Pharaoh of Fire

by Chadwick Duncan

  Another man replied “There is more to life than just fucking women, Ymir.”

  Ymir replied smugly, “Who said it was only women?” the other men at the table stared for a second, then laughed.

  “You are a sick-sick man,” the man with the monkey stated.

  “Oh shut up Ojo, lord knows what you could be doing to your monkey when no one’s around,” Ymir replied.

  “Do not you dare slander me and Mojo like that! If I really wanted to I would tell him to run across the table and slit your throat,” Ojo yelled as Mojo screeched.

  “That monkey kill me? I’d put an arrow through his little head so quick the poor thing won’t even know what happened,” Mojo screeched at Ymir. He snarled back mockingly.

  Mbemba exclaimed, “Okay enough of this!” as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  He continued, “What you do behind closed doors is none of our concern Ymir, besides, we are straying from the topic at hand...”

  As the men continued laughing, to the end of the table sat someone whom had enough of the banter. The person stood up, it was a young woman. All the laughter seized as she gazed upon them all. Her hair was long, black, and dreaded, it resembled snakes dancing on her head as she arose from her seat. She was dark but with very bright eyes, her petite stature couldn’t hold a candle to the immense size of Mbemba, but her fierce disposition gave off and aura that made Mbemba himself quiver.

  “Are you men done jerking each other off!?”

  She continued, “Now then, I propose that I become one of the family’s whores to gain entry to the estate. I keep track of which families visit which brothels for times like these. I plan on enlisting in the brothel within the Ryde district, they frequent that one often.”

  She took a deep breathe then continued, “Once I am bought and gain entry to the estate, I’d then attempt to abduct the son or daughter. Someone small enough to incapacitate effortlessly but light enough for me to get away into the darkness unseen and unheard.”

  Mbemba looked at her and replied, “Ida…that may just work.”

  Ida replied, “Of course it will, you must be blind to resist me.”

  Ymir responded, “I can resist you…and I hit a man between his eyes 400 yards out with an arrow,” the whole table started laughing.

  Ida responded, “Well…you’re not a normal man,” the others at the table laughed more vigorously.

  “Okay, you got me there,” Ymir shrugged.

  The group agreed with Ida’s course of action. They deliberated over some specifics then proceeded to exit the basement. Ida visited the brothel the following morning to enlist. Any man who bought her who was not a member of the Isradon family mysteriously disappeared. Finally, on the eve the ship was said to arrive, a man with the Isradon clan sigil, a cobra with knife through its head, entered the brothel and skimmed over the women. The gentleman was of fair complexion, wore a silk white robe which when the sun touched it, the reflections could blind a man. He briskly walked through the brothel, scratching his head as if he was on the verge of panic. He was unimpressed with the women he saw. He turned to the door but as soon as he was about to exit, something caught his eyes. He saw a young woman lying in the far corner to his left staring at him intensively. The man’s face lit up, his eyes widened so much he almost pushed his eyebrows to the top of his head. He walked over to her.

  “Hey you...who are you?” he asked.

  Ida replied, “Whatever you want me to be.”

  The man sweated and his jaw loosened, he then accidentally dropped the book he held in his hands. The book opened up but before the man could grab the book, Ida caught a few words from the page, “Bring at least 15 of the finest women you can find in Istapor. I shall need them all for the ceremony…”

  The man hurriedly gathered the book before Ida could finish reading and began, “Come on now, you have to come with me.”

  He turned to the owner of the brothel, “I want her! Indefinitely!” he exclaimed.

  He proceeded to throw three pouches of gold coins at the man and stormed out grabbing Ida by her left arm. He placed her in their caravan then proceeded to sit next to her in the wagon as the horsemen started off back to the estate. Ida noticed how heavily guarded the caravan was, with two soldiers steering it, and four on horseback behind it. Ida also noticed there were no other women alongside her in the caravan. According to the book they needed fifteen women for their ceremony.

  “I thought I would never find anyone,” the man stated.

  He continued, “All those other damn families bought all of the beautiful women in the city. Mother is going to be furious.”

  Ida replied, “Mother?”

  He asked with a earnest glare,“Is there something wrong with that?”

  “No-no, I just never got that impression,” she replied sheepishly.

  “Well, you will be surprised what other wealthy families do then,” he began to chuckle.

  “So, will I not suffice for your mother or you need more women?”

  He looked at her and carefully grabbed her hand. He peered into her eyes and replied, “My lady, you might be more than we need, your beauty seems otherworldly.”

  “How is a woman as beautiful as you end up in a place like this?” he added.

  Ida responded “I am a Yetim. From a child I used my wit to survive on the streets and fed myself. With any means possible.”

  The man was startled hearing she was a Yetim. Yetim was the surname given to children who were orphaned before they could learn their family’s name, “So you joined a brothel? A woman of your beauty and capacity to have survived so long without being eaten by these streets can do more than be a whore,” the man proclaimed.

  Ida smirked, “You are right, but life is funny, it’s the cruelest game unless you have money to play.”

  The man looked on, “Well, I bought you for a higher purpose. We of the Isradon Clan will take great care of you…provided you take great care of us.”

  Ida chuckled, “Thank you! You have my word, I’ll make sure that you all have a...great time. What would you all have me do? Just out of curiosity.”

  “You will be a part of something great madam. Just be patient,” he replied.

  Ida did not know what this meant, but she was focused on the mission at hand and could not allow herself to lose composure. The caravan then shortly entered the city’s center, after passing by a wall and gates guarded by soldiers, a few more moments passed then they entered gates with the Isradon sigil on them. Upon entering the gates, Ida saw the impressive structure that laid before her. It was a large marble home with pillars along the front. The windows across the face of the home had a beautiful sculpted design above each. The front door was huge, large enough to walk an elephant through it if need be. On the wall above the door there were words written in gold, “A Virus est Vita.”

  “Come on now, let us make haste,” he exited the caravan and helped Ida down.

  “So this is where the Isradons lay their heads at night? Impressive,” she stated with a glimmer of light in her eyes.

  The man replied, “A nice home indeed. Now come, let us make you a part of it.”

  They hurried through the massive doors, which surprisingly were easy to open given their respective size. He quickly shut them behind him. In the main lobby of the home stood two massive staircases to the left and right of the room, which arced up to the second floor. There were also three large wooden doors, two to the left and right of her and one directly between the staircases towards the back of the room.

  “This way madam, we must start preparations immediately, the ceremony is tonight,” he directed her into the house.

  She followed the man, passed the arcing steps to the back of the lobby where the third door lie. Unlike the other doors of the house which were a nice dark oak wood, this door was as black as obsidian. Before he could open the door to take her through it, they heard a woman’s voice behind them.

  “You are taking our guest to the backroo
m before I can even greet her Julius? How unbecoming of you.”

  Ida turned and saw a woman standing by the front door but was uncertain where she hailed from. She heard no door open nor footsteps coming down the stairs. The woman advanced so her suitor began, “Sorry mother, I just thought you would rather see the women when the ceremony began.”

  “See the women? This is one lady my child,” his mother snickered.

  The woman walked over to them and placed a hand on Ida’s face. Her hands sent a sharp chill throughout her being. Even though she was the mother of Julius, the woman looked nearly as young as he. Her eyes seemed to stare into Ida’s soul. She had short black hair and was very slim but looked healthy. Ida’s right fist clenched as if she was ready to strike. Her body got tense and she felt weak, as if the life was being drained from her body.

  “Relax now child, there is no need to be so tense. I will take proper care of you.”

  “Sorry, I just was lost in my thoughts,” Ida apologized.

  “Julius, take her downstairs. I gathered some women of my own with the help of my sister.”

  “Yes mother,” he nodded and took Ida through the black doors.

  Through the doors was a staircase leading down. It was lit by torches on the walls. Julius took her down the flight of steps, then Ida could see some light radiating from the bottom. They entered a large room with exotic fruits within golden and silver bowls, many beds scattered about with pillows across the floor as far as the eyes could see. The room consisted of ten to fifteen other women, all varying in race but all equally beautiful. There was a large bath in the center of the room, however, the water was drained from it. The room was brightly lit as if the sun was shining upon them, but Ida knew they were underground so she had no idea why it was so bright. There were no lamps, torches nor fire pits. The illumination of the room seemed not to have bothered the other women but it made Ida uneasy. What kind of room lights up on its own? She dared not ask. She already asked enough questions, she needed to lay low and allow herself to stealthily carry out the mission. Julius left her in the room and proceeded to head back up the stairs, shutting and locking the doors.

  Upon entering the home, Ida realized she saw no family members besides Julius and the mother. Ida changed her plans. Sizing up the mother from their earlier encounter, she decided during ceremony she would incapacitate the mother and abduct her. Being that they were underground with the doors locked, her best bet would be to wait on the mother to exit and intercept her on the way out the doors. A few of the women walked over to Ida as she assessed the room and planned her course of action.

  “Hey, what’s your name?” one of the women uttered.

  Startled, she responded, “It's Ida. Ida Yetim.”

  The woman’s eyes shimmered, “Oh, a Yetim. I am sorry to hear that. A few of the women here are also Yetim.”

  One woman cheerfully yelled, “I am also a Yetim. Yusra Yetim.”

  “Nice to meet you, Yusra,” Ida shook her hand.

  “What brought you here?” Ida asked.

  “That’s a dumb question. Money and pleasure of course!” A woman exclaimed, cutting Yusra off.

  Yusra shoved the other woman to get closer to Ida, “She was asking me a question you bitch! Now go away! From childhood I was used for my body. Raped by my father, raped by my brothers, raped by random people. It got to a point where I didn’t even care anymore, and just learned to love it instead of hate it.”

  “Oh my God…I’m so sorry to hear that,” Ida replied in shock.

  “It’s okay, believe me. I stopped caring about this many years ago so no need to pity me. I decided to just get paid for being a whore and now I’m here,” Yusra stated with a fake smile.

  Ida looked away, “at least you are at peace with your demons. My demons still haunt me.”

  “Really? I am all ears if you need to talk,” Yusra stated as she placed her right hand on Ida’s cheek.

  “No-no, it’s not something I like to talk about….”

  “Maybe we can talk about it another time, when we are not working.” Yusra then gave Ida a peck on her cheek then turned away and walked off.

  Another women stated as she licked her lips and approached Ida, “You are a cute one, I cannot wait to get my tongue into you. Please, come and join us, we’re all going to have fun later so let’s get acquainted now,” they all chuckled.

  Ida remained silent and smiled awkwardly as she continued to watch Yusra walk towards the bathtub and undress herself. She looked on and further examined the room. There were women fornicating on a few of the beds. She heard a few moaning, saw them twisting and turning on the covers. A woman was arching her back in bliss as another woman pleased her. She saw women eating fruit off the bodies of others. One of the women standing around Ida reached for her hand, but she retracted it swiftly.

  “I’m okay…I’ll get acquainted when it’s time to get acquainted,” she replied sheepishly.

  “Well, you’re no fun. We’ll be waiting for you, so don’t go hiding. Come on ladies,” they all dispersed and continued in their forbidden pleasures.

  Ida was hoping that the ceremony would start as soon as possible, she did not know how much longer she could stand in this room. Then her prayers were answered, she heard the doors unlock. The bath in the center started filling with water and roses. Down the steps came the Mother.

  “Lady Leonida, Lady Leonida!” she heard the women chant.

  Leonida dropped her robe and proceeded to walk pass Ida who was still at the base of the steps, “It seems you have not gotten comfortable yet. Well come now,” she said to Ida as she walked passed her. Ida realized she kept on her medallion, it was a golden serpent head with two black jewels for eyes.

  Leonida laid in the bath and the other women proceeded to join her. She began to taste their skin as they tasted her. Ida reluctantly began to advance towards them. Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed. Ida was confused, then she looked on and saw Leonida lightly biting each of the women. The women seemed unbothered by the nips and a few even giggled. Leonida began to lock lips with Yusra, they began kissing so vigorously that a few of the other women became jealous. As Leonida kissed Yusra, she stared at Ida as she walked towards them. Before Ida could undress and join them in the bathtub, she saw Leonida cease kissing Yusra.

  Leonida tilted her head back and pulled a knife from out of her mouth. The blade was black, with a golden hilt and a bright red ruby at its end. The women amongst her in the bath started screaming in pain, their skins began to turn pale white from the region Leonida bit them. Then, to her horror, she saw Leonida grab Yusra by her hair, pulled her head back and slit her throat. She then began slitting the throats of all the other women in the bath with such precision and so methodically, Ida knew this was not the first time she had done this. The bath was filled with blood and started to overflow. Soaked in blood, with the knife in her left hand, Leonida began to stare at Ida with a menacing grin.

  “How many women have you killed?” Ida asked angrily.

  Leonida giggled, “I lost count fifty or so years ago.” She twirled the blade in her hand with a smug look on her face.

  Leonida stepped out the tub and started reciting words in a foreign tongue. Her hair turned snow white, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and tears flowed from her eyes but not of water, but of blood. Ida was frozen in fright, she had never seen such a demonic practice in her life. Leonida charged towards Ida, just before she could stab her ,however, Ida grabbed her arm and redirected the jab. Leonida then countered and slapped Ida across the room, flying into one of the pillars of the beds. She charged back at Ida, whom avoided each subsequent slash of the knife. Leonida began to get flustered.

  Ida grabbed a platter and used it to block one of Leonida’s attacks. The knife got stuck in the platter, Ida then spun the plate to disposes Leonida of her knife. Ida quickly grabbed the knife from the platter but before she could strike Leonida, she grabbed Ida and bit her arm. She then threw Ida to the
ground. Screaming in pain, Ida’s right arm began to turn as white as chalk and it was spreading quickly.

  “Well then, once the venom finishes you off I can finally finish my ritual.”

  Ida gathered herself, breathing heavy but curiously asked, “What…ritual?”

  “Well, since you must know before you die I shall educate you child,” she stated with a devilish grin.

  Leonida continued, “I practice a dark magic from the ancient people of Nebu, a magic for immortality. Only a life can grant life. This God I serve has an insatiable appetite so one death is not enough.”

  “Once you are all dead I will finish my enchantment and your souls will leave this plane of existence and increase my own.” Ida began to breathe heavy, terrified at what she heard.

  “Now hurry up and die!” Leonida said maniacally.

  Ida began losing all feeling in her right arm, and the whiteness began to spread over her shoulder to her chest. It was increasingly hard for her to breathe as she rolled over to her back to try and gasp for air. Suddenly, Ida’s eyes turned a murky blood red. The whiteness progressing up her arm stopped and began flowing back to her wound. Ida began having spasms which then caught the attention of Leonida who was walking back to the blood filled bath.

  “What is going on? You need proper help dying?” she asked with a devilish grin.

  Leonida saw the poison retracting and was in disbelief, “what is the meaning of this!? You should be dead by now!” flustered, she marched over to Ida.

  Ida then arose, her body moving as if it was possessed by that of another. Leonida saw Ida’s dark red eyes and was frozen at the sight, “No-no-no! You should be dead! What kind of sorcery is this!?”