"Only undefeated,
Because we have gone on trying."
~ T.S. Eliot
"Sigyn!" I yelled, ready to summon her back here to safety, but Mobius had reacted faster; somehow grabbing onto her arm as she'd fallen. She hung against the sharp drop, the orb of light she'd created reflecting the glint of many sharp spears pointing upwards from a deep pit. If she fell, she'd be impaled.
"I've got you." Mobius reassured, voice shaking. The remaining ledge he now kneeled on was barely a meter in width, and I worried he'd slip and fall, and they'd both be impaled. With baited breath, Sylvie and I watched as he grabbed Sigyn's other hand, and pulled her up with a fair amount of ease. He was physically stronger than I realised, and I knew he was tall like me, but I'd never really thought about it until Sigyn clung to him in an embrace, clearly glad to be back on safe ground; her petite frame shaking from more than the cold, but shock too. He in turn wrapped his arms about her, lips pressing against her hair, whether by accident or on purpose, I could not tell. Fear of losing someone made one do crazy things. Even I could attest to that.
"Are you okay?" Mobius murmured, pulling back after a long moment to check her over for injuries.
"I'm okay." She peered down at the deep pit of death behind her and shuddered. "Thank you for catching me before I ended up skewered." She let out a breathy laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"Any time." Mobius said, also peering down. "I'm almost afraid to poke at any more symbols."
"There's more?" Sigyn asked and Mobius nodded.
"Three more around the main symbol, like compass points." He picked up his tempad which had fallen at his feet when he'd lunged for Sigyn.
"Which one did you press first?"
"The bottom one."
"Okay, so lets say the direction of the others will indicate which way the next trap will come from."
"We could try that."
"And what, just invite more harm!" I yelled at them both via the tempad. They ignored me.
"Press the left one next." Sigyn bravely turned to face whatever threat might come at them.
"Okay, pressing it now." There was a snap of sound and a whir, and three arrows shot from the side of the Sphinx's left inner leg. A wall of gold light flared around Mobius and Sigyn, and the arrows incinerated the moment their tips touched the wall.
"Press the right." Sigyn instructed, holding her magic securely about them. Three more arrows shot out from the right leg, turning to ash upon touching her magic.
"I'm admittedly impressed." Sylvie leaned back into the throne, watching as Sigyn let the shields fall and Mobius appeared more smitten than he already had been.
"It's been a while since I've used defensive magic." Sigyn admitted with a small smile in answer to Mobius's awe.
"Can you protect us from above?" Mobius asked, hand hesitating over the last symbol.
"I hope so." She replied, lingering close at his side, reaching her hands up, chin tilted upwards to the skies, to the towering chest and head of the great Sphinx above; bracing herself for whatever would come next.
"Okay." Mobius let out a breath as I held mine. "Pressing it, now." There was a rushing sound, and Sigyn's magic flared, a halo above, but the avalanche of sand which rained down must have broken her concentration. The gold light was snuffed out, along with Mobius's shout of fear.
"Get them out of there!" Sylvie yelled, but I couldn't see them, couldn't see anything. Sigyn's light was gone, they were in complete darkness, buried how far in the sand?
"I can't!" I yelled back, panicked, trying to shift the sand. There was so much sand! They would suffocate! Sylvie leapt up, tearing her tempad from around her throat where it hung on a leather cord. I knew exactly her plan. "Sylvie, no! It's too dangerous. A time door opened, and my panic nearly overtook me. "Sylvie please, don't." Her eye's were wild, and I knew she was about to argue, or leave, when a glow of light caught my attention. I turned my attention back to the branch.
There was an Egyptian man, well no, he was taller, much taller. In his right hand came the glow; a golden sceptre. Upon his head, he bore an elaborate crown of ostrich feathers and at his throat rested an ankh, no different from the one which hung from Sylvie's ear. With a sweep of his arms, the sand blew away in a swirl on the breeze, revealing two people still where I had last seen them, now clinging tightly to one another. Mobius gasped and coughed, sinking to his knees, Sigyn following him down, hands shakily brushing loose sand from his shoulders, and hair.
"Are you alright?" The Egyptian God asked, walking over the now filled in pit of death.
"Is that, Shu, God of Air and Wind?" Sylvie asked, awe in her voice.
I only nodded, relieved beyond comprehension to the other God.
"I think so." Sigyn said, finally convinced Mobius was okay enough. She stood, brushing off her garments to face their saviour. "Thank you, I fear if not for your help, my friend would have perished, and myself not long after."
"You are of Asgard. What is your name?" The God asked kindly but curiously.
"Sigyn, daughter of Idun and my father is Tyr."
"It has been many years since I encountered an Asgardian. You are a fresh spring breeze compared to the last Asgardians I exchanged words with.
"And who was that?" Sigyn asked, while Mobius rose slowly to his feet.
"Thor." He forced the name out. "Very difficult to reason with, and that hammer. It's why the Sphinx is missing her nose. That hammer." I let out a chuckle. I remembered how furious Odin had been with Thor for that little escapade to Midgard. The Sphinx's nose had been fixed, although, it had been re-broken later in history.
"He has mellowed, I promise." Sigyn replied with a sweet laugh which definitely appealed to the Egyptian God.
"That girl is impossible to dislike." Sylvie scoffed. She had returned to my side, now we knew Mobius and Sigyn were safe.
"I am glad the Thunderer has tempered his storms. Has his brother?"
"You know Loki?" Mobius asked, coming to stand close by Sigyn's side.
"He was with Thor, quite a slippery, forked tongued creature."
"That sounds like Loki." Mobius chuckled. "He's also, let's say, mellowed. Not so cocky these days."
"And who are you, mortal? A devoted worshipper and serf to your Goddess?"
"He wishes." Sylvie snickered, even as Sigyn defended Mobius as her friend; horrified Shu thought him a mindless slave. By the time she had finished, her cheeks were flushed, Mobius looked confused, and Shu had an amused smirk, not unlike Sylvie's and my own, playing on his lips.
"I did not mean to offend." Shu said graciously. "I must ask, why are you here? The four winds speak to me, and they assure you are no threat to us, our land, or the mortals. A breeze swept up, encompassing both Mobius and Sigyn, gently blowing the remaining sand from their hair and garments.
"Thank you, that's better." Mobius said, impressed, while Sigyn smiled gratefully.
"We are trying to prevent a threat which would affect us all." Sigyn launched into a quick explanation of Kang, without complicating the conversation with the multiverse, and touching lightly on time travel.
"You really are a quick learner." Mobius said, shaking his head in wonder."
"Loki's knowledge is vast." She smiled fondly. Sylvie gave a small huff at my side, so small, I nearly missed it. I'd need to address her problem with Sigyn sooner or later.
"This Kang, he is or was, Rama-Tut?" Shu frowned darkly.
"We believe so. The one who built the Sphinx. Well, his slaves built it." Mobius said, and I didn't miss the barely concealed glare from Shu. A Goddess mingling with a human man as a companion was likely unhinged in Shu's eyes.
"He has been here recently, would the four winds know of his visit?" Sigyn asked with hope in her eyes.
"She's playing that God with her natural sweetness and innocence." Sylvie declared, and I had to agree. Perhaps Sigyn was not so innocent.
"She's smart. Always has been." I murmured, glad to see Shu was willing to help them. A whirlwind engulfed him in a whisper of sand and wind, ruffling his hair and ostrich feathers, before revealing him.
"A man of such description was here. He came to the Sphinx as you did, but he had an amulet to open the secret door between the Sphinx's legs."
"Is there another way in?" Sigyn asked, and the God chuckled.
"You have passed the trials, press the central symbol and see for yourselves." Cautiously, Mobius approached the chest of the great monument and pressed the larger central symbol. Stone ground against stone, a narrow passage opening up.
"Shu, you are truly wonderful, thank you!" Sigyn grinned up at the God, who looked quite pleased with himself.
"I must return to the others, and relay the danger of this Kang or Rama-Tut. We will be sure to keep our eyes open for any threats."
"I understand. Thank you again."
"If you ever wish to spend time in my palace, you are more than welcome." Shu smirked, blew Sigyn a kiss, and vanished in a whirlwind of sand.
"Oh, he's gone." Mobius commented, not seeming too upset about it.
"Yes, he was quite helpful thankfully, especially after his last encounter was with Thor and Loki."
"Well neither quite have the same level of charm or a pretty face. He quite liked you." Mobius pointed out, and I couldn't decipher his tone, his mood. He wasn't sad or angry, but not happy either. Disgruntled?
Shaking her head, Sigyn said; "Shall we head in, see if there is anything left in there?" Her magic once again illuminated their way, and not waiting for Mobius's answer, she stepped into the chest of the Sphinx.
The crypt beneath the Sphinx, well no, there were no bodies, so it wasn't a crypt. Whatever it was, it was empty but for an old wooden chair and table. Sigyn meticulously searched using her light, for any secret doors, or compartments, while Mobius spoke with me via the tempad.
"We've missed him, and whatever he came back for." He groaned. "What a waste of nearly dying."
"I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities to nearly die." Sylvie said, and I shot her a look. Her methods of consoling friends really needed work.
"Very funny, Sylvie." Mobius yawned, but then his eyes gleamed. "Actually, let's try that, but forgo the near death experience. We'll go back say five years, whatever was in here, was surely hidden here five years ago."
"Is it worth the risk?" My question was un-answered, Mobius had opened a time door and they both stepped through it, and into the same crypt thing only five years earlier.
The bare table was now laden with papers, and random mechanical parts. Drawings of some device, perhaps how to make it. I drank in each detail as Mobius looked through the papers, illuminated clear as day by Sigyn's magic.
"It's drawings to create a time travelling device." I realised aloud.
"Like a tempad?" Mobius asked, tapping at a particular drawing with his index finger. "This resembles the tempad Sylvie stole from He Who Remains."
"It does, yes." Mobius began to gather up the papers."
"No, you have to leave them." I said, and even Sylvie glanced at me in confusion.
"If you take them, they'll disappear from the future and the Rama-Tut Kang Variant will know someone is onto him."
"But we could stop him from re-creating time travel." Sigyn implored.
"No, Loki's right. And I think he already knows how to time travel, he was just coming back for his notes."
"We at least know what he was after now." I added, noticing how disheartened Sigyn appeared, along with exhausted and cold for the way she hugged herself.
"There is a great library of sorts, it would not hurt searching before you return. Something might turn up. A breadcrumb."
"I do like breadcrumbs." Mobius nodded.
"In the mean time, head back to the palace and get some rest. You both look exhausted." Mobius nodded, said goodbye and ended our contact; opening a time door.
Safely back in the guest chamber in Thutmose's palace, Sigyn stood near the bed, swaying on her feet.
"Are you okay?" Mobius asked, frowning at her with concern after removing his era correct shoes, and the outer layer of his garments.
"I think I used a bit more magic than I realised trying to ensure you had air when the sand came down on us." She admitted, toeing off her sandals, followed by her shawl and the heavy necklaces about her throat, stifling three consecutive yawns.
"Get some rest, I'll take a nap in this chair." Mobius graciously moved towards possibly the most uncomfortable looking excuse for a chair I'd ever come across, but Sigyn caught his arm, stopping him.
"Don't be silly, we'll share the bed. I'm so tired I won't even know you are there." She let go of his arm, and deliberately walked around to the opposition side of the bed, and flopped onto it with another yawn.
"I don't know, it seems kind of like we'd be crossing some boundary..." Mobius trailed off, but the allure of a bed, or perhaps it was Sigyn, distorted his moral compass, and he was soon lying upon his back on the opposite side.
"If you like, I can create a wall." Sigyn raised her right hand up in the air, golden magic beginning to glow from her fingertips.
"No." Mobius's own hand shot up, fingers entangling hers. "No walls." He murmured, easing her hand down to rest between them.
"Okay." Sigyn's reply was soft, and although there was no need, her fingers remained entwined with his. Or, perhaps there was a need, for connection. Gently, I let the thread go, granting my friends some possibly needed privacy.
Super Squashman - Yes, a bit of a trap. :)
But there are bigger traps to come!