Slowly, I came to terms with the thought. Reasoned with it. Until the idea of the Afterworld began to feel somewhat okay. Okay enough to see beyond it, anyway. Because, either way–dead or alive–I had to figure out where I was and how to get out of there.
Just then, the healer stepped in the room.
“Good day,” Eirik said and smiled. Their long white hair was pinned into a single braid that hung down the side to their waist.
My eyes bulged. I could understand them. The movement of the lips didn’t quite match the sounds that fell on my ears, but I could still somehow understand. Wordless, I searched their pale face for more answers. They gave a short laugh and lowered their hood before taking another step inside.
“Translator.” Eirik tapped one finger against the side of their head. One exactly like the device that sat snug and attached to my ear. “Apologies for how it was done, but you would not have understood otherwise.”
I reached up and slid my fingertips over the coin sized, lightweight piece of metal that felt foreign to my ear and face. “Does everyone wear them?”
“No,” Eirik replied with a delicate chuckle. “Not everyone. Some have no need, and some don’t speak at all.”
More questions arose in my mind. Like what the hell Eirik even was. I could confidently say human was off the table. But the thought of an actual Viking angel seemed ludicrous. But more importantly than any of that, what did they mean by ‘some don’t speak at all’?
I settled with, “Where am I?”
“In a safe place.” Eirik waved around the room. “I’m to take you away from here and to some living quarters.”
“Oh?” A rush of hope washed over me. “I’m not staying in this room?”
“No, this is the infirmary.”
I nodded in understanding. Of course it was. The small room, the narrow bed, a few crates off to the side under the table. Now that I thought about it, they were probably full of medical supplies.
I glanced down at my strange new clothes, the scratchy cream-colored linens. “Is there any way I can get the clothes I arrived in?”
“Of course,” Eirik replied. “They had to be washed and mended. Your belongings should be in your new room. Now,” they beckoned me to follow with an abnormally long white finger, “come with me.”
I followed Eirik around the corner where my room was attached to the hallway and took easy strides behind them as I absorbed the world outside of the tiny space I’d been held in for days. The hall, comprised of the same never-ending sandy stone, was extremely long and filled with open doorways that lined each side.
I cast curious glances inside each one as we passed, noting how most were empty. But a small few were occupied. What looked to be sick and injured forms in different states of resting and moaning in agony. Bloodied linens, disjointed limbs clearly broken. Healers just like Eirik busied about their beds. Although I’d never seen anything like it in my life, I couldn’t shake this strange sense of familiarity.
“Are those people alright?” I asked Eirik.
They never looked back but responded loud enough for me to hear over their shoulder. “Yes, they’ll be fine. Our methods of healing have never failed.” With a pause, they looked back at me with a grin. “You were in far worse shape than anyone currently in the infirmary and we healed you quite nicely.”
That news sent a shiver through my body. I was in worse shape than these people? My fist clenched against the rough fabric at my side. Damn you, Howard. But surely none of these people had a vindictive family friend toss them over a ledge after stabbing them in the gut.
“What happened to them? Is there anything I should be worried about?”
“No, no,” Eirik replied and continued through the winding stone halls. “There are no threats down here. We’re too far underground and heavily guarded. The harsh world above knows not of our existence down here and, as long as we keep it that way, we’ll be safe in our sanctuary.” The hallway ended and the mouth opened to a massive space, its ceiling towered meters above my head. “Here we are, this is the dining hall.”
I glanced around, mouth gaping as I took it all in. It was still rock, from floor to ceiling and all around, but the dining hall was filled with rows of tables and seats carved of stone. A few people bustled about, carrying things, tending to giant steaming pots of hammered metal similar to copper. The smell of warm food cooking tainted the air and filled my nostrils, making my stomach grumble. I wondered how long it’d been since I ate.
My brow furrowed as I searched in confusion for the odd natural light that filtered in and illuminated the room, even more than the few torches that hung from the walls. My neck craned and I found the source in the ceiling; several small holes, about a foot in diameter, sprinkled across the canopy of stone and spewed sunlight down on us. Then it hit me.
I knew exactly where I was.
I could feel my face paling and Eirik looked to me with concern.
“Are you alright?”
The dining hall. The long, winding hallways. I’d been in this very same spot just days ago with Howard’s team. I’d scanned with walls of endless hieroglyphs and symbols, written them in my notebook. Only–I whipped my head around–these walls were almost bare. New, even. Only a few fresh carvings marked some of the space.
Eirik’s hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me back to reality. “Yes,” I replied, shaking my head. “Sorry. I’m just…still tired. I guess.”
“Understandably,” they replied and pointed at one of the many other doorways. “Right this way.”
This time I led the way down a new winding narrow, with Eirik at my back. I could feel their eyes on my shoulders the entire way, wondering things about me much the same as I were about them. An androgynous Viking-like angel creature healed my shattered body after Howard attempted to kill me, in what seemed like the exact same cave system I explored just days before. Questions, I had plenty.
“Eirik?” I piped up over my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“My name is Andie.”
I heard them exhale. “Good to meet you, Andie.”
“What did you mean before? When you said you were all safe down here from the world above?” When they didn’t reply, I added, “What’s so bad up there?”
I was grateful for the sound of my feet scuffing against the soft sandy floor as we walked along. But, finally, they spoke.
“They’ve got the people of Egypt enslaved and worshipping at their feet all at the same time.”
That sparked my attention. “Who? Why are they doing this?”
“Horus,” Eirik replied and I was extremely relieved that they couldn’t see my face. The wide shock of disbelief. Another Egyptian God. “He rules with an iron fist and they love him for it. It makes no sense. But he hides behind his right hand. Plays nice while his brother does the horrible things. A heartless, soulless creature. That is who you must fear the most.”
I swallowed hard against the dryness of my throat. “Amun?” It couldn’t be.
“Yes,” Eirik confirmed. “Awful, awful man. He and his brother were always at one another’s throats up until a few years ago. Now it’s almost as if Amun gave in. He does whatever Horus demands. Blindly.” Their feet came to a halt and I did the same. A wide-open doorway at our side. Eirik smiled. “This will be your quarters for however long you need.”
In any Egyptian mythology I’d read in my life, one thing was always certain. Amun was Horus’s brother, indeed. But malicious and obedient to his brother’s whim, he was not. Amun…he was kind and just. The people of Egypt loved him. Not feared him. But I didn’t dare say that to Eirik. What would that say about me? The strange girl with the strange clothing, suddenly appearing, who happened to know a reality much different than that which they lived. Nope, best keep my thoughts to myself.
Eirik was about to turn and leave, but I asked, “Where is–” I could hardly bring myself to say it, “Anubis?”
“He and a few others are gone above ground,
” Eirik replied. “They should return soon. In the meantime, get acquainted with your new home and meet me in the dining hall in about sixty minutes.” They smiled. “It will be dinner time.”
I watched Eirik turn and walk back the way we came before letting out a huge breath of air. I hadn’t even realized I was holding it in. But I entered the room, exhausted from the short walk there. My body hadn’t completely healed from the chaos.
Plus, my mind was spinning on overdrive with all the new information to process. Horus, Amun. Egyptian gods. And the nagging feeling that something happened at the bottom of that pit. Something…beyond my capabilities of understanding. Because one thing was for sure. This was not the Egypt I knew of, and it made me question everything I ever read or touched or discovered.
The room provided a welcome distraction as my eyes scanned the lines of the space. A bed, much larger than the one in the infirmary, but made just the same and elevated by a stone foundation, sat off to the left. A cream-colored curtain draped from the ceiling above it and was pinned back to the wall, revealing the metallic bar that it hung from. It offered a bit of privacy and I found myself sighing in relief. To my right sat a small table, carved of stone and large enough for only two people. Behind it, a clay wash basin sat atop of a wooden crate.
I went straight for the bed and hauled the curtain closed behind me before realizing that my clothes sat folded there. I deflated against the beanbag-like mattress and propped myself up on my side as I pulled at the clothes. Looking for–there it was–the place on my shirt where Howard stabbed me. My heart beat hard, once, before quickly evening out again. I traced the line of the newly mended slot with my fingertip and shuddered. It would be a constant reminder as the bumps along the mend rubbed against my skin. But it was still better than the scratchy clothes that covered my body now.
Hastily, I flung the shirt over my head and searched through the pile for my own. Immediately noticed that Silas’s necklace was still there. Another sigh of relief. It was too soon to truly tell, but wherever I was…I think my trust was slowly growing in it.
I moved around more of my belongings and found the hoard of vodka bottles sitting at the bottom of my bag. I cracked one open and didn’t give a second thought as I poured it down my throat.
I slipped on my clothes and relaxed into the bed, completely exhausted from the most minor of effort. I awoke sometime later, stiff and groggy. Wetness at the corner of my mouth. I had no idea how much time had passed but I was certain I missed supper. Even though I felt too tired to move, my stomach growled in protest and demanded food. Damn. With a sigh, I opened the curtain and peeled myself from the warm bed.
I crept through the empty halls, winding my way toward where I knew the dining hall sat. I passed dozens of doorways. Some open like mine. The sense of life inside. But others had thin wooden slats strapped together to make a door. An ounce of privacy. I made a mental note to inquire about getting a door of my own.
Finally, I rounded a corner and the hallway mouth opened up to the vacant dining hall. The sunshine had gone from the holes in the ceiling, casting the space in a cool darkness. Similar to the way I remembered it. Seeing it now, I could almost picture the carvings in the cold stone.
I glanced around. Only a few people remained, two of which tended to the stack of pots and pans near the front. Hesitantly, I walked toward them and caught the curious expression of one as they turned. A man. Again, like Eirik, the person was human-like. Only his jet-black skin glistened with intricate veins of shimmery gold that laced the entire surface. A damp towel slung over his shoulder. I assumed he was the cook.
“Good evening,” I greeted, hoping that the uncomfortable translator stuck in my ear worked for everyone.
“And to you,” he replied with a smile. “You’ve missed dinner.”
My heart sank with disappointment.
“But there is plenty left,” he added and plucked a ladle from an empty pot. I watched, mouth watering, as he scooped two giant ladles of a stew-like dish and handed me the bowl. “You can get yourself a spoon over there.” The cook’s chin nodded toward a small table full of utensils and fresh buns.
I happily accepted the stew and grabbed a spoon on my way to a deserted table. I was only one of five people left in the great hall, the rest scattered across. Sitting by themselves. I took a mouthful of the food and thanked the heavens it was delicious. Before long, my spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl just as a tiny creature took the seat next to me. Big, unnatural, black eyes blinked up at me as it tilted its head back and forth. Examining me.
It was the thing from the infirmary, the one that rummaged through my bag. I was about to rhyme off a lecture about keeping its hands off my stuff when its boney little fingers reached up toward me. A piece of paper pinched together. Hesitantly, I plucked it from the creature’s hand and turned it over.
It was a Polaroid of me, Dad, and Silas.
“Thank you,” I said. The thing appeared pleased with itself. “For returning it.”
A strange chirping sound jittered from the creature’s throat and it seemed to smile, its tiny mouth pinching at the corners of its eyes, causing the greenish reptile-like skin to crease. Maybe this was one of the non-talking creatures that Eirik mentioned. It seemed friendly enough, so I tore my bun in half and handed one piece to the thing. Another string of chirps cooed in the air as it hastily grabbed the bread and ran off, its dog-like ears flopping against its head.
I nearly choked on the other half of my bun as the fierce shriek of a woman suddenly shot through the quiet air. I spun around in my seat to find an older lady, frantic. Possessed with fear. She hastily wiped the sweat from her wrinkled brow and called out.
“They’re coming.” Her voice was harsh and dry with defeat. The woman’s eyes glossed over, and she looked at me. “They’re coming for you.”
I felt the color drain from my face as I chewed the bread and swallowed slowly. “Me? Who’s coming?”
The woman laughed and slapped her sides, tears still threatening to pour down. “They’re coming for all of us. Horus and his men.”
Just then, a dark figure could be seen running in behind the woman and came to a halt at her side. I recognized him immediately. Anubis.
“What are you doing, woman!” he said angrily at her face. “Are you trying to cause an uproar?”
“You heard what the Wise Man just said,” the woman spat back. She wore a similar beige tunic to the one I had but covered it with a dark brown robe. Her grey hair fell long and curly around her suddenly stern face. “It’s only a matter of time.”
Anubis stepped closer to her. “Go back to the library, Rana. We’ll discuss it there with the others.” The woman named Rana was unmoved and Anubis narrowed his beady dog eyes. “Go.”
When Rana finally turned and left, Anubis faced the room and put on a smile. “I’m so very sorry for that. Rana is…under a lot of stress as of late.”
I watched his tiny black eyes scan the room, nodding to each person, and then land on me where they widened in shock. My heart sped up as the skin of my neck flushed hot with embarrassment. I had told myself the dog man was a hallucination, probably from the effects of whatever weird medication they gave me in the infirmary. But here he was. Anubis, in the furry flesh. Then I realized, as his long black legs took quick strides across the hall, it wasn’t me his gaze fell on. It was my necklace.
“May I speak with you alone?” he spoke quietly, gritting his teeth.
“W-what about?” I replied nervously.
He glanced down at the pendant once again and inhaled sharply. “About that stolen necklace around your neck.”
Chapter Ten
“Look, I already told you a hundred times,” I insisted as I sat on a stone bench inside my room. Anubis sat across from me. Frustrated. “This isn’t stolen. It was a gift to me from someone close. I swear.”
“You must know where this person got it,” he claimed and stood on his feet.
I only just notice
d how the same gold veining twisted across his skin as the chef back in the hall. Just finer lines that flexed with his tense, lean muscles. The gilded lines seemed to fade in and out as he moved.
“He said it was from his mother.”
Anubis reached up to rub at his tired face and then jerked at his own touch, as if just recognizing he had the face of a jackal. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized I still wore it. Eirik told me how you may not feel comfortable around me in this form.”
I shook my head in confusion, mouth gaped as I searched for something to say. “No, I–”
Anubis’s head began to change right before my eyes. The slick, shiny black fur of the dog melted away, pouring down to the floor where a tiny jackal appeared and sat on all fours. A gasp escaped my throat at the sight, and another when I looked up to find the dark face of a man in its place. His eyes were the same, though. Brown and piercing. Full of worry.
“Did you just…” I glanced from Anubis’s face to the dog on the floor.
“Niya is my familiar,” he explained impatiently as if I should already know this information. “I can switch between forms. Does this humanoid appearance suit you better? Make you feel more comfortable?” When I didn’t answer, still frozen in disbelief, he changed the subject with a sigh. “The amulet. How long have you possessed it?”
I rolled my eyes. This again. “I dunno, like, a few years. Silas gave it to me before…” A sharp pain pierced my chest and I closed my eyes to the wince. I did my best to keep the memories at bay, but they snuck up on me this time. I fought to calm my breathing.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded. “I think I just need to get some air.”
“I’m afraid that can’t happen,” he replied. “You’ll have to stay down here for a while. We’re dealing with an issue above ground that needs to resolve before we chance anyone surfacing.”
Ancient Hearts: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 1) Page 9
