by Sarah Noffke
Azure sprinted around the tomb, realizing she had been dangerously close to falling into it and joining the corpse inside. The hypnotism must have drawn her near, bringing her in as a feast for the king.
She looked around to check on her friends. Ever was still pale. Monet was blinking like he was trying to remember what was supposed to happen next. He didn’t look at all prepared to do a cloaking charm, but Azure couldn’t blame him. Her own head swam like the hypnosis still had its hook in her.
“Azure and Ever, climb onto Manx,” Blisters ordered. “Monet, you’re on me.”
Azure was about to argue, when a growl ripped from the tomb, shattering her resolve. She climbed onto Manx’s back, extending a hand to Ever to help him up.
Manx didn’t seem to have complete control of himself as he rotated to face the door, his feet slipping. He paused. Swayed. His attention pulled in the direction of the tomb.
A rattling sound echoed from the king’s coffin, and Azure found herself wanting to stay to listen like it was beautiful music. Her head lolled to the side, as sudden exhaustion took over her body. She blinked at the tomb, wishing she were closer to it. A greenish-black hand reached out of the crypt.
Blackness filled the corner of Azure’s vision, and when she willed herself to look, she wished she hadn’t. Beetles had stormed into the chamber overhead, turning the ceiling black. And yet, she didn’t want to leave the king’s tomb. From the fascinated look on Monet’s face, she guessed he felt the same way, even while sitting atop Blisters.
The group stared. Like a collision happening in slow-motion, the king rose from his coffin. His skin was black and peeling from his body. In places, his bones were exposed, and his eyes shone a violent red.
“Who dares wake me?” he growled, his demonic voice the worst thing Azure had ever heard.
“Run!” Blisters yelled, waking them all from their reverie.
Manx shook his head, his mane splaying back and forth. He took off, throwing Azure backward into Ever’s chest. He braced her against him as they raced through the Grand Gallery, Blisters and Monet on their heels.
~~~
“What took you so long to answer our call?” Cordelia asked Ata, who stood before her, trying to shield his thoughts the best he could.
“I was working on the spell to open the Sphinx for you,” he lied.
She gave Hamilton a skeptical look before turning her attention back to their captive. “We have another project for you. I want—”
A violent tremor knocked Ata off-balance, and he rammed his shoulder hard into the wall. Overhead dust rained down on them as the pyramid continued to shake.
“What is this?” Cordelia asked, looking straight at Ata.
He wanted to tell her that he didn’t know, but her power was too great. He had to answer her truthfully. “There’s been an intrusion. Your enemies have come to end you.”
Cordelia’s eyes flashed red as her fangs slid into place. She cackled, not at all unnerved by the news. “They can try.”
“I’ll send the brood to block the exit and also go after these intruders,” Hamilton said as he strode out of the room, the tails of his elegant tuxedo flying out behind him.
“And you, Ata; you will also go after these intruders,” Cordelia ordered. “If you catch any of them, you will kill them. Understood?”
Ata nodded, although it tore at his soul to comply.
~~~
Azure and Ever kept their heads low as Manx raced through the various rooms. Behind them, the king thundered along, moving as fast as a horse. Azure had only dared to look behind them a couple of times, but on each occasion Khufu was closer than when she’d last checked.
Manx shot into a new room, this one larger than the rest and filled with giant columns.
“We’re almost to the exit,” Ever stated.
Azure bent down low, gripping Manx with all her might.
“Uh! Guys!” Monet yelled, pointing to the far end of the room, where they were headed.
Hiding half in the shadows were vampires, their eyes full of a vengeful hunger.
Azure handed the knife to Ever, not taking no for an answer when he tried to decline. “It’s the only weapon we have that will hurt a follower. Everything else will just stall them.”
Feeling a new connection to her wand, she pulled it out, willing it to extend as it had when she’d stabbed the lamp. With a bright spark, the blade unfolded, hanging heavy at her side as Manx raced. Beside them, Blisters sprinted with his head down and horn pointed dangerously ahead.
In front of the group, the vampires had created a wall, three deep.
Monet swirled his wand over his head and pointed it at the crowd, yelling an incantation. Light exploded from the tip, creating a large fireball. It soared through the air, and many of the vampires scattered.
Manx barreled through the vampires, not deterred by their fangs or reaching hands. Azure was swinging her sword on one side of the horse, slicing into the vampires within her reach and repelling the rest. On the other side, Ever battled the beasts with the knife, each of his attacks bringing a screeching howl, followed by smoke and an explosion of fire. The orc’s knife would make quick work of these vampires, but still, one bite from any of them, and they were doomed.
A vampire reached for Azure’s foot, trying to pull her off Manx. She slid, her head falling to the side, but she was able to hold on with a loose grip of her legs. She wheeled the sword around, slicing through the abdomen of another vampire. She tried to thrust the tip into the chest of a second vampire as he reached for her arm, but his grip caught her, tugging her several inches off Manx.
The vampire opened his mouth wide, and venom flecked off his sharp fangs. Caught as she was, Azure couldn’t get the sword back into position.
A hand grabbed her around the waist, yanking her upright, just as the vampire launched in her direction, catching only air.
Azure let out a giant breath, realizing she’d nearly been bitten.
~~~
Ata felt his connection to Chibale pulsing in his veins. He knew exactly where his twin was as he made his way to the pyramid’s exit. As such, he knew that, against his will, he would catch Chibale. Dread overcame him as he realized he wouldn’t be able to control what happened next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Chibale hid behind a pillar, Nenet cradled to his chest. Vampires lumbered past him, fooled by the cloaking spell. All he had to do was clear two more rooms to the get to the exit. Yes he wanted to stay and fight, but saving Nenet was part of the battle. It would mean the world to Nefertiti to be reunited with the sister she thought was forever lost to her.
After the vampires were a safe distance away, Chibale shot out from the safety of the pillar and through the open space of the room. He was almost to the archway that led to the next room when he felt the presence.
“You go no further,” Ata’s voice echoed at his back.
Chibale froze, hiking Nenet up higher so he wouldn’t drop her. He turned, sensing that his brother wasn’t the same as when he’d left him. He could hear the change in his voice.
“Ata, I have to get her to safety,” Chibale said, his tone begging.
Ata lifted his flail with a jerky movement, directing it at Nenet. The witch flew from Chibale’s arms, landing in the corner with a thud. “She is one of the brood. She stays here, or she’ll be dinner for the others,” he said coldly.
Chibale reached for his crook, brandishing it in front of him. “Don’t do this, Ata. Fight them.”
The smile Ata flashed was full of pain. “To fight them would be to open my veins, and bleed until I’m dead.”
“I don’t want to fight you,” Chibale said, both not wanting to harm his brother and knowing that he would be outmatched.
“I promise to make it swift,” Ata said in gruff voice, slicing his crook through the air with a resounding crack.
~~~
“Are you alright?” Azure yelled over the beating of hooves.
“No bites, I promise,” Ever said.
Manx nearly slammed into a wall when he made a hard left, and raced through an archway.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Azure asked the pooka.
“Yes. Away. I’m getting away from the blood suckers. And yes, I’m okay, too,” he said between ragged breaths.
“Your definition of ‘away’ is bad.” From his mount beside them, Monet pointed ahead.
They were in a long, narrow room lined with torches. On the far end were two archways. In front of one was Cordelia, and next to the other was Hamilton. The two founders stood smugly, a quiet triumph on their faces.
Manx skidded to a halt, as did Blisters beside him.
“So nice that you and your friends came to join our little brood,” Cordelia purred, ambling forward, the long train of her gown sliding on the ground behind her.
Manx and Blisters backed up, retreating the way they’d come.
“What were you thinking, breaking in here?” Hamilton asked, his lips slightly pursed. “Were you trying to free our wizard? Our hold on him is too strong.”
“Maybe you thought you could fight us,” Cordelia mused with a delighted laugh.
“Do you miss the amulet I relieved you of?” Hamilton asked as he caressed his own chest. “Soon you’ll be one of us, and it won’t matter.”
The same vengeance Azure had felt when the vampires trespassed into Virgo flooded her, reminding her of what they’d done to her home. “You soulless monsters should have left my people alone. I’ve come to make you pay!”
She wasn’t even done speaking before Cordelia was flying through the air toward her. Manx reared onto his back legs, and Azure and Ever threw their body weight forward, trying to hold on.
Hamilton flew after Monet, who shot a bolt of fire at him. Hamilton dodged and trapped Monet in his arms.
“No!” Azure yelled, watching her friend squirm in the vampire’s grip.
“Worry about yourself,” Cordelia advised as she flew down, catching Azure’s hands and pinching her fingernails into the queen’s skin.
“Say goodbye to your immortality,” Hamilton sang over Monet’s shoulder, opening his mouth wide. His fangs glinted in the firelight.
Azure tried to pull out of Cordelia’s grip, but her attempts were useless. A moment later, Monet yelled.
Hamilton was hunched over him, sucking his blood, as Blisters appeared frozen.
“No!” Azure yelled, tears in her throat. She screamed and thrashed, but this seemed to only entertain Cordelia, and the woman laughed.
Behind her, Azure felt Ever sitting rigidly, obviously under the founders’ mind control.
They had gotten so close, only to lose it all.
Azure’s attempts to use her wand were fruitless, with Cordelia’s hands firmly clenched around her wrists, as the vampire simply floated in the air. Tears filled Azure’s eyes as she jerked, throwing all her energy into a fight she’d already clearly lost.
Blisters had broken out of the mind control and was doing his best to fend Hamilton off, but the vampire seemed to be merely toying with the unicorn.
Monet lay draped across Blisters’ neck, his body limp. His crimson blood spilled down the unicorn’s white fur in gross contrast.
A scratching sound drew Azure’s attention from her friend. She couldn’t recall from deep in her consciousness what the noise was connected to—her own end? The loss of her soul?
“Queen Azure, we intend for you to be like us. Both you and your Light Elf friend,” Cordelia said, her voice overflowing with amusement. “That’s why we’ve saved these for you.”
With a snap of her fingers, two bats squeaked from a distant corner, flapping their wings. They soared in their direction, their beady, black eyes focused on Azure. They were seconds away from colliding with her and Ever when they startled, rising back up to the ceiling.
“What are you doing?” Cordelia demanded, yelling at the bats. “Get them!”
But the bats had retreated, and Cordelia was slow to register the cause of their scare. When she saw, the blush faded from her cheeks and chest.
“My love!” Hamilton yelled, floating down to the ground to stand on his feet.
“I see it!” Fear vibrated in Cordelia’s voice.
Azure spun around. At the far end of the room, King Khufu stood, his red eyes hungry, and retribution oozing off him.
“Vampires I’m your end!” he yelled.
Cordelia swung her gaze over her shoulder toward her escape route. She was going to flee, which meant the king would come after Azure and her friends.
Azure didn’t know how to stop the vampires. She was exhausted and running out of options. With her instinct guiding her, Azure lifted her hand, directing her last bit of energy at Cordelia. “Your time ends now.” The tattoo on her forearm glowed brightly, and from her hand, ropes shot forward, wrapping around the vampire.
Ever, having also been released from the mind control, copied her movement, extending his hand out toward Hamilton. The likeness of rocks lit up on his skin, and, seconds later, small boulders rained down from overhead, covering the vampire up to the waist.
“No!” Cordelia cried, trying to fight her restraints.
The king lumbered forward, drawing closer.
“Get us out of here!” Azure yelled, and Manx took off, Blisters beside him. Monet was passed out, but Blisters had him, and that’s what mattered most. That, and getting away. Azure turned back just before they leapt through the archway.
She saw King Khufu swipe his hand at Cordelia, and her binds melt away. The vampire wasn’t granted a second to escape before the pharaoh lifted her into the air by her neck, her legs kicking. He opened his black mouth so wide he could have swallowed a baseball. With a sound like glass continuously breaking, he drew in a large breath that stirred the wind around them.
Cordelia’s scream filled the air, as the color drained from her body. She writhed and flailed until she was just a statue of crumbling stone. With a loud crack, her body broke apart, her essence carried away with the swirling wind.
~~~
Ata was ready to unleash a curse he’d never used, one that would blacken his soul. It would end Chibale. In so many ways, it would end them both.
To his surprise, his brother dropped down to his knees, his crook by his side. “I won’t fight you, brother. I know you’ve been ordered to kill me. You can’t control what you’re doing, and so I fault you nothing for it. This is all my doing. I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you. Do what you must.” Chibale lowered his head, bracing himself.
Ata knew the words he must say. He felt the magic pooling in his veins. Just as he’d done all these months, he would follow the instructions given to him. He robotically flicked his hand through the air, preparing to release the spell.
Though I’ve been ordered to kill my brother, I don’t have to watch myself carry out the act. Pressing his eyes shut, he finished the spell.
Ata’s flail dropped to the ground before he’d completed the words, like he’d lost control of his muscles. His eyes sprang open, and he watched an electric shock zip from the tip of his flail, and disappear into the stone.
Chibale’s gaze cracked open. His eyes connected with the flail on the ground before meeting Ata’s eyes with a question behind them.
Ata pressed his hands to his head, trying to understand. He hadn’t felt this clarity of mind in months. With a startled gasp, he stared at his brother.
“What is it, Ata?”
“They’ve done it,” Ata said breathlessly. “They’ve ended Cordelia and Hamilton. I’m free.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
“What if the antidote didn’t work?” Gran asked.
“Have a bit of faith in me,” Monet shot back.
She pursed her lips, giving him a measured glare. They stood at the front of the crowd, facing the throne where Ata sat nobly. The rightful king of New Egypt held his arms wide to a roar of applause. Chibale stood beside the throne, clapping along
with the crowd.
The witches and wizards of New Egypt had appeared to be a subdued coven, in the time Azure had been there. However, they’d been very different people since defeating the vampires. Under Ata’s rule, smiles were frequent and laughter usually overwhelmed conversations.
“I have missed you all very much!” Ata began, sparking more applause. “I’m relieved to announce that our reports have confirmed that all founder vampires have been destroyed, and all followers have been healed. Thanks to the masterful skills of Monet Torrance and the sacrifice of Blisters the unicorn, we were given a cure that we never thought possible.”
He held his hands out to the rows of witches and wizards that stood to either side of his throne. “I’m grateful to welcome back the members of this coven who suffered from a founders’ bite.”
Nenet stood in the group’s ranks, her green eyes watering. The soul mark had disappeared, being replaced by a smile she now wore most of the time. At her side, her sister stood with her arm weaved through hers. Nefertiti hadn’t left her twin’s side since learning that she’d been cured. The sisters held their crook and flail in opposite hands, a beautiful symbol of the two parts that made up New Egypt.
Ata continued his speech. “A special thank you to Queen Azure and her council for uncovering the pages from the Book of the Dead. The knowledge it revealed allowed us to defeat the founders and restore peace to New Egypt. This has been a trying time, but I firmly believe that the storm we’ve weathered has brought us closer.” He turned to his brother at his side, a wide smile on his face. “No matter what we might come up against, we are never lost or broken. It is our ties that bind us together. It is our commitment to each other that is the real magic in our lives.”
Cleopatra strolled out from behind the throne, a large snake wound around her waist and arms. She pulled the snake from her body and laid it across Ata’s shoulders. He nodded appreciatively at her.
She stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her. “I’ve watched over this coven for centuries, feeling that it needed my protection. I have protected this coven, but I have also held it back… as I have held myself back. Living in my familiar’s body is not the eternity I crave. I must therefore let go of my hold on you and allow you all to flourish without me.” She held out her hand to the snake draped over Ata’s shoulders. “I have transferred my magic and given it to your esteemed leader. It is now a source for you all to use, completely out of my hands. I have decided to finally move on and see what awaits me on the other side.”