by Allie Burton
So, I didn’t listen. This time nothing propelled me forward but my own curiosity. This was me, my body, my life, we were talking about.
Careful not to touch him, I wiggled in next to Xander, who was hiding behind a large rock. The last thing I needed was him screaming in pain and alerting the Society to our location.
A group of six white-robed men stood in a circle around an illegal campfire. The flames shot up sending streaks of orange across their pale faces. Their eyes glowed with a strange light.
I sucked in a breath, feeling like I’d entered a horror movie. This would be about the time an ax murderer would show up and chop everyone to pieces.
“Oh Mighty Tut, please foretell the correct path,” the men ended the chant.
A man whose robe was tied with a golden rope turned to Jeb, still wearing his suit. “You let her get away?”
Jeb stepped forward and I shrank back, ducking even lower behind the rock. “She ran with the amulet. The transfer had already taken place. We couldn’t touch her.”
“What about the boy?” The man with the gold rope’s harsh tone created goosebumps across my skin.
Jeb shuffled his feet. “He’ll end up like the others.”
Xander stiffened beside me. His face became a stone mask. He pursed his lips together as if fighting not to say anything.
I respected his strength. If they’d been talking about me I would either barge into the conversation or run in the other direction. Well, if I could control my own body.
“Did you see the transformation take place?” The man with the gold rope slapped his hand on Jeb’s shoulder. He flinched.
I shot a glance at Xander. Was Jeb talking about my receiving Tut’s soul or something else entirely?
Jeb’s face paled. “No, but it always happens to those who don’t receive the soul.”
“Do you remember X?” the obviously-in-charge man’s voice boomed.
“That situation was different.” Jeb’s voice held a pleading tone. “The chant wasn’t read that time.”
“Tonight the chant was read and the soul received by another. What if Xander didn’t transform?”
My gaze ran up and down the length of Xander. I thought I received the soul. Was something else supposed to happen to him?
“Xander knows little.” Jeb angled his chin up. “We were careful not to tell him of all the powers, kept the most sacred ritual secret. He only knows of the desire to return the world to Tut’s beliefs.”
“He knows enough to be trouble.”
Another robed man stepped closer to Jeb. “What about the burn out?”
A tremor ran from my toes to the tip of my scalp. I leaned slightly forward to hear more.
Xander listened too. His gaze glued to the scene. His body perfectly still.
“No.” Jeb tugged on his robes. “I told him the anointment ceremony would help him achieve full use of Tut’s powers and stop the burn out inside his body.”
“But that’s not—”
“Silence.” The man with the gold rope raised his hand. “What about the girl?”
“She knows nothing.”
I do now. My heart, which had calmed after my run, beat faster.
“The powers will burn out faster without our oversight. We need to complete the process so we can proceed with our plans.” The man with the gold rope stilled. “The revered Society of Aten is now on a wild pheasant chase to find an unknown girl who has stolen our powers.”
The tremors morphed to icy shivers climbing my body until I froze on the spot.
“Gentlemen, we’ve unleashed an uncontrolled curse onto the world. Pray to the Mighty Aten for forgiveness.” All the men bowed their heads.
I did, too. Because I knew…I was the curse unleashed.
Chapter Six
Fear filtered through my veins like an inferno melting the earlier shivers away. Tut’s possession was a curse, not a gift. A curse that could cause havoc to me and those around me.
My body burned with intense heat. My skin felt scorching to the touch. And I thought for mere minutes I was special. Only to find out I was only special in a cursed way. I wanted the ground to reach up and swallow me whole, to disappear, to die. Ending my life might be better for everyone.
No.
Determination surged inside me like the will of a king. My lungs burned, blazing with air like a fire backdraft. I refused to give in to the Society or the curse. I had people depending on me. I couldn’t give up.
“I didn’t know the power could burn out. That it was a curse.” Xander whispered. His wide eyes showed his surprise. “We have to find out more.”
I swallowed, trying to cool the heat inside. I’d never had a real ally before. Fitch didn’t count because he was more like a boss.
I tightened down on my delight. Suspicion nibbled like flames at the edge of a fire. Why did he want to help? There was always a cost. Of course, Xander needed to escape from the Society and running away was a skill I could teach. I could show him how to run and hide and he could tell me all he knows about the Society, their plans, and the powers I had inside me.
Xander continued, “Find out all that you can do.”
His emphasis on the word you knocked out the delight from the we he’d used earlier. Like wearing a hat on a good hair day, all my comfort smushed. Maybe his interest was in the power and how he could control it, control me. Either way, I was the one in danger, not Xander. Whether he helped or not, this was still about me.
The man with the golden rope announced in a loud voice, “We must find the girl.”
Case in point.
Another society member said, “We must monitor any weather anomalies.”
“What do they mean?” I whispered to Xander.
“You have the powers of the sun.” He spoke in a way that made it clear he thought his words should tell me everything I needed to know.
But they didn’t. I knew very little about King Tut and his life.
The man with the golden rope raised his hands. “And get rid of Xander.”
I stilled. The man’s words cut across my chest like he’d slayed me with a sword.
Xander slumped away from the rock. His skin turned white under his natural olive tone. He bit down on his lower lip as if he was trying to stop himself from crying out.
Did they mean kill? The burning intensified, lighting up my throat and nostrils. If they wanted to kill Xander for not hosting Tut’s soul, what did they want to do to me? The person who’d stolen the soul.
Unable to hold the intense burning inside any longer, I gasped. Red hot flames shot out of my mouth.
My eyes grew so big I thought they’d explode. Fire scorched the rock in front of me. Staggering back, I snapped my mouth shut and touched my lips. They didn’t feel hot or sore or crispy burnt. I swallowed. No taste of fire or ash in my mouth.
I. Breathed. Fire.
My anger had come out in flames. A scream started deep in my belly, scratched up my chest and wallowed in my throat. I held the screech back, afraid another flame would burst forth.
Xander fell on his butt. “What the—”
The men turned toward us. “What was that? I saw a flash over there.”
The man with the gold rope jerked his head. “Find the source.”
“Run!” Xander yelled before scrambling to his feet and taking off.
Still shocked by what I’d done, I hesitated.
The robed men lunged at the bushes beside us. An arm reached in and pudgy fingers with hangnails came within inches of my face. I leaned back and then to the left, tumbling to the ground. My back scraped against a tree. The raw pain shot adrenaline through me. I jerked up, got to my feet, and ran.
Not caring about making noise, I hauled butt trying to follow Xander’s path. I sprinted into the trees under my own power—not Tut’s. All the while, thoughts kept repeating in my head. I’d been on fire. Flames had shot out of my mouth.
Panting, I ran, trying to keep my mouth shut. I could possibl
y light the forest on fire. Or burn myself.
From. The. Inside.
The men from the Society crashed through the trees behind me. Their white robes glinted off the moonlight. They called to each other, dividing up.
Xander weaved around trees and I tried to follow. His strong legs carried him forward. His white sheet also glowed in the dark like a friendly ghost.
Maybe it would be better if I took off in my own direction. In my black attire it would be easier to hide among the trees. Unless my mouth decided to flare up again.
The unfriendly Society ghosts gained ground. Their pants echoed my own while their shouts told us their plans.
I dashed to the right and then left, trying to throw the Society off my path. My side ached. I’d already sprinted across part of the park while Tut controlled my feet. Now he didn’t want to help.
Tut uninterested in the chase was a good thing. Right now, I controlled my body. I think. He was just an unwanted guest. What if he decided to stop my feet and give me to those robed renegades? A tremble traced my body as I continued to run. I sucked in air through my nose. It’s hard to run with your mouth closed.
Crashing in the woods to my left alerted me to trouble. The Society had surrounded us like cowboys herding cattle. I dove to my right and kept moving.
The sudden change of direction helped because soon I didn’t hear any stomping feet behind. I dared to open my mouth and sucked in air. I stopped at the edge of a small clearing and bent over at the waist, trying to catch my breath.
A skeletal gazebo stood out in a misty fog clinging to the wet grass. The white wooden structure shimmered in front of a calm lake.
Too calm. Because it contrasted with the turmoil inside of me. I couldn’t see the Society, but they were out there. I couldn’t feel the fire, but it burned inside. I couldn’t hear Tut, but I knew he was in there, too.
My gaze circled around, looking for any other white-robed men. Waiting for someone to jump me. My heart ticked with the crickets. I detected slight movement by the gazebo. Xander. His white sheet blended into the structure, but I could see his defined shape.
My muscles relaxed. He was okay. He’d waited for me. Not that it mattered because he didn’t matter. He couldn’t matter.
Scurrying across the grass like an animal being hunted, I dashed the urge to run into his arms, to hug him. I couldn’t touch him because of this curse, and I shouldn’t want to either. Instead, I skidded to a stop in front of him and held in my automatic smile. Didn’t want flames sneaking out of my open mouth.
His lips turned up at the corners in a slow motion sexy smile. “Hey. You okay?”
Warmth, not the fiery kind, settled in my stomach. “Yeah.”
“What happened back there?” He stared at me with an odd quizzical look.
“I breathed fire.” Like an ugly, old dragon.
“I saw.” His awed-out voice spooked me.
“You said Tut could handle the heat.” I wanted to yell, but I kept my mouth closed and mumbled instead, afraid the fire might erupt again.
“Tut handled the power during his reign.” Xander’s snotty tone told me he thought I’d never be as good as Tut.
Heat scorched my chest like I truly did have the sun inside me. Up until this point, I’d heard things in bits and like doing a puzzle I didn’t have all the pieces. “Tell me everything you know.”
“It’s simple.” Xander pointed at me. “You host Tut’s soul, but you’re not a pharaoh. I guess I was wrong about being able to handle the powers of the sun. The Society didn’t explain all the risks.”
“No kidding.” I couldn’t believe all this good news. “Do you still believe hosting King Tut’s soul is worth it?”
“To bring Tut’s religion back to the world? Yes.” A gleam showed in Xander’s eyes like a flame of fanaticism.
“I refuse to be used by zealots. I don’t care about religion.”
“But—”
Shouts came from the forest surrounding us. The Society had organized their search. No longer were they running haphazardly. Xander crouched down behind the gazebo.
I did the same. “We need a plan to get away.” We couldn’t spend the night in the open. We had to get out of Golden Gate Park. Then alone, I’d get on a bus, and back to Fitch.
“Let’s backtrack around.” Xander’s voice sounded excited, like a kid playing capture the flag. A flicker of mischief showed in his eyes.
“You want to go back?” My stomach dropped and hollowed like someone had scraped a metal ice cream scoop through its contents. I’d thought he’d waited to help me, not to turn me in. My muscles bunched, getting ready to take off on my own.
“The Society will never think of it.” His voice rose, practically oozing with excitement.
The idea had merit. Circle back around and out of their way. But could I trust Xander? When the evening began, he was the enemy. He’d tried to take my prize, kidnap my heist, and then stop me from leaving the museum. I wondered if this was part of a nefarious plot to control me and the power I possessed. “Why do you sound so excited?”
“I’ve never been out on my own before. Doing my own thing.” He flashed another one of those electric smiles that sent a charge down my spine.
Was he trying to charm me? To make me believe everything he said? I hardened my defenses, trying to see what really motivated him. He was sixteen and seemed so worldly, yet he’d never had an adventure.
While I’d had way too many in my life.
“A dangerous adventure.” An adventure I’d be willing to partner with him for a short amount of time. The amount of time it took to learn about the Society and these powers. The amount of time it would take to get home to Fitch. “So, we’ll work together?”
“We both need to hide.”
That’s right. The Society wanted to get rid of Xander. But I couldn’t take him at his word. He’d been part of the crazy Society for a long time. What if he was playing me? “Is that the only reason?”
Xander yanked down his toga. “I know how the Society operates and you need to learn.”
His thoughts ran along the same line as mine. I needed information and right now he was the only source. Still, the equation didn’t seem fair. “What do you get out of this partnership?”
I hated the thought that I needed him. Needed anyone.
“I, um, have to…” He looked at me, then at the sky, then at the ground.
“I could show you how to live on the streets.” Otherwise, he’d never survive. “And maybe, introduce you to Fitch who could teach you a, um, profession.” As long as he forgives me for messing up this heist. I still had the amulet. That’s all the client wanted.
His head jerked up. “Yeah. Sure. That would be great.”
“So, we’re partners?” I held out my hand to shake.
He raised his arm, then stopped.
That’s right. I couldn’t touch him. But we needed to seal the deal somehow. Twisting my wrist, my palm faced out toward him. “Partners?”
He moved his much bigger hand across from mine. Palm out, fingers splayed and only an inch apart. It was like a sheet of glass was between our hands. Still I could feel the heat coming off his skin. This was as close to touching as we’d get.
His gaze lasered into mine as if looking into my soul. “Partners.”
Inside, I sighed softly. A sense of calmness returned. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”
The shouts from the Society had quieted. Either they’d left or they were discussing a new way to capture us.
“We’ll circle back around in the woods.” Xander used his hands to motion.
I nodded. We stood and rushed across the clearing and into a group of trees. Another stitch tore up my side and I squeezed my waist. I couldn’t take much more running tonight. Or jogging. Or walking. “Do they really want to kill you?”
Xander’s steps paused and he shot me a quizzical expression. “How did you know what the Society was talking about?”
“Huh?
I was right next to you. How could I not hear?”
“They were talking in ancient Egyptian.”
Chapter Seven
My jaw dropped, snapped shut and then dropped again. “What?” No way. Impossible.
“Every word.”
I understood Egyptian. Cool. Freakishly-cool. I’d never taken a foreign language in my life. How many countries spoke ancient Egyptian?
Zero. Why couldn’t I learn a useful language like Spanish?
“How?”
“I’m guessing King Tut’s soul interpreted for you.” Xander grumbled and his feet stomped on the dirt path. “Under Jeb’s tutoring, I spent hours studying the ancient Egyptian language. What a waste of time. Obviously, even he didn’t know all the powers the host would inherit.”
My thoughts veered all over the place as we walked in silence. Mostly with confusion. Complete confusion. Jeb didn’t know all the powers. Xander hadn’t learned much of anything. I knew absolutely nothing. At this point, I didn’t even know what questions to ask.
Xander picked up a branch and started breaking pieces off. “I haven’t heard the Society in awhile. I think they’re gone.”
Only natural sounds clicked and hooted and howled in the woods. The traffic from the road filtered to a slight din.
“For now.” No way had they given up. But we now had time to figure out a plan.
My mind ticked through everything as we trekked through the park. I needed to get the amulet to Fitch. I was on the run from both cops and a strange Society. I hosted an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, possessed unknown powers, but at least I wasn’t alone.
I wasn’t alone at all. I was the farthest thing from alone.
Not only was Xander my temporary partner—who I didn’t trust, but I hosted King Tut’s soul with the powers of the sun. I still found it hard to believe. “What other things can I do?”
Xander hopped onto a large boulder, his tunic riding up his thighs. Then, he jumped down on the other side. “Jeb told me I had to be careful with the amount of power I used once the transfer occurred. Not to use it recklessly.”
