by Chris Fox
“Sekhmet,” Isis boomed, striding into the chamber. She shifted back, flowing into human form by the third step. Her pace didn’t slacken, and she ignored the others as she passed them. Her attention was reserved for her near-sister. “I call for parlay. What say you?”
Sekhmet, or Ra as she styled herself, looked up in shock. Her eyes widened, and her mouth worked silently as she stared down at Isis. Isis merely waited, folding her arms across her breasts as she waited for Sekhmet to regain her composure.
“You send your pack to invade my Ark, not once, but twice. Then you have the temerity to ask for parlay?” Sekhmet said, leaning forward on her throne. She speared Isis with her gaze, and Isis knew a moment of terror. She quickly suppressed it. “Why shouldn’t I slay you and your impudent pack? I already posses the key to your Ark, as you are no doubt aware.”
“I have asked for parlay out of remembrance of the friendship we once shared. I honor the woman you used to be,” Isis said, resisting the urge to shift. She extended her right hand, summoning the Primary Access Key. It flowed into her hand, strength welling up within her as it manifested. “I will say this but once. Accept parlay, or I will show you bloodshed the likes of which not even you have seen. You are a peerless warrior, Sekhmet. Yet you know I am the world’s foremost shaper. Do you really wish to see what I can do? Your key to my Ark is meaningless. I can use the Primary Access Key to take yours from you right here and now.”
Gasps rustled through the room like a hot breeze. The tension thickened as Sekhmet’s court prepared themselves for battle. Younger members, like Irakesh, wore their confidence like armor. The older and wiser, like Anubis, grimly prepared for death. They’d heard legends of the weapon she held.
“Very well,” Sekhmet finally said. She rose to her feet, descending the steps gracefully. “I grant your parlay, in remembrance of the woman you used to be.” Sekhmet stopped before her, resting one hand on each of Isis’s shoulders. She leaned forward, kissing one cheek, then the other.
Isis tensed, but there was no subterfuge here. That pleased her, as it showed that some part of her friend remained inside the cold, undead shell.
“The rest of you, leave us,” Sekhmet said, waving a hand dismissively.
“What of the Ka-Dun?” Anubis rumbled, taking a threatening step toward Blair.
A golden sword materialized from the shadows, its blade pressed against the Jackal’s neck. Liz leaned in close, growling loudly enough for the room to hear. “How about we leave him be, ’kay?”
Sekhmet laughed, turning back to Isis. “Your latest daughter has spirit. I like her. Anubis, Isis and her pack are now under the aegis of parlay. They have full guest right. Trevor, step forward.”
Isis turned toward a figure she hadn’t noticed, perhaps because he’d been cloaked in shadow. The flame-haired youth walked guiltily into the light, refusing to meet his sister’s gaze.
“Yes, mighty Ra?” he asked.
“Escort the Ka-Ken and her Ka-Dun to your quarters. They may rest there until the parlay is concluded,” she ordered, turning back to Isis once more. “Now near-sister, let us speak.”
Chapter 28- Get in the First Shot
Liz eyed Trevor sidelong as he led them through the Ark, letting the silence linger until they entered the room that must belong to him. It was well-decorated, though it didn’t match her brother at all. Of course neither did the strange flowing white clothing he wore, or the sword that now rode at his hip.
“You’ve changed a lot. It’s only been a few days. What the fuck happened?” she asked, quietly in case there were other ears about.
“Uh,” he said, more than a little sheepishly. “I’ve done what I had to in order to blend in.”
“Mighty Ra?” Blair asked, his tone more than a little accusatory.
“Listen, I didn’t have a lot of choice. It was either join the enemy camp and do what I can, or spend my time in a cell,” Trevor snapped, eyes flaring green. “That’s assuming they didn’t just kill me outright, which was a very real possibility.”
“Where is Jordan?” Liz asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral. Trevor had a defensive streak, and if they both ganged up on him they’d get nowhere.
Trevor avoided her gaze, pausing so long she nearly asked him the question again. He didn’t look up when he finally spoke. “They put a collar on him, and gave me the bracelet that controls it. It’s awful. He’s…basically a slave. They let him roam free, but he can’t shape, or change. He answers to me, I guess.”
Liz, he’s gone native. Or is going native. Blair’s voice echoed in her head. I’m not sure we can trust him anymore.
“Did you speak up in his defense?” Liz asked, stalking to a chair and dropping into it. She tried to keep her tone level, but knew some accusation had crept in.
“No,” Trevor said, hanging his head. He paused again, finally looking up at her. He was in anguish. “I can’t, Liz. My position here is tenuous at best. Ra is learning to trust me, and she listens to my advice. I’m in a position to do some good. If I tried to free Jordan it wouldn’t accomplish anything. They won’t let him get away, and it would just weaken my position here.”
“Trevor, you’re a friend,” Blair said, sitting in the chair next to Liz. He folded his hands in his lap. “I’m not passing judgement, but you have to see how this looks. They’re assimilating you. You look different. You’re acting different. The choices you’re making aren’t in the best interest of our pack, and you know that. If they were, you’d be asking us about escape right now. You’re not. You’re ready to do whatever Ra asks.”
Trevor recoiled as if struck, but didn’t reply. He looked helplessly at Liz, but all she could was avoid his gaze.
“Guys, I am different,” he finally said, sitting on the edge of his bed. “I know we don’t like to talk about it, but I’m deathless. I’m not a champion. Like it or not, these are my people. Maybe that means we’re on opposite sides of a war, but we are different species. If we’re lucky, Isis and Ra will hammer out some sort of agreement. If not, I’ll do everything in my power to help you escape. But I’m staying. I can do some good here. I’m learning so much, growing stronger every day.”
Liz felt a tear slide free, and wiped it brutally away. She rose restlessly, pacing the spacious chamber. “Do what you think is right, of course.”
Blair looked askance at her, but she shook her head. She didn’t want him delving Trevor’s mind, coercing him in any way. If Trevor wanted to stay, well, he’d made his choice.
“You,” Isis snapped, sweeping into the chamber. The comment was directed at Trevor, who rose nervously to his feet. “Out. Find somewhere else to be. Maybe Sekhmet will have space in her bed. Wherever you go, make sure it is out of earshot. If I detect you anywhere near this room I will end your miserable existence.”
“I get it. I’ll give you guys some space,” he said, giving Liz a nod as he departed. His sandals clacked on the stone, growing distant after a few moments.
“You’re back already?” Blair asked, rising to his feet and peering down the hallway after Trevor. He returned a moment later.
“The parlay was short. Sekhmet permitted a mindshare, providing I allowed certain safeguards. We communicated much in a short time,” Isis said, looking more than a little distracted. If she’d been a cat her tail would have been twitching.
“So what happened?” Liz asked, listening to see if Trevor had remained. She seriously doubted it, as he hated eavesdropping. But who knew how much he’d changed?
“I explained to Sekhmet what I knew of the Nexus. She was as alarmed as I that the conduit had been severed,” Isis explained, mouth going sour. “That was the end of our agreement. She, too, believes Osiris may be responsible. She wishes to marshall her armies and march immediately for Olympus, to recruit the gods there to wage war. I counseled caution. We do not know for certain Osiris is behind this, and even if he is we know nothing about his motives.”
Isis shattered a porcelain vase with her fist
, eyes flaring silver. “She called me a besotted fool. She thinks me unable to act, because of my feelings for Osiris. That led to a quarrel, and it did not end well. She suggested we continue in the morning, but I know her well enough to know that will accomplish nothing.”
“Isis,” Blair asked cautiously. “Why do you call her Sekhmet when everyone else addresses her as Ra?”
“It is a long tale, but I’ll give it to you in brief,” she said, obviously still agitated. “Sekhmet was part of my tribe, along with Osiris. We came to the Cradle many millennia ago, in pursuit of Set. When we arrived we found that a vast empire already existed here. They were called the Nubians, and they were led by a powerful god who called himself Ra. We didn’t know exactly how old Ra was, but he was thousands of years older than us. He was immensely powerful, but through many struggles we eventually defeated him.
“Sekhmet adopted his mantle, changing her name and taking the Ark of the Cradle for herself. She set up her empire on the ashes of his, even continuing the same religion,” Isis explained, features contorted in disgust. “I was horrified, and that began the rift between us, though we did not split for many more centuries. I will not address her by Ra’s title, because she has no claim to it.”
“I see,” Blair said, quietly. “Thank you for explaining.”
“You’re planning on fleeing, aren’t you?” Liz said, stopping her pacing and settling her attention on Isis’s tiny form.
“I am,” the goddess said, giving a quick nod. “We will follow through with the original plan. The two of you will light walk to Olympus, where you will contact Hades and learn where he and his brothers stand in all this. I will distract Sekhmet by seizing control of the Sand Kraken.”
“Okay. I still don’t like the plan, but we’ll do as you ask,” Liz said. She took a deep breath. “What about Jordan? He’s here, and apparently Ra has enslaved him. Can we rescue him?”
“We cannot risk it,” Isis said, shaking her head. “If we attempt it then Sekhmet will know what we intend. We must move swiftly. The Ka-Dun will have to fend for himself, at least for the time being.”
Chapter 29- Saved
Mark took a single step backward, surveying the vampires encircling him. There were seven, all older, and more experienced than he was. He couldn’t fight them, but he could run. Mark drew on the well of energy inside him, pulling up enough strength to teleport to the street outside. It built more swiftly than it had the last time he’d tried it, perhaps because of his desperation. Then the power shattered, evaporating like mist in the dawn.
“Did you really think it would be that simple?” Alaunus said, gripping the middle of his cane in one hand. He used the other to pull a long, slender blade. “We’d never have shown you the ability if we feared you using it to escape.”
“How did you stop me?” Mark asked, mostly to play for time.
“You’re little more than an infant,” Alaunus sneered. He whipped the blade experimentally through the air. “It’s a pity you couldn’t be persuaded to join us.”
“Grandfather, maybe we could give him another chance,” Elle said, biting her lip. “Asking him to trust us immediately is difficult. He may just need time to see what we’re about.”
“It’s too late for that,” Alaunus said, shaking his head. His eyes narrowed. “We will not win his loyalty under duress, and if we keep him here to train him, then he’ll never be able to go back. Osiris will know he’s compromised, which would make him useless.”
Mark considered arguing his case, but knew it was useless. So he attacked, launching a rabbit punch at the old man’s gut. Alaunus flowed out of the way, backhanding Mark with the hand that held the cane. The blow sent Mark rolling into one of the tables, spilling the computer to the ground in a shower of sparks. He expected the others to fall on him, but none moved to do so. Apparently they were allowing Alaunus to execute him.
“At least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your cause is doomed,” Mark said, rising to his feet. He wiped blood from his mouth with the corner of his hand. “Your organization is pathetic, and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Osiris wipes you out.”
“That might be more difficult than you think,” Alaunus replied, a predatory grin splitting his wrinkled face.
“I doubt it,” came a rich tenor from the shadowed corner near the basement stairs. Dress shoes clicked on the concrete as Osiris stepped into the light, a silvery rapier clutched loosely in one hand. His eyes glowed with emerald power, and his mouth was tight with anger. “Director Phillips is right, Alaunus. Your organization is pathetic.”
“How did you find us?” Alaunus asked, backpedaling toward the opposite wall as he glanced around the room in panic.
“Why do you think I finally sired progeny after waiting centuries?” Osiris said, taking another step into the room. His stance was fluid, something between a dancer and a soldier. “I created Mark so my enemies would see the opportunity, and attempt to turn him to their cause. I knew your group existed, though I confess I had no idea who was leading it. How did you survive, Alaunus? What did it cost you?”
“You used me,” Mark snapped, stalking over to Osiris. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Think it through, Director,” Osiris replied, his gaze never leaving Alaunus. “I had no way of ensuring your loyalty. For all I knew you could have chosen to join Alaunus, and I’d have had to wipe you out too. I’m pleased it didn’t come to that, but keeping you ignorant both allowed me to test you, and to guarantee you’d give this lot a convincing performance.”
“Grandfather, what does he mean about you surviving?” Elle asked, gaze shifting between Osiris and Alaunus. Mark stifled his anger, taking a step closer to Osiris.
“Yes, grandfather, why don’t you tell her who you really are? How you survived into this age?” Osiris said, slowly circling the tables to a more open section of the basement. Mark followed, keeping Osiris between himself and the others.
“A necessary fiction, Elle,” Alaunus said, glancing at her briefly. “I am much older than I pretended. I walked the earth during the last ice age, when Ark Lords like Osiris ruled us. I was one of the first progeny—”
Osiris blurred, his sword carving a line of light in the air as he separated a woman’s head from her body. He glided through their ranks, carving like a butcher. The vampires scattered, some wearing a look of concentration. Alaunus was one of them. He eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth as Osiris carved through his compatriots. There was a sharp swelling of shadow around him, and then he was gone.
“Blast it,” Osiris snarled, dispatching another vampire. Only Elle remained now. He turned his attention on her, then to Mark. “Can she be trusted?”
“I don’t know,” Mark said, eyeing Elle critically. “I think so, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“What do you have to say for yourself, girl?” Osiris demanded.
Elle merely stood there, eyes wide as she surveyed the room full of bodies. “He abandoned us. I can’t believe he just left.”
“Elle,” Mark snapped. That finally drew her attention. She looked at him, then paled when she turned her gaze on Osiris.
“If I let you live, what will you do?” Osiris said, taking a threatening step forward.
“I’ll flee,” she said in a small voice. “I won’t oppose you again. How can I? You’ve wiped us out, and Grandfather deserted us.”
“Good,” Osiris said, giving a quiet nod. “Know this: I am not the monster he painted me to be. Leave here in safety, and try to find a place where you can weather the coming storm. I’d make it far from England, the further the better.”
Elle gave a grateful smile, then swirled into the shadows as Alaunus had done.
Mark was silent for a long moment before leaving. “Why did you let her live?”
“Because I truly believe she’s innocent in this. Alaunus manipulated this entire nest, convincing them I was the true threat,” Osiris said, flicking the blood from his sword. He withdrew a wh
ite handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit, wiping down the blade.
“You let Alaunus go, didn’t you?” Mark asked. If Alaunus could block him from teleporting, then it stood to reason Osiris could have done the same.
“I did,” Osiris said, eyeing Mark thoughtfully.
“Why?”
“Because he will report back to his true master, Set,” Osiris explained, resting the tip of his sword against the concrete. “He will tell Set he overpowered my shield, which may lead Set to believe me weaker than I am. Set will also assume that I believe I’ve purged my organization of spies. I haven’t, but it is best he not know that.”
“So what happens now?” Mark asked.
“We ready ourselves for war.”
Chapter 30- Light Walk
Liz gasped as the shadows flowed around Blair, pulling him closer. They were colder than she’d expected, numbing her skin as they washed over her fur.
“Well done, Ka-Ken,” Isis whispered from a neighboring shadow. “As I said, it will be taxing, but you can bring your Ka-Dun to the central obelisk undetected. From there you can light walk to Olympus.”
“Won’t the Ark be locked?” Blair asked, his voice curiously disembodied.
“I will unlock the Ark’s defenses. Sekhmet will sense that immediately, and send minions to deal with me. She may even face me herself,” Isis explained. Her voice was moving closer to the door. Liz trailed after. “Use that distraction to escape. Light walking will only take a moment. By the time she feels you it will be too late. But be swift, or risk losing the shadows before you arrive.”
“We’re going,” Liz-wolf rumbled. She quickened her pace, sprinting up the corridor. Carrying Blair was taxing, and more than just physically. It drained her energy, the reservoir she’d been building over the last several weeks. So many nights basking under the moon, and all of it would soon be gone if she wasn’t swift enough.
