The Quest of the Empty Tomb

by Elyse Salpeter

  And then Kelsey watched Desmond launch himself at the goddess. With a laugh, Ustha grasped him around the throat and hoisted him high with one bloody hand. He dangled from her grasp like a ragdoll. With her other hand, she extended her talon-like nails, intending to impale him.

  “Desmond!” Kelsey shrieked.

  Without thinking, she jumped.

  Chapter 30

  THE NOTHING

  Kelsey jumped off the balcony, soared into the portal and, instead of coming to in the temple, she landed in a vast nothingness. Surrounded by a mist of white clouds, she floated inside the center of an endless haze. She held out her hands and touched spidery, cool wisps and tendrils of fog, which sifted through her fingers and disappeared.

  Shapes and shadows slowly formed within the cloud.

  Where am I?

  The shadows became solid and bodies drifted by her, and she soon found herself adrift in a sea of people. They appeared dead, with glassy-eyed expressions, and they floated by her through the endless maze of white like an army of dolls. But they weren’t dead… they were… nothing… One man brushed by her leg, his eyes wide with a hidden horror only he seemed to be able to see.

  She tried to reach out to him and for a moment he seemed to register her, but then dread crossed his features and he opened his mouth in a soundless scream. More bodies floated by and she noticed a pattern. Women with dark hair and blue eyes, blonds with almond-shaped, sloe eyes. They all looked like her, and Armand.

  And Kenmut.

  She suddenly realized that his descendants surrounded her. The ones that never moved on. And now she was here. How badly did they injure me back in the temple? Kelsey stared at the sea of souls, drifting for a millennia in this vast void of nothingness.

  I have to return to my body. To stop what Ustha’s trying to do.

  She willed her soul to return to her body and like a whisper it went, but it didn’t go to the temple where she thought it would. It went to a place in the night sky.

  She now stood before Anubis, the Guide of the Underworld. Kelsey scoffed at his official title of “friend of the dead.” He was no friend for any of Kenmut’s descendants. He had stopped their way through to the entrance ahead.

  He resembled the ancient paintings greatly with his jackal-head atop a human body. His skin appeared as dark as the night sky and his lion-like tail whipped about him like a cat as he peered down at her. His pet Ammut lay at his feet, a creature with the head of a crocodile, body of a lioness and the back legs of a hippopotamus.

  A voice roared from the heavens, and she recognized it as Kenmut's. He’d not yet finished his arc of the night sky. “Let her pass, Anubis! You are supposed to be the protector of the dead, not the destroyer of souls. Let her move on. I beseech you!”

  Let me pass? So, I really am dead.

  Anubis laughed at him. “She’s lost to you, cousin. Just like all the others in the void of nothingness. I will not let her pass. Promises were made and promises are kept.”

  Kelsey had one hope. She searched the night sky and saw Ustha’s star begin to rise for her own nighttime arc across the heavens. At that very moment Kelsey could feel the soul of the Decan goddess and knew she was at her most vulnerable. Until she finished her arc, she could do nothing on the human plane.

  With no body to stop her, Kelsey soared away from Anubis and launched herself onto Ustha. She felt for the tendrils of her soul, and while each one she grasped stung her and felt like she attached herself to a malignant cancer of hate, Kelsey latched on and held tight, locking them both together in a fierce embrace. Kelsey could see deep into the goddess’s soul, could feel her loathing, her jealousy, but she could see so much more. The universe expanded before Kelsey as galaxy after galaxy rushed by.

  Ustha pushed violently against Kelsey and tried to shake her off, but Kelsey held firm. She may have been but a mere human in the human realm, but here, in the land of souls, she reigned supreme. For once being the spiritual daughter of Mara helped her. She latched onto the Decan goddess and together they began her arc across the nighttime sky. Ustha pleaded with the God of the Dead. “Anubis, help me!”

  “Help you?” he derided. “I won’t do anything more for you, Ustha. I have already turned the other way for her soul. That is the bargain I made with you. Unless you have something else to offer?”

  Kelsey felt herself moving across the sky. The Decan’s arc was now cresting before it began its descent to the other side. She suddenly realized something. I have to make a decision. One that will determine my very existence. Did she release the goddess and let her complete her arc alone? If she did, Kelsey would be forced to live within the nothingness where the other descendants existed in a perpetual state of limbo. Those lost and aimless souls whom Anubis had ignored and refused to allow passage. Or, did Kelsey grasp onto Ustha and make sure the goddess disappeared for good? But if she did that… she would die, too. No, not die. It would be worse than dying.

  She’d vanish into non-existence. She’d never be reborn. Her life, her very essence, would disappear.

  Ustha pushed against her again and Kelsey could feel the revulsion seeping into her being. She realized Ustha would never stop her quest to destroy Kenmut. Kelsey would not let them become thirty-three. This was the only way to stop Ustha for good, even if it meant both her own physical and spiritual death. Without any more thought, Kelsey held on tight to the Decan and as the arc descended she felt a tremendous pain as their bodies and souls began to rip apart.

  Ustha screamed in agony.

  “Kelsey, no, please” Kenmut begged. “You don’t have to do this. Release her.”

  Oh, but I do, Grandfather. Kelsey knew she would never let go, and felt at peace with her decision. She glanced once more down to the earth, this time seeing Desmond lying on the floor of the temple, cradling her body. He sobbed uncontrollably.

  I love you, Desmond. I’m so sorry I never told you about the baby.

  And as the arc fell away, she and Ustha slowly disappeared...

  #

  The temple shook as an earthquake rocked the land. Statuary and pieces of the temple walls crashed around them. Desmond threw his body onto Kelsey to keep her safe, though in his heart he knew she was already gone. A rock hit his head and he collapsed on top of her as the ceiling came down.

  Chapter 31

  THE BARGAIN

  “I have a bargain!” Kenmut roared. He’d completed his arc and now stormed at Anubis.

  “A bargain?” Anubis asked. He seemed fascinated as he watched Ustha’s soul shred and tear apart. Pieces of her essence scattered across the sky, sending brilliant meteor showers plummeting down to the earth. The land below thundered as earthquakes continued to rock the surface.

  Kenmut held out his hand. “Let them go and I will give you this.”

  Anubis turned and his eyes widened at what Kenmut held in his palm. “You give me your personal opal to save this one descendant? Your Cintāmaṇi stone?”

  Kenmut shook his head. “No, not just to save Kelsey, but to save them all.” He stared at the night sky, his expression pained. “For whatever Ustha has done to me and my children over the centuries, she is a Decan. And now she is dying.” He turned to Anubis. “We can never be thirty-three, Anubis, and you know it. It will destroy all of us. Remove the curse. Allow my future descendants to fly straight to Osiris and end this vengeful path. Ustha has no more power to return to earth for more nights than all the nights left in existence. Let all the future souls go and you can have this.”

  Anubis stared greedily at the palm-sized iridescent blue, red and green gem. The spectral colors swirled and glowed within a magnificent black background. It was the most powerful stone in all the universe. The surface of the jewel glittered like the billions of stars in the night sky, and pulsed with an inner light. “In that stone resides your own soul, Kenmut. You give it to me freely?”

  “Nothing is ever free, Anubis,” Kenmut said. “But yes, you may have it, and know that you will always
have a hold over me.”

  Anubis raised his eyebrows. “You realize that as long as I have this in my possession, you will never be able to return to earth again. You will be stuck in the nighttime sky, along with Ustha. It will be for eternity, Kenmut. She will have won.”

  Kenmut stared at the fireballs still sparking across the heavens as the remnants of Ustha’s soul continued to break apart. In another minute, they would be gone.

  Anubis nodded towards the heavens. “And what of your heir who has linked herself to the fallen Decan?”

  With a pained expression, Kenmut appealed to him. “Will you let her pass?”

  Anubis shook his head. “The girl’s soul is already lost to me. I can’t feel her any longer. There is nothing I can do as long as she connected herself to Ustha. She will cease to exist when this arc is finished.”

  With a resigned sigh, Kenmut handed him the gem. Anubis released his lock on the path to Osiris, and Kelsey and Ustha continued their final descent as huge meteor showers continued to rain down upon the earth.

  Kenmut beseeched his granddaughter one final time. “Kelsey, please let go of Ustha if you can. Find a way to release yourself and move on. The path is open once again.”

  A brilliant light split the night sky as if a sun exploded. Ustha’s star burst apart like an explosion of fireworks as more sparks and flares erupted from it. And then, only moments before her arc was finished, the star split in two. With an inhuman scream of frustration, the Decan goddess was released from Kelsey’s embrace and again took her place in the night sky. Her illumination was a pale, weak light in comparison to her former glory.

  The remaining twinkling light hovered for a just a moment in the night, its pulse weak, its illumination faint, and then it simply winked out of existence.

  Kenmut stared for a long time at the final resting place of Kelsey’s soul. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.” With a heavy heart, he turned to take his place back in the Decan arc where he would now remain for eternity.

  “Hello, Grandfather.”

  Startled, he spun around.

  Kelsey stood before him, drained and weak, but there.

  He went wide-eyed with shock. “How are you here? You… died. I couldn’t save you.”

  She gave him a tired smile. “My soul was always saved, Grandfather. I have lived so many lifetimes, and endured so much, that Ustha could never take complete control of my essence. As I fought her, I realized I am not powerless as my deva led me to believe. I could have moved on to Nirvana, but I chose not to. It was my human decision, my spiritual and personal decision, and even though I gave that up, the eternal power to do so continues to live deep within me. It always has, and always will, until I’m ready to finally accept it.” Kelsey smiled beatifically. “But, that’s not all, Grandfather.”

  He raised his brows. “Not all? Saving yourself, allowing my future generations to move on to their afterlife, sacrificing yourself for a vengeful Decan sister, and allowing my family to continue to exist in the nighttime sky isn’t enough?”

  She laughed. “No, it isn’t. Watch.” She spread her arms wide and wisps of light emanated from her fingertips. Little tendrils spread and materialized around her until they surrounded her in spidery threads. Slowly they formed and meshed together, hundreds and hundreds of strands sifting and coming together to materialize into people. One by one, beings appeared and formed around them—the lost souls Kelsey had met within the white void. The beings Ustha had claimed and who had floated for a millennia in the vast nothingness of space, where they never moved on and never found peace. One by one they shot out from her, released from their prison, and soared towards Osiris. One, two, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand souls flew by Kenmut and brushed against him as they made their way to their final resting place. And as each one touched him, the Decan gasped. Soul after missing soul returned to his essence and Kelsey watched his body grow strong. His chest filled out and his form took on weight and mass. His skin changed from a sickly gray pallor to a magnificent glow and his hair thickened until it became a lustrous black mane. With each returning soul he stood taller, and soon he appeared once again as the magnificent Decan that Femi had fallen in love with so many eons ago.

  Kenmut stared at his granddaughter in awe. “How did you do this?”

  “They are a part of you and now a part of me. You linked all of us together when you shared your soul with us, and I felt them, Grandfather. When I separated from Ustha, I went to the void and called to each of them, to that part of their spirit that still had any conscious thought. And they came to me.”

  Kenmut bowed to her, overcome with emotion. “I am overwhelmed and forever in your debt.”

  Kelsey floated before him and took his hands. “You owe me nothing. I chose to do this at my own peril.”

  He stared at the retreating backs of his final descendants as they finally made their way on to their next journey. “So, this is goodbye, then.” He released her hands and stood. “Go move on with the others and good luck with whatever awaits you in your next life.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Move on? I have no intention of moving on with the others. I’m going home. It will take a lot more than a knife in my side to kill me, Grandfather. You should know that by now.”

  He chuckled. “I guess I should.” He stared at her for a moment and then spoke softly. “I owe you something for all that you’ve done for me.” He paused for a moment. “Your father always knew, Kelsey.”

  Kelsey’s eyes widened in shock. “Knew? About… me?”

  Kenmut nodded. “Yes, he knew everything. I told him. Now go.”

  She gave him a long, final look. “Thank you.” And with that, she closed her eyes and sent herself back to her body.

  Chapter 32

  SAVED

  Kelsey awoke outside of the temple, nestled in Desmond’s arms. She heard screams of the purest anguish and turned to see both Gianni and Nigel supporting Jay. The boy sobbed uncontrollably in their arms and bellowed for his father.

  Kelsey stared back at Desmond and into his beautiful eyes. “What are you doing here?” she whispered. She reached up her hand and touched his bloody cheek. “You’re hurt.” She tried to rise, and fell back, grimacing in pain.

  Desmond’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Please don’t move, Kelsey. They attacked you, and you still have a knife in your side. I didn’t want to take it out and hurt you.”

  She tilted her head down and could now see the hilt of the dagger, the blade hidden deep within her abdomen. Fear coursed through her when she saw the amount of blood pooled on the ground. Oh, my God, no. Please, no. She stifled back a sob. “Desmond, I have to tell you something.”

  He leaned down and kissed her brow. “It’s okay, Kelsey. I promise, everything’s going to be okay.”

  “No, it’s not,” she sobbed. “I have to tell you something.”

  He gently cupped her chin. “I know,” he whispered.

  “About… the baby?”

  He nodded and swallowed hard. “Ustha told me. Tried to mock me with it when I tried to kill her.”

  Kelsey closed her eyes. So Ustha knew all along. And her father… he knew, too.

  A shape loomed over them and Kelsey saw Nigel bend down to her level. “How is she?” he asked Desmond quietly.

  “She needs to get to a hospital. She’s still hemorrhaging. Where the hell are they?” A siren sounded in the far distance. “Oh, thank God.”

  Nigel bent to Kelsey. “Lass, we need to chat before they take you away. I believe you did something back there in the temple. There was a moment after Ustha grabbed your chap here, when both you and Ustha kept disappearing and reappearing. And then she vanished completely. When that happened, we all came out of our fits. Fancy telling me where you bloody went?”

  Kelsey looked up at the sky.

  “I went to the stars.”

  Chapter 33

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  Kelsey spent five days in the hospital and another two
in Desmond’s hotel room. The knife wound had punctured her colon and the trauma caused her to miscarry the baby. She really had been pregnant all along. After surgery, she healed quickly, and while her pregnancy had only been in the very early stages, a deep sadness settled over her.

  Armand had perished in the temple when the earthquake hit. Once his fits had ceased, he’d thrown himself on top of Jay to protect him from the falling rocks and debris. He’d died instantly when the statue of Ustha toppled over and collapsed on him. But, he had saved his son.

  Per Armand’s wishes from his will, they buried him in Egypt. After the funeral Kelsey learned that Armand had a trust fund put away for her. He’d apparently always had the intention of taking care of his daughter. One day, if something ever happened to him.

  Saying goodbye to Jay turned out to be much harder than she thought it would be. What had started out as a contemptuous relationship had changed during the course of this ordeal. When it finally came time for him to leave, they just stared at each other awkwardly. Then Jay grabbed her in a fierce hug and burrowed his face into her shoulder. When he got himself back under control, he gave a quick “au revoir, old man” to Desmond, and left with his mother to catch his flight back to Paris.

  “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time about him,” Desmond had said after they left.

  “You have to learn to trust me, Desmond.”

  “I will. Starting now and always.”

  After a further series of long goodbyes, Gianni and Nigel returned to Italy, leaving Kelsey and Desmond finally alone.

  They spent most of their time holed up in Desmond’s hotel room, talking. They were both done with secrets.

  When Kelsey learned Ari had essentially sent Desmond to his death, she’d been livid. She’d called her brother, but had gotten no response. She finally got in touch with Julia, who told her Ari had flown to Afghanistan for business.