The Tekhen of Anuket

by Aiki Flinthart

  *****

  Jade caught Phoenix by the arm as he collapsed; tugging so he fell forward across his horses’ neck.

  “Marcus!” she called. “Phoenix is injured. We need to get him somewhere safe so I can work on him.”

  The Roman reined his horse in and handed Heron’s off to Brynn. The old man slewed around in his saddle, mouth agape. Edging alongside Phoenix’s unconscious body, Marcus looked over his shoulder at the Temple of Set. It was well alight now, black smoke billowing freely from every window.

  “I don’t think we can stay in this area. The temple will send assassins after us as soon as that fire is under control.”

  Jade bit her lip. “But Phoenix can’t afford to lose another life. I’ve got to try and heal him.”

  “Are you strong enough?” Marcus eyed her, undoubtedly noting the dark circles beneath her eyes.

  She nodded. “I’ll have to be. Where can we go? He can’t lose much more blood and, after I’ve done what I can, he won’t be able to ride for at least a day.”

  “What about my barge?” Heron’s gentle voice interrupted their low conversation. They looked at him blankly. “I’m sorry to interfere but I overheard what you said. If we can’t stay here and we can’t ride, why don’t we take my barge and sail down the Nile to Alexandria? I live there and you’ll be safe in my house until he recovers.”

  Jade exchanged glances with Marcus. “I thought you’d been in prison,” she asked. “How do you know it will still be where you left it?”

  Heron shook his head and smiled. “The Roman Proconsul of Alexandria sent me as a special envoy to Memphis. It’s his barge, really. Believe me, the men won’t go anywhere without express orders from me or the Proconsul.”

  “Why should you help us?” she couldn’t help feeling suspicious of this stranger.

  “Well....” the old man stroked his matted white beard and shrugged. “You and your friends did get me out of that place.”

  “Is that all?” Jade pressed. There was something not right about Heron’s reason but she couldn’t say exactly what.

  The old man looked guiltily at Phoenix’s inert body. “I did also overhear you calling that young man ‘Phoenix’. He gave me his name as ‘Drake’. Is his name truly ‘Phoenix’?”

  Behind Heron, Brynn waved his hands, trying to give Jade some message she couldn’t quite understand. She frowned at him. Heron glanced at the boy and smiled in reassurance.

  “No, no. Don’t worry youngster, I don’t intend your friend any harm. Quite the contrary, actually. If he truly is the Phoenix of legend then his destiny is one of greatness and glory. He is the one who will save Egypt from death and disaster.”

  “Wuh?” Jade asked feeling thickheaded. “Phoenix is destined to save Egypt from death and disaster? How?”

  Brynn nudged his horse forward. “It’s a long story,” he sent her a significant look. “Right now we need to get moving.”

  “Agreed,” Marcus nodded. “Shall we take Heron’s barge?” Both companions looked at Jade.

  She tilted her head, eyeing Heron. He seemed harmless enough. Looking at Phoenix’s crumpled form she saw a trickle of blood drip down his leg. His stallion began to edge nervously sideways, tossing its head. Sighing, she nodded.

  “We don’t seem to have much choice. Lead on but,” she sent the old man a fierce look, “don’t even think of betraying us, old man, or I’ll kill you myself!”

  “My dear girl,” he replied, smiling broadly, “I am absolutely no danger to you. I find you all completely fascinating. Do let us hurry, though.”

  *****

  Jade hovered over Phoenix, hoping he would open his eyes. Even now, when they were almost to the safety of Alexandria, she couldn’t relax. It had been a difficult river trip, though it had only lasted half a day. The Proconsul’s barge was a low-sided, many-oared affair with one large, square sail in the centre. Though impressively decorated and gilded, it afforded little shelter for people or horses. Overcrowded and hot, the horses were nervous and difficult to keep still. The oarsmen grumbled about being put to work after two weeks of relaxation in the inns of Memphis. Heron did some fast talking to convince the captain to take on four passengers and five laden horses. In the end, Brynn grudgingly slipped the man something from his treasure hoard.

  They carried Phoenix under the cover of the Proconsul’s pavilion at the rear end of the boat. There, hidden from view of the crew by curtains, Jade attempted to heal his wound. She hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours and her powers were weaker out on the water, away from forests. Even the new inner strength she’d found and the power of the yin-yang amulet was not enough to cure him. No matter what she did, the wound continued to seep blood. Worse, it was now crusted with an ugly darkening of the flesh that seemed to be spreading.

  Marcus came in to find her frustrated and exhausted. He knelt beside the ornate day-bed where Phoenix lay moaning and tossing.

  “Can’t you help him?”

  Jade shook her head, dashing angry tears away. “I don’t understand it. I’ve done everything. I’ve tried every herb in my store and every spell I know – plus a few new ones. Nothing will seal the cut and he’s bleeding internally.”

  Marcus stripped off a glove, placed the back of his hand on Phoenix’s sweat-soaked brow and frowned. “He has a fever. Perhaps the priests of Set poison their knives.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “That’s what I think, too. If so, it’s a poison I don’t know.” She rubbed a hand over her face, smearing charcoal, tears and sweat across her fair, flushed skin.

  “Maybe there’s a doctor in Alexandria who will know an antidote,” he suggested but his dark eyes were heavy with worry, too.

  Jade dropped her forehead onto her arms as she knelt beside the bed. “I don’t think we have time for that, Marcus. We can’t afford to lose weeks while he recovers from something like this.”

  She raised her head and stared bleakly at the Roman. “I think I’ll have to kill him.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Marcus gazed back at her then slowly nodded his agreement. His lips formed a small, wry smile. “I never thought I would use a phrase like ‘kill him to save his life’.”

  Jade gave a weak laugh, grateful for his support.

  He drew out his dagger and hefted it in the palm of his hand with a regretful glance at Phoenix. “Even though I know, logically, that he will have at least three more lives to live, I’m not sure I can take one from him.”

  “I know,” she breathed. “I don’t think I can do it, either. He’s my friend. How can I kill him? Plus, if I do, how can he get through two more lev...quests after this with only three lives.”

  He gave her a serious look. “When we began this venture together, you put a Binding Spell on us all.”

  Jade blinked at him, tiredness making her thinking sluggish. “So?”

  “Our fates are bound together. Even without that spell, I would give my life to protect him or you, just as you have both given yours to protect me.”

  “It’s not quite the same for us, though,” she protested, feeling stupid because she didn’t understand what point he was trying to make.

  He put his iron gloves down and grabbed her arms. Giving her a little shake, he frowned at her. “When the time comes, you must promise me you will find a way to take my life force and give it to Phoenix or yourself – if it is what you need to kill Zhudai at the end of these quests. Do you promise?”

  She gaped at him then shook herself free of his grip.

  “I can’t promise you that. I can’t! I wouldn’t even know how, anyway.” she shook her head adamantly. She was exhausted and strung out after the events of the night. How could he ask her something like that right now? It was hard enough to decide to kill Phoenix and he had a couple to spare. Marcus had only one.

  Pursing his lips, Marcus shrugged. “I have seen it done but maybe now is not the best time for this. At least think about what I’ve said.” He waited until she nodded reluctantl
y then returned his brooding gaze to Phoenix’s restless form.

  Leaning in, he sniffed at the ugly wound on his friend’s belly. Screwing up his face in distaste, he glanced back at Jade.

  “The wound is putrefying. We have to put him out of pain now, before the poison seeps into every organ.” Lifting his dagger, he readied to strike. Jade could see his throat and jaw muscles working as he steeled himself to deliver the killing blow.

  “Wait!” She grabbed at his wrist as he raised it. “I should be the one to do it.”

  “No,” Marcus pulled his hand free. “You need to be ready to cleanse his body of poison; otherwise he’ll come back to life with exactly the same problem.”

  She silently cursed her own stupidity. He was right. Why hadn’t she thought of it? Nodding, she pulled out the last of her healing herbs and made them into a paste with a little water. When she was done, Marcus raised his arm again.

  He looked down at Phoenix’s sweating face and dropped his arm. “I...I don’t think I can.”

  At that moment, Jade remembered he was only a sixteen year old boy, really; barely older than her own real self. He seemed so much wiser sometimes. She leaned her head on his shoulder and, together, they looked at their friend.

  “So what do we do?” she whispered.

  “Oh, for the love of the Earth Mother!” Brynn’s slight figure slipped out from behind the billowing silk curtains that surrounded Phoenix’s bed. “Stop being so pathetic, both of you. Just do what has to be done.”

  Without another word, he lifted his hand above his head and plunged his dagger into Phoenix’s chest.

  Jade gasped in shock and felt Marcus jerk beside her. Phoenix arched his back, his eyes wide and unseeing; his mouth opened in a silent scream of agony. Brynn pulled his dagger free with a look of horror. Phoenix slumped and his head lolled to one side.

  For a few precious seconds, Jade stared at his body, unable to believe what had happened. Brynn! Brynn had just killed Phoenix. How could he? Then she looked up at the boy and her anger crumbled. Tears poured down Brynn’s thin face. His bottom lip trembled and his brown eyes were black with misery. Swallowing her own confused emotions, she scrambled closer to the bed and snatched up the cup of herb-paste.

  “Quick, Brynn,” she ordered. “Use your knife to cut away the worst of the dead flesh in that wound. Marcus, get me some more water. Hurry. We may only have a few moments before he comes back to life.”

  Marcus left and Jade snatched Brynn into her arms for a brief hug. She didn’t want to embarrass him in front of Marcus but the boy needed reassurance, as did she.

  “You did the right thing, Brynn. I’m so sorry you had to do it, though. Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded against her shoulder and squeezed her for a second before pushing away. Wiping his face, he eyed the injury on Phoenix’s stomach with revulsion that turned quickly into resolve.

  “Let’s make him well so I never have to do it again,” the boy ordered.

  ****

  Phoenix drifted up from a deep sleep and wondered where he was. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were stuck together with grit and sleep. It took an extraordinary amount of effort to lift his hand up to rub them clear. It was even harder to control his arm. He kept smacking himself in the nose or the forehead. Finally he managed the task and opened his eyes. It didn’t help. He still had no idea where he was.

  Above him hung a whitewashed, wooden ceiling with exposed beams. From the sound of footsteps overhead, he guessed there was a room up there. Turning his head, he could see four walls and a doorway. The walls were smoothly plastered and the bottom half ornately decorated with paintings and frescoes, lit by dusty, golden, afternoon sunlight. People, animals and plants seemed to dance in front of his vision. For some reason, there were a lot of grapes. At least it wasn’t another dark prison cell. That was a plus.

  With a grunt, he pushed himself up on the bed and held his spinning head in the hopes that it wouldn’t fall off. What the heck had happened? Last he remembered was riding through the streets of Memphis at dawn. No, wait. Blood. There had been blood on his hand and stomach.

  Tossing the sheets aside, Phoenix pulled up the white, sleeveless tunic he now wore and felt his belly. Sure enough, there was a long, narrow scar almost dividing him in half. It felt well-healed, so he’d either been unconscious a long time or Jade had been at work again.

  He glanced around for his things. Blódbál, his dagger and other possessions were piled on a nearby table. Standing shakily, he changed into his own, cleaned clothes and strapped on his weapons with a feeling of relief and security. Patting Blódbál, he picked up the dagger and examined it.

  Even counting the rubies three times didn’t make it easier to believe. What little strength he had drained from his legs and he sank back onto the bed, clutching the knife. He was still there when Jade, Marcus and Brynn came in.

  “You’re awake!” Jade cried, clearly relieved. “You’ve been asleep since yesterday. We were getting worried. We’re running out of time.” The three of them crowded around him, patting and thumping him as though they had to confirm he really was there. Dumbly, he held the dagger out and they all fell silent. Marcus backed away to lean against a wall. Brynn scratched his shaggy head and fell to picking at his fingernails.

  “There are only three left,” he said, dazed. “How? What happened? I got away from the Temple of Set with hardly a scratch. Why was I asleep so long?”

  Jade crouched beside him, looking both guilty and concerned. “We think the knife that cut you was poisoned. I couldn’t heal you.”

  “So you let me die?” Phoenix gaped at her.

  “Kind of,” she murmured, glancing at Marcus and Brynn.

  “What do you mean, ‘kind of’,” his brain was still foggy. “Did you let me die or not?”

  Marcus pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward. “We didn’t have the time or resources to try and find an antidote for the poison. It seemed like the best option we had was to...take another of your lives.”

  Phoenix raised his eyebrows as the implications of that sentence sank in. “You mean... you mean....you...you killed me? I only had four lives left and you killed me? How am I supposed to get through the rest of this god-riddled world with only three lives? Who did it?” He staggered to his feet, ignoring Jades wordless plea. He glared, first at Marcus then at Jade, feeling an old, helpless anger rise from deep within.

  “I’m sorry Phoenix,” her green eyes were clouded with worry. “We really didn’t have a choice.”

  “You didn’t answer me,” he stepped nearer, glowering. “Which one of you killed me?”

  “Enough dramatics!” Marcus moved between them and grabbed his shoulder with an iron grip. “We did what we thought was the right thing at the time. We still think it was the right thing. We’re in Heron’s house in Alexandria; it’s only one day later and you’re perfectly healthy. We still have time to complete the quest before the death of the moon - which is probably tonight, by the way. If we’d tried to cure you we would have been here for weeks or months at least and still might not have succeeded. It doesn’t matter who wielded the knife.”

  Phoenix looked at him coldly and pushed his hands aside. “It matters to me. I need to know who I can trust.”

  Without a backward look, he strode from the room, out into the blazing sunshine of Alexandria. For a moment he was blinded as light reflected off the four walls of a courtyard. His room opened out onto it, as did many others. Angry momentum carried him into the centre of the open space before he had time to look around. Three sides of the yard seemed to be part of a large, white-walled house; the fourth some sort of entranceway. The floor boasted a huge, intricate mosaic of tiles in geometric patterns. All around were large potted plants and stone benches.

  Behind, Jade called his name. The sound triggered a renewed surge of fury. He had to get away and think. With his hand on Blódbál’s hilt, he felt its reassuring strength rush into him. It fuelled his anger at his f
riends and he almost ran toward the barred entranceway door. Shoving aside a curious servant, Phoenix pushed up the bar and opened the door.

  Heron’s house fronted onto a massive, open, paved public square. In its centre, an ornately carved stone fountain burbled gently at the base of a huge stone column. All around the square were brightly coloured market tents and stalls. Dozens of people moved among them; chattering and inspecting food and wares for sale. Most were clad in the toga and tunic of the Roman citizen, showing this to be a very Roman section of Alexandria.

  On either side of Heron’s house, a cobbled street stretched away to the east and west. It was lined with houses of similar, Roman design. Phoenix turned east at random and began walking. He picked up the pace to a jog as his limbs regained strength. When he heard his name called again, he broke into a run without looking back.

  *****

  “Should I follow him?” Brynn asked Jade, frowning after Phoenix’s retreating figure.

  “Do you think you can do it without him seeing?” she responded, worried. Waves of anger were almost visible in his wake. She’d known he wouldn’t be happy but she hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction.

  “Absolutely,” Brynn replied with determination. She nodded and the boy took off, sprinting to keep Phoenix in sight.

  She sank down on a bench outside the front door, shaking with reaction. Even with a full night’s rest, she wasn’t yet recovered after curing Phoenix. Cleansing his body of poison had been easier without his life force fighting her for control of his body but it was still draining. To make things worse, her sleep had been disturbed by nightmarish images of the Temple of Set burning and the gold-faced High Priest cursing them. She shivered, hoping fervently that they would never encounter him again.

  “Will you be alright here?” Marcus looked up the street in the direction Phoenix and Brynn had gone.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I need to restock my herb supply and Heron’s anxious to show me his workshop when he gets back. You go after them. I’m worried about Brynn, too.”