I gave a nervous guffaw and wiped the sweat from my forehead, hoping he didn’t notice the way my hand slightly trembled. “What, is your father, Set, causing trouble up there?”
Anubis’s brow creased, his eyes alarmed. “How do you know who my father is?”
My mind scrambled for an answer. He was right. How could I possibly know anything about him?
I cleared my throat. “My father was, uh, a very smart man who knew a lot about Egypt and those who lived here. Live here.”
Anubis said nothing but stared at the floor. Lost in thought. A weird silence filled the air around us; me, too blindsided by everything that’s happened. Him curiously calculating…something. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Anubis spoke.
“I’ve got to go.” He turned for the door. “Please heed my words. Do not go looking for a way out.”
“So, I’m a bit of a prisoner, then?”
“No, not at all,” Anubis assured me. Niya followed close at his heels. “But right now, it’s important for you and everyone down here to stay put. Horus and Amun’s men will be searching the surface.”
“What are they looking for? What’s so bad about Horus and his men?” I asked.
“Ever since our arrival on this planet, he’s been power hungry and jealous over his brother. It’s not boded well for the people of Earth. Horus has enslaved them all to build his empire and they love him for it. They are blind to what he truly is.”
My eyebrow arched. “Which is?”
Anubis sighed. “Dangerous.”
“That’s it?” I shook my head. “That’s all you’re going to give me?”
“That’s all you need to know for now.”
I sucked in a deep breath and rubbed my tired face through my hands. “Can I at least get a door, then?”
Anubis rolled his eyes and called his familiar before disappearing into the hallway outside my room. My mind raced to cool down, the rapid and impossible reality of everything searing through my head. Getting sucked through the strange portal at the bottom of the pit. Waking up in the past. The fact that I’ve yet to see another human being aside from Rana. But most of all, Anubis’s words burned into my brain, refusing to let me forget them in the chaos of my thoughts.
Ever since their arrival on this planet?
Everything I thought I knew about ancient Egypt felt like a thin veil of lies as I fought to piece together the connections of what I knew and what I’ve been shown here. Nothing made sense. But one thing was for sure.
The Gods of Egypt weren’t from Earth.
Chapter Eleven
My body protested as I urged it to roll over. My shoulder, stiff and sore from sleeping on it, felt like a stone as I dragged myself to the side of the lumpy bed. A sweat soaked spot left behind. It had been a number of days since my last real drink–the tiny shots of vodka not counting–and I was drastically spiraling down into a cloud of detoxing as the poisons seeped from my pores. I swung my weak legs over the side and touched my toes to the cold stone floor as I willed myself to take a deep breath. The withdrawals were getting worse.
Sobriety didn’t look good on me.
I grabbed my backpack and curled back onto the bed where I dumped the contents out and scattered them across the woven blanket. My fingers rifled through Dad’s polaroid images and weathered notes, searching for something. Anything that would give me a better understanding of what was going on. But all I found was the same as before; images of the cave carvings, random notes jotted across yellowed papers of things I couldn’t understand.
With an exhausted breath, I stuffed everything back in the bag and saw my mini bottles of vodka underneath it all. My fingers twitched and my heart sped up as a new layer of sweat broke out. I’d give anything to not feel this way. But to drink them too fast would mean, once they were gone, I’d have to suffer through the withdrawals and then there’d be no more to placate me.
Right now, they were bad. But…tolerable. I could tough it out a little while more. Space out how often I drank one. Not giving myself the chance to change my mind, I hastily stuffed the bottles into my bag and hauled on the drawstring under the flap. But I couldn’t stay here, alone in my empty room with the willpower of a hungry dog.
I hopped off the bed and stretched my sore limbs. They resisted every move, but it felt good. Necessary. I shifted toward a copper basin full of fresh water and noted two neatly folded cloths to the side. I was grateful for the absence of a mirror as I took the time to freshen up and wipe as much of the vodka sweats off my skin as I could.
I slung my backpack on and headed out, remembering again to keep pressuring someone for a door. I had no idea where I really was, let alone how long I’d be here. I needed some privacy. But more importantly, right now…I needed some air.
Anubis’ warning be damned.
I thought of his words to me the last time we spoke. They bounced around in my racing mind as I wandered the dim corridors of the underground colony.
Ever since our arrival on this planet…
What did it mean? My stomach soured and a slight moan escaped my chest. I knew exactly what it meant. I just couldn’t believe it. Aliens? Off-planet beings with god-like powers? I spent my whole life studying this era, the gods, the rulers, the people. Everything. Which made me circle back around to the other thing my canine capturer said.
That Horus and Amun both ruled over Egypt with iron fists.
It just wasn’t correct. But then again…what was correct, really? How could I justify anything I’ve ever known? I was murdered by a friend and dropped two stories to a stone floor then sucked through time where I woke up among a vast array of alien life in, what I thought was, ancient Egypt. But it’s not. It can’t be. The metallic earpiece on the side of my head tugged at the skin around it. Reminding me why.
The idea of that sort of tech didn’t exist. Not any that had ever been recorded, anyway.
It was all too much. I took deep breaths and willed my heart to slow as I walked the lengths of hallways. Finally, something seemed familiar. And then another turn led me toward the exit. The one I’d walked down with Danes’ team just days ago. The route was familiar, yet…new. Fresh. The edges of the stone recently carved away to make the winding paths across the great colony.
As if it were just built.
The light up ahead changed from a dim yellow to a whiteish blue and I quickened my pace. Desperate for a fresh breath of air after days down in the sand and rocks. I’d just poke my head out and maybe take a little walk around. Enough to calm my nerves and get me through the day.
“You can’t go out there,” a voice bellowed from behind.
My chest squeezed tight and I spun around. A man I’d yet to meet came striding toward me. He was only a bit taller than me but built as wide as an ox.
“I was just stepping out for some air,” I replied casually.
He stopped a couple feet away. His gruff face pinched with concern. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow it. We’re on temporary holding. A potential threat lurks above, and no one is permitted to leave.”
“Not even for a minute?” I begged. “You can come stand with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
He turned to the side and pressed his back up against the stone wall as he motioned for me to pass him. I stifled an eye roll as I stomped off, back toward the colony and deeper underground. I was going to go crazy down here.
The smell of food tinged the air and I followed the heady aroma all the way to the Great Hall. Eggs and some kind of meat, with the slightest hint of some baked goods. For a hidden underground society, they sure ate well.
My watcher disappeared after about halfway, down some random hallway. I could run back and try once more, but my chances of getting caught again were high. Plus, now the promise of a delicious meal sang to me. My nausea was minimal, and my stomach finally had a chance to feel hungry.
I came to a halt and stood in a wide archway as I took it all in. The Great Hall was filled with people of all
kinds. Beings, I guess would be more accurate. More like the chef, with skin as dark as tar and gilded with gold. Unnaturally tall and lithe creatures with cat-like faces carried trays of food to tables where they sat to join others. More beings just like Eirik; gentle and careful in every movement while their white linens dragged across the sandy floor as they walked about. They were nearly impossible to tell apart. The alabaster skin, the stark white hair, the angelic expressions.
But that didn’t stop them from knowing who I was. From a round table of half a dozen healer beings, one of them glanced up and met my gaze. They nodded with recognition and smiled. Eirik. I watched as they said something to their friends and then stood up with their tray of food before they sauntered over toward me.
“Would you like to join us for a meal?” Eirik asked me kindly.
I noted the scrambled eggs, strips of cured meat, and a lumpy homemade bun on their tray. My mouth began to water. “I think I’ll just grab something and head back to my room.”
“Nonsense,” they replied and gently placed a hand on my shoulder, ushering me further into the hall. “Come. Sit. I’ll fetch you some food.”
I didn’t resist as Eirik kindly led me over to a table next to the one filled with their friends. I noted how they didn’t insist I sit with half a dozen strangers but, almost as if they could sense my apprehension, showed me to an empty table instead.
The others smiled and gave slow nods in my direction. I returned the expression; grateful they didn’t seem to be too chatty.
Eirik appeared across from me after a minute or two and set down a new tray of breakfast. I eyed the steaming food and my stomach growled with impatience.
“Would you mind if I joined you, then?” they asked.
How could I say no when they have been nothing but kind to me? Saved my life, even.
I stuffed the mouthful of food to the side of my mouth. “Uh, sure.”
Eirik took a seat and sat quietly as they gingerly ate the rest of their food with the smallest of bites. It was almost painful to watch. Just stuff it in your mouth, already.
“So, I think I owe you a massive thank you,” I finally spoke.
“Whatever for?” Eirik replied.
I shrugged. “For saving my life. I could never repay you for what you’ve done. Thank you.”
Eirik’s pale face beamed. “You’re most welcome, Andie. But no thanks necessary. It is my job. It is expected of me.”
I mulled that over for a moment. “Are you a prisoner down here?”
They let out a soft chuckle. “Goodness, no. Nobody is forced to be here. We choose to seek the safety and protection the colony provides. We all play a very important role in the co-existence of the people here.” They gestured to the table next to us. “Ours is healing.”
Eirik then craned around and motioned to the three men near the front of the hall where the food was being served from a long table. The ones with black, gilded skin.
“The Nuvi people are experts in agriculture and raising livestock,” they explained. “They were one of the most recent to arrive and, before them, we mainly survived off whatever the hunters brought back each day. We’re quite thankful for the Nuvi and their special abilities with generating nourishment.” Eirik glanced down at my near empty plate. “They collected the grains to make that bread, and the many chickens they raise right here in the colony provide us all with a healthy dose of protein each day.”
I nodded as if I understood, but my mind was abuzz with everything Eirik was saying. The Nuvi people were the last to arrive? Arrive from where? And how? And they raise chickens down here? How big was this underground cave system, anyway?
I stole a glance at the feline type group I spotted earlier. “And those,” I said. “Who are they?”
Eirik tipped their head in admiration toward the cat people. “The Mau. They were some of the first to arrive on this planet. They’re gentle and kind, but not to be crossed.”
“What, uh, what do they…do?” I asked. “Here, in the colony.”
“The Mau People have a natural ability to emit a sense of calm that infects those around them. They have been essential in making trade deals and diffusing hostilities.”
Trade deals? With whom? I leaned back in my chair and willed my mind to stop spinning. It felt like I was stuck in a weird dream and the sense that I was never going to wake up weighed heavy on me. Nothing sounded real. But I could feel it. The dry musk in the air, the sounds of foreign voices, the sandy stone beneath my feet. They were all tangible, constant reminders that this wasn’t a dream at all.
I cleared my throat nervously. “And…you? What sort of, I mean, what are your people called?”
Eirik smiled proudly and straightened their shoulders. “Venuvians. We are known to communicate telepathically but, since our arrival on this planet, have made an effort to train our dormant vocal cords, and learn the languages. We’re fascinated.” Eirik gave a slight shrug, so minor I would have missed it if I weren’t looking right at them. “Well, I’m fascinated, anyway. I love learning, observing.” The corner of their mouth twitched. “Especially with you.”
“Me?” I balked.
“Yes,” they replied. “Your way of speaking, the art of which you place your words. It’s different than anyone else that resides down here. Or above, for that matter. I spent hours by your bed while you healed, listened to your mutter strange words in yours sleep.”
I felt my cheeks fill with warmth and then the annoying earpiece tugged around its edges, pulling the skin. “Well, the way I speak can’t be that rare.” I tapped the metal by my ear. “You understand me now, which means this thing recognizes my language.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Eirik replied. “I understood your mutterings in the infirmary, it’s just the manner in which you use your language that fascinated me.”
Something didn’t make sense, didn’t sit right in my analytical mind. I shook my head. “But still. The device must know English. It’s the language I speak. Otherwise, how would it translate what I’m saying?”
Eirik was about to reply but their attention was stolen by something over my shoulder. I craned my neck and followed their silver gaze toward the same entrance I came in through and my heart flew into panic as I spotted an angry Anubis storming toward me.
“What are you doing?” he demanded to know as he came to halt next to my seat. His eyes, full of rage, peered down at me. Niya sat dutifully by his side.
“What are you talking about?” I said, annoyance seeping through my words. “I’m sharing a meal with Eirik. Why? Am I not allowed to do that, either?”
Anubis pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep huff of air. “I was referring to what you were doing before you came to the Great Hall.”
Oh, that. “I didn’t realize the rules to stay put were so harsh. I just wanted some fresh air.”
He struggled to keep his cool. “You endanger the lives of the hundreds who reside down here. The people who rely on the safety that this colony provides. You’d risk it all for a breath of fresh air?”
Hundreds? I swallowed nervously. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize–”
“The Wise Man was correct,” Anubis spat. “You’re like a child. You’ll need to be watched more closely.”
I stood up from my chair and raised my chin to his face. “The who? Look, I am not some child. It was a simple mistake and I’ve apologized. And I’d greatly appreciate it if you didn’t have me watched more closely.”
I tried to storm off in a cool fashion, but Anubis wouldn’t have it. His hand snatched my arm and held it in a death grip as his gaze bored into me. “This is your final warning. Stay underground until the threat has cleared. Then, I promise, I’ll take you outside myself.”
I wriggled my arm free and glared up at him. “I can manage alone, thank you.” Then I flashed him a brazen grin as I spun on my heel back toward my seat and plucked the last piece of smoked meat from my plate. I lobbed off a bite and turned back to A
nubis. “But a door for my room might help me stay put.”
I didn’t give him the chance to reply. I offered Eirik a friendly nod before I headed toward one of the many archways that opened the Great Hall to the rest of the colony and made my way back to my room. I paced the dirt floor as my limbs went tight with anxiety. I had to get out.
My eyes examined the narrow doorway to my room; the fresh cut stone told me this must have been a new area that they formed. Maybe they just hadn’t got to adding doors to the rooms in this hall yet. Regardless, I needed the privacy a door would provide and the cover it would give so I could slip away without anyone knowing I was gone.
The surface around the opening on the inside of the room was rough and jagged, with natural bumps and hook above the top. Immediately, without a second thought, I began dislodging the metal bar that held the curtain around my bed. Sand and bits of stone crumbled to the floor. It took a few tries, but it finally came loose, and I secured it above my door. It was crooked but covered the opening. It would do.
Now…to escape.
I tightened the laces on my leather boots and secured my backpack over my shoulders before peering out into the hall. It was empty. I closed my eyes and listened for approaching footsteps, but nothing echoed off the walls.
I made sure the curtain was closed then took off down the corridor as carefully as I could with heavy boots on a sandy surface. The majority of the population must still be in the Great Hall, with more headed that way. Mealtime was the best chance I would have at sneaking out.
But Anubis’ warning suddenly chimed in my ears and I worried just how much danger I would be putting everyone in. I shook away the thoughts. I wasn’t going to venture far. Even just right outside the door. Enough to breathe something other than stale, underground air. Something to fill my veins with oxygen so I could get through the night without bending to the temptation to down all my vodka.
I didn’t need it. I could beat this.
But who was I kidding? I hardly believed my own words of assurance. But maybe, if I spoke them enough, they would ring truer as the days went on. I had no idea where I was or…when I was with even less of an idea of how to get back home. I’d have to find ways of coping until then.
Ancient Hearts: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 1) Page 10
