“How will we get there unnoticed, then?” I asked as he reached the door.
He turned and grinned. “Giant portals aren’t the only wonder of this world.”
***
I followed close behind my father and Anubis as they took me through never-ending tunnels that led away from the colony. Shadow didn’t stray. He scampered across the dirt floor, trying to keep pace and chased after Niya. After a while, I bent down and scooped him into my arms to give him a break.
“How much farther?” I asked.
Anubis’ voice echoed through the torchlight that filtered the darkness. “Not much. A few more yards.”
I touched my hand to the wall and ran my fingertips along the ridges where tools clearly dug the tunnels. “So, were these made for the colony?”
“No,” Dad replied from the middle of our small line. “They were originally made for the safe transport of kings and queens. Pharaoh Khufu, originally. He became so hated by his own people that he risked his life any time he left the palace. His men spent years digging this tunnel system so he could come and go as he pleased.”
That reminded me of a question I’d made a mental note of before. When I tried to figure out where in the timeline we were. “So, who is the ruler of Egypt right now?”
“Khufu’s grandson, Menkaure,” he told me.
I nodded as we trekked along. Made sense. He erected the third pyramid. “At least the people have a merciful king to rely on with the likes of Horus running around.”
From the front, Anubis chortled as we neared the end of the hallway we ventured down. “A pharaoh for the people is only as kind as the deity in his ear.”
I grimaced. “Let me guess. Horus controls him?”
“You’re not wrong,” he replied and then came to a halt before turning around. Two rectangles were cut out of the stone wall. “Here we are.”
“What’s this?” I asked as I examined the shapes.
They recessed a couple of feet in and stood at least seven or eight feet high. Like unfinished doorways.
“The portal we protect back at the colony is one of a few stationed around the world,” Anubis said. “Through them, we can travel long distances. In the blink of an eye, we can leave here and be on the other side of the planet.”
“But with these,” Dad chimed in, “we can travel more locally. If the portal we traveled through was a plane, then these would be cars. So to speak.”
I nodded and tugged at my backpack straps. “Like the other side of the Nile. Why two?”
Anubis laid his long, dark fingers along an outside corner. “One for leaving, and one for arriving. And you can only travel to places you can see in your mind.”
He then glanced down and made a weird clicking sound with his tongue. Niya’s canine form turned to smoke as it crawled up Anubis’ body where they became one and his top half manifested into the god-like being history depicted him as.
I pretended it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and turned to my father with a blank stare. “And, uh, who made them? Khufu’s men?”
Dad shook his head while Anubis stood by quietly, patiently waiting. “The Star People. The pharaohs were taught how to use them, of course. But the portals have been here for centuries. Maybe more.” His face lit up with an expression I knew all too well. The teacher, the lecturer that resided in my father was an eager side of his personality and he smiled anxiously. “Millions of years ago, a network of beings and their varying planets sent seeds out into the universe. An array of DNA, floating through the stars in search of fledgling planets that could harbor life. Earth was lucky enough to have so many beings take root here. But it’s resulted in tension and wars over the years.”
“Really?” I looked to Anubis.
He gave a stiff shrug. “More or less. The Star People fight amongst themselves, almost as much as they have tension with the beings of Earth.”
“So, where do the Gods fit into all of this?” I asked.
“We’re not Gods, Andie,” Anubis replied solemnly. “The people of Earth call us that because our lineage can be traced back to one single being, and to a time that predates most life in the universe.” He leaned against the wall with a deep sigh. As if the topic bored him to death. “And because we have no home planet to call our own. We simply just…existed one day. And we can live forever, life after life.”
I chuckled. “Sounds pretty God-like, if you ask me.”
Anubis’ shoulders slumped. “Yes, I suppose it does.”
My forehead pinched together. “So, what’s with those stones if you can live forever?”
“We’re all children of Atum-Ra, the great creator. But not Amun. Osiris and Isis wanted another son, a counterpart for Horus. So, they took a piece of him to create Amun. Neither are whole, their souls both fragile. They require the stones to assume life eternally.”
“So, they’ve had different bodies before?” I chewed at the inside of my cheek.
Anubis gave a single nod. “Yes. Many.” His jackal mouth curved at the sides. “But a few million years will do that.”
All sound squeezed from my throat as I imagined the fact that Silas was millions of years old. The dim space where we stood fell so silent that I could hear the hard beating of my heart. Dad suddenly patted me on the back and snapped me from the spiraling daze.
He gave me a fatherly smile. “You’ll get used to it all. Trust me.”
Anubis stood inside one of the rectangles and tucked himself into a corner to make room for us. “Step inside or you’ll be left behind.”
I did as I was told and followed Dad, pressing myself up against the wall inside. Shadow clung to my leg. I don’t know what I expected. A blinding white light? A loud whooshing sound as we cut through the distance? Only, I closed my eyes, bracing for the same sickening feeling that I encountered before, but was met with…nothing. An emptiness or, rather, nothingness.
In a split second, the world came rushing back to me and I opened my eyes to a whole new location. A stunning courtyard lush with greenery and running water and chirping birds. My stomach rolled and I made a beeline for the edge of a large fountain where I lurched over the edge. The meager contents of my gut spewing into the lovely crystal-clear water. Portal travel was painfully sobering.
Dad and Anubis were at my sides immediately. Shadow cooed at my feet.
“Are you alright?” Anubis asked.
I glanced to my other side where Dad stood, his arms crossed under an expression that flooded my chest with regret. With shame. He was putting the pieces together too fast.
I wiped at my face with the back of my sleeve. “I’m fine.” The two words trembled from my lips.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit, nephew?” spoke a voice as lovely as liquid sugar from across the glorious courtyard.
I managed to stand straight as a woman gracefully glided toward us. Her pale skin practically glowed with ethereal beauty. Hair like spun gold that cascaded down to her waist, silky white linens draped over her lithe figure. Held in place with bands of woven leather. If someone tried to tell me Gods didn’t exist, I’d call them a liar in her presence. I stood in awe as Anubis embraced his aunt in a quick hug.
“Isis,” he said, and half turned toward Dad and me. “This is Alistair, the Wise Man I told you about.”
Her fiercely blue eyes lit up as she regarded my father. “Is that so?” she quipped with a smile and held out her hand. “How lovely to finally meet the man who’s been helping my sweet nephew.”
Dad took her hand in his as he gave a little bow and I tried my best to stifle a giggle.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” he replied.
My canine friend then motioned to me. “And this is Andie, Alistair’s daughter.” He cleared his throat and flitted his gaze below our line of sight. “As well as…Amun’s lover.”
Isis stiffened with a sharp inhale and stared wide-eyed at me. “Is that so?”
My cheeks filled with heat. “Well, that’s
not exactly the word I would use. But…yes. Amun–” the name felt foreign on my tongue, wanting to be replaced with Silas– “He and I are…together. Were together, I guess I should say.”
Her head tilted back. “Ah, yes. Before Horus got his hands on him, I assume?”
I could only afford a nod.
“Then you can tell me what my son was doing before he returned to us?” she asked. “Where he’s been?”
I exchanged a glance with Dad and then regarded the goddess with a straight face. “I’m afraid that’s a bit of a long story and we’ve come to you for another matter altogether.”
“Then I suppose this meeting calls for the company of alcohol,” she replied and plucked two glasses of wine off a tray from a nearby table.
She offered one to me and it was like all the blood in my body immediately ran backward, towards the promise of my vice. Like liquid metal beckoned by a magnet. My chest tightened as my breath quickened and a cool sweat broke out across my skin.
My tongue slid over hungry lips. Parched and desperate for a taste. But I clenched my fists and folded my arms tight across my torso as I avoided meeting my father’s look of anticipation. “Uh, no, thanks.”
“Isis,” Anubis said, stealing back her attention. “We’ve come to you to ask for help.”
She handed him one of the glasses of wine. “Of course. What can I do?”
He exchanged a look with my father. “We’re going to fix Amun. We need to get him away from his brother.”
She set her cup down hastily. The crimson contents spilling over the rim. “Absolutely not. I’ve told you before. It’s a waste of time and precious efforts to separate them and capture Amun. He’s too powerful and under the influence of Horus. How he managed to gain control over his mind, I’ll never know. There’s no reasoning with either of them.”
Dad folded his hands together. “If I may. Amun doesn’t need to be captured or reasoned with. Underneath it all, I’m sure both men love their mother. Perhaps you can lure him away?”
“But to what end?” Isis replied, unsure. “My true son is gone. The man in that shell is nothing more than a puppet in my other son’s hands. You’d only be endangering yourselves and everyone in the colony.” Her face softened with a motherly sigh. “You’ve tried in the past. It didn’t work.”
“Yes, but that was before we had Andie,” Anubis replied. “And Amun’s amulet.”
Isis’ cerulean stare widened, and she stepped closer to me with an anxious energy. “Is this true? May I…see it?”
I suddenly felt exposed, and part of me wanted to keep Silas’ necklace hidden. Safe within my shirt. But Anubis and Dad both gave me permissible looks and I slowly pulled the chain up through the neck of my tank top before letting the stone sit in the palm of my hand.
Isis’ breath caught in her throat as her eyes glossed over. She stared at it. Her hand carefully reaching out and caressing the surface with a fingertip.
“My goodness,” she whispered. “I thought I’d never see this again. We all assumed Horus destroyed it hundreds of years ago.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked.
She shook away the haze that covered her expression and smiled as she quickly wiped at the wetness under her eyes. “Oh, just a silly tiff. Those boys, always quarreling. Horus never could control that temper of his.” A smile spread across her lips. “I love them both, regardless. That’s why I made the amulets. So my boys could choose to live forever like us. I just never thought they’d use them against one another.”
“Why is Horus such a dick?” I asked.
“Andelyn!” my father scolded.
I rolled my eyes as Isis chuckled softly. “It’s his nature. He has a heart, but it’s fueled by jealousy. He wants what his brother has.”
I stuffed the necklace back in my shirt. “Which is?”
“Love, dear,” she replied. “The love of the people. The love of me and his father. He sees how Amun doesn’t have to work for it, and he doesn’t understand why he must struggle to obtain it. And perhaps he never will see why.”
“Can you help us then?” Anubis asked.
Isis scooped up her glass and took a long sip. “I worried that the man my son returned as wasn’t the same, but I know now.” She gently squeezed my shoulder. “He can be. Thanks to you. We can fix what’s been done to him. I’ll help lure him away from his brother and you can then take him to a secure location where I can use the stone to restore my son.”
My heart sprang to life. “You can do that? You can bring Silas back?” Her face pinched with confusion. “Uh, I mean Amun. You can bring the real Amun back?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Once Amun dies, his complete soul will be held within the stone and then I can use it to restore him. Anew. Full. With the memory of who and what he truly is.”
My blood ran cold and pounded in my ears. “Wait. Did you say die?”
Anubis took a sip of wine. “Yes. Only for a moment. We’ll kill him swiftly.”
“Kill him?” I shrieked. “Absolutely not!”
Dad touched my arm. “Andelyn–”
I cringed away. “No! We’re not killing the man I love, Dad. What if it doesn’t work?”
“Oh, I assure you it will, dear,” Isis said. “And he won’t die, only the body will.”
“Andie, it’s the only way,” Anubis urged. “I know it sounds extreme, but it’s how it’s done. Amun has died a thousand deaths and is always restored anew.” He lowered his voice. “I promise you. I would never let anything happen to him.”
My lungs suffered under the sudden anxiety as it pressed in from all around. I couldn’t take a full breath. What was I considering? Killing Silas? My mind and heart couldn’t reconcile the notion. But I knew they were right. It’s why we came all this way, because I had the stone and Isis could help fix him.
“O-okay,” I choked out. “Let’s do it, then.”
The words came from somewhere else. I knew what had to be done. I knew this was the way. But I still couldn’t accept it. Could I really help them kill the man I loved? As I followed everyone out of the courtyard and further into Isis’ home, my stomach soured with the only reality I faced.
Yes, I could help them kill Silas because…what other choice did I have?
Chapter Eighteen
The bottoms of my feet began to throb as I continued to pace the dirt floor near the portals shaped like doorways. Dad made it clear I was in no shape to go fetch Silas. And I didn’t have it in me to argue. I was falling apart.
Sweat pooled in all my unsightly places and I yearned for a drink. Just something to take the edge off. Adrenaline pushed my thirsty blood hot through my body. I shook my arms every few seconds while Shadow wove in and out of my pacing legs.
I was getting Silas back.
This was like winning the lottery of life and death. And love…
Any moment now, my dad and Anubis would come barrelling through one of those rectangles with the man I loved in tow. But what if they failed? What if their plan backfired and they got hurt?
I clenched my fists as a moan squeezed from my throat. “Why aren’t they back yet?”
Shadow chirped nervously from the floor while I contemplated grabbing one of the last few vodka bottles in my bag. My trembling hands itched for it, and I stuffed them under my armpits. But I could feel my resolve melting away with each passing second.
Just then, something pinched the air, and the cavernous space filled heavy breaths as a clump of figures appeared. Dad on one side, Anubis on the other. Both dragging a squirming body draped in a sheet.
“Are you guys okay?” I asked, the words nothing but a gasp in my throat.
The sheet covered the person’s face and, even though I knew who it was, I somehow couldn’t reconcile it with myself. I needed to see him. For my heart to believe it.
“Yes, we’re fine, Peach,” my father said with strain. “Let’s get him secured.”
I let the three of them pass me and I followed close
behind. Unable to form words. That was him. Silas. He was right there in front of me. I recognized the way the outline of his body moved. The sound of his low, raspy voice grunting in protest to being taken against his will. Like recognizing a part of myself.
It seemed like a blip in time before we were already through the winding tunnels and I knew we neared the colony. I could smell the stench of old breakfast in the air and the warm smell of a mid-day meal brewing. Some kind of soup, by the smell of it.
But we veered away from the heart of the settlement and carted Silas’ still-wrestling body down a corridor I’d yet to venture. The air became damp and chilly and I knew we were descending farther underground. Torches secured in the walls became more frequent, lighting the dim space as we left the colony behind us. A row of half a dozen cell-like cavities came into view on the right. Each covered with thick metal bars. The Star People had an incarceration system? The empty, almost untouched rooms told me they weren’t needed often. A good sign, I guess.
Dad and Anubis, short of breath as they fought to restrain the captive, tossed the body inside a cell and closed the metal door. A hefty padlock secured it with a loud click.
“Isis is going to meet us here in the morning,” Anubis said through labored breaths. “She’s remaining in her palace in case Horus comes sniffing around for his brother.”
“She was a great help,” Dad added. “The extraction was almost flawless.”
I had no words. Could hardly form a coherent thought. Unblinking, I stood as stiff as a rock while I stared at the man in the cell. He grumbled angrily and wrestled with the sheet that covered him. I watched as he managed to find his footing and stand tall, the sheet still wrapped around his upper half. Then I realized why he struggled so much. Two thick golden cuffs held his wrists together and glowed with an unearthly light.
“W-what are those?” I asked, the sound barely a whisper that trembled across my lips.
“The cuffs?” Dad said. “Courtesy of his mother. She enchanted them to bind his wrists so Amun couldn’t use his powers.”
Ancient Hearts: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 1) Page 15
