Heart of the Gods

by Valerie Douglas

  Still Ky caught one by the throat, avoided the slashing claws and tossed it away.

  As horrific as the battle itself was Ky was surprised to find he liked the pure physicality of swordplay, there was an immediacy to it that was undeniable…even as he punched one of the Djinn and hacked at another, driving it off.

  Raissa was astonishing to watch, graceful and deadly. The sword along her left arm was like a part of it as one of the Djinn raked at her. She caught the claws on the blade, threw it off as it shrieked in agony, spun to follow through with her other sword, whirling like a dervish. The Djinn fell as her left sword thrust backward to take another that had broken through Abasi’s men to come at her back.

  They battled their way down the causeway with Abasi and his men keeping them from being flanked.

  It was some little consolation to see that Kamenwati had it no easier.

  Even with the power and control of his marid self, some among the Djinn remembered Kamenwati well. To his shock and fury, he wasn’t finding it easy to reach the Horn, either. They didn’t want him to reach it and regain control of them again. Yet he must reach it, or lose control altogether. He was forced to take up a sword himself against some of them even as the marid Djinn within him reached out to call his brothers to them.

  It worsened into a rout as Djinn stumbled backward out of the entrance to the Chamber, crowding into those ravaging below, awakening and alerting them to the fighting going on around them.

  Djinn eyes cleared, some leaped for new prey even among their fellows, others sought new ones.

  Ky saw Kamenwati spot Raissa, become aware of them as their fight reached the floor of the lower chamber once more, the Djinn forced backward into the Tomb.

  He felt magic gather…a prickling of the skin he’d felt once before.

  Reaching out, he grabbed Raissa―too busy fending off an ifrit to defend herself―around the waist and spun her out of harm’s way.

  The bolt of heat struck around him and shattered uselessly on something Ky couldn’t see as the amulet flashed hot against his chest.

  It jolted her, he could feel it.

  Shielded by his body, Raissa looked up over her shoulder at him as she lashed out at the Djinn with her sword.

  Both of them were spattered with ichor and gore…

  She flung a hand out at Kamenwati and a burst of wind picked him up and flung him hard against the far wall, into a clot of Djinn.

  “Go,” Ky shouted, “I’ve got Kamenwati…”

  Khai had a long memory and Ky had his own memories.

  As those memories merged, a fierce cold rage filled him.

  Fury darkened Kamenwati’s vision.

  She dared fight him with magic. He would kill her, he would kill them both, slowly, make them watch as the other died. Set the Djinn on them…

  First, though, they mustn’t reach the Horn. The Horn was his. She’d dared touch it once, she wouldn’t touch it again.

  Raissa nodded as Kamenwati hacked and slashed his way through the Djinn, trying to reach them.

  Trying to reach her.

  She took a breath, put aside her fear and trusted in Ky.

  With a glance to Abasi she turned toward the entrance to the tomb.

  Gesturing some of his men to follow Ky, Abasi gathered the rest and followed the Guardian.

  A part of Ky knew Khai felt more than a little satisfaction at being able to face Kamenwati finally and at long last. Not least for unleashing the Djinn on their helpless people, or for the thousands who had died but also for what Kamenwati had done to Irisi―putting her in the ring, keeping them apart. Ky himself, remembered too well how Kamenwati had forced him to call her out of her tent, had used her trust of him and then watched Kamenwati horsewhip her. He had his own reasons for revenge.

  As both Ky and Khai he went to meet him gladly, hacking at and kicking away any of the Djinn that got in his way.

  Kamenwati smiled to see it.

  It would be a pleasure to kill this man who had helped capture him, who had helped imprison him.

  Against the strength given to him by his marid and his own well-honed skill with a blade, the other stood little chance. The man was an academic, weak like Zimmer, who was now food for the Djinn. It would give him even more pleasure to kill him in front of the one Kamenwati had once called slave.

  Ky wasn’t certain what put that smile on Kamenwati’s face but he had every intention of making it disappear.

  It did the instant their swords met as Kamenwati hammered a blow at him. His eyes widened as Ky met it easily and turned it.

  Clearly, it wasn’t going to be as easy as Kamenwati had thought.

  The part of him that was Khai smiled, remembering the force of Kamenwati’s blows. Now, by the mercy of Raissa and Sekhmet they had the power to fight him evenly.

  It was Ky’s turn to smile.

  “Surprised?” he asked, mildly, amused, his eyes narrowing.

  There were a few new tricks he might show the ancient wizard.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Raissa nearly smiled, her breath catching despite the danger.

  Ky was amazing to watch, incredibly fast, fluid, even without Sekhmet’s aid. He just hadn’t known it.

  With it…

  She watched as he parried one of Kamenwati’s thrusts, kicked one of the Djinn away. She saw a sila come up behind him, try to take him while he was distracted and sent a burst of wind to drive it away.

  It would have been a pleasure to watch him fight like that all day but she had her own battle to fight.

  She drove her left blade backward into the ghul coming up behind her, slashed with her other sword to clear the way before her as Abasi’s men held off the rest.

  Spinning, one sword took an ifrit through the throat, the other shielded her from the claws of the next.

  They were gaining the doors. They had to reach the Horn.

  A cry behind her told her she’d lost one of Abasi’s men and her mouth tightened.

  It would be all the worse in there.

  Taking a breath, she looked over at Ky quickly, one last look before they entered that awful place.

  One last sight of his face, his eyes, all of him…and then she straightened.

  Catching the next blow, Ky turned it and drove a punch into Kamenwati’s too pretty face.

  Fury lit in the other man’s glittering black eyes.

  Ky saw Raissa look back at him, quickly, just once and then she, Abasi and the rest of

  Abasi’s men passed beyond the great iron doors into the darkness.

  Within it was nightmarish, a huge echoing noisome chamber where some of the Djinn still prowled or roamed madly, their screams, shrieks and cries ringing off the walls wildly as they darted into, around or shied away from the thin light coming through the doors. They were like wraiths, some dark, some light.

  Beneath Raissa’s feet clinker, coal and charcoal crunched, the bones of dead Djinn.

  A burst of fire magic found nothing within the huge fetid chamber to ignite, nothing to light and guide their way save the light behind them.

  It only made the Djinn within screech in fury and a rabid, slavering madness.

  Part of her wanted to weep and gibber with terror.

  There was no moonlight here in the depths of the earth to enhance or give them any illumination.

  Gesturing, muttering a chant, she sent a burst of wind behind them to push the doors open farther to allow more light.

  With a flick of her wrist she sent a burst of fire magic to splatter against a wall in a shower of sparks, searching for the Horn even as she spun away from the leap of a ghul, driving one of the marid off with a spinning kick to its head that sent it flying back into the darkness.

  Another of Abasi’s men fell as some of the Djinn massed, leaped on him and dragged him back into the darkness. He wailed in helpless terror.

  Knowing he was dead, another blast of wind took them all and smashed them into a distant wall. It wouldn’t kill the Djinn but i
t would stagger them and make them think twice about trying such a thing again.

  It was all she could do.

  Catching Kamenwati’s blade on his own, Ky turned it and drove a kick into the man’s chest that sent him staggering backward. Ky drove in but the wizard threw some kind of spell at Ky’s face.

  Irisi’s charm held it at bay but the splash of energy dissipating in front of his eyes was enough to startle him, setting Ky aback long enough for Kamenwati to evade him and bring up his own sword to guard.

  The moment the slave’s hands touched the Horn and the jars that stood with it, Kamenwati knew and he battled back, furiously.

  He could sense exactly where she was.

  Seeing the doors creak open and the depths of the darkness within gave Kamenwati an idea.

  “The Guardian! Close the doors,” Kamenwati shouted to the Djinn, “close them.”

  Ky went cold…Raissa…She’d be trapped in there.

  Within the chamber Raissa was almost in berserker mode there were so many Djinn still inside, all fighting and clawing at anything near them. Turning, spinning, ducking, dodging, slashing with one sword, smashing her other into the face of something she could barely see, even with Sekhmet’s gift, she kept fighting.

  Another of Abasi’s men fell with a cry as she sent a burst of fire against a distant wall, searching still for the Horn.

  There was a flash of white in the darkness…

  She turned toward it, Abasi and his men guarding her flanks, trying to keep the Djinn off her.

  It was a tumbled mass of bone, a single skeleton.

  Not Djinn, they were creatures of fire, their remains were scattered over the floor.

  Her heart wrenched as she remembered.

  Saini. Who had sought redemption so desperately that he’d volunteered to blow the Horn.

  It must be nearby…

  Another splatter of fire against the wall reflected from something only a little distance away.

  Raissa drove off another of the Djinn as Abasi grunted with effort behind her.

  Quickly she gathered up what was there…conjured a sling to hold it…

  The light grew dimmer…

  “Guardian!” Abasi called in alarm.

  Turning, she looked back in horror.

  The great iron doors were closing.

  “NO!”

  If they closed, they would be trapped in here in the dark with the Djinn, not even able to see well enough to fight them even with her vision, and that wouldn’t save Abasi and his few remaining men.

  Or herself, trapped with the Djinn.

  She had the Horn…and couldn’t use it.

  Kamenwati took swift advantage of Ky’s distraction as Ky saw some of the Djinn leave off feasting on the dead to leap to the doors, throwing their strength against the massive things. He barely twisted aside in time to evade Kamenwati’s thrust but he did, bringing his sword around to slash at the Djinn and drive it back.

  Desperate now and determined, Ky drove the ancient Egyptian back, hammered blow after blow against him, looking for an advantage, an opening.

  He had to find one or Raissa might be trapped in there with only Abasi and his men.

  And the Djinn.

  In the dark.

  The Djinn would tear her to pieces unless he could reach her in time. He fought to get closer to the doors.

  Raissa remembered too well what had happened when she as Irisi had blown the Horn at the end of the battle. It had dispersed the Djinn across Egypt, across the world where they’d regrouped, continuing their predations but so scattered Khai had struggled to find a way to combat them.

  That wouldn’t help.

  There was a chance, she had an idea but she wasn’t the one to do it. She couldn’t do it. Only one person in the Tomb might be able to, if she could reach him in time…

  Gathering every scrap of magic she could, she called up the wind, a great burst of it.

  “Run,” she shouted…and sent another burst of wind slamming ahead of them, clearing the space between them and the doors, scattering the Djinn, smashing some of them against the iron, halting the progress for only a moment. And draining nearly the last fragments of magic available to her…

  The three of them ran for it, racing across the slick and slimy floor toward the narrowing wedge of light.

  Inexorably, the doors closed, picking up speed.

  It would be close… Raissa dove for the opening, rolled over onto her back to keep the Horn safe and take the fall across her shoulders…slid…

  In despair Ky saw more of the Djinn pile against the doors, their renewed strength speeding their progress.

  There was a burst of dust and the doors halted for a moment.

  Others of the Djinn had joined Kamenwati.

  One of them leaped at him and he dodged it, gave it a kick and a shove in Kamenwati’s direction.

  They were coming…

  Seeing the distraction in Kamenwati’s eyes, Ky knew he planned something, that something was about to happen…and it wouldn’t be good.

  There was a flash of bright hair as Raissa dove between the closing doors, rolled onto her back with the Horn clasped to her chest.

  Kamenwati spun, leaped, lashed down with his sword at her vulnerable throat as her eyes widened and she threw her left arm up to shield herself.

  His blade skittered over hers, the shielding sword.

  Then Ky was there, his sword thrust between Raissa and Kamenwati’s blade, only inches above her throat.

  Both hands on the hilt, Ky twisted it viciously upwards, driving Kamenwati’s up and away, and pushed, throwing Kamenwati backward and off-balance, staggering away from Raissa.

  “Go,” Ky shouted, “whatever it is you have planned, do it…”

  With a desperate look at him, Raissa scrambled to her feet, Abasi and his other man at her side as Ky spun his blade and sliced it backhanded, cutting Kamenwati’s throat in one swift movement.

  The man’s hands went to the blood that gushed there as he began to topple… His eyes were stunned, shocked…

  With a flash of an admiring grin, Raissa turned and ran for the tunnel above, cutting through and trying to drive back the Djinn.

  “Hurry,” she called, “we don’t have much time....”

  Ky ran at her side. “Why?”

  “With Kamenwati dying, whatever ties binding the Djinn to the Horn will fade. That some of them answered at all is proof he still had some control over them, if not all of them. Once he dies, that control will fade and the Djinn will go mad. We’ll be trapped in here with them. I can’t blow the Horn and risk either dispersing them all over the world or summoning those that didn’t answer the last time, the ones Abasi and his people have been fighting all these years.”

  She slapped back one of the emaciated Djinn, cut the head off another.

  “How well can you throw?” she asked, glancing at him as they rounded the corner to the upper tomb.

  It was as if the Djinn sensed what was coming or what they were planning, doing, or the control over them was indeed shattering but they were massing, coordinating… It was becoming harder and harder to fight through them, past them. Both of them were simply hacking and chopping, trying to drive them back, to get past them.

  A little startled and slightly amused by the change in subject, he said, “Well enough. I played both soccer and American football.”

  Raissa unwrapped the Horn from the sling around her neck…

  It was an oddly ugly and oddly beautiful thing, strangely repellent, in the shape of a ram’s horn. The dark jewels on it glittered muddily with reddish depths not just in the blood rubies but in the jet and darker gems. The copper chasing had tarnished and turned an ugly mottled and pitted green over the years.

  “You need to throw it to Tareq,” she said.

  Slashing at Djinn, he stared at her.

  “Why Tareq?”

  Raissa looked at him…and smiled.

  “Trust me and hope I’m right…”


  They burst into the main chamber, not so brilliant now with more than half the torches gone and the gold scattered underneath the feet of the Djinn who had no use for it, a number of which were trying to find a way to reach Tareq, Ryan and Komi in their corner behind Isis. The Djinn did have a use for them.

  All of them looked somewhat shell-shocked.

  The statue of the Goddess looked down, her face still.

  “Boss,” Ryan called, desperately, his tone of his voice sickly relieved to see them.

  He and Komi resolutely fired into the faces of the Djinn to drive the crowding creatures back as Tareq, with a borrowed sword, hacked at the clawing hands and reaching claws.

  Watching the Djinn was horribly like watching a cat trying to snag something just out of reach.

  They were focused, undaunted.

  His horror evident, Tareq pressed back into the corner, a sword in hand, facing the Djinn.

  “Tareq!” Ky shouted.

  The fear had been there in all of them that he and Raissa might not return, that they might be trapped here with the Djinn. Until the lights went out, until there was no hope. Until one of them tired. Fear had nearly overwhelmed all of them, it was in Ryan’s voice, in Tareq’s eyes, they’d been holding panic at bay by sheer force of will.

  And hope.

  It was with immense relief that Tareq heard Ky’s voice and turned to see him, Raissa, Abasi and one of Abasi’s men emerge from below, all of them the worse for wear, all still battling the Djinn.

  With amazement, though, he saw Ky toss his sword aside to heft something in his hands, turning it just a little to fit, to hold properly and then throw it…

  “Catch,” Ky shouted, over the hisses, wails and growls of the avid Djinn.

  The thing sailed in a nearly perfect spiral above the heads of the Djinn, glittering dully in the thin lamplight.

  Automatically Tareq reached for it, nearly fumbling it as it struck his hands, bobbling it a little…only to stare in shock and surprise at the Horn of the Djinn.