by Jean Murray
Kit stared down at her clothing. So much blood.
Kamen.
She scanned the wasteland for any indication he passed with her. He had battled so hard, used his body to protect her from the siravant’s deadly claws. The demon pulled and tore until she could no longer hold. At one point she felt Kamen’s soul within her own, moments before her fingers slipped from his grasp. The pain in his eyes was her last memory of him.
“Kamen, where are you?” For the first time her protector was nowhere to be found. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She had fought so hard to remain distant from the ones she loved, hoping to spare them from her gift.
Well, she fucking succeeded.
“Figures.” She choked out a rough laugh with tears simmering in her eyes.
The clouds closed in overhead and cast shadows around her. Fear crept up her spine and cascaded a foreboding chill across her skin. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen.
“Shit—think.” She weighed her options, uncertain of where to go. She remembered Kendra’s experience. The cursed souls had chased Kendra and Bakari in the field. Chances were they were still here.
With the grass burnt to the ground, there were few places to hide. She stared along the tree line, obscured by the darkness. The prickling on her neck warned her someone or something was watching from the gloom. She took a few steps in the direction away from the river but stopped to look at the black flowing water.
She hadn’t ignored everything her father taught them. The Underworld River, fed by the Nile, ran to the gates of Aaru. The very gates she’d stared through days prior. She had two choices. Waste time looking for the doorway to the human realm or follow the river through Duat. A perilous journey either way.
A screech sounded in the distance. Then another, closer this time. She searched the ground for a weapon but found nothing.
Decision time was over, time to act.
She sprinted towards the trees along the riverbank, praying her instincts were right.
Chapter Thirteen
Kamen clutched his chest and leaned against the door to the chamber. Pain coiled behind his sternum like hot shards of shrapnel. Despite the urgency to find Kit, Kamen could not stop the transformation.
Fisting his hands, he willed his control to hold at least until he could roll the stone into place. He stumbled down the labyrinth into the cold hollow of his chamber. The chill did little to relieve his fevered condition. He jammed his hand into the hole to engage the locks. The door rolled into place just in time.
Agony sliced down his spine as his bones fractured and split. The heat burned hotter at his fingertips until large claws burst from his skin. He arched back, twisted by the sheer metaphoric contortions.
His vision flickered like an inferno. So long he had begged for the transition to move more swiftly, but the beast took great pleasure in torturing him. Punishment for keeping it imprisoned from the world.
A shot blasted through his skull, breaking Kamen’s will. Overcome, he collapsed to the floor, his skin on fire. He screamed as his bones shifted and grated together, reshaping him into an enormous monster. A mix of predators, all lethal and merciless.
Kamen’s logical thoughts waned, replaced by a feral hunger. He targeted the evil stench of the condemned souls. Corrupt and vile. Unworthy of a second chance of life. Hunger overrode the pain. Kamen wanted to punish them for bringing him here when he should be searching for Kit. Final justice would be served for the people who suffered at the hands of these depraved humans.
Shadows of their once living form, the blackened souls scattered about the room, looking for a way out, desperate to reunite with their physical being. There was only one exit after Asar’s judgment. To the pits of the chamber, a feast for the beast. Once the soul was consumed, the person would forever wander the ruins of Duat, forever searching for its soul.
A soul that would never be found.
Kamen rocked on his knees wrought with agony. Fangs jetted out into his mouth, his jaw now elongated. His scream morphed into a roar.
The beast panted, strained by the transformation. The squeals rocketed to a glass shattering pitch. It only served to entice the beast forward. The next deep breath brought the scent of rose petals.
Kamen roused in the beast’s mind. No, that scent should not be here. Not here.
The animal paced back and forth in front of the shadows, agitated and unsettled. Kit’s energy floated among the fetid stench, like a trail of perfume. There was only one explanation for Kit’s essence within the chamber.
Nothing short of death.
A possessive rage ignited in Kamen’s chest, lit not only by his own anger but the beast’s. It lunged forward and tore through the first shade. Black blood splattered across the room until none remained.
Chapter Fourteen
Fog rolled knee deep, covering the boggy ground. Kit’s heels sunk into god knew what beneath her booted feet. Honestly, she did not want to know considering the stench assaulting her nose. Her chest heaved with the effort to pull her feet free with each step.
A god damn tar pit.
She leaned against a rotted tree to catch her breath. Perspiration covered her skin, liquefying the dried blood and dangling red droplets from her fingertips.
Would Kamen even know where to look for her?
Would he want to?
Before today, she wouldn’t have hesitated to say, yes. But she had pushed him to the brink and as far away from her as possible. Of course, she didn’t factor in this. What she wouldn’t do right now to see Kamen’s stubborn face.
A part of her wondered if this was all part of her mother’s plan. A serious fucked up plan. Hell, maybe she was dead and this was all an illusion. If not for the pain in her chest and the chill against her skin, she would’ve believed it. Too many of her senses were on fire for this not to be real.
She scanned the swamp. Visibility was only about fifty feet on either side. Every once in a while, the wind would shift and push the fog back enough to clear a path for her to follow. Her instincts told her she was being led. Sadly, there was no other option. She had lost sight of the river but kept the flowing waters within earshot, about a hundred yards to the left.
The question was, would she make it? She tapped the face of her watch. The time had not changed since she awoke. She wondered if the distance she traveled was much of the same.
A deafening screech pierced her eardrums. She clamped her hands down over her ears and crouched against the tree below the line of fog. The smell of sulfur choked off her throat and burned the fragile lining of her lungs. She covered her mouth to stifle her cough.
The boggy ground clasped her tight around the ankles, preventing her escape. Another screech rolled the fog like crashing waves into the sandbar. Screams soon followed, part human part beast. The air current vibrated as human shaped shadows flashed through the white mist. The tree shattered above her head and sent splinters of black wood raining down upon her. Darkness covered her location as a large predator descended on its prey.
A black scaly body beneath thick wings swept the layer of fog with its large jagged jaws skimming the surface. Claws grasped the trees and ripped through the wood before leaping forward into the mist. Oily black eyes bulged from two enormous orbits atop a prehistoric skull. A large barbed tail whipped behind it, shattering trees in its wake. Kit shuddered, realizing she had seen this creature before in her visions. The destroyer of life and all things sacred.
Kit dove into the murky mud, barely missing the missile that would have left her headless. She slithered along her belly away from the beast. If she could make it to the river, maybe she could float her way to the gates. The crashing halted, but the heavy stench of sulfur lay like a heavy blanket.
Kit froze. The creature let out a clicking sound and turned back to her location. The mist cleared with the movement of air. Siravants prowled across the ground. A wing scraped like sandpaper against Kit’s exposed arm.
She squeeze
d her eyes shut and willed her heart and breathing to slow. The mud camouflaged her exposed skin in a thick slime and absorbed the tremors, overtaking her body.
Not your time to die. Not your time to die, she recited in her head.
Branches snapped and cracked around her. The mist covered her but then rolled away as the creatures moved among the mud and debris. Kit held her breath, willing the fog to keep her hidden. The mud wiggled beneath her as something large made a hasty retreat. A siravant snapped its head around to her location. With one wide sweep of its wings, it lifted off the ground and swooped down over her.
She covered her head with her hands, expecting a direct hit. A human like shape burst from the mud and launched itself into the air just in front of her head. Kit stiffened as the siravant swooped down. The impact and the resulting squeal shook her. Her heart went out to the shadow as the siravant tore into it. The mud rumbled all around her. The muck bubbled and belched as shadows rocked up and into the air.
Putrid slime splattered all around her. The faceless figures scattered like a pack of wildebeest. The siravants lifted off in pursuit. The beast remained behind, swinging its head side to side.
“Katherine,” he hissed and sniffed the air.
Her father always called her Katherine, a name given to her by their mother.
She hated it.
Black smoke began to smolder from the beast’s scales. The enormous wings morphed into a long flowing black cape. A god formed out of the black beast. Sharp cheekbones stretched the pale colorless skin. Black eyes and hair made the male’s appearance even more unsettling. Kit had only met the monster in her dreams, but seeing the god here and now. She had no doubts of the truth. They had no chance of winning this war.
“I know you are here,” Apep said with a wide smile. “You and I have much to discuss.”
He turned and looked away from her location. Kit exhaled a staggered breath, realizing he may sense her but couldn’t quite narrow in on her location.
“You do not need to fear me. I have no strife with you or your sisters.” He shifted among the limbless trees. “It is either now or in the end, Katherine.” The coldness in his voice cascaded shivers across her skin. In her vision he consumed everything and everyone she loved.
She blinked back her tears, knowing her dreams were never wrong. What scared her the most, he used her to do it.
The wound at her wrist burned the closer he stepped towards her.
Kamen, where are you?
The fog billowed over the hill and covered her completely, clouding her vision. Fear drove onto her belly. Sharp tree roots dug into her exposed skin as she army crawled her way towards the river. An acceptable risk, considering the alternative of waiting around to be discovered.
If she got out of this alive, she would never complain about the palace again or the stiff nosed nanny.
Chapter Fifteen
Kamen staggered down the hallway, leaving a trail of wet foot prints against the sandstone. He gripped the door frame of Asar’s office. How could his brother have done this? Condemned Kit?
He shook his head.
For the first time in millenniums he prayed his senses had been wrong.
Kit could not be dead. He would not accept the finality.
“What in duat are you doing?” Asar appeared in the door, his startled gaze measuring Kamen head to toe.
Kamen lunged forward and grabbed his brother by the neck. “How dare you?”
Asar knocked his hold and Kamen crashed into the antique chair. Millennium’s old wood splintered and exploded into the air.
“What in gods’ names is wrong with you?” Asar snagged Kamen’s arm before he followed the chair’s destruction. He shoved Kamen to the next closest seat.
Accepting Kamen’s weight, the legs of the antique groaned.
“How could you?” Kamen glared at his brother. Pain burned through Kamen’s tissues, stronger and more bitter than ever before. He pinned his elbows on his knees and clasped his head in his hands.
“Damn it, Kamen, what are you talking about?”
“You sent her to Duat.”
“Who—” Asar cut his words short. “Kit’s in Duat?”
“Kit’s in Duat.” Kamen repeated the words.
Asar hissed a curse through his teeth. “It was not I, brother. Are you certain?”
“Her scent was all through the chamber.”
“I did not judge her soul, I swear to you.” Asar covered his heart with his palm. “We have been through too much, I would never hurt you like that.”
A small part of Kamen’s pain receded, replaced by guilt of his accusation. The only way the condemned souls could arrive to the chamber was after Asar’s judgment. Kamen raised his head to stare at Asar. “If not you, then how?”
“I do not know. I do not think Nebt strong enough, even with the spell book.” Asar broke his gaze and stared out over the veranda. “With the portal closed between the realms, the siravants could not have taken her there.”
“How then?” he asked again, his pain spiking along with his guilt.
“You mentioned you found Kit by the gates, past the energy barrier. Unaffected. Maybe that is a hint as to what her powers will be. The Mother Goddess mentioned she was the key to freeing the cursed souls. What if her path is to guide them home?”
“After she transitioned, not before.” A sickening thought entered Kamen’s mind. If Apep found her, she might not have a choice about her future as a goddess. “Isis, if he finds her.”
“We will not let that happen. Gods no!”
“Duat is out of our reach.” Even Asar could not enter Duat. As far as Kamen knew, neither could he. Only the transitioning souls could pass.
Asar drummed his fingers on the stone desk. “There is one option.”
“No,” Kamen said, shaking his head, knowing where his brother was taking this. The thought of Kit being in Set’s hands was just as unacceptable. “Set cannot be trusted. You do not know him like I do.”
“Don’t I?” Asar glared at him from across the desk.
Kamen hung his head. Asar had been the recipient of Set’s rage, no thanks to Kamen. “Sorry, I know you do.”
“I am not happy about the option, but what else do you suggest. Kit is about as good as dead on her own.”
“She is stronger than you think.”
“She is, but she’s half human.”
“If Apep does not hurt her, Set will.” Kamen’s throat tightened. Still weak, his emotions battered his control.
“Brother.” Asar moved around the desk and squeezed Kamen’s shoulder. “We will find another way then. In the meantime, let us call Set to the gates. Find out what he knows without giving away Kit’s presence.”
It was a risky process either way. He had little choice in the matter. Kamen’s efforts to find Kit had run cold. He was out of options. “Fine. Let us call our brother home.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kit’s hand hit frigid water. Cold enough to make her joints ache.
It felt like heaven.
She leaned over the edge, cupped the water in her hands and splashed it on her face until the blackness cleared. God, she was a mess. She quickly washed her arms and other exposed areas. Cuts scored the entire length of her arms, chest and abdomen.
Her fingers shook as she traced the black spider veins to her elbow. She scratched open the scabs and milked her arm from elbow to wrist several times. A small amount of black blood exited the wounds. She frantically pushed until her arm was red and raw.
Exhausted, she slumped back against the mud bank and stared at the blackness spreading against her skin. She was in trouble, serious trouble with no one to save her.
She sat unmoving, hypnotized by the flowing water. Despite the blackness, it was oddly soothing. The river’s strong current assaulted the bank, cutting deep groves in the stone. White caps crested and dove back into the murky depths. Beautiful, but deadly. Far too vast to cross. Too turbulent to swim.
&n
bsp; Apep would find her eventually. Nebt had been clear about Apep’s intent. Rape Kit to release her powers and enslave her soul. Staring at the black spider veins, she feared the latter would happen sooner rather than later. Fighting her fate and her feelings for Kamen didn’t do a damn thing to prevent what was about to happen here.
Small and insignificant, she wasn’t strong enough to help win this war. Lilly was the survivor, not her. Kit just came along for the ride. Why the hell did they need her anyway?
Kit covered her face with her hands and cried. Since the day of her father’s death, so long ago, she had refused to shed a tear. Five years’ worth of sorrow finally broke the damn holding it all back. She pulled her knees into her chest and sobbed until there were no other tears to shed. Curling into a ball, she lay in the mud. Too tired and too defeated to move.
Rustling along the riverbank roused her from her stupor. Pressed against the mud encrusted bank, she peered from her location. Based on the amount of noise, whoever or whatever was not concerned about being discovered.
“Katherine, where are you?”
Kit’s heart stuttered and tears welled in her eyes again. Would this nightmare ever end?
“Katherine!” The anger in the male’s voice spiked, as did the desperate calls.
A trick, she told herself. The master of deception, Kit wouldn’t put it past Apep to use her father to lure her out of hiding. She remembered Kendra’s encounter with their dad. His warnings that Kendra and Bakari did not belong here in Duat. The fact that her father was calling her name made her wonder if she did.
“Please Kitten, you need to answer me.” Jonathan Carrigan stood at the river’s edge, dressed in tattered clothes. The silver scar appeared visible against the left side of his chest.
Fear crept over Kit. The last time she had seen her father, he was a flesh eating reven. His eyes red with hunger. Skin gray as ash. The male standing before her now was not a reven nor a shade, like in the swamp. He had physical form, although somewhat transparent. When he looked her in the eye, she could barely breathe.
