by Jane Cousins
“Xander what in the…” She never got to finish as Xander flicked the knife in a downwards motion, nicking the skin on the back of her hand, two drops of blood welling forth. It was enough to activate the spell. Inky blackness swirled around them, picking them up and taking them Goddess knows where.
The landing wasn’t pretty, well not for Hadleigh, she was sent sprawling to the ground whilst Xander, obviously an experienced traveller by such means managed to keep his feet. It was kind of galling.
Well she’d fix him. Rolling as she’d been taught since she’d commenced her warrior training at aged three she was on her feet in a split second. Facing Xander, arm extended, in her hand a wicked sharp rapier that she intended to use to widen the good professor’s gloating smile. What in the name of the Goddess did he have to gloat about? Big deal, he’d managed to trap and transport her to some dank dark … pyramid, lit by flickering torches, the only furniture in the room a sarcophagus, sitting on a raised platform directly behind a still grinning Xander.
That smile was really starting to get on her nerves. She’d show him what it meant to be trapped alone in a burial chamber with a pissed off warrior. Bracing her feet on the shifting sand she tensed. Time to teach Botox boy a lesson. She was mid-leap when the net fell from the shadowy ceiling. Dropping her to the sand like a stone, magic gone, the black net sucking her dry in an instant. The rapier she’d called no longer in her hand. Futilely she tried to call another weapon, nothing. Desperate, she tried to get a grip on the net to throw it off but it clung to her like a sticky spider web biting into her skin making her feel trapped and weak. She couldn’t even climb to her feet. Xander, damn his very soul laughed at her predicament. Her wish to damage him escalated into a red hot fury that demanded his death.
Don’t just lie here she berated herself, do something, anything. Okay so picking up a handful of sand, throwing it into Xander’s big fat laughing face didn’t achieve much in the way of getting her free. But it did cause Xander to stop laughing, cursing now as he rubbed his gritty eyes and swore at her whilst trying to brush out the sand now weighing down his dark locks.
A sour expression on his face Xander took his time making sure he located every grain of sand marring his dark trousers and shirt before striding up the steps to take a seat on the sarcophagus lid.
“I suppose this is where you bore me to tears with your grand plan to wake the Mummy and take over the world.” Hadleigh panted from the effort it had taken out of her just to sit up.
Xander was smiling again. “Well if you’ve heard it before.” He patted the stone coffin under him absently.
“Seriously?”
“Well not just any Mummy, we’re talking my great-great-great - throw in a couple more - Granddaddy.”
“And decrepit plus Granddaddy is going to help you take over the world?”
“Nah, he’ll do the taking. I’m just asking for a little gift of appreciation … I was thinking Hawaii.”
“You know a Mummy only has magical powers in the movies right? In the real world they’re just dried out husks?”
“That’s where you are wrong. Meet Apep, the God of Chaos and Darkness.” Xander caressed the stone lovingly.
“Okay I knew you had tickets on yourself Xander but now you’re trying to tell me you have a god in your family tree?”
Okay so she had a god or two in her own family tree but no one in her family harboured any desire to rule the world, or even a small part of it. Well maybe Darcy, but she’d grown out of that by the time she hit puberty.
“Trust me I have it on very good authority that Apep and I are related.”
“Not feeling any trust right now … unsurprisingly. So tell me who’s feeding you all this baloney?”
“Why they are.” Xander held out his arms, the torches all flared for a moment, sending flames high to lap at the dark ceiling.
On either side of the sarcophagus now stood two middle aged men, the same height as Xander, ruddy with dark skin and large frames, their eyes a matching chaotic black swirling promise of terror and evil. They would have perhaps been even more imposing if they hadn’t been wearing jeans and flannel shirts.
“Most men work with girls in sequined leotards, kudos to you Xander for being so enlightened.”
The two men were staring hard at Hadleigh, so similar in appearance they had to be twins.
“This is the other witch?”
“She’s a big’un.”
Huh, was that a Texan drawl?
“Meet Hadleigh, our witch du jour.” Xander swept his hand out, presenting her as if he really was a magician in a cheap magic show.
Wait, they thought she was a witch? Well hard as it was to believe things were actually going to get more interesting.
“The other witch…”
“Is secure.”
Again they spoke almost as one.
Xander rubbed a fading bruise on his cheek. “You’re sure? You know how god damn tricky she can be. She’s made it back to Atlanta twice now, there’s no guaranteeing we’ll find her a third time.”
“Do not worry…”
“There will be no escape for her now.”
“I’m assuming the other witch you’re referring to is Serena?” Hadleigh looked around. “Is she okay? Why kidnap her if she’s not going be present for what I’m assuming is going to be your grand finale here and now?”
Xander sighed, checking his watch. “Okay we have some time, let me give you the cliff notes. Meet Sek and Mot, sons of Apep. They and their brother Bal found me fifteen years ago, told me about my lineage and made me a proposition. Find them a witch and help them bring their father back to this realm and I would have my greatest wish granted.”
Hadleigh frowned staring at Texan tweedledum and tweedledee. “They couldn’t find their own witch and bring Daddy back to life?”
“Obviously not.” Xander waved off her query.
“And you think they can be trusted to uphold their end of the bargain once Daddy’s up and running the show?”
“You will...”
“Shut your mouth.”
They hitched their jeans up in unison as they spoke, yeah not creepy at all those two.
“I’m just saying, you raise the God of Chaos and he’s going to bring …. well chaos. I doubt those pristine Hawaiian beaches will stay that way for long.”
Xander smiled, revealing all those gorgeous white capped teeth. “Don’t let my good looks fool you. I studied up on how to ensure I have an airtight agreement. I was the one who found the ritual and I’m the one supplying the vital ingredient…”
“A witch.” Hadleigh finished for him, putting all the dots together. “I’m assuming we’re waiting on sundown and then you’re going to what, bleed me? Feed me to the Mummy? Funny I’m starting to see why Serena had a few problems with your little plan. What, she didn’t take kindly to being kidnapped, transported to Egypt and force fed to the God of Darkness?”
Xander rubbed absently at his shoulder, as if to relieve pain from an old injury. “I’d been looking for a witch from the moment I commenced my studies in the paranormal, trying to verify their credentials was tiresome and frustrating. Do you know how many covens I checked out full of earth mother loving dippy hippy chicks who just like to run around naked under a full moon? Hundreds. Real witches with real power, they don’t join covens or advertise on Craig’s list. You can’t imagine my shock and surprise when one fell right into my lap. I wasn’t sure at first so I set up a few little tests for Serena and what do you know she passed them with flying colours. A witch named Serena, kind of clichéd huh?”
“So you were the one behind the Drexel hounds and the paralyxis spiders?”
“With a little help from my uncles, I had to be sure you were a witch like Serena. Anyway long story short we captured Serena, but a trickier witch never existed. Every time we opened a transport portal she gave us trouble, she’s like some sort of magic escape artist. Her first attempt at trying to escape resulted in Bal�
�s death. In retribution the brothers demanded she suffer for all eternity and refused…” He scowled at Sek and then Mot. “Refused to consider her a candidate to bring back their father.”
“Her death would…”
“Be too swift.” Sek finished his brother’s sentence yet again.
“Okay, I can see why you moved your attention to me.” Hadleigh shifted position on the sand, loathing the deadening feeling the net had on her magic as she sought to get comfortable. “What about Vaughn and the team?”
“What about them?”
Okay she had to tread carefully here. Did Xander or the chaos second in commands understand they were agents of Maat? “They’re looking for Serena. They’ll eventually connect her disappearance to you and then seven very large, very angry men will kick your butt.”
Xander shrugged. “Sek and Mot will deal with those dumb lugs if they interfere.”
Hadleigh eyed the two half godlings, was one of them actually chewing tobacco? Perhaps Xander shouldn’t put quite so much credence in demi gods who appeared to have gone native. Not to be too critical but Mot looked like he was getting the beginnings of a beer gut.
“Let me guess, you two need to raise Daddy because your powers have all but dried up?”
All three scowled at her, Xander because he didn’t like what she was inferring and Mot and Sek because perhaps she was hitting too close to the truth.
“How did you lot hook up?” She enquired.
“Well that was rather serendipitous; the forces of the universe at work so to speak. I was on a road trip after completing school, speeding through a little no account town in the desert when who should pull me over to write me a ticket but one of my great - times too many to care or count - uncles. We recognised one another immediately. Who would have thought a god’s blood runs through my veins?”
Hadleigh pushed aside her concern that somewhere there was a town being policed by agents of chaos and focused on the important part of Xander’s story. She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of her, it filled the numb chasm where her magic usually dwelt making her for a split second feel less empty.
“You find something funny?” Xander looked more curious than worried.
Hadleigh awkwardly wiped away the tears of laughter leaking from her eyes. “There are just two tiny problems with your plan to become the next king of Hawaii Xander. First off, I’m not a witch.”
Xander laughed shaking his head. “Well … you would say that, given the current circumstances.”
Hadleigh shrugged and gave a smile of her own. “But that’s not your biggest problem. I’m guessing somewhere in this little ritual of yours the blood of Apep is required to complete the awakening? And the brothers grim here probably assured you that only a drop or two of your blood would be required … well brace yourself buddy, hard as it is to believe your chaos demi god uncles lied to you. Come sunset my guess is you’ll be joining me on that slab.”
Xander snorted, his laughter freezing in his throat as he noted Mot and Sek now beaming big shit-eating grins his way.
“You’re lying! She’s lying right?”
Both men shrugged.
“No, she has...”
“The right of it.”
Hadleigh expected Xander to protest, curse, complain, maybe even come out fighting. What she didn’t expect was for the man’s eyes to roll back into his head, his body collapsing back on the sarcophagus in a dead faint.
She issued a disgusted sigh. “Just promise me you’ll kill him first.”
* * *
Vaughn paced the floor of the warehouse, fists clenched, his jaw gritted, his mind racing, eyes drawn constantly to the two miniscule blood drops, now dried, staining the cement. Hadleigh’s blood. He wanted, needed, to kill rend and destroy something. The only thing stopping him from taking his anger out on his team was that they were just as worried about Hadleigh’s disappearance and furious at Xander’s betrayal as he was.
“If we had a witch they might be able to tap any portal residue.” Drum ground out.
As a group they turned to Nate, who shook his head abruptly. “I know a few women who dabble but no one with any real power.”
“Problem my little Hershey Kisses?” Maat appeared in their midst, looking calm and serene in apricot yoga pants and matching long sleeve top, her hair back in its usual plait, her feet bare.
“Xander’s betrayed us and taken Hadleigh.” Marcus summed up their problems, not trusting Vaughn to speak politely to their Goddess and benefactor.
“Aahh, so he finally toppled to the dark.” Maat murmured, her eyes the colour of a threatening sandstorm. “He’s been wavering on the brink for a while now.”
“Why didn’t you warn us about him? You must have known he was working for the other side?” Rafe demanded.
Maat shrugged, despite the tense air a little teasing smile flirted at the edges of her lips. It made Vaughn so mad he couldn’t bear to look at her.
“He had potential to go either way. All humans and other do. We cannot interfere until they have made a final choice which path to follow.”
“Well Xander’s chosen.” Flynn barked.
“So help us punish him.” Dash completed.
Maat pursed her lips, trailing her bare feet back and forth across the cement floor. “Interesting … the sands of Egypt have found their way here.”
Instantly Drum was crouching by her feet, his nostrils flaring. “He’s taken her to Egypt.” He confirmed, returning to his feet.
“Send us there.” Vaughn demanded.
“Careful of your tone Peaches.” Maat arched a delicate eyebrow for a moment in warning.
“Maat!” There was a pleading desperate tone in Vaughn’s voice, he didn’t care about what Maat might do to him if he crossed a line, he needed to save Hadleigh.
Maat moved over to Vaughn, placing a warm soft hand along the side of his jaw, cradling his face. The smell of sun baked sands and ripe figs blanketed him in a calming wave. “You’re scared for your Hadleigh?”
“Terrified.” He acknowledged, unafraid to admit such a human weakness to his Goddess.
She slapped his face gently twice, her eyes shifting to the bright shimmer of sand reflecting the high noon sun. “Good for you my Darling One … Good for you.”
“You’ll help me … us?”
Maat dropped her hand, tilting her head slightly, sighing softly. “You already have a way to get to Hadleigh, you just need to stop, breathe and think.”
“How…”
But she was already gone.
Vaughn issued a harsh muttered curse. “Sometimes it’s very hard not to hate her.”
Drum slapped a large consoling hand on Vaughn’s shoulder. “We hear you. Now … do what our Goddess says, take a couple of deep breaths and think.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
It seems like the demi gods weren’t in the mood to do Hadleigh any favours. Moving in eerie mirrored steps the two brothers lifted her, net and all, dragging her up the stone steps, manhandling her roughly until she was lying alongside Xander on top of the sarcophagus.
“Jeez she’s no lightweight.”
“Hey.” Hadleigh managed a feeble protest.
Mot shrugged. “Look at it this way, more blood.”
Hadleigh decided to keep her mouth shut following that statement. Whilst the flannel brothers moved around the burial room lighting more torches Hadleigh twisted and turned looking for any way out of this mess.
Her magic gone, her strength drained, not a weapon in sight. Unless Xander still had that amber pocket knife. Reaching out she patted both his pants pockets, nothing. Xander started to rouse, groaning softly. Hadleigh had run out of patience with the man. So what if he was scheduled to die too, she still wanted to hurt him.
Bringing her feet up she settled her boots against his side and gave a hard shove. Xander fell off the sarcophagus with a startled cry. There came the sound of a heavy thud, followed by another cry, this time of pain. Good, ho
pefully he’d broken something. Okay it was a small vindictive act, but Goddess it had felt cathartic.
Sek and Mot moved to stand at opposite ends of the sarcophagus. Neither appeared concerned or interested in Xander, who could be heard weeping and panting now, attempting to crawl away. The brothers each raised a curved scimitar into the air, the blades glinting blackly in the firelight, almost appearing to eat the light rather than reflect it. Looking at them was like looking into a pocket of the darkest night; it hurt her eyes and made her stomach cramp at the very sight. It was the exact opposite of the feeling she’d had when she’d first seen the blade Vaughn had gifted to her that had sneakily turned into an armband so she couldn’t return it.
Wait a Goddess darn second, the blade masquerading as an armband wasn’t part of her magic to call. Was the net affecting its abilities as well or since it was the creation of Maat was it immune? Only one way to find out.
As Sek and Mot commenced chanting harsh guttural words that sounded like flesh being hauled over broken glass Hadleigh called to the blade with her mind. No response. Darn it, she tried mentally screaming for it, still nothing. The brothers swung their scimitars in a complex series of ceremonial circles and thrusts, ending with a flourish as each of them drew a long cut down her arm, Mot her left, Sek her right.
Ram rod straight once more, scimitars raised to the ceiling their chanting resumed. Great, death by a thousand cuts, what a long boring painful way to die. She attempted to wriggle off the sarcophagus but the net was caught fast, keeping her in place. Okay so maybe she could get loose via the holes they’d now cut in the netting. Damn she couldn’t even manage to raise her arms. The chanting ceased, another series of ceremonial sweeps and thrusts then the swords descended once more, this time to cut along the side of each thigh, shredding her trousers. She hissed, not so much at the pain of the cuts but at the kiss of the swords against her flesh, the metal just felt plain wrong. The chanting was back as she tried to wriggle the opposite way, all the time mentally trying to coax the armband into transforming and coming to her aid.