by Gary Jonas
“Shut up and sit still, vampire,” Khamet said. “There are no shadows in the arena, so you cannot run away.”
“The vampire is your second, Khamet,” Indra said. “Should you choose to kill him, that is your prerogative, but wait until after you've slain Jonathan Shade.”
“Very well.”
“There's no need to kill me,” Victor said. “If not for me, you wouldn't even know about Shade.”
“I do not like you,” Khamet said. “That is reason enough.”
Indra shook his head. “If not for Jonathan Shade, you would not be who you are. You are a fool, Khamet. You believe yourself to be a god. So above humanity. And yet, the reason you achieved your position is because of a snag in the fabric of time. Your mind has covered so much of your original life as a human that do not even recall where you came from. How you fell in love with a woman you believed to be a goddess, and drove your brother and father to reach beyond the lives you'd known and find a way to the afterlife.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.
“And you, Jonathan Shade. Your life was truly destroyed when Chronos threw you back in time to ancient Egypt. What you don't know is that you met Khamet after a fashion while you were there, and that you and his brother, Mahu, and father, Amenken, are bound by threads that run through time.”
“You lost me,” I said.
“They were the men who mummified Tutankhamun. Khamet got a close look at the boy king's lovely young widow, Ankhesenamun, and he was smitten to the point that, when she disappeared from time, he set out to save her.”
“I was there when they mummified Tut.”
“And Khamet was one of the family members who tended to the body.”
“Holy shit, Batman,” I said. “They really were the same guys.”
“You doubted it when you met them, but yes they were. A sorcerer named Henry Winslow set Khamet and his family on the road to breaking the barriers of time.”
“I don't remember him at the mummification,” Khamet said.
“Of course not,” Indra said. “Your mind was on Ankhesenamun.”
“She was hot,” I said.
“We never found her.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You spoke through her when Winslow wanted to be turned into a god.”
“We did? She was not there when we stepped through. I had hoped she might be with him.”
“He had too much energy,” I said. “He touched her and she exploded.”
“So her death is on you as well. How is it you are still here? We took your spirit away.”
I grinned at him. “You took the younger Shade's spirit away. I was the old one.”
He nodded. “You took the younger body. But we checked the body when the spirit didn't weigh what it should have.”
“You didn't check well enough.”
“So you gained a few more years. How nice for you.”
“I'm a little hurt that you could forget me in a mere eighty-eight years.”
“For me, that was a thousand years ago,” Khamet said.
“So,” Indra said and pointed at me. “You were right that you earned more years by outsmarting them.” He pointed at Khamet. “And you were right that as a remnant in time he should not exist. Of course, in my enlightened view, neither of you should exist.”
“Which means you're going to wipe us both out?” I asked.
“It doesn't matter to me. I am not of your world. I have no interest in it, and while I once had a horse, he is not in this race as you would say. I am merely allowing you to work out your differences by combat. Should Khamet win, he can go about his business provided his business does not interfere with my sleep. And should you win, Jonathan, you may go about your business of helping people deal with supernatural problems.”
“We should begin,” Khamet said.
“Not yet,” Indra said. “First, I must lay down the ground rules.”
“Very well.”
“Khamet, you need to put your spear over there.” Indra pointed to a spot across the platform from the elephant.
“This spear is a part of me.”
“It gives you an unfair advantage. But you may use it should you be able to reach it.”
Khamet walked over and stabbed his spear into the stone disk.
“What about Kelly and Victor?” I asked.
“They are seconds. Should Khamet win, he has the choice to kill Kelly. Should you win, you are free to kill Victor.”
“And Esther?” I asked.
“Esther will be fine regardless. I do not wish her to be lonely any longer. Her devotion to you was absolute. Do not worry about her. If you win, she has the choice to go with you. If you lose, she can stay with me.”
“Before this starts,” Kelly said, “I'd like a word with Jonathan.”
“Of course. And Victor, you may have a word with Khamet.”
Kelly pulled me to the edge of the floating stone. We were high in the sky somewhere, but it wasn't cold.
“Take off the jacket and boots,” Kelly said. “You need freedom of movement. As your second, you should be allowed to tag me in. If he has to face you without that spear, you should start by tagging me in.”
“This is my fight,” I said.
“But my life is on the line, too. And if he doesn't have that spear, I can kill him.”
“You're assuming the spear is the source of his power.”
“It's a significant part of it. I kicked him and he felt it. That tells me I can kill him.”
“I don't want to back down,” I said.
Kelly sighed. “You're such a man.”
“You say that like it's a bad thing.”
“I think that mask is part of him now. I think that if you can tear it off, he'll be a regular human.”
“You got that from landing one kick?”
“It was a good kick.”
“It is time to begin,” Indra said. He walked over to the spear, and set his ribbed club down beside it. “As Khamet has a weapon of strength, I am hereby donating Vajra for Jonathan's use should he be able to get to it.”
“What about us?” Victor asked.
“Victor, you may stand by the spear. As Khamet's second, if he gets over to this area, you may give him the spear. You may not join the fight against Jonathan unless Khamet is down and unable to continue. At that point, Khamet can call you in.”
Indra motioned for Kelly to join him by the weapons. “And you, my dear Kelly, are not allowed to join the battle against Khamet unless Jonathan is down and unable to continue, at which point he can call you in. If he reaches this area, you may give him Vajra. Do not try to use it yourself, though. It was fashioned by Tvastar and has properties of magic and technology. The magic would likely disintegrate you should you try to activate the weapon. It will not harm Jonathan as he is immune to magic.”
“I understand,” Kelly said.
“And I would like to cut you off at the pass as it were, because I can see in your eyes that you're considering attacking Jonathan yourself to render him unable to fight so you can battle Khamet in his stead. Do not do that. You are on Jonathan's side, and as such, it would not be smart to hurt him.”
“Depends on how you look at it,” Kelly said.
Great, my own friend was willing to cripple me. Not quite the way I wanted this to go.
I gave her an et tu, Brute? look and she gave me a shrug.
“You say Vajra has to be activated,” I said. “Any chance you can at least give me a hint how it works?”
“You'll figure it out,” Indra said. “Or you won't.”
“So he gets a weapon that's basically an extension of him and I get an unfamiliar club?”
“Be thankful,” Indra said. “Nobody likes a whiner.”
“I wasn't whining,” I said.
“You're still whining.”
“Shall we begin?” Khamet said.
“The rules are simple,” Indra said. “You will begin with h
and-to-hand combat. Should you manage to throw your opponent off the platform, he will be cast into the void and considered dead.”
“So that's where we are?” I asked looking at the sky.
“Not exactly. Look over the edge.”
I moved to the edge of the platform. What looked like a volcano stood below us, but the center of the mountain was a pit that opened into nothingness. The void called out and I realized that the platform could actually settle down onto the mountain to close off the opening.
Beyond the mountain were more clouds. They didn't move. They just sat there like a field of cotton balls.
“If I chuck him off the side, he'll hit the mountain and roll down to safety,” I said.
“Drop something off the side and see,” Indra said.
I looked at the coat and boots I'd discarded, but I knew I'd need those if I survived. I fished a quarter from my pocket and flipped it off the side.
The quarter flashed as it spun and while it should have landed on the mountain, it took a turn and shot right into the center of the void.
“Any questions?” Indra asked.
“Can I get my quarter back?” I asked.
“Then we shall begin.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Khamet flexed his muscles and started across the platform toward me. My first thought was that I should run over and grab Vajra and try to shoot Khamet off the side.
But he stormed toward me, and I moved toward him.
He didn't think much of me as an opponent, so he just launched right into a frontal assault.
He had reason to be confident. He was stronger and bigger than me. He'd been around for thousands of years. He'd gained a great deal of power in that time.
But he didn't have Kelly Chan as his trainer.
This wasn't a boxing match, so I didn't try to get on the outside of his weaker side to swat down jabs and give myself extra time to adjust to any strong side attacks. I wasn't interested in trying to fight fair. I was interested in survival. He came at me with everything, so I just dropped below his attack, rolled onto my back and jammed my foot up into his balls.
It was a solid shot.
Cheap shot?
Maybe. So sue me.
He staggered off to the side and clutched his nads. I got to my feet, and launched a snap kick to his knee. I put everything I had into that kick, aiming well behind the knee so I could drive right through it and leave him on the ground incapable of using that leg.
Unfortunately, when I connected, it was like kicking the steel supports of a skyscraper.
I was lucky I didn't break my foot.
Turns out the kick to the nuts wasn't effective either, as he'd been faking the pain. He grabbed me and tossed me toward the edge of the platform.
I hit the ground hard and rolled off the side.
My hand caught the edge and I managed to hang on. I brought my injured hand up, gripped the lip of the platform and started to pull myself to safety. My left hand hurt, but I saw Khamet coming, ready to kick me to the moon.
I pulled myself up and as his foot came forward, I caught it and wrapped myself around his leg. He lost his balance, hit the ground and slid off the platform with me still hanging onto him.
The void sucked us down, but he was essentially a god and he refused to go. He leveled off and stood on the air. He shook his leg, trying to kick me off, but I held on. So he rose up to the level of the platform and kicked me against the side.
The first impact sent pain through my body. I let go of him, and tried to grip the edge. I started to slide off and he kicked me again.
Fortunately for me, that second kick pushed me against the platform and I managed to grab hold this time. As his leg went back, I pulled myself onto the ground and rolled away.
He stepped back onto the platform and strode toward me.
I scrambled to my feet. My chest hurt, my ribs hurt, my hand hurt, and well, to be honest, everything hurt. He rushed forward, trying to punch me. I did a shoulder roll away from him, and toward the weapons.
“Vajra!” I yelled.
Kelly tossed it toward me. I caught it and spun around, smacking Khamet in the jaw with the ribbed club.
He staggered back a step and shook his head.
I tried to find some way to activate the weapon beyond just using it as blunt force trauma. It was supposed to fire lightning bolts.
He came toward me again and I jumped to the side, swinging the club again. I missed him entirely. He laughed.
“Take your best shot,” he said.
I swung the club a third time. He caught my arm, tightened his grip then snatched the club from my hand. He smacked me in the jaw with Vajra, planting me on the ground.
“Tag me in!” Kelly said.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. My eyes wouldn't focus and I felt delirious. I rolled onto my side and threw up. Khamet put a foot on my side, pushed me over so my face went right into my vomit.
“Sorry you don't get to play,” Khamet said to Kelly.
“Call me in, Jonathan! Do it now!”
I couldn't move. Khamet held me in place with his foot. He had his back to Victor, but reached out and said, “Spear.”
In my fuzzy peripheral vision, I saw Victor reach over to try and pull the spear from the platform. Victor's eyes met mine for a moment, and I wanted to tell him to piss off, but I was still so dizzy from being belted with the club that I couldn't speak. It was all I could do to draw my last few breaths and watch those breaths move tendrils of vomit along the cracks in the rocky platform.
“Give me the spear, vampire,” Khamet said. He aimed Vajra at him to make a point.
“You rammed it into the ground so deep, it's not coming out,” Victor said. “Oh, it's loosening up now.”
“Jonathan!” Kelly yelled. “Say something! Anything! Tag me in, damn you!”
In that moment, my vision cleared a bit and I coughed. I'd lost the fight with Khamet, and I'd lost it badly. He'd kicked my ass and shoved my face in my own puke. I was no match for him. He was just too strong. All I needed to do was wait a moment. Victor would hand Khamet the spear and Khamet would jam that spear through my heart, putting me out of my misery at long last. I had no choice but to accept it.
I wasn't happy about it, but I knew it was inevitable. There was no way I could defeat someone as powerful as Khamet. The Men of Anubis were simply too much. I was just a man and I wasn't even strong enough to make them break a sweat. So I sighed and accepted my fate.
Victor pulled the spear free.
Khamet reached back for it.
Kelly screamed at me, but I'd gone into a strange state of tunnel vision. Her words didn't reach me. I stared upward waiting for the handoff and the final blow that would end me.
Victor drove forward with the spear.
The spear penetrated Khamet's back.
“You erased my wife, you bastard,” Victor said. “I should have known you wouldn't bring her back.”
Khamet grunted and the weight on my back eased when he fell to one knee. He tried to reach for the spear in his back. He fell forward onto his face, then rolled onto his side.
I pushed myself to my hands and knees.
The world spun around me.
Khamet dropped the golden club. It rolled toward me.
The bands around the top of the club curled up, over, and inward to end in sharp points that aimed at a glowing circle of light inside the shaft.
A circular ruby sat inset just below the spot where the bands connected to the shaft. I picked up the weapon and pressed the ruby. Nothing happened. Then I noted that there was a depression above the stone. I clicked upward on the ruby and the gold bands snapped outward giving the club six little spear tips.
I pushed myself to my feet, jabbed the points into Khamet's back and pushed the ruby stone one notch higher. A bolt of lightning shot out of the weapon and blasted the shit out of him.
His back arched as light, blood, and bone shot out his front. I clicked t
he ruby back and the lightning stopped.
Khamet fell face-first on the ground. I reached over, took hold of the jackal head and yanked the mask back. It peeled off and I knelt to roll Khamet over.
His chest was a gaping hole. His face was that of a young Egyptian man. He expelled one final breath and the light went out in his eyes. His spirit rose from the corpse.
“My brother and father will learn of this. You won't be safe no matter where you go, no matter what you do. They will find you and they will kill you. All of you!”
The spirit shot into the sky and disappeared.
I dragged the body over to the edge of the platform.
“Hasta la vista, baby,” I said and shoved the corpse off the side.
It dropped straight down for a moment, then shot into the void and kept falling until it was out of sight.
Kelly helped me to my feet, and dug a tissue out of her pocket to clean the vomit from my face.
“You won,” she said.
“I lost,” I said.
“You should have tagged me in.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Indra rode the white elephant across the platform.
“Congratulations on your survival, Jonathan Shade.”
“I lost that fight.”
“You are a human. You can't face off against a demigod and expect to win. Survival is the best you can hope for. So congratulations.” Indra turned to Victor. “Congratulations are also extended to you, Victor Pavlenco. I sensed that you were aligned with Khamet merely because you so loved your wife and wanted her back. Once you realized that wasn't going to happen, you took action as I hoped you would.”
“Khamet was going to kill me too,” Victor said.
Indra nodded. “Of course.”
“And his brother and father still might,” I said. “Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault,” Victor said.
“Thanks for saving my ass,” I said.
“I didn't do it for you,” he said.
“I don't care why you did it, Victor. Thank you regardless.”
“In that case, you're welcome.”
“I still say you should have tagged me in,” Kelly said. “You are such an idiot sometimes.”
“There is one last thing,” Indra said to Victor.
