by Jean Murray
Kamen charged the temple and activated the door. It closed behind him just as the siravant slammed its head into the barrier. A small fracture burst its surface, but the five inch glass held. Apep’s minion had made a tactical error in transforming before entering the temple. The locking mechanism required voice recognition.
Kit’s scream jerked his gaze through the second door to her wide panicked eyes. She lurched back from the altar, only to be jerked forward, tethered by the female. The woman’s skin split up the spine revealing ash colored leather scales. The siravant morphed and stretched its wings to the ceiling of the chamber. It remained restrained but not for long.
Kit palmed her katana from her belt and severed the arm holding her tight. She turned and yanked at the other women’s restraints.
The second door rolled open and spilled vipers towards Kamen’s feet. He leapt and landed on the clear cement next to Kit.
“We need to save them,” she cried and yanked at the initiate’s strap.
“Do not fight me on this.” Kamen jerked her towards him, scanning for a way to escape. The spell on the room inhibited his ability to dematerialize. The only way out was through the doors.
“No.” She struggled against his hold.
“You are too important to lose.” Gun fire and explosions rocked the building. “Isis, the whole building is under attack.”
“Help them—please.” Tears edged her eyes.
Kamen cursed and scanned the room. The demon on the altar thrashed against the restraints. They had only seconds before it would be free.
“Get it done,” he growled against his better judgment. Pulling the katana from her hands, he turned to face the siravant, careful to avoid the writhing caldron of serpents.
He leapt and landed on the back of the siravant. Fisting the blade he shoved it in through the base of its skull. Black blood burst from the wound. The stench suffocated the small temple. Kit herded the seven women into the farthest corner of the room.
Pain and fire scored along his flesh. Kamen knocked away the copperhead latched onto him, but the damage had already been done. Venom filtered through his system weakening his strength and power. “We need to leave now.”
The door burst behind him. Shards of glass penetrated Kamen’s skin. The siravant descended upon him with claws raking his back. The females scattered out of his reach, opening themselves to be picked off by the demon. Kamen launched himself at Kit and wrapped her in his arms. The second attack hit deeper, knocking them both to the ground.
Kit’s horrified eyes stared up at him as his blood flowed over his shoulders and dripped down onto her face and chest. He vision dimmed, blurring her features. Failing her was not an option. She was too important for the Pantheon.
Too important to him.
He dared pull on the energy in her soul to bolster his powers in the hope of escaping. Shoving up, he pulled her with him.
The siravant’s large jaws clamped down on his shoulder and threw him across the room. Both he and Kit crashed into the altar. The impact knocked Kamen’s hold. Righting himself, he snagged Kit’s hand and shoved her towards the door. “Run. I will be right behind you.”
Kamen turned his back to her and slashed at the siravant.
Kit froze. “Kamen.”
“Run. Now.”
The siravant descended onto Kamen and speared him through both sides. He grunted as ribs and bones cracked from the force. The katana clattered to the ground. He released his control to the beast, but even the raging animal inside failed to come forth. If not for the burn of venom through his system, Kamen would heal quickly, but the poison robbed him of his powers with every minute that passed. “Run!”
Kit lunged for the sword on the ground and thrust it into the siravant’s neck. A deafening scream echoed in the small space. The demon fell backwards, ripping its talons from Kamen’s chest.
Unable to support his weight Kamen collapsed to his knees.
“Get up.” Kit grabbed and pulled, but her hands slipped with all the blood covering his skin. “I’m not leaving here without you.”
“You must run and hide. There are more coming.” He could not fight until the venom was cleared from his system. She was better off leaving him.
“Get up,” Kit screamed at him.
“Stubborn woman,” Kamen growled, knowing if he did not get moving she would remain. He stumbled to his feet.
Pulling his arm around her shoulder, she guided him out the temple. Another rumble shook the building. Stone cracked and rained chunks down upon their heads. “I cannot transport us out.” He leaned against the wall and covered the wound seeping blood.
“You’re not healing. God, you were bitten, weren’t you?”
“I will be fine.” He ground his teeth and forced his legs towards the nearest exit. Screams sounded in the distance and slowed Kit’s strides.
“They’re killing the women.”
Kamen tightened his grip on her hand and pulled harder. He could not worry about the others, just her at the moment. He needed to get her out onto the street. The crowded and bustling of the city would conceal Kit at least until he could get help. He shoved through one door after another, his strength leaving him with every step towards freedom. They had been so worried about Aaru and the gates, they never considered the attack would target the Nehebkau.
He stopped at the bottom of the stairwell. At the top light filtered through the edges of the door. Even from this distance he sensed the burn against his skin. He pushed her forward. “Go.”
She jogged up half way and stopped. “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.” But as soon as he said it, a wave of stench hit him from behind. He pivoted and readied himself to fight. Nebt stood before him in her flowing black gown to match her skin. Wounds on her forearms oozed black blood. Her eyes rimmed with red. “Cousin.” Nebt sneered.
“Nebt,” Kamen growled. The beast roared to life, giving Kamen the energy he needed to block the blow of Nebt’s dagger but failed to dodge the onslaught of siravants.
The siravant grasped Kit’s legs and pulled her back down the steps. Kamen lunged and grasped her hand, tightening to the point her bones might crack.
“Kamen.” Kit dug her fingernails into his skin as she fought to free herself from the siravant.
Nebt stabbed him repeatedly in the back. His grip loosened, so only her fingers were in his palm. “Don’t let go.”
Her eyes widened further. “No!”
He bellowed as the siravant plunged talons again into his torso. One hard jerk and Kit slid across the floor back down into the bowels of the warehouse and into the darkness.
Nebt pulled her dagger from his back. “I do enjoy a good hunt. So does Apep and Kit will learn that first hand.” She laughed and evaporated into a black mist.
Kamen forced himself to his hands and knees. He crawled forward, chasing Kit’s cries until he could no longer hold his weight. Collapsing to the floor, darkness enveloped him.
He had lost her.
Chapter Ten
“Kamen,” Asar yelled, distant and muffled.
Kamen forced his eyes open. Fog colored his vision. A thick pool of blood encircled him, along with several hundred dead snakes stretched out over the floor. Nothing moved, except the scent of death swirling in the suffocating air. He had somehow made it back to the temple’s vestibule.
“The huntresses are dead. All dead.” Lilly’s shrilled voice sent daggers through Kamen’s skull.
“Lilly.” Asar lifted his hands off Kamen’s shoulder.
She ran into the hall. “Kamen! Where’s Kit?”
“We will find her. She may have escaped.” Asar intercepted his wife. “In the meantime we need to get Kamen back on his feet.”
Kamen squeezed his eyes shut, knowing the truth. He had failed in his promise to protect her. “Nebt ambushed us.”
“Brother, do not move. Your injuries…” Asar’s voice trailed off, his expression stark. “Lilly, can you heal him
enough to get him to stand?”
Lilly’s distraught face came into view. “We need to find her.”
“I know.” Asar grasped her hands. “We cannot do that without Kamen.”
Lilly nodded. “I need to touch your back.”
“No,” Kamen growled, angered and ashamed of his failure.
“The sooner I heal you the sooner you can find my sister.”
“You will accept Lilly’s assistance.” Asar pulled Kamen’s shredded shirt free.
Kamen gritted his teeth as the fresh air hit his wounds.
“Oh my god.” Lilly gasped.
Kamen did not need to see their faces. Based on the amount of blood and pain, his injuries were severe. His healing powers were still muted by the venom.
“Avoid touching the black blood. Kamen is unaffected by it, but it can still infect you.”
“If the siravants did this to him, what of Kit? And, Nebt. You saw what she did to Siya…” Lilly trailed off, anguish stealing her voice.
Kit was as good as dead, Kamen finished but could not speak the words. His thoughts drifted to Siya and her concern over her unborn child. Apep’s blood poisoned the victim’s soul until the darkness consumed it completely. Even the strongest gods had fallen to the Dark Lord’s temptations. Kit was only half god and more than receptive to a means of escape from her current life.
“I need to find her.” Kamen surged up, only to stumble and crack his knees into the floor.
“Not like this,” Asar said, gaining hold on Kamen’s arm.
“She does not have time.” Kamen met his brother’s concerned stare.
“Nor do you when the venom wears off. I need you well and clear headed. Time is of the essence. Allow Lilly to heal you. You are no good to Kit like this.”
“Let us get this done,” Kamen growled, fearful they were already too late. Unable to hold his own weight, he sank back down onto the cement floor. Gods, he should have never left Aaru. If he had stayed, Kit would still be with them.
With him.
He would never forgive himself. He had failed her, just as he had failed to protect Asar from Set. Rage had consumed him then, as it would now.
Asar grabbed his shoulders and held him down.
“This is going to hurt,” Lilly said before laying her hands onto his back.
Kamen hissed as her healing energy burned through his tissue. It hurt, but nothing compared to what he would do when he found Nebt and the siravants responsible for Kit’s abduction. He would take it all the way to Apep.
To the fiery depths of Duat, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Chapter Eleven
The vestige of the dark alley lay quiet and barren, except for a few skittering rodents. The siravant’s stench ended here. Kamen searched but there was no sign of Kit or her scent. Absent to the point it was as if she had never been in the temple. His hope she had escaped Nebt was a long shot, but one he had to see to the end. But his optimism waned with every empty safe house, two hundred in total. One for every reven outbreak. Since the attack, at least fifty houses were actively boarding huntresses. The other one hundred and fifty were in various states of decommissioning or disrepair.
Kamen’s skin tingled, warning him the sun would soon rise in the east. The morning rays would consume everything and drive him back to the Underworld. He looked at the last house on the list. This entry was not in the type font of the others, but handwritten. Despite the return of his strength tenfold, he wearily trudged up the alleyway. His lack of success only further solidified the worst case scenario. Kit’s trail was cold and she was probably already dead.
He looked up at the third story window. Black paint covered the glass underneath the tight rows of iron bars. Each floor had a similar configuration as the others. Even if just a few rooms or levels were used, the entire building was purchased or the whole block, depending on the accessibility.
Despite their small size, he pinpointed the motion sensitive cameras. If anyone was in the building, the monitors would kick on the minute someone passed in front. But, he was not just anyone.
Pulling his energy into his chest, he evaporated into a black mist, blending perfectly into the shadows. He shifted through the reinforced door to the interior, searching one room after another, leaving the target room untouched. When he cleared the entire circumference, he pushed through the final door and materialized on the other side.
Sensing his solid form, a small electric light flicked on. Not surprising, he found the flat empty, yet Kit’s scent faintly floated about the room. She had taken him to several of the safe houses during the time he was assigned to watch her, but he had never been to this location. From what he could tell by the faintness, she had not been here in some time. Nor had anyone else.
He walked around the modernly furnished room, brushing his hand against the furniture and pictures on the walls. A fine white dust covered his fingertips. Out of all one hundred and fifty, this was the only room with any personal touches. He pulled open the refrigerator. Bottled water and small metal cans with a bull on the front dominated the first two shelves. The cupboards had dry goods and mismatched dishes.
A flat screen television consumed an entire wall of the room, along with other electronics he had no hope of identifying. A fireplace with fake logs was tucked in the corner. He paused at the mantle and picked up a picture. In the center was a younger Kit with an enormous smile. Her arms were wrapped around her sisters with equally magnificent grins. Pictures of her and her sisters decorated every wall. The only person missing was her father.
He had never seen Kit smile to the point her eyes sparkled.
Tucking the picture into his leather pants pocket, he continued into the bathroom, another sitting room and finally the bedroom. He laid his hand on the solid wood door. It swung open to reveal a modest queen size bed. The sheets and comforter had soft blue and red flowers. A teddy bear with a missing eye and white stuffing poking out his neck sat sentry at its center.
Grabbing the childhood stuffed animal, he sat on the edge. There were no male scents anywhere. Surprising, considering how many men she bedded during the week. How many times had she kept him waiting because of some puny human? All of them pathetic in his opinion. The last boy Kamen sent running out the door left a trail of urine in his wake.
Just thinking about it, his irritation spiked. She deserved better than those sniveling idiots who had no idea from the sounds of it how to please a woman. Growing more agitated, he refocused on the room. Bright colors graced the walls. The closet contained the same color scheme.
This was a side to the woman he thought he knew inside and out but apparently he had missed something. This flat and its contents contradicted the hard ass, abrasive huntress persona she had put on since their first meeting. A snap shot of her soul, this room represented everything she left behind since the war. A life lost.
He was no stranger to secrets and closing others out. Maybe that was why he gave her the latitude he did not grant anyone else.
Closing his eyes he breathed in her floral scent. Something beyond beautiful, soft as petals, but get close enough and her thorns punctured your skin. Memories of their contact before her disappearance filtered through his mind. Her hard brilliant blue eyes confronting him, arms crossed over her amble breasts. Even more beautiful when she was angry. She had no restraint in expressing her disgust, frustration and joy, emotions he kept locked up tight for fear of losing control. She lived her life on the edge.
At least they had that in common.
Not that he wished her any closer to her end or the possibility one existed for her. Unlike humans, he had no end, no finality to his sentence. As long as Kamen existed, he would bear the weight of the beast.
He rubbed the ache in his jaw. A force tugged on his soul with relentless fervor, the beast’s reminder Kamen had gone too long without feeding. Resisting the call, he swept the room with his eyes, immortalizing the details in his mind.
He walked out the door
and pulled it closed behind him. Pausing before dematerializing, he pulled the photo free from his pocket.
He rubbed his thumb across Kit’s picture. “I am coming for you.”
Someway. Somehow. He would find her.
Chapter Twelve
A cool breeze brushed Kit’s cheek, along with the smell of smoke from an old fire. She lifted her heavy eyelids, past the pain of her throbbing head. Piles of ash and burnt grass carried in the wind. Once grand palms curled atop charcoaled trunks. She struggled to sit up but her head spun. Reaching up to her temple, she palpated the huge lump Nebt left when she hit her. Kit remembered nothing else after.
The burning at her wrist drew her gaze down to the five puncture marks marring her skin. Black spider veins tracked up her arm. She vaguely remembered a siravant clamping down on her arm when she fought to free herself.
Head swirling, she stumbling to her feet. Ominous clouds and thunder rolled overhead towards a river in the distance. She stared across the field of ash to the rushing black water. Recognizing several landmarks, her heart chilled in her chest.
“No, no, no! This can’t be right.” She gasped and turned in a circle.
Everything Kendra had described about the entry to the afterlife spanned out before Kit’s feet—minus the fiery devastation. Her sister and Bakari had stood in this very field before Lilly and their mother pulled them from death’s grip. Kit prayed she was wrong. Otherwise, this topped the scale of worst day ever.
She pressed her trembling fingers to her throat. A rapid bounding pulse greeted her fingertips. She dropped her hand away, unsure of how to interpret her findings. How the hell did she get here? Nebt, no doubt, but how did the goddess gain the power to transcend the barriers to Duat? To Kit’s understanding, no god could. But, Nebt did have the Book of the Dead, which held some of the most powerful spells.
