by Rai Aren
Dr. Khadesh shook his head. “I am glad it was left open. This way he will not dig his way to it and damage the Sphinx. It is much better this way.”
“What are we going to do about him? Not to mention those double-crossing weasels, Dustimaine and Fessel?” Mitch asked. “Once these items are all spirited away to safety, I mean?”
“Nothing,” Khadesh answered simply.
“What do you mean nothing?” Alex asked, surprised at the answer.
“There is nothing left for them to find down there that will be of any great interest or use to Maximilian,” Khamir added. “It was the Pharom he wanted. We have everything else now. Besides, he is not interested in true archaeology.”
“Still, shouldn’t we try to help you and Dr. Khadesh somehow? You still have these artifacts to contend with, ex-secret police are rooting around at the Sphinx…we could at least do something about Dr. Dustbucket and Fessel. They’d be easier for us to handle.”
“Your work here is done, my friends,” Khadesh stated. His voice had a tone of finality to it.
“You can’t be serious,” Mitch said. He looked to Alex.
She shook her head.
Jack and Bob sat very quietly, listening.
“It is time for you to return home,” Khadesh said with a sad smile. “You have done what we asked of you, what you came here to do. It is finished.”
“It is too dangerous for you stay here,” Khamir added. “You have been put in too much peril already. Now we must finish this task. Alone.”
Alex didn’t know whether she felt incredibly relieved or incredibly upset. She figured it was a mixture of both.
Mitch too had mixed feelings. “I don’t like leaving you guys here to deal with this alone. We can help. Just tell us what we can do and we’ll do it.”
Khadesh stood up.
Khamir joined him.
“You must go,” Khadesh said. “But unfortunately, you are still not safe, even once you leave here. Remember that. Keep aware, watch your backs. We do not know when or where they could strike again. They are unpredictable and capable of anything.”
Chapter 24
A Vision and Warning, Circa 10,000 B.C.
THE Princess had been doing her best to try to adjust to her life within the Royal Family. She missed Uta and Ehrim, but everything in her life was pointing her towards her role as a Royal Princess and the Chosen One for her people, so she slowly gave in to that destiny and tried to let go of her wish for a simple, quiet life of anonymity. It was not to be. She knew what she had to do. She even accepted the ever-present Royal guards her father had insisted on. She had begun being tutored again by the Priesthood. Traeus had reluctantly allowed Assan’s involvement. The Head Priest paid particular attention to how she did in her studies. Though Uta and Ehrim had seen to it that she was schooled in her years with them, the education of a member of the Royal Family was uniquely designed.
Assan wanted her to catch up to where her brother, Tramen, was, but he thought that would take a long time. He was wrong. She excelled in every subject, and more often than not, she seemed to already know and intuitively understand the lessons she was being taught. Assan got the distinct impression she was hiding just how much she really knew, playing along for their benefit. He once asked her how she was finding her teachings. She looked at him directly and simply smiled. He knew her abilities were growing.
Her abilities began manifesting themselves more often. They were not something she could push aside, or completely control. Sometimes they caught her offguard.
One warm, sunny afternoon, Anjia, Tramen, and Setar, followed by the Princess’ guards, were roaming the Palace grounds, looking at the wildflowers growing and the birds flitting about happily through the trees, when Setar ran ahead and for a moment disappeared behind some bushes. He had spotted something that caught his interest.
“He is full of energy, that one,” Tramen said, smiling.
Anjia laughed, then stopped in her tracks. She felt her ankh pendant grow warmer. Her vision suddenly went dark.
All around her were flames. The heat was intense. She called out for Setar, but he did not answer. She called again, but this time a man’s voice answered, ‘He is mine.’ She turned and saw a face, menacing and partially burned emerge from the scorching flames. He walked forward, more fully into her view. ‘I will take my son.’ The man carried Setar, who hung limp in his arms.
Anjia responded in a voice strong and full of authority, ‘Put him down or be destroyed.’
The man scowled at her, his expression full of derision. ‘It is you who will be destroyed, Child of Prophecy, Child of Death.’ He turned and walked back into the now raging fire with Setar. She saw them burning before her eyes, the flames growing bigger and hotter in furious intensity, completely engulfing the two forms. She screamed.
“Anjia! What is wrong?” Tramen asked, alarmed at his suddenly motionless sister.
Shocked out of her vision, she blinked as the sun once again registered in her eyes. She gasped, holding her pendant tight to her chest.
“Anjia, are you all right?” he asked, frowning. There was a look of absolute terror on her face. “What is going on?”
She looked around frantically. “Where is Setar?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Right there,” Tramen answered, perplexed and pointing to the thick bushes as Setar came bounding back into view, grinning widely. Tramen waved off the guards who were coming forward to see what was wrong.
She gripped her twin brother’s arm tightly. “Do not let him out of your sight, ever,” she said. “I must go speak with our father at once.”
“Why? What is going on?”
Anjia did not answer as she left him and hurried away.
She found her father in his office within the Palace. He was speaking with Victaren about the construction plans for the east wing.
“Anjia, what a pleasant surprise,” he greeted her, getting up from the table.
“Daddy, I must speak with you.”
Victaren sensed the urgency, so he got up. “Your Majesties, if you will both excuse me I will allow you your privacy.”
“Thank-you, Victaren,” the Princess answered before her father could.
He bowed and left the room promptly. Her guards remained outside.
The King motioned to his daughter. “Please sit down, Anjia. Tell me what is on your mind? You seem distressed.”
She took a seat as her father did the same. She looked straight into her father’s eyes. “I need to ask you about Setar.”
Her direct gaze unnerved him. “What about him?”
“I think you know.” Her expression was serious.
He searched her face, he was not certain what she meant, but he had his suspicions. He leaned back in his chair.
“Why have you not told me about him?” she prompted him.
“Anjia, please first may I ask what has brought this on?”
She nodded. “I was out in the gardens just now with Tramen and Setar. Setar ran behind some bushes, and suddenly I felt an overwhelming sense of fear for his safety. I had a vision.” She recounted the frightening images and words for her father.
“The man who took Setar, I sensed something about him,” she said as she looked away. She wanted to put the strange, dark feelings into words. “I have had a feeling for sometime now of unease, of dread, that I cannot place.” She held her ankh pendant tight, its energy felt even stronger now. She looked back at her father, “I think it has something to do with this man. It clicked when I saw the image of him. But I do not know who he is.”
Traeus knew a pivotal moment had come. He found himself unprepared for it. He stood up and walked to the desk, leaning against it for support. “We did what we thought best for Setar and for this family.”
“There is something unusual about Setar,” she said, watching her father’s reaction. “I sensed it from the first moment I met him.”
Her father looked at her quizzically. It amazed him how much in tune she was with the world around her. He looked away, not knowing where to begin.
“You must tell me everything, Daddy. Setar is in danger and I have another enemy out there.”
He could tell she was scared. He decided to tell her everything. “The man you saw, the one who claimed Setar was his son, is dead,” Traeus said, as painful memories came rushing back.
“Uncle Alaj was not his father, was he?” she asked, already sensing the answer.
Traeus shook his head. “We hid the truth to protect this family, to protect Setar.”
“The man I saw, he had an affair with Aunt Zazmaria? Setar is her son, is he not?”
“Yes,” Traeus answered sadly.
“Who was this man?” she asked. “I need to know.”
“Zhek Draxen,” he replied. The name was bitter on his tongue. “He used Zazmaria to manipulate Alaj into attempting a coup against this family.”
She was surprised to hear Alaj’s name. “But I thought that you said the Draxens were responsible. You have never mentioned Uncle Alaj’s involvement before.”
“No, I did not,” he said. He sat down beside his daughter. “Please understand, this lie was not malicious. The Draxens tried to infiltrate our family to turn it against itself, and they succeeded to a point. Zazmaria had carried her own greed and ambition and she found the perfect match in Zhek. His family had wanted power for generations. They had always resented our family, and sadly Zazmaria shared those feelings.”
“I knew Aunt Zazmaria was evil. I sensed it from the beginning,” Anjia said.
“I remember,” Traeus replied. The memories were very clear to him. “Your mother told me how, when you and Tramen were babies, you would both cry whenever she tried to hold you. Then, when you were older, you still wanted nothing to do with her. We were all aware of her aloofness, and somewhat hostile attitude at times, but we never suspected she would betray us this way. That she could be…truly evil.”
“So you hid Alaj’s role in all of this from our people, and told everyone Setar was his son?”
“Yes, he and I had not agreed on many a point over the years and our relationship became increasingly strained. I saw his frustration and anger grow, but I did nothing. I thought I had more important things to attend to,” Traeus said as he shook his head. “I just did not expect him to act out the way he did.”
“I remember him as a kind man,” Anjia said.
“That is how I choose to remember him, too,” Traeus said sadly. He put his hand over his eyes. He still had unresolved feelings towards his brother. “In a way, I am partially responsible for the path he took. If only I had tried to reach out to him, not shut him out so much, maybe I could have stopped it all.” He tried to press his tears back.
“It was not your fault, Daddy,” Anjia said, placing her hand gently on his arm. “You cannot be responsible for the actions of others.”
“Zazmaria killed your mother, and tried to…” Traeus started to say.
“I know, Daddy. She sensed who I was. She tried to destroy me. Just as the man in my vision is planning now.”
“Sweetheart, the Draxens were all killed in the catastrophic destruction. Their home was razed to the ground, none survived.”
“Zhek survived,” she countered.
“You had a scary vision, Anjia, that is all. Zhek is gone.”
“No,” she said, her voice firm, “he is out there. Now that I know who he is, it is all becoming much more clear to me. The threat I have been feeling, I sensed it before I came back here, that is why I returned when I did.” She told her father about the premonition she had back in Derepet.
Traeus was concerned. He hoped these were not visions of the future, but with his daughter he knew he could not dismiss what she was saying.
“Tell me more about what happened with the Draxens,” she encouraged him. “It might help me to sort things out and make sense of what I am seeing.”
“Zhek and his family tried to steal a device I had created called the Pharom. It was designed to be a beacon. It was very powerful.” Traeus thought for a moment, “Once it was activated, I remember you started acting strangely, sleepwalking, saying you could hear things, voices speaking to you.”
“It affected me,” she said, recalling the strange effects. “It affected my thoughts, my perceptions. At the time, I did not understand what was happening. I believe it triggered something in me, something that is still there today. This pendant also magnifies it,” she said, looking down at the ankh. “It is hard to explain.”
Traeus shook his head. “I am sorry for that, Anjia. We did not realize the Pharom would have such a powerful effect on you.”
“Do not be,” she assured him. “I think it was only the catalyst for something that was already there. Please, go on.”
He nodded. “Well, we kept its existence a secret, but the Draxens came snooping around. I kept the Pharom a secret from Alaj, too, but he knew something was going on. He probably told Zazmaria about his suspicions. I suspect Zazmaria tipped them off.” This was all bringing back very bad memories for him. “The Draxen spies found out about it, they killed for that information, but they did not know what it was, how powerful it was, or how to handle it. In their ignorance, they caused the accident that destroyed half of this city, killing scores of people.”
Traeus was pained by the memory of that horrific day. ‘So much was lost that day,’ he thought to himself.
Anjia, seeing how hard this was for her father, waited for him to continue.
He took a deep breath. “Now the Pharom is protected, hidden away. No one is going to find it again. Besides, years have passed. If Zhek was still alive he would have surfaced by now. That family is no more.”
“No, Daddy, he is out there,” Anjia stated. She had a faraway gaze. “He has lain in wait.” Her skin crawled. “Are you certain the Pharom is safe?”
“Yes, I was never going to risk such terrible consequences again. I gave the responsibility to the Priesthood, to Assan and Odai, to hide it and keep its location secret, even from the Royal Family, to prevent spies from learning of it again, until such time the knowledge could be safely revealed. I wanted our people to be ready for such technology, when we were past the point of greed and mistrust and betrayal. When our people have peace…” He looked at Anjia, thinking about the prophecy. She would bring peace to their people and she would be the one to decide the Pharom’s fate. “I do not even know where it is, I only know that it was deactivated.”
“I see,” she said. “You did what you thought you had to do to protect our people.”
“Yes,” he said, but suddenly his tone changed, “however, in light of what Assan has done, all the secrecy and lies, I am no longer certain of the wisdom of my choice.” Still he felt anger towards the Head Priest. It was always there, simmering just below the surface.
Anjia chose not to address his statement. She had something more pressing on her mind right now. “Daddy, Zhek means to kill me and take Setar. He has been biding his time. My return has again sparked his hate. He is coming. I do not think anyone or anything is safe. I must speak with Assan.”
