Pharaoh of Fire (Land of Fire Book 1)

by Chadwick Duncan

  Chapter 19: Ascension

  The sun was at its highest point in the sky, beaming over the Moto. The heat scorched the sand, sending desert lizards, ants, and beetles scurrying underground to seek refuge from the harmful rays. Heru had finally arrived back to the Pyramid with their sacrifices. The carriage with the Japreet soldiers pulled up to the entrance of the Pyramid, Heru jumped down and carried the bodies one by one inside. The three other brothers walked down the corridor to grab a sacrifice for themselves. Heru held the fourth sacrifice and then closed the Pyramid entrance. They brought the four men to their coffins and stripped them of their clothing before they laid them in it.

  Asim began, “It is about time you returned. I was growing worried you let mere mortals overpower you.”

  Heru, unbothered, replied, “Be silent. You should be happy I even brought you a sacrifice.”

  Saa noticed Heru, whom still possessed Basem’s body, held a sacrifice, “You have an extra body, did you not intend on sacrificing the body you currently are in?

  Heru looked into Saa’s glowing green eyes and replied, “I initially intended on doing that, but then I thought to myself. This man is well traveled, his memories were able to tell me everything I needed to know as I traveled to Pakul and back. I knew the fastest routes, where to go, where water springs and hidden villages were. He resisted my control by bombarding me with other memories too in retaliation, but that is a meager price to pay. However, I need my own body and once I sacrifice him, we will no longer have this insight on this new world.”

  Radames began, “So you wish to keep him alive, and sacrifice this soldier instead?”

  Heru nodded, “Precisely. I am mortal when I possess him, so every magic I use puts a considerable strain on the body, so it is no use to me to continue in this form, but I need his mind. So we shall enslave him and keep him along so we can figure out our next move.”

  Saa smiled, “You always have a brilliant plan Heru.”

  Heru sternly looked at his brothers, “As the Pharaoh of Adaru, an empire which seems to no longer exist, I will do whatever it takes to avenge our fallen and restore the kingdom. I can leave absolutely no room for errors or fallacy.”

  Asim stated, “Okay, okay. Now hurry up and vacate that body so we can begin the ritual. Being undead for this long is not pleasant you know.”

  Black and green smoke began rushing out of Basem’s nose and mouth. Basem gagged and heaved as Heru’s essence exited via his mouth. Heru was an undead mummy once more and Basem fell unconscious. The four brothers stood by their respective coffins with a sacrifice within it. The men pulled a knife from the inside of each of their coffins and began chanting in an ancient tongue. They slit the necks of the guards and rubbed the blood across their rotted chests. Blood began to fill the coffin, more blood than a single human body could produce. It was as if most of the blood manifested from thin air. Soon, the coffins were filled to the brim with blood as it submerged the sacrifices within it. Each brother stepped into the blood bath and laid within it, they too became fully submerged, causing the displaced blood to rush over the sides of the coffin.

  The brothers were submerged for a few minutes. Air bubbles surfaced and popped, then the bubbles ceased. The room became very quiet, with Basem still sound asleep on the ground. An arm shot up out Heru’s coffin, it grabbed the side of the coffin. Another arm rose out the blood and grabbed the side of the coffin. The arms were still covered in blood as they pulled the body they were attached to out the fluid. Once sitting upright in the coffin, the Heru wiped blood from his face. Heru’s true face was revealed, he was a tannish-brown man with a well-defined jaw structure. He had long curly hair which extended down his head into the blood bath. He then opened his eyes to see the world once more; his irises were sapphire blue.

  He looked over to his brother’s coffins as he awaited them to emerge. One by one their arms broke the surface of the blood bath and they pulled themselves from the fluid. Saa’s complexion was that of sand, with a short curly hair and wide eyes, they were not blue either, but were red. He had a dainty body, with an unusually small waist and broad hips. Saa bared a scar on his left and right breasts. Radames emerged, he was dark as oak wood tree bark. He had thicker long hair which were braided into locks, with three of his locks having a golden clip attached to them. Radames also had a short goatee upon his face, he opened his eyes but they were blue nor red. Lastly, Asim emerged from his pool of blood. He was also the same dark complexion as Radames, but he was the stark opposite in regards to hair; he was bald and also clean shaven as Heru and Saa. Asim had a muscular jawbone and broad shoulders, but his eyes were regular like Radames.

  As the men stood from their bloodied tubs, their physiques were also shown. Heru was of average height, with a lean and nimble build. Saa was shorter, with twigs for arms. Radames was the same height as Heru, but he had a robust neck and broader shoulders. His arms looked like he could wrestle an alligator, and win. Asim was the tallest of them all, and he too had a well-developed physique as Radames.

  Asim began, “Well this is unsightly. Can you all put on some clothes?”

  Saa chuckled, “We have all seen each other naked before.”

  “When we were mere infants! Now put on some clothes you baboons,” Asim hissed.

  Radames interjected, “It is because you boast a larger cock Saa. That is why Asim is truly upset.” Saa laughed at the remark while Asim seemed as if he had a nasty taste in his mouth.

  Heru ignored their banter and ran his right hand over his head, through his luscious curly hair. He stepped out the bloody bath and dried himself off with a scarf one of the soldiers wore. He placed the garments on which consisted of brown cloth boots, yellow trousers, and a yellow tunic. He walked over to Basem and stooped down as he stared at his face. He examined the scar across his face and recalled the image of a woman and fire that had bombarded him as he possessed him. He wondered why those images were so powerful and nearly cost him to lose control of the vessel he controlled.

  While Asim and Saa bickered, Radames exited his blood bath and called towards Heru, “What are you doing?”

  Radames dried himself and placed his garments on, Heru replied, “He was able to resist my control at certain times by forcing certain images into my head. Powerful images. I need to know what could make a mortal so powerful.”

  Radames walked towards them and stood next to the crouching Heru, “What were the images?”

  “There was one of a woman, and another fire. The woman seemed so pleasant and elegant. But the flames were monstrous and intense.”

  Radames crossed his arms and began, “Interesting indeed. Well when he comes too, you can ask him.”

  Asim and Saa clothed themselves and joined Heru and Radames in examining the unconscious Basem. Saa placed his hand on Heru’s head and began, “You are troubled big brother. I can read his thoughts if you need me to.”

  Heru waved Saa away, “No. I want him to speak, I want to hear the emotion behind the memories.”

  “As you wish,” Saa stepped backwards.

  Basem began to twitch his arms. His head shook as he began to open his eyes. Basem vision was hazy and distorted but it began to clear up. When his vision was good, he saw a brown man with blue eyes crouching before him. Behind the man stood three other men. Basem jolted backwards but did not go anywhere as he already laid up against the wall.

  Basem uttered, “Wh-who are you people!?”

  Heru smiled, “You do not recognize us now do you?”

  Basem paused for a moment, then he responded as his face glowed, “You’re the m-m-mummies?”

  “Your reasoning abilities exceed my own,” Heru chuckled.

  Basem, still shaken, replied, “What happened to you four? You’re normal now.”

  Asim interjected, “Foolish mortal, we are not ‘normal’. Do not ever slander us with such a term.”

  Radames added, “We are not normal, but we do look human again to clarify what my brother is attempting t
o say.”

  Basem slowly climbed to his feet, “But how?”

  Heru stood up as well and answered, “It seems his memories are a bit scrambled, allow me to refresh you. After I took possession of your body, I gathered some sacrifices and used them restore our flesh and blood.”

  “Incredible,” Basem whispered.

  Heru’s tone became sterner as he began, “I need for you to answer a question for me. While I possessed you, I accessed your memories to get insight on my mission. But you were somehow able to slightly resist by showing me images of a woman and then of fire. What do those two things mean to you?”

  Basem became glum as he repeated the words, “A woman…and fire. I don’t wish to speak about that.”

  Asim barked, “What do you mean you do not wish to speak!? When we ask you a question you shall answer or else I will smite you down! Insolent fool.”

  Heru waved his hand to shush Asim, then responded, “What do you mean? It is tragic I presume? Was she your wife? Did she burn in a fire? Did you get your scar from attempting to save her?”

  Basem smiled but tears began forming in his eyes, “If only that were truly the story, but no.”

  Heru walked towards Basem and stared him deeply in his eyes and spoke slowly, “Then what do those memories mean to you?”

  Basem fell silent as he stared back into Heru’s eyes, he finally answered, “She was a princess. I loved her and she loved me. But her father was having none of it since I was from the slums. He forbade our love but we ignored his words.”

  Tears began flowing down Basem’s face as he continued, “Then one day, he threatened to kill me if she didn’t listen. She replied by saying she’d kill herself if he laid a hand on me. So instead, he had his men burn my face. He swore his daughter would stop seeing me if I was hideous, but our love went beyond looks, because she stood by my side after. He grew even more irritable and banished me from my home. But Akifa, his daughter, was not tolerating it.”

  He took a deep breath and more tears flowed from his eyes as he continued, “She took her own life! She killed herself in retaliation to him but that didn’t only affect him, but that also affected me! I lost the love of my life to that man and I shall never forgive him!”

  Heru uttered softly to him, “What if I told you, I can give you the strength to exact your revenge. All you need to do is pledge your allegiance to us.”

  Basem’s eyes lit up as he grabbed Heru’s shoulders, “Really!? How!? Yes-yes! I’m yours! Do with me as you wish! Now tell me!”

  The three other brothers yelled in unison, “Take your hands off of him!” Basem quickly retracted his hands.

  Heru ignored his brothers and responded, “Kneel before me.”

  “Wait, how do I know you aren’t taking me for a fool!?” Basem replied with angst in his voice.

  Heru raised his left hand and touched him on his scar, “How is your scar feeling?”

  Basem was confused and began, “What do you mean?”

  “Tell me how it feels, place your hand on your face and describe the feeling to me,” Heru stated as he chuckled.

  Basem touched his face. His eyes grew and his jaw dropped as he rubbed his hand over his entire face, “I-I-I don’t feel it!”

  Heru smiled and began, “Now do you believe my power?”

  Basem quickly released his grasp of Heru and kneeled before him. Heru stuck out his right hand, in his clutches was a blue apple, “Take a bite.”

  Basem hesitated, “Where did you get that? And why is it blue? This can’t be good for you.”

  “Do you wish to avenge your lover?” Heru replied.

  Basem sheepishly answered, “Y-yes.”

  “Then take a bite.”

  Basem reached for the apple and relieved it from Heru’s hand. Before he took a bite, Basem saw his reflection on the polished fruit. As he stared deeply into the sheen of the apple, he could see him and Akifa frolicking together on a prairie. The sight prompted him into biting the fruit. Each chew unleashed a delicate balance of sweet and sour flavor. The crisp crunch and water of the fruit reinvigorated his body. Basem indulged in the exquisite taste of the apple as he chewed, but as soon as he swallowed, his joyful face turned to indifference. He handed the apple back to Heru and slowly stood back to his feet.

  “How do you feel?” Heru inquired.

  Basem’s eyes shimmered blue then he took a deep breath and exhaled, “Amazing.”

  Saa smiled, “Job well done big brother.”

  Asim scoffed, “I still do not think we require his services. We could take our empire back on our own.”

  Radames stayed silent so Heru began, “What are your thoughts on your new companion, Radames?”

  He walked over to Basem and stared him in his eyes, “I can already see the reconquered Adaru in his eyes.” He then began to smile which was joined by laughter from Saa.

  Heru, agreeing with Radames’s assertion, continued, “So Basem, according to what I could deduce from your memories, the South seems to be the unstable remnants of my once thriving Empire, while the Gibraltari Empire were able to recover and sit strong in the North.”

  Basem crossed his arms and nodded, “Yes. A matter of fact, I found ancient artifacts when I traveled various regions of the South that sounds familiar to this whole Adaru and Nebuvian thing. I was not a collector so these artifacts meant nothing to me so I tossed them to the side or sold them for a quick profit.”

  Heru scratched his chin, “Interesting. It seems it is time for us to reclaim our Kingdom brothers. Basem, please lead the way. Your wagon and camels await us on the outside.”

  Before Heru could begin walking, Radames grabbed his shoulder, “Brother, do you remember the grounds on which we were to be reborn?”

  Heru’s eyes glowed as he responded, “A Nebuvian. Another Nebuvian’s magical prowess matured enough to warrant our return to lead our people. This completely slipped my mind. Who knew it would take a thousand years for a fellow Nebuvian to awaken their ability.”

  Radames whispered, “Precisely. There is another Nebuvian out there who can wield magic, we must find the remaining Nebuvians to assimilate under our cause.”

  “I see. We will have to deal with that endeavor later. According to Basem’s memories, the Nguvu waged a war against them and they went into hiding. Only recent memory I could access that dealt with the Nebuvian people was the scroll he took from some woman. I say we reconquer some territory in the South and usher out a call for all remaining Nebuvian people to come out of hiding and return home,” Heru stated. Radames nodded in agreement and walked off.

  The men began exiting the tomb. As they walked down the tunnel, each torch and torchiere began outing itself. By the time they finally reached the exit, inside the Pyramid was pitch black. They stepped out the Pyramid into the sun’s rays. Its warmth embellished their skins as they soaked in its light. The Pyramid’s door closed once more, but this time the ground began to tremble. The Pyramid began to sink into the sand.

  Basem shouted, “The Pyramid!? What is happening?”

  Saa cheerfully answered, “This is why no one could find it for all these centuries and also how we survived the ‘Great Scorch’. Since we are flesh and blood once more, we no longer need it.”

  Radames added, “From ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

  As the brothers and Basem began their journey to the South, Mansa Nairobi and Lord Commander Assani have been hard at work asserting their dominance in the North. Following in Assani’s words, Nairobi imprisoned his uncle, Lord Rashid, for the attempt at his life when The Creed infiltrated Selah Palace. Due to Rashid’s absence, his confidant Wasim Nguvu, ascended to the helm of Alharamu to lead the Nguvu in these turbulent times.

  “I still cannot believe how far the apple has fallen from the tree. Damn you Nairobi,” Lord Wasim stated as he sat on his bed in the Lord’s Chambers in Alharamu. His bald head nearly shined brighter than the torches in the room as his long braided black and grey beard muffled his sounds. His
golden nose ring shimmered as it complimented his dark chocolate skin tone.

  He heard a knock on the door and responded, “You may enter.”

  To his surprise, it was Rashid’s wife, Salma Nguvu. She began, “Sorry for disturbing you, I-I am just finding it difficult to sleep. I fear for Rashid’s life Wasim. I am scared what Nairobi might do to him,” tears began developing in her eyes. Wasim could feel her heart skip a beat from across the room.

  Wasim’s temperament began to soften and he responded, “I am deeply saddened by this my lady. Trust me, I am just as scared, but I plan on correcting these transgressions.”

  Wasim exploded from his bed and walked towards her, “If it is a war Lord Assani wants, then it is a war he shall get. There is no way I shall allow him to just frolic across Gibralta and do as he pleases! He must take us for fools, his arrogance will be his demise.”

  Salma seemed as if she saw a ghost as she answered, “A war! Are you mad! So many lives will be lost!”

  Wasim sternly replied, “For the greater good. This foolishness Assani is doing has gone on for long enough. It must be stopped. I have already spoke to a few of my councilmen on the matter. I will lead the charge. We plan on attacking in a few days, on the wedding day of Mansa Nairobi and Lady Lali.”

  Salma stuttered, “L-Lead the charge? You will go unto the front lines?”

  Wasim stared her deeply in her eyes, “Yes, I must. What respectable leader will sit idly by as his men give their lives for him?”

  Earnestly, Salam gripped his robe and replied, “But what about your safety!? I-I cannot lose you too.”

  Wasim gently held her hands and replied, “Trust me, I will not falter. I will return with your husband and rid Namib of those scourges.”