Anubis Nights

by Jonas, Gary

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “You look amazing,” I said.

  She smiled. “So do you.”

  “Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” I asked.

  “That depends on what you’re feeling.”

  “We’re at a turning point here. We can go forward and—”

  “That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” she said. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”

  I may not be the quickest on the uptake when it comes to recognizing when women like me, but when a beautiful woman says she’s wanted me for a long time, that deal is ready to be closed, so that’s exactly what I did.

  As cold as the night was, we were soon hot and sweaty. I won’t give you the play-by-play since this isn’t a sex instruction manual. I won’t brag about how good I was or how amazing she was, so use your imagination.

  Keep going. You still haven’t reached the level we did.

  Okay, maybe I will brag a bit. It’s not everyone who can legitimately claim to have slept with a Sekutar warrior and lived to tell the tale.

  Afterward, lying in each other’s arms, I knew there was no place I’d rather be. The only thing missing was the soundtrack, so I imagined U2’s “All I Want Is You” playing softly in the background.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  JONATHAN SHADE

  The next morning, I woke up with Kelly in my arms. She was already awake, just gazing at me. When I opened my eyes, she kissed me. “How are you doing this morning?”

  In response, I simply took her in my arms and kissed her with passion.

  When I pulled away, she smiled and her smile lit up my world. “That good, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I said.

  Khattusa-zita walked over to us. “Food is ready. After we eat, we’ll resume our journey.” He seemed a bit gruff this morning, but he didn’t get any the night before, and I suspect he heard us, so he may have been jealous.

  “Thank you, Khattusa-zita,” I said.

  He gave me a nod and a slight bow. “We are preparing your favorite,” he said with just the hint of a grin.

  I turned to Kelly. “Let me guess. Fish?”

  She grinned. “You were expecting Chinese? If so, I’m not on the menu this morning.”

  “Damn it.”

  “Look at it this way,” she said. “You have something to look forward to for tonight.”

  “Promise?”

  Kelly laughed and took my hand, and we walked over to where the oarsmen and servants were gathered. The smell of fish reached us and I sighed. “You’re right. It’s not Chinese.”

  ***

  The next few days brought more meals of fish. If I never ate fish again, it would be too soon. The nights were colder, but Kelly and I managed to stay warm and happy. That leg of the journey was by far the best. We made eyes at one another in the daytime, stole kisses when we could, and spent the nights making love under the stars. Who could ask for more?

  I felt the occasional twinge of guilt, but I hadn’t seen Rayna in more than a month, and while I still loved her, I also loved Kelly. The truth was that Kelly and I just felt right. So yeah, I felt a bit like a jerk, but when I held Kelly in my arms, all of that went away and I thought of nothing but her. We were living in a different world, and everything felt right.

  I remembered the old song by England Dan and John Ford Copley “It’s Sad to Belong,” but in my case, the right one had been there the entire time. I simply hadn’t realized it. And my belief was that if the right one does come along, I’d be a fool not to rearrange my life to make things work. Maybe it’s selfish but to not do so would be hurting the one I truly loved and needed too. And if I felt I wasn’t with the right one, how could I give my all to the wrong one?

  ***

  Hattusa was a big city surrounded by massive walls to keep their enemies out. We’d left the oarsmen and servants with the boat, and Khattusa-zita had horses in a stable to take us across the land. This leg of the journey was just the four of us—Khattusa-zita, Hani, Kelly, and me.

  The journey along the coast then inland took a few days. Khattusa-zita led us to a gate decorated with elaborate reliefs depicting sphinxes, lions, and warriors. We dismounted and walked the horses up to the gateway, where Khattusa-zita talked to the sentries. Once we gained admittance to the city, I was impressed by the timber-and-mud buildings that lined the streets. Hani looked bored. He was a quiet little guy, and even on this last leg of the journey, he hadn’t said more than three words to me.

  In the distance, on a ridge, stood the acropolis, a royal residence. Khattusa-zita pointed it out.

  “That is our destination,” he said. “We will report to the king in the morning, and he will make a decision. If he believes us, he will certainly choose one of his sons to marry the queen of Egypt.”

  “And if he doesn’t believe us?”

  “We will be put to death.”

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  He laughed. “No. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

  “Aren’t you the funny one.”

  His smile and nod suggested that he certainly thought so. “I will arrange lodging for Hani, you, and your wife, but first we need to tend to the horses.”

  The smell of food cooking with interesting spices wafted through the streets, and my stomach rumbled. For the past several days, we’d been eating mostly bread, which was better than the steady diet of fish, but I was worried about grinding my teeth to nothing.

  “Is there an inn where we can get some food?” I asked.

  “I have bread in my pack along with some dried fish. There will always be fish,” Khattusa-zita said. He slapped me on the back. “I jest with you, Jonathan. We will get food for you. Meats and cheeses and beer.”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  “Of course I’m talking. How else could I tell you about the food?”

  Kelly laughed.

  I shook my head and followed Khattusa-zita to the stables. People gave us odd looks, but we were foreigners, so that stood to reason. I was glad we were with Khattusa-zita, though. The people didn’t look pleased to have strangers in town.

  Once the horses were cared for, Khattusa-zita led us to a tavern, where we had a good meal for the first time since we’d left Thebes. Hani left after the meal, saying he needed his rest. Khattusa-zita agreed that was a good plan, so we got a room.

  He promised to come by for us first thing in the morning. The moment after I bade him farewell and closed the door, Kelly was all over me.

  She smiled. “This will be our first time in a real bed.”

  BRAND EASTON

  Brand gave up on struggling with Edward for control of his body and resigned himself to his fate. Edward closed his eyes and went to sleep, and Brand’s mind remained active for a short time. He tried one more time to move his body, and to his amazement, he managed to twitch a finger, but it took all his effort. He considered that. Priscilla and Edward were both sleeping, so maybe the spell was on autopilot, and without Priscilla’s attention and Edward’s will, it might wear off at night.

  He knew it would take monumental effort because the spell was strong. So he relaxed and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

  The next day, he didn’t fight at all. He simply rested, trying to sleep his way through the day, ignoring what Edward did with his body. Trying to sleep when the body was awake was nearly impossible, but resting and just going along for the ride wasn’t difficult at all.

  Every now and then, he would see Esther, but she was unable to speak, and while she could move her eyes, the rest of her appeared to be paralyzed. She looked scared at first, but as time wore on, she simply looked acquiescent.

  While Priscilla and Edward discussed their future, Brand rested and let his own thoughts circle around the problem, looking for a way out.

  The train rolled into Council Bluffs, and Brand wanted to try to fight for control of his body, but he knew it wouldn’t work. He wanted to break free before Jonathan and Kelly arriv
ed. After all, it would suck balls to require a rescue when he hadn’t even found Winslow. But he didn’t have the energy to escape yet.

  So he bided his time.

  “The train back to New York doesn’t leave until tomorrow,” Priscilla said. “I’ll buy tickets and meet you at the clothing store. You go get yourself fitted for something nice. You aren’t going to be a cowboy. You’re a gentleman.”

  Edward nodded. “I can’t wait to put on real clothes.”

  “Do you have money, or shall I give some to you?”

  Edward searched his pockets and pulled out Brand’s keys and a wad of cash. “Well, would you look at this,” he said. “Brand was loaded.” He glanced at the keys on the chain. “Are these keys?”

  “They look strange, but he’s a strange man. Use his money for clothes. I’ll see you in a bit.” She kissed him and moved off toward the ticket window.

  Edward returned the keys and cash to his pocket then strode away from the station in search of a clothing store. As Edward didn’t bother looking behind him, Brand couldn’t see Esther being pulled along, but since he had the typewriter key in his pocket, he knew she was there.

  When Edward entered the clothing store, Brand saw racks of clothing. A tailor helped another customer, measuring the inseam of a pair of trousers. The man turned toward Edward. “I’ll be right with you, sir. Feel free to peruse the racks.”

  Edward thanked the man and began looking for clothes that appealed to him. Brand could feel some of the man’s emotions radiating through his body, and while he sympathized with the guy for having been a ghost for all those years, the son of a bitch needed to get the hell out so Brand could be himself again.

  But Brand restrained himself. He knew he couldn’t fight back just yet. He didn’t want Edward to know anything was wrong. Whether the spell was weakening due to time or distance or if Brand was working his way through it due to residual magic didn’t really matter. What mattered was that Brand was getting some kind of mobility, and he’d need to use it at the right moment. He wished he could count on some help from Esther, but as Edward moved around the racks, Brand could see her floating nearby, still unmoving.

  The tailor approached. “Thank you for your patience, sir.”

  “That’s all right,” Edward said. “I rather like these pants,” he said holding up a pair. “I also like this shirt and this coat.”

  He spread them out on a counter.

  The tailor nodded. “Very nice, sir. Are these for a friend?”

  “They’re for me.”

  “Well, sir, I don’t think these will fit you.”

  “You can make adjustments, right?”

  “I can take things in and let things out a bit, but you’re going to need a much larger size.”

  Edward looked down at the body he inhabited. He laughed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  The tailor led him to another rack of clothes. “Anything on this rack can be tailored to fit you.”

  “Thank you,” Edward said and began looking through the available shirts. He frowned. “I don’t much care for any of these.”

  “I’m very sorry, sir. We don’t get many men your size in here.”

  “I’ll just have to make due, I suppose,” Edward said. “It’s just for a few days.”

  After making his selections, Edward stripped down to his boxers. He placed his coat, shirt, pants, and gun belt with the Colt on the counter.

  “Oh my goodness,” the tailor said, looking at Brand’s muscles. “Do you work as a blacksmith or on the railroad?”

  “I was a banker,” Edward said.

  He dressed in the new clothes and let the tailor make his measurements, marking the adjustments required.

  “Very good, sir. I can have these for you on Wednesday.”

  “That won’t do. I’m leaving town tomorrow, and I’m taking my girlfriend to dinner tonight. Can you make the adjustments now? I’ll pay you for the rush job.”

  “Sir, I have too much to get done today, so . . .”

  The tailor stared at the stack of cash Edward removed from Brand’s pocket. Edward started piling bills on the counter.

  Brand fumed inside. Not that he’d earned any of that money, but it was all he had. He didn’t want to see it wasted on expensive clothes. He felt clothes should be rugged and made of something that wouldn’t tear easily in a fight.

  Once enough bills were stacked up, the tailor practically rubbed his hands together. “I’ll have these ready in an hour, sir.”

  “I’ll wait,” Edward said.

  Fifteen minutes later, Priscilla entered the store. “Perhaps you should get dressed,” she said.

  “I’m waiting for my new clothes,” Edward said.

  “Wear your old clothes until they’re ready. We can go window shopping.”

  “I’m not putting those worker’s clothes on again. I’m just going to have the tailor dispose of them.”

  Brand felt his irritation rise. He liked those clothes. They were good and strong.

  More important, his key ring was in his pants pocket. That ring held one of Esther’s typewriter keys, and he didn’t want to have her left behind. What if the spell never wore off? She wouldn’t be able to pop to Jonathan and Kelly when they arrived. She would be stuck here forever. He tried to will Edward to walk over to the clothes, but subtlety didn’t work. Thinking about it meant nothing.

  Brand tried to turn toward the counter, but with Edward awake, even with all his effort, he couldn’t get his body to move.

  Priscilla agreed to wait. She spent some time looking through the racks of clothing. Brand spent the time trying to get Edward to move, but it was no use.

  When the tailor returned with the new clothes, Edward dressed in them. Priscilla smiled her approval.

  “Thank you,” Edward said to the tailor.

  “You have a nice day, sir,” the tailor said.

  Edward moved toward the exit. Brand threw everything he had into getting Edward to turn and go back for the keys, but Edward didn’t even notice.

  “Oh, sir?” the tailor said.

  Edward turned. “Yes?”

  “You still have belongings in these clothes. Would you like them, or shall I donate them to the church?”

  “What do I have there?” Edward asked.

  The tailor carried a handful of items over, including the keychain. Esther floated behind him, and Brand tried to focus to have Edward grab the keys.

  Edward looked up at Esther and saw her floating there.

  “Hand them over,” Edward said.

  The tailor passed them to him.

  Brand wanted to sigh with relief. He saw the relief in Esther’s eyes too.

  But that meant Edward saw the relief.

  Edward exited the shop, holding the door for Priscilla.

  As they walked away from the shop, Edward glanced back at Esther. “Brand saw me when he held the watch.”

  “That’s right. Ghosts can attach themselves to objects which hold significance to them.”

  “You think his ghost friend could be attached to any of these? She’s following us without moving.”

  Priscilla glanced at the objects in Edward’s hand. “It’s possible. Get rid of them. We’ll see what happens.”

  Edward grinned. He closed his hand, cocked back his arm, and threw the possessions as far as he could.

  Esther flew fifteen feet behind the keychain and stopped when it landed. She squirmed but couldn’t move toward them.

  “That answers that question,” he said.

  Brand wanted to sigh. He had lost.

  Without that key, Esther would be abandoned. Brand saw her as Edward walked away. Her eyes were wide, and he knew she realized her plight. He wanted to call out to her, but there was nothing he could do.

  RAYNA NOBLE

  Carlton J. Penick sat in the backseat with Rayna, keeping the gun pointed at her. The gun was in his right hand, and she sat on his left, so she couldn’t reach it. She wasn’t sure that was a br
ight idea anyway. It was too far away, and it was too big a chance to take. She noticed that he kept it low so the cab driver couldn’t see it in the rearview mirror.

  “You weren’t entirely honest with me, young lady,” Carlton said.

  Rayna didn’t respond. She didn’t think he’d kill her, but she hadn’t expected him to kill Lincoln either.

  “You’re a woman out of place here,” he said.

  She just looked at him.

  “You don’t need to speak. Your silence is quite telling.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Oh, she does speak. Wonderful.”

  “Are you going to answer me?”

  “I was hoping to surprise you.”

  “You’re taking me to Winslow.”

  He laughed. “There goes the surprise.”

  The driver pulled up in front of a building, but Rayna had no clue where in town the place was located. It was a shorter trip without the rain and extra turns, assuming they were going to the Thoth Hermes Temple. There was a mixture of cars and horse-drawn buggies on the road.

  Carlton paid the cabbie’s fare and gave him an appropriate tip. He helped Rayna out of the cab, Carlton keeping the gun in his pocket, but she knew it was aimed at her. Carlton waved to the cab driver, and the driver pulled back into traffic.

  Rayna started toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Carlton asked.

  “Inside. That’s why we’re here, right?”

  He laughed. “We have a few blocks to walk. I wouldn’t have a cab drop us off at the temple.”

  “Paranoid much?” Rayna said.

  “Just enough. That’s why I’m still breathing and your detective friend isn’t.”

  “He did nothing to you!”

  “On the contrary, he was getting too close.”

  “And now I’m too close.”

  “Big difference,” Carlton said leading her along a short street.

  “How’s that?”

  “Because I like you. Also, Winslow will want to meet you.”

  “Why would he want to meet me?”

  “Because you know the man who killed him.”

  “I doubt that.”