasy, she suddenly clutched her stomach. "I think…I'm going to…"
Lock-nah's smirk disappeared, he turned instantly and shouted something to the other red man in the compartment. Kat was stood up and quickly escorted out of the compartment as Alex watched her disappear out the door from his seat. Kat felt her stomach lurching as the red escort roughly pushed her into a bathroom aboard the train and closed the door. Kat stood, looking around the room for a moment. The tiny cupboard of a bathroom's walls were chipped and smeared with brown feces, flies swarmed the open unflushed toilet beneath her. Lunging for the toilet handle, the only surface that actually clean, she flushed it just as the smells proved too much and her stomach heaved, spewing out the rations that had been given her and Alex during the trip. Painfully she crouched, trying not to touch the walls or floors or toilet, grateful that rations had at least been small. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, only to find that the smells prompting a fresh round of gagging.
She was going to be here awhile.
…
Imhotep grinned as the last body dropped lifeless to the ground. Hafez had made good on his promise, three men had come into his compartment, opened the box, and Imhotep had just taken the liberty of using the curse to suck their bodies dry to aid the restoration of his own.
Imhotep brought his fingers up to his face and flexed them, watching with fascination as the skin and sinew stretched and moved with the bones. It was both a familiar and a disjointing sensation to have his body back. Behind him, the compartment door opened again.
The door kept opening to this room. Wasn't he just the popular one today?
He turned and saw a beautiful, long dark haired woman stepping over the corpses with her nose scrunched up in disgust. She looked up.
This was the body of Anck-su-Namun, and though her true self was not yet awakened, Imhotep was curious to see how it would react to seeing him now.
He took a step forward and her eyes widened. She bowed her head quickly, dark wisps of hair falling across her shoulders. Imhotep smiled, lifting her chin. She stared and smiled then too.
Imhotep now knew his face was pleasing, and this pleased him. His Anck-su-Namun would be happier for it.
Deep in his chest he felt a strong burning as he looked at the face in front of him, the almond eyes, the dark skin, ebony hair, full dark lips…now that he was fully restored, he would make his beloved restored with him. Tonight, he would restore her spirit to its body, and they could be truly together.
Imhotep reached out with his ungloved hand and twisted a strand of the black hair around his finger as she watched him with adoring eyes. He lifted her chin and bent in towards her as she gently touched his face with her fingertips.
Suddenly the floor beneath them lurched and they stumbled forwards together, the decorations and hanging bowls of lighted oil swaying dangerously in the room. The train was coming to a sudden and unexpected halt.
On the roof, gunshots sounded. Imhotep looked up, realizing, "The boy."
He threw open the sliding door to his compartment, Anck-su-Namun following closely. The darkened room was lighted by the piercing dessert sun and heat as the door slid back. Karnak, with its staggering columns and massive girth, spread out before them. It was empty save for a small, running figure darting in and out, heading for the cover of the columns. A trail of dust rose up behind him from flying bullets. The guards above were shooting at the escaping boy.
Eyes widened and nostrils flaring Imhotep raised his arms, staring up at the roof where the guards stood, discharging their guns. He felt the power flow through his regenerated limbs and lifted up both guards from the roof. The shooting stopped as the grown men started to shout in horror. Imhotep, nearly growling, thrust the two together then waved his arms and hurled their bodies from the roof of the train all the way over to the columns. Their bodies smashed and crumpled against the stone, falling, unmoving to the ground below.
The fools would not make the mistake of harming the carrier of the bracelet of anubis again.
He glanced back suddenly, realizing Anck-su-Namun watched him. Concern and question in her eyes, but not fear. He smiled at her, extending an arm as all anger vanished. He could get angry, but it was never for long. She came to him and he held her to his side, rising his arm he swept it over the scene, smiling "Karnak."
Not as impressive as it had been the last time he had been here, and decidedly more empty. Still, it had stood against time for a reason, the temple being impressively built. A wonder still.
He let go of Anck-su-Namun and hopped down from the train, smiling. He would not allow the child to be harmed so long as he carried the bracelet, or else this entire trip would be quite a waste. The bracelet did not choose just anyone to wield it. Breezing easily across the hot, sandy ground he walked into Karnak, after the boy who had long since disappeared. Imhotep squinted up at the sun between towering columns, remembering his own time here as a boy, running through the columns, mischievously avoiding the priests he was supposed to be serving. Had it really been thousands of years ago?
Imhotep followed the footprints of the child, his stride long and easy. In a mere minute he came across the water pools, the boy standing in front of him with a wrist out, eyes bulging. Imhotep smirked, the child was being given the second vision. The vision they needed to know the next location.
Without breaking his stride Imhotep stepped up and walked across the pools of water as if they were solid glass. The boy's arm dropped and he stared at Imhotep approaching. Alex back-stepped.
Imhotep raised an arm and lifted him gently off the ground, capturing him with no effort. Children were amusing. Alex stared wide-eyed at the man who was holding him off the ground-without touching him. Imhotep lifted a single finger and waved it, "Tsk. Tsk."
"Alex!?" Kat ran up behind a jogging Lock-nah. Both skidded to a stop, sand clouding up at their feet, as they saw Alex floating in mid-air with Imhotep beside him.
Imhotep raised a dark eyebrow, turning to them. He slowly walked towards them, dragging Alex through the air in front of him. Lock-nah bowed his head. The large, dark man- head of the guards, was clearly embarrassed at having had the small child escape him.
Kat looked between Imhotep and Alex, fear lighting her eyes. The man was the one she had seen before, but only in a quick hallucination. This was the mummy, wasn't it? Or at least, he had been a mummy a moment ago. He wore the same clothes. How was he lifting Alex through the air? She felt her stomach clench, but it was empty.
Kat quickly stepped in front of Lock-nah, reaching out with both arms towards Alex. Gently, Imhotep lowered the boy and the moment Kat grabbed him he released his hold.
Kat back-stepped with Alex, bringing them back behind Lock-nah, watching Imhotep with fright. She whispered quickly, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alex retorted.
Imhotep cocked his head to the side, watching Kat. She shivered, arms trembling as she kept Alex close to her. Imhotep's eyes shone bright, assessing the girl.
He had…frightened her? He had never frightened Katriel before. Her wide eyes staring at him now made him suddenly feel something…odd. He didn't like it. Katriel was not supposed to be afraid of him, she had only ever looked at him like that once, he hadn't liked it then either…
…
Flashback: Ancient Times. Palace at Thebes, Egypt.
Imhotep looked up from his scrolls, hearing the crash. Rising he scooted his chair back from his small desk, looking around the room. Small beads of sweat glistening on his forehead as a result from the stuffy room without any windows.
If he ever became High Priest, he would be sure he had a room with a window. No, a balcony! Where he could see the stars and feel the breeze and look down from the palace at the city….
Imhotep stuck his head out into the corridor, just outside his room the torch-lit walls showed an odd scene.
On the ground was a little servant girl in a dark dress, crouching forlornly over a tray of spilled bottles. Incense and oils leaked out onto the tiled floor. Imhotep saw her little fingers scrambling to clean things up. He looked up and down the halls curiously, there was no one around. Stepping out of his room he walked softly down the hall and stood over her.
The little girl looked up, eyes wide and full of fright. Her face was characteristically like one of the Hebrews slaves with long brown hair tied back in a braid, a few curly strands escaping to curl around the edges of her baby-like face.
Imhotep crouched down to her level and lifted his hand. Immediately the girl flinched back, closing her eyes as if he were about to strike her.
Imhotep watched the reaction with a strange feeling welling up in his chest. He had never in all his eighteen years hit a child. Grown men-if the occasion called for it, but never women or children. Was he intimidating to her? He did not…like that.
He looked down at the spill that had obviously caused the crash a moment ago. A broken bottle made most of the mess. Imhotep had an idea, hadn't he just learned this trick from the scroll his master had him studying last month? He raised a finger and tapped the girl's long nose, she opened her eyes. He smiled and waved his hand over the bottle, muttering quietly. In an instant the bottle reassembled itself and the liquid poured from the floor back into it.
She stared wide-eyed, looking from him to the bottle. Her expression was so comical, he chuckled. Reaching over he placed a hand on her head before standing up and making his way back to his room, shaking his head. Children.
End Flashback.
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Imhotep watched her slightly shaking frame. He walked past Lock-nah slowly, coming up to her. Kat quickly pushed Alex behind her, protecting him. Imhotep's eyes flickered to the boy, who was looking up at him defiantly. He smirked, the boy was his father's son. He looked back up to Kat, a faint wondering welling up at how she had become the boy's guardian in this life? How had she come to this time as well?
He smiled, "I would not let anyone hurt the carrier of the anubis bracelet. You can have my word on that, Katriel." He then lifted a hand and set it on the top of Kat's head, like he would have done to a child, smiling.
Kat stared up at him, shocked. He was touching her? And that name again…did he think he knew her!? The warm pressure of his hand against her hair felt odd, but it reminded her of something. Maybe something her father had once done, after she had made a mistake when she was younger?
Lock-nah watched silently, the whites of his eyes flashing against the contrast of his dark skin as they glanced to the far side to see the interaction.
Meela, the incarnation of Anck-su-Namun, came running up. She stopped short at seeing Imhotep's hand on Kat's head, smiling at her. The woman's eyes flashed, looking between the two. She approached slowly, calling out, "Lock-nah! Were you not supposed to be watching the boy?"
Lock-nah looked up at her, before ducking his head down again, "My apologies. He slipped off the train before I could catch him."
"Obviously. We cannot afford any time delays, this cannot happen again." Meela said shaking her head and draping an arm around Imhotep, who had let go of Kat to hold her.
"Yes, ma'am." Lock-nah said, turning and taking an angry step towards the boy.
Kat saw his temper and instantly stepped between Alex and Lock-nah, "We'll go with you. Wherever you want."
Lock-nah looked up at Imhotep, wary now of how he was to treat the two. Imhotep nodded them off with a smile. Instead of angrily pushing them along, Lock-nah simply grabbed Kat's shoulder and pointed off, walking with them quickly, "This way."
Imhotep looked down at Anck-su-Namun, who smiled up at him, touching his face with her fingertips-subtly directing his gaze away from the retreating figures and keeping it on her.
…
Night began to fall over Karnak. The kidnapping party had set up camp among the ruins of the temple and only the occasional call of a sentry switching out with another and the crackle of the fire could be heard in the echoing in the ancient architectural wonder. So as Alex started to pull at his chain, the clanking quickly alerted everyone nearby.
Kat looked over at him, frowning, "Alex dear, you know that won't do any good."
"Sure it will, I have a plan." Alex responded, the chain clattering against the metal spike that held him captive.
"Well it better be more of a plan than running off a moving train, that was very dangerous." Kat said, twisting her wrists as the bonds cut into them. She herself was bound by a rope around her wrists a few meters from Alex, the rope wrapped around a thick column that she sat up against.
"I was trying to go get help-I don't see you doing anything to save us." He retorted.
"Alex O'Connell!" Kat's voice dropped down to a deep whisper, "I am trying to keep you alive! Your parents are coming for us, I know they are. How do you think they're going to find you the next time you try to run off like that, hm? In pieces? If we go along with these people, we stay alive longer, and the longer we do that the better chance we have of getting rescued."
Alex kicked at the spike, his glance a little guilty now but his voice still rather unconcerned, "Didn't you hear what he said to you? That guy in black, Imhotep, he promised he wouldn't let anything hurt me 'cause I'm wearing the bracelet. He promised you… called you a weird name too."
"I heard." Kat said softly.
"Why did he touch your head like that?" Alex asked, frowning as he pulled at the chain.
"I don't know…I think he believes I'm someone else. Someone called…'Katriel'?" Kat replied slowly.
"That's pretty close to your name, and you two were looking at each other real funny-even on the train- are you sure you don't know each other?" Alex looked up at her skeptically now.
Kat raised an eyebrow, "How would I know-"
Suddenly a shout in a foreign tongue cut her off. Alex and Kat looked up to see Lock-nah approaching them angrily. Apparently, he had heard the attempts Alex was making at trying to pull his stake free.
Alex backed up the few steps he could and quickly raised his arm with the bracelet, "Hold on there partner."
Lock-nah stopped, eyeing him fiercely, in his hand he held a canister that sloshed inside, promising water. Alex smirked, "There we are, nice and friendly now, don't want your boss getting mad for hurting the carrier of the bracelet now do we? Is that my water?"
Lock-nah scowled and paused, it looked like he was deliberating something. He crouched down, hissing so only Alex could hear, "When the time comes, I shall truly enjoy killing you."
"But until that time," Alex responded instantly, "you better be a little nice to me."
Scowling, Lock-nah thrust the canister into Alex's chest, the water sloshing up on his tie, soaking it. Lock-nah turned haughtily and was about to march off when his eyes caught sight of Kat, twisting her wrists in the rope. He paused, then walked towards her in an easy stride.
He crouched down to her level, staring. Kat quickly looked away.
Kat felt the heat radiating off his body as he crouched so close to her, his clothing smelled of the bonfires they had lit to keep the chill from entering the camp, though there was none close to her and Alex.
"The ropes are…hurting you?" Lock-nah asked, looking straight into her eyes as she looked up at him now.
Kat kept her teeth clenched, feeling her heart beat quicken in her throat. Lock-nah reached down to his waist and unsheathed a dagger, holding it up. Kat stared at the wickedly glinting metal blade, it was incredibly sharp-looking. Was he threatening her? She gulped, "They're f-fine."
Lock-nah took in her expression, grinning suddenly. With a quick motion he flicked the dagger up towards her face. Kat squeezed her eyes shut, but felt nothing. The tension keeping her arms up by her head disappeared and her hands suddenly dropped. She opened her eyes again to see Lock-nah using the blade to cut the rest of the ropes from off her wrists. He was freeing her?
He looked up at her, sheathed his dagger, then carefully plucked with his fingers to unwind the bonds. Her pale wrists were rubbed almost raw and were incredibly reddened where the rope had been, having been tied too tightly by the anonymous red guard who had bound her. Lock-nah took in the condition of her wrists for a moment before he very gently picked her hand up in his and slowly rubbed his fingers over the red marks, "We can't have you losing circulation in your hands now, can we?"
Kat's jaw locked tighter, instinctually she wanted to pull away but worried now what would happen if she did, the massive Lock-nah being so close to her. The pain and itching in her wrists started to diminish as his large, warm fingers slid over her wrists, massaging the area. He watched her eyes, so she quickly looked down, noticing that three of his fingers were bigger than her entire wrist.
He let the hand down and picked up the other one, massaging the wrist for another minute in silence as Kat avoided his gaze, leaning her chin back into her neck as she leaned backward, away from him. He gently set her hand down and she glanced up, his eyes staring at her still, less than a foot from her face.
"Do you know what is going to happen here?" Lock-nah asked, his voice quiet.
Kat didn't say anything, freezing on the spot. He wasn't going to try to kiss her was he?
"Your little friend there is going to lead us to the Scorpion King." Lock-nah said, gesturing with his eyes to Alex.
Kat felt the breath go out of her in relief. Oh good, it wasn't like that. Wait. Scorpion king?
"Once we get there, lord Imhotep will kill him and gain control over all his armies. The entire world will be conquered in only a matter of weeks, and Imhotep and Meela will reign over everything, can you imagine that kind of power?" Lock-nah continued.
Kat said nothing, though she was almost positive Lock-nah could hear her rapidly rising heartrate.
"There will no longer be a need for your friend, the O'Connells will be destroyed along with the Medjai. But those of us who stay loyal to the new rulers will be given riches and titles beyond anything you can imagine. Imhotep will be an immortal king…and he will need willing and trusted men at his side to aid him." Lock-nah said, still speaking in his deep, quite voice. His tone almost casual.
Kat looked him in the face, "That would be you?"
"Yes, of course. It could be you too…I saw the way lord Imhotep looked at you today. He favors you. If you stay close to me, and do not give him reason to break trust in you, we could enter into that new world together, you and I." He said, reaching up moving a loose strand of Kat's hair from her face where it had fallen.
Kat's nose slowly started to scrunch up. She did not like the physical closeness involved in this conversation. Not that objectively Lock-nah wasn't an unattractive man, he was just creepy in a sinister way.
"Think about it. At the very least for tonight anyway. Running away would of course break that future, and you would not want to leave behind the boy…." Lock-nah turned, gesturing to Alex with his head as Alex watched the quiet conversation with a furrowed brow, just out of ear shot.
Kat drew her hands in and rubbed her wrists slowly herself, "I won't run away."
Lock-nah smirked and stood up. He looked down at Kat for a moment longer before striding off, disappearing behind a pillar.
"What was that about?" Alex asked. "Hey, did he cut you loose?"
Kat carefully stood, looking around for any guards that might come gunning out for her, but all was quiet. Quickly she went over to Alex, crouching down beside him, "Yes I'm loose, but like I said we can't run away right now. Alex, earlier you said you had a plan?"
"Yeah." He looked cautiously over to where Lock-nah had disappeared, "It's this."
Carefully and quickly he lifted the canister of water and tipped it out onto the sand behind a stone. Kat jerked her head to him, "That was our drinking water."
"If you make googoo eyes with Grumpy over there again, I'm sure he'll give you more. Besides, this is the plan." Alex bent down and started to scoop out the wet sand, "Like you said, mom and dad are probably going to come here, but they won't know where else the bracelet showed me to go next so…I'm going to leave them a clue." His hand deftly began to make shapes out of the moist sand and soon he was building a little sand sculpture.
"Alex that's brilliant!" Kat exclaimed quietly, though her smile sudden dissolved and she raised an eyebrow, "Really? 'Googoo eyes with Grumpy'?"
Alex shrugged, "Wasn't that what you two were doing just now?"
"No, he was offering me a position with him in Imhotep's new world order." Kat replied.
Alex shook his head, forming another structure in the sand, "That guy is strange. Hey, do you think I should leave my tie here so they'll find this? It's already all wet.
Writer's Note: I hope no one minds the long chapter, sometimes I start writing and it just doesn't stop haha. Anyways, enjoy! A big thank you to everyone who reviews this story, it not only makes my day, but helps contribute to the story!
*In my haste to upload I'm sorry for any typos or mistakes this chapter has if there are any, I ended up staying up late to write it and my proof-reading gets a little flawed :/
