The Blue Lotus

by Marisa Chenery

  Mahes stopped their meandering stroll when they reached the Sphinx. They ended up standing in front of the dream stele.

  Kendra looked at Mahes; he seemed to be staring off into space. “Is it there?"

  With a nod of his head, Mahes gave Kendra a smile. “Yes, it is. This is the one. It is just beneath the feet of the Sphinx. I will be able to get us inside without any problems."

  "Good. If only you could get us in there now."

  Markus made his way over to Kendra and put his arm over her shoulders. “Patience little sister. The time for that will be upon us before you know it. But for now, relax and let's enjoy the show. It is just about time for it to start."

  Markus was correct. Leaving the Sphinx, and rendezvousing with Scott and Tory at the Great Pyramid, they were greeted with the start of the show.

  A voice over a loud speaker boomed, “You have come tonight to the most fabulous and celebrated place in the world. Here on the Plateau of Giza stands forever the mightiest of human achievements. No traveler, emperor, merchant or poet has trodden on these sands and not gasped in awe."

  So began the nightly sound and light show. Kendra only paid half attention to the spectacle going on around her. Any other time she would have enjoyed the show immensely for it really was an impressive sight. But this night it was only a distraction to help make the minutes tick by more quickly.

  When the time finally arrived, Kendra's nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Knowing that a possible way of undoing what she had started, and maybe just maybe, there was a slim chance of getting Nefertem back, her patience was at an all time low. She would even settle for just seeing him again as he was now.

  They wandered around the pyramids after the show until they were the only ones there. With only a couple of security guards left, Mahes used his ability to make them think all the sightseers had departed.

  Now they stood before the Sphinx a short distance away from its gigantic paws. Mahes took control of the situation. “To get us all into the chamber at the same time, I need you to hold hands. Do not, and I cannot stress this more strongly, do not let go until we are all safely inside. If you let go before we reach the chamber...” Mahes let his sentence go unfinished. From the look on his companions’ faces, he knew they all could comprehend what their fate would be if they did not do as he said.

  Doing as they were instructed, Kendra, Markus, Tory and Scott linked hands together. Mahes nodded and then took up the free hands of Kendra and Tory. Closing his eyes, he called up the power within him to get them all inside the chamber below.

  Kendra felt the ground shift beneath her feet, followed by a sense of disorientation. That quickly passed. Blinking, she slowly took in her new surroundings. Her jaw dropped open as her eyes became adjusted to the muted lighting inside the chamber.

  It did not in any way match the picture she had conjured up inside her head. She had expected the chamber to be a dusty, moldering room with a thick layer of grime coating everything inside. How wrong she had been in her thinking.

  In no way did the chamber appear to have been buried beneath the sand for centuries. Large pieces of opaque crystals placed strategically throughout the chamber, mutely glowed, giving off feeble light. Not a speck of dust could be found anywhere, not even on the slab stone floor beneath their feet. How, or more importantly who, kept the chamber in such pristine condition, Kendra could only wonder.

  The chamber was quite large, which it needed to be to house all the objects amassed within it. There were a number of large scrolls standing in large decorated clay urns. A big, solid marble table sat in the middle of the chamber. The rest was an assortment of chests and objects that were not recognizable at first glance.

  Taking a deep breath, Kendra was surprised to find the air fresh, not stale or musty smelling. That surprised her the most since they were under the sand with no direct opening to the chamber anywhere to let in air or light.

  "Mahes, why is it we aren't suffocating down here from lack of oxygen?” Kendra had to ask.

  "It is the crystals. Not only do they emit light, they also produce oxygen. My father has spoken of these crystals in the past, but I have never seen one first hand before."

  Kendra nodded then looked around for the others. Markus and Tory both were slowly turning in circles so they could look at everything in the room. Scott appeared frozen in place, almost as if he was afraid to move, afraid the chamber would disappear before his very eyes.

  After giving them a few minutes to adjust to their new surroundings, Mahes called them together. “I am not exactly sure what we need to find here, but anything that mentions, or alludes to my mother will be our best bet. Time is limited so move as quickly as you can, but do not pass by anything."

  Nodding her head once again, Kendra headed off to what she felt was a likely spot to hunt. She was determined to find what they needed to stop Sekhmet.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Rubbing her eyes, Kendra tried to get rid of the gritty feeling she felt. Hours of scanning ancient scrolls and lack of sleep were taking their toll on her. It also didn't help that she was looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. And of course, all the scrolls were written in a language she did not understand. Luckily for them, Egyptian hieroglyphs were peppered throughout the ancient text. That being the case all she had to look for was hieroglyphs that referred to Sekhmet or Nefertem; she had their glyphs memorized.

  They were all clustered around the marble table, each to his or her own separate space not wanting to mix all the scrolls together. Scott, being what he was, watched them like a hawk as they opened each new scroll. Even though the scrolls were in pristine condition, he still wanted extra care taken with each one.

  As the hours ticked by and not one of the scrolls made any mention of Sekhmet or Nefertem, Kendra felt her last hope start to slip through her fingers. But she was not ready to give up just yet.

  Gathering up the scrolls she had finished perusing, Kendra returned them to where they had come from. Turning back to the table, she found the other occupants of the room watching her. “What?"

  Mahes took a deep breath before answering Kendra. “I will go back to my father's temple and tell him we found nothing. Maybe he knows of another way to stop this."

  Kendra felt her temper rise. “So that is it? You are going to give up just like that?” She snapped her fingers to stress her point. “Ptah says there is something here, then it must be here. We just need to look harder."

  Markus shook his head. “Be reasonable, Kendra. Dawn is fast approaching and we have to leave here before it gets so late that tourists are about."

  "Leave me behind then."

  "We can't, Kendra.” Mahes said wearily. “The crystals only work while I am in the chamber."

  "Another safeguard against mortals, I take it.” Kendra said snidely.

  Seeing the look of desperation on Kendra's face, Tory went to her friend's side. “Come on, hun. We are all tired and need some sleep. Tomorrow is another day."

  "No. No, I am not leaving here until I find what we came for.” Kendra yelled in defiance.

  Markus walked around the table until he stood in front of Kendra. “Since you won't listen to reason, I guess we will have to do this the hard way."

  Making a grab for Kendra, Markus was prepared to haul her over his shoulder if need be to get her out of the chamber. But he wasn't at all prepared for the swift kick to his shin Kendra gave him when he reached for her.

  "I am not giving up.” Kendra backed away from Markus.

  Rubbing his abused shin, Markus scowled at his sister. “There is nothing here, Kendra. You will only be chasing something that does not exist. I won't allow you to harm yourself over it."

  "I am not a witless child, Markus. So don't treat me as such."

  "I never said you were one. It is just you aren't thinking straight right now."

  Circling around Markus, Mahes, Tory, and Scott, Kendra put the table between her and them. It was then she
noticed the design on the floor. The table stood in the centre of it, almost completely covering what was depicted there.

  Ignoring Markus who was still trying to convince her to give up on her search, Kendra peered closely at the one section of the design that was showing. Her breath caught in her throat. Feeling a renewed sense of hope soar through her, she grabbed the edge of the table and began to push with all her might.

  Markus stopped in mid-sentence when Kendra began to attack the huge marble table. He scratched his head. “What in blazes are you doing now?"

  Smiling broadly, Kendra pointed to the three men in the room. “You, you and you, get your muscles over here and help me move this thing.” When they made no move to help her, she pointed at the floor. “It has been under our very noses all night. Look at the design in the floor."

  Scott was the first to come to where Kendra stood, who was still trying to move the table on her own. He shook his head. “Good god, all the hours we wasted. We were looking in the wrong spot all along. It wasn't the scrolls Ptah wanted us to find, but the floor.” Giving Kendra a kiss on the cheek he began to push with her. The table shuddered in response.

  Quickly, Mahes and Markus joined Scott and Kendra, adding their strength to the endeavour. Tory, not wanting to be left out, fell in beside Kendra and pushed as well. With their combined effort, the huge table surprisingly slid across the stone floor easily.

  Now with the table no longer sitting on top of it, the design could be easily made out. A large set of Egyptian hieroglyphs had been set into the floor. They were the glyphs that represented Nefertem's name. Kendra walked around each glyph. One looked like a long handled spoon; the next two sat one on top of the other. The next one looked like half a circle sitting on top of what she thought looked like a reclining layout chair. The last one depicted an Egyptian man seated, wearing a wig and Pharaohic beard.

  "Thanks to Kendra our night has not been a total waste of time after all.” Mahes said. “I am glad one of us decided to stay firm and not give up."

  Curious as to how they were able to move a solid marble table without having to use a crane; Scott knelt down to take a closer look at the legs. They appeared to be solid marble, same as the tabletop, but there had to be something under them that facilitated in their ability to push it. Running his hand down one of the legs, Scott encountered a slight indentation on the inside of it. Crouching down lower, he realized he had found another piece they were searching for.

  "I think I have found something we needed to find.” Scott spoke loudly to draw the attention of the others in the chamber.

  "What have you uncovered, Scott?” Mahes knelt down beside him.

  "I am not sure, but here,” he pointed to the spot on the table leg, “has hieroglyphs that spell out Nefertem's name, a perfect match to the ones on the floor."

  Mahes nodded. “So it would seem. The question is why are they there and what is their purpose?"

  Deciding to do a little bit of experimenting, Scott ran his fingers over the glyphs. There had to be a reason why they were not flush with the rest of the marble that made the table leg. Without giving it much thought, he pushed on the hieroglyphs. The marble shifted beneath his fingers and slid out, leaving an opening in the leg.

  Reaching into what was obviously a hidden compartment, Scott felt around until his fingers came in contact with the object inside. Slowly he pulled out a small scroll. Carefully, he unrolled it to read what had been transcribed upon it. As Scott read the glyphs on the scroll, Mahes looked over his shoulder, reading them silently to himself.

  Having reached the end of her patience, Kendra could not keep silent any longer. “What is it? What have you found?"

  Mahes and Scott looked at each other meaningfully, which Kendra did not miss. Her feeling of hope all too quickly changed to a feeling of apprehension.

  "Okay, give it to me. I can tell what is written on that scroll must be bad in some way. Your faces say it all.” Kendra steeled herself for the worst.

  Moving to stand at their full height, Scott looked at Mahes. When he nodded, Scott answered Kendra. “This is a spell, another summoning spell to be exact."

  "To summon Nefertem?"

  "Yes, but there is more to it than just that."

  "Of course, it couldn't be as simple as that. Don't leave me hanging. Tell me the rest of it."

  Walking past Kendra, Scott went and stood in the centre of the hieroglyphs on the floor. “Kendra, you have to stand in this exact spot, and while holding the pendant, you have to say the spell out loud. Nefertem will be brought here whether he wishes it or not. He will then be bound to the glyphs. He will only be able to move where they extend on the floor."

  Swiftly pulling the pendant free of her top, Kendra went to take Scott's place on the hieroglyphs. “Okay, translate the spell for me and I will summon Nefertem now."

  Mahes put his hand over Kendra's as she moved to draw the pendant over her head. “You mustn't remove the pendant, especially when you say this spell. But we must wait. The spell cannot be performed now. We have to wait."

  "There is more. Something you have to seriously consider before you do this.” Scott added.

  Kendra shook her head. “There is nothing to consider. I will do it."

  "Scott is right, Kendra. You cannot jump into this lightly.” Mahes looked at her intently. “This spell could very well cost you your life."

  "Whoa there.” Markus interjected. “There is no way you are going to do this, Kendra."

  This time it wasn't Kendra who objected to what Markus said. It was Mahes who rejected his worries. “Kendra is the only one who can perform this spell, Markus."

  "Not if it is going to cost her so much.” Markus vehemently shook his head in denial.

  "There is a greater chance of nothing like that happening at all. I feel Kendra will not be at risk, but she must know what consequences she may face."

  Moving to stand next to her friend for support, Tory crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Scott. “Okay mister, spill it. You and Mahes have kept us in the dark long enough."

  "Your wish is my command.” Scott winked at Tory. When she becomingly blushed for him, he smiled and turned to address Kendra. “I don't know if I would say you have nothing to worry about, but Mahes does know Nefertem better than any of us."

  At Kendra's nod, Scott continued. “The validity of the spell hinges on Nefertem's feelings for you. He must accept you as his mate or the spell will fail and you could pay a heavy price for your actions."

  Kendra felt a chill run down her spine. She really didn't have any idea if Nefertem thought of her in that way or not. If she had to judge from the way he had acted the last time she saw him, then she would say no, he didn't.

  "What will happen to me if Nefertem doesn't accept me as his mate?"

  Mahes answered Kendra's question when Scott looked down at his feet unable to tell her what he knew. “Nefertem will kill you."

  "How will he do that?"

  "For the spell to be complete both you and he must share your blood with each other, Nefertem being the first to drink yours. If he does not claim you as his mate, he will rip your throat out. We won't be able to stop him either. Once the spell has begun it will not only keep Nefertem bound inside the glyphs with you, but it will keep us out."

  Wrapping her arms around herself, Kendra began to shake. She did not know if she was brave enough to put herself in such jeopardy. “When does the spell have to be performed?"

  "Just before dawn on the day of my mother's coming."

  Kendra nodded her head. The chamber that she had once found large enough, now felt as if the walls were closing in around her. She needed the openness of the surface above. “Can we get out of here now? We found what we were looking for; that is enough."

  Mahes knew Kendra had not expected it to turn out like this. Her face had turned quite white. Not unsympathetic to her plight, Mahes nodded at her request. Motioning for the others to hold hands, he reached out for Kendra's.
A few seconds later, they were all on the surface, standing before the Sphinx with the dawn's early light just beginning to glow on the horizon.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Feeling utterly exhausted, Kendra fell onto the bed in the hotel room and within seconds went to sleep. The room where she slept was not her brother's, but the room she had shared with Nefertem. In some perverse way, she felt closer to him by just being there. Maybe it was that the clothes they had brought were still there, or maybe it was that this room was the last place she had seen him. Either way, Kendra refused to share Markus's room; she had instead gone with Mahes to this room. Now she slept.

  Taking pity on her, Mahes gently removed Kendra's sandals and tucked her into bed. Once he had her settled, he went and stretched out on the other bed. Just like Nefertem while in mortal form, he did not require long hours of sleep each night.

  Even though the day had dawned, he knew sleep would be hard to find. The spell was touchy at best and that worried him. He did believe Nefertem's feelings for Kendra were true and he would do her no harm. The one thing that plagued his mind was how their mother would react to being thwarted, which was the other aspect of the spell that could turn out for the worse.

  Turning his head, Mahes looked over at Kendra's sleeping form. He knew she was strong enough to see this to the end, and if she should falter, he would be there to see she didn't.

  After four hours of deep, dreamless sleep, Kendra roused herself. Her mind would not settle for any length of time. Even asleep, subconsciously, she had kept going over and over what she would have to face. It became so bad that those thoughts had leaked into her dreams where she couldn't tell if what she was experiencing was real or not. It was after such a dream that Kendra had finally pushed herself to wakefulness.