Chapter 15

"Breathe. Remember to breathe, Ahk. If all else fails, do not forget this in a fight. The warrior who doesn't breathe is the first to fall!" Kahmunrah groaned inwardly as he appraised his partner's defense. "Your stance is good, you're fast, and enthusiastic. Use it!"

Ahkmenrah struggled to find his inner peace; his brother's presence was making him nervous. Kahmunrah was acting particularly on edge lately- obviously late night sessions with Menet were not beneficial to one's health. Ahk knew he had improved- Uruk had actually let him lead a session today- but it seemed nothing he'd learned satisfied his brother.

Finally, Kahmunrah groaned and rubbed his temples. "All right, that's enough for today, I cannot concentrate anymore. Just go!"

Ahk hastily grabbed his tunic and left.


"Sooo, I will see you tomorrow? Beneath the palm tree?" Kahmunrah whispered.

The young lady giggled. "Perhaps..."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Are you always so sure of yourself?"

"Perhaps," he smirked. He caressed her cheek- the wind did the rest, lifting her hair back from her face. He had to admit, even in his minorly befuddled state, he could appreciate her clear, glinting amber eyes. So beautiful... What was her name again? He let her slip away with the breeze, feeling the beginnings of twinging regret. Alcohol was useful for masking that most of the time. Unfortunately, it also masked everything else.

He giggled some more- he really should learn some control over that, but in that single, glorious, moonlit evening, he didn't care. He was far too exhilarated, and the fresh air only elevated his mood. That, and the beer working through his system. The surrounding village morphed into a labyrinth as he wandered, occasionally admiring the twinkling stars above.

Crack!

What was that? Even in his befuddled state, Kahmunrah sensed he was being followed. Yet he giggled anyway, remarkably unconcerned. Maybe even amused. Who dared face Kahmunrah, the Once and Future King? Clicking pebbles behind him confirmed his suspicions. He walked on.

He approached the dismal alleyway without impediment or fear. He could hardly have been more elated heading towards his own coronation! Finally, the snap of another twig annoyed him enough to make him pause. "I warn you," he growled, "If you come any nearer, my fury will be... Unleashed!" He spun around dramatically, a whirlwind in his own mind, but the alley appeared deserted. "Well, that was disappointing. Must have scared him off earlier," he chuckled to himself.

"Or not," a voice answered.

Kahmunrah rolled his eyes, not bothering to properly assess the situation as he retorted, "Oh? The last beating you received wasn't good enough, Asim?"

Asim's eyes bugged briefly with rage. "You kings think you're so smart, so invincible? Yet how well do you fare without your precious guards!" Three more men slunk from around the corners, joining their comrade.

"I fared very well, as I recall. Though what you are doing back here baffles me. If you wanted another spanking, you could have just asked."

Asim's smugness heated into rage. "Kill him!"

0o0

Ahkmenrah jerked awake, eyes wide and panting, his sheets a sweaty, sticky second skin. Still night-time, though it was well past his slumbering hour. So quiet, the silence was a sound in its own right. He felt utterly alone. Rolling over, he tried forgetting the nightmare of red and gold mixing together sickeningly, but his body tossed and turned of its own accord, and his mind would not settle. The sheets were too hot, but without them he shivered. His brother's snores... Wait, there were no snores. Where was Kahmunrah?

0o0

Kahmunrah's laughter died as the others jumped him, their fists and feet finding shockingly tender areas. Instinct took over, but it was not enough. He felt another giggle bursting out of him as one of them kneed him in the stomach and he doubled over- and he had lectured Ahkmenrah about watching out for assassins. Even now, the irony was not lost upon him…

0o0

Rising for a drink of water, the prince's quiet footsteps echoed like shouts against the granite walls. That dream... So immediate, and he couldn't shake the feeling it was about Kahmunrah. Where was he? It wasn't like him to be out so late, though ever since the birthday banquet his behaviour had grown more erratic, and he no longer knew what to expect anymore. Still, his stomach churned like bad butter, the water parching his mouth further. Was it too late to rouse the guards?

0o0

Kahmunrah could not remember losing a fight since when he'd first begun training; unfortunately, this was a critical one to lose, as evidenced by the knife glinting in his enemy's hand. Damn. If only those two baboons were not holding him up so tightly! His arms were starting to ache.

Asim had been prepared, and he loomed above him now, grinning like a skeleton. "Say goodnight, my prince." Kahmunrah wouldn't close his eyes- no, he wouldn't go out like that. Close they did of their own accord.

A muffled cry opened them again. That, and the realization he was not dead.

A terrified looking Ahk stood a short distance away, frozen with a stick in his hand. The others stared in shock for a few moments, then recognition set in for both parties. Asim glared upwards, his eyes bloodshot from a gash in his forehead. "Get him!" The heir was unceremoniously dropped as the others convened upon the boy with a stick.

Anything and everything he had ever learned with a sword flashed into Ahkmenrah's brain as he parried and thrust; unfortunately, a stick isn't sharp like a blade. Fortunately, it is hard as a rock, as the would-be assassins discovered to their detriment. Kahmunrah was too dazed to assist much, as he remained on the ground with his mouth gaping in either horror or shock. Ahkmenrah dodged and danced his way around, completely unable to register how he was holding his own. All he could recall was the knife above his brother, and how he had to avoid that at all costs. He couldn't hold out much longer- they were slowly backing him against a wall. A gash on his forearm nearly made him drop his weapon- now he had to avoid his own blood. Unless... If he could draw them away with him...Well, there might be something left.

"Really, you are so weak you cannot defeat one man with a twig?" By now he was backed up almost completely, but his hand found a rock.

Asim snarled. "You-!"

"Think fast!" With that he chucked the stone towards him, stumbled over to his brother, yanked Kah to his feet, and bolted for the closest passage.

"You'd better have a plan," Kahmunrah hissed, suddenly remarkably himself.

"Yes!"

"Good, because my mind is still muddled... My best idea involved a puppy..."

"Shush!" Ahkmenrah yanked them both inside a building. To their dismay, the thugs' footsteps raced not too far behind.

"They won't be shaken off!" Kahmunrah whispered.

"We are in the blacksmith's shop. I know he is crafting a giant bell for a very wealthy patron."

"So? How does this help us? Are we supposed to ring them to death?"

"We trap them," Ahkmenrah explained, stunned by the calmness of his own voice. "I lure them here, and you loosen the bell and let it fall on top of them. It is iron, so they won't be able to lift it off of themselves... When I give the signal, drop the bell! Then we will bring the guards."

Kah opened his mouth- then shut it again with comprehension as he looked up. "Well, that's brilliant."

Ahkmenrah looked at him incredulously, hissed "Good luck!" and dashed out of their hiding place before Kahmunrah could even consider protesting.

Kahmunrah hesitated. "Wait, what signal?.."

"Hello!" Ahk jolted with guilty pleasure as the thugs squealed and bumped into each other in fright. "What is wrong? Too slow to catch me?"

Asim ground to a halt, throwing his arm back to stop his sidekicks before scanning his surroundings warily. "Where is your brother?"

"Oh, he- uh, ran to warn the guards!" If only his voice sounded as sure as he'd intended.

"A bit far from the palace, aren't we? Suits our purposes!"

"And... What purposes might those be?"

Asim chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough." They all advanced.

"Um, before you try anything, consider your options! If you are arrested..." He chanced an anxious glance behind- no sign of Kah. "I don't think you need me to warn you of the consequences." He paused. He was in the right position- the bell was almost directly above them. Where was Kahmunrah? "Must I warn you of the consequences? If I have to, I will!" Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to trust his inebriated brother to trigger the trap.

"Of course you don't have to warn us! We know execution would await us!" Here Asim drew out his dagger again. "Which is why you won't live to tell on us."

Thanks to the rush of adrenaline, enough beer and mead had left Kahmunrah's veins for him to regain his senses. Though belatedly both brothers realized no signal had been established, from his vantage point he observed Ahkmenrah backing into the room's center, right beneath the bell. He watched him shiver and quake, yet stand his ground. No denying it- his brother was terrified. He couldn't blame him. At last, they were in position! Dang it, this knife was useless for sawing... Oh, no, that was the hilt. Common mistake. There!

The groan of a wooden beam and a clang were all the warning Ahk got to jump aside. There was a resounding CLANG as the bell crashed down, and their attackers disappeared within it.

As he heard the bullies shouting from underneath, Kahmunrah couldn't resist approaching the bell. "Quiet in there!" He called, banging the instrument. The screams and furious protests were a nice reward for a dreadful evening.

"Impressive," Kahmunrah conceded. Ahkmenrah noticed how he straightened his shoulders, a sure sign of his embarrassment.

"Well, someone had to rescue you," he teased. "Who better than your baby brother?"

0o0

Later on closer to dawn...

"Brother, I would not have called for you without reason."

"Undoubtedly. Something you have been assuring me a lot lately," Menet muttered. It was past the middle of the night, and he wanted his warm cup of tea. And here the king, his younger half brother, still had the power to rouse him from a rather useful meditation. One he needed to build his powers. Hence his current sullenness.

"Kahmunrah was attacked."

The mug froze halfway to his mouth. "What?"

"My eldest son was ambushed by assassins," Merenkahre gripped his scepter tighter, but despite this, his vizier noticed him trembling in rage. "They were caught, outsmarted by Ahkmenrah, but that there was an attempt on his life... Both of their lives!.."

"Rest assured, my brother, the fiends will suffer the consequences immediately!"

"I expect no less from you, brother."

0o0

"You are fools."

None of the gang dared to look up- the memory of what had befallen their comrade after a previous fruitless mission was enough to encourage their respectfully downcast eyes as their patron paced before them.

"I give you the simple task of killing the son of the pharaoh, and not only does the elder escape- drunk, no less!- you were outsmarted by a boy wielding a stick!"

Asim spoke against the others' glares. "It wasn't our fault, sire! If that little spoiled brat hadn't meddled-"

"That is supposed to help your case? That the intended target defeated you anyway?!" Menet rubbed his hand roughly over his face, dragging his features down to his jaw. "If that's true, why do I need all of you?" Grabbing Asim's chin, he added softly, "Why do I need any of you?" Asim's adam's apple bobbed audibly. Releasing the criminal, Menet straightened up. "But since I'm feeling generous tonight, I'll let you off lightly. You still have your chance for revenge," the men cheered, "with an added time incentive." Before they could comprehend what he meant, he whipped out a dagger and slashed Asim's forearm. Ignoring- or rather, relishing- their horrified stares, he explained, "Believe it or not, the wound I just gave him isn't fatal. The poison coating the knife, however, is. If you kill the prince within twenty-four hours, I will supply the antidote and heal him of his wound. Und-" He smirked in grim satisfaction as everyone fled out the door. "...erstand? Hmm, works every time." Looking down the end of his nose at the moaning thug, he called, "Oh, hush! I merely cut your arm! Seti, move this lump away from me, please!"

0o0

"And their whereabouts remain unknown?" Merenkahre demanded.

The Captain of the Guard bowed low, embarrassed by his failure. "Yes, Your Highness."

He sighed, easing into his throne. "I want the kingdom searched, every inch, every shadow, every wind. Find the perpetrators and bring them on their knees before me. You are dismissed."

The soldiers bowed their way out of the room. Reluctantly alert in spite of the late hour, Merenkahre checked the window- old habits die hard- before finally slipping under the covers, curling up against his beloved. How in Ra's name had the perpetrators managed to escape from the deepest pits of the dungeon?