Her muscles coiled tight, ready to pounce. She plastered a fierce expression on her face to match the creepy masks they wore. When one would look at her with the black jackal face of Anubis, Egyptian god of the dead, she glared back. Keep marching, buster.
They did.
As Sanura, the world had taken on new dimensions, like she herself had. Her mind had expanded to new depths of perception, her hearing had amplified to detect the slightest sounds, her sight had sharpened in all levels of light.
Unfortunately. How she wished she couldn’t see the small black shapes crawling up the walls. Stopping to check her out. “You keep moving, too,” she hissed. They did.
She let out a sigh. If only she could sit down. Or even kneel. Her knees had begun to tremble from constant standing. How she’d love to be back in her condo, curled up in the sun with her cats. My cats! They must be so hungry, the poor things.
Here, sleep would have been impossible, but the strain on her muscles began to wear on her mind too. She had to stay alert.
She twisted her arm inside the rough metal cuffs. No way could she slip out of them. So stupid of her. She’d recognized the new powers rising up in her, and had pointedly ignored them instead of embracing them. Testing them. Strengthening them. Now she would have to experiment with them on the fly.
Think. How can my newly enhanced senses help me?
Greater balance—not a great help, considering she couldn’t move more than a foot from the wall. Feeling sexier? Doubtful, unless Iker showed up. Seeing in greater detail? Could be, but she’d find out if she broke loose from the shackles.
No, not if. When. Because the one new trait she could foresee as being handy was the ferocity filling her whenever someone threatened her. Instead of flight, a fight response kicked in. Pure warrior instincts surfaced. She craved victory. With every passing of a guard, she could practically taste her craving.
Heavy footsteps approached, the measured gait of a guard on watch. The trudging stopped at the opening to her cell. The Anubis wannabe’s eyes blazed behind the mask, crawling over her.
Jaw clenched, Sanura stared him down. When another’s footsteps sounded down the hallway, he marched on.
She released a breath. So predictable.
An idea clicked in her brain. Predictable. Yes… that had to be the key to her escape. Her newfound sensuality might come in handy after all. Unleash the sex kitten on an unsuspecting man, convince him to let down his guard, and bam! Teach him the meaning of the phrase.
Or it might teach her what it meant to tempt death. A shudder ran through her at the thought of a close-up, face-to-face with one of the jackal men. She didn’t relish the thought of luring Anubis, even a pretend one, anywhere near her.
Too bad she could think of no other option.
Sanura closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Summon those new powers. Rattled from stress, it took a few minutes to focus her thoughts. I am a descendant of Bastet. Cat goddess, The All-Seeing Eye, daughter of Ra the Sun God. Like Bastet, I am a healer. Dancer. Lover. Nurturer. Warrior. I am a goddess.
So ridiculous. Sandy Whitaker, goddess? The idea still rang hollow.
But Iker believed it. His faith in her shone through his eyes, his willingness to protect her, to serve her. If Iker was so sure, then she would believe it too. It might be her only hope of getting out of this underground hell.
I am a goddess, she thought again. Do not mess with me.
At the thud of footsteps, she opened her eyes. Unless I want you to… Here goes nothing.
She cleared her head and shook off her fear. Posing in a slump, she hung her head and let out a slow moan.
The thudding halted.
Gotcha. Another moan, and the guard peered into the cell.
Well don’t stop there, big boy. Half-sigh, half-moan, she grasped the chain linking her shackle to the wall and held on like it was a life preserver. “Please,” she said in her best Marilyn Monroe imitation.
The guard answered in another language, an abrupt two words that filled the small room.
“Water.” She faked a moan. “Please, I’m so thirsty.”
A grunt, and the big guy checked left and right, then stepped inside.
Sanura’s comfort level plummeted, but she steeled herself. Hurry up before your buddy comes along. “Could I have a drink?”
He shuffled closer, stopping within a foot of her.
Time to ramp up the sexiness quotient. She affected her best sultry look. “I’m so weak. Will you help me?”
The long, low, breathy grunt he gave indicated a big ‘yes’. When he eased nearer, terror froze her. The musky scent of sweat hung too heavily on him. She braced as he reached a thick forearm toward her, tried not to shiver in disgust when his grime-encrusted fingers swiped down her neck to her collar bone.
The touch ignited something deep within. A fierceness swirled, a tiny cyclone of rage that built in a rising swell, sweeping renewed strength from her core to her fingertips and toes.
“Yes.” The word unleashed a verbal torrent, whispered in a wind that grew with each utterance. “I am Sanura. I call on the goddess Bastet to come to my aid. Fill me with your essence. Your might. Your power.” As she spoke, strength flowed through her. The image of sleek black cats filled Sanura’s mind, vivid as if alive. Their fluid grace surged along her limbs, and she slipped free of the shackles.
Behind the jackal mask, the guard’s eyes widened. He stumbled backward.
Too late. You’re history. Her steps followed his with greater power. “I am Sanura. Yield or be destroyed.”
He planted his feet wide apart and huffed.
So, he wanted a fight. She raised her fists and unclenched them. Whatever burst from them sputtered.
His next grunt sounded more like a laugh.
So not funny. She repeated, “I am Sanura. Yield or be destroyed.” The pathetic sound she emitted sucked away her breath. She attempted a smile. “Just kidding.”
More relaxed, he straightened and said something she didn’t understand, but the way he said it, she didn’t need to know the language. His tone conveyed his thought. And she didn’t like the sound of it one bit. “Could we talk about this?”
The distant sounds of a struggle echoed through the tunnels. Shouting, the clang of metal, scuffling and thuds. She froze while the guard perked his attention to beyond the entrance. Maybe he’d run out and forget her.
Another short laugh, and he advanced on her with a macho swagger and a gleam in his eye that said ‘here’s my chance to have an uninterrupted quickie’.
Whatever ferocity she’d summoned earlier came out as a squeak. Uh oh.
****
The narrow corridors left no means of hiding except to duck inside an adjoining tunnel when someone approached. After each man passed by, Iker did his best to travel on silent footsteps, as much to disguise his intrusion as to gauge how near the others were, their marching a telltale sign that these were guards. The vizier had countless servants, but how many had User ordered to watch Sanura?
Impossible to guess. One thing in his favor, they patrolled one by one rather than in pairs. His best chance was to overtake one, steal the mask and tunic, and assume the patrol in hopes it would lead him to Sanura.
Poor Sanura, she had to be so frightened. So weary. The thought of any man taking advantage of her—touching her in any way—made his blood boil. His teeth and fists clenched, his entire body begged for battle. After century upon century of lying dormant, he needed release.
When another guard turned down an adjacent tunnel, Iker could barely restrain himself until the man came within a few feet. He sprang out and with one swift twist, snapped the man’s neck. The crack and then clatter of the guard’s javelin against the ground, Iker put a stop to with his foot. May the gods have mercy upon us both. He stilled to listen for any sign he’d been discovered.
None came. With one hoist, he draped the corpse over his shoulders and carried it to a pitch-dark spot. Removing the unu
sual helmet proved easier than relieving the dead man of his tunic, but Iker managed to do it quietly. He’d just finished belting the uniform when another guard approached, then slowed.
Waiting for this one? They must acknowledge one another in passing to assure the security remained intact. Iker slipped the mask over his head, rose, then eased to the edge to peer around the corner. When the guard glanced away, Iker slipped out and began marching.
The other man jerked his head in Iker’s direction.
In an unfamiliar dialect, the guard called out. Possibly asking, “Everything all right?” or if Iker’s luck had run out, possibly accusing him of treachery.
Iker gave a curt nod and, counting on the first possibility, responded ‘yes’ and marched on.
The other man hesitated, then struck his hand against his chest.
Without pause, Iker mimicked the action. Why does he not continue on? Instincts on full alert, Iker immediately mapped out a strategy if he attacked. With each step, he altered the plan to fit the next position. When he’d marched within striking distance, the guard finally turned away to follow the path of his patrol.
Iker maintained a steady pace, but scanned the other man’s slightest move. A hunch in his shoulders. Hand stretching around his javelin, tightening his grip.
He knew. Another glance in Iker’s direction confirmed it. The man had begun to swing around, raising his weapon to strike, when Iker thrust his spear hard. Its sharp point penetrated the soft flesh below the guard’s shoulder. With a cry of agony, he stumbled to one knee, struggling to lift his javelin.
A true warrior. Iker had witnessed the same scene too many times before. The man would not surrender, wouldn’t give up until death robbed him of his last breath. Iker had no choice. In three bounds, he grabbed the guard’s chin to steady the head while he slit his throat. Forgive me, brother. He let the body drop and took his opponent’s unbloodied spear with him, hurrying toward the flicker of torchlight around the next bend.
A woman’s scream chilled the blood in his veins. “Sanura.” Abandoning any thought of disguising himself, he rushed toward the sound. Protect her, O Bastet, until I can.
Alarm at hearing a man’s grunts mix with her squeals propelled him faster. “Goddess.” The noise came from a darkened portal, and he charged toward it and swung into the dim enclosure. Confusion froze him at its threshold, still gripping the entryway.
Sanura stood over the hulking body of a guard, who lay flat on the ground, out cold. She swiped her hands together and stepped back. “Hey. Nice outfit. But I could have mistaken you for one of them. I inflict a nasty scratch, apparently.”
Words failed him. Amazed, all he could do was stare.
Still breathless, she arched a brow and smiled. “Cat got your tongue?”
“You’re safe.” He didn’t know whether he meant to assure her, or if he was asking how it was possible, but all that mattered was that it was true. Miraculously, Sanura was safe.
She scanned the dark enclosure. “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.”
“Woods?” Did she pose a riddle?
She stepped over the unconscious man. “Cave, woods, same difference. We need to get out of here.” Pausing at the doorway, she glanced left and right. “Hurry, before the next jackal soldier comes along.”
An alarmed yell echoed from the next passageway. Iker grasped her hand and tugged her in the opposite direction. “Yes. Hurry.”
“How could they know already?”
He kept his tone airy. “I ran into some trouble.”
“I’m guessing this ‘trouble’ wore that uniform.” She gasped at angry voices, closer than before.
He guided her into a darker corridor, hopefully one not used often. “I needed the disguise more than him. Unfortunately, I didn’t fool the next guard.”
“You killed him? Both of them?”
“Would you rather I let them slaughter me?” His vision adjusted slowly to the lack of lighting. His boot slipped on a rock.
She grasped his arm and steadied him. “Of course not. I’m just not comfortable with any sort of violence. Or men from ancient Egypt wanting to kill me. A long-dead queen pharaoh wanting me, a nobody, to free her soul. My museum intern turning into a man-sized cobra. It’s a little crazy, don’t you think?”
“You’re not a nobody. You’re a goddess, Sanura. Strong and fearsome.” Her words halted him. “What do you mean, your intern became a cobra?”
“Howie’s real name, apparently, is Apep.”
“Treacherous viper.” How had he not recognized Ra’s enemy?
Shadows did not hide her rubbing her neck. “With a nasty sting to his fangs.”
“He bit you?” Goddess forbid. The serpent’s venom had the power to paralyze or kill. “Do you still feel the sting?”
“When his fangs penetrated my skin, yes. But not since I woke up.”
“He rendered you unconscious?”
“Yes, and carried me through the false door to this lovely place. How did you manage to get here?”
“I followed you.”
A laugh of disbelief. “Just like that, huh?”
“I first beseeched aid from the goddess Bastet.” He would not pretend himself capable of working miracles.
Heavy trods thudded nearer. Iker thrust his arm in front of Sanura, shifted her against him and pressed back along the wall. Firelight flickered at the tunnel mouth. A guard held out a torch.
Iker dared not breathe while the guard circled the flame ahead, and stepped farther inside. One call would rain an army of the vizier’s followers upon them.
Sanura slipped her hand along his arm and held tight. He wedged her deeper behind him, a protective hand on her hip. He couldn’t help but note the perfect curve, how well it fit his grasp.
From another passageway, a man called. The guard answered with a one-word yell. Another swirl of the torch for a final sweeping look, and he retreated into the corridor. Light receded with his footsteps.
Iker released a deep breath. “They will circle back when their search yields nothing.”
“Where should we go? Deeper into this tunnel, or double back while they’re still on their wild goose chase?”
Why she would speak of geese at such a time, he couldn’t guess. “At least one man likely stayed behind to prevent such an escape.”
“Hm, guess we’d better keep going this way then.”
He strained to make out any distinction, but only blackness filled his vision. “This may turn out to be a dead end.”
“No, the tunnel keeps going for quite awhile.”
“You can see ahead?” He should have guessed the descendant of the cat goddess would gain the ability to see in the dark.
“Yes, can’t you?”
He squinted, to no avail. “Not without a light.”
“Lucky for you that you’re traveling with someone with feline instincts.” She slipped from beneath his hold. Her hand clasped his and tugged. “Follow me.”
No need to ask him twice. He willingly went along, matching his steps to hers. The noise from other tunnels faded, and soon all he heard was their feet along the hard ground, their breaths mingling.
She steered him left. “Watch your head. The ceiling dips low in a few spots.”
“Are you still able to see the path ahead?”
“Yes, even better now.”
He held his free hand above his head so he would know when to duck. “The tunnel remains open?”
“Yes, it keeps on going. How far do you think this direction will take us?”
“I wish I knew.”
“Me too. I’d hate to walk for miles and find out we’re headed deeper in rather than out.”
“Do you remember the path Apep used to bring you here?”
“No, his bite rendered me unconscious. We were passing through a tunnel when I came to, and then he gave me a set of ugly, iron bracelets.”
Fury tightened his muscles. He cursed them for their rough handling of her
, their scurvy touch a disgrace and unworthy of her. “My apologies for not protecting you.”
“No need to be sorry. I did all right on my own.”
“My duties require more of me.”
“I don’t want to be your duty, Iker.” Her sharp words cut the inky darkness.
Had he offended her? He didn’t like the way she spat his name in distaste. “It’s my honor to guard you.”
“Fine,” she practically hissed. “Let’s cut the chatter and find our way out of here, shall we?”
“As you command.” Except without his vision, he was helpless. Unless he could put other faculties to use… “Have any of your other senses changed?”
“Such as?” came her bored reply.
“Scent. Hearing. Taste. Do you notice any difference in the tunnel since we first entered? Perhaps more damp, or dry? Any odor of mustiness, or has the air cleared and grown fresh?”
“Now that you mention it, I did catch a whiff of something different. A pungent, herbal smoke, almost like incense.”
A temple? “When did you notice this?”
“Back there, I’m not sure how far. Wait.” She sniffed. “Something up ahead, too. Food, lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, spices... Too many to distinguish for sure, so I’m guessing some sort of marketplace is close by.”
He inhaled whiffs from different directions but smelled nothing. “Where is the scent strongest?”
She slowed her pace, then guided him on. “Seems like it’s getting stronger. Up here.”
The faint scent reached him. “Yes, this way.” He strode forward. His knee struck the wall first, swiftly followed by the rest of him. The helmet shielded his skull from injury, but the jolt caught him off guard. Staggering backward, he held his head.
“Oh gosh, are you hurt? You shouldn’t charge ahead like that if you can’t see.”
“True, goddess. I will let you lead from now on. I thought perhaps there might be an opening through which the odors traveled.”
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