Zadi complained that she was tired. Her two guards had to make turns in carrying the pygmy who was unbelievably heavy. Elise helped the two guards carry the burden by making Zadi lighter. As a priestess, Diana tried to do her role as well.
“Oh, it’s too hot now.” Eric expressed his dissatisfaction as they continued to walk under the scorching sun that noon.
Diana procured a cloth that covered Eric’s bag float over their heads as they ambled on the hot desert.
“So cool, huh? We don’t need an umbrella… or a parasol. This though looks… primitive enough, right?” Diana said to no one in particular. “But at least this… the cloth is so wide and covers us all. The umbrella is just for one or two people. You couldn’t walk around using a big one because it would be so heavy to hold.”
Elise smiled at her description of the umbrella.
“Huh, you got a point there.” Eric
Suddenly, the right window of the enclosed litter opened. The witch priestess peered through it. She felt Zadi’s strong powers around the area. She closed her eyes and they opened abruptly. She saw the shield first and then the makeshift tent.“Halt!” She commanded the servants to stop. She knew that Meru, together with his soldiers, was already half a mile away now. She was only left with a handful of soldiers.She could now see the people behind the shield and inside the tent. She recognized the pygmy instantly as well as the four foreigners that were in disguise, clothed like ancient Egyptians. The two girls were dressed like priestesses while the others were dressed as soldiers. An evil smirk lifted from the corner of her red lips.The servants put the litter down, and the witch priestess climbed out of it. She stood under the heat of the sun as she stared at the tent. She aimed her palm in that direction and started to cast a spell.
Elise’s group ascended the stairs carefully, looking out for some more guards that might catch them for invading the sacred temple.The brown wooden floor on the second story of the temple was so clean and polished that they shone. They had noticed the large altar of Osiris with his wooden statue at the center. Incense burner was also placed in the middle of the altar in front of the statue. The altar was filled and adorned with flowers. The mixture of the scent of the incense and flowers was intense. It made them feel relaxed and drowsy all of a sudden.Zadi’s eyes became alert. She threw her eyeballs around the room. She was searching for the priestess of the temple. She must be somewhere nearby.She touched Elise’s hand, and Elise was made aware of Zadi’s suspicions. She then blinked and covered her nose with her hand.The rest of their company was like zombies who went over to the bed, which was on the left side of the altar, t
“We were just seeking… asylum,” Elise protested to the witch priestess.“Asylum?” the priestess echoed in confusion. She looked at Elise and Zadi, back and forth.“Yes. You know, something like… of seeking somewhere to hide, for protection?” Elise’s eyebrows rose.“All the same! You should not have come into the temple of Osiris! You could have hidden somewhere else!” The priestess’ voice went harder.“My! She’s so selfish!” Elise complained to Zadi. “What shall we do now?”Zadi just shrugged.“Well then, can we ask for forgiveness and could you please wake my brother and the others up now?” Elise requested the priestess. She had no idea how to reverse the spell. And in Zadi’s condition, the teen was almost sure that the pygmy couldn’t do anything further.“They shall be my prisoners. And so sh
“We’ll plan our escape a little later, Mazoi. Just take a look at this at the moment,” Zadi said to him.The huge man went to the pygmy’s side and took the papyrus roll from her hands. He looked at it and read it quickly. “Where did you get this? I heard that someone guarded this and thought it was just a myth.”“Yes, but guardian is now frozen down below.” Zadi nodded. “Do you think we can really use this?”“Definitely, yes. I heard that the Book of Gates contains twelve hours, a series of gates that the soul should have safe passage. Each gate is said to be associated with a goddess with a specific title. The book is believed to help those who have departed to make their journey safe to the underworld.”“And we can use it as a last resort to defeat Priestess Nehes.”Everyone looked at Zadi when she finished saying it.“But how is that possibl
In the city, the soldiers continued to look for the Medjay’s group. The priestess and the general were resting in the governor’s house as they waited for the reports from the assistant general of Meru.They had already spent half a day looking for the elusive group. The foreigners were always able to escape and hide away again.Meru suggested that the witch priestess’ powers should be used to find them again. They should not let them get away and cross the River Nile. It would be a total disaster for them if the foreigners got away from their land and allied themselves with King Hor-Aha. They had to stop it from happening.“Please do your duty well, my priestess,” Meru said after his suggestion.He turned around and the witch priestess watched him leave the house. Her eyes were merely slits because of anger. She couldn’t get over with what had just happened before they entered the city gates. Not only for that reason bu
Elise and the others were concerned about the Medjay. But then, Priestess Nehes made her move as well. The witch priestess had to avenge her sister.Elise was right on time to make the shield over them as daggers rained from above their heads. She was confused at first why it happened when she realized it was the witch priestess’ doing. She prepared herself mentally to accept the priestess’ dangerous challenge.She went out of the shield, and like a bubble, she commanded it in her mind to carry the others away from the fight. The shield floated above, at the farthest side of the tomb.“Elise!” Kent shouted. Deep concern was etched in his face.Anyone could not get out of the shield despite their own powers. Elise made sure of that so that they will not be hurt and that they would be safe.Eric let out a curse being helpless while Diana leaned on the shield like it was a wall, watching Elise with anxiousness.“Yo
Priestess Nehes was in a bottomless rage. She curled her fists and marched out of the tomb. Her eyes caught Meru’s unconscious form lying on the pathway, near the pool. He looked all bloody and bruised. She kneeled at his side and healed his cuts. The blood vanished from his body in an instant and he woke from his unconscious state.He gazed at the witch priestess and touched her face tenderly.“Thank you, my priestess,” he whispered.****Present day on Belmont Mound.The tents were so quiet without the kids. The Helmrick siblings’ parents were sleeping peacefully in each of their tent without a care in the world.****Ta Shemau, Ancient Egypt.King Hor-Aha was seated on his throne. His fingers were slightly scratching his chin while looking at the priestess that knelt before him.“Ye
“I can get the hang of this but to think we’re riding on a coffin feels very creepy!” Eric shouted as they were flying high up in the air.Elise hid her third eye again. She closed both her eyes, too. She felt a bit exhausted so she sat down on the coffin’s open lid.“You could have jumped off if you couldn’t take it anymore,” Diana suggested to Eric with a sarcastic smile.Eric regarded her with a frown on his face while Kent sat down next to Elise.“Are you alright, Elise?” He was truly concerned about her.Elise smiled brightly at him. “I’m fine, Kent. Thank you.” She felt a surge of energy running up and down her body as Kent gave her more to keep her strong.He smiled at her too before turning to look at Eric who was staring at him at that moment. He understood what that look meant. So, he slowly stood up without a word.“We can skip the second district
“Happy birthday, Elise!” Kent kissed her soft cheek as he handed her the birthday gift.They were at Menominee’s Hut. The fast food was purposely closed for this special occasion. Elise was so happy for this birthday surprise her parents gave her. She didn’t expect this party at all.“Thank you, Kent.” She smiled prettily at him as she accepted his gift. It was in a small box wrapped in a lavender colored shiny wrapper. Their fingers touched and they both looked at them.Kent almost jerked his hands away as he looked around to check if Eric was somewhere near.“Hey. Are you looking for Eric? He’s busy with Diana,” she said pointing at a table where their respective friends were eating and chatting happily. They seemed to be in a friendly mood, not bickering at least.Elise then grabbed Kent’s hand while she carried the gift in the other. Being close to him like this made her feel excited a
They were all exhausted after walking around. They sat on the chairs provided for them by the servants while the high priestess was just following and watching them. She tried to be helpful but to no avail. Then an idea hit her. She walked over to the elite seer.“Why don’t you go back to the king’s residence? Perhaps the portal you are seeking is there? After all, your mission was to help the king win the battle and unify the Two Lands,” she suggested.The four teenagers looked at one another. The high priestess had a point of course. Elise’s heart was beating so fast with excitement and anticipation. She could almost feel like they were back on Belmont Mound in no time.They headed back to the king’s residence even when it was before the break of dawn. The guards let them in to the king’s residence without questions. They found the Medjay who was asleep, sitting near the king’s almost golden throne.Elise
“Oh, it’s really so hot!” Diana complained a bit later after they had their early dinner.They were still at the temple, and the high priestess explained to them on her duties in the temple. Zadi and her guards already returned to the king’s residence while the two girls were left with the high priestess to educate them.“Well, you can refresh yourselves. You do not need to go to the king’s residence. I can let you go to the pool and warn the guards that you can enter and use it anytime.”“Oh, that’s really great!” Diana exclaimed. “Let’s go, Elise!”“Thank you… great aunt,” Elise said to the high priestess before they left.Nefer just smiled as her eyes followed her great niece.Elise and Diana only had their underwear on when they plunged into the cool water that night. They were so happy to feel the refreshing and soothing coolness of the wate
“Yes, elite seer,” Nefer replied straightforwardly. “But the time and place will depend on your fate. You will see visions beforehand. As I believe, you saw visions before coming here, correct?”Elise nodded at the correctness of the high priestess. “Yes… I saw visions, images. I saw the double crown of the king he’s wearing now. I saw his face, the totem of scorpion and several others. I never thought they would all come into reality. I thought I was just… stressed out—tired due to my studies, you know?”“I understand, elite seer.”“So… May I ask why exactly it has to be me?” Elise questioned almost desperately as she pointed at herself.“That question, elite seer—I just found out the reason recently.” Nefer paused and sighed before she continued. “You are my distant relative.”Zadi stared at the high priestess in sur
Present time at Thompson’s residence in Belmont, Wisconsin.After a passionate lovemaking with his wife, Kevin cuddled his wife to sleep again. He looked at her beautiful, satisfied face. He almost forgot how beautiful his wife was. He was so busy with his managing the four law firms in New York that he took his family for granted.The law firms were all so busy. He never thought before that there would be so many lawsuits these past few years in New York City alone. These were either personal injuries, assaults, accidents, criminal or civil cases. Most were pended and took a long time due to investigations or cross examinations. He realized just now that it was tiresome after all these years. Then he contemplated on his life, his family, his attitude toward his work, his attitude toward Kent, his only son…He blinked as if remembering something. He thought of the times when Kent would only greet him when he was home. He had never asked his son to s
One big sofa bed was shared by the three guys and one for both Elise and Diana only. Diana was already fast asleep while Elise could not sleep at all even though she already closed her eyes a long time ago.She opened her eyes then and kept on watching Kent who was already asleep in the other sofa bed. He was near the edge of the sofa bed. The Medjay was in the middle and on the other side was her brother.She badly wanted Kent to be happy. She had hoped that his father would soon acknowledge his presence, give him some attention and be a good father to him. She wanted him to experience of living with a happy family. She had thought of it since Diana revealed to her about his family, his feelings toward his father and his hidden wishes about a happy family.She got up and went outside of the tent. She conjured a single couch from the tent so she could sit on it under the stars. Her tired body was curled as she sat on the big couch. She looked around the camp. Ev
Ancient Egypt, the ninth district of Ta Shemau.Meru’s eyes widened as he saw the fate of his beloved witch priestess in the eye of the elite seer. It was a miracle he wasn’t sucked by it. He dropped unto his knees, facing the Medjay who also watched the fate of their enemies. He looked down at his opponent, General Meru.“Let me die right on this battlefield, Medjay. My life has no meaning without my beloved ones—my mother, the king… and Priestess Nehes.”The Medjay looked at him with pity in his eyes for his longtime enemy. The general sure did change his mind in killing him after witnessing his beloved priestess’ demise.“I am no longer needed in this world without any of them beside me. And I would rather die today than to be alive serving the fake king whom I now achingly despise!” Meru’s voice was entreating.“You do not need to serve the king anymore. My king is like
Elise had to repel the cobra of Priestess Nehes. As time went on, the cobra spat farther and farther. Anytime soon, the venom would be spat into her protective shield she built around her.Her grandmother chose to disappear from her mind’s eye at this moment. After a second, her third eye suddenly turned into red. Her body aura colors of gold, red and silver became visible to everyone, and her red third eye was repulsively disturbing and powerful.****Diana shielded her eyes by her arm.For Eric, it was good for him that he did not get to see the blue third eye of Elise that turned red. He was still inside the tent with the queen and her baby, guarding them together with the high priest.Meanwhile, Kent was still fighting with the Nubian warriors who gathered around him.“You should die, foreigner! This is no place for you!” one said to him.“What should I say?” He shrugged. &
Meru recalled his mother looked so beautiful when he was young. She was so caring to him. There were times that she was the one who would tend to his wounds from battles if he did not go to Priestess Nehes first. His mother however warned him that he could not marry the priestess ever.“You are not meant to be with each other, Meru. She has her duties to the king and the temple,” his mother reminded him.“I know that, Mother. For now, I am contented to be with her just like this.” That was his answer to his beloved mother, though his heart was heavy due to this fact.He recalled some time later that she looked depressed and gloomy. And not long afterward, she was gone to the underworld. He and his father did not know what went wrong or for what reason she killed herself. They presumed then that she did not want to have a husband for a general and a son for a warrior, which gave her sorrow and depression whenever they went to a battle. And